The room was still as Rachel readjusted to the host of noises assaulting her brain again, keeping her hands raised with Zoe and Anthony; she knew they had to comply, given the orders and stress these men were already under while guarding the vampire girl.
Anthony appeared to know it was best to let the lieutenant communicate to the OIC of the area, which hadn’t changed since they’d entered the rift. One interesting note Rachel latched onto was the time dilation; they’d only been gone half the time they’d spent in the other world.
Lt. Thompson responded. “Repeat that. Over.”
Mateo complied, nudging his gun to the ground. “We have what appears to be a bunny and cat-girl with an armed man, wielding a spear and sword; they came from a rip in space, landing right in the middle of the library. Orders? Over.”
“Dammit… Get their story and report back. Out.”
Rachel’s eyes were centered on Lieutenant Mateo Herrero, slowly doing as she’d seen in movies and getting on her knees, hands behind her head while lowering her belly to the ground; however, from her wide field of vision, she got a better grasp of the situation they’d stumbled in on.
Soldiers in the hallway were getting filled in on the report, and she heard thirty-two men—green beret special forces—covering the halls and interior of the library; ten more were covering their vehicles outside, receiving updates from the second lieutenant to their left. Everyone was on high alert, and a lump dropped down Rachel’s throat, figuring not one had their safety on.
The vampire was in a straight jacket, yet silky pajama shorts showed under the thick binding, and her lifeless eyes said she was done with life; she didn’t seem to care at all that they’d popped out of a portal as if she’d seen it dozens of times.
“W-Were not bad guys!” Zoe whimpered, ears pulled back as she followed Rachel’s example. “Please don’t kill us!”
“Shh. Let them ask the questions,” Rachel replied, the unfiltered spur the azure moon gave her now significantly diminished while not under its rays; still, apparently she retained the ability to draw upon the attribute from its presence in her Lunar Pool, making her realize she could store specific lunar energy. “Is it alright if I hold her hand?”
A small smile lifted the man’s mouth, but not one soldier let their guard drop in the slightest. “Slowly… We can—Scarlet, what are you doing?” he sighed as the vampire slid off her chair and dropped onto her face.
“Mmmgh…” She dully grunted, flipping to her back and blowing her messy black bangs out of the way to stare up at the ceiling. “Can this nightmare end already?”
“Uh, is she okay?” Zoe whispered, shaking fingers closing around Rachel’s as she shifted her head to look at the vampire; her rising tail slammed to the ground, remaining still. “Sorry, I’ll be quiet!”
One of the soldiers went to the girl to talk to her, trying to get her to sit back up as she groaned; it was not the interaction Rachel thought she’d find when hearing about the girl that slaughtered over three dozen people, or how she’d be treated. Of course, she’d missed the SWAT report on the full details of the incident.
“Ugh. Let’s just start from the top; introduce yourselves, and try to help us make sense of things… And, heh, go ahead and ramble if you want. Whatever comes to mind, little lady.”
“Uh… uh…”
Knowing the man wanted the panicking one to talk to reveal and give them many pieces of information to piece together, Rachel squeezed her hand, telling her it was okay. She kept her gaze diverted from the soldiers when realizing the complex mess that was her irises set them on edge, contenting herself to evaluate what had changed in their absence.
Anthony gave her a weak smile, hands palm down on the ground beside his barrel, which a soldier came closer to inspect in case it was an explosive before pulling it away for further examination.
Zoe talked about her entire life, rambling on about how she came to be here, the quest, their actions there, and that they’d discovered the System; Rachel applied a tiny twitch to let her know that she shouldn’t reveal too much about that detail—it would be their leverage—and, luckily, the girl caught on, steering around the topic. She was thankful Zoe hadn’t disclosed Anthony was a Legendkin and she a Mythickin, as well.
Scarlet eventually returned to her seat to drape herself across the table, passively staring at her; her irises were ruby red and without pupils. Rachel had to wonder if the vampire girl could see everything in focus like her.
At last, Mateo had them take the seats his men pulled out and placed in the open, making them easy targets, and Rachel knew she couldn’t outrun bullets—at least not yet—and they needed to see they were compliant.
“Okay,” Mateo muttered, gun lowering as he sat across from them to try and connect, no doubt; his men didn’t drop their muzzles, though. “Let me get this straight… Anthony here can make portals to different worlds to… fight monsters?”
“Uh-huh! I know it sounds crazy, heh, but I’m a cat-girl—not that I always was,” she swiftly corrected. “Esh, I’m a normal freshman college student—I only just turned eighteen—am I still underage?! Can you hold me like this—I’m so scared… I’m sorry!”
“Hey. It’s okay. It’s okay,” he calmly said, making a gesture with his hand before running his fingers through his hair. “What do you have to say… Rachel, was it? Do we have records for her at this school, Cameron?”
Their technology man seemed to be inside the school network because he pushed his lips together and shook his head, but Rachel jumped on the topic now that things were moving toward her in the spotlight.
“That’s my American name; try my Korean name, Park-Sung-Hyo.”
“You speak Korean?” Roy, one of the men keeping them at gunpoint, asked, swapping to the language.
“I'm a third-generation American,” she explained in the same tongue, showing a forced smile. “My grandfather immigrated to the US when my dad was six. He owns a fairly successful tax agency with roughly eighty employees.”
The man whistled, translating to his CIO. “She’s fluent, I’ll give her that; heh, better than me.”
“Makes sense if she grew up speaking the language around the home,” Mateo muttered, hard brown eyes moving to Anthony. “And you’re the portal opener, huh? What’s your story?”
Rachel’s ears tilted a little to the side, interested in the topic, as well; all of their items and weapons had been confiscated and were being examined off to the side.
Anthony sighed, keeping his posture lax. “I’m a dual citizen—UK and US—my family was wealthy—on my mother’s side—so I grew up attending boarding schools. It also gave me the luxury of pursuing what hobbies I wanted, and… eh-heh, as you might guess, I took up weapons and martial arts… primarily the spear,” he said, nudging his head to the side, where the item lay on a table.
“I’m a graduate of U of M—Masters in biochemistry—and recently came into ownership of a small weapons training center after the previous owner returned to China. Anything you want to know specifically? I can tell you the estate my family owns… if that will help narrow things down, but all our assets are in the UK.”
Rachel was a little surprised, considering he didn’t have a British accent; she couldn’t detect a hint of one, but also couldn’t hear him lying.
“Interesting group you have, Zoe,” the military man said, focus returning to her.
The cat instantly shook her head. “No, no, no! Rachel’s more the leader! I, uh, I’m just kind of tagging along.”
“Oh… And why’s that?”
Rachel cleared her throat, ears twitching as she heard one of the volunteer scientists split away from a group, flipping through some documents; she was climbing the stairs and showing him an order to take a sample of the vampire’s blood.
“I have learned a lot by listening to everything, Lieutenant, and I believe the military and the commander of this area would love to hear what I have to say—I understand he is busy,” she noted at his tightening eyes, pointing at her ears. “I know about the Crystals and the danger that is in the pond; I can assure you that he will want to hear what I have learned.”
Mateo breathed in deeply, letting it go in a slow stream as he glanced toward his other men. “Huu-haaa. What a mess; this world has gone insane.” He got a few chuckles from his men before rising to his feet and stretching out his back. “Obviously, you’re after something. First, tell me what it is you want.”
Smart, Rachel thought, mind still puzzling together all the details flooding the air space; it wouldn’t be long until the scientist got to them, escorted by one of the soldiers. He thinks I won’t give him everything, but it will give him a direction to poke further.
“Protection for Zoe, Anthony, and I, for one, and possibly more; it depends on Lt. Thompson’s response.”
Mateo chewed on her response for a few seconds before shaking his head. “You’re going to have to give me more than that.”
Closing her eyes, Rachel breathed out a heavy stream of air; they were understandably cautious to put a commander over an area anywhere near harm’s way. It all came down to how they took action from here.
Somber eyes opening, she drew his attention to the bored vampire. “I understand… there is a stigma toward Mythickin right now… Tell Lt. Thompson that he has three inside his jurisdiction; Scarlet the Vampire, Selvaria the Sea Dragon, and me… the Lunar Hare.”
“Wrong!” Everyone’s focus snapped to the raven-haired girl as she rested her head against her arms, showing pointed, elf-like ears and pointed fangs. “I’m not a vampire… I’m a vespertine reaper.”
Anthony held up a hand. “Cool. I’m a Legendkin, which is why Rachel sought me out to see what I’m about—what, we’re all confessing here,” he laughed as she gave him a dull look. “I can take the heat, too. Oh, and she’s just a Beastkin domestic cat,” he said, jabbing a thumb at Zoe. “No threat.”
“Thanks for the depression,” Zoe grumbled, and her head, ears, and tail lowered; Scarlet chuckled at her melancholy groan.
“I’d much rather be a Beastkin domestic cat… Wait! What are you—Mrs. Peck?”
Scarlet’s wide eyes shot to the door as it opened, revealing the volunteer scientist with glasses that came bustling through with a guard, carrying a tablet and wearing a smile; yet, the first thing out of her mouth was a lie, drawing Rachel’s mouth in, but all thought vanished to be replaced by whiplash when the woman noticed her.
“Woah?! Scarlet, I didn’t know you were the…” She froze, blue eyes drifting from the stunned vampire to Anthony, Zoe, and settling on Rachel. “You’re not supposed to be here—why are you here… You need to leave!”
Utterly taken by surprise, Rachel’s ears went straight up; this woman had given her no reason to follow her until now. “Excuse me? Uh… who are—”
“Leave now!” she snarled, nose flaring and causing the soldiers to straighten at her sudden outburst. “Remove her from the campus—Lt. Herrero, she will ruin everything—she is a Mythickin!”
Mind accelerating at the rapidly evolving situation, Rachel had no idea how she should respond; she’d never met this woman in her life, and no matter how she spun it, her brain drew a complete blank. However, a weight pressing against her chest told Rachel this person was dangerous.
“How do you know she’s a Mythickin?” Anthony cautiously asked.
Zoe shrank in her chair. “Yeah, that’s weird… Do you know her, Scarlet?”
The soldier held her back, and Mateo silently observed; a few of his men were now on alert from her sporadic ravings in case they needed to force her out.
“She isn’t supposed to be here!” Mrs. Peck shouted, throwing a finger in her direction and making Rachel recoil a little as things escalated. “Scarlet, kill her! Kill her now before she ruins everything!”
Mateo held up his hands. “Okay, Vincent, get her out of here and figure out what the hell is going on…”
“No! No, there’s no time!” the woman cried, trying to fight the very tall and muscular soldier’s guiding arms without much success. “Lt. Herrero, you don’t understand—she’s the bringer of misfortune! She will destroy everything!”
“Uh-huh,” Anthony muttered, likely recalling the Feats Rachel had shared. “You don’t know her, right, Rachel?”
“No… Scarlet?”
The fanged girl dropped back into her seat, mouth open and fangs showing from the gaps in the muzzle as the woman was hauled out, practically screaming. “She… was my science teacher… This is the weirdest nightmare! Please… please, just let me wake up,” she cried, burying her head in her arms. “I want to wake up!”
“What was your take on that, Rachel?” Mateo asked, now standing and staring at the door. “She knew you were a Mythickin.”
Gears turning again, Rachel crossed her legs and folded her arms, gaze lowering to the floor as she thought aloud to kill two birds with one stone. “It doesn’t make sense unless she has some very strong sensory abilities like me. She would be able to listen in on the conversations I’ve had with Zoe and Anthony; the problem is…”
“She didn’t know you were here,” Anthony finished, making Zoe’s mouth slacken in realization. “Yet, at the same time, she appeared to know about your transformation before even meeting you. Future sight? She said you weren’t supposed to be here.”
Zoe swiftly nodded. “Yeah, yeah! Future sights is a really good guess—like, clairvoyance, but she also didn’t know Scarlet was the vampire—eh, vespertine reaper.”
Rachel shook her head, tone brooding. “It was a lie; I heard it in the way her heart fluttered. She definitely knew Scarlet had changed.”
They could still hear her yells continuing down the hall, drawing a lot of attention before settling down when Mateo radioed his man that was forcing her out.
“Vincent, take her to a room and keep her on watch; I have questions for her.”
Expecting the task to be done, considering he had his hands full, he centered on their discussion again.
“What are you saying?” Scarlet asked her, suddenly invested in the conversation as each of the green berets’ attention was pulled to whoever spoke. “Are you saying s-she’s also a part of the Scarlet Hand? No, that’s, heh, that’s impossible… She was my teacher last year!”
Rachel’s ears tilted forward, a smile lifting her full lips as the girl gave her a lead. “The Scarlet Hand? You have my attention, and Vincent is taking her down the hall to an empty classroom, Mateo,” she commented.
He nodded, now taking up a position against the wall. “The Scarlet Hand is a cult that Scarlet’s parents operated, so far—”
“It’s not true!” Scarlet hissed, blood suddenly flying out of her body to hover around her.
“Scarlet!” Mateo warned, the men’s rifles swapping to the girl, eyes wide and breathing heavily. “Stand down!”
“It’s not! It’s… It can’t be real! I didn’t kill him! Why is this happening to me?” she suddenly whimpered, crimson tears falling from her eyes to land on her straight jacket before sinking back into her skin.
Tail stiffening with the sudden threat she felt from the black-haired girl, Rachel’s gut tightened as she got up; instinctively, she knew this girl could cut her to ribbons if she wanted. If things went on like this, she could have a full psychotic break, which could make Miami turn out like Seattle.
Instead of retreating with everyone else, Rachel slowly walked closer, holding out her hands to show she wasn’t a threat; she knew it wasn’t possible to be a threat to this vespertine reaper.
“Scarlet… I know this all feels like a nightmare, and I wish it was, too. Hehe. I lost all my muscle, and I know that can’t compare to whatever you must be feeling… I think I can help you, though.”
“How?” Scarlet cried, bloody pool cycling to form a cocoon around the panicking girl; Rachel had seen people have panic attacks before or even during fights, and the first thing you had to do was get them to focus on something that could bring them out of the loop they were stuck in. “This can’t be real!”
“Sir?” Cameron muttered, waiting for the order to fire.
Mateo snorted. “You saw her take a shotgun to the back, Cameron; I don’t think anything less than a focused charge is going to blow through that blood field she can make.”
“Yeah…”
“Help me understand,” Rachel pressed, keeping Scarlet’s attention. “Talk to me—tell me about what happened.”
“My parents, t-they weren’t, heh, cult leaders. That’s, eh-heh—that’s insane! No, my dad’s just a-a… He does stocks and investments. It’s a hobby—”
“Slow down,” Rachel whispered. “What hobby?”
“D&D! Ugh. Hehe. Yeah,” the vampire gulped, feverish eyes darting to the floor. “I hated it. They’d have their f-friends over—roleplaying stuff—D&D isn’t demonic or evil… They were just… just weird,” she choked. “But they never h-hurt anyone! V-Veronica’s not dead—my mom couldn’t kill her… It wasn’t a cult!”
Legs quivering, Scarlet fell to her knees, ripping the sleeves of the straight jacket reflexively as she reached up to wipe at her blood-stained cheeks and rip off her muzzle. “I didn’t kill my dad! I didn’t! Why is this happening to me? It’s Scarlet’s fault—it’s not me—it’s not me!”
“Scarlet’s fault?” Zoe mumbled, clearly thinking she had some kind of mental issue or dissociative disorder.
Rachel wasn’t sure if she had that impression, but also needed to be cautious. There was something impossible about the girl, dissociative or not; she had to calm her down if she was going to get answers. Moving slowly until she was close enough ti kneel down beside her, Rachel carefully pulled the weeping girl in.
“It’s okay… Everything’s going to be okay.” The blood closed around her, sealing them in a dome and blotting out all noise from the outside world. “It’s okay… Do you want me to call you Scarlet?”
“It’s… It’s not fair! Why am I possessed by—mmgm!” She dug her fingernails into her head, alarming Rachel for a second, but they instantly healed. “What is she? Why did my parents pray to—summon this… this evil thing?! It wasn’t them—it’s not me—it couldn’t be me… Why…”
Letting her release the scars on her heart, Rachel drew her in; she could sense her death from every angle, making her body want to move, but she fought past the instinct; quick action equaled death.
After a few slow, tense minutes—each making Rachel more nervous about the others’ responses—Scarlet sniffed back her tears, and the blood she’d wept returned to her body, leaving only the crimson shell enclosing them.
Pulling away a little, Scarlet looked at her, face not puffy in the least, yet her eyes glistened bright blue; her red irises were gone. “D-Did I hurt you… I don’t want to…”
“No. You didn’t,” she soothed, giving her an encouraging smile. “Just take a few more minutes to breathe. Do you need anything—anything at all?”
“Uh, no… I-I don’t think so. Haaa,” she repeated, her quakes gradually easing. “I-I don’t know what I want! It’s hard—I c-can’t…”
It’s okay,” Rachel repeated, gently shaking her back. “Take your time. Your name is Scarlet?”
“Mhm… I-I could have killed you.”
“Can you count with me,” Rachel asked. “Maybe it will help—one…”
Her brow furrowed, a tad confused, but she followed her instructions.
“One… I don’t know anything…”
“Two…”
“Two…”
“Good,” Rachel smiled. “Three…”
Going through a few numbers, Scarlet started to get herself under control until she started to cry a little blood again, yet her breathing was more even. “I just want to die… but this blood—this blood won’t let me. What am I supposed to do?”
Rachel swallowed the lump in her throat and let her thumping heart settle. Taking her hands, she forced a smile. “You don’t have to know what to do. If you want, you can just tag along with me until you figure it out. What do you say? Did Mrs. Peck make me sound scary or what?”
Scarlet frowned, looking at their held hands. “I don’t want to think about anything…”
“Okay. We can wait here as long as you want. I’m Rachel, by the way; I like to fight in Muay Thai competitions, exercise, and well, school work isn’t my favorite,” she chuckled, “but I want—eh…”
“What?” the girl asked, glancing up in a panic as if thinking the blood was going to spike her. “D-Did I do something?”
“No, no,” Rachel laughed. “No, umm… I just realized… I don’t know if I want to be a lawyer anymore.”
“Heh-hehehe. You’re thinking about school and a job when there’s a blood field around us? You’re crazy!”
“Haha. I’m kind of learning that recently,” Rachel mused, shooting a sheepish grin to the side. “Umm. Did you know about the Crystal monsters that are probably going to be coming?”
Scarlet shook her head, seemingly unwilling or unable to drop the rippling liquid that encompassed them; Rachel instinctively felt she’d need to have access to both moons again to even try to get out, which defeated the point when she was encased in this blood shell; it certainly was a weakness she had to address.
“Is there going to be a wave of monsters that come out of gateways… like some anime? It’s what I was thinking when you were talking about the other world.”
“Ah! An anime nerd like Zoe, huh?” Rachel gave the girl a snickering look that made Scarlet’s cheeks darken.
“I mean, some anime can be really wholesome. You… don’t like it?”
“Meh. I’m a sports head,” Rachel returned, pulling away a bit to enter a more casual atmosphere that would bring the vampire girl into a more familiar setting instead of this nightmare she thought she was trapped in. “Are there sports anime?”
“A ton!” Scarlet said, puffing out a long breath that was chilly instead of hot. “Umm. Thank you for helping me calm down; it’s just… I really was hoping this was all just a nightmare… It isn’t, is it?” she whispered, hands knotting in her lap.
Rachel shifted to cross her legs and shook her head. “Not that I can tell. I don’t know what the government or military intends to do with us… but I’m going to shoot for the most freedom possible. Do you have anywhere to go?”
She shook her head again, trying to fight back tears again. “I didn’t think the Scarlet Hand was a real cult… Why did she freak out when she saw you; she called you a bringer of misfortune?”
“Uh, yeah, I do have a Feat called Bringer of Misfortune,” she admitted, rubbing the back of her neck; Rachel felt like she had to be honest with this girl. “No one should have known about that, though. It’s really suspicious.”
“Not really,” Scarlet mumbled, shoulders drawing in. “I think… I think my mom and dad caused all of this to happen. I think I was the trigger for everyone to change.”
Rachel forcefully kept her ears bowed, which was hard when they wanted to go straight up. “Scarlet, I won’t make you talk about what you don’t want to… Do you just want to follow along?”
“You aren’t scared of me… or mad at me? What if I really did cause this huge change… What if I broke the world?”
A giggle shook Rachel’s chest as she felt a pull within her chest; it was the same draw she’d had when guided to the goblin cave and Anthony, which all turned out well in the end.
“Why are you laughing? I’m serious! I could be the devil incarnate—I have… something inside me—something that tells me t-to…”
Rachel put a finger over her lips. “Shhh. You don’t have to tell me anything yet. I’ve been following my instincts lately—well, so long as they make sense to me—and do you know what my instincts are telling me?”
“What?”
She flashed her teeth to show the girl a smile that she probably hadn’t seen for what, to her, must have been ages. “I should not trust the Scarlet Hand—or that Mrs. Peck woman—and… I can trust this girl; I trust you are not a demon or devil, Scarlet. I want to help you.”
They locked eyes for a moment before sniffles came on and crimson fell from the girl’s eyes again; scooting forward, Rachel pulled her in, dissecting her own actions while giving Scarlet the chance to release her anguish.
I’m not supposed to be here… In other words, I’m not supposed to meet this girl. Misfortune follows me, hmm? Alexa was certainly my misfortune, but now that I’m looking back… I was kind of a bitch, stuck in my own little world, and I’m definitely more violent than I thought. Damn you, [Strategic Mind].
So far, we have this blessing I’m being granted by a Celtic goddess, a cult that knows about me, and a girl I’m not supposed to meet or befriend. Where will all these strings take me? My only issue is… Am I sincere? I don’t know, and that is important.
It was ironic that Scarlet’s emotions were so hot when her skin was like that of a corpse; it didn’t take too long this time for her to pull away.
“Sorry. I’m sorry…”
“Hehe. Stop saying sorry all the time,” Rachel whispered, thinking back to Zoe and how she always apologized; she rarely ever apologized throughout her life because she was never sorry for what people perceived as being bad. “I have one thing I want to run by you, though.”
“Okay?” Scarlet straightened, blinking and setting her face; she noticed the girl was trying to hide her fangs whenever she talked by mumbling. “What’s up? You want something from me?”
“Hehe. Wouldn’t that be a stellar way to get to know each other?” Rachel mused. “Hey, let’s be friends; okay, do my bidding!”
“Haha. I didn’t mean it like that,” Scarlet chuckled. “I just kind of expect people to use me… It’s what Scarlet is whispering to me—I shouldn’t listen… Oh! Umm, the devil-goddess-thingy, umm… umm, yeah, it’s also named Scarlet… My parents named me after it,” she choked, rubbing her arm and glaring at the carpet they sat on; it truly felt like they were the only ones in the world.
“Sure, go, parents,” Rachel huffed, making the girl smile; Rachel didn’t want to focus on that part, even if Scarlet kept returning to it, which would bring her back into the depression loop. “To be honest… I don’t know if I’m being genuine or not with you.”
Scarlet’s eyebrows drew together. “What do you mean? Uh… you do have a very, eh… how do I say this, heh… cold feel.”
“Go on?” Rachel prompted, glad to be on another topic. “You can sense emotion?”
“Yeah… it’s more like a smell—but not really—it’s complicated,” she sighed. “I don’t think you’re not not being genuine… Does that make sense? I think that’s how you say it?”
“Hmm… I know you have a lot of power,” Rachel frankly stated. “I can tell just by looking at you that you’d kill me without breaking a sweat.”
“And… that doesn’t scare you?” Scarlet tentatively asked, creased eyes drifting to the blood field around them. “It scares me… but you’re weirdly excited.”
“Hehe. Yeah. I kind of am, I guess,” Rachel chimed, glad Scarlet could understand that. “You’re giving me answers and… I kind of want to use you as a test marker to gauge my progress. I want to get stronger.”
“Okay… I don’t know how I should respond to that,” Scarlet mumbled, “but sure. I’ll just… follow along because I don’t know what else to do, and you’re the only one not scared of me.”
“Perfect! So, think you can pull this blood back inside of you? Is your butt sore? I think mine is, but… really, it’s my whole body after fighting a hobgoblin to the death.”
“A what?! You seriously did fight a hobgoblin? How big was it?” Scarlet asked, suddenly acting like a normal girl. “I thought hobgoblins were small, eh… Were there… female goblins or only male?”
“Hahaha! You watched the same crazy anime as Zoe, didn’t you?!”
“What? It’s just… it’s so morbid that it’s interesting, like… I just kept watching,” Scarlet grumbled, playing with her ripped sleeves. “Dang it… I was trying to not look threatening; do you think they’ll try to shoot me? I don’t want to hurt them; they’re really nice guys.”
Rachel reached out to pluck at the torn straight jacket. “Eh, sorry to burst your bubble, but seeing a girl with a muzzle and straight jacket—in sleeping shorts and bare feet—is way more frightening than a girl with pointed ears in normal clothes. It’s like you walked out of a horror movie.”
“Eh-heh… true,” Scarlet groaned. “Let’s see if I can make this go back in…”
Her mouth drew in, giving Rachel a chance to really study her appearance as she worked on withdrawing the dangerous, illuminated ruby pool surrounding them. It looked like she wore permanent black lipstick and fingernail polish. If that wasn’t enough, the girl’s shiny, raven hair fell to her lower back, her bangs hiding her forehead and forming in a way to half-cover her pointed ears.
The blood drew into her skin, seemingly entering without issue, and as they stood, Rachel concluded she was roughly only 155 cm tall; including her ears, Rachel towered over the vespertine reaper.
Mateo hissed out a sigh of relief with several others as Scarlet nervously held her arm, unable to look any of them in the eye. “Are you doing better?”
“Y-Yeah, I’m sorry for scaring everyone; Rachel helped me calm down… Umm, Rachel?”
Rachel’s head followed her ears, fingers tightening into a fist. “Mateo, I can’t hear Vincent or that Mrs. Peck woman… anywhere!”
The soldier flipped channels after processing her statement, everyone’s attention now on the green beret officer. “Vincent, respond!”
He waited—nothing, but Rachel heard it.
“Vincent!”
Rachel’s hair weaved at her back with her head motion, unnerving the soldiers. “His radio… it’s in the room.”
The implication sent shivers down their spines, and Mateo cursed.
“Let’s move—they’re coming with us,” Mateo ordered, pointing at Rachel and Anthony while speaking to his apprehensive men through the device. “Oliver, any activity down the next hallway?”
“None, Lieutenant; should I check the room Vincent went into with the woman?”
“Go! Roll call.”
The members of the team sounded off, checking in as Oliver jogged to the room; when he opened the door, the man froze, whispering, “The hell? Shit! Vincent’s dead! You’re going to want to see this, Lieutenant… Damn insanity.”
Rachel caught Scarlet’s eyes flash red again, bright blue sinking into a ruby abyss before the girl slowed to a stop; everyone else increased their pace.
“Why…”
“Scarlet?”
“Mrs. Peck… Why?”
Knowing she needed reinforcement, Rachel reached out and took her hand, squeezing it to pull her back; the girl’s eyes returned to their blue hue as more tears fell down her cheeks, but she didn’t refuse her guiding hand. Scarlet didn’t enter the room, remaining against the wall outside, seemingly having already seen the horror inside.
The whiteboard was covered in alien scribbles, occult-like symbols, and, in the center of it all, the woman’s bloody palm imprint, perfectly plastered with a vertical eye running down its center.
There was only one phrase repeated in the gore that Mateo spoke aloud, turning his enraged, questioning gaze to her: “Rachel is an Infelicity… Rachel must die… What is that about?”
“I don’t know,” she truthfully whispered, moving inside to examine the bodies Oliver was inspecting; the man was by his murdered comrade, grim expression rising to his buddies that entered the room, noses twitching with anger.
“She slit Vincent’s throat with her glasses—damn… The frames feel like they’re steel, and it’s sharpened on the upper half like a knife… She must have done it while he was looking away because there’s no struggle; she did it to herself after… all of this. What kind of crazy person does this with glasses before doing it to themselves—the hell is going on, Lieutenant?”
“I don’t know… Shit! The whole world’s gone insane.”
“Hell, I think a lot of this is Vincent’s blood, but… the handprint is definitely hers. The thing is…”
He lifted the dead woman’s soaked sleeve to show her palm; it was cut down the center, and there wasn’t a way for her to make the imprint so detailed or the symbol within it—Rachel felt something unnerving and supernatural in the shimmering, illuminated eye—the mark of the Scarlet Hand.
Well… that isn’t ominous, she thought, glaring at the woman’s rambles—apparently, some high school teacher Scarlet knew for years—written in the blood of a trained military man she’d murdered. She did all of this in under ten minutes. What is this cult?
To make matters worse, the soldiers watching the Crystal just radioed Lt. Thompson; it had changed its glow—soon, they’d be trapped inside an impassable dome—and he spoke over the intercom, signaling an evacuation with what time they had left. It wouldn’t be enough, though; from new military reports coming in, they only had a minute’s warning.
The room was still as Rachel readjusted to the host of noises assaulting her brain again, keeping her hands raised with Zoe and Anthony; she knew they had to comply, given the orders and stress these men were already under while guarding the vampire girl.
Anthony appeared to know it was best to let the lieutenant communicate to the OIC of the area, which hadn’t changed since they’d entered the rift. One interesting note Rachel latched onto was the time dilation; they’d only been gone half the time they’d spent in the other world.
Lt. Thompson responded. “Repeat that. Over.”
Mateo complied, nudging his gun to the ground. “We have what appears to be a bunny and cat-girl with an armed man, wielding a spear and sword; they came from a rip in space, landing right in the middle of the library. Orders? Over.”
“Dammit… Get their story and report back. Out.”
Rachel’s eyes were centered on Lieutenant Mateo Herrero, slowly doing as she’d seen in movies and getting on her knees, hands behind her head while lowering her belly to the ground; however, from her wide field of vision, she got a better grasp of the situation they’d stumbled in on.
Soldiers in the hallway were getting filled in on the report, and she heard thirty-two men—green beret special forces—covering the halls and interior of the library; ten more were covering their vehicles outside, receiving updates from the second lieutenant to their left. Everyone was on high alert, and a lump dropped down Rachel’s throat, figuring not one had their safety on.
The vampire was in a straight jacket, yet silky pajama shorts showed under the thick binding, and her lifeless eyes said she was done with life; she didn’t seem to care at all that they’d popped out of a portal as if she’d seen it dozens of times.
“W-Were not bad guys!” Zoe whimpered, ears pulled back as she followed Rachel’s example. “Please don’t kill us!”
“Shh. Let them ask the questions,” Rachel replied, the unfiltered spur the azure moon gave her now significantly diminished while not under its rays; still, apparently she retained the ability to draw upon the attribute from its presence in her Lunar Pool, making her realize she could store specific lunar energy. “Is it alright if I hold her hand?”
A small smile lifted the man’s mouth, but not one soldier let their guard drop in the slightest. “Slowly… We can—Scarlet, what are you doing?” he sighed as the vampire slid off her chair and dropped onto her face.
“Mmmgh…” She dully grunted, flipping to her back and blowing her messy black bangs out of the way to stare up at the ceiling. “Can this nightmare end already?”
“Uh, is she okay?” Zoe whispered, shaking fingers closing around Rachel’s as she shifted her head to look at the vampire; her rising tail slammed to the ground, remaining still. “Sorry, I’ll be quiet!”
One of the soldiers went to the girl to talk to her, trying to get her to sit back up as she groaned; it was not the interaction Rachel thought she’d find when hearing about the girl that slaughtered over three dozen people, or how she’d be treated. Of course, she’d missed the SWAT report on the full details of the incident.
“Ugh. Let’s just start from the top; introduce yourselves, and try to help us make sense of things… And, heh, go ahead and ramble if you want. Whatever comes to mind, little lady.”
“Uh… uh…”
Knowing the man wanted the panicking one to talk to reveal and give them many pieces of information to piece together, Rachel squeezed her hand, telling her it was okay. She kept her gaze diverted from the soldiers when realizing the complex mess that was her irises set them on edge, contenting herself to evaluate what had changed in their absence.
Anthony gave her a weak smile, hands palm down on the ground beside his barrel, which a soldier came closer to inspect in case it was an explosive before pulling it away for further examination.
Zoe talked about her entire life, rambling on about how she came to be here, the quest, their actions there, and that they’d discovered the System; Rachel applied a tiny twitch to let her know that she shouldn’t reveal too much about that detail—it would be their leverage—and, luckily, the girl caught on, steering around the topic. She was thankful Zoe hadn’t disclosed Anthony was a Legendkin and she a Mythickin, as well.
Scarlet eventually returned to her seat to drape herself across the table, passively staring at her; her irises were ruby red and without pupils. Rachel had to wonder if the vampire girl could see everything in focus like her.
At last, Mateo had them take the seats his men pulled out and placed in the open, making them easy targets, and Rachel knew she couldn’t outrun bullets—at least not yet—and they needed to see they were compliant.
“Okay,” Mateo muttered, gun lowering as he sat across from them to try and connect, no doubt; his men didn’t drop their muzzles, though. “Let me get this straight… Anthony here can make portals to different worlds to… fight monsters?”
“Uh-huh! I know it sounds crazy, heh, but I’m a cat-girl—not that I always was,” she swiftly corrected. “Esh, I’m a normal freshman college student—I only just turned eighteen—am I still underage?! Can you hold me like this—I’m so scared… I’m sorry!”
“Hey. It’s okay. It’s okay,” he calmly said, making a gesture with his hand before running his fingers through his hair. “What do you have to say… Rachel, was it? Do we have records for her at this school, Cameron?”
Their technology man seemed to be inside the school network because he pushed his lips together and shook his head, but Rachel jumped on the topic now that things were moving toward her in the spotlight.
“That’s my American name; try my Korean name, Park-Sung-Hyo.”
“You speak Korean?” Roy, one of the men keeping them at gunpoint, asked, swapping to the language.
“I'm a third-generation American,” she explained in the same tongue, showing a forced smile. “My grandfather immigrated to the US when my dad was six. He owns a fairly successful tax agency with roughly eighty employees.”
The man whistled, translating to his CIO. “She’s fluent, I’ll give her that; heh, better than me.”
“Makes sense if she grew up speaking the language around the home,” Mateo muttered, hard brown eyes moving to Anthony. “And you’re the portal opener, huh? What’s your story?”
Rachel’s ears tilted a little to the side, interested in the topic, as well; all of their items and weapons had been confiscated and were being examined off to the side.
Anthony sighed, keeping his posture lax. “I’m a dual citizen—UK and US—my family was wealthy—on my mother’s side—so I grew up attending boarding schools. It also gave me the luxury of pursuing what hobbies I wanted, and… eh-heh, as you might guess, I took up weapons and martial arts… primarily the spear,” he said, nudging his head to the side, where the item lay on a table.
“I’m a graduate of U of M—Masters in biochemistry—and recently came into ownership of a small weapons training center after the previous owner returned to China. Anything you want to know specifically? I can tell you the estate my family owns… if that will help narrow things down, but all our assets are in the UK.”
Rachel was a little surprised, considering he didn’t have a British accent; she couldn’t detect a hint of one, but also couldn’t hear him lying.
“Interesting group you have, Zoe,” the military man said, focus returning to her.
The cat instantly shook her head. “No, no, no! Rachel’s more the leader! I, uh, I’m just kind of tagging along.”
“Oh… And why’s that?”
Rachel cleared her throat, ears twitching as she heard one of the volunteer scientists split away from a group, flipping through some documents; she was climbing the stairs and showing him an order to take a sample of the vampire’s blood.
“I have learned a lot by listening to everything, Lieutenant, and I believe the military and the commander of this area would love to hear what I have to say—I understand he is busy,” she noted at his tightening eyes, pointing at her ears. “I know about the Crystals and the danger that is in the pond; I can assure you that he will want to hear what I have learned.”
Mateo breathed in deeply, letting it go in a slow stream as he glanced toward his other men. “Huu-haaa. What a mess; this world has gone insane.” He got a few chuckles from his men before rising to his feet and stretching out his back. “Obviously, you’re after something. First, tell me what it is you want.”
Smart, Rachel thought, mind still puzzling together all the details flooding the air space; it wouldn’t be long until the scientist got to them, escorted by one of the soldiers. He thinks I won’t give him everything, but it will give him a direction to poke further.
“Protection for Zoe, Anthony, and I, for one, and possibly more; it depends on Lt. Thompson’s response.”
Mateo chewed on her response for a few seconds before shaking his head. “You’re going to have to give me more than that.”
Closing her eyes, Rachel breathed out a heavy stream of air; they were understandably cautious to put a commander over an area anywhere near harm’s way. It all came down to how they took action from here.
Somber eyes opening, she drew his attention to the bored vampire. “I understand… there is a stigma toward Mythickin right now… Tell Lt. Thompson that he has three inside his jurisdiction; Scarlet the Vampire, Selvaria the Sea Dragon, and me… the Lunar Hare.”
“Wrong!” Everyone’s focus snapped to the raven-haired girl as she rested her head against her arms, showing pointed, elf-like ears and pointed fangs. “I’m not a vampire… I’m a vespertine reaper.”
Anthony held up a hand. “Cool. I’m a Legendkin, which is why Rachel sought me out to see what I’m about—what, we’re all confessing here,” he laughed as she gave him a dull look. “I can take the heat, too. Oh, and she’s just a Beastkin domestic cat,” he said, jabbing a thumb at Zoe. “No threat.”
“Thanks for the depression,” Zoe grumbled, and her head, ears, and tail lowered; Scarlet chuckled at her melancholy groan.
“I’d much rather be a Beastkin domestic cat… Wait! What are you—Mrs. Peck?”
Scarlet’s wide eyes shot to the door as it opened, revealing the volunteer scientist with glasses that came bustling through with a guard, carrying a tablet and wearing a smile; yet, the first thing out of her mouth was a lie, drawing Rachel’s mouth in, but all thought vanished to be replaced by whiplash when the woman noticed her.
“Woah?! Scarlet, I didn’t know you were the…” She froze, blue eyes drifting from the stunned vampire to Anthony, Zoe, and settling on Rachel. “You’re not supposed to be here—why are you here… You need to leave!”
Utterly taken by surprise, Rachel’s ears went straight up; this woman had given her no reason to follow her until now. “Excuse me? Uh… who are—”
“Leave now!” she snarled, nose flaring and causing the soldiers to straighten at her sudden outburst. “Remove her from the campus—Lt. Herrero, she will ruin everything—she is a Mythickin!”
Mind accelerating at the rapidly evolving situation, Rachel had no idea how she should respond; she’d never met this woman in her life, and no matter how she spun it, her brain drew a complete blank. However, a weight pressing against her chest told Rachel this person was dangerous.
“How do you know she’s a Mythickin?” Anthony cautiously asked.
Zoe shrank in her chair. “Yeah, that’s weird… Do you know her, Scarlet?”
The soldier held her back, and Mateo silently observed; a few of his men were now on alert from her sporadic ravings in case they needed to force her out.
“She isn’t supposed to be here!” Mrs. Peck shouted, throwing a finger in her direction and making Rachel recoil a little as things escalated. “Scarlet, kill her! Kill her now before she ruins everything!”
Mateo held up his hands. “Okay, Vincent, get her out of here and figure out what the hell is going on…”
“No! No, there’s no time!” the woman cried, trying to fight the very tall and muscular soldier’s guiding arms without much success. “Lt. Herrero, you don’t understand—she’s the bringer of misfortune! She will destroy everything!”
“Uh-huh,” Anthony muttered, likely recalling the Feats Rachel had shared. “You don’t know her, right, Rachel?”
“No… Scarlet?”
The fanged girl dropped back into her seat, mouth open and fangs showing from the gaps in the muzzle as the woman was hauled out, practically screaming. “She… was my science teacher… This is the weirdest nightmare! Please… please, just let me wake up,” she cried, burying her head in her arms. “I want to wake up!”
“What was your take on that, Rachel?” Mateo asked, now standing and staring at the door. “She knew you were a Mythickin.”
Gears turning again, Rachel crossed her legs and folded her arms, gaze lowering to the floor as she thought aloud to kill two birds with one stone. “It doesn’t make sense unless she has some very strong sensory abilities like me. She would be able to listen in on the conversations I’ve had with Zoe and Anthony; the problem is…”
“She didn’t know you were here,” Anthony finished, making Zoe’s mouth slacken in realization. “Yet, at the same time, she appeared to know about your transformation before even meeting you. Future sight? She said you weren’t supposed to be here.”
Zoe swiftly nodded. “Yeah, yeah! Future sights is a really good guess—like, clairvoyance, but she also didn’t know Scarlet was the vampire—eh, vespertine reaper.”
Rachel shook her head, tone brooding. “It was a lie; I heard it in the way her heart fluttered. She definitely knew Scarlet had changed.”
They could still hear her yells continuing down the hall, drawing a lot of attention before settling down when Mateo radioed his man that was forcing her out.
“Vincent, take her to a room and keep her on watch; I have questions for her.”
Expecting the task to be done, considering he had his hands full, he centered on their discussion again.
“What are you saying?” Scarlet asked her, suddenly invested in the conversation as each of the green berets’ attention was pulled to whoever spoke. “Are you saying s-she’s also a part of the Scarlet Hand? No, that’s, heh, that’s impossible… She was my teacher last year!”
Rachel’s ears tilted forward, a smile lifting her full lips as the girl gave her a lead. “The Scarlet Hand? You have my attention, and Vincent is taking her down the hall to an empty classroom, Mateo,” she commented.
He nodded, now taking up a position against the wall. “The Scarlet Hand is a cult that Scarlet’s parents operated, so far—”
“It’s not true!” Scarlet hissed, blood suddenly flying out of her body to hover around her.
“Scarlet!” Mateo warned, the men’s rifles swapping to the girl, eyes wide and breathing heavily. “Stand down!”
“It’s not! It’s… It can’t be real! I didn’t kill him! Why is this happening to me?” she suddenly whimpered, crimson tears falling from her eyes to land on her straight jacket before sinking back into her skin.
Tail stiffening with the sudden threat she felt from the black-haired girl, Rachel’s gut tightened as she got up; instinctively, she knew this girl could cut her to ribbons if she wanted. If things went on like this, she could have a full psychotic break, which could make Miami turn out like Seattle.
Instead of retreating with everyone else, Rachel slowly walked closer, holding out her hands to show she wasn’t a threat; she knew it wasn’t possible to be a threat to this vespertine reaper.
“Scarlet… I know this all feels like a nightmare, and I wish it was, too. Hehe. I lost all my muscle, and I know that can’t compare to whatever you must be feeling… I think I can help you, though.”
“How?” Scarlet cried, bloody pool cycling to form a cocoon around the panicking girl; Rachel had seen people have panic attacks before or even during fights, and the first thing you had to do was get them to focus on something that could bring them out of the loop they were stuck in. “This can’t be real!”
“Sir?” Cameron muttered, waiting for the order to fire.
Mateo snorted. “You saw her take a shotgun to the back, Cameron; I don’t think anything less than a focused charge is going to blow through that blood field she can make.”
“Yeah…”
“Help me understand,” Rachel pressed, keeping Scarlet’s attention. “Talk to me—tell me about what happened.”
“My parents, t-they weren’t, heh, cult leaders. That’s, eh-heh—that’s insane! No, my dad’s just a-a… He does stocks and investments. It’s a hobby—”
“Slow down,” Rachel whispered. “What hobby?”
“D&D! Ugh. Hehe. Yeah,” the vampire gulped, feverish eyes darting to the floor. “I hated it. They’d have their f-friends over—roleplaying stuff—D&D isn’t demonic or evil… They were just… just weird,” she choked. “But they never h-hurt anyone! V-Veronica’s not dead—my mom couldn’t kill her… It wasn’t a cult!”
Legs quivering, Scarlet fell to her knees, ripping the sleeves of the straight jacket reflexively as she reached up to wipe at her blood-stained cheeks and rip off her muzzle. “I didn’t kill my dad! I didn’t! Why is this happening to me? It’s Scarlet’s fault—it’s not me—it’s not me!”
“Scarlet’s fault?” Zoe mumbled, clearly thinking she had some kind of mental issue or dissociative disorder.
Rachel wasn’t sure if she had that impression, but also needed to be cautious. There was something impossible about the girl, dissociative or not; she had to calm her down if she was going to get answers. Moving slowly until she was close enough ti kneel down beside her, Rachel carefully pulled the weeping girl in.
“It’s okay… Everything’s going to be okay.” The blood closed around her, sealing them in a dome and blotting out all noise from the outside world. “It’s okay… Do you want me to call you Scarlet?”
“It’s… It’s not fair! Why am I possessed by—mmgm!” She dug her fingernails into her head, alarming Rachel for a second, but they instantly healed. “What is she? Why did my parents pray to—summon this… this evil thing?! It wasn’t them—it’s not me—it couldn’t be me… Why…”
Letting her release the scars on her heart, Rachel drew her in; she could sense her death from every angle, making her body want to move, but she fought past the instinct; quick action equaled death.
After a few slow, tense minutes—each making Rachel more nervous about the others’ responses—Scarlet sniffed back her tears, and the blood she’d wept returned to her body, leaving only the crimson shell enclosing them.
Pulling away a little, Scarlet looked at her, face not puffy in the least, yet her eyes glistened bright blue; her red irises were gone. “D-Did I hurt you… I don’t want to…”
“No. You didn’t,” she soothed, giving her an encouraging smile. “Just take a few more minutes to breathe. Do you need anything—anything at all?”
“Uh, no… I-I don’t think so. Haaa,” she repeated, her quakes gradually easing. “I-I don’t know what I want! It’s hard—I c-can’t…”
It’s okay,” Rachel repeated, gently shaking her back. “Take your time. Your name is Scarlet?”
“Mhm… I-I could have killed you.”
“Can you count with me,” Rachel asked. “Maybe it will help—one…”
Her brow furrowed, a tad confused, but she followed her instructions.
“One… I don’t know anything…”
“Two…”
“Two…”
“Good,” Rachel smiled. “Three…”
Going through a few numbers, Scarlet started to get herself under control until she started to cry a little blood again, yet her breathing was more even. “I just want to die… but this blood—this blood won’t let me. What am I supposed to do?”
Rachel swallowed the lump in her throat and let her thumping heart settle. Taking her hands, she forced a smile. “You don’t have to know what to do. If you want, you can just tag along with me until you figure it out. What do you say? Did Mrs. Peck make me sound scary or what?”
Scarlet frowned, looking at their held hands. “I don’t want to think about anything…”
“Okay. We can wait here as long as you want. I’m Rachel, by the way; I like to fight in Muay Thai competitions, exercise, and well, school work isn’t my favorite,” she chuckled, “but I want—eh…”
“What?” the girl asked, glancing up in a panic as if thinking the blood was going to spike her. “D-Did I do something?”
“No, no,” Rachel laughed. “No, umm… I just realized… I don’t know if I want to be a lawyer anymore.”
“Heh-hehehe. You’re thinking about school and a job when there’s a blood field around us? You’re crazy!”
“Haha. I’m kind of learning that recently,” Rachel mused, shooting a sheepish grin to the side. “Umm. Did you know about the Crystal monsters that are probably going to be coming?”
Scarlet shook her head, seemingly unwilling or unable to drop the rippling liquid that encompassed them; Rachel instinctively felt she’d need to have access to both moons again to even try to get out, which defeated the point when she was encased in this blood shell; it certainly was a weakness she had to address.
“Is there going to be a wave of monsters that come out of gateways… like some anime? It’s what I was thinking when you were talking about the other world.”
“Ah! An anime nerd like Zoe, huh?” Rachel gave the girl a snickering look that made Scarlet’s cheeks darken.
“I mean, some anime can be really wholesome. You… don’t like it?”
“Meh. I’m a sports head,” Rachel returned, pulling away a bit to enter a more casual atmosphere that would bring the vampire girl into a more familiar setting instead of this nightmare she thought she was trapped in. “Are there sports anime?”
“A ton!” Scarlet said, puffing out a long breath that was chilly instead of hot. “Umm. Thank you for helping me calm down; it’s just… I really was hoping this was all just a nightmare… It isn’t, is it?” she whispered, hands knotting in her lap.
Rachel shifted to cross her legs and shook her head. “Not that I can tell. I don’t know what the government or military intends to do with us… but I’m going to shoot for the most freedom possible. Do you have anywhere to go?”
She shook her head again, trying to fight back tears again. “I didn’t think the Scarlet Hand was a real cult… Why did she freak out when she saw you; she called you a bringer of misfortune?”
“Uh, yeah, I do have a Feat called Bringer of Misfortune,” she admitted, rubbing the back of her neck; Rachel felt like she had to be honest with this girl. “No one should have known about that, though. It’s really suspicious.”
“Not really,” Scarlet mumbled, shoulders drawing in. “I think… I think my mom and dad caused all of this to happen. I think I was the trigger for everyone to change.”
Rachel forcefully kept her ears bowed, which was hard when they wanted to go straight up. “Scarlet, I won’t make you talk about what you don’t want to… Do you just want to follow along?”
“You aren’t scared of me… or mad at me? What if I really did cause this huge change… What if I broke the world?”
A giggle shook Rachel’s chest as she felt a pull within her chest; it was the same draw she’d had when guided to the goblin cave and Anthony, which all turned out well in the end.
“Why are you laughing? I’m serious! I could be the devil incarnate—I have… something inside me—something that tells me t-to…”
Rachel put a finger over her lips. “Shhh. You don’t have to tell me anything yet. I’ve been following my instincts lately—well, so long as they make sense to me—and do you know what my instincts are telling me?”
“What?”
She flashed her teeth to show the girl a smile that she probably hadn’t seen for what, to her, must have been ages. “I should not trust the Scarlet Hand—or that Mrs. Peck woman—and… I can trust this girl; I trust you are not a demon or devil, Scarlet. I want to help you.”
They locked eyes for a moment before sniffles came on and crimson fell from the girl’s eyes again; scooting forward, Rachel pulled her in, dissecting her own actions while giving Scarlet the chance to release her anguish.
I’m not supposed to be here… In other words, I’m not supposed to meet this girl. Misfortune follows me, hmm? Alexa was certainly my misfortune, but now that I’m looking back… I was kind of a bitch, stuck in my own little world, and I’m definitely more violent than I thought. Damn you, [Strategic Mind].
So far, we have this blessing I’m being granted by a Celtic goddess, a cult that knows about me, and a girl I’m not supposed to meet or befriend. Where will all these strings take me? My only issue is… Am I sincere? I don’t know, and that is important.
It was ironic that Scarlet’s emotions were so hot when her skin was like that of a corpse; it didn’t take too long this time for her to pull away.
“Sorry. I’m sorry…”
“Hehe. Stop saying sorry all the time,” Rachel whispered, thinking back to Zoe and how she always apologized; she rarely ever apologized throughout her life because she was never sorry for what people perceived as being bad. “I have one thing I want to run by you, though.”
“Okay?” Scarlet straightened, blinking and setting her face; she noticed the girl was trying to hide her fangs whenever she talked by mumbling. “What’s up? You want something from me?”
“Hehe. Wouldn’t that be a stellar way to get to know each other?” Rachel mused. “Hey, let’s be friends; okay, do my bidding!”
“Haha. I didn’t mean it like that,” Scarlet chuckled. “I just kind of expect people to use me… It’s what Scarlet is whispering to me—I shouldn’t listen… Oh! Umm, the devil-goddess-thingy, umm… umm, yeah, it’s also named Scarlet… My parents named me after it,” she choked, rubbing her arm and glaring at the carpet they sat on; it truly felt like they were the only ones in the world.
“Sure, go, parents,” Rachel huffed, making the girl smile; Rachel didn’t want to focus on that part, even if Scarlet kept returning to it, which would bring her back into the depression loop. “To be honest… I don’t know if I’m being genuine or not with you.”
Scarlet’s eyebrows drew together. “What do you mean? Uh… you do have a very, eh… how do I say this, heh… cold feel.”
“Go on?” Rachel prompted, glad to be on another topic. “You can sense emotion?”
“Yeah… it’s more like a smell—but not really—it’s complicated,” she sighed. “I don’t think you’re not not being genuine… Does that make sense? I think that’s how you say it?”
“Hmm… I know you have a lot of power,” Rachel frankly stated. “I can tell just by looking at you that you’d kill me without breaking a sweat.”
“And… that doesn’t scare you?” Scarlet tentatively asked, creased eyes drifting to the blood field around them. “It scares me… but you’re weirdly excited.”
“Hehe. Yeah. I kind of am, I guess,” Rachel chimed, glad Scarlet could understand that. “You’re giving me answers and… I kind of want to use you as a test marker to gauge my progress. I want to get stronger.”
“Okay… I don’t know how I should respond to that,” Scarlet mumbled, “but sure. I’ll just… follow along because I don’t know what else to do, and you’re the only one not scared of me.”
“Perfect! So, think you can pull this blood back inside of you? Is your butt sore? I think mine is, but… really, it’s my whole body after fighting a hobgoblin to the death.”
“A what?! You seriously did fight a hobgoblin? How big was it?” Scarlet asked, suddenly acting like a normal girl. “I thought hobgoblins were small, eh… Were there… female goblins or only male?”
“Hahaha! You watched the same crazy anime as Zoe, didn’t you?!”
“What? It’s just… it’s so morbid that it’s interesting, like… I just kept watching,” Scarlet grumbled, playing with her ripped sleeves. “Dang it… I was trying to not look threatening; do you think they’ll try to shoot me? I don’t want to hurt them; they’re really nice guys.”
Rachel reached out to pluck at the torn straight jacket. “Eh, sorry to burst your bubble, but seeing a girl with a muzzle and straight jacket—in sleeping shorts and bare feet—is way more frightening than a girl with pointed ears in normal clothes. It’s like you walked out of a horror movie.”
“Eh-heh… true,” Scarlet groaned. “Let’s see if I can make this go back in…”
Her mouth drew in, giving Rachel a chance to really study her appearance as she worked on withdrawing the dangerous, illuminated ruby pool surrounding them. It looked like she wore permanent black lipstick and fingernail polish. If that wasn’t enough, the girl’s shiny, raven hair fell to her lower back, her bangs hiding her forehead and forming in a way to half-cover her pointed ears.
The blood drew into her skin, seemingly entering without issue, and as they stood, Rachel concluded she was roughly only 155 cm tall; including her ears, Rachel towered over the vespertine reaper.
Mateo hissed out a sigh of relief with several others as Scarlet nervously held her arm, unable to look any of them in the eye. “Are you doing better?”
“Y-Yeah, I’m sorry for scaring everyone; Rachel helped me calm down… Umm, Rachel?”
Rachel’s head followed her ears, fingers tightening into a fist. “Mateo, I can’t hear Vincent or that Mrs. Peck woman… anywhere!”
The soldier flipped channels after processing her statement, everyone’s attention now on the green beret officer. “Vincent, respond!”
He waited—nothing, but Rachel heard it.
“Vincent!”
Rachel’s hair weaved at her back with her head motion, unnerving the soldiers. “His radio… it’s in the room.”
The implication sent shivers down their spines, and Mateo cursed.
“Let’s move—they’re coming with us,” Mateo ordered, pointing at Rachel and Anthony while speaking to his apprehensive men through the device. “Oliver, any activity down the next hallway?”
“None, Lieutenant; should I check the room Vincent went into with the woman?”
“Go! Roll call.”
The members of the team sounded off, checking in as Oliver jogged to the room; when he opened the door, the man froze, whispering, “The hell? Shit! Vincent’s dead! You’re going to want to see this, Lieutenant… Damn insanity.”
Rachel caught Scarlet’s eyes flash red again, bright blue sinking into a ruby abyss before the girl slowed to a stop; everyone else increased their pace.
“Why…”
“Scarlet?”
“Mrs. Peck… Why?”
Knowing she needed reinforcement, Rachel reached out and took her hand, squeezing it to pull her back; the girl’s eyes returned to their blue hue as more tears fell down her cheeks, but she didn’t refuse her guiding hand. Scarlet didn’t enter the room, remaining against the wall outside, seemingly having already seen the horror inside.
The whiteboard was covered in alien scribbles, occult-like symbols, and, in the center of it all, the woman’s bloody palm imprint, perfectly plastered with a vertical eye running down its center.
There was only one phrase repeated in the gore that Mateo spoke aloud, turning his enraged, questioning gaze to her: “Rachel is an Infelicity… Rachel must die… What is that about?”
“I don’t know,” she truthfully whispered, moving inside to examine the bodies Oliver was inspecting; the man was by his murdered comrade, grim expression rising to his buddies that entered the room, noses twitching with anger.
“She slit Vincent’s throat with her glasses—damn… The frames feel like they’re steel, and it’s sharpened on the upper half like a knife… She must have done it while he was looking away because there’s no struggle; she did it to herself after… all of this. What kind of crazy person does this with glasses before doing it to themselves—the hell is going on, Lieutenant?”
“I don’t know… Shit! The whole world’s gone insane.”
“Hell, I think a lot of this is Vincent’s blood, but… the handprint is definitely hers. The thing is…”
He lifted the dead woman’s soaked sleeve to show her palm; it was cut down the center, and there wasn’t a way for her to make the imprint so detailed or the symbol within it—Rachel felt something unnerving and supernatural in the shimmering, illuminated eye—the mark of the Scarlet Hand.
Well… that isn’t ominous, she thought, glaring at the woman’s rambles—apparently, some high school teacher Scarlet knew for years—written in the blood of a trained military man she’d murdered. She did all of this in under ten minutes. What is this cult?
To make matters worse, the soldiers watching the Crystal just radioed Lt. Thompson; it had changed its glow—soon, they’d be trapped inside an impassable dome—and he spoke over the intercom, signaling an evacuation with what time they had left. It wouldn’t be enough, though; from new military reports coming in, they only had a minute’s warning.
