Prelude - Two Days Earlier
"It's not pretty. But when was a great horror story ever pretty? I suppose there are a few decadent predators out there who do look fancy in velvet, but these vampires are not of that clan. We've tapped into a new vein in these pages, evoking a cold, joyless world in appetite can never be sated, and love gives no comfort. Even in the bright light of day. In fact, especially then.
I won't spoil the tale by saying any more. Let me only commend 30 Days of Night to you, with certainty that if you have a taste for the real stuff of horror fiction, you'll find it in the pages that follow."
-Clive Barker, 30 Days of Night by Steve Niles
She raced through the forest like a bat out of Hell, arms extended outward as she cut through the low hanging branches and scattered shrubbery, the jagged edges of bark slicing through the palms of her hands. But Sonata didn't care – she was too fueled with adrenaline to notice the blood seeping through her wounds and trickling down her fingers. She needed to get away. Needed to find Aria, or anyone, and get the hell away from this forsaken place, and the creatures that lurked, wherever they were.
Wherever they were hiding.
Shards of hail pricked her skin, the clap of thunder sending a jolt straight through her racing heart. Her body begged for air, but her legs kept on moving, determined to get away from the thing that had attacked her. The thing that dragged Adagio away. Aria urged them to stay together, saying it was easy to get lost in this black sea of trees. But when they heard Adagio's frightful screams into the distance, telling them to run and to leave her, Sonata and Aria immediately charged deeper into the forest, the sound of Adagio's screams echoing behind her.
But there was nothing in her wake. Empty paths lead into various directions, but Sonata couldn't remember which path she had taken that led back to the city. Every tree looked the same, every bush matching the other. The ground was covered in dead twigs and fallen leaves and the ground felt soft and spongy beneath her feet once the downpour started. She was lost, with no way to contact her friend and figure out where she was. Or even if she was still alive. She felt stupid for running off.
And when she heard the guttural sound of a throaty growl, her stupidity immediately morphed into fear.
Clouds of fog could be seen coming out of her mouth with every exhale of breath she took, the temperatures dropping fiercely the deeper she fell into the forest. Daggers pierced her chest with every inhale of breath she took and it didn't take long before Sonata's knees finally gave out.
Twigs and damp soil smeared across her face, her fingers clawing into the earth to drag her tired body through the forest. She could feel its presence hovering dangerously over her and Sonata wanted nothing more than to get away as safely as she could.
Paranoia flooded her senses. It was almost like she could feel its jagged nails scraping along her spine, feel its frozen breath lingering at the nape of her neck, its teeth jagged and pointy and gleaming in the silver moonlight that peeked through the darkened storm clouds.
"Sonata…" It whispered, sharp and menacing. "Sonata!"
"SONATA!"
Her eyes shot open, peering into the distance just enough to see past the showering hail. "Aria?"
"Sonata! Over here! Hurry!" Her friend called, sinking into the trees until all Sonata could see was the back of her head.
"Aria! Wait!" Sonata screamed, finding her strength and rushing to her feet, kicking up clumps of mud and soil as she tore through the forest.
"Hurry!" Aria urged desperately, her figure coming back into view as Sonata ran faster. The mass amount of trees began to split, less and less coming into view until Sonata noticed that they were coming close to a cave. Without any hesitation, Aria slipped through the small entrance and urged Sonata to follow.
Sliding on her stomach, Sonata slipped into the cave and gulped large amounts of air, shivering violently, goosebumps running across her skin, her nipples hardening under her shirt, raindrops sliding against her exposed skin and soaking, torn clothes. She opened her eyes, not even realizing they were closed and blinked owlishly when she noticed how incredibly dark the cave was.
Hoisting herself up, she reached out into the darkness and quickly grabbed onto Aria once she felt her friend's presence. "Aria! Aria, are you alright? Are you hurt? What happened? How did you get away?"
The questions kept flowing as she examined her friend as best she could through the darkness, her fingers grazing over her arms to see if she could feel any cuts or bumps. Nothing out of the ordinary, which made Aria sigh in relief, holding Aria close. "You had me worried sick! I thought I … I thought I had lost you! Was this a prank? You girls are always pulling pranks on me! It's not nice!"
Aria shoved her off, making Sonata wince slightly as Aria spat, "We don't pull pranks on you! We make sarcastic remarks, but because you're so friggin' dumb, you take them literally!"
Sonata gave Aria an unmoving, dead stare for a few seconds before smiling brightly, as if nothing before had happened. "Oh, okay, then!"
Aria sighed loudly and face palmed, before she grabbed Sonata by the shoulders and shook her, her eyes serious and frightened. "No, Sonata, this is serious. Very serious.”
"How serious are we talking, Aria? Wh-what happened out there? Why did they take Adagio? Why are they chasing us?"
"Because this isn’t what we signed up for! We wanted revenge! Not … that! ... I think they weren’t lying about what they were. I think they really are vampires.”
"Oh, no! They're gonna suck all our apples dry!"
"Yeah...Wait, what?! No, you friggin' moron! They're gonna suck us!"
"Ew, that sounds dirty! Why would they do that? We're not apples! Thinking of that, why did they take Adagio? I mean, I would understand if they attacked Applejack, but Adagio is not an apple! Unless... Oh my gosh! Adagio is an apple!"
Aria slapped Sonata and shook her again, more violently this time. "WHAT IN TARTARUS ARE YOU BLABBLIN' ABOUT?! Adagio is not an apple! These things don't suck apples! They suck blood! Our blood! They'll suck us dry!"
"But what about that girl?! What they did... they didn't just bite her neck and suck her blood like they ones in the books do... they tore her apart! They ripped her head off right in front of the kid! Do... do you think that means... Dagi... she's... she's dead?" Sonata asked with tears in her eyes
"Yeah... if we're lucky... Come on. We need to head to the city. Let's just hope we beat them there first."
Two days later, out of the haze of tress, as if from nowhere, came Him. His eyes were red rimmed, yet they sparkled with determination and excitement. His chin and cheeks covered with whiskers, and he looked weary, wretched, and in pain but his expression suggested that he could walk on forever. Pausing and glancing over his shoulder, he could just make out the shadow of the forest.
He marched across the plains, the wind chilling as he walked and he tightened the coat he was wearing across his chest, zipping it up beneath his chin so that the hood gathered around his face. But there was little that could protect him from the storm that was coming. He felt hot from exertion, but his breath gathered in the air before him. Once or twice he stumbled and fell, coating his clothing with wet moisture, an unintentional camouflage. But there was no need to hide. It would soon be the first bad storm of many, and no one in their right mind would be outside later. The spell he had muttered outside was already doing it's work.
He drew a clear map case from his pocket with a flashlight, checked the compass hanging around his neck, and grunted. Right way. Not long now. He looked up at the sky but all he could see were dark, fluffy clouds. But soon there would be snow. Oh, so much snow. It was said that every flake was different and unique, but he didn't really care. For the him, there was merely us and them.
An hour later he started up an incline. He was struggling by now, legs shaking and breath rasping in his throat. He needed warmth, shelter, and food, but more than anything he needed to succeed. Anything else was unthinkable.
Dreaming of what would come, he mounted a ridge and stopped. Ahead of him, way across the forests, lights winked in the darkness. He dug out a pair of compact binoculars from his pocket.
Several hundred buildings hugged the landscape. An electrical power plant ringed the outpost in the distance, tall masts topped with red flashing lights stood away from the settlement to the north and south, and dozens of poles suspended a web of power cables at eaves level. Lound music blared from the local public school. Lights burned in many of the buildings. There were at least a hundred illuminated signs on show. In this place near woodlands and fields of grass, the town looked warm and comforting. But not for long. It would be difficult, but that's why they had sent scouts, waiting for this day come. Strategically placed all over the city at the main locations, taking this town would be as easy as pie.
"Canterlot," he remarked, looking down at the city.
And then, The Stranger grinned.
