Cherish Red ✔️

Chapter Thirteen

~ Red's Lament ~

Memories tried to come back to her, but something seemed to block them away. She wanted them back so badly. To know that she was actually a good person somewhere. She craved the feeling of being loved - and any other feeling for that matter. She'd been freed of all emotion. Yet she could hear her creator's cries despite being surrounded by the dark. The worst part was that she couldn't reply in any way.

It was like someone had stitched her mouth shut and then threw her into a isolated jail cell. Invisible chains restrained her wrists and ankles. What felt like hands wrapped it's bony fingers around her neck and waist. She was trapped there, with no way out. Completely conscious of her surroundings. But not of what she'd done. She could feel her human self, but when she looked down - or anywhere for that matter - she saw a terrifying body that wasn't hers. It couldn't be hers.

Every time Red moved just a tiny bit, those same hands reverted her back to her original position. It was even worse when she realized every time she moved, a little bit of the monster would appear on her skin. She was losing herself, and she knew it. But she couldn't do anything.

Was this all because she tried to help another experiment?

She didn't know. It could be all of the using she had mindlessly done, or the self-worth that never existed. Maybe the past had finally caught up with her, and paused the future. Perhaps this happened because a part of her wanted to tell her something. Whatever that was anyway.

Red wanted to cover her face and hide herself from all of society. But she couldn't do that because she was frozen, and could only imagine it in her conscious mind. As well as her father's pleads, she could also hear several screams of bloody murder and the shouts of gunners. They wanted her dead. She could see why.

She was the monster her creator feared her to be, and he was the only one trying to keep the bullets away. Red didn't understand. She couldn't do anything to ease her wounds either: Red was constantly getting shot with no break. It was physically painful, like hot metal burning through her skin and raw acid running through her eyes. But the mental pain was even worse. She just wanted to lash out and scream. To cry and punch a couple of walls. But the hands, chains, and removal of emotions didn't allow that, and Red was forced to bottle it all up.

"You've been damaged so horribly, and this is your only way to express it... isn't it...?"

Red wanted to deny it.

No Dad! She wanted to think. It was because of the spear and Masey! I didn't do anything to become like this! I would never do anything like this!

But she knew she was lying to herself. Yes, the spear must've had something to do with it. But it could've also been all of the stress that had piled up beginning from Jixi's death and the last straw being the transformation. The tension that had built all this time... all of the questions that pondered her mind the entire journey. After all she'd done, she still got no answers from anyone or anything.

Now she needed those answers, or else she would disappear. Then the monster would take over and kill everyone she knew and... she couldn't figure out the word. It didn't matter anyway: she needed to find a way out of there. As much as she didn't want to, Red decided the first place to go was to listen to her creator...

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Mr. Henderson sighed. He didn't want to cry, but it was too late. He ignored her problems and forgot how to teach her to be strong.

"I'm so sorry for everything I've done to you," He sobbed, falling onto one knee. Mr. Henderson was unable to stand anymore. "Why can't you just answer me and get it over with? Why aren't you saying anything?"

Red growled. It wasn't angry, but he didn't know what else it could be. But it was all he got for a response. She wrapped her spiky arms around herself. Mr. Henderson fell onto both knees and gently rubbed her head. She seemed to purr as Mr. Henderson did his best to try and hug her.

"I-I love you, Red," Mr. Henderson continued. "I want answers. I need answers. You need answers. You need to find yourself again... I can't help you, because I have no way to communicate with you. But I know - my sweetheart - you're in there. I know you are..."

Red growled again. She began to stand up, all of her eyes glaring at the gunners and shooters. Mr. Henderson took a step back as she towered over everyone. Every one of them began to shoot. She roared, pawing the ground viciously. Then she ripped one of the gunners apart, their flesh and bone crumpling on the ground as some ran away into the dome. Mr. Henderson backed away until he hit the walls of the structure, an alarmed look in his eyes as Red murdered the attackers.

Oh no, He thought. Was she losing control again or did she recognize the people trying to kill her? Why is she rampaging? I-

Mr. Henderson forced himself against the wall as much as he could as Red cornered him. He lost his thoughts as she seemed to smile. He didn't know if Red was trying to tell him something or kill him.

"Red, don't corner me," Henderson said as sternly as he could. Maybe if she did know what was happening, he could get her to listen and maybe get her back to normal. "Unless you're trying to tell me something, then go ahead! B-but, if you want to kill me-"

Red twisted her head upside down as a replacement for confusion. Mr. Henderson cringed, but knew that if it was a try at communicating, he'd have to try and decode what she was trying to tell him. Suddenly, a distorted voice came out of her mouth, which didn't even sound like Red anymore. He did not know what she was saying - it sounded like her words were reversed and glitched.

"So you can talk," Mr. Henderson stared at the ground. So it is possible. Red can speak. Now he just can't get it. "But I don't understand it."

"Ti struh os hcum," Red hissed with the same distortion. "Dad, pleh em esaelp... era uoy duorp fo em?"

"I'm sorry, I don't understand!" He yelled as his voice wavered. He almost had all of the pieces together! So why can't he find the last one? "I... wait."

"'Dad'? You still know who I am?"

"Dad, m'I ereh... pleh em..."

"You do... do you know how to turn back to normal again...?"

"On... I kniht m'I kcuts ekil siht... m'I yrros..."

Mr. Henderson dug in his pocket. There had to be something that deciphers backwards language, right-

BANG!

( Red translations: "it hurts so much", "Dad, help me please... are you proud of me?", "Dad, I'm here... help me...", and "No... I think I'm stuck like this... I'm sorry..." )