Played For A Fool

Puzzle Pieces

Guilt was a hunter. It ate you alive, feeding on your deepest secrets and fears. It curled in on you until it was impossible to breathe. It was something that plagued everyone, though in Wolf's case, it was unbearable.

Her screams, pleas of help, echoed through Wolf's head as he walked back to the kitchen. The look on her face alone was enough to kill him, but her screams...

Scarlet Benoit had trusted Wolf, and he had betrayed her. He had posed as the good guy, when really he was the villain. He was the Big Bad Wolf, and his mission had been to capture Little Red Riding Hood. He had done it too, though he wished over and over again that he hadn't done it. He wished that he had told her the truth, and let her run away, but he hadn't.

It's not like it mattered what Wolf did, either way Scarlet would end up hurt. It had all been a game, every single thing, and Wolf was just a piece of his master's puzzle.

Wolf's master was a cunning man, brilliant, but also cruel. He had full control over all the Wolf Mutants, though there were hardly any left to control. There were about twenty out of the original thousand, though that was still enough to cause plenty of havoc. There were only two packs now, after they had all killed each other, and Wolf was the alpha of one of them.

The packs were strong, even with so many of their comrades dead, though it was their master who is the strong one. Their deranged master only created them in an attempt to cure letumosis.

Master. The name swirled around Wolf's head, and he wished more than anything that he could rescue Scarlet from the evil man. He wished that he could have warned her, when she went to his house. He wished that he had at least hinted at his name.

Wolf picked up a lunch tray, filled with what looked like dog food, and began to walk to Scarlet's cell. He had been tasked with giving the girl her meals. He wanted to do something, to tell her who was behind all the chaos and evil that had filled her life. He wanted to help the feisty redhead, even if it killed him.

Scarlet's cell was small, and looked like all the others. Her grandmother's body had not been removed, seeing how Scarlet would be moved into a joined cell with Carswell Thorne in less than an hour. Wolf felt terrible that Scarlet had to sit in there with her dead Grandmother, and closest family. He felt so much guilt.

Resolve filled Wolf as he opened the door to the cell. He couldn't let Scarlet stay in this cell any longer. He was going to help her escape, even if it cost him dearly. He didn't know why he was so fond of this girl that he barely knew. Maybe it was because she treated him as though he were normal, or because she always did what she believed was right. She was the most honorable and brave person that Wolf had ever met, and he admired her for it. He wished he could be like her.

A creak sounded as the light door opened, and Wolf's eyes went immediately to Scarlet. She was cradling her Grandmother's head in her lap, and her face was red and splotchy from crying, even though no more tears remained.

Scarlet jumped as Wolf entered the room, and she snarled as she realized who was behind her. She hunched over her Grandmother, as though to protect her from any further damage, though there was none left to do. Wolf set the tray of mush on the floor and put his hands up to show that he didn't want to hurt her.

"Scarlet-"

"Save your breath." Scarlet snapped, turning her back on Wolf.

Wolf put his head down, feeling ashamed for getting Scarlet in this situation, but he could help her, he was going to help her. "Scarlet, I'm going to get you out of here." Wolf whispered, and Scarlet turned her head around to scowl at him.

"Do you really expect me to believe you after all that you did?" Scarlet snarled ferociously. "I trusted you, and you betrayed me."

"I didn't want to, Scarlet." Wolf rasped, "If I hadn't had done it, someone else would have, and they wouldn't have been as kind. I just wanted you to be safe."