Chapter 3: Veils and Visions
Aria and Lyra huddled over a sprawl of ancient maps and cryptic notes in the flickering light cast by an old gas lamp in Thornfield Manor. The air was heavy with the weight of discoveries yet to be made, and truths yet to be brought into the open.
"Every piece to this puzzle carries with it wards of danger, Aria," Lyra warned scanning a parchment. "We're close to deci -- decoding this, but we must tread cautiously. The deeper we delve, the more precarious our path."
"I feel like we're on the precipice of something huge, Lyra. But every answer we get is just more questions," Aria trailed the lines of an old family crest on the map with her fingers and answered.
The sudden, urgent knock ended the discourse. It was Marlon, an old friend of Aria's dad, his face troubled. "There's something wrong at the University," he said. "People are dying– "
Marlon, Aria, and Lyra run towards the University when the scale of the calamity opened up to them those their steps hurried. Seraphalia which was a quiet town before now turned into a stage of nightmare hissed eerily with red lights that changed on and off like the constant throb of an evil being. The air was thick with the hallucinatory haze of a nightmare come to life.
They arrived to find Marlon's family amidst the chaos, her face a fearful portrait, arms wrapped protectively around them. "Marlon," she whispered as his name passed from her lips, voice a fragile thread in the maelstrom.
One of surreal horror, where people, as if ensnared by the sinister energy, turned on themselves and one another in actions driven by a madness which defied reason. It was as if the fabric of reality itself had frayed, leaving only its raw edges of hysteria and violence in its wake.
"Dad. Are we going to die?" Marlon's youngest asks fearfully, his wide innocent eyes.
Marlon struggles to cloak his own terror and tries to usher them to safety.
"Stay close," he implores perceptively with a steady voice that anchors him in some semblance of control.
However, the disarray only hampered their escape. Marlon's eldest daughter stumbled - her strength left her, and she whispered of her numbing limbs before collapsing into his arms.
His wife and another child, brimming through the growing horror of events, started to falter. Aria and Lyra, although a bit flabbergasted themselves, jumped to attention, assisting Marlon as best they could.
"We can't return to home tonight, it's much of dangerous now and we don't know what happens exactly," she said in her soft voice but full of concern.
She looked at the sick daughter of Marlon, frail and obviously not feeling well. "We ought to remain in a place safe enough for your daughter's condition to move farther, Marlon. We can look for a point where we can stay for the night."
Her voice resonated within the group. The immediate threat combined by the uncertain nature of the situation and the need to take care of the sick child clearly implied that there was a need for the family to seek shelter. The familiar comforts of home lay now out of reach and replaced by the urge need of the safety that lay in the unrecognizable and perilous town.
As mind is stopping and stuttering, Aria navigated the streets of Seraphalia, erratic by necessity. She had always felt a deep connection with this town and seeing it tear apart was just like witnessing a part of herself unravel. She glanced at Marlon, mask of despair and desperate determination on his face clutching onto his wife and child. Finally, they reached the abandoned front of a shop, an only temporarily safe hiding place from all the turmoil outside. Marlon's family fell on the dusty floor, all extremely exhausted and traumatized. Aria and Lyra quickly barricaded the door with whatever they grabbed.
"Professor, we have no idea what is going on," Aria spoke close to a normal tone though in her heart fear began to overpower her. "We can't go on hiding out here forever."
Marlon nodded his eyes, emphasizing the gravity of it. "You're right. But first we have to make sure my family is safe."
As night fell the red lights outside bordered on pulsating with firm, even more so ominous light. Behind two walls of the building the chaos was blocked as the sense of dread could not be stronger.
Lyra replied, her face lit from the glow of her phone, "There's no cell service but I found a radio, maybe we can get some news."
They huddled around the small device, the sound coming out low and faint and distant as though being played from underwater. They strained to hear anything at all that could explain the nightmare engulfing Seraphalia. Static filled the airwaves for long moments until a strained voice broke through, spoke of similar events across the country.
Aria's heart sank. This wasn't just their town; this was bigger, much bigger.
"We need to strategize on what our next move should be," she said, mind reeling in what-ifs. "We really can't stay here forever. We need some supplies and have to check if there are safe zones somewhere."
Marlon looked at his family and then at Aria and Lyra. "You two have done so much already. I can't ask you for any more."
Aria met his gaze squarely. "We're in this together. This town is our home, too and I'll do what I can to protect it."
It took them all night to formulate a plan each taking turns on keeping watch. As dawn approached, they had formulated a feeble plan. The following would venture out and see if could they be able to get supplies and any sign of help or explanation for the catastrophic events.
Aria could feel an unvoiced resolve beginning to steel within her as the door upon a transformed world continued opening up to them.
But whatever would come, she would face it head on. This was more than survival; this was about fighting for home, her friends, and a future that suddenly seemed teeming with uncertainty.As they twisted through the chaotic streets of Seraphalia, Aria's mind raced. There was always some part of her that clutched deep attachment to this town and seeing it trampled over was like watching something in herself squirm. She looked at Marlon, his face a mask of desolation and steadiness clutched tightly to his wife and child. She knew they had to get to a safe place, and fast. Finally, they arrived at an abandoned shop front, a temporary safe house from the chaos on the outside. Marlon's family collapsed to the dusty floor exhausted and traumatized. Aria and Lyra took control of the scene as they barricaded whatever with the door could find.
"Marlon, we need to figure away of what is taking place," Aria stated steadying her voice despite the fear that griped her heart. "We can't stay here for always."
Marlon nodded, feeling the weight of the situation reflected in his eyes. "Right. But first we need to make sure my family is safe."
As dusk set in, the red lights' soft glow began to pulsate and grow even more sinister at night, all noises of mayhem were blocked out by the walls but the feeling was still present.
Lyra's face was lighted by the glow of her phone, and she said, "There's no cell service, but I found a radio. Maybe we can get some news."
They huddled around the small device, making efforts to catch any word that described the nightmare engulfing Seraphalia over the drone of static. For long moments static filled the airwaves until a strained voice broke through, speaking of similar events playing out throughout the country.
Aria's heart sank. This wasn't just their town; this was bigger, much bigger.
"We need to start planning what is our next move going to be," she offered her own guidance, frantic with a million different scenarios. "We can't stay here forever. We need supplies and we need to find out if there's some safe zone somewhere."
Marlon looked at his family, and then, at Aria and Lyra. "You have done so much already, I cannot ask you to risk yourselves more."
Aria held his gaze squarely. "Marlon, we are in this together. This town is as much my home and I'll go to any lengths I need to protect it."
**********
The first light of dawn showed Aria a town she did not recognize.
The streets full of debris, the buildings in ruins or reduced to nothing, and a deathly silence was hanging heavily over what was once a lively and populated town. The harsh reality of the situation hit as they carefully made their way through abandoned streets, knowing more and more certain that this were a disaster unlike anything ever seen before. Taking the lead amongst the group with mixed feelings of fear and determination, Aria couldn't help but wonder at the fact that the path leading to her home seemed unusually untouched to its surroundings.
It was as if some inexplicable force had shielded her home from the chaos that had consumed the rest of the town. As they approached her house, Professor Marlon gave voice to a concern that has been gnawing at the back of everybody's mind. "We should be careful," he warned. "Some of the townspeople. they changed. It's like they possess something, see what isn't there and turn sharp."
She nodded, remembering the horrifying scenes they witnessed. The thought of facing neighbors, friends, even members of her family who were now under the grip of these dangerous illusions, was chilling.
Before them was her home amid the rubble and—miraculously—untouched. As they began to enter, safety washed over her, but the annoying question still lingered: why? Why had this not been destroyed when the rest of Seraphalia had crumbled?
But they all knew that the illusion of being safe was just that - an illusion.
They all knew only too well that the danger outside was always there and it never really went away, because it was capricious and fickle. The town they knew was no longer safe and every step they took on streets that were once avenues of familiarity gave rise to moving risks, and it was taking them further towards the unbridled chaos with those who have lost their minds.