No Matter How Dark It May Be, There Is Redemption

The Cave

They found the cave with little problem. Carmilla good-naturedly teased Laura several times along the way for holding her back, which usually earned her some huffs or more lobbed snowballs at the back of her head. As they approached the cave, they realized they had grossly underestimated its size.

“Are we sure Laf meant ‘cave,’ and not ‘an entire hollowed-out mountain?’” Carmilla asked.

“Is that why you were happy to pick the cave?” demanded Laura. “You thought it’d be the easiest to search?”

Carmilla rolled her eyes.  “I mean, come on, shortcake, I went diving for the last search, and then almost died right after.”  She blinked innocently, batting her eyelashes.  “Doesn’t that count for anything?”

Laura giggled and gave Carmilla a peck on the cheek. She gestured at the huge cave in front of them.  “Apparently not,” she said, watching her girlfriend scowl at it.

“I guess this’ll go faster if we split up?”

Laura gave a fake pout.  “What’s the matter?  You don’t wanna be alone with me in a cave?”

“As romantic as that sounds,” Carmilla gave a wry chuckle and planted a small kiss on her lips, “we both have working eyeballs and then we can be together outside of the cave sooner.”

“Fine.”

Laura took the right half of the large cave while Carmilla took the left.  The first room split off into two tunnels, which led to more tunnels branching out, once again proving to Laura that they had not taken into account how large the cave would be.

After about half an hour of wandering, Laura received a text from Carmilla.  “Did you hear me call your name?”  Laura texted back she didn’t.

“Carmilla?” she called, texting the same question back while walking, eyes trained on her phone.

She got back the same answer, followed by another text that read, “Guess this cave’s acoustics suck for everyone.”

“Wow, it’s true what they say,” Laura looked up from her phone at a new voice.  There was a man and a woman standing in front of her.  Both looked to be in their early twenties, dressed in a pea coat and slacks. The woman was speaking. “This generation just has their eyes glued to their phone.”  There was a glimmer in her eyes that unnerved Laura.

The man rushed at Laura with supernatural speed, which Laura identified as akin to Will and Carmilla’s.  “Who are you texting?” he asked, with a mocking gossip tone.

“So, uhm, you’re vampires,” Laura said slowly. “Vampires, in this cave.” She gave a nervous giggle. “That’s, uh…”  She flashed a grin all too big.  “Well, as great as this is, I’m gonna––”

The man swatted the phone out of her hand and across the floor.  What is it with vampires taking my phone from me? Laura thought.

“I’m James, and this is Elizabeth,” he said, coming way too close to her face.  He had a slight English accent.  “No chance you’re Mircalla’s human, is there?”

“Honey, she goes by ‘Carmilla,’ now,” the woman chided. “Dear, please tell us, where is Carmilla?”  Her voice came out with a forced gentleness, reminiscent of the way Carmilla used to speak to her before the whole tied-to-a-chair incident.

When Laura didn’t say anything further, James circled around her and grabbed her, with one arm wrapped around her shoulders and the other around her waist, trapping her arms.  “Where is she?” he hissed in her ear.