Ghostiiys
Member
Otsana Raya
Location: Blood Moon Ball
Otsana's mind raced with anxiety and fear. Her night of indulgence had come to a crashing end, and now she was facing the consequences. The man who had confronted her was confident and intimidating, and his mere presence sent shivers down her spine.
"It's of her sister, actually," the man said. "She's looking for her, and that's the only picture she has."
Otsana's gaze darted to the crowd, where she saw a woman standing, her face etched with worry. Otsana felt a pang of guilt. She already felt like a dirtbag for stealing, but now seeing the woman's pain made her feel even worse. Otsana took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. She needed to think clearly. She needed to find a way out of this situation. Before Otsana could utter another word, a buzzing erupted from the man's pocket, followed by an apologetic look that flashed across his face. It was clear that this was unexpected for him.
"It's fine," she managed to say, her voice barely above a whisper. Her eyes darted around the room, searching for an escape route. This was the perfect opportunity to slip into the crowd and disappear. Or maybe she could just pull out the photo, play it off as a mistake, and hope for the best?
She glanced at the man again. Whatever was on his phone now had his full attention. His eyes were narrowed in focus, and his jaw was clenched. Otsana couldn't help but feel a flicker of curiosity. She had always been a bit of a chismosa, after all. Internally she shook her head and began to reach for where she had placed the photo. She would just hand it to him while he was distracted and them promptly run off into the night.
Her head was pounding and her throat felt dry. The same feelings she would have when she transformed and it terrified her.
"Actually..." she spoke. This would take only a second, and then she could leave.
She reached for the photo, her fingers expecting the thin sheet of printing paper. Instead, she felt the quick brush of rough fur. Her heart skipped a beat. She pulled her hand back, her eyes widening in shock. She looked down at her fingers and where a photo was supposed to be, emptiness took its place. Otsana's keen eyes darted around the room, searching for the culprit.
There it was, that damn cat she forgot about! It was weaving its way through the crowd, its small paws scurrying across the floor. Otsana could see the photo in its mouth, its tail flicking back and forth triumphantly. Otsana's heart sank. Instinctively she lunged for the cat, but it was too quick for her. It darted under a table and disappeared from sight. Otsana followed on her hands and knees, but the cat was gone. She crawled back out from under the table, her face flushed with frustration. She stood up and looked around, but there was no sign of the cat.
"FUCK!" Otsana slammed her foot on the ground, the heel of her foot pounding the hard floor with a resounding thud. Her expression was a thundercloud, her eyes narrowed in fury. The rising feeling of frustration, anger, and tension was beginning to crack at her psyche, threatening to overwhelm her. Before she could express her feelings in any sort of meaningful way, she was interrupted by the man she was speaking with earlier. She had totally forgotten he was there after the cat escaped.
His face shifted apologetically. "I was trying to reach them," he fibbed, "Sorry it took so long. I know you're itching to get out of here, but I don't think I can reach them. The service here is absolutely terrible when you're not five feet away from someone. They're searching to see if it got swept under someone's feet accidentally, way over there. I'm just taking a new angle here. A shot in the dark, but you're being so kind about it. It might take too long to get their attention, and I know you're dying to go home, and rightfully so, but if you could let me in the back, I would know it if I saw it."
"Oh shit." Otsana screamed internally. She felt her heart pounding in her chest as her getaway ticket ran under the table and disappeared into the crowd of drunkards. Her palms were sweaty and her vision blurred. Otsana's eyes darted around the room, her mind racing. She had to think of a way out, but the bombardment of feelings was making it hard to focus.
She stammered. "You see... about that..." filling the silence with a bunch of "um's" and "so's." She needed to think something fast but she couldn't focus on anything besides her laboured breathing.
Suddenly, screams of terror erupted from the other side of the room. Otsana whipped her head around, but the crowd was too dense to see anything. One scream multiplied exponentially, and the crowd began to disperse erratically. Otsana could smell the fear in the air. It hung thick and heavy, like a suffocating blanket. She looked around and saw people falling and slipping, crawling on the ground in an attempt to escape from whatever was terrifying them. Otsana could hear the sounds of something animalistic, inhuman, and frightening. It was a primal sound that sent shivers down her spine.
The crowd surged around her, pushing and shoving. Otsana was jostled and bumped, but she kept her feet. She couldn't see what the people were running from, but she knew it was something bad. She could feel the panic rising within her, but she refused to give in. She saw a man fall in front of her. He was trampled by the crowd, but no one stopped to help him. Otsana watched in horror as the man was trampled underfoot. She realized that the people in the crowd were no better than the thing they were running from. They were like crabs in a bucket, pulling each other down to survive.
Otsana felt a wave of nausea wash over her. She had to get out of there. "What is happening?!" Otsana screamed looking at the man next to her , but her voice was barely heard over the symphony of terror. In the distance, she heard a low rumble, like the roar of a thousand beasts. It was then that her nose picked up a familiar scent. One that she tried her best to avoid.
The air was thick with the smell of blood.
code by serobliss