Bela climbed back up into the attic, urgently gathering every supply that she could before the opportunity to do so was gone. Her mind was wracked with endless worries, which turned the blonde into a nervous mess. She could hear how heavy and fast her breathing was. The thought that Ethan was about to be killed shook her to her foundation. When the panic finally reached a fever pitch, she held her breath and came to a dead halt.
Stop! You need to think, Bela! Just stop and think! Compose yourself. There might still be time. Ethan's weapons are still here. Grab them and anything else that you might need.
She dragged the twin-barreled firearm off the ground as she approached the scattered assortment of boxes that had been left around.
I need to get back to the constable station. Kyia must still be there. It can't be too far. I'll have to figure out a way to get to that clock tower. Vikcia is likely there by now. If she hurts him…
Her lips blew out some air as she sighed at the idea. It was so probable, but she did not want to give up hope. They had made it too far for it to end like this. There had to still be a chance for her to save him. Vikcia could have slaughtered them multiple times before. Why didn't she just do it in the attic? The fight had already gone in her favor. That was the only explanation that Bela could reach, and it would be the fragment of hope she needed to carry on.
I'm coming, Ethan. Stay strong.
Retrieving a small bag from one of the containers, Bela began to stash any first-aid and food supplies that she could find. She pocketed the loose ammunition that had been strewn about during Ethan's abduction, aware that quantities of it had run low. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted his beige coat right where it had been left. She quietly set down her items as she got up and walked over to it.
I can't leave this. It's the only thing that I have left of him right now.
Bela picked up the coat and threw it over her body, feeling the weight of all the items he had kept inside of it as the garment landed across her shoulders. With a low hum, her fingers glided across the blooded bullet hole that had been blasted into the sleeve.
He has survived worse than that witch. He's going to make it. I just know he is.
Retrieving his pistol from where she had placed it, Bela zipped up the coat as she took hold of the rest of her supplies, finding Ethan's journal just where he had left it.
I can't leave this here.
The book was placed deep within the coat's inner pockets, where it would remain safe.. Mentally preparing for what was likely to follow, she got ready to embark on the perilous journey that awaited her. Just as she was about to exit the attic, her mind redirected her to the most important object of them all.
The metal shard...
She carefully plucked it from the ground and gazed at the glistening object, wondering how great its significance was.
There's something that I don't know about you, isn't there? Either way, I need you to protect me like you did that bastard. I have a very long walk ahead of me.
Bela pocketed the fragment and took a long breath. This was it.
.
Much to her fortune, the rest of the building was free from the flocks of birds that they had encountered earlier. With the lantern strapped to her side, Bela kept the flame dim, hoping that nothing would see the light through the windows. The corridors were pitch-black, torn to shreds by the numerous feathered beasts that had swarmed their confines. This entire city was one giant killing floor. Tight spaces like these only meant an easier way to get sliced apart.
By the time she exited the building, Bela had turned the lantern off and tucked the combination gun tight against her shoulder. The soles of her newly acquired shoes rested against the bumpy cobblestones of the street she stood on. Her eyes turned to the signs at the intersection to her right, trying to see if she would recognize any of the names, but to her dismay, she did not.
Keep it together. The constable station must be close. Ethan said it was only about ten minutes. We ran for a few minutes before we stopped here. I just need to make the right choice. If I go in the wrong direction, then that's just wasted time. That, and fights I don't need to face. Hmm, these streets do look familiar. I feel like Ethan and I have been around this road before. That building across from me resembles something I saw before. A boutique, was it called?
She sharpened her vision, trying to read the lettering on the large board above the door.
'Samson's Divine Outfits.' Yes! I have seen that place before. Okay, then that must mean...
She turned her head down the intersection, where she analyzed the curvature of the pathways.
We have been to this place before. The constable station was connected to Kyia's shelter. If I continue down this way, then it must be in the back. I remember the street that was around the shelter, so if I can return there, then I can get back inside. Alright, here goes nothing...
.
Walking along the road, Bela had her eyes peeled for any sign of Vikcia or her brood. The echoes of her footsteps played out down the seemingly unending road. She would have gone faster, but doing so would have only amplified the noise she made. Her speed would have to be kept to a minimum. There was no telling just how many creatures were out and about.
The last thing she wanted to do was run right into one.
Her thin fingers gripped the wood of the firearm in her hands. There were only a few shells left to spare, with less pistol ammunition than she preferred. One encounter could see the expenditure of it all, and then there would be nothing.
I need to make these bullets count. The less I use, the better.
Her sickle swayed at her hip, strapped with a thin leather band. It had carried her throughout this ordeal, having slain several of the infected as time passed. She could sense that it would still claim some more lives before this nightmare finally ended. Just like before, she was alone in this unforgiving world. Bela could only hope that luck would remain by her side in the coming future.
Pacing down the street, her eyes stayed on the windows around her, observant for any infected that may have been watching her. The interior of the buildings was too dark to discern what inhabited them. Even during the day, the plagued citizens could not be seen unless they pressed their faces against the glass.
She still felt like she was not alone. Even though there was nobody there, there was somebody there. A shiver ran down her spine as she thought about it. These were the same streets that Malcolm used to prowl before he snatched her. The memories of the bald man and his circular glasses beamed back into her mind. She turned her head, imagining that a shadow at the corner of the sidewalk was him standing there.
She almost shot at it, but her quick thinking managed to pull her back to reality. The blonde was heavy on her breath, gasping as she ran her hand across her locks of hair. Her heart rattled inside her chest, reacting to the fear that coursed through her veins. None of the brutality that she had endured was far from recent. It had only been hours, if even that.
Bela remembered seeing Vikcia thrash him around like a dog to a mouse. There was enough blood on the man's body, but she never saw him die. With so many clouds of dust floating around, how could she? The predatory glare of Vikcia drove her away. She would not tempt fate by sticking around. She had to leave, but it left a lingering question in her head that she wished she could answer.
The answer was clear as day, but her post-traumatic stress prevented her from knowing for sure.
He can't still be alive, can he? I saw Vikcia tear him apart. She was eating him alive. There was no way that she would have allowed him to walk free, right?
She paused to air out her lungs, her back pressed against one of the brick walls of the surrounding shops. Bela's eyes peered up at the spires of the various structures around her, marveling at how vast this city appeared to be. A concrete jungle of pure horror. It frightened her to think about how someone like Malcolm could have blended in so easily. She knew she was far from over what happened.
The only thing left to do was hope that it wouldn't hinder her efforts to get Ethan out of here alive.
Don't do this to yourself, Bela. Don't. Malcolm's gone. You need to remember that.
Blowing out a final breath, Bela pushed herself off the wall and continued her walk down the road. The path to the constable station became more identifiable as she proceeded. She had been here before. It should not be long before she reached her destination.
As she went, her attention moved to the decomposed bodies that lined parts of the road. Corpses, partially devoured and left to rot, appeared occasionally throughout the trek. Some were those of the infected themselves, but the rest were mostly normal people. Men, women, and two or three children, all smeared about like discarded trash. Her castle's dungeons could have never compared to the scale of sheer carnage that had been unleashed here.
Her amber orbs peered down at the moldy face of what used to be a man, still clothed in a light grey suit and white dress shirt. The fabric had been stained with faded blood. The somewhat skeletonized remains revealed exposed bone and sunken eyeballs, dried up beyond all measure. The stench of death was nowhere to be found.
Here in the open streets, the wind carried all life away.
These people didn't stand a chance. None of them did. Vikcia just unleashed her plague upon this city one day, and then it was never the same.
As she stood over the dead body, Bela caught sight of movement out of the left corner of her eye. It began like a shadow pulsating around, but as her head turned, the image sharpened. The shadow was revealed to be a disheveled being, shifting around as it lay on the ground. She then heard the gurgling that came out of its throat.
Damn it! Another one of them!
With a low gasp, Bela stumbled back as she aimed her gun at the person. Still lying on his back, his arms flailed around in all directions, while the light of the moon shone above. The individual wore a dirty black vest and trousers, which left only his white dress shirt visible amidst the darkness. The man looked like he was convulsing, his spine and torso bending back and forth in various positions.
Bela maintained her distance, unwilling to allow herself to be attacked. The person on the road rolled over and continued their twitching. She could see now that he was barefoot, but his toes appeared to be degraded, reduced to mere stubs. Portions of his exposed skin were covered in various holes, like a beehive.
What had appeared to be medium-length hair ended up being something else. As the man dragged himself from the cobblestone road to the edge of the sidewalk, various strands that lined his scalp rose into the air, vibrating like wings. The man grunted as he pulled himself further onto the sidewalk, turning his head toward the streetlamp nearby.
What is he doing?
She watched in morbid curiosity as his mouth opened. The man groaned as a four-inch barb protruded out where his tongue should have been.
Is that a…stinger?
The infected man ducked his head as he suddenly made a fast break toward the street lamp. The speed of his crawl was ferocious. The convulsions on the ground were only a mask for how quickly he could close in on a target. As soon as his hands landed on the base of the fixture, he pulled his body up without much effort, climbing all the way to the top.
I need to get away from him.
As Bela cautiously passed by, she kept the gun pointed in his direction, as there was no telling if he was poised to leap from where he clung. The man held onto the post like a possessed ape, secured with no sign of slipping off but maniacal in his mannerisms. His groans and moans soon became an assortment of chuckles as he gleefully cackled to himself. When his jaw opened more, the stinger extended, scraping the spiked top of the lamp.
What is his goal?
With both hands and feet tightened around the thick neck of the street light, the man immediately slammed the base of his jaw down on the spike, piercing his skull at that very instant. Bela had seen many bizarre things since she arrived here, but the scene in front of her was one that she had not been ready for.
Why?!
She averted her eyes, only to listen to the man's bloody cackles once more. To her surprise, he was still alive, though barely. As the trails of crimson seeped from his throat and down the glass of the lamp, she could see the emergence of several hornets that had escaped from the holes in his hands. The clouds that covered the moon soon passed by, and she got a good look at his face.
It had been hidden by darkness. A bulbous assortment of small, circular, hive-like blisters blotted out his eyes. They extended around the bridge of his nose and across his left cheek. His scalp contained more of the growths, from which the swaying strands of hair protruded. Even in death, the strings continued to move around on their own, while various winged insects emerged from the holes around them.
The man's smile would not die out as his corpse hung there. It was a troubling sight. Bela did not stick around to see what would happen next.
.
After she had left the area, Bela studied the layout of the city as she went by. It was all coming back to her. This was one of the streets that she and Ethan had run past before he brought her to Kyia's shelter. The alleyway where she fought and killed two of the infected was nearby. Despite being hidden in the shadows, she could still make out the shape of their corpses.
The constable station was close now. She could feel it.
I'm almost there. It should just be another couple of minutes.
As she approached the next intersection, Bela noticed several more infected citizens lumbering about on the road. It was the same path that she would have to take to return to the lot that led to the shelter. Normally, she would have done her best to avoid the creatures, but taking a detour meant venturing into uncharted territory. She couldn't afford to find herself somewhere that she did not know the layout of.
Peeking over the edge of the brick building that she concealed herself behind, the blonde assessed what she was in for.
Okay, it looks like there are four of them. Three men and a woman. Two of them are eating one of the dead bodies on the ground, but they're digging for scraps. I guess rotted corpses only offer them so much. They're going to be hungry.
Her forefinger graced the rim of the trigger guard.
Shooting them down would be quick, but it wouldn't be smart. I might draw more out there. They don't run fast. If I can sprint past them, then I should be fine. I'm going to have to hide as soon as I can. Worst case, I kill the woman on the right. She's the only one standing outside of the group. The rest will be too far away to reach me, at least in an instant. I don't have much room to gamble with.
She sighed as she felt for the fragment in her coat's pocket.
If you kept him safe, then please do the same thing for me.
Withdrawing her sickle from its strap, Bela held her long gun in her left hand as she cautiously moved past the building and out into the open. It would be a straight shot down, but the presence of the infected would complicate the matter. She did not know anything about the metal's special qualities. There was no telling just how secure she would be with it in her possession—if she would even be at all.
Vikcia had successfully tracked them down. The flocks of birds were hot on their tails, despite the presence of the fragment in Malcolm's coat when she carried it. Bela figured that she would be a fool to trust that it would make her invisible.
The moment one of them looks at me and acknowledges my presence, I'm running. I'm not risking this any more than I must.
Expanding her lungs, she proceeded down the narrow street. It was such a tight fit. She got the feeling that this stage had been set up for her to prove herself in battle. If she got jammed up and had no avenue to take off, it would be a close-quarters fight. Four against one. Odds that she did not prefer.
Bela was only about a hundred feet away from the monsters. With each step, she closed the distance, ready to swing her blade at a moment's notice. The four went about their ways as she drew near. Was it the shadows that masked her arrival, or did the metal actually work?
They haven't picked up on me yet. Those two are still trying to eat. The other man is walking in circles. Hmm, the woman looks to be standing still. She's the one that I need to get around. She won't move.
By now, she was about two dozen yards from where they were. Creeping up as quietly as she could, Bela hugged the walls to her right as she moved along. She heard them tearing apart the deceased. Her footsteps slowed to a soft drag. The less noise she made, the better.
What am I thinking? They can still see me. It just takes one...
She tried to hold her breath as her proximity to them thinned out. The maggot-infested people were only twenty feet from her position. The ones who were eating appeared to be engrossed in their task. The man who walked in circles stopped for a few seconds. At first, Bela thought he had detected her, but he paused to brush some of the larvae off his raw cheeks. The worms fell onto his tattered brown suit jacket, followed by a string of blood that ejected from the newly-peeled wound that festered along his mouth.
But it was the woman who continued to stir Bela's rising anxiety. She would not budge at all; her head pointed at the wall, just a few feet away from where Bela would pass by. If the blonde broke away and tried to maneuver around them, she would still be within arm's reach of the others. It would make no difference whatsoever. She would be swimming head-first into a group of sharks.
Come on! Move! Argh! What is she looking at?
Bela was only ten feet from the disheveled brunette when she stopped to collect herself. If she had made it this far, then she had to stick to her strategy. Crossing the woman meant getting directly within her line of sight. She trusted that the fragment was doing its work. In the past, the infected had proven themselves to be keen on their senses. She thought the four would have spotted her by now, but thankfully, they seemed to be none the wiser.
The infected woman was still motionless, her body frozen in a slouched position. As Bela edged by, she could glimpse the massive cluster of larvae that surrounded her face. From forehead to jaw, she was completely riddled with hordes of maggots. It left only her ears to stick out from the sides, while her frazzled hair dangled down from the back. Her blue gown was stained with blood and grime. There was no telling just how long she had been suffering. The worms appeared to fester on raw skin, as removing them yielded gored sections of the body.
Bela couldn't imagine someone afflicted with this plague living for so long on their own. The more the maggots multiplied, the less they might have been able to eat. It was a death sentence just waiting to happen. But she understood how ravenous a starving creature could get. The longer one went without food, the more violent they would be when the opportunity arose.
Her amber eyes stared hard at the clumps of maggots that clung to the front of the woman's head. Pointed down, some of the worms fell off like raindrops. Bela was nearly front and center with the infected lady before they suddenly twitched.
The blonde halted all movement.
Did she just hear me?! Can she see me?!
The woman straightened out her body, breaking the pose that she had held all this time. It was a concerning change of pace. Bela could only wonder if she had done something to cause this. A large collection of maggots broke off from her face and plopped onto the street. It was too dark to make out what had been hidden under the mass of grubs. Her skull was still encircled by a large ring of the tiny lifeforms, but the center had lost most of them. A flash of the moon's rays showed bloodied tissue, but her nostrils and mouth were still packed with larvae.
How is she even able to breathe?
The woman lifted her head some more, exposing several holes around the sides of her throat. There was a slight hiss to them as her chest rose. It made a slightly louder hiss when it fell.
What is happening to these people?
The infected woman briefly craned her neck to the right, as if she were listening for any other sounds that could be in the area. Bela questioned why she had not heard her at all, but she wasn't about to tempt fate. As the lady turned her head back to the front, the blonde had already begun to shift further away. They had only been centered for a few more seconds, but those seconds felt like hours.
Bela's nerves were shaking. She could not believe how close she had gotten to one of these people without being attacked. The concept of the metal fragment being somehow able to shield a person from their sights was astounding, but there had to be limitations. Her left hand clutched the shard that was in the bottom pocket, desperate to ensure that it always remained close to her.
Alright, just a few more steps, and I should be clear of this. Damn, this was too close.
Bela's eyes drifted toward the rest of the street, fixating on the path that lay ahead of her. It would be another short walk down the road, where she expected to round the corner and take a straight shot to the shelter. She considered the possibility that she could get away with running there, as the fragment in her pocket had successfully protected her from –
The infected woman involuntarily stumbled forward and crashed into Bela. Even with the fragment in her pocket, it did not stop the lady from knowing that there was something in front of her. Something that she could eat.
Her scabbed fingers clutched as she went for Bela's throat, nearly grabbing it before the woman jolted out of reach.
Damn it!
Bela took off when she saw the woman lash out at her. She ran so fast that she fumbled her balance and tripped over. A classic cliché of irony, but one that she had to contend with. Unfortunately, it was a twist of fate that only made her situation ten times worse.
She landed on her stomach, feeling the metal fragment underneath her. Then the growls of the infected people were heard seconds later. If there were any blinding qualities to the shard, they had just been blocked out.
They see me!
As soon as Bela was back on her feet, she witnessed the group taking off after her. With no time to spare, she took up a fighting stance as they closed in. The way some of the men glared at her made her think that the piece of metal was still at work, as they could not accurately pinpoint where her face was. Their eyes drifted around, as if they could still see parts of her.
Bela seized the opportunity to strike. She jabbed the woman in her chest with the muzzle of her firearm, sending her backward and crashing against the wall. With one swing of her sickle, she plunged the blade deep into the left side of her adversary's face. The infected lady ejected scores of maggots across the bricks as her arms spun around, knocking the blonde's grip from the weapon's handle.
Damn!
Before Bela could reach back to grab it, one of the men took her by the wrist and yanked her away. She turned and saw how close his face was. Filled with burst blood vessels, his red eyes fixated on her, ravenous as he opened his rancid mouth to take a bite. The man's strength was not absent as he continued to pull her in. He was unnaturally strong.
I can't fight him off!
With no other option, Bela angled the barrels of her gun toward him as best she could. The two of them were nearly neck and neck, and if she did not act fast, then he would sink his jagged teeth directly into her flesh. The muzzle of the firearm brushed against his right thigh, and her finger pulled the first trigger it could find.
Boom!
The recoil of the blast was so intense that it nearly sent the gun out of her hand. Maintaining control of it, Bela used her other arm to shove the man back, only to watch him collapse under the weakness of his now-obliterated limb. The bullet had torn a large crater through his muscle, powered by the kinetic energy of the charged rifle round. The heavy-caliber barrel had done its part well, causing the man to shuffle about as he bled uncontrollably.
With one shell already spent, Bela knew she had made too much noise to stay silent. The shelter was so close, and she would not die here. Another one of the men came running up to her, but she ended his pursuit with a shotgun blast to the chest. It brought him down to his knees before he landed face-first on the road, still thrashing around.
I don't have time to reload this thing. I need to run!
Bela turned her eyes back to the woman nearby, who was still dealing with the sickle that had been buried inside her head. Spinning the gun around in her hands, she struck the lady in the stomach with its metal buttplate, knocking her further off balance. There was no finishing move. She ripped the hooked blade from the creature's skull and took off running.
She lost sight of the remaining two just as she sped around the corner and headed toward her goal. Being inconspicuous was no longer an option. She had to make it there as soon as possible. As she advanced toward the alleyway that led to the circular lot, Bela noticed another two infected individuals that emerged from an opened door along the side of the road. Another man and a woman, both looking right at her.
The man's neck was elongated by about eighteen inches. It was nothing compared to the crocodile-like woman that she and Ethan had encountered when they arrived here, but it was a dire warning of what else may have been waiting for her. There was so much variance in the ways this plague affected people. It turned them into monsters of all shapes and forms. A fellow like him looked like they were just in the beginning stages of a more grotesque transformation.
His face appeared to be free of any worms, but the expression he held in his eyes was soulless. It was like his body had been hijacked, and what remained of his consciousness was only along for the ride.
The woman beside him appeared to have her left eye socket completely packed with more larvae, which clung to parts of her cheek and down to her neck. Just like the woman before her, her gown was also tattered and stained with blood. Nevertheless, both were exceptionally hungry, and they were glad to have seen more prey come barreling down their street.
They gave chase as soon as she looked back at them, but she did not stop to fight. She planned to make it to that lot and into the shelter. It was safer inside than it was outside. As far as she knew, there was only one usable entrance into the stronghold, and creatures like these people would have a harder time entering than she would.
Keep running, Bela! Keep running! You're almost there!
The man was not sluggish at all. She listened to the sound of his footsteps as they steadily got closer and closer, charging after her like a leopard. Her eyes spotted the alleyway that she needed to enter to reach the shelter. Bela did not let her gear weigh her down, but it was something that she had to account for. Her gun and supplies forced her to push harder. With each step, her lungs expanded and expelled repeatedly. When her body finally passed the threshold between both buildings ahead, she could not tell if her heartbeat was any faster than her breathing itself.
She felt like she glided through the air, barely registering the ground at her feet as she moved by. Bela darted down the stairs and through the charred remnants of the shelter as she sought out the crawlspace that led to the constable station. The stench of scorched wood and concrete was rife in the air, which was still packed with smoke particles. Despite her frantic pace, she tried to hold her breath as she waded through the obstacles.
The destroyed room was as dark as she remembered, which required the use of a flashlight to guide her way. With all the stuff she carried on her, getting under some of the collapsed boards and over the broken shelves proved to be highly difficult. She stumbled and fell again when her coat got snagged on a stray board. Bela heard her gun smack against the hard floor, and she quickly ripped the coat off the sharp end and grabbed her weapon.
The infected man who had been chasing her was not too far away. If she did not get through that crawlspace, he would be on top of her in less than fifteen seconds. She brushed her hand across the pocket that contained the metal fragment, still hoping that it would provide some sort of protection.
Thankfully, it had not fallen out.
Bela dove for the opening as soon as she was able to spot it. The tiny square was just big enough for her to fit through, but it would be a tight squeeze. Just as the man appeared at the entrance of the steps, the blonde made her move. She threw her gun ahead as she got onto her hands and knees, pushing forward into the opening.
The lantern and sickle that she kept on her rattled vigorously as she stretched her body out, pulling herself hand over hand as she advanced through the tunnel. Behind her, the infected man was heard crashing around the shelter. The chaos of tossed furniture echoed through the vent as it seemed like a wild animal was loose. Bela moved as quickly as she could, but it cost precious seconds to keep moving her long gun further ahead. She'd have to stop and shove it forward, only to do so again every couple of feet.
By then, the man had successfully made it past everything in his way, and he had now begun to enter the vent as well. His lanky body tumbled around the walls, shambling ahead with a devious cackle.
I need to hurry!
Bela pushed harder, straining her muscles in the process. Her flesh burned with the fire of exhaustion as she trudged on ahead, finally hearing her gun pass the exit after a grueling thirty seconds of madness. As soon as the firearm was through, she shimmied for dear life, ignoring every ounce of pain that came with the rush.
I'm almost there! I'm almost there!
Her face broke through the opening, and she opened her mouth to take in the fresh air. Bela pulled her torso out and reached for her gun. As soon as her fingers landed on the stock, she felt a powerful force tug against her ankle.
He's got me!
The creature's hand gripped her leg, seeking to yank her back into the vent. With a swift kick, Bela disabled his grip just enough for her to break free, but her troubles were not yet over. Even if she was no longer ensnared in his grasp, this man was going to be a persistent threat. She had to get the rest of her body out and place some distance between the two of them.
Crawling out into the lobby of the constable station, Bela dragged her gun across the floor and used it to prop her body up. She dug into her pocket to retrieve some more ammunition to feed the weapon, but as she did, the cackling man clawed his way out.
You've got to be kidding me!
The brass casing of one of the stray rounds danced off the edge of her fingertips as she scoured around. But by then, the man had already gotten onto his feet and lunged at her. Bela dropped the gun and went for Ethan's pistol, only to suddenly be taken down before she could withdraw it.
The scuffle that ensued played out loudly across the large room. Bela punched and kicked as the sinister being held her down. She witnessed his long neck extend slightly further as his jaw widened to reveal multiple sets of thin, sharp teeth. One bite to the face, and she would be dead.
I need to get to that gun!
Her hand went into the coat to find the handgun, but the man would not give her time to get it. His hands pinned Bela's arms at her sides, which immobilized her. He reared his head back, poised to sink his teeth right into her throat. Like a snake, he darted forward in a blink.
Bang.
The flash came after. It left Bela's ears ringing. In the stillness that followed, everything around her muffled into the abyss. The weight of the man's body shifted to her right, just as it grew limp and collapsed. She felt several droplets of blood land on her cheek as he slumped over. In shock, it took her a second or two to react, pushing the rest of him off her and crawling backward, out of his reach.
By the time she did, her mind registered that a gunshot had just gone off, and she saw the pool of red that circled his now crimson-coated face. Bela rotated and pushed herself up. The smell of burnt gunpowder trickled into her nostrils as her amber eyes gazed around to see who had fired the shot. She didn't have to look far to find out.
Standing not too far away next to her was Kyia. In the brunette's hand was a thin, break-action pistol. The end of the barrel was still smoking by the time she lowered the gun to her side and gazed at the blonde in front of her. Kyia's green irises were affixed to Bela, who looked at her in total surprise.
Kyia briefly glanced back down at her gun, tilting it in her hand, before she blew out an exasperated sigh.
"Kyia…" Bela caught her breath as she checked her body for injuries. When she found no sign of bleeding or pain, she dusted off the coat she wore, still trying to get her bearings straight. "Thank you."
The slender woman took notice of Ethan's coat being worn by the lady she despised so greatly. It did not take long for her face to twist into a heated scowl. She chose not to say any further words until she popped open the chamber of her pistol and pulled the spent cartridge out. The brass hull tinged against the tile floor once she dropped it, seating a new one in its place right after. Kyia closed the action of the gun and let out a short but sharp groan.
"What are you doing with Ethan's coat, Bela?" She pointed the gun at her. "Where is he?"
.
Ethan finally awoke, coughing uncontrollably as he fought to clear his throat of all the dust that had built up inside it. His mouth was dry as could be, caked with spores upon spores. The environment around him was terribly dark, with only the moonlight able to reveal portions of what surrounded him. There appeared to be a moldy coating along the walls, but it was hard to tell for sure.
The only thing that came to mind was the substance that engulfed the lower levels of the Baker residence. Ethan feared that this was going to be the same threat. Could Vikcia have been a product of the mold too?
As he tried to breathe, Ethan found the air to be so dense and musty. That was when he took in the most overwhelming and vile stench that he could have ever imagined. The smell was so horrible that he vomited as soon as the scent of rot filled his lungs. This was decay in its purest form. He felt like his nose was pressed against a decomposing body laid out in the hot sun.
"What the hell?!" He puked his guts up some more, sitting hunched over on his hands before he pulled his shirt up to cover his face. It did no good at all. Whatever was in the air stung the surface of his eyes, bringing forth tears as he coughed again. "Where the fuck is that coming from?"
When he stood up, the bottom of his shoes nearly slipped over a wet substance. "Jesus!" Ethan had to catch his balance, uncertain of what he had just stepped on. Using the light of the moon to aid in his examination of the room, he kept his shirt over his nose as he peered down at the murky liquid. "Is that…"
Blood.
He carefully turned around, only to feel the tip of his shoe bump against a corpse just several feet away. A gust of wind caressed the large windows that hovered far above him. The height of this room was immense. The last thing he remembered before he blacked out was the clock tower. Could this be it?
The clouds soon gave way, which allowed Ethan a better view of the room he had been brought to. It was a view that he would immediately regret seeing.
It wasn't just one body that was near him. It wasn't several. Not even a dozen. The room was filled with hundreds upon hundreds of corpses, all piled up on top of one another. The stacks of bodies formed a gory valley of organic mountains, all in various stages of decomposition. It was no wonder why the air was so abhorrent.
He was breathing in the dead.
Ethan's voice quivered in utter horror as he beheld what he saw, "This can't be real."
There was hardly anywhere to run to. Nearly every inch of this place was occupied with the blood and guts of Serpenmoor's deceased citizens. This was why the streets were so empty. Why there were no signs of where most of the populace had gone. Their bodies had been brought here, but why?
He then recalled Kyia's description of Vikcia and her world when they first met. It all made sense now.
"It is nothing but shadows and dead bodies. I'm talking corpses piled as high as mountains. All her kind does is crawl around on top of it and each other, eating the dead, and mindlessly finding conflict."
He realized at that very moment that he had been brought to her domain.
The witch's melodic singing echoed from the top of one of the hills of slaughter. Ethan watched as a stream of shadows swirled around like a calm tornado, spinning in a vortex as they formed into the cloaked figure of the carnivorous demon.
Under her hood, he glimpsed those black lips that bordered her bright teeth. Vikcia grinned as she slowly lowered herself onto her hands and feet, giggling while strings of dust escaped from the corners of her mouth. With a predatory crawl, her dark talons and toes scraped along the surface of everything they moved past.
When she was just ten feet away from him, the woman rose from her position and glared at him. Ethan tried to move away, but he fell over one of the dead bodies in the process. Pushing himself back, he dug his heels into the backs of the murdered as he tried to put space between him and her.
The shadows that encircled her body soon dissipated from view. Then, as she walked toward him some more, so did her cloak. The garment vaporized in the same manner as the darkness itself, having been worn to protect her from the outside light. Vikcia's hood was no more, having faded away into a stream of transparent dust.
Left in its place was a mess of black hair that leveled at her shoulders. Her nude body was vibrantly pale, except for several large patches of black skin that ran vertically along the sides of her waist, encompassing the lower half of her breasts and her groin itself. The surface of the patterns appeared to be aligned with many holes, likely where more maggots could emerge.
With one foot in front of the other, Vikcia approached him; talons flared out at her hips.
Ethan heard her giggle once more as she smiled. Her wavy hair drifted away from the front of her face, which revealed her jet-black eyes, shaped like those of the eastern shores. Her circular white irises gleamed in the abyss, fixated on the prey that she had just captured. With that smile still stretched across her cheeks, Vikcia crouched down as she raised her claws out in front of his face.
Her raspy voice spoke out to him, "No more hiding."
NOTES:
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'm going to ramp up the action and drama as we move towards this story's end.
What is it about these metal shards that disrupts the infected? Why is it not consistent? Why are Bela and Ethan hearing and seeing things that don't make sense? There are a ton of questions left to be answered, and those answers will come soon enough.
Either way, Bela has a lot of obstacles ahead of her, and the next one is overcoming the barriers between her and Kyia. Can these two set aside their differences to save Ethan?
And as for our moldman, I wouldn't say he is doing so well. Vikcia's den is a vile place, and the dust-witch is not the best host. With no superhuman healing abilities to save him, death is just as close as her claws.
Writing this story has been a great way to test out some of my original ideas. Parts of the final arc could be considered a draft of what the story could be like someday as its own work outside of fan fiction. I very much love the world that this exists in and wish to do more with it in the future.
Check out this story on Archive of Our Own to see the newest artwork of Vickia and the infected. You're going to love it!
Only nine more chapters left to go! The next installment will be out in exactly a week, so I'll see you all soon! I just realized this was posted on February 9th (the same day RE8 takes place).
In the meantime, I hope you all stay safe out there and enjoy the weekend that is ahead! Thank you so much for all the love that you have for this writing. You're truly the best, and I can't say it enough! Be well and warm! 😊