"Hey, Ethan."
"What, Eveline? I'm busy looting this house."
"Wasn't Mia acting… off?"
"Huh?"
Shotgun slung on my back, handgun tucked in my belt, I stuff scrap and bullets into a sack while scavenging. Eveline, lost in thought, suddenly says this. What's she on about?
"Don't say weird stuff. Mia's dead. End of story."
"But when she got shot the first time, she acted like it didn't even register."
"Getting shot's hard to process at first."
"And she was still alive after being riddled with bullets… Why play dead?"
"What?"
Mia… alive? If Eveline's right, is there hope? No, wait. That's impossible.
"Chris shot her head five times. No one's faking through that."
"I think she was alive, though."
"Stop with the nonsense and look for useful stuff or clues. …Huh?"
Entering the next house, I find a radio. It crackles, then a woman's voice comes through.
"If anyone's still alive, come to my place. By the fields, my estate."
"A survivor…?"
"Zoe, maybe?" Eveline says.
"You're one to talk. But yeah, I thought that too."
I recall Zoe calling after I fought off Mia at the Baker house. She's probably living peacefully with Uncle Joe now. Could I see her again?
"Feels like a trap. Zombie movies never end well with stuff like this," Eveline warns.
"This isn't a movie—it's real. If there's a survivor, I need answers about this village."
"I'd steer clear."
Heading out to find the estate by the fields, I spot an old woman in a robe vanishing deeper into the village. I chase after her.
"Hey, wait!"
"Ethan, chill! No way a granny's unscathed in a village with those things. Something's off!" Eveline urges.
"She might be from that house. I need info."
Through a red gate, I catch up. The old woman, holding a creepy skull-topped staff, scribbles something on the ground. Eveline's right—she's suspicious, but I can't be picky.
"Glory to both life and death…" she mutters.
"Whoa, total weirdo vibes! Don't mess with her, Ethan!" Eveline exclaims.
"You're so rude. Hey, lady, it's dangerous here. What're you—hey, can you hear me?"
"Is your head broken?" the woman snaps.
"Huh? Oh, just talking to myself. Don't mind me."
"What's with this hag?" Eveline mutters.
She frowns, catching me arguing with Eveline, then speaks in a strangely youthful tone.
"You… you're that child's father, aren't you?"
"That child… Rose? Is she here?"
"Haha! Rose, yes, Rose! She's in danger. Mother Miranda brought her to the village, and all fell to darkness."
"Mother Miranda? The monsters?"
"She's the culprit!" Eveline declares.
I mentally scoff—what could this old lady do? Then again, Eveline looked like a kid and unleashed shockwaves, so… maybe. A bell rings again, and the woman heads to the gate, locking it behind her.
"Hey, wait! Where's Rose? Who's Mother Miranda?"
"The castle's bell heralds calamity! They're coming. The bell tolls for us… they're coming again!"
"I'll follow her!" Eveline says, phasing through the gate.
Rose is here? Where? Eveline returns in under a minute, pale.
"What happened?"
"She… she sprinted off at insane speed. That's no normal granny—she's Dash Hag!"
"So not just an old lady. Your 'she's the culprit' theory might hold water."
"That running granny was terrifying. I'll have nightmares…"
"You have nightmares? Do you even sleep?"
"When you sleep, I sleep. When you wake, I wake. No dreams, though."
"Then you're fine."
Shivering, Eveline follows me into a nearby house. I find a chemical fluid and an intriguing note.
"O Lycans, devil wolves of fairy tales, come feast on us. Devour our flesh and blood."
"Lycans, huh? That's what they're called," Eveline says.
"Seems so."
"Kinda goofy name."
"You think?"
Moving on, I reach a plaza with a warrior maiden statue. A house by the fields is locked, so I head toward the suspicious castle. I find a strange gate with devil and angel crests, their heads hollowed out.
"Need two crests to get through? Reminds me of the Baker house Cerberus."
"Super inconvenient gate," Eveline remarks.
At a nearby graveyard, Eveline spots something. A tombstone reads "Ev," catching her attention. Probably thought it was hers.
"Eva, 1909.06–1919.08. Rest briefly under the black god's grace."
"Ten years old… probably unrelated," I say.
"…Yeah," Eveline mumbles.
"Let's go."
Searching for crests, I enter a small church. An angel crest sits on the altar. A note mentions the other is at Luisa's house. I take the heavy crest to the gate.
"Hiding it or wanting it found?"
"Jack was terrible at hiding the Cerberus relief too," Eveline says.
"That was a pain to find."
I slot the angel crest into the gate and follow the note's map to Luisa's house—by the fields.
"There's an empty can," Eveline says.
"Lycan, you mean? Let's sneak through the grass."
"What if they smell us? Or hear us?"
"Then we're screwed… oh."
A Lycan pops out, hearing our whispers. I blast its face with the shotgun and dive into the grass, pushing forward as more gather.
"Told you so," Eveline taunts.
"If you didn't talk, I wouldn't have either! Damn it!"
Eveline floats leisurely, lounging midair. I slip into a shed by Luisa's gate, hearing a young woman's voice.
"Close the door! Please…"
"A survivor… the mastermind?" Eveline whispers.
Shut up. I close the door and see a young woman, Elena, and her injured father, Leonardo, crouching. He's bleeding badly from a Lycan attack. Relief washes over me—sane survivors, not counting Dash Hag. Why hide in a shed, though?
They tried Luisa's house, but the gate wouldn't open, so they hid here. Leonardo's wounds look severe.
"Stay quiet and hide. I'll get the gate open."
I find a window leading to a crumbled wall into Luisa's yard. A crest is in a shrine, but I need a screwdriver. Eveline, silent, floats with her hand over her mouth.
"What, you actually listened when I said shut up?"
"You told me to…"
"What's your take on the father?"
"If my friends caused those wounds, he's done for."
"Figured… but I can't not try."
"He's a goner. Why care? Only Rose matters. Leave them."
"They're human. We help each other."
"Human, huh? If you say so."
Eveline's odd tone makes me pause, but I open the gate. No Lycans nearby. I call Elena and Leonardo, who grumbles but follows. The villagers aren't kind to outsiders, and a guard rejects us, but Elena negotiates with Luisa, getting us inside.
"This'll end badly," Eveline warns.
Her ominous words linger as I step into Luisa's estate.
Mia's mystery. The enigmatic Dash Hag. Eveline's fixation on Eva's grave.
Hope you're excited for the next part! Feedback, ratings, or typo reports are welcome—comments fuel my writing speed!