The Siren's Curse

Stuck Between a Boulder Puncher and a Hard Place

"Are you okay with traveling on the ground?" you asked Mia, smiling at the sheer love Alina had for Wadim. 

"As long as Brian can keep up with them, I have no complaints," Mia said, gesturing to Wadim and Alina.

"Boian," you corrected with a snort, "and he absolutely can. He's the fastest and the strongest of my Vârcolaci. If any of them can keep up with two and a half passengers, it's Boian."

"When will we be meeting you?" Alina asked, determined to get started.

"Hide in the caves under the stone bridge before sunrise," you said. "Be wary of black roots and wait until Heisenberg gives the go with this." You pulled out a small radio from your satchel and handed it to Mia who quickly concealed it in a backpack that Heisenberg had lying around. She thought that it was some spare backpack he got just in case he had a chance to run while you knew better. The bag originally belonged to a hiker that had the perfect physique to be a Panzer. Karl was never one to miss opportunities and he usually kept the outsiders' belongings for a rainy day. Mia's new bag contained medicine, food, a blunt weapon or two, and Uncle Sal's remains. You didn't want anything bad to happen to it and knew Mia would keep Uncle Sal safe. "Wait for me to come out with Ethan, then run."

"You'll come with us?" Alina asked, stars in her eyes.

"No, I'm just going to get Ethan's stubborn butt to you so you can take him a safe distance away," you said, shaking your head. "It's not like he can fight well with a baby in his arms. Heisenberg and I will catch up with you when Miranda finally dies." You glanced at the setting sun, contemplating. With the mountains surrounding your home, the sunset was much sooner than it would be if there were open skies. The valley was shrouded in a beautiful golden light, indicating that you needed to get your ass in gear and get back to Heisenberg as soon as possible. "Stay hidden, I'll see you two soon."

You left Mia and Alina without another word, trusting Wadim to keep them both safe should he need to. Then you remembered how Mia did not hesitate in hitting Karl with a metal pipe the second he threatened her safety and realized that you had nothing to worry about as you descended the mountain. Your steps were swift and quiet as you scaled down the mountain, trying to get back to the factory as fast as you could. You only glanced back to the mountaintop once to see Wadim fly off into the clouds with Alina and Mia on his back. It made you smile thinking how everything was finally starting to come together. Normally, you would have been skeptical to get hopeful, but you felt it was warranted. Miranda was always the one tearing your hope and happiness down, now it was your turn.

The factory noises seemed to be louder when you snuck into the garage, the adrenaline pumping through you amplifying your sense of hearing. You could hear the heavy footsteps of Soldats wandering the upper halls and the faint sound of voices from around the corner. Sneaking through the hallway, you made your way to one of Heisenberg's many workshops. You stopped at the doorway to listen in on the conversation between Karl and Ethan, being sure to stay out of sight so Ethan wouldn't be suspicious. You were able to catch the tail end of their conversation, wincing at Karl's words to Ethan. 

"Do you have any idea how powerful that kid is?" Karl asked, turning to his mural with everyone's photo on it. "Even Miranda's scared of her," Karl stopped talking as a horribly loud sound interrupted him. You recognized the noise of the failed experiment of Sturm and quietly chuckled, remembering how annoyed Heisenberg would get when that thing would make a random noise. Heisenberg stormed over to the hole leading to Sturm's little cell area and yelled at it. "Last time, you freak, I swear to God!" Karl stepped away from the hole and turned his attention back to Ethan, removing his glasses in the process. "You and me, Ethan. Together, we go save Rose, and then we can use her to grind Miranda into paste."