Sometimes she wishes she could go back to her ordinary life, but deep down she knows everything happened for a reason.
Living in the small town of Rosehaven within the Kingdom of Dorn, Jane Hollythorn is discontent with her everyday life. She longs...
Luckily for Jane, Alma's house wasn't too far away. Within fifteen minutes, she had arrived at the little cabin on the outskirts of town. She had always loved the little cabin tucked up within the trees with its flowers and vegetable garden. Parents sent their children up here on fall evenings and Alma would tell grand stories of her youth, but Jane had always wondered how much of it was factual and how much Alma had blown out of proportion.
Now, standing on the edge of the dirt road and at the beginning of the path toward her front door, Jane couldn't help but notice how dull it seemed now. The garden beds were filled with weeds and the flowers seemed to be wilting from lack of attention. Alma definitely hadn't been feeling well if she had let her precious plants be overtaken by the weeds.
"Alma?" Jane stepped onto the path, scanning the area for any sign of the woman. "Alma, it's Jane. Looney said she hadn't seen you for a little bit and I just wanted to make sure everything was all right."
She paused. Her ears strained against the silence, listening for any slight noise that may indicate the woman was still there. After a couple of moments, she continued down the path toward the front door.
"I brought food and drink," she called out as she stepped onto the weather-beaten porch.
The wood groaned beneath her weight. Was the woman even here? Maybe she had gone to a neighbor's house for support. An uncanny feeling of being watched shot down her spine and she looked over her shoulder. Nothing was there. It was just her nerves. Peeking into one of the grimy windows, Jane cupped her hands around her face to try and get a good look inside. The interior was dark. She could just barely make out the outlines of furniture and knickknacks.
"Hm." Jane moved to the front door and turned the doorknob. It was locked. Frowning, she tried again. Just in case the woman was home, she didn't want to scare her, so she called out once more, "Alma? I'm going to come in."
After a quick look around, she discovered there was nothing laying around to hit the doorknob with. Her next best option was to hit the door hard enough to knock it open. She examined the door for a couple of minutes. The wood was old and some of it flaked off when she rubbed it with her finger. Wrinkling her nose, she took a step back and then kicked the door as hard as she could. It cracked from the force of her kick and the latch broke. Swinging open with a low whine, Jane stood in front of an open doorway.
Her senses were hit with a faint coppery scent mixed with something pungent. What the hell was that? The air on her arms and the back of her neck stood on end.
"Alma, are you in here?" Stepping into the house, she looked around.
A thin layer of dust covered the entirety of the floor, furniture, and decorations. There was a pot on the stove with leftover food as if it had been forgotten there. Maybe she had tried to make herself a meal and just didn't get around to cleaning up afterward. The scent grew stronger the farther into the house she went. Not a noise beyond her own footsteps filled the dark house.
"This is really worrying me, Alma," she continued, hoping that at some point the old woman would respond.
Having been in this house multiple times in her youth, she knew exactly where the bedroom was and made her way toward it. The door was also closed and she didn't hesitate to open it. The scent hit her like a brick wall. Ten times stronger in this room, it made her eyes water. She covered her mouth and nose with her shirt, gagging over the horrid smell.
Once she had gathered herself, her eyes locked on the dark splotches on the floor. Blood. She knew it without even having to get close. She could recognize that color anywhere. Closer to the bed was a bucket that had been knocked over, its contents spilled onto the floor and mostly dried. Vomit, if she had to guess. Her own bile began to form in her throat and she had to fight the urge to run out of the house and never look back. She needed to ensure that Alma was alive. She wouldn't leave the old woman here to rot in her own filth.
It took every ounce of strength to move forward and approach the bed. Careful to avoid the vomit and blood, she leaned over the bed to get a look at the figure that was lying in it.
Jane cried out at what greeted her. The woman's face held a certain pallor to it that signified death. Pale and grey. But the worst thing was the blood. It congealed in her eyelids, her nostrils, and the seam of her lips. It soaked the bedsheets that the woman had laid herself on.
Alma was dead.
Jane booked it out of the house. Whatever illness had come to Rosehaven, it had come with swift vengeance. The only thing in her mind now was survival. She and her family needed to leave. Where to go? The capital. Surely they would find refuge there. They would figure out an income, but they needed to survive. She ran all the way back to town, tears rolling down her cheeks. She had never felt so sick in her life. At one point in her hasty return, she had to stop beside a tree and empty the contents of her stomach out of the sheer panic of her discovery.
When she hit the edge of the town, she found her second wind. Lungs burning, legs screaming, she slid into the shop. Her family surrounded her instantly, bombarding her with questions as she gasped for air.
"Oh my lords, have you been crying?"
"What did you find? Is Alma okay?"
The tears began to pour all over again. Jane shook her head, looking up into their faces. "No. She...she's dead." She drew in a deep breath, trying to maintain control over herself. She needed to get these words out. "It's bad. It's real bad. I've never seen anything like it, Momma. She was bleeding out of her eyes and mouth, even her nose."
Her father's face hardened and he exchanged a look with Merle. "One-Eyed Looney was right, then."
"So, what do we do?" Tobias asked as he shuffled closer to his mother.
"I think we follow Looney's lead." Merle put her arm around Tobias' shoulders and squeezed. "We should go to the capital. They can't turn us away."
Ahren blew out a long breath, lips pressed into a thin line. After a moment, he nodded. "I'm with your mother. Kids, go pack your things. Take only what you need. We leave as soon as possible."
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