Ethan pointed his gun ahead, ready to pull the trigger as soon as the beast revealed itself. His finger was tight around the release but eased just enough so that he would not depress it at the drop of a sound. With Bela's lantern lighting his way, he looked over the sights for any sign of the dog.
Nothing – just silence.
The doorway greeted the duo with a dark abyss. There was not a thing to be seen. Bela had backed away as soon as she swung it open, only to pause in response to the lack of gunfire.
Where is it? It was just there.
She turned to Ethan, who was far too invested in this doorway to spare a glance at her. The man stood perfectly in front of it, but with the creature not passing through, he chose to move further back, angling himself near the corner. It provided him with the extra distance to react, and a less direct path for the dog to run. The animal would have to think, and thinking took time.
Time spent doing anything but fighting was time out of the fight – which would end in death.
Bela was too close to shift her position. She pressed her body against the wall as best she could, avoiding making any sounds in the process. If the dog didn't know she was there, it would simply blow right past her. Being at the edge of the threshold, the blonde kept her ears open for any noise.
Something is breathing in there. It sounds kind of far, but it's breathing.
She peered down to the lantern in her hand, aware that the source of light was right at the edge of the doorframe.
Damn! It's probably looking at the light. It must know that I'm standing here…
Ethan would not take his muzzle off the door, but he kept his eyes over the gun's sights. Zeroing in would only narrow his vision. He needed to be able to adjust quickly to whatever he was trying to kill. Dogs were fast, and the distance between them would be closed in an instant if he wasn't prepared. For a fraction of a second, he snapped his eyes at Bela, who was still standing there.
She was too close, and he needed to do something about it. Their presence was not a secret to this animal. Enshrouded in the darkness, the beast had to be watching them. Ethan was a visible target, no doubt about it. Bela, on the other hand, was well within reach. If the dog chose to attack her once he popped through, it would have been easy prey for him.
Testing the waters, Ethan took his non-firing hand off of the gun and dove into his pocket. His three remaining fingers brushed against the metallic lei coins inside, and he plucked one out immediately. A quick throw sent the piece of currency spinning into the next room, where it hit a wall with a high-pitched ding before rolling around.
The Duke would have shed a tear, but it was better than Bela shedding blood.
As soon as the coin made its way toward the back, a loud bark shattered the stillness, and the charge of a powerful animal rushing through the room could be heard. It snarled as it circled the floor, desperate to clench its jaws around whatever had just entered.
Bela jolted as soon as she heard the commotion, composing herself so it would not go after her.
That thing sounds big…
Taking a slow breath, Ethan reached down into his pocket again and grabbed a second coin. He had an idea, and with the way this encounter was being played, it was the best chance they had at landing the first blow. He threw the next one into the room, instigating another round of fetch. The coin landed closer to the door this time, and the barreling frame of the dog's body drifted into view. It was still difficult to make out, but the grey hairs of the beast stuck out amongst the shadows.
It was all Ethan needed.
He whispered under his breath, "Got you." The gun went off.
A blast of fire erupted from the end of the barrel, rocking the hardwood stock and metal buttplate deep into the man's shoulder. Ethan was unable to see what the result of the gunshot was, but he heard the animal kick up in a frenzy.
The kinetic energy around the cartridge was so large that it would have torn through any organic lifeform in its path, channeling waves of pressure throughout its body. It had to have been a fatal shot. He held off on firing the shotgun barrel, just in case he missed.
Following the gunshot, Bela had separated herself from the wall. The lack of communication had led her to believe that the dog charged for him. It already didn't help that she could hear the animal just feet away from her. With her lantern and sickle in tow, the blonde sped toward the back of the room.
What is happening?!
She could not understand why Ethan had not moved from his position. Did he succeed in killing the creature? Not taking any chances, she made her way to the opposite corner, preparing herself for what could happen next. If the dog did choose to go after her, Ethan would have had a clear path of travel for his gun to tag it once more.
He'd only have one more shot, and he'd have to make it count.
With silence all around them, both began to wonder if the dog was still alive. Now that Bela had stepped away, Ethan could barely see a thing. The lantern was too far back, which pulled the doorway into darkness. The blonde was in an even worse spot, as the glaring light she held made it difficult to see anything else ahead – not to mention how it made her a beacon to run toward.
They were both sitting ducks.
Believing that the firearm would always be louder than any scream that she could muster, Bela broke her silence, "Did you hit it?"
"I don't know," he replied. "I think so, but I can't tell."
Her fingers tightened around the handle of her blade. That wasn't an acceptable response from him. Most of the creatures here did not go down with one swing. Experience had taught her to expect hell, and as the growling on the other end picked back up, she knew hell was about to come her way.
In the abyss, more snarls of animalistic rage could be heard. The creature was still walking around in there. Its steps were heavy, trailing off with the distinct sound of sharp claws. This may have been a dog, but it moved with the actions of a tiger.
Ethan wanted to reload his weapon, but he wasn't sure if he had time. With his luck, the dog would come straight at him the second he cracked the action open. He had to remain ready.
Shifting around the room some more, the dog's snarling morphed into another round of gurgling. It wasn't a good sign at all. Something monstrous had to have been going on with it. As the gurgles increased, so did the pacing of its footsteps. It grew more agitated by the second, and neither Ethan nor Bela were ready for what was about to come their way.
The gurgles were accompanied by the echoes of dripping. As Ethan focused on the doorway, he finally glimpsed the sight of the dog's face as it peeked through. The grey animal's fur-covered head and neck were stained with blood. A dark bed of red ran down its throat, where the dog's lower jaw should have been.
"What the hell?" Ethan could not believe what he was looking at. The dog's mandible was completely gone. In its place was nothing but gore, though what should have been fatal was anything but. The dog peered around like its wound was nothing. The creature's eyes were difficult to make out, as its sockets were sunken in. Tiny glimmers in the center shined off of the light from the faraway lantern, indicating that this thing did possess eyesight.
Its upper jaw was riddled with teeth, while the size of its build was at least twice as big as any large dog. Ethan thought the lack of a jaw may have been caused by his gun, but a valley along its left side told otherwise. He did land a shot, but the bullet had skimmed along the hound's back. It still should have kept him down, but nothing in this world died easily.
The dog picked up on his position, and as it moved closer, the rest of its body came into view. The animal's guts trailed out from under its abdomen. It was a ghastly display, which almost made him want to vomit.
From where she was, Bela could make out the rest of its shape. The dog possessed a long, almost snake-like spine. Its entrails were not mere organs, as certain sections of its intestines appeared to have legs.
They look almost like centipedes…
The dog's organs had begun to gradually adopt the insectoid form of the multi-legged invertebrates. It seemed like Vikcia's dust favored such a shift in physiology, as many of the infected outside these walls were littered with maggots, or possessed some bug-like qualities.
Figures, she thought, that a woman who craved rot would bring forth such transformations.
Turning its head toward Bela, the dog's snout lifted toward the ceiling, where the crevice of its mouth revealed itself. Its long, tattered tongue dangled around, surrounded by blood. Through the blurry field of the lantern light, she could hardly make out what the beast was doing, but without question, its sights were set on her.
"Ethan, you need to shoot this thing, now!"
As soon as her words ended, a shotgun blast ripped through the air, burying scores of pellets deep into the dog's side. With a great, long hiss, the creature turned its head to the man. Its sunken eyes glimmered once more as it fixated on the person who had just attacked it. The wounds from the shotgun were there, but the damage did not seem to be much.
The dog stumbled as it reangled itself. Ethan could see how its organs were moving on their own. Hundreds of tiny, sharp little splinters fought to claim their ground as the intestines slithered about. The dog reared its head up once more, and out of the hole above its tongue, came a long, sharp needle.
Ethan was already in the process of breaking open his gun by the time it began to charge. The dog barreled toward him like a bull, undeterred by the long cape of its entrails dragging about. It closed the distance between them as quickly as he expected it to. By the time he was inserting the first cartridge into the weapon, the needle blitzed right past the side of his face.
"Fuck!" Ethan shouted as the dog collided with him and took him to the floor. It was too close of a call. The force of its charge would have speared the appendage straight through his face had he not moved in time. The weight of the monster was immense, and there was no shaking it off.
He was pinned.
The needle scraped along the wall and ground as Ethan and the dog tussled around. Its powerful legs held him down, leaving the only option of self-defense to be prevention. He gripped his hands around the animal's snout as best he could, ignoring the pain of its sharp teeth digging into his skin. The mosquito-like stabber would retract a little, only to jut out again.
Ethan knew that if the dog got the chance, it would aim its face at him and send that thing into his skull. He had to divert its direction at all costs. The strength that it displayed was fierce. The hound tried to shake him and drag him around, hoping to loosen up his hold.
The man kicked at its long neck, trying to land a decent enough strike to halt its attempts on his life. Unfortunately, the futility of his actions was quickly apparent. If a shotgun wouldn't put this beast to sleep, then a few kicks weren't going to do anything.
All he could do was fight to stay alive.
"Ethan!" Bela cried as she ran up to him and plunged her sickle into the back of the dog's neck. It was a good hit, but the animal did not waiver in its actions. It continued to press down on the man, while the sharp tendril went back and forth. As the blonde reached for her blade, she suddenly felt the sensation of something crawling up her leg.
What is that?
She peered down and saw the dog's intestines hooking onto her. With the lantern set just ten feet away, she was able to make out the sets of pinchers that several areas of the organs had developed. They truly were just like centipedes, and as soon as she laid eyes on them, the first bite went into her.
"Argh!" Bela screamed from the sudden, searing wrath that came from the prongs. All the nerves in her calf fired up, which rendered her paralyzed from distress.
"Bela!" Ethan shouted as the dog shook its head wildly in all directions. His grip was beginning to sink, and it was just a matter of time before he finally lost. He considered taking hold of the needle, but the dog could easily retract it past his hands. He had to hold on for dear life.
The pinchers dug deeper into Bela's leg, while the rest of the organs crawled further up. As soon as they got above her right knee, the intensity doubled when another set of them punctured her flesh. The sting was too much, and the blonde lost all her balance. She fell to the ground, breathing heavily from the aftermath of the bite.
Why does this hurt so much?! I can't even kick it off! I…I have to do something!
Her amber eyes moved around, where they glimpsed the sight of the dog still fighting Ethan. The beast had power and it was going to win soon. She needed to intervene as soon as she could.
The gun! It's right there!
The firearm had fallen only a few feet away from her; its action still open and hungry for ammunition. Fighting through everything that was going on with her leg, Bela scrambled to get ahold of the weapon. She pulled her body along the wooden floor, using the angled light of the lantern to guide her way. She could feel more of the tiny legs digging into her skin as they moved around. The pinchers chewed on her again and again, but she could not let them overpower her.
She had to get that gun.
With her fingers clawing to pull her ahead, Bela dragged herself further up, doing her best to avoid the dog. It was still throttling Ethan and one of its sharp paws ended up stepping on her back. The hound's nails were sharp, and once they landed on her muscles, Bela could feel the tingle of blood escaping down.
Damn! I can't move any further! I must –
Bela's arms jolted forward, and she was just able to clinch a good hold around the trigger guard and drag the gun over to her. Her hand then let go and swiped across the floor for some spare ammunition. The only ones that she could see were out of reach, and this gun was useless if she didn't have anything.
She made her next choice. "Ethan! I have your gun! I need bullets!"
"God damn it!" Ethan's hand endured a penetrating stab from one of the dog's teeth. It tore through the webbing of his thumb, causing him to lose his grip. The needle shot out of its mouth, piercing the back of his hood. "Shit!"
With no other options at his disposal, he dedicated the next couple of seconds to tearing open one of his ammunition pouches. The contents spilled out and rolled everywhere. He could only pray that Bela was going to reach them in time.
The dog's front legs sprang out and struck his chest, knocking the wind clean out of him. Fighting his vacated lungs, Ethan used whatever strength that he had left to dive into his coat. Shimmying through its interior zippers, he felt the blunt handle of his trusty knife. This was his final opportunity to fight back.
The clock was ticking and the bell with his name on it was about to ring.
Ethan clutched the handle of his knife and withdrew it from his coat. With a firm thrust, he jabbed the shard of metal into the animal's temple. The dog twitched as it reacted to the stab, hissing and growling at the same time. However, its strength did not wane. The knife would not kill it.
The needle retracted back into its throat, and as the man held onto the knife that was embedded into its skull, he watched its mouth turn toward him. He could feel its hot, musty breath against his nose and cheeks. The creature tensed up, preparing itself for another lunge.
Two consecutive booms deafened Ethan's ears. The last thing his eyes saw was a bright flash and pink mist. The powerful hold of the infected animal weakened in a blink. With labored groans, the creature stumbled around, allowing him to squirm away.
His ears were still ringing by the time he was able to get a second glance. Bela was still on the ground, the twin-barreled weapon clutched in both her hands. Smoke poured out from the ends of the muzzle – and out of the giant, gaping hole that had been opened against the back of the dog's left ear.
Heaps of blood coated the surrounding area, with streams still pouring out of its obliterated arteries. Bela had discharged both rounds at once and succeeded in destroying its trachea and part of its spine in the process. The dog held no sense of direction as it tried to maintain balance, but the fluid loss, along with the unforgiving damage of the gun in general, proved too much for it to handle.
With air traveling back and forth through its mutilated neck, creating a flapping noise with each ventilation, the beast finally succumbed to its injuries and fell. Twitching at the legs, it lingered on the last moments of its life.
For Bela, the insectoid sections of its intestines were not independent of the monster's mortality. The pinchers that had clamped onto her skin sprang open, and the extremities that clutched onto her went lifeless without hesitation. She shook her weakened leg out and picked up another shotgun shell off the floor. Using the butt of the firearm to help prop herself up, Bela shambled around as she attempted to regain her footing.
The dog would not be a threat until it was finally killed. However, part of her did not want to see the creature suffer as its life circled the drain. Feeling a desire to show mercy, she cracked open the action and ripped the spent casings out from the chambers. The next shotgun round was inserted in its respective barrel, and with a forceful snap, Bela slammed the action shut.
"Bela…" Ethan tried to stand up, but by the time he rose, the gun went off again. His eyes gravitated to the fallen dog, and atop the mountain of blood, a pile of smoke lifted into the air.
It was dead.
With a breath to settle her troubles, Bela opened the gun again and threw out the spent shell. She picked up another rifle cartridge and an additional shotgun shell from the floor and threw them in. Another quick lock-up. The gun was ready to go once again.
"Here." She handed it back to him, fighting to stand as her leg flared in pain. Ethan could see the way her face grimaced as she moved toward him. She needed assistance.
"Come here." He took custody of the gun in one hand, using the other to take her by the arm. The blonde did not utter a word as he moved closer to her, as she relied on his aid to keep her steady. "Let's just get away from it. You look hurt."
"Mhmm…" She fought through the radiating torture of the bites. Her leg muscles were incredibly sore, and parts of her skin felt like they were dancing on fire. Her gloved hand rose to grip his forearm, and she was certain that Ethan took a mental note of how hard she was holding onto him.
The two found a place to sit on the other end of the room. As soon as he sat Bela down, Ethan ran over to secure the door that the dog had just come through. If any other infected animals were hiding in there, he did not want to engage them. This fight had already taken enough out of both of them and with the blonde the way she was, she wouldn't be able to save him like she just did.
Ethan threw the metal bolt across the door frame as he stepped away. Would it hold? He didn't know. It was better than nothing and at this point, they had to take what they could get.
Once he picked up the lantern and returned to her, Ethan took off his coat and sat down. Bela was positioned upright against the wall, with her left leg straight out in front of her. She drew sharp, precise breaths through her curled nostrils. The woman was still trying to rise above the suffering that she was going through. It was admirable, but he could not let her endure this on her own.
"Let me see what I can do for you," he told her as he sorted through the contents of his coat.
Still cringing from the flaring of her leg's nerves, Bela slowly turned her head over to him. "Can you get me out of this world?"
"Working on that," he quipped.
"Not fast enough…"
Ethan pulled out that green bottle of his and set it down beside him. With the lantern's flame bright enough to keep everything visible, he pointed to her leg. "You're bleeding."
"I'm also blonde," she mentioned.
"What does that have to do anything?" He scratched the side of his head.
"I just figured since we're talking about things I already know, I could add that to the list, too."
Ethan groaned as he shook his head. "I can never win with you, can I?"
"Never," she let out a slight chuckle amidst her strain.
"May I?" He pointed to her leg again. Her implied consent came in the form of her moving it over to him. Ethan inspected her calf, moving the edge of her dress further up until it stopped at the knee. There were at least three separate bite wounds that were quite deep. Thick globs of blood had pooled up at the top, surrounded by raised, bumpy skin.
Her cries had been well-warranted. Bug bites were never fun, but sometimes even the smallest of creatures could rattle someone's nervous system. There was no considerable swelling, but the extent of her injuries could not be determined on the spot. The faster he acted, the better chance that she would have of moving around again.
As he prepared the bottle, Ethan took notice of how her dark stockings were now covered in blood. They were already torn in the sites where the bites had occurred, and if they stayed, the infection potential of bodily fluids would remain there.
He then came up with one unpopular decision.
"I'm going to need to tear off this part of your stocking to clear up the area of the wound," he said with the most uncomfortable voice. There was a two-second pause where he and her stared at each other. Bela couldn't have been any more dumbfounded than she was now.
The blonde closed her eyes and squinted her brow. "No."
"I need to clear up the area so that I can apply this stuff." He held the bottle up to her. "The blood that's on you will dilute it. I need to clean this up. If you let that blood sit there, and you also get injured again, this will be infected."
"You're lucky that you're seeing this much of my leg." Bela remained adamant about her decision. Another round of stinging catapulted her into a tense hold. She curled her lips and clenched her fingers, groaning furiously at the encroaching distress within her muscles.
"Do you think –"
"Fine!" She kicked her leg around. "Just do it! This hurts!"
"Right…" Ethan got his mind back on task. The bites weren't going to heal themselves. Using his hands, he pulled up the fabric of her stocking and tore it apart. The tight, thin layer ripped open as soon as it was yanked. Bela's pale skin came into view, painted with the strings of her dark red blood.
Her amber eyes peeked at her wounds, turning away as soon as she saw them.
He couldn't help but crack a small joke, "Squeamish?"
Her thin eyebrows rolled with a minor annoyance, yet, she could not stop her twitching lips from forming a semblance of a smile. "Shut up."
With a slight chuckle, Ethan removed another rag from the inside of his coat and began to wipe the clotted blood off of her skin. Her eyelids pressed shut, as did her lips. He wanted to speed up the process, but doing so would have only made it worse. As soon as enough crimson had been absorbed into the cloth, he opened up the bottle and hovered it over her bites.
"Stay strong," he instructed.
"Mhmm…"
The liquid poured out onto her leg. Just like the previous time, Bela clinched up and fought the urge to scream. The sting from it was just as bad as the pinchers from the dog's intestinal tract. Her toes curled in, and Ethan almost had to grab her knee to stop her from moving away.
The fluid bubbled upon contact, but it appeared to be working. Parts of her open tissues were starting to close up and seal themselves. It was only minor healing, but the stiffness of her muscles had subsided. Bela's breathing mellowed out, even though she was still tense.
As soon as a sufficient quantity of the mixture had been given, Ethan put the bottle away, hoping to retain what was left of it. He quickly withdrew a second strip of cloth and used it to bandage her wounds. Bela's eyes opened as she watched him at work, free from their scornful intensity.
She was calmer now – perplexed, even.
I could have done this myself. You didn't have to do it.
Ethan tied the knot on the strip. Once it was secured, he consolidated what remained of his supplies and placed them back inside his coat. Bela's eyes would not leave him.
But, thank you.
"So," she spoke as she brushed her fingers through her hair, "are you ever going to tell me just how endless those pockets are?"
Ethan's mouth brimmed with an amused grin as he finished zipping up the interior of his coat. "You know, I bought this because it had a ton of pockets. You never know when you're going to need them."
She glanced down at her torn stockings; an elegance that was unfit for battle. Her eyes drifted to the soft shoes that she had stolen off of that corpse when they first arrived here. Her high heels didn't last an hour. The dark gown she wore was too tight in certain sections to permit such quick movement. It wasn't a problem when she could disperse into a swarm of flies.
Under these circumstances, it was anything but useful.
"I guess I could have dressed for the occasion," she remarked.
"You dress well," he said. "I would say getting thrown into new universes isn't something that people tend to see coming."
"Hmm…" Bela squinted her eyes as a coy smile brimmed along the side of her wide cheeks. "You think I dress well, Ethan?"
"Most vampires do."
I'm not a –
"Ugh…are we going to go back to this, again?" She knew he was referring to her lifestyle of bloody delights. Talking about her past actions was something that she did not want to do. The blonde had begun to notice how her perception of what kept her alive all those years was beginning to change.
It was mostly due to the wayEthan viewed it. Their initial interactions in this world had been soured by the way she carried on and reflected her murderous tendencies. Preserving whatever this thing between them was relied heavily on burying her truths in the ground.
"Shit, you're right," Ethan waved off his stupidity. "I will say this: You live in a castle, so I would have thought someone who does would be dressed well."
With a satisfied gleam in her eyes, Bela got comfortable as she crossed her arms and triumphantly gazed at him. "So, you finally respect nobility? My, my…how patience pays off."
She found his eyes back on her. He looked like he was on the cusp of saying something, but stopped short of spilling his words. Ethan fell back into silence, but the expression on his face gave the blonde the impression that he was about to throw another joke her way.
After this latest fight, she could have used a little extra humor in her life, regardless of how stupid she found his to be.
She didn't want to let this conversation die off. The longer the silence existed between the two of them, the more she felt like they would be back up and moving through the next set of rooms. Her condition spoke otherwise, along with her gravitation toward common sense. She wasn't going to be running around just quite yet.
With all that was going on, she wanted to remain here with him for a little while longer. Even if they weren't trapped in a hellscape of madness, talking with the man was enjoyable.
She wouldn't have minded it in either universe.
"Cat got your tongue?" She teased him.
Ethan was already done putting his things away. He could have gotten back up, but the man chose to remain seated where he was. With his firearm across his lap, he allowed some of his paranoia about the world to shed its skin. It may have been the calm, inviting tone of Bela's voice to simmered him down.
Either way, he wasn't ready to stand – and neither was she.
"I've already had enough of dogs," he remarked as he gestured to the defeated monster's corpse. "Let's save the cats for another day. They might actually take my tongue."
She snickered as she held the hand of her hand up to her mouth. "Clever, aren't you?"
"Tell me you disagree." His smile reappeared, which earned a fixation of amber from the pale beauty beside him. He didn't notice her staring at him when he turned his eyes. Ethan only glimpsed the tip of her nose and those dark lips of hers as she bowed her head. Her hood covered the rest.
Such a mysterious lady, shrouded in the cloak of the unknown. So much left up to the imagination.
She hummed again. "Sometimes I feel like you and I were born to argue." Bela was having fun with this little game of cat and mouse that disguised itself as talking. Playing her voice to such a sweet tone was something she had never done before without a diabolical intent.
This was something else – and it was fun.
"If I hadn't met you in a castle, where do you think I would have found you?" Ethan kept his eyes on her.
The blonde tried to avoid a direct stare of her own that would have locked horns with his glistening glare. She maintained that plump smile along her face as her gaze turned to the lantern beside her feet. "Not a clue. Maybe you can tell me where I would have been? I really don't know what it is out there."
"Huh…" Her comment was a thought-stirrer. He could not forget the way the villagers had reacted when they realized that he was an outsider. The community must have been so isolated from the rest of the world. Since she and her family resided in such a large castle that was kept away from the reach of the common folk, he could only imagine how secluded her existence was. "I met Mia during a science class, back in college. Well, more or less, I saw her. Didn't start speaking till two months later. Uhm, you like to study textbooks, you said?"
Her shoulder shrugged as she reached over to touch the cloth around her leg. "Occasionally."
"Science?"
"And a little math…"
Ethan nodded as he crossed his legs and raised his knees. The man rested his elbows atop them, hunched forward as he engaged her in further discussion, "You must be smart, and since you say you work hard, I'd expect to find you in an honor roll class."
"That sounds prestigious." Her eyes rolled toward him. Bela brought her arm back up to her lap, keeping it there for a couple more seconds before she played with her dangling locks of hair. "I'll take that as a compliment."
"Take it however you wish," he replied.
She hesitated for a moment, sitting still as her mind tried to process the outcome. As soon as she realized that she couldn't come to a definite conclusion, Bela tilted her head in his direction. Through the edge of her dark hood, Ethan was finally able to see her concerned face.
"That is a compliment, right?"
"Uhm, yeah," he affirmed, unsure of why she seemed so dependent on his answer.
"Oh, very well, then." She looked away. "I know nothing of college, or whatever that is, so…"
"College is a fun time," he told her. "I'm sure if…you went…you uh…would have had fun." He pressed his lips as soon as he finished saying that. It felt like such a stupid remark, even for something as casual as small talk. He remembered where Bela came from, and the type of life she lived.
College? Of all things?
It was so easy to forget the flies when all he had in front of him was a woman who acted like her.
Bela, on the other hand, also caught on to the reality of his statement. She parted her lips and glanced down at the floor, which seemed to be her trademark resort whenever a feeling of discontent washed over her. She'd do the same thing when her mother would scold her. The rest of the day would be nothing but a somber husk of a daughter, quiet as a mouse.
It was always easy to not make a sound, no matter how much she wanted to be heard.
He thinks that there's more for me out there. Where…where am I going to go? I'm happy enough to live where I live. There doesn't need to be anything else. I have my family.
She exhaled an elongated breath.
But, why is it here that I find myself wanting more?
Ethan hopelessly tried to change the subject, "So, who is the big wine drinker in the castle?" Luckily for him, it caught her attention, and held it there.
Bela raised her head with a giggle. "That depends on who requires the most bottles, or who drinks to excess."
"I saw your mother walking around with a bottle, while I was, well…"
"Smashing vases?" She narrowed her eyes at him.
"In between that, to be honest." Ethan nervously rubbed the back of his head as he looked at her. The eldest daughter had him dead to rights on the amount of destruction that he had caused along his journey through Castle Dimitrescu. For a woman who had made mention of her aggravation at having to take care of other people's messes – he left her with a lot.
Bela allowed her glare to rest on him for a little bit longer, hoping that her soul-splitting eyes would send the message loud and clear. "Why did you find it worthwhile to do so?"
"Oddly enough…someone placed a bunch of useful things in them." Ethan cracked a grin as he raised her shoulders and hands. "Ammunition. Medicine. You name it."
The blonde grumbled as she shook her head, "Daniela…"
"What was that?"
"Don't worry about it."
"Sure thing," Ethan said. "So, who is the castle drunk?"
"Oh, that would be Cassandra," she answered. The mere mention of the brunette's name – tied with the recollection of her antics – invoked an instant feeling of exhaustion. She couldn't count the number of times that woman overindulged to the point that she would stumble around, knocking over things in the process. None of the wine was ever safe from her, and her sneaky habits were known to deplete the stock throughout the winter. "She gets a little too bored, and solves it in the worst ways."
Despite her evident frustration with her sibling, Bela's mood improved after she heard Ethan laugh. The idea that he found entertainment in the truth of Cassandra's lifestyle took her away from the memories of some of their fights over the years. As much as she yearned to be back with her sisters, the blonde found solace in the company she had here.
"It's all adding up now," he implied a correlation between her habits and aggressive attitude. "She was probably drunk when I met her."
"Are you alive?"
Ethan was about to ask why she said that, but he quickly caught on. "She can't control herself when she's drunk, I presume?"
Bela's voice heightened a little as she spoke to him in the same way a parent would congratulate their child, "Now you're learning!"
"Fuck off…" Ethan chuckled under his breath.
"So crass…" Bela touched the cloth on her leg again.
"Apologies."
"Forgiven."
"Do you ever get drunk?" Ethan asked. It was a strange question, but given the topic, not a surprising one. It was bound to come up sooner or later.
Bela dragged her injured leg up, managing to bend it, along with her other one. "I enjoy a glass of wine, or two. On those rare moments when I get to unwind, it is well-received. But, to answer your question: Not like Cassandra. I have a little self-control, you know?"
"Yeah, you do." Ethan flicked his eyebrow and nodded. "I don't figure you as the big drinking type. I partied a lot in my younger days, but when I got through my first year of college, I just mellowed out. I met Mia that next semester, and she didn't like the party scene, either."
"So, she wasn't a drinker?"
Ethan shrugged. "Kind of like you, actually. She'd have some wine over a nice dinner, or on the couch while we watched a movie. She was smart, and I liked that."
I guess that makes me 'smart' too. You've already said that before, after all.
She turned her head and curled her lip.
I think I need to back off. I'm being way too friendly with this man. I'm having fun, but…he's going to get the wrong idea. I don't want him thinking –
"I don't like men who drink like thirsty rats, so, your wife chose well." Her smile lit up when she glanced at him, but she dimmed it down as soon as she realized that she had turned back into the mindset that she sought to stray from.
What is it with you, Bela? Stop being this friendly! He's not your friend. You don't have friends!
"Thank you," Ethan responded with a warm voice. That was when her thoughts halted, and the train of delusion came to its final stop.
But…I want a friend.
In her moment of weakness, Bela let down her walls and acted upon her impulses. "Ethan, I just wanted to thank you for everything that you've done for me since we got here. I uhm…I didn't think that I would have ever said this, but, it's great to have someone like you around."
The man was shocked. He could hardly believe what he had just heard. It was no secret that their interactions together had been on the road to improvement. Conversations were being had, and both their personalities had opened up to one another. Of course, she must have seen him as more than some infuriating man by now.
As for him, he saw a side of her that she likely never showed to anyone outside her castle. He was once her prey, but now, he was her protector – as she was his.
"Hey, that's what we do," Ethan responded with a smile. "If we take care of each other, then we'll make it out of here."
The blonde nodded with satisfaction. "Yeah…that's what we do."
Kyia's face was buried in her book, the light of the lantern keeping the text visible under the surrounding darkness. Ethan's pistol sat right by her side, but her unwillingness to toy with such a dangerous weapon kept her finger at bay. She did not want to risk injury to herself, especially at such a crucial time.
The commotion of what surely had been multiple encounters outside the door only elevated her stress levels. She could hear the echoes of the infected cries, along with the shouts of Bela and Ethan as they ended the monster's lives.
The thin brunette clung to her book as a source of comfort; a barrier between her and the nightmares ahead.
Despite the most pressing matters at hand, her thirst for knowledge had not diminished. This book contained vital information that she swore to uncover. The literature surrounding the theory about other realms was sparse, but the state of Serpenmoor spoke for itself.
An opening had been created in the sky, and with it, a world of decay had spilled into this one. She needed to learn more so that she could better understand how to navigate it. Ethan and Bela also heralded from a separate universe – one where there did not appear to be contagious evil.
If this world was as lost as she believed it to be, then theirs would be the best hope she had to survive.
Skimming through the pages, Kyia's finger twitched with anxiety. She wanted nothing more than to have Ethan here to comfort her. There was something about the way that man spoke that settled her otherwise unending nerves. She had lived a life that adhered to her values, which never called for a gentleman such as him to exist.
Ever since their first conversation, she could sense his goodwill. He did not attempt to steal any of her resources, nor did he display any immoral desires toward her body. She felt safe in his company, and the life that he spoke of enticed her. His world must have been filled with such wonders the likes of which she had never known.
He wasn't just the promise of a better future, but the promise of a kindness that she had longed to see.
Her tight-knit nature kept her feelings at bay, but the presence of the blonde did not help. Bela was a violent individual, and Kyia feared that she would endanger his safety in the future. For whatever reason, Ethan still chose to take her along. The woman was adept at killing, sure, but was she dependable?
The brunette tried not to think about the matter much further. All she could do was hope that they made it back to her alive.
After another ten minutes of reading, her mind was gripped by a passage that immediately stood out to her upon seeing it. Above the text was an illustration of a very unique blade – one that looked strikingly familiar to her.
"Could it be...?"
"These strange fragments of metal that have been found over the years are often seen in museums and places of worship. However, it wasn't until Sir Allen Douglas brought his collection in for study that experts noticed how certain pieces seemed to match. Some would call it a coincidence, but the uncanny similarities between the matching parts and the visions experienced by multiple individuals who have been cut with the metal cannot be ignored.
One-hundred-seven years ago, as of this writing, two men were standing in a field, tending to crops, when a blue flash appeared before them. Upon approaching it, one of the men was pelted with several tiny shards of metal and was reported to pass away a day later. Before his death, he recalled visions of a land with two Sheer Orbs, inhabited by individuals reminiscent of an earlier time. Amid a great battle, he observed a group of women adorned with fur capes, who wielded blue flames at their fingertips. A blade was produced by one of them, and it was reportedly referred to as the 'Dagger of Death's Flowers.'
Different accounts over the years have striking similarities, but one thing has always stayed the same, and that is the dagger in question. Is this blade responsible for the unexplained metal that has been found over centuries?
The questions linger, but until the Church of the Fabled Ones allows further study, all efforts to learn about what lies outside our world will never progress.
Are these women beings from the heavens? Literature of worship does not indicate so. The metal does not affect everyone who is cut by it, and most attempts have led to nothing but countless lacerations. With the church now in possession of most of the fragments, the secrets of these women may be forever lost.
'Fawns,' as one person allegedly referred to them, might be destined to exist only in rejected myth."
Kyia's shaking hands closed the book, leaving her staring ahead with a wide set of eyes. Her breathing matched her unsteadiness, spurred by the adrenaline that coursed her veins.
She understood the stories of realm travel from what she had been told, and with the confirmation of this dagger, the path to escape was clearer than ever. The fragments of metal were no coincidence, she thought. It couldn't be. If the dagger in question could be assembled, then they all stood a chance at cutting an opening through the barrier.
They just needed to get their hands on it.
NOTES:
Welcome back! I'm sure you all weren't expecting a good boy to come running into Ethan's arms…
The dust can really change things, can't it? This pooch is yet another addition to the world of RE horror hounds. Are there more out there? This isn't the last infected animal these two will encounter.
So, this chapter wasn't all action. I wanted to throw in more bonding as I know you all love it (as do I). Bela and Ethan still need to grow, and they need a break from what is happening around them to do so.
Bela and Ethan are far from invincible. If they keep pressing their luck, it's eventually going to press back. In this series, no one's life is sacred.
This is where the time to heal comes in, and the time for these two to get closer to one another. Bela is lost in the unknown in not just this world, but in herself – and she sees Ethan as her guide. There are so many feelings at play here. Has she been so blinded all her life? Perhaps so.
Separated from what she used to know and detached from the physical aspects of her own monstrosities; Bela is changing. Is the woman who faded away on a cold, windy village morning years ago still alive in there, somewhere?
I also hope you guys enjoyed the little segment with Kyia. It's brief, but she's still very much alive. Stressed as usual, but what else is new? Her book is a fountain of knowledge in the right places, and a lot of crucial information is dumped in this little passage.
The Dagger of Death's Flowers is of great significance in Fragmented Flies, and it will also be a major plot point in the Daniela story. We all know the dagger isn't in this world, so where did these metal fragments come from? This story will answer that question.
Fawns? Fragmented Flies might know a thing or two about them.
Follow this story on Archive of Our Own to check out the newest artwork of Kyia that was created for this chapter! I wanted to draw her again because there is just something about her aesthetic that I love. She's a strange soul, who is more guarded than a medieval fortress. Yet, under those walls is a woman undergoing a transformation as well. Where will this story take her? Just wait and see…
So, this weekend is also a double release! I'll leave the rest of my words for the next author's notes. Enjoy! 😊