TW: Intence gore/violence, blood, swearing, abuse

Quiet footsteps echoed around the halls of BC Sol. "What do you think Chris needs us for? It's three in the morning for Christ's sake..." Cuza muttered, rubbing his eyes and yawning. The rest of the BC Sol bladers were walking with him, each equally as tired.

 "This better be worth waking up for, that's for sure," Silas said after a moment's silence. 

They opened the doors to Chris' office and were met with an eerie red light. The scent of something sweet yet sickening hung thickly in the air like a fog. "Ah, there you guys are." A female voice drifted from the room. Valt and Cuza looked at each other and gulped. "Thank you for coming at such an early time. I have something I would like to do with my team." The voice said.

Valt squinted through the dim red light and saw Chris sitting at the head of a large round table, big enough to fit them all. In the center of the table, a giant red pentagram was etched into the wood, the stuff it was 'painted' with looked dark and wet. Black candles sat around the pentagram, the flames flickering a soft glow. 

Valt almost screamed with horror at what he saw. "C-Chris?! What's going on?" He asked, his voice choked.

 Chris giggled lightly. "Come. Sit. I want to begin."  

Wearily, the bladers of BC Sol took their seats at the table. "This is demonic Chris- ...If you believe the superstition that 3 in the morning is cursed I'm out" Silas stated, crossing his arms. 

The team owner smiled. "Well, In a way I believe it is. That is why I decided to gather you all here now. I would like this to be a tradition. We meet every Friday at 3 am, and tell each other horror stories."

Valt and Cuza sank into their seats, while Silas looked intrigued. "Huh..interesting." 

 Chris smiled again. "I will start. If you would like to leave now, you may." Surprisingly, no one stood up, even Valt and Cuza, who still looked queasy at the decor.

"I call this one.......The Gutting..."

It was my birthday, about 3 years ago. I went to the store to buy some party decorations, as I had friends coming over. I stood at the cash register with a large basket in my hands. I set it on the counter as the young lady began scanning the items. 

"Something big happening, Chris?" She asked, smiling. 

I grinned back. "It's my birthday today. BC Sol and I will have a little party for the day." 

The lady chuckled and finished scanning the decorations. "Well, that's fun! $123.95 please."  

I paid and nodded thanks to the lady, who wished me a happy birthday in return. I exited the store and pulled out my phone, going through my contacts before pressing one. A soft and quiet voice answered. 

"Chris?"

"Good afternoon to you too Free!-

The blond blader on the other side of the table blinked at the mention of his name. He had no idea he'd be in her story. He hoped he wouldn't die in it. Chris winked at him in return.

"How's it holding up over there?" 

I heard some shuffling from the other side of the phone. 

"Um...ok, I guess. Actually, I don't know where everybody is. I fell asleep and they all left." (TwT)

I sighed, adjusting the bags on my shoulders. "Well go find them!  Honestly, you're a terrible babysitter!"

I heard some more shuffling and a loud sigh.

"I know. I'll find them. Bye, Chris."

"Bye Free."

I sighed and smiled. I'll never understand that boy. I readjusted the bags once more and pulled out my phone again. It's about a ten-minute walk from here back to BC Sol. That isn't so bad, I decided. 

I passed by a couple of other shops, resisting the urge to go into them. I need to get back before someone burns the place down. A cool breeze suddenly touched my right side. It wasn't windy today, which made me more uneasy. I turned to look in the direction of the breeze. It was coming from an alleyway. A dark, creepy, grattifi-filled alleyway, mind you.

Something about that alleyway felt....wrong. Like bad things happen there. I shivered, eyes round with fear.

Chris paused to look over the room.  Everyone was on edge now, she could tell. Valt and Cuza were squeezing each other's arms, and Silas and Honcho were leaning against the table. Shasa looked alarmed while Free watched Chris with curiosity and satisfaction. 

She took a deep breath and continued:  

While the alleyway was scary, it also had an alluring effect to it. I couldn't look away. My brain told me to keep walking, but my heart wanted the thrill of the unknown. I bit my lower lip. 'What am I doing?' I thought to myself. I sighed, ignoring my common sense and putting my bags down on the wall of a building.

I took a deep breath and headed into the shadows.

As my eyes adjusted to the gloom, I headed further down the alleyway. I read some of the graffiti on my way. It sure was scary in here. I froze. A quiet whimpering echoed from somewhere ahead. 

"H-hello?" I asked.

No response. 

'Ya, that's not creepy at all.' I shivered, dreading to think about what I'd find. But I had to go on. What if someone was hurt in here and needed help? I checked my phone to see if I had service out here. I did, but then I noticed something that made the hairs on my neck stand up.

I had 5%.

I inhaled sharply, trying not to panic. I closed my eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. 'It's ok Chris. You'll be fine. Remember, you're the one who wanted to go in here.'

I ventured further, wondering where the whimpering was coming from. It was definitely human, so the small hope that it was a hurt dog quickly vanished. Once I got closer, I began to make out voices.

"You stupid bitch! You should have paid me when you had the chance!"

"I-I'm so sorry, Jake! I-I really am! I promise I'll get the money to you, just give me five more days!"

"You had your chance...And you failed. Like you always do. You're a fucking failure, and you'll never be anything else!"

Alright, someone was definitely in trouble. Could I help this lady? I had to try, right? I got a little closer and finally saw the source of the voices and whimpering.

A young lady, in her early twenties, if I had to guess, was sitting on the ground backed up against a wall, bruises and cuts littered her whole body. Tears ran down her face, she was panting with fear.

In front of her was a man, around the same age, a very pissed-off look on his face. His hand was bloody and bruised, a knife sat in the other one.

"J-jake, please! L-lets just talk!" The lady pleaded, desperately trying to back away from her boyfriend.

"We had a deal, Samantha. You broke your end. Now you pay the price." Jake replied, running the blade across his fingers menacingly. 

I swallowed in fear. This was a very bad situation to be in. If the man, Jake I'm assuming, were to see me, I'd definitely be hurt too. Jake looked at Samantha with murderous intent, who's to say he wouldn't see me the same way?

Quietly, I took out my phone and prepared to dial 9-1-1 if anything happened. I just hoped my phone would last until then.

What I was expecting (but hoping not) to happen, happened faster than I thought. 

Jake yanked the young lady to her feet and pinned her against the wall, all while she yelped in terror. The knife in his hand somehow looked even scarier. He placed it at her throat, pressing down just enough to draw a tiny amount of blood.

I was too paralyzed with fear to do anything. My mind screamed at me to call the police, but my hands refused to work. In the darkness of this alleyway, I was witnessing a murder.

"NO!! NONONONO PLEASE!! STOP!! I-I'LL GET YOU THE MONEY!! DON'T HURT ME!!" Samatha wailed, but it was no use. She was too weak from her beating earlier to resist. 

Jake turned the knife so the tip pressed against her throat. "You were always useless to me, and you will die useless."

I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to see what happened next. I clutched my phone close to my chest. 

I heard it before I saw it. The strangled scream was abruptly cut off by a wet slicing sound, followed by bones crunching. Tears streamed down my face, and I made the horrible decision to open one of my eyes.

The knife was firmly lodged in the lady's throat down to the hilt, blood streamed down her neck and mouth. Her eyes grew foggy as the life slipped out of her. The man then did something that forever traumatized me. It would haunt me for as long as I lived.

He tore the knife downwards, grunting with effort. It cut a path through her flesh, ripping open her chest. Muscles tore. Arteries were severed. Blood sprayed in a wide arc across the concrete floor. He went further still, ripping down her torso.

At this point I closed my eyes again, hearing the revolting wet slap of her slimy entrails hitting the floor. Some more wet splats followed, which I assumed were her other organs. She was actually being gutted. 

One last thud echoed through the alleyway. I opened my eyes to see something that made my stomach roil. The lifeless body of the lady lay on the ground, her insides surrounding her in a pool of blood. Steam rose from the still-hot liquid. 

I couldn't help it. I doubled over and threw up. This got Jake's attention. The knife in his hand still dripping blood. 

"You have five seconds to run before you look just like her." He snarled. 

That was all it took. Adrenaline pulsed through my veins as I turned and fled.  

Leaving my party supplies on the wall, I raced down the sidewalk, turning heads as I ran. I didn't care about them, all I cared about was getting back to BC sol before I died. By the time I was halfway there, my lungs burned and my legs ached. I rounded a corner and tore through the forest.

'I'm almost there....almost there.' I thought to myself, realizing only then that I never looked behind me to see if he was following. I didn't dare look.

I finally saw the beige walls of BC sol. I bolted to the large blue double doors that led into the training gym. I threw them open, gasping for air. All eyes flew toward me, shock written over every blader's face.

Tears streamed down my face as I inhaled large gulps of air. Suddenly my stomach churned, its contents threatening to come back out. 

"G-garbage can. ....I-I need a garbage can." I sputtered between breaths. 

My eyes had hazed over so I didn't know who brought me the can, but as soon as it was within reach I fell to my knees and threw up. I felt a gentle hand on my back, easing my shot nerves. 

I spent the rest of my birthday crying in bed, unable to move from the tight blanket coccon I made myself. I shook uncontrollably. Free had visited me occasionally, never saying anything but sat by my side and hugged me. I felt that he had started crying as well. He brought me some cake, which I ate only a little bit, and spent the evening watching movies with me.

What I had seen had traumatized me beyond words. I could never explain what I saw correctly to anyone, shutting down before I could finish. I was never the same since....

Silence. No one dared to breath a word after Chris was done. She opened her eyes and looked at her stunned bladers. Valt and Cuza were pale as ghosts, when she though Cuza had fallen asleep, she realized he had fainted. Honcho stared at her with wide eyes, Silas' reaction the same. Shasa looked like she had cried.

The only person who didn't look terrorfide was Free. He was looking at her with a mixture of awe and satisfaction in his eyes. He was the first to speak.

"Well Chris, I must admit, I didn't think you had it in you to tell such a horrifying tale. I applaud, that was very well told."

Chris smiled sheepishly. "Heh..Thanks Free. I worked really hard on that story. What did you guys think?" 

She was met with mixed emotions. All bladers looked at each other nervously before looking back at her.

"Ya, no. That was awful. Well told, but awful. You are a sick person Chris. Thanks for giving us all nightmares for weeks." Silas spat, getting up and leaving. Everyone followed suit.

Chris grinned into the dark empty room. A strange glint crossed her eyes. She giggled, but it was a creepy, uncanny laugh. 

"Well then, who's next?"