Week 9, Title; Keep Calm and Don't Reblog

[swirlsofpurple]

Becca rolls her eyes at the spree of meme blogging her friend Nell has gone on, she scrolls past a picture of Robert Pattinson splattered with comic sans: ‘So Vampire. Much Blood. Very sparkle’ and past three of the ‘It’s a metaphor’ posts that Nell has a thing for. Then she comes to a graphic which looks kind of awesome. It’s a large circular symbol with runes and sigils interwoven through it, it’s yellow and white against a black background and the glowing effect seems eerily real. There’s also Latin in small gothic font curved around the circle: ‘Voco creaturae nocturna’. And at the top it states ‘If you reblog this, in one week vampires will enter your home’.

She smirks, with people constantly reblogging those ‘something terrible will happen if you don’t reblog this’ posts, it would feel refreshing to blog one which states the opposite. It may be lame, but the post looks pretty cool anyway. She clicks reblog.

*

When she comes online the next day the symbol’s all over her dash. It has become a meme. She smiles at some of the variations and lets out a chuckle at a post with Benedict Cumberbatch’s head pasted on the symbol with the words, ‘If you reblog this, in one week dragons will enter your house’.

Three days later an advert is on TV, apparently made by the creators of the original symbol post.

The broadcast is clearly not an amateur production. Becca perks up at the appearance of a ‘vampire’. He’s of medium build and has dark eyes which are distinctly out of place against his pale skin and paler hair. The man stands still, smirking creepily, before saying only one line,

“Thank you for so graciously inviting us into your abodes, we will be arriving shortly.”

*

Most people think it’s a marketing campaign, and a fascinating one at that, she’s definitely going to check out whatever TV show or film this is about. The meme speeds up after the announcement and spreads all over tumblr, facebook, imgur and twitter.

*

It’s been seven days since the original symbol post appeared and Becca’s scouring the tv guide and flicking through channels trying to figure out which show it might be an advert for. There’s an odd kidnapping on the news, some idiot acting out the memes promise, there’s blood all over.

*

The break ins and kidnappings increase over the next few days, and there are now several murders thrown in, it’s becoming clear that it’s not just a bunch of idiots copying a stupid idea.

The witness reports sound insane. The actual footage is just as crazy. It shows attackers who are inhumanly fast and strong and immune to knives. The only thing that hurts them is wood. These aren’t just pretend vampires.  

And reports suggest they’re only going after people who have blogged or posted the symbol.

Becca decides to pack some bags and stay somewhere else for a few days. It’s possibly an overreaction; she hopes this will be something she laughs about later.

*

As the number of people taken slides from dozens to hundreds, and chaos sprouts everywhere as people fear for their lives, the police are deemed not sufficient and the army is called in. They fair no better in taking on the vampires.

They find out that the invite in carries with a person, to wherever they stay. Becca stands watch, a stake in her hand and three more in her pockets. People split into groups of those who had reblogged and those who hadn’t. The only difference is whether the vampires get to them inside their home or outside it.

*

Becca yells for the others as vampires break down the door. They punch and kick with stakes in hand. She plunges a stake into one of them as another bites into her friend. The girl screams and Becca charges at the vamp but it’s too late.

When the fight is over every face is haunted, but they bury the dead and carry on. They stay on the move, saving others when they can, collecting new members for their group: the greater their numbers the better their odds.

*

There’s nothing but static on the radio, nothing on television but pronouncements of victories from the vampires.

The roads are empty. Keep calm and carry stakes written on the ground. Invitation symbols on the walls. Two sides of a war written in spray paint.

Everything online is gone too, but tumblr remains, the vampires keep it going so that people can reblog; now an act of capitulation rather than one of harmless fun. Those who reblog are allowed to live, as blood slaves, but alive nonetheless.

*

It’s no longer a war. All human governments and monarchies have surrendered. But there’s still a resistance. Becca keeps fighting. 

“Keep calm and carry stakes,” she says, it’s their mantra of hope and it’s their battle cry.

But as she holds a young boy crying over his dead sister and saying he wants to give in, the words seem to have no value.

*

Her group has found a way to beat the vampires, they have a plan. The vampires have a weakness.

Becca sneaks around, the key to their defeat is of course well-guarded, many think this is a futile mission, she only knows she has to succeed.

“Keep calm and carry stakes,” she whispers to herself, crawling through an air duct.

Suddenly Becca’s surrounded, she takes a deep breath, stake in each hand, stabbing and kicking with all her might. This time it isn’t enough. She’s captured.

“Do you have anything to say?” it’s the vampire who appeared in that very first broadcast, dark eyes set on her.

“Keep calm and carry stakes,” she spits sarcastically, struggling as he’s tying her down.

Becca knows they will make her a blood slave; shudders hearing the whir of a tattoo gun. And she tries to keep focus, to keep control. The symbol is tattooed onto her flesh, permission to enter a mind, to enter a soul.

*

“Do you have anything to say now?”

“Keep calm and…

“Yes?”

“Keep calm and serve the vampires.”

Comments

[cheshire23.livejournal.com]

I like this concept quite a lot, and you totally nailed the ending.

[swirlsofblue.livejournal.com]

Thank you, glad you liked the concept :)