Bela fought to catch her breath as she watched the maggots spill from the woman's mouth, plopping onto the floor while some landed on her bare chest. With the small worms still clinging to her dark lips, she dipped her head before cracking a threatening smile.

Silent giggles caused the strange lady to bob her head while she continued to just stand there. The dark mist that surrounded her blocked the only exit that they had. Bela knew that making a run for it would likely be fatal, though she also lacked faith that sticking around would yield any favorable results. Ethan's shotgun blast had already proved futile when it came to damaging her, and the last thing they wanted to do was give her any cause to attack them.

The lady seemed as maniacal as they came, and the blonde believed that her level of reasoning was next to nothing. The daughter of House Dimitrescu understood the thrill of toying with her prey. It was a fun game to watch them stagger around in anxiety as they awaited the inevitable. It made the desire to prolong their mental suffering all the more enticing. She and Ethan acting the way they did had to illicit some sort of thrill from the witch.

Testing the waters, Bela decided that she would try to speak to her, "What is your name?"

With her face still mostly obscured underneath her hood, the woman lifted her head in a slight perplexity. Her black lips parted before she smiled once more, causing the last of the maggots to fall from her mouth. From her throat, a slow rumble akin to crackles began to sound, slowly growing into a raspy breath.

She giggled again – almost involuntarily.

"Vikcia."

Okay…that's a start…

Ethan's breathing was still well-above normal. The man's heavy cautiousness was warranted, but the nervousness that he exuded did not go unnoticed by the darkness-infused being who stood in front of him. She seemed to thrive on it.

The woman tilted her head at him, her blackened hand lifting from her side. The tips of her fingers were rounded as if they were short claws. Her forefinger curled out, which she then brought to the center of her chest, skimming it along the curvature of her breast.

A suppressed laugh came out as carried on the act.

His uneasiness only grew as he locked eyes with her, and against his better judgment in the face of danger – he decided to look away.

She giggled again and turned her attention to Bela; repeating the same act but in reverse. The blonde maintained eye contact throughout the exchange, but she did not respond, trying to avoid feeding into the woman's intentions. After a few seconds, the witch dropped her arm and lost it in the shadows around her.

With her face as expressionless as she could make it, Bela sighed as she watched the woman find glee in her actions. With that taunting grin still stretched across her face, she proceeded to steadily angle her head to the side, keeping eye contact as she did so.

I'm not liking this.

"Why did you bring us into this world?" Bela asked.

Vikcia's smile simmered down to a confused parting of her lips as she heard it. She offered no response, only a small shake of her head as she continued to stare Bela down. The two of them independently deduced that she understood what they were saying, which eliminated the excuse of a language barrier. The woman's mouth wouldn't even twitch at this point. Instead, she only seemed to be studying them more now.

Was she not the one who brought them here?

Growing worried about the prolonged silence that Vikcia was presenting, Bela offered to try her hand again with a different topic. "We just want to get back to our world, that's all. I don't care what you do here and to these people. We don't belong here."

Vikcia bowed her head, the shadows around her growing in size. Bela and Ethan stepped back, fearing that she was about to attack them. Instead, she merely giggled and drew in a long breath with her head tilted back.

Those signature dark hands came out, caressing the sides of her throat as her fingers twitched. While her mouth hung open, there were still signs of a smile to be seen as her white teeth gleamed at the ceiling. When she was finally done breathing in, she kept her head back with no further actions taken.

All of her movements were strange and made no sense whatsoever. Bela and Ethan knew she wasn't human and unpredictable as hell. Had she been human, it would have been a sign of severe mental instability.

Coupled with unimaginable powers – she was dangerous.

Vikcia brought her hands to the openings of her robes that laid down her torso. She pulled them together, concealing her chest and stomach as best as she could. Her head suddenly dropped down and she then cracked a small, grumbly laugh before shaking her head over and over.

Her raspy, young voice spoke from under her hood, "And yet…you are here."

Bela turned her eyes to Ethan, who met them with a worried glare that she echoed. The two of them had to come up with a plan between each other without saying a single word. She gestured to the upstairs room, but the man seemed hesitant – likely due to the uncertainty of whatever horrors Vikcia would have been capable of unleashing up there.

Mouthing her words to Ethan, Bela made her intentions clear, "We need to escape."

He gave her a quick nod before glancing back to the upstairs room. With a small breath, he gulped before mouthing his response back to her, "Window."

Bela paused – giving a sharp nod two seconds later.

Still laughing, Vikcia continued to bob her head up and down without looking at a single one of them. The shadows around her body left trails of dust along the walls and furniture, which caught Bela's attention in the process.

I was right about the dust. It's coming from her…

The shadow woman lifted her head with a creaking breath, straightening her hood as she flashed a toothy grin toward the blonde. Bela gripped her sickle in anticipation of whatever it was that was about to happen. She understood that the weapon was as useful as a plastic stick against this creature, but the comfort of having it was enough to hold her together.

She tried her best to withhold any signs of fear – something she was sure Vikcia would have picked up on.

Amidst the shadows that grew around her, Vikcia raised her left hand to her mouth, pulling down on her bottom lip with two fingers. She kept her pose, cackling quietly as the white irises of her eyes stared Bela down. Several loose maggots popped out from her mouth, trickling down her hand and onto the ground.

"You don't scare me," Bela defiantly stated.

"Poor choice of words," Ethan remarked as he watched the dark being's grin widen.

"You had to say that in front of her…"

Ethan pressed his lips and shook his head as soon as he realized how much he had messed up, "Sorry."

Vikcia glared at Bela some more before she slowly started to step forward. Her advancement caused the two to start backing away; their egress plan running hot through their minds. It would be a short run up the stairs. As far as escaping through the window went – that was to be figured out on the way down.

The two-story drop would have risked great injury and in a world like this – injury meant death.

However, death was not a risk in the presence of this maniacal woman – it was a guarantee.

They could not sit and debate the greater harm.

Just as Bela's feet touched the first step as she trekked backward, Vikcia immediately shifted ahead, appearing just inches in front of the blonde. She let out a loud yelp as soon as she saw just how close her enemy had gotten, nearly falling over in response.

Ethan spun around with his shotgun at the ready and sent off another shell at point-blank range straight into the right side of Vikcia's head. A plume of shadows erupted from the blast wound, and for a moment, it seemed like the woman stumbled, but the appearance was short-lived as she continued to stand there.

The cloud of shadows peeled back into her head, reforming anything that might have been knocked away by the group of pellets he fired. The pale being's visible expression was akin to more annoyance than anything else. Her blackened lips lifted from the top, curling to her nostrils as she bared her white teeth again.

A raspy rumble rolled from inside her throat as she stared at him aimlessly for a couple of seconds before she seemed to be analyzing his next move. A small cloud of dust emerged from her mouth while she growled slowly – almost methodically.

With his survival instincts kicking in, Ethan racked the pump to his weapon and prepared himself to fire another round if need be. If it wasn't going to kill, the least it could do was keep her at bay.

Vikcia's mouth and nostrils continued to produce a cloud of prominent grey dust as she huffed her displeasure at his actions toward her. As irritated as she looked, she quickly reverted to a short series of giggling as she kept her eyes deadlocked on the man. It was as if she had completely forgotten about Bela; who began to slowly creep up the stairs and away from the encounter.

With a calm breath, Vikcia blew a cloud of dust toward Ethan's face. He wasn't fast enough to move away by the time the particles made contact with him. Coughing as soon as they entered his respiratory tract, he lurched forward and covered his eyes, lest he is blinded during this dire moment.

Watching as he stumbled away to where the air was breathable, Vikcia observed his behavior as she remained in place. Ethan quickly waved off the remaining dust from his face before he centered the muzzle of his shotgun onto her body.

For him; as long as he kept the entity's attention on him, it would allow Bela and avenue to make it out of this building. At that point, he would only have to account for himself when it came to escaping. Ethan trusted his resourcefulness and did not worry whether or not he would be able to make it out at all.

As long as her safety was ensured, he could operate to his fullest capacity.

The seconds ticked by, and the expression on Vikcia's face went from sinister to somewhat confused. The half-smiled that she held when she watched him recover from the dust cloud soon fell before it eventually morphed into a curious curl.

Her throat rumbled again – mimicking a hum as she stood there, puzzled.

"What are you waiting for?" Ethan asked.

She did not answer, only tilting her head back and forth as she watched him. Ethan took small micro-movements around as he played the part of the cautious prey, making his way ever closer to the front door as he did so. He waited for the sound of Bela making it out of the building before he would perform his escape.

For now – he had to count on this woman not making any additional moves.

The shadows around Vikcia's body subsided as they reduced to small trails that floated along her sides. For the first time, most of her robed body was visible; no longer obscured under the shadows. While her frame was smaller when not obscured, she remained imposing in appearance.

The robes that covered her dragged along the ground, while the hood atop her head hung over her forehead. Most of her face remained out of view still – though the vicious white circles of her eyes shined through the darkness. She continued to hold the ends of her robes together as if she was conscious about him being able to view the most intimate portions of her body as she approached him.

"Listen," Ethan tried to reason with her, "I don't want to fight you. I need to return to where I came from. Please, I have a daughter and she needs my help." He grew more worried as she closed in on him, backing up closer to the entrance. "I don't know if you care, but think about it: you can help me."

She stopped as soon as she stood in front of the mound of maggots that she had spewed out from her mouth minutes ago. Vikcia released her grip on her robes as she bent over to reach for the pile of larvae. She carefully scooped them up as best as she could, while the loss of some as she stood up was inevitable.

Vikcia held the cluster of maggots against her chest as if it was an infant, lowering her head and cooing at them. It was an unsettling sight, and Ethan rationed that this woman was nowhere as mentally sound as someone like Bela, which was frightening.

That – or she was mocking him.

She opened her mouth and more maggots fell out, adding to the pile that was already in her hands. Ethan couldn't stomach the sight of what he was seeing, nor could he bear her actions any further.

Shaking his shotgun, his voice let out a furious yell that sent her attention back to him, "What the fuck is wrong with you? Is this some kind of joke?"

While he could still only see her mouth, the grimace on her face was unmistakable. He had angered her to some degree, evidenced by the scowl of her cheeks and the twitching of her bottom lip. As her raspy breaths heaved in and out, the woman's claw-like fingers curled inward, causing the mass of maggots to pool out from around them. The larvae fell back onto the ground as she threw her hands to the side, posturing herself in a threatening manner.

Ethan backed up against the door, ready to shoot her again even if it wasn't going to do anything to her. Clouds of dust started to steam from her nostrils and mouth as she stared him down while the shadows around her body enlarged in volume. She slowly crept toward him; her bare feet occasionally poking out from under her robes – revealing themselves to be blackened, with her toes shaped like small talons.

With a heated growl, the woman got closer to Ethan, who found himself hesitant to pull the trigger. If his words had angered her this much, a second round of its firepower was only going to piss her off more. There had to be another way, he thought.

He hung his weapon down and took a short breath before addressing her again, "I didn't mean it like that. Please, I just want to rescue my daughter. She's in danger."

Her already slow pace died down to a halt as she closed her mouth and brought her hands up to the edges of her hood. She gripped the corners, ensuring that her robes were still secure. A strange clicking rattled from her chest or throat like she was some sort of animal. The rhythm of it soon trailed off into a feminine hum as the woman remained still.

Hoping that she could be somewhat reasonable, Ethan tried to see where this would go next. He needed her to shy away from aggression.

"Vikcia, I need you to tell me how to get out of here."

As Ethan stood there waiting for a response, she lifted her head and kept her white eyes fixated on him. Her mouth broke out into a smile that was short-lived before it opened to expel a small cloud of dust into the air. The plume hardly moved around; dispersing around her face instead.

With a chuckle, Vikcia gently nodded for a few seconds before she paused and glared at the man. The woman was so erratic in her actions that predicting her next move was mostly impossible. Ethan shuddered as he awaited whatever decision she would make, while still considering whether or not he should raise his weapon again.

In an unexpected act – Vikcia suddenly shifted ahead and appeared less than an inch away from him. The shadows along her body filled the area around them, almost enveloping Ethan in darkness. She could see her pale skin shine amidst the strangled light, her cold breath blowing against his as she breathed an unending exhale like always.

Her robes had fallen loose from the sides, exposing the cleavage of her breasts and the hide of her soft stomach that brushed up against his torso. She smiled at him, her black gums visible as her tongue emerged and flickered in the air. Ethan could now see what the inside of her mouth was really like.

The far end of her tongue seemed rigid like a reptile's scales, while the back of her throat was home to an assortment of holes similar to a beehive. The white heads of maggots peeked out from some of the openings, making the man want to vomit at the sight of them. Her thin hands raised from the sides and grabbed his coat sleeves, where Ethan could feel the fear inside his body rising as her nails dug into him.

Whatever her intentions were – she was too close for comfort.

Her devilish eyes bored into his soul, and Ethan then realized that the obscured portions of her face were not due to the hood of her robes, but a mass of shadows that had collected within it. He could hardly make out the shape of the rest of her features, but in his heart, he knew the woman was a monster.

His shaky voice spoke out to her, "What are you doing?"

With her lips and teeth parted slightly, Vikcia brought her mouth up to him in an almost passionate manner, while her eyes remained wide as ever. As soon as her lips approached his cheek, Ethan suddenly found himself at the forefront of another cloud of dust that she deliberately breathed at him.

The thick particles invaded his lungs and he found his respiratory system in dire need of fresh air. The man shoved her away, causing her to stumble back as he fought to breathe. While he stood there pushing the dust away, Vikcia wiped her mouth with the back of her forearm as she gazed at him. She was seemingly puzzled and confused – if not a bit more frustrated.

Coughing wildly, Ethan could hardly get the next words he had to say out, "What the…fuck lady?!"

With shadows still surrounding her from all angles, Vikcia flashed her teeth before bowing her head, giggling softly as she brought her hands to the top of her skull. Ethan stumbled away as his hand reached for the door, all while the woman was too preoccupied in whatever train of thought she was in.

The sound of the upstairs window opening quickly caught her attention, however, and Ethan watched in horror as she snapped her head toward the stairs. He knew that she was setting Bela in her sights, and while he didn't care for the other deranged bug woman personally, he could not allow Vikcia to attack her.

Reacting on pure instinct, Ethan sent another shotgun blast directly at the shadow lady's face, obliterating it again just like the last time. Vikcia craned her body to the side as she recoiled from the force of the gunshot, nearly falling over as the hit took her by complete surprise. Without a second to spare, Ethan made a break for the outside, hoping against all odds that he would somehow be able to evade the monstrous entity.

As soon as that door swung open, he sped off without looking back.

The gusts of air were a change-up from the still calmness that the sealed interior had offered. It seemed that the outside world had grown colder than it was just before they entered their latest failed shelter. The cool breeze that blew along his skin was a reprieve from the elevated temperature that his body held as his adrenaline skyrocketed, but it was also a reminder of how exposed he was.

Sprinting down the desolate street, Ethan scrambled for the next place to take cover. Sadly, it was only when he was a couple of dozen feet into his venture that the man realized how poorly-planned his decision was. The streets were wide open and he was making more noise than the entire city. He had no clue of which place would be suitable to hide in – or if they were even accessible, to begin with.

Worst of all; Vikcia would not allow him to take off without a chase and the amount of room she had to move around in made his shotgun more ineffective than ever. Nonetheless, Ethan reached for another shell to push into the magazine tube, managing to grab one as he ran down the cobblestone road.

Alone and afraid, his only certainty was the firearms in his possession, though he hated to think that all of his precious ammunition would have to be expended to escape the mad woman.

Then again, as Chris often told him, any plan was better than no plan – and a loaded gun was useless to a dead man.

He had to keep moving.

As he fought to pick up speed, the melodies of Vikcia's singing resumed from inside the building where he had left her. Despite being as far away as she was – and with the distance between them growing ever longer – the sound of her voice was as close as if she was right next to his ear.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he hurtled around the corner of a random store and into an alleyway nearby. The night sky was his greatest enemy at the moment as the lack of light caused him to crash and trip over several objects that lay scattered about. A sudden tumble over a random box and Ethan found himself flying forward onto the hard ground below.

It all happened so quickly and there was no time to register the impact. He knew he had fallen and the pain that radiated around his knees and elbows made itself as apparent as ever. Yet, it was the metallic clang of his shotgun striking and skidding across the pavement that concerned him the most. He had to retrieve it at all costs.

Pushing himself back up to his feet, Ethan desperately swept his hands around for the weapon – all while the singing continued from nearby.

"Fuck!" His frustrations mounted and his anger slipped out. It was of little significance, his subconscious thought. She already had to have known where he was.

As soon as his remaining fingers felt the smooth metal and wood that composed the shotgun, he snatched it back up from the ground and continued his sprint. Unwilling to endure another tumble, Ethan threw on his flashlight, allowing him to view his surroundings with great success.

It also allowed him to see the corpses that surrounded him as well.

Several bodies lay dead against the edges of the buildings that lined the alleyway. As brief as his glimpses of them were, Ethan could see the remains of normal people who looked like they had been butchered or perhaps mauled by whatever it was that roamed the streets. Their outfits once again carried a Victorian-era aesthetic; the men wore old-fashioned suits and labor attire while the women were clothed in large dresses of various colors.

The splashes of blood that coated some parts of the bodies stuck out the most, and Ethan could hardly make out the shapes of some of the faces that were bathed in red. The horror of it all caused him to gag and avert his eyes, as no matter how much violence he had witnessed over the years – it was never enough to numb him.

"Jesus Christ!" Ethan yelled as dry-heaved, nearly reaching the point of vomiting.

Vikcia's singing continued from behind him, causing the man to turn around just in case she was standing mere feet from him. His eyes befell an empty alleyway – save for the dead.

His heart pounding, Ethan turned back to assess his environment for the best course of action to take. The alleyway would end in a small square that led to three different buildings that may or may not have been enterable. In the center of the lot was nothing that he could hide in or under – nor did he want to as she was certain to find him.

As Ethan prepared to cast his judgment on which place would keep him alive, the emergence of a young woman from the doorway on the right made the decision for him.

Before she could even get a word out, the tune of the shadow woman's song caught her attention, causing the lady to jolt and beckon him toward her. "Get in!" She whispered loudly, prompting Ethan to make a mad dash for safety. He barreled toward her with all his energy, following her as she led him into her place of refuge, shutting the steel door behind them as soon as possible.

Bela could hardly see where she was, as she had to sacrifice the lantern she held during her jump from the second-story window. Fortunately, the fall was not as severe as she expected, finding the bundles of trash down below to have been a literal lifesaver.

However, that did not mean some bruises and scratches were unavoidable in the process, and she'd be lying to herself if she thought her right hip wasn't flaring with soreness. The success of the jump was not to be celebrated, as she took note of how costly it could have been.

That was too much. I can't keep taking risks like this.

With her sickle still at her side, she sought cover under the darkness of the shadows, unsure if Vikcia would be able to see her or not. The former sounded the most likely, as the woman herself was composed of the stuff as well. Every action seemed futile, but standing out in the open was just suicide.

She could still hear the singing as it carried along down the street, along with the eventual cursing of the man she had been sent to this world with. Was he alive? Was he dead? She didn't know.

Better him than me…I guess.

Bela poked her head up from the corner of the building where she sought concealment, gazing ahead to see if there was anything else out on the streets. To her relief – for now – there was nothing.

I can't stick around. Something had to have heard all this noise. I just have to wait for her to leave the area.

She could feel her heart slamming against her ribcage as her body tried to collect from the last couple of minutes. With the cool air touching her exposed neck and chest, Bela could only think about her circumstances again. She already knew that she was no longer vulnerable to the cold as it seemed, as temperatures like this back at home would have spelled trouble.

It was the question of why that populated her thoughts.

How is all this happening? What did this to me?

For a brief second – she wondered if dying here would bring her back to her old life.

No! Don't think like that! It's going to get you killed. Focus, Bela, focus…

She glanced around the street, eyeing the buildings as her sight went along. She was not as well-equipped as Ethan was; not that his armament was anything useful against the woman at hand. Unless a weapon capable of killing Vikcia were to emerge from the void, she'd had to adapt her actions accordingly.

Hmm...she's chasing Ethan. Maybe, she's going to expect me to make a run for it as well. If I were her, I wouldn't think to come back to where my prey had escaped from. They normally seek refuge somewhere far off. Huh, one of these buildings close by might just be the key to evading –

Her heart plummeted as soon as her eyes spotted the shadowy mass staring at her from across the street.

Oh, no…

Vikcia's chanting rebounded and now sounded closer than ever before. Bela fell back onto her hands as she crawled against the brick wall of the building behind her; eyes wide and mouth gasping.

She sounded like she was so far away seconds ago! Was she…faking her voice? How?!

Swallowing her fears, Bela stood up from the shadows, knowing that trying to hide now was fruitless. She wasn't going to play the woman's games and believed that the best defense – the only defense – was a good offense.

Damn it…no running from this.

"You got me," she voiced defiance in the face of uncertain danger.

Vikcia offered only a chuckle before her body became engulfed in a cloud of darkness before she took to the sky and went straight for Bela. The horde of shadows mirrored a smokey comet as it traveled down onto the street – stopping a few feet from the blonde.

Bela side-stepped away from the building and onto the road, wanting to get away from anything that would box her in. The gusts of wind picked up in intensity as the dark entity's presence seemed to control it to some degree. Vikcia slowly approached her just as she had done to Ethan beforehand.

Her mannerisms remained predatory, and Bela could only assume that she was testing her will. If anything; she perceived Ethan as the blonde's companion and the man's hostile actions must have reflected on her too. The woman likely couldn't care less who was right or wrong. All she wanted to do was toy with the person in front of her and see what would happen next.

Grey dust blew forth from Vikcia's nostrils as she closed in, her smile coming into view whenever possible. Bela pointed her sickle at the woman, taking a step back as she commanded her to halt.

"Wait, stop!" She sought to reason with her.

Vikcia tilted her head just as she had done back inside the room, giggling while her deathly eyes moved around at the sky. Her lips twitched as her joyous and excited calls played out.

Is she even looking at anything?

The woman's giggles deepened into a small, raspy laugh as her mouth opened and some stray maggots fell from the corners of her lips. Bela had seen worse and the sight of the worms had not phased her as much as it had Ethan.

Her fear of Vikcia came from the unknown, as this being had to have held power beyond her greatest understanding. Most of all – she presided over Bela's fate. The blonde was no different than a sparrow in the eyes of a hawk.

Cloaked in the continuous mass of shadows, Vikcia took a deep breath before setting her eyes on Bela, holding a mischievous glint in what could be seen of her eyes. Another trickle of maggots released before her dark hand rose to her mouth.

And another giggle…

I need to get away from her.

Bela's vision turned to the road ahead of her, briefly considering whether or not she should make a break for it. The path was as wide open as the rest of the street and it made for the perfect killing ground. She held no faith in her decision-making at that moment, which only led to costly hesitation. She quickly realized the error in her body language, knowing that the demonic lady beside her would have noticed her desperate mannerisms.

She turned her head back – only to see Vikcia an inch away from her.

Fight or flight mode kicked in and there was no place to run. Bela grunted as she swung her sickle into Vikcia's side, which met resistance but seemed to have no effect. The woman simply leaned into the impact; her eyes squinting at the sudden attack. The blade ripped out, leaving a trail of shadows to pool out into the air alongside it. She went for another swing, hoping that the continued damage would immobilize her at the very least.

All of that hope fell when Vikcia snagged her wrist.

Bela felt her body become weightless as she was tossed to the hard ground. Piling on top of her, Vikcia's mass proved too heavy for the blonde to overcome as the mountain of shadows held its prey down. The cold breath of the sinister woman gusted the inside of the blonde's hood, sending a chill down the rest of her skin.

"Get off me!" Bela snarled, only to see Vikcia smile and open up her mouth.

An explosion of dust funneled out from her throat, engulfing Bela's entire face in a thunderous cloud. She could hardly breathe as the cascade of particles filled her nasal cavity and borrowed deep into her lungs. Her respiratory system shut down for a few seconds as it clogged her passageways.

I can't breathe!

Suddenly, the particles dissolved and the air became more breathable. Coughing wildly, Bela constricted her chest as much as possible so she could push whatever was still inside of her out. Breath by breath – the air grew clearer.

Vikcia looked on as she awaited something. As Bela continued to remain stable – save for the coughing – the confusion on the lady's face became more apparent.

Something wasn't sitting right with her.

She continued to hold Bela down, glaring with utter curiosity as the seconds continued to pass and the woman below her recovered from the assault. Her dark lips parted, while two stray maggots fell from their front and onto her victim's chest.

Bela could feel her strength depleting under Vikcia's impossible weight, finding the fight inside of her draining as well. There was no use in trying to circumvent her position, as it would have only made her more exhausted. All she could do now was wait and see what else the woman had in store for her.

Lowering her nose down to the bend in Bela's neck, Vikcia engaged in a series of inhales, as if she was sniffing her. After a few rounds, the blonde could glimpse an irritable scowl on the lady's jaw. A raspy growl rose from Vikcia's chest, and her sharp fingers dug deeper into Bela's skin.

Before the intrusive creature could progress with her plan, a duo of gunshots rang out and shattered the silence of the world around them. Vikcia jolted to the side as the reverberation of the bullet's impact tunneled through her body. The projectiles were so close that Bela believed that had passed mere inches away from her as well.

With a guttural snarl, Vikcia craned her head to the right and fixated on two armed men who had ambushed her. Dressed in the same attire as Jerdan had been, Bela correctly assumed that they had to have been native survivors of this madness.

"Keep shooting!" One of the men yelled while the other ran the bolt of his rifle.

Bela peeked over at them as best as she could; her vision still obscured by Vikcia's cloud of shadows. She could see the two men standing in the open street, guns drawn on the beast on top of her. It was a great disadvantage on their part, and she felt their encounter with the beastly woman would be short-lived.

Another shot followed as the man with the bolt-action sent a bullet into Vikcia's neck – to no effect.

The man to his side wielded what appeared to be a twin-barrel shotgun, but the large, open sights on the top of it were a strange commodity. He waited for Vikcia to finally stand up before he pulled the trigger again and sent a loud boom throughout the city. The force of the round blasted through Vikcia's chest, sending her spinning around and onto her side as a plume of shadows evaporated in the air. Bela seized the opportunity to get on her feet and dash out of the line of fire, leaving a clear area for them to engage her some more.

The man with the twin-barrel gun broke open the action and retrieved his expended ammunition out from the breech; one resembled a shotgun shell, while the other was an elongated, big-bore rifle round.

His partner fired his bolt action once again, piercing into Vikcia's body as she crawled along the road. The woman hissed as she turned and shifted into a tall cloud and re-formed onto her feet. The men fired at her some more. A hail of shot and rifle rounds came her way, only to continue traveling ahead as her body dispersed into a pool of thinner clouds.

Seeing their plan suddenly falling to pieces, the man with the twin-bore immediately reached for a liquor bottle that he had strapped to his side. With an old rag stuffed down its head, all that was needed was a flame to birth the Molotov cocktail that he so desperately wanted to employ. He dropped his gun on the ground while he fetched the bottle, leaving his partner to fire again at Vikcia while he tried to set the cloth alight.

Flicking a match against the gritted paper of its box, he struggled to spark a flame while his partner frantically let off another round that ended up missing Vikcia completely.

"Hurry!" The man shouted as he threw the bolt of his now empty rifle open to cram additional rounds into the magazine. His shaky hand fumbled with the ammunition, causing one of the cartridges to fall from his grasp and bounce off the stone ground.

Just as the first two bullets entered the rifle, Vikcia's body slammed into his, knocking him from his stance. The two crashed on the cobblestone road, while the man who was left standing realized that utilizing the cocktail meant taking the life of his friend.

"Jeremiah!" He yelled as he juggled between lighting the bottle and retrieving his firearm.

Vikcia rose on top of him and gleamed down at the man in a sadistic manner. He gazed up at her in a terrified gasp, knowing that there was no salvation to be had. With shrilled growl, she descended upon his face with her hands, clawing away at his flesh. He kicked around and screamed wildly as she sheered the skin from bone, her pointed fingers sharper than razors.

"Kill me!" Jeremiah cried through his broken mouth as Vikcia continued to strip away what was left of him, leaving nothing but scraped bones and crooked teeth. His partner decided to go forth with lighting the bottle but as soon as he went to grab another match, the demonic woman leaped off the faceless man and charged toward him.

He jolted backward, dropping the bottle and hearing it shatter with all hope for survival along with it. Vikcia lurched forward, arms and hands at her side and her shoulders raised as high as possible. With a long draw, she shot a large cloud of heavy dust out from her mouth like an angry dragon's flame.

The thick mist piled onto his face and he began coughing uncontrollably before collapsing completely. Seizing on the ground, the man was left to his fate while Vikcia returned to ravage the other one's mutilated skull.

Bela was about to make a run for it when she opted to take custody of the firearm that had been dropped by the first man. With Vikcia's back toward her, she sprinted toward the bolt-action rifle and snagged it from the ground before taking off down the street and into the shadows. As she turned her head around, she could see the man who was hit with the dust convulsing on the ground as if he was possessed; his body contorting in an unnatural posture that would have stressed one's skeleton to the max.

Vikcia continued to tear apart his face, causing mounds of blood to pool down his neck and hair, onto the cobblestones. The river of red flowed between the cracks of the rocks, traveling further out as his body went limp. She snagged him by the neck with her teeth, ripping out a large chunk of his throat as she threw herself back.

The sadistic creature listened to the gurgling of the other man as he slowly rolled around, maggots forming in the openings of his mouth and nose. Blood vessels inside his skull burst, sending streams of crimson from the remaining slits of his nostrils. He urgently tore at his nose, suddenly finding the strength to rip it from its base, allowing the opportunity to breathe again. Maggots gushed out from the cavity before they stopped materializing.

He crawled up onto his knees, bending over as he vomited more larvae. Vikcia calmly turned to stare at her newest creation before she went to work bending the deceased man's arm back and forth in multiple directions, snapping bones and spearing them through the skin. She twisted and spun the extremity until the muscles separated and the arm came free from the body.

Still expelling maggots from his mouth, the man who was hit by the dust stumbled around the road, pausing as soon as she threw the severed limb his way. Hobbling toward it like a hungry animal, he snatched the arm and brought it to his mouth. With an incredibly strong bite force that he had not had before, he bit down on the forearm and pulled a mouthful of tissue off.

Munching down on the remains, he groaned and heaved while the uncontrollable urge to cause mutilation overrode what was left of his self-control. Through tears, he spat out the contents of his former friend's arm before suddenly biting down on it again – this time consuming the segment entirely. The infestation of maggots created a massive, unending torment as they tunneled around his brain. Particles of dust coursed throughout his veins and arteries, burning their walls as they dragged along for the ride.

Trapped in this new state of being – he was nothing more than a puppet of decimation.

Vikcia dined on the arteries of Jeremiah's neck while listening to the sounds of cannibalism from just a few feet away. She hummed with enjoyment as she continued to feast on her prey, her hands running down the torso of her fallen enemy, carving valleys into his chest. Blood dripped from her mouth as she giggled at the sight of his defeat; her black tongue smearing around to collect the sanguine fluid around her teeth.

The streets went quite soon after – save for the sound of Vikcia and Jeremiah feasting. The echoes of Bela's footsteps died in the distance, while the world around Ethan had been shut off entirely. Two more souls ripped from their roots, and two more to be found when the time came.

Gorging herself on the decay, Vikcia gave in to her carnivorous tendencies. She was hungry and this was the time to eat. As she tore into his stomach and disemboweled him, the hot release of gas from his innards and the aroma it created sent her lungs into bliss. She couldn't help but release another rhythm of clicks from her chest as she leaned back and smiled at the sky; arms outstretched to her sides and her shadows swaying in the ever-growing wind.

As more maggots emerged from the corners of her mouth, she thought back to the man and woman who she had recently encountered and wondered what their presence entailed. Her curiosity sparked as she continuously hummed into the air; her gory fingers caressing her chest down to her stomach.

She wanted to learn more about them and knew in her dark heart that they would meet again in due time.

In fact – she could still smell them.

NOTES:

Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

No time for rest as the worst thing this world has to offer is now well-aware of our duo's presence there. Bela and Ethan have gotten a good glimpse of what she is capable of, and this mysterious woman still has more tricks to play as the story goes on. It is clear that she isn't from this world, but where is she from? Why did she come here?

All will be answered eventually.

Evidently, breathing the dust is hazardous in more ways than one.

Bela and Ethan are separated, but they will meet again pretty soon. Who is the woman that has come to Ethan's rescue? We'll learn more about her in the next chapter for sure, which will answer more of your questions about this world and what exactly took place here.

Like last time, expect the next chapter to come out in about two weeks or so.

Thank you for the continued positive reception of this story. I'm amazed at how many have become drawn to it and I'm excited to dish out the next chapter in this journey for our favorite (not yet a couple) couple. It's going to be terrifying, wholesome, and heart-breaking along the way, and I invite you all to enjoy what is to come!

Leave a comment to let me know what you think or to ask any questions. Going to be less busy now so I'll be able to answer sooner! Also, leave a kudos if you'd like! 😊

Wishing you all a great week until then and I hope everything has been great since last time! Thanks again, everyone! Stay safe out there!