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 Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2014 10:40 pm
Outside of the Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas, the Voodoo Queen herself could be seen leaning against the wall (dressed in her casual attire as her match was long since over) by the entrance of the staffing garage and parking lot. In her hand was her iPhone 5, which was held up to her ear. It wasn't known who Dallas was speaking to, as she seemed to be speaking Spanish, slipping into English every now and then. It wasn't until she said 'Dad' that it was revealed that she was speaking to the patriarch of the Cruz family.
"Yeah, people have taken to us pretty alright,"she said into her phone, listening to her father's deep, gruff voice respond back to her. "I don't think you have anything to worry about, Papa Bear. We do have some...unfriendlies targeting us, but what do you expect? You know there's always going to be people that never really liked us to being with. Nothing out of the norm. You should know that by now." As she spoke, she had her gaze down at her boots, looking up every now and then when she heard the clatter of tools or the arrival of a staff member. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a dark colored bird swoop down rather low and land on a pillar right in front of her. For a brief moment, the creature and Dallas made eye contact, and right then, the bird cawed in her direction, causing the tall woman to shudder in discomfort.
The raven turned and flew off to perch itself on one of trucks a few feet away from her. It seemed she had suddenly stopped speaking, causing her father to continuously call out her name in order to gain her attention once more. "W-What?" she stammered, pulling her eyes away from the dark feathered creature, focusing on her dad's voice instead. "Yeah...yeah, I'm fine. Hey, I'll call you back, alright? Yeah, love you too. Bye." With that, she ended the call and stuck her phone into the pocket of her destroyed and distressed jeans, turning back to look at the raven from before. Only now, there were two more winged creatures on the truck along side it.
For some odd reason, Dallas couldn't shake the odd feeling she was experiencing. This normally only happened when something abnormal was afoot. Thanks to her increased skill in the voodoo arts, she had a knack for detecting other spiritual occurrences. Strangely enough, it seemed she was picking up something now, but couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was. Maybe it was just a coincidence, maybe she was just getting some pre-show nerves. Shaking her head, she adjusted her blue knit slouchy beanie and proceeded to head back into the arena through the garage area. As she proceeded further, she heard a low croak following after her.
[Planned, do not post]
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Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2014 11:14 pm
A hiss followed the croaking of birds. Lights that Dallas passed by, whether they were attatched to the roof or to a car, or even the powerful flood lights that lit up electric cables tucked away in dark corners of the garage, started to flicker. The further away from Dallas that they god, the dimmer they became, until they died. The darkness behind her was only ever split open by a raven are two fluttering through the air at a brisk pace. As Dallas walked towards the door that would take her into the backstage area, not one but two of these carrion birds flew past her on either side of her head, wings batting against her ears, and perching themselves on the awning above.
These birds, they watched her while she walked. They turned their heads and directed one eye each at Cruz, and not even the arrival of a third raven on their resting place would deviate their gaze from her. One let out an angry squawk, beating it's wings several times without taking off, and then tucking its head under its wing.
A whip-crack sounded through the garage, echoing off of the cement walls loudly, as one of the lightbulbs to Dallas' left completely shattered from it's fixture, extinguished out of turn in comparison to the rest of the lights. The sound was followed by little pellets of glass from the bulb landing on the floor with a gentle spattering sound that contrasted the bang that had called attention to it. In the flash of light, akin to a camera flash, that came from the detonation, Dallas may have been able to see a figure. Hooded and cloaked, standing in the corner of the garage, before it was encompassed by the darkness that swallowed him in the aftermath. If there had even been anyone at all there, it would be impossible to tell now without getting closer to investigate. The green glow of the EXIT sign above the door was looking all that much brighter now. The shadows only seemed to be growing, reaching, with each step Dallas made.
And then the birds above the door started to caw at her relentlessly.
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ProtoWolf 2.0 Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2014 11:49 pm
The uneasy feeling just wouldn't leave Dallas, not even as she tried to retreat further away from where she once stood moments ago. Things only got worse when she realized the ravens had followed her inside the building. Two of them darted by past her, she could feel the breeze of their wings brush against the sides of her head. Hell, she could have sworn she felt their soft feathers against her skin as well, that's how close they had gotten. The woman let out a sharp gasp and found herself turning around for whatever reason, maybe to check of there were anymore birds coming after her.
Instead, she saw nothing. Exactly that, just nothing but pure darkness. This only made the feeling of dread within her grow. Feeling her heart thud heavy in her chest, she took a few steps back, recoiling from the sudden darkness that had enveloped the area she had just walked through seconds ago, she turned back to continue her walk when the source of light to her left had somehow gone out with a bang, literally. Though it wasn't so much the sound itself that caused Dallas to yelp loudly, though it definitely played a good part. It was the fact that while the bulb had shatter and a flash was released in the processed, she saw a figure standing within the darkness, cloaked from head to toe with the shadows.
It was then that she realized, that she was not alone in what she thought was an empty garage.
Now, a shaking and frantic Dallas was practically running towards the door she was heading to, but just as she reached for the knob, the ravens perched above it all had began to squawk at her, rather loudly at that. She instinctively recoiled, out of fear that these birds would attack if she got too close. She was trapped in here...with whatever that thing in the shadows was.
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Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 12:10 am
Dallas Cruz was right to be worried about an attack coming from the birds, but she couldn't have surmised that they would attack her for no other reason than just existing. From the darkness, the three already cawing, were suddenly joined by raven after raven after raven. They fluttered all about her now, the three at the head of the Unkindness being the ones that had hounded the EXIT sign all that time. They flew between her and the door, around her head, between her legs, under her arms. Black feathers brushed against her skin wildly, uncontrolled. One of the ravens that had perched itself above her earlier landed on her shoulder. It would have been impossible for a normal person to know this, of course, but Dallas wasn't exactly normal. Everyone knew this.
The raven stared into her beautiful eyes, a small moment of calm coming over the duo. The tornado of birds almost seemed to slow down and halt while the bird searched her soul through her gaze. And then suddenly lurched out, wings spread eagle, and pecked her harshly on the soft flesh of her smooth neck.
The evidently ravenous birds hounded her over and under, through and through, and would... until suddenly it felt as though the temperature in the dark garage had dropped by ten full degrees. It was an unnatural drop in heat, and the birds appeared to sense it first, as they all swirled around Dallas one last time before darting off into the darkness from whence they had come leaving only Dallas, the cold, and the frosty clouds that exhaled from her lips. Alone at least until the sound of heavy footfall came. Boots to concrete, and it was already close to her. Closer than close. As though the figure that she had thought she'd seen in the corner had been standing there the whole time.
The steps got louder. The temperature got colder.
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ProtoWolf 2.0 Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 12:50 am
There was nothing more Dallas wanted in this world that to get out of that garage. They're cawing didn't cease to stop, making the woman become more and more anxious by the second. Things only got worse when those three seemingly began to multiply out of no where, and soon enough, several more of those winged little monsters had surrounded Dallas. They were all over her, their caws ringing through her ears, their wings beating against her skin.
Before this particular instance, Dallas had been relatively quiet due to the initial shock of what was going on. But that was then, and this was now, where this strange flock of birds seemed to have taken a bizarre liking of some sort to her, a very unwanted liking at that. From her lips, her cries for help where practically muffled and drowned out by the flapping of their wings and the shrill caws and croaks the birds emitted from their beaks.
While the others rustled all around her, one in particular took a bold approach and perched itself onto her shoulder. This one was different than the others, Dallas could tell as it started deep into her hazel eyes. For a few brief seconds, everything around her had seemed to come still as Dallas and the raven were locked in eye contact. This was the same bird from earlier. For that moment, Dallas had thought maybe this was just a dream, maybe she was just hallucinating this. But of course, her hopes were shattered when the raven spread it's wingspan and dug it's beak into her neck, snapping her back into reality.
This was it, Dallas was almost at her breaking point. Screaming loudly in pain and fear, Dallas tried her best to swing her arms as she tried to pull herself away from the flock, trying her hardest to get these damn things away from her. Before she knew it, the birds had scattered and the environment had gotten colder, much colder than it normally should have. Her breath puffed out in front of her and her skin began to prickle up, causing her to cross her arms over her chest in attempts to shield herself from the cold. She hushed up, hearing absolutely nothing but her heart pounding in her chest and her ragged breaths. That is, until the sounds of footsteps were heard making their way to her. Something inhuman and unworldly was present and it was heading in her direction.
Enough was enough. Dallas had seen her fair share of oddities and experienced quite a few paranormal instances, but this definitely took the cake. Whatever was coming for her, Dallas was not going to wait up for it. Turning away, the woman didn't waste any time in fleeing. Running as fast as her long legs though take her, she reached for the door once more, now free from those terrible creatures. Grabbing the cold metal doorknob and giving it a twist, Dallas entered the main building of the arena and slammed the door shut behind her, pressing the front of her body against it just in case whatever was out there would try to follow in after her.
Her heart nearly gave out with how fast it was beating and her lungs nearly burst as she tried to catch her breath. She was shaking and trembling, both out of fear and due to the coldness that she was feeling. Still holding onto the doorknob, she pressed her forehead against the door and squeezed her eyes shut. She counted, from one to ten in attempts to calm herself. She even tried to mumble a quick prayer to her gods, but her own shaky voice failed to allow her to finish. Patches of her skin were red where the birds had been practically scraping against her and her neck was bruised and cut where that one bird in particular had pecked her. Thinking the worst was done, Dallas pulled herself away from the door and turned around.
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Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 1:18 am
When she turned around, she might notice that birds lined the narrow hallway along each and every single door way on either side. However, there was only a brief moment to register this fact, because there was something far more attention grabbing standing right in front of her when she rotated.
In the lighting of the hallway, Dallas had only a split second to see the specter. He seemed to be bigger than he really was because of his attire, and the cloak he was wearing was adorned with silver and gray feathers off the shoulder, much akin to the black birds that had haunted her in the garage. The cloak did little to hide his torso, which was noticeably ashen in color and adorned with cracks and scars all over his visible skin. His hair was a light shade of silver, while his eyes were a darker sort. And that was all she'd see clearly of him before the lights in the hallway went out, and she was left in the shadows with the man whom had appeared before her.
The glow of the green EXIT sign was the only thing that illuminated the dark shade before her now, and it was the only way Dallas could even tell that he was still there with her. He did not move quickly, by any means, knowing that she wasn't going anywhere. Step. Step. Step. The distance closed between them, and though they were only a few feet away, each step seemed to take minutes to complete. The closer this man, if he was a man, got, the colder the atmosphere seemed to get. The emerald light above them lit up his black hood, and the bottom half of his face, while the other parts of him remained hidden in the darkness. For the briefest of moments, she could see his pearly white teeth from curled back lips, smirking at her as he got closer until the green aura moved past his mouth and lower to his chin, leaving his grin to the shadows once more. The man leaned in, so close now to Dallas Cruz that as his lips brushed against her earlobe, her head occupied his hood at the same time.
"Dallas Cruz." His lips moved along her ear. His chest rumbled as he spoke, his voice turgid and stiff. He nearly rasped her first name, while her last name was spoken with a gruff and commanding, gravel-like emphasis.
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ProtoWolf 2.0 Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 2:03 am
If Dallas thought she was getting away from all of this that easily, she was greatly mistaken. A ruffle of feathers caught her attention for a split second, but the fact that those damn birds were probably around again was the least of her problems. Standing there in front of her, was the thing she was trying to get away from. Her heart nearly popped out of her throat and a cry escaped her lips. The being definitely did not look like something living. His skin was the first thing she noticed, it was pale and gray, as if it were a walking corpse. His body was covered in scars, and his eyes...Oh man, those eyes were something that would be difficult for her to forget. She was locked in a trance as she started at him, until the only bit of light left had completely gone out and his face was no longer visible.
The closer he got, the more Dallas pressed herself up against the door. Part of her hoped it would give away with her weight, maybe that way she had a chance to flee. But no, of course not. She was trapped and he was coming near. The air around them was freezing, so much that her body was trembling against his as he leaned in uncomfortably close to her. At this point, she could no longer see, as his hood was pretty much covered her as well. But, she did feel his icy lips against her ear and heard his voice for the first time. It send chills down her spine, as if someone had slid an ice cube down her back. It definitely didn't help with her shivering. He spoke her name in her ear, his voice sounding raspy and gruff. What was this thing? Was he one of her gods? Had they sensed her danger and come to her aid?
No, her gods would never torment her like this.
After he spoke her name, Dallas squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that maybe that would make him go away. Slowly, she forced herself to part her quivering lips and hoarsely whisper out to him, "W-Who...who are y-you?"
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Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 7:06 pm
"All who live. Know my name."
The man let out a dark chuckle, and the air from his breath threatened to leave her with frostbite where he touched her, and his voice traveled from her ear down her neck and right over her spine. The more he spoke, the more solid his voice became, but the rattle of rocks on his voice never stopped, only became more rigid.
"Marshall Lee. A boy who fancies himself a child of the night. Undead. Dallas Cruz. A woman who thinks she is a sister of death through her spiritual art." He said slowly. The light that bounced off his hood also illuminated the ceiling, several of the birds just subtly visible in the darkness. They were staring at the duo, Dallas pinned between a door and a mass of feathers and cloth and man. He had her pinned just by being there, the aura of cold around him almost enough to freeze her in place as it was. Even if she tried to run away, it was likely he would be upon her in a seamless fashion. Mist appeared to be pooling at their feet together, emanating from inside his robes. "A duo of pretenders. Death is not your friend. I will be watching you closely from now on. Disrespect the Reaper, and you will pay. No one here gets out alive. You should enjoy life. There is plenty of time to be dead."
With each word he spoke, even the EXIT sign was starting to give way, as though it was the only remaining hope and it was trying desperately to stay lit so that Dallas was not left completely alone in the dark with this man. As if it knew that it was the only thing standing between her and a horrible fate.
"But then..." Dallas would feel his touch upon her. She was dressed in a very normal manner for her, with her mid drift bared and all. His fingers came to dance and rest upon her abdomen, gently caressing the skin of her stomach. His hand was freezing, but uncharacteristically soft despite what might have been suspected. "You're the one who's part dead already, aren't you?" He said, a sickeningly sweet tone that did not sit right coming from the voice that projected it. That hand slid up her stomach, dragging tortuously slow as it did so that she could live through every single moment, to her chin, gently cupping it. The man forced her head to turn, and suddenly she was face to face with the man once more, at a proximity that would likely haunt her in the coming days. His dead eyes stared deep into her brown hues, and they narrowed.
"When next we meet. The hour will strike for you and your friends." Less a threat, more a promise. The EXIT light went dead. In the final moment of light, before the dimming green finally faded away, it looked as though he was moving to overtake her completely.
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ProtoWolf 2.0 Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2014 1:11 am
It seemed the more this person spoke, the colder the air around them became. Dallas body and limbs shook much more aggressively than before, something his chilling breath didn't help in the matter. He knew who she was and he knew who her brother was too. Unlike anyone that might have seen Dallas and Marshall on screen, this person seemed to know them on a much more personal level. This person seemed very aware of what they could do. His words shook Dallas to the very core, this was definitely not something she was going to easily forget, no matter how hard she would need to suppress it.
The only light in the area was the EXIT sign, which was dangerously close to giving out. Now, Dallas wasn't afraid of the dark, but she was very much afraid of this hooded, feathered man that had hand picked her for his twisted little mind games. Being trapped in darkness with him was the last thing she wanted. Now, Dallas was definitely no damsel in distress, but this was something much more than just some pushy guy that had a hard time accepting 'no' for an answer. She was dealing with something seemingly not from this world. A part of her wondered if she was the only one that can see him.
When he touched her, Dallas flinched and pressed herself further up against the door. Anymore and she would probably push the damn thing off it's hinges. His fingers where like ice as they pressed against her bare stomach. People spoken to was one thing, but being touched...that was a completely different ballgame, one that Dallas had no want in.
'You're the one who's part dead already, aren't you?'
Those words echoed through her head. The way he said it, with a tone that sounded like he was speaking to a lover rather than his prey. The sound of it was enough to nearly make the strong willed Dallas break down. Her eyes were tearing up out of fear and desperation by now. His hand was still on her, trailing up her torso, past her chest and onto her face where she felt her chin grabbed and she was forced to stare at the face of her tormentor. There were those eyes again, the eyes of a dead man. Her bottom lip quivered as she fought back tears.
When next we meet. Oh no, no, this was not going to happen again. She would pray to every loa she knew by name if that's what it took to keep this man away from her and her brother. The hour will strike for you and your friends.' What did he mean by that? Why did he sound so sure of himself? The dying source of light that had kept Dallas protected had gone out, leaving her completely vulnerable. It was then, that she had finally mustered up the will to scream.
"Dallas!?
The woman opened her eyes, she hadn't even known she had closed them, and looked up in front of her. The lights had come back on and there stood Marshall Lee, staring down at his sister who was now sitting on the floor with her knees drawn up and her hands over her ears. The man and his flock of birds were gone.
With wide eyes, she looked around for any signs of the stranger, seeing none at all. Did it even happen? Had she hallucinated the ordeal? Had she offended her gods in some way that they decided to torture their follower as punishment?
Marshall rushed to his sister and knelt down in front of her, quickly taking her into his arms, where she melted into the safety of her brother's embrace. "What happened?! I came looking for you, you were gone a really long time!" He watched as his sister buried her face into his chest and felt his shirt become went with tears. Anger began to flow through his veins. "What happened?" he repeated, clutching onto her shoulders, pulling her away just enough so she can look up into his face, "Who did this to you? Did someone hurt you? I swear, I'll rip them limb from limb." He went off in a ramble, spitting out promises of violence and curses. Dallas, meanwhile, remained stunned silent. Though, she let her cries and whimpers speak for her.
The tall man stood, pulling his half-sister up with him as he did so, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders to keep her close and protected. "Come on, Dal. Let's get you out of here." With that, Marshall lead her out of the forsaken place, heading somewhere calm and quiet where she could recover from whatever it was that she had experienced. Maybe when she was calm, he would be able to get some answers from her.
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Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2014 1:20 am
As Marshall led Dallas away, there was a quiet rustling in one of the hanging light fixtures above them. Of course, the brother and sister were too far away to hear it or see it at the time. A raven fluttered to the ground from inside of the fixture, pecked at the cement floor, and then took flight. Out of sight.
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ProtoWolf 2.0 Vice Captain
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