"Vampires," Victor whispered, teeth chattering. "Just our luck…"
"RUN!" he shouted, panic cracking his fragile voice.
They tore through the snow-laden graveyard, gravestones jutting out like jagged teeth in the darkness. Wind whipped around them, snow stinging exposed skin. Frankie didn't bother weaving around the monuments—she plowed straight through, shattering stone and ice alike while keeping the coffin balanced effortlessly on one shoulder.
Victor stumbled, gasping. "Y-you're insane!"
Frankie glanced back, smirking. "And you're… adorable in a pathetic sort of way."
"Some of us," Victor panted, "aren't equipped with superhuman legs!"
Before he could catch another breath, Frankie stopped abruptly, spun on one boot, and hoisted him over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"Come on, princess," she teased.
"Hey! Don't call me prin—WAAAAH!"
Her boot slammed into the ground, snow and ice cracking under the force. She charged forward with the grace of a whirlwind, wind ripping through their cloaks. The gale tore Frankie's hood away, revealing her true form: armor plates glinting over pale green skin, stitched scars tracing her neck and arms, and black-and-white hair whipping violently in the storm. Her Amazonian frame—broad shoulders, taut abs, and powerful curves—cut through the blizzard like a living juggernaut.
Even terrified, Victor's thoughts betrayed him: At least she's aerodynamic.
"Do you have to run like a charging rhino?!" he screamed.
"Do you want to walk?!" Frankie shot back, laughter biting through the wind.
The mountain path narrowed, carved precariously along the cliffs of the Transylvanian peaks. Ice-crusted rocks jutted up like skeletal fingers, and sheer drops yawned on one side, disappearing into snow-choked valleys. The trail twisted and dipped sharply, forcing their footing to be precise—even for someone with Frankie's superhuman strength.
Ahead, the carriage waited, perched on a frozen ledge. Its design was unlike any ordinary horse-drawn vehicle: the frame of polished brass and iron gleamed under the moonlight, with gears and pistons humming faintly. Spinning cogs connected to the wheels and a small steam engine hissed softly. Attached were four mechanical horses, sleek and imposing. Each horse was articulated metal, with bronze plates for muscle, glowing red eyes, and hooves that struck the icy ground like thunder. Steam puffed from their nostrils in sync with their movements, creating a low, rhythmic hiss.
Frankie barreled onto the path, boots carving furrows into the snow, sending clouds of frost into the moonlight. With a deft motion, she tossed Victor to the ground like discarded luggage.
Victor groaned, clutching his stomach. "Urgh… my insides feel like scrambled eggs…"
"Quit whining!" Frankie snapped. She hefted the coffin, swinging it into the open carriage with a thunderous thud. "We don't have time for you to waddle around barfing!"
Victor spat snow, glaring. "I told you to warn me before doing that!"
"Oh, did the delicate little flower bruise his tummy?" Frankie teased, resting one hand on her hip. "Next time, I'll carry you in a baby sling!"
Victor jumped into the driver's seat, fumbling with the reins. "Less talking, more escaping!"
The mechanical horses jolted to life. Steam hissed, gears whirred, and pistons pumped with uncanny precision. Their bronze legs clanged against the icy path, kicking up powdery snow, sparks flying from the metal claws of their hooves as they leapt along the cliffside trail.
Victor risked a glance behind. The swarm of bats had caught their scent, spilling out of the snowstorm like living shadows, hundreds of crimson eyes glinting in the moonlight.
"Oh, come on!" Victor shouted. "They're gaining on us!"
"Well," Frankie said sweetly, tightening the straps across the coffin, "we could've been in a warm castle drinking soup, but someone wanted to play grave digger!"
"Not now!" Victor snapped, twisting and turning a metallic contraption in his hands. Lenses flickered, wires sparked, and dials clicked. "Our ticket out of here—just needs… a few adjustments…"
"You're doing science right now?" Frankie barked. "While being chased by a horde of bloodsucking nightmares?!"
"Exactly!" Victor said, squinting through his goggles. "You keep them busy—"
"How the hell am I supposed to do that?!" Frankie yelled over the wind. "It's not like I can fly!"
The swarm behind them shifted, bones cracking, wings stretching and twisting into humanoid forms mid-flight. Grey-skinned vampires with glowing red eyes and black cloaks streaked through the blizzard, claws glinting like obsidian. Their leathery wings cut through the night, moving faster than the mechanical horses below.
"Then improvise!" Victor shouted. He vaulted through the carriage window like a man possessed, barely missing the coffin as the carriage jolted violently over the snow-packed, rutted mountain path. Ice chunks sprayed up as the mechanical horses' bronze hooves clattered against the uneven trail, pistons pumping furiously as steam hissed from their flanks.
"Ow! Damn it!" Victor groaned as his head slammed into the coffin inside.
"Everything alright in there?" Frankie called, balancing on the icy roof.
"Yeah, just… grabbing something important!" Victor replied, prying open a floorboard. A small jewelry box glimmered under the flickering lantern light. He snatched it, clambered back through the window, and landed beside Frankie.
"What were you doing in there?!" she barked, steadying herself on the rocking carriage.
Victor ignored her and slapped two dark metal bracelets onto her wrists."Hold still!"
"What are these?" she demanded, squinting at them.
"Go on top and extend your hands," Victor ordered.
"Why?"
"Just do it!"
She hesitated, then shrugged. "Fine. You've done worse." Years of surviving Victor's wild ideas had taught her one thing: when he had that gleam in his eyes, something insane was about to happen—and it usually worked.
The vampires closed in, cloaks flapping like black wings in the snowstorm, claws gleaming like frozen knives. One lunged forward with a hiss: "Don't let them escape with that coffin!"
Frankie leapt to the top of the carriage, balancing as it shook and bounced along the jagged mountain path.
"Alright, genius, now what?" she shouted.
"Channel a little aura into the bracelets!" Victor called, struggling to stay on the swaying carriage floor.
She focused, letting her energy pulse into the bracelets. They hummed, glowing faintly blue.
From the rear compartment, two massive obsidian war axes lined with emerald veins burst forth, spinning into Frankie's waiting hands.
"My axes…" she whispered, awe lacing her tone. "How did you—? They feel… so light."
Victor grinned. "Upgrades. Also—happy birthday."
Frankie froze. For a fleeting moment, the raging blizzard and shrieking vampires faded. Her lips trembled. "You… remembered?"
Victor blushed slightly. "Well… I did reanimate you, didn't I? Would be rude not to."
A vampire screeched behind her: "How dare she turn her back on us!" Its wings flared as it rocketed forward, claws extended to rip her apart.
Blink—and its head was gone. Frankie held it by the hair, glaring with icy contempt. With a flick of her wrist, she crushed the skull in her hand, snow and blood spraying across the bumpy path.
The remaining vampires froze mid-flight, the aura radiating from her far beyond any ordinary undead—two-star aura knight strength, maybe higher. Pressure pressed down like the mountain itself leaned toward her.
Victor leaned out the window. "Frankie! Throw the axes!"
"What?!" she yelled, spinning on the carriage roof. "I just got them back!"
"Trust me!" Victor urged, eyes wide behind his goggles.
Gritting her teeth, she hurled both axes. They spun through the storm like twin tornadoes of steel, cutting through cloaked forms with precision, slicing through limbs, torsos, wings, leaving trails of blood and shredded black fabric across the snow. The axes struck the jagged mountainside with twin booms, embedding deep in the ice and rock.
Frankie blinked. "Okay… now what?"
"Do the aura thing again!" Victor shouted.
"Ohh…" A wicked grin curved her lips. "I get it now." She extended her arms; the bracelets glowed. The axes ripped free from the mountainside and returned to her hands like loyal hounds, mowing down another wave of vampires mid-flight.
Her laughter rang out, fierce and gleeful. "HAHAHAHAHA! This is amazing!"
Victor sighed, hiding a smile. "Great… she's stealing my evil laugh now."
The remaining vampires hovered in terror, grey skin gleaming, red eyes wide, cloaks tattered and whipping in the wind. Frankie's aura pressed down like a physical force as she tore through the swarm with terrifying speed and precision. One vampire foolishly tried to grab a returning axe—only to be yanked straight toward her fist.
"Bad move," she whispered, crushing its skull effortlessly.
On top of the carriage, snow and ice kicked up by the mechanical horses, axes spinning, cloak flapping in the wind, Frankie stood like a goddess of war.
Just as the last of the vampires seemed to falter under Frankie's relentless axes, a streak of orange lightning tore across the night sky, illuminating the twisted peaks of the Transylvanian mountains.
Frankie squinted against the blizzard. Her gut clenched. That aura… it wasn't vampire energy. It was raw, wild, untamed.
CLANG!
One of her axes slammed into something midair. Sparks flew, the collision rattling her grip and nearly tossing her off the roof of the bouncing carriage.
"Whoa!" she grunted, bracing as the carriage jolted violently over a ridge of ice-slicked rocks. The mechanical horses strained, pistons pumping furiously, hooves hammering against the snow-packed trail. Steam hissed from their flanks as their bronze legs lashed out, propelling the carriage faster than any vampire could fly. The creatures behind them—cloaked, grey-skinned, red-eyed predators—struggled to keep pace, wings flapping frantically against the snowstorm.
A low, guttural growl echoed. Frankie's eyes narrowed. A figure landed on the roof in front of her, crouched on all fours like a coiled predator.
Long, tangled orange hair fell across glowing amber eyes, her skin partially covered in thick fur. Muscles rippled beneath lean, predator-like limbs. A swishing tail lashed the air, claws gouging deep marks into the metal roof as she grinned, revealing sharp, gleaming fangs.
"You're no vampire…" Frankie said, tightening her grip on the axes. "…and no human either."
Lyra's ears twitched. "Tch! Obviously not, dumbass!" Her voice was a growl, half-girl, half-wolf. "Name's Lyra! Remember it before I shred you to ribbons!"
Frankie blinked. "You talk a lot for a wolf."
Lyra's tail puffed up. "Wh-what?! You dare—?!" She leapt forward with blinding speed, claws slicing through the icy wind. Her snarls mixed with yips, yowls, and sharp growls, teeth gnashing, nails tearing at the roof as she lunged for Frankie.
Sparks flew as axes met claws. "You bite as loud as you bark!" Frankie shot back, swinging with precision.
Lyra snarled, slamming a kick into Frankie's abdomen. "And you hit like a kitten!"
Kitten? Frankie's eye twitched. That was… new.
The carriage jolted over a jagged ice-encrusted ridge, bouncing violently. Lyra stumbled for a fraction of a second—enough for Frankie to react. She drove a glowing kick into the werewolf's chest, aura flaring around her legs.
"Let's see how that feels, puppy!"
Lyra howled, tumbling through the air as she slammed into a snow-laden pine, branches snapping beneath her weight.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" Victor shrieked from the driver's seat, clutching his device as the carriage rocked precariously along the cliffside pass. Ice sheets slid beneath the horses' bronze hooves, threatening to pitch them off the edge.
Frankie brushed snow from her hair, glaring down at him. "A werewolf. Female. Angry."
Victor blinked. "Oh good… so not dangerous at all." He went back to twisting wires and flipping switches. "Why couldn't it ever be bunnies?!"
Lyra recovered with alarming speed, sprinting along the carriage roof on all fours. She leapt, tail whipping, fangs snapping inches from Victor's head. Saliva flew in the wind, glinting in the lantern light, and her claws scraped sparks off the metal roof.
"You smell… tasty, human," she hissed, amber eyes blazing.
Victor squeaked. "N-NOT ON THE MENU, LADY!"
and leaned back into the carriage, frantically twisting knobs and pulling wires
The mechanical horses strained and screamed, pistons pumping at max, bronze legs pounding snow and ice, outrunning both vampire swarm and werewolf. Steam hissed from their joints, smoke curling into the icy night. The carriage groaned and rattled under their immense speed, wheels skidding dangerously close to the sheer drop that disappeared into shadowed valleys below.
The werewolf leapt at Victor with a savage roar, her claws slicing through the wind like blades.
"VICTOR—!" Frankie shouted