Bringer of Bad Luck

Chapter 8

Then there were two, two that had gone to the slaughter.

The reaper had finally come for her, metamorphosizing her into a puddle of despair and death as her lifeblood filtered from her open and ruptured flesh. The only thing she was able to do at her terminal, was haphazardly move her eyes. Her brain would no longer function like it should, the damage was too much. A gaping hole was in her scull which also caused her brain to take damage on impact with the side of the pool. The last emotion she felt was fear, she didn't want to die, yet, her helplessness couldn't be mended. Even though at that point, while on the floor she couldn't distinguish left from right, or up from down, her eyes opened wide as she strived onto the legs of her fleeting life. The only sounds she was able to make was incomprehensible babbling, most likely her last pleas for help, or maybe really was nonsensical babbling because of her brain damage. Nevertheless, the darkness impinged on her consciousness until her unfocused eyes were forced to close for one final time.

This was the tragic end of Nicole who, just like Crimson's father, tried to treat Crimson as a normal human being.

That day, Victoria had said that she would be getting to the house at about noon due to a dental appointment. Therefore, Nicole was left to 'man the fort.' She'd prepared 'candied sweets' as she usually called snacks, because she knew that her boss and his daughter were having some quality time together by the pool. She'd harmlessly prepared such things and had gone to refill her boss' supply of food; however, the scene she walked in on greatly alarmed her.

The first thing she noticed was Crimson who was intently staring into the pool. However, Nicole was at an angle where she couldn't see what Crimson was looking at, but, what she did know was that whatever it was, Crimson solely detested it. Nicole didn't get an inkling of who or what Crimson was looking at with such resentment, but deep down in her consciousness, she was thankful that she wasn't on the receiving end of such and incredulous stare.

Though Nicole never wanted to think that way, to treat Crimson as though she was a terrorist to humanity, but at that moment, she succumbed to her unconscious feelings. However, no one could really blame her. She'd always discredit Victoria's views, despite the resounding evidence against Crimson; in addition, she'd never been once injured even on the rare occasions where she was forced to interact with Crimson.

Nicole also tried her utmost to make Crimson feel welcomed and comfortable around her, even overlooking her own uneasiness. Often, she'd feel as though a snake was wrapped around her, suffocating, squeezing the life out of her, but thankfully, that was but a feeling and not something that literally happened.

Almost as soon such sinister thoughts arose within her, Nicole would push such negativity out and put on a bright yet forced smile on her visage.

As she neared the pool, she became apprehensive, she was sure that something was wrong, call it a woman's intuition, but bells rang off in her head, warning her of what was to come, however, she thought that her uneasiness must have caused the hidden fear of Crimson may have decided to claw its way out of the depths of her existence to cause her unnecessary anxiety.

Nevertheless, she got closer to the pool, where her fears were confirmed. For some unnatural reason, her vision became a bit hazy as the motionless body that floated on top of the water came in sight. Her breath was immediately caught in her throat as her hands lost its grasp on the tray of snacks that she possessed. The tray and snacks hit the floor with a crash and when the crash sounded, Nicole, with as much force as she could, let out a glass shattering scream.

But no one could hear her, no one but the malicious demon child in her vicinity, and it would also fall on the deaf ears of her dead employer.

Nicole would be the only witness, the only one who was coincidentally in the house, the only one who could tell others of what she saw, however, she wouldn't be allowed to be around for so long as to tell others her tale.

After Nicole got enough composure to stop screaming, without further thought, she rushed to help the man in the pool. In her mentally disheveled state, she gave way to silly mistakes, mistakes that shouldn't have been made, mistakes like forgetting the black-hearted girl who was probably, in reality, the cause of every unfortunate event that had ever occurred in the house, was there, still watching the immobile body of her father.

As Nicole clumsily urged herself forward, she slipped on a bit of water that had formed a puddle near her destination.

She fell forward, the tiled floor mercilessly and vigorously smashing into her head. It was such a blow that a large cavity was left in Nicole's skull. Her eyesight became fuzzy and a buzzing sound was herd in her ears, as if everything made noise, she heard everything as an echo.

Naturally, her muscles clenched and unclenched and they tried to raise her up, to get her back on her feet, but that was impossible, it was the side of the pol she'd hit, it wasn't just a small shove that one may receive from a baby or a friend, it was an injury that meant her life.

After the vicious clobber in the head, she could do nothing but give way to the reaper and his sickle that had so suddenly barged in on her life. Her eyes fluttered a few times until her life finally opened, entered and closed death's door, the place where she had no choice but to go to.

A while later, Victoria arrived at the house, right around the time she'd promised she would be there for. Almost immediately she found something to be awry, it was quiet, too quiet. By that time, as per usual, Nicole would've greeted her and would forcibly take her bags that she didn't even need assistance with. When she got further into the house, to her, the silence became overbearing, so she decided to fill the empty space with the sound of her voice, and so, she began calling out for Nicole. However, she didn't receive a reply. At this point, anyone's reply would've done the trick, but really, that child's appearance may have been more chilling and creepy than comforting.

The woman made her way through the house to the kitchen. She was about to go elsewhere in search of a soul, but her plans changed when she noticed a body. Through the glass sliding door that led to the pool, she saw figure on the unforgiving floor outside. Impulsively, she scrambled to the body's side, and when she got there, she was even more horrified. There was another carcass in the pool. The man's eyes were closed as though he was at piece, but Victoria knew, she had no doubt that her boss had died in a savage way.

She sat by Nicole's side for quite a bit, she felt as though tears wanted to force themselves through her tear glands, but she didn't allow them to overpower her. She was distraught, yes, but she'd prepared herself. She knew how Nicole always tried to be friendly with the boss' brat, she'd known the girl would turn on the kind woman, just like she seemed to have turned on her own father, the only person who would want to take care of her.

As Victoria glanced from one deceased to the other, anger welled up inside of her, till she began to violently shake, she didn't know what to do with such blazing anger. But that was when she felt it. She felt what others who were under her scrupulous and obnoxious gaze felt. She was watching her, from the room, through her transparent window.

The girl's disgusting magenta orbs were stabbing into her back, loitering and waiting for her reaction. In her fury though, Victoria thought of making a stand against the villainous girl.

In an instant she was inside, rushing up the steps to Crimson's room. The woman was furious, not daft, she wouldn't take the chance of having even one foot in the same room as the girl, and therefore, she stopped by the door. When she got to the door, she started banging on it. She shouted to the girl on the other side, while unforgivingly venting her frustration through swinging her hands against the door. Her fists fought an unnecessary and useless battle with the door as tears trickled down her cheeks. She then scrounged her eyelids together, squeezing the salty water from her eyes and her fists slamming against the door were replaced by her forehead. It was as though she didn't feel pain, but what physical pain could ever compete with the powerlessness she felt.

Victoria slumped to the ground still hitting her head against the door, consumed by her thoughts.

She'll pay, she'll pay, she will pay. That disgusting abomination of a child would get what was coming to her, even if she had to take matters into her own hands. The child had to suffer, even if it would be only a scrap of what others suffered by her hands, the girl needed to feel pain.

No matter what, Victoria was determined to damage Crimson, it may not have been physical, but she would do something to make the girl wish she was dead.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.