the fall of red

Shes okay

—///just quick before you read this chapter! It's pretty gory and dark. I'll put a "!" on its own before it starts to get dark and gory. Just a warning!—///

Red sprinted at top speed, completely forgetting to grab the shoes she had left outside the museum. She felt immediate regret for taking the gun, but an inexplicable force had compelled her to do so. Despite trying to convince herself that she didn't know what to do with it, the same inner voice that urged her to take the gun was also dictating its purpose to her.

Red found herself deep in the woods, far from the museum, surrounded by nothing but trees and grass. It was getting late, and the darkness made it difficult for her to navigate the unfamiliar terrain. After some time, Red came upon a small clearing, a secluded spot where she could rest. She sat down, removed her jacket, and carefully placed her gun on the ground. Looking up at the night sky, she tried to commit each twinkling star to memory, wondering which one shone the brightest. Lost in her thoughts, she began to speak softly, the words slipping into the quiet night like secrets.

"You're bright. You're dead already. We just haven't caught up to you yet. All of you guys are, and that's what makes a star. Our earth isn't ready to see it, so we look at you at night, calling you beautiful. I have a gun, which means someone will be a star soon. I wonder who. I'd hate to see someone I love die, although you guys are pretty, and I know someone who'd make a gorgeous star. She outshines all of you, but she's still alive, and I want her to stay that way forever. She will stay that way forever—a shining girl. The world will remember the name Princess Chloe Charming, and they will think about how breathtaking she is, but she didn't need to be dead for that. Some people need to die to become shining stars. I'd never hurt someone I love, you know. People believe I'm a monster due to my mother, but I think monsters make the most angelic of people. Not my mother, though. She's the exception because she made me a failure, a big, stupid failure. I'd like to be a star. I'd like for people to call me beautiful and say I'm the brightest in the sky. Sometimes, I feel the world cave in on me all at once. The pressure overtakes me, which is also stupid because if pressure makes diamonds, then why do I still want to be a star? Why do I want to watch everyone live their lives but let mine slip away? Shouldn't I be a diamond? Why will my only chance to shine be up there dead? Why can't I shine in the sun like a diamond? Why? Why, why, why!" Red's fists relentlessly pounded the unyielding earth before she paused to take a deep breath and centre herself.

"I want to be a star so badly. I want to shine, and I want to feel free and away from everyone. Why can't I be alone forever? I want to feel nothing; I wish never to see anything again. I don't want to feel regret or pain. I want everything to leave me. I want to leave everything. Please?" Red looked up at the sky before moving her attention to the gun beside her.

"Oh, that's why I needed you, isn't it?" tears began slowly falling to the ground as Red made her realisation.

"I thought you would help me be free of my mother...I thought I'd go to Wonderland and kill her. But all I wanted was to be free of everything." Red found herself conversing with an inanimate object, unsure of why she was doing so. However, she realised that it was aiding her in accepting a decision that her subconscious had already made.

Red gazed back up at the vast, dark expanse above, a heaviness settling into her tired eyes. Today had been a tumultuous journey, and she couldn't shake the feeling that this might very well be her final opportunity to revel in the celestial beauty above her. Rather than succumbing to sleep, she willed herself to remain awake a little while longer, determined to soak in and appreciate the mesmerising sight that stretched out before her.

As the night unfolded, she gazed at the stars' celestial dance and the moon's graceful descent to a new position in the expansive night sky. At that moment, Red made a solemn vow to herself. The following day, she resolved to spend her final moments enveloped by the enchanting embrace of the woodland, acutely attuned to every nuance of her surroundings. She yearned to experience her last day in a place that embodied perpetual change, where the unassuming facade belied a world of hidden complexity, waiting to be unveiled by a discerning eye. She longed to discover if the ancient trees harboured untold secrets and whether the resilient grasses performed a silent ballet when unobserved by mortal eyes. Unseen and untethered, Red yearned to behold the subtle imperfections of this extraordinary place.