CHAPTER TWENTY | ❝When The Halloween Turns Bloody (Literally!)❞
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"I SWEAR TO GOD these people have unicorns wedged between their asses," I grumbled under my breath while pulling the hood of my sweatshirt closer to my face.
The main square of Victoria Falls buzzed with the warmth of laughter and joy as people poured on the streets, their joyous faces shimmering under the maze of vibrant colors. The soothing smell of caramel and pies wafted through the air as the constant stream of customers kept flooding into the bakery shops, large packets of sweets and chocolates already dangling from their wrists.
Halloween had never been a dull holiday for me. Unlike Maria, I actually enjoyed going out, dressing up as ghosts, vampires, or fallen angels. My foster parents' blatant ignorance towards me gave me the perfect scope to sneak out and go trick-or-treating with the kids of my neighborhood.
And even when I moved out from their houses and shifted into my own apartment with Maria, I did not stop the custom. But ever since my own life turned into the next installment of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, I barely found this faux celebration of horror amusing.
A peal of laughter fluttered through the black device pressed to my ear.
"Nah." Christina giggled. "You're just bitter because you didn't get the CDs."
I grimaced at the mention of the incident.
Being a sucker for horror and slasher movies, Halloween meant nothing to me without having a Scream movie marathon. However, since my own set of CDs was left at an ex-boyfriend's house - who I had no contact with, I decided that it was time for me to visit the shop and get a new one.
However, when I found that the stock had been exhausted after waiting for an entire hour, I was practically livid. I had kept giving the other customers a sour eye while I rushed out of the store - huffing, and cursing.
"Please," I scoffed as a group of kids shuffled past me, their screams of 'Trick or Treat' drowned out by the town music. "Halloween has no meaning without Scream."
Christina snorted. "I prefer to disagree. 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' just works fine for me."
"Well, that explains your horrible taste in movies," I retorted as a small grin cracked over my lips.
"Hey!" she protested, but I could hear the laughter in her voice. "Rude."
I laughed - my shoulders swaying slightly as I felt myself relaxing for the first time since that day in Taylor's house. It was almost as if I was just a normal teenager who was planning to enjoy Halloween with her friends. A teenager who didn't have to worry about being murdered or get caught up in the paranormal world.
And even though, I knew that it was just a layer of momentary illusion and that everything would go back to the way it was when the sun rose up, I relished it.
Orange and yellow lights from the neighborhood houses washed over the street, making the air below the night sky shimmer golden. The carved pumpkins, accompanied by the makeshift monsters skirted the side of the roads, their sharp eyes glowing while their mouths open in a creepy and mocking smile.
"Are you sure this is okay?" I asked abruptly while fidgeting with the strap of my duffel bag over my shoulder. "What if Maria freaks out? Or gets mad?"
Maria had no idea that I was coming over to the Harvey's for Halloween. In fact, we hadn't even talked to each other ever since she moved away. There were neither any phone calls nor any kind of texts. Sometimes, it almost felt that she didn't exist. And maybe, I would have almost believed that it if it wasn't for me checking up on her through Christina every day and getting plagued by the nightmares every night.
I swallowed.
"Krystal," Christina grumbled from the other side of the phone, "she's still your friend. You know that right?"
"Yeah," I replied while digging the heel of my palms into my cheeks.
"She misses you," she spoke softly.
A dull pang reverberated within the chambers of my heart at her words and I bit the inside of my cheek. I missed her as well. Every-fucking-day. But I didn't have the courage to face her. Not after what I did to her and her life.
"But she feels really guilty, you know?" Christina continued, remaining oblivious to my silence.
I paused in my tracks.
"Guilty?" I echoed the word. "About what?"
I heard her taking in a sharp breath.
"About the way she," Christina stammered, her voice faltering a bit, "attacked you."
Instant understanding and regret washed over me and I shook my head rapidly.
"It wasn't her fault," I replied. "In fact, if it was anyone's fault, then it was mine."
"No it wasn't," she shot back immediately - her voice sounding firm. "Stop blaming yourself for everything, Krystal."
I let out a humorless chuckle. "No matter what you say, we both knew what happened that night."
"What happened that night was an accident."
"An accident caused by my negligency."
"Krystal-"
"How's she dealing with that, anyway?" I cut her off, not wanting to hear the sweet lies of consolation.
Because no matter what she said, we both knew the truth. There was blood on my hands. Of three innocent people. People who were my classmates. People who were my friends.
And I also knew that the stain of blood never washes away; it only darkens.
"Christina?" I asked while running a hand impatiently over my mouth.
For a moment there was no reply. A thick layer of silence blared into my ears, almost making me wonder if I had gone deaf.
Then: "She doesn't know."
I froze, feeling my mouth go dry. "What?"
Christina dropped her voice inconspicuously low, before speaking again. "She doesn't know that it was her."
My entire body tensed a little as I dragged the words out of my mouth, "I- I don't understand."
I heard her sigh.
"Vampires get high...when they consume a lot of blood." She explained. "And hence it's easier for the older vampires to manipulate them at that time."
My breath stirred within my throat.
"So what did you tell her?" I asked.
"That she just fed on them. She didn't hurt them."
Relief coursed through my veins at her words, only to be followed by a huge wave of guilt.
I fell silent.
According to Victoria Falls police, Bethany and her friends were still 'missing'. Still added to the pile of people who went crazy and did crazy things.
But I knew that they weren't.
"We need to forget it, Krystal," Christina spoke up tenderly, probably catching onto my silence. "It's no one's fault. It was-" she paused, her voice sounding dark and composed when she spoke again –"collateral damage."
I flinched.
I had tried not to let the devastation of their deaths destroy me. Tried to label their deaths as 'collateral damage', just like the way Christina did, and move on with my life. Tried not to let their screams of agony plague my nights and tried to bury the cries of their parents deep by their children's dead bodies.
But turned out that even my selfishness had its limit.
I sunk my teeth into my red-coated bottom lip as tears threatened to pool around my eyes.
"Look, Krystal," she began and I could hear the frustration bubbling in her voice. She was probably getting tired of this conversation as much as I did. "You guys really need to talk to each other, okay?"
"Okay," I replied meekly.
The street before me threaded down into a narrow lane – its long gravel path crammed between the two large and old buildings. Unlike the main square, this lane was deserted with only a few motorcycles and rotten pumpkins, lining the brick walls. The flickering street light above my head washed over the path, its dim light casting an eerie glow and pronouncing the absence of a single soul around me.
An unwanted shiver snaked down my spine, as I felt the cold winds tease the skin of my neck. I had traveled through this lane multiple times before, but never did it feel so creepy. And maybe it was all due to Halloween, but I couldn't ignore the static residing in the suffocating coat of atmosphere.
Dread coiled around the pit of my stomach and I quickened my pace instinctively.
"What's wrong?" Christina asked. "Are you okay? You sound a little breathless."
"Yeah, I'm okay," I replied, my eyes constantly flitting around my surroundings – trying to catch any ghost of movement. "Just a creepy lane."
"Where are you?"
"Near Noirsha," I replied.
She tutted.
"It gives me the creeps," she said. "And remember that this is coming from a vampire. What are you doing there, anyway?"
I pinched my nose as I passed by the garbage can – its horrible odor flitting through my nostrils. "Shortcut."
I heard her groan.
"I'll text Carter the location," she continued. "He's probably nearby. You two can carpool."
I immediately winced at the thought.
Carter and I hadn't talked to each other or even looked eye-to-eye ever since that morning. There had been this awkward tension between us which made my blood boil and my skin prick.
I really didn't want this night to get any worse than it already did. However, before I could let out my words of protest, I heard the loud beep clanging within my ears.
I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared at the dim screen – my eyes squinting under the curtain of darkness. The words "low battery" written in bold and white, blinked furiously twice before blackness spread over the screen – producing a small vibration before its farewell.
"No no no. Fuck no," I muttered furiously while pressing the power button aggressively.
But nothing worked.
I wanted to smash the black device into the cold brick walls.
"Of course it would happen," I gritted. "Classic horror movie move–"
I had screamed before I had heard the loud noise of an explosion above my head.
The grey and glimmering glass of the street light rained down over the street as an immense wave of darkness slammed into the narrow lane. Instinctively I shuffled away from the pole, my hands held defensively above my head as I peeked at the torn wire hanging limply down the wall – sparks still fizzling in its head.
My heart hammered loudly within my chest while I leaned across one of the walls – trying to calm down my erratic breathing. Beads of cold sweat trickled down the nape of my neck and I wiped them away with the sleeve of my sweatshirt.
What the fuck just happened?
I glanced around my surroundings – taking in the beastly darkness that now oozed out from the edges of the concrete structure, its malicious tentacles crawling and hissing at me.
I had no idea what happened or why it did. Maybe it was just a technical issue and I was simply overreacting but something within me screamed that it wasn't normal. In fact, since the moment I had stepped into this lane, nothing had quite felt normal.
It was almost as if I was walking into something dangerous.
And considering everything that had happened to me so far, I had given up on rationality. I had accepted that there were some things among us that science could not explain. Things that no one could explain and others wouldn't believe.
Things that we should never try to understand.
And hence, I did whatever the best my brain could conjure up at that moment.
I sprinted.
The heavy smacks of my converse hitting the ground reverberated in the air as the violent winds thrashed against my body, making my soft hair blow around my face furiously. My entire body buzzed with adrenaline and fear as I kept running forward, letting the den of darkness swallow me. I had no idea what happened back there, but I sure as hell wasn't interested to find out.
The haunting brick walls blurred around me as the lane seemed to keep stretching endlessly, its dirt-filled path twisting and curving at the turns.
"Damn it," I cursed. I really shouldn't have used this shortcut today.
However, a ray of hope finally roared within my heart as the intersection to the main road floated before my vision.
Yes. I was going to make it.
But before I could take another step forward, a sharp and piercing pain shot through my legs – causing my steps to screech to a halt. The cords of my muscles twisted agonizingly and I cried out, my knees immediately giving under me and sinking into the dirt.
"Semanto Finnia."
A whisper of chant brushed through the curtain of air around me – almost like a ghostly touch. And if it wasn't for the deafening silent canopying me, I would have thought that I had imagined it.
But I didn't.
"Semanto Finnia."
I cried out again as another round of pain spiked through my nerves – singeing the delicate tissues of my veins. Hot fire rushed through them as I gripped the groaning muscles of my limbs and tried to move them. But it only hurt me more.
My eyes widened when I saw the shadows slithering towards me – their vine-like bodies curling menacingly around my wrists. Everything was happening too fast. So fast that I didn't fucking know how to react. Blood pounded thunderously in my ears as I sat there on the street – paralyzed and completely defenseless.
"What the fuck?" I yelled. I knew that there wasn't anyone here to hear my cries of help, but I didn't care.
Thick and dark locks of my brown hair slapped against my face as I frantically tugged at the misty strings – trying to get free. However, the more I pulled, the more they seemed to strengthen around me.
I felt my stomach sinking when they successfully pulled me into a standing position, my legs still hanging loosely like they were made of a puddle. The blood running through my veins froze as I kept on restraining their pull, my teeth clamoring against one another.
I had no idea what the fuck was happening. Confusion and fear drummed within my chest as I felt the shadows dragging me backward, their veiny arms covering more of my body. I tried to scream, but another slender arm lay over my dry lips – stifling the bubbling shriek. I thrashed around violently.
I had to get out of there. No matter what I had to run away. I had to–
The air in my lungs rushed out immediately as I felt my back slamming against the cold brick wall. A wrenching pain snaked through my spine and I let out a soft and tired whimper. My brain had completely lost its capability to form any coherent thoughts by this point.
A blur of shadow burned before the line of my vision and my heart rate quickened at the sight.
I wasn't alone.
Someone was here. And they were pretty much coming towards me.
Instead of being hopeful, I felt the dread curling around my stomach as the shadow strode forward – his tall and hooded figure blending effortlessly into the army of shadows. The muscular build and the steep slope of the slender shoulders told me that it was a male figure.
Thousands of questions immediately swarmed through my brain as the bitter winds of fear licked the insides of the palm. I balled them into fists. I had no idea who this man was and from the creepy way he was walking, I knew for sure that he couldn't be my savior.
That's when another thought ran across my mind.
What if he was the one who was doing this to me? Or what if he's here to kill me?
Or what if he's Nathianel and he's finally come to attack?
I squirmed in the grasp of the shadows – my legs flailing and my body thrashing and twisting violently to get freedom, but up to no avail. I watched warily as the stranger stopped in front of me, the lines and dips of his face somewhat seeming familiar.
His shoulder-length green hair danced wildly over his shoulders as the rough and sour winds hurtled past him. His hands were clasped in front of him and his lips were sculpted into a terse line. There was something in his shining amber's orbs that made a shiver ran through my spine.
"Hello, Krystal," he said, his lips curling into a smile that almost looked like a snarl.
My breath hitched.
I knew that voice.
"Erik?" I squeaked, squinting my eyes under the curtain of darkness.
Shock slammed into me as I stared at the familiar slant of his face, the familiar stubby jaw, and the familiar rough plane of his cheekbones.
What the fuck?
I stifled a groan as my numb brain tried to formulate ideas. Ideas as to why he was here instead of being in his homeland, Washington, mourning his sister's death. Ideas as to why he had me pinned against the wall with his witchy juju and ideas as to why he was hurting me.
But nothing ended up making sense.
"You and I, I believe," he began, stepping up a little closer to me. His rough breaths scraped over my mouth and I tilted my head sideways, scrunching up my face in discomfort.
At this, his smirk only grew. He continued, "Have a little chit chat to do."
I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.
I was about to open my mouth to complain when a sharp pain cracked through my skull - causing me to shriek in immense pain and surprise. Black dots danced in my vision as I felt the throb tearing away at my core. Tearing away at every one of my senses and organs until I felt myself slipping beyond the world of darkness.
Okay, guys! So here goes another crappy and unedited chapter!! ISTG, I cringed so hard while re-reading it but my sleep-deprived state practically had zero energy to go back and edit. So, please bear with me.
Also, if there's any error or parts that need to be chopped off and flushed down the toilet, please let me know. I'm not really proud of what I'm writing nowadays and would really benefit from any kind of tips. Even slightest.
And now QOTD: Who's your favorite character so far? ---->
Mine is Krystal because she's a really interesting and fun character to write. I love to write about her sarcasm as well as the issues and complication she has. I love my other characters as well, but I have a soft spot for her (and Carter!)
Well, now let me know your thoughts in the comments.
Have an awesome day!