Killing Butterflies ( Inspired by Lewis Blisset)

A Dance of Shadows

"What do we do now?" Aylin asked anxiously, voicing the question that everyone had swirling in their minds. "Well... cleaning up the mud and bloodstains might be a good place to start," Selene muttered, gesturing to the streaks of god-knows-what left behind on the floor.

"Just... find something to block the door first, maybe." Chaos still raged outside, each distant scream a reminder of their perilous situation. "Selene? Selene!"

She had gone still, her face paling. "Nishant, lock the door, quick!" She herself flung the windows shut, her breath coming in quick gasps. "Do you see that? That thing?"

It was a blight upon the land, a swarm of something darker than black, an infestation encroaching upon Lunaris. The air thickened, the oppressive weight of dread settling heavily in their chests. It was the beginning, the catalyst. The Butterflies had already arrived.

From far away, you couldn't make out the individual Butterflies in the swarm of dark spots, but even their flight patterns held a terrible beauty—a shifting pattern that created a grotesque art piece in the sky. They formed a roiling cloud, dark and foreboding. It took a moment for the brothers and sister to realize that the background humming in their ears was, in fact, the collective beating of thousands of wings—a restless, unsettling symphony of chaos.

"Faster!" Selene cried, her voice cutting through the cacophony of chaos. Nishant and Selene quickly shoved the heavy wooden door, which was putting up quite the fight, against the onslaught. With every inch it moved, it groaned and scraped against the floor, releasing a hellish sound that probably would attract every Butterfly within a mile. "Hurry up! I think they see us!" Selene gasped.

Finally, with a final push, the door swung shut with a resounding thud. But the reprieve was short-lived. Outside, the air vibrated with an unsettling energy, and a chorus of furious screeches erupted from the swarm. The Butterflies, relentless and insatiable, pounded against the door, their fragile bodies slamming against the wood like a violent rain.

Nishant pressed his ear against the door, feeling the vibrations resonate through him. "What are they doing?" he whispered, dread pooling in his stomach. Selene held her breath, eyes wide as the very wood began to warp under the pressure. Cracks splintered across the surface, jagged lines appearing like veins racing across an injured body.

Then, a sound unlike anything they had heard before—a high-pitched screech that cut through the air, echoing like nails on a chalkboard. Aylin jumped back, his heart racing as he pointed at the door. "They're... they're trying to get in!"

Through the dim light, they could see shadows shifting, the dark swarm surging like a tide against the door, their sharp fangs glinting menacingly as they searched for any weakness. The Butterflies began to bore into the wood, their tiny fangs working furiously against the grain, tearing through the door as though it were made of paper. Each gnaw and scrape sent shivers racing down their spines.

Nishant's breath quickened. "We have to hold it! Don't let them in!" But even as he shouted, panic clawed at his throat, each second feeling like an eternity.

Selene glanced towards the windows, and her breath caught in her throat. Outside, the darkness pressed against the glass like a living thing. The swarm was so dense it resembled static, a chaotic storm of movement and sound, their wings creating a terrifying white noise that filled the room, drowning out their thoughts.

The very fabric of reality seemed to pulse with each beat of the Butterflies' wings, their power a suffocating presence. "They're going to break through!" Aylin shouted, panic edging into his voice as he pressed against the door, the wood trembling under the relentless assault. "What do we do?"