The Forgettable Night

Chapter 1

The world falls asleep to lullabies of sweet screams and silent death. No one comes running to the cries for help or to the begs of mercy. By morning, all is forgotten and the day is new.

When a man unnamed walks the streets after a long day of work and the voices of the next dead come to pass he all but carries on. Unknowing to him, life is lost and death is but the most joyous.

The next day begins and the unnamed man goes about his day. Walking through a crowd too busy fixated on another mess in an alley. He never paid much mind before, though, this time was different. This time, something sweet was in the air, captivating him. Almost as if something was pulling him in. Something wanting him to come closer, daring him, even.

He slowly pushed through the crowd and made his way to the front to see what was so enticing. There has been death and murder before but he has not witnessed anything like this. This was something entirely different.

What was left of a woman lay dead in the alley. Her face was unrecognizable, her limbs twisted off and simply tossed aside. Her torso ripped open, as if an animal had clawed their way through. Her organs were half inside her body and bites marks the size of a child were left to linger. The walls and ground that surrounded the women drenched in blood. The only thing that wasn't covered in blood was a small red hat that lay near a dumpster a few feet away from the woman. 

Not understanding what sort of monster could have done such a thing. He still racks his brain for something plausible but achieves nothing. Desperate to leave but his feet stay rooted to the ground. No matter the screams in his head telling him to run and not stop until he is far from the wretched fate that lay before him. He, and everyone else around him, are stuck.

Consumed by nothing but the alluring smell of sweetness and stuck in the perpetuating state of shock. The unnamed man barely notices when a woman in a trench coat comes from the other end of the alley and tosses a small green can in front of the crowd. In a matter of seconds large amounts of white smoke starts emitting from the can. Almost immediately people start coughing and hacking. Everyone in the crowd starts to dissipate; running in all directions away from the alley, finally able to listen to that little voice in their head that's been yelling at them this entire time.

The man unnamed is the last one left from the crowd still in the alley. He is fighting everything in him to not run away with everyone else after the monstrosity they have all witnessed, but he chooses to stay.

Through the smoke he finally notices the woman in the trench coat. She's looking down at the remains of the woman frowning. She proceeds to take a camera from her pocket and begins photographing the scene. Taking a greater amount of photographs than one would assume in a time like this. Making sure she gets all angles and not missing a single thing. When finished, she pulls out a box of matches and a small canister he can't quite make out throughout the smoke. With a sigh, she pours the liquid from the canister onto the remains of the woman, lights one of the matches, and throws it on the ground. Fire sparks up engulfing the body parts scattered around the alley. Walking towards the dumpster, she picks up the red hat laying on the ground. She turns to leave in the direction she came from but before she approaches the end of the alley, she turns and she locks eyes with the unnamed man. She puts a finger to her lips in a shushing sound and disappears. In that moment, the man leaves with nothing but questions and disbelief. Not believing what he just witnessed.

Something unusual is happening here. Something happened to that woman. Something...not human, happened to that woman. Almost as if something else has been living here with us.

All those thoughts running though the unnamed mans head, not knowing the answers live right below his nose.

***

Below the cities are where those long forgotten reside. Ancient creatures conjured up from those of myth and magic; lore and legend. They are the people plucked from their pretentious existence and thrown into a life short lived for the enjoyment of most vile creatures alike. Or for some, just the simple pleasures of companionship; needing nothing more than an eager pet to obey. They are creatures stolen and wronged, waiting for the simplicity of blissful revenge. Humans disappearing, thinking of a grand adventure and heroism, getting nothing more than unimaginative and agonizing death.

The recent years have been most dire for those residing in The Twisted Veil. Their mere existence relies on the dreams and stories of those lesser to them. Unbespoken to the humans, they have created beings far too complex for them to understand and not even believe in them in their entirety. Their numbers have dwindled and the stories have lessened. An ancient civilization built from the ruin and rubble of their ignorance. One that has slowly dwindled over the centuries. Leaving the stench of desperation and madness follow their trail. 

Most call themselves the Fair Folk, though, that doesn't do them justice. They go unnoticed in the night, keeping to themselves. Though, I suppose, that's likely to change given the heated discussion they happen to find themselves in. They are governed by no single creature alone but with a group of elders who have long reigned over The Twisted Veil for centuries. But there are some who have grown tired of being complacent and living under the rubble of those lesser to them. Things are about to change and change quickly they will.