Carmilla bared her teeth at him, feeling hands pull her back as she tried to advance on him.

“Lets go,” Elena said meekly, her arms wrapped around Carmilla’s elbows. Her attempt was more or less useless as Carmilla was stronger, but she was determined.

“Please, nothing more can be done,” Elena nearly cried out. Carmilla stopped struggling, defeated as she realized just how bleak everyone was. She was the only one here who seemed to object, to go up against someone so formidable. Why waste her time and energy for a town who didn’t want her there.

Just as Elena was pulling her away from the scene, the sound of wretched sobs stopped Carmilla in her tracks. A woman dressed in just her nightgown and shawl came barreling through the crowd, streaks of tears leaving puffed skin in their trails.

“Johnathan! Oh Johnathan! Please, don’t take him!” The woman was held back before she could reach the center, the Butcher and another man held her back. She was a writhing mess in their arms as she began to beg.

“Please, please, he’s all I have!” She screamed into the air, falling to the cold dirt. Her voice dying down into desperate pleads, holding her hands out in some sort of prayer.

Heisenberg watched, teeth poking out of his lips in enthrallment. “This your wife?” He poked the doomed man, but was met with silence as Johnathon looked to the frenzied woman.

“N-No,” He could barely speak the words, his lips quivering. Fat tears streamed down his cheeks and peered up at the Lord. “Let her be…”

“Those your final words?”

The man viewed the woman one last time, nodding his head.

Heisenberg stood quietly, witnessing their interaction. The woman was clearly begging for his life, but he just stared off at her. Carmilla found it that he was locking the memory of her in his mind. The mere thought making her want to fight harder, to tear apart anything that stood in her way. Unable to bare anymore, Carmilla found herself turning away.

“You monsters!” The woman howled out. “How can you just stand there and watch!”

Carmilla found herself turn around to watch this woman, helpless in her own body.

“You’re no better than her!” People gasped, even Carmilla found that her lungs expanded in shock. She was pointing at her. The woman was calling out at her, the only person who stood up. The only one who had the damn bravery to speak out.

Carmilla sunk her head, no longer having the drive to defend herself. But she didn’t have to as Elena brushed past her in a haste.

“Oh, I’ll have you know, Aline.” Elena said, her voice harsh but shaky. “She just happened to be the only one here who had the sense to speak out!”

“Enough!” Heisenberg yelled. He raised his hammer up, now fed up. Elena stammered away, the woman, Aline, whimpering as she saw the hammer positioned just above her husbands head.

“Ladies and Gentleman! I thank you for waiting, but now, let the show begin!” Heisenberg said, as if declaring the finale of some enticing tournament. He then bent down to Johnathan, “May the black god have mercy on your soul,” He said with a rasp.

And with how fast he stood and raised his hammer, came the bloodcurdling screams of Aline.

Red, everything was red. The dirt, the white nightgown of Aline as she hurled herself onto her husband, even the sky dawned a menacing crimson as the sun began to set. Brain matter and viscera soiled the town square, boots and slippers stamping it deeper into the ground as townspeople scrambled back to their homes.

It should have been deafening, leaving screams to implant inside Carmilla skull. But all she heard was the numbing buzz of silence. The only thing palpable being the sound of her breathing.

Elena managed to drag her back, away from the chaos and into the silent streets leading them back to Elena’s home. Carmilla couldn’t focus, her mind busy but all the same time empty. She couldn’t feel her self, incapable of checking back into reality as Elena let her drift at her side.

It wasn’t until she entered into the creaky front door, and the sight of an old man lounging at the dinner table did she let in fresh air, expelling it in a trembling exhale. Elena made quick work to shut the door, shedding away her coat and hesitating to take off Carmilla’s cloak. Too dazed to notice, Carmilla let Elena take her robe and hang it on the coat hanger.

Elena’s father stood from the diner table at the sight of the two, his grouchy eyes softening at the sight of a shaken Elena.

“What happened to you?” He said, sidestepping his chair to meet Elena at the fireplace.

Elena crossed her arms, chewing at her nails as she watched the fire. Carmilla still stood at the foyer, staring blankly at the welcome mat.

“L-Lord Heisenberg visited the town square today,” Elena hushed out.

“So that’s what all that commotion was,” He put his hand on his hip, the other wiping away sweat from his forehead. “But what does that have to do with her.” His eyes pointed to Carmilla.

“Father please, shes innocent.”

“How am I supposed to believe that?”

“For god sake father! It was Lady Beneviento that sent her here,” Elena said, no longer whispering.

The mention of the doll maker broke Carmilla from her daze, her stomach flipped making her nauseous.

“Well I hate to break it to ya’ kiddo, but having her here ain’t gonna do nothing good for us.” Her father said this while boring his eyes at Carmilla. The same look of madness in his eyes. He definitely hadn’t forgotten her attempt at taking his life so many years ago.

“Just drop it father, we had a rough day,” Elena wiped her palms on her shirt as she hurried to the kitchen, putting a kettle on the stove.

Carmilla watched restlessly, unsure if she was allowed to step away from the mat and join Elena. The poor woman was leaning her hands on the counter, her head bowed tiredly. Her father on the other hand wouldn’t move his gaze from her as he settled back onto his spot at the table.

“Don’t just stand there like a fuckin’ ghost,” He barked out, gesturing for her to sit across from him.

On autopilot, she kicked her shoes off and timidly shuffled to the kitchen. Her arms wrapped protectively around her as she sat down on the rickety chair. Elena then moved from her spot and mindlessly opened a cabinet to bring out three teacups, setting each down on their respective spot on the diner table.

The next ten minutes were a retrospective silence between the trio. Carmilla’s mind stuck on Lady Beneviento and Angie, the feeling of longing making her chest hollow and her heart still. What was it that made the thought of the doll maker so comforting. God she missed the banter between her and Angie, she missed the smell of poppies and white tea, the softness that was Donna.

Carmilla looked up from the aged wood once Elena came into her peripheral with a steaming kettle. She watched as the scorching tea filled her cup, the steam dancing from the rim and fading into the air. The tea didn’t smell familiar, it was harsher on the nostrils. Bitter and citrusy.

She didn’t wait long for the liquid to cool, bringing it to her lips and gulping it down. The burning sensation spreading down her trachea and into her stomach a perfect wake up call.

“So, what did Lord Heisenberg want?” Elena’s father said, breaking the comfortable silence. Elena sat down next to her father, her own teacup cradled in her hands.

“He broke up a confrontation between Johnathon and Cristian.” Elena said, taking a sip of her tea but quickly hissing as it was still too hot.

“Who started what,” Mr. Lupu asked.

“I’m not sure, but it probably had to do with Cristian doing what he shouldn’t have done,” Elena bit her lip, her eyes not set on anywhere.

“Did any of them survive?”

“No.”

Carmilla leaned back in her chair, blowing away a strand of scarlet hair. “I tried to help.”

“Heh, so righteous are ya’” Mr. Lupu cocked his chin, folding his arms on the table.

“Father,” Elena warned, “She might as well have been, she was the only one that demanded some justice. God knows we need more of that here.”

Mr. Lupu scowled but resigned with a huff, shaking his head. “Well in case you forgotten, Lord Heisenberg is the one who controls them damn Lycans. Lets just hope he lets that slide instead of being the petty asshole he is.”

A spike of fear ran down Carmilla’s spine. Just how much trouble she put this town in is uncertain, but the dubious risk of it still set her into a panic.

“Enough of that Father, you’re gonna make it hard to sleep tonight,” Elena said, sitting straighter in her seat, looking at Carmilla over her cup. It was uncertain of what she was thinking, so Carmilla avoided the stare.

“I’m going to bed.” She said quickly, standing from her chair. She had some things to think about, and ultimately berate herself to sleep. It was the only thing she found acceptable as she left the kitchen to the staircase.

“Goodnight, Carmilla.” Was Elena’s soft voice.