starry eyes ✮ slashers.

chapter 036.

thirty six. day of the dead.

Carrie sobs as though she'll never be heard by the Earth again. She's wrapped in Lyra's warm embrace, their blonde hair entangling as they stand in the wind's path.

She finds it impossible to look away from the body covered by a white cloth, laid in a frail wooden box beside the pit in the ground that would later become its home. The body's hands are severed at the wrists, small cuts darted across its face and exposed skin. It adorns a black suit, fresh blood stains coating the white cuffs if you'd look closely.

Tom stands behind the two girls, only a few feet away, his stern eyes trained on their surroundings. They'd anticipated some form of reaction from the town to Edward's death, but what they hadn't expected was for a group of older men and fewer women to watch them mourn. The group stood to Tom's left, a fair distance between them, yet they didn't take their focus away from the coffin, sneering permanently across their drooping expressions.

They look as though they want to protest the funeral itself, but they make no move to stop it, finding enough comfort in his death. No longer did they have to live in fear of the nightmares their parents would threaten them with. He was almost like a story to make them behave when younger — now mature themselves, they understand he was simply a real person, albeit a monstrous being. But he was just a boy.

It strikes Lyra like a slap to the face how pathetic these people are. They fear him so much for being different that it drove them to want him dead. She doesn't understand how Edward of all people was so hated?

It doesn't take long for the group to tire, trudging towards the graveyard's exit, clearly satisfied with what they'd seen. He was gone, at long last, the haunting story would have an ending.

Carrie waves a hand over the coffin, watching it tumble into the grave, doing the same to the dirt pile beside it. Once the grave is filled, she wipes her tears and rejoins Lyra and Tom with a bright smile.

"Let's go home."

'Home' doesn't feel like the right description for the Heelshire mansion. To Lyra, it's halls feel emptier than they should, despite the two boys running around in them, liberating giggles in their path.

Tom gives Carrie a small nudge to the left when her own boyfriend almost runs into her, small strings of innocent laughter gracing his lips with Brahms hot on his tail. Carrie wonders if it's possible for her to fall in love with Edward all over again.

Freedom sets itself around the group, Carrie thinking of nothing but how much safer Edward will be. Lyra's thoughts on her appreciation for her friends and gratitude to have Tom back — Tom's mind remains on Bo Sinclair.

As they all settle down to have dinner, Lyra's head begins to pulse painfully—more than her typical migraine. She excuses herself from the worried faces and goes to lay down in the bedroom.

Her warm skin sinks into the cold refreshing covers but it provides her no comfort. She feels as though she's on fire, rolling over to face the open window, the breeze dances around her body—within an instant she's lulled to sleep.

When Lyra opens her eyes, the lighting is dimmed and red, soothing her painful headache more than the bright lights of the world had. Freddy's sat beside her on the bed, his hand not donned with blades is moving her hair away from her face.

"Somethings happening to you." He tells her, pressing a hand to the skin of her arm, removing it to find his burn scars like fresh wounds, healing quickly still. "Burning up inhumanely, headache, shivering." Freddy mumbles under his breath, shaking his head and standing up. He clicks his fingers and she's back in hers and Tom's bed, a wounded look observing her.

"Lyra?" Brahms whines fearfully, clutching his hand. She looks over, his skin burnt as Freddy's had been and she frowns, sitting up quickly.

"I'm so sorry. I don't understand. I don't know what's happening to me." Her back presses into the headboard, a quiet sizzling reaching her ears. She's urged to cry but who would that help. "Go run it under the tap, tell Tom what's happening, please. I'm so sorry for hurting you."

A/N: hey guys, haven't updated in a long time i struggled with addictions, eating disorder, some internal issues but i'm basically fine now. i was wondering what direction to take this book in i had an idea but wasn't so sure which is why this chapter despite being quite shitty took ever so long to write and is so short. i promise it'll be better when we come to the next one, thank you for reading ❤︎