Linen and Veil

Sykotica Preview Layouts
XSYKOTICA
VOLUME CLXXIX: Linen and Veil
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Not far from me was a little one-roomed squatter's hut of wood, surrounded by a patch of potato garden. I struggled to my feet at last, and, crouching and making use of every chance of cover, I made a run for this. I hammered at the door, but I could not make the people hear (if there were any people inside), and after a time I desisted, and, availing myself of a ditch for the greater part of the way, succeeded in crawling, unobserved by these monstrous machines, into the pine woods towards Maybury.

Under cover of this I pushed on, wet and shivering now, towards my own house. I walked among the trees trying to find the footpath. It was very dark indeed in the wood, for the lightning was now becoming infrequent, and the hail, which was pouring down in a torrent, fell in columns through the gaps in the heavy foliage.

If I had fully realised the meaning of all the things I had seen I should have immediately worked my way round through Byfleet to Street Cobham, and so gone back to rejoin my wife at Leatherhead. But that night the strangeness of things about me, and my physical wretchedness, prevented me, for I was bruised, weary, wet to the skin, deafened and blinded by the storm.

I had a vague idea of going on to my own house, and that was as much motive as I had. I staggered through the trees, fell into a ditch and bruised my knees against a plank, and finally splashed out into the lane that ran down from the College Arms. I say splashed, for the storm water was sweeping the sand down the hill in a muddy torrent. There in the darkness a man blundered into me and sent me reeling back.

He gave a cry of terror, sprang sideways, and rushed on before I could gather my wits sufficiently to speak to him. So heavy was the stress of the storm just at this place that I had the hardest task to win my way up the hill. I went close up to the fence on the left and worked my way along its palings.

Near the top I stumbled upon something soft, and, by a flash of lightning, saw between my feet a heap of black broadcloth and a pair of boots. Before I could distinguish clearly how the man lay, the flicker of light had passed. I stood over him waiting for the next flash. When it came, I saw that he was a sturdy man, cheaply but not shabbily dressed; his head was bent under his body, and he lay crumpled up close to the fence, as though he had been flung violently against it.

Overcoming the repugnance natural to one who had never before touched a dead body, I stooped and turned him over to feel for his heart. He was quite dead. Apparently his neck had been broken. The lightning flashed for a third time, and his face leaped upon me. I sprang to my feet. It was the landlord of the Spotted Dog, whose conveyance I had taken.

I stepped over him gingerly and pushed on up the hill. I made my way by the police station and the College Arms towards my own house. Nothing was burning on the hillside, though from the common there still came a red glare and a rolling tumult of ruddy smoke beating up against the drenching hail. So far as I could see by the flashes, the houses about me were mostly uninjured. By the College Arms a dark heap lay in the road.

Down the road towards Maybury Bridge there were voices and the sound of feet, but I had not the courage to shout or to go to them. I let myself in with my latchkey, closed, locked and bolted the door, staggered to the foot of the staircase, and sat down. My imagination was full of those striding metallic monsters, and of the dead body smashed against the fence.

I crouched at the foot of the staircase with my back to the wall, shivering violently.

Sykotica Notes: There is a limitation on CONTENTID2. Whatever doesn't fit will be hidden. In content 2, I have the GIFs there from their teaser. The teaser looks gray in general, so this layout ends up being grayscale to match.
 

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January 13, 2016: If you are having trouble viewing the layout on your stories, read the latest notice. Chapter 189.

Comments

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MovedGirl
#1
Hello I am sorry to bother I have a problem. I bought yesterday a layout from you the 'Winter death' and put it on my foreword of my story but when I press view next to the rose it writes: [CONTENTID3]Surround text in your story with these tags to display it here[/CONTENTID3] [CONTENTID2]Surround text in your story with these tags to display it here[/CONTENTID2] [CONTENTID2]Surround text in your story with these tags to display it here[/CONTENTID2] [CONTENTID2]Surround text in your story with these tags to display it here[/CONTENTID2] [CONTENTID2]Surround text in your story with these tags to display it here[/CONTENTID2] How can I put that away?
dancingpasta
#2
Chapter 37: how can i buy this layout?
Suhyo07
#3
Chapter 90: Bought this as well, thxxxxx
Dreamying
#4
Chapter 118: Loving this one
Dreamying
#5
Chapter 17: Brought it so pretty.. and gonna buy many more.. all are lovely
Suhyo07
#6
Chapter 62: Bought this~ so pretty thanks a lot! Will definetely come back ;)
toska-
#7
Chapter 40: all of these layouts are just- such beauty /cry/.
bought this one but will probably be back for more tbh haha.
Blaqpearl
#8
Chapter 41: I'm using this one and oh my God I really have to say--you're amazing! Keep up the great works! :D
solcompass #9
Scrolling through and I would like to compliment you on these layouts. They're lovely!
MoroccanBlackDragon
#10
Chapter 123: I have some vampire stories, but I don't know what Layout to use for them (I have everything in this shop in my layout list) Can someone suggest things for me? It is angsty and romantic