Blue Moon

Chapter I

I woke up in a small bathroom with my face pressed against the door. Every inch of my body ached, my head pounded with every breath I took. I used the bathroom sink to help me pick myself up from the cold tile floor. My legs were stiff, my clothes a bit disarray from the night before. My hair was a tangled mess, and my face was left in tear streaks and mess mascara. My mouth was dry, and my hands were sore. I hardly recognized myself and yet, for the life of me, I couldn't figure out what had happened last night.

I washed what little makeup was left on my face, then turned to face the door. As my hand grasped the door knob, I felt it. I wasn't sure what it was, but it left my heart racing in my ears, and the adrenaline pumping through my veins. I was scared of something. Something that I couldn't even see. Something that waited for me outside this door. I hesitated. The last thing I remember clearly was being at a small party, my friends laughing at stupid television shows and some godawful music was playing in the background. There was nothing to be afraid of, and yet, here I was; being afraid to open the bathroom door. I took in a deep breath, then carefully opened the door.

At first, it was darkness that greeted me. A swarm of cold air rushed past my face, and the smell of vomit, and something else I couldn't quite figure out but whatever it was, it didn't smell good. My eyes adjusted to the early morning light that haunted the house. There was no sign of life, and absolutely no noise. The silence plagued my every senses, driving my nerves over the edge. I took another deep breath. I was being ridiculous, there was nothing wrong here. Everyone was just asleep, as to be expected from hosting a party so late at night.

Gingerly, I stepped out of the bathroom. My eyes glazed over the carpeted floor, and into the living room that greeted me. One girl was passed out on the couch, another kid was laying haphazard on the floor next to her. His head laid at an awkward angle next to hers. A dark stain was spread across the curtains behind him and covered most of the wall. My nose twitched.

It's alcohol. He probably got angry at some game and thrown it by accident. I reasoned.

Once I was sure there was no danger in sight, I continued moving through the house. I was almost too relieved to see the front door. My hands shook as I tried to unbolt the door, but as I twist and turned the door knob, the door wouldn't budge. I grunted in distress. My anxiety heightened. Something was wrong.

I turned away from the door and back down the hall way that lead off into the kitchen. There was a back door, that lead out into Brittany's backyard. Seeing the glass door, made my heart race with anticipation. I was excited to get out of there. I was excited to see the warm sunlight cascade through the oak trees, and hear the birds chirp. Just as I was about to reach the door, something caught my ankle, and I went tumbling onto the floor. My knee collided first with the ground, sending sharp pain through my body. I cried out. Turning sharply on my side, what I saw stopped me.

Brittany, or what was left of her, laid behind me. Her out stretched hand was covered in small teeth marks, oozing dried blood. Her should blade was missing a good chunk of her skin, flies swarmed her missing patch, as her shoulder twitched. She looked up at me. Her jaw left on it's hinges, her eyes wide with pain and fear.

"Help...me." She breathed, as tears came pouring out of her eyes. She began sobbing, her hand grasping my ankle. I screamed. I ripped my ankle out of her grasp, and scurried backwards. My back hit a cabinet. Brittany's head laid helpless on the kitchen floor, her tears mixing in with a puddle of blood. She sobbed until her throat gurgled. She looked at me with her cold eyes, her mouth still making out words.

I glanced around, now noticing the devastation. Tables were flipped over, chairs laid on their sides, the house itself was a wreck, there was no denying it. Blood splatter the walls and puddles of blood pooled around the carcasses. All around me, my fallen friends and classmates had their bodies ravaged. I couldn't recognize them anymore. Someone next to Brittany, probably Jennifer since she never left Brittany's side, gurgled in distress, and twitched helplessly. Her chest cavity was ripped open, by what I wasn't sure. She seized before never moving again. I now registered the smell I couldn't fathom before. It stung my nostrils, making my eyes water, causing me to heave.

Death was all around me. I was frozen in crime scene, unsure of what to do. Some part of me wanted to believe I was dreaming it all, another part of me knew it was real. I wanted to scream, to cry, to run away from it all and never look back but staring at my friends made the realization even more real. I sobbed. There wasn't any more tears to shed. I was dry heaving, and gagging. The sights and smells wrangled together sending me into a frenzy. On shaking knees, I rushed out of the back door, collapsing on the soft grass around me. I gripped the grass between my knuckles, and cried horribly. Suddenly, I stopped.

My eyes snapped to the large oak tree in front of me. Its large trunk glistened in the morning light in almost haunting way. The wind blew softly, sending wave after wave of the familiar stench of death. It was then that I heard something from the thick branches shift and then a small thump land in front of me. I threw my hand over my mouth to keep myself from screaming out.

A red headed female, around the same age I was, Lyla, I think her name was, grunted in pain as she too looked terrified at me. Her blonde hair glistened in the sun, as she slowly grasped my shoulders. She pressed her index finger to her lips as her blue eyes took in the scenery around her. I followed her gaze around the back yard, I saw it all now. The broken glass, the open windows of how the intruder came into the house.

"He might still be here. We need to leave." She whispered lowly. She looked me over, then helped me to my feet.

"You're hurt, " Lyla said, looking at my arm. Three long scratch marks burned itself into my upper arm. "I'll take you to the hospital."

Lyla helped me into a small black Kia, she smiled wearily at me. "I'll be right back, I'm going to go use their phone, OK? Mine got lost somewhere in all this chaos."

I wanted her to stay, my eyes widen in fear. I shook my head quickly and gripped her arm.

She laughed softly. "Don't worry, I'll be back." She didn't sound too convincing.

I loosened my grip on her, and watched helplessly as she ventured back into the death house. I hastily locked the car doors. My eyes scanned the neighboring forest. The down side to living in New Hampshire, was that there was always a thick forest around you, no matter where you went. When I saw nothing, I leaned back into the seat, taking deep breathes to help calm my racing heart. I opened my eyes after a few minutes of silence. My heart practically stopped in my chest. There, hidden in the woods, was an over sized wolf, masking in the shadows of the forest. It's illuminating red eyes glared at me, sending shivers up and down my spine. It was looking directly at me. I could feel its anger coursing through my veins.

Lyla's tapping startled me. I sat up abruptly, my eyes reluctantly leaving the wolf. She smiled down at me. I reached over to unlock her door. She climbed into her car, and closed the door behind her. Her eyebrow twitched when she saw my gaze return to the forest.

"They'll be here soon." Was all she said to me. She reached into her purse, pulling a plastic bag out. She reached into it, and pulled out a joint. I snickered slightly.

"Want a hit? It'll help relax you." She rolled down the window, and lit it. She took in a deep breathe, then exhaled slowly. My hands shook as I took the joint between my fingers. We heard the sirens from a mile away.

"What's your name?" She asked softly.

"Raven."

Lyla hummed in amusement. "Well Raven, looks like we're going to be okay."

Well there's chapter one! This chapter was dedicated to a great graphic artist, Dwain, who made the incredibly amazing book cover for this story! Hope you all enjoy it, feel free to leave a comment, or  vote, and don't forget to hit that follow button <3 thanks a ton for reading!