Story Time
Goodness, it HAS been a while... again. Quick catch up first. Dated the Starbucks girl(Aryka) for a while. Things didn't work out. The end.
While I was dating Aryka I finished writing a short story. I figure I'll put it up here. My loyal readers may read it if they wish. I would appreciate any feedback you have to offer.
She walked in and sat down on a stool at the end of the bar. Everyone else in the room faded from existence as Sam looked at her. One look into those big brown eyes and he was immediately infatuated. Her long, dark hair fell down just past her shoulders in waves that complimented her perfect curves. Even though it was cold outside, she wore just jeans and a t-shirt that said “Schwing!” in big red letters. The only thing that seemed to fit the weather was the thin, blue scarf she had around her neck. It served as more of a fashion statement than a source of warmth though.
She had come in alone, and from the looks of it had remained that way. It was absurd to think that he was the only person in the bar that had noticed her beauty. The bartender brought her a Bloody Mary. He wasn’t really one for tomato juice, but he could make an exception for her. He hadn’t even seen her order it. Sam wondered if maybe she had come in here before, but the bartender did nothing more to further his suspicions.
She started to look over his way. Eye contact! She smiled warmly, showing her perfect white teeth. Her canines were slightly larger than they ought to be, but that just served to increase her beauty. It gave her the slight vicious look that the rest of her body lacked. He melted in his seat.
It was now or never. He had to make a move while she was still noticing him. He tried his best to look as confident as he could as he made his way over to her. It was hard to keep his legs from crumbling as he walked. It was getting hard to think, but deep breaths kept the oxygen flowing. This was the defining moment of his life. This ten foot walk was the biggest journey he had ever taken.
He was finally within arm’s length, and she was just sitting there with a slight smile on her perfect face running her finger along the rim of her glass. Sam froze. There were so many things going through his head at that moment, but none gave him any idea of what to say. In a moment of panic, he started to turn away. Then he felt a warm, soft hand grab his wrist.
“They always try to run away.” Her voice was intoxication itself. If she were to sing, she would be a perfect alto. He was lost in her voice. “Why don’t you have a seat?”
Sam felt compelled to obey her words. He sat down on the stool next to hers. His mind raced with things he should and shouldn’t say until he landed on “I haven’t seen you around here before. Have you been around here long?” That was the stupidest thing I could have said, he thought. He thought for sure she would send him away. But she just looked into his eyes and smiled her wonderful, vicious smile.
“You’re a pretty observant guy,” she said, “I just moved here a few days ago from Arizona.” She never broke eye contact.
“Arizona? That’s quite the difference in weather. Though you don’t seem to be too affected by the cold,” Sam said as he gestured towards her clothes. She didn’t react to the gesture at all. She just stared into his eyes, and the only thing he could do was stare back into hers. He swam in the depths of those seductive, brown eyes.
“I adapt quickly,” she replied, “but I still haven’t gotten around to making any new friends. Would you like to be my friend?” She smiled her fierce smile, but in a way that wasn’t threatening at all. Sam was taken aback.
“Yeah,” he managed, “that sounds like a fantastic idea.” It was, in fact, the most fantastic idea he had ever heard.
“Great!” she said, laughing a little. She finally broke eye contact and took a drink through her straw. It was like breaking out of a trance. But he didn’t want it to break. “But you know,” she started, looking at him again, “friends usually know each others’ names.”
“Of course,” he blurted. At this point, he would have told her just about anything she wanted to know. “The name’s Samuel, but my friends call me Sam,” he said as his hand automatically went out to shake her hand.
“Scarlet,” she replied, shaking his hand and smiling. “My friends call me Scarlet.” It was a wonderful name; Scarlet. Though she had no red on her that he could see, he thought that the name somehow matched her smile. “Well Sam. Do you think you can watch my drink for a few minutes? I need to go use the ladies’ room.”
“Of course!” he replied. Then she got up and started to walk away. She had the most graceful walk he had ever seen. It was almost as if she was floating across the floor and not even touching the ground.
A few seconds later, the bartender came to him and asked if he needed anything to drink. He replied, “Umm… A shot of something strong. It doesn’t matter what it is.”
“Need some quick courage for something?” The bartender asked as he started mixing a few kinds of alcohol into a double shot glass. The result was a murky liquid that smelled strongly of alcohol. Perfect. The bartender didn’t bother to wait for an answer to the question he asked. He just set the shot glass in front of Sam, and then went on to the next patron.
He regarded the shot in front of him with curiosity. He had never taken a shot so powerful without a proper chaser before. If he was going to have any amount guts around Scarlet for the remainder of the night though, he would have to drink it. Sam cautiously picked up the glass, did a cheers motion for anyone that may be watching, and poured the liquid down his throat. It tasted mostly of rum, and he was afraid to breathe because he knew that it was going to burn as soon as he let air in.
A shout echoed in his ear; “Boo!” He lost it. The air came rushing into his lungs and along with it the burning from the alcohol. He couldn’t stop the fit of coughing that followed. And there was Scarlet beside him again. It was obvious from her laughter that she was the one who had done the shouting. And what wonderful laughter it was. It wasn’t an annoying giggle, nor was it an obscene belly laugh. It was the perfect distance between. Even through his coughing, he was mesmerized by her. And once his coughing subsided he began to laugh as well. Her laugh was contagious.
It seemed like they were laughing for an eternity, but in reality it was less than a minute. Sam looked over at her again. Was she even more beautiful now than she had been before? Had she changed something about herself when she went into the bathroom? Her scarf was missing, revealing a long, slender neck. But he didn’t think about it for too long. Here was a beautiful woman giving him more attention than any other woman had ever given him before. He wasn’t about to complain about her being more beautiful than she was a few minutes ago.
Thinking of her beauty only made him want her more. Then out of nowhere he asked, “How would you like to get out of this dive? Maybe go somewhere a little less crowded?” The shot was more effective than he had anticipated.
For an instant her cheeks seemed to flush and her smile seemed to turn more timid. Was she blushing? “I don’t know,” she replied, “You just met me. How do you know you can trust me?” Was she actually a shy person under all of that confidence she was outputting earlier? But she had a point. They did just meet. And if this was anyone else he didn’t think he would have had the courage to ask her to leave with him. But there was something about this girl that made her different than most people he had met. She had a certain allure about her. It made him want to be with her.
“You said that you wanted to be friends, right? Don’t friends usually trust each other?”
Her fierce smile came back. “I guess you’ve got a pretty good point there. And this place is awfully crowded.” She brushed some hair away from her face and said in a seductive voice, “Alright. Where did you have in mind?”
It worked! Nothing in his life had ever worked out so well. And now this beautiful woman wanted to go somewhere with him. The only problem with this was the fact that he didn’t expect any of this to happen and so did not have anywhere in mind to take her. He was flustered and didn’t know what to say. Would his place be too…
She interrupted his thoughts saying, “My place is just a couple of blocks away. There isn’t much in my place yet, and it’s kind of a mess since I just moved in, but I don’t think it’ll take us too long to figure out something to do.”
A circuit blew in his brain. He had no idea what to say. He was in an excited state of shock. After what seemed like hours to him, he finally managed to say, “Ok.”
“Alright!” she said. And with that she jumped off her stool, gracefully landed next to him and put her arm through his. “Let’s head out then.”
And with that they made their way around the numerous staring eyes towards the exit. As they neared the door, Scarlet lifted her head and whispered something into his ear. Between still being in shock and other people talking to each other around us he couldn’t hear what she said, but her warm breath on his ear was enough to conjure a shiver of pleasure.
She opened the door and pulled him outside. The cold air rushed at him like a stampede of wildebeests running from a lioness. It occurred to him that his jacket was still on the chair where he was before Scarlet entered the room. It only mattered to him for a second, and then his thoughts returned to the beautiful girl at his side taking him back to her place. There were no words spoken during this short venture. None were needed. The thoughts he was thinking and the warmth he was feeling at this particular moment were too complex for simple words. She led him down what seemed like random alleys and narrow, winding streets until they arrived in front of a shabby looking apartment complex called Heaven’s Rose. How appropriate.
Scarlet led him through a creaky gate that stood between the street and the apartment grounds, and along a narrow strip of concrete that served as a path between two areas of dying grass. Every step nearer the front door sped up his heartbeat until he thought it might explode at any moment. But there was no time to be concerned with trivial things like dead grass and exploding hearts. He was with the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and she was taking him back to her place. Everything else just seemed to fade away.
Suddenly they were standing inside a long hallway lined with doors on either side and Scarlet was turning the key on a door marked with a number nine. He did not even remember coming into the apartment complex. Must have blacked out from excitement. But he was not worried about it. Nine had always been his lucky number. Ever since he was a kid he had always had a fascination with the occult. He never believed any of it of course, but he liked to think about how cool it would be if witches and demons and the like actually existed. Throughout all of the books he had read, there had always been a lot of power in the number three. So naturally he figured that three threes had to be even more powerful. And so whenever anyone asked him what his lucky number was, he always replied with the number nine.
Now here he was, going inside a door marked with his favorite number with the girl of his dreams. Inside was still a mess, just as she had told him. Boxes were stacked all over the place. Just to the left of the entrance was the small kitchen area. The counter and sink were both stacked with dishes. Some of the dishes still held morsels of half eaten food.
For just a moment, he wondered how such a beautiful woman could live in such filth. But the thought was fleeting. Scarlet grabbed his wrist and said, “Welcome to my humble abode. Let me give you the tour.” And suddenly none of the mess mattered anymore. There was only her. And she was beautiful.
As Scarlet led him through the place, still holding onto his wrist, she pointed at various things in the room; the lamp that looked like a Chinese lantern, the brown leather couch, the colorful painting leaning against the wall waiting to be hung. She spoke in a soft, smooth voice, but he never heard a word of it. It didn’t matter what she was saying, only that she was saying it to him.
Then they were in the bedroom. By far the cleanest part of the apartment. The majority of the space in the room was taken up by a large, king sized bed with red silky sheets and a matching comforter. To the right of where he was standing, the sliding door of the closet had been left open and he could see a variety of shirts hung up neatly on a series of wire hangers.
He felt her grip loosen from his wrist, then suddenly she was on the bed smiling over at him. That vicious smile again. She beckoned him over to her using a “come hither” gesture with her finger. His heart started pounding again. This is it. This is really happening. He started walking toward the bed trying to look as outwardly cool as he possibly could while feeling as giddy as a child in a candy shop on the inside.
Just before he reached the bed, Scarlet jumped up. She put her arms around him and drew herself close. He could feel an almost overwhelming heat emanating from her body pressed against his own. Then she was kissing him. He felt the warmth of her lips on his. He felt her lips part and her tongue slide into his mouth, curling around his own tongue. It was the most amazing kiss he had ever received. He never wanted it to end.
As suddenly as it started though, she ended it. Her arms slowly retreated from around Him, but her hand slid over his body and soon found his chest. She looked up into his face and bit her lower lip, and for just a second her expression seemed unsure, maybe even slightly embarrassed. But the look was quickly gone and he felt her hands gripping his shirt. The next moment she pulled him onto the bed with an almost frightening strength.
He found himself on his back with Scarlet on top of him straddling his waste. He wasn’t quite sure how he ended up in that position, but at this point he didn’t really care. Everything seemed to be moving very quickly. One moment she was kissing him again, the next his shirt was on the floor across the room. All the while, she remained on top of him. He didn’t care. This night had turned into an amazing dream.
He felt her fingernails rake across his bare chest. It might have been painful if he wasn’t so turned on. All the while he could feel his heart racing faster and faster, and from that moment on everything was a blur of erotic pleasure and the vague sense of heat spreading throughout his entire body.
The last he could remember seeing before blacking out was Scarlet, still sitting on top of him. Her shirt was off, revealing two perfect breasts speckled with red droplets. She was smiling at him with that vicious smile again. Her canines just a little bigger than they ought to be. And suddenly it wasn’t beautiful anymore. Suddenly he was frightened. And then there was blackness.
Scarlet evaluated herself in the mirror, turning this way and that. She brushed her dark hair behind her ear and frowned a little. She missed her red hair. But she would not be able to go back to her natural color for a while since her carelessness last month.
Giving herself one last look over, she turned away from the mirror and grabbed a thin, blue scarf to finish her ensemble. “Tonight is the night,” she told herself with an excited smile. It felt like an eternity since she had last had a man. The last one being the owner of the apartment she was currently staying in, over two weeks ago. She was starving.
Walking out into the living room, she glanced around and made a mental note to clean the place up soon. She could not go on forever living in another person’s filth. Then she walked out the door, locking it behind her. It would not do to have somebody wandering in there by accident. That might raise some unwanted questions.
Heading down the street, she noticed other people giving her odd glances. Looking down at herself she realized that she had forgotten to grab her coat again. Everyone around her was bundled up in heavy coats and scarves; she was the only one walking about in a t-shirt. Trying not to raise too much suspicion, she attempted to look as cold as she could, even though she felt as if it were summer outside.
Turning a corner, she spotted her destination. It was a little hole in the wall bar that had ironically been named The Classy Joint. She assumed the owner of the place was probably very proud of himself for that little joke.
Scarlet had been staking this place out for the last few weeks. There was a little Mexican restaurant across the street that she would sit by the window and pretend to eat while she was secretly watching the groups of people that came and went from the bar. In her observations, she had noticed every Thursday night there was a small group of college students that came in around eight. There were always three or four of them, and they were all men.
Taking up her usual spot in the restaurant, she glanced down at her wristwatch. Three after eight. Almost time, she thought. Then she saw them. Three men, all a bit nerdy looking, but trying their best to look cool. Two of them wore thick glasses. Scarlet set her eyes on the third and involuntarily licked her lips. He is the one, she thought as she smiled.
She saw the three men wave at someone down the street, and her smile vanished. Waving back to them was a pretty girl about their age. She wore a white hoodie with a fur lined hood and bright red mittens on her hands. Waves of long red hair tumbled out of her hood, giving the slight illusion that she had a mane.
The four of them met at the entrance to the bar and were exchanging pleasantries. Then they all started laughing at something the girl said. Scarlet stared at the girl with cool eyes. Then they were inside and out of her sight.
She was not pleased. With this new player, she would have to revise her strategy, and that was not something she like doing. That was how she got caught last time and ended up here.
Originally she had intended on going in after them and joining their little boys’ club for a while. She would flirt with them all for a while, spending at least an hour or two to build up report. Then, when the time was right, and they were good and drunk on alcohol and pheromones, she would take one of them home with her. It would look like a usual bar hookup and nobody would be the wiser.
Now, with another female involved, everything would have to change. Women were almost always immune to her charms. She would have to go in there and lure her target to her. That in itself did not pose a problem. She could get any man to walk over to her with a glance. The problem would be if the girl intervened. That being the case, she would have to make this quick. The less time she spent in there, the less likely it was that the girl could interfere.
With the revised strategy in her mind, Scarlet got up from her spot in the window and headed outside and across the street. She walked straight inside, not even bothering to stop for the man at the entrance checking ID cards. He just watched her go by, clearly undressing her with his eyes as she passed.
She had already come in a few times over the last couple weeks to get a feel for the layout inside. She had been careful to make sure her prey had not been there at the same time. Also, she had been working on the bartender. Making sure he knew what kind of drinks she wanted and that she was always served immediately.
That being the case, as soon as she took her seat at the end of the bar, a bloody mary was placed in front of her. She took a sip and gave a nod of approval. Now it was time to get to work.
Looking over at the table across the room where the four friends had chosen to sit, she noticed the man she’d had her eye on was already looking at her. Perfect. She made eye contact with him and smiled. In response, he formed an expression of puppy love on his face. That meant her charms were already working. Now she just had to wait for him to come to her.
She kept her eyes on him and began to run her finger along the rim of her glass. Within the minute, he got out of his chair and began to walk over to her. She saw his three friends back at their table give him weird look and call out his name, but he was completely oblivious to them. He already belonged to her.
He was only a few steps from her now. Suddenly he had a look of doubt on his face and he started to turn away. It was natural for some men to be overwhelmed by her charms. Especially if those men had a low self esteem. All he needed was a little encouragement.
She grabbed his wrist and stopped him. He immediately regained his love struck expression. “They always try to run away,” Scarlet said in her most seductive voice. “Why don’t you have a seat,” she said, motioning for him to take the seat next to her. He dutifully did as he was told and sat down.
He sat for a moment in silence, a look of confused thoughtfulness on his face. She could tell he was trying to think of what to say to her. They were always so cute when they were flustered and unaware of what was really going on.
Finally he said, “I haven’t seen you around here before. Have you been around here long?”
It took all of Scarlet’s willpower to keep from laughing. She usually chose her targets based on their social ineptitude, but this guy was on a whole different level. She smiled at him for a moment longer to gather her composure before she said, “you’re a pretty observant guy. I just moved here from Arizona.” He didn’t need to know that she had been watching him for weeks, waiting for the opportune moment to make her move.
“Arizona? That’s quite the difference in weather. Though you don’t seem to be too affected by the cold.”
Damn, she thought, I really need to remember to grab a coat next time. “I adapt quickly,” she said smoothly. Then, changing the subject, she said, “But I still haven’t gotten around to making any new friends. Would you like to be my friend?” She could tell that surprised him, and she just smiled at him.
“Yeah,” he replied after a brief pause, “that sounds like a fantastic idea.”
“Great!” she exclaimed, forcing a little laugh. She took a sip of her Bloody Mary. It was important to take drinks or a bite of something every now then to keep up appearances and look more natural. Then she continued, “But you know, friends usually know each others’ names.”
At this point, he was so much in the palm of her hand that he would have told her the pin number for his debit card if she asked for it. So he immediately said, “Of course!” almost tripping over the words. “The name’s Samuel, but my friends call me Sam.”
As he introduced himself his hand shot out to shake hers. Scarlet had never understood this automatic behavior that most people seemed possessed to do. To her, the hand shake was a symbol of trust, friendship, or mutual respect. In this particular instance, Sam clearly thought all of those qualities were in place, but it didn’t make sense when she saw complete strangers shaking hands. Besides the obvious sanitary issues associated in shaking a stranger’s hand, there was no way anyone could trust someone they just met fifteen seconds before.
But regardless of her feelings toward the subject, she took his hand and said, “Scarlet. My friends call me Scarlet.”
Glancing behind Sam, Scarlet notice his friends looking in their direction. The two other men had looks of admiration on their faces, clearly impressed with their friend for having the nerve to talk to a woman as pretty as her and not get turned away. The girl’s expression, however, worried her. Scarlet had seen that look before. It was a look of pure anger and hatred.
Every once in a while, Scarlet would attract men who were out with their girlfriends. The girlfriends, in turn, would get upset and ultimately get in Scarlet’s way. If this girl was Sam’s girlfriend, or at least vying for his affections, she could definitely turn into a problem. She had to act before things got bad.
Looking back at Sam she said, “Well Sam. Do you think you could watch my drink for a few minutes? I need to go use the ladies’ room.”
She waited for him to say, “Of course!” then got up and headed for the restroom. The girl’s eyes followed her the entire way. Then just before Scarlet reached the door she saw the girl get up and start following her. Scarlet smiled to herself, then went inside and waited.
A few seconds later, the door opened and the girl walked in. As soon as she was in view, Scarlet’s hand shot out and grabbed the girl by the throat. Caught off guard, the girl didn’t stand a chance against Scarlet’s speed and strength. She squeezed hard and slammed the girl’s head into the wall of the toilet stall, knocking her unconscious.
She dragged the girl’s limp body into the stall and propped her against the toilet. Then she took off her belt and tied the girls hands to the pipes connecting the toilet to the wall. The girl started to come to. Her eyes opened, still glazed over but quickly regaining their focus. Before she had sense enough to scream for help, Scarlet took her scarf off and shoved it into the girl’s mouth.
Eye’s blazing, Scarlet bent down getting right up to the girl’s face and said in a hushed and borderline maniacal voice, “you will NOT interfere.” Then she smiled and lightly brushed the tips of her fingernails across the girl’s cheek leaving small cuts that quickly welled up with blood. Then she stood up and left the stall, locking it behind her using her fingernail to turn the lock.
Her business with the girl complete, Scarlet left the restroom and began to make her way back to Sam. When she passed by the table where his two other friends were still seated, she looked over and gave them a quick wink.
Sam was still at the bar, dutifully watching over her drink. He had a full shot glass in front of him that he was eyeing cautiously. The poor guy must be incredibly nervous talking with her. As he made a cheers motion to nobody, Scarlet put on a mischievous smile and started sneaking up behind him. As soon as he threw back the shot she crept up next to him and shouted into his ear, “Boo!”
He got lost in a fit of coughing and Scarlet could not help but break into laughter. And as soon as he was done coughing, Sam started laughing as well.
She noticed him looking her over more attentively than before. A new look in eyes. Then he asked the question she had been waiting for. “How would you like to get out of this dive? Maybe go somewhere a little less crowded?”
Scarlet immediately grew excited and could not stop the redness that crept into her cheeks. But she cast her eyes downward for a moment and tried to play it off as embarrassment. “I don’t know,” she said with a shy smile. “You just met me. How do you know you can trust me.”
“You said that you wanted to be friends, right? Don’t friends usually trust each other?” Perfect response. He might as well have had strings attached to him like a marionette.
She smiled her best smile and replied, “I guess you’ve got a pretty good point there. And this place is awfully crowded.” She brushed some stray hair out of her face and said in her most seductive voice, “Alright, where did you have in mind.”
She let him puzzle over where to take her for a moment before she chose for him. “My place is just a couple blocks away. There isn’t much in my place yet, and it’s kind of a mess since I just moved in, but I don’t think it’ll take us too long to figure out something to do.”
Clearly she had surprised him, because he just sat there for a moment with a dumb look of shock on his face until he finally managed a quiet, “ok.”
“Alright!” she exclaimed excitedly. Leaping from her stool she slipped her arm through his, pressing her body against his. “Let’s head out then.”
As they walked through the crowd that had grown significantly since they had come in she couldn’t help whispering into his ear, “You’re mine now.” In response, he just shivered in delight. Then they were out the door and headed back to the apartment she had acquired.
Once they were outside Scarlet led Sam back to the Heaven’s rose apartment complex as quickly as she could. She was starting to get impatient. And hungry. Her heart beat faster with anticipation with each step they took. By the time they passed through the creaky little chain link fence gate it felt like it was going to leap out of her chest.
Heaven’s Rose, despite its name, was not a good looking place. It might once have been beautiful, a place befitting of its name, but now it stood dead and rotting. On either side of the concrete path leading to the front door there was brown field grass. It looked as though there had not been a groundskeeper for several years. And in the middle of the grass stood an ugly tree that may have once been covered in leaves, but now stood naked and rotting like some massive skeletal corpse.
Sam was following her blindly, entranced by her charm. She smiled to herself as she led him through the double doors of the apartments, down the hallway and in front of door number nine. As she unlocked the door, she noticed him becoming more coherent of his surroundings. That could potentially be bad.
He followed her through the door and saw him look into the kitchen. The placid look he had had on his face ever since they left the bar slowly started to give way to a look of disgust. Glancing into the kitchen Scarlet saw what had changed his expression. Dirty dishes were stacked everywhere. Many of them had half eaten meals covered in mold. On one plate there was probably leftover food, but it could not be seen underneath all of the ants that had swarmed it. It looked like one large writhing mass. Because she did not crave regular food, she had never found it necessary to go into the kitchen to clean up. Clearly that had been a mistake.
She grabbed Sam by the wrist, prompting him to look back over at her. “Welcome to my humble abode. Let me give you the tour.” She had to get him away from the dirtier parts of the apartment and into the bedroom as quickly as she could.
As she dragged him across the room she made up stories for some of the things they passed. The lamp her father had bought her for Christmas the year before. The couch she had lost her virginity on. The painting her friend made for her before he went off to become a famous artist. In truth, almost everything in the apartment had belonged to the pervious occupant. She had never even learned his name. Not that it mattered.
She pulled him the rest of the way into the bedroom and shut the door behind him. This was her domain. There was no escape for him now. Letting go of his wrist, she ran over to the bed an fell back onto it. Smiling up at him and beckoning him over to her, she wondered for a moment whether he was still a virgin or not. From what she had seen of him so far he was definitely not very good with the ladies. However, that girl she had dealt with in the bathroom back at the bar seemed to be interested in him. Perhaps he had some sort of hidden charm.
None of that mattered right now though. Sam had just about reached the bed. Scarlet jumped off the bed and embraced him. Pulling her body close to his, she could feel his heart beating at a furious pace. Then she stood up on her toes and pressed her kips against his. When she slipped her tongue into his mouth she could practically feel him melting from the heat of his desire.
She broke away from him, but kept her hand pressed against his chest. Then she bit her lower lip and donned her most timid expression before gripping his shirt and practically throwing him onto the bed. In the next second she was on top of him straddling his waste.
She let herself get lost in her desire. The next few moments were a frenzy of kisses and clothes being torn off. The fury of passion burned inside of her like a wildfire, and she enjoyed every but of it. Forgetting herself in the intensity of the situation she raked her fingernails across his chest, leaving behind ten deep scratches that quickly started bleeding. She felt some of his blood spray against her body, and a ripple of excitement surged throughout her. Lost as he was in desire, Sam was oblivious to what was happening to him.
Finally Scarlet was completely nude, still on top of Sam, who was down to his blue and white striped boxers. It was time to start. She concentrated for a moment, then pricked his neck with her right index finger. He immediately snapped to attention like he had just broken out of a trance. She saw panic in his eyes and just smiled down at him. It was too late; her venom was already working its way through his system.
Soon Sam’s eyes started to glaze over and her eyelids closed. His breathing steadied. He was unconscious. Scarlet frowned a bit to herself. It was always more fun when they were awake for the process, but it was not worth the chance of anything going wrong. And she was too hungry to be taking any chances.
Scarlet got off of Sam and began to remove his boxers. If she did not start right away he would wake up in the middle of it. She threw the last bit of his clothing across the room then crawled back on top of him.
Just as she was about to begin, the sound of a loud crash stole her attention. The bedroom door lay flat on the floor, splintered and broken.
Ruby walked along the sidewalk towards the Hole In The Wall bar. Everyone outside, including herself, was bundled up in their warmest coats to ward off the cold. It was unseasonably cold for October and the sky was threatening to snow. She glanced at the watch on her wrist and picked up her pace. It was 7:58; the boys she was meeting at the bar would be there soon, and she did not want to be late.
Finally she rounded the last corner and she could see the bar’s welcome sign about a block farther up the road. She also saw the three boys she was meeting approaching from the other side of the bar. They waved to her, and she saw no reason not to, so she waved back. She had to play nice. These boys were her ticket to some free meals after all.
They met up in front of the door, all smiling to each other. The three of them together made an almost comical scene. There were the two with glasses, Brad and Frank. She could never remember which was which. One of them wore a tweed coat over a gray sweater vest. Clearly he was trying his best to look classy, but the attempt was a very poor one. The other boy with glasses wore a large blue parka. Last time Ruby had seen him in it she had asked about it. He had replied that it made him look like one of the Ice Climbers. She did not know what he was talking about, so she had just smiled and nodded.
The third boy, Sam, looked like the most normal of the group. In fact, he could almost be considered handsome in his black sports jacket over a red shirt with dark blue jeans. He was the one Ruby was most interested in.
“Good evening, Gentlemen,” she told them politely.
“Good evening, Ruby,” the three of them said in unison before proceeding to give each other silly looks and little smirks.
Ruby responded playfully with, “it’s like the three of you are triplets or something.” She didn’t think it was a very funny joke, but the three boys must have thought otherwise because they were all laughing. Not wanting to seem out of place, she joined in their laughter.
After their laughter subsided, they all showed their ID cards to the door man and headed into the bar. Still early as it was, the bar was not very busy on the inside. They easily claimed a table to the right of the bar that had four chairs and hung their coats on the backs of their chairs.
Under her white coat Ruby had on a plain black tank top that revealed a fair amount of cleavage. She took a seat and surveyed the boys. The boy with the tweed coat just had on a green long sleeved shirt under his sweater vest. The boy with the parka had on a black T-shirt with E=MC² written on the chest in white letters. And Sam wore a plain red T-shirt.
Shortly after they sat down a female server came to their table to take their drink order. The three boys all ordered some generic domestic light beer like Pabst or Bud Light. Ruby asked what they had on tap and settled on a Porter. She thought that darker beers had a much better flavor than their lighter counterparts.
While she waited for the beers to arrive, Ruby listened to the boys complain about the teachers in their college classes. She was only half paying attention to their conversation when she heard her name said by one of them. “What was that?” she asked.
The tweed jacket boy answered, “I asked if there were any classes you’re having trouble with this term.”
Ruby smiled and said, “Nope. I love all my classes!” In truth, she was not taking any classes at all. She just liked to hang around on campus and pretend she was a student. She particularly liked the building where all of the math classes were taught. It was always easier to pick up boys there. It was where she had met the three of them.
The server came back to their table and started putting their drinks in front of them. “Oh! Beer!” Ruby exclaimed, taking the focus off of her non-existent classes. She took a sip of the exceptionally dark beer in front of her and closed her eyes as the flavors of chocolate and coffee swirled in her mouth and a smile grew on her face.
She opened her eyes and her smile immediately vanished. A strange scent filled her nose. I was a scent she had smelled before. As she looked around the bar to see of she could find the source, she heard a chair scrape across the floor.
Without a word to any of them, Sam got out of his chair and started walking towards the bar. The two other boys called his name questioningly, but Sam ignored them. He was headed towards a pretty girl in a T-shirt who had just sat down at the end of the bar. Just before he reached her it looked as though he was going to change his mind and come back to the table. Before he could turn around though, the girl grabbed his arm and said something to him. Then a moment later he was seated next to her.
While Sam’s two friends sat at their table, awestruck by their friend’s newfound courage and seeming success, Ruby focused on the couple at the bar with a scowl on her face. She, unfortunately, knew exactly what was going on. That girl at the bar was a succubus. A demon that preyed on the sexual desires of men. She would lure Sam away somewhere and probably give him the best sex of his life. In turn though, she would feast on his life essence until either she was satisfied or he was dead. And succubi were not known to be satisfied easily.
She had to get Sam away from that demon before it killed him. It was going to be hard to convince him to walk away though. That scent she had picked up earlier was the scent of pheromones. And since none of the other men in the bar seemed affected by it, that meant that she had specifically aimed for Sam. Ruby could not help but be a little impressed. That kind of precision in choosing a victim in a room full of people was very uncommon. Sam was probably swimming in a sea of ecstasy right now. She would have to approach the succubus herself.
She sat there for a moment with a grimace on her face trying to think of a strategy to separate the two of them. She didn’t have to wait long though. The girl noticed Ruby looking at them, and a moment later she left Sam at the bar and made her way to the bathroom. Ruby hesitantly got out of her chair, told the tow boys still at the table she needed to use the restroom, and followed the girl. Perhaps if she revealed that she knew the girl’s secret, she would leave Sam alone and pursue easier prey.
Ruby pulled the door to the bathroom open and stepped inside. In the next instant she found the demon’s hand around her throat. Her grip was so tight that Ruby could not breath. Before she had a chance to react to this turn of events she felt her head get slammed against something hard. Stars filled her eyes just before darkness descended.
Absorbed in the blackness, Ruby felt her body being mover against her will, but she was powerless to do anything about it. Something tightened around her wrists, cutting off circulation. Slowly she started to regain control of her body. With great effort she managed to open her eyes to a blurry world. She regained just enough focus to see the girl take the thin, blue scarf off and stuff it her mouth.
Ruby struggled to breath out of her nose as the girl leaned in close. She could feel the girl’s breath against her face and she whispered, “You will NOT interfere.” Then the girl smiled, revealing her pointed teeth, and ran a razor sharp fingernail across her cheek. If Ruby had had any doubts about what this girl really was, they were all dispelled now.
She contained her growing rage inside of her as the demon in front of her locked her in the stall and left. She felt like tearing the pipes that she was tied to out of the wall, chasing after the girl and ripping her head off. She had followed her into the bathroom hoping to talk and be diplomatic about the situation. Instead, she had been attacked without warning. She was not going to let this stand. But she was not going to let her temper get the best of her. Taking deep breaths through her nose, she calmed herself down. She was in a bar. It was only a matter of time before someone else came in to use the bathroom.
Luckily she didn’t have to wait more than five minutes before she heard the door open. She began kicking the stall door and yelling in a muffled voice until she heard a voice say, “Hello?” Then she saw the girl get down on her hands and knees and stare at her through the twelve inch opening under the door before exclaiming, “Oh my God! What happened?” in a slurred voice.
Ruby gave a pleading look until the girl dropped to her stomach and crawled through the opening. Once inside the stall, the girl sat up, brushed her hands on her yellow dress and said with a frown, “Uhg, this floor is so gross. You totally owe me a drink for this.” Ruby could smell alcohol on the girl’s breath as she fumble at the belt around her wrists.
It took longer than it should have, but Ruby’s hands were finally free. She took the scarf out of her mouth and thanked the girl. Then she unlocked the stall door and tore out of the bathroom as the girl shouted, “Hey, what about my drink!” She paid no heed to the girl. She had to catch up to Sam and save him. Plus, she had a score to settle with that bitch.
Glancing at the bar, she noticed that the pair had already left. She ran to the front door, ignoring the two boys still seated at the table as they called after her. She burst out of the door into the cold air, not caring that she had left her coat inside. Looking both ways down the street, the pair was nowhere to be seen.
She calmed herself down and closed her eyes. She stood for a moment, unmoving, concentrating her senses. Then it was there. The same scent as before drifting through the air. The fool was still using her pheromones. Ruby broke into a sprint, following her nose.
As she ran through the dark alleys and empty streets she thought to herself about how lost she would be without the scented trail she was following. And with each step it seemed like the smell was getting stronger. That was a good sign.
Finally she arrived in front of a run down apartment complex called Heaven’s Rose. It easily looked like it could be haunted. If the lights were not on, she would have assumed the place was deserted, or condemned. The paint was peeling all over the building and none of the plants on the grounds looked alive. As she walked along the concrete path toward the double doors she felt an ever increasing feeling of dread. She was headed right into the lair of a feeding succubus. It was going to be dangerous.
She pushed though the front door and followed her nose to apartment number nine. They were definitely inside, and she didn’t think that she had given the succubus quite enough time to devour Sam yet. She put her ear up to the door and listened. The faint sound of bed springs could be heard. If he wasn’t dead yet, it would be very soon.
She tried the door handle. Unlocked. Rookie mistake. Walking into the apartment, the stench of mold overpowered the smell of the pheromones. Ruby wrinkled her nose at the smell. This place was an absolute mess. It made her hate this girl even more.
The sound she had heard from outside seemed to be coming from the closed door that she assumed led to the bedroom. As soon as she acknowledged where the sound had originated, it stopped. That wasn’t good. Was she already done with him? She walked slowly toward the door, hoping that this succubus like to play with her food before he ate.
She heard a faint rustling behind the door. Suddenly, she was filled with an intense hatred and fury at the thought that Sam might be dead in there. Then, putting all of her strength into it, she kicked at the door. It broke clean off its hinges and fell to the floor before her. That was sure to get the bitch’s attention.
Slowly, Ruby walked into the bedroom. Standing on top of the broken door, she looked across the room where the girl sat on top of Sam. They were both completely naked. Ruby stood motionless, taking in the situation. Sam was unconscious, but breathing. That was good.
The girl, still on top of Sam, scowled at Ruby. The fingernails on her hands began to grow steadily until they reached a length of about five inches. She was finally showing her true colors. One of the abilities that succubi possessed was the ability to transform their body in subtle ways. Because their nails were already exceptionally sharp and durable, one of the favorite and simplest transformations was to grow their fingernails out. It turned into the equivalent of wielding ten extremely versatile knives.
“I don’t know how you found this place, little girl, but you’re going to regret coming here,” the girl said with knives as sharp as her fingernails in her voice. “Don’t think you’re going to get away with just a little scratch this time.”
Ruby took the threat in and smiled back at the girl. “I’ve got to hand it to you. That was a top notch extraction tonight. There aren’t many succubi that can pull that off in a crowded bar.”
“So you know what I am.” The girl’s scowl disappeared, replaced by an even more threatening smile. “That knowledge isn’t going to save you.”
“Unfortunately for you, knowledge is not the only power I possess. You chose the wrong boy to target tonight, and the wrong little girl to piss off.” Ruby matched the girl’s threatening smile as she extended her own fingernails. “That boy is mine, and I’m going to take him back.” She was pleased to see a look of shock replace the smile the girl was wearing.
“Well this explains quite a bit. You must have known what I was the minute I entered the bar.” The smile came back, revealing more teeth this time. “So is it to be a battle then? Two sharks fighting over a piece of meat?”
“I suppose it will be. But first, tell me what you’ve done to him.”
The girl looked down at Sam and stroked his face with the back of her fingernail knives, being careful not to cut him. “Nothing yet. Just injected him with a little venom. Just enough to knock him out for a little while. Nothing lethal.”
“What about his chest?” Ruby asked. “Awful lot of blood for having done nothing.”
“Scratches,” the girl replied, shrugging. “I got a little excited.” Then she dismissed Sam, stood up, and turned to Ruby. “So what is your name, little girl? I’d hate to kill a fellow succubus without even knowing who she was.”
“It’s rude to ask for somebody’s name without first offering your own. And what makes you so sure you’re going to kill me?”
“I’ve already bested you once, if you recall. And my name is Scarlet.”
“Ruby,” she replied. “And I recall you using a cheap shot with the element of surprise on your side. Don’t think you’ll catch me off guard this time.”
“Ruby,” Scarlet said. She licked her lips like she was tasting the name. “The name suits you.”
“Wish I could say the same.”
Scarlet pouted a bit, acting as though the comment hurt her. “The dye was unfortunately necessary. It’s hard to get away with murder when you’re recognized so easily by your hair color.”
“You won’t have to worry about anybody recognizing you once I’m done with you. Enough talk, let’s get on with this.”
Ruby did not wait for Scarlet to say anything more. She increased the length of her fingernails to two feet, rushed at Scarlet and slashed at her face with her right hand.
Scarlet managed to block with her own nails just before Ruby could tear her face off. Then she also further extended her nails and took a step back.
They circled each other for a moment, both glaring at the other. Then they were both moving and slashing so fast that it would probably all be a blur to a common observer. But Ruby could see everything clearly. Scarlet fought like a lion, but with more speed and precision. Ruby fought back with more finesse, like she was fencing with ten swords.
This went on for what seemed to Ruby like hours. Neither one of them gave any ground. They were equal in both speed and strength. Then Ruby heard a groan and instinctively turned her gaze to where Sam was beginning to stir on the bed. The next instant, she felt a stabbing pain in her left thigh.
Scarlet had kicked and imbedded her toenails into Ruby’s leg. The pain caused Ruby to sink to her knee. Then Scarlet’s hand was around her throat again, squeezing hard. Spot formed in front of Ruby’s eyes and she struggled to keep consciousness.
As she grappled at Scarlet’s hand, trying to loosen her grip and suck in any amount of air, her mind raced trying to think of ways out of this situation. When the tunnel of light in her vision was almost completely gone, Ruby suddenly had a moment of extreme clarity. Everything she had ever done in her life was flashing across her memory. Every person she had ever killed to satisfy her hunger, and her growing sense of guilt with each one. All of the training she had done to hone her power so she could have complete control over her body so she could feed without killing the men she lured into her bedroom. All of the training! she thought.
Ruby looked up at Scarlet. She had a maniacal smile on her face. She was enjoying killing her slowly. She closed her eyes and concentrated. She only had one shot at what she was about to do. She focused everything she had on the muscles in her back.
Ruby’s eyes flashed open, and at the same speed a set of leathery wings erupted from her back. She watched Scarlet’s expression turn to uncertainty as she buffeted her wings once with all the strength she possessed. She felt her body rise, with Scarlet still latched onto her throat. Then she felt the impact of Scarlet’s head hitting the ceiling above them, and the fingers around her throat fell away.
They both tumbled back down to the floor and Ruby sucked air hungrily into her lungs. She was gasping and coughing as she looked over at the unmoving body next to her on the floor. Scarlet’s neck was bent at a strange angle. She was staring at Ruby with lifeless eyes, still full of shock. The nails on Scarlet’s fingers and toes had shrunk back to their original length. She looked just like a regular human girl.
The sound of bed springs made Ruby’s head turn. Sam was starting to regain consciousness. He was trying to sit up on the bed. His eyes were open, but they had no look of focus in them.
It was time for Ruby to leave. She got to her feet and limped across the room, past the bed, to the window. Grabbing a drawer out of the dresser next to her, she threw it through the window, shattering the glass. Tucking her wings back so they could fit through the opening, she hopped up onto the window sill. Just before she jumped out, she stole one last glance at Sam. He was now sitting up in bed, and he was looking at her. The sound of the glass shattering must have snapped him out of his stupor.
Ruby extended her canine teeth and gave Sam a fanged smile. Then she jumped out the window, unfolded her wings, and took to the air.
While I was dating Aryka I finished writing a short story. I figure I'll put it up here. My loyal readers may read it if they wish. I would appreciate any feedback you have to offer.
She walked in and sat down on a stool at the end of the bar. Everyone else in the room faded from existence as Sam looked at her. One look into those big brown eyes and he was immediately infatuated. Her long, dark hair fell down just past her shoulders in waves that complimented her perfect curves. Even though it was cold outside, she wore just jeans and a t-shirt that said “Schwing!” in big red letters. The only thing that seemed to fit the weather was the thin, blue scarf she had around her neck. It served as more of a fashion statement than a source of warmth though.
She had come in alone, and from the looks of it had remained that way. It was absurd to think that he was the only person in the bar that had noticed her beauty. The bartender brought her a Bloody Mary. He wasn’t really one for tomato juice, but he could make an exception for her. He hadn’t even seen her order it. Sam wondered if maybe she had come in here before, but the bartender did nothing more to further his suspicions.
She started to look over his way. Eye contact! She smiled warmly, showing her perfect white teeth. Her canines were slightly larger than they ought to be, but that just served to increase her beauty. It gave her the slight vicious look that the rest of her body lacked. He melted in his seat.
It was now or never. He had to make a move while she was still noticing him. He tried his best to look as confident as he could as he made his way over to her. It was hard to keep his legs from crumbling as he walked. It was getting hard to think, but deep breaths kept the oxygen flowing. This was the defining moment of his life. This ten foot walk was the biggest journey he had ever taken.
He was finally within arm’s length, and she was just sitting there with a slight smile on her perfect face running her finger along the rim of her glass. Sam froze. There were so many things going through his head at that moment, but none gave him any idea of what to say. In a moment of panic, he started to turn away. Then he felt a warm, soft hand grab his wrist.
“They always try to run away.” Her voice was intoxication itself. If she were to sing, she would be a perfect alto. He was lost in her voice. “Why don’t you have a seat?”
Sam felt compelled to obey her words. He sat down on the stool next to hers. His mind raced with things he should and shouldn’t say until he landed on “I haven’t seen you around here before. Have you been around here long?” That was the stupidest thing I could have said, he thought. He thought for sure she would send him away. But she just looked into his eyes and smiled her wonderful, vicious smile.
“You’re a pretty observant guy,” she said, “I just moved here a few days ago from Arizona.” She never broke eye contact.
“Arizona? That’s quite the difference in weather. Though you don’t seem to be too affected by the cold,” Sam said as he gestured towards her clothes. She didn’t react to the gesture at all. She just stared into his eyes, and the only thing he could do was stare back into hers. He swam in the depths of those seductive, brown eyes.
“I adapt quickly,” she replied, “but I still haven’t gotten around to making any new friends. Would you like to be my friend?” She smiled her fierce smile, but in a way that wasn’t threatening at all. Sam was taken aback.
“Yeah,” he managed, “that sounds like a fantastic idea.” It was, in fact, the most fantastic idea he had ever heard.
“Great!” she said, laughing a little. She finally broke eye contact and took a drink through her straw. It was like breaking out of a trance. But he didn’t want it to break. “But you know,” she started, looking at him again, “friends usually know each others’ names.”
“Of course,” he blurted. At this point, he would have told her just about anything she wanted to know. “The name’s Samuel, but my friends call me Sam,” he said as his hand automatically went out to shake her hand.
“Scarlet,” she replied, shaking his hand and smiling. “My friends call me Scarlet.” It was a wonderful name; Scarlet. Though she had no red on her that he could see, he thought that the name somehow matched her smile. “Well Sam. Do you think you can watch my drink for a few minutes? I need to go use the ladies’ room.”
“Of course!” he replied. Then she got up and started to walk away. She had the most graceful walk he had ever seen. It was almost as if she was floating across the floor and not even touching the ground.
A few seconds later, the bartender came to him and asked if he needed anything to drink. He replied, “Umm… A shot of something strong. It doesn’t matter what it is.”
“Need some quick courage for something?” The bartender asked as he started mixing a few kinds of alcohol into a double shot glass. The result was a murky liquid that smelled strongly of alcohol. Perfect. The bartender didn’t bother to wait for an answer to the question he asked. He just set the shot glass in front of Sam, and then went on to the next patron.
He regarded the shot in front of him with curiosity. He had never taken a shot so powerful without a proper chaser before. If he was going to have any amount guts around Scarlet for the remainder of the night though, he would have to drink it. Sam cautiously picked up the glass, did a cheers motion for anyone that may be watching, and poured the liquid down his throat. It tasted mostly of rum, and he was afraid to breathe because he knew that it was going to burn as soon as he let air in.
A shout echoed in his ear; “Boo!” He lost it. The air came rushing into his lungs and along with it the burning from the alcohol. He couldn’t stop the fit of coughing that followed. And there was Scarlet beside him again. It was obvious from her laughter that she was the one who had done the shouting. And what wonderful laughter it was. It wasn’t an annoying giggle, nor was it an obscene belly laugh. It was the perfect distance between. Even through his coughing, he was mesmerized by her. And once his coughing subsided he began to laugh as well. Her laugh was contagious.
It seemed like they were laughing for an eternity, but in reality it was less than a minute. Sam looked over at her again. Was she even more beautiful now than she had been before? Had she changed something about herself when she went into the bathroom? Her scarf was missing, revealing a long, slender neck. But he didn’t think about it for too long. Here was a beautiful woman giving him more attention than any other woman had ever given him before. He wasn’t about to complain about her being more beautiful than she was a few minutes ago.
Thinking of her beauty only made him want her more. Then out of nowhere he asked, “How would you like to get out of this dive? Maybe go somewhere a little less crowded?” The shot was more effective than he had anticipated.
For an instant her cheeks seemed to flush and her smile seemed to turn more timid. Was she blushing? “I don’t know,” she replied, “You just met me. How do you know you can trust me?” Was she actually a shy person under all of that confidence she was outputting earlier? But she had a point. They did just meet. And if this was anyone else he didn’t think he would have had the courage to ask her to leave with him. But there was something about this girl that made her different than most people he had met. She had a certain allure about her. It made him want to be with her.
“You said that you wanted to be friends, right? Don’t friends usually trust each other?”
Her fierce smile came back. “I guess you’ve got a pretty good point there. And this place is awfully crowded.” She brushed some hair away from her face and said in a seductive voice, “Alright. Where did you have in mind?”
It worked! Nothing in his life had ever worked out so well. And now this beautiful woman wanted to go somewhere with him. The only problem with this was the fact that he didn’t expect any of this to happen and so did not have anywhere in mind to take her. He was flustered and didn’t know what to say. Would his place be too…
She interrupted his thoughts saying, “My place is just a couple of blocks away. There isn’t much in my place yet, and it’s kind of a mess since I just moved in, but I don’t think it’ll take us too long to figure out something to do.”
A circuit blew in his brain. He had no idea what to say. He was in an excited state of shock. After what seemed like hours to him, he finally managed to say, “Ok.”
“Alright!” she said. And with that she jumped off her stool, gracefully landed next to him and put her arm through his. “Let’s head out then.”
And with that they made their way around the numerous staring eyes towards the exit. As they neared the door, Scarlet lifted her head and whispered something into his ear. Between still being in shock and other people talking to each other around us he couldn’t hear what she said, but her warm breath on his ear was enough to conjure a shiver of pleasure.
She opened the door and pulled him outside. The cold air rushed at him like a stampede of wildebeests running from a lioness. It occurred to him that his jacket was still on the chair where he was before Scarlet entered the room. It only mattered to him for a second, and then his thoughts returned to the beautiful girl at his side taking him back to her place. There were no words spoken during this short venture. None were needed. The thoughts he was thinking and the warmth he was feeling at this particular moment were too complex for simple words. She led him down what seemed like random alleys and narrow, winding streets until they arrived in front of a shabby looking apartment complex called Heaven’s Rose. How appropriate.
Scarlet led him through a creaky gate that stood between the street and the apartment grounds, and along a narrow strip of concrete that served as a path between two areas of dying grass. Every step nearer the front door sped up his heartbeat until he thought it might explode at any moment. But there was no time to be concerned with trivial things like dead grass and exploding hearts. He was with the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and she was taking him back to her place. Everything else just seemed to fade away.
Suddenly they were standing inside a long hallway lined with doors on either side and Scarlet was turning the key on a door marked with a number nine. He did not even remember coming into the apartment complex. Must have blacked out from excitement. But he was not worried about it. Nine had always been his lucky number. Ever since he was a kid he had always had a fascination with the occult. He never believed any of it of course, but he liked to think about how cool it would be if witches and demons and the like actually existed. Throughout all of the books he had read, there had always been a lot of power in the number three. So naturally he figured that three threes had to be even more powerful. And so whenever anyone asked him what his lucky number was, he always replied with the number nine.
Now here he was, going inside a door marked with his favorite number with the girl of his dreams. Inside was still a mess, just as she had told him. Boxes were stacked all over the place. Just to the left of the entrance was the small kitchen area. The counter and sink were both stacked with dishes. Some of the dishes still held morsels of half eaten food.
For just a moment, he wondered how such a beautiful woman could live in such filth. But the thought was fleeting. Scarlet grabbed his wrist and said, “Welcome to my humble abode. Let me give you the tour.” And suddenly none of the mess mattered anymore. There was only her. And she was beautiful.
As Scarlet led him through the place, still holding onto his wrist, she pointed at various things in the room; the lamp that looked like a Chinese lantern, the brown leather couch, the colorful painting leaning against the wall waiting to be hung. She spoke in a soft, smooth voice, but he never heard a word of it. It didn’t matter what she was saying, only that she was saying it to him.
Then they were in the bedroom. By far the cleanest part of the apartment. The majority of the space in the room was taken up by a large, king sized bed with red silky sheets and a matching comforter. To the right of where he was standing, the sliding door of the closet had been left open and he could see a variety of shirts hung up neatly on a series of wire hangers.
He felt her grip loosen from his wrist, then suddenly she was on the bed smiling over at him. That vicious smile again. She beckoned him over to her using a “come hither” gesture with her finger. His heart started pounding again. This is it. This is really happening. He started walking toward the bed trying to look as outwardly cool as he possibly could while feeling as giddy as a child in a candy shop on the inside.
Just before he reached the bed, Scarlet jumped up. She put her arms around him and drew herself close. He could feel an almost overwhelming heat emanating from her body pressed against his own. Then she was kissing him. He felt the warmth of her lips on his. He felt her lips part and her tongue slide into his mouth, curling around his own tongue. It was the most amazing kiss he had ever received. He never wanted it to end.
As suddenly as it started though, she ended it. Her arms slowly retreated from around Him, but her hand slid over his body and soon found his chest. She looked up into his face and bit her lower lip, and for just a second her expression seemed unsure, maybe even slightly embarrassed. But the look was quickly gone and he felt her hands gripping his shirt. The next moment she pulled him onto the bed with an almost frightening strength.
He found himself on his back with Scarlet on top of him straddling his waste. He wasn’t quite sure how he ended up in that position, but at this point he didn’t really care. Everything seemed to be moving very quickly. One moment she was kissing him again, the next his shirt was on the floor across the room. All the while, she remained on top of him. He didn’t care. This night had turned into an amazing dream.
He felt her fingernails rake across his bare chest. It might have been painful if he wasn’t so turned on. All the while he could feel his heart racing faster and faster, and from that moment on everything was a blur of erotic pleasure and the vague sense of heat spreading throughout his entire body.
The last he could remember seeing before blacking out was Scarlet, still sitting on top of him. Her shirt was off, revealing two perfect breasts speckled with red droplets. She was smiling at him with that vicious smile again. Her canines just a little bigger than they ought to be. And suddenly it wasn’t beautiful anymore. Suddenly he was frightened. And then there was blackness.
Scarlet evaluated herself in the mirror, turning this way and that. She brushed her dark hair behind her ear and frowned a little. She missed her red hair. But she would not be able to go back to her natural color for a while since her carelessness last month.
Giving herself one last look over, she turned away from the mirror and grabbed a thin, blue scarf to finish her ensemble. “Tonight is the night,” she told herself with an excited smile. It felt like an eternity since she had last had a man. The last one being the owner of the apartment she was currently staying in, over two weeks ago. She was starving.
Walking out into the living room, she glanced around and made a mental note to clean the place up soon. She could not go on forever living in another person’s filth. Then she walked out the door, locking it behind her. It would not do to have somebody wandering in there by accident. That might raise some unwanted questions.
Heading down the street, she noticed other people giving her odd glances. Looking down at herself she realized that she had forgotten to grab her coat again. Everyone around her was bundled up in heavy coats and scarves; she was the only one walking about in a t-shirt. Trying not to raise too much suspicion, she attempted to look as cold as she could, even though she felt as if it were summer outside.
Turning a corner, she spotted her destination. It was a little hole in the wall bar that had ironically been named The Classy Joint. She assumed the owner of the place was probably very proud of himself for that little joke.
Scarlet had been staking this place out for the last few weeks. There was a little Mexican restaurant across the street that she would sit by the window and pretend to eat while she was secretly watching the groups of people that came and went from the bar. In her observations, she had noticed every Thursday night there was a small group of college students that came in around eight. There were always three or four of them, and they were all men.
Taking up her usual spot in the restaurant, she glanced down at her wristwatch. Three after eight. Almost time, she thought. Then she saw them. Three men, all a bit nerdy looking, but trying their best to look cool. Two of them wore thick glasses. Scarlet set her eyes on the third and involuntarily licked her lips. He is the one, she thought as she smiled.
She saw the three men wave at someone down the street, and her smile vanished. Waving back to them was a pretty girl about their age. She wore a white hoodie with a fur lined hood and bright red mittens on her hands. Waves of long red hair tumbled out of her hood, giving the slight illusion that she had a mane.
The four of them met at the entrance to the bar and were exchanging pleasantries. Then they all started laughing at something the girl said. Scarlet stared at the girl with cool eyes. Then they were inside and out of her sight.
She was not pleased. With this new player, she would have to revise her strategy, and that was not something she like doing. That was how she got caught last time and ended up here.
Originally she had intended on going in after them and joining their little boys’ club for a while. She would flirt with them all for a while, spending at least an hour or two to build up report. Then, when the time was right, and they were good and drunk on alcohol and pheromones, she would take one of them home with her. It would look like a usual bar hookup and nobody would be the wiser.
Now, with another female involved, everything would have to change. Women were almost always immune to her charms. She would have to go in there and lure her target to her. That in itself did not pose a problem. She could get any man to walk over to her with a glance. The problem would be if the girl intervened. That being the case, she would have to make this quick. The less time she spent in there, the less likely it was that the girl could interfere.
With the revised strategy in her mind, Scarlet got up from her spot in the window and headed outside and across the street. She walked straight inside, not even bothering to stop for the man at the entrance checking ID cards. He just watched her go by, clearly undressing her with his eyes as she passed.
She had already come in a few times over the last couple weeks to get a feel for the layout inside. She had been careful to make sure her prey had not been there at the same time. Also, she had been working on the bartender. Making sure he knew what kind of drinks she wanted and that she was always served immediately.
That being the case, as soon as she took her seat at the end of the bar, a bloody mary was placed in front of her. She took a sip and gave a nod of approval. Now it was time to get to work.
Looking over at the table across the room where the four friends had chosen to sit, she noticed the man she’d had her eye on was already looking at her. Perfect. She made eye contact with him and smiled. In response, he formed an expression of puppy love on his face. That meant her charms were already working. Now she just had to wait for him to come to her.
She kept her eyes on him and began to run her finger along the rim of her glass. Within the minute, he got out of his chair and began to walk over to her. She saw his three friends back at their table give him weird look and call out his name, but he was completely oblivious to them. He already belonged to her.
He was only a few steps from her now. Suddenly he had a look of doubt on his face and he started to turn away. It was natural for some men to be overwhelmed by her charms. Especially if those men had a low self esteem. All he needed was a little encouragement.
She grabbed his wrist and stopped him. He immediately regained his love struck expression. “They always try to run away,” Scarlet said in her most seductive voice. “Why don’t you have a seat,” she said, motioning for him to take the seat next to her. He dutifully did as he was told and sat down.
He sat for a moment in silence, a look of confused thoughtfulness on his face. She could tell he was trying to think of what to say to her. They were always so cute when they were flustered and unaware of what was really going on.
Finally he said, “I haven’t seen you around here before. Have you been around here long?”
It took all of Scarlet’s willpower to keep from laughing. She usually chose her targets based on their social ineptitude, but this guy was on a whole different level. She smiled at him for a moment longer to gather her composure before she said, “you’re a pretty observant guy. I just moved here from Arizona.” He didn’t need to know that she had been watching him for weeks, waiting for the opportune moment to make her move.
“Arizona? That’s quite the difference in weather. Though you don’t seem to be too affected by the cold.”
Damn, she thought, I really need to remember to grab a coat next time. “I adapt quickly,” she said smoothly. Then, changing the subject, she said, “But I still haven’t gotten around to making any new friends. Would you like to be my friend?” She could tell that surprised him, and she just smiled at him.
“Yeah,” he replied after a brief pause, “that sounds like a fantastic idea.”
“Great!” she exclaimed, forcing a little laugh. She took a sip of her Bloody Mary. It was important to take drinks or a bite of something every now then to keep up appearances and look more natural. Then she continued, “But you know, friends usually know each others’ names.”
At this point, he was so much in the palm of her hand that he would have told her the pin number for his debit card if she asked for it. So he immediately said, “Of course!” almost tripping over the words. “The name’s Samuel, but my friends call me Sam.”
As he introduced himself his hand shot out to shake hers. Scarlet had never understood this automatic behavior that most people seemed possessed to do. To her, the hand shake was a symbol of trust, friendship, or mutual respect. In this particular instance, Sam clearly thought all of those qualities were in place, but it didn’t make sense when she saw complete strangers shaking hands. Besides the obvious sanitary issues associated in shaking a stranger’s hand, there was no way anyone could trust someone they just met fifteen seconds before.
But regardless of her feelings toward the subject, she took his hand and said, “Scarlet. My friends call me Scarlet.”
Glancing behind Sam, Scarlet notice his friends looking in their direction. The two other men had looks of admiration on their faces, clearly impressed with their friend for having the nerve to talk to a woman as pretty as her and not get turned away. The girl’s expression, however, worried her. Scarlet had seen that look before. It was a look of pure anger and hatred.
Every once in a while, Scarlet would attract men who were out with their girlfriends. The girlfriends, in turn, would get upset and ultimately get in Scarlet’s way. If this girl was Sam’s girlfriend, or at least vying for his affections, she could definitely turn into a problem. She had to act before things got bad.
Looking back at Sam she said, “Well Sam. Do you think you could watch my drink for a few minutes? I need to go use the ladies’ room.”
She waited for him to say, “Of course!” then got up and headed for the restroom. The girl’s eyes followed her the entire way. Then just before Scarlet reached the door she saw the girl get up and start following her. Scarlet smiled to herself, then went inside and waited.
A few seconds later, the door opened and the girl walked in. As soon as she was in view, Scarlet’s hand shot out and grabbed the girl by the throat. Caught off guard, the girl didn’t stand a chance against Scarlet’s speed and strength. She squeezed hard and slammed the girl’s head into the wall of the toilet stall, knocking her unconscious.
She dragged the girl’s limp body into the stall and propped her against the toilet. Then she took off her belt and tied the girls hands to the pipes connecting the toilet to the wall. The girl started to come to. Her eyes opened, still glazed over but quickly regaining their focus. Before she had sense enough to scream for help, Scarlet took her scarf off and shoved it into the girl’s mouth.
Eye’s blazing, Scarlet bent down getting right up to the girl’s face and said in a hushed and borderline maniacal voice, “you will NOT interfere.” Then she smiled and lightly brushed the tips of her fingernails across the girl’s cheek leaving small cuts that quickly welled up with blood. Then she stood up and left the stall, locking it behind her using her fingernail to turn the lock.
Her business with the girl complete, Scarlet left the restroom and began to make her way back to Sam. When she passed by the table where his two other friends were still seated, she looked over and gave them a quick wink.
Sam was still at the bar, dutifully watching over her drink. He had a full shot glass in front of him that he was eyeing cautiously. The poor guy must be incredibly nervous talking with her. As he made a cheers motion to nobody, Scarlet put on a mischievous smile and started sneaking up behind him. As soon as he threw back the shot she crept up next to him and shouted into his ear, “Boo!”
He got lost in a fit of coughing and Scarlet could not help but break into laughter. And as soon as he was done coughing, Sam started laughing as well.
She noticed him looking her over more attentively than before. A new look in eyes. Then he asked the question she had been waiting for. “How would you like to get out of this dive? Maybe go somewhere a little less crowded?”
Scarlet immediately grew excited and could not stop the redness that crept into her cheeks. But she cast her eyes downward for a moment and tried to play it off as embarrassment. “I don’t know,” she said with a shy smile. “You just met me. How do you know you can trust me.”
“You said that you wanted to be friends, right? Don’t friends usually trust each other?” Perfect response. He might as well have had strings attached to him like a marionette.
She smiled her best smile and replied, “I guess you’ve got a pretty good point there. And this place is awfully crowded.” She brushed some stray hair out of her face and said in her most seductive voice, “Alright, where did you have in mind.”
She let him puzzle over where to take her for a moment before she chose for him. “My place is just a couple blocks away. There isn’t much in my place yet, and it’s kind of a mess since I just moved in, but I don’t think it’ll take us too long to figure out something to do.”
Clearly she had surprised him, because he just sat there for a moment with a dumb look of shock on his face until he finally managed a quiet, “ok.”
“Alright!” she exclaimed excitedly. Leaping from her stool she slipped her arm through his, pressing her body against his. “Let’s head out then.”
As they walked through the crowd that had grown significantly since they had come in she couldn’t help whispering into his ear, “You’re mine now.” In response, he just shivered in delight. Then they were out the door and headed back to the apartment she had acquired.
Once they were outside Scarlet led Sam back to the Heaven’s rose apartment complex as quickly as she could. She was starting to get impatient. And hungry. Her heart beat faster with anticipation with each step they took. By the time they passed through the creaky little chain link fence gate it felt like it was going to leap out of her chest.
Heaven’s Rose, despite its name, was not a good looking place. It might once have been beautiful, a place befitting of its name, but now it stood dead and rotting. On either side of the concrete path leading to the front door there was brown field grass. It looked as though there had not been a groundskeeper for several years. And in the middle of the grass stood an ugly tree that may have once been covered in leaves, but now stood naked and rotting like some massive skeletal corpse.
Sam was following her blindly, entranced by her charm. She smiled to herself as she led him through the double doors of the apartments, down the hallway and in front of door number nine. As she unlocked the door, she noticed him becoming more coherent of his surroundings. That could potentially be bad.
He followed her through the door and saw him look into the kitchen. The placid look he had had on his face ever since they left the bar slowly started to give way to a look of disgust. Glancing into the kitchen Scarlet saw what had changed his expression. Dirty dishes were stacked everywhere. Many of them had half eaten meals covered in mold. On one plate there was probably leftover food, but it could not be seen underneath all of the ants that had swarmed it. It looked like one large writhing mass. Because she did not crave regular food, she had never found it necessary to go into the kitchen to clean up. Clearly that had been a mistake.
She grabbed Sam by the wrist, prompting him to look back over at her. “Welcome to my humble abode. Let me give you the tour.” She had to get him away from the dirtier parts of the apartment and into the bedroom as quickly as she could.
As she dragged him across the room she made up stories for some of the things they passed. The lamp her father had bought her for Christmas the year before. The couch she had lost her virginity on. The painting her friend made for her before he went off to become a famous artist. In truth, almost everything in the apartment had belonged to the pervious occupant. She had never even learned his name. Not that it mattered.
She pulled him the rest of the way into the bedroom and shut the door behind him. This was her domain. There was no escape for him now. Letting go of his wrist, she ran over to the bed an fell back onto it. Smiling up at him and beckoning him over to her, she wondered for a moment whether he was still a virgin or not. From what she had seen of him so far he was definitely not very good with the ladies. However, that girl she had dealt with in the bathroom back at the bar seemed to be interested in him. Perhaps he had some sort of hidden charm.
None of that mattered right now though. Sam had just about reached the bed. Scarlet jumped off the bed and embraced him. Pulling her body close to his, she could feel his heart beating at a furious pace. Then she stood up on her toes and pressed her kips against his. When she slipped her tongue into his mouth she could practically feel him melting from the heat of his desire.
She broke away from him, but kept her hand pressed against his chest. Then she bit her lower lip and donned her most timid expression before gripping his shirt and practically throwing him onto the bed. In the next second she was on top of him straddling his waste.
She let herself get lost in her desire. The next few moments were a frenzy of kisses and clothes being torn off. The fury of passion burned inside of her like a wildfire, and she enjoyed every but of it. Forgetting herself in the intensity of the situation she raked her fingernails across his chest, leaving behind ten deep scratches that quickly started bleeding. She felt some of his blood spray against her body, and a ripple of excitement surged throughout her. Lost as he was in desire, Sam was oblivious to what was happening to him.
Finally Scarlet was completely nude, still on top of Sam, who was down to his blue and white striped boxers. It was time to start. She concentrated for a moment, then pricked his neck with her right index finger. He immediately snapped to attention like he had just broken out of a trance. She saw panic in his eyes and just smiled down at him. It was too late; her venom was already working its way through his system.
Soon Sam’s eyes started to glaze over and her eyelids closed. His breathing steadied. He was unconscious. Scarlet frowned a bit to herself. It was always more fun when they were awake for the process, but it was not worth the chance of anything going wrong. And she was too hungry to be taking any chances.
Scarlet got off of Sam and began to remove his boxers. If she did not start right away he would wake up in the middle of it. She threw the last bit of his clothing across the room then crawled back on top of him.
Just as she was about to begin, the sound of a loud crash stole her attention. The bedroom door lay flat on the floor, splintered and broken.
Ruby walked along the sidewalk towards the Hole In The Wall bar. Everyone outside, including herself, was bundled up in their warmest coats to ward off the cold. It was unseasonably cold for October and the sky was threatening to snow. She glanced at the watch on her wrist and picked up her pace. It was 7:58; the boys she was meeting at the bar would be there soon, and she did not want to be late.
Finally she rounded the last corner and she could see the bar’s welcome sign about a block farther up the road. She also saw the three boys she was meeting approaching from the other side of the bar. They waved to her, and she saw no reason not to, so she waved back. She had to play nice. These boys were her ticket to some free meals after all.
They met up in front of the door, all smiling to each other. The three of them together made an almost comical scene. There were the two with glasses, Brad and Frank. She could never remember which was which. One of them wore a tweed coat over a gray sweater vest. Clearly he was trying his best to look classy, but the attempt was a very poor one. The other boy with glasses wore a large blue parka. Last time Ruby had seen him in it she had asked about it. He had replied that it made him look like one of the Ice Climbers. She did not know what he was talking about, so she had just smiled and nodded.
The third boy, Sam, looked like the most normal of the group. In fact, he could almost be considered handsome in his black sports jacket over a red shirt with dark blue jeans. He was the one Ruby was most interested in.
“Good evening, Gentlemen,” she told them politely.
“Good evening, Ruby,” the three of them said in unison before proceeding to give each other silly looks and little smirks.
Ruby responded playfully with, “it’s like the three of you are triplets or something.” She didn’t think it was a very funny joke, but the three boys must have thought otherwise because they were all laughing. Not wanting to seem out of place, she joined in their laughter.
After their laughter subsided, they all showed their ID cards to the door man and headed into the bar. Still early as it was, the bar was not very busy on the inside. They easily claimed a table to the right of the bar that had four chairs and hung their coats on the backs of their chairs.
Under her white coat Ruby had on a plain black tank top that revealed a fair amount of cleavage. She took a seat and surveyed the boys. The boy with the tweed coat just had on a green long sleeved shirt under his sweater vest. The boy with the parka had on a black T-shirt with E=MC² written on the chest in white letters. And Sam wore a plain red T-shirt.
Shortly after they sat down a female server came to their table to take their drink order. The three boys all ordered some generic domestic light beer like Pabst or Bud Light. Ruby asked what they had on tap and settled on a Porter. She thought that darker beers had a much better flavor than their lighter counterparts.
While she waited for the beers to arrive, Ruby listened to the boys complain about the teachers in their college classes. She was only half paying attention to their conversation when she heard her name said by one of them. “What was that?” she asked.
The tweed jacket boy answered, “I asked if there were any classes you’re having trouble with this term.”
Ruby smiled and said, “Nope. I love all my classes!” In truth, she was not taking any classes at all. She just liked to hang around on campus and pretend she was a student. She particularly liked the building where all of the math classes were taught. It was always easier to pick up boys there. It was where she had met the three of them.
The server came back to their table and started putting their drinks in front of them. “Oh! Beer!” Ruby exclaimed, taking the focus off of her non-existent classes. She took a sip of the exceptionally dark beer in front of her and closed her eyes as the flavors of chocolate and coffee swirled in her mouth and a smile grew on her face.
She opened her eyes and her smile immediately vanished. A strange scent filled her nose. I was a scent she had smelled before. As she looked around the bar to see of she could find the source, she heard a chair scrape across the floor.
Without a word to any of them, Sam got out of his chair and started walking towards the bar. The two other boys called his name questioningly, but Sam ignored them. He was headed towards a pretty girl in a T-shirt who had just sat down at the end of the bar. Just before he reached her it looked as though he was going to change his mind and come back to the table. Before he could turn around though, the girl grabbed his arm and said something to him. Then a moment later he was seated next to her.
While Sam’s two friends sat at their table, awestruck by their friend’s newfound courage and seeming success, Ruby focused on the couple at the bar with a scowl on her face. She, unfortunately, knew exactly what was going on. That girl at the bar was a succubus. A demon that preyed on the sexual desires of men. She would lure Sam away somewhere and probably give him the best sex of his life. In turn though, she would feast on his life essence until either she was satisfied or he was dead. And succubi were not known to be satisfied easily.
She had to get Sam away from that demon before it killed him. It was going to be hard to convince him to walk away though. That scent she had picked up earlier was the scent of pheromones. And since none of the other men in the bar seemed affected by it, that meant that she had specifically aimed for Sam. Ruby could not help but be a little impressed. That kind of precision in choosing a victim in a room full of people was very uncommon. Sam was probably swimming in a sea of ecstasy right now. She would have to approach the succubus herself.
She sat there for a moment with a grimace on her face trying to think of a strategy to separate the two of them. She didn’t have to wait long though. The girl noticed Ruby looking at them, and a moment later she left Sam at the bar and made her way to the bathroom. Ruby hesitantly got out of her chair, told the tow boys still at the table she needed to use the restroom, and followed the girl. Perhaps if she revealed that she knew the girl’s secret, she would leave Sam alone and pursue easier prey.
Ruby pulled the door to the bathroom open and stepped inside. In the next instant she found the demon’s hand around her throat. Her grip was so tight that Ruby could not breath. Before she had a chance to react to this turn of events she felt her head get slammed against something hard. Stars filled her eyes just before darkness descended.
Absorbed in the blackness, Ruby felt her body being mover against her will, but she was powerless to do anything about it. Something tightened around her wrists, cutting off circulation. Slowly she started to regain control of her body. With great effort she managed to open her eyes to a blurry world. She regained just enough focus to see the girl take the thin, blue scarf off and stuff it her mouth.
Ruby struggled to breath out of her nose as the girl leaned in close. She could feel the girl’s breath against her face and she whispered, “You will NOT interfere.” Then the girl smiled, revealing her pointed teeth, and ran a razor sharp fingernail across her cheek. If Ruby had had any doubts about what this girl really was, they were all dispelled now.
She contained her growing rage inside of her as the demon in front of her locked her in the stall and left. She felt like tearing the pipes that she was tied to out of the wall, chasing after the girl and ripping her head off. She had followed her into the bathroom hoping to talk and be diplomatic about the situation. Instead, she had been attacked without warning. She was not going to let this stand. But she was not going to let her temper get the best of her. Taking deep breaths through her nose, she calmed herself down. She was in a bar. It was only a matter of time before someone else came in to use the bathroom.
Luckily she didn’t have to wait more than five minutes before she heard the door open. She began kicking the stall door and yelling in a muffled voice until she heard a voice say, “Hello?” Then she saw the girl get down on her hands and knees and stare at her through the twelve inch opening under the door before exclaiming, “Oh my God! What happened?” in a slurred voice.
Ruby gave a pleading look until the girl dropped to her stomach and crawled through the opening. Once inside the stall, the girl sat up, brushed her hands on her yellow dress and said with a frown, “Uhg, this floor is so gross. You totally owe me a drink for this.” Ruby could smell alcohol on the girl’s breath as she fumble at the belt around her wrists.
It took longer than it should have, but Ruby’s hands were finally free. She took the scarf out of her mouth and thanked the girl. Then she unlocked the stall door and tore out of the bathroom as the girl shouted, “Hey, what about my drink!” She paid no heed to the girl. She had to catch up to Sam and save him. Plus, she had a score to settle with that bitch.
Glancing at the bar, she noticed that the pair had already left. She ran to the front door, ignoring the two boys still seated at the table as they called after her. She burst out of the door into the cold air, not caring that she had left her coat inside. Looking both ways down the street, the pair was nowhere to be seen.
She calmed herself down and closed her eyes. She stood for a moment, unmoving, concentrating her senses. Then it was there. The same scent as before drifting through the air. The fool was still using her pheromones. Ruby broke into a sprint, following her nose.
As she ran through the dark alleys and empty streets she thought to herself about how lost she would be without the scented trail she was following. And with each step it seemed like the smell was getting stronger. That was a good sign.
Finally she arrived in front of a run down apartment complex called Heaven’s Rose. It easily looked like it could be haunted. If the lights were not on, she would have assumed the place was deserted, or condemned. The paint was peeling all over the building and none of the plants on the grounds looked alive. As she walked along the concrete path toward the double doors she felt an ever increasing feeling of dread. She was headed right into the lair of a feeding succubus. It was going to be dangerous.
She pushed though the front door and followed her nose to apartment number nine. They were definitely inside, and she didn’t think that she had given the succubus quite enough time to devour Sam yet. She put her ear up to the door and listened. The faint sound of bed springs could be heard. If he wasn’t dead yet, it would be very soon.
She tried the door handle. Unlocked. Rookie mistake. Walking into the apartment, the stench of mold overpowered the smell of the pheromones. Ruby wrinkled her nose at the smell. This place was an absolute mess. It made her hate this girl even more.
The sound she had heard from outside seemed to be coming from the closed door that she assumed led to the bedroom. As soon as she acknowledged where the sound had originated, it stopped. That wasn’t good. Was she already done with him? She walked slowly toward the door, hoping that this succubus like to play with her food before he ate.
She heard a faint rustling behind the door. Suddenly, she was filled with an intense hatred and fury at the thought that Sam might be dead in there. Then, putting all of her strength into it, she kicked at the door. It broke clean off its hinges and fell to the floor before her. That was sure to get the bitch’s attention.
Slowly, Ruby walked into the bedroom. Standing on top of the broken door, she looked across the room where the girl sat on top of Sam. They were both completely naked. Ruby stood motionless, taking in the situation. Sam was unconscious, but breathing. That was good.
The girl, still on top of Sam, scowled at Ruby. The fingernails on her hands began to grow steadily until they reached a length of about five inches. She was finally showing her true colors. One of the abilities that succubi possessed was the ability to transform their body in subtle ways. Because their nails were already exceptionally sharp and durable, one of the favorite and simplest transformations was to grow their fingernails out. It turned into the equivalent of wielding ten extremely versatile knives.
“I don’t know how you found this place, little girl, but you’re going to regret coming here,” the girl said with knives as sharp as her fingernails in her voice. “Don’t think you’re going to get away with just a little scratch this time.”
Ruby took the threat in and smiled back at the girl. “I’ve got to hand it to you. That was a top notch extraction tonight. There aren’t many succubi that can pull that off in a crowded bar.”
“So you know what I am.” The girl’s scowl disappeared, replaced by an even more threatening smile. “That knowledge isn’t going to save you.”
“Unfortunately for you, knowledge is not the only power I possess. You chose the wrong boy to target tonight, and the wrong little girl to piss off.” Ruby matched the girl’s threatening smile as she extended her own fingernails. “That boy is mine, and I’m going to take him back.” She was pleased to see a look of shock replace the smile the girl was wearing.
“Well this explains quite a bit. You must have known what I was the minute I entered the bar.” The smile came back, revealing more teeth this time. “So is it to be a battle then? Two sharks fighting over a piece of meat?”
“I suppose it will be. But first, tell me what you’ve done to him.”
The girl looked down at Sam and stroked his face with the back of her fingernail knives, being careful not to cut him. “Nothing yet. Just injected him with a little venom. Just enough to knock him out for a little while. Nothing lethal.”
“What about his chest?” Ruby asked. “Awful lot of blood for having done nothing.”
“Scratches,” the girl replied, shrugging. “I got a little excited.” Then she dismissed Sam, stood up, and turned to Ruby. “So what is your name, little girl? I’d hate to kill a fellow succubus without even knowing who she was.”
“It’s rude to ask for somebody’s name without first offering your own. And what makes you so sure you’re going to kill me?”
“I’ve already bested you once, if you recall. And my name is Scarlet.”
“Ruby,” she replied. “And I recall you using a cheap shot with the element of surprise on your side. Don’t think you’ll catch me off guard this time.”
“Ruby,” Scarlet said. She licked her lips like she was tasting the name. “The name suits you.”
“Wish I could say the same.”
Scarlet pouted a bit, acting as though the comment hurt her. “The dye was unfortunately necessary. It’s hard to get away with murder when you’re recognized so easily by your hair color.”
“You won’t have to worry about anybody recognizing you once I’m done with you. Enough talk, let’s get on with this.”
Ruby did not wait for Scarlet to say anything more. She increased the length of her fingernails to two feet, rushed at Scarlet and slashed at her face with her right hand.
Scarlet managed to block with her own nails just before Ruby could tear her face off. Then she also further extended her nails and took a step back.
They circled each other for a moment, both glaring at the other. Then they were both moving and slashing so fast that it would probably all be a blur to a common observer. But Ruby could see everything clearly. Scarlet fought like a lion, but with more speed and precision. Ruby fought back with more finesse, like she was fencing with ten swords.
This went on for what seemed to Ruby like hours. Neither one of them gave any ground. They were equal in both speed and strength. Then Ruby heard a groan and instinctively turned her gaze to where Sam was beginning to stir on the bed. The next instant, she felt a stabbing pain in her left thigh.
Scarlet had kicked and imbedded her toenails into Ruby’s leg. The pain caused Ruby to sink to her knee. Then Scarlet’s hand was around her throat again, squeezing hard. Spot formed in front of Ruby’s eyes and she struggled to keep consciousness.
As she grappled at Scarlet’s hand, trying to loosen her grip and suck in any amount of air, her mind raced trying to think of ways out of this situation. When the tunnel of light in her vision was almost completely gone, Ruby suddenly had a moment of extreme clarity. Everything she had ever done in her life was flashing across her memory. Every person she had ever killed to satisfy her hunger, and her growing sense of guilt with each one. All of the training she had done to hone her power so she could have complete control over her body so she could feed without killing the men she lured into her bedroom. All of the training! she thought.
Ruby looked up at Scarlet. She had a maniacal smile on her face. She was enjoying killing her slowly. She closed her eyes and concentrated. She only had one shot at what she was about to do. She focused everything she had on the muscles in her back.
Ruby’s eyes flashed open, and at the same speed a set of leathery wings erupted from her back. She watched Scarlet’s expression turn to uncertainty as she buffeted her wings once with all the strength she possessed. She felt her body rise, with Scarlet still latched onto her throat. Then she felt the impact of Scarlet’s head hitting the ceiling above them, and the fingers around her throat fell away.
They both tumbled back down to the floor and Ruby sucked air hungrily into her lungs. She was gasping and coughing as she looked over at the unmoving body next to her on the floor. Scarlet’s neck was bent at a strange angle. She was staring at Ruby with lifeless eyes, still full of shock. The nails on Scarlet’s fingers and toes had shrunk back to their original length. She looked just like a regular human girl.
The sound of bed springs made Ruby’s head turn. Sam was starting to regain consciousness. He was trying to sit up on the bed. His eyes were open, but they had no look of focus in them.
It was time for Ruby to leave. She got to her feet and limped across the room, past the bed, to the window. Grabbing a drawer out of the dresser next to her, she threw it through the window, shattering the glass. Tucking her wings back so they could fit through the opening, she hopped up onto the window sill. Just before she jumped out, she stole one last glance at Sam. He was now sitting up in bed, and he was looking at her. The sound of the glass shattering must have snapped him out of his stupor.
Ruby extended her canine teeth and gave Sam a fanged smile. Then she jumped out the window, unfolded her wings, and took to the air.