Bela glanced down at her sickle; its blade shining in the moonlight. She could feel her heart pushing against her ribcage as the sound of Jerdan ascending the stairs echoed around. Step by step, the man - or what was left of him - was beginning to get closer.
She had never felt dread like this before. For whatever reason, the once fearless woman who never concerned herself with matters of mortality now feared what would happen if this man were to enter the room. Ever since that window in her castle shattered and the cold air came rushing in – her world had been turned upside down.
Alright, stay steady. You can kill him.
Ethan drew a long, slow breath as he kept his shotgun aimed straight ahead. His confidence could only go so high. He trusted the power of the M1897 in his hands. It had served him well during his push to make it through the village and into that castle. A colony of deceased Lycans could attest to its ferocity, and he was certain that this mutated individual would stand no difference.
She glanced at his weapon, remembering how good it was at pushing her back when she pursued him. As peculiar as it was – she felt a shred of reassurance to be behind it this time around. Her amber eyes turned to the door with the curved weapon held across her chest. She blew a sharp breath to calm her nerves.
Ethan tilted his head at her and uttered a small whisper, "We're going to be alright."
She glanced at him, saying nothing as her face remained bewildered. She never asked for his backing. Why would he care?
The footsteps made it to their floor, taking a small pause as soon as they got to the top. The area got quiet as if both parties were at a standstill. Nonetheless, Ethan kept his gun trained on the door. He would not relax one single bit until the man was either out of the building or dead.
The silence lasted for nearly two minutes as they waited for any sign of Jerdan's next move. The creak of the floorboards announced his advancement toward the barrier. The weight of his body pressed against the wood, drawing out the loud shrills as he trotted closer. Ethan kept his finger off the trigger for now – lest he'd risk an accidental discharge.
The footsteps came to a sudden stop right at the front, just as he had done before, according to the diaries Bela had read. All was quiet again, save for the sound of his deep, gurgling breaths. Bela tightened her lips, cautious of making a single bit of noise.
Maybe he'll walk away.
The breathing picked up in rhythm for a moment before it slowed back down to a smooth motion. The door handle began to jiggle slightly – quickly moving to a violent shaking. The man wanted to get inside.
Ethan's cheek was pressed against the stock. Any moment now, he expected Jerdan to bypass the door and present himself. They were backed into a corner with no way out besides the window, and that was a fall none of them wanted to experience. It left them with no choice.
This was going to be a fight.
Jerdan's strange rambling resumed once he released his grip on the knob, "Playtime is…for the bees. Stingers. Suffer and…come out! Elise! Father is…swarm."
Ethan nudged Bela's arm with his elbow. She snapped her attention to him, bringing her lips close to his ear. "What?" She whispered.
He spoke as quietly as he possibly could, maintaining his observance on the door as he did so, "Move over to the other side. If he comes in, I'd rather him only close in on one of us. The other could get the drop on him if this goes south."
She stared at him a just a second before deciding to take him up on his plan. It sounded good to her as far as she could tell. Being bunched up together made them a bigger target. Bela took her spot in the corner, watching from the side as Ethan stayed in line with the entrance. Jerdan immediately began to bang on the door.
He had to have heard me move.
Ethan took another breath as the door seemed to start giving way to the man's powerful blows. The wood could be heard splintering as his fists rocked against it. It was only a matter of seconds now before the lock would come loose and that door would swing open.
Bela kept her sickle at her side, ready to heave it into his skull once the opportunity arose.
"Bad, bad children!" Jerdan screamed. "Father is…not happy!"
At that final syllable…the door broke apart.
Through the moonlight, Ethan witnessed the silhouette of the man as he stood between the frame. The bent barrier that had separated them now hung off to the side. He had the perfect shot. His finger gripped the trigger and yanked it back.
Click.
"Fuck!" Ethan shouted as he sent the pump backward, ejecting the live round that had failed to go off. He knew his weapon's slam-fire capabilities, however. All he had to do was hold the trigger, send the pump forward, and chamber that next round. It would be a quick transition, brought forward by the instinctive immediate action that Redfield had drilled into his skull deeper that the longest of nails.
He threw the action back, ejecting the failed round before sending it back to where it belonged, only for the sight of Jerdan darting to the right to catch his eye milliseconds before the shot went off.
Boom.
A brief flash of fire lit up the room, highlighting the horrendous face of the mutated man as he started to close in. Not a single impact was to be found on his body. The sound of the gunfire masked the peppering that the wall behind him had received, but Ethan knew full and well that he had missed.
A costly error.
Jerdan eliminated the distance between the two of them in seconds as he barreled forward and connected with Ethan, sending the man's spine into the table behind him.
"Argh!" Ethan shouted as the pain flashed across his body.
Jerdan's bulbous right cheek was littered with an array of strange, pimple-like bumps, each with a black dot in the center. The maggots that populated his mouth and right eye began to fall as he shook Ethan like a ragdoll. While the two men were the same size – Jerdan exhibited a heightened sense of strength that his opponent simply could not match.
Ethan attempted to use his shotgun as a way to push him off. At the very least; it would be the last barrier between them that he could muster. Jerdan's teeth were sharper and longer than the average man's, and his eyes glared at Ethan's throat with a maniacal urge to bite.
"Get the…" Ethan filled his lungs as much as he could before letting the oxygen transfer to his muscles, "…fuck off me!" He succeeded at pushing Jerdan back, repelling him just enough so that he could bring his shotgun back up. Another rack of the pump and a new round was chambered.
Unfortunately, Jerdan came right back swinging.
His fists struck Ethan at the side, ringing his bones as he pummeled the man. The muzzle of the shotgun dipped back down and the weapon rattled as its wielder began to lose his grip on it.
Bela sprang into action as soon as she realized that this fight was quickly falling out of their favor. She wasn't as strong as Ethan was, and if this man-creature was unable to beat him, she'd fare no better.
Her sickle flashed in the light as it came toward his face, hooking him in the throat. Jerdan's body was yanked backward as she pulled him away. Bela could feel the man's muddy flesh gripping the metal as she steered him along. The incision would only run so deep if his tissue was as dense as it felt. She hoped that his jugulars had been nicked in the process. She needed him to bleed out.
With a yell, Bela dragged the blade as close to her as she could, fighting to rip it out from its host. Such a method was always a guarantee of death back in her world. The rules had to be the same here.
The sickle carved its way through a roll of skin and dislodged from Jerdan's neck. His gurgling picked up in sound and she witnessed spurts of red spilling down his grey suit jacket. The man stumbled around, but he continued to stand.
He has to bleed out. A few more seconds and he should start to lose his balance for good.
Jerdan backed up into the wall near the door frame; his hand pressed against his bloody throat.
Alright, good! I can see all the blood! It's still flowing out.
His eyes darted around; from the two of them, down to his chest, and back at them again. He reached up and grabbed the hanging strip of flesh at the center of his face, attached to what used to be his nose. For no reason whatsoever, Jerdan locked eyes with the duo as he slowly tore the flap of skin away; peeling his tissues down all the way to his upper lip.
The pain was hardly a factor for him as he barely flinched during the process. Additional blood trickled out from the newly exposed pores of muscle; raining down his mouth and the maggots around it. He dropped the scrap of his nose on the ground and heaved a long breath through the sinus openings of his skull.
Bubbles of blood popped from his lips as he let out a slow chuckle; ejecting a handful of maggots as he did so. Ethan had never seen anything as vile and disgusting as this before. He could barely stomach the sight of it.
Nevertheless, he couldn't allow Jerdan to get the upper hand again. He raised his shotgun and took aim once more. A second shot rang out, deafening the room and sending Jerdan's head recoiling backward. Tinted by the dark shadows; Bela was able to glimpse an eruption of blood and brain matter from the edge of his skull. He staggered back before finally hitting the ground with a solid thud.
Okay…he's down…
Bela cautiously moved to Ethan's side as he re-racked the shotgun to chamber the fourth round that it held inside the magazine tube. He quickly dived his hand inside his pocket, searching for another shotgun shell to load up just in case a fatal hit was something he had to earn.
Bela kept her eyes ahead as he fumbled around. The sound of brass rims sliding along steel scraped the air until the familiar sound of a spring's click signaled the newly-inserted shell. Ethan re-shouldered the shotgun and stood by, waiting for Jerdan to try and stand.
Nothing.
"Shine your light on him," she said.
"No way," Ethan disagreed. "Everything outside will see us."
She immediately turned to him in frustration. "And you think they didn't hear those two gunshots? Use your mind a little! We need to know if he's dead!"
"Damn it," Ethan pulled his flashlight out as soon as her words were seated into his brain. "You're right." He handed her the light. "You use it. I'll keep my gun on him in the meanwhile."
"Fine." Bela took the light and turned it on, holding the beam directly onto Jerdan's motionless body. His stomach obscured most of his head as he lay sprawled out on his backside. A hefty amount of blood could be seen on the floor around him; pooling into a thick pile that trailed around in various places. Ethan had to have scored a good enough headshot, as she could barely make out what little remained of parts of his face.
"I think you got him," she stated. Ethan took a step forward.
"You move away. I'm going to move up closer for a better look. If he moves – I'm putting three in his chest. Just keep that light on him."
"What else do you expect me to do?" She remained stubborn.
"Just shut the hell up…" Ethan would not offer any more chitchat as his concern for Jerdan's mortality was at an all-time high. He had witnessed the most lethal of events take place inside the Baker house – only for Jack Baker to continue returning for a fight. It was a tragedy that such a good man would have fallen victim to the horrific mold that dominated his soul, but that man was long gone by the time they crossed paths.
The same could be said about the population of this forsaken city. They may have been normal people at one point, but that didn't change a damn thing when it came to dealing with what they are now. Chris had told him stories about all the kinds of bioweapons he had faced during his twenty-plus years in the field.
Infected people could go down, only to sprout forth a parasitic creature from their heads with little to no warning. They could regain their footing and suddenly mutate into something larger and harder to kill. There were no rules when it came to the playbook for man's experimentation with genetics. Anything could happen and no two events were always the same.
What he had fought in Louisiana didn't matter when he set foot in that village in Romania. Now, in what could likely be an entirely different world, there were an infinite number of possibilities to prepare for.
The surest bet he could make was that the 00 buckshot he had ready to go would decimate any threat from the mangled man. If that didn't put him down for good – then he wasn't sure what would.
As Ethan began to step forward, Jerdan's body started to turn over to its side. He had to be recovering; judging by the slow, careful movement of his arm as it swung over and pressed against the bloody floor. Bela kept the light on him, highlighting his shredded face that dangled from the side like spaghetti. More red liquid continued to dump out of the massive wound that he had just sustained, trickling onto the pools below.
Strangely enough – the sound of his groans was almost normal.
Ethan prepared to fire another round when Jerdan's voice spoke again. It was garbled; likely due to the fact that a sizable portion of his mandible had just been sent across the hall. "Wait…"
As he stood up and shambled around in place, his eyes met with those of the two in front of him once more. His right cheek and part of his jaw were gone – obliterated.
The collection of boil-like pustules had burst open, resulting in various insects escaping out of the torn sacs and traveling down his jacket. They resembled cockroaches more than anything else, but the invertebrates could run with great speed. They descended his body in a quick fashion as the light continued to press upon them.
Meanwhile. Jerdan maintained his gaze on Bela and Ethan; fighting against the traumatic blow they had just dealt him. "I can…feel…again." He spat out more blood, along with broken teeth in tow.
Ethan did not drop his weapons aim, but Bela began to soften her posture. She could tell that he was different now. How could that be, she wondered?
Maggots that remained inside his mouth fell down the side of his intact cheek, while the ones around his right eye held their place. His tense hand briefly rose to try and brush them away – evidently bothered by the presence of them. Bela believed that the shock of his wound was still in full swing, as the presence of worms in his orbital socket was nothing compared to the damage that twelve gauge had dealt.
Ethan finally caught on to the difference and allowed his muzzle to dip down just a bit so that he could attain a better view of what was going on. "Who are you?" He asked, hoping to identify some form of humanity inside the man's mind.
Jerdan spat out more crimson; his hand reeling down his ruptured cheek. "You're…not from here…" He coughed, nearly losing his balance. The man's head had to be going light from the loss of blood.
"No," Ethan replied. "We're not from here at all."
Jerdan peeked up at him as he inhaled a labored breath. "She ruined our city…" Another cough. "Came…from nowhere…"
"Who?" Ethan demanded to know more about the person responsible for all this chaos.
"The lady…from the cosmos…" Jerdan fell down to a knee, barely managing to stop himself from collapsing. More liquid seeped from his wounds. In his new state, he could hardly bear them for much longer. "She…brought…decay…"
The deformed man glanced up at Ethan before he shifted his stare toward Bela. "My daughters…are they –"
In an unforeseen act, Bela charged forward with a fast pace and immediately swung her sickle at his head. The sharp tip skewered his eye, dislodging it from its place and burrowing deeper into the center of his skull. Jerdan could only groan a faint gurgle as the furious woman threw all her might behind the swing and dug the body of her weapon far enough to dominate the direction of his head. She yanked her arm to the side, spinning the top of the tool around and poking it out from his opposite temple.
"What the hell?!" Ethan yelled, but she ignored him.
Bela grunted a powerful roar as jolted the sickle's handle toward the back of Jerdan's head – shattering the right side of his skull in the process. His body went limp and fell down to the ground; taking the sickle with it. She stared down at him with a grim, emotionless fixation while the man behind her closed in to express his concerns.
"What the fuck was that all about?! We could have gotten information from him!"
Someone finally read your daughter's diary…you bastard.
Ethan continued to pick her apart while she stood there. The man was as baffled at her actions as he was angered by them. He tried to keep his voice low, but speaking below a whisper was impossible at this point. "You just had to kill him for the sake of it, didn't you? This isn't a time for your sick little games. There are more important –"
"Enough!" Bela turned around with a ferocious look on her face that shut his opinions down. Her eyelids expanded to their fullest capacity with raised shoulders. He knew that she sat on the edge of physically lashing out. "He is dead. There is nothing else."
She leaned in as she went to establish her thoughts loud and clear. Her posture subsided in form, but the fire in her hissing voice remained, "I will not entertain this conversation any further."
With that, she handed Ethan his flashlight and walked over toward the window, stopping as soon as she got there. Hunched over the desk, she scoped the surrounding area out so that she may get a better idea of what was going on outside. The city was still desolate, but that did not mean that it was uninhabited. Countless things had to be waiting in the dark.
Her eyes glanced toward the massive clock tower that dwarfed the rest of the city. Since it was the only structure that seemed to still have power, she rationed that it held great significance – good or bad.
Alright…think a little. Relax. It's over now. "Lady from the cosmos." The diaries mentioned the sky turning black one day. Okay, that makes some sense. Damn it, I should have waited a bit. If he hadn't spoken about his…ugh, I need to get back on track! The sky…are there any signs that someone was there? I'm not seeing a single damn –
"Hey," Ethan's low voice disrupted her train of thought.
Bela lowered her head in frustration as she sought to contain her rage. He had angered her enough in just a short span of time. Who was he to think that he could criticize her actions when he knew nothing? The demands that he gave and the tone that carried them were deserving of a good slashing. She yearned to return to her castle where such punishment could be properly handed down.
The circumstances of this new world were becoming too much. She struggled to hold it all together as everything this city threw at her put in her a place that she desperately wanted to escape from. She needed her powers.
"Why must you insist on speaking?" Bela angled her head so that her right eye could barely be seen along the rim of her dark hood.
Ethan did not get too close, but he held enough bravery to take a couple of steps toward the window. His eyes shot another glance at Jerdan's deceased body before they returned to the amber glow of his unstable ally. "We should probably find another place to hide. Those gunshots had to have been heard from nearby, as you said."
"What do you think I am trying to do?" She spoke slowly. "Does it look like I am admiring the view?"
"I wouldn't think so." He kept his words as casual as they could be; allowing her to dictate the course of the interaction. She had made it verbally clear that she hated talking to him, and as much of a hassle it was to speak to her, Ethan knew that silence would not help either of them out.
"Just go away." Bela returned her eyes toward the clock tower, studying it as much as she could. The tall structure's architecture was easy to make out, even from so far away. The edges of its squared columns were adorned with various spires and cones – shaping it up like one, massive demon. As much as she would have admired such construction back in her home world, the way it appeared over the shadowy civilization injected a stream of uneasiness into her veins.
It was more beast than building.
Ethan kept his eyes on the woman across from him, watching her as she went about whatever it was that she wanted to do. His mind continued to wonder about her; her intelligence – in particular. While the rest of the bug ladies that he had encountered inside that castle were more ravenous and sadistic in their ways, she seemed to be the smartest of the batch. The way she conveyed her words and spoke to him – while sadistic in her own ways – indicated a strong intellect.
She wasn't just a simple monster, and that was what perplexed him to no end. Even the sentient Baker family who, while able to handle the mold differently than their assortment of victims, couldn't retain such strong, comprehensive thoughts outside of blood and murder – save for that asshole son of theirs.
Ethan knew not a single thing about her besides the flies, which in and of itself made no sense. Whatever she was, and as angry as she could be – she was his best source of help.
His eyes briefly traced along her slender frame as she stood bent over, tapping into that deep-rooted sense of nature that remained buried beneath the mounds of stress and grief that he held onto. As gruesome as her lifestyle was, she was beautiful. She did not look like someone who was born to murder. He could only wonder how she wound up as she did.
Ethan turned his gaze toward the clock tower that she continued to stare at. There was the same curiosity in his mind; wondering endlessly as to what it held. Could it be their source of salvation?
The tired trope of the biggest building being the answer to one's problems in situations like these quickly came to thought. He had seen plenty of movies throughout his lifetime. The big battle always took place on something like that. He wanted to ignore it, but the fact that the city's only source of electricity seemed to exist inside it made the tower their best bet at answers.
He kept his distance, but continued to speak to her, "You're looking at it too, aren't you?"
She stayed quiet – save for an annoyed sigh.
Can I have some peace, for once? He's so irritating…
When she didn't answer, Ethan decided that he would press the matter no further. It wasn't worth arguing about now. All he could do was keep his ears open in case any more creatures made their way toward their location. Those shotgun blasts were louder than life, and in the quiet streets of Serpenmoor, they came ringing out like a dinner bell.
The concerns he had reminded him to top off his shotgun again. A couple more shells in the tube and the Winchester was ready to go. Unfortunately, Ethan soon discovered that he was running low on ammunition. There were still three more rounds left to spare in his pocket. His LEMI pistol would survive on a spare magazine and another box of bullets he had in store, but that wasn't enough to make it through this hell. He'd need to source more firepower if the clock tower were to become their next objective.
Bela lowered her face into her gloved hands as she wiped the blonde hair off her forehead and massaged her eyes. She wanted to rest more than anything else right now. It had been a long hour and the toll it took on her mental state was exhausting. Her stomach growled for food, but there was none to be had.
Oddly, the desire to consume Ethan's flesh seemed absent. Back home, she could smell his blood from all the way across the dungeon. It called to her like a drug, pulling her body and mind into its orbit until they were bound to collide. It was a strange event, but she decided not to think about it any further.
It would only make her hunger more relevant.
Ugh…I could go for a nice lamb dinner and a good bottle of wine. Those are always so good. I don't care what Cassandra says.
The growling of her stomach synced with her head and could be heard around the room. Evidently, escaping from such thoughts was impossible.
"Hungry?" Ethan said without thinking; rolling his head to himself as soon as he realized it.
"Go away." Bela shook her head at the window. She scanned the streets, searching for the best path to the tower. The layout of the city was bizarre. Streets curved around in seemingly random fashions, while the sheer multitude of buildings obscured everything in between. She could only gaze at where the roads led so far until it was all up to speculation.
We must wait until sunrise, but those gunshots made this place unsafe. We need to find another shelter, but that's another risk. Hmm, maybe I can see if any of these doors look easy to enter.
Her fixation turned to the front of the buildings around her. When they were on the streets, the time to search was minimal at most. Something was pursuing them and they had to find a place to hide as fast as they could. Up in this room and out of sight, there was some added safety to the act. She had some time to search around.
A two-story building appealed to her the most. There was less space for things inside to hide, but at the same time, if their shelter was compromised, they could retreat up to the second floor. The streets held many shops that met that requirement, but the proximity to one another was a concern on its own. She feared how easily something inside the adjacent building could hear them and decide to make its way over.
Alright, think! You have to pick one. That one over on the next street doesn't look boarded up. It's not too tall but not too small, either. We can make it across the street and get there. Okay, I'm ready. Let's get out of here…
Bela stood up from the desk and turned around to Ethan. "There's a building not far down the street. We can take shelter there for now."
"What?' He was perplexed at her sudden plan.
"Or stay here for all I care." She moved past him without a second thought. "You and this bastard can talk to each other."
"Wait!" Ethan rushed after her as she stepped over Jerdan's corpse. His eyes briefly gazed down at the gored body as he tried to avoid stepping on him. Bela was already on her way toward the stairs by the time he caught up with her. "Where are we going? We can't just walk out there without a plan."
"I have a plan," she insisted as she descended the steps to the second floor.
"Did you take the time to think this through?"
"No, but right now, any plan is better than no plan."
Her words reminded him of Chris Redfield's constant instructions during their room-clearing training. The man would beat into Ethan's skull the importance of not waiting around for too long. Indecision would get you killed, and Bela's awareness of how long they had stuck around after the fight was notable.
"As much as I hate to say it…" Ethan muttered as he followed her, "I couldn't agree more."
Castle Dimitrescu – January 3rd, 2021
Bela stood by as she watched Luana and Sorina, her entrusted kitchen staff, chop away at the vegetables she had arranged to be delivered to them. The maids were diligent in their tasks, ensuring that each section was cut into equal segments. While their hands remained steady, it was no secret that the presence of the daughter unnerved them.
She was known to get loud and occasionally violent whenever mistakes were made. However, unlike her siblings, she abstained from greater actions as she understood the importance of their presence. The brutal winter was on track to stay for the long haul. That meant that the importation of supplies and food would be harder to obtain. The villagers outside the castle walls could work until their final drop of sweat, but they had to sustain themselves too.
Mother Miranda was always adamant that everyone looked after themselves during the cold season. As much as she cared less about the lives of those worthless peons – she needed her followers. That meant when need be, the vast array of nourishment that Castle Dimitrescu usually held would be cut.
That also meant that supplies had to be carefully managed and food could not be needlessly put to waste. The staff would normally have substituted for the decreased numbers of raw flesh and blood, but for the last few years, such a resort was off limits.
Staffing had been at an all-time low as the village population slowly dwindled. The humans could not reproduce fast enough and during the coldest of weeks; infants and children often perished. There were fewer and fewer young ladies willing – or not willing – around to be employed. Her mother had made her orders as clear as possible.
No servants were to be killed or greatly harmed without her expressed consent.
A mistake would result in punishment, but after that, they'd need to be back where they belonged.
Over time, Bela began to hold these two women in a certain regard. They had given her consistent obedience, and in doing so, they slowly earned her trust. She could leave them by themselves unsupervised and the tasks would still be completed on time, if not sooner. The reason for her presence was to only drive home the idea that there was always someone watching.
That – and the fact that she hoped her mother would walk by and see her in the middle of accomplishing the latest task she had been given.
These women are doing well today. Hmm, those onions are being cut just right. Perfect. Sorina is chopping up the lettuce just like I expect her to. Ugh…if only Daniela didn't complain so often about the way her salads came out. She's the only one who eats them…
Bela withdrew a list that she kept nearby, detailing the precise amount of food that was brought out for the meal. She'd check each ingredient off, one by one, as they went through the cooking process. If there was a complication or a mistake, it would be firmly noted.
"Luana…"
The maid with light brown hair immediately perked her head up in fear. Her voice was shaky as she addressed the noblewoman across from her, "Yes, Miss Bela?"
"The onion bowl is nearly full," Bela stated. "See to it that the spare is returned to storage."
"Yes, Miss Bela!" Luana immediately resumed her cutting. Bela continued to gaze at her – a fact that the young woman became increasingly aware of. The keen amber eyes of the blonde fixated on hers; which grew increasingly visible as she subconsciously glanced back in her peripherals.
Fragments of distractions morphed together until Luana's focus on Bela resulted in a swift cut to her left thumb.
"Ow!" The maid recoiled as she gripped her now bleeding digit. The searing burn of the onion's oil seeped into her wound, igniting a sharp sting that radiated throughout her palm. Her teeth tensed and her cringed eyes squeezed shut for a second.
"Uh uh," Bela said as the scent of crimson swam into her nostrils and filled her lungs. She approached Luana, smiling maliciously as the nervous girl stood still. "We don't put that to waste, remember?"
"Yes, Miss Bela…" Luana held her hand out as the blonde's gloves wrapped around her wrist. Her warm mouth overtook the sliced thumb, her teeth pressing down against it to hold it in place. Bela pulled the blood out from the cut with her tongue, allowing the droplets to trickle down her throat.
The maid kept her fixation down at the ground, terrified to look ahead – lest her eyes met with those of the eldest daughter.
Sorina glanced over for a moment as the scene played out. She was just thankful that she was not the one who had to experience that today. Bela continued on for a couple more seconds before the supply of sweet sanguine ran dry. She bit down on Luana's thumb, hard enough to elicit a restrained yelp.
With a chuckle, Bela withdrew the digit from her mouth and allowed the maid to wrap it up. As soon as she was done, Luana did not hesitate to return to her culinary duties; chopping the onions without a second thought.
Bela licked her lips as she maneuvered around the large stone island that stood in the middle of the room. She was content to stick around and make sure that the rest of the preparations continued as planned. The evening was still young and she had some time to kill.
"You want to know something, Luana?" Bela smiled.
The girl struggled to stay relaxed. There was a small quip to her face as she heard her name get spoken. The blonde daughter's tone often reflected her mood, though she was known to jump to anger in a heartbeat on occasion. While the blonde's intentions were unknown, the way she carried her voice sounded calm – almost teasing, in fact.
"Yes, Miss Bela?"
"I really do trust you. You make mistakes, but you always own up to them." Bela turned her eyes to the other servant. "And you too, Sorina." The girl's body suddenly locked as soon as the daughter's focus went to her. "You behave exceptionally well."
She's always so skittish. I love it.
Luana bowed her head as she continued working on the food. "Thank you, Miss Bela."
"Do you trust me?" Bela asked out of nowhere.
"Uhm…" Luana was at a loss for words. "Pardon me, Miss Bela. I'm not sure if I understand."
"Hmm," Bela rolled her lips. "I think you do. Don't pretend you don't. You trust me to ensure your safety, do you not?"
"Yes, Miss Bela."
"Trust goes both ways, does it not?" Bela continued. The direction of the conversation was uncertain to the servant. Nonetheless, Luana continued to respond, anxiously anticipating wherever it was that she was going with this.
"Yes, Miss Bela."
"If you couldn't trust me to keep you safe, you'd be torn to pieces by my dearest sisters." Bela smiled again as she reached out and gently tugged on Luana's hair. "And if I don't trust you to follow my orders, you'd be torn to pieces by me."
A gulp fell down her throat. "Yes, Miss Bela. You can trust me."
"As I do," she giggled. It was a moment of entertainment for the otherwise busy daughter. With the number of chores that she supervised, she felt she hardly had time to enjoy a good laugh. Relief could be found in the occasional stirring up of fear; keeping the girls on their toes as she flaunted her bloodthirsty side around them.
After all these years and all the women that she encountered during them – it never let up.
She hummed again, resting her arms against the table while she leaned back. "Do you ever aspire to be the Grand Chambermaid, Luana?"
Her light blue irises rolled to the side as she looked at Bela again. The girl seemed somewhat surprised by the question as if she never expected to hear such a thing. "It is a prestigious position, Miss Bela."
"That it is," the blonde emphasized. "One that demands the highest of responsibility."
"Madalina has demonstrated that," Luana replied. "She is very skilled in her duties. I can only aspire to be like her if I were to take on that role one day."
Bela kept her gaze set on her as she paused. There was a glimmer of thought in her eyes, along with a coy grin on her face. Luana's mouth twitched ever so slightly as she waited for her to respond. "You're proving to be a very responsible member of the staff. Madalina has taught you well. Because she has taught you so well, you are safer in here than out in the rest of the castle."
A sudden thought came to mind. "Tell me…has Cassandra been frequenting the kitchen looking for food?"
Sorina's hands began to shake a bit more as soon as that question was answered, while Luana also hesitated. Bela chuckled to herself as she moved away from the edge of the table and towards the servant.
Her mouth drew closer to the maiden's ear. "Luana…no secrets…"
The girl breathed a slow breath as she questioned her safety following the answer. It was a fork in the road that could lead to fire either way. Say anything that would get the brunette or redhead in trouble, and they'd come back with a vengeance. Lie to the blonde, and it would be personal. The only thing that would help her with her answer was the fact that Bela was the one standing in front of her – for now.
"She was here yesterday morning."
Bela's sweet tone dropped a few octaves as disappointment filled her throat, "What time?"
"After eight o'clock, Miss Bela."
"Ugh, that sister of mine." Bela shook her head. "She couldn't wait an hour for breakfast?"
Annoyed that her sibling had been sneaking into the kitchen again, Bela paced around the table to check on the previous day's item logs. She had tasked Luana with checking off the inventory while she tended to clean up a mess that Daniela had made over in the Main Hall. The more she vetted the paper, the more some things stood out.
That crude handwriting…
"Did Cassandra tamper with this?" She held the paper up in the air while she cast a fiery glare at the two servants.
"Yes, Miss Bela," Luana confessed with shame in her heart. "She told me to keep my mouth shut. Please, forgive me." It appeared as if she was on the verge of shedding a tear, distraught as the reality of her words fell upon her.
Bela saw the situation for how it was. She knew that Luana was utterly terrified of Cassandra – and for good reason. The brunette commanded a nasty reputation among the staff. Luana had personally witnessed her slaughter two of the servants ever since she started working in the castle last year. There was no questioning why she would think that the middle daughter would seek revenge for outing her actions.
"Very well…" Bela methodically folded the checklist. She licked her lips before parting them as she pulled in a soft sigh.
This will go well, as always…
As she began to make her way out of the kitchen, she turned to Luana with one more thing left to say, "I will not harm you for keeping this information from me. But, it seems as if I am not trusted to protect you. Therefore, I find my trust in your immediate honesty diminished." She held a firm glare in her lowered brow. The scrutinizing curve of her eyelids only personified her displeasure even further.
"Remember what we are without trust," she ended it with that final warning.
"Yes, Miss Bela. My sincerest apologies." Luana could barely maintain eye contact as she continued to review her slight against the daughter who watched over her the most. It was such a betrayal and the damage it had done to their relationship – as scary as it naturally was – couldn't be overlooked.
There was the chance to do better and Bela had left it hanging in the air for her to grab. If she didn't, then the only thing left to hang would be her.
The blonde departed as the two servants underwent the continued preparations for the night's dinner, leaving them to their own devices for the time being. For her – there were more important matters to address.
"Ugh…" Cassandra rolled her head, tired of hearing everything that she was being told. "Really?"
"Yes, 'really,' Cassandra," Bela continued to hammer her point across. "I know we all get hungry, but what have I told you about going into the kitchen and taking food?"
"I didn't take anything!" The brunette gestured her arm toward the aforementioned room as the two stood at the entrance of the wine room on the second-floor balcony. Her loud voice echoed around the castle, prompting Bela to tense her hands as she hated when their arguments had to be heard by the staff. "Your pathetic servants are lying!"
It set a bad image for the daughters whenever moments like these arose. Cassandra was skilled at letting conversations derail into fights, and her profound voice carried along the halls like a lion's roar. Bela loathed whenever she had to deal with it; wanting to simply throw the paper at her face and scream back at her.
You are so immature! I am just trying to tell you to hold off on the extra food and you're taking this so personally!
"Look, Cassandra," Bela said as she held the paper up. "I read this myself and I could already tell that it was you. Your handwriting is terrible. As far as the servants go; I'll deal with them since they lied to me and said you didn't do anything."
Her sister's face simmered down a smidge as soon as she heard that. Cassandra seemed almost surprised that the girls in the kitchen supposedly kept their mouths shut about her snacking. Not the one to let go of her anger, she held on to her guns and continued to maintain her aggravated posture and tone.
"Do not berate my handwriting…"
"Enough, okay?" Bela pushed past her deflection. "Just be mindful of how the winter is going to be for us. Mother Miranda told mother to be weary of low supplies coming our way. The Duke is trying to help our family procure more things from the outside, but until that works out, you need to be patient. And besides that: mother's orders, Cassandra!"
With a grunt and a huff, Cassandra kept quiet as she knew she had nothing else she could say. It was only when the cheery voice of a certain redhead called out from below did she finally regain some fire.
"Oh! Someone's in trouble!" Daniela playfully sang as she trotted along the open floor.
"Shut up, Daniela!" Cassandra's voice boomed again.
"You're just mad because my handwriting," her words slowed down to a teasing draw, "is much better than yours…"
Cassandra's fists curled and her teeth bared as she stared her youngest sibling down. Daniela's upper body could be seen hovering around in circles, a dark mass of flies carrying her like the cloud it was. The brunette's own waves of insects began to expel from her skin as her anger mounted.
"You and I were both there, you little pest!" Cassandra roared.
Ugh…these two and their drama…
"Daniela…" Bela leaned over the railing to get her sister's attention. "The same goes for you as well. Stay away from the kitchen unless I say so!"
"You're no fun, Bela." Daniela flew to the edge of the first step, her childish smile still happily stretched across her face. "We were just hungry."
Bela rolled her eyes as she held up the checklist one final time. "We'll all be hungry if none of you respect these rules! If you need food so desperately, talk to me first. Until then, neither of you is to go in the kitchen. Mother's orders, Daniela!"
Cassandra turned to her older sister who was only a couple of feet away. Her face held some animosity as she narrowed her brow. Amidst all the frustration that piloted her previous words to both her and Daniela, there was a new sense of resentment that suddenly came out. She spoke with a dull, direct tone – as if she was simply finished with Bela altogether.
"I just want one day where I don't have to hear your voice."
Bela raised her brow as she tilted her head. "Excuse me? What does that mean?"
"Just leave me alone, Bela," Cassandra muttered before her body dispersed and she sailed over the railing and onto the floor beside her other sister.
Daniela's cheerful voice spoke out as soon as the brunette reformed, "Oh, dearest Cassandra! Would you want to join me for some reading?"
"No."
"Oh, please! We can pick out a nice book for you that you may –"
"No." Cassandra dispersed again and funneled out of the room before Daniela could finish her sentence. As the redhead watched her sister leave, she stomped her heel on the ground and spun her arms around wildly.
Her playful voice immediately changed to a furious scream that instantly overtook all other sounds in the vicinity. "Argh! No one ever wants to do anything!" It was a drastic cut to pure, unbridled rage that even someone like Bela paused at.
She hated having to listen to her sister's tantrums, and the unpredictability of them kept her on edge. Bela remained out of sight as she moved further back; not wanting to be a part of this anymore. The room fell into silence while Daniela's heavy breathing died down. Soon, the sound of buzzing flies slowly fading away was the only thing that informed the blonde that she was now alone.
I hate this.
She rolled her head back, stretching her neck to work off some of the stress. A small groan came out before she looked down at the paper she so proudly carried.
Why can't you two just listen to me, for once? I'm not asking a lot.
With a curl to her lip, Bela tore the paper up, wanting nothing more than to move on and forget about tonight. Thankfully, she still had some more tasks that she had to oversee that would help keep her mind away from her sisters. It was easier to focus on ensuring everything was done correctly rather than thinking about what Cassandra meant when she said what she said.
She'd return to the kitchen later to check up on Luana and Sorina, not just to make sure they were still performing as desired, but to also secretly enjoy some company that would not talk back to her. She wanted to have that with her sisters, but with tensions rising and her mother holding her to such a high standard, she gravitated toward that avenue.
After all, Alcina expected results and it was the eldest daughter who bore the burden.
Serpenmoor
"This one?" Ethan asked as he and Bela neared the building at the corner of the road. The darkness of the night obscured the entrance, creating doubt as to whether they were heading toward the right one at all.
"Yes," Bela confirmed as she followed his side. Her head glanced around in all directions as the whipping sound of the wind picked up for seemingly no reason. It was like the city was aware of them finally coming back out, and it was getting riled up at their presence. Clusters of leaves continued to spin around the streets; carried by the sweeping gusts.
I haven't seen a single tree since we arrived here. Those leaves shouldn't be here…
The large moon's shining glow dimmed as heavy clouds passed over it, strengthening the shadows around them as they did so. The sequence of events was too alarming to be chalked up to pure chance. She picked up her pace and Ethan followed suit. Neither of them wanted to stick around to find out what would be waiting for them in these streets if the light faded away.
He kept his shotgun pointed ahead, but the weapon would only be so useful until he exhausted its ammunition. There was no telling just how many dangers surrounded them. Her eyes met with as many windows as they could – fearing that they would spot the face of the next thing they would encounter. There were no signs of life inside the walls of the various establishments that populated the roads, but they knew they weren't alone.
As soon as they reached the front, Ethan reached for the door, finding it to be unlocked. It was a lucky break – so it seemed – as that meant they did not have to create any additional noise trying to get in. As soon as his hand began to turn the knob, a woman's songful voice carried around in the air. He paused; eyes scanning around frantically in all directions as he tried to see just who it was.
"Do you hear that?" He asked her.
"I do," Bela tried to withhold her worries.
It's coming from everywhere…like it's all around me…
There were no words to the singing, just an assortment of melodies vocalized from a high-pitched voice that would lower down as the occasional hum played out. It unsettled the duo to no end, as the nature of the voice contrasted with the depressing image of the desolate city that seemed uninhabited – save for the stuff of nightmares.
Without warning, a small cloud of black shadows could be seen at the very end of the street, down near the cathedral where they had entered this world. It was hard to identify its finer shape, but the stature seemed to be that of an average-sized human.
That was when the shifting sound of the singing suddenly re-directed to its source, identifying the human-shaped mass of shadows as the origin of the melodies.
The two of them quickly threw the door open and ran inside, just as the sweet, soft calls shifted to a sinister chuckle. Ethan carefully closed the door behind him, sealing them both inside a pitch-black room. The chuckles died down, resuming their whimsical rhythm once more.
A series of hums; one after the other, followed by a low chanting exhale.
They could only hope that whoever – or whatever – it was that was singing did not see them. Unfortunately, there was no hope to be found.
NOTES:
Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Quicker turn around on this one, so I'm sure a lot of you are happy about that 😊
Things still aren't looking very good for our favorite (not a couple, yet) couple. The entire city seems to be gunning for them and make no mistake – it is. Hopefully, the next building they have taken shelter in will prove to be safer than the last one, but in Serpenmoor, you never know what it's watching you.
Tourist tip: avoid the singing lady at all costs.
Hope you guys liked the flashback to Castle Dimitrescu. There will be some more littered throughout the story as we see snippets of Bela's past and learn why she is the way she is. Bela has many sides to her, and we will see them all.
So, yeah, no art for this one on Archive of Our Own, but in honesty, I am happy to be able to pump out this content. Rest assured; more art is coming very soon. Maybe next chapter, even! When can you guys expect that? Maybe in about two weeks…maybe sooner.
I also want to recommend some great Dimitrescu fan-fics to you all. Check out and support NoxEterna in their works, including the Ethan/Dani fic, "Hello Neighbor!" It's a great romance story all around, but Daniela's cuteness is 10/10 in this awesome writing that is full of fun and life, while also reminding us that dangerous love is dangerous in many ways.
SilentWinters "Taming the Huntress" is an Ethan/Cassandra fic that also holds a big story behind the slow-burn romance of these two characters. Their banter is great and the elements and pacing work together perfectly.
Also, if there's one of you that hasn't read the Ethan/Bela fic "Blood and Winter" by SylvesterM yet, go read it. He's why we're all here.
I'll keep this note brief but I want to thank you all for the continued support for this story. I've seen a bunch of new readers join this and hearing how much they truly love these works has warmed my heart so much! I am so happy to provide this to you all, and you are all simply the best! As always, feel free to drop a comment and let me know what you think so far, where you hope it goes, or what you think could have been done better. Leave a kudos if you want as well!
In the meantime, stay safe and happy in your lives! I'm looking forward to seeing you all again!