Under the uncertain daylight, Bela and Kyia continued to ride through the desolate streets of Serpenmoor. The cobblestone echoed under the weight of the hooves that drove them forward. The steeds moved effortlessly through the murdered city, naturally avoiding every obstacle in their path.
The carriage, an elegant yet weathered vessel, creaked softly as it glided over the uneven surface. Bela wondered what life must have been like before Vikcia took over. She remembered all the times Daniela would pester her about princesses in those little fairy tales of hers.
Woman of pure royalty, whose feet never touched the ground on the way to whatever grand destination awaited them. The redhead always wanted to live that kind of life for herself, yet it was her older sibling who got the chance to ride on such a vehicle. However, in a world like this, there was no beauty to be found. She and Kyia were on their way to the heart of madness.
The illusion of nobility had long been stripped from her mind, but she couldn't help but think about what must have come before. Could Serpenmoor have truly been the kind of vision that Daniela used to hold, or were castles more suited to her liking? If a city as grand and vast as this place could have been the preferred choice for such a fabled life, then were her dreams always based around such lies?
With everything that she had seen and learned, Bela could not see the beauty in what this place used to be. But if Edith had lived happily here, then maybe such things were possible.
Kyia sat beside Bela, her eyes scanning the surroundings with a mix of contemplation and vigilance as she directed the steeds. She was still following the direction that the blonde had given her. They would continue down this road all the way to Girville Park. There, they would make it through and reach the bridge that would lead them to the clock tower.
It all sounded so simple.
"Kyia," Bela said as the carriage continued to trudge through the labyrinthine streets, "when we reach the clock tower and find Vikcia, it's going to be a fight."
The brunette sighed softly as she lashed the harnesses into the air. "I know."
Bela studied the flashlight that she held in her hand, reminiscing about the time Ethan had used it to deter the witch. The beam had struck her shadows, washing them from her body, which opened the opportunity for one of his bullets to deal some form of damage to her. Unfortunately, Vikcia learned well from her mistakes and would likely not allow such an incident to happen ever again.
We can't be defenseless against her.
"She's afraid of light, correct?"
Kyia's head turned briefly to glance at her. She already knew what Bela had been referring to. "It's going to take a lot more than that device of yours to stop her." Her gaze returned to the steeds, ensuring that she would remain aware of what was ahead of them. "Trust me, if anyone in this world had the means to kill her, they would have done so by now."
"But you know a lot about her." Bela tried to syphon any further information about the demon that she could. Kyia's knowledge regarding the realms was a wealth of treasure in a time like this. Even if the woman herself could not conjure a way to turn the tide of battle in her favor, perhaps there was a chance for another mind to make use of the truths that she knew.
Sadly, Kyia only had so much to divulge. "I only know that her infection was born in a different world. The entire planet that she lives on is festering with the stuff. There is no daylight, and everything is dead. Light hurts her because she is not used to it. That's all that I know, besides the fact that things like her live a ghastly lifestyle over there."
"But what about Ethan and me? We can't get infected by her, remember?"
Kyia shrugged her left shoulder, remaining nonchalant about the whole matter. To her, there was nothing that she could do. "Most peculiar, but I guess there must be some quality about the two of you that hinders her plague. Do you have such things in your world?"
Bela's eyes drifted to the spires atop the many buildings that they passed by. "Sometimes."
"Well, then count yourselves lucky, I suppose." Kyia swung the reins again. The steeds buckled and galloped faster down the narrow stone road. "It would have saved this world if everyone was like you two."
"Ethan and I had both died before, once," Bela remarked, which stunned Kyia as soon as she heard that.
"Excuse me?" She almost couldn't believe what she had heard, wondering if she had heard that right at all. "Do you not hear your own voice?" She challenged the blonde as soon as she could, refusing to give in to such a monumental claim.
Bela curled her lip as she bowed her head, breaking her observance of their environment for just a second. "It's the truth, and it has been on my mind lately."
Kyia spared her one more glance before her eyes faced the road ahead. "I normally would not entertain such far-fetched claims, but the way you speak... Could this be true, then? How?"
"I died being made into what I was." She tapped the scar on her temple, illustrating an echo of sins committed across the very barriers of reality. "Ethan… He died doing the right thing. He tried to save his wife years before I met him."
"He doesn't look dead to me," Kyia stated. "I know what a dead person looks like."
"Yeah, as do I." The blonde turned her eyes toward the clouds high above them. "In our world, there are things that we will never understand. Ethan came into contact with something that brought him back. He may have lost his life for just an extremely short period, while someone like me was allowed to rot over the course of days."
She envisioned her deathly pale skin, along with the darkened purple hues of the very beds of her nails. The dim color of her gums. The fading of what should have been the brightest parts of her. She was a walking corpse, or at least, she once was.
Bela steadied the stock of her long gun in her shoulder as the carriage softly rocked her body around. It did nothing to help her concentrate. "I like to think that we are just two people trapped in time, somehow or another."
"Hmm." Even if she was no longer looking at her, Kyia seemed to be deep in thought. "Trapped in time? Fascinating concept. Quite the romantic story."
Yeah, it is a little romantic.
"You said time is not the same between the realms, correct?" Bela watched as the carriage hurried down the road, still on its direct path to the park.
Kyia raised an eyebrow, only to roll her shoulder. "From my understanding, yes. Time is said to move in a linear fashion through the ever-growing chain of the realm it is encompassed in. However, while all realms are stacked in the same place at once, there is a force applied to the walls. This powerful energy causes the realms themselves to vibrate back and forth, shifting at random distances."
Bela chimed in, "And each distance is the placement of time itself?"
Kyia smiled as her green eyes drifted to their corners. "Correct. So, there is no way to gauge just how far back or forward in time those vibrations move, but if you are to exit one realm, move to another, and then return to the one that you came from, you would likely land in a different spot than the one you were in before."
"Because of the unending vibrations."
"Again, correct." Kyia let out a giggle. "You must have read my book while I was not looking."
She seems to know so much about the realms. Ethan was right about her. I used to close my ears whenever it sounded like she was just babbling on. I wish I had listened to her sooner.
"Kyia, what do you think about the concept of living two different lives?"
"Huh?" She did not appear to understand.
"Like, what if, let's say, your life was going in one direction, and then suddenly something changes? But at the same time, somewhere, you are still living that life that you would have lived, just on a different plane of existence? Do you think that is possible?"
"It makes no sense to me," Kyia remarked, seeming almost eager to dismiss such an idea.
"Ethan said that he had seen his daughter in one of his visions."
"I know," the brunette said with a groan, followed by a sharp breath. "He told me about it, saying that in some other timeline, she is now a teenage girl, saved by him, which is impossible, given that he is in this world and not that one."
"But could that still be possible?" Bela was adamant about finding out the truth.
"Maybe, if he can still save her once he returns but..." Kyia shook her head. "That is more of a premonition, in that case. Events that are supposed to come to pass, but fate is another concept, Bela. By being here, both of you have surely defied whatever fate has in store for you."
"So, you do believe in fate?" There was a coy grin on Bela's lips, almost as if she felt like she had swindled the brunette into divulging how she truly felt. Kyia's groan only got louder, which signaled that her thoughts may have been right.
"I hate talking about this, you know?"
"Why so?"
Kyia lashed the reigns before she straightened out her back. "Okay, I will be upfront: I hate speaking about things that I do not believe in. It gives life to rumors and misconceptions, which pollute the world of scientific knowledge and theory itself. But if you must know, there is an idea that such things are possible."
"Timelines?" Bela tried to keep her eyes on the road for threats, but she wanted to hear more. With the Sheer Orbs still up in the sky, the blonde was certain that they would be safe for now.
"In theory," Kyia stated. "They are called Flickers. The realms vibrate so intensely that what happens inside them shifts. The same event plays out differently, to a varying degree. Everything stays in line, remaining true to the same pattern. Maybe you're hunting and you kill an animal with a bow. You kill it with a shot to the heart, or maybe, in another vibration, a shot to the head. In the end, you killed the animal. Nothing changes. At the very core, you ended its life."
"Nothing changes." So, what does that mean for me and Ethan? Everything changed.
The brunette continued, "Now let's say that the realm moves a little too fast. Something drastic happens. Something that alters the very course of your reality. Suddenly, the animal charges forward and gores you. Even if that action is a vibration of the main life you live, it cannot assimilate into the timeline at hand. But to prevent utter catastrophe, that Flicker becomes its own string that moves forward with everything else."
Bela glanced back over at her in astonishment. "So, you're saying that this could very well be true! I mean, if Ethan and I were brought here, then we were pulled from our intended lives. I have heard my sister's voice, seeing things as if they were through her eyes."
"What did you see?" Kyia's curiosity rose.
"A castle, but not mine," Bela replied. "I only witnessed so much, but the word 'fawn' was tossed around a lot. I heard the names Lia and Milo. Do you know who those people are?"
Kyia simply shook her head. "I cannot help you, I am sorry. I know about the fawns, or at least, what my book tells me." She closed her eyes for a second and took a slow breath. "Look, some of these things are just theories, Bela. That is why I do not wish to fill your head with something that I am not certain of."
"What is there to be certain of anymore?"
The brunette rolled her eyebrows as she mumbled to herself, "Great question."
"I just want to make sense of what happened to us." Bela's face adopted a somber expression as she looked down at the gun in her hands. "Also, I wonder if there is another life out there where I get to do the right thing."
"If so, then I hope that there is a Kyia out there whose daughter was never taken away from her, but... I do not believe so. Flickers are theorized to rarely breed new timelines. It just doesn't sound possible to me. You being here gives me some hope that it could be true, but alas, it is all just theory, Bela. I fear it will remain that way forever. An entire realm cannot revolve around one person's life."
It won't, but my entire world revolves around mine. I just want to be reunited with Cassandra and Daniela. I owe them so much. It is not fair that I left them back there. They deserve to be free.
Bela moved away from the subject at hand, taking a moment to gaze at the city as they closed in on the park. "What was this place like before Vikcia arrived?"
"Terrible."
Her amber eyes drifted over to the slender woman beside her. "If you hated it so much, then why did you stay?"
"Because I could not just go back home," Kyia stated, appearing relaxed, as if she had come to terms with the reality of her life. "I found myself here because I wanted to get away from everything that was going on back there. Too many bad memories. So, in my greatest act of stupidity, I made the choice to do so. I arrived here and met all kinds of people."
"And not one friend?" Bela didn't wish to insult her, but she yearned to know how someone could isolate themselves in such a manner.
"Nope," Kyia answered without hesitation. "Everyone I met thought I was some sort of lunatic. I've had friends before, you know? I was not always this way, and the people I associated with believed in the same things as I did. But here, the moment you even mention the concept of a different realm existing, then they want to punish you. Then Vikcia crawls into this place, and they don't know what to do. They did not know what kind of powers she had at the time. They treated her as if she were still someone like them. Then the animal gets her claws on the fragments that they so foolishly gathered, and then it was nothing but darkness."
Bela only had one response, "You sound angry."
"Frustrated," Kyia corrected her. "I'm just frustrated that this all had to happen. It shouldn't have been this way. Now look. It speaks for itself, doesn't it?"
"It does."
.
The carriage had carried them through what seemed to be several miles of this seemingly unending city. Girville Park would soon be near, but the two still had a ways to go before they would reach it. As Bela glanced down one of the long roads at their flanks, she was certain that she had witnessed a group of figures moving about in the middle of the streets.
The carriage had passed by too quickly for her to get a good glance. She wondered if whatever was there had taken notice of her at all. The Sheer Orbs were still out in the sky. That meant that there was no reason for any of the infected to be lingering about.
I thought I saw something. Could those have been other survivors? I'd like that to be true, but I just can't wrap my head around it. There were more than just a few. Wouldn't they know to not be walking the streets like that?
As soon as her head moved over to mention it to Kyia, Bela noticed the road in front of them being blocked by multiple destroyed carriages. Several rotten steeds lay sprawled out along the cobblestone. This may have been a chaotic scene that went down on the first day of the plague, but by now, the entire city was a hollow shell of what it once was. There would have been nobody to move the debris, which indicated that she and Kyia would have to find another way around.
"We can't get past this," the brunette stated.
"I know." Bela turned her eyes to the map, followed by the street signs around them. "Take a right over here. If we follow this road, it should eventually reconnect us with the one that we were on."
Kyia offered no argument as she directed the steeds to shift over and head around the corner. The carriage found itself pulled off course, now drifting down a set of roads that neither of the women had planned to venture down. It would require their due diligence, lest they deviate from the path and find themselves lost.
Damn, we can't afford to stray too far. We don't have much time to spare.
.
After another twenty or so minutes of moving down the street, Bela continued to feed Kyia directions on where they likely were. Upon further investigation, the road that they were on was not a singular pathway. It divulged into many splits that one had to keep an eye on. Blocks of urban development widened the gap between them and their original course, as if a giant axe had just slammed itself down onto the city.
Bela was torn between dividing her attention to the map and her duties as a lookout. By this point, she felt like she had jeopardized their safety by not looking around as much as she should have. But she also feared that making even the slightest mistake would cost them greatly.
As they ventured down the roads, they both heard what sounded like the sound of gunfire. Only a single shot rang out, but it was enough to stop the women in their tracks. Bela aimed her weapon in the direction of where it may have come from, but her view was obscured by the walls of the apartments nearby. Through the windows, she could make out the dark shapes of the infected moving within.
We're still being watched. We can't stay here.
"Kyia, I need you to just keep going."
In a heightened state of alertness, the brunette shifted her green eyes around every avenue of approach, fearing that there was something nearby waiting for them. It clashed with her common sense, as she knew that it had to have been a survivor fighting off some of the creatures. She guided the steeds to continue moving, only for a second gunshot to catch her attention.
"Bela…"
"That can't be the infected," the blonde replied, even though she recalled the constable who had shot at them back inside the station. The infected masses were more than capable of using firearms, but to what effect she did not know. The shots sounded not too far from them, but there was no way to tell for sure. The city seemingly stretched on for miles, and the source of the gunshots had to have been blocks away.
Her amber eyes darted back down at the map, seeing no other course that would take them to the clock tower. They had to keep going, but their proximity spelled peril. Even if the person who was firing had not been transformed by the plague, that meant that they had encountered someone who had been.
Worst of all, the noise was sure to draw the attention of every hungry soul within that area of the city. If she and Kyia crossed paths with them, then they would be on the menu as well.
We've come too far to lose now. I can't let it end here. We must save Ethan.
Just as they began to advance forward, a terrible event began to unfold. The shifting of the sky's color was what tipped Bela off to the pendulum of misfortune's swing. The bright glow of the clouds morphed into a tinted hue, just as her eyes caught sight of the first Sheer Orb being pulled down.
"Kyia!" She pointed to the change. "We need to go!"
"Damn it!" Her companion slammed the reigns against the steed's backs, igniting their drive to carry forward as soon as possible. The carriage took off at nearly lightning speed, rocking from side to side as it briskly navigated the clutter and debris around them.
Bela hardly had time to look back up at the sky, but why would she? Darkness would be here in less than a minute. The glow dimmed even further, which signaled the loss of the second orb. It became harder to see what was in front of them, while the contents of her map blurred amidst the shadows.
I can hardly see! I need my flashlight!
She slung her twin-barreled weapon over her shoulder and withdrew her pistol, opting to use it instead. Bela shined the light on the map, trying her best to remember everything that she saw. The carriage continued to barrel forward, just as the sky entered a state of total darkness.
"Bela!" Kyia shouted. "I'm at a split in the path! Where do I go?"
"Left!"
As soon as the carriage pulled that way, a massive cluster of debris and rotted corpses narrowed the available space to a point where the steeds could not pass by. The animals turned around on their own, fearing the looming sense of danger above them.
Bela could already hear the windows and doors opening all around. There was no more time to stare at the piece of paper. The two women would have to use their best judgment from here on out. "Forget it! Go right! We need to keep moving!"
The carriage barreled through the thick maze of murder and ruin, rounding every corner and clinging onto the path of least resistance. The entire plan had gone to hell. This city had gone to hell. The women could only maintain their eyes on the clock tower, but they became weary once they saw the massive plume of shadows rise from the top and swirl in the air.
That must be Vikcia! She's leaving!
The serpentine trail of dust eventually crashed down beyond the buildings, signaling the witch's arrival on the streets below. After it did, more volleys of gunfire could be heard.
Is she looking for us? What is happening over there?
The carriage raced through the narrow, winding streets, veering further off the intended route as the ladies fought to avoid the horrors to come. Bela strained her eyes against the darkness, shining her light in every direction that she could, while Kyia skillfully guided the path through the maze of obstacles and corpses.
The brunette's talent begged the questions of her past, as her familiarity with such animals spoke of her past years. However, her success at not crashing into a toppled stand or carriage teetered on pure luck. She could barely see, and neither could the animals she utilized. The steeds cried in fear as the grotesque denizens of this nightmarish utopia appeared at their sides.
Suddenly, the carriage skidded to a halt before yet another barricade of wreckage. Panic surged within Bela as more infected emerged from the shadows, their garbled voices swaying in the air as they walked along. She aimed her pistol at them, only abstaining from firing due to the distance. It would be a waste of ammunition. They were not close enough yet.
"We can't go forward!" Kyia exclaimed, searching frantically for an alternative route. The infected continued to close in, drawn by the sudden stop. Bela wondered if the fragments were even working any more. She had seen these creatures bolt towards their prey, but here they appeared to be taking their time. That did not wash away the fact that they were converging with a purpose.
Something was in their sights.
Desperation etched across their faces, Bela and Kyia prepared for the inevitable confrontation with the horde. Getting away from this blockade would only happen after a violent fight, as the maggot-infested people now blocked the only path out. The blonde shined her light on them as they shambled ahead, aiming the sights of her handgun at their chests.
That was when she saw how the beam affected them the same way as it did Vikcia. It scorched their skin upon contact. She could see their bloodied and torn faces, festered with bundles of larvae that clung to every orifice that they could invade. The worms were fried under the touch of the light, falling from the openings and onto the ground. Bela lowered his pistol and kept the light out, only for an eruption of gunfire to suddenly cut the infected to shreds.
What the…
The ladies watched in awe as the horde fell, ventilated in all areas, and rendered into a crimson mess. Out of the shadows, a group of soldiers emerged, their weapons raised. It was only a few men—at least four. Among them was the leader of the pack. A strong yet rattled figure—Captain Webb.
Bela and Kyia exchanged glances. Soldiers? In this forsaken city?
"Hold!" Webb's voice, weary yet determined, echoed through the streets. His men, visibly on edge, scanned the surroundings for any sign of danger. Their breathing was rapid and heavy. From the looks of things, they had just been in a fight as well—one they were losing.
"Who are you?" Bela called out, her unease evident in her voice.
Webb did not spare time to engage in casual conversation. "Patterson, take our boys and move in there. I'll lead from the top."
The blonde-haired officer waved the two younger soldiers over as commanded. "Fall into the carriage!"
"Yes, Sir!" They obeyed without question, checking every corner of their surroundings as they rushed to safety. Kyia was visibly unnerved by their presence, even going as far as to draw her pistol on them once their hands touched the carriage door. One of the men immediately responded by pointing his rifle at her.
Webb, with his weapon on Kyia as well, ordered the man not to shoot her, "Get inside, lad! Miss, do not shoot him!"
Her green eyes turned to the weathered veteran, her lips parted, fearing that her end would come soon if she did not listen. Bela steadily laid her hand against the brunette's thin wrist.
"Easy now…" She had Kyia lower her gun, turning her attention back to Webb. "Please, do not do this to us."
With an exasperated sigh, Webb lowered his rifle and rushed over to the carriage. He climbed to the top, pointing his rifle back in the direction from where they had emerged. "Just get us out of here!"
Kyia appeared hesitant, unsure if she could trust the man. "Bela…"
"Just go, Kyia!"
With that, the carriage kicked off in the direction that the soldiers had come from. Webb, on the other hand, had not expected the women to lead them back into the darkness. He wanted to bring his men back to the shore, but it seemed as though they were bound to return to the shadowy witch who had slaughtered several of his team.
"Where are you going?" he barked.
"The clock tower!" Kyia replied, her voice ladened with anger. Webb tried to snatch the reins from her hands, but the skinny woman fought him as best as she could. "Get off of me, you bastard!" Smacking his face, her feeble strength only got her so far until the man's large hand gripped her wrist and yanked the cords straight from her grasp.
Bela's sickle was at his throat before he could do anything further. The carriage halted in the street, and the steeds rippled with fear.
The blonde spoke to the captain with scorn in her tone, "We are going to the clock tower. You and your men can leave if you wish. But you will not put your hands on us."
Webb shut his eyes, shaking his head in the face of an act way outside of his character. He handed Kyia the reins that he had so violently snatched from her. The brunette shook as she took it back, glaring sharply at him. She would not utter another word.
The burly man glanced down at the dark street. "If we go that way, we're going to run into this woman."
"Vikcia?" Bela asked.
Webb stared at her, confused. "Who? Is that her name?"
"What did she look like?"
"Shadows everywhere," he described her. "A dark robe. Pale skin. The hands of a monster."
Her amber eyes darted back toward the path that the man had begged them to avoid. Was that where Vikcia was? Surely, she would have been drawn by the gunfire. The prospect of multiple fresh bodies for her to feast on would have sent the demon running at a second's notice. The decision weighed heavily on Bela's shoulders. To turn back would mean to abandon Ethan entirely, leaving him to an almost certain end.
But going forward meant running into their worst enemy, and that was an encounter that she did not want to face just yet. Not here. Not out in the open without light.
Light…
Bela withdrew the flashlight and held it by her side. Webb's eyes were already set on the bright beam. "What in the world is that thing?" he asked.
"It's what is going to save us for now," she said. "Look, I need to get to that tower. Vikcia took someone important to me, and I am not letting him die."
"He's as good as dead, lady."
"Then so am I," she told him. "Last chance. Make your choice."
Patterson exited the carriage and climbed up onto the top. "Captain, I'm riding with you. Why are we stopped?" Just as the lieutenant got his entire body on the roof, their conversation was cut short by an eerie sound that sent shivers down their spines—Vikcia's haunting singing.
The melodic hums echoed through the night, carrying a troubling orchestra that heralded the apex predator's arrival.
Webb, his features tense, glanced around with a heightened sense of alertness. He and Patterson raised their rifles in the direction of the chants. "She's close. Everyone, be ready!"
Suddenly, Vikcia emerged from the shadows, a demonic silhouette surrounded by the infectious darkness. The very core of her eyes glowed, fixated on the stationary carriage. All that its occupants heard after was that signature giggle of sinister intent. She then acted with a swift movement, charging at them as she propelled her body through the air at a high rate of speed.
Inside the carriage, the soldiers reacted with swift precision. They opened fire on Vikcia, the rapid shots creating a storm of bullets that tore through the night air. The demon, unfazed by the onslaught, pressed forward, her hungry gaze locked onto the carriage.
Bela and Kyia, sensing the imminent death that awaited them, made a quick decision. "Kyia, drive us toward her, now!" Bela urged, her eyes fixed on the beast.
"What?!" She could not believe the order, and neither could Webb.
"You're mad!" The man shouted.
I guess that's what it takes, then...
Vikcia offered them no choice. She gained ground so fast that turning back around would have taken too long. The witch would have cut them to shreds as soon as their backs faced her. The brunette acted without further hesitation, sending the steeds forward, directly toward the flesh-eating woman.
Webb and Patterson fired their rifles, deafening Bela and Kyia as the bullets roared past their heads. The projectiles continued to show little to no effect on the pale demon. Vikcia's cloud of dust grew larger as she hurtled toward them. Yet Bela could not help but notice something odd.
She isn't looking at me or Kyia. She's only fixated on the soldiers. Could it be...
Just as Vikcia was about to swoop in and snatch Webb from the top of the carriage, a direct beam of light disrupted the shadows that enveloped her. Bela, clutching her flashlight, aimed it at Vikcia as the witch let out a blood-curdling scream. She had been caught completely off guard by the illuminating assault.
Without hesitation, she withdrew from her attack, taking off vertically into the sky as she sought to escape the pain it had brought on her.
"Keep going, Kyia! We can use the light against her!" Bela shouted. Realizing the potential advantage they had discovered, Webb and Patterson intensified their gunfire, now with a renewed sense of hope as they witnessed Vikcia's vulnerability to the light. They finished off the remainder of their magazines as they peppered her with lead. While the rounds continued to leave her alive, the demon demonstrated an increased sense of anxiety as soon as she heard the blasts.
She knows she was vulnerable.
The carriage careened through the twisted streets, Bela and Kyia working together to navigate through the obstacles that seemed to multiply with every turn. The soldiers inside maintained a vigilant watch, their weapons poised for any unexpected threat.
Bela turned to the man next to her, sparing the shortest glance she could, seeking to make sense of him. "Where did you come from?"
"Excuse me?" Webb asked.
"Have you been here this whole time?"
"No," he answered. "We arrived on ship, taking to the shore as soon as we landed." The seasoned warrior lowered his weapon just a bit as his eyes studied the pale blonde. Something seemed off about her, but he could not tell what it was. "We got onto the streets and were met with this dust. My men breathed it in, and then... He couldn't find the right words to describe the horrors that he had witnessed, but Bela would fill in the blanks for herself.
"Then the maggots appeared, correct?"
He nodded. "Those poor boys."
"Wait," Bela asked, as Kyia looked on. "If you arrived here on a ship, does that mean the rest of this world isn't infected?"
Webb stared at her in total disbelief, but it all checked out. Serpenmoor had gone silent for almost three months. There appeared to be no escape for those like her who would have been trapped within its confines. "Everything is normal, miss. Nothing like this is happening anywhere else that I'm aware of."
It's only this city, then. Vikcia hasn't infected the rest of the world.
"Kyia, do you hear that?"
The brunette curled her lip as she gazed forward. "It changes nothing for us. We're here."
"I know." Bela tried to raise her optimism. "But this world isn't completely gone. If we can kill Vikcia, then maybe we can save the rest of them."
The brunette sighed as she steered the animals on. "All of this responsibility weighs on my shoulders. My mother was right.
"What did she say?"
In an unexpected flash of humor, Kyia cocked a tiny grin. "She told me that I needed to stop being so stubborn and get my mind back on task. She said it quite often, in fact." Another sigh left her lips as she shifted her green glare back at the military man who had grabbed her. "What is your name? Or, should I just continue calling you Bastard?"
"Captain William Webb," he replied.
"Oh," Kyia said, turning her head with a hum. "Captain Bastard, it is."
The blonde turned to him, shrugging off her reaction to that humorous comment. Even Webb himself couldn't help but smile. "Bela. And this is Kyia."
Webb would not get too deep into everything that he was going through. The man was a professional at hiding every scream that erupted inside his soul. After witnessing the deaths of so many of his men, even having to kill some of them himself, he wanted to send a bullet through his skull. The events of the last ten minutes had shaken him to his very core. He did not know what was real and what wasn't any more.
Still, these two women were the only thing normal that he had left to go on. They reminded him of the people back in Samilat, only still breathing. Kyia, especially, brought back memories of the unfortunate villagers who could not escape their own fates.
Those locks of brunette hair that dangled from the back of her large bun echoed the images of his own wife, who had sadly fallen ill and passed away while he was on a past deployment. He realized at that moment that if he was to make it out of this place alive, then he would need to stop and wash his soul clean of all the rot that had built up inside it. This wasn't the time to do so, nor the place, but every man had his breaking point.
He had finally figured out just how far away his was, and it was close.
"Kyia," Webb said with a subdued tone. "I'm sorry for what I did. I just want to keep my men safe. They're all I have left."
Forgiveness from her would not come easily, but after she pinched her brow and rolled her head, Kyia groaned as she waved the reins she held. "Think about your intended actions more properly next time."
"Thank you," he replied. "I just wanted to say that I appreciate all your help and..."
Kyia cut him off with that timeless pettiness she so elegantly carried. "That includes continuing to speak to me, Captain Bastard."
Bela peeked over her shoulder at him. "She takes time."
Webb rested the stock of his rifle against the carriage roof, nodding with a soft grin below his bushy mustache. "Noted."
.
The carriage had made its way through the streets, narrowly avoiding the groups of infected people that inhabited them. With the cart passing by, the creatures would occasionally rear their heads to gaze upon it, acting almost as if they were aware that there was a food source nearby but shying away due to whatever reason.
Bela could not stop thinking that this had to be the fragments in action. They must have been distorting the infected folk's views of them so much that they almost didn't want to attempt to attack. The few that did try to do so proved to be highly ineffective at obtaining their next meal. Even one went as far as to stumble in front of the carriage, subjecting their body to the punishing might of the steed's hooves and the cart's wheels.
Nobody looked back at the plagued man's body as they rode away, but there was no debate that he had been killed. The blonde could sense the power of the shards at work. They were keeping the hordes away, but an entity such as Vikcia could still pick up on the presence of the soldiers and try to go in for the kill.
Bela began to consider the likelihood that these men were a liability. A beacon for the witch to come and feed. Part of her wanted to toss them off and carry on, but that was not who she was any longer. They were still people who had found themselves in the middle of this mess. She felt like she had a responsibility to get them out of here.
It is what Ethan would have wanted.
The cart soon found itself at the end of a seemingly long road. The clock tower lay just ahead to the left, but upon inspection with her flashlight, Bela noticed how the cobblestone gradually shifted into stacks of bricks, forming a short wall roughly at waist-level. As her flashlight glided over it, she then saw the body of water that was held underneath.
That's the canal that goes under the bridge. Where is the bridge?
She looked in all directions, but the beam of light would only go so far. She knew that it just had to be further down the edge of the canal, but there was no way that the steeds would be able to walk along it. The path was too narrow. Chances would be that the animals would fall in and drown. They needed to turn back if they were to make it all the way to the bridge, but every obstacle in their way had led them to this spot. There was no other avenue to inch closer. Bela cautiously opened her map, shining her light on it to scan for another bridge nearby that could connect them to the other side of the city.
Damn it! That bridge is our only option!
"Bela?" Kyia tilted her head over to get a glimpse at what she was looking at. "Where do we go from here?"
Webb and Patterson continued to scan their surroundings as they listened to the two women figure out where to go next. The grizzled warfighter briefly turned an eye to the two, wondering what experiences they had shared throughout this nightmarish hell. His finger graced the side of the trigger as he caught wind of something in the air. It sounded like a short breeze, but the tension that loomed over him was denser than steel.
Something wasn't right, he thought. They weren't alone.
Patterson spotted a trail of dust that dissipated just off the edge of the roof nearby. "Bela, right?"
"Yes?" She raised her eyebrow as she turned to him.
"How often have you encountered this Vikcia lady?"
"More than once, unfortunately," she remarked, only to take notice of the same trails of dust circulating on the opposing rooftops. Her amber eyes drifted to the side, checking on the brunette beside her. Bela slowly raised her flashlight, ready to hit the switch. "Kyia…"
"Yes, Bela?"
Captain Webb could see the look on his lieutenant's face, matched with the gesture of the muzzle of his rifle, when he pointed to the shifting shadows. The man steadied his own weapon, just as Kyia began to turn around.
"Bela?" Kyia asked again. "What is going on?"
There was no shouting, only the immediate barrage of gunfire that sent the brunette ducking for cover with a sharp yelp. Webb and Patterson had seen the massive cloud of dust barrel through the air and head straight toward the carriage yet again. It was Vikcia—back for a second attempt to catch her prey.
She's here!
Just as Bela was about to turn on her flashlight, the steeds connected to the carriage suddenly jumped. It jolted the cart around, knocking the blonde off balance and almost sending her over the edge. She caught herself with one hand before she could tumble off, but as she held on, the animals began to make a run for it.
Kyia, eyes wide in shock, moved to regain control of the steeds, but there was nothing that she could do to reel them in. The carriage rocketed ahead, speeding down the edge of the canal toward the narrow path that they could not navigate.
"Patterson!" Webb shouted as Vikcia reformed on the roof of the carriage. The vile beast was only feet away, her cloak concealing the horrors that resided on the surface of her otherworldly skin. Those black eyes gleamed at him from under the edge of the fabric. Her talons flared as she reared back, snarling with hunger while she set her sights on the lieutenant.
With a quick dash, the witch shifted forward and ignored the several rounds that the captain sent her way. Patterson was unable to get his own weapon back up in time, but it would have made no difference. As soon as she connected with him, Vikcia knocked the young man onto his back, sinking her teeth deep into his throat. With a quick pull, she swung her head back and cleaved his arteries in a bloody display of carnage.
Watching his most trusted man become savaged by the ferocious lady, all Webb could do was empty the rest of his magazine onto her. The sides of Vikcia's body evaporated into the air as the bullets passed through her. Her smile, bathed in crimson, grew wide as she peered up at him. As Patterson lay there clutching his throat, she slammed her right hand down upon his face, obliterating it in an instant. A gush of brain and blood exploded from his corpse, which then quickly went limp and tumbled off the side of the cart.
Webb watched what was left of his friend strike the cobblestone below and shrink into the darkness, only to see Vikcia wipe the blood from her lips with the back of her forearm. Her smile was still on her jaw as she crouched forward, her mass of shadows growing behind her. His rifle was brought up by the time she went for him, only for the beam of Bela's flashlight to overtake her.
With another loud shriek, Vikcia moved away, hovering over the edge of the carriage. The demon, desperate to evade the illumination that had been directed at her, dissipated into a large cloud and circled the cart. Webb fired a string of rounds at the trailing darkness when it suddenly dove against the side of the carriage, nearly knocking it onto its side.
As Webb leaned over the edge to discharge a second barrage, Vikcia's cloud seeped into the cracks of the doors, quickly enveloping the interior. She reformed within its confines, setting her sights now on the two terrified men within arm's reach. Their muffled screams echoed below as she tore into them. The captain pointed his rifle down but could not bring himself to pull the trigger.
Anger rose in his heart. He could not take this any longer. "You come out here and face me, you wretched bitch!"
Bela and Kyia continued to try to regain control of the carriage, fighting to avoid the collisions that were seemingly inevitable. The rim of the canal was so close, and the walls of the buildings narrowed further with every second. The brunette wanted to stop the steeds, but the chaos behind them would propel their hooves to continue going, unaware that it only carried the danger with them.
Suddenly, a roar of bullets erupted from the inside, slicing through the wooden walls of the cart they rode on.
"Watch out!" Bela screamed as more bolts of lead continued to burst through as the soldiers inside fought desperately against Vikcia.
The two women, nearly clinging to the sides, struggled to guide the panicked steeds. The chaos had reached its peak when, suddenly, a shrill cry pierced the night. It was the pained yelps of the steed to the right.
One of the bullets had found its mark.
The wounded animal stumbled, its hooves clattering against the uneven cobblestone. He veered uncontrollably, pulling the carriage with it. The edge of the canal was just a few meters away. Bela's heart pounded in her chest as she and Kyia desperately tried to keep the carriage stable, only to fail at every turn.
"Stop!" Kyia shouted, her voice a mixture of panic and desperation.
Captain Webb, still hanging onto the roof, slung his rifle to his back and drew his pistol out of its holster, firing down into the interior as he sought to put an end to the witch. Vikcia, undeterred, continued her assault on the soldiers inside, slicing them apart with her blade-like claws. The cries of the dying men faded just seconds before the worst turn of events would transpire.
The injured steed, its strength waning, failed to respond to Kyia's commands. The carriage teetered on the edge of the canal, only for the side wheels to finally pass over and drop. The surface of the bricks scraped alongside the belly of the cart as it dragged across it.
"We're going to fall!" Bela yelled, her voice barely audible over the gunshots.
With a final, desperate cry from the wounded steed, the animal fell forward and tumbled over, knocking the other one completely off its feet. The wheels of the cart ran over them both, battering both their bodies, while the harnesses that tied them to the carriage flew out of the brunette's grasp.
The end of the carriage sprang upward, sending it over the edge with the steeds and crashing into the water below.
NOTES:
The struggle continues.
As we guessed, the soldiers are not faring too well in this place. The potency of the dust and the ferociousness of Vikcia give us an idea of what day one must have been like. In the end, Vikcia is gleefully running through all the people who delivered themselves to her, but despite all the bloodshed, I wouldn't consider her particularly evil.
She's just happy to be eating.
Moving on to Bela and Kyia, we get to learn a little more about what might be going on. Flickers, as she calls them, are quite a fanatical theory, but one that may just answer this question.
We can certainly attribute the events of Fragmented Flies to a Flicker occurring, as the timeline of RE8 stays the same in Cassandra's world, ending the same exact way the game did. Yet it was different enough to warrant a branch from what happened, given the truth of Cassandra's fate. Flickers would also explain Bela's slight insight into the timelines of both of these stories, as somewhere out there, she is hearing her sister.
Can a Flicker be responsible for the events of this story? Hmm…
The events of the world that Bela left behind played out very differently (Miranda having to go on to destroy the lords, only to be destroyed by Chris). There most certainly is another timeline moving forward with that one, but the Flicker Theory does not comment on being pulled into a different realm. Kyia was not withholding any information.
Cassandra, in her world, was killed with the Dagger of Death's Flowers and thus brought to the world of Locwitary. That is something more of an afterthought, even though the Flicker theory may now apply to Locwitary.
Bela and Ethan, meanwhile, were directly yanked from their world and thrown into this one, so why?
I know this may sound confusing for some of you, but the principle of the matter is: You change one thing, you change everything, even if you aren't the one who gets to make the choice. These are three interwoven stories of three sisters, taking place across three different realms.
The Daniela story will be all about what happens when a Flicker goes horribly wrong, and the price that is paid when events that should never have happened end up transpiring.
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There are only a handful of chapters left to go before this story is finished. I can't wait to get to the ending with you all. Thank you so much for what you have done to inspire me to create this series. I hope you all are enjoying your weekends and staying safe out there! You are the best readers that I could have asked for 😊
See you this Friday when the next chapter drops! 😊