RÊD FLÂGS
Red Flags - Episode 17 & 18
(Badasses•Bad•Jerks)
★★★★★★★★★
"Kill me, baby"
Emory almost screamed out immediately. Who the hell is this lunatic?
What's going on in his f+çked up mind?
Does he even have a beating heart?
As their eyes continued mirroring, she couldn't help but feel the darkness surrounding him again.
Just like the other time at the stadium...he has that same look in his eyes right now.
It's sinister.
"Cat got your tongue, little fox?" His voice washed over her, and the flickering light above them finally went off with a poof.
The bulb shattered...
"Ahh!" She gasped as the splinters came down on them, but Levi quickly covered her, the pieces landing around them.
She quickly released herself from him and stepped back, looking stiff as she watched the pin that's still stuck on his bloody chest.
He doesn't even look like he's feeling any pain, and that's ... terrifying.
She's so...so scared, but yet so consumed by him.
"Did you invite me here to kill me?" she muttered.
He slowly shakes his head.
"Why would I do that? I wouldn't kill you, fox. I want to keep you" he replied, his self-confidence choky.
"You're delusional" she shifted back.
"Explain that" He replied pointedly, coming closer.
She stepped back again, her back meeting the coldness of the metal door.
He kept walking to her, and she gasped.
"Don't" She stretched her hand forward, but that didn't stop him.
"You came closer first. The moment you barged into my house that night" he replied, stopping in front of her and filling her nose with his clean cinnamon scent.
She held her breath as he ran his eyes over her, looking at her thoroughly.
"Big as f+ck t-shirt, baggy jeans. You wear them almost everyday. Do you like them naturally, or are you actually wearing them to hide those sinful curves under you?" He whispered, and she swallowed.
"It's none of your business, is it?" She spoke, and he suddenly grabbed her by the throat, snatching her breath just like that night inside her father's study.
"We're not doing this again tonight, let go of me" she said with difficulty, trying to pull his hand away, but he's like a hound dog.
"I like feisty girls, but somehow, your sass irks, and it makes me wanna f+ck your little pu$$y till you won't be able to take it anymore" he muttered, and her face turned deep red.
Chills covered her... She's getting triggered.
"Stop talking dirty to me" she muttered.
"What? Is your panties getting soaked?" He replied, studying her eyes.
"Stop it!" She gagged, and he slowly let go of her neck.
She almost threw up, but she only retched and looked up.
"Motherf+cker" she muttered before opening the door.
"Red" Levi said, and she turned back.
"The safe word is Red. You should save it in your memory for next time. You need it, fox" he said meaningfully.
She walked out, slamming the door after herself loudly.
Levi walked back to the center and easily pulled out the hairpin from his chest, eliciting a low groan from him.
More of his blood followed it out, landing on his boots and the ground.
He dropped the pin on the table and unbuttoned his shirt to reveal the wound, then he retrieved a first-aid box from under the table.
He got a healing patch and pasted it on the wound, then he took another look at the door.
He wasn't bluffing when he told her she'd start experiencing the darkness of his world.
He's her shadow, maybe Master X was right... He can't stop.
He smiled darkly with his eyes before getting a new bulb to replace the shattered one.
*
Emory kicked her car tyre in fury when she finally got out, then she yanked the door open and hopped in.
He wiped the blood on her palm with an hanky.
"F+ck!" She spat, resting her head on the wheel frustratingly.
Why did she even come here? What was she expecting when she left her house at night to meet a devil???
She lifted her head and sighed, resting back on her seat.
Maybe it's better this way though. At least, she owes him no favor anymore.
She got her phone and went to the girls group chat.
The girls are so hyper tonight, and they're even busy sharing their dinner pictures.
They did a group video call already too.
"I missed a lot, thanks to that son of a..." She folded her fists before sending a text.
Emory: Wifeys! *Heart emojis*
Rebekah: Emz! where have you been!
Nina: You didn't go clubbing without us, did you?
Lizzy: She wouldn't.
Emory: I didn't, something came up.
Rebekah: you missed a lot.
Emory: Obviously.
Nina: Lizzy had seizure earlier.
Emory: Seriously? It didn't happen publicly, did it?
Lizzy: No, but i fell from my bed and hurt my jaw.
Emory: Sorry about that wifey.
Rebekah: We should make another group video call now that you're here.
Emory: Give me thirty minutes, need to drive back home.
She dropped her phone and was about to drive off when her eyes caught a spray paint bottle at her backseat, and she got an idea.
With a smirk, she looked at the Loft.
She came down and did something for three minutes, then she finally drove off,.
Getting home, she was surprised to see her parents still up.
"Why aren't you asleep yet?" She asked when she met her mum at the door.
"You have a visitor" Mrs. Carson replied.
"Visitor?"
"Yeah, she has been waiting since some minutes. You didn't tell me you made another" Mrs. Carson smiled.
"No...I didn't..." Emory said in confusion.
"You should go upstairs. She's in your room" Mr. Carson told her from the living room.
"My room?" Emory gasped, rushing upstairs.
She opened her room breathlessly, and she gasped again when she saw Rain sitting on her bed, smiling brightly at her.
"You?" She stepped in slowly, trying to dissolve the shock.
"Surprised? I came to see a relative in this street, so I thought of saying hi" Rain stood.
"How did you know my place? And you told my parents we're friends? We never talked before" Emory said awkwardly.
"But we smiled at each other at the cafeteria earlier" Rain claimed.
"Are you serious right now?" Emory replied, and Rain sighed before coming closer.
"Truth is, I really wanna socialize. I want to have more friends besides Isaac. I wanna have female friends too, and I've been eyeing you and your friends for a while. I know y'all are perfect four, but it won't hurt if y'all take me in, yeah?" She said.
Emory opened her mouth to talk, but she closed it and sighed before trying again.
"Ok this is so sudden, I mean...
"I'll wait till you guys decide to give me an answer, and it's not a must to take me in. I won't inconvenience you guys" Rain said, and Emory sighed.
"Ok... fine"
"You girls ok?" Mrs. Carson peeped in.
"Of course, Ma" Emory replied.
"I can prepare homemade juice if you want" the woman offered.
"No, will soon be leaving" Rain quickly replied, and the woman left.
"I like how you address your mum as Ma" Rain smiled.
"Since I was a kid" Emory replied, smiling slightly.
"I'll see you in campus tomorrow" Rain nodded.
"Sure" Emory replied, seeing her out.
Rain drove out of the compound in her sports car, and Emory raised her brows.
"That's so sudden. Why?" She muttered, walking back in.
*
DIAZ MANSION*
North and Omar are currently descending the stairs, both looking tensed as their foot touched each staircase till they got to the base where their father is waiting.
Mr. Diaz.
The middle-aged man looks stern like a disciplinarian, and his choky cologne almost drove Omar to tears
He's not smiling as he led the two into his study.
The two followed behind, and the door closed automatically behind them.
They're not the ones who get their tests, assignments and exams results.
He has connections with every member of Legacy college management, even the top owners, so they send him their results directly.
The grounp assignment results came out today, and as usual, he got them.
He settled on his sofa and got his laptop, clicking on North's result first.
"94 percent? You should do better in the tests" he said.
"Yes papa" she smiled, stepping back.
He clicked on Omar's, and anger perched on his soul immediately.
"30 percent? 30 over hundred?" He spranged up, throwing the laptop away angrily.
The keys flew around the room.
Omar shifted back fearfully, his chest rising and falling so much.
"Papa, I can...I can actually...
"If you start this semester this way, tell me how your CGPA will rise at the end. You're still struggling at 3.5 fool! You think I'm ok with wasting my cash on your dumb head?" The man roared.
Omar quickly went on his knees.
"Papa, i'm... I...
"Get me the the bullwhip" he ordered, and Omar began crying as North got the long whip from the back of the sofa.
"No...no papa, I promise to do better in the upcoming test I promise...papa please...papa!!!!" Omar screamed out as a lash landed on his body.
The whip wrapped on him, but Mr. Diaz pulled him closer with it, unwrapping it in the process before lashing at him with it again.
"Papa!!!!!"
His cries filled the house as North walked out of the study, closing the door behind herself.
She went upstairs and fell on her bed, remembering how scared Emory looked when they sneaked into her compound earlier.
She's one of The Titans who went.
Emory is not totally fearless after all, she fears the masks.
She smiled at the thought, then Omar came in.
His blue shirt is soaked with blood, and his body is an epitome of wounds right now.
He looks pitiful.
"You knowingly did it, didn't you? You knowingly did my assignment wrong" He said, and she stood, walking to him with a smug smile.
"Yeah, are you pained?" She said, and another tear fell from his eyes.
He's suffering from dyslexia actually, so he has difficulty to understand anything.
North is the one who always helps with his assignments, tests and exams just to make sure he avoids abuse from their father.
"Why are you treating me this way? I'm your brother...your senior... brother" he huccuped, his blood dropping on the ground.
"Get the f+ck out! Don't soil my room!" She pushed him violently, and he fell in front of her door .
She shut the door at his face, and she was about to call the maid to clean up the blood when she got a text.
Chad: NUDES.
She smiled, stripping her clothes till she became naked totally, then she got her phone and entered the bathroom.
*
DOWNTOWN, A GAY CLUB*
"I still don't understand why you had to drag me all the way here" Conrad complained as he came out of the car with Hyce.
"Banks is busy burning his time away at the Loft, so be my guest for tonight" Hyce threw his hand on his shoulder, holding him in a headlock.
"The hell!" Conrad pushed him away.
"Stop being salty!" Hyce rolled eyes.
"This is a gay club, I'm not gay, you are the bloody gay!" Conrad snapped.
"Banks isn't gay but he follows me. Seriously I wish Banks were here it'd have been...
Conrad was already walking in before he could finish up.
He grinned before going in with him, getting lost in the sinful maze.
There are just males in there, and there are male strippers who're seasoning the night with their performance on stage.
"Hey you're cute!" A guy told Conrad, slapping his @ss.
Conrad elbowed him on the rib, and the guy fell.
"Do not f+çking touch me! I'm not gay!" He warned.
"Be kind" Hyce pulled him away from the spot.
They were on their way to get drinks when Conrad's eyes caught one of the male strippers performing.
He stopped walking.
"What's up?" Hyce nudged him.
"There" Conrad motioned at the stage, and Hyce traced his eyes to see Isaac!
He's one of the male strippers.
"F+ckity f+ck" he muttered in shock.
*
NEXT MORNING, LOFT*
The first class is by 10, so Levi did his morning necessities at the Loft, not bothering to go to the mansion.
He came out at 9 with the plan to use 30 minutes for his drive to the campus, but immediately he climbed his motorbike, his eyes caught something.
Someone used spray paint to write MOTHERF+CKER!!! Boldly on the wall of the building.
The culprit is obvious.
He gritted his jaws before wearing his helmet, started the bike then drove roughly down the road.
What's the saying about the stubborn fly again?
It enters the grave with the corpse.
She needs to understand that.
He'd make her understand.
As he drove, the morning chilliness helped him purge some of his stiffness.
Besides hockey, riding his motorbike is the other thing that keeps him alive.
He'd never trade the two for anything.
He arrived at school and luckily didn't meet his friends waiting at the park.
Even better, he's not ready for their madness this morning.
He entered the departmental bloc.
*
"Rain wants to join us? For real?" Nina sounded ecstatic as she asked the question.
She's walking the hallway with the rest of the girls.
"She legit came to my place last night" Emory replied.
"Why so sudden though?" Lizzy muttered.
"Exactly my point" Emory replied.
"Maybe she's shy. Introverts like her find it hard to socialize, and she's welcome" Rebekah said.
"Y'all are behaving like you've been waiting for her to ask" Emory said.
"Yeah, I've been waiting all my life" Nina replied, and Emory chuckled, getting a candy bar from her bag.
"We can bond at the trip tonight" Lizzy said.
"Tonight?" Emory blinked.
"You didn't check the group? We're leaving tonight, plane already booked. The president said it'd be more fun to make it a red-eye flight. We only have to come for our room numbers in campus at 7PM" Rebekah explained.
"I missed a lot last night, haven't even packed my bags" Emory groaned.
"You'll get over this" Nina patted her.
"Stop it" Emory replied, and Nina laughed.
"The restroom, need to pee before the class!" Emory excused herself and rushed to the nearest.
She did her business and came out only to meet the devil waiting in front of it.
He's blank, and she took a look at his chest, but it's covered with his black shirt, so she can't see the nature of the wound.
Was he cursed with black outfits or something?
She made to walk past him, but he placed his hand on the wall in front of her, stopping her.
"Seriously?" She looked up hatefully.
"The shit you wrote on the Loft wall, you might wanna get it off before nightfall" he warned.
"Or what?" She attacked.
"Or you'll scream my name so hard while I slam repeatedly into your asshole, and I won't stop till you beg me to stop. Even if you beg, you'll still be at my mercy" he muttered
Emory folded her fists, sudden sweat rolling down her backline
"Get it off, or you'll f+çking hate yourself" he finished up and walked away the other direction.
Emory swallowed, then she turned, staring at his devilish backside till he went out of sight.
She left too, then Chadwick and North appeared from the opposite restroom.
He got new artificial teeth implant already.
"We should make sure she never comes back from the trip" North said.
"I was ordered to torment her, not kill. Get that into your dry skull" Chadwick said sharply, and she rolled eyes as he walked out.
"You can't tell me what to do" she mumbled.
*
7PM*
The campus lights are perfectly on when Emory drove into the park, and she sighed.
She had to pack a small bag hurriedly when she got home earlier, and she's hoping she's not late yet for the room number collection.
Her friends almost wounded her with calls and messages already.
She's looking forward to the trip anyways.
She came out of the car and opened the trunk to get her bag, but then all the lights in the park suddenly went off, leaving total darkness.
"What's going...
She was pushed to the ground by someone before she could finish, and her eyes widened in the dark.
She stood, but she was pushed again from the dark.
Whoever this is, he definitely had this planned very well cos she's not friends with darkness at all, and fear suddenly clawed her.
She shifted back on her butt, looking up at the dark figure in front of her.
"Pl..please..." She begged shakily
The last time this shaky pleads left her mouth was when uncle Fred was on top of her back then.
That dreadful night...the night she experienced real fear.
It's not happening again, right?
The fear clawed deeper...
"Pl...plea..se" she stuttered again, and the black figure shot something at her.
Definitely, it's a tranquilizer.
It got her on the arm, and she slumped unconsciously on the ground.
The person dragged her body out of the park, going all the way into the buildings.
It's trenchcoat and Vans again...the one who picked the umbrella from the stadium.
He dragged her into one of the buildings where a freezer is waiting.
He opened the freezer and flipped unconscious Emory inside.
He got a pen and paper and wrote a note in Spanish...
~Mantente alejado de la vida de Levi~
Meaning: Stay out of Levi's life.
He dropped it with Emory in the freezer then locked it, keeping the key.
He plugged the freezer and turned on the switch, making sure it's working before leaving the room.
He locked the door room too, pocketing the keys before leaving.
A minute later, Emory's eyes flew open in the freezer, and they widened when she saw where she is.
She read the note and started hitting the freezer body repeatedly and desperately for freedom.
"Hell no...no!!!"
Ice started forming on her open skin, and her knees began freezing to the fridge floor.
TBC.
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