shadows and blood ; wizarding world

𝐜. 𝐢𝐢

⋆

The Horse's Head was an old building. Depressed flowers lined its exterior, wilting as white paint peeled away from its edges, leaving a scabbed, incomplete structure. Inside, low wooden beams gripped onto the ceiling, glaring below at the masses of drunken men and women whose senses were muted as they chugged beer after beer. Wet puddles of alcohol splashed on top of sickly, dark tables which were scattered about the space as boisterous, intoxicated booms shattered everyones' eardrums.

A repugnant stench of dust mixed with sweat crept into Odette's nose as she entered and limped up to the bar, leaning against the raised table before her. She ignored the murky looks that were shot her way and swallowed as she met the eyes of a young bartender.

She was already certain that she would have to charm him; no sane man would let a bloodied, beaten-up child into their bar, let alone to stay for a night.

Still, she tested her luck.

"Hi," she smiled at him.

He shook his head, glaring at the girl. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Odette rolled her eyes as she reached for her wand. She was in dire need of somewhere to stay.

"Confundo." She lazily aimed her wand at the young man, whispering the spell.

His eyes glazed over and he momentarily stopped polishing the beer glass he held.

He frowned, scratching the back of his head before looking across to Odette, who had a falsified concern plastered all over her face.

"Er - what was I saying?" The man blinked a few times.

She smiled. "You were just about to show me to my room."

"Oh... yeah, of course. Follow me."

The girl watched him slowly exit the bar, a frowning, discombobulated mess.

Odette was relieved she had somewhere to stay for the night. In the past, she had resorted to sleeping on park benches and in dark alleyways when she was less confident with her magic. Back then, she was a weak, young girl who let people take advantage of her.

She struggled up a raggedy staircase, gripping onto the bannister for dear life. The uneven steps shrieked beneath her, warning the bartender ahead to advance no further, to forget about the unusual girl behind him.

The pair continued down a dated, unlit corridor until they came to a halt before two doors. He pointed at the entryway to the left and told her she could stay there, and then wordlessly turned around and made his way back to the bar.

Hesitantly, Odette grabbed the golden doorknob, cringing as she realised it was coated in a sticky layer. She pushed the door open, revealing an aged room which looked as if it hadn't been slept in for years.

Moth bites pierced the peach duvet that was plopped on top of a splintered bed frame, and there was a faint stain on the centre of a red blanket neatly folded at the end of the mattress.

There were no other pieces of furniture, aside from a slanted mirror balanced against the wall opposite the bed. It had an ornate, golden frame with intricate carvings around it - it looked wildly out of place in such a cheap, grimy space.

Odette sighed, squinting in pain as she closed the door and hobbled over to the bed, throwing the red blanket onto the floor and flopping onto the mattress.

She tried to ignore how disgusting the room was, focusing on the fact that she had somewhere to stay instead of fixating on the fact that soon, she would be in a completely new town, unsure of what to do with herself.

The girl closed her eyes, doubts melting away. She would worry about it when she woke up.

⋆

Odette wandered out of the pub, looking around and savouring her final glimpses of the area she had called home for a year. The sky was a pleasant blue, and people were out on Sunday morning walks with their families, soaking in the gratifying sun. It was a day for relaxation.

She stared somberly at a man holding hands with a small child across the street. The little girl's giggles filled Odette's ears as she imagined her own father. If he was alive, would they visit the town together? Would they buy ice creams every weekend and laugh at each other's silly jokes?

Suddenly, the little girl tripped over, and her giggles were replaced by aggravating sobs. Her father crouched down and picked her up, rocking her back and forth.

Odette turned away and continued down the road, in the direction of the train station. The child's sobs faded as she paced further away.

The station was fifteen minutes away. She had decided to visit the West Country - maybe to Dorset or Wiltshire. But first, she needed to catch the train into central London.

Face turning pink from the sun, the girl carried on. She walked past the corner shop, and then the alleyway from the day before. Peering in, she noticed the two men were gone and the blood had mysteriously been cleaned up, making her frown. There was a lot of it yesterday...

A brief wave of dread swam through her body. She didn't really consider what would happen to the wizards when she attacked them - she was so enraged she didn't think to consider the consequences. But she was surprised they had simply been cleaned up and forgotten about.

Uncomfortable, Odette turned away and continued down the road. She didn't want to be seen as suspicious, considering her filthy state. Someone certainly knew about the Wizards' deaths, or else they would still be deceased on the concrete floor.

She limped faster, desperate to escape, leaving her guilty conscience back in Greenwich. She should have listened to her father. She should have continued moving around, not staying in the same place for too long...

The sky suddenly flooded with clouds, a giant shadow putting the warmth of the sun to sleep. The bright day had turned into a dim one, and the temperature was steadily dropping. Odette hugged herself, shivering at the oscillating weather, yet she continued to pace in the direction of the station.

The girl squinted into the distance, frowning. A black blob was travelling towards her - something inhumane. It was too misshapen to be a human. It seemed to be... floating?

She did not want to stay and find out what it was. Fearfully, the girl turned and tried to quickly hobble away, heart in her mouth. She found that she could not run - her injured leg prevented her from doing so. She swore, biting her tongue to hold her from crying out in pain. This was the devil punishing her. This was her suffering after killing two men.

A shiver ran up her spine. She knew that the monster had caught up to her, it was there to take her to hell.

Slowly, with trembling breaths, she turned.

What she was met with made her want to scream. It made her want to cry and run and leap into the safety of her father's arms.

But she couldn't do that.

She was paralysed with fear.

A floating creature with decayed, moulding layers of fabric and skeletal hands hovered in front of her. Its pale fingers reached out towards her, their colour a terrifying contrast to the rest of its figure. A sagging hood covered its head, and somehow Odette knew she did not want to see what was beneath it.

As it got closer, an overwhelming stench of death invaded the girl's senses. She felt like sobbing, but her body disobeyed her own thoughts and stayed completely frozen in terror.

When it was less than an arm's length away, Odette could feel her body shutting down. She heard her own heart in her ears as she began to sway, before an almighty ringing overpowered the pounding.

Then an intense darkness engulfed her thoughts and feelings, and her consciousness ceased.

⋆