Hello Neighbor!

by Hellraptor

Ethan's fated encounters with Bela, Cassandra and Daniela with a single difference - the Dimitrescu Daughters will not be bereft of survival instincts. While the former two will merely flee, Daniela in particular, might want to use Ethan for more than just his delicious man-blood and tasty man-flesh... A single decision might have far-reaching consequences...

19. Abyss

Author's Note:

Normally I don't like adding notes at a start of a chapter, but I'll make an exception this time.

Firstly, this chapter got quite a hefty word count. Secondly - more importantly - this chapter is by far the darkest and most violent of any written so far in Hello Neighbor; I've raised the story's rating to explicit because of it. There will be extremely disturbing content in the third part of this chapter, so you should probably not read it if you don't like heavy stuff like that.

---

…It was wrong.

That internal moral compass that was instrumental to maintaining a happy marriage in a land of temptation finally blared to life inside Ethan's head, jump-starting neurons into an overdrive. It wasn't the first time Ethan needed this subtle tool's aid to navigate the complex relationship he had established with Daniela, but this time its dire warnings became audible to the charmed man far too late. Irreversible damage has been done; the line that could not be crossed was carelessly trampled beneath their uncontrollable attraction.

Oh my god… what am I doing!?

Even as he came to his senses, relinquishing his needy hold of her incredibly soft lips or graceful body proved to be a challenge of its own.

Pull yourself together man!

Though he managed to follow up on his thoughts, the dreamy look Daniela shot him made him want to go right back at her.

Stop it! Remember Mia! Remember your goddamn wife!

In turn, Daniela appeared to be completely unaware of the turmoil roiling inside Ethan right now, judging by her blissful expression. For her, things couldn't get better, though they certainly could get worse as she started to catch the glimpses of remorse in Ethan's eyes.

"I am sorry…"

There was indeed more than one thing to apologize for, as well as there being multiple slighted parties, but not even Ethan himself could tell for certain to whom he was apologizing in this instant of time. To Mia for cheating on her? Or to Daniela for leading her astray; for giving her hope when there was none to be found?

Regardless of its intended recipient, Ethan's apology sounded pathetic even to his own ears. Why couldn't he just control himself to avoid hurting the people he cared about? Why was he so weak-willed? Could that pitiful apology make up for his selfish deeds?

All it achieved was to shatter Daniela's blissful state. Confusion was one way to describe her reaction. "Did… did you not enjoy our kiss?" Gears were quickly turning in her head, but she still denied the possibility that the kiss itself was the mistake. Perhaps as an ingrained response, her first instinct was to search for fault within herself - an acquired trait from decades of living within her oppressive household.

In turn, Ethan could not even chuckle bitterly, as he was simply too ashamed to do so, though he did find her vocalized notion laughable. That kiss had been everything Ethan hoped for, and then some. If he did not have the life-long commitment to his existing marriage, Ethan was certain that he would be all over Daniela by now, experiencing every inch of her body.

Of course, as the man came to realize the true scale of his fuck up, any coherent thoughts were lost in a maelstrom of chaos - a fact which was reflected in his own gibbering reply.

"No… I mean yes! But I… we can't do it, Daniela! It's wrong…"

If Ethan expected his pitiful ramblings to diffuse the situation before it got out of control, he was proved wrong in the next moment when confusion was replaced by first hints of anger on Daniela's fair face.

"Wrong?" She whispered out in disbelief; her eyes widening and her lips parting. The hurt was written plainly in her expression.

Remorse for hurting this vulnerable woman suddenly became suffocating for Ethan, robbing him of his ability to speak. Not that he had anything to say that could get him out of this horrible mess of his own making. He could not take back his words and deeds, nor could he go forward. He was stuck.

Unfortunately, his silence served only to infuriate the redhead further. "Wrong?" She repeated herself, this time hissing the word as if it was a terrible curse. Her eyes narrowed and her fists clenched. Before he could do anything, the redhead suddenly shoved him back, causing him to land straight on his rear a short distance away from her. The sand cushioned his fall, so the man had no issues standing back up swiftly, but her forceful push served as a reminder that her graceful frame belied her impressive strength.

"Wrong?" Again, Daniela hissed out at him, this time with what almost sounded like hatred to Ethan's ears.

And again, Ethan had nothing to say. Even as he loathed himself for his indecision and inability to take responsibility for his own actions, he had nothing to say. He just stared at her, pleading with his eyes to forgive him; to just pretend nothing had happened and to move on.

He'd have more success asking Felipe VI to pass him the Spanish Royal Crown.

Daniela would tolerate his silence no longer.

"How can our feelings be wrong!?" she exploded with a suddenly high-pitched shriek. Gazing at him with frenetic despair in her large eyes and panting from anger, Daniela looked to be on the verge of a panic attack.

The helpful voice in the back of his mind told him that this was likely his last chance to avoid something terrible; that he'd only need to say or do something that would console the redhead - a reassurance that their mutual feelings were real.

"..."

Ethan's head dropped. Stuck in the center between his loyalty to Mia and his affection for Daniela, the man remained paralyzed by indecision.

Perhaps regardless of whether he tried to defend his actions or not, they had already passed that point of no return, but it was specifically his lack of answer now that evoked something dark and terrible within Daniela. A glimpse of madness and paranoia that had been festering inside of her for a very long time, the one she thought she had conquered. The dark images it conjured for her mind could not be denied. Ethan's silence gave it the voice it lacked before in this sun-soaked land.

"Unless…" Wild-eyed, Daniela spoke to herself more than to the man in front of her. There was no getting to her anymore. "Our feelings are a lie?!"

She suddenly thrust an accusatory finger at him even as angry flies started to buzz around her. "You never cared for me in the first place, did you?!"

Ethan had absolutely no idea how she could've leapt to such an outrageous conclusion so fast, but he was not blind to the fact that he was now treading a thin ice, though his own safety was surprisingly not a priority for him. He only wished he could diffuse this situation somehow; that he would not stay still and silent like an utter cretin… "That's not true at all…"

Daniela did not give him the chance to gather his wits, as his half-hearted denial acted as kindling for the bonfire of dark thoughts in her mind. She shook her head frantically while waving her arms up and down, as if to dismiss his words as a blatant lie.

"You were just toying with my feelings all along, I see…" Her abrupt tonal shifts spoke volumes about her failing mental state. "I am nothing but an irrelevant little diversion for you to entertain yourself with while your dear wife is abroad!" She huffed in rage; the swarm of flies around her intensifying in both the density as well the sporadicity of its movement. Ethan was completely lost for words at how abruptly the situation has gone from bad to worse.

"NOTHING BUT A CHEAP SUBSTITUTE!"

The inhuman screech she let loose caused acute pain to Ethan's eardrums, finally breaking him out of his stupor, "Dani, I–"

Lost in her trance, she would not let him speak, however. "You are just like Miranda, just like Mother, just like Camelia - just like them, all you ever wanted was to use me!" Her physical shape was rapidly deteriorating into a tangled mass of crawling chitin; even her vocal cords underwent a partial metamorphosis, making her voice sound monstrous - as if a thousand minuscule voices spoke as one.

"I was nothing but a tool for you to use and discard once you grew bored with me!"

"No, you're wrong! I care about you, Daniela!" Ethan took a step forward towards the swarming monstrosity that vaguely resembled a woman - but his pleading fell on deaf ears. The concentration of flies that were the furthest from its host made contact with Ethan's skin as he took another step towards Daniela - they were not kind to his flesh. Ignoring the increasing pain from their bites, the man tried to reach out for the distressed vampire, but she would have none of it.

Before the last remnants of her face dissolved into a cloud of black chitin, Daniela yelled in a distorted voice, "LIAR! I HATE you! I NEVER want to see you again!"

Losing all coherency, the swarming creature in front of Ethan no longer even remotely resembled a human woman and nothing but angry chittering and furious buzzing could be heard.

With no regard for his own safety, in a foolhardy last-ditch attempt Ethan dashed forward to embrace the chaotic swarm of bugs, but nothing except for empty air greeted his arms. The cloud of flies flowed around and over him before fading into the darkened sky. A mere second later and he was no longer able to discern them from the evening sky's background. In another second, all was quiet except for the calm ocean waves and his own rapidly beating heart.

Daniela was gone.

Dumbstruck and unwilling to accept what had just transpired, Ethan stood still like a statue, with his arms still stretching out in a futile bid to grab a hold of the person that was so dear to him.

He could not believe just how fast the situation deteriorated, just how quickly everything they had built apparently fell to ruin. More than anything else, he struggled to come to terms with the fact that it was he who caused such immense distress to the woman he had come to care so much about.

Ethan knew just how much stock Daniela had put into that bond of theirs. He also knew that her grasp on reality was tenuous at best - she was aware of his marriage, but what was Mia to her? Just some abstract person she'd never even met. And instead of reinforcing his commitment to his marriage with his deeds, he just kept sending mixed signals to Daniela, giving her hope that the dejected redhead eagerly gobbled up in her vulnerable state. He was the one to initiate the kiss, only to pull back, citing his marriage like a cheating, no-good bastard that he was. Breaking just one heart wasn't enough for him, it seemed.

Everything is my fault… I am such a fucking idiot…

Slowly, the man pulled his arms back to his side, though it took him more than a moment to gather his wits. Eventually, however, Ethan became aware enough to realize that he couldn't just stand around like a moron and do nothing. Perhaps it was still possible to mend this gap; that Daniela's hateful parting words were nothing but a spur of the moment, produced by a traumatized mind.

Would she have simply left if she truly hated him, after all? At this point it was hardly a secret that Daniela was not above employing violence to get back at those who slighted her, but for whatever reason - whether because her time in Valencia truly had such a benign effect on her or due to her enduring affection for him - she held back from lashing out at him. Truthfully, he had no idea about what was the case here, but that still did not prevent him from considering his own stance.

The errant thought to use this situation to actually rid himself of the redhead's problematic and unstable presence crossed his mind, but was instantly discarded. He wanted her to be a part of his world, no - he needed her. Were she to be gone now, Ethan was certain that a gaping hole would remain in his heart forever. In a sudden burst of uncharacteristic optimism, Ethan found himself resolved to do everything in his power to make things right with Daniela.

In that same moment, Ethan suddenly realized a simple, yet also so very complex truth.

He loved Daniela Dimitrescu.

The man closed his eyes and counted to ten while breathing deep. Swallowing hard as cold sweat beaded on his forehead, Ethan looked around; his mind suddenly cleared of confusing thoughts. As that revelation dispelled most doubts and worries that plagued him, cold logic came to the forefront of his mind, and that logic demanded him to make sure that there were no witnesses to Daniela's monstrous transformation. Just because she was mad at him didn't mean he would falter in his efforts to protect her from the world that wanted her gone.

Gazing around, Ethan breathed a sigh of relief as he failed to spot a single person anywhere close by. A bunch of dot-like silhouettes mingled somewhere in the distance, but this patch of sand around him was completely deserted. The possibility that someone was able to behold Daniela's act of shapeshifting was slim at best.

Ethan glanced down next, spotting a number of items Daniela discarded during her furious flight. Her own shoes and socks, Mia's hat, as well as his sunglasses.

Since there were no signs of them anywhere, Ethan presumed that the rest of her clothing - and by extension, the stuff she carried in her pockets - had to have been carried along by her swarm. That meant that her phone still remained with her - a small blessing of this huge clusterfuck of problems.

Without thinking too much, Ethan swiftly grabbed his smartphone and started composing text.

'I know you're mad, Dani - and rightly so - but I swear to you that I have never had any intent to abandon you. You're a precious person to me and I care about you greatly. I would never discard you.'

The man fumbled with his fingers before letting out a sigh but ultimately sending the message. He was then quick to chide himself.

Coward. You didn't write that you love her. You fucking cowardly piece of shit.

But how could he do that? Just because he realized that he loved Daniela Dimitrescu didn't mean that his love for Mia Winters suddenly vanished. He was married to her for more than thirteen years now; risked his life for her on more than one occasion; sired a beautiful daughter with her and more than certainly still held dear feelings towards her. Could he truly sacrifice all of that..?

"Fuck…"

Falling down to his knees, Ethan grabbed at his head with both hands, once again lost in a maelstrom of doubt.

"Just what the fuck am I supposed to do…"

The man muttered to himself, having no clue whatsoever about what the hell he was going to do next. He wanted desperately to preserve his connections to both Mia and Daniela, but the voice at the back of his head mockingly chided that they stood at polar opposites to each other and he could only pick one direction to walk towards in the end.

Wasting several minutes like that and expectedly not coming to any insightful solution to his self-made crisis, Ethan shook his head in a bid to dismiss these unhelpful musings. First things firsts; he had to make sure that Daniela was safe and sound, mending their relationship and figuring out what to do with his fucking mess of a life were the distant second and third concerns.

Typing some more on his phone, Ethan hoped that this would be enough to prevent Daniela from doing something dangerously rash. In such an unstable frame of mind, it was not inconceivable to imagine the capricious redhead going out to find some more trouble for herself. If she showed herself on B.S.A.A. radar, Ethan feared that not even he, with his personal history and connections to Chris, would be able to do anything to help her.

'Please don't do anything rash, Daniela. Just go to your house and try to calm down. Everything is going to be alright - I promise you.'

For a minute, the man waited for a response and when it became clear that it was not coming, he tried to dial her directly. She did not pick up.

Nibbling on his lip in worry, Ethan burst into motion. Quickly putting his loafers back on his feet and ignoring the uncomfortable sensation of sand getting stuck in between his toes, the man proceeded to collect the stuff she left behind. Once done with that, Ethan briskly walked back towards the parking lot that was some distance away. He had no idea how quickly she could travel around in her swarm form, but it was a reasonable assumption that she already had quite a lead on him. He could not afford to waste more time.

As he lacked any concrete information about her whereabouts, Ethan could not come with any plan more solid than simply getting to her house and inspecting it for her presence, so he did just that. He knew that she would frequently explore the city during the nighttime in her swarm form, so Daniela had to have some general knowledge about its layout - he could only hope that she would both be reasonable enough to head home as well as that she could find her way back there in the first place.

The next thirty minutes were some of the most tense in his life - and that was saying a lot, considering what he had gone through, as Ethan made his own way, first through the beach and the promenade towards his parked car, then through the mercifully empty roads back towards their neighborhood on the outskirts of Valencia.

Parking next to Daniela's house, Ethan heaved a large sigh of relief once he spotted some light pouring out of what he knew to be the woman's bedroom. It was the only source of light that came out of the house and both the front door as well as the bedroom's window curtains were closed, implying that the redhead sought privacy.

Despite that observation, the impulsive part of Ethan wanted to immediately rush out of his car and make his way straight towards her bedroom, but the rational aspect of his mind cautioned him against such a direct course of action. He did not need to be reminded that Daniela was quite capable of actually killing him, if she so desired; considering her parting words and the unstable frame of mind, such an outcome was not inconceivable if he were to disturb her peace now. Even if that was not to be the case, however, she still likely had no desire to see him right now, and just wanted to be left alone.

Wringing his fingers for a couple of seconds as he gazed at her bedroom's impregnable curtains, Ethan typed yet another message.

'I am outside your house now, Dani. Please tell me if you want me to come in. I'll explain everything.'

There was no response, but Ethan could swear he could hear a short-lived smashing sound coming from Daniela's bedroom. Several seconds later, the light coming from there died and the whole house became engulfed in darkness that looked quite unwelcoming to Ethan.

Though he did not see her in person, it appeared to Ethan that Daniela was safe and sound, at least physically, but it was also clear to him that she had zero desire to see him today. While there was a powerful urge that demanded that he would go and see her for himself right now regardless, Ethan managed to shove it down.

He sat in his parked car for several more minutes, hoping to see some activity coming from Daniela's house, but everything there remained quiet and still.

Unable to come up with a better plan, Ethan then decided to let her calm down on her own for tonight. He knew that sometimes even the most sociable of people just wanted to be left alone to properly process accumulated feelings - maybe Daniela just needed a time out.

As he started the ignition and drove towards his own residence, the man found himself resolved to return to her abode first thing in the morning, to beg for her forgiveness and to explain the full extent of his conflicting feelings. He could only hope that this night of solitude would do Daniela some good and that tomorrow she would be amicable to mending their relationship.

---

To completely disperse into her swarm was a peculiar feeling which Daniela would struggle to relay to anyone but her sisters who also shared that unique ability.

It was a strange, unearthly experience to feel your own consciousness split apart into countless tiny pieces, yet remain connected and in a way intact through an ethereal link, the true nature of which not even Daniela herself understood.

More than merely allowing her to take flight or to avoid harm, her swarm form affected the way she thought; her very sense of self was challenged each time she assumed the unnatural shape that was her birthright.

The full-body transformation simplified the way she viewed the world. As more time would pass without her reverting to her human form, her thoughts would become simpler, as well. Critical thinking alongside most higher brain functions would steadily dim until nothing but the primordial instinct inherent to all animals remained.

In a way it was liberating. To feel your worries and anxieties melt away into nothingness as your shrinking mind eventually loses the capacity to process them; to become a primitive creature of base instinct that did not concern itself with treachery, hatred and greed that was so widespread among mankind.

Not for the first time Daniela wished that she could remain as a collection of mindless flies, just living their tiny little lives with no regard for the cruelty of higher beings around them. It would be a simple, but perhaps fulfilling existence, as there would be no unachievable goals she would foolishly crave with no respite.

Of course, much like a human can't just voluntarily stop breathing to the point of suffocation - due to the body's built-in survival instincts eventually overpowering even focused will - so does a Dimitrescu sibling's superorganism enforces cohesion that is beyond conscious control.

When the threat of permanent loss of self becomes too great, the need to coalesce together becomes an irresistible force, pulling the many individual flies into a singular whole - whether they wanted it or not.

So it is the case now. Despite Daniela's earnest wish to lose herself in the animalistic bliss of ignorance, the gnawing need to become whole eventually proved too much.

Countless winged insects came together to form a singular being, changing more than just shape and color as they did so. Even their internal composition and chemistry transmuted itself to better fit the vision of the human body whose DNA was forever ingrained in each and every fly that had once feasted upon it.

Yanked back into the cruel and cold world from her blissful existence as a simpler being, Daniela regained awareness in a familiar environment - her bedroom in the Duke's house. Sprawled on her soft bed, it took her a couple of seconds to think through the disorientation that naturally came with lengthy stays in her swarm form. As electricity started to spark through the synapses between her reassembled neurons once more, lost short-term memories gradually returned.

First were the simple ones, such as that her swarm had traveled all the way from some beach towards this dwelling. Then came an approximation of the distance traveled, calculated purely based on how tired and sore her body felt - the swarm form was not meant for long-distance travel and it tired her out quickly - she must have been in flight for around thirty minutes from the way her muscles ached.

Finally, she began to recollect the actual events that transpired earlier today.

The wonderful, absolutely magical trip to Patacona Beach with her dearest Ethan. The sweet kiss of love under the fireworks with him…

…and the reveal of his treacherous and deceitful nature. The collapse of all of her hopes and dreams. The death of all hope.

The recollection took less than ten seconds from start to finish, but the onrush of emotions - both positive and negative - was akin to a flood of water breaking through the cracked dam.

It felt as if her newly-reformed heart was being torn to pieces by the agony of his unfathomable betrayal. The time she had spent in her swarm form had dulled the pain to something she could bear, if only just; but the lingering trauma of that awful incident caused her to be unable to see it in a rational light - all she could think of it is that Ethan had betrayed her feelings in the most vile of ways. Daniela could not even recall any specific words spoken by him - the rage and indignity she had felt in that moment clouded her memory completely, allowing no other possibility to cross her mind.

To think that he had been toying with her all this time forced bitter tears to cascade down her cheeks. The implications that all the seemingly special moments they shared together were fake made her gasp out in despair. Her whole body shuddered in anguish as she considered that even her connection to his child Rose was established just so he could exploit her in an even greater capacity.

The darkness of her room was not doing her waning sanity any favors. It felt like all kinds of maleficent creatures were lurking in the lightless corners, waiting for their opportunity to pounce on her and claim their due.

Standing up with some effort as she was exhausted both physically and mentally, Daniela flicked the lights on and the accursed shadows retreated. A different threat manifested shortly thereafter, however - taking the shape of loud voices and boisterous laughter coming from outside the house.

Experiencing a strange combination of both fear and annoyance, Daniela crept towards her window and sneaked a peak out. It turned out that a small company of young men were merely making their way down her neighborhood. Judging by their carefree banter and unhurried gait, they were a group of friends, simply enjoying the Saturday evening.

Daniela hated them. Why did they get to enjoy their lives out in the open like this, when she was destined to be alone, forced to hide like a rat?

As they passed by her house, the urge to fly out and to gut them with her dagger was great… to claw out their eyes while bathing in their blood…

She didn't even care that such a brutal act would undoubtedly lead to her own extermination at the hand of local police or B.S.A.A. units - a small but vicious part of her simply wanted to go out with a bang, to massacre as many people as possible so they could join her in eternal oblivion. The echoes of evil in her family's name were not that easy to suppress.

Surprisingly, she held back; her rational and compassionate side overpowering her brash aspect.

These people did nothing to her and they did not deserve her ire simply because they had something she didn't. Perhaps the old Daniela would've gone after them in an insane and futile attempt to claim their happiness as her own, but the Daniela of today knew how foolish it was to seek joy at another's expense. Nothing but misery lay at the end of that path and even at her wits end from the grief Daniela found herself unwilling to cause further harm. If it was fate's decree that she had to suffer, she would do so alone.

Shutting her window and pulling the curtains close, Daniela plopped back on her bed. She had no idea what to do now. All she had was anger and uncertainty. For several minutes she simply stewed in these emotions, unable to come with anything more productive to do.

Ethan turned out to be just like the rest of the people she met in her life - two faced and selfish. She could not stay here, not with him living so close by. But where else could she go?

She was nothing but a monster with no identity, to be detained as an illegal citizen by the first police officer who would ask for her documents and then exterminated once her true nature was revealed. Out of the few people she knew, only the Duke had potential to somehow solve that conundrum, but Daniela knew that greedy merchant well. Like hell he'd do anything for free, and for such a tall task he'd ask a fortune - she was certain that the funds she owned would be grossly insufficient to meet his price.

Then what else was left? To crawl back into Mother's castle and to beg for forgiveness? To humiliate herself before that heartless woman and to plead to be taken back under Alcina's tyrannical rule? To once again become an object of mockery for Cassandra and an annoyance to Bela?

Truthfully, Daniela wasn't certain that that kind of life in such a toxic environment was worth living.

A soft ringtone of her smartphone, coming from her pants' backpocket temporarily distracted her from her musings. Even though she likely knew that the message she received was either simple spam or coming from the man she wanted nothing to do with, out of freshly-ingrained instinct she quickly pulled the phone out and gazed at its blindingly bright screen.

It was a message from Ethan, alright. That duplicitous scumbag was outside her house and wanted to come in.

Like hell! He probably just wants to rub it in my face just how stupid and gullible I am for falling for his cheap tricks! As if I don't know!

In a burst of sudden rage, Daniela shot to her feet and hurled the smartphone against the wall with all her strength. The fragile electronic device was never designed to be handled with such brutality, so it promptly died even before its warped frame came to rest on the floor.

Frothing in anger, Daniela flicked the bedroom's light off in a clear message for everyone to steer clear.

Nobody's fucking home! I swear I'll kill this bastard if he shows his damn face here! I should've killed him on that beach!

Somehow, the very notion of hurting that man appeared repulsive in the redhead's mind, even despite the grave injustice he had committed upon her. She must have been even more foolish than Cassandra gave her credit for if she still loved the man who spat on her feelings…

Crashing back on her bed and burying her face in pillows, Daniela felt sporadic sobs returning to plague her once again. Why was life so unfair to her?

Why would he toy with me like that… just why?

A little voice in the back of her mind tried to soothe her frayed nerves by whispering to her that perhaps she had been mistaken - there was no way everything they did together in the last two weeks was staged; that the feelings between them were real after all.

But that tiny voice was hopefully outmatched by the breadth of bitter experience Daniela went through - one of constant belittlement and betrayal.

Her trusted maid Mihaela, who had pretended to befriend her, only to try and kill her with a concealed kitchen knife.

Priestess Miranda, who preached about family and greatness, while privately considering them all as nothing more than disposable fodder.

Her own mother Alcina, who seemed so eager to please the aforementioned priestess that even sacrificing her daughter was apparently not a price too high.

Camelia, who had promised the world and its wonders - only to attempt to plunder their castle.

Cassandra - her own sister - who had unleashed such hateful bile upon her that it made her want to die right then and there in her library.

And finally, Ethan - who had shown her the meaning of what she thought to be true love, only to cruelly yank the drape back, revealing a deceitful heart…

…or did he?

Could it be that she had overreacted, that his hesitation and lack of commitment did not necessarily mean that he sought to abuse and discard her - unlike everybody else in her life?

He had shown her so much kindness. They had spent so many wonderful days together. His little Rose even warmed up to her - and no way that innocent child's emotions were faked. But…

Ethan had spat on her feelings, didn't he? He made a mockery of their connection by claiming her lips with a passion of a true lover, only to cruelly pull back the next instant. It was all just a charade for him, wasn't it? Mia was the only woman he loved and Daniela herself was just a nice little distraction to toy around with while his precious wife was elsewhere. She was beyond foolish thinking that she - the inhuman monster - could have a bright happy future together with him.

Weeping into her pillow, Daniela gave in to despair, her reservoir of hope near depletion. Everyone had their limits and not even her unbridled optimism - that got her through so much - had much fuel left in its tank.

With her body exhausted both mentally and physically, it was no wonder that she soon cried herself to sleep.

Naturally, not even her dreamscape offered much respite, however, as the apparitions of important figures in her life - all of whom had wronged her in one way or another - took their turns at stabbing her in the back. Deceit, treachery, greed, violence and hatred were the colors of her dreams. Eventually, as if her very mind could no longer withstand the barrage of misery that was her existence, she entered a blank, dreamless state.

---

Daniela's eyes shot open as a thump-like sound disturbed her rest.

For several seconds as the dead quiet of the still night reasserted itself, the confused woman thought that her keen senses might be just playing tricks on her, but a second thump, coming from downstairs, made her reconsider that notion.

Like a scared child, Daniela pulled the edges of her blanket closer to her face - right up to her nose.

Some would find the idea that a supernatural creature like Daniela could get scared so easily as laughable, but the truth was that she was not a brave soul - never had been. Ever since she could remember herself, she was always afraid of the things that crept in the shadows; of the creatures that could go bump in the night.

Frozen still, Daniela did not move a muscle as she focused her acute sense of hearing on any potential disturbance. Now that the haze of sleep no longer held its sway on her, she was able to discern what sounded like muffled voices coming from downstairs.

Terror gripped her heart, but she concentrated on listening to the voices nevertheless. They were not loud, yet they were not whispering either, implying that their owners either had no idea about her presence or were unconcerned about waking her.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, Daniela continued listening. It seemed like there were three, maybe four distinct masculine voices coming from downstairs, though it was hard to discern individual words.

She was scared, but the redhead still decided to investigate the situation, firstly by quietly vacating her bed and creeping towards the bedroom door. It was closed, so Daniela opted to press her ear to the wooden barrier's surface.

"Siamo sicuri che i quadri siano in questa casa? Sembra invecchiato," one of the men spoke, with another merely grunting in affirmation.

Daniela stifled a gasp of surprise. She wasn't fluent in Italian, but she understood the gist of it.

Paintings? They came after the Duke's paintings?

The knowledge that her uninvited guests were just humans, with apparently mundane goals, served to drive much of the fear out of her, allowing her to think clearly.

Did the Duke send them to retrieve them? No…

Daniela knew that the Duke was an eccentric man with vast ambitions; some would even say unscrupulous, judging by the all kinds of clientele he was eager to deal with. But he was also very thoughtful, and if this was something as simple as transfer of his possessions by his loyal men, he would not have forgotten to notify her.

That left another possibility that reignited that spark of fear - but also conjured indignance.

These people were here to rob the Duke. And that meant that they were here to rob her, as part of Daniela's agreement with the merchant included her keeping the paintings safe. The Duke was possibly the last person who could still provide aid to her now that she could no longer count on Ethan - she could not simply abandon his precious goods and risk turning the merchant against her. There was no choice but to face these men on his behalf.

Daniela had no idea whether these were the Duke's rivals or just random thugs; nor did she have a clue about how they could've possibly learned that there was a hoard of expensive paintings stored in this house. But one thing she did know was that she hated thieves with a burning passion.

Even before Camelia, the Dimitrescu family had a number of vicious and bloody run-ins with those who wished to lay claim to their vast fortunes, but it was that particular female treasure hunter whose boundless avarice almost led to a tragedy. The very notion that material wealth alone was the reason that so much blood had been spilled set her own blood afire with anger - and she didn't even care how hypocritical that made her look. Insatiable human greed led to more calamity than anything else in the history of the world and Daniela found herself eager to dispense judgment.

She grit her teeth upon hearing these ruffians scrounging downstairs, likely in search of plunder. The desire to confront them with instant violence was strong, causing the redhead to reach for the dagger that was concealed within her hoodie. A certain resurgent thought caused her to hesitate, however.

'Violence isn't always the answer.'

That's what Ethan said when she asked him how different groups of humans could get anything done in this complex world of theirs without killing each other off. Somehow, that innocuous little quote of his came to the forefront of her mind now, forcing her hand to let go of the dagger's hilt. It resonated with her innermost desire that called for peaceful and harmonious existence, causing it to break through the surface feeling of anger.

One of the reasons she came here was to escape the violence and madness of her past, but she was always so swift to consider resorting to it, nevertheless… Maybe this is why Ethan will never love her. The duality of her nature was too much for him.

Regardless of Ethan, however, Daniela suddenly realized that she had no desire left to kill these intruders, even if they did come harboring ill intent. Even if everyone turned their back on her, she did not wish to embrace the violent ways of her family, not anymore - not ever again.

At the very least, she'd give diplomacy a chance. With some remorse, Daniela glanced backwards at the broken smartphone that still laid on the floor. She did not want to speak to Ethan, but maybe he could've assisted her with these thieves, or that very least offered some advice…

No matter… I'll just handle them myself.

These people seemed to expect this house to be uninhabited - perhaps merely going down to confront them peacefully would do the trick? They'd get confused and just leave? Nibbling on her lip, Daniela wondered if that was too much to hope for.

Nevertheless, with her mind set up, Daniela took a moment to gather her courage before opening the door and taking the first step out into the second floor's hallway. None of the brigands have yet to make their way upstairs, giving the redhead a further moment to regain her wits, such as they were after the falling out with Ethan.

She moved carefully, aware of her surroundings. The tiles of the floor felt unpleasantly chill against her sensitive feet - she had seemingly misplaced her shoes and socks, and this was not the time to rummage through her wardrobe for a spare pair of either. She'll have to bear with the discomfort for now.

The house's lights remained dark - it appeared that the ruffians decided to mask their presence from the view outside by employing handheld illumination devices, likely flashlights or maybe just smartphone's torches, the rays of which Daniela could already see.

As she slowly crept towards the source of the wandering lights, Daniela cursed that she lacked Bela's proficiency with swarm form. Perhaps if she had her elder sister's talents with that ability, she could've used it to scare the humans off without demonstrating anything obviously supernatural. Bumbling tool that she was, Daniela couldn't trust that some part of her swarm would not randomly coalesce into a leg or an arm.

While she lost her faith in Ethan, she had no reason to doubt his warning that if her true nature was ever revealed, the feared B.S.A.A. agents would be on her case within minutes. Better to avoid using her abilities altogether and pretend to be an ordinary human girl rather than risk having these thieves hastily dial the agency's emergency number if they got a gist of what she truly was.

Consciously, Daniela brought her hood up, once again shrouding her hideous scar from prying eyes. The prospect of imminent confrontation caused her to nervously lick her parched lips. Once more she pulled the hoodie's zip down to her chest level and snaked a hand in there - it was not an erotic gesture. The familiar outline of her dagger's hilt provided a measure of comfort as her fingers brushed against it inside the inner pocket of her hoodie.

She was never the most assertive or aggressive out of the three Dimitrescu siblings, but she was quite capable of defending herself. More than ten years ago, Mihaela the treacherous maid had found that out the hard way when her simple kitchen knife had vanished in the teeming mass of insects that had been the redhead's smooth flesh a moment prior.

Daniela used that grim memory to remind herself that if words failed and things spiraled out of control, she would be able to overpower most humans thanks to her unnatural gifts and the trusty blade at her side. Truthfully, however, she was even more afraid of her own darker side. It would be truly best for everyone involved if they managed to resolve this conflict without resorting to violence.

With that in mind, Daniela did her best to project a confident front as she approached the stairway. From the small balcony that oversaw the foyer she was able to immediately spot three of the intruders - their flashlights gave them away as they searched for their plunder.

Unfortunately, Daniela did not get to enjoy advantage for long since one of the thugs was already making his way up the stairs and in the next instant his light happened to flash right across her face.

"Merda!"

Startled from her utterly unexpected presence, the bandit tumbled down the stairs - luckily for him, he had been only a couple of steps up so he suffered no lasting damage from the minor fall.

As he picked himself up, Daniela failed to stifle a snicker at his clumsiness, though whatever mirth she had dissipated quickly once the other two thieves swerved around to flash their lights at her.

The light from their torches was rather dim, so Daniela wasn't blinded by it. Instead, as the light came from three different directions, the redhead found the whole area sufficiently illuminated for her to take in the intruders' appearance herself. A moment of tense silence followed as both sides took a second to evaluate each other.

Daniela could see that they were dressed in similar, but not entirely identical dark apparel which consisted of form-fitting cargo pants and blank shirts with jackets over them. All of them had a black face mask covering the lower portion of their face and a similarly colored cap concealing their heads. Judging by their getups alone Daniela could guess that they were not a bunch of amateur opportunists but a professional and organized gang of robbers.

While it would be tricky to differentiate them by clothing alone, their individual builds could be helpful in that particular regard.

The most average-looking out of the thieving trio still stood next to the house's entrance. Closer to the kitchen was the leaner thug, who also had the most impressive height - easily over 190 cm. Finally, the ruffian that was startled by Daniela and just now finished picking himself up was a particularly stocky build.

In another situation Daniela might have found their vastly different looks mildly humorous but now it was clear that none of those present was in the mood for jests or laughter. The trio clearly meant business so the woman did not waste any time as a sudden inspiration visited her frantic mind.

Deciding to take the initiative as the thugs have yet to recover from their shock, the redhead straightened up and spoke in nearly-flawless Spanish with confidence that she did not truly feel.

"What are you doing in my house?! Go away before I call the police!"

Naturally, she was bluffing. As she was a bit more familiar now with how the law enforcement operated in this world of humans, she knew that even the victims would have no choice but to go through mandatory ID checks. There was no way she would actually call the police - even if she had the means to do so - and she didn't as she had smashed her cell phone earlier.

The trio of thugs exchanged quick looks before focusing their gazes on her once again. They did not speak nor move from their current spots, but Daniela could tell all she needed to know from their postures. She had more than enough experience in dealing with humans in distress - the subtle differences that indicated whether an individual would fight or flight were not lost on her.

Though their bodies were tense, none of these three appeared on the verge of breaking into a sprint. It was clear to the redhead that words alone would not dissuade these intruders as they were not the kind to leave empty-handed - her bluff failed and her spirits fell.

Funnily enough - at least it would've been to her sister Cassandra - she still found herself lacking the desire to kill these men despite their clearly hostile intent. All she wanted was to make them go away without compromising her identity.

"I am warning you…you no-good ruffians! Leave me alone!" Daniela hissed out, though she already knew that any verbal threat was impotent to deter them. Still, she desperately hoped to buy some time to think of a new plan now that it was clear that they would not go away that easily.

Should she unleash the full extent of her unnatural powers and kill them as quickly as possible? That was simply too risky - if they tried to flee immediately upon the realization of her true nature she would not be able to chase them all down before they called the monster hunters on her.

Perhaps standing her ground was not to her advantage in this case after all - maybe the optimal route would be to simply flee and let them have their prize. The Duke would surely understand her plight…

Daniela nibbled on her lip in worry, unconvinced by her own mental argument. She was familiar with the Duke well enough to figure out that he would blacklist her for good if such a valuable hoard of paintings was pillaged right under her nose when she had explicitly agreed to watch over them.

Unfortunately for Daniela, the trio of robbers had no interest in providing the besieged woman unlimited time in coming to terms with her complex situation. Seeing that the redhead just stood on that same spot on the balcony without anything further to say, the average-looking one finally overcame his confusion at seeing an unexpected face inside what was supposed to be an empty house.

"Lega quella puttana molesta, Luca," he spoke with derision in his native tongue, with Daniela understanding just enough to figure out that the conflict was unavoidable.

Mold-infused adrenaline started to course through her black veins. Moreover, hearing the thug's grating voice caused a violent impulse to flicker throughout her whole body. She felt herself shudder as that primordial desire to rip and tear reared its ugly head inside of her. Daniela was never truly free from it, though she had worked hard to suppress it. These humans had no idea what they were dealing with… if they made her angry, the consequences would be dire for all involved…

"Basta che non inciampi di nuovo nei tuoi piedi, culone," the tall one mockingly added, clearly unaware of the threat they were facing considering his casual tone.

Scoffing in annoyance and embarrassment alike, the stocky gangster that the two others seemingly addressed slowly made his way up the stairs, his narrowed eyes never leaving Daniela's own. The malice in his gaze was obvious, but Daniela did not shy away from it. She'd seen worse. She'd done things this lowlife could not even imagine. In this moment just before the violence was sure to start, it was all coming back to her. The blood, the screams, the begging, the laughter, the feasting.

Unmoved, Daniela waited silently for the thug to approach her. A new plan blossomed in her mind despite the growing urge to kill and dismember, one that would see her fight off the intruders without revealing too much. They did not appear to be armed, so if she could beat them up without reverting to her insectoid form, perhaps…

The stocky thug that was called Luca grabbed at her right wrist painfully, interrupting her musings. Perhaps wrongly assuming that she was paralyzed by fright, the expression on the thug's face changed towards lecherous one as he shamelessly stared at her exposed cleavage. For some reason, she could vividly picture him licking his cracked lips under his face mask.

"Let go…" Daniela warned in a dangerous tone. The wrath boiled inside of her and she was rapidly running out of the willpower to keep it down.

"Aren't you a pretty one…" ignoring her warning, the vile man mumbled in accented Spanish as if under a lustful haze. His eyes were fixated upon her fair bosom but his right hand's thumb came to caress her soft cheek with rough motions. "Don't worry, sweetheart - we won't hurt you… much."

Daniela could only be thankful that the leather gloves he wore precluded the skin contact with this repulsive man. Nevertheless, the waves of raw disgust roiled throughout her body. She started to feel nauseous from hatred and revulsion alike. Why could he just leave her alone?

For just a split second, Daniela couldn't help but consider that in a way it was funny. Back then during her life under Miranda, she would have found even this repulsive thug's attention as positive. Maybe she'd even entertain his sexual fantasies - before devouring him whole.

But now that she had regained a measure of her sanity, all she wanted was for him to go away. His lustful touches and lecherous gaze made her sick to her core. She could withstand his vile presence no longer.

As if acting on its own accord, her left fist smashed against the right side of his nose, producing that familiar cracking sound that her sister Cassandra loved so much. She never cared about it much herself, but now Daniela found her lips splitting into a slight smirk of cruel satisfaction upon hearing it.

Crying out in pain and shock, the robber let go of her right wrist to clutch at his broken nose.

"Puttana!"

Dazzled by the unexpected yet powerful punch, the thug named Luca could not hope to defend himself against Daniela's overwhelming desire to make him go away. A forceful shove from both of her arms ensured that he tumbled down the stairs like a sack of potatoes. His body did not immediately stop upon reaching the bottom, instead the momentum kept carrying him forward, causing him to smash against the hat stand that happened to be in his way before finally impacting the wall behind it.

Daniela observed his inglorious descent with a mix of apprehension and wicked delight. The small part of her mind that craved violence and mayhem was slowly waking up, and it was getting stronger with each passing second.

Her keen nostrils caught a subtle scent of yet another thing she denied to herself for quite a while now. Fresh human blood - nothing but a speck of it, spurted out by the thug's ruptured nasal capillary only to end up next to her mouth. It was a poor substitute for oxygen-rich arterial blood or delicious venous blood, but Daniela felt an overwhelming urge to lick it off just the same. She could not resist that impulse, so her tongue snaked out of her mouth to locate that insignificant little morsel of happiness.

It was just a tiny little taste of second-rate blood, but it was fresh. It was a promise of more to come. Much more.

The drowsy predator in her fully awoke in an instant. It looked upon the three men below her and it saw nothing but fifteen liters of delicious man-blood. It urged her to pounce on her prey immediately, to not let it escape. To finally feast after years of abstinence.

Though her higher-order thinking was getting clouded by her unnatural instincts, Daniela was still largely in control over her body, even as it shuddered with vicious impulses to commit terrible violence. It begged her to succumb to her nature, but for now she held on.

She was afraid to let the beast out, so she held onto the reins despite the mounting bloodlust. It was more than just the threat of B.S.A.A. that gave her determination to hold it in, however. More than anything else, Daniela Dimitrescu did not want to revert to her vicious nature because it would prove everyone right. It would be an irrefutable proof that she was nothing more than a mindless monster… and she had no desire to be one. Not again. Not ever.

Even as bestial cravings and inhuman desires wracked her body with spasms, Daniela steadily descended down the stairs while reaching out for her dagger. There was no chance of a peaceful resolution to this conflict anymore, but perhaps she could still avoid the worst…

In turn, the two standing gangsters recovered quickly after seeing their compatriot's perilous fall. They did not waste time in retrieving their own bladed weaponry - small but dangerous-looking switchblades as they tensed up for the violent confrontation with the house's sole occupant. The tall one looked surprised but determined, while the average-looking one - possibly the leader - appeared more angry than anything else.

"You stupid bitch. We weren't going to kill you, but now…" he threatened in Spanish while making a step forward.

Daniela did not hear his words - her whole attention was momentarily drawn to the floor, or, more precisely - towards the pink beanie hat that had fallen before and was now being trampled by the careless man's boots.

She might have had a falling out with her relatives and was now disillusioned by them, but that silly little hat still reminded her of a time where she thought they could all be one big happy family. Her sisters, mother, uncles and aunt - even Miranda. It was never more than a stupid fantasy - she knew that now - but the memories of that particular period of time still warmed her heart whenever she recalled them. To her, that hat was a priceless memento of a bright future that never happened; to see it trampled like that boiled the blood in her veins with unbridled rage.

There was no goal in her hazy eyes beyond butchering the encroaching man-things now.

Moving towards Daniela in turn, the leader likely had no clue that it was precisely in this moment of time did the redhead decide that no man-thing would be leaving this house alive. He failed to pay attention to her dilated eyes or the rapidly growing number of flies that were buzzing around the woman.

The sanity and desire for peace faded into the back of her head as the long-festering madness of her upbringing came to the front, shoving everything else aside. Her mind clouded by rage and bloodlust alike, Daniela lunged at the leader while letting loose a ferocious shriek.

Though he appeared surprised by her unexpected aggression and speed, Daniela's straightforward attack lacked finesse, so the man was able to dodge it with little difficulty, showcasing his own prowess in melee combat.

Undeterred by the disappointing lack of contact between flesh and steel, Daniela continued her assault by wildly slashing her dagger at the man, but he just kept avoiding her graceless swings.

Her assault was going nowhere and that caused her to grow even more frustrated, with more flies detaching from her flesh. Nevertheless, their count was still low enough that the men were more concerned with the insane woman swinging sharp steel rather than some buzzing insects.

The intensity of the melee left Daniela completely fixated on her target and the frustration stemming from her inability to spill blood caused her to ignore everything and everyone else. When the man-thing's eyes looked at something behind her, Daniela paid it no mind.

A second later she felt moderate discomfort as something sharp pierced its way into the nape of her neck.

"Ti ho preso, pazza di una puttana…" the tall thug from behind her gloated in triumph. Far gone in her violent delusions, Daniela allowed the words to wash over her without paying them any mind, though the damage to her frame could not be entirely ignored.

Daniela's whole body slackened as her limbs momentarily lost connection to her brain due to the blade partially severing her spinal cord.

Not to be outdone by his underling, the leader plunged his own dagger straight into her heart.

"No fucking idea who you are, girl, but you should've just stayed out of our way," he spoke with more annoyance than anger, never breaking eye contact. It was obvious that this man had taken a life before.

Gazing into her amber orbs, the man must have seen something unusual in the way her eyes were narrowed - not with pain or desperation, but with furious desire to tear him apart. Two blows - each of them lethal in their own right - were landed against her. Nobody could blame him for relaxing his guard in such a situation.

Maybe if he carefully looked at the site of her 'wound' or if the foyer was better illuminated, he'd note something amiss quicker and react accordingly. Nevertheless, things being as they were, he failed to notice how her flesh had actually parted a millisecond before his blade found its way into her body; he could not see how the teeming blowflies that took the place vacated by what used to be her solid bone, skin and muscles came to engulf the edge of his blade.

Daniela could feel the fear that suddenly was emanated from the man in front of her as he realized that something was very wrong. Even as her semi-sentient flies rearranged themselves in a way that made them act akin to conduits for chemical and electrical processes, the redhead drank deeply of the fear and confusion of that arrogant man-thing, never breaking eye contact.

Freaked out by the persistent and unblinking eye contact, the leader tried to pull his blade out of her heart, but it would not budge - the teeming mass of insects held on tight to their trophy.

"Che cazzo!?" It seemed like the thug behind her had also run into that same conundrum as he was simply unable to pull his blade out of her neck.

In the very next moment, eager to return the favor now that she had regained a measure of control over her own body, Daniela plunged her own dagger deep into the leader's side.

Shocked, the man cried out in pain, but Daniela wasn't done as she hatefully twisted her dagger inside his flesh, aiming to inflict as much pain as possible.

While the damage done to her unnatural body was far from lethal, it was somewhat disruptive to her central nervous system since the signals from her brain had to go around the foreign object that was lodged in her neck, while her heart worked twice as hard to make up for its current lack of efficiency. The result of that disruption manifested in the way her every motion became jerky and exaggerated, making Daniela appear as some kind of demonic marionette. To the humans that faced her, Daniela had to look utterly monstrous.

The leader's survival instincts kicked in and he desperately dashed back to make some distance between them. That only served to exacerbate his wound as Daniela made sure to brutally carve his innards some more utilizing his own momentum before pulling the blade out. The discarded flashlight provided sufficient illumination for Daniela's widening eyes to be able to behold the glorious sight of precious crimson liquid gushing out as she freed it from its fleshy prison. It was beautiful…

Blind to his attacker's momentary pause and screaming out in what had to be pure anguish, the leader broke into a sprint towards the exit door. Daniela would have none of that however, so she flung her dagger straight at the coward's back. It impacted with a dull thud; her knowledge of anatomy told her that no vital organs or arteries were struck, but the man-thing still collapsed down on the floor from the sheer shock of his new trauma. He tried to get up immediately, but all he could achieve for the moment was to turn around to regard his approaching attacker.

Daniela truly wanted to attend this person above all else at that moment - as his raw wound smelled oh-so-delicious, but as she registered rapid movement behind her, she realized that she had to deal with the rest, first. No man-thing was leaving this house alive. They had their chance and they blew it. Now the hunt was on.

Holding that thought, the redhead still didn't want her new friend to just run away, so she took a swift step forward while carefully pulling the switchblade that was stuck in her heart out. Quickly reversing the grip on the switchblade so the blade faced downward, Daniela slammed it down straight into his knee. She held nothing back as she performed the vicious attack and the result was to her satisfaction - the switchblade went up to its hilt into his knee, no doubt fracturing the bone and crippling the man for good.

She did not stand around to appreciate the fruits of her labor, however. The predatory drive in her took complete and utter dominance over her thought processes and it screamed at her to chase down the prey that was foolish enough to attempt to escape her wrath by fleeing into the kitchen.

The black blood pumping through her veins was filled with adrenaline of the hunt as well as moldy particles that gave it its unique coloration - in addition to other useful features. She felt alive as never before; high on the euphoria of being the apex predator and frenetic from the overpowering smell of blood in the air. To call her a different person from what she had been this morning would be an understatement of the century.

It did not take long for her to catch up to her prey - the tall man-thing. He tried to make his way out of her dwelling by smashing the glass wall that separated the kitchen from the outdoors with a fire extinguisher. Naturally, he succeeded, though in the back of her mind, Daniela found herself happy that he did not try to employ that particular device as a weapon against her, as it would be quite dangerous unlike his bladed weaponry.

As the tall man-thing discarded the hefty fire extinguisher and tried to make his way past the shattered glass wall, Daniela tackled him from behind. The weight of her body combined with the momentum of her leap proved more than sufficient to cause them both to tumble down - straight into the razor sharp glass fragments, to Daniela's own savage glee.

The man-thing cried out in pain and distress as several standing pieces of the glass impaled his body. There was a non-negligible chance that he received a mortal injury at that very moment, but Daniela was taking no chances.

Clouds must have parted, as the bright moonlight now illuminated the kitchen, allowing the vicious woman to bask in the carnage of her own making. It energized her further, though she briefly thought about how nice it would've been if the moon was colored crimson, as well. There was not enough of that beautiful color in this world. She was going to fix that.

Embracing that thought and quickly getting back on her feet, the redhead's keen eyes immediately fixated on a large and wickedly sharp chef knife, just lying on the counter next to her, begging to be used.

"Don't need to ask me twice!" She happily chirped while reaching out for the sharp implement. Getting hold of the knife, she then proceeded to roughly kick the groaning man-thing, causing his body to turn around and indubiously making the injuries he had already sustained worse, if his sharp cry of pain was any indication.

The terror in his eyes as he saw his executioner standing over him sent shivers of ecstasy running through Daniela's body. She was not her sister Cassandra, but that hardly meant that she was never prone to sadistic moods. And now… all of her accumulated grief and misery was pouring out, morphing into murderous intent and cruelty on its way out. It felt so fucking good to take it all out on these vile man-things.

"Mercy…" the man-thing pleaded in a pitiful voice that was utterly bereft of its prior arrogance and gloating.

Daniela laughed in reply. It was a soft, melodic sound but the harsh note of madness in it was unmistakable.

"Death is merciful," she noted just before stabbing the knife deeply into the left side of his abdomen. "Life is torment." Daniela spoke through his cries of pain, even as she grabbed the knife's handle with both hands - only to then violently carve a path towards the right side of his abdomen.

Jets of blood shot out from his violated flesh from the force of her vicious hacks. Daniela's gray hoodie underwent a rapid color change as it soaked the sticky substance that was so generously pouring out of the man-thing's body, but she didn't mind that in the slightest.

The man-thing naturally screamed in agony as she gutted him, but she ignored his wails, lost in her work and musings alike. "You should be thanking me, really…"

More and more flies detached themselves from her body, only to pour into the gaping wound in the man-thing's stomach. They were eager to feast.

"You will soon be free from all pain...I envy you…"

Satisfied with the depth and width of her cut, Daniela carelessly pulled the blade out before tossing it aside. The man gagged, blood choking out through his mouth and around his mask. He was probably in his death throes already, but Daniela savagely kicked him once more for good measure. The sight of his guts spilling out made her own black heart soar with vicious glee, but she decided not to waste too much time on this one. She could tell that his blood was subpar and unworthy of her time, just from the brief taste her flies had of it.

Leaving the man-thing to bleed out in her kitchen, Daniela swerved on the balls of her feet, humming a discordant melody at the same time. She spastically made her way towards the entrance, though an itch at the back of her neck caused her to pause for a second.

"Oh…" she carelessly pulled out the switchblade that was stuck in the nape of her neck all this time. "I believe this is yours," Daniela tossed it in the dying man's general direction without looking at him. With the foreign object removed, the teeming mass of insects at the site of her 'injury' hurriedly reassembled themselves to take their original form as her flesh and bone. As soon as they were done, Daniela stretched her neck and hummed in satisfaction as everything appeared to be in order once again, with her body functioning at full capacity.

There was no reason to linger in the kitchen any further, even as a part of her found some appeal in just listening to the man-things fading wheezing and choking. Her sister Cassandra really liked to just watch them bleed out, but Daniela herself found more appeal in the gastronomic aspect of their little hunts.

Back in the entrance area, Daniela was satisfied to see the delicious-smelling man-thing still there, though he was slowly trying to crawl away. What she was a bit less happy about was to see the stocky thug trying to get back on his knees.

His disgusting touch and loathsome gaze were still fresh in her memory and the sight of him still being alive sent a fresh wave of murderous hatred through her body. The many flies shot forward to harass the object of her ire, though their efforts - while painful - paled in comparison to what she had in mind for him.

"Why don't you just die already?!"

Daniela shrieked in rage even as she reached for the nearest object that could serve as a weapon - the fallen hat stand. Made from cast iron, the stand had a hefty weight to it, with a solid round base. She took it with both hands by the pole and raised it overhead, madness and hatred glinting in her vicious amber eyes.

"DIE!"

She slammed down the stand with all her formidable might, crashing the circular base straight into his skull. The whole pole resonated with the force of her blow and fresh blood spurted out to land on her face.

The stocky man-thing's body immediately slackened off, though his agonized groan of pain implied that the blow was less than fatal - despite the ugly looking indentation that now decorated the back of his head.

His impressive perseverance only served to drive Daniela to further rage, however. Again, she raised the stand overhead before smashing it down. There was the sharp cracking of bone, accompanied by the squelching sound of warped flesh and violated brain, but Daniela did not stop to inspect her work; instead, the lunatic woman repeated that savage two-step process of raising hat stand up before smashing it down, again and again and again, screaming out a single word all the while.

"DIE! DIE! DIE! DIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIE…"

To pulp a human skull into a morbid puree of bone dust, tenderized flesh and mushed brain matter was grueling task that required both formidable strength and grim resolve - taken by the savage glee, Daniela was more than up to the challenge as she continued brutalizing the man-thing long after the last sparks of life left his mortal shell.

It looked like a road roller car drove over his head by the time she was satisfied enough to stop her butchery. Everything next to them was smeared by fresh blood, with bone fragments and brain bits lying all over the foyer area. An eyeball must have popped out at some point and was now lying on the floor next to her foot. Panting heavily, she stomped at it in anger, squishing it.

A particularly attractive bit of bloodied brain matter was stuck to her hair that partially covered her right eye, so Daniela decided to stick it in her mouth instead even as she huffed from the exertion of her grim work.

Chewing on the rather tasteless morsel, Daniela turned to regard the last man-thing that had dared to antagonize her and still drew breath. In that same motion she tossed the now heavily-bent hat stand aside, needing no man-made tools to deal with the last man-thing.

The leader, horror plain on his face despite his mask, tried to crawl away with one hand while on his side with pitiful speed. There was a fat trail of blood to mark his unremarkable progress. It was a clear indication that he bled heavily and likely wouldn't have much time left, however, so Daniela quickly made her way towards her downed prey, eager to feast on his delicious arterial blood while his heart still beat.

"I'll pay you…" the man-thing wheezed out, causing the redhead to spit the bit of brain she was chewing right at his face, before erupting in a fit of mad laughter. The very notion that he could buy his miserable life with money in this situation was humorous beyond comparison to the blood-crazed woman.

After having her fill of dark mirth, Daniela suddenly stomped hard with the heel of her foot straight at the man-things damaged knee and the knife's hilt that was still embedded in it.

The sharp cracking noise of his shattering knee was mostly muffled by the man-thing's agonized scream, but her keen ears picked it up, nonetheless. A slasher smile came to decorate her insane face, showcasing her bloodied teeth. She could tell that the man-thing was terrified to death, and that was going to make his delicious blood all the better by thickening it. Pity she could not thank Cassandra for providing her with this particular piece of advice.

"Come here…" she mouthed seductively, prior rage forgotten completely as she lifted the man-thing by his shoulders with a surprising level of care. Naturally, he was still in great agony from the movement due to his numerous injuries, but all Daniela cared about now was his exposed jugular, thrumming with the tastiest thing of all. The juice of life itself - hers for the taking.

She provided no warning before her teeth came to savage his throat. With ferocity of a wild animal, Daniela tore his jugular apart, allowing that priceless sanguine ichor to gash out unabated. Clumping her mouth to the site of the mortal injury, the bloodcrazed redhead drank deeply and greedily, all the way until his heart finally gave out and the pressure that pushed the blood up towards the brain it would never reach evaporated. Even after that point she lingered there, determined to get every last drop by suctioning it out as if she was drinking soda with a straw.

As the thick crimson liquid poured down her gullet Daniela felt divine. It was pure bliss. The culmination of the ecstasy of this unforgettable night; the heavenly simplicity of mindless slaughter and the peerless rewards it entailed. There was nothing greater in life, no pursuit more noble or worthy… or so it appeared for the moment.

Seconds passed and Daniela could gain no further blood from the withered husk that she still held on to. There were no sounds or any indications that anyone else but her was still alive. Not even her remaining flies buzzed around, instead simply lazing about as they had their own fill. Her own breathing - now calm and steady again - was the only noise she could hear.

Violence-induced madness abated, with it the levels of adrenaline and dopamine in her blood dropped rapidly. The glorious high that kept her mood elevated all throughout this slaughter seemingly evaporated in an instant, leaving her hollow like never before. Wicked rapture turned to devastating sorrow.

With no more threats to her life, Daniela's remaining sanity made a comeback, but it wished it didn't.

Her meaningless existence was suddenly laid bare before her and Daniela felt as empty and hollow as the dead husk she still clung to.

She let it go, and the body collapsed on the floor, with Daniela herself following it only moments later. Confronted with the clear memory of just how monstrous she truly was she started crying, then weeping, then sobbing loudly and with seemingly no end in sight.

"Why am I even alive…Why do I keep going?" Through her violent sobs, she asked no one in particular, as nobody alive was left to answer her. Nor could she answer that question herself. She had been fighting for her life just now, but she could not answer why she was doing that. Just what was making her life worth fighting for?

Nobody loved her. Nobody wanted her. Nobody cared about her.

She looked around.

Blood and gore was everywhere. The scent of death was thick in the air. The dead robber stared at her with his lifeless eyes.

Even these violent thugs probably had their own loved ones - she had nobody who would even mourn her. What made her life worth more than theirs?

Is this what I am? Is this all I am capable of?

Even the remaining flies that still feasted on the corpses around ceased their activities and slowly flew towards their host as they shared in her sudden onset of soul-crushing depression.

Maybe that's all I ever was. Leaving nothing but misery and death in my wake.

Though her violent sobs have not ceased, her whole body shuddered as she recalled the peak of her ecstasy as she massacred these humans. Daniela found herself craving to experience that feeling again badly - if only to fill this unbearable void in her soul.

Remnants of the viciousness that drove her on in this struggle reemerged, reminding her that this whole city was filled with hapless humans. She could suffocate her depression with yet more slaughter easily enough.

"..."

She'll probably be hunted down and exterminated soon enough regardless of her further actions, as there was simply nobody left who could take care of her in this hostile and hateful world. Doesn't she deserve to have some fun before that? Her long life was nearing its end, so it only made sense to go all out.

The corners of her lips lifted in a cruel smile as remnants of madness combated her waning sanity. Tears still poured out of her bloodied eyes.

There were plenty of neighbors around. Maybe she could pay some of them a visit. Perhaps she could go to that annoying brat Laura's house? Or…

How about Ethan and his precious little Rose? I'll show him the price of scorning me…

The compassion, kindness and love that were still there in her wounded heart rallied against that cruelest thought with shocking ferocity, driving the vicious madness entirely out of her head.

"I…"

What am I even thinking!? I don't want any of them to get hurt, especially not Ethan or Rosie…

But what was left for her? There was nothing that could keep her going. The reservoir of hope that drove her onward for so many terrible years was finally exhausted. There were no illusions of loving family anymore. No dreams of exploring the welcoming and wonderful world. No friends who'd keep her spirits up in dire times. And most of all, no gentle soul who would love her and take care of her.

Everyone wanted her gone.

Her sisters, her mother and even Ethan - all of them would be better off without her presence in their lives. Maybe it was finally time for her to get the hint.

Daniela's bloodshot eyes fell and her quivering lips formed a thin line. A sense of cold detachment fell over her like a heavy cloak. She suddenly knew what she had to do next.

She stood up slowly before moving through the carnage of her own making with tender steps. Her once pristine foyer became the site of a massacre, with viscera decorating the floor and the walls alike.

As she passed it, Daniela spared nothing but a glance to her once beloved pink beanie hat, now tramped and drenched with blood. She now knew that the hopes and dreams she so closely associated with that piece of headwear were never more than an illusion - a reality that had never happened. It was time for her to let it go. Let everything go.

Her bare feet were red from all the blood she waded through once she finally arrived back into her bedroom. It felt as if an irresistible haze of gloom settled on her desolate home away from home.

Despondent, she gazed at the blister pack of sleeping pills that Ethan had given her when she had noted that she had trouble falling asleep. They had been moderately helpful in their assigned task, but now Daniela wondered if they could assist in finding a lasting peace.

For a second she wondered if that was truly what she wanted, but the answer came quickly to her. Fittingly, it was her own reflection in the full length mirror, standing next to the wardrobe, that told her everything she needed to know.

A ghastly apparition of a woman, soaked in blood from head to toe, stared back at her. Bits of brain clung to her dark denim jeans and it looked like a small skull fragment was stuck between her large and second left toe. Her once pristine light-gray hoodie was now torn in multiple places, with splotches of crimson smeared over the half of its surface. The hood itself was torn off altogether, revealing a face not dissimilar to the one she had after purging the staff on Miranda's orders, four years ago. Runny makeup complemented the dried blood around her mouth, with the hollow look in her dull amber eyes completing the image of a mindless monster. A dangerous psychopath. A delusional menace to all who'd have the misfortune to cross her path.

Who could love something like that? Not even her family; certainly not Ethan. Fresh tears welled up in her eyes.

Even if by some miracle what had occurred on the beach earlier was some huge misunderstanding, Ethan would surely want nothing to do with her now that she murdered three people with such inhuman savagery. And if she could not find happiness from the affection of others, her cursed nature would force her to seek the fleeting shreds of wicked joy from extracting their misery.

If the only way she could find happiness in this life was by hurting others, then it was not a life worth living.

Her hand hovered close over the pills, though some lingering doubt was still present in her mind, taking the form of 'what ifs'.

What if she could still explore this boundless world without being branded as a dangerous outcast that should be exterminated on sight? What if her family did not actually hate her, and they would share a tearful reunion later? What if the wonderful experiences she made over the past two weeks were not based on a lie? What if she could still patch things up with Ethan and have a happy future with him?

No…

For the first time in her long life, Daniela failed to believe her own wishful dreams of a better tomorrow. Self-deception could only get her this far. Too many times had she raised her hopes, only for them to come crashing down on her. She couldn't do it again.

Betrayed by all she had ever trusted and confronted with her own monstrous nature, Daniela Dimitrescu had not a shred of hope left. She was lost in the abyss of despair and she saw only one way to escape it.

Oblivion became the preferred alternative to the evil and solitude of her existence.

Daniela's mind was made up. Her hands were steady as they liberated the remaining five pills from the blister pack and popped them into her mouth, one by one.

It was unlikely that the pills would be lethal or even particularly harmful to Daniela's unnatural body on their own - at least not by themselves. But they'll do their part…

Suddenly feeling annoyed by the blood soaking in all the way through her drenched hoodie, the redhead tore the soiled article of clothing off her body before carelessly tossing it away - she was not going to need it anymore, nor did she was in a state of mind to care just how ridiculous she appeared in just her jeans and black bra.

Nevertheless, there was one more thing that caught Daniela's eyes before she departed the bedroom. That simple silver locket that had long been in her possession and which also accompanied her on this long journey to the vast world of humanity. Despite it not being entirely free from negative memories itself, it was Daniela's most prized possession as it reminded her of a time when the three Dimitrescu siblings lived in harmony with each other; a time when their sisterly bonds were strong and the love between them genuine.

The locks of hair they had exchanged were meant to be an adamantine promise of their eternal sisterhood which was supposed to endure any and all hardships…

It was made before the reality of their unnatural and malignant existence drove them towards the extremes of their individual personalities and away from each other. Bela became dismissive and authoritative. Cassandra grew aloof and cruel. And Daniela lost herself in delusions, becoming unreliable and petty.

What were once interactions born of love turned to forced exchanges filled with bitterness and annoyance. After decades of petty feuds and rivalries, all the while stuck in their inescapable castle and vying for the uncaring matriarch's fleeting affection, the Dimitrescu siblings found little joy in spending time together, instead preferring to haunt their own, clearly demarcated, territories.

Still, the memories of love they once had for one another were all too real to Daniela, who treasured them to this very day. She never stopped caring about her sisters, even though eventually her attempts to share her meager joy with them turned to purposeful avoidance, made for their benefit. She was the burden. They made it clear enough.

Now, Daniela was about to free them from her bothersome presence for good, but she still wanted their essence to accompany her on this final journey of hers.

"Bear with me one final time…"

With trembling fingers, the redhead put the silver chain around her neck, allowing the locket itself to rest close to her dark heart.

All set up, Daniela vacated her bedroom without sparing it another glance. She walked towards her destination with slow but steady steps. There was naturally no joy to be found in her resigned frame, but neither was there any hesitation left. She came to truly believe that what she planned to do was for the best - for her, for those she cared about and even for innocent humans that could potentially get on her bad side. She'd spare herself from the endless misery of her existence and all the rest from her burdensome presence and violent antics. It was a win-win.

Her mind filled with such grim musings of a person who had crossed the despair event horizon, Daniela entered the kitchen once again. She spared a glance towards the tall robber that sought to escape her delirious assault - his spilled guts, as well as his face mask being torn off implied that he struggled with reality of his situation. Moreover, it appeared that he expired only moments prior, as his face had yet to relax from the agony of his last moments. His futile struggle against the inevitable reminded Daniela about her own long life - decades of meaningless and cruel existence that arguably could be contracted to brief moments of death throes that this very man had undergone. The comparison caused the corners of Daniela's lips to pull into a mirthless smirk. She'll be joining her latest victim soon enough.

Thanks to her accelerated metabolism, the pills she took only minutes ago were already having an effect on her body, causing her to feel drowsy and tired. Her limbs barely listened to her commands as she shuffled towards the large fridge in the corner of the kitchen. It was an inglorious place to meet one's end, but it would serve her purposes. She will leave this world on her own terms without harming anyone ever again instead of being hunted down like a monster while preying on the humans to sustain her wicked existence.

Barely able to keep her eyes open, Daniela opened the refrigerator door with unsteady hands, before doing the same to the freezer's door below it. The temperature dropped quickly but the pain she would normally suffer from being so close to a source of such coldness was muted by the drugs' sedative effect.

Daniela could no longer stand upright, but she had no need to do so any further, so she just leaned against the wall right next to the open fridge. In the back of her mind she could feel her self-preservation instinct vehemently protesting her chosen course of actions as a wave of freezing chill washed over her exposed and vulnerable skin. Its feeble cry was hopelessly outmatched by the overwhelming weariness of her drugged body and the resignation of her mind.

In the last moments before what was to be her final rest claimed her, Daniela thought about those she still cared about despite being rejected by them.

Mother, who treated her like a pet when in a good mood and as a failure otherwise.

Bela, for whom she was nothing more than an annoyance.

Cassandra, always so eager to humiliate or belittle her.

And Ethan, who toyed with her feelings only to cruelly discard her in favor of Mia in the end.

Daniela held no ill will towards any of them. Even as oblivion beckoned her, she forgave them all.

My mother… sisters… Ethan… I love you all. I wish you will find lasting happiness that I could not…

The darkness claimed her.