Rubuska: muffled Mmff. Get off me!
Deep Voice: Alright, she's down! Bring the garlic, stake, and salt!
Heavy hands cover her face, coal smoke, garlic, and earth choking her breath until she nearly faints.
Rubuska: Ugh! What're you ... chomp
Urgent Voice: Careful, Yakov! Don't let her bite you!
Finally, the grip loosens. She scrambles to her feet.
Her eyes adjust to the dark.
No vampires, no bats, no endless corridors, just an ordinary, if grim, old carriage.
Dozens of filthy "passengers" crowd together, ragged and tense, clutching makeshift weapons: iron rods, pans, even garlic and salt.
Yakov: Wait, it's just a kid. You're not a vampire, are you, young lady?
Rubuska: Course I am! You're looking at the heir of Dracula the Impaler himself!
They raise their "weapons" once more.
Rubuska: Whoa, whoa, whoa! Let's not be too hasty. This vampire's already got a full belly.
Rubuska: For now.
Yakov: Then tell us why you broke in here. And don't go telling lies.
Rubuska: I …
Rubuska tries to step back, but the cold iron door blocks her retreat.
Stowaway Passenger: Cut her some slack, Yakov. I don't think she meant any harm.
A woman's voice calls out, gentle but firm.
Yakov: Hmph. Reyhan, every time we try to act tough, you go soft on us.
Reyhan: Maybe so, but what other option do we have? If anyone hears us and comes looking, we're done for.
Rubuska: Sh-She's right. Let me go, and I won't say a word. I-I didn't see a thing, promise.
???: Ugh ... cough
A child whimpers in her arms, and Rubuska hesitates.
The woman hugs him closer, soothing him.
Reyhan: It's alright, Ivanushka. No need to be afraid. We've got our eyes on her.
Ivanushka: I'm not afraid. She isn't half as scary as those whizz-bangs.
The boy leans against the woman, one sleeve hanging empty.
Ivanushka: How much longer will we be stuck here, Rey? Will we really go to Budapest?
Reyhan lowers her head, stroking his hair softly.
Reyhan: Of course we will, little guy.
Rubuska: Budapest? Then, you're also …
No words are needed. The scene says it all.
That scent, too familiar. The nightmare returns, always chasing her ...
Young Rubuska: Kolyo sniffle Kolyo, don't fall asleep, okay?
Gunfire still echoes. A village burns behind her. She clutches her brother, unable to look back at the ruins.
Kolyo: Buska, I can't feel my legs.
Young Rubuska: They're just a bit numb. It'll pass. You'll be fine. sniff I'll get us out of here.
Flames tear across the sky. A shell bursts overhead.
Young Rubuska: ...!
Kolyo: I think my legs are gone.
Kolyo: It-It hurts, Buska. It-It hurts so bad. I can't—
Young Rubuska: Oh. You'll be fine, Kolyo, alright? Your big sister's here. You're safe.
Young Rubuska: You'll feel better tomorrow. You'll be better.
Rubuska: ...
Ivanushka: Um, Ms. Vampire, what happened to your eyes? They've gone all red and watery, like a white rabbit's.
Rubuska: Huh? Oh, it's nothing. Happens every time I think of a happy memory. It's a vampire thing.
Rubuska: Hm?
She hears a faint sound by the door.
Step by step, quiet and patient.
Yakov: What is it?
Rubuska: Shh!
Rubuska: Someone's coming.
Rubuska signals the others to hush then presses her ear to the door.
Rubuska: Strange, I don't hear anything now. Was it just my imagination?
She lowers her head and sees a dim yellow glow seeping through the crack.
A shadow blocks the light, swaying with the train.
Rubuska: ...!
She turns in panic but meets the gaze of a helpless boy.
Ivanushka: Are the bad men coming for us again?
Ivanushka: I don't want to go with them.
His blue eyes look almost clear in the darkness.
Once before, in a world of ash and gunfire, another boy had looked at her the same way.
Rubuska: Kolyo …
She draws a deep breath, making a solemn vow.
Rubuska: … You're not going anywhere. I swear it on my honor as a vampire.
Rubuska: Just leave it to me. I'll get you all to Budapest, safe and sound.
Turning back, she faces the door.
Rubuska: Now, keep quiet.
They hold their breath.
Dozens of eyes weave a net around her, holding her spine steady, sealing every path of retreat.
Rubuska: Whoever you are …
She spreads her arms, coat flaring wide, like a bat unfurling its wings in the night.
Rubuska: Sh-Show yourself! But don't think I'll let you touch a hair on their heads!
COMBAT
An effortless battle, yet the defeated refuses to yield.
???: Oh! That's quite enough!
???: I'm warning you—no fangs on the train, Rubuska.
Rubuska: Huh? What are you doing here?
Hearing her name called in that familiar voice, the girl slackens her grip.
Semmelweis: Funny, I had intended to ask you the same thing.
The yellow beam falls across weary, half-wild faces.
No one speaks. Her speed and skill intimidating the onlookers.
Semmelweis: No sign of Squad 77, and these people don't look like Manus, either. Could they be the "cargo" she was talking about?
Semmelweis: Are they civilians?
She pauses for a moment, then speaks again.
Semmelweis: Who brought you on board? The conductress? Think before you answer. I know more than you think.
Semmelweis: Why are you on this train?
...
Silence. Eyes filled with unease and suspicion fix on her. She knows only sincerity will break through the wall between them.
Semmelweis: Just listen please, I don't work for the border patrol, the army, nor the railway.
Semmelweis: If it's war, famine, or death you're running from, well, who could blame you? In times like these, anyone would do the same.
Semmelweis: My business here is with a vampire. If you don't have anything to do with one, then your purpose here is of no concern to me.
Stowaways: A vampire?
All at once, they turn to Rubuska.
Rubuska: Huh?
Rubuska: Could she mean me? Did you come here looking for me?
Semmelweis: I can see what you're all thinking, but it's not her. I thought perhaps it could be hiding in this carriage, but it appears I was wrong.
Rubuska: Oh ...
She nods, unsure whether in relief or regret.
Stowaway I: So the stories are true. Good thing we came prepared!
Stowaway II: That vampire … It won't find us, will it?
Worried murmurs ripple through the carriage.
Semmelweis: Look, I'm willing to help you, but only if you give me some information about yourselves. After all, trust is a two-way street, right?
Yakov: I understand.
Yakov surveys the faces, sighing under his breath.
Yakov: We're refugees; we come from all over. Someone offered us a way out, and we took it. It's nothing more than that.
Yakov: We were told to wait near Belgrade station until a train stopped.
Yakov: They said someone would attach this carriage to the rear, and as long as we kept our heads down and stayed quiet, we could make it across the border.
Yakov: As for the conductress ... She didn't speak much. She said there'd be people on the other side, people who'd feed us, give us medicine, help us start a new life in Budapest.
Yakov: That's the whole of it.
Semmelweis: She's taking a huge risk for you. Smuggling you across the border could put her behind bars. She asked for a fair price, I assume?
The passengers shake their heads.
Reyhan: No, nothing. Only that we keep quiet and never speak a word about it to anyone who doesn't need to know.
Rubuska: Whoa ... I never would've figured her for something like that.
Semmelweis: ...
Semmelweis: But that Manus insignia ... How did she get it? And why did she give it to those soldiers?
Semmelweis: And I can't forget that the rest of my squad has vanished without a trace.
Semmelweis takes a glance outside—an unyielding screen of white snow.
She checks her watch.
Semmelweis: We'll be reaching the checkpoint any minute now.
Their time is short.
As if to confirm her calculation, the train begins to slow.
Yakov: We're stopping again. What's going on?
Yakov presses close to the door, peeking through the crack. His eyes suddenly brighten.
Yakov: You're right. It's the border checkpoint!
Yakov: Good news, folks—by tomorrow, we'll be out of the country!