VIRULENCE | H.S |

~ PROLOGUE ~

PROLOGUE

Blood trickles down her frigid skull as she takes in the darkened surroundings amongst herself. The classical music exuding from the grand hall does little to blur out the stark reality that's now in front of her.

As she bites her lip—a trait that has become more common to cope with the uncomfortable circumstances that seem to habitually protrude throughout her life—she fills herself with even more unease.

She wonders, how has her vivid nightmare become her harsh truth?

How could she have been so small-minded?

The cold metal gun to her skull sends another shiver throughout her body, but she works overtime to prevent herself from suffering from another anxiety attack; the last one took too much of her well-preserved energy, and it's clear from the situation unfolding in front of her, she will need every ounce of energy she can possibly obtain to process this abnormal circumstance.

It's working well so far for her, though, but it could simply just be from the shock.

After a few moments of silence, she confirms to herself--- it's definitely from the shock.

But—her mind wanders, yet again. It's something that her brain always seems to do, and it's to no avail that her hippocampus would still be working in overdrive despite her drastic situation.

Because—yes, it could be from the shock. But it might also be from the drugs she had consumed, too.

Damn her, and her addictive tendencies.

The fact is—she's coping. In her own, unique way.

She sinks her teeth down even harder along the chapped skin of her sore lip and forces herself to pull back into her newly faced reality, to best process what is currently unfolding right before her eyes.

Eyes—So many familiar eyes.

Weapons—So many deadly weapons.

Blood—So much reddened blood.

Betrayal—So much fucking betrayal.

And, at the heart of it all, is them.

The ones who she had hoped would never betray her. The ones who she had wrongly trusted and would regret doing so for the rest of her life. The ones who were staring at her now, with virulent scowls covering their faces and even stronger sadistic presences that radiate from their bodies.

It's almost comical—in the grand scheme of things, how her trust could be so harshly broken.

But, who could blame her for having trust in those closest to her?

Who would've thought, that those closest to her would betray her in the end?

It's such a contrast to the persona she once recognized in them. And, despite it all, she feels like an ignorant fool for letting her once well-protected guard down, and not seeing this tell-tale truth even sooner.

It might've been able to save her.

It's too late now.

And, because of that, she's aware that, surely, she will have to pay the ultimate price for her naive mistakes.

After all, everyone will... eventually.

"How could you do this to me?" She cries out, bitterly and desperately.

Silence.

"Speak, you cowards! I deserve an explanation, at the very least!" She sobs, the tears burning her eyes and making it difficult to see. "Was this your goal all along?"

Silence.

"How could you do—,"

*Gun Blasts*

And everything that was, for a short time vivid and in color, fades away quickly, almost as a long-lost dream would, after falling victim to the harsh winds of actuality.

All its broken promises, all its hopes and aspirations, become null.

Because, after the beautiful dream fades, a brutal reality is replaced—a dark and haunting one, at that. It completely fills the page with harsh truths of charcoal grey and demonic black.

Though, that's what happens in the world filled with virulence, isn't it? Everything is dark, toxic, and unpredictable.

And, for people like Catherine Vanderbilt, it is their tragic truth.

     Welcome to the world of Virulence. Don't get too comfortable.

-A

A/N: I felt like this book needed a prologue. If you're thirty seven chapters in, or if you're one chapter in, I hope you enjoy this and I hope it prepares you for what's to come...for all of our sakes. </3