She was thrilled to be leaving for her trip. It had been a long time coming. She’d scrimped and saved to make it as amazing as possible, and allow her to take a whole month off.
She only told people she was going to the beach. She wanted peace and quiet, but she was going to somewhere much more magical than just the beach. She would be exploring a newly discovered set of ruins, and hopefully spending some time on a pristine beach as well.
She was exhilarated she’d spent years studying to get this chance, and she wasn’t going to waste it. This trip was top secret, so she needed to be vague about the details, but she knew her family would worry if they knew her true destination, so she kept quiet to keep her reputation and her family safe
She made her final preparations, and headed off to her trip.
She arrived in a lush paradise jet-lagged and exhausted from the long flights, multiple layovers, and inevitible delays. Even as exhausted as she happened to be, she couldn’t be happier to be getting started on her expedition.
She slipped her pack on to her back, and crunched along the sand in search of the leaders in charge of the dig and exploration of these ruins. They promised to meet her plane, explain the process, and get her settled in. She’d spoken to both archeologists mere hours before, but they were nowhere to be found
She reasoned they’d gotten caught up at the dig site and lost track of time. The island wasn’t a large one, they shouldn’t be too far away. This may have been a different type of adventure, but she wouldn’t let it dampen her spirits.
She spied a path cutting through the jungle, and hurried to get off the beach. Thunder clapped in the distance, and the cloudless blue sky was instantly filled with ominous, grey thunder heads. She’d just reached the treeline when a torrential downpour began.
In the months it took to plan this trip she’d never heard of anything like this happening, and the hairs on the back of her neck to rise. She continued foward, but she was more cautious now.
The rain soaked her to the skin even covered by the dense canopy. She sprinted through the undergrowth, barely able to see where she was going, but she noticed a large scaffolding in the distance before everything went dark. It wasn’t too far away, but she couldn’t count on not getting turned around.
She was having some luck, she found the scaffolding, but the site was destroyed and eerily empty. Work was done not two hours prior as far as she knew, but from the state of things it could be twenty years ago.
An icy wind lashed across her skin, and she wrapped her arms tightly about herself to try and retain some warmth.
She walked deeper into the dig site, and she screamed in utter horror. Blood and viscera oozed along the dirt and splattered on the stones and walls before her. No bodies were visible, but it was clear it was a brutal and swift attack.
She squeezed her eyes shut and crumpled to the ground distraught. A high whistle pierced the air, and she covered her ears and ducked her head.
The flapping of wings covered all sound. She hadn’t believed in curses prior to this moment. She’d assumed it was all mass hysteria and exaggeration. But, she’d stumbled on to something violent and tragic.
What other answer could there be?
She leaped to her feet trying to escape into the safety of the trees, but unseen markings flashed all around her, and she was frozen in place.
She fell to her knees as lethal talons ripped into her flesh.
If only she’d told someone where she was really going. She would not be the last to die.
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