12 hours earlier, early in the morning, Milan opened his eyes. He saw himself tied up with ropes in the train car, Scarlet sitting in front of him, waiting for him to wake up.
"What is this? Scarlet, what did you do?" he asked.
"Protecting myself. Now that you're awake, let's get things straight," she replied.
Milan was shocked; he didn't know what Scarlet was talking about.
"Look, Scarlet, whatever I did or told you, I don't know. You have to believe me," he said.
"How can I? How can I start to believe someone who choked me and almost killed me? Either you tell me what's wrong with you, or I'm going to untie you and we both walk our different paths. You choose," Scarlet said firmly.
"Tell me what I did to you," Milan asked.
"I wanted to tear your teddy bear, and you got very angry. Your eyes filled with darkness, and you became very strong - stronger than I could ever have imagined. Now, tell me what the hell is wrong with you, because I need to know what I'm getting myself into here," Scarlet explained.
"I don't know, but a long time ago, I remember having these nightmares. When I was a kid, I used to dream about walking alone in the dark, heading to a church. The further I went, the more I heard words and someone calling out my name. As soon as I reached the church door, I ended up waking up from bed. Then one day, I managed to open the church door, walked inside, and it was so quiet, dark, and very dirty. It was like it had been an abandoned church for centuries. I walked beside the statue of Jesus, and the wall door automatically opened for me. As I headed down the stairs, it was very dark and so far. I reached the basement and saw six coffins, placed together in a circle, with one of them in the middle of them all. I walked to one of the side ones, and it was calling my name. I walked to it and took a closer look. When I touched it, dark smoke started coming out and entered my body through my mouth and nose. That's when I woke up in my bed. I thought it was just another nightmare, but when I looked up in the mirror, I saw my eyes filled with darkness. I didn't know what it was, and since that day, it has never occurred to me again," Milan explained.
"Maybe it did, and something is wrong with you. You need to figure it out as soon as possible," Scarlet said, untangling him.
"Are we okay now?" he asked her.
"We'll have to see about it. I'll help you find your sister, while I find the person I'm looking for. Maybe then we can find answers about you and your dark spirit," Scarlet replied.
"Do you think it's a spirit?" Milan asked.
"We'll see about it as time goes by," Scarlet spoke, looking outside, searching for an opening for them to walk away.
"You said I fought you, right? Did I win the fight?" Milan asked, his expression high.
"Don't get too high on yourself. It wasn't you; in fact, we didn't fight. But next time that thing shows up, I'm going to beat you so bad that it won't be able to show itself when I'm around," Scarlet said with a smirk.
Milan was looking at her.
A few hours later, in the afternoon, it seemed quiet. Vampires growled in the distance. Scarlet armed herself.
"It's time to go," she spoke, uncovering the door.
"Are you sure?" Milan asked.
"We can't stay here all day long. We have to run. If we leave now, we might be able to make it to St. Thomas this evening," Scarlet replied.
They both agreed and stood together, opening the door. They slowly started walking outside, and vampires saw them and started chasing them again.
"Run!" Scarlet shouted as they both turned around and started running, finding their exit. Vampires were coming from the front; Scarlet started slaying them, making way. Milan kept running ahead, and Scarlet followed on his back.
They managed to find an exit, yet vampires kept chasing them. They reached the main road.
"We have to part ways. Draw them that way, and we'll meet up later. Keep running forward; we'll meet at the bus station. Head down the mini street," Scarlet spoke to him.
"Got it," Milan replied.
As they both parted ways, some of the vampires ran after Milan, and others after Scarlet. The road reeked of blood and was littered with dead bodies.
Scarlet kept running forward, leaving the vampires a little distance behind. She saw a nearby open building and walked inside, trying to round them up. Vampires walked inside too.
She started struggling in the corridors, trying to find the double-door room. She walked into a room and saw another door. She reached it, and as she opened the door, she saw a bunch of other vampires. As they started moving towards her, she hardly closed the door. She was trapped inside as vampires were making their way, breaking the doors.
Milan was very fast; he left the vampires far behind as he walked into a nearby market and locked the doors, staying low and looking outside the windows. The vampires were running ahead, passing the market.
"Oh, thank God," he spoke as he saw a bottle of water nearby. He took it and drank it, deciding to stay low for a bit.
Scarlet was still in a tight position; vampires were all over outside the doors. She took a nearby chair and broke the glass window. She walked to have a look outside; it was a clear way for her to jump. She took the chance and jumped down, back on her feet, and kept running ahead.
She ran and ran till she found a low ground to lay low; she slowed down. She kept walking normally, suddenly hearing some screaming nearby. A girl was screaming for help; she started heading towards the sound.
She saw a child, about 6 years old, surrounded by vampires. Scarlet slayed the vampires' heads off and helped the girl.
"Hey, it's okay. You're safe now. What happened? Why are you out here alone?" she asked.
"Trying to get food for my mother; she's hungry and sick. Please help her," the girl replied.
Scarlet was shocked as she remembered the last time she saw a child; she ended up hanging from the ropes, soon to be someone's dinner. She stood up and slowly started walking away.
"Please, help her," the girl spoke, crying.
"Sorry, child. There's nothing I can do. I don't have any food with me, and I don't know where to find it," Scarlet replied.
"But mother, she's dying, please," the girl begged.
Scarlet stopped and walked back to her.
"Take me to her," she said.
They started walking; Scarlet was walking behind the girl, looking around. The girl reached their house; it was torn and broken apart. Scarlet was surprised; the girl opened the door and stood beside it, staring at her.
"You first, girl," Scarlet said.
The girl walked inside, and Scarlet followed. She saw a woman lying down on the floor, badly hurt with scratches of nails, and three dead vampires beside her. As vampires were trying to feed on her, she ended up fighting without getting bitten.
"My God, this is bad," Scarlet spoke.
"Can you help her?" the girl asked.
"What's your name, little girl?" Scarlet asked.
"My name is Clair," the girl replied.
"Listen, Clair, I need you to do something for me, okay? Go grab a medical kit," Scarlet instructed.
Clair ran off to find a medical kit, leaving Scarlet alone with the woman.
"It's bad, right?" the woman spoke, hardly.
"I'm sorry, but I don't see a way to help you. The scratches went so deep into your stomach, and more vampires will be here soon. The wound is already infected," Scarlet explained.
"Please, just take care of my Clair. Keep her safe, please. I know it's hard to ask," the woman begged.
"I'm heading into a dangerous path. I'm a vampire hunter, and she will only end up getting hurt," Scarlet replied.
"Please," the woman begged.
The woman started slowly changing; her eyes turned red, and she growled softly. Scarlet took out her knife.
"I'm sorry," she said, stabbing the woman in the head.
Clair was standing in front, holding a first aid kit, and saw what happened.
"Mom, no!" she screamed, starting to cry loudly.
"I'm sorry, Clair. She was bitten already," Scarlet explained.
"Liar!" Clair shouted with anger, turning around and running off very far.
"Clair!" Scarlet shouted, but Clair kept running forward without turning back.
Scarlet sat down, all alone.
Later that evening, Milan got out of the market and started walking, heading to the bus station nearby. He reached there and didn't see Scarlet.
"Where are you, Scarlet?" he spoke.
(footsteps approaching) Scarlet was walking, very down. Milan followed her.
"Hey, what happened? Are you okay?" Milan asked, worriedly.
"I'm okay," she answered.
"We have to go," Milan spoke as they walked away.
After 15 minutes, they reached St. Thomas Hospital, standing outside the main door.
"I'm coming, Ayanna," Milan spoke.
Scarlet and Milan walked inside through the main door.
"The hospital's a mess," Scarlet spoke.
"We have to hurry; I know the way. Follow me," Milan
Milan led the way, walking ahead of Scarlet. They made their way down the corridor, heading towards the elevator.
"Let's hope this thing still works," Scarlet said as they stepped inside and pressed the 12th floor button. The elevator doors closed, and they began their ascent.
"Good, now we have to be extra careful," Milan said, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
They reached the 12th floor and quietly started walking towards Dr. Patel's quarters. The corridor reeked of a foul smell and was splattered with blood.
"My God, what happened here?" Milan exclaimed, his voice laced with concern.
"Are you sure your sister is alive in here?" Scarlet asked, her brow furrowed with skepticism.
"Only one way to find out," Milan replied, his determination evident.
They arrived at Dr. Patel's quarters, and the sight that greeted them was gruesome. The door was broken, and the bed where Ayanna had been lying was drenched in blood.
Milan dropped to his knees, overcome with agony and exhaustion.
"I left her here on the bed," he whispered, tears streaming down his face.
"Hey, Milan, listen to me," Scarlet said, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"It doesn't mean that she's dead or a vampire. Maybe she made it out and surviving. We have to find her."
Just then, they heard the sound of gunshots, two loud reports echoing through the corridors.
"Where's that came from?" Milan asked, his head snapping up.
"I don't know, but I think it's down, according to the sound. Could be the 10th or 9th floor," Scarlet replied, her eyes narrowed.
Milan stood up, his resolve renewed.
"We have to go there; we'll find answers," he said, leading the way towards the stairs.
Together, they started making their way down, their senses on high alert, ready to face whatever lay ahead.