image [https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczM-trdsiCXG7e4EVtP0n6CnaCA_uzSixyN5NXWHrBhuV2cQjEQUeC2dy1Zhj1VrUjMvKTnCQHWIzN_W2vDCwNfI2-xhbLyhyywN_re70vY0WCnMpzP3QHSJRPe_9XYeN_refOozKFZr5UzLDuHSc3fEra1fzn9q9Gzba4xP2AGIKJ4dXm3ooIi-T5iM-NRG2Ogmg1bPOPZ8UvokW_3R90W8Ucjhj25Fcm1JXvfOeypEzLoxxnI2wbCCX_8upnHdIqmwSG6WAZy4O0bOCfr3xNuOfHNukGqsS2uwN7kuNzjxhSx0_GgYutKRmeI2zeoqa7vkYYlcsBn6uAEFPgB8PJyFNCzlBeh0e4ne2eDd32uKNx3PPdhiyFHBKk2xKgu7B7OVojtSQy88gaCnwgPYCAgKoazCpNjvgfuwTmWai0sBy0l6qYVEykflezfOzmrbZWRHsm8TPUnZP_eBJfiExz9nQXIuDzRRBQmUDuzuxOUX_JheDdXVBmoQzpH5RBZc6o6ZcGuETrs3mxI959-0g4OcSpjFJsDHY0k3UxM3X6vF3KS8soqhv-cwYAPwIsxX0ZsFQdswPQdOeJ49KVttK_ySVI9YAjdF_qLAzTHH4xrZZ_zOmePxYiHp2cAhH6z8KhXY-oeZ836hqHVu46f7NLcX-VbCpJYH77QrK9-msgTrIYwBSfPjsgnZgFoimreb6cBQX4fco0hPKtHnnv6splxWU-9vbXQXzjPwZzwyF0V7039ughUrDotlm8I1lNNL4dky1FbnT6x3q1kQY56MOz_XTLtUn-oldUXCyMf1wXIeNAciVZOViz51MSNsM-4C0RjzvvQWW3DiIzlZ3g7ZHBXgTj6LixsvjXkG4AkwajT6-MzKMqltQOMOuk3jEuMCgADAVE6bDMlnFWjChci7PnrnZD19rKCXmb7Gb1HSkidZWUzsv3mtPDZlG_XUnFA=w866-h866-s-no-gm?authuser=1](Concept art of Scarlett in the dark)

Alex Winter

6:22 pm, Sunday, July 9th, 2023

Darkness. No moonlight from the outside came from even the tiniest crack from the door or the walls. The only friends Alex had along was the tiny lighter clutched in his hand along with the pistol in the other. It would be a beacon of death in a minute. He put out the lighter immediately. Without a word, he knew what this was.

His first initial thought had been to just call out like normal as soon as the lights went out. Ask her what she's doing and to stop messing around. What stopped him was the whispers. The scratching. The gnawing. It was like the moment everything closed with them inside, his mind froze. She just killed a man for messing with her coffee of all things. This was clearly a game. Her little cat and mouse like the previous night. What would she do if he gave himself away?

"One... two... I'm coming for you~, three... four... you'll keep coming for more... hehehe~"

Gee, thanks for the countdown. As for what would happen when she finished, he didn't want to know. It only weighed on how she saw it as a playful game of hide and stab, but it at least gave him a chance to move away from the spot.

He clenched his teeth in attempts to cover up his breathing. The constant running had him wheezing at this point. Pain in his right thigh from the previous night had him on the verge of collapse as it is.

His back pressed against the cold concrete wall. "Ten!~ Oh, Alex... my dear, sweet Alex.~ You can run, but you can't HIDE!" Scarlett's voice screeched, stabbing at nothing. He heard her knife clang against the door he'd been standing by. "So you are playing... I knew you couldn't resist.~"

I mean standing there and getting stabbed was awfully tempting, you crazy bitch. He traced the wall across the room. Step by step, he did his best to make no sounds. One thing he'd learned was how to move in a swift and silent manner during his time at sea. Sneaking up on people unintentionally was something of a gift and a curse. Especially now.

Once he'd moved away from the door, he couldn't sense her at all. The perfume that had seemed so strong before ceased to exist. It was as if she was everywhere at once, her soul attached to the shadows. She was more experienced at this game. Her breathing was heavy and distorted, yet impossible to trace. Eyes that pierced even in the heaviest darkness.

He crouched, moving toward the other side of the room. The silence was maddening. His body was already drenched in sweat as it is. Cold air attacked him from all sides, making him shiver. "Come out, come out wherever you are...~ I won't bite, I swear, " Scarlett whispered, licking her lips.

Alex froze. Her voice was closer now. He imagined her entire body shaking, drooling at the mouth. The merciless whispers followed at every turn. None of it was comprehensible. They weren't coming from Scarlett. It was like a swarm of insects crawling around every inch of him.

He felt something nudge against his foot. A pebble of some kind. Thankfully he hadn't scraped it against the hard floor. Slowly kneeling, he picked it up and chucked it across the room. Scarlett let out a cackle and he heard her run toward the sound. He got up to move when... "Augh!" His hip smacked into a hard, solid object. A metal table.

A mad shriek came ahead. "Shit!" he muttered, her footsteps now loud and thudding toward him.

Alex rolled underneath the table, his gun close to his chest. Back pressed to the wall, he flinched as a loud stomp came from on top of the table. There were three sides she could swoop down from. He sat there, listening to her distorted breathing that only grew more erratic with time.

His eye turned to a table leg. In the thick dark, he barely made out that it appeared a bit crooked. He snapped it out of place with a swift kick.

Scarlett gasped and he heard her crash on the floor in front of him.

Alex threw the table over his shoulders and tackled her before she could get up.

Her hand swung up, but he caught her wrist. His knees pinned her arms, his good hand squeezing her throat.

He pressed the pistol into her hip.

"Don't move... Any sudden trick might make my hand flare up and shoot you-"

She wriggled faster than he could stop her, their lips meeting.

BANG.

A loud blast made her cry out. Her head drooped against the floor, panting. "Blowing holes in me already, are we?" Scarlett croaked, dropping the knife. "I was just trying to say hello... At least buy me a drink first, love.~"

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"What is with you? Is this what you wanted?" Alex snapped, pressing his hand against her wound.

Her head tilted curiously. "What do you care?~ Would it be such a crime if I finally died-"

"Stop talking like that you idiot!" he screamed the words before he could stop them. It was like he had always known her. Like the idea of her not existing was intolerable. Impossible. His face burned and he didn't understand why.

She wrapped her arms around him and held on tight. Giggling, Scarlett kissed his neck. He shivered at the slightest touch. She reeked of blood, a rubbery metallic scent that itched his nostrils, yet a sweet smell of peaches and berries emerged beneath it all. It was welcoming, and it made him sick to his stomach.

"You're never going to just give a straight conversation, are you? Look what you made me do!"

Scarlett sighed. "Where's the fun in straight and normal? It's not like I wasn't trying to get a nice slice of my own..."

Alex grimaced, his head leaning back. "You literally jumped on top of me with no weapon or anything. Strength had nothing to do with it. Stop talking like you know me. We've never... never met before," he said, his eyes widening at his hesitation.

It felt like a lie. Everything about her felt so familiar, yet she felt like a stranger. Conflicting emotions that made no sense. A desire to be with her, and yet a strong desire to destroy her mixed into one. His right hand trembled with the gun clutched tight.

The doors to the outer railing shot open. Moonlight hit them and Alex froze. Tears fell from Scarlett's face, her eyes looking up at him.

Alex stared back into her silver eyes, feeling an unexplainable pang in his heart. So cold and yet so beautiful. Why am I pitying her? She attacked me! The thought came and yet he dropped the gun. His eyes grew sluggish as she leaned in for another kiss. Their lips met, and like a trance he found himself moving into them rather than fighting. It was sloppy. A mess. Intoxicating.

What am I doing? This is wrong... Alex grasped her shoulders and pushed. With a smirk, she rose to her feet. She stepped back toward the railing, standing at the center. "How did you find me anyway?" Scarlett asked, turning to him.

"What are you saying? You're the reason I came here. Asmodeus chased me up here. He waited for me at the train station," Alex said, rising to his feet.

Scarlett crossed her arms. "Curious. I did want him to keep you from leaving, yet didn't tell him what methods to use. To think he'd lead you here of all places..."

"Why does it matter if I leave? He said I'd die if I did and showed me a vision. And what about Cherie? In that vision, she was here too."

Scarlett paused, but then smiled. "I did recall seeing her on the beach, but she's long gone now. Most likely wandering the forest aimlessly." Her voice trailed off as her eyes lowered. "What killed her was trying to leave whilst an Undead walked amongst us in the first place. This town did it."

Alex moved toward her, his eyes narrowing. "What are you saying?" he asked, stopping a few feet away. "There's more than one? How would the town kill anything?"

"There is more to this town than just the Undead themselves," Scarlett said, grasping her bloody hip. "That girl, Rinoa, she's studying it because of the disappearances. Among many others..."

"...How do you know-? So does the Undead only affect Diaedem? You'll just die if you try to leave? How does it work?" Alex asked, stopping a few feet away from her.

Scarlett sighed and bit her lip. "If I'm being entirely honest, I don't know. I was skeptical of its existence myself when well... you know what happened." Her eyes turned to the moon.

Alex cursed under his breath. "So you can enter the town and you can't leave? How do you know it isn't both ways? I could be Undead too!"

At this, Scarlett flinched. "No... no, you wouldn't," Scarlett whispered. Her eyes narrowed so sharp, Alex jumped as she swarmed him. She didn't attack, merely examined every inch in critical fashion. Her hands grabbed at his shirt, lifting to inspect.

"H-hey, what are you-" Alex smacked her away, Scarlett shaking her head.

"It can't be you. I of all people would know if you... but, you've been gone so long..." It was like she forgot about his existence entirely. Whispering and trembling to herself, grasping her face as she broke into a cold sweat.

"What is it? Scarlett!" Alex yelled, snapping her back to reality.

She sighed. "It's not important. We aren't getting anywhere talking about this," Scarlett said, turning her back on him. Despite those words, she didn't appear calm.

Is she afraid? I haven't died... I've never seen any articles about me either, there's no way that's possible. He felt a shiver go down his spine. God damn it, the fact that I even need to think about this is stupid.

Alex reached out his hand. "Well if you're not the problem, help be the solution. Come with me back to the house and tell me what you know," he said. "I'll patch you up, unlike your crappy handiwork last night."

Scarlett let out a cold laugh. "Gonna' plug up the hole you created, huh?" she asked, swatting his hand away. "You're a man of many talents. A gentle hand offered with a knife clutched in the next. Do you often offer aid to those who tried to kill you?"

She circled him as she spoke. Each question was like an accusation. Despite this, there was no real edge to them. Almost as if whatever violence she'd seemed to have completely dissipated. That being said, the knife hidden in his sleeve wasn't any less real. The fact she was aware of it shocked him.

Their eyes locked. "For all you know, I made all this nonsense up as another ploy. How will you know for sure? How can I trust someone who can't trust me?" she asked.

The way her smile never left her face. It was unnatural. "Why are you always smiling? "

Scarlett's eyes widened. She snickered into her palm, walking back toward the railing.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, Alex. The worst thing is not being able to control what makes me laugh or smile... It isn't like I want to. Is it truly so unpleasant?~"

His mouth opened and then closed. "The way you smiled that time back in the field of flowers. I liked it more than what you have now. The one before you decided to show me your body count."

It was then that her lips lost their tension. Her cheeks flushed, ignoring the last part of his statement. "Did you really?"

"...You can be beautiful... When you're not being a weird twisted killer. It makes it hard to know how to be around you," Alex responded, removing the knife from his sleeve and pocketing it.

She sat on the railing and Alex's heart sank. He stepped closer, always within arm's reach. "Don't expect me to fall for someone who tried to kill me though," he said, the crack in his voice betraying the bravery he tried to portray.

"What a pity that'd be... They say that life threatening situations usually increase the attraction of beasts," Scarlett said, a smile widening on her lips.

He didn't know what was crazier. The way her words made him tremble, or the fact that she actually made sense. "Scarlett... Why did you come to me? Why were you in my house?"

Scarlett giggled. Her smile sent a ripple through him, turning his stomach.

"Because you belong to me, Alex. Your grandfather knew about this town, but did not know it was impossible to escape. He never lived long enough to write you a letter, much less a will," Scarlett said, stroking his face. Her eyes locked onto his. "Surely you noticed the lack of a grave at his home, and I assure you there is none in this town's cemetery. There was no body to bury. He still roams this Earth, though I assure you he is not alive. He's not Undead, he is a cursed spirit. And until the Undead is found, he will never be free. He didn't write the letter that brought you to this town, my dear sweet Alex. I did."

And with those words, Scarlett fell over the railing.