Reign in Blood: Chapter One

The raven was pitch-black, the color of Satan's soul itself. It's eyes matched the hue of it's body, which flew soundlessly through the night. Altering it's course, it banked right, and landed on the branch of a dead tree. Under normal circumstances, the branch would have broken. The raven however, was too light to weigh it down.
The landscape made the scene appear to be straight out of a horror movie. It was a barren country-side, in the dead of night. The moon was full, creating visibility almost equal to that of daylight. The wind howled like the inmate of an insane asylum, almost as if it were trying to prevent something from crossing into this world.
Mason walked slowly down the lane, parallel to the pastures in which the cows grazed. This was to be his last night in the country, the night before the big move. Suddenly, a black figure fell in front of him. His scream was drowned out by the wind, yet the cattle grazing still looked up in surprise.
The raven lay dead in front of him, it's wings spread wide. It looked fairly healthy, with no abrasions or puncture wounds. On it's beak and claws, however, was blood that had failed to be wiped off by the wind's pressure. A chill ran down Mason's spine, a feeling that just couldn't be shaken off. Heart still beating erratically, Mason sighed.
"Jesus..."
He could think of nothing else to say in the current situation, so he stepped over the poor, dead body, resuming the walk to his house.
Originally, the walk had been conceived out of sheer boredom. Being the night before the big move, he could get no sleep, as his body was dead tired, but his mind was going a thousand directions at once. So he had taken a walk. About halfway through, he had begun to creep out, and turned back toward home. Another thought crossed his mind as he quickened his pace, turning his thoughts over, as if they were in a small dryer.
"What if that was a bad omen? A sign of things to come? Nah... you're just tired. Animals die all the time. You were just in the wrong spot at the wrong time."
By this time, he was home. Unlocking the door, he let himself in, shutting and re-locking the door behind. him. Trudging up the stairs, he groaned, as he was dead tired by now. He kicked off his shoes, slunk over to the bed, and fell onto it. Then he fell into the abyss.
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Screams in the dark.
Mason's eyes flew open, and he froze. A soft sobbing sound could be heard, and he eased himself out of bed. Padding slowly on the carpeted floor, he made his way to the door. He opened it slowly, checking the darkness. Sighing, he proceeded down the hall. The sobbing seemed to come from his sister's room, and the door was ajar. Creeping up on it, he could hear her muffled screams, and a sick, wet sound. Breathing heavily, he bashed the door open. What he saw made his blood run cold, freezing him in his tracks.
A figure stood over her, covering her mouth with it's hand. His sister's stomach had been ripped open, blood everywhere. Her entrails were hanging out, half-eaten. The man turned around, yellow eyes flashing. Blood matted his beard, and he bared his teeth, growling. Foam surrounded his lips, and drool hung from his chin. Cackling evilly, the man lunged for Mason, who stumbled back, and fell. The man made insane, animal-like sounds, and jumped on Mason. His mouth opened, and he bent down, teeth flashing, and-
The alarm clock went off, waking Mason from his nightmare. He blinked twice, then screamed.
He was panting heavily now.
the breath, the stench of it....
It was enough to knock a man out. It had been so real...
Muttering to himself, he got up, hitting the snooze button as he walked by.
He made his way to his sister's room, opening the door. She was sound asleep, on her side, thin figure outlined by the blankets covering her. He shut his eyes, tears rolling down his cheeks. He had been so sure....
No.
It was just the pressure of the move weighing itself upon him.Skulking silently to the kitchen, he got a bowl out, barley noticing the display of 5:03 on the clock. He poured himself a bowl of cereal, letting the milk follow it soon after. Half an hour later, he was still munching on the same bowl of cereal, though most of it was soggy. His mind kept flashing back to that dream...
So realistic, So horrible...
"Well, that's a surprise... you up this early? I'd have never guessed...."
Mason jumped, looking up at his father standing in the doorway.
"Oh.... well, yeah. I couldn't sleep.... You always up this early?"
"Yeah... So what's it feel like? To know that in Twenty-four hours, you'll be eating breakfast in the city?"
"Insane. My head feels like it's about to explode, with so much stuff going on...."
"I know exactly what you're talking about. The move is pressuring us all..."
"Mm-hmmm...."
With that, he emptied his bowl into the sink, rinsed out the dishes he used, and trotted up the stairs to his room.

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