Little Red Riding Hood Never Forgives

Skinner

9

"Where is she?"

Alex didn't react.

"Where did Scarlet go?" Sin's voice was rising with stress but Alex still wouldn't respond.

Sin huffed and stalked off into the forest, Alex's eyes followed her as she left. After Sin came back from hunting she was about to wake up Scarlet and Alex when she realised that they were missing. After a frantic search Sin had found Alex perched on a tree's limb, staring into space.

He hadn't moved since Scarlet left. He couldn't move. The sting of rejection was too much for him, he wasn't used to it at all. Alex continued staring at the branch were Scarlet once sat, inches away. After a few more minutes he let out a long sigh and closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Amanda." He whispered softly.

Alex proceeded to hop off the tree limb and crash into the earth below. He sprinted after Sin, heart already pounding with the anticipation of Scarlet's whereabouts.

* * *

Her paws thrummed against the muddy earth below. Scarlet couldn't process what had just happened. She had nearly kissed a guy who wasn't Nick! She had never even looked at a guy since she and Nick became steady and suddenly she was almost falling in love with Alex?

She thought that Changing would let her forget all her "boy problems" for a while and concentrate on running. Only running. But the thoughts were too much for her and she couldn't even make a full Change, her eyes still held the fearful brown irises and her nose wasn't quite black yet. Her paws had an odd look that was familiar with hands. This meant that not only did her human emotions overwhelm her even more, but she couldn't run that well.

Scarlet heard the frantic calls of Sin and Alex ways away. They weren't close enough to spot her but they were close enough to find her soon. Yelling at her mind to hush, Scarlet started sprinting rapidly, dodging every tree as if it were a bullet. After a few minutes of scolding and concentrating, she could feel her mind begin to relax and soothe into the animalistic thoughts that calmed her.

"Scarlet?"

A flash of panic sliced through Scarlet's mind as she recognized the voice. That calm but slightly husky voice that had calmed her down so many times. That voice that was like music to her soul. That voice belonged to her one true love. Rethinking all the mushy thoughts, Scarlet realized that she was thinking like a human. His voice must have smacked some sense into me, She thought.

"Scarlet! Help!" The voice called out urgently.

Scarlet's ears flipped up, a silly habit Scarlet had when she wanted to track a voice. Taking off like a bloodhound, Scarlet zipped through the forest searching for Nick.

Alex and Sin were following close behind when they heard Nick's voice too. They followed Scarlet silently through some trees and into a small patch in the forest. Sin glanced up and noticed that they were awfully close to the Skinner's hut. Her eyes narrowed and she warned Alex.

In the middle of the clearing there was a tall wooden pole. On it was two figures tied on the opposite ends, one was calling out to Scarlet while the other was struggling against the cloth that bound them. Scarlet immediately recognized the figure that was calling to her, it was Nick. He had a trail of blood that circled his neck and dried blood patterned his chest. Scarlet felt all the jumbled human emotions overwhelm her; love, fear, guilt, confusion, hope, and pain. The power of the human feelings forced her to start Changing back. Scarlet ran to Nick's side and started untying the knots.

"It looks way too easy." Sin noted quietly.

Alex nodded in agreement, they had stayed hidden among the trees just in case. They recognized Ariel on the other side of the pole, she had tape stuck to her mouth.

"Let's stay here until both are freed. If nothing happens then we'll run back to camp. If something does happen..." Alex trailed off and glanced at Sin anxiously.

She nodded curtly, they didn't need to discuss it. Ariel was their priority. If something happened and it would risk one of their lives to help Scarlet or Nick, they would bail. Alex had begun to hate the plan ever since he fell in love with Scarlet but he knew that's what had to be done. The hunters were close knitted and they wouldn't expand themselves to help others in a time of urgency. It was just the way they lived.

Scarlet was completely human by the time Nick got down. He untied Ariel and covered Scarlet with the cloth. Ariel fixed her shirt while Nick pulled Scarlet in for a warm hug. It felt so good to be in his arms again, there Scarlet felt safe. But a sliver of guilt made Scarlet flinch and Nick noticed.

"What's wrong? Did something happen when I was gone?" Nick pushed Scarlet an inch away so he could hold her gaze.

She nodded sheepishly, "Yeah...I-I'm so sorry Nick...I need to talk to you, 'kay?"

Nick's eyebrows furrowed and he wrapped his arms around Scarlet tighter, "Sure, we can talk once we get out of here. 'Kay?" He lifted her chin with his forefinger and smiled slightly.

Scarlet nodded and smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.

Alex watched as the moment played out and felt the sting of guilt stir in his chest. What was he thinking? He had known that Scarlet was madly in love with Nick and yet he still decided to play with her feelings and then guess what happens? He fell in love with her! He should've expected this outcome and yet he still convinced himself that he had a shot.

"Rejection?" Sin asked casually.

"What? No!" He denied.

She rolled her eyes and slid her gaze to Alex's, "It's rejection, isn't it? I can see it, you are so easy to read, you know that?" Alex rolled his eyes and looked away. "Come on, you knew it wouldn't have worked out, right?"

"Yes, I knew! Just get off my back about it, alright?" He snapped.

Sin snapped back and the two started bickering. Meanwhile, three bulky, shadowed figures stepped out from under some trees. Nick immediately lashed out, seeing that they were Skinners. One grabbed his fist and twisted it, Nick yelped in pain. Ariel was fighting a similarly swift figure when Alex bursted out of his hiding spot.

"Five against three, we have the clear advantage." He stated to himself. Just then four more figures burst out of the trees. "...Well then, shall we burst into the clearing like superheroes and kick their butts?" He called back to Sin.

She grinned maliciously and threw herself into the clearing as well. One of the Skinners immediately thrust a kick at Sin, who swiftly dodged it. Alex whirled and shot a bullet at one of the Skinners, she hissed and cuffed Alex in the neck. Ariel was battling two at a time while Scarlet was dancing around behind Nick, who wouldn't let her near the Skinners. Alex raised his rifle again and shot a bullet clear through one of the Skinners that was fighting Ariel. The Skinner coughed a wretched hack and his knees buckled. Blood started to seep through his shirt and he gurgled in pain. Burnt marks started to sketch across his neck, slowly climbing up his face until he could no longer scream. The Skinner's eyes rolled back into his head and he flopped onto the ground.

"What the?" Alex whispered to himself. What had just happened?

The other Skinners whirled to face their dead comrade, they turned to Alex and growled.

"You shot that one in the heart." Sin mumbled.

Alex nodded and remembered that his gun was loaded with silver bullets. "Werewolves," He quietly noted.

Sin nodded and just then half of the remaining Skinners knelt to their knees and Changed fluently. There were no grunts or pauses, just the ripping of clothes and the disgruntling sound of canines ripping through their gums.

The three wolves launched at Alex and Sin and pinned them to the ground, knocking their guns away. The leftover humans grabbed Ariel and Scarlet, flicking out knives and holding them to their necks.

The one holding Scarlet spoke in a low, husky voice that had some sort of unrecognizable accent, "Come with us or this one gets skinned early." He commanded. The others nodded and followed the Skinners to their hut, and to their most certain demise.