The House of Strife
By GQ and Zhak!
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Chapter 3: Scarlet
Scarlet lived in one of the most expensive condominiums in the city. She opened the door and at once said, "Kyah! Reeve! I can't believe that Reno!" She stomped her way towards the living room where Reeve was watching the news.
He looked up at her curiously. "He did something perverted?"
"No! For some strange reason he wouldn't let me see the Old President! I bet he's poisoning him or something. Or probably painting the town red with Elena. If you know what I mean." She kicked her red shoes off and fell down on the couch next to Reeve. "That Valentine should fire that guy. He doesn't act like a Turk at all. More like a slacker…" she fumed.
The Head of Urban Development Department sighed. "Don't fume like that, Scarlet. It's unhealthy."
"Kyah!!! I'm so pissed off!" she gritted her teeth. Reeve put an arm around her shoulder and smiled. "Calm down. Maybe you could use a drink or something."
"I need a shower…" she threw his arm off and stomped her way to the bathroom.
Reeve frowned. "Okay." He continued watching the news again.
Once in the bathroom, Scarlet took off the clamp that held her hair up. She turned on the shower and waited for steam to rise. She felt some water drops on her hand to test the warmth. "Kyah… just right," she said before stripping and stepping in the shower. She sighed as some drops hit her face. "Feels nice…" she grabbed a bottle of shampoo and started lathering it on her hair.
The sounds of water gushing from the shower head and echoing in the bathroom and the sounds of the bubbles in her hair as she worked it with her hands made her forget about everything for a while. In a daze, she cleaned her hair of dust, dirt and whatever else is dirty in it…
Thud thud thud
Like the third hand that was gripping her head…
Thud thud thud
"Kyah?!" she turned around sharply. She touched the back of her head again. Nothing was there. "What the…?"
"Scarlet? Are you all right in there? I heard you scream," Reeve asked from the outside as he knocked on the bathroom door.
"Yeah… I'm fine…" she replied weakly. She twisted the knobs and turned off the shower. She felt too cold to continue bathing.
It was the next night. Reeve was fixing his papers in his apache briefcase when his phone rang. "Hello?"
"Hey, Reeve. I'll be arriving late tonight. Just to let you know so don't wait up."
"Okay Scarlet. Bye. See you," he disconnected the call. Then he went on his way home to their condominium unit.
He opened the door. Mindlessly he kicked off his shoes and prodded them by the doorway. He thought he saw that Scarlet's trademark red heels were there already, but glancing down again, he knew he was imagining things.
"Hm. Strange. I must be tired…" He started walking towards the living room area. Then he stopped in his tracks. "Scarlet? You're here already?"
Scarlet had her back turned to him. She was on the floor, moving away from something in the center of the room. It was as if she was trying to avoid something.
"I thought you were coming a bit later. What's in there, a cockroach or something?" Reeve asked as he walked in the area. But the moment he stepped in the room, the woman disappeared. "… eh? Scarlet?" he looked around.
His cell phone started ringing in his pocket. Shaking his head, he didn't bother checking the caller and just answered it. "Hello?"
"Oh, Reeve. Are you home already?"
Reeve paused. "Scarlet?"
"Yes? What's wrong? Anyway, I have a feeling that I'll be receiving a very important call from Wutai later, so if somebody calls, give them my cell phone number, okay?" she said nonchalantly.
"I… hey, weren't you here just a moment ago?" he stuttered.
Scarlet paused. "Kyah! Reeve, what are you talking about? I'm on a chopper from Junon."
"But…"
"You must be tired. Get some sleep, but sleep next to the phone." She hung up without another word.
"Kyah… I'm tired…" said Scarlet a few hours from the phone call. She fumbled for her keys in her purse, grumbling as she did so. Finally, she got them and managed to open the door.
"I'm home!" she announced. She removed her shoes and put them by the doorway. "Reeve?" she asked gently as she stood up.
Thud thud thud
She froze. She's heard that sound before…
She ran in the living room area. And she screamed.
Reeve was hanging in the living room. Dark strands of questionable composition was wrapped around his neck. His tongue rolled out of his mouth.
"Kyaaaaaaaah!"
She fell on the floor. She started inching away from the body. "R… Reeve? Who did this to you?! WHO?!"
Suddenly, his corpse started swinging. Scarlet watched in fear as his feet hit the wall, making the thudding sound. She didn't want to see what was causing the swinging, but her gazed shifted slowly… ever so slowly… towards one side of the room.
A young boy caught Reeve's feet before swinging him again towards the wall. He paused slightly to stare at Scarlet. Then he continued pushing Reeve, enjoying the sound of his feet hitting against the wall, the thuds echoing in the dark condominium unit…
Scarlet wanted to scream again. Her long, red nails scratched against the floor as she inched away from the gory scene. "S… Sora…!!!" she whispered to herself hoarsely. She stumbled. Her gaze fell sharply to the ceiling…
"KYAAAAH!!!"
Aerith was on the ceiling, staring at her curiously. Her hair was dangling just above Scarlet. It lowered slowly, slowly, reaching her cheeks, wrapping around her neck…
"Ack!" Scarlet started to choke. Aerith was dragging her up then. Her feet didn't reach the floor anymore. Her vision started to blur. Her hands were on her neck, trying to pry off the death grip that Aerith's hair has on her neck…
Scarlet couldn't breathe anymore, not with her struggles and her muffled screams that sound like croaks. Her hands dropped to her sides.
Sora was watching her the whole time. When it was over, he had the grandest time swinging the couple and listening to the thuds on the wall over and over and over…
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Chapter four is up next! Please review. (wink)