Transformation: The Clandestine Saga Book 1 (2 page)

             
A glitch in the passage of time took place and suddenly they were in the midst of the festivities.  Flashes of smoke and fire clouded her vision.  Many of the participants were masked or perhaps their faces were contorted.  They wound their way amongst the ghouls and specters.  A parade of undead gamboled by, clad in crimson and black, shrill laughter ringing, percussion jarring them along. A pair of eyes that seemed to see through her very soul. Pure evil incarnate.

              Suddenly, the search was on. Frantically looking, running about.  She did not know who or what she was looking for, but she knew she must become whole again at once.  And then a vision of horror. Scarlet droplets turning to an endless flow. Disbelief overshadowed by rage and it was over.  An incessant need to run, to escape, to flee this place, never to return.  They would never return....

             
Cadence bolted upright.  Despite the chilly room, she was sweating.  At first, she couldn’t remember exactly what she had been dreaming about but she knew she had been sprinting in her dream, and her chest heaved as if she had been truly attempting to outrun a predator.

              She wiped her brow on the sleeve of her flannel pajamas, and after a moment to compose herself, turned to her nightstand and a drink of water. Whatever she had been dreaming, it was terrible, and she was afraid to go back to sleep.  She glanced at the clock next to her bed. It was 3:00 AM.  She felt chills climbing up her spine as she realize at this time tomorrow, she would be at the Eidolon Festival.  Suddenly, she remembered, she had been dreaming about attending the fair.  But, if her dream was any indicator of what type of phantoms they might encounter at such a place, it wasn’t ghosts and ghouls they should fear. It was vampires.

              Cadence pondered making a phone call to one of her friends, possibly Sidney or Taylor. As the details from her dream came flooding back, it seemed more and more real. Considering the time, she decided not to disturb them, though she was sure neither of them would mind if she woke them up to discuss her trepidation. Nevertheless, it was in fact, just a dream.  She finally withdrew her stare from her iPhone on the nightstand and slid back down under the covers. She would talk to Drew the next day and tell her she didn’t think attending the Eidolon Festival was a good idea at all.

Chapter Two

              Kash’s mom had driven the same suburban for the last twenty-two years and, even though it was old and had no bells and whistles, it had enough room for all seven of them to ride in one vehicle, and so most times, it was their vehicle of choice. 

When they all piled in at 3:15 in the morning to make the short trip to Villisca, most of the girls did so reluctantly, particularly Taylor, who was actually crying, and Cadence, who had clearly lost her battle with Drew, and once again, given in to the sobs and declarations of attending solo.

              Typically, Sidney and Drew sat in the back because they were the most petite.  Cadence was shaped more like an athlete, and though she really didn’t have a much bigger footprint, she did have longer legs, so the other girls let her sit in the middle seat with Taylor who was just a bit more curvy than the other girls and Jack, whose position had changed from right next to Cadence to the far side of the seat once they decided to be “just friends.” Despite the fact that Jon had ridden shotgun approximately four thousand consecutive times, he still insisted on yelling “shotgun” as they approached the vehicle, just in case someone decided to challenge his position.

              This time, however, the seating changed just a bit.  Taylor and Cadence were ordered into the vehicle first so that the others made sure they didn’t try to escape. Though it was possible Taylor may turn and run at any moment, Cadence wasn’t going anywhere without Drew. She was determined to keep her younger friend in her sights the entire time and keep her safe, no matter what. She had no reason to suspect that this would be any thing other than a wild party, full of costumed drunks attempting to get lucky. Nevertheless, her dream had been enough to inspire a sense of caution and she was particularly concerned about Drew’s well being.

              Drew was sitting in the middle of the seat in front of her, so excited that she would not even buckle her seatbelt, but insisted on leaning up between the two bucket seats, shouting directions.  It had not been easy, but she had been able to procure the address for Percy’s Lot through an extensive online search of property records.  Luckily for them, there was only one Percy who owned a significant tract of land near Villisca, Iowa.

              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 to 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.