Lara's figure could be seen curled up in a ball in her darkroom. Andrew stepped in after a brief of soft knocks, his gaze resting on her solemn figure. "It's time for you to come out already Lara, after all, you can't be sulking over every life that you claim." She didn't bother turning to face him, her head masked by her blanket. He looked out the window, and outside, the fog that clung to the town seemed to have lifted.
Andrew made his way to the edge of her bed. "Lara, in this game of life and death, it doesn't matter who a person is or what values they carry; the victor is decided by who is left, not who is right." Lara didn't budge to face him as she inched further away from him. He didn't bother pressing her any further as he rose to his feet, ready to leave.
"Killing doesn't make you one of us, after all you're doing it for survival while Brittany is doing it for sport. It will only get worse from here, Lara. Brittany asked me to tell you that for everyday that you stay in here, she'll be killing two people in this town until it's empty." His figure left shortly thereafter. Lara, whose eyes were red from crying, turned to face the door.
Her face heavy as she wanted to state her mind; however, no words came. 'Brittany, did you have to press me like this?' She looked at her own hands, now still after the two days that she had locked herself in the room. She looked at the tray Andrew had brought with him, filled with food. He never forced her to eat, just left the tray on her table and left.
'Killing doesn't make you one of us…' His words echoed in her mind, her knuckles whitening from balling them too hard. 'I'm nothing like you, monsters! I had to do it because I had no other choice, while you do it for fun!' She reassured herself as she reached for her meal.
. . .
"So, for how long are we going to be here waiting for her to get out of her depression?" Brittany asked, half bored with fresh blood on her hands. On the floor lay one kid, now lifeless with their eyes wide in shock. She licked her fingers before showing a look of disgust. "Not for long; one more day should be more than enough for her." Brittany reached for a piece of cloth and wiped the blood from her hands. "I get I need to drink blood but what's the point if I've already tasted yours? It's the only one I want to drink."
She extended her leap, avoiding another corpse on the ground. This one the man from the store and next to him was his wife and child, all dead. "Get used to drinking blood from others; after all, I won't be there every time you get peckish." Brittany flashed a smile, sharing a light kiss with Andrew. "Who says that you'll leave my side, dear? I thought I could put a leash on you to prevent you from wandering off." Her smile playful, with her arms wrapping around his neck.
She hopped onto his figure; he caught her as she dug her teeth into his neck. "So good…" She murmured with her mouth full of his blood. "How about a short walk?" His proposal met with a nod before the two left the hotel. Stepping outside, the sun was beaming down on their figures, people now walking on the streets, however, with an air of tension around them. "They should know that the beast is dead, and yet they're so scared. I wonder why?"
Brittany's words met with silence as one of them saw the two and took another path, crossing the street to avoid them. "The hospitality of this town is sadly disappointing." The two kept on walking with their arms coupled akin to a couple before arriving at the town police station. What welcomed them was the stench of rotting bodies and death. Brittany held her breath, grimacing while Andrew walked in unbothered.
Looking around, Brittany picked up a gun, her interest peaking. "Damn it! Only two shots in here!" She cursed as she tried the gun out, ready to fire before aiming it at Andrew. "Put your hands in the air, Andrew! You're under arrest for murder and caught with the gem that is Brittany Voss in your possession!" Andrew, who had his back turned to Brittany, didn't engage in her theatrics as he checked the cops.
"Here!" he tossed a full clip to Brittany, who reloaded the gun. "Now I can finally get Lara out of her room." Her fingers cocked the gun while Andrew looked around. "It would be best to refill before we leave; however, since there was an explosion at the gas station, we'll have to siphon gas out of the remaining cars in this town." Brittany showed an exhausted expression. "Ugh! Sounds like a lot of work added for you. I'll be in the hotel if you need me, or should I say when I need your blood."
. . .
A day passed; by now Lara was more active in her room as she interacted with the food brought to her. She never talked with Andrew, and the latter never sparked a conversation with her. It was on an afternoon that she bothered to step out of her room, her body aching from doing nothing and the boredom getting to her. 'He wasn't actually serious about Brittany and those bodies, right?' She couldn't help but wonder as she made her way to their room where Brittany was lazily lounging, her focus on nothing in particular before she saw Lara.
"There she is, the drama queen that's having us stay here in this wretched town longer than we have to." Her words were harsh and blunt, but Lara ignored her. "Where's Andrew?" She asked, looking around before something drifted into her nose. "He's busy stealing fuel for the car; what did you want to ask him?" Lara paused, her nose twitching as she looked around. "Why do I smell blood in here? And from the smell, it's not Andrew's."
Brittany flashed an ear to ear smile. "To think that you would actually have memorized Andrew's blood smell. As for your question, did you really think that I was joking? After all, I can't just have his blood alone; I need some variety." Her words sent chills down Lara's spine. She rushed out of the door and made her way to the other room only to find that they were all empty.
"Where are the other tenants?" She asked Brittany, who now had a gun in her hands, playing with it. "Well, what did I say? I needed some variety; had it not been for your sulking, we would have left long ago, and they still would have been alive. Their blood is on your hands, similar to Jimmy's." Lara felt a knot in her stomach, her glare on Brittany glaringly clear. "You-Why would you do something like this so casually? Is it for sport? They did nothing wrong to you!"
Her tone was bitter, and her throat turned raspy. "Well, first they were in my building and I was getting hungry, and with Andrew gone, I couldn't help myself." Brittany had her smile that Lara hated. "Besides, what are you going to do? Kill me?" She aimed the muzzle of the gun at Lara, daring her to make a move. "I know you don't have the guts for that!"
Lara looked at the gun; on her face was not fear but disgust. "Fuck you, Brittany! I hope you die a horrible death!" Brittany let out a theatrical gasp. "How dare you, Lara, wish for something so vile! We've come so far, and to think that my death is what would make you smile!" One of her hands on her chest, the other steadily aiming the gun at Lara. "You're nothing without that gun or Andrew! Just some clinging bitch afraid of dying!"
Brittany lowered her gun, her eyes narrowing. "You're lucky that I can't kill you, Lara, because I would have shot your brains out by now! Do you really think that you're better than me? You kill just like me because of what? You're afraid of dying as much as I am. After all, that is the whole deal with you and Andrew, right?" Brittany's smile, though simple, harbored malice.
The two ladies glanced at each other, the air turning hostile before Andrew barged in. "The car should be ready. Let's leave." The flatness in his tone ignorant of the pensive atmosphere. "Finally! I was tiring of staying here!" Brittany mused, putting her gun aside and walking out. Lara watched Brittany leave before looking at Andrew. "Can you kill Brittany?" Her request faint. "I don't have permission for that." His response made her grit her teeth. "Have you come to terms with killing? Or is death your choice?"
She looked to the side before storming out. Before heading to the car, he made his way to the counter where a gasoline tank was waiting for him.
. . .
His figure got into the driver's seat; the fuel gauge, which was running low, now nearly full.
*BOOM*
The hotel exuded plumes of smoke, fire crackling at the building as the car left the parking lot. Lara had her lips wide open, staggered by his actions, while Brittany thought little of it as they sped out of the town of Willowfen. Another sign bid them goodbye as traces of civilization faded, replaced with vast fields of wild vegetation and, into the distance, dense forest. The air was silent, Andrew on the road, Brittany mindlessly looking aside with her gun lounged in her lap and Lara seated in the back, her arms crossed over her chest reminiscing about the events of Willowfen.
A day and a night passed by. Aside from Brittany's questions about the next town cutting into the silence from time to time, not much happened between the three before arriving at what seemed to be a city. This time there were no checkpoints like those in Stillwater; the city, however, seemed in chaos as buildings in the distance could be seen lit ablaze with smoke billowing into the sky. "Finally, a proper place that we can stay at." Brittany sighed as they entered the highway, speeding through before a problem occurred.
The path ahead was blocked with cars, not abandoned but still functional, and in front of that pile-up was a person. His clothing dressed in a large overcoat, and next to him another companion in ragged clothing. "GET OUT OF THE CAR!!" The one in the overcoat ordered, a smile creeping on his lips. "Just kill them and we can get out of this city. I have no use in staying here any longer than I have to."
Brittany's words, however, didn't come to be as she wished, as Andrew complied, unlocking the door. "What are you doing?" She asked, her face crumpled. "We need resources, not to mention another car, as we can't keep driving this one." Before Brittany could stop him, Andrew stepped out of the car, the man in the overcoat pleased. "If there are any other people in the car, tell them to come out now!!" Moments passed before Lara and Brittany stepped out.
The confident smirk on the man's face quickly dropped as he set his eyes on Lara. He looked to one of his lackeys, whispering something before looking at the party of three. "Okay! What's going to happen here is you're going to come with us. Don't bother fighting, as there are others waiting should you make a move on us!" Despite the man's words, fear could be heard in his voice. 'Do they already know Lara and think that she's a threat? It's laughable.' Following Andrew's lead, the two ladies got closer and closer to the two men, leaving their car behind.