Author’s note: This is a part of a series Called Parade of the Grotesque which can be viewed in full on my wordpress and https://darkeyedchild.wordpress.com/2015/01/03/parade-of-the-grotesque-conjure/
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The sweet stench of rotten fruit hung in the air that night; smelling of pumpkins and apples, the brisk wind tickled the ears and teased the throat. Full and round and glowing like a great white peach, the moon positioned itself in the sky as if it were a god ready to watch the sublime spectacle of mortality. Autumn leaves crunched under the feet of hurried children donning costumes to imitate their less than natural counterparts. Twisted features, gnarled and contorted, settled upon faces hidden beneath plastic and rubber. A set of teenagers, twins, walked toward a small mansion at the end of the block.
“I think this is it. 713 Meyers Lane. It looks like we’re right on time.” The girl looked at the time on her phone and then looked up at the hordes of people pouring into the double doors of the old brick estate.
The gates were propped open and the circle out front was already packed with cars. Dead vines crawled up the bars of the gate, and around the sides of the house embedding themselves in the cracks between the bricks. Bare boned trees stretched toward the sky like black lightning fractals, their silhouettes inky voids in space-time. As they walked through the gates, the boy remarked the chimeras seated atop the roof.
“This place is already creepy on a normal day. Looks even worse here in the dark on Halloween,” He stared at the snarling beasts before walking up the massive stone steps into the house. Once inside the girl grabbed hold of her brother’s hand.
“You’ll be okay, Sammy. We’re here to have fun, remember?” He asked her as he pulled away his hand. Sammy left her hand hanging in mid air for a moment before pull it back into herself and rubbing her wrist like it hurt.
“I know we’ll be alright, Sid. It’s just, this is the first time we’ve ever been invited to a party in all our three years at that school. I’m a little nervous that the invite is a part of a cruel joke.” Sammy wrung her fingers, anxious of what might happen. Sid stared at her for a moment before tilting his head to the side. She couldn’t see it through the porcelain mask he was wearing over the top half of his face, but she knew his brow was raised.
“Oh don’t look at me like that. It wouldn’t be the first time they did something horrible to someone like us. I just want us to be careful. I won’t hold your hand the whole time, but at least stay in my eye sight. Please, Sid?” Sammy looked at her brother with big eyes and he just couldn’t say no to her.
“Fine. Okay, we’ll stay in sight of each other, but you have to talk to people instead of watching me the whole time. I’ll look out for you and you’ll look out for me, but we still have fun. Deal?” Simon held up his pinky and wriggled it. Sammy smiled and hooked her pinky onto his.
“Deal. Now you go have fun. I’m going to wander for a bit, get used to the place a little.” Sammy pulled her finger away and began walking away from her brother. She could feel the hairs raise on her neck as she walked out alone into the crashing waves of people. Loud music blared from six speakers set up around the room. There seemed to be nowhere to escape the noise. Sammy walked over to the buffet table. Rows of expensive h'or deurves sat next to each other on the table on one end while a huge dispenser of punch sat on the other. In Between the two, clear plastic cups like stemless wine glasses sparkled under the strobing lights. Sammy picked one up and poured herself some of the blood red punch. As she put it to her lips she could smell the stomach twisting scent of alcohol. Tasting it, she noticed it tasted like it had been spiked far more than once. Suddenly she felt a tap on her shoulder. Startled, she whirled around to face the person behind her almost throwing her drink in their face. A girl and a guy stood in front of her smiling.
“Hi, I’m Meg. This is my friend Cas. Don’t I know you from school? Do we have a class together or something?” Sammy looked at the girl giving her a once over. She was tall, but not much taller than Sammy, and a blonde ponytail bobbed behind her head. She was dressed as a dead cheerleader with a tattered, dirtied uniform. Behind her glasses she had smudged dark makeup around her sea green eyes. Meg held her hand out for Sammy to shake.
“Hi, I’m Sammy, uh, Sam. Sam. How do you recognize me through the mask?” Sammy took her hand and gave it a weak shake.
“Sam? As in Samantha? And I think it’s the hair.” The boy, Cas, shook her hand next. His dark curls glistened with fake blood that dripped down his face. He wore a torn and bloody shirt and hoody. A ‘Beware of Bears’ sign was pinned to his chest. A head taller than Sammy, she had to look up to see his face. Dark eyes danced in the strobe lights.
“No. Sam as in Samhain. My parents are a very festive pair.” Sam rubbed the back of her neck intent on not tugging at her frosty white hair.
“Cool name. So, do we have a class together? I swear I remember you.” Meg asked.
“I believe we have world history and calculus together. I usually sit in the back, so you’ve probably only seen me on your way out the door.”
“That’s right! You are in Mr. J’s class. Cas is in there too.”
“I know. I’ve seen you to sitting together before.”
“So, Sam, why haven’t we seen you at any other parties?” Cas asked reaching around her for a drink. His neck was right by her mouth and she could almost feel the blood rushing in his veins and the heat from his skin. Sam’s lips trembled. He smelled like a thick bowl of tomato soup to her. She fought the urge to close her eyes and open her mouth.
“Sam?” Blinking her eyes rapidly, Sam looked at Cas who was looking at her as if to ask was she okay.
“Yeah? Oh, well, this is the first time my brother and I have ever been invited.”
“Brother? You have a brother? Is he as cute as you?” Meg asked quirking her brow.
“I suppose we look alike. We are twins.” Sam blushed under the leather mask outlining her eyes and cheeks. She was beginning to feel hot and faint under all the flashing lights and the heavy aroma that filled the room. In a second she’d be salivating.
“Well, where is he?” Meg asked looking around the room. Sam scanned the room for him and spotted him leaning on the far wall talking to a girl in a neon pink wig and catsuit.
“He’s just there, with that pink girl.” Sam pointed to him.
“Oh, I’ve seen him too. He always sits near the Otherlings though. I always thought he was one.” Cas said. Sam looked up at the ceiling and over towards the door planning her escape. The moment they found out what she was, they would come after the both of them. The heat from her cheeks spread around to her ears and down her neck. A certain tension was building up inside her. She began to see little pinpricks of red dot her vision.
“Wait…are you?” Meg asked. Sam didn’t answer.
“Oh my god, are you?” Meg asked again.
“You totally are! You’re an Otherling.” Meg squealed with delight.
“I don’t think she wants you screaming it out loud. Maybe you should-” Shouting from across the room cut of Cas’s words.
On the other side of the room a tall, thick necked football player was yelling in Sid’s face. Again the red pinpricks dotted ehr vision. The heat that spread down her neck made its way down her arms and around to her chest. IT writhed and pulsated beneath her skin.
“Sidney!” Sam screamed across the room as she weaved through the crowd. Before she could get to him, the football player had two of his friends hold him up while he wailed on him. Sam could hear every sickening crack loud like thunder in her ears. The bodies between her and Sid were too much and she started putting all her strength into moving them. Solid, fleshy wall after wall slammed into her. She made it to the clearing between people where the football players were holding Sid, but before she could do anything a set of arms like thick logs snaked around her waist.
“Not so fast, monster!” The boy spat.
“What kind of monster are you!” The boy beating Sid landed blow after blow and Sid just stood there as he got his face knocked about.
“Sid!” She called out for her brother as she squirmed around in the older boy’s arms trying to reach him. The heat in her body got warmer with every punch that landed. After a minute all she could see where red clouds outlining everyone’s bodies. She could see their veins pulsing in their necks beating in tandem with their hearts. It made her light headed. She collapsed in the boy’s arms and let the burning heat take her body. A feeling like sunshine on a cool day spread over her. Her skin grew slick with sweat and she pulled away from her captor easily. Cringing, she could feel the bones in her back and arms start popping. Cracking like glass in a window, Sam’s bones rearranged themselves inside her. Like a doll, she contorted and changed. Her limbs elongated and her teeth sharpened. Eyes like the darkest coal stared out from her now gaunt face. Her emaciated figure stood tall in the middle of the room. Everyone in the room had stopped to watch her transform.
“Let him go!” She screeched, her voice muffled by the rows of jagged teeth in her mouth. The boys holding Sid up dropped him and the boy who was hitting him backed into the wall. Seeing nothing, but blood vessels, Sam dove towards the boy against the wall and tore into his neck. Before the other boys could get away, Sam put her long knife like claws through their backs. They crumpled to the floor instantly. The boy against the wall slid down to the floor holding his neck. Sam resumed eating him engorging herself on his blood.
“Sam! Sam, stop!” She heard her brother’s voice and tried to stop, but her teeth wouldn’t detach themselves from the boy’s neck.
“I said enough!” Sid growled at her. Sam winced and stood up. She looked around at the panicked crowd as they fled. Sirens wailed outside as bright lights shined through the windows. Sam began shifting back. She was all covered in blood; her dress was soaked and her face painted red. Sam and Sid sank to their knees and put their hands behind their heads.
“I’ll be going into the Pit for this one.” Sam lamented.
“No you won’t. You were protecting us. That’s the story. You had no choice.”
“Sid, this is my second strike. I’m going in the Pit for sure. That is if they don’t kill me to set an example.”
“We’ll get out of this.” Sid said.
“We’ll see.” Sam said as the Otherling Special Taskforce filed into the house. Suddenly they were surrounded.
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Credits to: http://forgedinpolitics.tumblr.com/ and http://darkeyedchild.wordpress.com/
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