The Crimson Hunt

by Smith, Victoria H.

  *

  I waited until he was asleep. His light went out at exactly the same time as the night before, so I waited an hour later just to be sure. I knew I had only a few minutes in which to enact my plan. I was still on the run from the authorities and if Luca did wake up, I would be back before he worried too much.

  When I felt secure enough, I hopped up out of bed and pulled on my black zip up hoodie and sneakers. The eerie quiet of the night did little to conceal my noise.

  I grabbed a chair and propped it against the wall under my window. I lifted the glass slowly, avoiding any squeaks. After stepping up on the chair, I wrapped my leg around the sill. The chair wobbled under my feet, but I steadied myself and pulled my other leg over. With a little bit of maneuvering, I cleared the window and jumped to the concrete below.

  I stopped for a moment, making sure I heard no steps or sounds. My ears were met with only the sounds of crickets and other various animals of the night. Rising from my crouching position, I silently treaded a good several feet away from our room, and then broke into a quick sprint toward the main office of the motel.

  I approached the doors very quickly, not wasting any time. I hastened my steps and ducked behind the coverage of a wall outside the doors. Peeking around the corner, I saw no light or movement through the glass.

  I released a breath. That hurdle was clear, but how would I get in? I tried the door—like a fool—but no such luck. No one was that stupid.

  Sliding along the wall in the opposite direction, I spotted a window. Maybe just maybe? I put my hands to the glass and gently pushed up with my fingertips. The window lifted in a short screech.

  I guessed I should take back my previous thought about stupidity.

  I raised the window just enough to squeeze inside, then wrapped my leg around the sill. I dropped myself blindly into the space, not thinking about the distance to the floor, and smacked my face on the tiles.

  I lifted myself to my feet and my cheek seared in throbbing pain. I dabbed at it with my finger, but there was no point. I wouldn’t be able to do anything about it now, and I didn’t have time to check the damage.

  Forcibly ignoring my injury, I made my way around the check-in desk. I jiggled the mouse and the light of the monitor illuminated. The computer required no password, and I let out a sigh of relief.

  I clicked on the Internet icon and typed the campus website into the URL address bar. The school website materialized into view normally, but all the icons were left un-clickable. It was then I realized on the front page a banner was displayed. It read: Campus Closed Until Further Notice.

  Luca was right. How had things gotten so bad that the school would close down and even make the website left unusable? There had to be something really terrible going on.

  I checked my wristwatch, seeing I’d already been gone too long. I quickly typed in a website search engine. The page came up and I typed “Eastland University” into the search bar. I didn’t even get half the letters into the search box before the autotyping kicked in and the entire name appeared into view. Along with the name, the website gave me the highest rated searches underneath. A surge of alarm filled me. The top search with Eastland-U was followed by the word: massacre.

  I clicked the top search, my breathing labored. In less than a second, over a million news stories popped into view. Clicking the first one, I saw the headline: The Scene of a Massacre: Students Murdered at Campus Party.

  I closed my eyes, not wanting to read on, but needing to know.

  … As if the events at the local campus weren’t tragic enough, eight more names were added to the list of causalities Friday night when a disgruntled student threw a bomb into a house party, instantly killing the students in the room of impact. Amongst the dead: freshman Sarah Jillian, senior Grace Lundeberg, senior Alex Brown, junior Sam Sullivan, junior Gary Sullivan ….

  A flash of wild grief tore through me at the mention of Sam and Gary. How could this have happened? The Sullivan twins never went to parties. They never did anything that was considered mainstream or popular.

  I swallowed back the basketball-sized lump in my throat and forced myself to continue. There were at least a dozen other autotyped terms in connection with my school, and I had to find out more.

  Local Fire at Campus Coffee Shop. A fire was started during a concert at Demitasse. Two people had been killed that night and at least a dozen injured.

  Chaos on Campus. Riots started after three burglaries in dorms were targeted toward members of a student government organization on campus.

  The results didn’t stop. Words like disaster, accident, and tragedy covered the headlines, and all the articles read nothing but horrible incidents in connection with Eastland-U.

  I stopped my search, fearing I might vomit. There was so much death and destruction. Why was this happening? Why was everyone going so crazy? My school had always been known for being calm and peaceful, now, it seemed like the campus’ serenity crashed down as quickly as my world had after Piper’s death.

  It took all I had inside me to get back to my room.

  I pushed a crate against the outside wall of my room and stood on it. Raising my leg over the sill, I reached for the chair on the other end. I felt it and put my weight on it, but the chair teetered. The chair crashed itself and me to the ground when it toppled over.

  My heart in my throat, I picked myself up and lifted the chair. I quickly closed the window and ran into the bathroom. In a huff, I immediately ripped off my clothes and got back into my bedroom attire.

  Three swift knocks hit the door.

  “Ariel? Ariel, is everything all right?” An edge of panic coated Luca’s smooth voice.

  I had to make something up quick. “Yeah I’m fine,” I called out, sliding on the stubborn gown.

  “Are you sure? May I come in?”

  “Yeah. Yeah, sure.” I didn’t even get the words out before I heard the door open and the light click on.

  “Ariel?”

  I straightened the gown, breathed in deeply, then opened the bathroom door.

  “Ariel, are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine.” My words sounded as believable as a crooked politician during a reelection campaign.

  He ran to me and placed his hand gently to my cheek. “What happened to your face?”

  I squinted my right eye, feeling my cheek throb under his touch. “Oh, that. I went to the bathroom and slipped on a towel. It doesn’t hurt much. It’s not a big deal.”

  I didn’t even believe my words with the edge on them stimulated by the pain. My earlier adrenaline gone, the heated burning in my cheek could kill.

  “It does not look as if it is not a big deal.” He gently moved my cheek into the light, bringing his face closer to mine.

  I pulled away from his hand. I didn’t want his help. Under any other circumstances, I would have welcomed his touch, but tonight was different. “It’s fine. I’m fine. I just need rest.”

  He stepped back from me, confusion and hurt moving over his face. “I understand.” He turned to leave. “Let me know if you need anything for your cheek.”

  I nodded and he left. Turning into the bathroom, I assessed the damage of my face. The flesh was already a dark red, quick on its way to becoming a deep purple. I would have killed for some aspirin or ice in that moment, but I had neither, and I didn’t want to ask Luca for help.

  Giving up on it, I turned off the light and climbed into bed. I tried to go to sleep, but my racing thoughts wouldn’t let me. Nothing about tonight made one damn bit of sense. How could everything have fallen apart so badly after I left? I didn’t know any of the answers, but I was pretty sure I knew who did, and he slept right outside my door.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  I got up early that next morning, determined to confront Luca. But when I went into his room, he was gone. I frowned, thinking this was unusual. He always let me know his whereabouts before he went somewhere. More than likely, he’d gotten up and left early on purpos
e. If he didn’t want me to know he left, then he was keeping another secret from me. This might be my only chance to get the answers I looked for.

  I slid on my black hoodie again and put up the hood to conceal my face. The coverage wasn’t much, but it was the best I had to hide my identity.

  I opened the door and peered through the crack. Seeing no one, I stepped out of the motel room. Luca’s car was still parked out front. I gazed around, seeing an old gas station across the street. Next-door to the station was the diner where Luca had been getting our food. The diner seemed like the best place to start.

  I waited until traffic completely cleared, then made my way across the street to the diner, keeping my head down as I walked.

  Arriving at the doors, I held my breath and let myself calm down. I grabbed at my hoodie strings, making sure the hood was secure, and walked inside.

  The shoddy lighting and the smell of fresh hotcakes grabbed my attention as I gazed around the crowded room. I guessed this was where everyone in this ghost town was. No one seemed to notice my arrival, so I took a step forward. My search was intercepted by the appearance of a heavyset woman in a green polka-dotted apron.

  “Just one today, sweetie?” she asked.

  I let out a sigh of relief. She was just the hostess. I pulled the cords on my hoodie extra tight, preparing to disguise my voice. “Yes, please. Do you mind if I seat myself?”

  The waitress gave me a completely weirded-out look. I didn’t blame her. My voice came out sounding like I had a chainsaw stuck in it. “Sure thing, honey.” She handed me a menu and went back to her other customers.

  I opened the menu and held it to my face. I made my way through the room in quick, but calm strides. I didn’t see Luca upon first glance, but there looked to be another corner to the diner I couldn’t see around. I kept scanning along the way, noticing my bank robber attire wasn’t attracting much attention. My breathing stabilized at the thought.

  I made my way around the corner. Seeing the long, brown locks of Gemini, I froze instantly. I quickly stepped back around the corner, and then glanced around the edge of the wall, slowly this time. I only poked my head out just enough to see. The back of Luca’s head peeked above the opposite side of the booth Gemini was in.

  How did Gemini find us? Had Luca told him to meet him here? The answers I waited for were probably right around that corner. I couldn’t miss this small opportunity.

  I noticed through my first glances that the back of the booths were pretty high up. If I sat in the next booth over they would never know I was there. I took in another deep breath, made sure my menu covered my face, then stepped around the corner.

  I walked at a causal pace even though my legs were as wobbly as jelly. I casually sat down in the booth with my back toward them, placing the menu on the table. Listening hard, I attempted to make sure they didn’t notice me. Hearing no reference of myself, I leaned my head back with relief. When I sat upright, I stilled. A waitress approached my booth.

  Crap.

  “What can I get you today, pumpkin?” asked a short, elderly woman wearing the same polka dot apron as the hostess.

  I raised my hand, motioning her to look at my napkin. I grabbed a crayon out of the cup on the table and wrote the word water.

  She raised her eyebrow at me.

  I wrote the word mute and gave her a sad-face, droopy lip combination.

  She nodded, giving a sympathetic smile, then exited around the corner.

  Thank God that worked.

  I put her out of my head and strained my ears to hear Luca and Gemini’s conversation over the clinking of silverware in the diner.

  “Hey, so did you turn it off?”

  The voice was Gemini’s. His vocals sounded like they sang every word.

  “I did.” Luca’s voice was flat.

  “Good, because I felt a few of them on the way in, and now that I finally got you in one place I don’t want any distractions.”

  What did Gemini mean by he “felt” them? Who was he talking about?

  “So, we really miss you around the grind, man,” Gemini continued.

  “Why do you always call it that?” Luca asked.

  “That’s what it is man. It’s work, but it sure is a blast.”

  “Is it really?” There was sadness to Luca’s words.

  “Well, yeah.” Gemini gave a hesitant laugh. “But seriously, you haven’t checked in for a while. Is everything going all right? You’ve been so secretive. No one can find you anymore.”

  I wondered what Gemini meant by “checked in.”

  “Everything is fine. Nothing of note,” Luca said, his words short.

  There was a sound like someone dragged a spoon across the table. A brief pause followed before Gemini spoke again. “Okay. Well, I’m glad you decided to meet with me today. I know how you get with your work, but I’m glad you realize you still have friends. After our phone conversation yesterday, I wasn’t sure if you would want to meet me.”

  So that was who he spoke with.

  There was another awkward silence.

  “Well … I wanted to congratulate you on your precise technique, my friend. You did a good job of keeping the heat on her. Everyone thinks she murdered the girl,” Gemini said.

  My breathing quickened, and my heart felt like it was going to blast through the thick walls of my chest. They were talking about me ….

  “You’re always so good at this stuff. I feel as if I should be taking notes.” Gemini chuckled. “Have you planned the day yet?”

  Silence.

  “You haven’t? Well, I’m sure it won’t be a problem for you. You seem to be able to get her to do anything. I just can’t get over how you got her to come with you. Absolutely brilliant, my friend.” Gemini couldn’t contain the excitement of his voice. He sounded like he spoke to his idol.

  “Gem ….” Luca’s voice was somber.

  “That was the plan, right? Set her up and get her to come with you?”

  I sat frozen in fear, my thoughts struggling to make meaning of his words.

  “Luca?”

  Luca didn’t respond.

  “Oh my God, Luca.”

  “Gemini ….”

  “My God, Luca! I warned you. I warned you! I said be cordial with them, not get involved! I just wanted you to loosen up, be a little happy for once instead of walking around all pissed off all time. I just wanted you to live a little, but this …. Oh my God … that day. That day I saw you in the hall with her. That was it, wasn’t it? And later in the coffeehouse … that look in your eyes ….”

  Again there was silence.

  “And the day you claimed it didn’t ‘work out’ in the woods?”

  Silence once more.

  “Okay. Okay. There still might be time. Craven might overlook this if you set it right.” Gemini’s charismatic tone was no more. Instead, fear dripped from his words.

  More silence.

  “I’ll finish the mission then if you can’t,” Gemini spat.

  There was a rustling sound, then a snap, as if someone grabbed the other.

  “No,” said Luca, force in his voice. “No, I will.”

  There was another pause, then Gemini responded, “Are you sure—”

  “Have I ever given you a reason to doubt me, my friend?” Luca’s voice held its familiar smoothness now, the tones uplifted. “I will get done what needs to be done. Ariel will be taken care of.”

  There was a brief moment of silence.

  “Okay …. Okay, that’s more like it. You had me scared for a minute. Sorry I jumped to conclusions. It’s just hard to read you sometimes, you know.” Gemini gave a relieved laugh, the tension fading from his voice.

  I couldn’t listen to anymore. I had to get out of there before an escape would be too late. I didn’t know how far I could get on my own, but I had to try.

  I rose from the table as casually as I could, and then left the diner. Fighting the panic and hurt from getting the best of me, I escaped into the da
y.

  *

  The light of the sun through my tears blinded me in my steps. I ran in wavering strides from the diner and into the nearby woods. I clutched at my waist for the comfort of my necklace, but my fisted fingers only clamped on tight to the material of my shirt.

  Where is my strength? Why couldn’t I find it within me ….

  The pain was so intense. My heart suffocated with every step I took against the cold hard ground. The trees crowded in on me, taking me in as their lowly prisoner. I felt like giving up, like there was no point in going on. My world was completely gone. I had no one. I was on my own and the last person I cared about never cared for me. I fell for it. I’d fallen into his masochistic games.

  I felt like such a fool for being led in. Led in to every touch. Led in with every sweet word from his lips. Led in to those intense, alluring eyes. I actually thought that I …. I actually thought that he …. I guessed I really didn’t know what I thought. All I knew now was I had to escape. I had to get away or he won.

  I ran blindly, wanting to put as much distance between Luca and myself. How long I ran, I didn’t know. I didn’t even know if I was tired, but I did know if Luca found me I was going to die.

  I came across a split in the woods and stumbled across train tracks that faded into the fog about twenty-yards out in each direction. I bent down and held my knees, gasping with both physical and emotional fatigue. Maybe if I followed the tracks they’d lead me into another town. I could hop a train and get as far away as I could.

  I forced myself to stand and sprinted ahead, my determination to survive giving me renewed strength. I followed the tracks into the murky air and didn’t have to run for very long until I approached a train yard that was hidden by the thickness of the fog. My hope turned to despair as soon as I saw the vast area. The space was completely vacant of anyone. Nothing but old trains covered in graffiti for what seemed like miles.

  I paused, my eyes scanning for some signs of hope. I searched for someone, anyone that could help me, but there was no one. My body stilled as I heard rocks kick up from behind me.