Scarlet Wars: Episode 2 (Part 1.5: Mark’s Inner Interlude 1)

Written in collaboration with Cross C

“O-okay, just take it easy kid. Take my hand.”

“B-but the bomb! It could go off at any moment!”

“Yeah, and you’d be just as fucked in a pile of rubble than you would be out here. Now grab my hand!” Mark barked, seeing how the small child was still so scared of him even while timidly obeying, he couldn’t help but feel a little bad for her. “Trust me, I know it’s scary, but you’re safe.”

With a nod, she seemed to ease up tremendously in his grip. Getting pulled from the rubble in a gallant swoop, and placed on her feet, still hugging the small broken bear she loved so much.

“There we go. I don’t know where here is, but even I’m not cruel enough to leave a couple kids to croak.” He sighed in relief, turning back to the rubble, “Hey, where’s your brother?”

“Gone… he’s gone now…” The child looked distant and shaken. Stroking the screen of a nearby television that was still playing some annoying sitcom. “Mom, Dad, Pietro… They’re all gone…”

Mark cringed. Trauma and sympathetic feelings were not his forte, nor were they really what he signed up for. “Er, sorry. Uh, let’s get out of here I guess.” He said while dusting off his clothes. “You wouldn’t happen to know where ‘here’ is, do ya? This place is a fucking dump, wherever it is.”

The pair walked away from the rubble and the beeping bomb, right into the void of nothingness. Their footsteps echoing out as the rubble became smaller and smaller behind them, “I can’t quite remember…”

“Great. Well, may as well head off in a random direction until we hit another shitty landmark.” He said with a shrug. The pair of them walking for what felt like half a mile in mostly silence. Though, any distance without landmarks meant nothing. Hell really did seem the most likely outcome for Mark, especially with a little girl clearly killed in the blitz or some shit. “You got any tunes? This place is hella dull. Or, I dunno what kids have, candy? I’d kill a country for a Kitkat right now.”

The little girl couldn’t help but giggle, “You’re silly.”

“I guess so kid,” He said with a sigh, “Man, I should have investigated that place I found you more. Even if it was shitty, there was at least something happening! If it wasn’t for that motherfucking bomb making me nervous.”

“You keep saying bad words…”

“Fuck off with that preschool shit. If we’re in hell I’m gonna swear as much as I want. Now, do you know where we’re heading?”

The little girl had clamped her hands over her ears, “No! Bad words are curses, and curses summon witches!”

“I’d take some sexy witches over annoying brats at this point…” Mark grumbled under his breath. “I can compromise, you tell me how to get out of here and I’ll stop fucking swearing, that sound-?”

“NO!”

Mark flinched as the white void ended immediately, replaced by pure darkness all around him. It took him a few seconds to adjust, but the horrifying red glow emanating from his new companion helped.

“No one ever swears on TV. You… you shouldn’t be here…” She hissed, red tendrils seeming to grow the lights escaping from her body, “You need to leave.”

“Hey, I’m fucking trying!” He blurted out before even thinking, realizing his mistake as the tentacles grew even more. “W-wait! I-I’ll quit the potty mouth! Whatever you want! ERK!” Before he could run, a magical red tendril wrapped around his body and neck, raising him from the ground.

“Leave. Before you invoke the witch.”

“C-come on! I helped you out the rubble! I thought you trusted me?!”

A pause. The environment of black increasing its hue just a little. And the little magic girl seeming to falter in her sudden convictions. “Yes… I-I do trust you…”

“Exactly! I’m your old pal, Mark! We’ve known each other forever! You love, uh, playing games with me! So stop trying to kill your friend!”

“Mark…”

Her eyes looked like they were readjusting, blinking over and over again while staring at the man in front of her. Each blink making the void return to its brighter hue. The little girl lowered him to the floor just in time for the tentacles to disappear completely.

“Mark!” She beamed, jumping into his arms. “Are you here to play with me? I was so scared! I’m so glad you’re here!”

“Y-yeah, me too kid.” He sighed in relief, “At least I know you’re the key to this place. What’s your name?”

“Heehee! You really are silly, Mark!” She giggled at him, “You know~ I’m Wanda!”