Red Newspaper

Scarlet sat on the bench in the park, minding her own business. A small smile played across her thin, red lips as she studied the headline displayed on the newspaper she held in her hand. Man and Woman Brutally Murdered in Apartment, Suspect Unknown; the man was your average kind of guy, working in a restaurant as a cook, living in the suburbs and dating a beautiful girl; life was just rosy. Nothing about him seemed different, on the outside at least. On the inside he was a monster; he beat his girlfriend, cheated on her, he had no feelings for her. In reality, she was just a toy he played with in his free time. In her mind, she knew she should leave him, but she couldn't bring herself to do it; she loved him, or so she had convinced herself to think. It went on like that for years, his abuse and hatred, his malice being taken out on her so that he could appear normal to those around him and not seething with fiery anger. It was when she had walked in on him with another woman in their bed that she finally snapped. 

When she had walked into the house, she could hear noises from upstairs and dread shot through her heart; she already knew what was going on. Making her way into the kitchen, she grabbed the nearest thing to her, a butcher knife, and trudged up the stairs. Tears were streaming down her face before she even opened the door. It screeched open and a girl let out a small yelp of surprise. Lying in the bed was her boyfriend and her best friend. Shock blossomed through her and she frowned, the tears stopping for a moment, "What...?" The statement was full of unspoken agony and confusion, she hadn't suspected this. 

The first words out of her friend's mouth where, "It's not what it looks like!"

"Then what is it?" her resolve hardened and her grip on the knife tightened. Taking a step forward she pointed it at them, her patience wavering. "Tell me what...this is, Rosary!"

Rosary let out a squeak of fear and fumbled for words, blush creeping up her cheeks, but nothing came out. "It's me finding something better than you, you freak," her boyfriend hissed, trying to gain control of the situation. He rose out of the bed, his maroon boxers the only thing on him, and took a step in her direction, "You don't want to make me mad do you?"

A malicious laugh erupted from her and she displayed a wolfish grin on her lips, "Make you mad?" Another laugh, "I think it's you who should be frightened of my anger, Jasper." The knife was now pointed at him, unwavering.

He took a step back, fear flashing in his eyes, "You crazy b***h, why are you even here?" Rosary stood huddled in the back corner, the covers pulled up to hide everything but her eyes.

"I'm here to kill you." The knife flashed out and grazed his cheek, slicing it open. Blood poured down his face and onto his chest; the cut wasn't very deep, but it bled a lot, coating his face in a sheet of red. Jasper let out a shout of pain and clutched his wound, cursing. Scarlet's patience snapped and she pounced on Rosary, leaving Jasper to his pain. She knelt over Rosary, her maniacal smile growing even larger, "And you too." Ramming the knife into her chest, her laughter twinkled through the air, intertwining with Rosary's screams; the sound was music to her ears. 

Blood stained the white sheets and she tore them away so she could get a better view of her victim. Rosary was entirely naked, blood smeared all over her bare breasts. Pulling the knife out, she reinserted it in her left breast, marring their beauty. Rosary had always been far more desirable than her, so it was no shock that Jasper had chosen her; now it was time to change that. It didn't occur to Scarlet that she had punctured Rosary's heart in the process until blood bubbled to her lips and she let out one last gasping breath, her arms spasmodically gripping Scarlet's arms and she died. Shock ripped through her once more, and sadness as well; she had just murdered her best friend. Turning to look at Jasper, her madness returned as she remembered why she was truly here. Jumping of the bed, slipping slightly in the blood pooled there, she made her way towards him, the knife swinging carelessly in her right hand. 

Jasper crouched in the corner farthest from her, his knees pulled up to his chest and his blue eyes staring up at her, wide with fear. "Please, Scarlet, don't do this," his voice shook slightly. Scarlet's eyes narrowed and she studied him. He hadn't called her by her name in so long, it had always been ridiculous pet names or crude and obscene names. "I love you..." the words were forced and flat, full of lies.

She laughed at the irony of the situation. He hadn't said that to her in years, and this is the moment he chose to say it? "Oh Jasper, if only you truly did," she smirked. She ran the knife up his arm, raising goose bumps all over his flesh. "If only," she trailed off and eased the tip of it into his upper bicep. 

The cry of pain that escaped his lips sent a shiver of joy up her spine and she shot him a wicked grin. "Please, stop this..." he whispered. She cut him off by pushing the blade deeper into his arm until it protruded from the other end. 

His screams echoed off the walls, drowning out all thoughts of doubt she may have had; she had never been happier than she was in that moment. She caressed his hair, running her fingers through it lovingly. "Hush, it'll be over soon, my sweet," she whispered in his ear as she pulled the blade out of his arm. Blood gushed out onto the carpet and all over her clothes, a small amount of it spurted onto her face and she licked it off, the taste of iron coating her tongue. Horror was written all over Jasper's face as he watched her, but he was helpless to do anything else. Showing him her now blood-stained teeth, she put the tip of the knife against his stomach; knowing that he wouldn't last much longer with the amount of blood he had already lost, she wanted to inflict as much pain on him as she could while she still had time. The blade went in with only some resistance, a sickening sucking sound following it as penetrated his skin. Blood burst through his lips just as it had with Rosary and it dribbled down his chin, mixing with the rest of the blood on his chest. Whimpers slipped through his throat and her smile grew even wider as she watched as his eyes closed and he began to pass out. Before he could go completely unconscious, she ripped the blade out and rammed it multiple times into his chest, laughing deliriously all the while.

Only a few seconds went by before she came to her senses and realized he too had died, the majority of his blood pooled on the ground around her knees. Rising to her feet, she went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror, surprised by the lunatic who stared back at her. No remorse could be found in the eyes that locked with hers, only sick pleasure. Giving herself a confident, and maddening, smile, she tore off her clothes and hopped in the shower. It only took a few moments for the blood to disappear down the drain, and with that she grabbed a new outfit from her closet and walked out of the apartment building, humming a random tune and skipping happily down the street, police sirens wailing in the background.