Riley steps between Melissa and me, her stance widening as she plants herself firmly in the alley.
"Drop my boyfriend," Riley says, cracking her knuckles with a series of sharp pops.
I blink in confusion. 'Boyfriend? What the hell is she talking about?'
Melissa tilts her head, her face still mostly hidden beneath her hood. "Huh? Get lost, kid. This doesn't concern you."
The person holding me tightens their grip, fingers digging painfully into my shoulders. I wince, trying to catch Riley's eye, but she's locked in a staring contest with Melissa.
Something strange happens then. Melissa's eyes begin to glow with an eerie white light, illuminating the shadowed interior of her hood. Her voice takes on a hypnotic quality as she speaks.
"Forget about Ben and leave us alone."
The command hangs in the air, heavy and unnatural. I feel a wave of dizziness wash over me, but Riley doesn't even flinch. She just stands there, completely unfazed, a smirk playing at the corners of her mouth.
"The fuck I would," Riley responds, her voice dropping an octave lower than I've ever heard it.
Melissa takes a half-step back, genuine surprise registering on what little of her face I can see. "That's... impossible. You should be walking away right now."
Riley's smirk widens into something predatory. "Guess I'm just built different."
Melissa's eyes narrow, the white glow intensifying. "What are you?"
Instead of answering, Riley lunges forward with inhuman speed. Before I can even process what's happening, she's grabbed Hilda by the throat and slammed her against the brick wall. The impact sends dust and small fragments of brick raining down as Hilda falls.
"Let him go," Riley growls, her eyes fixed on the person still holding me, "or I'll do worse to you."
The grip on my shoulders loosens immediately, and I stumble forward, nearly falling to my knees. I spin around to see my captor, a tall woman with a buzz cut and multiple facial piercings, backing away with her hands raised.
"What the hell is going on?" I mutter, rubbing my sore shoulders.
Riley doesn't take her eyes off Melissa as she reaches back to grab my wrist, pulling me behind her protectively. "You okay, Ben?"
"I'm fine," I say, still disoriented by what's happening. "But we should go."
Hilda suddenly pushes herself off the wall, her face contorting with rage. "You little bitch!" she snarls, lunging at Riley.
What happens next seems to unfold in slow motion. Hilda's fist connects with Riley's head, not just hitting it but punching straight through it. There's a sickening sound as Riley's skull bursts into a spray of purple slime, spattering across the alley walls.
My stomach drops. "RILEY!" I scream, stumbling backward in horror.
But Riley doesn't fall. Her headless body remains standing, purple ooze bubbling where her neck should be. I watch, frozen in disbelief, as the slime begins to reform, reshaping itself.
Hilda stands stunned, her fist dripping with purple goo. Before she can react, Riley's arm elongates, transforming into a purple spear that she thrusts through Hilda's chest with casual indifference.
"I'm holding your heart," Riley says, her head now fully reformed, features perfect and unmarred. She grins widely.
Riley looks at her hand, still embedded in Hilda's chest. "Wait, why isn't your heart beating?" She tilts her head in confusion, purple eyes narrowing.
Melissa backs against the alley wall, her hood falling back to reveal a face as pale as death. "What the fuck is going on?" she whispers, eyes wide with genuine fear.
"YOU FUCKING TELL ME!" I scream, my voice cracking with hysteria. My mind races, trying to make sense of what I just witnessed. Riley. Purple slime. The casual violence, the regenerating head...
"Amy?" I whisper, the realization hitting me like a truck.
Riley… No, Amy, turns to me, her expression softening. "Surprise?" she says, pulling her arm out of Hilda's chest with a wet squelch.
Melissa groans as her face contorts with disgust. Hilda falls to the ground with a heavy thud, blood pouring from the gaping hole in her chest. Amy stands over her, the still-dripping heart clutched in her slime-covered hand. She examines it curiously, turning it over like she's inspecting a strange fruit.
Before my eyes, Hilda's body begins to crumble, her skin and flesh disintegrating into fine gray powder. Within seconds, there's nothing left but a pile of ash surrounded by her empty clothes.
I put my hands on my head, eyes wide with disbelief. "She's made of fucking sand?" I blurt out, my voice cracking with hysteria.
Melissa shoots me an incredulous look. "How could that possibly be your takeaway from all this?" she asks, gesturing wildly at the scene before us.
Amy tilts her head, still holding the heart, which hasn't turned to ash like the rest of Hilda. "Honey, I think she was a zombie," she says matter-of-factly as if explaining something obvious to a child.
"Zombies are fucking real?!" I practically scream, my mind struggling to process yet another impossible revelation.
Melissa looks annoyed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "This is so fucking off the rails," she mutters. She takes a deep breath, straightens her hoodie, and walks toward Amy with surprising composure. She holds out her hand to shake. "Melissa Bathory. Vampire coven leader."
Amy drops the heart, which hits the ground with a wet splat, and takes Melissa's hand with a cheerful smile. "Amy White! Slime. Nice to meet you."
I stare at them both, mouth hanging open. "Wait, wait, wait," I stammer, pointing at Melissa. "You're a vampire? Like, an actual blood-sucking vampire?"
Melissa rolls her eyes. "Obviously. Did you think I wore this hoodie for fashion?" She gestures to her gray garment. "UV protection."
"And Hilda was a zombie," I continue, pointing at the pile of ash and clothes. "A literal walking dead person."
Melissa gives me a withering look. "No, she was also a vampire, and so is that one." She points to the figure still lurking at the entrance of the alley.
I glance back at the other girl, her pale face expressionless as she observes our bizarre standoff. My frustration boils over.
"This is fucking stupid," I blurt out, throwing my hands up. "Vampires? Slimes? It's too much!"
Melissa ignores my outburst, smoothing down her hoodie as she addresses Amy with surprising formality. "Ms. White, could we perhaps go somewhere more private to discuss how we're going to resolve this... situation?"
Amy's body suddenly liquefies, the red-haired Riley form melting away in seconds. She reforms into the Amy I'm more used to, purple-black hair, pale skin, and those unnaturally vibrant eyes. Melissa takes a step back, clearly surprised by the transformation.
Before anyone can say anything else, Amy wraps her arms around me possessively, pulling me against her cool body.
"I'd rather not," she says, her voice honey-sweet but edged with steel. "I want to take my darling home."
She leans in close, her lips brushing against my ear as she whispers, "I saw you follow Liz, bad boy."
My stomach drops. "I didn't even talk to her," I protest weakly.
Amy's lips curve into a knowing smile against my skin. "I know."
The way she says it sends an icy shiver down my spine. Not angry, just... certain. Like she's been watching me the entire time.
Melissa clears her throat, looking uncomfortable. "This is vampire territory, Ms. White. Your... activities here fall under my jurisdiction."
Amy's eyes narrow as she studies Melissa, her head tilting at that unnatural angle that reminds me she's not human. A slow smile spreads across her face.
"It's funny, isn't it?" Amy says, her voice light and conversational despite the tension crackling between them. "That hoodie you're wearing seems awfully thin, doesn't it? The sun's getting higher every minute."
Melissa's jaw tightens, but she doesn't back down. "Direct sunlight won't kill me," she says flatly. "it would just really, really fucking hurt." Her fingers grip the edges of her hood tighter, pulling it further forward. "Unlike Brian, I'm not a pureblood."
There's a bitter edge to her voice, a flash of self-loathing that makes me wonder about this Brian person. The same Brian that Liz is supposedly engaged to.
Amy shrugs, clearly uninterested in Melissa's personal struggles. "Look, I don't care what you do so long as you leave Ben alone."
"We want Ben to leave Liz alone," Melissa counters, her eyes flicking between us. "That's non-negotiable."
Amy stares at me with an evil grin that makes my blood run cold. "Well, that's great. I also don't want him to see Liz."
I feel like I'm watching a tennis match between two monsters, each one calculating how to best devour the other. The casual way they're discussing controlling my life makes my stomach churn.
"So we're in agreement then," Melissa says, extending her hand once more. "Ben stays away from Liz, we stay away from Ben, and you..." she gestures at the pile of ash that was once Hilda, "...keep your bizarre ooze off my campus."
"Deal. But if any of your little bloodsuckers come near my Ben again, I'll turn them all into dust."
Melissa's eyes flicker with something dangerous. "Just remember whose territory you're in, slime." She glances up at the brightening sky.
With that, she pulls her hood lower and strides out of the alley, the other vampire following close behind.
As soon as they disappear around the corner, Amy spins toward me, her face lighting up with pure excitement. Her eyes are practically glowing as she bounces on her toes.
"Did you see me? Didn't I look just like the Hero of Kvatch?" she squeals, her hands flailing with childlike enthusiasm.
I stare at her blankly, my mind still trying to process everything that just happened. Vampires. Zombies. Amy masquerading as Riley. Kvatch? It's all so overwhelming.
"Uhh, sure, I guess," I mumble, not really processing fast enough to keep up with her words.
Amy doesn't seem to notice my confusion. She launches herself at me, wrapping her arms around me in a bone-crushing hug that lifts me slightly off the ground.
"Darling, thank god you're okay," she whispers fiercely against my neck. Her body trembles slightly against mine, genuine relief in her voice. She pulls back just enough to look into my eyes, her face bright with triumph. "Let's get you home and celebrate our victory."
"Okay."