Nine.....1653

Screams were heard ubiquitously when the ceremony was over. It had affected thousands of people across long distances, but those who didn’t know of the Aphotic Orb and what it had done, they treated all affected by it as if they were ill.

What have I done? Thad Winch thought to himself, as he watched people in the streets writhing in agony and screaming for the mercy of God.

The Orb seemed to affect people randomly, not everyone was getting ill by it. But he knew it was not an illness, he knew the pain felt, the blood vomited, foamy mouths and seizures were not caused by a bacterium, virus or fungus. He knew better.

The Orb was out of control, suspended in mid air in that chapel. The waves it radiated had blown out the stained glass windows, and it was so bright there was no way of looking at it. The ethereal sound it made was beautifully terrible, like the warning device of a pending apocalypse. Thad had never been, or never would be more afraid in his life.

Over half the population of those affected had died within days, a tortuously slow death. Thad  blamed himself because of his greed. He had wanted this, it was all his doing, and yet it was the love of his life Paloma Lowry who lay screeching and undead, while he could do nothing but nurse her through the pain.

For almost a week the Orb kept shining and releasing its dire scream, still affecting people, no one would ever know why it went on for so long, or what had stopped it. Some said �" some who knew �" said it had claimed who it wanted, Thad himself, and he died as the most of them had. His body was burnt and his ashes blown away.

But then there were those who lived. After days of pain, where death would’ve been a clemency, it all eventually stopped. They fell asleep. Simply stopped screaming and Paloma and the other survivors fell into a sleep. However, when they woke up they were hungry, and they attacked whoever was nearest, doctor, priest, father, or sister. They drank their blood like the vampires of myth, but wholly consumed their body as well, down to the white marrow of their bone, these monsters left nothing behind. When they realised what they could do, and what they were, they grouped together and went after the Aphotians in ravenous revenge. They hunted them down and consumed them ruthlessly.

The taste of Aphotians was different, it gave them more power and strength than consuming humans, and they could go much longer between meals, so the young bloods, the animalistic para-humans sampled other being, enjoying most Humanic’s barring the Eloremen shape-shifters. It is believed that it was the blood closer to the angels that provided them with the most fulfilling sustenance. The Fey was also a deliciousness to them, though it had a vile taste, it was powerful. They became addicted to devouring whatever they could and only turned to humans in times of great starvation and withdrawl.

The Humanics were angry at the Aphotians for unleashing these creatures of death, but was Fey Queen Velaura and her people who attacked them in scarlet rage. The Aphotians began dying out, constantly battling para-humans and Fey; the Xomos were also a constant threat, like one mongoose stuck in the centre of attacking cobras, it would fight, fight until it was dead.

It was years later that the desperate Aphotians made a deal with the mosters who called themselves Rrath, they agreed to end their fighting if the Rrath would only hunt the Fey and no Humanics, not one of the Humanics would intervene.

Velaura did not take this sitting down; the Fey had been there before the Humanics and she intended them to be there long after. They banded together and no longer lived hidden among humans, they his themselves away, and in places Humanics know not to tread or risk incurring her wrath. To this day Fey are known as vengeful and still angry, maybe alone they had little power, but together in their masses they are unrivalled.

This made sticking to their treaty very hard for the creature to do; walking into Fey land was walking to you death. As Rrath numbers began to fall a group was started, they called themselves the Skulrose Rrath, they decided that they were entitled to the blood and body of those who made them, and anyone else they desired. The Skulrose broke the treat and killed off any Rrath who didn’t fall to them, so many pledged their allegiance either because they believed in the cause or because they feared death and hunting Fey was progressively growing harder.

Now the Skulrose rule the Rrath, and fight an endless was with the Aphotians. And the Fey are rarely, if ever, seen outside of their townships.

To protect themselves, the Humanics formed the allegiance and kept their peace, it worked for the most part until the beginning of the twenty-first century, when the Rrath came up with a plan to decrease Humanic numbers; a full scale massacre, no devouring, no consumptions, just killing as many as they could. The great massacre caused many deaths, but on the whole benefitted the Rrath as to this day there are still more of them than Humanics. The Rrath are some of the most powerful and influential people in the world and are constantly on the hunt. Their only other priority besides devouring Humanics, is defeating them, by entering their meta-realms or recovering the lost Spirit Orb, they would gain power and control over Aphotians, and maybe all Humanics. The only thing that will remind you they are not to be toyed with and keep you alive, is fear. Fear them.

 

***

 

“The Great Massacre killed off many Aphotians in Chicago, there are very few left above the age of eighteen and there’s been a surge in how many Chosens have joined us, plus most of the Borns our age have been orphaned by the Great Massacre. But on the plus side in Chicago the Rrath numbers fell tremendously compared to other places in the world, their leader is pretty young,”

“His name is JC,” Ivory said, a warning tone to her, “And he’s a sadist,”

“What’s he like? Have you met him?” she asked, still haunted by the story.

The two exchanged a look. “Dangerous,” was all Ivory said.

“What’s he l-l-l,” she stammered.

Losing her grip on the umbrella, it fell to the ground in front of her. Before she knew what was going on, she was on the cold wet grass too.

The park became a blur of colour, mostly green and grey, which kept going back every time her eyes rolled back into her head, and she could barely hear the words Crizanto and Ivory were speaking. Her body was moving so fast she couldn’t tell when her limbs were hitting the ground or the benches. Why are they moving so fast? She couldn’t control her muscles, but she could feel everything. She tried to speak, to say something, anything, but realised the gargling sound she heard was coming from her own mouth �" her tongue was spasmodic and her motuh frothy. Genny panicked and screamed as if it would help, annoyed her basic human survival instincts were to do exactly what wasn’t working, only louder.

One of them turned her onto her side �" or maybe she fell that way �" and to her horror she wretched blood.  After about two minutes her spasm turned into random tremors and her teeth ground themselves together, her eyes stayed in the back of her head and everything was pitch.

It wasn’t long before it all stopped, though it felt like an age. Without her glasses, Genny was still blind and she reached around for them until someone placed them in her hands. Feeling her neck, she made sure her mother’s necklace was still intact, and let out a sigh of relief.

“Argent, Argent, are you okay?” Ivory said, “That was just the seizure we told you to expect, it’s over now, you’re lucky you were with us while it happened,”

She coughed. “I, I felt like I was going to die,”

“You’ll be fine,” Ivory smiled, “Better than fine, it means it’s nearly time for you to turn,”

Her phone buzzed, it was an angry text from Natalia, missing family dinner on a Monday to Thursday was a big no-no. Natalia was bent on keeping them traditional Latino, ‘modern American families barely even know each other’s names,’ is what she said.

“I’ve gotta go,” she said to them.

“Are you sure? You might be in shock, I don’t know if we should leave you on your own,” Cris said

“I’ll be fine,” she replied, filled with the sudden urge for the familiar. She didn’t like what they were doing to her, or the Lake or whatever it was that controlled them, “Can you charm my bracelet again?” she asked, though slightly embarrassed about being scared of the Xomos, she wasn’t ready to become one.

They took the bracelet from her and performed the same ritual as before, their words eerily floating in the air. She slid the coal beads back onto her wrist and left them there at the park. Halfway home she remembered something she’s forgotten entirely; God, where did they stand religiously? Though she did notice the wooden rosary beads Crizanto wore around his neck, but maybe they were just for show.

Once again she like she’s been listening to a fairy story, how had all this happened without the rest of the world noticing? There was war and death everywhere but she’d never pictured it so close to home, who would she want to be a part of that?

And she couldn’t comprehend the fear the after-effects had instilled in her, this was all wrong.

The rain was heavy and thunder crashed above. It was just past eight and Natalia would kill her; it wasn’t so much that she didn’t turn up to dinner, she just hadn’t justified it in advance. Natalia would be fuming as usual.

As she walked down to a bus stop nearby that would take her home she noticed a couple, two teenagers, the girl had her arms wrapped around the boy and was kissing him with zeal despite the water raining down on them. But then she pulled away from him and she saw his face.

“There,” the girl said to him, “How do you like me now?”

“Will?” Genny said, before he could reply to her. At first she felt nothing, then a brief but strong pang of crushing despair followed by roiling fury, “hijo de puta,” was all she could manage.

“Gen!?” he said, finally seeing her.

“She couldn’t imagine how she must’ve looked; wet messy brown hair trailing down the sides of her face, concealer streaking caused by the rain, maybe still traces of vomited blood. She hated her awkward gangly bearing must’ve looked against that girl’s grace.

A bus pulled up at that moment, and without looking to see where it was going she jumped on it before he could reply.

Author's Note

was the seizure too rushed?