Chapter 6

On a quiet Sunday morning, following the unsettling events of the previous night, Elise, John, Annabelle, and Crimson found themselves seated at a campus café. The usual weekend buzz of the place seemed muted, as if the entire campus was under the shadow of Jericho Montgomery's tragic death.

Elise stirred her coffee absentmindedly, her usual vibrant demeanor dimmed. "I still can't wrap my head around it," she said, breaking the heavy silence. "One minute we're all partying, and the next, Jericho's... gone. It's just so surreal."

John, who looked like he hadn't slept much, nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and the way he was found... it's straight-up freaky. Like something out of our folklore class." His attempt at lightening the mood fell flat, the gravity of the situation too dense to penetrate.

Annabelle, looking unusually pensive, added, "It's like we've stepped into some crime podcast. I mean, an animal attack in the middle of a party? That's just bizarre."

Crimson, who had been quietly observing the group, finally spoke up. "It's a tragedy, for sure. But we should be careful about jumping to wild theories. These things, as strange as they might seem, often have rational explanations."

"Yeah, but come on, Crimson," John countered, his eyebrows furrowed. "The timing of it all, and those bite marks... It's like something's off." His voice carried a hint of underlying suspicion, an unspoken question hanging in the air.

Elise sighed, "I guess we'll have to wait for the police to figure it out. But it just feels like there's more to it, you know?"

The group fell into a contemplative silence, each lost in their thoughts, sipping their coffees. The campus around them was waking up, but the events of the previous night cast a long shadow over their usual Sunday routines.

Elise, her fingers wrapped tightly around her cup, broke the silence. "Guys, don't you think there's something off? All of this evidence, it just doesn't add up."

John, his usual easy-going demeanor overshadowed by a corrugated brow, chimed in, "Yeah, and talk about bad timing. Crimson shows up, and suddenly this happens? It's kinda sus, not gonna lie."

Annabelle, who had been staring into her coffee, looked up. "John, you're not suggesting Crimson had something to do with this, are you? That's a bit out there, even for us. Plus, Crimson has an alibi, it is us. He was with us throughout the whole party."

John shrugged, his expression conflicted. "I don't know what to think. It's just... weird, you know? The timing, the folklore stuff we've been learning about, and now this?"

Crimson, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke. "I understand why you're freaked out, but jumping to conclusions without any real proof is just going to drive us all nuts. We need to keep a level head about this."

Elise nodded in agreement, though her eyes were still clouded with doubt. "I guess you're right, Crimson. It's just so creepy, thinking about it all. This is the kind of stuff you see in movies, not real life."

The conversation continued, with each trying to rationalize the events, yet unable to shake off the feeling that something sinister was at play. Their attempts at normalcy were interspersed with uneasy glances and hesitant questions, the shadow of the previous night looming over them.

Motivated by their unnerving conversation, the trio, along with Crimson, found themselves huddled around a table in the university library. The digital glow of laptops illuminated their determined faces as they scoured through online archives, local newspapers, and obscure folklore websites.

"Check this out," Elise said, pushing her glasses up her nose as she leaned closer to her laptop screen. "There was a similar case back in the '90s. Guy was found just off Esplanade Avenue, same deal – drained of blood and marked with what they called animal bites."

John, peering over her shoulder, frowned. "That's freaky. You'd think someone would've connected the dots by now."

Annabelle, flipping through an old local newspaper, chimed in, "Yeah, it's like there's a pattern, but everyone's just chill with blaming poor New Orleans' wildlife. Talk about being in denial."

Crimson, who had been quietly browsing through an online forum, added, "It's not unusual for communities to look for logical explanations for the unexplainable. It's... kind of a coping mechanism, you know?"

Elise nodded, her brow furrowed in concentration. "Totally get that. But this? This is straight-up 'Blair Witch Project' material. Creepy and unexplained."

John, who had been typing away on his laptop, let out a low whistle. "Guys, listen to this. There's a local legend about a vampire-like creature called 'The Bayou Phantom.' It's said to have haunted these parts for centuries."

Annabelle's eyes widened. "Oh, come on! That's gotta be some tourist trap story, right? Like vampires chilling in the French Quarter?"

Crimson, scrolling through his phone, seemed contemplative. "Vampire lore is present in most cultures, and each version is adapted to its environment. It's not completely far-fetched for these legends to have some common thread with our current situation."

The group paused, absorbing the weight of Crimson's words. Their research had started as a quest for answers, but now it seemed to open more questions, blurring the lines between folklore and their grim reality.

Elise leaned back in her chair, rubbing her temples. "This is getting way too real. I feel like we're in some supernatural detective show."

John let out a nervous chuckle. "As long as we don't start finding garlic and holy water in our dorms, I guess we're still in the 'normal' zone."

They continued their research for a while longer, each lost in thought as they tried to piece together the puzzle. The library's clock ticked away in the background, a reminder of the time slipping by as they delved deeper into the mysteries of the night.

As Elise, John, and Annabelle huddled together in the library, poring over old newspapers and dusty archives, an unexpected incident occurred. A book seemingly flew off a shelf, landing with a thud at their feet. Startled, they scanned the aisles but found no one.

"Whoa, what the heck was that about?" John exclaimed, picking up the book. "You think we've got a ghost in here or something?"

Elise rolled her eyes playfully. "Right, because ghosts just love chucking books around. Let's see what it is, though."

The book, old and bound in leather, was titled "Midians: Bloodborne of New Orleans." Intrigued, they gathered around, flipping through its pages. It detailed accounts of vampire-like creatures known as Midians, rumored to have roamed the New Orleans area.

"Midians, huh? Sounds like something straight out of a fantasy game," Annabelle remarked, leaning in to get a better look at the illustrations.

The book described the Midians' strengths – their speed, agility, and hypnotic powers – eerily similar to the lore they had learned in class. It also outlined their weaknesses, including sensitivity to sunlight and certain ancient herbs.

"This is getting weirder by the minute," John muttered, "Do you think there's any truth to this stuff?"

Elise, always the rational one, shrugged. "Could be just myths, but it's weird, right? This book just flying off the shelf at us?"

Crimson listened, his expression unreadable. "Midians, you say? Interesting folklore, but that's all it is – folklore. These stories are often just born from people's fears and imagination."

John, eyeing Crimson skeptically, pushed a bit further. "But what if it's not just stories? I mean, look at what happened to Jericho."

Crimson's response was calm, almost too calm. "It's important not to let fear cloud our judgment. Unfortunate things happen, but jumping to supernatural conclusions is a slippery slope. Yet, I will entertain your suspicions and help you in this supernatural investigation."

The group then took a moment to reflect on their experiences at the party. Each of them had observed certain details that night that now, in hindsight, seemed unusual or significant.

"Hey, do you guys remember that guy who kept hanging around the edge of the party? The one with the super intense stare?" Elise asked, her brows furrowed in thought. "He was kinda giving off major creeper vibes."

John nodded, leaning back in his chair. "Yeah, totally. Dude was like a statue, just watching everything. Super weird."

Annabelle chimed in, her voice tinged with a hint of unease. "And what about those two girls who were arguing in the kitchen? I overheard them talking about someone or something following them on the way to the party. They seemed really freaked out."

Crimson listened, his expression unreadable. "Parties can bring out all sorts of odd behavior in people," he remarked nonchalantly. "It's not unusual for tensions to run high, especially with a crowd like that."

John, still mulling over the strange events, added, "Yeah, but there was this whole vibe, you know? Like something was just... off. And then finding Jericho like that... it's just too much of a coincidence."

Elise nodded in agreement. "It's like all these little things are pieces of a puzzle. If we could just figure out how they fit together..."

The more they talked, the more they realized that there were many things about that night that didn't quite add up. The tension and unease that had been simmering beneath the surface of their recollections began to grow...

Elise then spoke, her voice laced with concern. "We can't just pretend like everything's normal. We need to keep our eyes open. There's something off about all this."

Crimson, who had been quietly listening, raised an eyebrow." I don't believe in these superstitions, but I understand your concerns. I'll help in any way I can, with what I know about folklore and such."

Annabelle, who had been staring thoughtfully into the distance, chimed in. "It's not just about believing, Crimson. It's about being cautious. Things have been way too weird since that class and the party."

Crimson gave a slight, understanding nod. "I get it. And hey, if digging into folklore and keeping an eye out makes you feel safer, I'm all in. Just don't expect me to start wearing garlic necklaces or anything."

Elise let out a small, tense chuckle. "No garlic necklaces, got it. But seriously, if we're doing this, we have to be smart about it. We can't let rumors or fear get the better of us."

John leaned back, crossing his arms. "Agreed. No jumping at shadows or freaking out over every little thing. We stick to facts and what we actually know."

The group fell into a contemplative silence, each processing the weight of their decision to delve deeper into the unknown.

Finally, Crimson stood up and said. "Well, I guess we're some sort of amateur folklore investigation squad now. Let's hope it's more enlightening than frightening."

Annabelle stood up as well, a determined look on her face. "Enlightening, frightening – whatever it is, we're in it together. Let's just be careful, okay?"

The group nodded in unison, a pact silently formed among them. As they parted ways, the line between myth and reality seemed more blurred than ever. The quiet of the night offered no answers, only echoes of the day's revelations and the uncertainty of what lay ahead.

Each member of the group walked back to their respective dorms, lost in thought. The once-clear boundaries of their world had shifted, leaving them in a liminal space filled with shadows and whispers of the unknown.