This is dedicated to Thunderxtw. I hope this cheers you up!:)

The Lady In the Scarlet Dress

Raindrops fell to the ground, one after another. The sky was gray with gloom and the air was thick and foggy. Nobody was on the streets tonight. Nobody that is, besides her. Doned in an elegant scarlet dress, she waited in the ally outside the nightclub. Her umbrella hid her face as the rain continued to collapse from the heavens. In just a few minutes, he'd be here. Sighing impatiently, she checked her digital watch. Just a few more minutes to go. She tapped her foot now, the click of her red heels blending in with the heavy downpour around her. This was how it always was. Each and every night, she'd sit in wait. Each and every night, it was a different face. Each and every night, she returned home alone. Some would call her a hypocrite, others would make her their savior. Some would chase her down, and the others would let her go. Either way, she wasn't concerned with these people. They were either her allies, or they were her enemies.

For the third time, she reattached the silencer to her pistol, a sign that she was getting restless. He was late. Underneath the umbrella, she examined a photo of her target. She'd been hunting this man for weeks now. A chain rapist, he always seemed to escape justice, never getting what he deserved. Just then, she smiled to herself. Justice. It was supposed to be a system that this country was built upon. It was supposed to be a guarantee. But now with the world and all its corrupt glory, there was no justice. It was only a word now, an ideal that only the weak relied upon for hope. And it was these very same people who constantly became the victims. Lower class mothers who couldn't afford to feed their children, forced to expose themselves to the likes of these men, these criminals. Women who were forced to do whatever they were told, and in exchange, a handful of bills that were barely going to provide for a week. Unfortunately, some of these women never made it back home to their children. Some of these women died at the hands of people like the man in the photo. And that was why this lady in the scarlet dress was waiting. This was why she was standing in the rain, holding his photo in the same hand as her gun.

Any minute now and he'd be here...

It was her job to get rid of vermin such as this. Though she didn't exactly want to spend her days like this, it was money in her pocket at the end of the day. More than that, it was a distraction. A distraction from the fact that she would always come home to an empty apartment; from the fact that her answering machine was always blank; that her mail box was always empty; and that her own nightmares terrified her so much that she had to lay awake at night, waiting so desperately for the dawn to arrive. She would shiver in the darkness, with no one to comfort her and no one to tell her it was okay; waiting eagerly for the first sign of light to peer through her curtains. She needed for there to be light. She needed for the light to wash away the darkness, to reassure her of her sanity, to keep her warm when all she felt was ice. But with this job came a twisted pleasure, one which she secretly lusted for each and every night. With these criminals, now she could be their nightmares. Instead of fighting with her own, she could terrorize them in her place. Like a child having found a new toy, she could find amusement within their souls. They were her toys, her dolls to play with. They were hers to squeeze, hers to break.

And just then, at that exact moment of her trailing into her own thoughts, she heard the door open in the alley. Loud music overpowered the sound of the raindrops for just a brief second. But then, the door was shut and there he stood, a scared looking girl in his grasp. Finally it was time, and this was her favorite part. She lifted the umbrella just enough for him to catch a glimpse of her cold blue eyes, enjoying the reaction of fear she received from him. She motioned for him to let the younger girl go, and without hesitation, he loosened his grip on her wrist. Running back into the nightclub, the younger girl gave the lady in the scarlet dress one last look. It was a look of thanks, one of appreciation. And just like that, once the door was shut, the woman in red smiled. She raised her arm and aimed her pistol at him. He made a motion to run but it was far too late now. She pulled the trigger just one time, but then again and again and again. The man's body hit the floor, the rain beating down harshly on his broken face.

It was time to leave now, her job was done. She'd return to her empty apartment and she'd lay awake in bed, waiting anxiously for the sun to reappear. Because this was how it always was. Each and every night, she'd sit in wait. Each and every night, it was a different face. Each and every night, she returned home alone...But tomorrow was a new day, and the next night promised it's fun. There'd be a different felon, a different scum. And just like all the rest, she'd find them and peer into their eyes with her icy blue ones. And just like that, they'd hit the floor knowing that the famous lady in the scarlet dress, had finally caught up with them.