The sky was pitch black, clouds covering whatever stars may dare to shine. The moon hung low, its enervating journey home to the horizon almost concluded. Though it was late November, the chill seemed to come from within, not from the cool breeze that gently nudged her back to the safety of their vehicle.

A glitch in the passage of time took place, and suddenly they were in the midst of the festivities. Flashes of smoke and fire clouded her vision. Many of the participants were masked, or perhaps their faces were contorted. They wound their way amongst the ghouls and specters. A parade of undead gamboled by, clad in crimson and black, shrill laughter ringing, percussion jarring them along. A pair of eyes that seemed to see through her very soul. Pure evil incarnate.

Suddenly, the search was on. Frantically looking, running about. She did not know who or what she was looking for, but she knew she must become whole again at once. And then a vision of horror. Scarlet droplets turning to an endless flow. Disbelief overshadowed by rage, and it was over. An incessant need to run, to escape, to flee this place, never to return. They would never return....

Cadence bolted upright. Despite the chilly room, she was sweating. At first, she couldn’t remember exactly what she had been dreaming about, but she knew she had been sprinting in her dream, and her chest heaved as if she had been truly attempting to outrun a predator.

She wiped her brow on the sleeve of her flannel pajamas, and after a moment to compose herself, turned to her nightstand and a drink of water. Whatever she had been dreaming, it was terrible, and she was afraid to go back to sleep. She glanced at the clock next to her bed. It was 3:00 AM. She felt chills climbing up her spine as she realized at this time tomorrow, she would be at the Eidolon Festival. Suddenly, she remembered, she had been dreaming about attending the fair. But, if her dream was any indicator of what type of phantoms they might encounter at such a place, it wasn’t ghosts and ghouls they should fear. It was vampires.

Cadence pondered making a phone call to one of her friends, possibly Sydney or Taylor. As the details from her dream came flooding back, it seemed more and more real. Considering the time, she decided not to disturb them, though she was sure neither of them would mind if she woke them up to discuss her trepidation. Nevertheless, it was in fact, just a dream. She finally withdrew her stare from her iPhone on the nightstand and slid back down under the covers. She would talk to Drew the next day and tell her she didn’t think attending the Eidolon Festival was a good idea at all.