CRIMSON LABYRINTH TALE

Rat In Wolf Clothing

      In a bedroom: Crimson-lit,  red glittering carpet, fitting a large ruby-adorned bed packed with golden pillows and a thick blanket of the same color. The walls were covered with wide black and white colored wallpaper of a wolf ripping apart an elk by the neck. The door opened, and Rick entered with a woman, Grenil– a woman who looked to be in her early 20s, with red curly hair, contrasting her face painted white with black stripes, with a long spiky red dress and high heels of the same color.
    
    “I heard something? Rick, I hope it isn't true. Edward is dead?” The woman asked, sitting on the bed while Rick stood still.
    
   “I don't know how or why too. I am confused by the news that my friend died.” Rick spoke with his voice crackling as he walked around.
     
    “How is it that you are in this tight circle of friends yet you are clueless about what is going on?” Grenil inquired and Rick huffed.
     
    “I don't know what you think I am doing, but let me again tell you. Edward was my friend for a long time, you know. He was the one that helped me find myself. One day, he asked me to join him in a transport job. Knew he wasn't all clean but I had to say yes, and I got arrested. That night.” Rick explained that Grenil was massaging her temple.
    
   “Well, you are out because of me. And I was hoping for something with James to happen, but it seems they all went cold.” Grenil stated.
    
    “Ever since the cargo I helped them with after meeting Edward. No news at all.” Rick went to sit on the bed.
    
    “You helped them and didn't tell me?” Rick rolled his eyes at Grenil's question.
    
   “They had everyone on hawk eyes, even now they are noting my movement. You think I wanted to come to your house for no reason.” Rick answered, Grenil rested on the bed with a frown.
    
    “Rick, I don't hate you. I just want you to help.” Grenil stated.
    
    “Listen, have you seen the people Jimmy caught? With all due respect, I think you don't know the kind of fire I am playing with. I can be burnt alive, thrown down homemade acid… whatever they feel like. I am glad you caught some people from my situation but I want you to know that you guys made me look like… someone with bad luck. The people you caught didn't even talk so the whole operation was a bust.” Rick explained, standing back up.
    
   “I lost a lot of good friends, Rick,” Grenil stated.
    
     Rick replied. “Listen, what happened has happened but you can't just expect me to just with no emotion cough out my friends. Yeah, I made a stupid deal to get my sentence cut but–”
    
    Grenil interrupted. “Rick, you are meant to rot in jail, you killed one of my own. If not for the fact that Edward was a top priority to be captured, and seeing the connection with you two. They could have done a lot of things to see you rot in jail. Legal or not, you have to understand the situation of wanting Edward before this mess of a situation. Rick, I don't hate you.” Rick kept staring at her after she talked.
     
“What's up with the costume?” Rick asked, Grenil laughed at the question.
   
  “It's for a party. What, not making you feel good?” Grenil asked back with a smirk.
    
“You look like you're in a band. An edgy one. Do you like it?” Grenil's face twitched upon being asked.
    
“Excuse me, but this is a tribute to my favorite pro wrestler, Sting. And yes I love the way I look, it's a beautiful feeling.” Rick’s eyes widened in response, then smiled.
    
“Rick, just try to head inside this stuff. Whatever you find will be helpful.” Grelin pleaded to Rick who was now lying down.
    
“Grelin, I want to help. Not really but I am in a tight spot here. My life is on the table, to be taken at any time.” Rick stated.
    
“I know Rick. It's understandable, you die, you die. It's not something I want to experience too.” Grelin's smile faded after talking.
    
“Oh no, now this atmosphere is too negative. Say, do you have anyone you are with?” Rick asked, sitting up with a smile.
    
“I had.” She answered, her face now smiling. “He was talented at being a prick. Even more at cheating on you until you find concrete physical proof by spying on him.”
    
“You went full spy mode on him?” Rick giggled after asking, causing her to do the same.
   
  “Well, I have to admit.” She said, lying down. “It was not something legal to do, I spiked his drink. Long story short, he was found beside a bank only in his briefs.” She said in an increasingly excited tone.
    
Rick gasped upon hearing.
    
“Wait, the weird guy on the 25th?” Rick's smile went full upon questioning, causing her to laugh harder.
    
“Pleading guilty.” She answered, Rick laughed out loud, clapping his hands.
    
“Edward and I were discussing this stuff the day it happened. Have you heard of UFO kidnapping? That's what we thought.” Grelin choked after hearing Rick.
    
“UFO. You believed in that fairytale and cringed at my costume.” She said, gasping after.
    
“Excuse me, but have you ever seen one before? Guess who has?” Rick asked, pointing to his smirking face. Grelin looked shocked, then smiled at him.
    
“Have you seen a live saucer?” Her voice filled with mockery.
   
“Grelin, I want you to know that as a witness to nearly being kidnapped,”
    
“Rick, are you serious? Do you want to start like this?” Rick covered his mouth from laughing.
    
“I may have been a bit high during the event,” Rick admitted
    
“There are no such things,” Grelin stated
    
Rick pointed at her head with a smile. “You are not fun.”

She slapped his finger away.
    
“Sorry about Edward.” The atmosphere tensed up again from her statement.
    
Rick jumped off the bed. “Listen, you may not like what I do, or what Edward and the rest did. But he was someone who I could turn to when things started to get hard. And trust me they did, I still regret him knowing about my prison fight even when… the point is it messed the big man up. The reason Jimmy is even here is because of me. After that day in the office, Edward sent me a personal yoga instructor. She was the typical old woman asshole, he used to tease me about it on the phone. Rick said with both tears and a smile. “She got killed when Jimmy thought she was a cop, I don't know if she was or not. Didn't stop her from being headshot.” Rick's smile disappeared after explaining
   
  “I don't know about everyone in the unit.”
    
“Yeah, Grelin, I get that you guys hate Edward.” He stated, Grelin rolled her eyes.
   
  “You have repeated that line over and over.” Grelin cringed upon speaking.
     
“Because it is true, let me guess. You think I have no… moral compass or I have no soul?” Rick asked, grinning.
     
“I know, but this is a job of mine. Someone has to do it. I don't see criminals as 2D cut-out bad guys, with long names. You guys will be very close to each other, the most that can happen is a deal like yours but I doubt that. I was once selling stolen bikes, but I got caught. Look at me now.” Grelin pointed at herself after speaking.
    
“You stole bikes?” Rick asked, eyes widened.
    
“If you are expecting to hear anything other than that, you will be disappointed. I got nothing except that story that's interesting in my life.” Grelin explained
    
“Wow, look at you. I have to say this, you look weirdly good to look at. Now you aren't beautiful, that was not what you were looking for. You are not going to steal anyone's heart at the party, but my God will you be looked at.” Grelin's eyes bulged at his remark
   
  “I wanted to compliment you, that was a mistake,” Rick admitted.
 
   “You should see my friends, you would think this is normal,” Grelin said, covering herself with the blanket.
 
   “I get you don't want to talk about Edward with me. What about James?” Rick smiled upon hearing the question.
 
   “James is someone I have known since my childhood, he taught me how to talk out, how to strike a deal, and get girls. He was like a father to me, knew him more than my real one. Oh, and my mom was better, I just never understand how someone like James, who has everything needed to make it legally, is stuck here. He never answered me whenever I asked.” Rick went back to sit down after explaining.
 
   “I have a party to go to, you want to go with me?” She asked
 
   Rick lay down next to her, looking directly at her. “Okay. Do I need to look like you?” His question caused Grelin to smile.
   
  “No, there is no party. I just was feeling weird and needed to wear this. I love doing this dress-up thing. It makes me feel so… I don't know. Want to try some costumes with me?” Grelin admitted.
   
  Rick smiled at her.
    
“Wow, we both are good at not talking about things by switching to another thing. I don't want to know why there is no party, what costumes do you have?” Glerin jumped off the bed, her face after he talked.
   
  His phone rang, he pulled it out and answered it. His face frowned, “sorry, I have to go. I will inform you of this important meeting I am about to have.” Grelin's face frowned.
   
  He walked to the door.
    
“Rick, if you can't do it without your life being at stake. Please wear a vest., if you are not going to carry a gun. I don't want you dead.” Rick froze, he turned to her.
   
  “Do you know why I don't carry guns with me?”
   
  “I don't want to know. I know it's personal, so please wear a vest.” Grelin pleaded.
     
Rick nodded, he stretched his hands to which Grelin did the same to shake.
   
  Rick walked away.