Ophelia "Lia" Moore carefully smoothed down the hem of the exceedingly short skirt and turned to leave her apartment. Normally, she wouldn't be caught dead wearing something so revealing, but she felt the need to celebrate. She'd just gotten the call that she was being offered a position on the Seattle Police Department, something that she'd been working on for the better part of a decade. After she'd left the Marines, she'd immediately decided on entering the police academy, and she'd just finished at the top of her class.
She glanced at her phone, ignoring the wolf whistles that were directed toward her. Her eyebrows darted up in surprise when she saw who it was from. Olivia Moore. Her brilliant, beautiful, workaholic little sister very rarely had time to text her. All her free time was taken up by work, and of course by her fiancé, Major Lilywhite. Curious to see what her sister wanted, Lia unlocked her phone and opened the message.
Hi Lia. Mom told me the news. Congrats! I just got invited to a party by Marcy, and Major encouraged me to go. I'd hate to go by myself, so will you come and celebrate with me?
Lia smiled, relief coursing through her. She'd been planning on going on a blind date, but she'd much rather spend time with her sister, especially since she barely had enough time for her now, and Liv's wedding wasn't that far away. There were times when she felt a twinge of jealousy over her younger sister getting married before her, but she truly was happy for Liv and Major. Anyone who looked at them could see true love reflected in their eyes.
Liv sent her the address of the party, and Lia punched it into her GPS. Soon, she found herself heading out to Lake Washington, with excitement hanging in the air. The lively atmosphere of the party pulsed through the air, growing stronger every mile that Lia grew closer. She stepped out of her car and scanned the area for her sister. Soon, she caught sight of Liv's smiling face. She threw her arms around her sister and kissed the top of her head.
"Livvy, I've missed you sis! How's the greatest resident the hospital has ever seen? Have they offered you a permanent position yet?"
Liv beamed at her older sister, blushing at the compliments.
"I love my job. Helping people is what I was meant to do. I just know it."
Lia nodded, empathizing. She and Liv both loved their jobs for the same reason: they were helping people. She looped her arm in her sister's and headed for the party. People were crowded around the drinks table, and Lia couldn't help but wonder if the punch was spiked. Though she was tempted to ask them their ages, she wasn't officially a cop yet. Besides, then she'd embarrass Liv and ruin the party. No one likes the girl who narced on everyone.
As she and Liv walked around the party, they were approached by a tall man with sandy blonde hair and a bright yellow jacket.
"You looking to party? This is Utopium. It'll fry your brain, dip it in batter and fry it again."
Just as Lia was about to handcuff the man-he, she couldn't help it if she was trained to carry them at all times-Liv interrupted him.
"Having my brain treated like a corn dog. Not so tempting."
"You're pretty tempting."
The man reached for Liv, but this time Lia stepped in.
"Get your hand off my sister if you'd like to keep it."
He sputtered as Liv threw her drink at him, splashing him right in the face. As Lia smirked and turned away with Liv, the two of them stopped as people started screaming. Suddenly, the party had devolved into chaos, with people tearing each other limb from limb. Lia gagged slightly as she saw a man throw a spear at another man, the tip burying itself into the eyeball.
She pushed Liv forward, fear building into a lump in her throat. They were almost to the edge of the boat, almost to freedom, when the man in yellow grabbed at Liv, scratching her arm. Lia's eyes widened in fear as she saw his eyes were red and his veins were protruding from his face. Liv fell backwards into the water, and Lia felt her stomach drop. She ran for the man, attempting to tackle him to the ground.
Instead, she slammed against him, his body like stone. What the hell was he? He flipped her onto the ground and jumped on top of her. Terrified, she grabbed at his arms in an attempt to gain the upper hand. His long, bloody fingernails dug into her forearm as he leaned in toward her face. He bit down on her neck and she screamed as he held her down.
She used every last bit of strength she had to buck from underneath him, shoving him as far away as she could manage. Then she rolled toward the edge of the boat and threw herself into the water. As she swam away, she threw a glance back at the boat, watching as the man in the jacket fought with another crazed partygoer. She held a hand to her throat, feeling the sticky warm blood oozing from the wound he'd given her. It was deeper than she expected.
She tried in vain to locate Liv, but she kept swimming toward the shore, hoping to find Liv already there. Though her legs burned and her arms were growing tired, she kept paddling toward the shore.
As she reached the edge of the water, she took a weary step onto land. She spun in circles, growing more agitated as she saw nothing. The fire slowly grew larger, until the boat exploded in flames.
"LIV!"
She screamed, repeating her sister's name over and over until she was hoarse. She sat on the beach, weariness enveloping her. She watched the water, looking for any signs of a survivor. She shivered slightly as she sat, numbness filling her body.
Oh, god. Liv was dead.
The rational part of her brain was repeating the words over and over again. The tiny spark that still believed Liv was alive was growing dimmer and dimmer. What would she tell their mother?
She held a hand to her throat again. When she pulled it away, her entire hand was covered. Perhaps she wouldn't have to tell their mother at all.
But maybe she would just sit and wait for Liv to reach the shore. Yeah, that's what she'd do.
She closed her eyes and listened to the waves crash onto the shore, dreaming of her sister.