Queen of the Murder Scene
An adaptation of The Warning's concept album
By: Isaiah Hagood
Original Story concept by: Daniela, Paulina, and Alejandra Villarreal
Dust to Dust
It was a bright summer morning as Devon walked through the city streets. Devon was, on the whole, a happy person. She had a job as a waitress in a local diner and had a family who loved her, but lately she had become obsessed with a boy named Jake. He had come to the diner alone one night while Devon was working, and she just couldn't keep her eyes off of him. She had this feeling that he could be "the one", the kind of stuff one hears in fairy tales.
Devon was actually on her way to work right now. She didn't have enough money saved up for a car, although it was on her list of things to get one day. Most days she would take the subway to work, but since the weather was absolutely wonderful she decided to walk.
As Devon walked, she noticed a sign hung up next to a building she knew to be abandoned. "That's odd," Devon thought. "The building was unoccupied last week." The sign, oddly enough, did not display the name of the business nor the real estate agency that was leasing the building. Instead, only a plain message "Learn Your Fortune, But You Have Been Warned." Now Devon was by no means superstitious or trusted fortune tellers, but at the same time she was intrigued by the message on the sign. Checking the time on her phone, Devon concluded that she had plenty of time before work to check out the place. Noticing the Open sign on the window, she opened the door and went inside.
The moment Devon walked in the door she felt uneasy. The store lobby looked like the front lobby of a small and run-down hotel. The front reception desk was empty, apart from scattered papers and newspaper clippings spread across it. The room was dark, eerie, and almost had a musty smell to it. Devon had this sick feeling in her stomach as if her body was trying to warn her of something, but she couldn't bring herself to turn around and walk back outside.
Devon figured that they must not actually be open despite the sign saying they were, but instead of leaving, she murmured a feeble "Hello?" Suddenly, three voices in unison called out "Hey...come on in, walk this way. Look what we have prepared to show you...let us show you." Devon was almost hypnotized by the three voices, which blended so perfectly together. She walked slowly towards the desk, behind which was a black curtain with red stains all over it. The three voices called out again, which Devon noted were all female by the sound of it. Shaking from nerves or anticipation, Devon couldn't quite figure out which, but she slowly entered through the curtain.
The room was dark, with a few lighted candles sitting in the shape of a circle on the floor. Sitting within the circle of light were three girls, who introduced themselves as "The Three Sisters of Monterrey." Devon was puzzled. These girls looked rather young. Certainly younger than her. None of them could be over 20, and the youngest looked even younger. There was a spot within the circle where Devon sat. The three sisters all giggled, and Devon felt sick again. She swallowed and wiped the sweat off her face before calmly whispering "So...what do you three sisters do?" "Why, we tell fortunes of course. We will tell you a true story, and when you have heard it, it will be up to you to decide what course must be taken," said one of the sisters. "Yes, and you must stay for the entire story, as customers who leave early usually never get to see their fortunes play out," said another, smiled sinisterly. The youngest sister, who also appeared to be the tallest of the three, gently placed her hand on Devon's shoulder and softly smiled, just staring into Devon's eyes, before whispering "You have been warned."
In the low lighting, Devon could barely make out the appearance of each of the girls, but sitting in the circle, could tell them apart. The sister that spoke first was short, with black hair that was dyed a deep blood red at the tips. The sister that spoke second was slightly taller, with dyed blonde hair. The last sister, who was the tallest, had brown hair and looked the most innocent of the three. It was a strange sight, Devon thought, with her sitting in a dark room in front of these three young sisters who were all staring, smiling, and even giggling at times. The shortest sister finally broke the silence again. "Devon, stand up, and remain silent." "How do you know my name?" Devon replied. Instead of answering, the short sister turned to look at the back wall and said, "Father, please give this girl your blessing." A man dressed in a dark brown robe stepped out from behind the shadows and walked up to the circle.
The man placed his hands on Devon's shoulders. He said, "I am Father Rudy, and I am the caretaker of this place. I am here to give you your blessing before these girls tell you your fortune, but I am also here to give you a warning. What these girls will tell you is the truth, and you mustn't leave after they have begun. This is your last chance to leave. Do you want to stay to hear your future fortunes and misfortunes, or would you rather leave and allow blind faith to guide you through the perils of life?"
Devon felt conflicted. The whole situation felt so strange. Certainly, she had already gotten way in over her head by coming in here. At the same time, she knew that by leaving she would forever think about this place and what could've been. She had come this far, might as well play along and hear her fortune, whatever it was. Devon took a deep breath and nodded. "I want to stay and listen."
Father Rudy smiled. "Very well, join me in prayer." He took both of Devon's hands and lightly squeezed them. "Repeat after me, Devon. Dust to Dust, our bones will rust, and we shall start again." "Dust to Dust...our bones will rust...and we shall start again," Devon replied. "Very good," Rudy said. He then had her repeat that phrase several times and ended the prayer in a short speech that sounded to Devon like it was in Spanish, as she could not understand a majority of it. At the end of the prayer, Father Rudy put his hand on her forehead and said, "Peace be with you Devon. You will need it." Devon laughed nervously. "What does he mean I'll need it?" she asked herself in her head. Before she could question him, he was gone. All that was left were the candles and the sisters, who were still smiling and giggling.
Now the oldest sister with blonde hair was the one to speak. "Sit down once more, Devon." Devon obeyed and sat down in front of the sisters. "Before we begin, please tell us why you have come here today." "I believe it has something to do with a man I met the other night. The moment I saw him I fell in love with him. It was truly love at first sight," Devon replied. "Does he know of these feelings?" asked the oldest sister. "No, he does not," Devon replied. The oldest sister whispered something quietly to her younger sisters and then continued. "Describe this obsession." "Well...I am constantly thinking about him, and dreaming about him...and fantasizing of what we could be together." "What is his name?" the oldest sister asked. "Jake...his name is Jake." The three sisters turned to each other excitedly and started whispering and giggling amongst themselves. The oldest sister focused her attention once again on Devon and said, "This story we are about to tell you is true. It is a very tragic tale. We hope you will be wiser than the girl in this story."
At this point, Devon was focused on the tallest and most innocent-looking sister, who had not said anything to her since her warning. As Devon looked into her eyes, she became entranced by the sister's intrigue. The girl would not say anything or acknowledge any visual cues Devon made, but just stared directly back at her with a slim smile on her face. Devon scooted a few inches away from the quiet sister, closer to the blonde one who was still talking. Suddenly, the shortest sister interrupted. "Why do you slide away from her?" "She frightens me," Devon answered. "She just stares at me with that mischievous smile and never says anything." "Don't be silly," the shortest sister chuckled, "She is just playing with you. She is always quiet and does not like being questioned about her quiet demeanor." Devon, now fearful that she had upset the quiet sister, scooted back to her original spot as the sister smiled and clapped cheerfully. She then leaned in towards Devon and stared directly into her soul. "I am quiet because I listen and observe. I observe my sisters, I observe Father Rudy, and I observe you. You intrigue me, just like I intrigue you." She pulled away from Devon and giggled to her sisters once again.
Devon, now feeling uneasy once again, forced a smile and nodded to the sister. She was now deeply concerned about the decision she had made to stay. What had she gotten herself into? She was sitting in a dark room with these three girls she had never met, who had just told her that her fortune was a "tragic tale." The shortest sister seemed to have read her mind, because she smiled at her and said, "Do not worry, Devon. You are safe inside our little place here. You shall only have to fear when you are outside in the real world again." Devon was still not entirely convinced. "How can I trust you when I don't even know your names?" The shortest sister looked to her older sister on her left, and then to her younger sister on her right, and then back at Devon and nodded. "Very well," she said, "My name is Paulina, but you can call me Pau." "My name is Daniela," said the blonde haired sister. "Dany for short. I am the oldest of the three." The last sister shyly and reluctantly said, "I'm Alejandra, but my sisters call me Ale." "Dany, Pau, and Ale," Devon recited, nodding at each of them as she spoke.
"Very good," said Pau. "Now that you know our names, shall we begin?" Devon nodded, albeit still a little reluctantly. The sisters then took each others' hands, with Devon holding Ale's in one hand and Dany's in the other. They started reciting the same words that Father Rudy had spoken to Devon. "Dust to Dust, our bones will rust, and we shall start again. Dust to Dust, our bones will rust, and we shall start again…"
Chapter 1
"Our story begins on a day very much like today," Pau said. "Our dear, dear Crimson Queen, in love with a man she had met not long ago. She was so infatuated with him, in fact, that it was starting to become more of an obsession than true love. The Queen would do anything to be with him." "And this Crimson Queen," said Devon, "Does she have a name?" Dany piped in excitedly, "Rose!" Pau and Ale turned and scowled at their sister, but Dany just stuck out her tongue and smiled. Pau rolled her eyes and continued. "Anyway, ROSE was in love with a man whose name was Miguel. Too nervous to speak to him, too nervous to walk up to him, but who was more determined than ever to end up with him…"
The fortune telling room fades into the darkness and is replaced with a rainy alleyway behind a coffee shop.
"Rose!" A gruff old man yelled. "Toss that garbage and get back in here! Customers are waiting!" Rose sighed, tossed the garbage into the dumpster and walked back inside the building.
It had been a total now of 48 hours since Rose had last seen Miguel. She was hoping that Miguel would come visit her while she worked. It had become very distracting, lately, waiting for him. Working at Joe's Fresh Brew wasn't the most rewarding or fulfilling job, but it paid the bills and that's what mattered. Ever since she had first laid eyes on Miguel a couple weeks ago, however, the days went by much slower and Rose couldn't quite seem to stop daydreaming. Joe, her boss, and the owner of the coffee shop, was getting more annoyed with Rose by the day. She felt badly, but at the same time she couldn't help it. Her mind was completely occupied with the thought of Miguel.
Rose peaked over at the clock on the wall. 7:40 PM. Her shift ended at 9 PM that evening. Miguel was supposed to stop by between 8 and 9. Rose continued serving customers, her conscience getting more and more clouded as time passed by. Another look at the clock; 8:15 PM. Any minute now. "Excuse me," a woman said unpleasantly, "I ordered a mocha cappuccino, not an espresso." Rose came to and saw a middle aged woman standing in front of the counter, scowling and pointing at her drink. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" said Rose, and she ran to make a mocha cappuccino before handing it to the woman. Rose could smell the sweat and coffee breath from Joe before he had even opened his mouth. "What gives, Rose? That's the 3rd time today! I don't pay you to daydream, you know. Don't let it happen again, ya hear?" Rose assured him it wouldn't. She looked back at the clock, 8:40. "Where is he?!" she thought. Rose turned to walk back towards the kitchen when Joe came out with a mop and bucket. "Here," he said, "mop up the floors and clean the tables. Then you can clock out for the night." Rose took the mop and started cleaning, being sure to check both the clock and the window.
She didn't understand how Miguel couldn't be here already. Why couldn't he be here? They were so obviously in love, or at least she was. Couldn't he see that? The clock now said 8:55, and Rose was nearly finished cleaning. "He must be teasing me," Rose thought. "He's going to wait right until 9 to show up just so we can hang out right away." She wiped the last table down and walked the mop and bucket into the back before removing her apron and clocking out. Rose walked back out into the seating area; still no sight of Miguel. "Maybe he's outside?" Rose exited the coffee shop and looked both ways down the street. No Miguel. "Miguel!" Rose yelled. There was no answer. At this time of night the streets were pretty dead. "UGH!" she said frustratedly. "How could he forget about meeting me? After he said he would!"
Rose pondered about the concept of her going to meet up with Miguel. Miguel usually worked out at the gym a couple of blocks down the street every weekday. Perhaps he was still there. Previously she had always felt uncomfortable about going to meet up with him. She was shy, after all. That's why they had always organized for Miguel to meet up with her, but on this particular night Rose was feeling angered and betrayed that Miguel missed his date with her.
Rose decided it was worth it to see the man she had been dreaming about all day, and walked the two blocks to the gym. The rain had stopped by now, but the windows of the gym were still pretty wet to see in from a distance. She walked right up to the window and looked inside. What she saw inside horrified her. Miguel was there, not by himself, but with another girl! They were smiling at each, laughing, and holding hands. Rose could not make out who the girl was, only that she had golden blonde hair and was very good looking. Miguel seemed to be saying something to the girl, something that was making her smile really wide. Then the unthinkable happened; they kissed!
Rose was absolutely furious. A fire had erupted in her heart. A part of her wanted to run into the gym right then and there and catch Miguel red-handed, but she was too distraught to do it. Instead she ran away from the gym, crying into her rain jacket as she went. She did not stop until she got home, where she stormed up to her bedroom and screamed into her pillow.
Rose felt an incredible aching in her heart as she cried, so painful that she could barely take it. She glanced at a photo sitting on her bedside table. It was a picture of her and her mom. Her dad had not been a part of her life since she was 6 years old. He had been caught cheating on her mother with another woman much younger. Now the exact same thing was happening to Rose, and it was more than she could bear. She had to address it, there was no getting around it. Rose grabbed her cell phone out of her back pocket and dialed Miguel.
The phone rang for a short while before Miguel picked up and answered, "Hello?" "Where were you?!" Rose asked, trying her best to hold back sobs. "Where was I? Oh...yes. I'm sorry. I was supposed to meet with you tonight, wasn't I?" Miguel replied. Rose couldn't hold it back any longer. "Tell me the truth, Miguel." "Truth? What truth?" wondered Miguel. "I saw you at the gym," Rose now bawling tears again, "with another girl." There was a slight pause on the phone. "Yeah, so what? We've been dating for a few months now." Rose, now trying to wipe away her tears, felt confused. "What do you mean, a few months? I thought we were dating!" "What on earth gave you that idea?" Miguel asked. "I thought we were just good friends." Rose, feeling more confused now than ever, asked feebly, "Wait, so you don't love me?" "Not in the way you want, I'm afraid," replied Miguel. "I'm sorry you misinterpreted my feelings towards you. Goodbye Rose." "Wait!" Rose yelled. "I love you. My heart is true, it beats for you. I'll do anything to make it happen. Please tell me, what is it I need to change for you to love me back? What can I do to be The One for you?" There was a long pause. "Nothing. It is me, not you Rose. I wish you the best of luck. Goodbye." The phone line disconnected, and Rose fell back onto her bed, once again sobbing uncontrollably.
Rose's bedroom fades to black.
Chapter 2
Devon wiped away some tears from her eyes. "That's really sad," she said. "Yes, it is," said Pau, "and unfortunately the story only becomes more tragic from here." "Yeah, now that the poor Crimson Queen's heart had been broken, there was no telling what she would do," said Dany. "The unthinkable," chimed in Ale, with a mysterious but also concerned look on her face. "So what happens next?" asked Devon.
"Well, after a week had-" Pau whipped her head around and started clapping. "Ooh, look! My Mom brought us water! Thank you so much, you're the best!" The sisters' mother had indeed walked in from the other room, bringing thermoses of water for each of the sisters as well as Devon. "Can I get you girls anything else?" the mother asked. Devon shook her head. "I'll take some Takis Fuego!" said Ale. "Nothing from me, Mom, unless you have something sweet," said Dany. The sisters' mother once again disappeared into the shadows.
"Come on Pau, Devon doesn't have all day," Dany said jokingly. Pau, after taking another sip of water, continued her story. "So, about a week had gone by since Rose's phone call with Miguel. Most would be upset about the breakup, they would grieve, and then they would reach acceptance and move on, but not Rose. Her grief turned to fury. Every day that went by she became angrier and angrier. At some point something would have to give." "She formulated a sort of plan," Dany added. "She started tracking Miguel's movements on a regular basis." "Stalked him," chimed Ale. "By the time that week had gone by Rose had pretty much calculated when and where Miguel went every day," said Dany.
"Why would Rose do something like that?" asked Devon. "There was clearly something wrong mentally with our dear Queen," Dany uttered. "Heartbroken as a child, now broken again; her shattered heart could take no more abuse." Ale turned to Pau excitedly and they both started whispering and giggling to each other.
"Anyway," Dany said, ignoring her sisters, "Rose now had a plan. One that would kill all the love that was for him so that only she remained. She was more determined than ever to make sure that she would be the one to be with Miguel."
The fortune telling room fades to black and is replaced by Rose's bedroom.
Rose looked at her phone. It was 9:30 PM on Friday night. She had time. Her mind had been racing all day, going through her plan over and over again. She knew that Miguel would be on a date with his girl, and that they would return to his place for the night afterwards. Rose finished packing a bag to take with her on the journey. It contained water, cleaning wipes, rubbing alcohol, rubber gloves, a roll of duct tape, and a large kitchen knife.
Rose left her apartment at a quarter to ten and began the 2 mile trek on foot to where Miguel lived. When she arrived, the street was desolate. No traffic, no pedestrians, nobody. Rose knelt behind a neighbor's bush and waited patiently. She knew she would have to psych herself up for what she was about to do-for what she had to do. This had to work. It HAD to.
During her week of stalking Miguel, Rose had noticed Miguel kept a spare key underneath the welcome mat to his front door for his girlfriend to use to enter the house in case he wasn't home. Bright headlights suddenly flooded the bushes Rose was hiding in. A car was driving her way down the street, but made a turn onto another sidestreet. Rose took a deep breath. It was now or never.
Rose quickly but quietly ran out from behind the bush and up to Miguel's front door. Checking under the welcome mat revealed the spare key, just where it should be. She unlocked the door and went inside. It was at this point that Rose had a realization that she had never actually been inside Miguel's house before. The living room was nice and tidy, and looked like it had been vacuumed earlier that day. Rose locked the front door before looking around the house for somewhere to hide. The next room over was the kitchen, and aside from a few dirty dishes on the counter, it also appeared to be in good working order. Rose walked back into the living room. She noticed a small linen closet on the far side of the room. Looking inside, the closet looked to be just the right size for her to hide. Rose jumped as she noticed bright light illuminate behind her. A car was pulling into the driveway. Miguel was home.
Rose jumped into the linen closet and closed the door, her heart thumping inside her chest. There was no turning back now. Just as Rose was going over her plan one final time, she heard the click of a lock and the creak of the front door opening. The light in the living room came on, and Rose could just make out Miguel in between the slits in the linen closet door. Where was his girlfriend? She was supposed to be with him. Rose started to panic. If Miguel was here alone, it meant that she had come here and broken in for no reason. She had to find a way to escape without Miguel noticing her. Through the slits of the door, Rose watched Miguel walk upstairs and out of sight. She wasn't sure if now was a good time to escape or not, but because the adrenaline running through her veins was making her shake, she opened up the closet and ran for the front door. No sooner had she reached the front door when her heart dropped into her stomach. The door was locked on the inside too, and required a key to get out. In her haste to find a hiding place, Rose had misplaced the key she used to get in. She heard footsteps coming down the stairs. In a panic, Rose ran as fast as she could back for the linen closet, but only made it about halfway when a startled voice yelled "Rose?!" She turned around and looked. It was Miguel.
"Rose, what are you doing here?" Miguel asked. "How did you get in here?" Rose couldn't form words. "I...I...used...spare key…" Miguel reached for the phone sitting next to the couch. "I'm calling the police," he said. Rose, realizing that she was about to lose the fight, quickly reached into her bag and pulled out the knife. "STOP!" she exclaimed. "Step away from the phone." Miguel obeyed and held his hands up. "What do you want, Rose?" "Where is she?" asked Rose. "She's not here," replied Miguel. "What do you want with ME?" Rose, shaking from anger or fear, wasn't sure which, blurted out, "To be with you, Miguel." Miguel sighed. "Well, that's not going to happen. I'm already with someone. You know that." "You don't understand," pleaded Rose, "It's crazy how much I love you, how much I want you. You don't even know how much I think about you every day. I'm a maniac when it comes to you Miguel. I'm obsessed with the possibilities of what we both could be. Please." The bewildered look on Miguel's face did not look promising. "Are you kidding me?" he said. "Even if I weren't with someone else, this is not the way to try to impress me. Breaking into my house? With a knife? Rose, I've been nice to you, and have always considered you a friend, but this ends now. You need to leave!"
Rose could feel tears starting to form, but she was not going to back down. As Miguel reached for the phone again, she raised the knife to her own throat. "Put the knife down, Rose," he pleaded. "We both know you don't want to do this." He was right, she had absolutely no intention of slitting her throat, but she needed him to believe it. "I want you to love me Miguel," said Rose, now fighting to hold back her tears. "I want you to let me in your heart. I want you to want me, hunt me even, like I've done from the start." Miguel shook his head, but there were now tears in his eyes. Rose didn't know what else to do. She felt like she had tried everything, and nothing seemed to be working. She placed the blade of the knife on her neck and closed her eyes, not wanting to follow through, but her emotions were clouding her judgment.
Suddenly she felt Miguel's arms wrap around her and pull her to the ground. He had one hand pinning her right arm to the floor and the other one trying to pry the knife out of her hand. Part of Rose wanted to give up. She knew Miguel was much stronger than she was, but she also knew that the knife was the only leverage she had left to negotiate her terms. She wriggled around and tried kicking her feet to get free. "Let go of the knife Rose!" yelled Miguel. He almost had the knife free from her hand. In desperation, Rose managed to kick him in the shin, which made Miguel cower back and remove his hand from keeping her pinned to the floor. Rose rolled away and tried to get up. Just as she started to, Miguel came over to tackle her back to the ground. Rose panicked and held the knife up in self-defense, closing her eyes. She heard the horrifying sound of steel cutting through flesh, and then felt hot blood pouring onto her chest. Rose opened her eyes. Miguel was now laying beside her, the knife protruding out of his lower abdomen.
Rose got up and pulled the knife out of Miguel. He was now bleeding steadily all over the floor. She couldn't breathe. What had she done? This wasn't what she wanted. The girlfriend was the target, not him! She held Miguel's head up so she could look him straight in the eyes. "Look at me my dear," Rose said. "I love you so, because I am yours, and you are mine." She took the knife and drove it deeply into his heart. Miguel took his last breath, and Rose watched the light leave his eyes.
Miguel's living room fades to black and is replaced by the fortune telling room.
"She...KILLED him?" asked Devon shockingly. "Yes. Unfortunate, isn't it?" replied Dany. "So driven, no, blinded by love she did not see what she was becoming," said Pau. "So, what happens next?" asked Devon. "Hmm, I think Ale should say what happens next," teased Dany. Ale's eyes got really wide as if her sister was a ghost. "What? No!" said Ale. Dany laughed. "What, is it that bad?" Devon asked nervously. "No, well yes, well...Ale doesn't like to speak," Dany mused. "Anyway, after Miguel passed, I don't think there was ever any hope of the Crimson Queen returning to normal." "Why do you keep calling her 'The Crimson Queen?" asked Devon. "All in good time," answered Dany, raising her eyebrows up and down mischievously. "Though Rose's target may not have originally been her dear Miguel, she did have intent to kill that night, and I do believe the rage boiling inside her led her to kill him in the end. She may have pretended to regret it at first, but she never repented of her sins."
The fortune telling room fades to black and is replaced by Miguel's living room. Miguel lays dead on the floor, with Rose kneeling by his side.
Rose couldn't breathe. She couldn't swallow. She couldn't think clearly. All she could do is look down at her shaking hands, which were now stained crimson red with blood. The love of her life now laid dead at her feet, killed with her own knife. Was it her fault? "No," Rose thought, "it can't be my fault. He should've loved me the way I loved him. Look where it got him." Rose had no idea what she should do next. Call the police? Run away? Bury Miguel's body in the backyard and dispose of all evidence? Rose had watched crime shows on TV before, but she never envisioned that she'd be in the forefront of that situation.
Before anything else, Rose wanted to get the blood off of her hands. She ran into the first floor bathroom and turned on the faucet. She rubbed her hands together with soap and water, but after rinsing was frustrated to see streaks of blood still stuck to her hands. Rose put her hands back under the water to scrub them again when she thought she heard a noise coming from the living room. Rose felt a lump in her throat. She managed to croak, "Miguel?" She walked into the living room. Miguel's body was still laying on the floor, and nothing appeared to be out of place. "This is silly," Rose thought. "I saw him die." Rose did not personally believe in ghosts, but then again, she had never seen death before. The room felt cold now, and even though clearly she was the only person in the house, Rose couldn't help but feel some sort of "presence" in the room with her. "Miguel," Rose said aloud, "if you're here, tell me what I must do to atone for what I did to your soul. Whatever you desire, it is done. I'm pleading to you. I know it was just a mistake, but I also know you don't forgive me and you won't forget. All I'm asking is that you tell me that it's alright." Rose stood and waited for an answer, or for something to happen. Seconds that felt like minutes passed by, all in complete silence. "Of course, we know it ain't alright, because these Red Hands Never Fade," Rose added, staring at her hands.
The clock struck twelve midnight. Rose looked once again around the room for a sign, but still found nothing. Despite that, standing in the living room with Miguel's body was becoming unbearable. She found the key she had used to get in, and used it to unlock the front door to leave. Looking back one final time, she thought about staying. Burying Miguel was surely the least she could do, and if she left now, the police would surely find her fingerprints all over the place. Just as she came back inside though, she saw a figure of some sort in the hallway. Rose could never prove it, but she could've sworn it was Miguel. He didn't say anything; he didn't even look entirely human, but it was enough to change her mind. Haunted by what she had done, Rose managed to grab the knife off the blood spattered floor before running out the front door and shutting it behind her.
Rose ran as fast as she could down the dimly lit street. How long would it be until Miguel's body was discovered? How quickly would the authorities know it was her? She didn't know what was worse; the fact that she was now on the run from the law, or that she was actually kind of enjoying the rush of adrenaline she was getting.
Rose kept running for what felt like miles until she reached Joe's Fresh Brew. She wasn't sure why she decided to come to her workplace at a time like this, but she needed somewhere safe to hide the night out, and since the coffee house had been closed since ten, she knew there'd be nobody there to ask why there was blood on her hands, or why she had a bloody knife in her possession. It also helped that since she worked there, she had a set of keys to let herself in. Rose immediately went into the kitchen and scrubbed both her hands and the knife with soap and water until the blood finally came off. Tired and distressed, she laid down on the kitchen floor and went to sleep.
"Rose?" a concerned voice asked. Rose slowly opened her eyes. "How long was I out?" she wondered to herself. "Rose, what are you doing on the floor?" the voice asked again. Rose looked over to the doorway where the voice was coming from. It was Sofia, a fellow coworker of hers. "What time is it?" asked Rose, ignoring Sofia's question. "It's 6:15," Sofia answered. "I thought your shift didn't start until nine. Why are you here so early?" Rose quickly tried to come up with a lie. "Well...I was going to come in later, but I had some family trouble and had to get out of the house." "Oh no, what kind of trouble?" asked Sofia. Rose paused for a moment. Sofia was one of those sorts of women who loved nothing more than juicy gossip. "It was my father," Rose fibbed. "My mother's ex-husband. He came into our house last night super drunk and started a fight with my mother. I just couldn't take it anymore and had to get out of there. So I decided to spend the night here." "Oh, you poor thing," said Sofia sympathetically, coming over to hug her. "Can I make you something to help you feel better?" "No thanks," said Rose. She felt guilty already. The last thing she wanted was to add to it.
Rose started helping Sofia open the shop, when soon after Sofia refused the help and insisted that Rose should relax with a cup of hot coffee. Rose didn't object and sat at one of the tables with her coffee. Sofia turned the local morning news on TV as she continued setting up the coffee shop for the day. It shouldn't have been a surprise really, but that didn't stop Rose from nearly spewing her coffee when she saw Miguel's house on TV, with police crime scene tape all around it, and the headline "Miguel Garcia found dead in house." "Hey Sofia, could you turn the volume up?" she asked. As Sofia reached for the remote, she noticed the headline. "Wait a minute, don't you know Miguel?" "Uh, I know him sort of, I guess. Not really," answered Rose. Now she could clearly hear the reporter on TV.
"Twenty-five year old Miguel Garcia was discovered dead in his home this morning by a next door neighbor," the reporter claimed. "Police arrived on scene not long after, and are currently performing an investigation. As of this moment, they have not found evidence of a break-in or of a struggle. Not wanting to rule out anything yet, including suicide, the officers will conduct a thorough investigation to figure out cause of death. If anyone knows anything about this case, we encourage you to call this crime hotline number."
Rose sat back in her chair. They didn't know she did it, at least not yet. She still had time to figure out a plan. "Hey Rose, do you mind taking the trash out for me?" asked Sofia. "I need to open up the register and get more creamer out of the back pantry." Rose obliged and grabbed the trash bag and opened the back door to the alley where the garbage bin was. She threw the bag into the bin and turned to go back inside, when she heard a whisper. Startled, Rose turned back around to see a hooded figure in a red cloak sneak out from behind the garbage bin.
Rose had never seen anyone like this before. This person, or at least she thought it was a person, had extremely pale, almost greyish skin, with a red cloak surrounding her jet black hair. "There's something really familiar about this woman," Rose thought. She couldn't figure out what it was, but it was almost as if she had seen the woman before, perhaps in a dream. "Who are you?" Rose asked the woman. The woman didn't answer, but instead turned and stared directly at her. The woman's eyes were colorless, and there was a certain lifeless look to her. Rose felt weirded by the woman's presence and turned to walk back inside again. "Please don't hide from me," the woman said. "I see through the fake smile that you've been wearing around." Rose stopped. "What does she mean?" she thought. "How does she know it was me? Has she been following me?" Rose turned back around to face the woman. "Who are you?" she asked again. "I'm whoever you want me to be," replied the woman, who smiled mischievously. "Don't lie to me. I see through the facade that you're portraying." Now Rose was feeling really uncomfortable. "You don't know me," Rose said feebly. "And I don't know you." The red cloaked woman continued, "You have done things. Things that you can't forget, though you have tried. I am only here to help you." "I don't need your help," Rose said. "I don't need anyone's help." "I know what you did," the woman said firmly. "You won't get away with it, at least not alone. Let me help you." Rose shook her head. "Tell me you aren't sick of the guilt that's eating you? The emptiness, the loss of life? I can make that pain go away. Just let go Rose. All your thoughts of tomorrow, I'll make them disappear. Just hand it over and the pain will be mine to keep." Rose didn't know what to say, but just stood there perplexed by the situation. "So what do you say?" inquired the woman.
Rose didn't know what to say. What could she say? This woman, who apparently knew everything about her and what she had done to Miguel, was now offering to take all the pain away from her. Though that's what she wanted more than ever at this point, she wondered at what cost. "I'll have to think about it," Rose said politely. "Think about it?" The woman cackled. "You know that you're running out of time. You don't really think you'll get away with this by yourself, do you? The police will know it was you. You never disposed of the evidence. And now, I offer you a warning. If you let this go much further, there'll be no turning back from me. Give into me, and I'll make this all go away. Make The Sacrifice." Rose's head was starting to ache. "Rose!" Sofia yelled, causing Rose to spin around. "What are you still doing out here? Joe's going to be here any minute and customers are pouring in the door! Sure could use your help." "Oh, I'm sorry," said Rose. "I'll be right in." Rose turned back around, but the mysterious woman was gone. Disappeared, without leaving any trace. Confused by the woman's message, she tried to brush it off and walked back into the coffee shop, closing the door behind her.
The alley fades to black and the fortune telling room once again takes its place.
Chapter 3
Devon took a deep breath. She was trying to take in all the details of the story. She couldn't quite understand why a psychopath of a serial killer had anything to do with her, but she was trying her best to keep an open mind. "So who was the girl in the red cloak?" she asked the three sisters. "Well that's just it, isn't it?" answered Pau. "What is?" asked Devon. "She doesn't get it," Ale said with a smirk. Pau smiled at her sister. "Rose did not realize who the red cloaked woman was, or where she had gone to. When Sofia came out to check on her, the woman had disappeared without a trace," Pau explained. "So, are you saying the woman she saw was a ghost?" wondered Devon. "Not really…" said Dany. "Hmm...maybe this next part of the story will help you understand."
The fortune telling room fades to black and is replaced by Rose's bedroom.
Rose felt a sense of urgency as she packed her bag. She was on the run, after all, and although she hadn't been caught yet she couldn't shake what she had heard earlier that day from the mysterious woman in the red cloak. If she was going to avoid jail she'd have to be smart. So far she had packed away enough food, water, and clothes for a few days. She also still had all the supplies packed that she had the night Miguel died.
Rose had her TV on as she packed, but the local news hadn't said anything more about Miguel since she was at work. "Oh, work," Rose thought. "How can I go back?" She couldn't; that was the simple answer. As soon as word got out that she was guilty or at least potentially guilty she would have to be as far away from here as she could be.
Just as Rose was about to turn the TV off, the news anchor mentioned what Rose was dreading. "Tonight we have shocking new details about the death of Miguel Garcia," reported the news anchor. "The police have discovered identifiable prints around the house not belonging to Miguel. His girlfriend, whose name we will not mention for privacy reasons, was not present at the house that night and the prints confirm that, but somebody else was. At this time, police are not releasing the name of the suspect, but anyone with info is encouraged-" Rose shut the TV off. It was time to go. Her time was up. The woman in the red cloak was right. The police had to have known it was her by now.
Rose grabbed her bag and ran out the door of her apartment. She ran down the flights of stairs and exited the building. She turned left and started walking South towards the bus station. It was time to leave town while she still could. Before she had gotten even a block away from her apartment building, bright lights and sirens sounded behind her. She didn't need to look to know who it was. They had tracked her down. Rose dipped into an alleyway before taking a peek back. It was the police alright, but they didn't appear to have seen her specifically. Five police cars had surrounded her apartment building. Now Rose really didn't have much time. She walked down the alleyway to the next street and then started running again from there.
As she ran, Rose kept thinking about her choices up to that point, and how different things may have been if Miguel had not shown up alone to his house last night. If only she could have killed the girlfriend, Miguel may have still been alive and she could have finally declared her true love for him.
Rose saw it a split second before she hit it. The sidewalk was uneven where she was running, and she tripped on the raised sidewalk crack and fell flat on her stomach. "OWW!" Rose yelled. She lifted her shirt to look at herself. She was scraped up pretty badly. Rose crawled into a nearby alley to apply some first aid she had in her bag. While searching her bag, searing pain ripped through her head. Rose winced as she continued looking for first aid. "Why did I not think about bringing headache medication?" she thought. Then she wondered why she even had a headache in the first place since she fell on her stomach.
"Hey, little girl," a voice said. Rose immediately recognized the voice. Sure enough, the red cloaked woman was there in the alley, watching her go through her bag. Rose wanted to walk away but her headache was getting worse by the second. The demeanor of the red cloaked woman had changed since earlier. Before she seemed sympathetic and helpful, even though she was very strange. Now, even in the dark alley Rose could tell a very Sinister Smile was spread across her face. "Turns out you were right," said Rose. "The police are after me." The woman just laughed ominously. "There's something you don't know, little girl. You have nothing left but this body you control," she said. "What are you talking about?" asked Rose, who now felt like her head was going to split in two from the pain. "Have you thought about my offer?" asked the woman. "Trust when I say I won't let you get hurt. Just give in to me, and I will make sure your pain goes away." "All of it?" Rose asked painfully, grasping her head. "Of course," replied the woman, "all I need you to do is break. Just break apart."
Suddenly Rose realized why the woman looked so familiar, why Sofia didn't seem to notice her the other day, and why Rose had such a painful headache. The woman in the red cloak WAS her, she was all in her head. "So if I let you take over, my pain will go away?" asked Rose. "Every bit of it," replied the woman. Rose was about to agree, but felt that something was wrong. "What will you do with me when you've taken over?" "Anything I want," replied the woman, smiling sinisterly all the more. "You will do anything and everything for me." "Become your slave?" rebuked Rose. "Held hostage by your image, forced to do your bidding? No, I won't do it. I won't let you win." The red cloaked woman looked more evil than ever, chuckling and said "But darling, you can barely take much more." She was right of course. The headache was now causing her vision to go fuzzy. There was no way she could evade the police like this. For the first time in her life, Rose laid eyes on the knife laying in her bag and contemplated using it on herself. "Yes...yes…" said the red cloaked woman, "pay the price for what you have done. Cut through skin and stain the water. I'm sure you will feel so much better after that."
Rose did not want to give in, but given that the woman also seemed to be for her suicide, it seemed the only winning option was to keep fighting her off, and at this point Rose was nearly at the point of fainting, her headache had gotten so bad. Police sirens could be heard in the distance and getting louder. The red cloaked woman was now standing over Rose, who was cowering in pain. "What's it going to be, Rose? You must break apart." Rose, knowing full well the gig was up no matter what she chose, broke apart and allowed the woman in the red cloak full control, just as she lost consciousness.
Rose opened her eyes. The sirens were getting closer. The police could not be more than a block or two away. Rose felt a sense of clarity. Her headache was completely gone, and all her stress had melted away. She looked around the alley; the woman in the red cloak was nowhere to be found. The siren silenced as police car lights illuminated the alley. The police had found her, but no worries; she would deal with them.
Rose got up and hid behind a garbage bin just before a flashlight lit up the alley. She could feel the knife in her hands before she even had time to think. It was almost as if she didn't have to think. No sooner had the officer stepped into her view that she stabbed him straight in the chest. Grabbing the officer's firearm, she aimed it at the entrance to the alley and fired it at another officer who had just come into view. Before Rose even had a chance to think about what she had just done, she dropped the gun and ran down the street.
"This is fantastic," thought Rose. "Just like the red cloaked woman said, give into her, and all my pain would be gone. Not only is all my pain gone, but I seem to have many abilities I did not have before." Suddenly a new, very evil thought entered her head. Now it was time to track down Miguel's girlfriend and make her pay. She was the original target, after all, and was the reason that this whole mess started in the first place.
For whatever reason, Rose assumed that it was because of this red cloaked woman occupying her head, she already knew exactly where to find Miguel's girlfriend. In her mind was the vivid picture of an address printed on a bill belonging to Miguel's girlfriend that was sitting in Miguel's house.
On the way to the girlfriend's house, Rose swung by Joe's to grab another knife. She didn't really need another one; she already had a perfectly usable knife. This kill was different though. She needed Miguel's girlfriend to really feel this one. The thing about Joe's knives is they hadn't been sharpened in years. They were about as dull as knives come, and if there was one piece of information she had learned from her new conscience, it was that Dull Knives cut better in terms of making someone feel pain.
By the time Rose had reached the house, it was nearly dawn. Rather than wait for daylight, she thought it would be better to catch her by surprise. "A stone sitting in a garden would be the perfect tool for getting inside," she thought. Rose picked up the stone and hurled it as hard as she could towards the front window of the girlfriend's house. The glass window shattered, and Rose leapt up on the window sill to climb through the window. In her haste to get inside, she cut her arm on the shattered glass. Rose looked at her arm and nearly shrieked in terror. Not from the injury itself; in fact, she barely felt any pain from the cut. It was the color of the blood spilling from her arm. Instead of a normal red color, it was a steely black. She didn't have much time to freak out, however, because at that moment the hallway light turned on upstairs.
Rose ran up the stairs, knife in hand, and saw Miguel's girlfriend standing there in the hallway, holding her hands up and shaking in terror. Rose took all of her frustration: losing Miguel, being on the run, her life now in shambles, and plowed the knife straight into-
Scene cuts abruptly back to the fortune telling room.
"I can't hear this anymore, please stop," pleaded Devon. "I'm sorry," said Dany. "We didn't say this would be an easy story to hear, or that you would want to hear it. We are only trying to warn you." "We know this isn't an easy topic to talk about," said Pau. "I mean, this is murder."
"So the woman in the red cloak," said Devon, "she wasn't ever actually a physical being. She was a figment of Rose's imagination." "More than that," replied Pau. "She WAS Rose. A part of her mind at least. An evil force in her subconscious that was given access to the forefront of Rose's mind due to a chain of unfortunate events." "And the black blood?" Devon asked. "A sign that she had lost her humanity," replied Dany. "So, to spare me the details, Miguel's girlfriend is dead, right?" asked Devon. "Oh yes, she's dead," said Dany. "There was no way to survive what Rose put her through, and I'll just leave it at that. It could not have been a pleasant way to go."
"So what happened to Rose after that?" asked Devon. "She sounds…" "Insane?" replied Ale. "Yeah, she was." "And now, you can understand why we often refer to Rose as our Crimson Queen," added Dany. "She at this point had truly become the Queen of the Murder Scene. She no longer had any regard for life. Taking the lives of innocent folks without even thinking twice about it. More of a killing machine than anything, no emotion at all. Even conceited at times, like she knew she couldn't be caught. I don't think Rose would have been able to kick out her bad side even if she wanted to."
Devon still couldn't see what this story could possibly have to do with her life. "So, how did they catch Rose?" she asked. "They DID catch her right? She's not still out there, is she?" The three sisters just laughed. "Well, you'll just have to wait and see, won't you?" teased Dany. "Don't worry, you shall know soon enough."
Chapter 4
"So where are we now in Rose's life?" wondered Dany. "Ah yes, I remember now. At this point she had become quite infamous. A serial killer of sorts, one of the most wanted criminals out on the street. Except the police couldn't catch her. They couldn't figure out why, but it was extremely difficult to track her down. Even when they managed to find her, she'd escape with relative ease." "It was more than that," added Pau. "She was taunting her power at this point. She called into various news stations stating that she knew she was going to hell and that she would 'sit on her throne' when she got down there."
"She sounds psychotic," said Devon. "Oh, she was!" exclaimed Pau. "P-S-Y-C-H-O-T-I-C!" cheered Ale. Dany and Pau both giggled, while Devon just looked perplexed. "There was hope for the world though," said Dany. "The evil side that had possessed our Crimson Queen had apparently not gotten rid of her conscience entirely."
The fortune telling room fades to black and is replaced by a run-down motel room.
Rose was pacing back and forth in the motel room that she had arranged for the night. She had been on the run for a little over 3 months now. At this point she had lost count of the lives she had taken. Some deserved it, she was sure, but plenty others were innocent. Rose argued that it wasn't HER fault per say, she had both her hands tied up, held hostage by the woman in red that made her break apart. But at the same time, Rose also knew that the red woman was actually a form of herself.
To say the least, Rose had had her fun at this point. She was tired of killing, tired of constantly running from the police, and was ready for it all to just be over. Every day the reward for her capture rose higher and higher. She couldn't deny the inevitable: as good as she was at evading capture, it wouldn't work forever. Rose had seriously considered suicide before, but the thing that always scared her was that the evil personality within her seemed to like the idea. It was hard for her to explain it, but whenever she contemplated suicide it was almost like a giddy voice in her head was saying, "Ooh! Will you jump from the window or hang from the noose?"
The next morning, Rose checked out of the motel and continued on. The evil voice in her head was telling her that today would be the perfect day to target a park downtown in the city. It was a nice day and plenty of people would be outside enjoying the weather. Until, that is, the Queen of the Murder Scene showed up.
Rose made it to the park undetected by law enforcement. Hiding behind a row of bushes bordering the park, she peeked through them to get a layout of the park and how she would execute an attack. Who she saw made her do a mental somersault. Her dad, who she had not seen in over a decade, was there, at the park, with whom appeared to be two kids of his. Now she understood why the evil voice in her head had made her come to the park today, because it knew that her father would be here. The man who had cheated on her mother, breaking her mother's heart and in turn making her fatherless.
Rose had a plan for how she would quickly swoop in, murder her father, and escape before the police arrived. It probably would've worked too. For whatever reason, she didn't go with that plan. This was personal to her, and she wanted it to count. Rose walked, in broad daylight, right up to her father and the two kids having a picnic lunch.
"Rose, is that really you?" her father asked curiously. "I haven't seen you since you were 6 years old! You're all grown up now." Rose was startled by his response. Had he not heard of who she had become? How could he not have heard? "Korosu," Rose heard in her head. "Rose, are you alright?" her dad asked. "Korosu! Korosu!" repeated the evil voice. Rose pulled her knife out of her bag and lunged towards her father, who was responsible for causing her heartache so early in her life. Before she could stab him, her eyes fell on the two kids still sitting there. There was outright fear in their eyes. Fear that they were watching their dad die right in front of them.
Rose was frozen in place. She couldn't do it. She couldn't kill her father, not after seeing the look on the kids' faces. Even as much as she felt that her father deserved his fate, she didn't want the kids to suffer a similar fate that she had suffered growing up without a father. "KOROSU!" the voice yelled more impatient than ever. Rose still stood there, knife in hand, the two kids now clinging to their father. Now police sirens could be heard. Several of them, as if they had sent the entire police department to this park. "RUN!" the voice yelled in her head. So Rose took off running away from the sirens, which were getting louder by the second.
Now a new, mysterious, voice was whispering in her head. It wasn't the woman in red. This voice sounded more like a spirit, or a ghost than anything else, as if death itself was speaking to her. "Fall unto me now, your time is running out." Rose was running full speed now. She had exited the park and was now running to an alleyway where she figured she could hide from the police. "You think you can take my title away. Well I'm coming back, better run away. It's my turn to pass on judgment, you can't escape your fate. Run!" the mysterious voice taunted. Rose had almost reached the alleyway when two police cars rolled up on scene. She quickly turned around and ran in the opposite direction, but was quickly met with more lights and sirens. "I'm coming back, there's no escape! RUN!" the voice continued to brag. Rose had been cornered with no way out. Police had her surrounded in every direction.
The woman in red whispered to Rose one more time that she could make it out of this so long as she went back to kill her father. Rose looked at the knife, then at the police now advancing cautiously towards her, and then back at the knife again. Rose took a deep breath, and drove the blade deep into her abdomen and cut across her front, falling to the pavement as she did so.
The police were soon on top of her, trying to administer first aid as she bled out on the street. Rose noticed that she was starting to lose feeling in the lower half of her body. Mustering strength, she muttered choice words that she hoped the world would hear as her dying thoughts. "I don't regret what I did. I wish I could forget, because all the things I've done and all the things I've said, they don't go away. They stay with me like a constant loop inside my mind on repeat. I know it was wrong, but there's nothing to be done anymore. I won't forgive myself either, because pity doesn't help anymore." Rose coughed up blood before finishing. "This is The End, so long my friends. Stars Always Seem to Fade. It's a little too late to start over again…"
Rose dies due to blood loss and the scene fades to black one final time to be replaced by the fortune telling room.
Chapter 5
Devon was at a loss for words. She looked at Dany, Pau, and Ale, who were all staring intently back at her as though waiting for some kind of reaction. Dany broke the silence. "So? What'd ya think?" "It was...interesting," replied Devon. "Did you understand it?" asked Pau. "If you didn't then Ale can tell the entire story again." "How about no?" scowled Ale. "No no, I understood it," said Devon. "I just don't see how it affects me." Pau sighed. "Ok Ale, from the top!" Ale gave Pau a very annoyed glare. "Haha, I'm just kidding Ale." Devon received a text message on her phone. Looking at the text made her stomach drop. It was her boss, wondering where she was and why she was late for her shift. "Oh no! How long have I been here?!" Devon asked frantically. "About 3 hours," replied Dany, "why? Are you late for something?" "Work. I was supposed to be at the diner I work at almost an hour ago," explained Devon. "But we're not finished with you yet," Pau declared. "What do you mean? You finished the story, didn't you?" asked Devon. "Yeah, but what's the point if you don't understand it?" responded Pau. "I can't stay, I'm going to be in enough trouble as it is," explained Devon. "It was nice meeting you all. Today was kinda strange, but I'm glad I came. Bye!" As Devon left the room and reached for the door to go back outside, she could hear the three girls in the other room. They were again repeating their prayer that was said at the beginning, "Dust to Dust, our bones will rust, and we shall start again…" "What strange girls," Devon thought, and exited the building back out on the street.
Devon now needed to sprint as fast as she could for the diner. She knew she was going to be in so much trouble. How could she possibly explain her situation to her boss? There was no way he would believe that three sisters took her in and told her a story that was so lifelike that she lost track of time. As Devon was running she couldn't help but think about what Dany, Pau, and Ale had told her. Not just the story, but that apparently she had something to do with the story, or that the story was part of her. The whole thing seemed kind of silly actually, now that she was back in broad daylight. Devon tried to push the girls and their story out of her mind as she had now reached the diner.
"You are very late," scorned David, her boss. "I'm sorry, I overslept," fibbed Devon. "It's lunchtime…" replied David skeptically, "but nevermind that now. We will discuss your tardiness later. You're needed at tables 3, 7 and 10." Devon got right to work and started taking orders at the tables. Tables 3 and 7 went by without a hitch. When she got to table 10, no sooner had she said "Welcome to Dave's Diner, my name is Devon" the three customers all removed their hoodies covering their heads to reveal very familiar faces. "Didn't think you could get rid of us that easily, DID you?" teased Ale. Devon's mouth dropped open with surprise. She quickly looked over at the counter to make sure David wasn't looking, which he wasn't. "What are you doing here? How did you get here so quickly? And how did you know I work here?"
"Mmm, I'm starving!" said Pau, ignoring everything Devon had just said. "I think I'm in the mood for a cheeseburger. I'll get a side of fries with that." "Did you guys follow me here?" inquired Devon. "What does it matter? What matters is we're here and we're hungry! I'll get the chicken tacos!" replied Ale, whose eyes were twinkling with glee. "Hmm, I'll get the tacos as well," added Dany. "Hold on, I'm not doing anything until you tell me why you followed me here," said Devon. "Food first, then we talk," demanded Ale with a smirk. Devon rolled her eyes, but wrote down the orders and walked back towards the kitchen.
A few minutes later, the food was ready and Devon delivered it to the table. "So? Why are you here?" asked Devon. "I thought we were done." Pau almost choked on her food. "Done?! We're not done! We haven't even given you the most important information yet," she replied. Devon was puzzled. "Which is….?" "You cannot be allowed to see Jake anymore," confessed Dany. Devon could not believe what she was hearing. "What do you mean I can't see him anymore? I love him." "Rose loved Miguel. Look where that got the both of them," said Dany. "What? You think Jake and I are going to turn out like Rose and Miguel? It's NOT the same situation," reasoned Devon. "It may not seem like it, but we can see the same future in your eyes as it appeared in Rose's," said Dany. "But it's NOT, this is ridiculous," pleaded Devon. "Jake loves me, he's not the same as Miguel at all." Dany's face softened and she seemed to take pity on Devon. "Aww Pau, he loves her back, perhaps we missed something?" Dany looked over towards Pau for approval, but Pau just sat there with her arms crossed and raised her eyebrow. Dany sighed. "I'm sorry Devon, but that's just the way things are." Devon was close to tears. "How could you guys do this to me?" Dany put her hand on Devon's arm. "Devon, we're only doing what's best for you." Devon pulled her arm away. "No you're not. You've ruined my life. I wish I had never met you!" Devon threw open the door and ran outside.
Ale turned back to look at her sisters. "REAL smooth," she said before taking a sip of her drink. "What? Why me? I wanted to give Jake another chance. Pau's the one who wouldn't budge," argued Dany. "We all know that Jake is not the real reason behind this," Pau rebuked. "We need to warn her." "How?" asked Ale. "She's not going to want to talk to us anymore." "We'll just have to keep her close," said Pau. "When the time comes, she will need all the help she can get."
Chapter 6
Devon felt angry, confused, and betrayed. These three mysterious sisters, who she had kind of begun to form a friendship with, had forbidden her from being with the man she loved. She decided that they were wrong. "What do they know about me anyway?" wondered Devon. "They don't know me and they don't know Jake. I'm nothing like the girl in their story." Devon unlocked her phone and decided to send a text to Jake. He was the only person that would help her feel better now. Her text to Jake read Hey, I'm having kind of a rough day. Sure could use some cheering up. A few seconds later Jake had already replied. The reply said I'm sorry to hear that. I'm at the gym just finishing up my workout. Meet me there? Devon perked up. Those girls weren't going to stop her now. She knew that the gym was several miles away, so she walked the two blocks to the nearest subway station and walked down the stairs into it.
After reaching the subway platform, Devon felt uneasy. Something was off. The subway platform was completely deserted. Sure, it wasn't rush hour, but at this point in the afternoon surely there would be somebody else trying to ride the train. Devon looked to her left down the platform and saw nobody, then looked to her right. At the far end of the platform, down where the front end of the train would be, one lone person was sitting on a bench. Unfortunately, this did not make her feel better. In fact, it made her even more nervous.
The person was dressed in dark clothing, and he or she also had a hood over their head so Devon could not make out what this person looked like. Devon looked at her phone. Hopefully the train would not be too much longer. In her haste to leave the diner, she left her big purse, which had a can of pepper spray in it just for potential mugging situations like this. Instead, all she had was her small purse with her ID and money. Devon tried her best not to stare at the creepy looking person, but she also wanted to make sure he or she wasn't getting any closer. She sneaked a look. The person hadn't moved an inch since she got to the platform. "He's not DEAD, is he?" she wondered. She looked again, but for a little longer. This time the hooded figure turned their head quickly in her direction. Devon snapped her head back straight and prayed that the person hadn't noticed her staring. The last thing she wanted to do is draw attention to herself and the fact that she was alone and unarmed.
Just as Devon was about to retreat back to the city streets above, the squeaky sound of wheels rolling on rails could be heard coming from the tunnel. "Oh, thank God," said Devon, breathing a huge sigh of relief. As the train came rolling into the station, Devon noted that thankfully, the train seemed fairly crowded. The doors opened and Devon boarded the train, and then shortly closed behind her. As the train sped out of the station, Devon looked back out on the platform and saw that sure enough, the hooded figure must have also gotten on the train. It was to be expected of course; it was a subway station. Why hang out in the station without riding? Devon certainly would have felt better if that person hadn't gotten on the train however. At least they weren't in the same car, and there were other people on the train. She tried to push the thought of that strange person out of her mind as the subway sped onwards.
A few stops later, Devon disembarked and made her way to the exit. Luckily, the gym was right across the street from the subway stop so she didn't have to go far. When she got to the gym she walked right inside and saw Jake across the way lifting weights. "Excuse me, can I go over there?" Devon asked the lady at the front desk. "That guy is my boyfriend." The lady nodded. Devon ran over and gave Jake a huge hug. "Hey you," said Jake. "Good to see you. What's wrong?" Devon laughed as she wiped away happy tears. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." "Try me," said Jake with a wink. "I'm done with my workout now. I'm going to sit down and relax on this bench while you tell me everything." Devon proceeded to tell Jake everything that had happened since that morning, except leaving out most of the key details of the story that the girls told.
"Hmm, strange women," said Jake. "You don't believe them, do you?" "What, that we shouldn't be together? Of course not!" said Devon. "Good," he said, "fortune tellers always have that gotcha moment. That shocking tale so you think they're telling you the truth so that you tip them more." "Except they didn't ask me to pay them anything," confessed Devon. "Really? Wow, not as smart as I thought then. Maybe that's why they followed you to the diner?" Jake wondered. "Maybe," said Devon, although she really doubted that was the reason. "Alright, well I'm going to take a quick shower and change. Then we can go get some dinner. Does that sound good?" said Jake. Devon nodded and watched Jake disappear into the men's locker room.
A few minutes passed and Devon was on her social media on her phone when she heard a knock on the window behind her. She turned around and sure enough, the three sisters had followed her again. "What do they want now?" she thought. She tried to ignore them, but they only tried harder to get her attention. Pau was pointing at her, pointing at the exit, and then pointing at Dany and Ale, indicating she wanted her to come outside. Devon shook her head, which made Pau turn to her sisters and say something that Devon couldn't make out, but it seemed to make Dany and Ale look concerned.
Devon turned around to look at the doorway to the men's locker room. Still no Jake. She turned back around to the window. The three sisters were still standing there. Ale waved with a shy smile on her face. Devon sighed. It was quite obvious they weren't going to leave her alone unless she talked to them again. She walked out of the gym and over to where the young ladies were standing.
Dany spoke up first. "Devon, listen. I know you don't want to talk to us, so please just listen. You are in grave danger here." Devon rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, because of Jake, I know." "Well yes….no….it's complicated," replied Dany. "I'm not going to stop being with Jake, no matter what you say," declared Devon. "Then at least, please, remember the prayer Father Rudy taught you and recite that constantly," pleaded Dany. "Oh, sure, yeah I'll be sure to do that after I dunk Jake in holy water," Devon said sarcastically. "I'm done here. Goodbye." "Wait!" yelled Dany. "The Crimson Queen! She's dead- not gone…" Dany's voice faded as Devon had already walked back into the gym.
Chapter 7
Devon was becoming more and more annoyed by the sisters and wondered why she couldn't just be left alone to live her life. She didn't look back at the window but she could tell they were still there watching. The sun was beginning to set at this point, bathing everything in a golden light. "Surely they need to go home at some point?" Devon wondered hopefully.
Just then Jake appeared from the men's locker room and a smile leapt on Devon's face. She ran up and gave him a big hug. As Jake was hugging her, he noticed the sisters in the window. "Who are they?" he asked, pointing towards the window. "Ignore them," said Devon. "Are those the fortune tellers you were telling me about?" he asked. "Yes, and like I said, ignore them," she repeated.
Devon and Jake exited the gym. "Hey Devon! Hey Jake!" yelled Dany, smiling and waving. "Ignore them," Devon said through gritted teeth, and they kept walking away from the gym. They walked about a block before Jake said, "Um, they're following us." Devon looked back. Sure enough, the sisters were walking about 50 yards behind them, keeping their distance but also certainly following them. "Jeez, what do I have to do, get a restraining order?" asked Devon. "Woah, calm down Devon, they look concerned," said Jake. "What brings you ladies here today?" "Well Jake, we're concerned about Devon's safety," answered Dany. "She's a danger to herself and to you by being around you." "How so?" Jake asked curiously. "I don't think you'd believe us if we told you," admitted Pau. Devon scowled and rolled her eyes. "Jake, you can NOT be buying this." Jake just shook his head. "I mean, I think we should at least hear them out." Devon didn't know whether to be mad or disappointed. "I cannot believe you right now! You'd rather be with one of them, wouldn't you?!" Devon ran off down the street in tears. "Devon, please! Be rational about this!" he hollered, but Devon didn't stop.
She kept running until she had gotten out of the eyesight of Jake and the three sisters. She rounded the corner and started walking down another street only to discover it led to a deadend. Just as Devon turned around to head back to the main street, her heart dropped into her stomach. There, standing about 30 feet from her, blocking her way out, was the same person that she saw in the subway station.
Except now that she was outside, the person didn't even look human. Devon wasn't even entirely sure she could make out a face on this hooded figure. A lump started to form in her throat. Something was very off about this hooded figure. Devon now desperately wished not only for Jake to be here, but the three sisters as well. The hooded figure now started to advance towards Devon, the setting sun casting shadows on the walls of the buildings. What Devon saw, she barely had time to comprehend. Looking at the hooded figure directly, she saw a hooded cloak wrapped around what looked to be a head. The shadow however, showed that the figure was wearing a crown and had thorns sticking out of its arm. "It..it..it can't be!" stammered Devon, shortly before the Crimson Queen jumped on her and she lost consciousness.
Devon shortly thereafter regained consciousness, only to be found in the very precarious situation that her legs were walking, but she had never commanded her legs to walk. Devon felt as though she were living in a fairy tale, or dreaming, except it all felt too real for it to be a dream. Someone, Devon could only assume it was the Queen, was commanding part of her brain. She wouldn't have believed such a thing was possible earlier today, but she was well aware that her situation was nearly identical to Rose's in the sisters' story. Only now did she realize that they didn't make up the story.
Rounding the block, Devon could now see that Jake and the three sisters had caught up to her. She started yelling for help, except her lips didn't move and no sound came out. To make matters worse, she just now noticed that she had a knife in her hand. She knew the Queen must have put it there, but without control of her own body, Devon wasn't sure how she could stop the Queen.
"Hey Devon, feeling better now?" Jake asked considerately. "Jake! Get back!" yelled Devon, but again nobody could hear her own thoughts. "Now Jake!" yelled Pau. Jake raised his arms up and started chanting "Dust to Dust, our bones will rust, and we shall start again." Devon's body started to stumble, almost as if the Queen had been affected by the chant. "It's working!" Ale said excitedly. "Keep going!" Jake repeated the chant. Now Devon could actually feel something in her muscles again. She could feel a knife in her hand, which was now being raised towards Jake. Dany, Pau, and Ale must have realized the seriousness of the situation, because they too started joining in on the chant. Devon could feel her hand coming down with the knife to stab Jake with it, but now because she had regained some feeling of her body she was able to hold her arm back from striking Jake, at least for the time being. What Devon was trying to do was drop the knife from her hand, but it seemed as though the Queen had a deathgrip on it. Though their chanting was helping, it didn't seem to be stopping the Queen either. Devon was starting to get tired of holding her arm back from stabbing Jake. If she didn't do something soon, Jake would get stabbed for sure and would probably die, and it was all her fault. If only she had listened to the sisters' warning. Suddenly, Devon knew exactly what she had to do. She turned to look at Jake. With great effort, Devon managed to utter the words, "I love you Jake." Then, with all the strength she had left, Devon turned the knife around and plunged it deep into her own chest. In that moment, all of the feeling in her body came back for a few short seconds as she fell to the ground. Jake was instantly upon her, caressing her hair as she lay dying in his arms. Devon could feel a great weight being lifted off of her as she lost consciousness once again.
Chapter 8
Devon slowly opened her eyes. The morning sunlight was nearly blinding. She was laying in a hospital bed. "Am I dead?" wondered Devon in her head, but then a searing pain in her chest told her she probably wasn't. She put her hand on her chest and felt bandages covering the area where she had stabbed the knife into herself.
"Hey, she's awake!" Ale exclaimed. Devon sat up and saw that not only were Dany, Pau, Ale, and Jake there, but so was Father Rudy. Before she could say anything, everyone crowded around her bed. Jake knelt by her head. "How are you feeling?" he asked. Devon tried to sit up, but the pain from her chest wound had proved it too difficult. "Sore, but alive," she replied. "Why am I alive anyway? When I stabbed myself, I had accepted the fact I was sacrificing my life for Jake's."
"It confused us too," said Dany, "but Rudy here has the answer." Rudy stepped forward. "Yes, well, you see here Devon. I think you know by this point that your mind and body was possessed by the ghost of the Crimson Queen." Devon nodded. "These ladies here had a very good reason to want to keep you away from Jake," continued Rudy. "They were concerned for your safety as well as his. The Crimson Queen's life was filled with selfishness and anger. When she died, she committed suicide, a selfish act that does not heal the soul from the events of one's life. Doing this prevented her spirit from being able to move on. Having her spirit trapped as a ghost here on earth only made her angrier, and it made her want to prevent anyone else from experiencing true love. I do not think Dany, Pau, and Ale realized how strong your relationship was with Jake." "Yes, we're so sorry Devon," said Dany. "If we had known you guys better we may have tried a different approach."
Devon accepted Dany's apology and managed to sit up in her hospital bed. "Ok, so I get why I was a target for the Queen, but how am I still alive?" "Well, that part was a bit tricky, but I have a theory," answered Rudy. "You see, when the Queen possessed you, she had full control of your body, but not your mind. When Jake and the girls started chanting the Dust to Dust prayer, it helped gain you access to your body again, if only halfway." "The prayer is a reminder of the cycle of life," added Pau. "It's a reminder that no matter how significant or feeble every person's life is, they were born of dust and shall return to dust when they die." "It is a person's morals, their soul, is what counts," said Ale. "We say that prayer ourselves to prevent the Queen's soul from possessing us for any reason as well," said Dany. "Or we did, anyway, since you seem to have gotten rid of the Queen for good this time. I'll let Rudy explain that." "Yes, so now we get to why you did not die," said Rudy. "The Queen's goal in possessing you was to have you kill Jake, after which you would spiral down the same dark path she took in her own life. What she didn't realize is that your relationship with Jake was much healthier than her relationship with Miguel ever was. When your hand was raised and poised to take Jake's life, you did what the Queen never would have done. You sacrificed your life to save Jake, which is a very selfless act. This selfless act actually killed the Queen's soul, and spared yours. In other words, with the Queen possessing you, you were incapable of dying. It was only a selfless act of sacrifice that could have possibly destroyed the Queen whilst keeping you alive as well."
Devon couldn't form words. She just sat there looking at Rudy and the three sisters, and looking over at jake. "This was no accident, Devon," said Pau. "You're a good person, with a good heart. Also, Ale really loved the tacos at your diner and wanted to make sure you lived so that you could give her the recipe," Pau said jokingly.
Everyone in the room laughed, including Ale. Devon felt a whole new perspective on life. She no longer cared about finding out what her "fortune" would be in life. She was willing to take every day as it came, and live it out to the fullest. She had her health, a boyfriend who loved her back, and now three new friends, the Three Sisters of Monterrey. Life was good.