There's something out there, something that Godric's Hollow has never seen. Although her wand is out Adalynn has no idea what is after her, nor where it is. How can she defend herself against something unknown? Her breath is shallow, her bare feet slapping against the hard forest ground. How she got out here in the middle of the night she has no idea. She only knows that she has to get out of there. She races through brush and jumps over logs, the harsh wind causing her eyes to brim with tears. As she reaches a clearing, she stumbles over a fallen branch after trying to catch a glance behind her. As she looks ahead, she sees a chilling sight.
A large hole in the middle of the clearing has been dug out and a simple wooden box, covered in dirt and rotting at the edges, has been lifted out. She scrambles back on all fours, hiding behind a tree before standing up and peering out. Suddenly, she sees a small figure climb out from what could only be a coffin. The girl has stark white hair that matches her ancient, white nightgown and pale skin, but it's matted above her left ear with old, rust-coloured blood. Her nightgown is covered in it as well, the red-brown colour a harsh contrast. A noise from behind Adalynn causes her to turn quickly away from the girl, her hair standing on end. But there is nothing there. She turns back and comes face to face with the girl from the coffin.
Up close the girl's skin is as white as paper and her hair is almost translucent. But it is her eyes that cause shivers to run up and down Adalynn's spine. As red as fresh blood, they glint hungrily, paralyzing Adalynn with their piercing gaze. The girl raises a hand to softly stroke Adalynn's cheek and that's when she notices that it is but bone, the cold hard skeleton seeming to graze her cheek softly but causing sharp pain along Adalynn's skin. This girl is not a vampire, nor an inferi. What is she? Adalynn wonders, her stomach turning with revulsion. The girl smiles, her teeth black and rotting, blood dripping down her chin.
Adalynn screams and turns, running as fast as she can. She sends spell after spell over her shoulder, decimating trees that get in the way. She passes by dozens of trees, all of them so similar she wonders if she isn't running in circles. If only she could stop for a moment and see in which direction she was going, but as she looks over her shoulder, she sees the monster following her, her otherwise pretty face marred by the rotting teeth and bright red eyes.
"Adalynn," the creature whispers, its voice carrying awfully far in the dead of night.
Adalynn suddenly felt an urge to stop, to go help the girl with the red eyes and the bloody mouth, but she pushed on, finally breaking through the forest to the clearing just beyond the bridge that would lead into the quaint town of Godric's hollow. She races across the stone bridge, hoping to get into town where someone would help her against the monster following her. But halfway across the bridge she feels a deathly cold hand on her shoulder. She's turned around by a surprising force and she stares back into the dead girl's blood-red eyes. The girl smiles her horrifying smile and Adalynn screams once more before the breath is taken from her throat.
Adalynn woke up with a fright, her hand darting out to grab her wand. To her relief, it was right where she always put it, on her bedside table. She laughed about her concerns, chalking the terror to her nightmare from the night before. The nightmare was an exceedingly common one, but usually it was only her, running through the woods from an unknown assailant. This time, the nightmare was so much worse. She grabbed the glass of water from her bedside table, took a drink, and got up, making her way to the bathroom as she always did in the morning. She opened the door and sighed as her feet stepped on the plush violet carpet she kept in there and yawned. Suddenly, her water glass dropped, shattering at her feet, and Adalynn screamed at her reflection in the mirror.
Her brown hair was messy, as it normally was at this time in the morning, but her face was paler than usual. But that wasn't the problem.
The problem was her bright red eyes.