Pale and Crimson

Pale And Crimson

  By Kayti Nika Raet

  Copyright 2015 Kayti Nika Raet

  Cover Art

  by Kayti Nika Raet

  Copyright June 2015 Kayti Nika Raet

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database of retrieval system, without prior written permission of the author.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any names, places, character and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination and are purely fictitious. Any resemblances to any persons, living or dead, are completely coincidental.

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be sold or given away to others. If you would like to share this eBook, please purchase another copy for each person. If you are reading this eBook and did not purchase it, please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this and other indie authors.

  PALE AND CRIMSON

  An Outsider Chronicles Short Story

  Kayti Nika Raet

  Here comes a monster

  In pale and crimson

  And you're just ordinary

  And wholly inadequate

  Ben slumped down on the train's plush red seats. He stared out the window, or at least tried to. There wasn't much to see, only the dull grey walls of the tunnel. Between the rough wall and smooth pane of glass was a web of strong iron, doing its best to protect its passengers from outside threats.

  Ben turned away from the window to stare his brother, Will, who was sitting across from him and had his nose stuck in a book as usual. Ben didn't even bother peeking at the title, it contained nothing he would be interested in.

  "Why do they put screens on the window anyway?" He asked out loud. He propped his foot on Will's seat. "We're underground the whole time. Do they think a Slither is going to crawl though the dirt and attack us?"

  "Lower your voice." Without looking up from his book Will pushed Ben's foot off of his seat. "The screen is there to make everyone feel safe."

  "Huh." Ben considered putting his feet back up, it was comfortable and it wasn't like there was anyone sitting beside his brother. "They should just put Slither hunters on the train. That way everybody would know they're safe even if a Slither somehow managed to claw its way through here." He straightened up abruptly. "We should tell everybody that we're Slither hunters!"

  "We're not Slither hunters." Will finally looked up from his book. It was like looking through a mirror, golden skin, curly dark brown, nearly black hair, brown eyes and a wide nose. His mouth was set more grimly than Ben's was, hinting that he was the more meticulous twin.

  "We're not Slither hunters," he repeated, as though Ben hadn't heard him the first time. "We haven't manifested yet."

  Manifestation would happen when they were eighteen, he wasn't sure why that was exactly, only that with their seventeenth birthday still a couple of months away, he and Will were a long way from it.

  Until then he had to settle for training with various weapons (his favorite were swords), learning Slither anatomy (that had gotten rather repetitive. There were only so many ways one could say that they were hungry and vicious, and intent on consuming the last pockets of humanity), and fantasizing about which Circle he was going to join (The Azure. More legends came out of the Azure Circle than any other. There was also the added bonus of it being far away from the Dark Circle, the group of Slither hunters Will wanted to join after manifestation. He wouldn't have to worry about people comparing the two of them and always finding Ben lacking.)

  "Who knows," Ben countered, sliding down his seat again. "Maybe we're evolving and soon we won't have to wait till manifestation. All they have to do is test positive and... bam, instant Slither hunters."

  "Slither killing toddlers." Will had returned his attention back to his book but he was smiling. "The bane of monsters everywhere. Don't think we'll be seeing that any time soon though."

  "We will. I promise, I'm practically an expert on these things."

  Over the edge of the book Will lifted an eyebrow. "Expert on what? Shitty crack-pot theories?"

  "Creative vision," Ben corrected. He propped his foot back on the seat. "Get it right."

  Will snorted out a laugh. Though he glanced at Ben's foot, he made no move to remove it.

  Ben returned his gaze to the window and the mind-numbing scene passing just outside of it.

  Even though it was fruitless, a part of him did hope things could change and someway, somehow, he, Will, and anyone with the ability to kill Slithers could start beating back the horde a little earlier. Slithers didn't have to wait till they were eighteen to start eating people, why did humanity have to wait that long to be able to stop them?

  Turning his attention away from the blur of rock, Ben stared at the glass itself and the scene reflected on it. Behind him the train was fairly crowded and most of the seats were filled. A holiday had just passed and most of the passengers were returning back home to Amaryllis City.

  The King family lived in Cherai but currently had business in Amaryllis; Mr. King with his company, and Mrs. King with the Council. Somehow they got it into their heads that this would also be the perfect time to visit distant relatives.

  Frankly, Ben dreaded the trip, he could handle the cutting remarks he received in the Greenery, he had received them all his life, a new city was supposed to mean a fresh start but stories from Cherai always followed him. He had even suggested that Will go on alone but his mother had given him that look, the one that said he was a disappointment... again... and that she shouldn't bother being surprised anymore.

  His father had gently urged him to come along, saying something about family and being connected, and Ben decided not to point out how he always called his cousins "lesser kings", a curl of distaste marring his features.

  In the end, his parents had gone on ahead with Ben and Will traveling a few hours behind. It was a two hour trip, much faster than the two and a half days it would take to cross over land. Safer too, there were no Slithers.

  Ben smirked.

  "There's a Slither on the train."

  Will, who had been absorbed in whatever he was reading, jerked his head upright as though it had been attached to the end of a rubber-band.

  "What?" His head swiveled left and right, scanning the car as if he expected one of the passengers to suddenly spout razor sharp claws and teeth.

  "You heard me."

  Will shook his head, trying to shake the words out and forget them. "Lower your voice."

  Ben's voice was already low but he leaned forward anyway and Will did the same, the once fascinating read laying discarded by his side.

  "I overheard..." a child ran down the aisle and Ben paused until she passed, drawing out the moment a little longer than necessary until Will made an annoyed sound.

  "Some people were talking about sedating a Slither and packing it on the train for some scientist in Amaryllis."

  "You mean it's alive?" Will tried to maintain a whisper but his voice rose toward the last word and a passenger looked their way.

  Ben grimaced. For all the praise he received for being intellectual Will managed to be quite dense sometimes. "It's sedated." And then for good measure. "Lower your voice."

  Will glanced briefly at the passenger whose attention they had attracted. "Sedated doesn't mean dead. What if it wakes up?" he whispered, his eyebrows pinched in concern.

  Ben frowned. That would pose quite a problem. He waved a hand dismissing the concern as he said, "It probably won't. They would have had to convince a ton of people to even get it near the train. The thing is doped up to it's eyeballs. Double, triple, quadruple secured
. Stop worrying, William."

  Will sucked in his lower lip, gnawing on it a bit before finally sitting back. "So... you've seen it?"

  Ben shook his head. "Not yet. More than likely they packed it in the last car. Far away from the rest of us."

  Will's eyes narrowed as he realized where the conversation was taking them. "Don't go looking for it, Ben."

  Ben let out a huff. "How else are we going to see a real live Slither before we manifest? Besides we learned everything about Slithers already. Claws: long. Teeth: sharp. Favorite foods: human flesh. Blah blah blah. I, for one, intend to squeeze at least one good thing out of this trip, might as well be a Slither." His voice was starting to rise and he made a conscious effort to lower it, no need to freak everybody out by alerting them that there was a Slither on board.

  "They're not that bad."

  For a moment Ben had no idea what Will was talking about but when he did he couldn't help the laugh that erupted. "To you maybe. You're her precious baby boy. Why would they be anything but courteous to Councilwoman King's only son?"

  "Don't talk like that," Will admonished, his face taking on the pained expression it always did when he learned how people treated his brother. "You're her son too." He shifted in his seat. "I'll say something to them."

  "Don't," Ben said, wishing he had never said anything. "It's no big deal. Don't bother."

  Will looked like he wanted to protest and Ben hoped he wouldn't take it upon himself to say something once they reached Amaryllis. Will was used to people listening and obeying what he had to say, he probably didn't realize how much worse speaking up would make things for Ben.

  Both boys lapsed into an uncomfortable silence.

  Will started to look longingly at his book, hoping to escape into another world. When Ben got to his feet he looked up, a little startled. "Where are you going?"

  Ben raised an eyebrow, the answer was rather obvious.

  Will leaned forward, hissing out the words. "You don't even know if it's really on this train. They could be lying."

  "Or they could be telling the truth," Ben countered. "We'll see. If I'm back in five minutes it was all fake. If I'm not... well..." He smiled.

  He started to move past his brother when Will reached out and grabbed his arm. "Don't get killed."

  Ben raised an eyebrow. "Really, Will? I thought you said we weren't Slither hunters, now you're wishing me good luck?" he said, referring to the morbid yet practical way the Circles wished each other well.

  Will did not share his amusement. "I mean it."

  The ghost of a smile dancing across his lips fled. Ben nodded once. "I know."

  Will let go of his arm, diving into his book as though the whole conversation had never happened. Ben stepped past him and into the aisle.

  The train rocked slightly as it moved across the tracks but he kept his balance easily, moving toward the other end of the car. He looked over his shoulder before he reached the door and caught Will watching him over the edge of his book. Ben flashed his brother a grin and Will hurriedly returned his attention to the page in front of him.

  Ben gripped the handle and slid open the door. Inside the train the sound of wheels pounding against the track was muted but now with the door open its thunderous tempo bludgeoned the quiet. He stepped between the cars, closing the door behind him, taking in a single breath of dank wet stone and beaten metal before he opened the door to the next car and stepped inside.

  Passengers looked up at his entrance, people didn't usually travel between cars. He ignored them, heading down the aisle to the other end of the car.

  The train was longer than he expected and as he traveled from car to car, he worried that he would soon be forced to go back and admit that he had found nothing. But then he pushed open one last door and stepped inside an empty car.

  Well, nearly empty. There was one man in the car and he stirred once Ben closed the door. He watched with bleary eyes and Ben walked past him and rattled at the door on the other end.

  It was locked.

  "You can't go in there," the man slurred.

  Ben turned around his eyes narrowed. The man sounded drunk, would they really have someone like that watching over a Slither? Granted, a heavily sedated one, but as he watched the man struggle upright Ben had the first niggling of doubt. Maybe, it was all just a rumor, a joke on him and there was nothing at all.

  He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "I forgot something. It's in my suitcase. I need to get it."

  The man squinted at him. "Didn't you here what I said? You can't go in. There are monsters." The man wiggled his fingers in as close of an approximation of Slither claws he could in his drunken state.

  "Really now," Ben smiled. "You know, I can kill monsters."

  The man stared at Ben, wobbling slightly as though attempting to focus messed with his equilibrium. Then he burst out laughing.

  Heat rushed to Ben's cheeks.

  "You can't kill monsters," he gasped, his belly shaking with each chuckle. "You're a baby, monsters eat people like you."

  Anger quickly replaced embarrassment and he was in front of the man in six steps. A light shove sent the man tumbling back into his seat. He loomed over him, he could practically taste the alcohol coming off the man with each beery exhale.

  "Do you know who I am?" he stared down at the man with an expression of distaste, the same expression his mother used if he spoke. Or moved. Or blinked. Or breathed.

  The man licked suddenly dry lips, grey spit collecting in the corners of his mouth. He nodded. "William King. Everybody knows who you are."

  Ben almost laughed. Apparently, not enough.

  "All I want to do is look inside that train car," Ben's voice was level. "In and out. You won't even remember I'm here... not that you'd remember much of anything actually, but that's besides the point. The point is, you're going to let me in there, or when we reach Amaryllis people are going to have to learn how you spend your shift." He smiled, baring his teeth.

  The man lurched to his feet and Ben hastily stepped back. The man leveled him with a petulant stare but he made his way over to the door leading to the next car. Fishing a ring of keys out of his pocket he managed to unlock the door on his third attempt.

  He held the door open with one hand, rocking with each lurch of the train as the noise from outside filled the car. "Well?"

  Ben hurried over, suddenly worried that the man would fall. He was a loathsome individual but he didn't need to go out like that.

  He paused at the door. His earlier anger at the man was gone, now replaced with nervous excitement. "Um... I need your keys."

  The man's eyes were bloodshot. "I thought you was lookin' through your luggage, hm?"

  Ben let out a loud sigh, silently re-evaluating his stance on the man's life. "Just give me the damn keys."

  The keys, slightly damp from the man's sweaty palms were placed in his hand. Ben closed his fingers around it, the teeth biting into his skin. He stepped around the man and into the last car.

  It was filled with luggage and crates. Everything was strapped down, though they still shifted in their confines with each pitch and turn of the train. The aisle was narrow and all the way toward the back was the Slither.

  At least he assumed it was the Slither, all he could see was a large crate, tightly secured and padlocked. It looked like every other crate in the car except for the fact that there were several air holes drilled into the box. Luggage did not need to breathe.

  Ben glanced over his shoulder. The man was no longer by the door, and where ever he was now, Ben wasn't in position to spot him.

  He faced forward again, suddenly filled with dread. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. He would be fighting Slithers soon enough, no need to rush things.

  He shifted slightly, almost stumbling as he moved against the rhythm of the train.

  The door opened behind him. "Did you find it?"

  Ben whirled around. Will stood in the doorway. Mentally he wondered what the drunk guard
was thinking now that there were two of them, but a slight shift in position revealed the man passed out on one of the seats.

  Again.

  "You followed me?"

  Will shrugged. "Someone had to stop you from doing something stupid. Might as well be me."

  Ben turned back around. Decision finally made, he moved toward the crate. "It's in there. Looks like it's locked up tight." Without looking at Will he raised his hand, letting the key ring dangle from one finger. "But I've got the key."

  "This isn't a good idea."

  "Why not?" Ben stopped in front of the crate. It was fairly large, reaching midway to his chest. He bent to peer into one of the holes. "Scared?"

  "I'm not scared." Will's voice was tight. "I just..."

  "Don't want to lose your good boy reputation?" Ben said with a brittle smile as he inserted a key into the lock and twisted.

  Nothing.

  "I keep telling you, you can do anything you want and you'll still be their golden boy. Make shit up, they'll eat it."

  Inserting another key in the lock he let out an annoyed hiss when that failed to work as well.

  "What if someone gets hurt?"

  "It's knocked out, Will." He kicked the crate for good measure. "What's it gonna do? Snore on you? Gods, if you're this scared of it when it's doped up, what are you going to do when you manifest and you actually have to fight them?" He inserted the last key into the lock.

  "I'm not scared," Will said hotly.

  Ben stepped away from the box. "Then prove it," he said. "Open it up. It's just a Slither."

  Will stared at the box with narrowed eyes. His tongue darted out, wetting suddenly dry lips, and for the first time Ben realized that his brother actually was scared.

  Perhaps that was the real reason why he wanted to join the Dark Circle. The Dark Circle was more studious than the Azure, and didn't hunt Slithers as often.

  He took a step toward him. "Never-mind. Forget about it. Let's go."

  Will ignored him. Moving past Ben, he quickly turned the key and threw open the box.

  "See?" He turned toward Ben, his chest heaving as though he had been running for his life instead of walking a few short steps. "It's just a Slither."

  Ben never saw it leap out of the box.

  It happened between one blink and the next, as he closed his eyes to normalcy and opened them to chaos.

  The Slither was awake. And it was far, far, far from drugged.

  Ben stumbled backward as a blur of pale skin and long claws latched onto his brother, sharp teeth tearing into him and releasing an arc of crimson. He fell awkwardly, somehow managing to hear the snap of his arm breaking as Will's screams filled the train car.

  Everything went white.

  One second lasted a millennium.

  Blinded by pain, he struggled to his feet only to be knocked down again as the Slither barreled into him. He expected to feel the bite of claws slicing into his skin but there was nothing, only a rush of air as the Slither burst into the next car.

  Will lay in the middle of the aisle, gasping desperately for air, a horrible sucking sound coming from his ruined throat as the pool of blood continued to spread. The edge of it touched some nearby luggage and the canvas soaked it up hungrily.

  Ben dragged himself over to his brother, his twin, and a moan escaped as he drew near. There was blood everywhere. Gaping flesh where there was once unbroken skin. Will's eyes were wide as he struggled for breath, his hands clutched around the shreds of his throat. Ben pressed his hand there as well both knowing it was useless as warm blood continued to pour through the cracks in his fingers. He was going to die.

  "It's only twenty minutes. We'll get to the city." Ben said, his voice shaking. "We'll make it," he repeated again, desperate for repetition to make it so. Faintly he could hear the screams from the other passengers as death made its way through the cars.

  "We'll make it." He said over and over his voice growing hoarse as the spread of his brother's blood slowed. He repeated it as Will uttered one last failed gasp and grew still. He said it as the train finally pulled into the station, the bright lights and bustle of activity at odds with the silence of his brother's body growing cold beneath his fingers.

  He didn't know how long he stayed like that until the silence was interrupted by a figure bursting through the door.

  "Looks like this is the last one, guys," she said over her shoulder as she strode purposely down the aisle.

  He looked up, finally tearing his eyes from his brother's glassy ones. Her skin was a shade darker than his, strong eyebrows perched over fierce, narrow eyes. A high black ponytail spooled down her back. She carried a sword in her left hand, once shiny blade now gleaming black with blood. Slither blood.

  He was drowning in a sea of blood and she was a scrap of dry land. His body began tremble.

  "You're too late," he whispered. He didn't recognize the voice coming from him. Desolate. As though the rain had come and burned it all away.

  The woman pulled up short, taking in Will's prone body, Ben's ineffective ministrations, the keys that lay forgotten, the open crate that damned them, and the blood that was the consequence of their actions.

  "I'm sorry," she said even though she didn't need to, it wasn't her fault that Will was dead, it was his for being the stupid one that wanted to see a real live Slither.

  She crouched down besides him, wrapping a hand around his arm. "Your arm looks broken. we need to set it."

  She slowly straightened, pulling Ben up with her, away from his unmoving brother.

  Ben barely responded to her touch as she splinted his arm using items pilfered from the luggage around them.

  "It's my fault," he finally said, his voice broken. "I killed him."

  "No," she said firmly, wrapping his arm in a makeshift bandage. "You didn't kill him."

  But it was still his fault.

  "What's your name?" she asked, trying to distract him as she tucked the edge of the bandage under.

  "Ben. Benjamin King." And despite what was going on around him; the smell of blood hanging heavy in the air, a part of him still tensed, waiting for the woman's eyes to widen in surprise. Waiting for her to say that she didn't realize the King family had another son. Waiting for the comments that always followed.

  But she didn't do any of that, instead she smiled, a small flash of white that seemed strange in the middle of all the death that surrounded them. "I'm Thuy," she said. "Thuy Thiang. Rose Circle. Let's get out of here."

  He allowed her to lead him out of the car as she whispered that it was okay, tactfully ignoring the fact that it wasn't, Will was dead and lies weren't going to change that fact.

  The first car she lead them through, the one with the guard, was empty and looked exactly as it had when he first past through, but the second...

  The smell of it assaulted him first. Metallic blood, loosened bowels, arid fear, and piss. All shoved its way down his throat and settled heavily in his stomach. He threw up and closed his eyes against the sight of broken bodies.

  All of that had been the work of one Slither.

  He wasn't sure how they made it off the train only that when he set foot on the platform there was already a sizable crowd. He spotted a few survivors looking as shaken as he was. Interestingly enough, the guard was among them, looking more alert than he'd ever had on the train.

  Ben's gaze sought his parents. He found them standing together, his mother clutching his father's arm, leaning on him in a way that she never would normally. His father's face was frozen in a blank mask, as though he expected the worst and was mentally preparing for it.

  "We found one more," Thuy called out as they stepped out onto the platform.

  Ben's mother looked up and her expression was lit with such a potent mixture of relief and joy that Ben was able to pinpoint the exact moment when she realized he wasn't Will and it all burned away, leaving nothing but the ash of disappointment.

  Any shred of hope he might have harbored d
ied in that moment, left to grow cold and still alongside the body of his twin.

  He was always a disappointment.