CURSE OF THE BLOOD MOON

“Do you smell that?” Kayla knew very well what it was. She could never forget the metallic smell that drove her crazy the first few weeks after her transformation.

It was blood and it could only be coming from one person. The only human in the room.

They rushed to her, but couldn’t touch her.

“Scarlet!” Kayla was fighting against an invisible wall as she tried to push her way to her friend’s side.

“What’s going on?” Nikki couldn’t get to Scarlet either.

It was like she was in an invisible shield, blocking them from getting to her.

“Stephan, do something.” Kayla’s voice rose in desperation.

“It’s the child.” Stephan felt useless against a power that was so much like his own.

“I think it’s time. It must be. That is the only reason why it would shield its self like this.” Nikki looked down at Scarlet’s belly.

Scarlet’s body lifted in an arch of the bed, before slamming back down, causing more blood to ease out of the wound they couldn’t see.

“There is too much blood. She’s going to bleed to death.” Kayla watched as the blood oozed out of her friend’s body and onto the bedsheet. The bed was completely drenched in her blood, the white sheets were now red.

“Stephan, try and penetrate its shield. You are his father and he will trust you.”

Stephan had tried to use his power to break through the shield but he couldn’t. He was out of ideas and didn’t know what to do.

“Talk to him. That’s what Scarlet used to do at times.” Kayla had dropped to her knees, her voice was quivering as she spoke.

“Son, drop the shield and let us help your mommy.” They waited for a while, but the shield was still up.

“What’s that?” Solara sounded horrified as his gaze fixed on Scarlet’s belly.

Scarlet’s body started to move slightly. It was like something was moving under the shirt she wore. Her clothes around her stomach had turned red, and it seemed to be the source of all the blood.

“The baby is coming out.” Nikki watched as she spoke above Stephan who was still pleading with the child.

“What? How?” Kayla rose to her feet and followed Nikki’s gaze to her friend’s belly. She could see the same movement that they did.

Scarlet’s body arched from the bed once more, it stayed like that for a couple of seconds before slumping back down on the bed. A raspy gasp escaped from her throat.

“Through her stomach,” Nikki uttered those words with finality.

“Is she going to die?” Solara was holding Kayla up. She couldn’t find the strength to support herself anymore.

No one responded to her question, “We need to change her before she dies.”

“That’s not what she wanted.” Stephan stopped talking to the baby when his efforts were rendered useless.

“Screw that. Do something before she dies or I swear I’ll kill you!”

A tearing sound from Scarlet’s body quietened them. They all watched waiting for something else to happen.

***

Scarlet stood at the beach with her family and friends. She gave the child to Stephan when her arms felt weak, but still, she kept the happy look on her face.

Scarlet looked towards her parents and the people they stood with. They seemed to be moving away from her as if they were being carried by the waves into the deep ocean. She chased after them, but the faster she moved, the faster they pulled away from her.

Scarlet stopped running when they were too far into the horizon for her to see them anymore. She turned back to the rest of the people on the beach. Her breath caught in her throat when she looked towards the table, where her friends and Kayla’s family had been.

Their white clothes were slowly turning red. The blood oozing from their necks was drenching their clothes. They all stood, their eyes fixed on her, their tears rolling down their cheeks and mixing with the blood. They looked sad and betrayed.

Scarlet could hear someone crying behind her. She turned to find Kayla weeping in Solara’s arms. Her eyes fixed on her as tears streamed down her face.

Stephan held the boy to his chest. He was kneeling in the white sand, facing away from her. Scarlet moved behind him and tried to touch her son, but couldn’t. Every time she tried they pulled away from her.

Scarlet was confused and afraid. She moved closer to Stephan and her son. She leaned over him to see what he was looking at. All she could see was a marble stone, in the little grains of white sand.

She moved around them and dropped to her knees, leaning closer to take a better look. It looked like a headstone of some sort. She brushed the sand away, from the stone so that she could read what was engraved.

Scarlet’s eyes widened in shock and she gasped in horror.

Scarlet McKyle Jeraldi

Loving Mother, Daughter, Wife, and Friend

March 16th, 2010.

It was her headstone, she was dead. She looked at the date engraved on it, it was today’s date.

Scarlet felt a wave go through her body. Her hand flew to her stomach, she could feel a warm liquid. She brought her hand up and saw it was covered in blood. She looked down on her body and saw blood seep from her onto the white sand. The white sand around her had changed to a bloody red.

Scarlet could feel herself being pulled into limbo. She stretched her hand out to her son but couldn’t reach him.

***

They watched eyes wide in horror as the child ripped its way out of her. It looked like any other child but he was too big and strong to be considered a newborn. He left a gaping bloody hole at the center of her body. He crawled to her chest and lay there.

Kayla tried to go to her once more, but the wall was still up.

Scarlet had stopped bleeding out, the blood that had already run out of her was dripping on the floor.

Stephan sat on the floor, his head hanging as his nose was assaulted by the smell of Scarlet’s blood.

Nikki walked back to the corner where the chair was and slumped into it. She had given up, there was nothing either one of them could do with the child shutting them out.

Kayla knelt by the bed with Solara beside her. She stared at Scarlet’s lifeless body like she was caught in a trance. She didn’t blink, she stared at her body waiting for the smallest sign of life.

The baby cuddle on his mother’s chest, his eyes were closed, and seemed like he was sleeping.