Enid stood there, completely dumbfounded, her mouth hanging slightly open as her brain refused to process what her eyes were seeing.
A vampire… turning into a bat?
That wasn't how vampires worked. This wasn't a movie. Bat transformations were folklore, not biology.
Her thoughts scrambled for something—anything—that made sense.
Okay. I'm just stressed, she told herself. Ethan got arrested. I've been worrying about him nonstop. My brain is clearly filling in the blanks.
That had to be it.
Stress hallucinations. Perfectly reasonable. Probably even common.
She nodded faintly, convincing herself.
The bat didn't talk. I imagined that part. I'm projecting.
Slowly, she turned toward Wednesday, hoping—desperately—that she would confirm reality was still intact.
"It's not your imagination," Wednesday said calmly.
Enid froze.
Wednesday hadn't even looked surprised. She hadn't needed to. She simply glanced at Enid's face, which apparently had broadcast every panicked thought in high definition.
"You went from disbelief to denial to self-gaslighting in under five seconds," Wednesday added. "It was… transparent."
Enid swallowed. "So… I'm not losing my mind."
"No," Wednesday replied. "This is happening."
Enid looked back up at the bat, then slowly at Wednesday, as if hoping one of them would tell her this was a prank.
"So… you're Ethan?" she asked cautiously.
"Yep," the bat replied. "In the flesh."
Before Enid could react, the bat leapt down from the branch. Midair, black smoke coiled around it, thick and fast, swallowing its shape. The wings folded into shadow, the form stretching and reshaping—
And then Ethan stood there, the smoke dissipating around him.
He was still wearing the orange prison uniform.
Enid stared.
She stared a moment longer.
Then, cautiously, Enid stepped forward and poked Ethan in the arm—just once, like she was testing an unstable reality.
Solid.
Very solid.
"…Oh," she said faintly.
"No need to doubt it," Ethan replied, stifling a yawn. "I'm real. I just took a temporary break from my cell."
Enid's eyes widened further, somehow finding room to do so. "You—you can turn into a bat?"
She glanced upward, as if expecting wings to sprout again. "I mean, I thought that only happened in movies."
"He can do many things you don't know," Wednesday said calmly.
Enid snapped her head toward her. "You knew he could do that?"
"No," Wednesday replied. "But I wouldn't be surprised if he could."
Enid stared at Ethan again, something between awe and concern flickering across her face. "That's… actually kind of amazing."
Ethan shrugged. "Perks of the condition."
He looked between them, finally taking in the vent, the tools, the building looming behind them. "So," he asked, "what exactly are you two doing here? And why are you breaking into a mortuary?"
"We came to find proof that you're innocent," Enid said quickly, a cheerful smile breaking through despite everything. "Like, actual proof. The kind that clears your name."
Ethan blinked. "Why?"
Enid faltered. "Why?" the smile faltering. She hadn't expected the question
"In two days, I'll be out anyway," he said evenly.
"Huh?" Enid looked genuinely confused now.
"The CCTV footage they have shows someone roughly my height and build," Ethan explained. "It was dark. My face isn't visible. And the only physical evidence they found was my shirt."
He met her gaze. "That's not enough. A judge will call it inconclusive and dismiss the case."
Enid frowned. "But—"
"So technically," Ethan continued, "this is inconvenient, not dangerous."
Enid crossed her arms, clearly unconvinced. "Okay, maybe legally you'll be fine. But emotionally? Socially? You were arrested in front of the entire school."
Ethan sighed, then reached out and gently patted her head.
"Why should I care what they think?" he said calmly. "I know I didn't murder anyone. That's enough."
Enid blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the gesture. "…Oh."
A few steps back, Wednesday watched the exchange.
An unfamiliar sensation twisted in her stomach—sharp, unpleasant, and completely unwelcome. She dismissed it immediately. Irritation, perhaps. Or nausea. Either explanation was preferable.
She cleared her throat.
"If you can stop displaying public affection," Wednesday said coolly, "we're standing in front of a mortuary, not a therapy session."
Enid flushed. "It's not public affection!"
"It is," Wednesday replied. "And it's nauseating."
Ethan's lips curved slightly. "Really?" he said.
He let the moment linger, his gaze settling on Wednesday. The look on her face was unmistakable—jealous.
He chose not to comment. Wednesday would never admit it—so he diverted the conversation.
"You're sneaking into a mortuary in the middle of the night to prove I'm innocent. I didn't realize I held such importance in your heart."
He opened his arms, mock-dramatic. "Come on. I'm touched."
Wednesday sidestepped him effortlessly before he could get any closer.
"Don't take advantage of the situation," she said coolly. "I'm only doing this for my investigation."
She shot him a warning look. "You happen to be collateral."
"Okay. In that case, I suppose I should say thanks," Ethan said.
"You can keep it," Wednesday replied. "I can tell you're not taking this seriously. Even when the police arrested you, you had that same smile. If my assessment is correct, you're just playing along."
"I have to say," Ethan said, "you're almost right."
"Almost?" Wednesday asked.
"When you see a child trying to pull a prank," Ethan replied calmly, "do you stop them immediately, knowing they'll fail? Or do you wait?"
Wednesday didn't answer.
"This is the same," Ethan continued. "I'm waiting. When the time comes, I'll deal with whoever is behind all of this."
He wasn't worried.
Ethan was only waiting for one thing—the resurrection of Joseph Crackstone. That was the moment that mattered. Recycling Crackstone would earn him more blood points than anything else in this town.
Until then, Marilyn's actions were tolerable.
As long as she didn't cross his line.
*****
A/N: The Patreon version is already updated to Chapter 68, so if you'd like to read ahead of the public release schedule, you can join my Patreon
👉 patreon.com/JamesA211