The Next Morning

Your dreams were pleasant, if perhaps a little vague. There was a sensation of comfort, warmth, and power but otherwise no solid images that you could grasp onto. Though you woke early and had only five hours of sleep you felt invigorated.

The morning routine of breakfast, brushing teeth and then showering was pleasant. You felt light, you felt happy. Everything was aglow and felt right with the world.

But then you caught sight of the ring, still firmly affixed to your finger, and everything came back to you in a horrible avalanche of anxiety and guilt. The woman, bound and gagged. The group of hooded men. The mayor.

The ring...

A flush of arousal shot through your body. The feeling of power. But it was mingled with shame at the memories of what you had allowed to happen. Fear also crept into your mind as you wondered what else the little glimmering ruby could do and why it had felt so supercharged after you witnessed that strange ceremony.

What the hell was happening? Cults roaming the streets of your town? A magic ring screwing with people’s mind? Seemingly overnight your world had transformed from normalcy into a bizarre nightmare.

And what was worse, you knew that while you were concerned, you weren’t nearly as alarmed and existentially terrified as you should be. There was a shift in your mind that you suspected was supernatural.

You glanced at the morning paper sitting on the kitchen counter. The missing girls faces were still displayed. This business with the ring was troubling, but you realised there were bigger issues afoot. Marcus and Tina awaited you at school, and your first plan of attack at figuring this out.