Cora caught herself standing inside an old abandoned church. By the looks of it, it seems like it went through a lot based on the smashed stained glass and cracked floors. Thick vines grew between the cracks, wrapping around the decomposing pews. At the center isle are rocks and debris from the collapsed portion of the wall.
At the altar is a big tree of wisteria, its crawling branches extending outward with purple flowers drooping down, almost touching the floor. Its roots, protruding out of the cracks.
It looks familiar yet different. As if she has been here before but the place doesn't look this devastated just yet.
As she turns around, she sees a man staring back at her. He seems glad to see her, his eyes glowing crimson.
"You came back," he said, ascending his pace towards her.
Confused and scared, Cora forced herself to escape from the dream, waking up to an unfamiliar dark room. She turns to the window only to see that same man standing beside the window. His crimson eyes, glowing through the pitch black darkness.
She couldn't move. She couldn't make a sound. She is having a hard time separating nightmare from reality. She couldn't decipher where she's in right now. Her heart beats faster and faster.
"Wake up. Wake up. Wake up!" she kept repeating to herself.
He moves closer, staring down at her. Hovering on the right side of her neck, his warm breath touches her skin. She shuts her eyes as he leans down.
For a moment there is a deafening ring in her ear, almost muffling whatever sound she is supposed to hear.
Then the pain starts.
There is a burning sensation pulsing on her neck. It is so painful, she started screaming at the top of her lungs.
The striking ray of sun from the window hurt her eyes as she wakes up, realizing that it's already daytime. She turns to her side and saw Stella staring concernedly at her.
Cora immediately gets up and touched her neck. It's warm and tender, almost feeling like bruised. Her body, soaked in sweat.
"Are you alright?" Stella asked, helping her sister sit properly on the bedside.
"I-I'm fine." Cora looks around. "Where are we?"
"Rick's place. Remember?"
Cora honestly couldn't remember much after last night's fire anymore. The rescue. The police statements. Talking to Rick and his father. It's all a blur. All muffled noises in her ear.
"Right." She feels exhausted.
"Did something hit you last night?" Stella points out the red mark on her neck. "That looks painful."
"Is it that bad?" She hurriedly gets up, running towards the mirror to check on it. It looks really red, as if it was touched by something hot but not too hot to cause blisters. "Don't worry. It doesn't hurt," she lied.
Stella was about to speak when someone knocked on the door.
"You awake, ladies?" The knob turned and the door swung open. A man almost the same age as the sisters took a peek, flashing a friendly smile. His red hair glows radiant behind the morning sun. "Breakfast is ready. Dad's gonna be here in five."
"Thanks, Rick," Stella said, then turns to her little sister, sensing that something is troubling her.
Cora quickly grabs the towel behind the chair, dodging her. "I need a shower."
There was a deep sigh as soon as Cora closes the bathroom door. She touches her neck again, closing her eyes as she recalls what has happened in the dream. "What the hell was that?" she whispers to herself as fear sinks in.
That morning, Sheriff Winston Thorburn came by Rick's place after learning that the sisters are staying with him. He patiently waits by the dining table, laying down a folder in front of him. He stands up and straightens his uniform as he watches the sisters walk out of the guest room.
The sisters politely take a seat in front of the old man. Rick kept himself busy in the kitchen while eavesdropping.
Winston always carry a light cheerful character despite being a well respected sheriff. The sisters have known him since they were kids. His is quite close with Toto too, even way before he got his position.
But today is different. He can't keep this usual vibe when he sees these girls, dwelling on loss and struggles. He tries to choose his words carefully, clearing his throat before starting a conversation.
"I'm terribly sorry. We tried our best but this is the only thing we could salvage from the fire," he sincerely said as he hands over a locket. "I tried cleaning it up as much as I could."
Stella stares at it closely. It has lost most of its shine after getting caught in the fire. She opens the lid showing their names engraved on it. At the bottom is the word 'Forever' written in cursive. Sounds too cheesy but definitely precious. She remembers how she and Cora saved up for this locket as gift for their father's birthday. They were at least 10-years-old that time.
There is a nagging thought in Cora as she watches her sister. Confused and bothered as to why their father took off this locket. He swore never to take it off and he never did, until now.
The sheriff couldn't hide the frown on his face. He is usually good at this, talking to victims and telling them the bad news. But these girls aren't typical victims. They are like daughters to him.
"Also…" He grabs the folder then flips it open. "The Old Coney pub was burned down this morning." He shows them the pictures of the scene. "That is where your father was last seen. It may be circumstantial but it seems like whoever took your father wants to cover their tracks."
Stella's brows narrowed, thinking carefully as to what to say or how to react on it. She can't risk on spilling any wrong word that might drag their father further in jeopardy.
Before Stella could speak up, someone suddenly barges at the front door. A lady who has her head down under the hood of her jacket looks over her shoulder before closing the door behind her. She hastily approaches the sheriff as she pulls down the hood, showing her freckled face and round brown eyes. Her short brown hair, all messy and dry.
"Sheriff Winston! You have to help me! I think I'm in danger!" she said under hear breath.
Winston offered her a seat to which she immediately accepted.
"My name is Shivonne Akers. I came to the precinct but they said you'd be here." She pauses to catch her breath again. Her face is almost too pale. "I think someone's out to kill me."
"Who would want to kill you?" Winston asked.
"I was working in the Old Coney two nights ago. I served these two men who seemed to be arguing at that time. I interfered before things heated up." She is talking way too fast, almost running out of breath.
"And what do these men look like?"
"One wore a thick-rimmed glasses and has grey beard. The other looks younger. Square-jawed. Charming smile. I think he's a vampire."
The sisters looked at each other. They didn't have to say anything. They know exactly who those two are.
"What happened next?"
"The pub is almost closing and they're the last customers. I was cleaning up tables when I accidentally bumped into their stuffs. Papers scattered on the floor and I was about to reach down when the vampire insisted to leave it. I swear, I didn't mean to pry but I accidentally saw what's in them and…"
The sisters held hands yet no longer surprised by the upcoming suspense. They know what she saw and it is definitely something that would put her life at risk.
"Please do continue."
"There are these creepy photos. Photos of body parts with weird-shaped burn marks. The vampire caught me staring at it and his expression suddenly changed. Like I shouldn't have seen it."
"Is he the one who's out to get you?" Winston's voice became serious.
"No." She shook her head. "But he warned me to forget everything that I saw. For my safety, according to him."
"Then what happened? What happened to the two men?"
"Nothing. They just left together."
Together. There's a possibility that Toto is still with Kalvick as of this very moment, the sisters thought.
Shivonne rubs her arm. "As promised, I tried to forget about the picture. It's not like it's the worst thing that I've seen at work anyway." She tries to force a chuckle. "But last night, two customers kept on asking for me and I noticed that they have the same burn marks on their wrists. Just like in the photos. They stayed until closing time and before leaving, they creepily waved at me through the glass window. That was a few minutes before the fire started. I managed to get through the fire escape."
"Can you remember their faces?" The sheriff asked.
The lady nods. "I couldn't forget their faces. And those fangs."
"Wait. They're vampires?!" Cora almost jumped out of her seat, leaning towards Shivonne.
"That's enough." Winston insisted then turns to Shivonne. "Come with me to the precinct and maybe a sketch artist can help us out." He then stands and turns towards the sisters. "You two. Do not leave this place. I repeat. Do not leave. Your father already got himself in deep trouble. I don't want you two getting caught in it too. Okay?"
The sisters just nodded back as the sheriff and the waitress step out of the door. They both knew something has to be done before the sheriff manages to dig deeper and puts himself in danger.
Rick steps out of the kitchen, already forgot the fact that he was supposed to serve breakfast after hearing everything. "Damn. What the hell did old Toto get himself into?".
"I-I don't know…" Stella answers, immediately dodging the question.
Cora kept her mouth shut, grabbing the locket from her sister. She knew the risk of getting people involved in this case and Rick shouldn't stick his nose in this either. Not even a bit.
"Oh c'mon! It's obvious that you know more than what we do. Sooner or later, dad's gonna come and ask the same question and you won't be able to deny it." He takes a seat opposite them.
"We don't want you to be a part of this…" Stella said, looking down.
"If we say anything to you, there's also a possibility that you might face the same fate as that waitress."
"I'm willing to take my chances," Rick's smile grew wider. He knows that he is putting his life in danger but besides the excitement, he is also willing to risk everything to save Toto. His curiosity tingling.
"No. You don't have to…"
Rick immediately stands, leans down, then grabs both of the sisters' hands. "Toto is like a father to me. The last thing I wished to hear is him being a part of dad's cold cases. Or worse--." He frowns. "Please let me help, even just a bit."
Cora stares at the locket, trying to reason out with herself. She knows that they'll be needing help at some point. She doesn't want to put Rick in danger but they're running blind in a sea of perilous clues. Until a very bold idea suddenly came into her mind.
"Maybe there's a way for you to help."
"Are you crazy?!" Stella turns to Cora then to Rick. "No offense, Rick. But no. We don't want to involve more people in this."
Cora groans in frustration, brushing her fingers through her hair. "I can't just sit here and wait, sis! We're sitting ducks and I'm not willing to see--." She takes a deep breath. "Rick doesn't need to know what's really going on. But since he insists on helping, maybe we could ask a favor."
"But Cora--."
"Don't worry about it. I really really want to help." Rick's smile fades into being serious. His eyes very determined. "So what do you need?"
"We need to get in Wisteria tonight."