After
Scarlett dropped her hands to her sides as she fell to her knees. Scuffling was heard from the other side of the wall as murmurs rose.
“Scar, what did you do?” Breaths were held as some dreaded and others awaited the answer they knew was to come.
Tears made their way down her cheeks as she stared at her stained hands that lay on her lap.
‘What did I do?’
She wiped the tear away and hardened herself before rising from the ground. She turned as the surrounding wall fell like a curtain.
“I did what had to be done.”
It begins…
“My king, it’s ready.”
The lowly nightmare kneeled before his king with his head bowed. His skin peeled off his gangly bones and sagged incredibly low yet still held on. Shivers vibrated off the nightmare’s skin and the king inhaled, letting it’s fear fill his lungs.
He loved the reaction his presence brought to others. He took pleasure in the scent of their sweet fear, for it fed the black muck oozing throughout his veins; always sending it into a flowing frenzy. The bloodied tendrils surrounding the king grew from the sides of his throne and parted like the Red Sea. They were colored like the dark red blood of a tainted soul and always covered him from view.
The throne room chilled at the movement with its roofless view of the darkness. Side columns stood high and shadowed what lay on the other side while his council stood in front of them. Their fear and excitement filtered through the king’s skin as they watched with eagerness, already knowing what was to come.
The lowly nightmare couldn’t fully see the king but had a clear view of his lower body. With curiosity getting the best of him, he dared a peek through the three eyes that lined the top of his head. The king’s face, which was still covered by the tendrils, snapped in his direction. The nightmare squeezed its top eyes shut and bowed its head even more.
“Forgive me, my king.” It quivered as it stretched its hands out in front of itself.
It was forbidden to directly face the king unless instructed to. A grisly grin formed across the king’s face and he slowly rose from his throne.
“My Nightmare, rise for me.” The king’s velvety words wrapped around the Nightmare like a false comfort. “You have brought me such good news; I must proceed with my end of the deal.”
Like a seductress, the king coaxed the lowly nightmare to ease his fears. He’d done him a great favor after all. He needed intel on a very, very important piece to his master plans, and who better to do it than a measly low life Nightmare?
The king slowly stepped down from his throne and kept his eyes on the nightmare before him. His council backed themselves in-between the columns as he approached.
He had unfinished business.
The nightmare kept his head bowed low and his top eyes closed as he rose on to his crooked back bowed legs. He felt his king circle him and the dark red tendrils lick his skin with each step. They played with his fear, coiling around him while the king's words felt like silk and calmed his blackened heart. The king stopped behind the nightmare and released his power like a hoard of blood that enclosed around them both. The nightmare froze and opened his eyes sensing the danger.
“My king –.’
“Shush now, no need for any more pleasantries. I shall give you what was promised from the beginning.” The king’s voice switched from its seducing allure to a snarl that had the nightmare swiveling around to face him. All of its five eyes widened as it finally stared into the face of its King.
Before the screams could leave its body, the King flicked his wrist and watched with delight at the sight of his tendrils rushing down the nightmare’s throat. They entered through the sides of its body and slipped through the nasty thing’s skin. The king rolled his shoulders as a euphoric chill swept through his body. He loved it every time and would never tire of it. He watched as the nightmare shook and seized, leading up to his favorite part. As his power ate the nightmare from the inside out, its redness darkened. The nightmare’s body vibrated before bursting into a cloud of dripping blackness.
The king dropped his wall of tendrils and stood in the middle of his courtroom. He motioned for his council to step forward from the shadows and let a smirk form on his lips, blackened from the splattered blood. He’d been waiting for this moment the minute he learned of its existence.
“My council, it is time.”
One
She walked down the staircase and tried calming her nerves.
The peach dress she wore didn’t help either. It was way out of her comfort zone, but her mother insisted she wear it. Thankfully, she’d been allowed her choice of shoes and paired it with her favorite black heels.
‘I can do this,’ she thought.
Scarlett took a deep breath and walked down the hall that led to the backyard, where everyone was waiting… for her.
She’d awaited this day for as long as she could remember but now that it was here, she couldn’t find the reason for that want. Moving one foot in front of the other, she slowly made her way to the curtained sliding doors. Scarlett placed her hand on the cool glass and slid it to the side to be greeted by a crowd of family and people she didn’t know.
‘Why was this even a big deal again?’
Her parents and older sister always made a big deal out of it and even started planning from her elementary days.
“It’s your coming of age!”
“You’ll be an adult!”
They always got her psyched for her eighteenth birthday but, as she transitioned from the big dresses and tiaras to worn out hoodies and ripped jeans, a part of her began to dread it.
As if her gut knew something she didn’t.
A light breeze caressed Scarlett’s face and she took a deep breath as the smell of her favorite foods filled her nose. She stepped past the doors and heads turned in her direction as the shouts began.
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCARLETT!”
A smile graced her lips and her worries hesitantly faded. She’d definitely much rather be watching her action movies but she pushed that thought aside and shyly walked down the red-bricked garden steps.
Her mother, Cher, came into view with her father, Roger, following closely behind. Her parents looked amazing, especially since they looked incredibly young. Scarlett’s mother had on a flowing yet shaping, soft yellow spring dress, and her father matched with his brown and dark blue casual suit.
Scarlett’s full-blown smile could no longer be contained as her mother came close to wrap her arms around her. No matter how much she didn’t want to be there, her parents put a lot of effort into it, and for their sake, she’d enjoy it.
“Happy Birthday, my princess,” Cher whispered as they squeezed each other. Scarlett glanced behind her to see her father smiling down at them. She unwrapped herself from her mother and gave her father a tight hug of his own.
“Our girl is growing up, Cher,” he said as he wiped false tears from his eyes. A laugh escaped Scarlett as he pretended to cry. He was always with the theatrics.
Turning in his spot, Roger faced the crowd behind them while putting a hand on Scarlett’s lower back. Her mother moved to the other side and tightly held Scarlett’s hand.