[M] The God of Terror {{RedKayne & Hannelorian}}

[Hannelorian]

"So, who were ya praying to?"

The question gave Scarlet pause. It was as if she had been caught in an intimate moment, something that was not meant to be seen by others. Something sacred. "I..." she hesitated on the answer. Her faith was something she hadn't truly thought of since she was a teenager. Her parents had lorded their Catholic faith over her, and while Scarlet complied she had to admit she had questioned it. Now, in so desperate times, she had questioned a lot more, nearly everything. What was the point of prayer? It was a comfort, even if it offered no actual resolve.

"I used to believe in God." Scarlet confided, her eyes fixed upon Ayden. "I used to believe in a lot, but now... I hardly believe in anything." It was an emotional subject for Scarlet, just moments ago she had been so jovial, now she was practically reduced to nothing. "I guess I was praying to God. Whatever that means anymore. To keep our friends safe. I don't know what to believe anymore." Scarlet raised a hand to tenderly wipe the tears from beneath her eyes.

"If this is a test of faith, I am most certainly failing, but I might be okay with that." The corners of her mouth eventually upturned into something of a smile. "Let's don't, shall we?" Scarlet shook her head and slowly maneuvered her body to straddle Ayden, her hands resting upon his shoulders, clearly attempting to change the subject of conversation. "If the world hadn't gone to shit, there would have been no limit to your potential." Scarlet lamented. "That's what makes Seb jealous. And that's I think... what draws me to you."

Scarlet then moved her hands down, her fingers wrapping around his arms to uncross them, to position them then to her sides. "Why do we keep hesitating? Dancing around each other? We both know how we feel." Scarlet had never been so vulnerable, and here she stood, metaphorically naked before Ayden. "I believe in you. I falter before God, but you... you have never let me down, never failed to keep me safe. You've protected me, sheltered me, held me in the night when I cried myself to sleep. Fuck Ayden, I don't know anything anymore, save for the fact that I believe in you."

Scarlet's tears had dried, the smile on her face had become genuine. There was a freedom in acknowledging her own feelings. To stop fighting what she knew at her core was liberating. The world had gone to shit, nothing was certain, nothing was promised or guaranteed. Tomorrow was a pipe dream. Almost a fallacy. The only thing Scarlet could count on was Ayden. She would follow him into the darkness, into the abyss. Scarlet would cross the event horizon that was her feelings for Ayden. There was no going back, there was only forward, Ayden's gravity had captured her, pulled her in, the only thing that awaited was happiness, or perhaps the great spaghettification of all that they had ever known.

[RedKayne]

Ayden’s breath caught in his throat as Scarlet straddled him, her weight grounding him in a way he hadn’t realized he needed. Her words hit him harder than any blow he’d taken in the world outside. For someone who always kept himself locked up, her honesty was like a knife cutting through his defenses.

Her hands moved to his shoulders, her touch light but certain, as though she’d finally made a decision she couldn’t take back. And maybe, so had he.

The world outside didn’t matter right now—not the flickering light above them, not the uncertainty of tomorrow. Scarlet was here, alive and warm, and her belief in him—despite everything—was more than he could understand, let alone deserve.

“I’m not some hero, Scarlet,” Ayden murmured, his voice hoarse. “I’m just trying to survive like the rest of us. But you…” His hands moved instinctively, cupping her waist, grounding himself in the moment. His eyes searched hers, looking for doubt, but all he saw was raw, unfiltered trust and something else—something that terrified and exhilarated him all at once.

He let his hands slide lower, resting on her hips before slipping further and grabbing her rear. The tension between them had been building for so long, and he was done ignoring it. Ayden leaned in, his breath brushing against her lips as he tilted his head, ready to close the distance.

But then, something shifted.

Scarlet’s features warped in his vision. Her bright eyes darkened, her smile twisted into an unnervingly wide grin, and her skin became translucent, revealing writhing tendrils beneath. Her hair turned into wriggling black vines, and her voice echoed in his head, fragmented and distorted, like a chorus of whispers all saying his name.

Ayden froze, his heart racing. “No…” The word escaped his lips like a plea, but the vision only intensified, her hands—now elongated claws—reaching for him.

Panic took over. With a sharp shove, Ayden pushed Scarlet away, the force sending her sprawling onto the floor. He scrambled back, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps as his eyes darted around the room, searching for the nightmare he’d just seen.

Reality snapped back like a rubber band, and the flickering light illuminated Scarlet, now lying on the ground, her expression one of shock and hurt.

“Scarlet!” Ayden’s voice cracked as he reached for her, guilt crashing over him like a wave. He slid off the couch, kneeling beside her. “I—I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… I thought I saw...” His hands hovered over her, unsure if she’d even let him touch her after what just happened.

[Hannelorian]

It was meant to be a perfect moment. Well, as perfect as one could have at the end of the world. Scarlet was preparing herself for the kiss Ayden seemed to be going in for. A moment she had envisioned in her head more times than she cared to admit. His hands wandered the curves of her body so naturally. Scarlet couldn't lie, she couldn't ignore the fact that her body was responding to that touch, longing for more of it. Then it changed, Scarlet could see the look of terror within Ayden's eyes in the moment before he cast her aside. The way the tenor of his voice changed when he cried out 'No.' Scarlet could immediately sense that something was wrong, but it was too late.

The push was sudden, it was violent, and not a moment later Scarlet felt the sting of her body slamming into the floor. A brief flare of pain shot through her. Ayden was off the couch. Scarlet reached a hand up to grasp his arm and pull herself up into a seated position. He apologized, his voice was panicked, his words were genuine. "It's alright." Scarlet replied softly. "I'm fine, really." It was jarring, shocking almost how quickly he had turned. "What... did you see?" Seeing things was becoming a pattern, a disgusting trend that many in the group shared, though few discussed it.

Scarlet wrapped her arms around Ayden and pulled him in closer, an attempt reassure him that she was indeed alright. An eerie feeling descended upon her. It was but a prologue. A scent flooded the room, subtle at first, but building. "Ayden." Scarlet's voice lowered. As it worsened, it became immediately clear to Scarlet what it was. "Do you smell that?" Her normally bright eyes were widening, as she questioned her sanity. It was sickening, sweet, and acrid foul stench all rolled into one. "Burning flesh." This wasn't the first time Scarlet had inhaled this scent. As a child she had smelled it when the house across the way burned to the ground, taking ten souls with it.

Her eyes began to water, as she looked around the room for the source. There was nothing. Scarlet began to hear the sound of screaming battering her brain. The screams of a man burned alive, the smell of his burning body, melting flesh and fat dripping to the floor, fueling the fire itself. Scarlet gripped at her head, holding the sides, covering her ears as somehow that would make the screaming stop. And then moments later, there was silence, the smell slowly fading.

"What... is happening to us?" Scarlet could not comprehend, this went against everything she knew, it went against God. Or was it a shared delusion? Some kind of mental illness? Maybe a brain tumor? There had to be an explanation, this is where she would pray. Normally anyway, when she had no answers, when she needed guidance. Her body began to tremble with uncertainty.