The Society of the Reborn

This story was written on Halloween. I was inspired to write a spooky story and it ended up like this!

The Society of the Reborn

By Misha Agostinelli

When you are falling, you eventually hit the ground. It may seem like forever but when you land, you know it was only a few seconds. When you look back on your fall, you can explain why you jumped, why you stepped off the cliff. But when you're falling in love, time gets blurred. There is no realization that you were acting out of mere speculation. There is no sensibility in your actions. And when you look back on your choices, there is no explanation for your ignorance; there is only a slow ache in your heart.

The dark and lonesome streets were haunting, only illuminated by sparse beams of light drifting out of windows. My nerves twist in my stomach, and my heart pounds in my chest. I don’t know where to run, only that it is necessary. Bloody tears stream down my face, tinting my vision pink. I whirl around searching for any hint of motion in the black night. Footsteps echo behind me like a herd of horses chasing me down. I scream in terror and fall to the ground tripping on my white gown and straining to see through the veil that is obscuring my vision. I slowly crawl on the floor, dragging my dress through mud and leaves. Turning around I see him coming towards me, a maniacal grin spreading devilishly across his handsome face. A loud sob rises up in my throat, and I look up at the approaching form. I settle my nerves and stumble to my feet. A shot rings out. Pain spears through my chest. I fall to the ground choking up blood. The world whirls and tumbles around me like I'm on a roller coaster, and it’s called life. The world stops. I try to take a breath, but all I feel is warm blood going down my throat. I gasp for air but none comes. I give into the pain and feel my heartbeat slow down. Finally, my heart takes one last beat and stops. My brain goes blank. My vision goes black. My life slips away.

I awaken to my own ragged breaths and my head spinning wildly. Everything is blurry and unclear. I groan in pain and attempt to sit up, but my chest is too weak to even move. A figure appears in my vision; she has brown curly hair and mahogany skin that glows in the soft firelight.

“Where am I?” I ask, my throat feeling dry and cracked. The woman smiles and puts her hand to her lips, signaling me to be quiet. I fall silent. She takes a bottle out of her duffle bag and pours water into my mouth. Like a rainstorm after a drought, my throat softens from the liquid. Whatever I am laying on jolts and starts moving forward. The ceiling is grimy and looks to be made of stone. The floor below me is dirt, and the walls are covered in ivy and tree roots. Finally, the bed I am laying on stops. The woman helps me out of the bed,\ and I stumble from sudden nausea and pain. We round a corner and sunlight blinds me. I look around to find that I am on campus. Gothic buildings loom ominously in front of me, eerie pathways stretching every which way. An assortment of people walk around, all looking disheveled in various odd attires. One teen is in a prom dress, her head dangling to one side barely attached to her neck. Another woman appears to be Miss America, although there is a bullet lodged in her temple and blood running down her face. I glance over at the woman and notice that she is dressed in a flapper dress, only her spine is broken and the bone is penetrating her skin. I force myself to keep breathing. The woman finally speaks:

“Welcome to the Society of the Reborn,” the woman reveals. I take in a sharp breath. The phrase sounds familiar but I can’t place where I have heard it before. “Here at the society women like us strive to recruit new members by creating gruesome deaths and controlling ignorant humans,” the woman smiles as she speaks, taking pleasure in her words. The woman, who I found out was named Scarlett, leads me to my room and informs me of my schedule for the next day. When she leaves, I am relieved to be alone. I walk into the bathroom and glance at my reflection. I gasp at what I see; my maroon hair is tangled and there are big purple bags under my emerald eyes. I am pale as snow; my skin blending in with my muddy, white wedding dress and tattered veil. There is blood seeping from my heart, dripping from a bullet wound in the center.

“YOU NEVER CARED! NEVER!” the blonde woman screams lividly. She holds the sharp blade up to the light, her hand trembling fiercely. Suddenly, she drops to the ground sobbing and releases the blade.

“What have I done?” she wails, crying convulsively.

I stare in astonishment at what had just happened. On the video screen, no one was dead, my plan hadn’t worked. Over the last few months, I had risen in the ranks becoming the top member of the society. I, Selena Webb, had augmented into one of the greatest Reborn of all time, but now that one of my projects had failed I didn't know what would happen. The door flies open and Scarlett barges in.

“You have to run! Now that you've failed they'll kill you!” she says frantically. I grab her arm and run out the door.

“Where do we go?” I ask. I am running down the hall as fast as I can, like a deer running from a hunter.

“Just straight across campus,” she murmurs, “ The word hasn't gotten out yet so you're safe for now.” As we barrel out of the building, I see that the world around us is deserted. “I have to go or else they’ll suspect me,” Scarlett whispers in my ear, “Take the tunnel to the human streets.” She falls behind me. I gulp down fear and keep running, my heart pounding. I race through the tunnel and emerge into darkness onto the streets above. Squeals and giggles erupt from in front of me and I can make out a group of kids dressed as monsters and fairies. Jack O Lanterns glow from porch steps, and candy litters the ground. The crowd surges forward and I am taken with it. I see someone emerge from the tunnel I had just come from but I can’t make out their face in the cave-like night. I keep heading forward with the trick or treaters, weaving my way through the street. After a while, I am vomited out of the flock of people. I stumble out of the smash of humanity and into the clean night air. The crowds are thinning and I can see a Reborn coming, fighting through the darkness. I slip into the cover of trees and break into a run. My adrenaline is pumping, and my breaths are coming out short and shallow, but I don't have time to rest. I fly down a hill and just as I reach the end a cliff comes into view. I turn around just as my foot slips off the edge. I scream. Time slows. A million thoughts run through my mind. Was this a good thing? My life had become so twisted, killing people for the Society's benefit. It was rumored that death was the only way out of it.

As I fall, I assure myself that this was the right choice. Hundreds of humans would be saved. I smash to the ground. My body slaps onto the hard stone and crumples from the impact. In my last moments alive, I know that I made the right choice. I know that stepping off the ledge was the right decision. My thoughts go dark, and my life is stopped short.