Working With Red

Tricks and Treats

Updated: 2021.08.20  

The chapter where we hit 3K. The photo above is the old cover, for remembrance.

Enjoy! Happy Halloween.

You shot up in bed, chest heaving unevenly as your sweat-drenched hair fell messily around your face.

Tonight marked the third night that week you'd been plagued by painstakingly horrid nightmares. The one from the night before included something along the lines of you shoving Oliver off a radio tower somewhere in downtown Star City. It'd scared you so much more because of the fact that "dream you" seemed to enjoy it. You were happy--ecstatic, even--to jump at the chance to throw Oliver Queen to his death.

Tonight's dream hadn't been any better. 

You remembered the dream starting with the consumption of raw meat. You hadn't thought anything of it; in fact, you were practically gorging yourself on it like a delicacy. It had no taste. You could only feel the bloodied flesh sliding down your throat. You didn't even stop to consider you were eating the flesh of a human, one you knew very well. 

"This is what you get for leaving me with her." The venomous words echoed in your head, followed by a stiff chuckle as you continued to feast on your father's dead body. Upon recalling the memory, it made you nauseous to even think about the possibility of doing something so horrid. Unfortunately, that wasn't even the worst part. 

As you'd stood from beside your butchered father to wipe the blood from your mouth, your ears had perked up at the sound of footsteps striding up behind you. You'd glanced over your shoulder in time to see Red Arrow come in through a door surrounded in pitch darkness. You remembered being utterly shocked to see the blank expression on his face, especially after he'd taken notice of your blood-splattered clothes and massacred father beside you. 

"Is this all you can think to do?" He'd muttered, eyes boring painfully into yours through his mask. "Acting like a wild animal; it's sickening." You'd hesitated before looking back at your father, a wave of curiosity washing over you. 

"I'm not sure what to do," had been your reply as you wiped the remaining blood from your face. "If I eat the plants, Mother will be angry." 

"So, this is your last resort, then?" He'd stated. 

"I can't eat the plants," you'd snapped, quicker and more frantically than last time. "I-I can't eat them. Mother will be angry. Mother will be angry with me! Mother will hurt me for harming her babies. Can't eat the plants! Can't do it! MOTHER WON'T LET ME!" You'd then let out a heinous cackle, holding the sides of your head as though it were about to explode. 

A sharp silence occurred afterward when Roy had closed the space in between you, wrapping his arms tightly around your bloody self; you also remembered the pure confusion and irritation you'd felt upon that moment. 

"You. . ." I'd muttered, a scowl quickly spreading across my face. "You and those people are all the same. You want to hurt her--" 

"Of course," he'd replied, though he didn't pull away, instead looking you in the eye. "We want to keep you away from her." 

"I don't like that idea; I can't have that happening," you'd hissed, right before lunging at Roy and ripping his throat open with your bare teeth. He'd made no sound as he went limp, falling to the ground at your feet, and the last thing you remembered was licking his blood from your fingertips before attacking his lifeless-- 

You gagged, clasping a hand over your mouth as you threw off the comforter and bounded to the bedroom door. You completely disregarded Roy as you pushed past, sprinting into the bathroom and slamming the door behind you.