Chapter 7 Shadows Within

Liza and the others were in the camp that Mal Dendorf had named “Fest.” The leader of the camp was a young lady named Miss Nightmare, whose real name was Sophie. But slowly, Liza began to notice… that Miss Nightmare might be hiding something.

Liza: “Hahhh…”
Zoe: “I can’t anymore… there are too many fruits…”
Liza: “Ghh…”

Liza almost fell, but someone caught her — holding the crate of fruit in the other hand.

Liza: “Ugh…”
Zoe: “Huh.”
Miss Nightmare: “Shhh… damn it… you two need to be more careful!”

She helped her up and picked one of the fruits.

Miss Nightmare: “Don’t look at me like that… It would’ve just disappeared anyway. Here — take these. Four of them fell from you.”

She set down three of the fruits.

Miss Nightmare: “But I’m keeping the apple.”

(Bites it)

Miss Nightmare: “Mmm… damn… that tastes so good…”

And she walked away.

Zoe: “…That woman is creepy… I don’t know if she’s evil, or just a little evil.”
Liza: “Hmmm…”

Liza noticed a note — it must have been slipped to her by Miss Nightmare without anyone else seeing.
It read: Come to the camp… I want to talk to you and Dante. Bring Dante with you.

Liza: “I need to go to the toilet.”

She walked off, quietly went to Dante, and handed him the note.
He read it aloud in a low voice: I want to talk to you and Dante. Bring Dante with you.

Dante: “I need to step out for a bit.”

He followed Liza.

Liza: “Hahh…”
Dante: “What does she want?”

(Footsteps approaching)

Miss Nightmare: “Hey… apparently you can read… that’s good.”
Liza: “What… do you want?”
Miss Nightmare: “I have a request for you…”
Dante: “Which is?”
Miss Nightmare: “…You… Dante… right? I want you to watch over the children of the prisoners…”
Dante: “What? Why… wait… there are children here?”
Miss Nightmare: “…Yes… exactly… they’re in another building over there… I want you to find a place… and hide them…”
Liza: “What?”
Miss Nightmare: “My people don’t listen to me anymore… and I’m afraid they’re going too far. You two have some… experience… with the Sirus…”
Dante: “Sirus?”
Miss Nightmare: “That’s what they call the mutants.”
Dante: “And why are you doing this…? You haven’t gone soft for these kids, have you?”
Miss Nightmare: “It’s just three or four children… You could escape… I’d rather you didn’t, because I actually like you two… you’re good workers… but… I want to avoid unnecessary slaughter… at least of the children. Sir Eisenberg wants me to kill them most of all…”

She walked away.

Miss Nightmare: “Oh… and you really need to take a shower… you smell worse than a rotting corpse… not so cool, right?”

She kept walking and waved with a smile — deliberately provoking them.

Dante: “Let’s go.”
Liza: “Mhm.”

A few minutes later…

(Telephone ringing)

Miss Nightmare: “Yes…”
Sir Eisenberg: “Hello… Sophie…”
Miss Nightmare: “Hello, Sir Eisenberg…”
Sir Eisenberg: “Have you decided what to do with the children?”
Miss Nightmare: “I have…”
Sir Eisenberg: “Good…”
Miss Nightmare: “And I’ve also killed Müller…”
Sir Eisenberg: “Hmm?”
Miss Nightmare: “Just to be clear… I only work for people who trust me! And the fact that you had a spy here means you don’t trust me! I have… done what you wanted! I’ve killed people… I’ve brought you their blood-energy! I’ve done more than any other camp — whether in Mirica Reich 
Sir Eisenberg: “Those are other camps… We’re talking about yours, Sophie… You’re not doing your name Miss Nightmare much justice…”
Sophie: “You know exactly why they gave me that name.”
Sir Eisenberg: “Hahhh… yes, I know… In the combat tournament… you killed all the other applicants and survived all the trials… you were terrifying and fearless… that’s why they — I — called you Miss Nightmare. Fine… as for Müller… your camp, your decision. Goodbye… I’ll be back in three days. If I see that you haven’t done as I ordered — if I find a living child — you’re finished.”
Miss Nightmare: “Mhm… understood.”

He sighed and added:

Sir Eisenberg: “Sophie… I took care of you… Your parents are dead because they were fools… remember that…”
Miss Nightmare: “…Yes… sir… thank you…”

He hung up before she finished speaking.

Miss Nightmare: “Ghhhhh…”

She went to the cabinet and knocked it over.

Miss Nightmare: “Daaaaaaaaamn it… hahhh… hahhh…”

The door opened.

Heinrich: “What’s wrong, Fräulein?”
Miss Nightmare: “Heinrich… Give me something… to calm down… a pill… anything…”

He nodded and left.

Miss Nightmare: “Hahhh…”

Meanwhile…

Heinrich: “Hahh…”
Franklin: “What’s wrong with her?”
Heinrich: “I have no idea… that stupid bitch has been getting on my nerves more than usual lately.”
Franklin: “Hahhh… You think she’s going to kill the children?”
Heinrich: “No… she hasn’t… I have no idea what’s going on with her…”

He took the pills and left.

Franklin: “Hahhh… What the hell is going on lately…”

A few hours later, in the evening…

Guard: “Hmmm.”

He noticed something out the window — one of the children running with Liza.

Guard: “What the hell…”
Miss Nightmare: “Yeah… what the hell!”
Guard: “Huh!”

She stabbed him in the throat.

Guard: “Ughh… ghhh…”
Miss Nightmare: “Shhh… shhh… easy… easy…”
Guard: “…ghh…”

He closed his eyes. She dragged the body to the place where they take corpses to drain the blood.

Miss Nightmare: “Hahhh… I’m sorry… but I have to…”

She pulled off his jacket and pants, tossing them aside.

Miss Nightmare: “My god… that was close… good thing I went out for some fresh air.”

She went back to her room to sleep.

Miss Nightmare: “Hahhh…”

She began to drift off.

(Sophie!)
Miss Nightmare: “Ugh…”
(Sophie!)
(My… beloved daughter)
(Why did you betray us, little sister!)
Miss Nightmare: “Ugh…”

They stood before her — pale, corpse-like skin, black eyes, and blood streaming from their eyes.

Miss Nightmare: “…Dad… Mom?”
(Why did you do this, dear!)

She grew frightened, stepped back… but then she saw someone else — herself, with the same dead white skin and bloody eyes. The other Sophie held her face in her hands.

Miss Nightmare: “…Let me go.”
Sophie’s ghost: “…You’ve done something that isn’t good…”
Miss Nightmare: “Aaaaaaaaaaarghhh!”

She grabbed a lamp and swung it down.

(Crash!)

Heinrich: “Aaaaarghh!”
Miss Nightmare: “Oh… no… no, no… Heinrich… I’m sorry… I’m sorry… Heinrich…”

She ran to him.

Heinrich: “It’s alright… Fräulein… I didn’t knock… my fault…”
Miss Nightmare: “I’m so sorry… you’re bleeding…”
Heinrich: “It’s… fine… it’s fine, Fräulein…”
Miss Nightmare: “Hahhh…”
Heinrich: “…What’s wrong with you?”
Miss Nightmare: “…I don’t even know myself… maybe just… a scary dream…”
Heinrich: “More like sleep paralysis…”
Miss Nightmare: “…Maybe…”
Heinrich: “Alright… you need to sleep…”
Miss Nightmare: “…Hmm… fine… but… your head… let me at least treat it.”

She did so, bandaging his wound.

Heinrich: “I’ve known you for five years… Fräulein Nightmare… You’re not doing well, are you?”
Miss Nightmare: “I don’t know…”
Heinrich: “That’s alright… You’re still young… you’ve been the leader since you were fifteen.”
Miss Nightmare: “…Lately… I feel like the others are suspicious of me… and don’t listen to me anymore.”
Heinrich: “I’m still here.”
Miss Nightmare: “I know…”

She leaned against his back.

Miss Nightmare: “…Heinrich… you’ll stay… won’t you… on my side…”
Heinrich: “…I will.”
Miss Nightmare: “Good… thank you.”
Heinrich: “I heard Sir Eisenberg is coming again in two days.”
Miss Nightmare: “Mhm…”
Heinrich: “Shouldn’t we be careful… about the children being hidden?”
Miss Nightmare: “How do you…?”
Heinrich: “I saw them…”
Miss Nightmare: “You also saw that I killed that  Black Eye Member.”
Heinrich: “Mhm.”
Miss Nightmare: “…Hmm.”
Heinrich: “You should stop… I may be loyal… but if the others find out, they’ll tell Sir Eisenberg… and you’ll get a very harsh punishment… probably death.”
Miss Nightmare: “Well… then so be it…”

He stood up.

Heinrich: “Thank you, Fräulein… I’m going now.”
Miss Nightmare: “Mhm.”

He left the room. But she didn’t know what would happen next.

A few minutes later…

Heinrich: “Hello… I want to speak to the Führer…”
Sir Eisenberg: “Hello. What’s so important to discuss this late… Who is this?”
Heinrich: “It’s me… right-hand man of Miss Nightmare… Heinrich Heidehof. My Führer… Miss Nightmare… is betraying us… She hid the children instead of killing them…”
Sir Eisenberg: “That’s fine… I’ll take care of that brat…”
Heinrich: “Jawohl, sir… good night.”

He hung up.

Heinrich: “Hahhh… hehehe… maybe I’ll become the leader of the camp when they arrest Miss Nightmare… hehehe…”