Capítulo 11: Little red
i stared at her announcement and i could feel a headache coming. "Ok, i am ignoring that come here let's go"
"Uppies" I looked at the wandering spirit in annoyance, why do you want me to carry you.
I stared at her for a moment, rubbing my temples as the headache that was brewing in the back of my mind intensified. "Really? Uppies?" I muttered, my voice flat with disbelief.
Mary, ever the unpredictable enigma, smiled sweetly and held out her arms like a child. "Yes, uppies. You're the one who got us here, so it's only fair you carry me the rest of the way."
I sighed, feeling the weight of both exhaustion and annoyance. "You know you've got legs, right? You could use them."
She tilted her head, her eyes glinting with playful mischief. "Why use mine when I have you?" she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
I glared at her, but the look didn't faze her one bit. "You're a wandering spirit, Mary. You can float or phase through walls, but for some reason, you want me to carry you around like a sack of potatoes?"
Her smile widened. "It's more fun that way. Plus, you're warm. Spirits get cold, you know?"
"Right," I muttered under my breath, already regretting the decision to respond. Still, something in me didn't have the heart to refuse her. Maybe it was because of how strange and fragile this world felt like we were the only two tethered to it, and ignoring her would make that thread snap. So yes i kind of forgive her for making ne play her twisted game, i have no reason to hold a grudge against her, She was trying to be free and now she is, but she could leave anytime she wants, i know she can't pass on, but why follow me?.
"Fine," I grumbled. "But if you keep doing this, I'm charging a toll."
Mary hopped off the bed with a delighted grin, practically bouncing on her heels as I turned my back toward her. "Deal!" she chirped, climbing onto my back with surprising grace. "But I won't pay it."
"Of course you won't," I muttered, feeling her small weight settle as she looped her arms around my neck.
With Mary clinging to me like a smug, mischievous backpack, I made my way down the creaky stairs of the inn. The old wood groaned beneath my boots as I carefully descended, wary of each step. The innkeeper's gaze followed us as we passed, his eyes narrowing with suspicion, but he said nothing. I gave him a brief nod before pushing open the door and stepping into the dimly lit street outside.
The town was still. Too still. The eerie silence was almost suffocating, as if Havenfield itself was holding its breath, waiting for something. Even in the dull light of the day, the buildings seemed to loom with an unnatural presence, casting long, warped shadows across the cobblestone road.
"Sigh, another day another journey into unspeakable horrors" I said with a sigh, my original world was at least not messed up. This entire world just seems annoying.
"Hey i have a suggestion" Maty said with a gleeful voice.
I turned to glance at her. "What is it?"
She smiled and then went close to my ear. "Well do you want to be cleansed"
I felt chills going down my spine, what did she mean by 'want to be clransed '. "What do you mean"
"Well, tomorrow is the night of the blood moon, usually it is called the Cleansing night since a blood red river will appear in the forest, guess what it does" She said her boice going silent, she was whispering in order not to draw attention.
"It turns us into monsters" I answered with a hint of sarcasm.
"No, have you heard of vampires,werewolves and wendigos and even the skinwalkers, well usually when normal humans enter their, they are turned into those mindless beasts, but when something like you bathes in it, well let's say you become much harder to kill , think of it as being reborn, i would actually want to bathe in it too, i am finally free so i might get the chance to have a body like some of the others" Mary happily whispered into my ear, honestly if it can help with the hunger i don't really mind it.
I stopped walking, the weight of her words sinking in as I stood in the middle of the desolate street. "A blood,red river? That sounds like the beginning of a nightmare, Mary."
She giggled in my ear. "Oh, don't be so dramatic. Think of it as a rebirth, a chance to be more than what you are now."
I turned my head slightly, giving her a skeptical look. "Yeah, because 'more' in this world never comes with consequences, right? What happens to me after this… 'cleansing'? What do I turn into?"
She swung her legs slightly, dangling off my back like a carefree child. "You don't turn into a mindless beast, if that's what you're asking. But you won't be entirely human anymore either. You'll become something… better. Stronger, faster, harder to kill. It'll be like shedding your mortal skin and putting on something more suited for this world."
I let out a long breath, my mind racing with questions and doubts. "And you? If you bathe in it, you get a body again, right? But what kind of body?"
Mary's voice softened, a rare moment of seriousness. "I don't know. I'd be alive again, with flesh and bone. I might even get to taste food or feel the sun on my skin. But… there's a chance I won't be exactly how I was before. The river changes you. It gives you what you need to survive in this world."
I started walking again, my feet crunching against the uneven cobblestones as the eerie silence of the town pressed in around us. "So we're talking about a gamble," I said, half to myself. "You get a body, but not the one you had before. And I… I get stronger, but I'm not me anymore."
"Not entirely," she agreed. "But you'll still be you just with a few… upgrades."
I snorted at that. "Right. Upgrades. Like turning into some kind of supernatural freak."
"Would that be so bad?" Mary teased, leaning forward so her chin rested on my shoulder. "You're already dealing with the weirdest stuff imaginable. A little extra strength could be useful."
"Useful, maybe. But what's the price, Mary?" I asked, my tone sharper than I intended. "There's always a price."
She was quiet for a moment before replying softly, "The price is that you might lose a part of yourself. Maybe not right away. But over time, the more you use that power, the more it becomes a part of you. And eventually, you might not remember what it was like to be human."
I swallowed hard, the coldness of her words settling deep in my chest. "And you'd risk that? After everything you've been through, after finally being free, you'd take that chance?"
Her grip on my neck tightened slightly, and I could feel the weight of her decision, the desperation beneath her playful exterior. "What's the alternative?" she whispered. "Wandering forever as a spirit? Unable to touch, to feel? I've been trapped for so long, you have no idea. I would do anything anything to have a real life again. Even if it means risking everything."
I stopped again, looking up at the darkening sky. The blood moon would rise soon, and with it, the chance for both of us to change. To become something more. Or something monstrous.
"You're asking a lot of me, Mary," I said quietly. "This isn't just about you getting your life back. You want me to take the plunge too. But what if I don't want to lose myself?"
She was silent for a long time, and then she said softly, "I'm not asking you to do anything you don't want to. But I don't want to do this alone. You're the closest thing I've had to a friend in… I don't even know how long. If you don't want to go through with it, I understand. But I just thought… maybe you were tired of being so vulnerable. Tired of being weak."
Her words struck a chord deep within me, the truth of them hitting harder than I cared to admit. I was tired. Tired of constantly running, constantly fighting for survival in a world that seemed determined to break me. Maybe a part of me wanted to take that risk. To become something that could finally stand a chance against the horrors we faced.
But the thought of losing myself, of becoming something unrecognizable… it terrified me.
"I'll think about it," I said finally, my voice low.
Mary didn't say anything else. She just rested her head against my shoulder, her silence heavier than any words she could have spoken.
"…"
I think she is upset with me, but at the same time she looks sad, am i soft.
"Mary?" I said, my voice softer than usual. "You okay?"
She didn't answer immediately. For a moment, I thought she wouldn't answer at all, but then I felt her shift slightly on my back. "I'm fine," she whispered, though the usual spark in her voice was missing.
I sighed, feeling the guilt creep in. Maybe I had been too harsh, too quick to dismiss what this meant to her. After everything she had gone through, after being trapped in whatever half-existence she was living, she had finally found a way to potentially reclaim her life. And here I was, questioning it, hesitating over my own fears.
But how could I not? The idea of losing myself, of becoming something different, was terrifying. And yet, wasn't that what this entire world was about? Constant change, constant uncertainty? I had already lost so much since I ended up here. What was a little more?
"I didn't mean to—" I began, but she cut me off, her voice still quiet.
"You don't have to explain." She lifted her head slightly, her chin digging into my shoulder. "I get it. This isn't your fight, not really. You're just trying to survive, and now I'm asking you to risk the last bit of yourself for something you didn't even ask for."
The sadness in her words hit me harder than I expected. I slowed my pace, my boots scuffing against the uneven cobblestones. "It's not like that," I muttered, trying to find the right words. "It's just… I don't know. This whole thing is messed up. We're both stuck in a world we don't belong to, facing choices no one should have to make. I just don't want to lose who I am, you know?"
Mary was quiet for a while, her arms still looped around my neck, and I could feel her thinking. Then she spoke, her voice softer, more sincere. "I know. And I'm sorry for pushing you. I just… I don't want to be alone anymore. Not like this. And you're the only person who's ever really seen me, even when I'm just a wandering spirit. I guess I got selfish."
"It hasn't even been a month and you are attached to me, why?" I asked. Her behavior was strange.
I felt her hands loosen up a bit. "I felt you had a good attitude, and you don't seem to curse a lot when i am with you, you think of me as a child. Maybe i am, i..am just a child, sorry if i am being emotional, i may have to become a ghost for a while, i don't have any souls and it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth the more i use them"
She is not trying to guilt trip me but i am guilty, i am the one being selfish i guess. "Fine, we'll get 'Cleansed'"
Does it really matter if i go into the pool or not, honestly i don't know where i am going. I saw a bench and decided to sit there after keeping mary of course. "A-are you sure?" Mary stammered, her voice laced with surprise. She stepped back, standing on her own feet now, looking down at me with wide, searching eyes. I could see the flicker of hope there, as if she didn't quite believe what I'd just said.
I leaned forward, elbows resting on my knees, and stared at the ground, the rough texture of the cobblestones a distraction from the swirling thoughts in my head. "I don't know," I admitted quietly. "But I don't think any of this is about being sure. Nothing about this world makes sense. We're constantly thrown into chaos, and we just… keep going."
Mary didn't say anything for a moment. I could feel her presence, hovering close, unsure of how to respond. Then she knelt beside me, her voice soft and hesitant. "I know it's a lot to ask. But maybe this isn't just about survival. Maybe it's about finding something more. Something we can hold on to."
I looked at her, really looked at her, the pale light from the overcast sky highlighting the faint shimmer of her spectral form. There was something vulnerable in her expression, something raw that I hadn't seen before. She was trying to be strong, but beneath it all, she was scared. Just like me.
"Okay," I said, my voice steadier now. "We'll do it. We'll take the plunge, get 'Cleansed,' and see where it takes us."
"Thanks, i could just call you dad"
"Please no that's fucking cringe"
"Hey don't curse in front of the child"Mary let out a small laugh at my reaction, her voice lightening up a bit as she stood up. "Okay, okay, no calling you Dad. How about… big brother?"
I rolled my eyes, standing up from the bench and brushing off my pants. "Still weird. Let's just stick with my name."
"Fine, fine," she grinned, a little of her old mischievous spark returning. "But you can't stop me from thinking it."
"Sure, i'll just forget you almost killed me a few days ago" I said.
"I mea-," Suddenly she turned her head around, her eyes becoming much darker and the toy lamb in her hands started decaying.
"Oh look, the little wolf is here or should i say black sheep" A girl wearing a red hood and a dark worn out basket on her hand said mockingly. She had black and red eyes and her hair was grey, she had two canine teeth.
"I knew you were around here Little red but i didn't think you'd follow us" Mary's voice was laced with venom, she seems to hate her, if i think about it, A wolf and a lamb looking at each other is kind of ironic.
Little Red riding hood smiled. "Hahah, you were always funny Mary, but remember, i am not Goldilocks or Hensel and Gratel, i hunt and devour, i make sure my prey never leaves alive or a trace, but don't worry he isn't my prey today,just some unwanted things entering my territory, i am not malevolent but make sure you two stay out of trouble, be careful of goldilocks"
After saying that, she happily skipped away, Mary sighed and turned around to look at me. "Great now that annoying wolf is involved"
"What exactly is she" I aksed looking at Riding hoods disappearing figure.
"She isn't a werewolf, well more of an evolved one, a lycan, she can willfully become a wolf, i would have told you here story, but she technically isn't Riding hoos since she was the wolf who disguised as her grandmother, then that wolf brutality killed her, then she possessed that said wolf and took over the identity. She's more of a predator than anything else. The real Red Riding Hood is long gone."
I frowned, trying to piece together what Mary had said. "So, she's a lycanthrope who's taken on the persona of a fairy tale character?"
"Yeah confusing isn't it, i can't freely acess my nightmare world or pent anymore,i need a lot of souls to make new lambs" She sulked, casually saying transfiguring human souls into monsters as if it was an everyday occurrence. I ignored her and then silently said walked away back to the inn.
"Hey atleast carry me" i glanced back at her and then smirked.
"You have legs and you can also float, learn how to use your tools" Mary looked taken aback, her mouth forming a small 'o' of surprise. "Oh, alright then. I'll walk," she huffed, though her playful pout made it clear she wasn't thrilled about it.
As we made our way back to the inn, the eerie atmosphere of Havenfield pressed in around us, every shadow and corner seeming to hold secrets. The encounter with Little Red had left an unsettling feeling, and I couldn't shake the sense that something much darker was lurking just out of sight.
Mary walked beside me in silence, her usual cheerfulness replaced by a contemplative quiet. I could see her glancing around nervously, as if expecting the strange lycanthrope to pop out from the shadows at any moment.
After reaching the inn we went to our room and then I sat down on the bed. Mary quietly sat next to me and started playing with her toy, After a while she started getting drowsy, it baffles me how she sleeps when she doesn't have a body. I guess being a wandering spirit comes with its own odd rules. I watched her for a moment, her eyelids fluttering as she drifted off, her toy lamb tucked under her chin. She looked peaceful, for once, like all the burdens and horrors of this world weren't weighing her down.
I closed my own eyes and slowly started to fall asleep.
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