Page 64 of Deck of Scarlets

It hit the bullseye.

The creature screamed in a demonic tone, piercing my ears. Then it fell to the ground, creating a loud thud, shaking the earth.

I slid down the brick wall, overwhelmed by the sound, the smell, everything. How could I be the only one seeing this? Why hadn’t other students come to witness the obscenity?

I can’t do this. I can’t.

“REMI! NOW!” shouted Kal, tossing the small device at my feet.

His voice disrupted the self-doubt replaying in my head. Kal was now pinned to the ground, fighting off the thick claws of the creature swiping aggressively at his face.

I scrambled toward the pager, trying as fast as I could to signal for help, all while hearing Kal grunt in despair.

“REMI!”

I slammed my thumb down on the alert button just as his scream vanished with the wind. I counted down the minutes, which seemed to drag, not prepared to fight the creature alone, when another arrow went flying through the air, piercing the creature’s side. A black substance sprayed all over the ground, tainting the already dead shrubs and brown grass. It screamed in agony, swiping left and right in anger as a flash of scarlet cape soared past, landing on the back of the creature.

Just then, Anna’s face came into view as she stabbed it directly in the heart with a short dagger, jumping off just in time for it to melt on the ground, bubbling until it evaporated completely. The smell began to turn my stomach, and I clenched it as I slowly collapsed to the ground, trying to breathe.

Josh suddenly came into view, gripping my shoulders. “Remi, are you okay?”

My throat was dry, my voice nonexistent. I could only stare past his head, watching Anna help Kal up from the ground, assessing him to make sure he wasn’t hurt.

“Remi, I need you to answer me,” Josh said as he waved a frantic hand in front of my face.

I shook my head in disbelief, afraid to even utter a word.

The night of the club replayed in my mind. The dark alley, the slick sludge dripping off the buildings from the gruesome creature that haunted just beyond 85th street, the same type of creature that had entered campus grounds.

My body shook; I couldn’t control my emotions any longer.

“Remi, please,” begged Josh. He got down to eye level, but I just kept shaking my head.

“What the fuck is wrong with her?”

“Shut up, Anna. Go back to Kal.”

She joined Josh, kneeling next to him. “Snap the fuck out of it.” Her hand connected with my cheek, creating a sharp sting.

I yelped and pushed them away, stumbling backward. “Stay the fuck away from me!” Not caring about making a scene, I ran as hard as I could, dashing through traffic, where loud, angry shouts and aggressive honking were directed at me.

I didn’t care. Pumping my legs to go faster, the burning sensation of trying to breathe through my erratic sprint across campus was enough to push harder to feel something, anything rather than death. The night air clung to my skin the further I got from the stench of death.

Realizing I must have dropped my bag back at the cathedral, I was lucky to slip right inside Carman Hall as one of the students clicked the door open. Shouts of protest came from the guy at the front desk but were forgotten when I climbed the stairs two at a time.

Pushing other students aside, I barreled down the hall, skidding to a halt and shouldering my dorm door, breaking one of the hinges off along with the lock.

There was no way to process what I just did, not while I searched for my flask. I tossed my pillows and blankets aside, realizing then that I never put it back under the pillow.

“Ugh! Where the fuck is it?” I shouted, stomping over all my belongings.

“Remi!” Josh’s voice could be heard down the hall, but nothing mattered until I found my flask, until that alcohol touched my tongue and coated my bloodstream.

“Remi, stop!” he demanded at the doorway, or what was left of it. He stepped inside, trying to move the half-assembled door aside.

I whipped around, ready to tell him off, when I noticed something off on Heather’s side. All her belongings, even the weird art on the walls, were absent. Her desk, which had showcased her variety of perfumes, gone.

My breathing became ragged as I took inventory of everything missing, right down to her closet, where her impressive shoe collection had been emptied out.

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