Ross had never seen the sun set. All he had ever seen was the Red Sun of his town, perpetually hovering in the sky, unable to be looked at straight on, for fear of losing your mind.
He blinked, hard, rubbing at his eyelids. Lately, sometimes, he'd started feeling the urge to let them slip closed, to let himself slip off into a slumber. But he'd been resisting. He'd heard the stories of the people who slept. He'd even seen one, once.
It had been when he was seven, running around the park with his cousin, Shelby, playing a game together. The park had been practically empty, with the only person there other than the two children having been a strange woman, sitting on a park bench, head drooping until it finally rested on her chest. Ross and Shelby stared at her, unsure what that meant, but shrugged, going back to their game, only occasionally glancing over at the woman.
It had been five minutes before an adult walked past the park bench, and screamed.
The strange woman had stood, facing the other adult, a man in a business suit who had dropped his briefcase on his foot. He hadn't seemed to notice it, instead focused entirely on the woman, fear plaguing his expression. "John Arnold Smith," the woman's voice was a harsh growl, her face filled with hate. "You have broken my laws, have betrayed the trust of my town. The sanctuary I have so graciously offered you is being withdrawn."
More people had entered the park as she was talking, the children, along with Ross and Shelby, confused, and the teenagers and adults dropping to their knees in terror. At her words to the man, they flinched away from him, drawing back.
"Please, please, give me another chance!" John begged, clutching his hands together pleadingly. "I'll do anything, I swear! I'll never disrespect your laws again!"
"I don't give second chances." The woman growled out. Her arm shot out, quickly and easily breaking John's neck, her other hand reaching into his chest like he was made of clay, ripping out his heart in a burst of blood. Shelby cried out in horror, burying her face in Ross' back. At the same time, he bent over and threw up, everything his seven year old stomach could contain splattering the ground, not unlike how John Smith's blood and organs had splattered it, mere seconds before. Around them, other children reacted similarly, the adults simply flinching and lowering their heads, not making eye contact with the woman or each other. "Clean up this mess." The woman growled out, to the closest members of the audience. Trembling, they obliged, two hurriedly dragging the corpse away, while three others rushed to get water to rinse away the blood. The rest of the crowd quickly dispersed, giving the woman fearful bows, as they grabbed the kids and left the park, some back to their work, and others to explain just what had happened to the children.
"That was our protector, Sky." Ross' mother had informed him and Shelby afterwards, her voice trembling. "They take care of us, keep outsiders away from the town, and make sure everyone follows the law."
"Why did she kill Mr. Smith?" Ross asked, his voice and body shaking in turn.
"They killed him because Mr. Smith broke the law." His mother said, her hands on the steering wheel turning white as she gripped it tighter. "The woman, Mrs. Green, she's not Sky. She just fell asleep, and, in doing so, allowed Sky to enter her body. She's the newest chosen vessel." Then, lips pursed, his mother pulled over to the side of the road, turning so she could face the two fearful children in the backseat. "Ross, Shelby, you have to swear you won't breathe a word of what happened to Mrs. Green when she wakes up. If she knows what's going on, she might try and force Sky out of her body. And if she manages to, they'll kill everyone in the town, starting with you, for letting her know about their presence. Just let this run it's course, and if you see Mrs. Green, and her eyes are red, be completely and totally respectful, and then get out of their way, because if her eyes are red, then she's not herself, she's them, Sky. And we must be nothing but respectful to Sky."
Ross had just nodded in assent. He felt like he was going to throw up, but there was nothing left in his stomach, so he couldn't. Shelby, face pale with fear, also nodded, her fingers worrying at the hem of her shirt.
"Good." His mother had started the car again, pulling back onto the road and driving them home.
Sky gone back and forth between controlling Mrs. Green and leaving her on her own for almost two months, until, one day, she had a heart attack, and died in the hospital. Everyone in town attended her funeral, mourning the loss of their protector's vessel, but not surprised. A girl, who looked around sixteen or seventeen, informed Ross and Shelby that vessels never last long, but the older they were, the sooner they died. Mrs. Green had lasted longer than expected, at the age of sixty two.
That was when Ross became aware of the true meaning of the religion of his town, and the true fear that accompanied it.
Since those fearful weeks when he was seven, Ross had yet to see Sky return to the town. Lots of other things had happened, including, recently, Shelby having left, for college, she informed everyone else, but she'd told Ross the truth. Her plan was to leave for good, to escape the town and it's so-called protector. He was the only one that had known before the fact that she wouldn't be returning for summer break, and probably hadn't even gone to a college in the first place, instead opting to run as far away as possible. He missed her, but, deep down, he understood why she did it. He just wished he'd been brave enough to accompany her. But, as it was, it was all he had in him not to betray her to their family now that they'd discovered her treachery and grown furious.
Another thing that had happened was also recent. For the past week, Ross had been fighting the urge to let his eyes slip closed. He was only nineteen, and while his age would make him an optimal vessel for Sky, a vessel that could last, potentially, even a year or more, he didn't want to be one. He was scared of what would inevitably happen to him if he let the protector in, let them take control of his body. But the longer he spent, yawning and stretching, pinching himself, trying everything he could think of to keep himself awake, and in control of his own body, if not in control of anything else that happened in his life, the more tired he became.
The last thing that had happened was more recent still, something Ross had only heard about mere moments ago. A stranger had entered the town, one that was, seemingly, unaware of the protector and their religion, something that hadn't happened in Ross' entire life. The man had stumbled into the sheriff's office, rambling about monsters in the woods, monsters with pure red eyes. The sheriff had dismissed him, forcing him to go to the hospital to get his injuries treated, saying it must've been a wolf or some other animal, and otherwise acting like he was insane. As soon as the fearful and angry man had left, the sheriff called a town meeting, informing everyone of the potential trouble.
"We need someone to get close to him, to keep an eye on him and ensure he doesn't make any trouble." The mayor said grimly, with her sheriff nodding from the seat next to her. "Ross," Ross started when everyone in the town turned to look at him, their expressions ranging from fear to pride. "That's going to be your job. You're about the same age, give or take a year or two."
Ross fiddled with the hem of his light grey hoodie. "Um, why me, ma'am? Not that I'm saying I won't do it!" He hurried to add, at her raised eyebrow. "But, I'm just curious why, out of everyone, you're choosing me. I, um, don't exactly have experience with strangers." He admitted, biting his lip. He'd never left the town, even, instead spending all his time inside the barriers that marked the area of Sky's control.
"No one your age has experience with strangers." The mayor rolled her eyes. "So you're as qualified as anyone else. And I chose you because you're right here next to me. Now get out there and worm your way into the stranger's heart. He's being treated at the hospital. Tell Doctor Tim I sent you, and he'll know what to do."
Ross nodded, reluctantly standing up and slowly exiting the room. As he passed people, he heard them lean over to their neighbors and whisper, eyes tracking him the whole way.
When he was out of the room, out of sight, he leaned against a wall and yawned, rubbing at his eyes. As he left the building, the Red Sun shone down upon him, tinting his hoodie the color of blood.
He wondered how long it would take before the stranger's blood was what caused the red color of the fabric, as it was ripped from his body along with his heart.
Author's Note: John Arnold Smith isn't supposed to be anyone in particular, it's just a generic name that I thought up on the go.
YOU ARE READING
The Redstone Demon
Fanfiction"You're not Ross." Max choked out, as his hands scrabbled uselessly at the fingers locked around his neck. "Who-what are you?" He wheezed, as his vision started to dim around the edges. The thing wearing Ross' face grinned sinisterly, red eyes glint...
