Blood Moon Lake

Chapter 29

Trigger Warning! ⚠️ Bl00d, b0dies, mentions of k!dnapp!ng, and de@th!

Walking away from the library, we began down the street toward the edge of town. Brian's dismembered body lay not too far from the library. Vultures were nibbling on the bits and pieces of the left-over flesh; the sight made me gag. I could still see the piece of metal sticking up from his body. I winced; despite the fact he was trying to kill us, I can't help but feel bad for doing it. Stabbing and leaving him there to die all alone with those things eating him alive was horrible. It must have felt awful. That shouldn't happen to anyone. No matter how evil they are. The streets were uncannily quiet, and the streetlights cast a pale-yellow glow that illuminated the sidewalks. The windows to shops were smashed, and you could smell rot from inside some buildings. I resisted the urge to look inside. I wasn't sure I would be able to stomach the sight of more dead bodies, but at the same time, I wanted to see who was killed. I wanted to know how many innocent people were harmed during this. I'm sure they all had family and friends too. I wonder if they would ever find out what happened. They deserve to know. Even if they didn't believe us, we should still tell them. We continued walking down the street, straining our ears for any noise that sounded like screaming. Thankfully, the only sound to be heard was our footsteps. I glanced around trying to spot any movement, since Greer is with us, they know we know the demon's weaknesses. They might have told them to be quiet. I don't want them to sneak up on us. Not when we haven't even made it out of the time loop yet. That would suck. We get two feet out of the library door and die.

If I didn't know I was surrounded by buildings of dead people, I would have said the walk was peaceful. Unfortunately, I was aware of the dead people and paranoid about being attacked by demons, so it's not. If only we were here under different circumstances. I'm sure this would be such a nice place. I wonder if Brian would still kidnap people. I hope not. Oh well, guess we'll never know. As soon as we exit the time loop, we'll be back in our world. Back in our world... what would we have to face out there? How much destruction was caused while we were away? Are my sister and her family safe? What will happen to us? Things couldn't have changed that quickly, right? I mean we were only gone for a week or two. It's not like we'll be walking into a desolate wasteland. The environment can't change that rapidly. Unless time works differently here. No, Margret would have told us. What if she forgot or didn't think to tell us? No, no, no! She wouldn't forget something that important. It'll be fine. Or will it? What if we're ambushed the second, we step outside? What about Brian's followers? Will the ones that are still alive come after us? What will happen if they do? Can the backpack make guns? Does anyone here know how to shoot a gun!? Chase and Leo probably do, they seem like the people to know that kind of stuff. Is that a bad thing? Should I be concerned? Nah, they wouldn't shoot us. Right? It's not like they would team up and kill us all off. They've never met each other before... Oh my gosh! What if they have!? What if this is some elaborate scheme of theirs!? SHUT UP BRAIN! SHUT UP! Stop creating fake scenarios that will never happen! No one will kill anyone! Not yet at least. We should still have some time. I can come up with a plan to root out Greer. But what if I don't find them in time? What if they kill one of my friends? I can't keep my eyes on all of them at once. How can I make sure they stay safe? I mean I always knew it would be hard, but this takes it to a whole other level.

Maybe if I tied bells on all of them, I would know where they were at all times. No, bells make sound, the demons would be able to kill them. Maybe I could tie them all together with string? Yeah, no, they wouldn't let me. Well, I need to find a way to keep them all together where I can see them so that I can keep them safe if something bad happens. There are also the adults that I need to take into consideration. Even if they aren't important to me, I still don't want them to get hurt. So, now I also need to make sure they don't die. Ugh! Why is life so complicated!? In all honesty, the chance of everyone making it out of here alive is slim. Maybe I should just not worry about it and let life take its course. See who makes it out and who doesn't. Not obsess over my friend's safety and hope for the best. Maybe I should just accept the fact someone might get hurt or die. I should probably be realistic... Yeah no, not doing that. I am making it my mission to get people out of this safely. I do not care about reality or statistics or any of that other stuff. I have hope and luck and I'll be damned if I don't try! I don't care if it means death for me as long as everyone is safe and not sacrificed to a crazy World Keeper with demons for pets. First, I can start by getting them close to me, and I know exactly how to do so. Glancing around, I checked where my friends were. Ella, Jack, and Anna were up ahead having some sort of conversation, Leo walked beside them voicing his opinion every once in a while. "Hey, guys," I called to my friends. "Yeah?" Ella asked glancing back at me. "Come here," I told them, "I have a question." "Okay," she nodded. Walking over to me, they looked at me questioningly. "After this is over, where do you guys want to eat?" Jack snorted, "That is the most random thing to ask." "Sorry," I replied in mock offense, "I was trying to make plans with you but if you don't want to hang out it's fine. I will eat all by myself."

Ella rolled her eyes, "My goodness, you're so dramatic." I stuck my tongue out at her, "If you guys don't choose I will." "We're picking we're picking!" Anna said, "Just let us discuss it!" "Okay," I laughed. I smiled as they began to bicker about where to eat, I knew it would work. Now I just need to figure out how to keep them all safe. My friends make four people to protect if I add the adults, that makes seven. So, how do I keep seven people safe? Four people would be more manageable, but the adults are important. Right? "If you want to survive something like this, you can't have people slowing you down." Leo's voice whispered in my head. He was right. You can't have people slowing you down in life-or-death situations. The adults aren't that helpful, they don't bring anything new to the table. Well, maybe strength but we don't need that to beat the demons. So, if they aren't helpful, are they slowing us down? Do we need them around? I looked up ahead at the adults, they were talking in low voices about something. I wonder what, Leo says he doesn't trust them and I'm pretty sure they would ditch us if it came down to them and survival. So, is it really necessary to protect people who wouldn't do the same for me? No, it's not. They're older, stronger, and more experienced. They can take care of themselves; I'll focus on my friends. Tuning back into my friend's conversation, I looked at them expectantly, "Have we decided where we're going?" "We're going to Denney's," Anna replied. "Why Denney's?" I asked confused. "So, we can burn it down afterward," Leo replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Ohhhh," I said, "Okay." "Told you he'd be on board!" Anna cheered. I laughed, "You know I can't turn down a chance at arson." "That's why I suggested it," she grinned. I couldn't help but smile as we exited the time loop, I could keep an eye on my friends for now and worry about the finer details later.

I wish I had looked back as we entered the woods. Maybe then I would have seen the police tape that was up.

That's it for today! Sorry, I know it was shorter than usual and yes, I had to leave it on a cliffhanger. We're in a new part of the story! This is something I have never seen before! So, I'm excited to see where this will take us! See you next week! Have a great day! Bye! 🙃