My Three Vampire Queens In The Apocalypse-Chapter 48: Prelude to A Blooming Romance [1]

"Where?"

"It’s one kilometer north from where we separated. You should come fast. They need help!"

Of course they needed help. At this point, it would be more shocking if anyone in this city said they were doing just fine.

The one I was talking to was Juli. Or more accurately, a beetle sitting on my shoulder that had somehow become my personal communication device. Its tiny legs shifted against my sleeve while her voice reached me in faint, uneven pulses.

It still felt strange, but not strange enough to waste time questioning it. Half a day. That was all it took her to figure this out, and I was still trying not to die in ways that would be embarrassing to remember.

I started moving after packing some food and essentials, my steps quick and steady as my mind began to catch up.

I had sent Juli to find Shia and the others after dealing with Hiding. Her insects could spread through the city like a living network, slipping through spaces no human could reach and watching everything without being noticed.

It made her the best option for scouting, even if that option happened to be a kid who should have been worrying about school instead of survival.

Not that this world cared about what anyone should be doing.

And yes, I knew how it sounded. Sending her out alone in a place like this was not exactly responsible. A child wandering through a city filled with things that could erase her without effort was the kind of decision people would normally question.

But she was not really alone. She had her insects - too many insects.

An unreasonable, borderline terrifying number of insects.

At this point, I was not even sure if she was controlling them or if they were all just collectively deciding she was their leader.

Either way, it worked. Juli found them. That should have been the end of it.

It should have been simple, but how could something be fine in this twisted world?

Because they needed help.

I frowned slightly as I turned onto another street, my thoughts narrowing around that one detail.

Shia and Charles were with Victoria the last time I saw them. That alone should have been enough to remove any immediate danger from the situation as long as she decided to spare them.

Victoria was not someone who needed protection. If anything, she was the problem other things had to worry about.

So how were they in danger?

The question stayed with me as I kept moving, my pace steady but my mind restless.

Unless she left.

The thought came easily, almost too easily.

Victoria did not seem like the type to stay in one place longer than necessary. If something bored her or stopped being worth her time, she could have just walked away without a second thought.

And if that happened, Shia and Charles would have been left completely exposed. That made sense.

It fit.

But something about it still felt off.

"Danger," I repeated quietly, the word refusing to settle in a way that felt right.

Because if it was just that, Juli would not sound like this. There was something else.

Something I was not seeing yet.

"Juli," I said, my voice lowering slightly as I focused, "do you see a small girl around the two people I told you to search for?"

The question came out almost on instinct, and for a brief moment, I hoped I was wrong. There was a pause, just long enough to stretch the tension.

"...Yes."

I did not stop, but something in me changed, my attention sharpening as that single word settled in.

A small girl.

Of course it was something like that.

Because in a place like this, the things that looked the least dangerous were usually the exact opposite.

"What is she doing?" I asked, my tone more focused now.

The fly moved slightly.

"...She is standing near them. Not moving much. The bugs do not go close."

That answer sank in slowly, piece by piece.

The bugs did not go close.

Juli’s insects were not brave, but they were not careless either. They moved where they could, observed what they needed to, and avoided what felt wrong.

If even they refused to approach, then whatever stood there was something they recognized as a threat on a level instinct alone could understand.

I let out a quiet breath, my thoughts aligning into something clearer.

So it was not just danger.

It was the kind of danger that did not need to move to be felt.

"Describe her," I said.

There was a slight delay before Juli answered again, as if she was trying to get a better look through the scattered eyes she controlled.

"...She is small. Maybe my age. Long white hair. I cannot see her face clearly."

That lack of detail only made the image more unsettling.

A figure without a face was always worse than one you could understand.

"...The bugs feel scared," she added, her voice quieter this time.

I almost laughed at that, though there was nothing truly amusing about it.

"Are Shia and Charles alive?" I asked, keeping my voice steady. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"...Yes. But they are not moving much."

Alive, but not in good condition. That was enough for me.

"Stay hidden," I said, my tone firm without needing to rise. "Do not get closer. Just keep watching from a distance."

"...Okay."

The connection faded slightly after that, but it did not disappear. I could still feel it, faint and distant, like a thread pulling me in the right direction.

I followed it without hesitation, my steps even and controlled as everything settled into place.

There was no point rushing blindly. There was no point hesitating either. A small girl that made insects afraid. It had to be Victoria.

The situation was not simple, but it was clear enough.

I adjusted my breathing, letting it even out as I moved forward.

Whatever was waiting ahead was not something I could afford to underestimate, and not something I could avoid either. Turning back was not an option, and rushing in without thinking would only make things worse, so I chose the only path that made sense.

I would move forward, stay alert, and deal with whatever was there when I saw it with my own eyes.

Because in the end, that was all I could really do.