Coveted [New/Revised Version]

HOME IS RELATIVE

     Drusilla Iris Cassidy stood in the middle of town square in a stupor. Her eyes roved over the several churches—Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, and Anglican, diners, the fire station, supermarket, and empty streets all visible to her from where she stood. She was clueless as to how she wound up there. The last she recalled, she was sitting at her desk and aimlessly sketching. Now obscuring mist and the eerie vacancy of Westmyth surrounded her. It almost seemed to exist outside of human activity or perhaps time.

She lived there her whole life and knew it like the back of her hand. She knew it well enough to know something was wrong about the picture presented to her. Westmyth was small, isolated from the nearest town some distance away, and deceptively quiet. However, that didn't mean there wasn't always a friendly face or two still out and about after dark. Either the sheriff or one of his officers patrolling the streets or maybe a couple of storeowners closing up shop.

She didn't see any of that.

Iris hugged her arms to her body and decided to head home. The asphalt seemed especially grainy beneath the soles of her Converse as she started her path down Argent Road. About half an hour separated her from her house and she already had an inkling she'd dread every second of it. The streetlamps flickered then dimmed unnervingly low. She hugged herself tighter and squinted down the road. Though she couldn't see much, the vibes she felt were completely nightmarish.

Something fluttered noisily in her periphery and she whirled around madly. She didn't see anything but whatever it was had moved so rapidly, making the hairs on the back of her neck tingle. Finding her way home suddenly moved higher up on her list of priorities. Something was coming through the mist. Fast.

Iris dragged in a deep breath and quickened her pace.

Intelligence and strategy were keys to survival. Right now, she was smart enough to understand even with all her acquired skills she still stood no chance of fighting whatever was coming. Just the same, her hand inched inside her jacket toward her silver dagger. It was small, flat, and somewhat unassuming but she wielded with enough dexterity to instill the fear of God in any grown man. It had been her mother's once and she hardly went anywhere without it.

The flapping rang in her ears again and her fingers wrapped tightly around the weapon's handle. Chills assaulted her, leaving her entire body cold and covered in goose flesh. One of her gut feelings washed over her, clenching her stomach. It was something of a warning bell that told her no matter the cause of the fluttering, it wasn't friendly and had nothing good in store.

Okay, Iris thought. Definitely time to get the hell out of Dodge.

The very moment she considered running, a deluge of crows poured out onto the street. Their shiny, beady eyes watched her closely and on some level, Iris became aware that she was dreaming. Stranger than acknowledging that, was accepting it was no ordinary dream. This was being sent to her—cautioning her.

Slowly, the crows hobbled toward her, squawking mercilessly.

"Shoo!" Iris swatted at them.

However, the birds weren't afraid. They kept advancing. Their wings spread grand and threateningly at Iris. The girl stumbled back as another one of her feelings came over her. Her skin was crawling, stinging and a terrible rushing roar started up in her ears.

The urge to run was strong, plaguing her mind and making the thought of fleeing constant. As she made her decision, the crows took flight, diving for her. She took off without hesitation and like a speeding bullet, her sneakers thudding against the ground. Her breath came in short gasps, her heart pounding ferociously in her chest.

The beating of the crows' wings was still audible but when Iris peered over her shoulder, there was nothing but fog. She slowed to a stop to catch her breath. That was a horrible, horrible mistake. The flapping grew louder and louder until it was unbearable. Her head tilted over her shoulder again and she saw it.