Red.

She loved the color red. Her hair, her lips, and her nails were all tainted with the same color of her blood. Red was the only true color in her opinion, it was pure in the chaos of blacks and grays in her world.

The booming clash of thunder was like music to Roxy's ears. The sound of rain slapping onto the ground harmonized together with the revving engine of her motorcycle. A mask covered her eyes, the only feature visible on her face was her signature red lipstick.

Roxy's long hair flowed in the wind. Her black clothing stuck to her body, exposing her curves. It was cold outside, but she felt like fire and freedom on the inside. The motorcycle engine was synchronized with the sound of her beating heart. Her fingers gripped the handles, taunting her to accelerate.

She didn't feel wet. She didn't feel cold. She only felt free. Fire coursed through her blood, this was where she belonged. It was a rarity to see her smile, but she couldn't hold it in anymore. She lifted her head and howled louder than the thunder.

A voice rang in her ears, the thunderous melody pausing for intermission."This exit coming up, we're almost there."

She bit her lip and pressed the earpiece button. "It's game time."

A black van was following close behind Roxy. She glanced in the mirror to find Dante in the driver's seat and Will was giving direction in the passenger seat. Dante's face was dark, he was ready for a good fight.

So was Roxy, she was ready to taste blood.

天使

Pomegranate was always her favorite fruit. Her mother made sure to have the fruit basket filled with them. When she was a child, she couldn't wait to suck the pomegranate seeds until they looked like dried tomatoes.

"Fish eggs." She suggested to her brother, who scrunched up his nose in disagreement.

"Nuh-uh, they look like marbles. I'm right because I'm older and smarter."

They were trying to guess what the pomegranate seeds looked like before all of its juice was gone. They played pointless games like this when they were bored, always getting into heated arguments over seemingly nothing important topics.

"No, I'm smarter because I have three A's in school and you only have two."

"Fifth grade is harder than third grade. You're still doing baby math. We have to do division. Do you know how to do division?"

She stared at him dumbfoundedly. "No."

"I thought so. And since I am right, you need to let me use the remote whenever I want."

Her jaw dropped, revealing her missing tooth surrounded by baby teeth. "No fair! You always want to watch boy cartoons!"

"At least they're better than My Little Pony! I hate that show!"

Tired of arguing, she resulted in the best comeback that her adolescent mind could think of: "You're stupid!"

"You're stupid!" He shot back while throwing a used pomegranate seed at her.

She dodged it and lunged for him, but he held her back with one hand. She started swaying at him and kicking the air. Both of them were yelling, filling the house with their screams loud enough to wake their younger sister during naptime.

Their mother came rushing in, holding a phone and an unclicked pen. Her brown hair was pinned perfectly on the top of her head, not a strand out of place. "What is going on in here?"

"He started it!"

"No, she's lying! She started it!"

Their mother sighed, frustrated and disappointed. Her gray eyes shutting slowly, she crossed her arms. "No fighting, you both know my rule. You're grounded."

The two kids shot each other one last glare before retreating into the safety of their rooms. But the girl had the last laugh when she stuck her tongue at her brother's closed bedroom door.

She was innocent once.

天使

Esme's eyes fluttered open, but her eyelashes stuck together to bring them to a close. She laid frozen, not even able to twitch her fingers. Her entire body ached, a subtle movement would cause the most excruciating of pain.

Is this what death feels like? she asked herself. I'm not impressed.

Her lips felt chapped, and she resisted the urge to lick them clean. Even though her entire body was greased in sweat, she was so cold that her teeth chattered. It took her a minute to figure out that a thin blanket, about the size of her feet to her neck, was laid across her body. Her neck was unsupported and limp.

Where am I?

Her mind was preoccupied with a twisting feeling in her stomach, like the sensation of knowing to forget something but not being sure of what. She pried her eyes open with her fingers, a searing pain shooting up and down her arms.

A dim light cast through the windows, the melody of soft raindrops falling onto the window. Low rumbles of thunder drummed, keeping the tune alive.

Esme was in an empty bedroom, about the size of a large bathroom. Specks of dust roamed around each cranny, and strips of floral wallpaper were folding over from the ceiling. The scent of blood loomed in the air, making Esme's stomach twist even more.

"Hello?" She croaked, her voice hoarse and bouncing on the walls, but nobody answered.

The feeling of realization came unto her, like being hit by a truck: She was alone.

Her slow breathing tempo instantly changed to labored short breaths. A shiver ran up her spine, both from the frozen air and the overwhelming knowledge that she was alone with no inkling of where she is.

Her mind was racing. She couldn't remember anything, the only thing she could recollect was leaving work. She didn't know how much time has passed, what day it was, she found it hard to believe that she wasn't dead.

She thought against death. She always believed that death was an escape from pain, an escape from all of life's problems. There was no way she could be dead.

1. Pain coursed through every inch of her body.

2. She had no idea where she was.

Her eyelids had become heavy, pain stabbing her in the deepest ditch of her brain. Images flooded her mind, all fear of being alone disappearing, leaving her in an abyss.

Him.

She knew where she was now: His house. She knew his name but didn't dare say or even think it. He didn't deserve the satisfaction of his name.

The smell of death and old paint was masked by the blood, but its potency overtook it. The torture of his wandering hands created an empty pit in her gut. She remembered every single touch he laid on her, the feeling of his calloused hands gripping her sides. She shuddered at the memory.

I have to get out of here, she thought to herself, determined. But every time she salvaged the willpower to leave, the fear of him being there blocked all hope of escaping.

She was stuck.

天使

The rain had collapsed to a small drizzle, thumping a light melodious beat. Roxy's face was covered in the mist of saltwater. Beads of condensation inched their way down her cheeks and had fallen onto her boots where she stood still.

The group was standing side by side in front of a small house. Wooden planks lined the sides of the house, interrupted with broken glass windows. The front lawn was covered in mud, dead grass, and broken beer bottles. Broken pavement led all the way up to the front entrance, where a broken door was leaning against the frame and yellow caution tape flowed from the metal railing.

"Behold the future of human civilization," Henry muttered with outstretched arms.

Beside him, Roxy shot him a pointed glare. But she couldn't hold onto this one because in the back of her mind, she found herself agreeing with him. Sometimes his words held true meaning behind them.

Roxy bent over and pulled two knives out of her boots-holding them with such dignity that couldn't be doubled by another person-and darted inside. She gripped the handles as if to say, "You can't have them, these are mine."

The group followed her lead, breaking down the door for it to fall inside the house. Inside, the floors were collapsed, carving symmetrical holes in the ground. Nearby, there was a faded chalk outline of a full grown body and graffiti covered the walls.

Roxy immediately thought of her younger sister, she would've loved the graffiti. She could sit there for hours studying the artistic structural lines of other people's work.

But now wasn't the time to be thinking of Luca, there was a reason for her strict rules and she needed to abide by them now more than ever. She quickly recovered and started searching the house, swiftly jumping over holes and keeping away from walls. She heard a small creek in the floors whenever she took a step forward.

The group split up. Will, Dante, and Mavis all took to exploring upstairs while Kim, Henry, and Roxy stayed down below. They could hear Dante's heavy steps echo throughout the bottom floor, Henry rolled his eyes.

"What could he possibly be doing for him to walk so loud?"

Kim chuckled, but Roxy ignored him and kept to herself. The footsteps upstairs became louder and faster and the three paused to listen in. They were on the hunt, and Roxy could imagine Will's face when he found something he'd lost.

"We found her!"

The only thing was, Will never had this girl before, so there was no way he could've lost her. But Roxy knew that this girl was special to him, she couldn't fathom why, but she was.

Roxy found herself following her best friend out the door, with his arms around another girl.

天使