Vampire lore - Carmilla/First Kill

Chapter 8

As they wound through the serpentine roads of Savannah, the van seemed to pulse with the tension building inside. The air, heavy with the sweltering Southern humidity, pressed down on them, thickening the silence. Juliette sat stiffly in the passenger seat, her eyes locked on the shadowed landscape blurring past. Each flicker of light and dark outside mirrored the turmoil within her mind—questions she couldn't answer, fears she dared not voice.

Carmilla lounged in the backseat, her fingers tapping an erratic rhythm against the leather upholstery. She broke the silence first, her voice laced with a mixture of casual bravado and something far more serious.

— So, Juliette - she drawled, her tone almost teasing, but her eyes were like steel as they met Juliette's in the rearview mirror. - What's the worst-case scenario here?"

Juliette tore her gaze from the window, meeting Carmilla's sharp eyes. She inhaled slowly, choosing her words carefully, though the weight of them was undeniable.

— Worst case? My family sides with Elinor, and we're all screwed.

Danny, who had been unusually quiet, let out a short, bitter laugh from the driver's seat.

— Well, that's a cheery thought.

Juliette's lips curled into a grim smile, though her heart wasn't in it.

— Just being honest - she replied, the attempt at levity doing little to lighten the heavy atmosphere.
— Let's hope it doesn't come to that - Carmilla said, though her tone suggested she was already bracing for the worst.

She adjusted her sunglasses as they approached Juliette's neighborhood, where pristine lawns and stately homes lined the quiet, tree-shaded streets. The picturesque scene felt more like a cruel joke than a welcoming sight, the stillness outside a stark contrast to the roiling tension in the van.

As the van pulled up to the towering iron gates of Juliette's family estate, Danny turned off the engine, and a suffocating silence fell over them. The gates, dark and imposing, loomed before them like the entrance to a fortress, or perhaps a prison. The sudden quiet inside the van only amplified the anxiety that had been building throughout the drive.

— Everyone clear on their roles? - Danny asked, her voice cutting through the tension. Her eyes flicked between Juliette and Carmilla, seeking confirmation that they were ready for whatever awaited them inside.

Carmilla gave a curt nod, her expression one of feigned indifference.

— We're the dutiful vampire escorts, here to deliver the lost daughter back to her worried parents. Nothing more, nothing less - she recited, though the words came out more like a mantra than a plan. Beneath her cool exterior, there was an edge to her voice, a trace of nerves that even she couldn't fully mask.

Juliette swallowed hard, trying to summon the resolve she knew she'd need.

— Let me handle the talking - she said, her voice steadier than she felt. - My parents will listen to me, but they can't know everything. Not yet.

Danny turned in her seat to face Juliette, her stern expression softened by a flicker of warmth.

— We've got your back, Juliette. Whatever happens in there, we're with you.

Juliette nodded, appreciating the words even as the reality of the situation pressed down on her. She opened the van door, stepping out into the humid night air, which felt thick and heavy as if the very atmosphere was conspiring to drag her down. Carmilla and Danny followed close behind, their presence solid and reassuring, though it did little to ease the tight knot of dread coiled in Juliette's stomach.