Chapter 7

Seven

Alaska and Alastair had settled into their room of the cabin while I joined the rest of the group. Cain and Ruby were bickering near the fireplace, the stone masonry reaching high to the ceiling. Jinx sat on the leather couch across from them, snacking on a red licorice candy rope.

"Okay, Cain, whatever you say," Ruby groaned, rolling her eyes as she walked to Jinx, "but we both know that fire isn't burning ‘cause of you." She grinned, pointing to the maroon-colored flames, pleased with herself as she plopped down next to her girlfriend.

"Fuck off, Ruby," Cain hissed, staring into the dark fire. Ruby may have enjoyed teasing him, but she needed to be careful. Cain was not the one to antagonize. He was known for having a short temper and wasn't afraid to lash out in whatever way he felt. His short fuse always worried me, especially when it came to Alaska.

Alastair bolted into the room, rushing to my side as he licked my hand. Jinx snapped, directing his attention to her as he galloped onto the couch, running over Ruby to reach her. She giggled as Alastair licked her face and wagged his tail in excitement, the black fur brushing across Ruby's face.

"Alaska!" Ruby groaned, attempting to shove him off her. "Get your mutt off me!" Ruby really seemed to dislike him, but despite her obvious disregard, the only person Alastair wasn't fond of was Cain, but who could blame him?

A soft whistle made the wolf freeze, his ears perched high and alert, his tail raised as his head rose. He launched from the couch and immediately joined Alaska's side as she entered the small living room.

"He's not a mutt, Ruby," she growled as he sat at her feet. Ruby crossed her arms, ignoring Jinx as she signed to her. She was asking Ruby to calm down. "Why do you dislike him? He's never done anything to you." Alastair sat, his tongue hanging from his mouth happy as could be.

"I've got my reasons," she grumbled to herself, rolling her eyes.

Jinx bit her lip, staring at me. "Do something," she moved her hands.

"What?" I silently asked, unsure of how to change the topic.

"What about a story?" she asked.

I snapped my fingers, pointing to her. "Now that's a fun idea, Jinx." I glanced around at the group, all eyes except for Cain's watching me. "Who here has a scary story they would like to share?"

Cain remained silent, staring into the fire, as Alaska shrugged, unsure of what to say. We all stared blankly at each other for a moment before Jinx motioned to Ruby, begging her to start.

"Fine," Ruby huffed, breaking the silence. "Since no one else wants to, I'll go." She adjusted her posture on the couch. She pressed her lips together, her whole attitude changing as she smiled, her legs crossed as she leaned forward. "Have you guys ever heard of the Ripper?" We all nodded, the tale of the infamous foreign killer known to almost everyone. "Well, you know how the Ripper was never caught?"

"Wait, I thought he was caught?" I asked. "And wasn't he crazy? I always heard he was crazy, that he heard voices or something. I also heard from my great uncle that he was a doctor or something. Is that true?" Alaska shrugged.

"Who said the Ripper was a man?" Ruby snapped. I threw my hands up in defense. "There are many speculations about the Ripper of Bedeville, most of which are not true. She was not a man, but a woman. And no, she was not a doctor. That's just some theory made up by a bunch of men trying to make sense of reality." She rolled her eyes. "But to answer your question, yes. Technically the Ripper was caught."

I snapped my fingers. "Knew it."

"She was caught," she raised her voice once more, "and forced into an asylum by one of the town's detectives. The town wanted to burn her for her crimes, but not him. You see, it's said she killed the man's lover in the brothel she worked at. Slit her throat and watched her as she died. Of course, he didn't want her to die. He wanted the Ripper to suffer, same as him. So, instead of giving the people what they wanted, he hid her away in an asylum, condemning her to endless torture that was meant to cure her insanity. But," she grinned, "what the detective didn't realize is that the endless suffering she endured didn't heal her. No. It amplified her chaos. Overtime, she learned how to fake her recovery, using it to her advantage until, one day, she was able to escape. People say she broke free from the asylum with the help of a masked man, but no evidence of such has ever been found. The Ripper regained her power and slipped away into the night, said to haunt the worlds with her dark magic—"

"Bullshit!" Cain spat, standing from the fireplace. "You really think the infamous Ripper, one of the most notorious serial killers known to ever exist, was a woman? Not just a woman, but a witch, just like you?" he mocked. "Come on, Ruby, I get you're trying to tell a ghost story, but at least share something a little bit more believable." He stepped to Alaska, wrapping his arm across her shoulders, tugging at her neck as he continued to taunt Ruby. "You should stick to ghost hunting and fucking your girlfriend, because telling scary ghost stories obviously isn't your niche." What the fuck?

Ruby's eyes burned as she caved into herself, Jinx now holding her close, as if Cain's words had harmed them both. His sinister smile branched high across his face, seemingly to be enjoying the obvious pain he had inflicted.

Alastair's ears had fallen back, displeased with the energy shift in the room. Alaska placed her hand on Cain's chest in a frail attempt to reel him back in, but he was consuming every minute of his torture. "Cain," she whispered, "leave her be. She—"

Cain whipped his head at Alaska, his smile now flat. "Seriously?" he snapped. Alastair growled a warning, now standing close to Alaska. Cain noted the aggression, reluctantly throttling his temper back. "You guys are all so fucking sensitive." Alaska's face was like an open book, the fear written along her skin clear as day. The discomfort we all felt upset me, but seeing her fearful, flinching as Cain moved bothered me most. I had to do something.

"Well, fuck, man." All eyes shot to me as Cain silenced. "If you think you can do better," I crossed my arms, "why don't you tell us something?" It was my turn to taunt him now. "Come on Cain, tell me a scary story." He studied me for a moment, glancing at the group, thrown by being put on the spot. I enjoyed seeing him squirm.

"Fine," he looked back at me, "but I'm getting a beer first." He yanked his arm from Alaska as she froze, waiting for him to exit the room as Cain swung the front door open, heading for his car. The energy immediately dropped in his absence, everyone exhaling as he left.

"Ruby, I—"

"It's okay, Alaska," Ruby rubbed her eyes refusing to show any sign of weakness, "we all know what an ass Cain can be." She nodded to Alaska, who shook her head.

Jinx looked in my direction, moving her hands. "Thank you."

I nodded, silently speaking back to her."Not a problem."

"Let's just let him tell his story and get it out of his system," I said to the three women. "Then, we should probably call it a night." They all nodded in agreement.

Footsteps outside grew louder as Cain whipped opened the front door. He had a small cooler in one hand and an opened beer bottle in the other. His entire demeanor had changed, his usual cocky smile returned to his face. "Alright, now, who wants to hear a real scary story?"

"Tell us." I sat in the old recliner adjacent to the couch. "Give me chills, Cain," I teased. Alaska joined Ruby and Jinx as Alastair laid at her feet. Cain, his eyes glaring at me, sat on the dusty stone step of the fireplace, his back to the flames.

"Have any of you ever heard of the Hemlock killings?" Darkness befell Cain as he smiled, his hair concealing half of his face in menacing shadows. The rest of the group silently shook their heads. "Well," he inhaled, "I'm about to share a real scary story. One that is not only sickening, but true. This is the story of John Crow."