by ID Johnson
It was unseasonably warm and most of them were only wearing light coats or jackets. Drew was wearing a bright red cape and had also brought a Guy Faux inspired mask. Drew was disappointed that no one else had decided to wear a costume, but she was so invigorated that they had decided to go, she let her disappointment lay.
It hadn’t been easy for Drew to convince Cadence to come along. In fact, she had been forced to turn on the tears. Cadence had showed up earlier that day, adamant that this was a dangerous idea, and that someone could get hurt. They weren’t invited to these festivities; they didn’t know anyone else who was going to be there, and for all they knew this could be a group of devil worshipers. Drew had snickered at the last remark, which made Cadence angry. She explained what she had dreamt and that it had not ended well and, though she was aware it was just a dream and, no, she didn’t think it was a premonition, per se, it did make her more aware of the fact that what they were doing was potentially hazardous and they should just find something else to do. By then, however, Drew had already purchased her costume and made arrangements to sneak out of the house. There was no way she was going to change her mind, and if Cadence didn’t want to go, she could just stay home by herself. Drew was going. Period. End statement.
So Cadence had to go, too, because she was not letting Drew go without her, no matter how many gentleman escorts she may have. If Drew was going to put herself in a vulnerable situation, then Cadence was going to follow. She just wished she hadn’t quit karate lessons in the third grade.
It didn’t seem to Cadence like it took very long at all to reach what Drew was sure must be Percy’s Lot. At first, there didn’t appear to be anything at all happening in the open field west of town. In fact, the countryside seemed to be sleeping. Then, Kash noticed a soft orange glow off in the distance and they realized there would be some trekking involved in reaching their destination.
They decided to pull into the field and drive in the grass for a bit, an attempt to determine whether or not there was an actual designated parking area or if they were supposed to hoof it from the road. As Kash carefully made his way over the uneven surface, they began to see dark shapes in the distance and realized they were, in fact, other vehicles. The sound of music wafted through the air, and Drew began to sway in time to the beat of the drums.
As they poured out of the vehicle, Cadence paused for a moment to look up at the sky. A soft haze illuminated the night around the festivities, but the rest of the firmament was nothing but ebony, crowned by a full moon sliding below the horizon, its pale orange hue lending an air of foreboding. Cadence knew this scene looked familiar, and she braced herself for what she felt may come.
As they approached what seemed to be an entrance, the entire party tensed up. They had no idea if they would be charged a monetary fee, required to show an invitation, or sign over their first born child. There was no gate, however, no ticket-taker. Only a ring of tents, haphazardly thrown up to create some sort of perimeter and several more temporary dwellings within the outer circle. It was difficult to ascertain exactly how large the area was. Several bonfires were strewn amongst the structures, and the smoke created a permanent fog that hovered around them. There was also a thin layer of fog that sat right on top of them, lending itself nicely to the eerie setting. As if reading her mind, Jack leaned over to Cadence and said quietly, “All we need now is a creepy castle and we’ll be all set.”
Perhaps what was more disturbing than the setting was the partygoers themselves. Many of them were wearing costumes, much to Drew’s delight. There were many more who needed no costumes; they were even more frightening than those in masks and capes. Everywhere she looked, Cadence saw complicated facial piercings, brightly colored hair, and any skin that was showing (and there was a lot, despite the cooler temperatures), was tattooed. These were not your typical, “Mom” tattoos either. Rather, the majority of them depicted horror scenes and fantastic creatures hell-bent on ripping one’s lungs straight from one’s chest.
If anyone noticed they did not belong, they said nothing. There were a handful of other lost souls wondering around, eyes wide open, mouths ajar. But the majority of the attendees had clearly known what to expect and they were there to revel in their own unique world of horror.
“Let’s go home,” Cadence pleaded, turning to Jack and placing her hand on his arm.
It was loud and difficult to hear. “What’s that?” he asked, leaning towards her.
Cadence glanced around again. She seemed to be making eye-contact with many of the revelers now and their piercing stares seemed almost mesmerizing, not in a way that made Cadence feel comfortable or safe. “I said, I think we should go home,” she repeated more urgently.
Jack had heard her this time and he was nodding his head. Drew was still walking ahead of them, giggling with delight like a small child at her birthday party. Kash was close behind her, though his expression was not quite as chipper as his ex-girlfriend’s. Taylor and Sidney were both cowering behind Jon, only peering out from around his shoulders from time to time to make sure no boogey-men were about to pounce on them. Taylor was still crying, and it actually seemed to be working against her because it was drawing stares from the fiends around them.
“I’m not sure we are going to be able to get Drew to come with us just yet,” Jack explained.
Cadence knew he was correct. The only way they were going to get Drew back in to that vehicle was if they picked her up and carried her. “Maybe we can convince her,” she said, letting go of Jack’s arm and walking toward Drew, who was bouncing up and down to the beat of the drums.
Out of the corner of her eye, Cadence saw a flash of black, perhaps a human form, but moving much more quickly than any human ever could. She turned to see what it was but by the time she was able to whip her head around, it was gone. She made a mental note and continued to attempt to catch up with Drew.
Placing her hand on Drew’s shoulder, she pulled her back gently in an attempt to get her attention. Drew didn’t seem to notice as she was enthralled by the music. Ahead of them, some belly dancers were entertaining a crowd near a small bonfire, and Drew pulled away from Cadence, headed in that direction. In the speechless environment, they had to rely on expression and gestures so Cadence and Kash locked glances and followed.
As they approached the small group of belly dancers, Cadence could see a sizeable group of musicians off in the distance. There was a crowd congregated nearby and every dancer was a portal unto him or herself, moving and gyrating however the music moved them. There were only a few couples dancing together and they seemed to be performing some sort of mating ritual, or perhaps a few of them were mating, though Cadence did not wish to stare hard enough to find out. She did notice that a few couples slithered into the forest near the dance area, and she could only assume they must be consummating their relationships.
Drew seemed so fascinated by the belly dancers that she didn’t notice the other dancing going on behind her. Cadence was hopeful it would stay this way. She wasn’t exactly sure where the rhythm might take Drew, but she was afraid it wouldn’t be anywhere closer to home.
As her petite friend swung around in circles, swaying to and fro with the beat, attempting to move her hips similarly to the more accomplished dancers, Cadence turned to check on her friends. They were all still there, all still together. That, at least, was something to be grateful for. She turned back to Drew in time to see some sort of an Egyptian hand-flare, like something out of a Bangles video, and shook her head in disbelief. Kash began to dance along with Drew, an indicator to Cadence that, from his perspective, this whole thing may have been his attempt to re-hook-up with his ex-flame, and Cadence had to look away in disgust.
She noticed the outline of a figure dressed in black just against the trees, near where the band was entertaining the crowd. She peered more closely and the person, what appeared to be a muscular man, faded back into the darkness of the trees and disappeared. She almost rubbed her eyes, attempting t
o determine whether or not they had been playing tricks on her. Why was she seeing these odd creatures? Were they real or imagined?
Just then, a loud booming began to shake the ground. From what appeared to be the back of the outer circle, a stream of percussionists started to pour out of one of the tents. They began to dance their way down the worn dirt path, banging methodically on their instruments, winding their way around the perimeter of the circle. There were other musicians within the parade as well, but it was the deep vibration of the bass drums that carried the reptilian line along.
Most of them wore costumes, almost all in shades of red. It was difficult to see anyone’s full face. Either a half mask, paint, outlandish make-up, or an instrument hid most of their faces from view. Cadence was standing directly beside the route, and she soon felt Drew’s arm slip through hers, as she bounced up to get a better view.
As the procession began to wind down, the crowds along the route started to cheer. Tailing the parade was a small group of individuals who seemed to be of some significance. They slowly came into view and, as they did so, Cadence felt a chill the length of her spine. She knew she had seen those eyes before. The pale white skin, bright red hair, blood red lips. She recognized her instantly. This was the woman from her dream, the one she had been running from.
Beside her, Drew was gasping as well, but not at the woman. Once Cadence collected herself, she glanced at her friend to see she was blushing, staring incessantly at the man walking next to the redheaded woman. He had a dark complexion with jet-black hair and steely eyes just as piercing as his companion. And, much to Cadence’s dismay, those piercing eyes were firmly planted right on Drew.
It happened rather quickly, and Cadence wasn’t exactly sure what was transpiring until it was far too late. Just as the party approached where she was standing, the man reached out to Drew, taking her by the arm and pulling her into the parade. Kash was too far separated from her to get there in time and the rest of their group was on the other side of the parade, so Cadence knew she had to act on her own. She reached after Drew, stepping into the parade route herself. Just then, the woman with the red hair bumped into her. Cadence shuddered when she felt the coolness of her body against her arm. She looked up into penetrating gray eyes, suddenly frozen with fear.
Her voice like the hiss of a snake, the woman opened her ruby red lips and snarled, “You should be very careful to watch where you are going!”
Cadence said nothing, only stared into those mesmerizing eyes.
“Otherwise, you might get hurt!” she continued, pushing Cadence backwards, into the crowd and away from where Drew was disappearing. Cadence caught herself, no longer petrified, and fought her way back to the front of the crowd.
The tail end of the parade was just passing and she was back together with the rest of her friends. She could still hear Drew giggling as she rounded the corner, dancing along with the dark man.
“We have to follow her!” Cadence yelled to the rest of the party.
Those who had been standing on the other side looked confused. They had not seen Drew become swept up into the parade. “What are you talking about?” Jon asked, his arms now around both of the other girls.
“Drew!” Cadence exclaimed. They began to glance around, just realizing that she wasn’t there.
“Why bother?” Kash asked, a look of defeat on his face.
“This is no time for pity parties,” Cadence said as she began to step forward down the path where Drew had disappeared. “If we don’t find her, something awful is going to happen.
“That’s what happens when you go off with strange men at parties,” Kash said nonchalantly.
Cadence spun on her heels. “Listen, you may have come here with the idea that you and Drew were going to hook up, but this situation has just escalated beyond what may or may not hurt your feelings.” Then, turning to Jack and Jon she said, “I’m telling you, if we don’t find her, something bad—very, very bad—is going to happen to Drew. I jut know it.”
Regardless of how Kash felt about the present situation, it was evident to all of them that they needed to find her immediately and get the hell out of there. Taylor burst into tears and Sidney dropped Jon’s arm so that she could comfort her. Cadence sighed, they were wasting time. “Look, Jon, why don’t you take the girls back to the suburban, and we’ll find Drew and meet you there?”
Jon hesitated. “Are you sure you don’t want me to help find Drew?”
Cadence nodded. “I think we can find her faster without the three of you, and I don’t want to lose anyone else.”
He nodded and began to usher Taylor and Sidney away. “No, wait!” Sidney yelled, spinning back around. “I want to help!”
“No,” Cadence, declared. “You’ll be more helpful in the car, praying, where we know you’re safe.”
As if she had been given a command, Sidney nodded her head in understanding and turned to go. The little party walked quickly, and Cadence would not have been surprised to see them break in to a sprint. What she was surprised to see was that they were clearly being followed by two figures dressed all in black. This time, she could easily see they were a man and a woman. They followed at a distance, never speaking to each other or anyone else, and although she had no idea who they were or why they might be following her friends, her instincts told her this was alright, and she needed to concentrate on finding Drew.
By the time the others had left and Cadence continued down the path the parade had followed, she couldn’t even see the end of the chain anymore. In fact, the crowd had filled in the trail so completely; she had to push her way through just to continue her search.
Upon reaching the tent at the back of the outer circle, where the parade had begun, she realized Jack and Kash were now far behind her, several groups of people separating them. She sighed in despair, running her hands through her long brown hair and stomping her booted foot on the ground. There, in the dirt, she saw a Guy Faux mask and realized it must be Drew’s. Picking it up, and feeling overwhelmed by helplessness, she yelled, “Dammit!” She knew she should wait for the men. They would, most likely, be a far better match for the dark man than she was. However, a feeling in her gut told her that, if she didn’t go right now, Drew was going to be in far more trouble than any of them wanted to think about. Glancing over her shoulder, she decided to press on with her search, though she had no plan and no idea where Drew might be. As she turned back around, she bumped directly into someone. At first, she assumed it was just another partygoer, but then she noticed his outfit and realized he was dressed entirely in black leather. He was only there a split second before he disappeared, a flash of black against the white tent beside her. It was almost as if he wanted her to be aware of his presence. There was only one facial feature that caught her attention and that was his piercing blue eyes.
Cadence shook her head violently, attempting to clear her thoughts, and took off towards the band and the area where the dancers continued to revel. She peered through the crowd, mask still in hand, jumping up to see if a different vantage point improved her perspective, which it did not. She became aware that there was a mounting presence of black-garbed persons on the perimeter of the dancers, and this alarmed her a bit. However, she knew she needed to find Drew immediately and she was unable to let anything distract her from this mission. Jack and Kash were nowhere to be seen. She paused for just a moment to consider where Drew may have gone. Just then, she saw a couple slinking off into the protection of the trees, and she realized that Drew must be in the forest.
She took off into the woods, instinct completely guiding her now. She was moving so quickly, yet she was able to make her way between the twisted branches that reached for her coat and nipped at her hair, hardly making contact with any of them. As she weaved between the obstacles that lay between her and Drew, she began to ponder if this was what it was like to have an out-of-body experience. She was cognizant of what she was doing, but it was all happening so quickly, it seemed surreal
. It was as if she was being guided by an internal force that knew exactly where Drew was and which path she must use to reach her the quickest.
Cadence began to hear noises in the trees in front of her. She knew that many couples had ventured off into these woods, and it was possible that she may come across someone else, but as she stepped into a clearing, she realized she had seen this unfold before. She was not at all surprised to see the gray eyes of the dark man staring directly at her, his mouth wide, razor sharp teeth exposed. Drew was there, her bare back glistening in the light of the few stars that had made their way through the clouded heavens. He knelt beside her, his hand cupping her head and even from this distance, Cadence could see she was too late. A thin scarlet line trickled it’s way down her long, pale neck, dripping off of the back of her shoulder.
She had seen it all before in her dream. She knew what would happen next. The way he was looking at her, as if Cadence would be his next meal, she began to think, perhaps he had also had a premonition. She wasn’t willing to wait to find out. The anger boiling up inside of her was too much to contain. As he stood to meet her, she ran straight for him, tossing the mask aside. She had no weapon, but she felt she did not need one. He opened his mouth so widely, she could no longer see his eyes, as if baring his teeth would somehow frighten her into submission. It did not. As he stepped towards her, she agilely stepped around him, grabbing his skull from the back. In one complete motion, she cranked his head from one shoulder to the other, ratcheting his neck, causing a popping and cracking sound like nothing she had ever heard before. She continued to pull until she realized she was holding his head in her hands, his severed body tumbling to the ground beside Drew.
Cadence knew that, if she were to pause and think about what had just happened, she would fall to pieces. Instead, she tossed the decapitated head aside and knelt to ascertain the condition of her dear friend. She could plainly see that blood was flowing freely from two puncture wounds on her neck. She felt for a pulse and found none. She looked around, hoping to see Jack or Kash, thinking they could help carry her out, get her to a hospital, possibly resuscitate her. They were not there, but she realized she was not alone. There was no time just now to address the man in black with the piercing blue eyes who had suddenly shown up directly to her left. Rather, she turned back to Drew, feeling for a pulse, contemplating whether or not she should go for help or begin CPR. She hurriedly adjusted Drew’s clothing, standing now and peering through the trees, not sure if the noises she heard around her where her friends, or perhaps, more enemies.