Red

Rough Draft

The ring on her finger caught the light streaming through the window, shimmering beams of fiery red reflecting off the gems and painting the walls in an eerie glow. She loved staring at the golden band that fit her finger perfectly, at the deep, clear rubies that blazed from within it. More than anything, she loved the memories tied so unshakably to the glistening metal ring.

Unbidden, the image of a man flashed through her mind. His soft, dark hair tumbled down his forehead, two dark orbs like onyx staring out; she could see the loneliness resonating from within, the deep sadness that struck a cord inside her, despite the knowledge that the eyes were a mere thought. They were sad ones, filled with sorrow and longing, and she would give anything to make a smile slide across his face.

He lived in the ring, this memory, and so the ring was the most treasured item she had. A sigh rose within her at the realization that the ring was her only possession. Her dark clothes were in tatters, her jeans ripped, her boots scuffed. That was the extent of her possessions; those and the glowing ring on her pale finger were all she had to her name. Always on the move, a heavy weight had settled on her shoulders, a weight that increased with every memento she tried to cling to. The memories would build up, growing and growing, a cloud of nostalgia that tore at her heart and led her from her mission. But the ring... if she let go of the ring, she would truly have nothing left.

She remembered when he gave it to her- they were filthy, dirt smeared across their faces, smoking and bloody, clothes near ripped to shreds. And he still told her she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She had rolled her eyes, smacking him, but on the inside, she had felt warm. Not like the ever present flame inside her- a different sort of warm, one that started from her toes and gathered at her heart. She had thought that she had never felt more love than in that moment.

That's when he took her hand, slipping the ring on her finger without another word. She had stared at it, eyes wide, her mouth forming words she didn't have the voice to speak. He'd laughed, she thought wryly. 'I finally shut you up.' That's what he'd said. Golden, like the sun; the light that dissipated the darkness. Rubies, picked for her, as flaming red as her hair; picked for love, and for flames.

The ring was a promise, a hope for a future. And now, that future was gone. They had taken it from her. Taken him from her. So she took their future from them.

Her emerald eyes fixed on the pools of blood covering the floor, motionless bodies scattered in their midst. The smell of burnt flesh surrounded her, a hauntingly familiar scent, mingled with the sickly sweet odor of death. A grim satisfaction filled her, her mouth curved in a twisted smile. The last thing the rubies stood for:

Blood.