Story Time Contest: Hero Edition

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Blood Red: Chapter 2

“Should we restrain her before she wakes?”

“No, Rurik. We need her to trust us; we just have to convince her before she goes.”

“What if she escapes before we do? She’s trained to kill us!

She rolls her eyes, “It won’t come to that if we tell her about-....I think she’s coming round, you should go.”

A gentle thrumming stirs my senses. Words reach me strangled in the murky fog of another world,

“...restrain her...” the demon growls.

“No...”, says the gentle angel, “...just have to convince her...”

“...if she escapes...kill...”

Fear grips me, wrapping its icy fingers around my neck.

I awake as if I’ve surfaced from a great depth; clutching my throat and gasping for air. I immediately thrust my wrists out in front of me for inspection: they’re not tethered. My eyes dart around the dingy room stopping on the only other person there; a rather startled looking doctor with a nervous smile. It was just a dream: a nightmare. I smile shyly at the doctor as I try to gather my wits and steady my breathing. She visibly relaxes once I’ve calmed down and recovers what seems to be a naturally friendly demeanour.

“You gave me quite a fright there, sweetie. Bad dream?”

I nod sheepishly.

“Well, I hope they weren’t all bad, you’ve been out for two days!”

Two days? I try to wade through the fog in my brain to remember what happened.

As if reading my mind she interrupts, “You were shot while on patrol”.

Ray! He must be eaten up with guilt.

“You lost a lot of blood on the way here”, she continues, “You had to have a blood transfusion”.

I nod solemnly wondering what hell Dad must’ve gone through these past few days. When are visiting hours anyway? I really need a Dad hug about now.

“Luckily it wasn’t a conventional bullet; it was one of those silver tipped wooden ones. They can be nasty little buggers mind; I spent ages removing all the splinters but they still make for smaller, cleaner wounds”, she smiles softly, “I never really understood why your guys use those anyway...”

I didn’t even know military hospitals employed civilians anymore but she’s definitely not military. God, even Ray’s pre-schooler knows why we use silver-tipped wooden flechettes, “The reds...if you don’t kill them properly they come back as vampires. We aim for the heart”. I can’t help but glare at her incredulously while her mouth gapes as if this is breaking news. Then it hits me: she said, “your guys”. Not, “our guys” or “we”. I swallow hard and ask, “Where am I? Are you a... a Red?”

“Jada, please just hear us out -“

“Where. Am. I?” My voice is low but forceful.

She takes a deep breath and smoothes her coat before answering, “I’m Olivia. This is my natural hair colour but I count Reds as family. You’re in the basement of our hospital”.

“And that is where exactly?”

“Beyond the city limits.”

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry; I’m somewhere in the heart of enemy territory.

“Is this a real hospital? Are you even a real doctor?!” I might be yelling now, it’s hard to tell when I can hear my pulse thumping so hard in my skull.

“This hospital’s make-shift but it’s as real as it gets for us. I’m... well, I was a qualified nurse long ago but I guess you could say I’m a self-taught doctor now. We don’t exactly have regular universities out here.” Her voice is low and even, she’s maintaining eye contact but not aggressively. I know what she’s doing. Dad uses this technique when he’s trying to spin some political controversy his way without angering the crowds. The low, even voice says, “I’m not a threat, calm down” and the friendly eye contact says, “You can trust me!”

“You’re not even a doctor and you gave me a blood trans-” I recoil in horror as the realisation hits me, “You tainted me with the blood of savages?!”

“Oh yeah, now you’re tainted!” a husky voice retorts sarcastically from the doorway. It’s him! My first wild red: the one Ray’s bullet was meant for.

“Rurik, I told you I would handle this” Olivia chastises.

“And it seemed to be going really well.” He smirks as she glares at him.

I watch the exchange in awe. The only reds I’ve met before were captive; subservient. Not like this. I was stunned before but I’m completely dumbfounded now. The savage has me hostage; I’m cornered in his cage as if I’m the wild animal! I find myself unwillingly playing my part, frozen in fear and cowering before him, mentally if not physically. I pray that my body language and expression don’t betray me. Stripped of my weapon and back-up, stranded in a barren land unknown to me I’m completely at his mercy. My only hope is to hold out for rescue and pray he doesn’t kill me before then.

He perches on the edge of the desk; cool as a cucumber though the tension is palpable, to me at least. Olivia breaks the silence, “Are you comfortable? Can we get you...anything?”

I’d been so focused on the Red; I’d momentarily forgotten she was even in the room. She’s trying to disarm me again, gain my trust: Abduction 101. I shake my head slowly, reluctant to speak in case my voice shows my fear.

“We’re not the enemy, Jada” She says softly. I recall the red saying similar right before I was shot. “We won’t lie to you. Ask anything you want; I’m sure you have many questions.”

Damn her and her soothing voice: she’s good, better than Dad! ...but at least I feel a little more able to utter a sentence without collapsing into a wobbling mess on the floor. I take a deep breath and they all come out in one fast, rambling line, “Why am I here? Is this because Dad’s the Governor? Are you gonna kill me if you don’t get your ransom?” Smooth, Jada!

They exchange raised eyebrows before the Red laughs, “We haven’t kidnapped you! At least, not intentionally!”

What the hell does that even mean?!

“It worked out great for us that you ended up here but trust me, it wasn’t pre-meditated”, Olivia soothes, “You’re free to leave if you wish, we only ask that you hear us out first. Rurik had rendered your partner unconscious in self-defence. You were wounded and bleeding heavily. Who knew when someone would raise the alarm? Even if they did would they get you help in time? Rurik brought you here to save your life".

Why the hell would a Red want to save a guard?

“Call us even”, he grunts and Olivia sighs in exasperation.

Oh.

I look him in the eye, “but you mentioned the letter? You knew my name. How is that even possible if it was just a happy accident?” He shifts uncomfortably and looks to Olivia.

“I sent the letter”, she says, “Rurik was my messenger. He was on his way home when the attacks came, blocking his route. He doubled back on himself to find another route. It was coincidence...fate that that’s when you found him.”

“Why did you send it? What does it mean?”

"I... I guess I’d hoped you had your own suspicions like Ru-“, she stops short, pausing to choose her words carefully, “you were more integrated than we hoped”.

“Integrated with what?”

A sad smile flickers across her lips, “with your society’s political and military philosophy”

“Political and military? So this is about my Dad?” He technically commands both.

“Well, he is one hell of an over-achieving Führer!” The Red sneers.

“My Dad’s a good man who makes tough decisions for the greater good!”

Instantly we’re nose to nose, him snarling through gritted teeth, “When are you gonna wake the hell up? He’s a devil in disguise..."

I gasp, taken aback by his ferociousness but my earlier fear is replaced with anger, “You want me to help you stage a coup, is that it?! I am proud to call myself his daughter and proud to serve his city ridding it of evils like you!” I growl back at him forgetting my own reservations about my father’s plans in the heat of the moment. He flinches, eyes boring in to me then he abruptly pulls away.

I’ve heard enough. I turn to Olivia, “Can I leave now?”

“You haven’t heard us out”, he spits, avoiding eye contact.

“Rurik, get the clothes”, Olivia’s soft tones are a welcome reprieve. As she continues, he gawps at her then dutifully stalks out the room, “I had to cut your clothes off in the OR. What’s left was caked in blood so Rurik asked around for some clothes donations”. She smiles apologetically, “It’s not much I’m afraid but we make or scavenge most of what we wear so we have to make do”. Rurik comes back in and chucks first my work boots, which I’m grateful to see, then a bundle of clothes on the bed. Jeez, if he were a normal guy I’d swear he was sulking but for all I know being a grade-A asshole is typical behaviour for Reds.

“It’s fine”, I reply, “ I only need them to get me home to Daddy” I emphasis the last word making sure Rurik hears. Great! I’ve never met anyone so infuriatingly petulant in my life and now it’s rubbing off!

I dress in the adjoining bathroom, grateful the outfit covers my bandages; Dad doesn’t need any more worries than he already has! I take a moment to gee myself up for what’s sure to be an epic journey: You’re a circle guard, Jada. You just shouted down an angry Red, unarmed. You can manage a walk home through enemy territory! Now puff out that chest and show me that winning smile! If only my insides were grinning half as wide!

I smile politely at Olivia and ignore Rurik as I walk out past them toward the door. As I reach it Olivia calls me, “Jada. Don’t you want to know how we know so much about you?”

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