New Beginnings

15. Laura

The great serpents surged forwards after them as they dashed for the nearest exit.

The remaining heads worked together to move themselves, three threw their weight as far forward as possible while the other two stayed on the ground and undulated in a serpentine fashion. The dead head got dragged along behind. The idealist in her appreciated the perfect teamwork, the part that wanted to live dismayed at the speed that teamwork allowed it to move.

They got through the nearest exit out of the well room and found themselves in yet another passageway. They could hear their pursuers close behind them, though how the heads and body managed to squeeze through the passageway Laura had no idea.

"Is that a Hydra? A literal Hydra? Like an honest to Zeus second labour of Heracles, Hydra is attacking us right now in this tunnel?"

"Yes, that is what's happening, please God, keep running." Amaya responded between pants.

"How is something like that even here? And why the hell haven't the gargoyles attacked it? Isn't a horrifying multi headed giant snake kind of the definition of 'intruder'?"

"I'm guessing it has the same spell of admittance on it that we do."

"Oh, fantastic it's a magic Hydra. Somebody get Nagini back there a letter to Hogwarts!" She felt herself spiralling, even her pop culture reference jokes were getting lame.

They ran through the passageways wildly with little idea of where they would take them, Amaya certainly did not have the inclination to read the map right now. The phone in the Satyr's hand bobbed up and down as she ran, which meant they saw their surroundings in flashes, like a photographer using a camera flash to see at night.

"I don't mean it cast the spell itself, that would be ridiculous." Amaya paused as Laura beside her let out a wild, slightly unhinged laugh. "Count Bagucci probably had it here as a pet."

"Why would you keep something like that as a pet?"

"How should I know? Vampires are weird. I remember my grandfather telling me stories of a menagerie Count Bagucci had down here, it was probably part of that. Beside vampires' love snakes."

She couldn't keep this up much longer, Carmilla felt like she weighed twice as much as she did when Laura had first picked her up. Her arms felt numb and she feared they'd stop functioning completely at any moment. They had to get some distance soon.

"If there used to be a menagerie here then where are all the other creatures?" Despite everything, her inquisitive side refused to be silenced.

"This place has been abandoned for centuries, they probably died of old age or found a way to leave."

"Yeah, or Count Bagucci's adorable pet Hydra ate them all. I can't believe after everything we've been through, we're going to die to the vampire equivalent of Poochie. God, I hate vampires."

Carmilla started mumbling plaintively.

"You don't count you're not a vampire anymore." Laura snapped.

The passageway opened into another circular chamber up ahead. Laura dearly wished that wasn't the case, as fast as the Hydra moved through the narrow passageways she felt certain it would travel faster over more open ground. For the first time since exiting the well room she spared a glance behind her and regretted it instantly.

Amaya noticed her movement and directed the phone light backwards to give her some light. Laura honestly wished she hadn't. Four of the five Hydra heads undulated across each of the walls, the ground and the ceiling, pulling the body through the passageway. The last head leaned forwards out in front, ready to strike as soon as it got close enough. Laura had been in some frightening situations at Silas but nothing she had seen came close to the pure terror of what currently charged towards them. The primitive part of her brain screamed to take over, to panic wildly and she barely clamped down on it.