I had thrown myself with fervor to do what I needed for my plan to work. There wasn’t really any other way, from cleaning the hay away so I finally had some sort of clean flooring to work with, to pushing away the worst of the rotten woods. They had to be thrown away, as I didn’t want to accidentally hurt myself with them, or god forbid, for the vampire to use it against me somehow.

The trash were all placed outside the barn, where no one could see it if they were coming from the front door. I stood there in the middle of the shed, looking around the building critically. All four needed magical circle were there on the upper floors, slightly hidden and ready for when they would be activated by me… and of course, the one below. The one on the floor, huge and ready for when the vampire would be in the middle of it. I unfortunately would have to be there too, as a huge working like this needed me there, unfortunately.

The binding circle was finally ready.

I rechecked again, of course, fixing any possible crooked and smudged lines. But in the end, I couldn’t push off the fact I needed to go soon. Not anymore.

Once I was finally outside, I took a deep breath.

After spending so many hours in the barn—and I was really, really glad that Tristan had said yes when I asked whether I could use the building or not—I was more than glad to smell the fresh and almost green scent from the surroundings. The smell in the barn was unbearable at the beginning, before I slowly get used to smell of wet goat and shit. Signs of Flo living there, and one I had to clean out first.

But now, with the door closed… I could almost wipe away those nasty scents. I relaxed, looking up at the sky that had steadily been turning orange and purple with every minute that passed.

This was it. The plan’s already running, I just needed to find the vampire and defeat her. And if the fight was going worse… well, there’s a reason I spend so many hours working on this last resort. I hadn’t tested it before, as the church always side-eye any non church working… so this would be the first time, and hopefully it would work. Just needed to make her come here if she’s winning.

I leaned against the wooden walls for a few moments, just to let the sweat on my body to cool off with the evening wind. Hopefully it would work.

Once I felt a bit better, I stood up properly and grabbed my jacket that I had left hanging near the barn—there wasn’t anywhere else to put it. The weight settled nicely once more around me, and I checked all my weapons again, especially my blessed stick and dagger. The two of them were still there, the clean taste of blessing still wrapped all around those two. My gun and bullets were there too, of course, but considering I couldn’t really add more, I hoped I wouldn’t need to use it.

Nothing’s wrong, and with the reassurance that I could protect myself… I walked toward the forest once more, heart somehow steady this time. Usually I would be in jitters, worrying whether I would be able to defeat the monster this time or not. This time I found myself alright, the worry’s still there but not overpowering and all-consuming.

My surroundings steadily changed, from the slightly thin trees into those towering ones, their leaves many and covering one another until there were barely any sort of light able to come through. The sun was setting, the orange still painting the world and giving almost an ethereal glow as I took stock of everything’s around me—and this time, I could sense a difference.

The first time I walked through here, there weren’t any sort of animals except a select few. Each of them always appeared, peeking and looking at me with watchful and alert eyes that felt different compared to how they should be.

Small birds, like sparrows and songbirds came out and looked. Critters like rats and squirrels moving by.

My throat had dried over my walk, but I didn’t try to find any sort of water—not right now. Not when the pressure and the atmosphere of the forest was coming onto me, a heavy iron tar placed on my head. The animals were silent and yet still responsive, fleeing whenever I get close—and yet they would come back soon after. Those beady eyes continued to look down on me, attention unwavering for anything else.

A sign of the vampire behind those brains, for sure.

Was that something good or bad? I couldn’t be sure. Maybe she’s just letting her controlled critters come by, checking and watching what I was doing. Relaxing back in her castle without care of what I was doing. My jaw clenched as I pondered which possibility, knowing I would never know. I continued my walk, not bothering to be sneaky, cracking branches and leaves with every step.

But they were silent, watching respectfully from a distance, and that was… easier to ignore. Or at least, I tried my best, even when the gaze still continued to pin me down.

The only sound accompanying me was the rustle of leaves against one another, the constant whispers of foliages and branches rubbing against one another, incredibly loud—especially as the sky continuing to darken, and the sun finally allowed itself to sink under the horizon.

I shivered despite my jacket, the cold wind somehow managing to penetrating it as it became faster and cooler without the sun’s rays warming it. At least ignoring it wasn’t that hard, especially when I walked faster and let movement warm my blood. I never stopped moving, continuing to tilt my head here and there, feeling the same taste of blood in the air—the one I had followed before to reach the vampire’s castle.

When I finally reached the same intersection and picking the right turn—a crow cawed out in the night, my heart jumping right into my throat as I gripped one of the trees closest to me.

Their gazes pressed down on me the moment I stopped, making it hard to quieten the way I breathed, the way my heart was beating too fast inside my chest. I trembled as I exhaled, looking back to these critter’s eyes. It was getting hard now, with barely any light coming out of the moon—it was crescent tonight, which was at least a little brighter than new moon’s.

Sooner than later, I finally managed to continue my walk, doing my best to ignore their gaze.

All until I finally passed through the same threshold, arriving on the same clearing—and where the vampire’s castle stood tall, its presence and sight still making me shudder. My mind wanted to make sense of the way the bricks laid on one another, but focusing on one merely make another shift and move.

It wasn’t real, and it would never be.

I stood properly in front of the main gate, pulling out one of my weapons from my jacket—this time I took my knife, holding it properly so the barbed teeth would be on the outside. I was ready for anything else too, my left hand empty so it could be used to hurriedly grab whatever else I might need.

Worse come to worst, I could try using my left hand to cock and aim—which wouldn’t be ideal, but beggars couldn’t be choosers and all that.

“Vampire! I have come alone to your abode to challenge you!” I screamed out, loud enough that if there were any animals not under its control, they would have taken flight. Silence descended after my shout, just as predicted. I smiled, and started to drench my words with condescension. “Or are you merely a coward, after all? Last time I came here, you only allowed me to meet Corina! So you are hiding behind a human now, is it?”

This time, I channeled some magic into my throat, allowing my voice to echo even louder from where I let loose.

“Come on, coward! Let us fight!”

This time the shout echoed, and a group of birds somewhere deeper in the forest definitely took flight—their flaps loud enough to reach even here. My heart thumped faster, whether that was nervousness or something else… there were no right answers. All I knew was that I feel as if my body was becoming more excited, that the whispers of anxiety in my mind were slowly drowned away.

The wind worsened, blowing so fast I couldn’t help but shiver from the cold. Even though I had two layers already… I breathed slowly while looking around, steadily backing away to one of the trees. All so my back wouldn’t be a huge vulnerability—unless the vampire was in the trees?

My head snapped up, and I let loose a breath of relief when I saw nothing. I tried to keep myself calm as I looked around, again and again, repeating the motion when I still saw nothing else. Not even those critters and birds that had been following me were still around. That, beyond than anything, was what made the flash of fear even stronger.

At first, there was only one bat. One I immediately dismissed, thinking that was just the vampire controlling it again, wanting to see what I was doing right outside of her castle. I still looked around, not wanting to get blind sided by her suddenly appearing right beside me—and still kept my eyes on the bat. One of the most classic animal a vampire could use, whether as their familiar or something else.

Which meant I saw it in my eyes when more and more of them started to appear.

Sky. Foliages. Barks. Some even chirped from the ground, unable to lift themselves up and fly.

They swirled together, a monster of an animal, chirruping and pressing themselves together with one another without care of their own body—I shuddered as I saw the start of blood, red reflected so brightly under the light of the moon.

So little and yet enough illumination.

I didn’t wait. Grabbing my pouch, I immediately took a fistful of power—and throw it right to the bats’ faces. I had moved close, their cries hurting me, a few in fact jumping right to my face and scrabbling across my body. They tried to scratch, but those were easily ignored considering their tiny claws. The issue was their loud cries, the screeches and squeaks that hit me right in the ears.

I gasped—and luckily managed to close my mouth almost immediately, the kiss of fur against my lips were the only sign that I was lucky it didn’t manage to come inside. The angry squeaks were the only sign that let me know that it indeed, was trying to get inside.

A slight chill passed through my body, but my hand kept moving, throwing the sleeping powder I had in my pockets all around me. I didn’t care how much I managed to grab, a fistful, a pinch, as long as there were a few powders, I threw it while keeping my mouth shut and stopping my breathing.

There wasn’t an end.

The cries and bites and attacks pressured down on me, their flaps and screech continuing to happen all around me—and yet I still had to continue. Closing my eyes and kept the powders out. Barely breathing unless I was grabbing a new batch to throw at them.

Steadily the bats thinned.

The screams stopped making me spin, and there were no more critters trying to get at me through my jacket and pants. I panted, heart thundering in my chest, and blood rushing in my ears.

Bats blanketed the earth, all of them sleeping peacefully, not moving, not squeaking and then jumped at my face.

I couldn’t help the laughter bubbling out of me, the grin that spread across my face. Because this was merely the start, a sign that I could handle the vampire. I walked out of the clearing, being careful to not accidentally step on one.

They might have attacked me, and I could still feel the stinging and pain all across my face and wherever else they managed to snag my skin. But those didn’t mean they were truly at wrong. It was all the vampire’s fault anyway.

When I finally get out of the worst of it, I looked toward the gate, body tense and ready for if she would just appear—

The gate was finally opening.

There were no sounds, no grind of metals against one another, of its rusted hinges groaning and trying its best to move. I shivered at the silence, at the way the woman took her time to walk out before the gate finally closed once more behind her.

I knew that didn’t mean anything, that the vampire could just will it to open, and it would, no need for the sides to swing to give way, like it would be if they were something real.

She stood tall, slightly more than me from my estimation. Her cloak was dark, billowing right behind her with every step she took—and yet on the inside, they were blood-red, almost glinting with every movement. Her hair was slightly curly. Black, so dark I could barely see the way they swayed behind her head—she had tied them up into a ponytail. Her eyes were gray, and sharp, just like the twin fangs poking out of her mouth. Not any paler than most people, and she stood with a casual ease I could only attribute to vampires.

And… she’s familiar. The way she smiled and looking at me…

Her suit gleamed as she stood a bit taller, those eyes filled with amusement as my face just cycled through so many emotions all at once.

“Evening, Stella. The weather’s nice, isn’t it?” Her voice still had that same lilt that appear whenever she talked, a certain echoing quality that dragged me down. I shook it away, still looking at her, unable to drag my eyes away.

“P-Penelope?” I whispered, throat dry. That was loud enough to fill the silence between us, the words echoing slightly through the forest. Nothing would disturb us here too, not now. She was the controller of all those critters, including the bugs too for sure, considering none of them had appeared to attack me as well.

Dizziness had attacked me, every breath I took shallower than the last.

I knew I should be trying to think of a way to attack her, but I just… need to connect how the only person who hadn't thought of me as an enemy—some sort of human-monster who couldn’t be trusted—was actually the one I was sent here to kill.

“That’s me indeed. Why are you worrying so much, little Hunter? You have seen how I acted, and you know that I won’t just eat you—I have some standards.” She chuckled, stepping ever closer as my mind reeled and tried to remember what I had told her.

Many. Too many to count.

I stuffed the feelings down, hiding it away until it was time for to face everything happening today. For now, it was time to fight. I breathed, the scent of animals and the slight whiff of herb from how much you have thrown the powder. My hand gripped the dagger’s handle in my jacket, ready for me to pull it out anytime.

Penelope’s smile never wavered, her eyes never looking away from me. Her feet somehow avoided the sleeping bats and any obstacles as she walked closer and closer, until we were so close I could touch her if I decided to do that.

My hand trembled within my pocket, still tightly holding on to the dagger, the one I should use now. I convinced myself that I was waiting for her to lower her guard, that I didn’t even slash her when her hand gently came to my cheeks—and I gasped at the temperature of her skin.

“You just didn’t think about it.” She whispered, reassuring me immediately, even though she was the one at fault.

I slapped her hand away, the crawling feeling forming once more over my skin. “You deceived me.” My voice was hoarse, my hands shaking even as I hid it. I needed to attack her. She was standing so close, and it would be so, so easy.

But she looked so open, her eyes still filled with those compassions that made me feel so safe when around her. My jaws clench as I tried to think of a way to attack her, some way to make her surprised—

“Isn’t that merely your expectation? I never said it one way or another.” She turned around, and my breathing stopped for a moment.

I could.

“You betrayed me.” I didn’t scream, but I moved—hands still gripping the dagger in a backhanded grip as I jumped forward—aiming right between her shoulder blades.

She blurred forward before I could have sunk it into her flesh—and the moment she turned around, there was a flash of darkness within her hands—metal and shadow clashed against one another with a clang, and I swore I could hear her humming as she pressed her sword lightly against my dagger.

“Oh no, if I was thinking of duping you, I would never have showed myself like this.” She purred, smiling as she attacked me—her attacks slow enough that I could look at the flash and parry the best I could. “This is still important, of course, a clash of our wills as we see who’s truly at wrong.”

Of course, it’s her.

That’s what I wanted to scream. All I could do was grit my teeth and kept her sword away from me—only barely managing to parry it everytime. She looked happy whenever that happened, her eyes calculating.

Her attacks continued on, a rain of speed and technique I barely managed to keep up with.

Even if I didn’t want to really brag about it, I wasn’t the worst in swordfighting. And yet she was going circles around me, not even attacking as hard as she could. I continued to step back, not having as much issue in stamina as most normal humans but—no matter how I looked at her, I couldn’t see any possible chances.

She didn’t overreach, content to let herself staying far enough from me, but close enough that her sword could reach me if she wanted. My dagger, and I once more wished I had asked for a sword—I knew why I picked this, for my fighting style never fitting well with a clash of strength—but that didn’t mean I liked the fact I had far shorter reach than her.

Penelope played me, much like a cat with its prey. She wanted to see how much I could keep defending against herself, my hand slowly numbing from the constant deflection. Not just yet though, but I needed some time of rest.

I didn’t know how much I had backed up, constantly moving myself backward, barely managing to orient myself whenever Penelope backed off slightly to find a new angle of attack—but I might be halfway through the roads.

The only sound that filled the space was still only the clash of us, so much so that my ears were ringing now—but I couldn’t stop. Not yet.

One time I managed to turn my blade in just a right way that she was already swinging her sword down—and I caught it, right within the serrations on the back of my swordbreaker. I grinned wildly, twisting it in such a way she had no choice but to let go—I threw my vial of holy water.

Not all of them, just one.

Without even waiting to see its effect—I immediately turned around and run straight toward the barn, my heart thumping as I hurried. I couldn’t defeat her. That was just so clear to me.

Penelope made a startled sound, and the glass broke. Its sound echoed loudly in the forest.

But the one I was hoping and waiting for… My ears pricked, and yet I heard nothing. No howl or scream of pain. The realization came easy as I pushed myself to run further and further, forcing myself to move faster. My muscles and lungs burned with exertion soon after, the stitching feeling at the side of my body starting to form as well—but I knew I couldn’t stop.

Not when all of my blessed items didn’t work at all—from the holy water to everything that had happened before this. Did that vial fail because of my feelings? That thought made my chest feeling tight, but I couldn’t stop to think right now.

“Running now, my little Hunter?” Her voice purred through the trees, and despite the fact I knew she wasn’t anywhere near me, I could feel her words just being whispered right into my ears. “But is there anywhere to go?”

The village was never a choice. I could bet that they would rather just let myself be devoured by her before any of them would even lift a hand up to help me.

I grinned on the inside, though, as Penelope continued to follow me. She was content to let me move forward, not even trying to intercept me, despite the fact I knew she would be able to if she wanted. Her taunt always came again when I thought she had stopped, sudden and always next to my ears—and no matter how many times I jerked and looked around, there was never a vampire on my side.

The only sound I could hear beyond her voice was the loud thump of my heart in my chest, as well as the sound of fluttering wings. Bats flying in concert with one another, moving toward me—well, following me to wherever I wanted to go.

“Show me, lil’ Hunter.” Her voice continued to caress me, making me shudder, despite the fact she didn’t touch me at all. “On where we are going, on what you wanted to do.”

If she’s stupid enough to let me use my last resort plan on her, then… I never stopped, even as I knew and understood that this was pretty much my only plan. That this better worked, or I should hope that she would murder me as quick as possible instead of leaving me alive for whatever purpose.

I shuddered again, this time not because of anticipation or whatever other feelings aroused by her words—the fear of what she might do spurred me on.

By the time I finally sprinted through the gate, hand trembling from effort as I opened the lock. Most of the vampire’s body was still moving leisurely across the forest for sure, what with how I couldn’t see the amount of bats she should have if she transformed into them—but I could see the flitting bats going around me, flying to the middle of this farm’s meadow. Each of the critters was starting to let themselves pressed against one another, occasionally letting out a loud screech that made me wince.

They were rebuilding, forming back into her with each piece of bat that landed upon one another. Melding, twisting and transforming back into Penelope.

I shook my head and turned toward the barn—the power still burning, even with my body fully on fire from all the running. Blood rushed in my ears, my lungs barely managing to fill me even as I gasped and breathed as deeply as I could. My feet hurt, trembling slightly below me.

But I moved forward, opening the main entrance before slamming it closed.

My eyes were roving through all the preparation I had done—and how each of the magic circles was still there, on four sides of the barn’s walls, each of them starting to glow as I pulled upon my connection to them as their maker.

Something’s a little off from that—

“So the barn, huh? Not the most intimate of settings, but I definitely can make do.”

Her voice was clear, so clear as if she had stood next to me.

No one’s to my sides though, and I couldn’t think any longer—she would come in to the barn soon, and if I hadn’t started my magic… then I probably would never be able to start.

I sprinted to the still dead magic circle in the middle of the barn, stood right in the middle of it, and waited. My heart still hammered, just as the vampire hit the door. She would come in soon, and then…

I pressed the dagger I still held against my arm, ready to press down, to let the blood drip and finally activate the workings beneath.

All I had to do was wait for her to come into the circle.

The barn’s door finally slammed open with a bang, and I saw her, standing there relaxedly, as if she didn’t also sprint across the forest like me.

Smiling and walking toward me slowly, not even looking up to the continuously glowing magical circle above. Her eyes were fully on me, and I could feel a shiver passing down my spine with her gaze.

“Are you not going to run anymore, Stella?” She whispered, and yet somehow so clear.

“Let’s continue here, shall we?” I said while shaking my head, giving her more bravado than I actually had. In some ways, this was my last stand—for I would either win, or she would devour me. The two possible choices.

Her grin became impossibly wider, and she stepped through the boundary.

My dagger pressed into my flesh. Pain lanced through me, deeper than it should be—but I dug deeper, letting the blood flow freer and drip down.

The magical circle glowed brightly beneath me, finally activating and covering the two of us in bright light.