Chapter 1 The Cursed birthday

Prologue

Night had fallen. The night breeze blew silently as any other night. Unknowingly, something unexpected was about to happen. Something that has never happened before. Without warning, the crescent moon deepened into a shade of crimson. The moon turned red.

The weather forecasters and newscasters tried to make sense of what had happened.They weren't the only ones, people from all over the world made claims. Priests and pastors said it was the coming of Jesus Christ.

The naysayers claimed it was a sign of good luck. A new beginning.

Others protested that it was a result of global warming.

But they were all very far from the truth.

For in the mystical realm of the werewolves, the Land of Six-it was an omen. A prophecy that foretold the end of the Crimson's reign and his entire bloodline.

In Alabama, a newborn's first cry pierced the night.

A girl was born. A legend, reborn.

The one who will put an end to Crimson's reign.

Her mother held her gently, though her body was cold to the touch.The moment her mother's fingers brushed against hers, the crying stopped.

Her tiny hands curled around her mother's finger. And with the mother's last breath, she spoke her name.

"Trisha Crescent."

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Eighteen years later..

Trisha pov

Running, all alone in the woods.

I was being chased... by a beast.

It lunged at me with its bare teeth and claws, almost catching up with me.

But there was a man standing in the woods right ahead of me.

Waiting.

He stretched his hands and I grabbed it. I saw his face and it wasn't that of a man. It was a wolf...

I shot up from bed sweating and panting. My breath came in short bursts, ragged like I'd just escaped something real.

I've been dreaming again.

Not once. Not twice. But every night for the past two weeks. Every night it caught me. Whatever that animal was...

But this time, it was different.There was a man with the face of a wolf.

My hands reached out for my phone on the nightstand. The screen flickered with a pop up message.

"Happy birthday, Trisha." It was from Sandra, my only friend.

I checked the time.

4:00am.

I didn't reply. I had long stopped celebrating birthdays.They weren't milestones for me. They were reminders of my mom's death. It was said that the day the moon bled, it signified a life for a life : My mom's for mine.

Well that's what my aunty, her twin always said. She made sure to constantly remind me and to never forget whose fault it was.

"The day you were born, your mother died. You weren't a gift, you were a trade. You killed your own mother, you are cursed." she always said.

These words didn't sting anymore, because it did more than sting. It broke me.

I turned to the other side of the bed.

Sleep wouldn't come back. Not after that dream.

Then I heard it.

A knock on my window. It was faint. Just once. Then it came again, louder.

I stood up, heart beating faster now, and walked slowly toward the curtain ready to open it.

But before I could–

"Trisha!"

My aunt yelled. Sharp, cold, and piercing.

I stopped.

Let go of the curtain and stepped back.

The knock didn't come again.

And suddenly I wasn't sure if it ever happened at all. I raced down the stairs in hurry, I knew what she was capable of. No time to grab my slippers.

The place was pitch black because there had been a blackout. I slammed my barefoot hard against the tile. Pain shot through my foot but still raced downstairs. I quickly turned on my phone light, my phone was already in my hands, maybe I instinctively grabbed it on my way.

My heart was throbbing at each step of the staircase because I knew that, that tone of her voice came with trouble.

And when I say trouble...

The last time she yelled like that, I was struck by her and I swear... my soul nearly left my body. I almost died. Today being my birthday would be twice as worse. I would probably die. My aunt hated my whole existence. She lashed out on me and told me over and over again that I was cursed. "No wonder my dad left me and my mom died. And she wished that I'd just die the day I was born."

I scanned the hall with my phone light.

But she wasn't there. I heard her voice from downstairs so I was expecting her to be standing right there and I was ready to dodge whatever she was going to throw at me. But she wasn't.

Did she go to her room?

"Aunt...?" My voice barely rose above a whisper. My body instinctively moved to her room. Still afraid of what's coming.

I entered her room, my phone light aimed on her bed.

No movement.

"Aunt", my voice, louder than the first.

No reply. She wasn't there either..

Where is she?

At this rate, my heart was beating so fast I could literally hear it. One minute I heard her voice, the next minute she wasn't here. My feet made their way to the kitchen.

Without warning,

My bare foot stepped into something.

Something..wet, and thick.

"Uuhh, what is–"

I aimed the light on the floor.

"Ahhhhh!!", I screamed.

Blood,

It was everywhere. Aunt!

Her face was stretched out. Her neck was torn open, more like clawed out. Her flesh was torn and her blood was splattered on the walls.

My phone fell to the ground. I staggered back subconsciously and the pool of blood crawled to me.

I stepped back again, my hands went over my mouth as tears welled up in my eyes, threatening to fall.

'Aunty'. I froze.

She was dead.

I was trembling like a leaf. My knees buckled then I dropped to the floor. My phone fell, face down with its light touching the ceiling.

"No..." The word cracked inside me.

I was too stunned to speak. Too scared to utter a word. Because this certainly wasn't a human being doing.

It was ...a beast.

My brain was everywhere trying to piece together what had happened.

What the hell happened?

Her face was still. Her lips were parted like she'd tried to scream but never got the chance.

She was alive last night to tell me that on my birthday something bad will definitely happen.

But this..?

This was more than bad. This was horrific. Maybe she was right after all. All the things she used to say. I was indeed cursed.

Tears spilled down my cheeks and then, I heard a movement. Swift but I heard it. That thing was still here. The thing that killed her still lingered around and I could hear it. My body stiffened and I held my breath afraid to make a sound. Because whatever killed my aunt was not a human, it was a beast.

A beast like the one in my dreams.

My heart felt like it would explode the next moment, its pounding echoed in my ears.

it was moving towards me. Approaching fast. I knew not to turn around. No, I just couldn't. My body grew numb and my feet, I couldn't move them. I wanted to stand up and run but my body gave up on me.

The adrenaline in my body must have run out the moment I needed it the most.

I could feel it now. It was just right behind me. Closer now. Almost touching me. Its presence pressed against my spine silent, waiting.

And then-

It touched me. Just a fingertip.

Or a claw... I couldn't figure it out.

My eyes widened. I clamped both hands over my mouth. The sobs spilled past my fingers, bitter and strangled.

A part of me knew not to scream.

I begged my body to be still. My phone light was still on, long shadows were casted on the walls.

But the shadow wasn't that of a beast. It wasn't an animal. It was in the shape of a human. It was standing tall.

"Trisha".

The shadow spoke my name; soft and...familiar.

It was more like a whisper but it instantly sent shivers through me.

My eyes widened twice like that of a full moon. At this point I feel I could just pass out of fear.

I've heard this voice before.

I knew that voice too well and I knew who.

I forced myself to turn around.

I already knew who that shadow was.. by the voice.

Not a beast, and certainly not an animal.