Seven-year-old Luna was at the amusement park, clutching a giant teddy bear she had just won. The air smelled of popcorn and cotton candy, and laughter filled the atmosphere around her. She ran through the crowd, weaving between families and kids, her heart pounding with excitement.
"Mom! Look!" she shouted, her voice filled with childlike glee.
She spotted her mother near the carousel, her dark hair shining in the sunlight. She stood with her back to Luna, her hands on her hips, the way she always did when she was waiting. Luna grinned and ran faster, the teddy bear bouncing in her arms.
But just as she reached her mother, about to grab her hand, a loud sound shattered the air.
Her mother's head snapped forward, and she fell to the ground like a deer shot down by a hunter in the woods. Blood pooled beneath her, staining the concrete a sickening red.
Luna froze, the smile immediately wiped off her face. The teddy bear slipped from her grasp, landing in the blood with a soft thud.
"Mom?" she whispered, her voice trembling.
The laughter around her stopped. The air grew heavy, choking. Luna turned slowly, and the crowd that had been laughing and playing moments ago now stood motionless, their faces blank.
Then, one by one, they turned to her. Their empty eyes pierced into her, and their mouths twisted into horrific grins.
"IT'S YOUR FAULT," they said in unison, their voices soulless and cold.
Luna stumbled back, shaking her head. "No. No, it's not—"
"IT'S YOUR FAULT," they chanted, louder now, the words echoing in her head like a drumbeat.
Her mother's lifeless body seemed to whisper the same thing, blood bubbling at her lips.
The crowd started moving closer, their smiles stretching unnaturally wide, their eyes glowing with a sickly light.
"IT'S YOUR FAULT LUNA.
IT'S YOUR FAULT LUNA.
IT'S YOUR FAULT!"
The chant morphed, the words twisting in her ears until they became something else.
"LUNA!
LUNA!
LUNA!"