Chapter 10
Scarlette more or less had to push Crow off the mattress on the floor to force him to sleep in his bed that night, but she still awoke the next morning moved again. She shook her head and got up for the day. Her heart was still beating in a peculiar way after the night her and Crow shared together, she wondered why. She paced around the room after putting her boots on.
"Come on, Scarlette...Get a hold of yourself...You're in love with Crow...and Crow is a Surface-Dweller...You know how much trouble you can get both you and him into."
Just then, Jack threw the door open.
"A little something you'd like to share with the class, Scarlette?"
Scarlette jumped back a foot and felt her heart beating through her ribcage.
"Jack?! You scared me!"
"You sure have a knack for being unreasonably jumpy." Jack stated.
"And you sure have a knack for scaring me half to death." Scarlette replied.
Jack walked up to Scarlette and she took a step back for every step he took towards her until he had to pressing herself against the wall.
"Are you done?" He asked. "For the last time, I'm not going to hurt you."
Scarlette relaxed.
"Can you please back up a little..."
"You let Crow near you." Jack said, taking a couple steps back. "What is it about him, Yusei and Bruno that you like so much?"
"They didn't try and kill me." Scarlette answered.
"You just cannot let that go, can you?" Jack sighed.
"Would you be able to?!"
Crow then opened the door.
"Jack, leave Scarlette alone! Just walk in and tell her that Carly is here and wants to meet her. It's just that simple."
"Who's Carly?" Scarlette asked.
"A friend I vented to a few days ago and she has been just dying to meet you." Jack answered.
Scarlette brushed her fingers through her hair and checked her makeup in the nearest mirror.
"Just let me touch up a little." She said. "I'll be right down."
"It's only Carly..." Jack said through clenched teeth. "It's not like-"
Crow rammed an elbow into Jacks ribs.
"Knock it off!"
Jack and Crow headed downstairs where Yusei, Bruno, Akiza, Carly and the twins were.
"Well, she's awake." Jack said. "Muttering to herself like a divvy, but awake."
After a few minutes, Scarlette came downstairs and Carly jumped as gasped.
"Oh boy...here we go." Scarlette sighed. "Go ahead...Get all the screams out of your system..."
"Leo was right...She is so cool!" Carly stated.
Scarlette smiled.
"Cool? Really?"
"See, what did I tell you?" Crow said. "Not everyone here wants to dead or gone."
Carly stomped her foot and had a miniature spasm.
"I wish that selling Cocaine wasn't more illegal than keeping you up here. You would make a great article!" She then shook her head. "Oh, where are my manners? Carly Carmine." The two shook hands and smiled.
"Scarlette Noire." Scarlette replied. She was happy to have another friend.
...
Later on in the day, Yusei, Bruno, Jack and Crow went to work in the garage and Scarlette was answering questions from Carly, Akiza and the twins in the living room.
"-And that's how our Goddess got her form and how her five servants aid her through us."
Carly was taking notes.
"Wow. They don't say it in nearly that much detail in the restricted section in the library. This is awesome, Scarlette."
"So, do you guys have any kinds of pets down there?" Luna asked.
"Of course." Scarlette answered. "We have certain types of horses, cats and even dogs. But our dogs are trained as attack weapons and they're called Berth Hounds."
"Do they by any chance look like big, big, big dogs? Like Jack sized?" Carly asked.
"I'd say so...How do you know?" Scarlette asked.
Carly pointed at the stairs and at the top stood a large silver Berth Hound in a Purple collar.
"That's...wow..."
The Berth Hound skulked over to Scarlette and sniffed her. Leo went to pet its back, but backed off once it growled loudly at him.
"No. Don't touch it." Scarlette warned quietly. "And be quiet...No sudden moves to upset it." As the dog kept nuzzling her and making short, whimpering noises, Scarlette scratched behind its ears. "Yes. Hello. Hello. You're from the Magic District. What's your name?" She read the name tag. "Silver...How appropriate."
Just then, the Berth Hound grabbed Scarlette by the sleeve and started to tug on her, making her stand, and then leading her down the stairs. "Hey. Let go."
"Scarlette what's happening?" Akiza asked, following. She got to the top of the stairs, but the Berth Hound spun around and barked at her like it was suddenly rabid. Akiza froze.
"Back off Akiza! Back off!" Scarlette yelled in a panic.
Akiza obeyed and backed away until the barking ceased.
The Berth Hound then continued to pull Scarlette towards the open door by the sleeve when Jack rounded the corner from the garage.
"What the hell? Is there a dog in here?" His question was answered when the Berth Hound started barking at him the same way it did at Akiza. "Scarlette what the hell is that thing?" Jack asked, walking more, thus making the Hound bark more violently and bare its teeth more.
"JACK! STOP! DON'T MOVE!" Scarlette, Akiza, Carly and the Twins yelled simultaneously.
"What the hell is wrong with you? It's just a greyhound!" Jack argued.
"Jack! Back off!" Scarlette had to almost scream to be heard over the barking.
"Shut this thing up!" Jack yelled, taking a step towards Scarlette.
"JACK! NO!" Scarlette shrieked.
The Berth Hound bolted forwards towards Jack. When Carly said it was 'Jack sized' she was right, when it jumped on Jack, it was tall enough to put its paws over Jacks shoulders and force him to the floor while on only its hind legs; little jumping was necessary.
Everyone froze in horror, including Scarlette when the Hound tore and ripped at the shoulder of Jacks jacket. Jack's declarations made it clear that he was not in pain.
"What is the meaning of this? Get this brute off of me!" He yelled.
Scarlette bolted towards the Hound.
"Jack! Don't let it bite your skin!" She yelled. "Blood causes them to frenzy!"
She then shoved her forearm into the Hounds mouth, making it bite her skin and draw a huge amount of blood. She also hit the Hound over the head to get it off Jack. "Come on! Attack me! Attack me!"
Her plan worked, the Hound released the unharmed Jack and turned on Scarlette, forcing her to the floor and pinning her down. Scarlette yelped in pain as the creature tore and ripped at her forearm, producing more blood. The blood made the snarling monster more violent.
"Jack!" Carly screamed. "Do something!"
Jack didn't respond. He just spun around and ran back out to the garage.
"You coward!" Akiza yelled. She dashed down the stairs to go to Scarlettes aid and Carly told the twins to stay up where it was safe and followed.
The two girls tried to draw the Hound away from Scarlette by yelling at it and moving a lot.
"Hey! Over here!"
"Here poochie, poochie!"
"Leave her alone!"
But it was no use; the Hound was in a powerful blood frenzy. Its only ambition was to kill it's pray, completely forgetting Scarlette was on its side. Scarlette kept her arm up and despite the horrid pain, kept it up for the Hound to chew and rip at, keeping it away from its primary target; her throat.
Little did the girls know, they were mad at Jack for no reason. He wasn't running to the garage to flee, he was running to grab a pipe by his duel runner. It was a large, hard pipe that was recently purchased to replace an old pipe that was rusting.
Yusei, Bruno and Crow saw Jacks damaged jacket and look of pure panic on his face, a look Jack didn't usually have. He grabbed the pipe and swung it at the air a couple times before yelling "Perfect!" and dashing back out.
"Jack! What's going on? What's happening? What's wrong?" Yusei yelled.
When Jack didn't answer, he Bruno and Crow quickly followed him back to the house to see Scarlette being attacked by the Hound.
"What is that thing?!" Bruno yelled.
"Whatever it is..." Crow replied. "That thing is pissed!"
Jack ran up with the pipe and swung at the Hound, hitting it in the under belly. "GET OFF HER!"
The Hound flinched before turning its attention to Jack and snarling with bloody teeth showing off. "Yeah...You remember me, don't you?" Jack spoke to it, backing up to a good distance. "Come on! Finish what you started!"
As if the Hound could understand what Jack said, it turned on him and dashed across the living space to him.
"This is scary!" Luna yelled, not wanting to watch.
Once the Hound was off Scarlette, Crow, Carly, Akiza and Yusei rushed to her aid, Bruno rushed to the twins. Jack held the pipe like a golf club and swung as hard he could as the Hound made its final pound. The pipe made contact and broke against the side of the creatures skull, sending it rolling over and fleeing. The loud yelping sounds from the Hound got quieter and quieter as it made more distance.
Jack dropped the damaged pipe and ran to Scarlette, who seemed to have lost consciousness.
"She's bleeding bad, Jack." Crow said, he and Yusei were applying paper towels to her arms.
"There are no more paper towels!" Akiza cried as Carly brought the last roll.
"Save them!" Jack yelled, removing his jacket. He took Scarlette in his arms and wrapped her bleeding forearm in the jacket, applying pressure. He looked down at her pale face. She looked like a painted doll. "You saved my life..." He spoke, tears forming in his eyes.
"We need to get her to a hospital!" Carly exclaimed.
"No! We can't bring her to the hospital anywhere." Crow said. "They'll euthanize her!"
"Crow's right." Yusei responded. "We'll have to take her to Martha. She's the only one we can trust right now."