The Order

“Oh, my God!!! I can’t believe it!! Jackson asked me to attend a banquet with him at some club he’s a member of tomorrow night! I am so excited!” Shellie almost yelled the news at her roommates, Sarah and Jessica.

Sarah, ever practical, wanted to know what dress Shellie would wear to the banquet. On the other hand, Jessica, ever spiritual, commented that she thought Jackson was a little creepy and wouldn’t go anywhere with him.

All three went to Shellie’s closet and sorted her dresses, looking for the perfect one to wear to the banquet. Not finding one, they decided they would go shopping for one.

They went to three designer stores in the mail before they found the perfect flowy, white chiffon number that set off Shellie’s excellent features. Shellie was one of those lucky women that looked gorgeous in white and not washed out.

Then, they all three went to a beauty spa and salon for the works. They each had hair, nails, and facials done. They each walked out of there feeling like they looked like a million bucks.

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Finally, the night of the banquet arrived. Shellie was ready and downstairs, waiting for Jackson to pick her up. He picked her up and handed her a lovely corsage with a blood-red flower to wear. She was utterly stunned by the beauty of the flower, and when he said it brought out the flush of her cheeks and the red of her lips, she blushed so hard.

They arrived at the banquet just as other influential young men and their dates did. Each lady was wearing a different colored bouquet than the woman next to her.

Inside, Shellie didn’t remember much of the conversation. She was nervous about being in an elegant establishment surrounded by many well-off men. Most of the women seemed as quiet and uncomfortable as she was.

The thirteen-course dinner started, beginning with the caviar appetizers and ending with a chocolate souffle. The men did most of the talking, with the women murmuring any answers they were required to. Several women started yawning halfway through. Some women sleep before the souffle is even brought to the table. The men acted as if this was all natural to them.

Shellie had never felt so out of it. Things were blurring and doubling. She was tired. When they got up from the table, she almost fell over, but Jackson quickly reached out to steady her as he led her into the other room for after-dinner drinks.

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Shellie must have fallen asleep because when she came to, she was being strapped down inside some type of pentagram by two of the men now wearing weird-looking masks with feathers coming out around the sides of it. She tried to fight and get up, but her arms, waist, and head were already strapped down. By this point, Shellie was starting to freak out.

Suddenly, a gong sounded, and all the men, including who she assumed was Jackson, lined up in a circle around the pentagram. One man lit a bundle of incense, another began chanting, and all the men joined. The man with the bouquet started walking around the room, spreading the fragrance smell, coming to the altar, and holding the bundle above her body and head.

Another of the masked men broke away from the group, circled the pentagram, and approached her. There must have been something in the smoke because she was having trouble focusing again. As the creature man tore her dress off, she faded into oblivion again.

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Waking up, Shellie wasn’t sure where she was. She tried to move around but couldn’t. Shifting her eyes, Shellie looked around; she appeared in some weblike substance that one could barely see. Hanging around her, she saw several other ladies from the banquet hanging in a cocoon. Screaming, Shellie tried to claw her way out of the cocoon, ripping her nails off and bloodying her hands. Realizing she was stuck in this cocoon, Shellie hunkered down and waited to see what she would turn into.