The Crimson Hunt

by Smith, Victoria H.

  He raised his hand, his palm toward me. He had hate raging in his eyes, the source of which I didn’t quite understand.

  I gazed down, refusing to give him anymore of my attention. I stroked Piper’s face again, taking in the last of her beauty with my tear-ridden eyes.

  A ray of blinding light shined on her pale cheek. Then, the room went dark.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The steaming heat was like wet daggers on my back. The hot, liquid blades intensified my pain as I watched her blood flow into the drain.

  Sitting on the shower floor, I pulled my legs in toward my naked body. My thoughts scattered, I was brought back into the horrors of that night. The night I lost my parents.

  I was no more than five, but I still remembered the warmth of their arms, and the pain on their faces when they released me to the fireman from the window of our home. A beam fell from the ceiling and I could no longer see them. They were trapped. The heat of the flames engulfed them, the way the heat of the shower was currently overtaking me.

  When I was younger, and I used to get scared or upset, I would hold onto my moonstone necklace. I would hold onto it and everything would be okay. It brought me back to the feeling of their arms around me that night of the accident, and I didn’t feel alone anymore. Now, I didn’t even have that to hold onto. Everything I had, everything I loved, was now completely erased from existence.

  The moments following that horrific night at the house were no more solid than that of a storm cloud in the darkness of the sky. A beautiful, calming voice gave me instructions, and I listened as best as my body would allow me.

  “Ariel, you must eat,” the voice would say, or “Ariel, you must rest now.”

  Whatever the voice asked, I did.

  When I first heard the voice, I was told to shower; wash away the blood of my best friend. I made it as far as removing my clothes and turning on the water before I collapsed. I remained there for quite some time that night, mildly coherent as droplets of shower water pounded down on my skin. Eventually, I pulled my body from the shower. I walked on autopilot, shrugging on the clean clothes, which had been laid out for me. After I dressed, the voice’s commands came again. The words were hazy, and eventually, I could no longer hear them. They disappeared. Just like everything else.

  *

  Opening my eyes, I took in my unfamiliar surroundings.

  The soft threads of an old blanket touched my skin, and I lay on an iron bed frame with a floral design molded within the work.

  I winced as I sat up, my arms covered in bruises still healing from my tumble on the road. I slowly brought my hand to my cheek. Tensing from the pricks of pain under the skin, I pulled my hand back.

  Looking around the room, I studied the space.

  Leaf-green wallpaper covered the walls, and polished hardwood floors surrounded my resting place. Adjacent to my bed there was an old couch with a dated television set directly in front of it. A small, open kitchen was to the left of that. Behind me, an open door revealed a bathroom.

  I showered in there before—I think.

  Facing forward, there was a window to my left, letting in the sun’s rays. So bright, the light burned my eyes when I stared directly through the glass. My eyes automatically squinted. I could just make out a single windmill surrounded by acres of tall prairie.

  I searched for an identifier, anything that would tell me exactly where I was, and what happened to me. The endeavor was pointless. My surroundings were no more familiar to me than the content of a foreign language.

  Wrapping my arms around my legs, I rested my chin on my knees and went over the events that led up to this strange place. I remembered Luca tried to save me, but I escaped from him. I remembered Piper in my arms, the bloodlust in Garrett’s eyes, and a light; a mysterious, beautiful light on Piper’s pale face.

  Other than those memories, there was nothing but blank space.

  Though, there may have been one other thing. The memory was so murky. The thought felt like a dream. There was a voice, a wonderful voice. It had to belong to someone. And whoever that person was took care of me.

  I put my head in my hands. The memory was so faded. Was it even real? If it was, where was that person now?

  I shook away my thoughts and pushed off the blanket. My body was covered in a long, elegant silk nightgown, the smooth threads soft underneath my fingers.

  I glanced over to the chair in the corner of the room. The clothes I wore the night of Piper’s death were there. They’d been cleaned and were folded neatly on the floral upholstered chair.

  Wherever I was, I knew I couldn’t stay any longer. I’d left Piper that night. How I left I wasn’t sure, but I had to go back.

  After dressing in my folded jeans and ripped button-up shirt, I made quick strides to the door, slipping my shoes on along the way.

  Slowly turning the creaky doorknob, I opened the door. I expected to be greeted by unwanted activity, but my eyes met an empty hallway. The entire area was covered in old pictures of landscapes and the same leaf-green wallpaper from the room I was in. Many doors lined both walls. The brown doors faced each other like a hall of mirrors at the circus. At the far end of the hall, there was a door, a linen closet of some kind most likely, but to the left of that was a stairwell.

  I took one step cautiously, as if the floor would suck me in like quicksand. The wood was stable, so I continued. With the new steps I made, the cracks and creaks of the floorboards sent my heart into near convulsions. Eventually, I made it to the stairwell.

  I pressed my body against the wall as I walked, checking for movement along the way.

  Upon making it to the bottom of the well, I froze. With no one in sight, I let out a small breath. Finding coverage behind a wall, I cautiously crept along the length of it. There was a door just ahead. I placed my foot down to step toward it, but the banter of two individuals halted my step.

  My heart beating rapidly, I slowly gazed around the corner of the wall. Two elderly men sat in chairs across from one another. They played chess with half-full glasses of yellow lemonade at their side.

  Listening intently, I attempted to identify my location through their words.

  “Well, Earl, I guess you got me again,” said the man in a tan, pork pie hat.

  “You’re a hard man to beat, Charlie, but not too wise sometimes. You should have seen that move coming from a mile away.” Earl laughed.

  “Moves like that will get you killed where I come from, old boy, but I’m not a sore loser. I’ll give credit where credit is due.” Charlie reached over and shook Earl’s hand.

  “I think I’m ready for a little break. How about you?” Earl took a sip of his lemonade.

  Charlie leaned back and stretched out his arms. “Sure thing. Hey, how’s your grandson doing? You said you were having him over the other night for dinner.”

  Earl frowned. “Not well. He goes to that college down yonder. Eastland-U.”

  My school.

  “He’s been dealing pretty hard with the tragedy that occurred. Didn’t know the victim personally, but the whole thing has got him shaken,” Earl said.

  Charlie nodded, his expression sadden. “I can imagine. It’s a damn shame what happened. The girl couldn’t have been much older than twenty. Such promise and completely wasted.”

  They had to be talking about Piper. I strained my ears for more details.

  “Completely tragic, and to be killed by her own roommate.” Earl gave a short whistle. “I guess you can’t trust anyone these days.”

  “Too true. He doesn’t live in student housing, does he? Have to deal with any roommates?” Charlie asked.

  “He does, but he’s only living on campus until the end of the semester. After that, he’s coming home and commuting. So, you ready for another round? I’m ready for my third win of the day.”

  Charlie smirked at his chess companion, and set the two men up for another game.

  Tears stung my eyes. I grabbed at my chest, my body shakin
g.

  Why was I being charged with Piper’s murder? I had to get back. I had to tell them the truth. Garrett was still out there somewhere. Probably planning to kill another one of my friends.

  I gazed around the corner at the door I planned to escape through earlier. My only obstacle, from what I could see, was the two men, but they were old men. They couldn’t possibly catch me if I broke into a sprint. Even in my weakened state, they’d be no match for me.

  I set out my right foot, bracing myself to take off, but a pair of hands covered my mouth, and I was dragged back before my other foot could touch the wood.

  *

  “Let go of me!” My voice was muffled behind one of the strong hands restraining me.

  Panic filled me as I was dragged across the threshold of the room upstairs. I thrashed and jabbed at my captor, but did no damage. I wasn’t strong enough and whoever held me was too strong for me. I prepared myself for the worst.

  What if it was Garrett who took me and, now, planned to finish the job he started that night? What if he wanted to do something else to me? At least death would be a form of escape.

  I transferred my focus from my assailant’s hold of me to my prison. I scanned the bedroom, looking for a way out or an object I could use to create the greatest amount of bodily harm.

  The vase on the dresser. If I hit the person with it, that might distract long enough for me to get back out the door. Now, if I could only get to it ….

  I raised my arm to jab, but was thrown when my attacker released me.

  My heart pounding in my chest, I turned around.

  A familiar set of the most beautiful, greenish-gray eyes met mine.

  We both stood there, looking at each other in a long silence.

  Luca hesitantly took just one step forward. The expression of his face was a mash-up of worry and concern. “I am sorry about that down there. I just felt that, under the circumstances, your location should remain hidden.”

  His smooth voice sent a near-instant comfort to my body. The crippling fear and anxiety faded away. I ran over to him, and threw my arms around his neck, sobbing into his chest. I’d felt like I’d lost everything, but here he was, a small piece of my minute world back in my grasp.

  His arms wrapped around my body slowly. He placed a hand on my hair, and the other to my back.

  The pain waned as I clung to him. His hand rubbed my back in soothing circles as I continued to cry. I’d never felt such a strong and powerful moment with him before. The comfort I felt in his arms reminded me of my parents. I felt protected once again.

  The emotions were too much. My body collapsed. I didn’t want to separate from the comfort he gave me, but I no longer had the strength to hold on.

  Lifting me in his arms, he carried me to the couch. He sat down with me rested in his lap, his strong arms wrapped around me.

  How long I wept into his steady heartbeat, I didn’t know. I was so overwhelmed by grief and emotion. At length, I finally felt like some of my pain subsided. His mere presence was enough to numb the heartache and fear.

  With every stroke of his fingers through my hair and every caress of my back, the intensity of my pain eased. I didn’t want to risk breaking the spell his fingers wove over me, but I had to. I had to know what was going on.

  “What happened?” My voice was a strained whisper.

  His embrace tightened around me. The closeness of his body on mine sent waves through my skin. “After you left my car that night, I assumed you were headed back to the house, so I followed you. Shortly after I arrived, I witnessed that you and Piper had been attacked. I got you out and brought you here to keep you safe.”

  It was Luca. It was Luca the whole time. His was that beautiful, calming voice. He took care of me. Protected me.

  I sniffed. “What about Garrett? How did you stop him?” I burrowed further into his chest.

  He held me even tighter, his cheek gently rubbing my hair. “It was not without difficulty, but I was able to get you out before it was too late.”

  My thoughts caused me to go silent. Luca was there that night. He’d somehow overpowered Garrett, risking his life to save mine. Garrett. He was the real murderer.

  The conversation I’d overheard downstairs ran through my head.

  “We have to go back. The men downstairs said I’m being charged with Piper’s murder. I have to go back and tell the authorities the truth, so Garrett can’t hurt anyone else.” The tears continued to stream, now a steady river.

  He sighed deeply, my body moving with the rise and fall of his chest. “You cannot go back, Ariel.”

  Like hell I couldn’t. I couldn’t let that murderer get away with what he did. He had to be brought down, and I was the only one who could do it. But as I sat there in Luca’s arms, I wondered at his reasons for saying I couldn’t. “Why?”

  He grabbed a remote control off the end table next to the sofa. He clicked a button and fuzzy images formed onto the screen of the dated television set. “They have been playing this since it happened. Two days ago.”

  Two days? I’ve been out for two days? I leaned away from his chest to see the TV. What I witnessed made my eyes widen.

  Piper’s parents came into view. For the first time, I saw the emotionless Mrs. Nora Lovelace shed a tear for her daughter.

  “We’re going to bring my daughter’s murderer to justice. If any one of you out there knows the location of that piece of filth known as Ariel Richmond, please contact the authorities at once. A mother’s closure depends on it,” she said. Turning to Mr. Lovelace, she cried on his chest.

  I winced at the words. Mrs. Lovelace had never been too fond of me. She thought I was some poor, orphaned riffraff that Piper brought in on holidays to piss her off. She never thought I was good enough to be the friend of her privileged daughter. But no matter how much Mrs. Lovelace despised me, she’d never talked like this about me before. She really thought I killed her daughter, and now she was out for my blood.

  The next image on the screen was a news story discussing the night of the murder. It was at that moment I quickly realized why all this happened to me, and why Luca said I couldn’t go back.

  There was an overwhelming amount of evidence that said I was the one who did it. So much in fact, that if I didn’t know, for a fact, I hadn’t killed my best friend, I would have thought I was the murderer.

  They found letters in what looked to be my handwriting, detailing my plans to kill Piper. My fingerprints were all over the murder weapon, and they had drawings in my sketchbook of all the morbid ways I would conduct the deed.

  My eyes blinked more tears as I turned back into Luca’s chest.

  Garrett set me up, and any chance I ever thought I had at taking back my old life was gone. I was that little girl of five again, watching all I loved being consumed by the flames.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The emotions of the day had been too much for me. I fell asleep in Luca’s arms and when I awoke, I was once again in the iron-framed bed. The day turned to night and Luca was by the window. Leaning against the window frame, he stared into the stars.

  I got out of bed and walked over to him.

  He turned when he heard me and smiled. He put his arms around me, welcoming me into his comforting embrace.

  I wrapped my arms around his body, breathing in his cool scent. I would never get used to the powerful feeling his touch gave me.

  “What am I going to do?” I asked, my voice strained. Feeling tears well again, I snuggled in even closer to him.

  He held me tight, rubbing my back. “You are not going to do anything. You will stay here, at this bed and breakfast, until I can figure out a way to fix this.”

  I looked up at him, seeing the sternness in his strong face as he viewed the sky. Why did he feel like this was his responsibility? He was the one who tried to take me away from the situation in the first place and, like an idiot, I ignored his warning. He sensed danger and tried to get me out, but I didn’t listen. This was my f
ault. I spent so long trying to build a new life in this place, and now my work was for nothing.

  I lay my head against his chest again.

  “You must eat. I set up a plate for you on the table. There are clean clothes in the dresser if you need to shower.”

  His voice sounded so terse and frustrated. He was genuinely upset by my situation. He must care for me. I hugged him closer, grateful for his concern and comfort. “But what will you do?”

  “I am going to go back to campus and see what I can find out. I will come back and check on you in a few days. Just stay here, and do not let yourself be seen.”

  I knew I shouldn’t ignore his advice this time. I was in serious trouble, and had no choice but to trust him. Right now, he was my only ally.

  *

  That first day I spent away from him was the worst. I had nothing to do, but sit and think about the life I once had and the darkness of that painful night.

  I couldn’t help but turn on the television and let the Lovelaces’ desperate call for action replay over and over again. Every new broadcast filled me with more and more pain as I watched the Lovelaces belittle me and fuel the media for my quick apprehension. I grew sick of watching, but couldn’t look away. It allowed me to see her again. The picture of Piper’s face was always the highlight of my day. The image was a picture of her in her prime, when she was bright and full of life. I put my hand to the screen and could feel her spirit coming off from the television.

  That day, I vowed I would find Garrett, and when I did, I would take him out myself. He’d taken everything from me—everything—and I was determined to return the favor. I had nothing else left to lose. I would do it for Piper and every other person he’d destroyed. I would even do it for Lila. He’d taken everything from her, too, but unlike her, I wasn’t going to roll over and accept defeat.

  As the days went by, I forced myself to take care of the necessary maintenance my body required. I would shower, eat what I could, and sleep when my body allowed me to, but between the anxiety and the continued nightmares, I found my hunger gone and my nights filled with tears. There wasn’t much else to do until Luca returned.