Seeing Red

Chapter 13

Moving past the cells was painful to do, since everything in them was just a horrible memory. Of course, I also had to prepare for the bad memories that would re-surface as soon as I got a good look at the campsite again. At one point, I thought for a moment that I had passed by Mark's cell, but I couldn't stop to re-live the bad memories. Not only did I not want to, but I didn't have time.

"Scarlet, are you okay?" Simon asked. He had been shooting glances at me while we had been running, "You have a blank look on your face."

"Bad memories," I said, "I wish I had burned down more than just one building the last time I had been here. Hey, maybe I'll finally get the chance."

"Let's hold off on arson for now," said Simon, "How's the bite doing? I hope I didn't hurt you too bad, right?"

"Honestly, I can't even feel it anymore." I said, and that was true; shortly after Simon had bitten me, a numbness had spread from the bite to my entire arm, then to my entire body, and now I didn't feel it at all. Instead, I felt stronger, like I could lift a million tons, and faster, like I could run a marathon.

"Yeah, that's normal," said Simon, "The only unnatural thing is the fact that you were able to keep from going totally feral during your first transformation, and turn back. Honestly, you being an enigma sounds just about right, Scarlet."

"What does that mean?" I asked as we turned another corner in the endless labyrinth.

"I mean, it's almost like fate that you're even here right now," said Simon, "Can you honestly tell me, after all of this, that it was just lucky chance that you ended up in Camp Packington, you were in the right place at the right time to save Brandon's life, and led your friends to safety?"

"I didn't get all of them..." I said, "I mean, so many people died before I could get us out, people with whole lives ahead of them. They might not have been completely innocent, we're all guilty of one thing or another, but none of them deserved to die!"

"I agree." said Simon, "That's why we're going to make them pay."

The door ahead was one that I unfortunately recognized; the one that would lead to the hallway of the main building. This door was the one Becky locked before she ran off into what she thought would have been a suicide mission. I never thought I would be so happy that Becky Oz was alive.

Simon had opened the door while I was thinking and we stepped into the hallway. The whole place had a bad aura and a bad smell. The smell of death that lingered forever.

"Haunting." I said quietly.

"We have to sneak around," said Simon, "If we get caught, we're gonna get killed on the spot."

Right when he said that, someone turned the corner. I was just preparing for a fight when I realized it was Marther, holding a key, looking just as shocked as Simon and I did.

"You... you're out." Marther said after a couple of seconds of awkward silence.

"We are," said Simon, "Marther, walk away, right now."

"Simon, I -"

"I don't want to hear it!" Simon shouted, putting up his hands like he was ready to fight, "I don't want to hear your stupid justifications, or backstory, or what we had, I just don't want to hear it anymore! I -"

"Simon," I said, gently placing my hand on the guy's shoulder, "Let's hear him out. Marther, why do you have a key?"

Marther looked down at the key in his hand before he looked back up at us.

"I was coming to let you out of your cell..." Marther said quietly, looking down at the floor like he was a guilty child.

"Why?" I said, "Why would you help us?"