Cannibal Red

I peered over my glass at the two men sitting at the bar. I’d recognized them instantly, their sunglasses pressed up their noses so close that they could have sunk into their skin, the pale flesh, and the clawed black nails.

I shook the ice around my glass and took another sip. These men had been following me since dawn, well, not exactly following me; they’d been trying to guess the most likely places a Red Cannibal would go. Unfortunately they had been looking for a gangly girl with brown hair probably wearing a pair of jeans and a plain old boring shirt.

Not the girl with short bright pink hair, wearing fishnet stockings and a black leather dress.
I adjusted my sunglasses on my face and smirked. The men were finally finishing their third round of drinks; it was time to be innocent.

I slide my drink down the table, pressing a finger elegantly to my bottom lip and standing up to move up to the bar.

“…this is ridiculous.” I heard one of them mutter. “We’re never going to find her, it’s not like she’s going to get up and start…excuse me ma’am?”

I spin around from leaning against the bar, trying to get the attention of the barkeeper. I blink my eyes at the man questioning me, and pull off my sunglasses, smiling sweetly at him.

“Yes delicious?”


Oh god, did you just say that? Seriously Lee…”Yes delicious?” What the hell?

The man sort of smirked to himself, noticing that my dress was really quite short. I’d have liked to think he wasn’t a man eating monster and just a normal perverted loser, would have made my job much easier.

“What’s your name?” The man says, shooting a look at his friend then turning back to me.

“S’Veronica darlin’,” my southern drawl said “And what’s your name?”

The man leans in closer to me, so I can feel his hot breath on my ear. “Tyler…ma’am.”

I blink, my face flushing hot. I turn to look at the man sitting next to Tyler. It was Hector.
Fuck…

“Meet me around the corner in exactly six minutes, you got me?”

Tyler nods and I try not to focus on his now unfamiliar face. I felt my chest lurch and I walk out of the bar, tugging at the hem of my skirt.
It had been too short, what would he think of me? Sitting around in a bar watching men I didn’t know over my glass. He wouldn’t understand, he’d come to the wrong conclusion almost right away, I knew it.

I wrapped my black jacket around me as I get out of the bar and head down the street to the corner. I wondered if Tyler thought I’d make a run for it. I mean, for all I knew he could have joined the White Cannibals again.

I pull out a pair of black sunglasses and put them on. A few months ago, I’d be crippling in pain after kissing Tyler, now all I wanted to do was keep from getting hurt.

Remember, ESE whispered, you ran from him.

That may have been true, but Tyler had let me go. That’s my argument against him anyway if he starts calling me a lying bitch or something.

Six minutes passed quite quickly when I found myself looking up into Tyler’s face. He had cut his hair and combed it, it was so neat now, and I could see his pale face more too. He was still beautiful.
My gaze shifted to Hector, he looked tired, almost bored. But still looked exactly the same, wrapped in all black from head to foot, his dark sunglasses pressed hard against his face.

“We can’t talk out here,” Tyler says, avoiding my gaze and looking around at nothing. The street was lonely, there was nothing there. “Someone’s bound to be watching.”

I nod, not speaking a word, and follow the two men down the street to a car; Tyler opened the door for me, and I got in, Hector sliding in beside me.
Tyler got into the driver’s seat and started the car, the motor buzzing to life.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

We had arrived twenty minutes later in a rundown hotel room. Hector was currently glaring at me; his palms face down on the table in the middle of the room, with me peering curiously up at him from my seat.

“I’m talking to you, I’m pretty sure.”

Hector dramatically raises his hands into the air, looking suddenly lost. He turns to Tyler.

“You go.”

Tyler opens his mouth to speak, but I silence him.

“So…I was smart enough to change my appearance every week and not move to a different country; god Tyler, do you have to fuck everything up? I was doing quite well without the both of you.”

Tyler smirks at me, and shifts himself around so he was now sitting on the seat next to me, still smirking.

“You’ve changed.”

“No, I was born with pink hair.” I fold my arms and glare at him. I had no time for this rubbish.

“No, no. You’re different.” He was smiling at me, this ridiculous smile that made me want to hug the fuck out of him.

“Listen, if you’re here just to tell me I look and feel different and all those nice things, I really don’t think you should bother,” I stand up, buttoning my jacket back up. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go make sure I’m not being followed.”

Tyler tugs me back down, frowning slightly at my new found Lady Sarcasm attitude.

“You’re not being followed.”

I laugh, propping my head onto my hand and grinning at the guy I’d missed so horribly for the last year. “And how would you know that I’m not being followed Mr. Morgan?”

“Because I’ve censored this place up good, there is no way a White Cannibal would be able to sense any of us in here.”

My act was still on; I had to keep it there to stop myself from opening up to a possible imposter. I reach out a hand and grab a piece of Tyler’s hair, grinning whilst I twist it around my thin finger.

“Aw Ty, aren’t you a smart boy?”

Tyler laughs and looks at Hector, who looked absolutely revolted at the sight of me cooing over Tyler.

“Will you look at her? She’s learnt a lot more from watching than doing.”

Hector, still revolted, screws up his face. “Just ask her the question.”

I playfully dart my eyes from Hector to Tyler, my finger still twisted around Tyler’s jet black hair. Tyler suddenly moves forward, his face close to mine suddenly.

“What was the name of the monk we went to speak to, to find out who infected you?”

I bite my lip. “Jonathan Ricetaker.”

Tyler nods and grins at Hector, who does not grin back.

“And what kind of animal does your sister keep in a jar with her at all times of emergency?” I stare at Tyler, waiting for an answer.

He smiles at me. “A spider.”

“Hi Tyler, Hector.”

“Hi Lee.”

I lean over the table, motioning for Hector to sit down. My act dropped.

“Now what the fuck do you need to talk to me about so urgently?”

“I have a plan.”