Name: John Doe Sex: male Race: elfin Age: appears to be in mid 30s

Report: Victim was found dead in a log cabin in the forest 5 miles west of the MagicHill River. Officers on scene report that the victim was tied to a wall and was naked minus a piece of cloth covering the victim’s groin. Officers also report that the victim’s fingers and toes seemed to have been broken and his teeth were ripped out. Autopsy reports show that the victim’s lungs, stomach, heart, eyes, and brain were greatly damaged due to magic and that there were traces of poisonous water from the MagicHill River in the victim. It is presumed that the water made the victims magic go out of control, similar to cases in the past. Officers believe that the perpetrator fled the scene after noticing a line of disturbed foliage going towards the city. Officers also found multiple elfin bodies, 3 female, 5 male, in the basement of the building. All 8 bodies seem to have all been in the same condition as the victim before decomposition affected some. The victim nor the other 8 bodies have been identified as of yet.

I’m small. Just a little thing resting on your shoulder. I crawl around the back of your neck when you see a vacant web in your house, and I get bigger. The fear feeds me and I grow bigger. I grow and grow and grow. I jump back and loom over you like a dark cloud, but I’m still growing. My silk attaches itself to your arms, legs, and body, connecting you to my eight legs. The fear now strengthens my silk; strengthens my hold on you. I’m in control now.

I was on my phone trying to distract myself from the small space I’ve put myself in. I’d normally take the stairs, but I lived on the eighth floor and I had a meeting in thirty minutes.

Breath in. Breath out.

I was was on my phone trying to ignore the classic dusty metallic smell that surrounded me. The smell isn’t all that different, it still makes me cough with every inhale.

Breath in. Breath out.

I was on my phone when the floor below me shook to a halt causing that feeling you get on the drop of a roller coaster. The few seconds before the door opens always stress me out.

Breath in. Breath out.

I was not on my phone when I realized that the doors would not be opening.

Breath in, breath out.

I was not on my phone when I pressed the call button next to the floor buttons.

Breath in, breath out.

I was not on my phone when I clawed at the doors.

Breath in breath out.

I was not on my phone as I banged on the doors.

Breath in breath out. Breath in breath out.

I was not on my phone as I screamed, hoping someone would hear me.

Breath in breath out. Breath in breath out. Breath in breath out.

I was not on my phone as I cupped my hands to my face, trying to gather my breath back in my lungs.

Breath in breath out. Breath in breath out. Breath in breath out. Breath in breath out.

I was not on my phone when I balled up in the corner.

Breath in breath out. Breath in breath out. Breath in breath out. Breath in breath out. Breath in breath out. Breath in breath out. Breath in breath out. Breath in breath out. Breath in breath out. Breath in breath out.

I was not on my phone when I started crying.

B r e a t h.

I was not on my phone when I finally passed out.

I used to explore the catacombs underneath the city. They held many wonders, some positive, most deadly. In my decade of exploring this underground passage ways, I’ve never seen a room like the one I’m about it talk about. The door was different from the others around it, engraved with marking worn away over time, and as I walked into the room I noticed a desk full with clutter. Everything on the old rickety wooden desk seemed to be ancient. There was a crimson red telephone alongside an old bronze compass and a pocket watch that was somehow still ticking. There were rough rosette brown keys and tools, rusted to the point you can’t see the delicate silver underneath. And in the middle of it all was something I did not recognize. Placed atop a book was something neither small nor big, something with such an intricate design that I feared it would rub off if I were too pick it up. I was so captivated by it’s labyrinth like design that I failed to notice the long handle protruding from a short piece of metal standing erect atop the object. I picked up the object, acutely aware of the slightly rubbed off arrangement of lines and curves. I observed that it had a shape similar to that of a tall bud vase with its slightly bulbous base and thick tall neck, with the only difference being that unlike a vase this perfectly fit into the palm of my hand. The palm of my hand was dusted with with the coppery shimmer of the chilled object alongside the metallic odour of pure metal. Handling it with care, I continued to moved the cold object around in my hand, trying to determine what purpose it held. It felt wrong to leave the object to be taken or broken by another, so I gently wrapped it in soft cloth that I kept in my bag alongside with the book it sat upon. Many decades later and I still have it sitting in a safe place.

I lay in my bed, mind wondering. I don’t know when I woke up and I don’t think too much of it, I just let my thoughts and worries go. But there’s one that niggles at me. Finally, I look at my alarm clock. It’s 5:47 in the morning. The sun will be up soon, I think to myself. Deciding that I won’t be getting anymore sleep, I roll out of bed, toss on my housecoat for added warmth, and head down for some early morning tea. The walk down from my room to the kitchen is a surreal one. Boxes were sprinkled here and there along the walls. I was born her, grew up here, and I’ve lived here for all eighteen years of my life. It’ll be hard for me to let go of this place. In the kitchen I lean against the counter and look out the window while I wait for the water to boil. This window looks out into our backyard; a grassy field covered in dew and a large lake surrounded by trees on three sides. There’s a bit of light peaking over those trees. Looking closer at the glistening water, I can see a silhouette of a person sitting out on the dock we made when I was five. The corners of my mouth turn up into a small smile and I prepare some more water to boil.

With a mug in each hand, I walk through the soft grass down to the dock. It’s made out of pieces of wood and logs and even though it looks weathered, it doesn’t look that old. At the dock now, I can clearly see my twelve year old sister gaze longingly at the sky. Maybe she’s watching the sun rise? The base of the sky has started to lighten, soon it will be an array of pinks and oranges. My sister was sitting at the front of the dock and hugging her knees to her chest. “Hey, Tess.” I say softly, handing her a mug of tea. She looks up at me then down to the mug in my outstretched hand. After the mug’s acceptance, I sit down with my legs hanging off the edge of the dock. “What’s up? And don’t say ‘the sky’.” “Nothing.” She says in a flat voice. “Come on, I can see it in your face. Something’s worrying you.” I say that as a fact. “You’ll laugh at me.” “When have I ever laughed at you?” She gives me an incredulous look and I make a show of putting my hand to my heart and straightening up. “I, Valerie Joyce Rocha, promise that I won’t laugh.” I earn a giggle with that. “Fine.” Tess took a deep breath. “I’m just… scared.” Scared? I push for her to say more. “Scared of what?” “It’s just that… you’re moving out tomorrow and…” she hides her face with her knees,” I’m scared you’ll forget about me…” “Why would I forget about you?” “I don’t know… you’re going to get a real job, new friends, and a boyfriend. You won’t have time to talk to me so you’re going to forget me.” Oh… I’ve been so busy packing everything I’ll need that I haven’t spent much time with Tess. She probably already thinks that I’m forgetting about it her. I touch Tess’ cheek, my hand warm from my mug, and she lifts her head. A singular tear is making its way down her face and I wipe it away with my thumb. “I would never forget about you Tess. And even if I get new friends and a boyfriend, I’ll still make time for you. We can still call and text each other and I’ll be coming back here during my breaks so we can still see each other.” She turns her head to look at the sky again. It’s a beautiful sight to behold. Even though the sun isn’t visible yet, the horizon is a vibrant orange that fades into pink then purple the higher up you look. “You sure?” “Yes. I’m sure.” We watched the sky in silence for a couple minutes before I start to stand up. I grab Tess’ mug and place it next to mine on the dock. “What do you say about a little swim?” I say with my hands on my hips. Before Tess has the time to register what I said, I shove her into the water— she rolled like a ball since she was still holding her knees to her chest— and I dive in after her. We make it to the surface of the water at the same time. “Are you crazy!?” She yells between small gasps. I just giggle a splash water into her face. She aggressively splashes me back and I return it. Soon enough we’re laughing and playing in the water under the sunrise.

I don’t remember much of before the Big Bang. All I know is that one minute I was falling asleep in my bed and the next I was falling down an endless void. The nonexistent world was spinning yet at a standstill, as if in limbo. I fell and fell and fell, but floated in a vast ocean of darkness. I couldn’t breath, yet did not suffocate. I couldn’t feel, yet did not feel lonely. It was a bliss that could not be described. And in the middle of it all was one little light. Flickering like a flame. And like a flame, it slowly died. It was a small star getting smaller and smaller, dimmer and dimmer. The darkness slowly consumed that warm light. I remember the burn behind my eyes as I wished for the light to continue glowing bright. I even prayed. But right as the light was almost completely consumed, it grew. Bright and hot. It exploded with colours no one could possibly imagine. It was life. Everything began to blur from there on, but all the emotions and colour were still there. I woke up in my own bed that morning, and gazed at the ceiling in wonder of the dream I’ve just experienced. It was a dream, right?

After a long day of studying and debating with classmates and colleagues, I melted into the mattress of my bed. I then stretch my arm out to the nightstand and retrieve the book I’ve fallen asleep to the night before. Opening the book, I found my place then paused. Finales where coming up and there were still things I needed to brush up on. I looked up to my desk filled with pages and pages of notes, textbooks, and pens. “Surely I’ve studied enough,” I thought to myself, “there’s still tomorrow and the day after…” I was tired of politics and the real world; my mind needed to be elsewhere. Looking back down at my book, the world around me slowly disappeared. Word by word, all my thoughts and worries where replaced by those of the book in my hands. In place of finales, I worried about the safety of the characters. Instead of politics, I learned magic. And rather than living in a world of noise, pollution, and racism; floral sents swirled around me along with the buzzing of bugs and calls of animals. It was a world not like ours. One to get consumed by. A paradise that could last for as long as you choose.

I creeped down the long hallway holding my teddy bear and my breath. All the lights were off, yet dark shadows swirled and morphed on the walls and high ceiling. I automatically shut my eyes and prayed that the shadows would leave me be. Something whistled. “Has to be the storm,” I thought to myself. I trembled with bleary eyes and a quivering lip as I forced my feet to move. When I was almost at my destination, I tripped. Convinced it was one of the shadows grabbing my foot, I thrashed while screaming and crying. “Nooooo! I don’t wanna die! Let go of meeee!” Right next to me a door opened. “Oh, dear. My poor baby.” Called a soothing voice I recognized. My mother picked me up and bounced me in her arms. “Shh. It’ll all be okay.” I sobbed into her nightgown and then noticed that it was not a monster that had grabbed me, but an extension cord that I tripped over.

My mom carried me to my room, tucked me and my bear into bed, and sang a calming lullaby while petting my hair. Right before drifting off to sleep, my closet door opened just a crack and a shadow peered out from it…

I secured the old bus we’ve decided to take shelter in for probably the fifth time tonight. It’s been hours since Cornella fainted. I was preparing another rag with cold water when Amie yelled for me. “Big brother! Big brother! Sissy’s awake!” I rushed to the back of the bus where I carried my sister. It seemed like the safest spot. Right next to the back door; our escape route. Sure enough, Cornelia’s eyes were open, but not completely focused. “W-where are we? What happened?” She questioned as franticly as she could in her groggy state. She was trying to sit up. “Sh sh sh. It’s okay. You fainted and I brought you onto the bus.” I said, gently pushing her shoulders down. “Amie can you get another wet rag for sissy?” Amie skipped away. “Hey, help me up.” Cornella demanded. I helped her up just as Amie appeared with the new rag. “Thanks. Hey, why don’t you go play with those toys I found?” “But I wanna stay with sissy!” She wouldn’t leave Cornelia’s side ever since she fainted. Amie even fell asleep with her head on Nella’s chest. “I know, but big brother needs to talk to sissy for a minute. But after you can show sissy those toys.” Amie paused for a moment before saying “Okay!” and skipping back up the bus. “Feeling any better?” I asked, tapping the tag on Cornella’s forehead. “Yah. I’m still a bit dizzy though.” She admitted. “I’ll get you some water.” As I started to leave, Cornella gently grabbed my arm. “Wait. There’s something I need to tell you first.” I sat down next to her and looked into her face. She had a sad look in her eyes. I watched as she brough up the hem of her dress and reviled the small bite on her calf. My eyes burned. “Nella…” I looked at her. She was staring at me, studying my expression, tears rolling over her cheeks. “Im sorry. I should’ve told you sooner. But you and Amie… I couldn’t find the time and—“ “You don’t have to apologize” I cried, grabbing her hand. “Never apologize. We’ll get to Alexandria and they can help you. And-and-and—“ She put a hand on my cheek, and smiled that sad smile. I didn’t even realize my tears spilling over. She looked in the direction of Amie’s playing. “You know there’s no saving me. You know… I had never been so close to giving up, and yet still managed to keep on fighting. It’s all thanks to you two.” She looked back at me. “I wanted to stop so many times and let you guys go ahead, but it didn’t feel right at the time… but now” she looked around, “I think I can do it here.” “No!” I shouted, then looked toward Amie and brought down my voice. “You’re not dying here.” Cornella shook her head. “I’m not gonna make it. You guys still have a chance.” She said in a soft voice. “You’re going to let me have some time with Amie, then you’re going to take her hand and bring her to Alexandria for me.” I shook my head, then nodded. Wiping the tears away I walked over to Amie.

I walked back towards my sisters. Amie’s cheeks were stained with tears as she told Cornella about her toys. “Amie, can I have some time with sissy before we go. There’s a bag for your toys near the door.” “Okay.” She sniffled and walked away. “It’s time for you to go.” Cornella said. “Mhm.” My eyes stung again. I took her hand in mine and placed my gun in it. “I can’t take this. You need to protect yourselves.” She pushed it back in my hand. “I have my knife.” “No” “Please!” Tears fell into our hands. My tears. Cornella paused and took the gun. “This is the safety. You just need to do this and you can use it.” I stepped back and started to turn away. With all her strength, Nella jumped off the seat and hugged me with all her might. She cried. Said she’d miss us. Told me to live. When she let go, she had a look of resignation. “I love you both.” I nodded and walked up the bus aisle. Took Amie’s hand, and walked off the bus. Five minutes later, we heard the bang. I collapsed on to the ground and hugged Amie tight, and sobbed my heart out.

“Are you sure we’re not lost?” I asked Mauro, propping myself up against a tree. Mauro was drawing out a map in the dirt. “Yes, I’m sure. Look. We had to avoid the bitters here,” he pointed to the makeshift map, “so we took this trail here. The main road should be around here. So my guess is that if we continue along this trail, we’ll either end up back on the path or onto the road.” “And how long is that going to take?” “Not too long. By now we’re a little less than a day’s walk from Alexandria.” “Okay, so—“ breaking out into violent coughing fit, I stumbled to the ground. Mauro rushed over and caught me. “You’re just getting worse and worse.” He pointed out. The jig was up. “Hey there’s something I need to tell y—“ “Sissy!” Shouted Amie. She ran towards us, holding a small bouquet of wild flowers. “Look at the fwowers I picked for you!” Taking the bouquet, I told her how beautiful they all were. I picked one out and placed it behind my little sister’s ear. “What about big brother?” Mauro pouted. I giggled. Amie though for a moment, then she marched over near the trees and marched right back with a big leaf. “Fwowers are too girly!” She proclaimed. She then pulled Mauro down and placed the leaf in the breast pocket of his shirt, and went back to her patch or flowers not to far away. Mauro looked back at me with a big grin. “You were going to say something?” How could I ruin the joy written all over his face? Clenching the fabric of my dress I said, “I forgot. Must not have been important.” He gave me a sceptical look, but dismissed it. “Well, we should get a move on if we want to be there before dark.” Mauro helped me regain my balance, then we fetched Amie and continued on out trek through the forest.

Finally back on our original path, we found an old abandoned bus. Mauro banged on the side of it and within seconds, a bitter started banging on one of the windows. Amie hid in her face in the skirt of my dress. “Stay here.” Mauro commanded. “No complaints here.” I thought. He hopped onto the bus and took care of the bitter. And like he learned from our father, he started to do a sweep of the bus to make sure it was safe. While waiting with Amie, I started to look around. The afternoon sun, trees towering over us, the ground littered with stuff people left behind, and the bus. It was rusted and overgrown, but it had its own charm to it. Mauro stepped out of the bus. “We’ll rest here for the night.” “What? But you said we weren’t far!” I said. “Yes but you can barely stand and we don’t know if there’ll be a safer spot to rest at.” “Yah, but—“ “No!” His shout made me flinch. He then composed himself. “You need your strength, and Amie’s starting to have a hard time too. We’ll start walking again first thing in the morning.” “…Okay.” I said in defeat. Mauro took Amie by the hand and lead her towards the bus. My vision and went blurry and the world started spinning. The bus along with Mauro and Amie started going sideways… “Sissy!” “Nella!”