Chapter 3-1 Alice Winters
The two girls walked out of the Tower of Worship onto the snow covered path, going past a small house and to another set of iron doors between two torches. Inside was a pathway to a cavern with rocky walls, a torch every few feet and a dirt path. They jumped down a low ledge, into a small pool of fish, and climbed up until they were at a more smoother and cleaner part of the cavern. "Now where are we?" Alice questioned.
"These are the caves that go under the Village." Hilda stated as they walked along. "I've heard about them."
"As long as they lead us out of the Castle, that's fine with me." Alice stated. "I don't know about you, but I've had enough of dungeons and vampires for one day." They came to a wooden door, leading them into a larger room with many candles and flowers on the ground next to some bricks. Pillars surrounded the room, with a gate made of the same material as the doors a few yards away from them, with each door having a golden halo and a pair of black wings. In the center, there was a table with candles and flowers, but there were also a few pictures as well, such as an image of a woman dressed in elegant clothing almost like royalty, though her face was cut out of the picture. Alice knew it was a woman by the large chest. Below her was another woman, wearing black clothing and a cloak on her head, who was holding a baby. There was also a wooden chest resting on the table, which was closed.
The older woman turned her head to the right, seeing a strange mural on the wall. It held four kings on each corner, all looking the same but each one had a different house. House Dimitrescu, House Beneviento, House Moreau, and House Heisenberg. Each one also had some sort of crest next to them. For the Dimitrescu House, there was a flower with two swords. The Beneviento one had a sun with a moon on the left side. House Moreau had a mermaid, while House Heisenberg had a steed inside a right side up horseshoe. In the center, there was some strange chalice on a pattern that Alice found all too familiar. "What is this…?"
Hilda looked up at the mural and gasped. "That's the Mural dedicated to the kings!"
Alice looked down at Hilda in confusion. "The Kings?"
Hilda nodded as she looked at the painting. "Many centuries ago, this land was being fought for against four kings who wanted it. They went to war in this area, trying to claim it for themselves. Many lives were lost during those long and bloody battles. Tens of thousands of soldiers died fighting for the same cause."
Alice was surprised by that bit of history. To think some kingdoms were trying to capture a piece of isolated land near the mountains. Must have been important if they were willing to risk many men just to claim it. "Was there a reason why they wanted this land?"
Hilda shook her head. "No one knew the real reason, but there were many theories. Some believed there was treasure hidden under the ground, while others believed that they wanted the soil, as they thought it held some magical property. In fact, the Kings believed that this area held the key for immortality."
Alice was taken aback by that reason, being reminded of the Megamycete. Were the Kings trying to go after that Mold colony? If so, then the Mold really has been around for so many years. She looked more at the strange symbol which was behind the chalice. "Wait… that symbol… it can't be…" She had seen that before, a logo for a company that was long gone because of Chris Redfield and S.T.A.R.S.
Alice suddenly felt the earpiece on her head ring out, as she was getting an incoming call. She pressed the button on the device and Dr. Anastasia was seen on the lens of her eyewear. "Alice Winters, I see you are still alive."
"Shouldn't be a surprise." Alice remarked. "I was waiting for an update about the Village's status from Tundra."
"Yes, she tried to get in contact with you, but you didn't seem to pick up." The doctor explained.
"I didn't get her signal." Alice admitted.
"Hmm… must have been in an area with poor reception. That Village isn't known to be up to date with current technology. But in regards to that, it does seem like the area has been sealed off by some of the Megamycete roots. We can go in by aerial, but as for foot or vehicle, that is beyond impossible."
"So that means the exit is blocked… Miranda must be doing this to keep Ethan inside, since he escaped."
"Or she might have figured out you are there…" Dr. Anastasia points out. "Either way, escape seems futile. Though on the subject, can I get a report?"
"I managed to find one of the roots of the Megamycete and collected the sample from Castle Dimitrescu." Alice stated.
Dr. Anastasia smiled. "Glad to see you are making progress. You've done more work in a few hours than what these 'trained professionals' have been trying to do for months."
"What can I say, I have a knack for this stealth mission. Guess you should have hired me from the beginning." Alice remarked.
"Yes, it would have saved me so much time and resources. What about the search for your brother and his family? Any sign?"
Alice shook her head. "Not yet, I thought he would have been in the Castle but it was a dead end."
Dr. Anastasia hummed. "Well, if your brother is as crafty as he was in Louisiana, I am certain he will survive."
"I hope so…" Alice prayed that Ethan was alright, along with Rose and Mia. They were the only family she had left after all, and she didn't want to lose anyone else. "By the way, I ran into this cave and it has a strange mural on the wall. There are four kings with crests for each house. And the symbol in the center looks just like the Umbrella logo."
"Well, if that is the case, then the reports of Spencer being there are even more true." Anastasia noted.
"Looks like he did take something from Miranda after all…"
"Take a picture of the mural and send it to me. I'll decipher it and see what we can learn from it."
Alice nodded. "Will do. I'll continue my search for the other roots and my family. Still got a long way to go."
"Don't give up hope." Dr. Anastasia urged. "I'm certain you will find your brother sooner than you think." That was all she said before the line went out. Alice sighed as she looked back up at the mural, going over to it and clicking the earpiece to take a picture before sending it to Anastasia. Now she knew for certain she was trapped in the Village, which meant that there was no way for her to get out at the moment. Still, she had too much left to do before she could think about leaving. Though this meant that Hilda would have to stay with her since she couldn't send the kid back to be in Tundra's care.
Speaking of, Hilda opened the small chest and took out a key with the same symbol on the crown as the one on the gate before them. Alice smiled as the child was one step ahead. With the mural captured and the key obtained, they headed to the gate made of rope, wood, straw and bones, using their new item to unlock it. Heading up a few more flights of stairs until they reached a metal barred door with a lever next to it. Alice knew what to do right away, and pulled the lever down, opening the doors to be taken to a new open area outside the gray skies.
Alice was speechless to say the least, as she came to a cliff side, where they were surrounded by the scenery of the earth and trees. Around them were four large statues of the kings from the mural, towering over the site itself. She walked around as she took in the area, amazed with the architecture. "Hilda, where are we now?"
The child was walking around herself, as she marveled. When she heard Alice ask that question, she answered. "This is the ceremony site! It was used many years ago for rituals." Alice was about to question what kind of rituals they did, but she figured that question wasn't important at the moment. She went to the center of the site, seeing a strange mechanical contraption with the Umbrella logo in the center, like something was supposed to fit on it. She didn't know what it was, but knew there was some importance here. Her eyes looked over to the right of where they came from, seeing an iron gate blocking their way from the cliffside. She decided to check it out, and through the bars she could see something on the other side, far on the lower end of the mountain Village. It was hard to make out since it was still slightly foggy, but she could see some sort of building and electric towers. Smoke came from one of the larger parts of that building. Alice only assumed it must have been a factory. Odd that it was all the way down there though. Was it part of the Village?
"A-Alice!" Hilda shrieked as she went to the older woman and held her. The child sensed something coming their way, which she believed was a monster. The older woman took out her weapon as she made the younger one stay behind her. She heard the footsteps approach, as her aim was on point.
"Whoever is there, you better come out now or I'll put an arrow through your body!" Alice warned as she aimed the crossbow over the ruined structures of what Alice could only assume lead back to the Village. That was when a figure of a man came over, holding his hands up in defense.
"I don't want any trouble…" The familiar voice that only Alice would recognize stated. She gasped, lowering her weapon as she saw the man who had similar features to her. Alice just stared at the man before her who seemed to be baffled by her presence. "A-Alice?"
"Ethan?" Alice breathed as she looked at her brother, who slowly approached her while Hilda seemed scared and clung to her. She sensed how tense the child was, and it made Alice question if this person really was her brother. If Miranda could take the form of anyone with the Megamycete… Alice raised up her weapon again and aimed it at Ethan. "Stop right there!"
"Alice, what the-"
"Prove to me you're my brother!"
"What kind of twenty questions are you playing-"
She loaded her crossbow and aimed it right at Ethan's chest. "Do it, or I'll shoot!" She warned. Ethan took a step back, sensing the hostility on Alice. He didn't want to anger her further, since he knew what she was capable of.
"Alright, fine…" Ethan decided to play along if it meant he could have a moment with his sister again. "What do you want me to say?"
"Tell me something that only the real Ethan would know… something the two of us did when we were younger…" Alice stated, keeping her eye on where she would shoot him if he tried to do anything.
Ethan sighed, trying to come up with an answer. He had to think deep, since he didn't want the first thing to come to his head as that would seem suspicious. That was when an idea came to him. "A-Alright… when you were a teenager, you tried to pull a prank on me by drawing on my face after I crashed from studying during my midterms. But I woke up halfway through and tried to chase after you." Ethan stated, as he hoped that would be enough.
Alice had to admit, it was a good answer, but for extra measure: "What was I trying to draw on you?"
Ethan seemed like he didn't want to answer that, but it was clear that she wasn't giving him a choice. Reluctantly, he sighed as his face heated up. "Y...You tried to draw a penis on my cheek because you wanted to call me 'Dick'."
That seemed to have been enough for Alice to lower her weapon, as a smile spread on her face. "Glad to see you're alright, brother."
Ethan seemed just as pleased as he went over to look at her. "Look, as confused and… slightly irritated as I am, I'm just glad to see a familiar face." He couldn't help but grin. After the nightmare experience he had been through, he was happy to see his sister with him again.
"Don't think you're getting off the hook that easily." Alice shook her head as she raised a brow at him. "You still owe me an explanation about what happened in Louisiana. And I'm not gonna let you forget about it either." She poked at his chest while her gaze was still hard. "After all, it's because I was coming to see you that I got roped into this mess."
Ethan gave a sigh, once again slightly annoyed that his sister failed to see the bigger picture. Then again, he did cut off contact with her for a number of years. And she had always been stubborn, so of course she was not one to let things go. "I'm sorry…" It was all he could say. He was never much for words, though he didn't even know how to describe the experience he had been through.
Alice saw how pale he was, how tired his eyes were just from the bags alone. She didn't want to fight him, it would do them no good. Even though she wanted to punch him for avoiding her for so long, he had already been traumatized for one day. "I'm glad you're alive." She gave a small and awkward beam his way.
Ethan looked up at her, returning one right back. "And I'm pleased to see you. I just wish our reunion was under better circumstances." His smile faded as he grew serious. "Why are you here though? How did you find this place?"
"To say it's a long story is an understatement." Alice stated as she rubbed the back of her neck. Ethan blinked as he wondered what kind of explanation he would give her, only to notice the child that was behind his sister. Hilda kept her distance from Ethan, as she seemed scared. Alice noticed this as she held onto the child. "It's okay Hilda, this is my brother. He's the one I was telling you about."
"Hilda?" Ethan repeated, as he stared at the child who looked up at him while having a fearful expression. He knelt down to her level and gave a small smile. "Hey, you don't have to be scared. I'm not gonna hurt you…" He reassured her gently. The child still seemed doubtful, as she held a hand to her neck, which was covered by her white scarf. Alice was surprised with how distant she was being and showing her vulnerable side. When it came to insect ladies and nine foot tall giants, she showed no fear, but suddenly her guard was up as she was close to Ethan?
Ethan stood up, deciding to give Hilda some space so she wouldn't feel threatened. "I know it's been years since we spoke, but I don't remember you having a child." He told Alice.
The female Winters rolled her eyes. "She's not mine." She stated, yet her hold on Hilda showed her maternal instinct. "I found her when I came here… she was hiding out in the church. She tried to find some shelter before I showed up."
"I'm surprised she was able to survive those monsters…" Ethan shuddered. He saw first hand what the Lycans were capable of, and no amount of wooden walls or iron fences was enough to keep them at bay. Either Hilda was an expert in hide and seek, or she was just really lucky.
"Since you're still alive… you managed to survive them as well." Alice noted with her arms crossed over her chest.
"Well… one of them managed to get a hold of me…" He raised up his left hand, showing the bandages that were wrapped around his skin and the missing fingers.
Alice jumped slightly, though not too disgusted as she saw worse. Still, it was surprising. "Jesus… I'm amazed you didn't bleed out."
"Honestly, not the worst pain I've felt. Though it did sting like hell though." He sighed, rubbing his injured hand. "Never been more grateful to be right handed."
"So… are you going to tell me what happened to you?" Alice asked Ethan.
"I'll tell you if you explain to me what is going on here. You know about this Village, right? Did Chris send you?" That last sentence held some anger in his tone. Alice didn't blame him.
"This mission wasn't set up by Redfield. It was by Dr. Anastasia."
"Anastasia?" Ethan repeated. That name didn't ring a bell to him. Alice knew that to get answers, she had to give them. So she sat Ethan down, sitting under one of the King statues as she explained everything that happened. How Miranda kidnapped Mia and took her form so she could try and steal Rose. Chris was trying to detain Miranda but left Ethan out of it. And how she came here to collect the Mold samples so she could take down Miranda and her Lords. All the while she was looking for him and his family.
Ethan had his head hung low as everything was explained to him. He just stared at the ground, but not in disbelief. No, it wasn't that he didn't believe her. It was that he didn't want to believe her. Alice gave him time to digest the news, wanting to be by his side should he need support. "Miranda is trying to use Rose… to revive her daughter?" Ethan finally managed to breath out a sentence. "What kind of sick medieval shit is this?! She's just a baby!"
"I don't know how it works, but the idea is sickening on its own." Alice agreed with him. "That's why I was trying to find you, her and Mia. I don't know where your wife or daughter are, but I know that they might still be in the Village. And I am not going to leave here until you all are safe and sound." Alice swore to him. Ethan looked up at his younger sister, flattered and appreciative with how dependable she is. "And trust me, when you get back, you can kick Chris so far up the ass, your shoe will get stuck in there."
Ethan couldn't help but chuckle at that remark. "That is, if you haven't done so already…"
"Well, not me. But Anastasia seemed to have beaten some sense into him." She laughed, remembering how she whacked him with her cane. Alice sighed as she looked back over at Ethan, growing sympathetic. "I'm sorry you had to go through this. Chris should have told you from the beginning. He said it was because he didn't want to risk intel being leaked to Miranda. He must have assumed you were infected or influenced by her when she took Mia's form."
Ethan shook his head as he gripped the stone where the King laid his feet upon. "I don't want to blame Chris, but I do. I thought he would have been honest with me and told me everything. I can't believe he would keep me in the dark like that. So much for the legendary Redfield…"
"Yeah, clearly the title is just for show rather than what he lives up to." Alice shook her head. "Still, he shouldn't have treated you like an unsuspecting civilian. You had the right to know, especially when it could have prevented you and Rose from being put in this situation."
"I'd rather have not gotten us involved to begin with…" Ethan grumbled.
Alice looked at her brother, sensing how upset he was, but tried to reason with him. "We got involved in this the moment we stepped foot in Louisiana. Both you and me have been through shit that could only be described in nightmares. And right now, we're both still stuck in it. The same concept, different place." Ethan looked up at her, as he let what she said sink in. "But now, you aren't facing this alone. I'm gonna help you get through this, one way or another. We aren't leaving here without Rose and Mia. That's a promise… a Winters promise."
Ethan saw how serious she was in regards to her words. She always kept true to her deals, and never went back on them, no matter how humiliating they may be. As much as Ethan didn't want her to take his burden, he would rather have someone he was close with to be by his side during all of this. He had to save Mia from the Baker's by himself in Louisiana, which was his first mistake. Now, he was going to work with Alice in the hopes of getting his family back. "Were you always this reliable?"
"One of us had to be." Alice shrugged. "Since the older one of us couldn't live up to it."
"Hey, who was it that helped you through middle and high school?" Ethan pointed out. "Besides, I have my moments."
"Like the fact you will owe me one when I save you from this Village?" Alice mocked.
Ethan rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine…"
"So, what happened to you?"
Ethan sighed as he rubbed his neck. "After Chris knocked me out and took Rose and me, I woke up in the snow and managed to find my way into the Village. I tried to get some answers, but pretty much everyone here died. And those that weren't… Well, they met the same fate eventually. I got mauled by one of those… Lycans you called them? I was surrounded and overwhelmed, but they seemed to scatter after they heard some bells. Then this old hag told me that Rose was brought here by Miranda, and she was in danger."
"An old hag?" Alice repeated with a raised brow.
"Yeah, she had this staff with a bunch of charms. Cryptic as hell… But she pointed me to the Castle and I tried to get there. Not before I found what were the last of the survivors. Elena, her father and some others at Luzia's house."
"You met Luzia?" Hilda perked up, looking at the male blond.
"Yeah, she is apparently the hot shot around this Village." Ethan assumed.
"Is she… okay?" Hilda questioned. The man heard her question, but knew he had to be honest, despite the harshness.
"What happened, Ethan?" Alice pressed.
With a heavy sigh, he spilled the events. "We thought we were safe when we went inside the house. But… Elena's father… he started acting up. We thought it was because he was hurt but… he turned. Into one of those Lycans… he killed everyone. Set fire to the house. He slashed open Luiza and tore apart everyone else. I tried to get Elena and I out of there but…" He shook his head, he could still hear her defeated screams as she fell into the fires with her father. He looked over at Hilda, who stared with wide, sad eyes as the child realized that the woman was gone. Alice noticed this and reached down, holding Hilda close to comfort the child. "...I'm sorry…" Ethan apologized. "Were you… close with her?" He asked the kid.
The child nodded. "Luiza wasn't really a Lord, but she was in charge of the Orphanage where I grew up in. Many of the children and adults looked up to her. From what I was told, her family was close with the previous ruler of this Village, before Miranda came into power."
"Explains why everyone went to her house for shelter…" Ethan realized. He still felt guilty that he wasn't able to at least save Elena. She was the kinder of the villagers, and it was clear she had some kind of handle on weapons. If she had survived, maybe they could have escaped together. "I should have done more…" Ethan whispered to himself.
Alice could feel the pain Ethan was overcome with, knowing how helpless he must have been at such a stressful event. Reaching over to her brother, Alice rubbed his back to try and ease him. "You did what you could despite what little you knew. But you can't save everyone, Ethan. That's the first lesson we were taught when we were on our own. You tried, and the fact you're still shaken about it proves you truly cared about those people." She gave a reassured smile, trying to cheer up her brother. "You're a kind man, Ethan."
The male Winters managed to look at his sister, despite the regret he still held. Alice wasn't usually one for sugar-coated words, but now and again she would offer some wisdom and reminders to help those who needed it. That's what he admired about her most: She was the mature one out of the two. He finally managed a smile, holding onto her hand to reassure her he was alright now. "So after you escaped… what else happened?" She questioned.
Ethan continued his story with a somber tone. "I managed to make it through the castle gates after getting some crests for the fence. But before I could go inside, I got ambushed by this giant hammer wielding asshole. He attacked me and took me to a room with these… freaks. A very tall woman, some dark ghost with a creepy doll, a nasty puss-spewing monster, and their "Mother" Miranda."
When she heard that, Alice's eyes went wide as she looked at Ethan with concern. "You met Miranda and the Lords?!"
"Yeah… It was not the best welcome party I've gotten. At least the Bakers treated me to dinner." Ethan muttered. "I managed to escape, running into traps that hammer guy set up to put me through. He was even broadcasting it, like it was a sick game show. Sadistic asshat…"
"You survived at least." Alice pointed out.
"Barely… I ended up escaping through a tunnel but I was so exhausted I crashed in the first house I found. When I woke up, I was in this… caravan. There was this obese guy driving. He called himself-"
"Duke!" Hilda jumped as she finished his sentence, already knowing who it was. This was also a surprise to Alice, as this meant the Duke knew where Ethan was this whole time, but didn't tell her. Why? Must have been some kind of trick, Alice thought. Though, at least the merchant was kind enough to save her brother. She had to give him that credit at least.
Ethan glanced at the child when she answered, then looked at Alice. "You know the Duke?"
"He's the merchant in this Village and close friends with Hilda. We met him before entering the Castle." Alice explained.
"You went to the Castle?"
Alice nodded. "We had to take a secret entrance since the main gate was sealed. Hilda showed me the way. I thought you were there since Hilda stated she saw you get taken to that place."
"She saw me?" Ethan whispered more to himself while he caught another glimpse of Hilda. She hid behind Alice still, but didn't seem too scared of him now. Ethan was baffled though, as he didn't see Hilda when he first came into the Village. Maybe she was a good hider?
"That's why I went there. Though it looks like it didn't get me anything other than being attacked." Alice sighed. "At least we managed to get out and get the sample I needed."
"Glad to see someone is having better luck than me." Ethan noted. "I came here because the Duke told me to find something. Guess he must have figured you would be coming this way." Once again, Alice questioned just how much of this Village the Duke knew if he was aware that there was a path that led from the Castle to here. Still, that was the least of her worries. "Did you at least see Mia and Rose in the Castle?" Ethan questioned.
Alice shook her head, which made her brother look down with guilt and fear. "Hey, this Village is big and we only covered one area. They have to be around here somewhere." Alice tried to cheer him up. "For now, we should head back to the Duke. Maybe he can tell us what our next move is."
Ethan gave a small nod, agreeing with that plan as Alice helped him stand up. The two along with Hilda, headed down from the Ceremony Site and towards the Lone Road. The child still clung to the older woman, keeping a distance from Ethan for some reason. As they made their way down the path, corpses and arrows littered the brick structures. "So, where is Chris and his team anyways?" Ethan asked, trying to pass the time with a conversation. "Shouldn't they be here to take down the actual bad guys?"
"They're at a base camp on the foot of the mountain. Dr. Anastasia wanted me to come alone, to try and not rouse any suspicion to Miranda." Alice explained. "She wanted this to be a stealth mission so I could get her the samples she needed."
"From the Megamycete, right? And this is the same mold that created Eveline?"
"I'm pretty sure I already told you this." Alice pointed out a bit annoyed. Still, it was a lot of information to process, so maybe he didn't get all of it at one sitting. "Though from what I was told, the mold from Eveline and the Megamycete are a match in DNA. Which meant Miranda was using The Connections to try and recreate her daughter. But we both know how that ended up." Alice shrugged.
"But why would she target Rose? How could she use a baby to revive her daughter?" Ethan wondered.
"I'm not sure, but if she is willing to kidnap infants at this point, Miranda must be growing desperate." Alice figured.
Hilda kept clinging to Alice, which Ethan noticed. The young child didn't seem to want to leave Alice's side, but she was hesitant to be near Ethan. The older Winters couldn't help but wonder what Hilda's story was. How did she manage to survive the Lycans while everyone else that wasn't Miranda or her lackeys all died? How was it that Hilda knew about the secret passageways of this place? She seemed like a strange child, and Ethan had a confusing feeling about her. Hilda grabbed hold of Alice's clothes, pulling on them as she stopped. "Alice!" She warned, just as the howls of the Lycans could be heard as they were nearing the bridge. Ethan and Alice looked up to see the furred bipedal-hybrid wolfmen coming their way, carrying weapons as they were guarding the area.
"Shit… looks like there's more of them." Ethan stated the obvious as he got out his shotgun, one of the two weapons he managed to carry when he first came here.
Alice noticed how Hilda was frightened, and rubbed her head. "Don't worry, Hilda. You let the grown ups handle this." She told her, reloading her own weapons. As she was fueling up, the female Winters looked at her brother. "How about a sibling competition? Let's see which one of us kills the most."
Ethan turned to her, with a raised brow. "You really think now is the time to be making jokes?" He mocked, before looking back and saw one of the B.O.W's stumbling his way, bearing teeth and claws. Before he could act, an arrow lodged itself right into the head, making the monster fall to the ground. He gazed back, seeing Alice with a smirk as she held her crossbow. "That's one for me, zero for Ethan."
He picked himself up, as the male Winters cocked his shotgun. "We'll see which one of us is cocky at the end!" He scanned the bridge, seeing one of the Lycans coming up from the dock. He aimed the barrel at that one, pulling the trigger and blasted the head clean off. Watching the corpse fall into the water, making him score a point. The Winters kept at it, shooting and killing the remaining five Lycans. Based on how they were moving, they were far more active than when the two first came into the Village. Perhaps this meant that Miranda was aware of their plan and was trying to stop or delay them? Alice and Ethan got three kills each, with the last Lycan on Ethan's front. It tried to slash at the male Winters, wanting to tear him to pieces. He managed to push it off, despite how strong the B.O.W was. Despite shooting it a few times, the beast staggered but was still strong. Ethan tried to shoot again for a killing blow, but when he pulled the trigger, he saw he was out of bullets. He swore to himself, quickly grabbing the ammo he had and tried to reload the chamber as fast as he could. The Lycan ran after him, ready to rip him apart. The beast ceased its movements when it howled in pain as a knife was jammed into the leg.
He saw Hilda had stabbed the monster with her knife, the same one Alice gave her. The B.O.W roared as it fell to the ground, while Hilda jumped back. That seemed to be enough as the monster stopped moving, rendering itself as dead. Ethan and Alice looked at the corpse, while Hilda held onto her bloody knife and panted. "Well, that's one way to take them down." Alice noted as she went over to the child.
"Got to say, I'm becoming more of a cat person by the minute." Ethan sighed, as he checked his weapon to see it was fully loaded now.
"Are you alright, Hilda?" Alice asked, kneeling down to check the kid.
She nodded, looking up at the older woman. "How'd I do?"
Alice smiled, petting her head to show she was proud. "You did great. You were very brave." That seemed to please Hilda as she returned the grin to the woman.
Ethan walked over to Hilda, even though she seemed scared at first. He knelt down and held out his uninjured hand. "You saved me, Hilda. I owe you one." He told her genuinely. She stared at his hand, looking up at him for a while in confusion. He tried to seem friendly, as he wanted to make sure there was some trust between the two. After all, it seemed Hilda was going to be with them for a while, so he wanted to make sure she wasn't scared of him. Reluctantly but eventually, she took hold of his hand and shook it, indicating they were taking a step towards a friendship.
"Looks like we're tied since Hilda took the last one on her own." Alice pointed out.
"Wha-I had that one!" Ethan glared at her as he stood up.
She smirked towards her brother. "Sorry Ethan, but Hilda was the one who killed it."
"Only because I weakened it! At the very least, that should give me half a point."
"And here I thought you didn't care about this game…"
Ethan opened his mouth as he was about to protest, but stopped when he heard what she said. He scoffed and put his weapon away. "Let's just head back to the Village." He began to walk on the bridge, while Alice inwardly chuckled as he stormed off.
"Is he alright?" Hilda asked, watching Ethan heading towards the other side.
"Yeah, he's just a sore loser." Alice gestured for Hilda to follow, as the child hurried over to catch up with the adults. Despite the small victory, their problems were only beginning. They still had much more to do and other places to visit, if they had any hope of ending this nightmare.
