The wealthy socialites around the room touched their lips to the flutes without thought, downing the champagne with ease before celebrating by heaving each glass into the ground, sending shattered remains of glass everywhere upon the ballroom floor. They laughed maniacally as they sowed revelry between their comrades.
I turned to express my concerns to Isaac, who remained still, keeping a keen and enraged eye set upon Perrault raised up in the balcony, bearing his gritted teeth to a slightly charming affect, in spite of the circumstances.
COUGH! COUGH! GURGLE!
Members of the crowd around us suddenly began clutching their throats, gasping for air, and falling to their knees, while the rest of the crowd cheered and shouted joyously over the sights of despair and unfettered anguish.
I dropped to aid a young woman who had seemingly come in as an unaware partner with another masquerader. Her eyes bulged, pulsating with a deathly fever, phlegm splattering from her mouth before saliva drained like a faucet, mixed with bright red blood, sending her now rolling eyes back as she collapsed to the floor.
I looked back up Isaac with aggression blackening my own eyes, yet still trying to maintain some semblance of control. He nodded back slightly, understanding my plight, and recognizing the efforts I went to in maintaining control, if even for a little bit, but how much longer it would last, I was unsure, a winding tension mounting in my veins pressed tightly on my body.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Suddenly, the laughter erupting from the rest of the crowd stunted, as they too began trembling and losing their senses, gagging on the poison. Wealthy eyes turned with shock, as they were now seemingly experiencing something that had not occurred to them in prior meetings. A personally painful death.
Screams sounded throughout the ballroom as socialites began searching for exits. “Why, why have you forsaken us, my lord!? We should be immune!” A woman called out from the back, before tripping over another fallen man and tumbling to the floor, her neck cracking and sending her to hell quicker than her friends. They would be joining her soon though. Panic set forth as worried cries and hyperventilating patrons started running for their lives before tripping and falling to the floor slicing on broken glass, and dying like cattle instead. I even spotted Tyler pawing his own throat as he stumbled and toppled over with his dancing partner. I kind of felt sorry for him, before reminding myself that he had stolen life before. Mine. Maybe more.
As the group excruciatingly met their demise, silence once again fell upon the room, leaving only some wait staff and musicians, who had seemingly been unfazed by the exhibit before them, along with us and our two mortal enemies atop the balcony. Isaac tossed his glass with haphazard disregard to the ground and tore his mask from his beautifully chiseled face, his piercing eyes stark and violent. I followed suit, whipping my hair out and standing ready for battle.
“Ah,” Winston said, with an overbearing tinge of amusement, while Perrault grinned widely. “We’ve been expecting you, our rebellious friends,” Winston smirked and readjusted the frames over his eyes. “However,” he continued, “you’re not the only guests of honor,” his eyes trailed down to our feet with a pleasure for the macabre.
Suddenly, I noticed something painted around us amongst the bodies and debris, pooling into smooth grooves in the floor. It was blood red, faint at first, but glowing now, ominously. A crimson summoning circle. But how?!
Shuffling drew my attention back to the balcony, as Perrault moved forward and lifted his hands ceremoniously, as if welcoming something holy. “Rise,” he stood tall and snarled with malevolence, “Lucretia!”
