She was shaking now. Jittering and frantic. Words fell out her mouth but nothing made sense. Carmilla watched unable to comprehend what had happened. The mother kept looking at the bite then to her child then Carmilla. All three seemed at a loss.
But then she stopped, went still. Her eyes no longer flitted around the room but we're locked to the butchers knife that glinted in the shadows.
It happened too fast.
She acted.
The woman dived for the knife, Carmilla screamed.
"No Please!"
Crawling towards it herself, in hopes to stop then end of her own life. The child in the bed was crying, unable to move. Carmilla made it to knife just as the woman had grabbed it and stood up.
Carmilla now kneeled by her feet, pleading for her life. The mother raised the knife and paused. She turned to her son and her expression softened.
"I'm sorry sweetie, mommy loves you".
As the last words left her lips she brought down the blade and it one quick swing, sliced her throat open.
Blood poured out of the woman's neck. Covering Carmilla and spattering over the toys lying around them. The child screamed bloody murder as the mother collapsed over Carmilla. The knife clattered on the ground. Paw prints could be heard at the gate now.
Carmilla was bent. Restraining the woman's body from smothering her, she tried to scream but as soon a she opened her mouth it was filled with blood. She was choking on another persons life. Her left hand was trying to cover the huge gash but it just poured down her arm and down her side. She felt the throat pushing against her hand, trying to breath. Ragged wet inhales were all that came.
Carmilla allowed the body to slip another inch then used her arm to spin it away from her. The woman landed on her back with a thud. Still twitching but no longer gasping; Carmilla looked for something to cover the wound, a blanket now flecked with red was what she could grab. Applying pressure she repeated
"I sorry, I'm so sorry please!"
A million thoughts flew through her mind, why would she do this, why not kill me, who is she, what made her so afraid, was this the only option for her, did I hear footsteps outside.
She saw one final glimpse of hatred in the woman's eyes. And then they were glass. No more twitching.
Through screams she heard banging on the door. The child's screaming went up a pitch as all he could do was clutch onto his now stained sheets.
Carmilla had an urge to grab the child and take him with her. Fear that who ever was after her was also looking to kill anyone. But logic saved only for nights like this over took and told her that she was the only one they were after. they were coming to protect him, from her most likely.
With one last sorry and a apologetic look she fled into the bright hallway, grabbing the knife as she did.
Moving to the stairs she heard what was either a small explosion or someone smashing the door. No voices, just the clack of claws scraping the floor, and getting closer to the staircase.
She turned back around and flipped the light switch, now in total darkness the child's screams had become even louder, she knew she had to pass the room again. Not looking into the blackened hole that was the child's door way she limped down the hallway aiming for the last door. Trying to keep her balance so there wouldn't be any bloody hand prints to lead them right to her. She hadn't thought about her feet.
The door was not shut fully and she could hear it push against the carpet of the room, it was a bedroom with large floor length windows. She didn't bother to lock the door or hide, simply just stood there still, as still as the woman down the hall. She held her breath and focused on the sounds. The clattering steps up the stairs too quick for a human foot. The sniffing of the air and the change as it's nose pressed to the floor. The crying had become white noise now, irrelevant to the others. She heard it enter the boys room and a pause there. It wasn't the silence Carmilla was waiting for. It was what came after.
A deafening howl soared through the house, there was no viscousness to it though, it seemed lonely and gradually gained more and more volume, it seemed never-ending. This is what Carmilla was waiting for.
She moved as quick as she could to the windows, reaching for the door handles she had noticed. She shoved them open not realising that they had actually been locked. The balcony hung over the back garden, a small stone path led to a gate at the end. No large fences or bushes here, the backs of these houses were much less protected as they faced the large manor in the middle and encouraged the neighbours to form close knit relationships. No barriers.
It was two stories down to fall, but Carmilla could see that at the long end of the street away from the manor was the field. The field that led to the woods that branched out of the gated community and onto the main road. She knew it was a long shot, but the fall possibly killing her was a strange comfort as well. At least she could end it on her terms and maybe she deserved it after what had happened.
Before her next fit could happen she decided to act. No strength left in her, all she could do was fall off the balcony.
She landed with a muffled thud.
She landed on her side next to the rose bushes, she felt a small victory in knowing she had landed on her already bad leg and was still conscious. Choosing to stay low she pulled herself over the lawn. Feeling the grass wipe some of the blood and vomit off her. She was just about to pull herself up on the gate when a huge wolf leapt over it. She closed her eyes and held her breath but nothing happened. When she peeked the wolf had ran up to the house jumped onto a table and managed to hop onto the balcony that she had just fell from.
It must be reacting to the others pain she thought.
In normal circumstances Carmilla would consider it insane for a pack of giant wolves to react to a strange woman's death so drastically. But nothing felt normal about this night.
She slowed lifted her broken body up and scanned the street for more. There were none they must be all behind her now she thought, but at this point Carmilla was also convinced that she might be dead, or invincible, or in some kind unescapable nightmare where the street would just continue forever never letting her leave. Though she had thought she stopped caring whether the next wolf ripped her apart, or if then next spasms would finish her off. A small part of her mind still untouched by shell shock told her she wanted to live. And the field that led to the woods that led to the street would make that happen.
So she moved as fast as she could towards the field and to her surprise she was able to reach it. Howls could be heard all around but none appeared. The houses remained dark and silent. Possibly empty or abandoned. The moon shown bright in the sky and Carmilla wondered what she looked like. Her breathing did not sound like her own, it was raspy and nonfunctional. As though she were an eighty year old smoker who smoked since they could talk and could no longer naturally take oxygen in. Her limbs were bruised and bloodied but no numbness came, she was so painfully aware of all scarring and battering her body had taken. The moon would constantly brighten till it looked like daylight then dip back to darkness.
She knew she had reached the field when she fell. There was a small dent where pavement met grass and she had led with her bad leg.
She was now only about one a mile away from the trees. Though the forest was large the opening of it was grown over by bushes and smaller trees. It would be difficult for her to get through,but much more difficult for the wolves.
The orchestra of howling had become snarls and yapping, they must have finished mourning now. Carmilla could feels eyes on her but she didn't care, she couldn't care or think of anything that wasn't her escape. Get over the field which leads to the forest which leads to the main road. Survive the night. She passed the town hall where only hours ago she had been drinking and laughing. Unable to imagine the situation she'd find herself in.
If Carmilla had the capacity she would of noticed that it was a lovely summers night to be spending outside. The crickets softly creaking and even fireflies glowed around her.
If things had stayed the same then she might of even been walking across the field back home at this time. Swinging a champagne bottle around while singing the Skye boat song, spinning around with Summer or perhaps even a young man.
If this parallel crossed paths with the real Carmilla she wouldn't recognise what she saw. Wouldn't comprehend it.
It felt like hours but Carmilla was finally an arms length from the forest, she knew she couldn't fall or trip otherwise she might get entangled. There were many small trails leading into the woods. Areas for children to build dens or for teens to make use of the privacy, for smoking or other things. But she couldn't risk leaving anymore traces, or worse running into someone. Or something.
Holding onto a trunk she tensed and swung her body around it until she was no longer facing the woods but the empty field.
She was in.