"Think, Elara. Think!" she muttered to herself.
As the words left her mouth, her throat stung with pain like she screamed it raw. And for a moment, she remembered that she did.
While it made sense to her that she screamed because she saw her parents dead bodies and blood covering the floor, something told her that there was something else.
Her parents. Were they really dead?
Tears filled up her eyes.
She should call the police. That was the logical thing to do. But what would she even say?
Hello, I think my parents were murdered in a nightmare that wasn't a nightmare, and now their bodies have vanished?
Her hands trembled as she pressed them against her temples. Why was the house spotless? Did whoever did this clean up to make sure no evidence was left behind?
Her chest tightened and she pressed a hand to it instinctively. She thought her heart was pounding but she couldn't feel anything. Maybe she was finally going in shock and soon, she'll also pass away.
But she couldn't do that. Not when she had to bring justice to her parents. She had to find a way because she can't just call the police. They'd have questions she wouldn't be able to answer.
She needed something concrete to prove to them what had happened and also to assure herself that she just wasn't losing her mind.
Investigate. That's what she had to do. There must have been something left behind to indicate the crime.
Wiping away her tears, she forced herself to breathe. The quiet made her too aware of the blood rushing through her veins. It was like she could hear the stream of liquid keeping her alive.
She decided to start at the scene of the crime: the living room. It looked spotless at initial glance but upon closer inspection, there were just a few tiny details out of place. Some scratches on the wooden floor that weren't there before and the carpet and sofa smelling a little extra like detergent.
Someone had wanted to erase what had happened and they did very well.
Then the feeling returned; she sensed a glaring presence, as if someone was staring at her. Waiting for the right moment to pounce.
Fearing that something in the shadows was about to attack, she rushed back into her parents' room. Seeking comfort, Elara lay down in her mother's bed. All she wanted was to wake up and go back to her normal life.
As she tried to recall any sort of clue her parents may have given her, a glinting object on the night stand caught her eye. The object was more than familiar to her as she's seen it all her life, yet she never really thought about it.
The cross that her mom wore around her neck called to her, whispering her name like it was a secret.
She grabbed it, unsure why she felt the need to. But once it was in her hands, it felt right; heavy but like it was meant to be held. Like her mother led it to her.
Unsure what to do, she kept twisting it around in her hand. There was something about it that prompted her to keep looking, like there was something hidden. It felt like the blood in her veins was rushing as she held it.
That's when she heard it, a sloshing liquid. Holding it up against the light, she could see it: some sort of substance was inside it.
"What the-"
When she realized that there was something her mom kept in it, she twisted the pendant and to her surprise, it worked. The moment it opened, a metallic smell filled her nose. But instead of reacting with disgust, her stomach grumbled.
Something was compelling her to open it further and to take a sip. Despite being unsure what the strange liquid was, she wanted to consume it.
With nothing else to lose, she takes a sip. Immediately after swallowing, a searing heat blasted through her entire being. The heat consumed her, wanting to take over but she could feel her body fighting.
She didn't know what the outcome of this battle would be, but she didn't want to give up. Her blood wouldn't allow her.
A piercing scream ripped through the air. A few more screams occurred before Elara even realized it was hers. It was like her veins were burning from the inside out.
Her hand clutched her chest and her nails dug through her skin. She wanted to tear her skin away to stop the heat.
The fire spread from her torso down into her arms and legs. It wasn't just pain, she felt something shifting inside her; almost like her organs were being rearranged.
Bracing herself, she gasped for air.
The cross slipped from her hands and landed on the bed beside her. The smell spread across the room, though no longer metallic. The pain started to subside and it grew into a strange feeling.
A pressure broke through her gums and another scream echoed out.
"Stop," she whimpered, but no one was there to listen.
And as if someone heard her, it all stopped.
She was on the floor when her eyes opened, not remembering when she fell. As she got up, something felt different.
The room was clearer and she could hear sounds from the outside. A few faint footsteps, some whispers, the dialing of a phone.
Then there was the liquid.
She had a feeling she knew what it was but she didn't want to jump to conclusions. However this time, she was sure.
It was almost like her mom was right there beside her. Assuring her that it's okay because she needed to survive. Like she was being reminded that they had done this for her and they understand the choice she made and urging her to take more of it.
Instead, she grabbed it and wore the vial around her neck just like her mom did.
The burning feeling was gone, but the glass rested against her skin like charcoal etching into her body.
She tried to ignore it at first, reminding herself that blood was blood and whatever reason it was there, her parents, who always knew best, prepared it for her. They knew that the time would come when she would need it.
But the more she stood there, the realization sank in even more.
The feeling that came along with the blood was familiarity. There was the warmth and reassurance that she felt whenever her mother had held her after a long hard day.
It was her mother's blood and for some reason, she knew that they had put it aside for her.
Her throat just about started to close when she heard it: the police sirens.