Dread Knights

The emblem sat quietly in her palm, but Bailey knew it was alive. She stared at the blood-red ruby in its face, waiting for it to jump or skitter away. Anything, that's all Bailey wanted to see. Things had been happening ever since she swiped it from the exhibit at the castle museum. Some of them had made her question the sanity she held dear.

Last night she had been walking home from the castle when Bailey felt eyes on her. She searched the streets and alleyways, hair prickling on her skin. Nothing showed, but Bailey knew someone had been watching. Turning back she sped down the sidewalk. Just as Bailey was starting to think nothing followed her, a pair of red eyes popped out from the shadows streaming toward her.

She screamed, fell over, and covered her face like that would protect her. Nothing happened. It frightened her to death, but the eyes vanished just as quickly as they appeared. Bailey sat up and looked around wildly trying to find where they went. Those hadn't been in her mind, she had felt the malice behind them. As Bailey's eyes scanned the streets that's when she saw the first one.

A tall male figure watched her from across the street. He was clad in full armor. Bailey had to focus to see him since the armor was darker than the night itself. The man shifted into the shadows, and Bailey had to wonder if he was still there.

"Hello?" Bailey called out.

There was no reply of course. This didn't help her mind at all, and Bailey continued to question the integrity of her mind. A cold night breeze whipped past her as if urging Bailey to run for it while she could. Picking up her pace Bailey couldn't keep her eyes straight ahead, they kept wandering around knowing that figure would appear again.

"H-..." She froze. Something was touching her shoulder, it was cold and captivating. Even if Bailey wanted to run, it felt like she couldn't. The raspy voice had only said h, its terrifying aura causing Bailey to tremble. Tears began to roll down her cheek as fear held Bailey's body.

"P-please." Was all Bailey could utter as she began moving her head. If Bailey died here, she couldn't do much about it. But she at least wanted to see who took her life as a sort of sick justice. Her head turned slowly. She saw a shiny gauntlet draped over her shoulder. It was sharp like a knife each finger holding its own danger.

As Bailey paused a moment to stare at the horrible gauntlet that lay on her person, she noticed it began to seep blood from the platelets. She screamed and ripped her body away. The sharp edges caught her skin tearing through the delicate flesh, only causing more blood to stain her clothes and leak from her veins.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Bailey cried out. But no one was there. Her head began to shake gently. That was impossible. Looking at her shoulder, she noticed it was bleeding.

"H-how dammit!" No one was behind her. The streets were empty, and Bailey stood alone bleeding. Turning away, tears still raining from her eyes, Bailey ran home.

The next morning after getting no sleep, but finally passing out for 2 hours, Bailey found the cuts had healed. That didn't confuse her as much as the clothes she wore last night laying stained on the floor. She rushed over to them and started feeling the stains. They certainly felt real, sticky, and still wet.

She spent the day in fear. Constantly looking over her shoulder. Bailey was convinced this wasn't just in her head. While the marks might have healed, the blood still stained her clothes refusing to vanish. On top of all this, she could still feel the phantom pains of the slashes. That might be mental, but it told Bailey her body thought it was real. Shouldn't she trust her body?

All this surmounted to make work extremely difficult. Several workers had gotten screams to their faces as they tried to get Bailey's attention. Every time it happened she simply apologized and moved away quickly. She didn't need everyone thinking she was insane, Bailey already had that covered.

Bailey had rushed home thinking everything would be better there. Oh, how wrong she had been.

Changing into her pajamas Bailey wanted to feel safe but knew something was about to happen. From the base of her spine to the pit of her stomach Bailey could feel it coming.

As she stood up putting her pajama top on, Bailey spotted the second one. Baily wanted to scream, she could feel it slipping up her throat, but the figure held such a frightful grip over her, that she couldn't utter a sound. She stood there watching him, the knight stood in the doorframe of her bathroom.

This knight's armor was bright red and shaped like a dragon. His helmet had a sharp snout and wing-like ears. Grey eyes flashed at Bailey like a thunderstorm. The knight's chest plate has wings that folded as he walked through the portal, and into the bedroom to stand right in front of Bailey.

"Please..." Bailey was shaking, her words barely coming out as she stood before him. Everything felt like it was pressing in on her, Bailey couldn't breathe. It was suffocating her, and she began to drown in her own tears.

"Tears are for the weak. Only the strong survive." This knight was able to speak clearly. It had a strong commanding voice, that echoed around Bailey's room, and wrapped around her head. She hated it.

"No... No....No..." She repeated dumbly watching the man blankly, ignoring his words and weeping. Her body wanted to collapse under the pressure this red knight resonated, but she couldn't even make her body fall.

"Your fear is delicious. My hunger can't be sated, but you please me nonetheless. Continue. Sob as you wish, your fate is sealed."

"I-"

"No more. My time is limited. But we shall play again soon... Yes very soon. I am a patient creature. You will soon find that plainly clear." Reaching out the red knight grabbed Bailey roughly by the neck cackling wickedly as he slammed her to the bed.

"NO!" Bailey managed to croak before her windpipe was completely shut. She gasped for air, but the knight had such unnatural strength. The poor girl couldn't even resist, Bailey tried to strike him on the head but she only ended up busting her knuckles on the jagged rough helmet.

"HAHAHA! Pathetic. Weak. Useless. Struggle. It only makes my experience more pleasurable." But as he laughed wildly, the blood-red knight began to fade. Right before Bailey's eyes, until he was altogether gone. Sitting up and gasping for air, Bailey fell to her knees retching.

Everything spun for a minute as Bailey tried to get her wits back. Using the bed she was able to stand, her legs shook and threatened to buckle, but Bailey kept her resolve. Sitting back on the bed, Bailey began to cry.

It was around 1 or 2 in the morning before Bailey could stop crying. She stood up and walked towards the bathroom to wash her tears away but froze remember that's where he had been. Recoiling away, Bailey felt like crying some more but stopped herself.

That's when a brilliant flash blinded Bailey for a second forcing a scream from her lips. When she was able to see again, Bailey looked to the wall, as blood began to seep from the cracks, moving the paint and pushing out some of her posters.

"GO AWAY! GO AWAY!" She started to cry out. Running towards the front door, Bailey tried to get out of her apartment. Gripping the handle Bailey screamed in frustration. It wouldn't open. Looking down, Bailey realized the door handle was wet, it had become a tongue! It was licking her palm, slithering up and down, and then grabbing her wrist.

"NO!" Bailey moaned in disgust as she jerked away from the tongue. When she had pulled away, Bailey noticed a massive bruise circling her wrist like a bracelet.

"Time to play again. Let's see how long you can last before we take you to our sanctuary." That sickening voice was back. It resonated from behind Bailey, and she broke down. Falling to her knees she began to sob.

Her memory failed from that point on. To this day no one remembers Bailey. She is merely a stain of blood on a white shirt that encircles the world. Never to be seen again. This is the way of the Dread Knights. Fear. Assimilation.