Church of Christ's Glory, El Paso. Texas
Pastor Simon Ryan smiled as his flock filed out of the church before turning back to the alter and pausing as he saw a figure standing there. Running a hand through his thinning black hair and tightening his belt, he walked towards the woman dressed in black, seemingly staring blankly at him.
“Is there something I can help you with, miss?” Simon asked, his words causing the woman to blink.
“Scarlet.” The woman replied as she took a step away from the alter.
“Like from Gone with the Wind.” Simon stated as he saw the woman’s hand clench into a fist before relaxing, the motion repeating over and over again. “What can I help you with, Miss Scarlet?”
“Like the colour of blood.” Scarlet corrected as she stepped down from the alter. “Not like with Gone with the Wind.” She continued as she walked over to a pew and sat down on the arm of the seat. “I want to talk about one of your parishioners, one Mark O’Shey.”
“He was new to my flock.” Simon answered as he gave Scarlet a disapproving look, the woman totally ignoring his glowering. “I didn’t know him well; he seemed like a sinner looking to regain the grace of God. I heard he was hit by a truck; we’ll be holding a vigil for him next week.”
“You’re lying; Mark O’Shey wasn’t killed by a truck; his guts turned into snakes.” Scarlet announced as she rocked forward on the arm of the pew. “He was the victim of a cruel and dangerous ritual, one that I think was carried out within this church.”
“Are you accusing me of witchcraft, Miss Scarlet?!” Simon growled as he reached out and stopped Scarlet from her slight rocking. “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. Our ultimate judge takes a dim view on those who break his ninth commandment.”
"Well, one of the components for said ritual comes right from your very own graveyard; your church has the most plague victims of any church in Texas.” Scarlet replied, her face bland and her tone emotionless. “As for your God, he was killed like all the rest during the War in Heaven; you pray to...” With a snarl, Simon slapped her, leaving a burning welt on Scarlet’s cheek.
“Blasphemy will not be tolerated in the house of God!” Simon roared as Scarlet got herself up. “Your judgement in the fiery pits of hell will be eternal.”
“No, it won't,” Scarlet answered. “Not if I can’t stop Lotan. We are in the last days of Revelations, but there will be no salvation for any of us.” She added as she walked down the aisle to the door, passing a woman with short blonde hair dressed in a long skirt and plaid shirt. Watching her leave, the woman turned to Simon before looking back to the closing doors.
“Are you okay?” The woman asked as she ran up to Simon.
“It’s nothing, Maria, just dealing with a hell-bound soul who came to blaspheme in the Lord’s temple.” Simon growled as he embraced the woman. “She will see the hell her sins have accrued very soon.”
**
Scarlet's Appartment
The smell of peanut butter and tabasco pizza wafted through the apartment as Scarlet placed an ironwood box on the kitchen island, followed by a coiled metal chain with a barbed hook on the end and a mortar and pestle. Popping the box open, Scarlet removed a chunk of oxidised copper and held it in her hand. Taking a deep breath, Scarlet placed the copper chunk in the mortar, bringing the pestle down and chipping off flakes of the green mineral.
“Core of the earth, make my body your furnace.” Scarlet whispered as she scattered the flakes of chipped copper over the pizza. “Until the fires die, let my blood be as the cinders on the wind.” She added before taking a slice of pizza and biting into it. As the first bite was swallowed, Scarlet screamed as the veins in her arm oxidised into a green colour. Finishing the slice of pizza, Scarlet took the chain and looped it over her shoulder, closing both boxes and walking into her bedroom, her armour lying on her bed.
“I will find you tonight, Lisette.” Scarlet whispered as she walked over to a chest of drawers and pushed the clothes aside to reveal a bar mace. “Then I’m coming for you, Lotan, before this problem becomes bigger than it already is.”
**
University of Texas, El Paso
The woman sitting at the desk outside of the haunted house pulled the rain hood over the devil horns she was wearing, not looking up as the woman dressed in armour walked past. “Nice costume, get through the house, and the party is on the upper floors.” She mumbled as Scarlet pulled the door open and walked inside. The interior of the house was decorated with fake spider webs and walls painted with religious symbols stained with dripping fake blood.
“Really, none of these symbols are even involved in demon summoning.” Scarlet sighed as she walked through the house. Getting to the stairs, Scarlet took a deep sniff before turning and continuing through the house, past a coffin, a plastic, rotting hand sticking out of the gap. Pushing past the coffin, she entered a community kitchen space, bubbling cauldrons on the auger. Walking over, Scarlet ran her hand over them before taking a deep sigh before turning back around to see a giant serpent head arching down from the ceiling. Removing the bar mace from her sheath, she tapped the snake with the mace before cocking her head slightly and walking past the decoration to a door. Pulling down the handle, the door refused to open.
"S**t, someone’s out there.” A man whispered from the other side of the door.
“Maybe it's one of the others?” A woman asked as Scarlet sheathed the bar mace and placed a finger on one of the upper hinges. “Or some drunken student looking for a place for a fling.”
“The others all have a key.” The man replied just as the woman screamed, and the sound of hissing and wheezing echoed from behind the door.
“She bit me!” The woman yelled as green sparks shot from her finger and dragged her finger down the hinges before kicking the door in with a burst of green flame emanating from her boot.
“Who the hell is that?” The man spat as the woman held her arm, a bite taken out of her arm, black staining around the wound, one that matched the black blood dripping from the woman tied to the bed by thick chains, her body wrinkled and corpse-like.
“Who am I? Why did you kidnap this woman and tie her down, starving her until she died?” Scarlet snapped as she turned to look at Lisette tied down to the bed. “For her, that is torture!” She hissed, her hand clenched into a fist on the hilt of the sheathed bar mace.
“We didn't, I swear.” The woman gulped as a black boil began to bubble up close to the bite wound. “Gary told us he had something we were looking for down here. We just wanted…we kind of…we're not part of his weird group. They called themselves the Giovani Morte or something like that."
“Oh…oh!” Scarlet gasped, her hand withdrawing from the bar mace. “I’d recommend you find some antiseptic, a physician, and a bone saw in that order.” She added before turning to Lisette, approaching the hissing and screaming ghoul. “Leave now!” She ordered, her words causing two students to look at each other before dashing out of the room.
Unhooking the steel chain from her shoulder, Scarlet approached Lisette, venom dripping down the ghoul’s canine teeth.
"Lisette, can you hear me?” Scarlet asked before shaking her head. “Can you understand me?”
“I hunger for the flesh of man... I need the flesh.” Lisette hissed as she shook, trying to rip her way out of the chains. “Please…”
“No, I will find you something; call Zahak to bring something from your larder.” Scarlet told her only for Lisette to shake her head and close her eyes.
“…kill me; kill me before I lose everything.” She sobbed as Scarlet turned away before placing her hand on the bar mace’s hilt once again and drawing the weapon. Turning back to Lisette, she saw the ghoul bite through her own arm, free of the restraining chain and already getting ready to bite through the second arm in a desperate attempt to free herself.
“Daughter of the Desert." Scarlet stated, her voice strong and cold, causing Lisette to look up at her, her jaw unhinging, ready to bite as much as she could. “May peace be upon you.”
Log in to comment