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Bloodborn: Chapter One 
by Alex Calhoun

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The night is still and silent with a storm brewing on the horizon. The moon shines brightly overhead. Dark clouds churn, allowing only thin slivers of moonlight to pierce through to the world below. Thunder echoes in the distance, breaking the eerie silence. The darkness is disturbed as a shrouded figure races out of the woods through an open field. Moments later, two silhouettes are trailing behind it. The moon penetrates through the clouds, bathing the landscape in a ghoulish glow. A piercing howl cries out into the night. The two pursuers emerge from the shadows. One has white hair that reflects the silvery moonlight, wielding a simple bloodstained dagger. A large scar stains on the left side of his face. The other is taller, darker, and tenses in preparation to strike. They stand facing the menacing countenance of a great snarling wolf, fur matted with grime and blood, bared yellow teeth gnashing. A deep gash along its right flank oozes crimson blood. The beast’s muscles tighten as it crouches low to lunge at the figures. They ready their weapons calmly and mechanically. Thunder rumbles once again, followed by a flash of lightning. As the lightning strikes, the wolf growls and leaps toward the figures, and suddenly all that remains is darkness.

“Crap, I’m late!”

Shane hops into his kitchen, struggling to find his keys as he fits into his boots. It’s been a minute since he did any tidying in here. It’s not necessarily dirty, he just needs to do the dishes and clear off every surface in the room, but he knows where everything should be. Despite the organized chaos, Shane finds his keys and heads for the door. As he enters the living room, the phone begins to ring. Shane checks his watch, slightly annoyed at the bad timing, but ultimately picks up the phone.

“Hello?”

“Hey sweetie, it’s Mom. Have you checked out the news today?”

“No, I haven’t gotten a chance to. I’ve got plans with Carina today and I’m running late.”

“I know sweetie, that’s why you should check the news.”

“Can’t you just tell me what’s on the news?”

“Just turn on your tv.”

Annoyed at this continued delay but not wanting to go against his mom, Shane quickly turns on his tv and changes the channel to the local news. The weatherman is giving the forecast for clear, sunny skies throughout the week.

“Ok, it looks like perfect weather for a carnival,” Shane says.

“Look at the bottom of the screen.”

Shane focuses at the strip of text scrolling along the bottom, giving other headlines of news while the forecast is being given. One headline scrolling across states potential animals in the area.

“You’re worried about an animal sighting?”

“Yes! Those things are dangerous and you’ll be a ways away from the settlement. I don’t want anything happening to you.”

“Mom, these types of rumors are never true. And even if this one is, we’ve got town guards along the entire perimeter of the grounds. We’ll be fine, don’t worry.”

“It’s a mother’s job to worry. Promise me you’ll at least take your gun with you?”

“Oh, thanks for the reminder. I almost forgot. Alright, I gotta go Mom, I’ll talk to you later.”

“Ok, sweetie. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

After hanging up the phone, Shane runs back up to his room and grabs his trusted 9mm off his nightstand. It’s nothing special, just a standard semi-automatic handgun. The grip has been wrapped in black electrical tape. Some say it looks stupid, but it helps Shane keep a grip on it, so that’s all that matters. Shane slips the clip out and checks the bullets. Fourteen in the clip, one in the chamber. He puts the clip back in and holsters it behind his back. On his way back downstairs he passes by his dresser mirror and stops dead in his tracks. He glances over and sees his hair is a jumbled, brown mess. Not wanting to take anymore time, he grabs his favorite ball cap and hurries downstairs and out the door.

The carnival is in town, bustling with life and energy. People stand in sprawling lines waiting for rides, games, and funnel cakes. This event is the biggest thing to happen to this settlement, and it only arrives once a year. As Shane pays for admission, he wanders around, taking in the attractions, the people, the environment around him. He tries to take note of the smallest details. He scans the area, looking for Carina, but she’s nowhere to be seen.

“Gonna bust my ass for being late, but can’t even be bothered to meet me.”

While Shane comes to the conclusion that he will be attending this carnival alone for the time being, he tries to decide where to go first. A shooting gallery, a ferris wheel, a face painting booth and a caravan of food trucks offering several festive delicacies. As his eyes land on the food trucks, the image of funnel cake enters his head. Shane decides to head towards the sweet aroma of fried dough and powdered sugar. Without warning, somebody grabs the back of his shirt and starts dragging him back in the opposite direction. Shane attempts to protest while being forced to walk backwards, but she cuts him off.

“Geez, it took you long enough to get here. You slept in again, didn’t you?”

Finally, he breaks free of her grip and turns to face his would-be kidnapper. Carina looks up at him impatiently with one hand on her hip, clearly irritated. 

He chuckles, apologizing and falling into step beside her. She rolls her eyes.

“Ah, it’s no big deal. At least you’re here now. Where to first?” she asks.

“Well in case you didn’t notice, I was kinda on my way somewhere before you abducted me.”

“Oh get over it. You’re alive, aren’t you?”

“Carina, do you ever consider being a decent human being for a day? Just one day?”

“Nah. Not nearly as much fun.”

    Shane’s rebuttal is interrupted by a low rumbling sound. Carina looks around, startled.

“What was that?” she asks.

Shane pauses in a moment of shame.

“That would be my stomach,” he says.

“That was your stomach?”

“Yeah, I haven’t eaten today. And they have funnel cake.”

“You’re a child, you know that?”

“Hey, this child is trusted to protect your ass when shit hits the fan.”

As their conversation continues, Shane and Carina make their way towards the food trucks and wait in line.

“Oh yes, and what a mighty protector, not having seen any action since you started that job,” she says.

“Well I’m sure as hell not complaining that the settlement hasn’t been attacked yet. I’m hoping it stays that way.”

“It better stay that way. I hear it’s been getting pretty bad around the larger settlements and the City.”

Carina’s comment causes Shane to think back to the conversation he had with his mom earlier.

“Did you see the newscast earlier? They say there’s a potential sighting around here,” he says.

“Surely it’s not a real cause for concern, otherwise they would’ve cancelled this carnival.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that. They may be trying to keep the public calm and just praying that nothing actually happens.”

“You really think the people in charge around here are capable of putting that much thought into it?”

“I think they’re desperate enough to risk it. This place brings a lot of cash for the settlement. They may not want to risk losing that.”

After what seems like ages, Shane and Carina finally arrive at the front of the line. Shane orders a funnel cake. The vendor’s expression becomes grim as he delivers the unfortunate news that they are out of funnel cakes.

“Aw, come on! I haven’t eaten all day,” Shane whines.

“You do know they have other food, right?”

“Yeah, but it’s not the same.”

Trying to overcome the disappointment, Shane settles on an oversized corndog to tame the roaring monster in his stomach while Carina buys a lemonade. The two then wander through the carnival grounds to figure out where to go next.

“Well there’s the shooting gallery. Wanna give that a shot?” Carina offers.

“Oh, so you’re choosing public humiliation.”

“Hey, just because you get paid to walk around town with a gun does not mean you’re the better shot.”

“Well let’s find out, shall we?”

    They head over to the booth and pay the carnie a silver coin each. Both are handed a small lever-action pellet rifle. Shane and Carina take aim and wait. As soon as the bullseyes come into view and the timer begins, they open fire. Small metal targets are shot down as soon as they pop up. Pellets fly through the air as the two fire one after another into the wall of targets. As soon as the timer buzzes, they put down their rifles. Shane looks over to his score of 13. Rather pleased with himself, he turns his gaze to discover that Carina scored a 16.

“What?! No! I refuse! There weren’t even 16 targets!,” he cries.

The carnie interjects, “Actually kid, there’s 20 targets each.”

“Ha!” Carina exclaims.

“Stupid game is rigged anyway,” he mutters.

Shane starts to walk away from the tent, annoyed and sulking. Carina quickly catches up to him. She has an exaggerated smile on her face to gloat her victory, but she doesn’t bring it up any further.

“So where to next?”

“I dunno. I’d prefer something that isn’t rigged, thank you very much.”

“Then you’re gonna have a hard time finding that around here.”

Shane and Carina spend the rest of the afternoon walking around, trying out the games and attractions. Carina wins a small stuffed cow playing the ring toss. Shane gets a temporary tattoo of a skull and crossbones on the back of his right hand. Both of them enjoy the sweetness of cotton candy. The hours go by quickly, and before they know it, the sun is setting.

“Of course the day is already over,” Shane says.

“At least it’s been fun. Anything else you wanna do before leaving?”

“Well we can’t leave before enjoying the main attraction.”

Shane gestures towards the large ferris wheel. It’s a gigantic monument compared to the rest of the carnival. Its large stature can be seen all the way from the settlement. As the main attraction to the carnival, a long line can be seen winding around the base of the wheel. Shane and Carina make their way to the back and wait patiently. Shane looks towards the horizon to take in the sunset. He notices the multiple shades of color clashing together to create an abstract mural in the sky. He looks to see the sun running away, off to some far off land.

“Do you ever imagine a life outside of this place?” Shane asks.

Carina turns to him, her mind previously somewhere else. She’s curious as to what brought on this sudden question.

“Eh, maybe in passing. It’s not really something I’ve given a lot of thought. Why? Are you missing that high class living you had in the City?”

Shane chuckles at the thought of being considered upper class.

“Nah, at this point I’ve lived here longer than I did in the City. But I mean a life beyond here, beyond the City. Just going and seeing the world and all it has to offer. Surely there has to be more to this world than a group of settlements and a bunch of creatures terrorizing us. I mean, just look at the sun. Where does it go when it’s not shining on us? What else beyond Amaryllis does it have to bring light and warmth to?”

Carina stands there, not speaking. She’s not sure how to respond. Looking at Shane in such deep thought, she wishes that he would open up to her more about this kind of thing. These kinds of moments are where she can see him for who he truly is. Shane’s always been a tough nut to crack, even in grade school. It’s always a task to figure out what he’s thinking about or what mood he’s in. He’s never shown this much interest about leaving before. At least, not to her.

“Sorry, just thinking out loud. I just feel like there’s more to life than keeping watch on a small settlement where nothing interesting happens,” he says.

The two get to the front of the line as the sun falls below their horizon. As the oranges and yellows are replaced with blues and purples, hanging string lights come to life all across the carnival grounds. The hanging lights along with the lights of the rides and attractions make the entirety of the carnival stand as a beacon in a field shrouded under the night sky. There’s an odd serenity within the night life of a carnival. It’s almost as though time does not move forward as fast as it should.

“What perfect timing,” Shane says sitting down in the car of the ferris wheel.

“What do you mean?”

“A little birdie told me there would be a surprise here after sunset.”

The ferris wheel hums to life as the machinery begins turning in a clockwise rotation. Shane and Carina’s cart moves forward and starts to lift in the air when an explosion is heard from the other end of the grounds. Both of them look up to see a mixture of colors and fire in the sky, quickly fading, only to be followed by another explosion of color, then another.

“Oh wow, it’s been forever since we’ve had any fireworks,” Carina says.

“I guess things really have been picking up around here.”

As the wheel rotates, they spend a few minutes silently watching the spectacle taking place overhead. It’s a peaceful moment that they can sit back and enjoy without the constant hustle of settlement life. Carina looks over to Shane, who’s still watching the fireworks. She can see the joy in his eyes and a slight smile on his face. Over the years she’s learned that these are the moments where she can see Shane let go and be vulnerable around people. They’re not as often as she’d like, but it’s better than nothing.

“You know, as much as you may wanna leave this place and go see the world, you have to admit that it’s not a bad place to settle down,” she says. She smiles and gives him a little nudge in the arm with her elbow.

“Yeah, I suppose not.”

They continue to watch the fireworks as the ferris wheel stops for them to get off. While they stand near the base of the wheel, their eyes still gazing towards the stars, their hands drift close to one another. Shane’s heartbeat begins to quicken as blood rushes to his cheeks. He tries to avoid laughing from nerves. Shane’s never been one for being smooth. He’s trying not to move for fear that his tensed muscles will shove his hand into hers, completely ruining the moment. Maybe if he just starts with a finger. He feels his index finger slowly edging towards her hand. He’s anxiously anticipating the moment of contact, and dreading the reaction.

Carina is staying still, unsure of what to do. In her peripheral vision she can see Shane’s hand inching towards her own. She wasn’t expecting Shane to make the first move. Sure, people have made jokes in passing that they should get together, but it was always just that. A joke. It’s not like she’s not interested, it’s just a bit...sudden. He hasn’t expressed any interest in her before. To be fair, he’s never really expressed much interest in anything. It would make sense, though. She’s known him longer than anyone else here. The history is there, maybe she’s just been ignorant to the chemistry.

As the colors rain down from above, each explosion feels delayed. Carina feels her heartbeat intensify as a finger comes into contact with hers. It stays there for just a moment, as if it’s unsure of what to do next. Just a moment later, it begins to wrap around her finger, testing the waters of where it’s allowed to go. Carina opens up her hand, allowing his finger to intertwine with hers. Soon afterwards, the rest of his hand slides into her own, their fingers locked between each other, grasping one another firmly but gently. Carina takes a deep breath. There’s a rush in her head, making her question whether or not this is a dream. Shane and Carina stand there for a while. Their hands stay in place, both of them afraid that any movement will make the moment fade away forever. Slowly, Carina turns her head to look at Shane, only to realize he’s already staring at her.

“Hi,” he says.

“Hey.”

Carina looks at the reflection of the fireworks in his eyes. They seem at peace, and truly enjoying this moment in time. She sees a small smile appear. It’s a genuine smile, not one he’s putting on to lighten the mood. His cheeks are bright red underneath the carnival lights. Good to know he’s just as nervous as she is. As great as this moment is, Carina can’t help but wonder what’s going to happen next. She can feel the awkwardness of the moment beginning to set in. She looks down at their connected hands.

“You’re holding my hand,” she says.

Shane looks down at their hands.

“Yeah. Yeah I am.”

Shane turns his body towards her and holds out his other hand. Carina turns and places her other hand in his. She can feel her heartbeat in her face, which feels very warm right now. She’s not sure what is about to happen, so she continues to look in his face for any clue as to what he’s thinking. It’s usually a chore to get a read on him, but right now it is impossible. She feels Shane take his left hand away and then feels it softly being placed against her cheek. Her heart skips a beat as he brushes a strand of hair behind her ear and his thumb strokes across her cheekbone. Her attention is so focused on the man before her she almost doesn’t hear the sound in the distance. It’s hidden behind the pop of the fireworks, but it rings across the field. Carina’s not sure if it’s real until she sees Shane’s expression change and he looks in the direction of it. They stay there and listen for a minute. Another sound goes off, then another. They both turn and walk towards the sound. Once they’re a bit closer, the sound becomes more distinct. Is that....a gunshot?

“Shane, don’t you guys have guards stationed over there?”

“Yeah, we do. Lemme give them a call.”

 Shane takes out his phone and puts it up to his ear. A few seconds pass and he looks at the screen.

“They’re not answering. Let me call base, see if they’ve heard from them.”

As Shane is dialing the number, a siren blares from the settlement. This siren is designed to go off for one purpose. There’s an attack.

“Oh shit. We need to run. Now!”

Shane grabs Carina’s arm and they begin to run away from the gunfire back towards the settlement. Shane begins to yell at everybody on the carnival grounds to run as fast as they can. His warnings are drowned out by a rumble in the distance, quickly approaching from across the field. It only takes moments before the entire carnival is overcome by a horde of creatures. Animals of great size and ferocity storm the tents and game booths, attacking anything they see moving. Patrons cry out as they are quickly devoured by these animals. The carnival crumbles into chaos, a frenzy of shouting and collisions and bodies. Shane and Carina race behind a food truck as a monstrous form of a bear lunges for them. They round the corner just in time, and as the bear turns its head towards them, Shane pulls out his 9mm and puts a bullet right through the bear’s skull. It falls to the ground with a hard thud, blood beginning to flow from both the entrance and exit wound.

“What the hell?! An attack this close to a settlement?” he cries.

Carina looks down to see Shane’s hands are starting to tremble, but he clenches them into fists. She looks into his eyes. They’re deep in thought, most likely scrambling for an idea of what to do. Anguished screams of horror and fear are heard amongst the growls and roars of the monsters storming the grounds. An explosion is heard from the other side of the truck and Carina can see columns of smoke beginning to rise into the air.

“Ok, here’s what we do. We get back to town. Run and don’t stop, no matter what. Can you do it?” Shane asks.

Carina takes a deep breath, steeling her nerves.

“Let’s go.”

They sprint towards town, dodging debris and the hysterical masses. A large cat springs toward them, but they manage to duck just in time to avoid being mauled. They veer around a corner of a game booth to avoid an altercation with it. The acrid columns of smoke are now spreading across the field, making it difficult for Shane and Carina to breathe as they continue to run. Carina’s lungs feel like they’re being filled with fire, but she does not stop running. Her eyes are focused on Shane, she’s going wherever he goes. A loud screech is heard from overhead. Carina looks to see Shane turning around and pointing his gun upward, pulling the trigger twice. He grabs her arm to pull her away from the mass of a giant bird crashing to the ground, its feathers flying in all directions upon impact. They continue running, traversing through the ruins of tents and booths with fire spreading across the field, illuminating the carnage. Suddenly, a deafening roar shakes the ground beneath their feet, and they lurch to a stop. A massive creature stands before them: a wolf, standing at least seven feet tall, with matted fur and jagged yellow fangs showing. Its hide is covered in deep scars, as if it has survived many vicious encounters, and it’s blocking their only escape route. Shane fires two shots, but the bullets disappear into puffs of white smoke right before the wolf’s face. The wolf remains where it is, unfazed by the attempt on its life.

Carina is frozen to the spot. Their only hope is to somehow maneuver around the monster. Shane talks as quietly and as quickly as he can.

“Carina, we can’t stay here. We have to move. We have to get past it,” Shane says.

“Are you insane?! That thing’s gonna kill us if we move!”

Her voice is little more than an unnerved whisper. 

“It’s gonna kill us if we stay here! We have to try!” 

The wolf crouches low, muscles straining, fangs bared, and utters a bloodcurdling growl that causes the hairs on the back of Shane’s neck to stand at attention. A wound in its right flank causes it to wince. He grabs Carina’s arm and runs to the right. Shane hopes that this wolf’s injury is enough to give them the chance to escape. Just as they prepare to skirt around it, the wolf leaps over and digs its merciless claws into Shane’s left side. Shane shouts in pain, dropping to one knee. The wolf cries as it lands from its attack, putting pressure on its own wound. Shane struggles to get back on his feet, so Carina pulls his arm to help him up. His side is now seeping with blood. His breathing becomes heavier as they struggle to move forward.

“Carina, I need you to take this,” Shane says. He hands her his gun.

“No, I’m not taking it. We’re both getting out of here.”

“You’ve got 10 shots left. Make sure you shoot to kill.

“Shane don’t be ridiculous, get up!”

“Just go! I’ll buy you some time, get out of here now!”

As Shane orders Carina to go, the wolf jumps from behind and digs its teeth into Shane’s left shoulder. Shane screams and Carina shoots the wolf. Five shots, five puffs of smoke right by the wolf, like the bullets are disintegrating around its hide. Shane struggles to keep it from biting him more, struggling to grab its maw with his hands.

“GO!” Shane yells.

She obeys, frantically putting distance between herself and the horror taking place behind her. Soon, though, she realizes the gravity of what she’s doing. She can’t abandon him. Forcing herself to turn around and swallowing her fear, her eyes fall on a jagged piece of metal, some remnant from the carnage of some carnival attraction. Instinctively, she grabs it and hurries back to Shane. As she’s returning, the wolf is now circling around Shane. He’s lying on the ground, in an expanding pool of his blood. The wolf stands with its back to Carina, unaware of her presence. Its focus is solely on Shane as it gets ready to make the final strike. Carina sneaks her way to them, her footsteps masked by the screams in the distance and the crackle of the fires around them. She raises the piece of metal in her hands and looks for a place to stab this creature. Her eyes fall upon the gash on its right side, now reopened with fresh blood flowing out. She puts all of her strength into jamming the piece of metal deep into the wound. The wolf yelps and quickly swivels around to face her, its eyes glowing with hatred and hunger. Carina slowly begins to back away. The wolf is fixed on her now. Her heart is racing as she walks backwards, avoiding any sudden movements. She can’t take her eyes off of it. Those golden eyes, the eyes of a predator staring down its next meal, dare her to try to escape. The creature’s entire being radiates bloodlust. Her heart leaps into her throat when she feels a cold, solid wall behind her, one of the last structures from the carnival still standing. Nowhere to run. The wolf approaches slowly, wanting to make her suffer for causing it pain and for interrupting its meal. Before it can attack, a figure suddenly materializes between them. Another creature.

Its appearance is fox-like, its sleek fur glistening in the sunlight. It challenges its competitor with a look of defiance. The wolf stops, suddenly seeming to emanate static, flashing with a spark of rage. The new creature is unwavering. Its gaze narrows and its breathing slows. After a moment of still tension, the wolf slowly begins to retreat back towards Shane. The fox turns its attention to Carina. Their eyes lock, as if it’s trying to convey a message to her. Her breathing begins to slow as the fox carefully advances towards her, giving no sign of harm. It gives her a look of curiosity, sniffing the air around her before coming mere feet in front of her. Maybe this one is friendly? She’s never seen one so close before. Maybe it’s not here to do any harm. Carina extends her hand out to gently rest against the fox’s muzzle. The moment her hand makes contact, the fox’s expression changes, its mouth curling into what she can only describe as a smile. In an instant, the fox tears into Carina, beginning to rip apart her flesh from her body. She tries to fight back, but can’t begin to form a coherent thought as to what is happening. Pain is wringing across her entire body as a hail of bullets rains down on both her and the monster attacking her. She can’t even think to scream. She can only stand there and look on in shock as the bullets slam into both of their bodies and she’s drenched in blood. The fox collapses, and she gapes down at her own wounds in stunned horror. Staggering, she clutches at her skin as a burning pain lances through her body. She’s racked with convulsions, caught somewhere between freezing and burning, unable to bear the surging agony that’s slowly overwhelming her. Her skin starts to melt away, opening new wounds and causing blood to pour out even heavier than before. With the little strength she has left, Carina collapses to the ground screaming as the fire spreads through her veins.

Shane struggles to drag himself to cover. The world seems to lapse into slow motion. His vision is becoming outlined with a tinge of black. His body begins to feel cold from blood loss. He sees the wolf approaching him; he hears the gunfire; he hopes that someone has come to save them. Carina’s face flashes through his mind before the wolf is on top of him again and its teeth are gnashing in the air just inches from his face. Without warning, a bullet penetrates its skull. More rounds follow the first, riddling the scar-covered hide with holes. Its blood splashes over Shane’s face and chest, and he prays that none of the bullets have hit him. Between the blood loss and the agony of the gashes, he can’t tell what’s happening anymore. Blurry figures swarm through his field of vision, highlighted by more gunfire. Searing pain tears through his limbs before he finally slips into unconsciousness.

 

Images of horror appear before Shane. A flash of fire. A fragment of a scream. The sting of a bite. These images and memories cascade upon Shane in a flurry. Shane bolts upright, his breathing heavy and his forehead beaded with sweat. He hears a slight rapid beeping behind him, but can barely focus on more than his respiration. Shane manages to slow down and gathers his surroundings. He’s in a stark white room, not a massacred carnival. A white chair sits in the left corner on the far wall. An open doorway is towards the right corner of the same wall. The beeping has slowed down, but is still constant behind him. Shane looks behind his left shoulder to see a heartbeat monitor.

 He traces the cords down to his hand, where he can see the monitor attached to his finger and an IV drip placed into his arm. He’s also wearing a white gown, with a starchy white blanket draped across his legs. He notices that he is sitting in a hospital bed. How the hell did he make it to a hospital? At least, he’s pretty sure it’s a hospital. His head is still buzzing with the onslaught of memories of what just happened. His head also begins to fill with a plethora of questions. Where is he? Where is Carina? Is she still alive? Is he even alive? How did he get here? Before he gives himself a panic attack, Shane determines that he needs to figure out where he is.

“Hello?” he calls out.

A few moments later, a man in pale blue scrubs walks through the open doorway. He looks surprised to see Shane, but his reaction seems to be positive.

“Mr. Ross, you’re up. How are you feeling?”

The man Shane assumes is a nurse grabs a clipboard from the foot of the bed and looks over the pages. He turns his gaze back onto Shane and asks more questions.

“Are you in any pain? Any dizziness? Nausea?”

He takes a small flashlight and begins to shine it in Shane’s eyes. He puts the flashlight away and places his pointer finger in front of Shane’s face.

“Follow my finger with your eyes, please.”

Shane’s eyes follow the path of his finger, and Shane is finally able to mutter out a question.

“Wher-where am I?”
   “You are in the hospital. Your motor brain function seems alright. Are you in any pain?”

As the nurse is talking, he writes down notes on the clipboard.

“No, I’m fine. How long have I been here?” Shane asks.

The nurse stops writing and sets the clipboard back on the edge of the bed.

“What exactly do you remember, Mr. Ross?”

Shane struggles to piece together the past events. His heart rate begins to rise as he recalls what he went through.

“I remember chaos. Fire spreading everywhere. I shot two of them, but there was a wolf. It sank its teeth into me like I was a toy. I couldn’t do anything.”

“It’s ok, Mr. Ross. You’re safe now, I can assure you.”

The nurse places his hand on Shane’s shoulder. It was a small gesture but Shane took comfort in it. It helped to calm his nerves. After a moment, the nurse spoke up.

“Now I do have to ask, are you sure you were attacked?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty damn sure. I mean, just look at me. Look at where that thing attacked me.”

The nurse approaches Shane and undoes the buttons on the left shoulder of the gown. There are no scars visible anywhere on his left side or on his shoulder.

“You look perfectly well, Mr. Ross. No scarring to indicate any injury. We assumed you passed out from shock when you got here.”

“That’s insane. What about my clothes? They should’ve been ripped to pieces.”

“Well I was not assigned to check on you until after we got you changed into the gown. We had to throw them out because they were covered in blood. With it being so hectic here, for obvious reasons, your doctors would probably have a hard time recalling what your clothes looked like. Now I do have other patients to check on, and I suggest you get some rest. If there’s anything you need, just let me know.”

As the nurse begins to leave, Shanes asks him one more question.

“Wait. Do you know if there’s a Carina Summers here? Please, I need to know if she’s ok.”

The nurse looks at him for a moment.

“We’ll talk more when you’ve had a second to process everything. Get some rest.”

As the nurse starts to walk away, he glances back towards Shane.

“I like the tattoo,” he says.

“Thanks, I got it at the carnival,” Shane replies.

Shane looks down at his right hand where the temporary tattoo had been put on at the carnival, but his hand was blank. The nurse walks out of the room, leaving Shane alone to ponder.


 

 

Synopsis:

Bloodborn is a science-fantasy story that takes place in the world of Amaryllis, a vast and ever expanding land where the majority of humanity resides in the City, while small populations have ventured out to establish settlements in the wilderness. However, the wilderness is plagued by monsters the people have dubbed Dyrs: animals similar to our own yet with large, grotesque physical appearances and supernatural abilities. The real threat of the Dyrs is what happens when their blood mixes with human DNA. Their blood rewrites the person’s genetic code to give them the same abilities the Dyr possessed, creating a new hybrid of creature. Bloodborn follows Shane, Carina, Matt, and Dante as they are tasked with solving the cause behind the increase in Dyr attacks across the settlements. As they search for the culprit for this natural anomaly, they will discover a greater secret to the real reason behind the Bloodborn mutation.

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