Cara stared at herself in the mirror. The door was closed and the only light was the fading sun, obscured by clouds, coming in through the small window. She pulled back the collar of her shirt, and once again examined the scars along her shoulder, an impulse she reserved only for her private moments. She still had not told anyone this detail of the story, and assumed it would be unnecessary to ever tell. Whether their plan worked or failed, there was no escape route for them. No one in the house, which had grown to eighteen people, were hoping for their own survival; they were in it to save everyone else. Cara admired them all greatly, despite hardly knowing most of them.
She looked outside at the dreary sky. The sun wasn't visible, but neither was the moon, at least not yet. It was Christmas Eve and in less than twelve hours the ritual would begin. Bethany, Andie and Saif had beaten the information out of some members of the Imperial Cult they'd tracked down. The ritual had to take place on Christmas; the devil had to be reborn then; it had to be a perversion of all the reverence that Christianity placed on that day (despite it not being the actual birth date of Christ). It was the same, Cara felt, as when they exorcised a demon. Whatever faith the person had, played a great part.
But having the ritual take place on Christmas wasn't enough. No, for there was biblical prophecy that had to be appeased, and it needed to happen on a full blood moon. For the lunar cycle to line up with this particular date had taken over a hundred years, and would not occur again for just as many. This gave Cara hope, but she was also concerned. It would be the first full moon since she was bitten, and the change would start this night as well. She thought back to Daniel's story, of chasing rabbits around the park. There was too much at stake for her mind to be over taken like that.
Thinking of Daniel brought a sad smile to her face. She missed him, and barely wanted to imagine the horrid things the Imperial Cult may do to him. Whatever happened tonight, he wouldn't survive. He couldn't. Whether by the hands of the Imperial Cult or their own, he had to die for the world to be safe. She just wished to see him, the real him, one last time.
She looked up at herself in the mirror, at the tear rolling down her cheek, and then at the white hair, now quite prominent under her dyed black hair. Daniel had liked it, she thought with a smile. Hell, she liked it too, and if she was to die tonight, she wanted to die as she truly saw herself: a warrior, damaged, but strong.
When Cara stepped out with her head shaved down, so only the white curls showed, she felt focused. She felt ready to save the world.
YOU ARE READING
Blood and Beasts
ParanormalCara's family was taken from her as a teenager, and she spent the years after learning everything she could about the dark creatures responsible, trying desperately to save others from the same fate. But now those evil forces are gathering, and the...
