Thread: The Dead Zone, Ghouls and Gore (Squishypink x Darkangel)

Storms were rolling in. Carys could feel it deep within her bones. The scent of the water was thick in the air and it beckoned she heed its call. Only, she had no need to harness a storm or the ability to control such things. Not yet anyway. But she was pleased that she'd managed to be able to sense it despite the fact that there weren't any clouds in sight. She twisted a lock of platinum about her finger as she tilted her head this way and that, wondering in which direction the clouds would finally come. But she wasn't allowed to ponder for long. In the distance, she caught sight of movement and it was on... The wrong side of the wall. The wall had been erected to protect them all, to keep the skulking undead out when the magical experiments had gone too far and...too wrong. Carys didn't know all the details, nor did she want to. All she cared about was staying alive, surviving. Living within the protection of the fortress's shadow helped, even if it meant living closer to the wall itself. Its stone walls were thick and the place was heavily guarded by both brute strength and magicthe kind that hadn't been tainted by evil. She shivered as she thought about the ghoulish creatures said to exist on the other side of the wall, within the area cordoned off and forbidden to all. The Dead Zone. Help! came a breathy shout, feet running fast upon hard earth as branches snapped and leaves crackled. Carys squinted her blue eyes wondering who or what might be running through the Dead Zone...alive. As far as she knew, the only creatures held within were mindless, skulking beings too ravenous to speak or reason. They were to be pitied as much as they were to be feared. But to see a live being running, shouting? This caused her to become nervous indeed. Chewing on her lower lip, she stepped closer to the wall's edge, peering out to see if she could get a better look at the approaching figure. A part of her was curious, but another wanted to alert Sanctuary Village. And still another wanted to get as many guards to her aid as was humanly possible. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she watched the approaching girl a moment longer. As she got closer, she seemed out of breath, ragged and tired. And her eyes. The fear was more than apparent. Suddenly, Carys saw the girl trip, her own heart racing as her thoughts began to spin wildly. She shut her eyes tightly, sucked in a breath and counted to threeone...two...three. When she opened them, the girl was gone. Vanished. Nowhere to be found. What? Carys said to herself, her breaths suddenly quickening. She twisted her head from side to side, trying to find where the girl might have disappeared to. Fear coursing in her veins, she pushed away from the wall's edge and sprinted off as the sky began to darken, clouds rolling in as the sound of thunder rumbled ominously in the distance. Carys wasn't sure what she'd seen, but it hardly mattered. Someone had been alive in the Dead Zone...or had she been crazy? Only one way to find out and that meant she needed to see Lilias. The gentle healer would be able to let her know. Without further hesitation, she ran to Lilias' humble home at the heart of Sanctuary Village. When she stopped in front of the door, she rubbed her hands along her thighs, rumpling the practical blue cotton skirt that she wore. Taking a deep breath, she knocked. Yes? Lilias spoke as she opened the door, her tiny frame standing in the doorway as the warm fires of her home cast a welcoming glow behind her. She looked like an angel as her nearly black hair framed her porcelain pale face. Her blue eyes glittered brightly as she smiled and curtsied low, her gauzy white gown nearly see-through due to the lighting. Welcome, Carys, do come in.