#wallcordevent

Dorian was pleased. Standing over the ballroom with blood streaked across the floor as he could hear shouting in the distance. The police would take a while to come, and he had his story planned for them. He stepped around the blood, surveying the room, simply taking a moment to admire it before it would be taped up. It was then he noticed the last thing he expected to see. "Lyra?" He ducked his head under the dessert table, how long had she been there? "Did you watch the whole thing? Oh, you poor girl, come. You shouldn't be here." She was ruining his moment.

Lyra could barely believe her eyes as she peeked out from under the dessert table, thankful that it hadn't been upturned in the chaos. She hadn't expected to find herself a spectator to the carnage, but when they came crashing in, her first instinct was to hide, and her drunken mind wasn’t able to remind her that running would have probably been a better choice. It was an instinct she regretted even more as the table cloth was suddenly flipped up to reveal Dorian Davenport staring down at her, his expression unreadable and a chill ran down her spine. It took her a moment to find her voice, and she barely recognized the sound as she spoke. “I-I didn’t know what to do.”

"Oh," Dorian shook his head, extending a hand to help her up. "Don't worry. I simply though most people would have ran at the sight of large...hairy creatures." He paused, "why did you stay?"

"I- um- I just acted on instinct, I guess?" She murmured, her throat suddenly dry. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears as she took his hand, staggering to her feet. Goosebumps ran up her arm and she found herself speaking again, her voice as soft and unassuming as she could make it. "Your wine does it's job well, and I may have overindulged."

Dorian narrowed his gaze on her, he didn't peg her to be a liar, but he could hardly believe she was being honest. He gripped her hand tightly has he helped her up, just a little too tight to be comfortable before snapping his hand back. "Is that so?" he growled, "maybe you should stay and have more? Why don't you tell me how you came to have such prying eyes."

Lyra felt her stomach drop as his grip tightened around her hand, before being pulled away. Part of her knew that the reason she stayed was just her own stupid curiosity, her fascination by all things supernatural--and the werewolves that attacked definitely fit under that descriptor--but she doubted he would appreciate her reasoning. Moreover, it really had been a subconscious decision to stay, her functioning brain having taken off after the third glass of wine. “I- um- I should find my sister. She’d probably worried and looking for me.”

“No!” Dorian barked, eyes glowing with red power as the door leading out to the ballroom smashed shut with invisible force. “Stay,” he reached out to grip her arm, tight and uncaring if she bruised under his grip. “It’s dangerous out there, don’t you know? There’s monsters. Stay where it’s safe. I’ll call your sister.” There should be 22 dead, just as the ritual detailed, but there was a sinking feeling in his stomach that one was missing. And it very well could have been Lyra.

Eyes widening in surprise and fear, Lyra backed away from Dorian, her mind trying to clear through what was left of the haze in her mind to figure a way out of the mess she’d gotten herself into. She honestly had no idea if her sister was even at the party, nevertheless whether or not she’d know she was missing. As his eyes glowed red, Lyra’s heart rate spiked, and she suddenly her mouth was moving and words were pouring out, her mind coming up with something resembling a plan. “Yeah, no, you’re probably right.” Shoving her hands into her pockets, she moved around towards the window as naturally as she could. “I- um- I’ll just wait here, if that’s okay? I- there’s- I just want to be further away from-.” She trailed off, glancing at the carnage by her feet.

He let her go, slowly, reluctantly. But her answer pleased him, and Dorian new better than to draw any more suspicion to him now. "Fine, I understand." He glanced down, blood covering expensive marble floors. "Have you seen blood before?" He asked, "I came home once to it, since then it looks like nothing to me..." he trailed on, not paying attention to Lyra. "It's our life, this disgusting red fluid, but I feel nothing for it. Not since it was stripped of me..."

Lyra felt her own blood run cold as he spoke, looking at the blood with a detached kind of- apathy? She couldn’t quite tell what his angle was, but she knew for sure, it was nothing good. “I have, but nothing like this.” She answered honestly. As he continued to speak, Lyra could tell he was drifting off in his thoughts and she took the opportunity to move closer to the broken window, trying to mentally orient herself. The last thing she heard him say before she broke into a run was chilling, but it only served to compel her to run faster. not since it was stripped of me. The thought alone sent adrenaline pulsing through her as her legs pumped under her, carrying her away from the house as fast as they could.

It took Dorian a moment to notice his missing audience, but as anger drained from him and the coldness he was used to settled in, he found himself not caring. He stepped up to the window she'd darted out of, watching her with curiosity. "Poor girl," he whispered. Without flinching, he snapped his fingers, red magic fluttering around them as she watched a shadow jump out from the bush and give chase to Lyra. The creature dropped to all fours and sped after her, effortlessly flying bye her. "Hanged," it growled, "hanged man." The wolf creature clung to Lyra's legs, pulling her to the floor as it dug it's nails into her right leg, slashing her in one long swipe.

The scream that tore from Lyra’s throat echoed through the trees as she found herself suddenly grounded, the searing pain shooting up from her leg nearly blinding her. Running on pure adrenaline, she forced her aching body to roll and began to kick at the creature--the werewolf--with her left leg. Thinking as quickly as she could, she reached up and pulled out her earrings as it lunged at her again. Shifting to the side, she just barely managed to avoid its chomping jaws, before stabbing at it’s neck, sinking the fish hook earrings into the skin just under its ear. With a loud howl, the creature stumbled back and Lyra used the last of her strength to hold her weight on her good leg, moving towards the sound of sirens in the distance, praying to gods she wasn’t sure existed that the werewolf behind her would abandon it’s task and she might get out of this situation alive.

“Kaia! Get out of your room right this instant!” 

The seventeen year old’s back went rigid, suddenly wishing the earth could swallow her whole. She knew that tone, knew what came right after it. What was going to get taken away from her this time... Car keys, her favorite books, the right to see her girlfriend? Oh God... Not her books. 

Slowly but surely, Kaia made her way out of her room, hands in the pockets of her jeans. There in all of her glory stood Jane Ryder, the older blonde tapping her foot as she looked in the direction of her new curtains. Her new burnt curtains. 

“Mom... I can explain. You see, what happened was... I’ve been feeling kind of down lately. And.. I guess my magic has been off and I just... Sneezed. And then the curtains were on fire and I’m sorry! You can have my money for the trip I was going to take with the school. I’ll just stay home, it’s fine.” Kaia rambled, trying to fix the situation. 

It wasn’t like she was about to tell her mother the actual truth. What had happened was her and her girlfriend had been making out and she may or may not have gotten a little too turned on and the curtains had miraculously caught on fire. Luckily, her girlfriend suspected nothing and Kaia had been mortified when she left. 

“Are you positive that’s the story you want to go with?” Jane looked at her daughter, hazel eyes scanning the younger girl’s face. “Because if I find out that you were having a boy over, I will find him and I will fillet him.” The smile was kind and also very much terrifying. 

Kaia blanched, realizing that she really needed to stop putting off the whole ‘Mom, I’m actually gay and into girls and boys are disgusting’ talk. Clearing her throat, Kaia wrapped her arm around her mom’s shoulders, giving her sheepish grin. 

“Mom, we need to have a talk.”

“Are you not a virgin anymore?!” Jane exclaimed, causing Kaia to choke on air before quickly trying to do damage control. 

“Mom, shhh listen. So... When a woman and another woman really love each other....”

“Mom? Are you okay?” 

Kaia had just walked in from a long day of college courses, intent on going and passing out on her bed when she’d walked into the kitchen and seen her mom looking absolutely terrible. 

“Yes, of course. I’m fine. Just a headache. We had some annoying customers today at work. If they don’t get their coffee in under a minute, people start to panic, I swear.” Jane gave an awkward laugh, waving her daughter away. “I’ll be fine. Just going to pour myself some wine and then cook dinner. How were classes?”

Kaia wasn’t sure if she believed her but it wasn’t like she ever really had her mom lie to her. They had the best kind of relationship a girl could ever ask for. “Okay mom, whatever you say. And yeah, classes were good. I am super tired though so do you mind if I nap before supper?” 

Jane nodded, shooing her daughter out of the kitchen with a kiss to her forehead before heading back over to the table. There laying on it was a black envelope, a white letter inside that had blood red lettering. She knew who it was from, knew that this would happen one day. 

I do hope you enjoy these last few months with Kaia before her twenty-first birthday.  Spend the time you have left wisely.  I’ll be waiting for her in Wallcord - M

As hazel eyes read the last bit of the note, they turned a darkened grey with a flash before settling back to their natural color. If she had been more alert, maybe she would have noticed the oddly suffocating feeling in her chest or the way something didn’t quite feel right. But she didn’t, she was too busy worried about her daughter and what would happen come July...

“Hi mom...” Kaia mumbled, looking down at the fresh earth. She knew better than to cry, this wasn’t what her mother would have wanted. No, she would have wanted fresh flowers and for Kaia to never come back to this god-forsaken town. “It’s me.”

Biting her lip, Kaia knelt down beside the fresh patch of earth, laying sunflowers on top of the freshly placed dirt. “I really don’t know how to do this without you.” Her voice cracked lightly, eyelids blinking to keep back tears. “I don’t know how this all happened. You were fine and then you just... Weren’t. And I still don’t understand how there was nothing the doctors could have done or even... Something magic could have done.”

Tears finally rolled down her cheeks, Kaia feeling her lower lip wobble from emotion. Blue eyes stared at the gravestone, reading the words written on it. 

Jane Elizabeth Ryder Beloved Daughter, Mother and Friend October 18th, 1973 -- July 19th, 2014

“I still don’t understand why the family chose these words for you. It’s not like they ever came and visited us in the states. But I.. I agree with the last two.” She sniffled, wiping her cheeks before looking up at the darkened sky. A low rumble of thunder could be heard, causing her to pull her jacket tighter around her body. “You were the best mom and friend I could have ever asked for. And I miss you... So much. I don’t know how I’m supposed to do this without you.”

Rain began to fall, Kaia taking this as an excuse to stand back up, staring down at the marble slab. “Thank you for teaching me to be the best version of myself. I’m.. I know you never gave me a middle name because you couldn’t decide on one. So I’m.. I’m taking your name. I’m Kaia Jane Ryder.” Lightning flashed across the sky, revealing a darkened form hiding behind a tree, watching the whole scene but luckily out of view of Kaia. 

“I love you mom...” Kaia whispered out, hands trembling as she began to walk away from the grave, knowing she had to start on those job applications. If she was going to have a fresh start, she was going to need to actually get a job....

A blood moon? If this wasn’t cool, she didn’t know what was. Kaia was literally buzzing all day, letting everyone know who had walked into her store that the moon was going to look amazing and that they should all try and see it. Most people had stared at her awkwardly but she just dismissed it. 

The door to her bookstore dinged, Kaia busy with something on the shelves behind the counter, her back turned to the person that had just walked into her store. “I’ll be there to help you in a minute! I’ve just got to get this all sorted first if that’s okay. I’ll lose my place if I don’t.”

The silence was honestly uncomfortable for a moment, Kaia not sure if she had offended the person who had entered, being as she hadn’t readily offered up her help as quickly as she could have. But then again... They could be perusing the books and not need her help. Just as she was reaching up to put one last book away, Kaia heard something that made her blood run cold.

“Hello sweetheart.”

Kaia inhaled sharply, the book dropping from her hands only to make a muffled clattering sound as it hit the floor. Slowly but surely, a now shaking Kaia turned around, her jaw quivering as she took in the sight before her. 

“Mom!” 

Before she could stop herself, Kaia was tripping over the books by her feet, quickly making her way around the counter and running up to her mother, almost knocking her over from the force of the hug. Maybe the whole lack of sleeping was getting to her or maybe Dorian had poisoned her food and she was slowly dying. At this point she didn’t care, not when she could smell her mother’s perfume, hear that familiar chuckle in her ear or feel the warmth as she was swayed back and forth in the hug. 

ABOUT

The moon is large and red, painfully hard to miss. The real oddity is rooted in the people suddenly showing up on the streets---the dead. Those you’d buried in Wallcord, those you’d love. They’re back, they’re breathing, and they miss you. Your neighbor, your mother, the man you killed last tuesday....not all the dead are back, but it’s currently enough to cause stir.

But there’s a catch, there always is. The risen may seem to be normal, and that might last for a couple of hours or days, but soon their minds will dissolve and they will become a memory of what you once knew. They will be monsters soon, ravenous and nothing like the people you once loved. 

Sweet lady Dolores would never hurt a fly, but now she wants your brain. 

WEREWOLVES

A supermoon had always been a praised event, a blood moon a sacred one...but this? This makes your blood boil and your body itch with anger. You may find it harder to control yourself, and angry for no particular reason. This will only last the night of the blood moon though, thankfully. Unfortunately those dead are still roaming around.

THE EFFECT OF THE BLOOD PRICE

Lyra gave her blood, it wasn’t enough to complete Dorian’s spell just right but it did do something else...

Hey, is that Lyra? No, wait. That’s Lyra, isn’t it? Hold on. There’s multiple Lyra’s?

Only one of them is a nerdy woman, the rest are soulless clones bent on murder...and on attempting to mimic the real Lyra.

These Lyras are a result of her blood being used to raise the dead, and are nothing more than spirits summoned as a result of the ritual.