Charlotte didn't know what to say, all random thoughts bubbling to her head that she wasn't able to voice, but it wasn't like Lucia was out here to make friends either. She crossed her arms as she walked directly behind Lucia in case she were to start any funny business so that Charlotte would be able to subdue her quickly.
It was dingy in the backstreets which Charlotte did expect, but there was the constant skittering that would signal life yet all that Charlotte could see from miles around was the harsh reminder that life was different for everyone.
Her hand brushed past old cars that were left in the streets abandoned, and the muck that was on it made her cringe, she brought it up to the dim light to see that the back of her hand was covered in red-orange rust with a metallic scent that lingered.
It had started to drizzle then, the light rain creating a mist that was layered on top of the sweat from the confrontation earlier. The streets that she had seen dead were starting to come alive with the dim lights from the windows getting brighter as Lucia lead her deeper.
Charlotte blew out a loud breath and was about to pull Lucia's arm when the woman slid a sharp glare over at her. Charlotte bit back the need to run away and lifted her phone up to her. "Are you sure we are going the right way?"
"Why are you doubting?" Lucia seethed. "I'm taking a shortcut through the hub since it would be worse to walk on the outskirts."
"How can you even read this? There are only grey blobs on the map."
"That is just how the outer circle is drawn. Little markers at the corner mark what neighborhood the certain building is in. If you don't know where the streets are located, it can get messy."
Lucia jerked back to the front again, and Charlotte lifted her phone back up. She stepped directly into a puddle, making the dark-colored liquid slosh up toward her bare skin, and she cringed when she walked away.
It was taking longer than she thought, but it would have taken even longer if she were alone and still trying to figure out how to get around.
Now that Charlotte was aware of how to read the maps, Lucia was correct about how there were tiny symbols on the map that blended into the background which practically made it useless to those who didn't know about it.
Zooming in on the map, Charlotte tried to take everything in, but there wasn't anything sticking out to her at all. Keeping her eyes up at Lucia, she called the unknown number praying that Vincent would answer.
The seconds ticked by, but she knew that the silent voice message was on again. She closed the call and tried to ease the anxiety that was creeping into her heart. When Charlotte found Vincent, she was actually going to give him a scolding of a lifetime. Not that it truly matters. In all honesty, she just wanted to stop.
Lucia didn't need any lights to get around the dark streets, but Charlotte still kept her phone up, and to much of her surprise Lucia didn't object. She kept on bumping into things and getting surprised but kept the outward projections to herself.
There was a part of her that was wilting since she knew that when it came down to it, would she truly be able to pull the trigger?
Moments like the ones before often made Charlotte second guess herself if she was doing the right thing. She hated the idea of death. To be the bringer of it? She didn't know if she would be able to handle it.
Death followed vampires around just as vigilantes that were hiding in the shadows, but for some reason, it was now where she resided. Was she going to be the next one to be tainted? Her thoughts were brought back when Lucia abruptly stopped and put a hand up.
"I need you to not show your face. We are going through my settlement, and they're going to look upon you in curiosity."
Charlotte shrugged. "I don't have any face covering at all."
"Then we're going to have to sneak inside my home first."
"Is it that important? Time is truly of the essence here."
"And I truly would rather not cause any ruckus here at what? Three in the morning."
"Who would even be up?"
Lucia sent her a questioning glance. "What do you mean who would be up? Everyone would."
"Even in the darkness?"
"We are still lively despite not having all the neon lights to drown us out, Charlotte."
"I see," Charlotte murmured.
Lucia took a hard right, and Charlotte followed after her closely. The buildings were squished together tightly, and there were some children still running through the streets now that they had entered a living zone of those who were in the outer circle which was why they crept slowly through the back alleyways.
Through a small crack between brick buildings that were covered in all kinds of greenery from the roping vines to the dying blossoms, she was able to see that were a ton of people still up and laughing together.
She had only gotten a small glimpse of the people who lived on the outer skirts of the outer ring considering that she had always seen them all as dull, but they all seemed lively here. The lights were extremely dim due to the fluorescent bulbs being the ones discarded from the factories and dumped into landfills.
The unnatural blueish hue of the light was comforting them all, and Charlotte ended up running into Lucia's back from her lack of attention. Lucia was about the same height as she, if not just a little bit taller.
Lucia pointed up to the window that had to be a few heads taller than they were. "We need to get up there."
"Jesus. Can't we just use the front door?"
Lucia frowned. "Yeah... no."