Arabella visits me as soon as I start dosing off.

“Are you awake, master?”

You spend a few seconds in pause. “Yes.”

“Can you…talk to me?”

You wait another few seconds. “Yes.”

Arabella crawls into your bed and lays beside you. You stir away, but she’s quick to be shoulder-to-shoulder with you. You inquire about the twins, but she promises they’re sound asleep. It’s nearly 2 in the morning. She gets to the point rather quickly, though.

“Scarlet,” begins with a heavy sigh. “Is a very, very dangerous. I have worked with her several times when our ‘master’ was short-handed. She’s cruel in how she gets the contracts completed.”

“Never heard of her,” you say.

“Amara never flaunted her. Scarlet was, and still is, independent. She’s paid well. I used to call her Scarlet Bitch…”

You shared a small smile in the dark, but the conversation continued with you talking. “So, what shall we do then? Are we to stay? Are we going to travel again?”

“What are the odds that there’s help with her?”

Arabella thinks. “It’s difficult to say. She’s…confident but likes someone to fall back on. I mean… look at what you typically have us do. Gun cleaning, equipment organization, pleasure— it’s for convenience in your gear and confidence in help being near. How much of a threat do you think you are?”

“We know things,” Arabella says. “Important things. She probably views us as the scariest thing in the world right now. Scarlet is out to kill us, I have no doubt.”

“So what you’re saying is…?”

“The next town that's established is weeks away. And the places in between are hardly reliable for work or spending a night. Also, if Scarlet is after us, we wouldn’t do well in the open. Our best chances are here where it is populated and outside of Amara’s actual influence.”

“Hunker down then? I’ll try to avoid blasting her whenever our paths cross.”

Arabella giggles. “You’re silly. But I’m glad to have you protecting us. Our previous owners would have… not been so keen to help us survive.”

“I’m not underselling you when I say this, but your life is tied to me. If any of us die, I know we’re as good as dead.”

Arabella isn’t giggling anymore. Instead, you rolled over on top of your wraps around you. “Doesn’t change the fact you’re not just considering yourself in this situation. You have no idea what I’ve been through my entire life and how much your affection means to me.”

You hug Arabella in return and hold her there. Her breathing is leveled, but you think she’s a little cold, so you draw her closer to you. “You don’t have to worry about any of that anymore. I promise I’ll do my best to protect you, but I can’t promise a good outcome with Scarlet. Are you scared?”

“Petrified,” she murmurs. “I’m so glad it’s you I’m here with, though. Amara had us–”

“You don’t have to put yourself through remembering any of that stuff,” You cut off Arabella, not wanting her to relive the torments of her ****.

“You should know,” she whispers lower than before, and you realize she’s about to fall asleep. “I don’t want any pity, but I think you’d understand why I’m so scared of everything involving Amara and her circle.”

“Get some rest, fox. Sounds like you’re going to need it.”

....

...

“Shit,” Scarlet’s voice rings out behind you. “Are you following me?”

You turn around. Adorned in black, Scarlet is there smiling at you. You smile in return, feeling awkward. You walked to a store to grab some odds and ends, and you were already being addressed. “I should be asking you if you’re following me.”

Scarlet frowns deeply while she wags her head back and forth. Her jet-black locks lag behind the motions. “A pretty girl like myself following a handsome guy like you could be a kinky little story.”

This time, you laugh. “Are you coming on to me?”

“Just making a friendly conversation,” she casually gestures with her hands. “I realize that might have seemed more than conversation after that last comment, but I must know more about you.”

“Shoot away,” you tell her.

Scarlet then casually flashes a sidearm strapped to her hip. “You want me to?”

You mimic your piece in return the same way she did and wink. “Relax, babydoll. I want to learn more about you, too. Something tells me you’re more than store clerk and Halloween-enjoyer.”

Her dark eyes narrow while she smiles like a snake. “What gave that away? Me following you, or that I approach you while strapped? A contractor should when he’s talking to one. I’m only going to ask once. Where are the others you’re with?”

“Let’s relax,” you look around the store. No one has noticed you yet, but you know it’s only a matter of time. “If this is how we will talk to each other, then we should really step out. Don’t you think?”

“Don’t call me by any pet names, or I won’t give a damn who’s around, got that?”

“Noted,” you remark. “Now, do you want me to lead us out, or do should I follow–”

“Exit through the front door with your hands out,” Scarlet says, darting her gaze to your hip. “And you’ll give me your gun when we find someplace private.”

“That’s not going to happen,” you narrow your eyes, feeling the tips of your fingers tingle.

“I won’t bite unless you give me a reason to. I’ve got far too many questions for you to spoil you too soon.”

“And you want me to trust you for some reason blindly?”

“Because I think you have a reason to be here, and as soon as you’re dead, I don’t have a reason to be here, so I pack up and split off,” her cold eyes are calculating you, and something tells you she could outdraw and put a few shots in you before you could do the same. “What’s it going to be, Warren Visser?”