Disclaimer: I own everything except for the characters. I'm just using them. I'm actually going to enter this into a contest but with my own people. :) So please, your criticism is very valuable to me and it would mean a lot if you took the time to review. Please! Aha.

Forever Scarlet

Chapter One: Is This What You Call Desperate?

"Sick with myself, but I got no one else."

-Hollywood Undead

I slowly sway back and forth as the guy who I barely talk to, comes to me with blood all around his mouth like he just finished eating someone's flesh. My head becomes light weighted but I fight myself for dominance to stay awake. He comes closer as if inspecting me like he wants to eat me. My body starts to shake as I don't know what's going to happen. This is all too sudden. His eyes pierce down into to mine and my legs are starting to give out. I give a silent prayer to God as if it would make everything better. He comes closer and with each step he takes my heart stops beating. When he reaches me, just inches from my face I subconsciously inhale his strong scent. He smells like ecstasy and cigarette smoke and I just wonder what exactly was he doing? I continued to stare at him as he did the same. He tilted his head back and gave a hushed cry. I stumble back. For the sound was more inhuman than human. I looked at him and my eyes started to sting with fresh tears and I shook my head slightly.

"What happened?" I softly spoke, not meaning for him to hear. Though, he did. He looked away ashamed. Then he turned back to me. His eyes seemed to burn into mine and I quickly turned away. He began to walk closer to me and I began to stumble even more going back. I shook my head vigorously.

"Please." I chanted over and over. I backed up against a tree and looked around frantically. I felt my arms shake and my legs tremble. My eyes are still burning with fresh tears streaming down my face. I wrapped my arms around my torso as if it would protect me from him; my shield. I started going through hysterics and he stopped progressing towards me. He held his hand out and I smacked it away. "Get away from me you- Monster!" I yelled. He winced at my words and I continued to cry. My eye sight was starting to get blurry from the amount of tears in my eyes. I heard him mutter something incoherently.

"I...I need your help Courtney. I'm just really lost right now." That's when I took the time to look at him. His neck had dried up blood trailing from the end of his jaw line to the ending or his neck, his shirt had blood stains on it, his shirt was ripped at the hem, and his eyes were its original color with a tint of red in them. I just stared at the man before me. He cautiously took a step forward to me and I yelled, then he immediately stopped. "I swear I'm not going to hurt you. I just need your help." I heard the deepness of his voice and noticed that it had gotten deeper and his words were slurred. As if he just learnt how to speak. I gave him a nod. Curiosity washed over me and I hesitantly walked up to him and I physically saw him stiffen and become tense. I cautiously took my hand to his throat and lightly brush against it. He flinched and I immediately pulled my hand back.

"It hurts." He mumbled out. I nodded and looked at him. His skin was pale and he looked drained. As if reading my mind he spoke and shrugged. "I'm hungry." I made an "oh" shape with my mouth at this sudden realization. Then I noted, what the hell is going on?

"Duncan...what exactly happened?" I asked reluctantly, not really wanting to know the answer. He shrugged and shuddered. Pain marred his face and he looked around.

"Can we go somewhere else?" He asked. I didn't answer right away then nodded. I exited the wooded place that is like a second home to me. My father and I used to come here all the time on Sunday mornings. We still do when he comes over to see how things are moving along. Tonight, I just came out here tonight to find some solace. Then out of nowhere comes Duncan battered and bloody looking like he got hit with a car and ate someone for dinner or something.

I stole glances at him as we were walking incredibly slow. He looked spaced out like I didn't freak out on him just moments ago. The minutes feel like hours as we're walking this slow. He didn't look up nor did even acknowledge that--

"Like what you see?" I looked up him, shocked that he knew. However, he mumbled more slurred then the last set of words he spoke of earlier and had a stupid boyish grin on his face. I scoffed. Nice way from being humble to a complete jerk.

"Don't flatter yourself." He still continued walking with that stupid boyish grin on his stupid little face. I tried so hard not to stare again at him so I turned to look at the scenery. The evergreen trees that decorated this wooded area always seem to glow. I smiled upon one tree and I reminisced on the time my father and I saw Mars, I know its nothing big, but I just could never seem to find Mars when I little. I was devastated. Then one faithful night...I saw it. I had to be about five or six then. I was so naïve. I fall chill stung my bare arms and I rubbed my arms for warmth. I kept walking but I stopped when I didn't hear the rhythm of marching feet on the crunchy leaves. I looked to my side to see if I saw Duncan but I didn't see him. I wave of panic overwhelmed me and I frantically looked back to see if I saw him. Then I turned to my other side, he wasn't there.

Did he get hurt? Did he collapse and I didn't see him? I spun around until I did a full 360 spin. Then I came to his face, just inches from mine; I jerked back slightly and gasped as I saw him and relief soon washed over my features.

"I thought you had gotten hurt." I said relieved. He shook his head and gave me that infuriating grin. Well, it's nice to know he's still himself through whatever façade he's playing. I look up to him and caught him staring at me. Instead of asking why I just continued to walk to get to the warmth of my home. As we were walking I stole another glance at him. He was looking at me the whole time and I felt my cheeks become hot and I quickly looked away. I picked up my pace a little and he followed with ease. When we reached the little bricked pathway to my house. I followed it and Duncan trailed behind. When I reached my back yard I looked to Duncan who just looked up at my looked at the two story house. Its light beige color was dimmed in the darkness which made the house look slightly brown in the lighting from the street lights. I led Duncan to my back door and pulled my key from my pocket and fiddle with the keys in the darkness in front of my door. I blindly grasped on key and pushed it into the the lock but it wouldn't open. So I assumed that I had the wrong key. I fiddled with my keys again trying not to find the one I just used. Duncan just stood there then he put his hand on top of mine and I felt my cheeks warm up again. He slipped the keys from under my grasp and looked to me. I arched my eyebrow. Then he rolled his eyes.

"Which key?" He slurred. Has he always been slurring his words...?

"Oh!" I said. I closed my eyes to think of what the key looked like. Not fully understanding how he could see the key and I couldn't. Nevertheless, I brushed that aside and continued. "The key that has the brown and blue polka dots on it," I spoke. Call me immature that I'm twenty-two and still find joy in polka dots, flowers, and hearts like I'm twelve years of age. He picked the key out, but not before he gave a deep throated snort and pushed it into the lock and turned it to the right. I gave a huff and rolled my eyes. I heard the door unlock and I looked to him in question but he just gave me my keys back and let me go in first since it was my house. I walked in and slipped off my flats. Duncan looked at me and reluctantly looked at me puzzled. I looked at him and smirked. "What? You don't like my house?" I gestured to the Zen-like home with Chinese paintings and my bamboo tree in the corner near my living room. He shook his head and pretended that he couldn't come in. I cocked my hip up and put my hand on it.

"Very funny Duncan, stop playing." He looked at me with utter confusion and pretended again that he couldn't enter. He started to look agitated. Then I started to grow irritated. He still had that mock of confusion with irritation on his face. "Will you just come in. This isn't funny." I scolded. He walked in the house with a look of astonishment. At the door he took of his shoes and continued to proceed into my home. I led him to the sofa where I sat in a lotus position. He followed suit and sat in the love seat across from me. I looked at him and sympathy soon washed over me. "Duncan...what's wrong?" I asked in a caring tone, much like what my mother used to do when I was little. I looked around, everywhere but my eyes. Then...he shrugged. I studied him and closed my eyes getting ready to scold him again. "Y'know, between the both of us, the only person that should give the silent treatment is me." I said like a mother would do to her son when she found out that he's be hiding the fact that he has a girlfriend. I opened one eye and he looked downcast. The he opened his mouth and began to speak.

"Well, normally I wouldn't give up the chance to talk to someone like you, but... It hurts to speak...." He trailed off subconsciously bringing a hand to his throat. I rolled my eyes, (I'm doing that a lot these days) I got up and skipped to the kitchen and went to the drawer near the refrigerator. I rummaged through it and wasn't having any luck finding what I was looking for. Well, I don't call it the junky drawer for nothing. I felt my hand brush against paper and grasped it, I grabbed a pen at the bottom of the drawer, and skipped back to Duncan. I sat beside him and handed him the pen and pad.

"Here, you can use this instead of talking. Just until we find out what's wrong with you." He took the pen and paper reluctantly. I looked at him and gave him a reassuring smile. I slightly turned to him. "So lets start with the basics. Where were you?" I saw him softly scribble something onto the paper and I noticed he has nice print. Surprisingly. It wasn't fancy or sloppy it was neat and readable. He stopped writing and gave me the note pad.

The Masquerade.

I looked at him questioningly.

"What were you doing there?" I slowly asked. The Masquerade is very known for the...bad things that occur there. He started to scribble and I paid attention to him.

My friends band had a gig there. I was being a good friend that I am, wanted to give them support.

I nodded in understanding. I've heard that its incredibly hard to get a gig there. I always wanted to know what it was like to go to a concert... I was always busy with school I never had the chance.

"Who was there?" I asked. His eyes seemed to be in deep thought and began to scribble something on the notepad.

You don't know them. Some kids I went to juvy with back in the day.

Was his answer. I shot my head up at him. The Masquerade was at least fifty minutes from here. Then how did he get here? In the woods? I'm totally confused.

"Duncan, I'm confused. You were at The Masquerade for your friends bands gig, something bad broke out, you left obviously walking or running, you left your friends to fend for themselves, and now you're at my house? Is that what happened?" He quickly began to write. Then three minutes later, he gave me the note pad.

Not quite Princess. I was there for my friends gig and this really hot chic came to me and she promised me a good time. So I took it. Then when we got to the back room of the Masquerade I realized that she was the chic I dated back in high school. We hit it off really good then and I really liked her but she had to move to Utah for some dumb reason and so we had to cut it off. She started talking about how we should pick up things from where we left off in high school. Next thing I knew her mouth was on mine then it trailed and then I like blacked out. It was weird. I was a little buzzed but I think someone drugged my drink or something like that. Then when I woke up I was in some cabin in the middle of the fucking woods, so I ran. I kept running until I spotted you.

I glared at the pet name and looked up to him and handed him back the pad. I looked at him and his eyes still had that weird hint of red in it... It might be because of that drug, maybe if he slept on it, it would go away. Then he began to write again.

Can I crash here tonight? I have no clue where the hell I am.

"Umm... Sure, you can stay in the guest bedroom upstairs."

Duncan just nodded. He scrunched his nose up in disgust and quickly wrote something down.

Also, Princess, where is your washer and dryer?

"My name is Courtney, try using it and the washer and dryer are upstairs next to your room actually." He smirked at me and wrote something else down.

And where is your room? Sometimes I get nasty nightmares and have to cuddle up to someone.

I shoved the notepad back in his hands and started to make my way upstairs stomping on every step. When I reached my room I plopped on my bed and screamed in my pillow.

So I have concluded some things. One, Duncan is a pervert. To the point where its intolerable and it hasn't even been a full day! Two, whatever happened with Duncan, is probably isn't anything, he probably just exaggerated. Three, when he smiled those stupid boyish grins!- gave me a sickening feeling in my stomach, but I'm not sick at all.

So please! Please! Tell me what you thought! This has been in document manager for over four months. I've been editing this thing like crazy. Two, my contest is in May and I don't know if I'm going to compete at all because this is really bad in my opinion. I have everything planned out, but I dunno. Tell me what you think and if you want more I'll be more than happy to write more for you guys.

Bye. :)