Running from the horde had brought Bela and Kyia further down the short hallway that proceeded the shattered door. Anticipating another locked entrance, the blonde gripped the double-barreled firearm in her possession with determination. Her body was still injured from the shrapnel, and she contemplated the risks associated with another go-around of gunfire. Still, the good outweighed the bad, as the ravenous horde would likely catch them in less than twenty seconds.
Before she would pull the trigger, her hands reached out to test the handle. By a stroke of heavenly luck, it opened. Urgency filled her voice as she beckoned Kyia along, "It's open! Hurry!"
The brunette, still lost in the haze of her previous actions, took a second to collect herself before she followed her through it. As soon as the pair passed the threshold, the door was shut. The lantern revealed a large sliding bolt lock that would prevent the infected from passing through. The bar was shoved through the catch, and the entrance was sealed.
The moment Bela's hands withdrew from it, the beating and groaning of the horde were already on the other side. With an exasperated breath of relief and exhaustion, she turned around and rested her back against the vibrating door. Her eyes shut as she slumped to the hard ground, recovering from yet another near-miss with death.
They almost got us. That was too close.
Kyia was silent as she sat not too far away. Droplets of blood coated her arms and chest, while her hands were slathered in the sanguine mixture. Her green eyes gazed at the crimson streaks that painted her pale skin. With parted lips, the brunette offered the faintest of whimpers as she slowly began to wipe the fluids off. It only smeared the blood further, which intensified her distress.
Bela's breaths gradually steadied as she sat there. The adrenaline that had fueled their escape had given way to fatigue. She opened her eyes to study Kyia, who was still grappling with the aftermath of her actions.
"We made it," Bela whispered, more to reassure herself than anything else. The room they found themselves in was just as dark as the one before. It was difficult to tell exactly where they were. There weren't any carriages in sight, but she believed that they must have been nearby. If so, then so were the horses.
Kyia looked up at Bela, her eyes a mix of remorse and confusion. "I killed a child," she uttered, her voice barely audible over the distant moans of the infected. "I know he was... changed, but still... a child."
Bela moved closer to Kyia. "You can't blame yourself for what you had to do. You saved me."
The brunette nodded, her fingers fumbling with the fragments in her possession. Even though she understood what Bela said, a great part of her still found difficulty coming to terms with it all. "These things are supposed to protect us," she mumbled. It was almost as if she doubted their purpose, as their failure to do so had resulted in her ending the boy's life.
Bela gently placed a comforting hand on Kyia's shoulder. "You did what you had to do."
Kyia nodded again, but the weight of the deed lingered heavily on her conscience. "Let's just find the carriage bay. We can't let this distract us."
She's breaking inside. I can hear it in her voice.
Despite her urge to help, Bela knew that now wasn't the time to press the matter. "Yeah," she replied. "Let's do that." With that, the two rose from where they were. The sounds of the infected banging against the door died out as they moved forward. Soon, it all faded away in the back of their ears.
As they continued down the dim corridor, Kyia wrestled with the swirling emotions within her. She tried to bury the traumatic event deep within, compartmentalizing it to focus on the immediate task at hand. But the images haunted her—the cursed eyes of the infected child, the sound of the sickle tearing through his flesh.
"We're almost there," Kyia said, her voice steady but not absent of heartache. "Just a bit further, and we'll find the carriage bay. We can get out of this nightmare."
The lantern guided their way, highlighting the next door that guarded their path. Bela approached it with caution, listening for the sounds of anything that may be behind it. Silence. The handle would turn, which meant they could proceed. With some reluctance, she pushed against the door.
It opened slowly, revealing the entrance to the stables as the lantern's dim glow spilled into the expansive room. The air felt heavy with the scent of hay. Rows of wooden stalls stretched out before them as they entered. Animals had to have been living here recently.
Bela's eyes scanned the stables, the flickering light revealing the uncertainty on her face. "Where are the steeds?"
Kyia stepped cautiously into the stables. "It's strange. I expected at least some signs of the steeds. Dead or alive."
Bela ran her fingers along the edge of an empty stall, her expression growing more concerned. "I don't see anything. No hoof marks. It's like they were never here."
Kyia's eyes darted around the stables, searching for any hint of life. "They were always so resilient. I thought they'd find a way to survive."
Bela's voice lowered, laced with a newfound sense of worry. "Maybe they did. Or maybe...something worse happened."
Kyia turned to her with a mixture of fear and apprehension in her eyes. "Worse? What do you mean?"
"The infection grants animals no favors," she replied. "Some of the worst monsters Ethan and I encountered were dogs and birds."
Above the glowing lantern, Kyia's eyes rolled to the side as she curled her lips. "Lovely."
As they moved further into the stables, the sounds of low, guttural growls brought their fears to life. The lantern was unable to reveal what created the noise, as the two of them were too far away.
"Did you hear that?" Kyia asked.
Bela tightened her grip on the combination gun, her eyes moving in every direction. "Yeah, something's moving. Something big."
The women stood frozen, listening for the next snarl that would provide a better mental picture of what they were up against. The stables seemed to come alive with unseen movement, concealed by the dense shadows around them. They weren't alone. Neither could shake the feeling that there was a set of eyes that tracked their every move.
The area they were in was large, but the various enclosures offered too many places for something to hide. The results of the infection were unpredictable. The notion of a horse turning into a relentless predator was something she could have never imagined. Bela's eyes darted from enclosure to enclosure, as the source of the disturbance appeared to be all around them.
She felt comfort in speaking, as it was never a secret that they had entered this room. They had announced themselves from the very beginning, as soon as that door opened. "How many steeds are here, Kyia?"
"I don't know," the brunette whispered with caution in her voice. "When they brought me in, I saw more carriages than I saw steeds. Six or ten? I wasn't here for very long."
The answer sent a shiver down Bela's spine. The idea that there could be more than one infected horse within the stables amplified the sense of impending danger. Her mind conjured images of monstrous transformations, recalling the horrific metamorphosis she had witnessed in the infected dog. The prospect of larger, more formidable creatures, like horses, succumbing to the same fate was a grim possibility.
Something happened inside here. I can feel it. I don't think the horses made it through this.
"Kyia, I think we need to..."
Her words were cut short when the two suddenly heard a hefty mass shuffle across the ground. Concealed behind the darkness, whatever lurked in the shadows had just made movement. Bela understood the thought process of a predator. Not only did it know that they were there, it was circling them.
Wait! I forgot!
It was in that moment that Bela realized she had a flashlight on her. Quickly retrieving it, she turned it on, casting a beam of light that reached further than the lantern's glow. The illumination revealed an unnerving sight at the edge of one of the far stables—a grey mass against the hay bales.
I can't tell exactly what that is.
As her eyes peered deeper, a long-necked head rose from the top of one of the closer stables. It resembled a horse at first glance. However, the lifelessness in its face set it apart, coupled with the copious amounts of dried blood along its nostrils. The creature's eyes drifted aimlessly, momentarily fixating on Bela and Kyia.
No. Nothing about that is right. It's infected!
In a gruesome twist, the creature's neck opened vertically, revealing layers of hooked teeth lining the walls of its gory throat. The sight left Bela and Kyia frozen, fearful of what was about to happen. The blonde wanted to conclude that the thing that had been watching them had finally revealed itself, but the location of the beast did not match up with the direction of some of the noise. She realized the truth—just another deformed horse rose from the opposite stable.
The entire roof of the animal's skull appeared to be missing. In its place was a massive cluster of maggots that swelled out like a large brain. Whip-like appendages, like those on the man with the beehive head, flailed around in the air as the creature staggered onto its feet. Its body struggled to stand as its legs sought to bend like those of an insect, which created an audible crunch as its thickened bones tested their limitations.
Its difficulties did not herald weakness. The infected horse lowered its jaw, which revealed a barbed tongue that extended nearly ten feet from its snout. One lash with that, and the recipient would surely be gored to death, if not bisected completely.
In the background, the shape that had been lurking slowly moved out of view. Bela attempted to adjust her flashlight to better focus on it, but before she could seek it out, the other two infected horses began to close in.
The one with the elongated neck stood, its back nearly brushing against the ceiling of the expansive enclosure. The sheer size of the creature, resembling a grotesque cricket with stretched legs, ignited a previously untapped sense of fear. Bulbous sacs adorned its lower abdomen, lined with yellowed maggots. The larvae spilled out onto the ground as it moved forward, dumping onto the surface like schools of fish atop a ship's deck.
The pair stepped back as the infected animals drew in further. Bela's light then caught sight of a deceased steed laying on its side, not too far away from its long-necked companion. The corpse was as bloody as ever. A fresh kill. From what remained on its body, the animal appeared to have been completely normal. There were no visible signs of infection whatsoever.
Judging by the condition of these stables, the trio of horses that surrounded them had likely been here for quite some time. There was no way that this one could have escaped the infection if it had been in their company from the start. Hell, it would never have survived the first hour. That sight inspired a theory in her head that gave her a ray of hope.
That horse had to have come from somewhere. It must have just gotten here.
That was when her flashlight moved further up and picked up the shape of a large door that was ajar. The height was enough to allow the passage of a standard-sized horse, but not suitable for the deformed beasts that the others had turned into. The blonde concluded that the animal must have recently wandered in, only to be killed by the others.
"Kyia, do you see that door up ahead?"
The brunette's green eyes glimmered at the sight. "That's it! That's the door to the carriage bay!"
We need to get there!
Bela weighed their options, each path fraught with danger. Turning around meant facing the hordes of infected in the holding cells, while confronting the monstrous horses ahead presented its own daunting challenges. Death seemed like an inevitable outcome on either route.
Acknowledging the futility of conventional weapons against the infected horses, Bela loaded a spare rifle round into her gun. The power of those cartridges might just be enough to bring one of them down, but she would not trust her life to it. The only way forward would be to get to that door, and with the creatures blocking their path, they needed to find a way to take out all three as quickly as possible.
Wait… the hay…
She turned to Kyia at that very moment. "We need to use the lantern and burn this place down before they get to us."
Kyia's eyes widened—a mix of fear and disbelief. "What?! Are you insane? What if it consumes us too?"
The tension in the air was strong as Bela sighed, the weight of the situation pressing down on her. "Our guns will not stop them. We won't last another minute if we don't end this now!"
As they continued to debate, the horse with the long neck made a sudden move, its head snaking dangerously close to Kyia. The animal opened its wide throat in an attempt to ensnare her within its grasp. The two barely saw it in time, with the brunette jumping out of the way and landing on the ground with a scream. Bela acted immediately, discharging the rifle barrel at once. A loud boom ripped through the stables, and the creature staggered, the front of its face blasted to shreds. However, despite the damage, it was far from defeated.
How is that not dead?! Damn it! I need that lantern!
"Kyia!"
The gravity of the situation settled in, and Kyia reluctantly handed it over. With a deep breath, Bela hurled the lantern onto the hay-strewn ground, igniting the room in a blaze of fiery chaos. The stables erupted into an inferno, the flames rising across the hay and engulfing the mutated horses once they traveled around. The creatures thrashed and roared in agony as the intense heat overtook their bodies, writhing in torment.
This is our only chance!
Bela and Kyia sprinted through the chaos as the fire raged on. The mutated horses, charred from the depths of hell, flailed around, their cries piercing the air.
As they reached the door, the third infected horse, whose head had transformed into a frightening perversion of nature, rolled towards them with determination. Its eyes, elongated like those of a slug, set on the pair as they crossed its path. In its gaping maw were sets of serrated pinchers, ready to rend flesh. The beast scrambled to catch up with the fleeing women, but the encroaching fire quickly caught up with it.
Bela turned her eyes, only to watch it buckle around in the all-consuming blaze. The surface of her amber orbs glinted as they reflected the light around her. This was true horror. Nothing in her world could have ever compared to what this realm had unleashed. With the dense smoke quickly rising, the room would suffocate them in seconds if they didn't exit.
It was time to leave.
Bela pulled Kyia through the door and shut it at her back, slamming it as the adrenaline that coursed inside her body continued to hit the gas pedal. The echoes of the horses' cries resonated beneath the frame, drowned out by the unforgiving death that swept through the stables.
The stench of burnt flesh lingered in the air as Bela and Kyia took a moment to catch their breaths. Trails of smoke rose out from the door's edges, evaporating around them as they sat there.
Kyia was visibly shaken. Her hands trembled as they rose to her face. Another whimper cut through the tense air, then came silent tears. Bela could see how much this journey had affected her. Ethan was right: this was no place for the innocent.
"It's over, Kyia," she said as she reached for the woman's hand to console her.
Kyia recoiled, withdrawing into herself. Her voice spoke, barely above a whisper, "How do you tolerate this?"
Bela's response was simple, "I don't."
The brunette froze for a second before she shook her head, turning it to the blonde right after. Her eyes, still glistening with unshed tears, met Bela's. "I just want this to be over," she said. There would be no further conversation on the matter.
The flashlight's beam shined across the interior of the room, revealing this area to indeed be the carriage bay that the two had fought so hard to reach. Kyia, fragile yet steady, rose to her feet. "Let's find what we need."
Bela was left to wonder just how much more violence this woman could endure. Kyia was not a seasoned killer. She had talked about witnessing acts far worse than what this city had to offer, but the way she reacted to the onslaught of the infected brought up the idea that she may have never gotten her hands dirty. She had done what she needed to survive—and to keep Bela alive.
If she could live with it, was a different matter entirely.
.
The carriage bay was an exceptionally large room. As Bela and Kyia walked, their steps echoed as they passed by the ghostly silhouettes of abandoned carriages and hay bales. Cobwebs lined the corners of the walls and the equipment underneath them. This place was almost a time capsule of memories of bygone days when the steeds walked proudly before the pestilence.
Now, it was nothing more than a ghost of itself.
With Bela's flashlight as their only light source, Kyia kept her map tucked into the edge of her skirt. In its place was the pistol she had taken with her, a fresh round loaded into the chamber. The brunette walked with a stoic strut. She was as alert as she was internalized. All her mind could do was try to ignore what had just taken place, but her finger would squeeze that trigger in a second, twitching from the recent encounters.
Bela had taken the opportunity to insert the last remaining rifle cartridge that she had into the barrel. After that, it was just a few more shotgun shells and one pistol magazine to take on an entire city. Life felt like a bargain she struck with the world's greatest loan shark. Her debt would rise until she could no longer haggle. They would come to collect, and her soul would be forced to pay its dues.
These bullets would stall that inevitable meeting for as long as they could. But with each expended shell, she could feel the cold breath of death against her neck. The cliff's edge was nearing, and it was a steep drop into the mouth of oblivion.
But for Ethan, she would take the plunge.
I can smell the manure. The stench of urine. Something has been living in here, too. Surely, it is more of the horses. Argh, please, please don't let them be infected. Give us this one last chance.
As the two slowly moved along the deserted area, they were tipped off to the presence of something else. A noise, faint but distinct, pierced through the quiet air. The women halted in their tracks, their instincts on high alert. It was like reality had heard her thoughts, and it would be fate's decision as to whether or not they would be granted. Luck swung like a pendulum, teetering on either outcome as it played its hand.
Ready for another confrontation with the monsters, they stood in the darkness, waiting. The beam of Bela's flashlight swept across the bay, revealing the outlines of more carriages as it illuminated the room.
The source of the noise became apparent as the light settled on one of the carriages to their right. Instead of the twisted monstrosities they had encountered before, the light revealed a healthy, uninfected horse. Its majestic form stood nearby, larger than those that Bela remembered from her world, yet far from the grotesque mutations they had faced earlier.
A quiet moment of relief washed over the women as they laid their eyes on it. The horse, untouched by the plague that had ravaged so much around them, stood as a symbol of resilience in the face of despair. However, the shadow of recent traumas lingered on Kyia's troubled expression. This reprieve from misfortune would only carry her so far. Just as it was with Bela, there was no way to scrub such memories away.
With cautious steps, they approached the uninfected horses. The animals, though visibly scared, sensed something different about the two women. They were not the members of the aggressive horde that lay just outside those walls. The softness of their voices as they spoke was nothing like the deranged garbles of the maggot-faced carnivores.
Kyia, in particular, exuded a quiet confidence as she moved closer to them. Seeing the docile animals provided her with a moment of ease, which allowed her to temporarily set aside all the terrible things that she had witnessed. It was almost as if she was happy to finally see a touch of life in this rotten place.
Her familiarity with the horses became evident as she approached one and began to speak in a hushed, comforting tone. Slowly, the horses seemed to respond to the soothing presence of the woman, their nervous energy beginning to dissipate.
"It's okay," Kyia said. "We're not going to hurt you."
The horse flicked its ears as it watched the woman step towards it. He dwarfed the brunette by a considerable margin, but it was the human in front of him that held the totem of power. Its head bowed as its snout rose, allowing her the opportunity to rest her slender hand atop the crest of its nose. With a gentle motion, Kyia caressed the animal as its hooves moved forward. Bela could only watch the scene as it played out.
Kyia leaned in as she whispered into its ear, "It's okay. It's okay."
Emboldened by Kyia's lead, Bela approached the second horse. Her movements mirrored the brunette's, and she extended a hand to the chestnut-colored creature. The horse, sensing the genuine intent, dipped its head in welcome. Bela's fingers, hesitant at first, combed through the silky strands of the horse's mane.
What a beautiful thing.
As her hand explored the back of the horse's head, the creature responded with a subtle lifting of its back leg, an expression of contentment. A sudden exhale, a sigh of ease, startled Bela momentarily. However, as the horse remained calm, she realized there was no cause for alarm. Her hand returned to its resting place, which enhanced the trust that the two had begun to establish.
Even after all this time in here alone, they still cling to a human's love.
That was when she gazed upon the harnesses that were still attached to the middle of both their bodies, then at the visible sores beneath them.
All this time, they were here. These poor animals. Those people just left them in here. Should I blame them? Vikcia's dust takes everything as its prisoner. I know there was nothing they could do, but... I guess this is what it feels like to have a kind heart. Never in my life would I have ever thought that it would hurt to see an animal in pain. But I will pay the price of compassion.
"Kyia." Bela alerted her to the injuries at hand. "Do you see what is going on under those harnesses?"
Kyia's eyes followed Bela's gaze, and she couldn't help but feel a wave of sorrow at the sight of the visible sores. The wounds told of the unspoken agony endured by the creatures. The brunette's brow furrowed, giving way to a somber drift in emotion.
She nodded slowly, her voice carrying empathy, "Yeah, I see it. Poor things have been suffering in silence, haven't they?" Kyia's fingers lightly traced the outline of one of the sores, feeling the still wet, raw flesh at its center. "What can we do?"
Bela reached into her bag, retrieving what remained of Ethan's tonic. The bottle of liquid sparkled under the flashlight as she held it at eye level. She pondered if this would work. Not just that, but also if it was wise to give up what remained of such a precious resource. Her body still ached from the pain of the shrapnel that had been sent into it. She had not even looked her wounds over, yet part of her did not care. They were about to initiate these two animals into what could potentially be their final act of service.
In her mind, they deserved such healing.
In the wake of the blonde's silence, Kyia turned her head to her so she could ask the question a second time. But when her green eyes gazed upon the bottle in Bela's hand, she already knew what the woman had in mind. "Is that all that we have left?"
Those amber orbs fell as her voice spoke quietly, "It is."
Kyia drew in a low sigh and curled her lip. Her stare moved back to the steed under her touch, then to the sores at its back. She compared it to the gash on her right palm, but her wound mattered little to her right now. "Animals are not like people. I've never met an animal that deserved to suffer." She brushed its head again. "That has not changed, even to this very hour."
Bela carried the weight of the decision in her thoughtful gaze. She hesitated for a moment, acknowledging the significance of using the last of Ethan's remedy. If she or Kyia suffered any further injuries, there would be nothing to seal the wounds. Nevertheless, the horses were their best bet to reach the clock tower. To do so, they needed to be in top shape.
A silent understanding passed between her and Kyia as they locked eyes. Both women understood the concept of sacrifices in the name of the greater good. There would be no words spoken between them when it came to making this choice.
With a deep breath, Bela unscrewed the cap of the tonic bottle, its potent scent wafting through the air. The liquid shimmered with a faint glow as the light passed under it. She approached the first horse cautiously as she removed the harness and exposed a ring of sores where the edges of the rig had laid. She tipped the bottle to pour the remaining tonic onto the damage.
The horse tensed briefly, responding to the stinging of the liquid on its wounds. The elixir worked swiftly, its reparative properties sealing the injuries. They would not vanish as Ethan's cuts did, but the liquid ensured that there would be no further pain. As the soothing effects took hold, the animal's initial tension gave way to a visible relaxation. Its ears flicked back and forth in acknowledgment, grateful that its agony had finally ended.
Bela continued the process with the second horse after Kyia removed its harness too. Just as the one before it, the steed twitched after the initial sting but quickly settled down as it went away. The brunette held its head in her arms throughout the process, ensuring that it remained calm.
Once the last drop of the tonic had been dispensed, Bela disposed of the bottle, a mixture of satisfaction and bittersweet acceptance lingering in her eyes. That was it. All gone. She could only hope that she had made the best choice possible.
Please let this plan work.
.
After the tonic was applied, Bela used her flashlight to search around the interior of the carriage bay, while Kyia bandaged her lacerated palm. In a stroke of luck, she had located another lantern that could be used to provide illumination for the time being. Its oil levels were low, but it would seemingly last for a handful of hours. After its flame was lit, both women returned to petting the horses, running their hands through their long manes.
Bela could not help but notice the perplexity in the way Kyia studied the one next to her.
"What is on your mind, Kyia?"
"No horns on these ones," she replied.
"Horns?" Bela tilted her head in confusion.
Kyia smiled as she reflected on her younger years, happily petting the animal as she explained, "In my old region, steeds had these tree-like horns on their heads. Not like these ones, who lack such qualities."
"Like deer?"
Kyia's brow furrowed in confusion. "Deer? I don't... What are deer?"
Bela realized just how different their worlds truly were. She offered a friendly smile to break the tension. "Creatures with antlers, much like those horns you mentioned."
The brunette only shook her head in response. "I don't know deer. There's one creature I remember, but our worlds aren't the same. Something tells me that you wouldn't understand, even if I described it."
Bela took Kyia's comment at face value. She did not find it to be an insult, but an example of how guarded this woman had been about everything around her. "We may not understand each other's worlds, Kyia, but we're here together in yours. I think understanding it will serve me well."
Kyia hummed as she continued to run her hand through the horse's hair. Her eyelids lowered with a subtle nod that personified her internal agreement. When her lashes split, those green irises flashed at the blonde nearby, and her thin fingers withdrew from the back of its ear and lowered against her side. "I barely understand this world myself. Just when I believe that I have life all figured out, it throws my knowledge onto the ground and kicks it out of my reach. Ethan has described your world as being like mine, so I take the names you give to things as variables of the same. Gallops, horses… deer? Close enough."
"If our worlds are similar, then what do you expect to find in mine?"
The brunette shrugged her shoulders as she glanced at her injured palm, a symbol of what she has endured to make it to this point. "Just a better life." Her lungs slowly emptied as she exhaled her reservations about confessing her troubles. There was no reason to suffer in silence. "How tragic is it that myself and many others are born into a world where we are brutalized and persecuted? It makes me question the point of living at all. What great gift lies at the end, when all we must go through is nothing but pain? I struggle to find the worth of it, and in doing so, myself, in some ways."
Bela could see the years of anguish etched upon her face as she kept her eyes averted. Kyia was a woman who harbored so many bad memories, most of which she would likely never speak to anyone about. It reminded her of Cassandra, regarding how one person could visibly lock themselves away, even though they had others around them to speak to.
Kyia may have finally found the strength to lift some of her burdens, but Bela pondered whether her sibling could have done the same. There were so many unanswered questions about the life that she had left behind in her world. She did not know if she and Daniela were safe, but the hint that they had met an undesirable end stewed in her mind. It seemed as though fate had decided that no one was to survive what would happen in that village.
Ethan had brought up the possibility that there were other destinies out there yet unfulfilled, but apparently tied to different lives, all lived by the same person. In one of them, he dies saving his daughter. In this one, he is sent with Bela into an unforgiving realm of darkness. He spoke of his visions confirming the existence of both. His daughter, now a teenager in some strange timeline, telling him that she is safe.
These concepts spat in the face of everything she once believed to be true, but just as she had told Ethan, it was time to set aside their expectations of reality. She could only hope that there was a future where Cassandra and Daniela could have been freed. Maybe it was still possible in this one. Perhaps the intrusion into another realm was the break in fate that she needed to save them.
Bela stopped petting the horse that she was near and allowed the creature to return to feeding on the bale of hay at the edge of one of the old carriages. As she walked over to Kyia, her eyes conveyed a sincere glimmer of compassion. She wanted to understand this lady more, remembering how she had failed to help Cassandra when she had the chance.
"I worry about you, Kyia."
The Victorian woman peeked at her, only for her gaze to fall back down at her bloodied bandage in a dismissive fashion. She spoke with a flat tone, "You must not worry about me."
"Ever since the holding cells, you've been different, and I think I know why." The blonde risked treading on the edge of Kyia's sanity. What she hinted at was no secret. The child. That infected little boy, whom Kyia had butchered in her effort to rescue Bela. There was no way that a pacifist such as her could simply overlook such a heinous, yet reasonable, action.
"Stop." Kyia did not mince words or play dumb to what Bela had tried to uncover. Her eyes still would not rise from her hand. "Let's get one thing clear: we are not close, Bela. We share a common goal, and I am willing to put aside my values for the sake of it. That is all."
She is still going back to not liking me? I get it, but, ugh, why? What is it with this woman?
Bela, in return, did not mince her words, either, "If I wasn't a bitch to you, would you have been different to me?"
Kyia froze, as if she had drawn all her focus into processing what she had just heard. Bela could see the stillness in her eyes. She was trying to figure out a way to respond to it.
The blonde spoke again as she elevated her point, "I am not, or was not, the kind of person you wanted to be around, and I get that. But you need to give me a chance to be better. If you knew where I am from and what I am now..."
"Save it!" Kyia cut her off with a firm shout. The horses lifted their heads, alerted by the loud noise. Seeing the animals jolt at her outcry, the brunette sighed and lowered her head in shame. She was tired of messing up everything in her life. So very, very tired of it. "Bela, it isn't that simple. You ask me to indulge in ignorant trust, like I can just ignore what I know you to have done. Damn it, do you think that I do not know what killing looks like? I have seen others do it many times, but when I killed those infected today, I could only find myself plagued with guilt. Tortured souls, they are. Barely what they used to be, but I know deep inside that they are still in there, somewhere."
Bela recalled the moment she killed Jerdan, the first infected man she encountered. That brief display of humanity, cut short by her violent will, reminded her of the many lives she had ended back in Castle Dimitrescu. She could excuse her act on the basis of what she had read in those notes written by his daughters. Maybe there could be forgiveness in that. But the maids? Those poor maids. They never stood a chance.
Kyia mirrored Bela's inner thoughts with her next statement, "To think those kinds of actions were inflicted on innocent, helpless people drives a wedge through my heart. I cannot forgive you for what you have done. Ethan may have, for some reason, but do not think that apologizing will change this, okay?"
A tear rolled down Bela's cheek as she considered how the remainder of her life would be spent waging a war on herself. She had a mountain of terrible deeds that needed to be climbed. There was no way to undo the past, knowing that her actions were ones she would always have to suffer for.
"I never expected you to forgive me, Kyia," Bela admitted, her voice laced with sorrow. "I know my sins are unforgivable. All I can do now is try to be better, even if it's just a small step at a time."
Kyia's gaze remained fixed on the ground, the bloodied bandage in her hands a reminder of the violence they had both unleashed upon the infected. Even she herself was capable of such destruction at heart, as much as she hated to think so.
"I don't ask you to forget, or even to forgive," Bela continued, her tone gentle as she tried to bridge the gap between the two of them. "I only ask for the chance to prove that I can be more than the monster I was made to be. I know it won't be easy, and I don't expect you to trust me completely, but I want to try. That must account for something, doesn't it?"
Bela's mention of being turned into a monster piqued Kyia's curiosity. The stern expression on the brunette's face softened as she looked at her, those green eyes filled with intrigue. "Made into a monster, you say? You've mentioned that to me before. What do you mean?"
Bela sighed, her gaze dropping to the dusty ground beneath them. "It's a long story, Kyia. My visions showed me that I was once a different woman, who was lured into Castle Dimitrescu under false promises by Mother Miranda, the prophet of our village. She manipulated me and two other women, who would become my sisters, into becoming something we were never meant to be. We were taken from our families and experimented on. I do not know everything, as I only saw so much, but it was enough to learn that my life inside that castle was nothing but lies and that I was not born as the kind of person that she turned me into."
Kyia listened intently, absorbing the gravity of Bela's words.
"We were being turned into creatures to satisfy Lord Dimitrescu's twisted desire to have daughters of her own," Bela continued, her voice bitter as she mentioned that tyrant's name, tapping the scar on her temple. "She did this to me and the others, all in the pursuit of making us her daughters. We needed blood to stay alive, and we were programmed to obey her every word. We were brought up thinking it was acceptable for us to be violent and kill. She made it our nature. It's not an excuse, Kyia, just an explanation."
Kyia's eyes widened with shock. "So, you were... transformed against your will?" she asked, her tone softening with empathy and intense curiosity.
Bela nodded, the weight of her past settling heavily on her shoulders. "Being here has broken her spell, in a way. I don't feel like I am that woman any longer. It's kind of like the old me is back again. Sadly, that does not take away what I did, and it's something I'll carry for the rest of my existence. I made the conscious choice to harm everyone who suffered, but I am thankful to have my life back."
"I see…" Kyia debated her next response, trying to figure out the best approach to an event she never imagined could be possible. "I guess Ethan saw past that. Maybe the woman you were is the kind of woman he wanted. For a man who has lost so much, it speaks volumes for him to be able to do so. Admittingly, knowing that your life was not your own does draw some sympathy for me. I feel for those who are unable to defend themselves. It's just that... I have been one of those people before."
That was when Kyia's tears began to roll down her slender cheeks. She did not make a sound as she cried. It was a display she had rehearsed over a shattered lifetime, but one that she could not walk away from.
"Please," Bela begged with a heartfelt voice, "just talk to me, Kyia."
When she breathed in, there was a faint sniffle to be heard. Kyia's gaze remained fixed ahead, but her lips parted slightly, hinting that she was trying to hold herself together. "That boy back there—it is not the first time I have witnessed the death of a child," she said, her tone distant. "Long ago, I cradled my own daughter in arms that could not save her. Her life was senselessly snuffed out. She was killed by a man I trusted. We were great friends, even. It would have betrayed me less for him to have just killed me instead. But he cursed me with the loss of my little girl, and I have spent every single day of my life pondering what she felt in her final moments. For every person who is killed, Bela, there is a cost, and it is those who love them who will always pay that price."
Bela listened to Kyia's heartbreaking revelation, her heart aching for the unimaginable pain the Victorian woman had endured. "I'm so sorry, Kyia," she said, her voice heavy with empathy. "I can't even fathom the agony you've lived through."
Kyia's silent tears continued, the haunting memories of her past closer than ever. "I believe you when you tell me that you have suffered as well. I saw it on you when you returned. You know that it won't ever go away, do you?"
"I do…" Bela nodded, acknowledging Kyia's opinion. She was still reeling from the events at Malcolm's house and the memories of Edith and Mabel. The revelation of her own tragic truth could not be forgotten, either. So many reasons to crumble, all stacked upon her shoulders. She and Kyia bore a different kind of weight, but the blonde understood that those weights could never be dropped. Time was only a hope that the wounds would scar up, and she knew that scars lasted forever.
Kyia, however, shifted her stance just a little, offering a glimmer of peace between the two of them. "But if we can do something for one another's pain, I welcome such a thing. All these years alone, fighting myself, it is terrible. I do not wish the same for you."
Bela smiled with gratitude. "Thank you, Kyia."
Before their conversation could continue, the air was pierced by an unexpected static. The horses, still unsettled, shifted nervously. Bela and Kyia, drawn by the disturbance, moved to the edge of one of the stables, discovering a small radio station that had been overlooked in the dimly lit carriage bay.
Kyia was the first to address the strange turn of events, "Wait, how is that thing working?"
Before any conclusion could be reached, a man's voice resonated from the small radio station, "Vessel approaching harbor... Final transmission before docking..."
Bela lunged for the device, her fingers trembling as they sought the response button. "Here! We are here!" she shouted, desperation raging in her voice. However, her words were met only by another round of persistent static. She grabbed the lantern, holding it over the tiny control panel, frantically searching for a way to reply to the call. The lights on the console flickered, their glow dying out just seconds later.
Both women were left in a state of total shock. There had been no electricity across the entire city, with the sole exception of Vikcia's clock tower. Why, for even just a short moment, did one of the machines around them suddenly return to function?
More importantly, who was that on the other end?
NOTES:
The mystery deepens, but all will be revealed very soon!
These last two chapters went heavy on the horror, minus the presence of Ethan and Vikcia. Expect that to change in the next one, but I wanted to have the next stages of Kyia's plan take shape. Everything is almost all set up, and the next order of business will be to make it to the clock tower. Now, as far as the radio goes, I think you can figure out what sparked the brief moment of power. What implications does this have? We shall see.
Something is coming.
I'll keep these notes brief, but I'm excited for what the next chapter has in store for you all! As usual, it'll be released on Friday.
I hope you all are having a great weekend so far! Thank you so much for the wonderful responses to this story! The Daniela installment is drawing closer, and I'm confident that you will enjoy the conclusion to this tragic trilogy. In the meantime, please stay safe and well! You are all such awesome people, and I wish you the best 😊
See you next week!