Red Hood. (Complete)

Chapter II

2

Scarlett took the last batch of cookies out of the oven and set them on the cooling rack, pushing her hood back the light from the oven glancing off her scars. She began walking towards the stairs, skipping over the creaking steps that would alert a more than likely still awake Gresham that she was walking by.

On the other side of the guest room door, Gresham sat on the bed, his eyes on the crack between the door and the floor, watching as Scarlett’s shadow passed his door. His eyes narrowed down towards the small glimpse of her feet, the same size Scarlett’s had been. Shaking his head he rested his back against the pillows and looked out the window at the red moon. Bright yellow eyes in the backyard alerted him that something was out there, moving quickly he stood in front of the window, staring intently at the yellow eyes that seemed to bore into him. He pulled the blinds shut and his room was engulfed in darkness.

Scarlett glanced out her window as she saw a black shape racing towards the house directly across from hers, green eyes flashing she placed her necklace on the windowsill and watched as the moon slid across the sky. One more blood moon and Scarlett just might be dead at the end of it, she escaped the first time out of pure luck, but this time luck couldn’t be on her side. Or Gresham would not have entered her house, but glad knowing that it wasn’t him who had come back to terrorize her she smoothed out the kinks in the chain before centering the charm.

“They don’t deserve to suffer.” She whispered, looking up at the red moon, casting its light onto her face. A face that held similar to that of another girl, long gone. She turned quickly and climbed into bed, closing her eyes for the few hours of sleep she would be allowed.

Meanwhile, in the house across the street, a wolf slunk through the shadows, taking in the smells of the family inside. Three children, two girls one in her mid teens the other barely six, the boy arriving in his early teens as of tomorrow. The parents both in their late forties, asleep in a room far away from their children’s. Giving a hungry smile the wolf slid its yellow eyes down towards the parent’s door, liking the taste of terrified children more than sleeping children or adults. He moved swiftly, tearing the father limb from limb in front of the screaming mother, waking her sleeping children.

“Claire! Call the police! Call someone, hurry!” The oldest lead her siblings downstairs to the kitchen and tossing the phone to her brother pulled a large knife out of the drawer. Their mother’s last scream echoing through the night, causing the six year old to begin sobbing.

“Diana, go hide in the cupboard and keep quiet. Stay there until the police find you, do you hear me?” Claire opened the cupboard and shoved her crying sister into their with a final look. “We love you.” She kissed her fingers and pressed it to Diana’s forehead. “Greg, did you dial the police yet?” Her brother stared wide-eyed behind her and she spun around, knife pointed towards the quaking shadow in front of her and Greg. She could hear the cops yelling on the phone that Greg had dropped. “Stay away. I’m not afraid to hurt you.” Claire’s voice wavered and the wolf chuckled, swiping its paw out and knocking her into glass china case, watching as it tinkled down and cut open her skin.

The wolf’s nostrils dilated at the smell of the blood and quickly knocked the brother into the stove. He collapsed to the ground and the wolf made quick work of him, listening joyfully to Claire’s screams, mingled with the frantic muffled ones of a six-year-old girl in a cupboard. He silenced Claire, his claws spearing through her chest where she let out a strangled gurgle before the light left her eyes. Shaking his head the wolf slid his claws out of Claire and turned toward the silently sobbing Diana. He opened the cabinet and yanked the girl out, smiling.

“Thought you could hide little one? Let me make it easier on you.” He raised his paw and watched as Diana cringed on the ground in fear.

“I’m not so sure that’s very wise you mutt.” The wolf turned and locked eyes on the red cloak, the hood covering the girls face. “Leave the girl alone and I’ll let you go.” He snorted and scraped his claws down Diana’s side as he pushed her out of the way so that he could lunge towards the girl. She shot him in the shoulder, cocking the gun and taking aim again as he felt the sting of the silver bullet in his shoulder. “Leave. You have one more night, might as well make that one your best and come for me.” The wolf gave a final snarl before jumping out of the window and towards Scarlett’s dark house. “The cops will be here in the morning, Diana. You’ll be fine until then.” With that the red-cloaked girl disappeared out of the house and into the darkness.

Red and blue lights flashed from Scarlett’s front lawn and she peered out of the curtains, green eyes catching everything that other people normally wouldn’t. She could hear plate’s clatter in the kitchen, telling her that Gresham was awake and looking for something to eat. After tightening the hood around her face she skipped down the stairs and snatched up her basket. Placing the patchwork cloth in the basket she began gently placing the cookies in and covered it.

“Did you see what happened last night?” Gresham spoke from behind her and she paused, her hand in the air reaching for the last cookie, her other tightened on the handle of the basket.

“No. I went to sleep.” She turned around, holding the cookie out towards Gresham. “Come on. I have to go make rounds.” He took the cookie and followed her out the door, looking at her shoes, sparkly red heels that glittered when they hit the weak sunlight. “Just think though, tonight’s the last night for the blood moon. The last night the wolf will be this powerful for awhile.” She whispered as she hurried towards the ambulance.

“Dad! Dad, why’s there an ambulance?” Gresham called towards his father who looked up and frowned when he noticed how close his son walked next to Scarlett.

“Diana was left alive. She’s going off about how someone came in and told the wolf off, that it would come after her tonight. Did you see anything?” Gresham shook his head and watched as Scarlett walked over to the stretcher that Diana lied on, her face pale and bandages wrapped around her chest. “She got scratched. The doctors don’t want to kill her but it’s the only way to keep her from catching the disease as well.”

Gresham watched as Scarlett laughed at something Diana said and handed her a cookie. He gave a small smile and took a bite of the cookie he was still holding.

“Do you know much about Scarlett dad?” Liam watched his son, sad that he seemed to be falling for the mysterious girl in front of them.

“No, I don’t. Except that she’s born on the same day as Hood, the same age and arrived the day after Hood died.” Gresham nodded, not really listening and watched as a medic came up to Scarlett to tell her something.

“She doesn’t have to die! You can’t turn into a werewolf when you’ve just got a scratch! She wasn’t bitten, Diana’s fine. If she was her eyes wouldn’t be blue, they’d be greener than anything. You don’t know anything about werewolves do you? No one in this town does, I’ve seen your collection of werewolf books at the library and it’s pathetic.” Scarlett growled and pulled her hood father down her face. “She just might get some wolfish characteristics as time goes on, she’ll be fine!” Scarlett gave Diana another cookie and shoved the medic away. “She can stay at my house for the time being. I’ve got plenty of room.” Diana perked up and smiled, her eyes not so grief stricken.

“I’ll help you move her things into the house if you want Scarlett.” Gresham spoke up and both girls looked over at him, green and blue eyes on him and he grinned. “It’s the least I can do since you’re being such a gracious hostess.” Scarlett nodded and picked Diana up off the stretcher. “I’ll meet you at the house.” She nodded and grabbing her basket went around, handing out the rest of her cookies, giving one to Diana every now and then.

Gresham made his way towards Diana’s room and halfway through putting her clothes into a bag, caught sight of a scrap of paper sticking out from under her bed. Bending down to pick it up he flipped it over, his eyes widening as he took in what it said in a child’s handwriting.

‘Hood is alive.’

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Sunday seems to be the day I updated this then. So next chapter for this should be Thursday or Friday. Handcuffed: Wednesday? TNT: Thursday or Saturday.

Just in case y'all didn't see mah status update, I thought you should know: I GOT A HP SORTING HAT! IT'S FREAKING AMAZING! But it doesn't talk to kinda disappointing there, but it's pretty cool.