CHAPTER SIX.
( all places hell ! )

THE SMELL OF BUTTERED POPCORN and chocolate had become so incredibly tiresome to Reyna. Then again, she's sure any scent would if you constantly correlated it to your less-than-glamorous job.

        The Vision Cinema was the epitome of run down and sketchy. The red seats were mysteriously stained and lumpy, the lights flickered at random intervals no matter how often they were changed, and the nacho cheese dispenser was stalled more often than not. Not to mention the uniforms were on another level of awful.

        "Jesus, it's like I transport to the fifties every time I step in here," Frankie pulled at her red pinstriped shirt, pursing her lips at the itchy fabric. A half-empty bag of Skittles lay beside her. "You'd think they'd have updated the uniform by now,"

        "You really expect the place that can't even afford updated cash registers to get us brand new uniforms?" Reyna snorted, rubbing a spot of dirt from her crisp, black heels. Even if her life had been falling apart, she could still spruce herself up a little.

        "Fair enough. I still don't understand how you can wear those during work," Frankie glanced down at her own worn Chuck Taylor's, rubbing her toe against the scuffed floor. She'd never been one for over the top accessories.

        "Raw talent, and a little determination, my dear." She grinned, leaning to crack her back against the freshly cleaned counter. She hadn't felt so rested in weeks, finally succumbing to a peaceful sleep after a little help from the sleeping pills hidden in her dresser.

        She knew it had been wrong to sneak them from her grandmothers room the night before, but she after the weeks of exhaustion she'd suffered, she couldn't bring it in herself to care. She'd finally had a relaxed night, her first in weeks, even if it had been aided along chemically.

        A resounding creak disturbed the silence, causing Reyna to jump. Frankie snorted at her friend's startled reaction, bringing a hand up to her nose. "You'd think that after over a year you'd be used to this place."

        "It's not my fault it decides to make creepy sounds when I'm unprepared." Reyna defended jokingly, turning away from her friend to wipe out the greasy popcorn machine.

        Frankie popped another skittle into her mouth, offering the bag to Reyna. "This building's like, a million years old. It would be weirder if it didn't make sounds."

        Reyna agreed with a laugh, although she still felt a bit uneasy. The theatre after closing had always been an unsettling thing to her. The darkened corners and odd noises were more than enough to put her on edge, especially after Frankie made it a habit to start scaring her on her own terms.

        She could remember her first day meeting the girl, and how incredibly odd she had found her. Frankie has been assigned to train Reyna, even though she had been an incredibly new employee herself, and it clearly showed as neither of the girl's knew quite how to manage their duties. Frankie, instead, elected to spend her shift educating Reyna on every classic horror movie that came to her mind. It hadn't taken her long to realize how easily scare-able the girl was, and it had been a bit too fun to stop after that.

        Reyna hadn't taken a liking to the girl at first—it was hard to really like someone when they spent all their spare time trying to frighten the daylights out of you—and yet she never pushed her away. She eventually grew to tolerate the girl's presence, enjoy it even, as they neared the end of their freshman year. Frankie's ridiculous tangents became more comforting than annoying, though they could still definitely border on the latter some days.

        Reyna had spent nearly the entirety of her summer living out of Frankie's bedroom, so much so that she kept her own toothbrush there for pure convenience. Her grandmother hadn't been the biggest fan of the jittery girl, but she soon grew on her as well. Their late night conversations and vintage movie marathons became a thing of habit. Reyna knew she could rely on Frankie for anything, and she would always be on her side. She was more of a sister than a friend.

        "Hey, dipshit," Frankie tossed a green skittle at Reyna's cheek, a smug look of amusement across her face. "Wanna take out the garbage while I close up?"

        "Damn, didn't your mama ever teach you manners?" Reyna snorted, pulling out the bulging bag of trash from the can beside her.

        "No, but she did teach me sarcasm," Frankie winked, turning to go lock up the main doors. Reyna rolled her eyes, lugging the dripping trash bag behind her towards the back entrance of the cinema.

        It was well past sundown, and the wind had picked up quite a bit during her shift. Reyna pulled her arms closer to her body, trying not to let her teeth shake. The already eerie alleyway joining the side of the theatre was pitch black, the only illumination being a dim street lamp at the other end of the stretch. Reyna pushed down her nerves, locking her eyes on the dumpster sitting halfway down the passage.

        Careful not to let her heels catch themselves along the grooves of cement, she kept her shoulders high, doing her best to get to the dumpster as quick as possible. The wind bit at her rosy cheeks, whipping her hair into her eyes as she easily lifted the bag over her head and into the bin.

        With a satisfied grunt, Reyna swiped her hands across her thighs, eager to get home and away from the dreaded cinema. She enjoyed going to the movies just as much as any other girl, but it wasn't nearly as fun if you spend all your time working and not watching.

        Fishing her phone from her pocket, Reyna paused, her body halfway turned from the trash receptacle. A frisson ran down her spine, spreading its way into her limbs and up her neck. Her breathing laboured, she gripped onto the edge of her skirt, squeezing her eyes shut. Something was not right, her bones told her, not right at all.

        A menacing growl trailed behind her—a guttural sound that sent her heart sailing into her throat. A silent pause, her ears on high alert as she didn't dare move. A snap of teeth. Nothing. The shifting of feet against the gravelled floor. A preparatory snarl.

        Reyna's fingers sat frozen at her side, her feet glued in place. Another warning growl, this one much closer than the last, the sound reverberating through her chest cavity. Her throat closed up in panic. Hot breathing fanned it's way across her legs. She couldn't bring herself to turn and face it. Not right. Not right.

         The growling continued, bringing itself up her body and into her ear. She could feel the spit coming from the creature, whatever it was, it's sickening breath reaching into her nose. She could hardly spot a head of leathery skin and fur from her peripheral, accented by a single glowing red eye. Her knees were locked, muscles shaking as they held tense. Her heart felt like it could be breaking her ribs.

        Reyna gulped down her nervous bile, her stomach turning itself in loops and knots. She prepared herself to run, bracing her feet against the sidewalk. She might not get far in heels, but she could damn well try.

        Just as she began to push off, preparing herself for a sprint, Reyna could feel a negative energy lift from her person. The growling disappeared as quickly as it had come, drifting away into the wind. Shaken from her shock, Reyna threw herself into a forward sprint towards the cinema. After a few steps she went tumbling to the ground, her foot catching on the grooves of the cement. Her hands and knees were bloodied, but she was numb from the pain, picking herself back up and hauling herself to the door.

        Once inside, she heaved the metal door shut, turning the deadbolt which trembling fingers. She leaned her back against the door, being sure to put her full weight against it. She pounded her head back against the surface, struggling to regain her breathing.

        She squeezed her eyes shut, only to burst them back open in paranoia. Those sounds, those red eyes—they still followed her, separated by a measly metal border.

        A door creaked noisily across the room, obscured by the shadows. Braced herself against the door, opting to quietly slip her feet from her heels. She prepared herself to run, head whipping around for any form of a weapon. In a moment of doubt, she ripped the fire extinguisher from the wall, holding it steady over her head.

        A figure approached in the shadows, scuffling along the carpeted floor unhurriedly. Reyna huffed, the thing had to taunting her. This was a game, a cute little round cat and mouse, before she inevitably succumbed to her fate as the unfortunate mouse. Reyna wiggled her fingers, tightening her grip on her makeshift weapon. She raised it high, preparing to bring it down with all the force she could muster in her shaking arms.

        "Hey, what took you so lo-oh my god!" Frankie jumped back from her friend, falling onto her back in her haste. She breathed heavily, regarding Reyna with wide eyes, then shifting her gaze to the heavy canister. "What the fuck are you doing?"

        "I thought you were an attacker!" Reyna lowered the fire extinguisher, her fingers leaving heavy dents in the metal. Her heart didn't slow, nor did her racing thoughts. "We've got to leave, now."

        "What? I still have to lock up the maintenance closets and the main theatre," Frankie removed her red visor, regarding her friend with utter confusion.

        "Frankie, now! Trust me," Reyna wiped the sweat from her neck with one hand, gripping Frankie's wrist with the other and bolting to the door. The girl followed her without a word, undoubtedly putting her faith in her friend's fearful voice.

        For once, she was grateful to find Frankie's dented Corolla still in the parking lot. The lot was perfectly still, the only disturbance being the rush of the wind and the flickering of a street lamp. The silence was even more dreadful than the growls. The sinking feeling in her gut hadn't faded, the seething anger radiating from the area. The need for revenge that brought fear into her throat. It was still here.

        "Are you going to tell me what the hell is happening here?" Frankie ripped her hand from Reyna's, steadily unlocking the car. Reyna threw herself into the passenger seat, slamming the door behind her. She pushed down the lock, though she wasn't sure how much good it could do.

        "I saw something, in the back alley," she could hardly even begin to describe the horrid feeling that had consumed her at it's presence. Her fingers shook against the edge of her plaid skirt. "It was huge and hairy and had these, these eyes-"

        "Eyes, what eyes?" Frankie leaned forward,

        "I don't know, red eyes, like, glowing red," "It was so close to me I could feel it breathing down my neck. It felt so angry,"

        "You mean it sounded so angry," Frankie clarified, clearly invested in the idea this monster. A knowing glint began to mix with the curiosity in her eyes.

        "No, it felt angry," Reyna insisted, peering warily out the window. The glass was cold against her skin, raising goosebumps on her arms. "Insanely angry, like it was seeking revenge. Frankie, I think it wanted to kill,"

        "If it wanted to kill then why wouldn't it kill you," Frankie asked, worry finally beginning to creep up into her eyes. A metallic crunching noise screeched across the inside of the car. Reyna squeezed her eyes shut as the crushing of metal was replaced by a high-pitched screech, resembling nails on a chalkboard.

        "It's messing up my car," Frankie turned herself to check out her windows and mirrors, but couldn't catch more than a glimpse of black fur. Her eyes caught on the jagged line running through the red paint along the doors of her car, her fingers tightening around the steering wheel. "Little bitch. I'm gonna go out there,"

        "Uh, no you're not!" Reyna narrowed her eyes towards Frankie, not even attempting to hide how dumbfounded she was by her friend's stupidity.

        "This car cost me two years of saving, I'm not gonna let some dumbass fuck it up in five minutes!"

        "Yeah, well, your car's not gonna mean shit if you get eaten alive," Reyna exclaimed, throwing her head back into the seat. Slowly, she lifted her head. The edges of the lot were basked in darkness, a thin mist creeping its way through the air and obscuring her already poor view. Within the darkness, she caught a glint of red. She peered closer, furrowing her brow as the glint slowly clarified into two gleaming red eyes, each one furrowed in concentration and burning resentment.

        Reyna could feel her insides retracting, every muscle in her body tensed and on alert. Taking a quick side glance towards her friend. Frankie's knuckles had turned white around the steering wheel, eyes wide and glossy. Reyna pushes down a nervous gulp, turning back towards the unmoving eyes.

        "Frankie, drive."

        "Yup." Reyna had never seen her move as fast as she did to put the car into drive, zooming out of the parking lot without another look behind her.

            HAVING DINNER TOGETHER at the end of the week has been a family tradition since Reyna's earliest memories. There had hardly been a week in her life when the Martinez' hadn't finished the week by going out together for dinner, usually for something of the meaty and greasy variety, and always to gossip about their previous days. The dinners had been sparing lately, more along the lines of 'getting take out and eating it around their kitchen table' than anything else—but Reyna was grateful for them nonetheless

        This particular Sunday had been one of the lucky ones, where Reyna and Abigail had some merciful time away from work and school so they could have a real dinner. The diner on 7th street had always been one of their go-to spots, with their adorable red booths and ridiculously addictive curly fries. Black and white posters lined the walls, each of them bordered by a bland black frame.

        Reyna sat comfortably with her feet tucked underneath herself, looking over the printed menu. She was sure she probably knew each of the items already, but she gave it a once over just in case. Abbey hadn't even bothered to open hers, while her grandmother sipped slowly at the coffee before her.

        "I don't know why you still look at that," Abbey teased from beside her, playing with the straw of her strawberry milkshake. She'd hardly bothered to put any makeup on, leaning back comfortably in her grey sweatpants. "You've gotta have it memorized by now,"

        "I just don't know what I feel like having," Reyna mumbled, eyes roving over the entrées section. Her stomach grumbles yet she didn't quite feel the excitement she normally experienced while imagining the possibilities of food. "Some of us get sick of eating the same thing. Ever time."

        "You can never go wrong with a double bacon cheeseburger," Abbey retorted, "It's a flawless choice,"

        "Also a basic one," Reyna snorted under her breath.

        "Stop burger-shaming me," Abbey pushed against Reyna's shoulder "Besides, you can't say shit when all you ever get is chicken tenders,"

        "Chicken tenders are a classic-"

        "Stop bickering," their grandmother groaned, hands tight around her mug. Steam plumed slowly into the air, giving the table the scent of fresh coffee. "As long as everyone eats, there's no issue,"

        "We're just having some fun, Lola," Abbey's grin faded off her face, replaced with a grim smile. Their grandmother had never been one for games or silliness. It wasn't in her nature, and her granddaughters knew that well.

        They'd always been instructed and criticized on their manners and etiquette since they'd moved in with their grandmother years ago. Reyna had been only four, and with each of her parents having mysteriously disappeared, her father first, and then her mother years later, she knew nothing of a home or family. Abigail had been older, maybe nine or so when she had answered the door to the blue uniformed officers, tucking Reyna close to her side as they delivered the news of their absentee mother, and that it was unlikely she would return.

        Being so young, Reyna had hardly known what to think of the situation, her little mind more preoccupied by the fun buttons in the police car than the looming possibility of being an orphan. Abbey had gripped her fingers, keeping them away from the gadgets as she held her close, tucking her nose in her dark hair. She remembered asking her sister why she was crying, playing with her hair and insisting that mom would come back soon.

        The Chicago Police Department was cold, and much too loud to be comfortable. With officers, civilians, and criminals bustling every which way and phones ringing all through the night, it was hardly an ideal place for two young girls. Reyna had tucked her knees into her chest, pleading with the officers to let them go home, although they couldn't oblige. She'd spent the better part of six hours with her back against a metal chair, fiddling with her charm bracelet and playing tic-tac-toe with her sister.

        It was a saving grace when their grandmother arrived, after many hours of driving and phone calls. She had accepted the girls into her home, if reluctantly so, saving the girl's from having to be separated through foster care. Reyna had hardly seen her grandmother since her father's disappearance nearly five years prior, but the woman hadn't changed a bit. Grey hair cut close to her head, with weathered skin and a stern, unmoving expression.

         She had never been able to understand quite how much their grandmother had sacrificed to take them into her care, her —early retirement, her house, her freedom— but now that she was older, she was ever grateful to her. She was able to stick up with the conservative, and frankly out-dated, rules if it meant her grandmother would regard her with pride.

        Their food arrived quickly, as it always did, and Reyna salivated as she observed her full plate. She'd hardly been eating lately, and even when she did, she couldn't bring herself to really enjoy the food as she normally would—but there was something about the diner's chicken fingers that would always have a special place in her heart. It had been the first restaurant her family had ever eaten at when they moved to Beacon Hills, and had remained part of their tradition ever since.

        Abigail licked a drop of ketchup off her finger, turning towards her grandmother. "Oh, Lola. I'm gonna be going out with friends tonight so don't expect me back home until late,"

        "No, I don't think you will be," her grandmother cut slowly into her clubhouse sandwich, taking a meaningful glance up at her oldest granddaughter.

        "But it's my friend's birthday," Abbey argued, grabbing hold of her fork. "We've literally been planning this for months,"

        "It's unsafe to be out past dark," her grandmother insisted, finality in her tone. "you will not be going."

        "What, you mean those animal attacks?" Reyna froze up, keeping her gaze locked onto her glass of soda and away from her steaming sister. Her heart hammered at the remembrance of the night before, the glowing eyes and deep scratches along Frankie's poor car. She suddenly didn't have much of an appetite. "They killed that mountain lion, Lola. It's safe now,"

        The woman snorted ironically, giving her granddaughter a reprimanding stare. "That's just what they want you to think. "

        "Lola, I'm an adult. You can't keep treating me like a child," Abbey's voice hardened, becoming increasingly upset with her lola.

        "Adult or not, you are my granddaughter living under my roof, and you will show me respect." Lola snapped, her eyes unblinking and dark. She never raised her voice, and yet the calm and precise way she spoke indicated more than enough authority. "No more of this, you're making a scene,"

        Abbey tightened her grip around her fork, looking as if she might just stab it in her grandmother's hand, but remained silent. Slowly, she returned to eating, pointedly avoiding her family's gaze. Reyna sympathized with her—her grandmother was not an easy woman to argue with.

        "And you, Reyna," Reyna snapped her head forward, meeting her grandmother's eyes. A shiver ran through her at the upset tone in the woman's voice. "I received a troubling call from your biology teacher. It seems your mark has dropped by more than half in only a few weeks. Care to explain?"

        Reyna wasn't surprised that the school had elected to call her grandmother, her grade had dropped drastically, but she had still held onto the hope that they wouldn't. She hadn't been able to focus in that class for weeks, and this time she couldn't blame Mr. Sinclair's droning and monotone voice. The talk of the body's functions—the formation of muscle tissue, the circulatory system, the placement of major veins and arteries—her brain couldn't stop running through the visions she'd been having, her living nightmares of carnage and destruction at her own hands. She could think of nothing else. If they spoke of the heart, she'd picture digging it from the chest of a friend. At the mention of blood, she could feel it running down her fingers, down her chin—her mind an endless film of gore and slaughter that she had no way of stopping.

        Her fingers gripped her jeans, bile rising up in her throat. Her stomach turned on itself as the smells around her became overwhelming, the saltiness of sweat and cooking meat and the sweet aroma of the fruity milkshakes. She could hardly focus enough to register the question.

        "Just, stressed out lately," lying to her Lola gave her mouth a sour taste, but Reyna kept her face straight. Explaining to her grandmother exactly why she was close to failing would be more trouble than it was worth. "Its nothing to worry about, Lola. I'll get it back up soon,"

        Her grandmother stared at her for another second, furrowing her brow before turning back to her coffee. "See to it that you do. You're a bright young woman, I won't have it that you squander all the wonderful opportunities you've been given,"

        With a relieved breath, Reyna stuck her fork into a piece of chicken. Her appetite had completely left her, replaced by the hollow, guilty feeling growing in her stomach.