Post by Scarlette Bailey on Jun 14, 2024 2:08:10 GMT
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Saturday May 18, 2024, 7:23 PM EST
A little less than two hours before the Cincinnati Reds play the Los Angeles Dodgers and The Holy Grail is already a hopping place. People enjoying laughs, food, and drinks in a jovial atmosphere. Off in a corner area, Scarlette sits with her mentor Matt Thomas sharing a laugh, and drinks.
“I can and cannot believe Dorian did something so stupid.”
Scarlette laughs before she takes a drink of Guiness.
“Hand to God, Scarlette. He soon made sure to send a companywide email to make sure ALL containers are properly labeled going forward.”
Matt laughs as he pounds back his shot of Tito’s.
“Well, I still would have liked to see him LITERALLY eat shit.”
Scarlette shakes her head with a smirk.
“Suffice to say, that is the first AND last time he brought food into the lab.”
Matt releases a content sigh. Scarlette looks to Matt with an appreciative expression.
“I’m glad we can have this time to catch up, Matt. It has been rough the last handful of years traveling the world.”
Matt looks Scarlette’s facial expression over, concern begins to creep into his heart.
“Well, there was certainly a point in which there was no contact from you during your time abroad. At one point, I had contemplated getting in touch with a friend of mine in the FBI to see if she had any contacts in the CIA that could be on the lookout for you.”
Scarlette begins to stare off far from her current surroundings. Her mind travels back to five years ago...
*****
October 29, 2019 11:55 PM GMT
High in the Retezat Mountains of the Southern Carpathians in Romania, a dim light can be seen emanating from a cave mouth. Though dim being an understatement given the time of night it currently is this mid-June night. Upon closer inspection of the cave mouth, the light can be seen as torches that line the path further into the cave. Descending further down the pathway, dull humming can be heard. With each passing fifteen feet downward, that humming morphs into chanting.
Ever closer to the bottom of the pathway, leading into a large cavern, the acoustics carry an unfamiliar chant. A chant not heard since before the time of Christ. Within the cavern, black robed, hooded figures have gathered, circling around a makeshift altar. Black candles surround the said altar, their flames flicker as the mysterious figures rotate around the altar. A figure, clad in a crimson robe, but unhooded. His face, strong, as if carved from stone. More akin to marble based on the paleness of his skin, but his frame beneath his robe, is that of one who treats their body as a temple.
A tome with bizarre glyphs written in faded maroon elevated in his left hand, a twisted dagger with an ebon handle in the shape of a raven. The eyes of the raven are Marquise cut Amethyst gemstones that glitter with the flicker of candlelight. Upon the altar lay a young woman of twenty-six dressed in a gown of white. She lays bound to the altar while her cries are muffled by the gag in her mouth. The young woman is Scarlette Bailey and right now she is desperately trying to figure a way out of her predicament.
As Scarlette pulls at the ropes keeping her hands bound above her head, the candlelight and torches flames turned from a brilliant orange ember to an azure hue. She pauses in her struggles to look around. The cloaked figures around her stop in their step and turn towards her; their humming ceased. The man looming over her brings the dagger down towards her chest, her eyes growing wide as she desperately tries to prepare herself for the fate that awaits her...
*****
Now...
“Scarlette?”
Matt reaches over to check on Scarlette, his concern having grown increasingly in the last minute as he looks into her terrified eyes. He reaches out to gently shake Scarlette’s shoulder. As Matt’s hand touches Scarlette’s shoulder, Scarlette’s eyes grow wide.
“NOOOOOO!”
She pushes herself away from the table, the held breath Scarlette has unknowingly been holding exhales in the yell. All eyes turn towards them in confusion, trying to ascertain what is occuring.
“Scarlette!? What’s wrong?”
Matt rushes over towards her along with a few concerned patrons. Scarlette whips her head around frantically, trying to regain her bearings as a hand instinctively reaches to her chest. Her current reality begins to set back in. Robed figures replaced by a friendly face and concerned strangers. Tears flowing uncntrolably from her eyes. She sees Matt is closest to her.
“Matt, Help me...”
With a nod, Matt reaches down to help her up. He looks to those gathered around.
“Can someone get her some water, please? Maybe a little space as well?”
A blonde woman nearby rushes over to the bar to get a glass of water as the crowd began to move aside, allowing Matt to escort Scarlette to her seat. A server walks over to them.
“Ma’am? Are you all right? Sir, do we need to call for help?”
Matt shakes his head with an apologetic smile.
“No, I’m sorry about this. She’s had a few too many Guinness's. I just want to get some water in her to re-hydrate and then be on our way.”
The server looks at the both of them curiously but relents.
“Okay... but if there is another outburst like that, I’m going to call the police.”
Matt nods his head in understanding.
“Of course. I’m sorry about this again.”
With one final nod, the server moves on as the woman who went to get Scarlette a glass of water brings it to their table. Matt thanks her for doing so. She smiles in response and gives Scarlette a rub on the back, telling her she hopes she feels better. Once the woman leaves, Matt pushes the glass to Scarlette, his face taking on a mixture of concern and seriousness.
“Drink.”
Scarlette reaches for the glass with a shaky hand before taking a sip. Matt glances around non-chalantly, noticing a few eyes were still on him, which Matt is thankful to see that there are still people in the world that are concerned for the well-being of complete strangers... or nosey as hell, regardless, whatever Scarlette experienced is not something to be shared in public.
After five minutes, the gazes begin to disappear as did the water in Scarlette’s glass. Matt reaches out to take the glass from her, looking more concerned than serious.
“Are you doing any better?”
Scarlette looks to Matt wth a weak nod, her eyes red from the tears she had been shedding.
“Do you want to go back to your apartment so we can talk about what is going on?”
Scarlette looks away in embarassment, but nods her head. Matt nods in response as he heads to the bar to pay their tab.
*****
Twenty Minutes Later...
After closing the door behind him, Matt leads Scarlette to her couch and helps her sit down. Matt sits across from her on the coffee table. Scarlette wraps her arms around her knees as she brings her legs up on the couch.
“Now...I won’t force you to tell me what is going on, Scarlette, but... I can’t help you or understand what caused your reaction at the bar. So, Scarlette, what happened?”
Scarlette looks over her knees at Matt, her eyes reflecting the haunting of her past experience.
“It was five years ago. I had been traveling east through Europe to reach Asia. I had been curious to see the Carpathian Mountains because of Dracula and all that, so I found myself traveling to the Retezat Mountains along the southern portion of the Carpathian Mountains. I decided to get a room at an Inn for a couple days as I did my sight-seeing. It was there that I met... Him.”
Scarlette clutches her legs to her chest tightly as Matt moves next to her on the couch.
“This guy... He didn’t...”
Matt tries his best to approach the subject without actually saying the thought he is having. Scarlette quickly shakes her head.
“No, definitely not. THAT never seemed to be a possibility. No, Constantin was every bit the gentleman he presented himself as. He was quite flirtatious at first that first day. By evening, I relented and allowed him to buy me dinner. The following day we walked to the mountain to see the best way to approach its ascension. That evening though...I remember that we made it back to the Inn, but then... Then I woke up tied to some altar in a cave, I guess. As desperately I tried to escape, I noticed that Constantin stood over me presiding over some sort of ritual as we were surrounded by robed people. Before I knew it, Constantin is plunging a dagger into my chest.”
Listening raptly, Matt shifts with a start upon hearing Scarlette had been stabbed in the chest.
“You were what!?”
Scarlette releases her grip on her knees to waive Matt off.
“I was, but... As you can see, I’m still very much alive.”
Matt takes a moment to let Scarlette’s words sink in.
“Well, you are, but...”
“How am I still alive?”
Matt nods in response to Scarlette’s response.
“I keep asking myself that very same question, Matt. The next thing I recall after being stabbed is waking up in my bed at the Inn. I immediately lifted up my shirt and didn’t see a wound, a scar, anything. I completely freaked out. At first, I thought it was nothing more than a horrible nightmare. I gathered my things and left Romania. However, it soon become apparent to me that my nightmare had been quite real or... Maybe it seems like that, I don’t know, maybe I might be losing my mind, Matt.”
Matt furrows his brow trying to understand what Scarlette is meaning. Scarlette sees this and continues.
“Six months after what I thought was a nightmare, I started seeing them, Matt. Robed figures at the venues. Outside of my hotels. I began to keep my commitments exceptionally brief, not staying in one place for more than a few weeks. Everywhere I went though, I would keep seeing them. Part of me thought when I had been signed to PWS: Legacy that I would be safe back home in the United States, but... I don’t know. I’m getting scared, Matt. It’s been almost a few weeks since I have been home consistently...”
“Have you seen anyone suspicious? Did you report any of this to any authorities?”
Scarlette shakes her head.
“Not after the first time. They looked at me like a crazy American travelling abroad, so I began to keep it to myself.”
Matt strokes his chin in thought.
“Unfortunately, that doesn’t surprise me. As much as I appreciate you sharing this with me, maybe you shouldn’t be alone. I can offer you a place near my home while I have my friend Felicia Hoffman in the FBI do some digging. I wasn’t kidding earlier when I said I had thought about contacting her to use her contacts to try and find you.”
Scarlette rests her head sideways on her knees as she looks at Matt with a slight smile.
“I do appreciate that, Matt, but I can’t keep being afraid, especially if this is some subconscious thing that I have repressed and am projecting it as whatever this is.”
Matt sighs.
“Be that as it may, I don’t think you should be living alone anymore, Scarlette. If you don’t want to move to Manhattan, I totally understand, but you need to be with someone.”
A light bulb goes off in Matt’s mind as a smile crosses his face.
“Why not reconnect with Lisbeth? I still need to give you her number after all, and I know she really wants to reconnect with you. Maybe you two can work out some sort of arrangement where you won’t be by yourself anymore, so IF something does happen, you’ll have a second set of eyes to confirm you aren’t losing your mind.”
Matt proceeds to text Scarlette Lisbeth’s contact information. Scarlette reaches for her cell in her jeans pocket. She pulls the phone out and looks at the contact information on the screen.
“If it turns out to be real though, Matt, I don’t want to drag someone else into this.”
Matt nods his head, understanding spread across his face.
“I know that sentiment all too well, Scarlette, but I’ll tell you what I’ve been told each time I have said things similar to that.”
“What’s that?”
Scarlette looks towards Matt, curious to hear his words of wisdom.
“You’re not alone, idiot! Don’t think about doing this by yourself! Whatever the danger is, we’ll face it together!”
Scarlette chuckles upon hearing this as she can think of a couple of people that have probably said that to Matt and the thought of them saying that makes her happy.
“Joey finally smacked that into your head, did she?”
Matt begins to laugh.
“Figuratively and literally, but you see what I am saying though? You don’t have to face this alone anymore. Reach out to Lisbeth. While you two do whatever, I will see what can be learned about your experience. As I do, I will let you know.”
Scarlette looks to Matt with desperate hope.
“Promise?”
Matt nods his head as he places a hand on top of her head.
“Promise.”
Scarlette reaches out and hugs Matt, who returns the hug to Scarlette. After a few moments, she pulls away slightly before looking up at him.
“Hey, Matt?”
Matt looks down at Scarlette.
“Yeah?”
“Do you think you can hang out for a little while longer? I... I don’t want to be by myself right now.”
Matt nods his head with a smile.
“Sure. We can play something on the PS5 you have or watch whatever.”
Scarlette thinks for a moment.
“Spaceballs.”
Matt let’s out a bellows laugh.
“Spaceballs it is.”
For the rest of the evening, Scarlette and Matt watched through Spaceballs, Men in Tights, and Blazing Saddles until Scarlette fell asleep on the couch. Matt had moved to the dining room table, pulling his cell out, and began to text his friend Felicia in order to get the ball rolling to help Scarlette find some closure one way or another.