Scent of Blood [Lesbian Story]

Athena Harding

“Remember, child. You are the pride of this family – this clan. Do not forget where your loyalties truly lie.”

Like a mantra, she repeated these words to herself as if the world was falling apart; her eyes were listless like a seed waiting to break its shell and grow. She kept her head low as she plugged her ears with music; her surroundings were like flies that gathered around a mound of s**t – a reality in every other high school. This is irritating, she thought as her eyes caught the sight of meagre fools throwing a ball vertically across the hall.

“Miss Autumn,” a soft voice called out to her, but she did not hear. The stench of the path she treaded on invaded her nostrils, which allowed her to differentiate every abled body around her - jocks, nerds, cheerleaders and the like. “Miss Autumn?”

“Yes?” She finally replied without bothering to face the representative behind her, vex evident in her tone. The stench she was searching for lingered about, yet she could not discern where it came from, though she was certain it was around. The redhead behind her - the representative – annoyed her as she made her way in front of her and mouthed away information that proved useless to her.

“Well, that is everything that needs to be said.” The redheaded girl smiled at her, but she kept the same indifferent face she had from the moment she stepped into the vicinity, not showing a speck of emotion other than the negatives. “Please follow me for the first hour. Apparently we have the same class together.” The redhead explained as she proceeded towards the said class.

With her head hung low, she followed her though the malodorous hallway of Saint Theresa High School. The mixture of pride, jealousy, and envy in the air nauseated her just as both of them entered the room, where a few dozen teens of different ethnicity were standing and gossiping, mostly making loud noises that irritated her to no end.

All eyes were on her, most of them were of looks of belittlement and the other majority of detest. She merely brushed their unwanted stares and went to the last empty chair at the end of the room, silent like the swish of an arrow. A few whispered comments about her, most of them poke fun of her, but lucky for them she did not hear any of it.

“Alright, settle down class.” Announced the teacher, who entered the room with a dishevelled hairdo and an almost broken pair of glasses, which caught the attention of a few wagging tongues. Like soldiers, the crowd of teenagers obeyed and sat accordingly as if they actually came to school to learn. As the teacher took the daily attendance, he noticed an error in the print, then looked up and called for the misplaced name; “Rise Autumn?”

“Sir!” The redhead raised her hand, which caught his attention immediately as well as the entire classroom. “It is actually pronounced as Reese.” She corrected him, and then turned around to look at the new kid with the same picture-perfect smile plastered across her face.

“Oh, I see. Miss Rise Autumn?” He called out once more as he adjusted his red-framed glasses. Unplugging her earpieces from each ear, she stood up and faced the silent music, her eyes locked at the teacher. Her piercing blue eyes stared him down as the man swallowed his own spit and looked way; his heartbeat suddenly rose unexpectedly. “A-alright, welcome to Saint Theresa High.”

Rise merely ignored his so-called warm welcome and sat back down silently, her ears already attuned to the soft whispers of gossip roaming around her. Eyes closed, she hung her head a little low, and her nose inhaled the atmosphere. The sound of everyone’s breathing irritated her; the way their lips moved at the spelling of her name made her scoff, the way they stole glances at her made me her want to jab a knife into their eye sockets. Though, she would prefer the latter.

The first hour ended and Rise remained the same, though a few attempted to make small talk with her, but she denied them any. The stench they carried only fuelled her urge to slit their throats, but as much as she wanted to, her job was not yet over. The redhead tailed her as she left the room, even though she made sure to be the last one to go; she did not want to have a puppy following her. As she walked the hallways, the same scent she smelt earlier entered her range, which elicited a small smirk on her lips. Ears plugged with closed eyes, she looked for where the foul odour came from, her mind focused.

“Rise?” Spoke the redheaded girl, her hand on Rise’s shoulder as if concerned. The warmth her hand brought to her body incensed her, her fingers slowly closing into a fist, but she had to restrain herself from breaking her neck.

“Pardon me, I need the bathroom.” Rise spoke out, eyes indifferent yet her fist said otherwise.

“Oh, alright.” The redhead smiled as she turned her head the opposite direction and pointed where the nearest restroom was, but as she turned back to Rise, she was nowhere in sight.

The bell rang and signaled the start of second hour. The hallways turned silent, temporarily cleared of the foul stench of stupidity that lurked in every corner of the school – one she could not tolerate. Walking slowly towards an exit, a man saw her and she immediately took flight the opposite way, which made the man who saw her pursue.

“Hey you!” Yelled the man in a red and white, air-cool shirt, and track shorts. “Stop!” He yelled once more as Rise rounded the corner. The man fell suit, but as he rounded the same way, he felt a strong pang in his throat which made me him fall back, squirming as he clutched his Adam’s apple.

“Roderick Armstrong.” Rise spoke out in an affirmative tone, which caught the middle-aged man’s attention, his hands still on his painful throat. She approached him and met his eyes indifferently before she towered over him, then dropped an elbow on his torso with one hand over his mouth to prevent him from screaming. The man curled up into a ball after he felt the excruciating pain from the blow to his chest that felt like a hammer to a bone.

Held by the collar of his shirt, she dragged him to the nearest supply closet, throwing him against one of the shelves which further increased the physical torment the middle-aged man was going through. “Who… are you?” He managed to speak, despite the pain he felt and the blood that oozed out of his mouth when he hit the shelf. She did not respond and merely stared him down as the door swung slowly to a close, where not a single cry for help could be heard, nor a struggle for his own life.

Moments later, Rise opened the door and wiped her hands on a black handkerchief. The middle-aged man could not be seen through the dark supply room, but the stench of his death was strong against her sense of smell. As she exited the room and closed the door behind her, a familiar scent roamed about which made her sigh as she met her eyes. A tall brunette stood a few feet in front of her, smiling warmly with her arms across her chest; eyes hidden behind a pair of shades that fit well along with her long, black trench-coat.

“Discreet as ever, I see,” said the tall brown-haired woman as she slightly lowered her shades to reveal her beautiful forest green eyes. “It’s no wonder you’re favoured by the circle.”

“Are you here for pleasantries or for my blade?” Rise replied as she walked towards the exit, earning her a soft chuckle from the brunette, who followed her out the building and over the school’s fence.

“The head gave me your documents,” she explained as she handed her a small eco-bag filled with a myriad of documents – passport, driver’s license, etc. “A location of a nearby safe house is also in that pile, so you can lay low for a while.” She continued as Rise took off the long black wig she wore - her beautiful, long, blonde hair swung in the air with a few droplets of sweat.

“I don’t need his help.” Rise replied as she started for the open road, dumping the wig in a tin garbage can and set the contents a blaze. “If he needs me, he can find me himself.”

“As you wish, Athena.”

With that, they parted ways without saying any more. Both of them knew that they would cross paths one way or another, be it through the clan or by sheer, dumb luck. Athena could not say they were friends, but she could call her a clansman – an assassin just like her. Though their relationship is questionable, they have crossed daggers before – once in a blue moon.

Troublesome, she thought as she plugged her ears with music, then walked down the road, where no car passed by. Her thoughts were quiet as they often were, though the only thought that she could think of was what to eat and the stench of the town she was in. It was a small town, yet far from where she often stayed, which was a few hundred miles away. Walking did not bother her as long as there was something to occupy her ears, but her stomach might complain.

She sighed as she walked towards a small convenience store by the road, but before she entered shop, she shifted to the bathroom stall first after realising that she was still in uniform. Upon entering the public restroom, a few unwanted stares greeted her and a bad stench in the air that made her want to choke, but only fuelled rage within her.

Three delinquents stood in front of her, smoking what seems to be m*******a from the sweet scent it evoked in Athena’s lungs. One who held a roll in between her fingers looked up at Athena; first it was just a simple glance, but noticed the uniform she wore. The urge to actually stab them grew rampant in her head, but she brushed them off and entered an empty cubicle though it was already defiled and unsanitary for one or any use.

As she slowly changed out of her uniform, the sweet scent only made her head ache and her teeth jam against each other. A small chuckled entered her ears, but she was too busy to bother with them. The stench turned around as it mixed with the smell of cigarettes, even though there was a clear sign against it that she saw plastered against each stall door.

Opening the stall door, she saw the cause of her current vexation; two of the skinny delinquents with a stick of cigarette in between their fingers and lips, puffing small rings into the air. The one who held the roll of c******s looked up at her once again and smiled, as if asking her if she wanted one, but Athena only glared at her though it did not hold any weight in her.

Dismissing them, she exited the restroom and proceeded to the convenience store. Up front it looked like a small business, though from the look of the interior it could hardly be mistaken for a profitless business. As she got in, she searched around for just two things: water and cookies. After she found what she was looking for, she went to the cashier and queued along with another burly stranger in front of her, hooded from the back view.

As she waited for the man to finish, a strong stench caught her attention which told her that something was about to happen. She put on a pair of shades on as she waited for the man to finish, but as she expected, the man was what she thought out to be – a robber in disguise of a hobo.

“Put the money in the bag! Now!” The revolting man yelled in front of her as he pointed a gun at the old cashier, who looked like she had a weak heart from her frail exterior. Seconds had gone by and he turned to Athena, who without a second thought jabbed him in the throat like she did earlier on to her target, only her objective here is to disarm him.

The man held his throat with one hand as he tried to aim his gun at Athena, but before he could even pull the trigger she already landed a punch to his temple, which immediately rendered him unconscious. The old woman behind the counter looked at her in shock and appreciation, but she just looked at her indifferently.

“Free?” Athena asked as she held up both what she wanted to purchase and the old woman just nodded, then she walked out, walking over the passed out body on the ground. As she left the place, she began walking towards the safe house she’s been staying for a while now. A police car zoomed past her, but she brushed it off as the scent she smelt from them were of good intentions.

Hours had gone by and it was already dusk, the arid air of the slow afternoon turned humid as Athena stepped on the concrete pavement of the little town of Esterdell that lie just outside the state capital. The sound of shutters going down rang one street away, which told her that supper would be soon in her household, though she had no interest of going home.

Sighing, she walked down the road and passed by one of the prestigious schools in the town. As the night slowly claimed the sky, she looked up and found a clear sky – no moon, just stars. She reached up to the stars and looked at them with the same indifference across her face, not feeling a single piece of emotion inside her, but discomfort from the pain in her heels; she had walked nearly a thousand miles to get home.

Where is home?

“Beautiful night isn’t it?” Athena turned to where it came from and saw a slender teenager in overalls with a nametag on it that spelt ‘Michelle’, who leaned against the top end of a rake as she looked up into the night sky. She examined her briefly, the soft glow of the night sky revealed a beautiful pair of amber eyes that met the sky once again before finally meeting her own piercing blue; a smile crept across the teen’s face, who she assumed was a janitor. “Well, have a nice evening.”

Without waiting for a response, she disappeared back into the halls of Avian James Academy along with her rake, which was somehow odd in Athena’s head. Dismissing the thought, she continued her walk home. But before she landed her third step, she noticed something wrong with the air; a strong stench of blood entered her nostrils, which made her unplug her earpieces, despite the fact that her phone had died out a few hours ago.

She pulled her hoodie up and hung her head low, then shoved her hands in her pockets as if she wanted to be an easy prey. Walking slowly, she feigned to have a frail body as she coughed out loud as if to lure someone to have a little bit of pity on her. This stench is amusing, she thought as she continued to walk down the road with her head still hung low, trying to discern where the odour came from.

“Evening, young lady.” Greeted by a soft mellow voice that could easily be mistaken for a woman. But as Athena turned around, an old fellow who looked like he was nearly in his eighties stood behind her with a wry smile on his face. She looked back at him with her piercing blue eyes that felt indifferent to everything and anything, but her mind lingered on what this curious fellow was. “Do you need a place for the night?”

Without squeaking a single word, Athena nodded weakly as the old fellow stretched out his arms as if asking her to approach him. She played along and approached him as if to make him believe that he had power over her, but do not. As he put an arm over her, the stench of his blood grew stronger and more detestable than earlier, as if he had gained a little power just from asking her to follow him.

“Have you eaten?” He queried as they walked back to the direction of the Academy, though Athena did not reply and merely nodded. The old man smiled wider as they neared the alternate entrance of the Academy – the one that was not used often during the day. The trees nearby shadowed their bodies, where the old fellow barred his fangs at her as if he wanted her to scream.

Before he could even impale his fangs into her soft skin, Athena took out a blade and dealt the first blow to his side, which made him hit her with his backhand that caught her off-guard. This was the first time Athena had encountered these ‘beings’ face to face, but she knows how to fight – one that she was really good in.

“Oh. You are a hunter, eh?” The old man chuckled as the blood that oozed from his side stopped; his skin patched itself up as if magic. Astounded, Athena did not foresee that to happen though she anticipated a fight – a real good fight. As she lunged forward with her knife, the sheer force of his bare hands broke it easily and made her leap backward, but he was too fast for her.

She braced herself for his punch and as it touched her skin, her anger only grew stronger, but her face remained indifferent even to the pain of the immense force he dealt. As she flung back, she countered with a knee to his arm, but as her strong knee hit him, he did not even falter. His crooked smile emerged and even under the dimly lit shadows, she could see that she was outmatched.

Left with no alternative, she dashed backwards and leapt over the Academy’s perimeter wall and onto the school grounds, hoping to evade him. As she burst through the halls of the Academy, the old man tackled her down and pinned her, his fangs barred as he slowly inched it closer to her neck vein that lie bare in front of him as if tempting him to suck her dry – though he need no permission to.

A gasp erupted from the hall as mop handle bounced on the shiny wooden floor, which caught Athena’s attention as well as the man, though he ignored it immediately. This is not good, Athena thought as she forced him off her with all her might, then dashed towards the teen she met just a few moments ago.

Still in shock, the teen could not move as Athena grabbed her by the hand and pulled her away from the creature, running in the halls of the Academy. She was not familiar of its interior, but the janitor does, which could prove useful to her. But how could she extract this information from her now?

“Exit, where?” Athena asked whilst running through the halls with the janitor in tow, who remains in shock. “Where?” She asked again and it shook her free from her immediate shock, and then looked around at where they were, before pointing to one hallway.

Nodding, Athena stopped briefly and lifted her up, feeling that they were utterly slow from running, even though the old man was still a few feet away. She did not want to risk it; it was not her intention to involve a civilian into this matter. But now it was far too late.

“Both of you would make an excellent meal!” Taunted the old creature who lunged towards them with his arm extended; his fingers were like blades with their pointed nails, but Athena turned on her heel and countered him with a kick to the face, which sent the old creature flying back briefly.

The chase continued with the janitor in her arms, who was frightened beyond belief as she clasped her hands as if praying silently. On the other hand, Athena was trying to find the exit, but then she realized that she could smell chlorine which could prove useful for this fight. As she rounded the corner, the old man was there standing tall and glaring down at them with his fangs barred, a little bit of saliva dripping from both fangs.

This is annoying, she thought as she glared back at him with the same listless expression, but the small murmuring in her arms only made her frown. She sighed as she charged at him and he did not back down from her, charging against her as well. With a right arm stretched towards her like a claw, Athena could not think of any ways to counter it as it slowly approached them.

The janitor in her arms was nearly crying, but it only annoyed her even more, which made her take the blow and have her left arm deflect it; the man’s hand went through her arm, which made blood splatter across the lockers around them. As she caught his hand through her arm, she let go of the janitor by throwing her over him and grabbed him by the sides his head, then threw him over his shoulder, away from the janitor.

“Go!” Athena commanded the janitor, who was still on the ground with her face on the floor from being flung by Athena. She heard her and scrambled to her feet, almost tripping once again before she proceeded to the swimming pool. As she fled, Athena dealt with the old fellow, unsheathing both her red daggers as the old man just laughed.

“I will enjoy sucking you both lifeless.” The man smirked as he lunged towards Athena with his blade-like fingers that tore through Athena’s arm that still bled as she stood there in defence. As she stood her ground and waited him to approach her, the blood that’s flowing out of her only made the hallway reek of anger.

As the old man approached her from above, she jabbed him in the torso with her blade, dealing a long slice down, which caused blood to gush out. The old man coughed blood as he clawed her, but Athena dodged it before his arm could even reach her. She stared at him indifferently through the pain, but she did not give him any time to gain footing and immediately lunged towards him blades crossed.

“Don’t think you’ve won!” The old man coughed as he bared his fangs, both claws forward as Athena dodged his grasp by flipping to the side and jabbing him in the ribs with both knives. The pain was undeniably strong for him, even though he was not human; it still felt like a saw through a bone.

The man fell to the ground as blood seeped out of his body like a river, while Athena towered over him and dealt the finishing blow to his skull. After she stabbed his head, she felt her body ache all over, but her job was not done yet; the body had to be removed. She kept her red knives and took her phone out, but saw remembered that she ran out of battery.

Sighing, she went to the pool, where she initially intended to fight the old man. The addition of the civilian would only prove more damage rather than a clean kill – one she did not fathom. As she passed through the double doors of the Academy’s pool, she saw a no one there, but she inhaled her surroundings and could faintly smell where the janitor was.

The smell of chlorine blocked her sense of smell because of its strong repugnant stench, but despite this, she knew that even the old fool would not smell her because of it. She walked round the poolside towards the lockers rooms, aware that the pool was actually a one entrance, one exit style, which could have been fatal - only if she had failed in subduing the old fool.

Entering the showers, she could smell a faint remnant of soap, which told her that it was recently used – how recent, she could not tell. She heard soft murmuring in the distance as she saw the janitor curled up in one corner with her eyes totally shut; the smell of fear was in the air, accompanied by desperation, but she merely sighed and bent down to her level.

“You are safe, janitor.” She spoke softly as if to calm her, but she failed evidently for her words landed on deft ears. The janitor kept murmuring short prayers for her life be saved, but Athena could not fathom it any longer and touched her, which made her scream that nearly made Athena’s eardrums shake violently.

Irritated, Athena slapped her gently – not strong enough to hurt her, yet enough to wake her from her fright. The janitor looked at her, eyes frightened like a child and her body shook in fear, but Athena only looked at her indifferently, unsure how to comfort her further. The janitor eyed her and examined her through the dark of the shower room, unable to tell if who slapped her, but she could smell blood.

“Do you have a phone, janitor?” Athena asked as she stood up, the light from the skylights showed her face; her piercing blue eyes caught the janitor’s attention, much less than the blood that’s still dripping out of her. Athena offered her a hand, though she was sceptical on taking it, the janitor took her it and got on her feet. “Phone?”

“I-I don’t have one.” She replied with a little confusion and a bit of fright, but nonetheless she felt safe with her. Athena clicked her tongue and continued out of the shower with the janitor in tow, whose body still shook in fear, but felt comfortable around her. “You are bleeding, d-do you need the hospital?”

“No.” Athena dismissed her thoughts and removed her jacket, then used it as a bandage despite the size. As she patched herself by the bench at the poolside, the janitor examined her, which sort of annoyed her, but she could not risk her out of her sight. She was unsure if there were others like the old fool, plus she needs to clean up the mess she created since there was no way of having it dealt with.

“Who,” the janitor squeaked as she met Athena’s blue eyes, that she somehow felt drawn to. “Are you?” She asked as Athena stood up and felt her arm, though it needed proper attention, there were more pressing matters to attend to.

Without responding, Athena walked towards the exit with the janitor behind her, closely observing her. As she got out, she immediately noticed that the body was gone, which told her that the old fool was still alive. Before the janitor could even get out, Athena turned about and pushed her back in, which caught the teen by surprise.

“Pool, now.” Athena spoke as she could faintly smell the stench of the old fool around, lingering somewhere, probably lurking in the shadows. Without waiting for her reply, Athena carried her into the pool despite her loud protests – most of which she ignored for her safety.

As she dropped her in the pool, a loud growl entered her hearing range, which told her that the old fool changed forms. She immediately caught his nozzle just as he lunged at her, as if hoping to put her in the pool. The old man – now a wolf – bore red eyes as he forced his nozzle to her neck, much stronger than he was in is human form.

With one of her arm in pain, Athena could not muster up as much strength as she usually had, but with whatever ounce she had left she flung the wolf hard against the wall, almost making the concrete c***k. The wolf got up and charged at her, only this time he was successful; his sharp canines lodged against her other arm, which almost made Athena cry out in pain.

“You are a child of this clan – an assassin’s clan. Show weakness and you are not welcome into our fold. You are pathetic and weak.”

The harsh words of her clan chief reverberated in her mind, which angered her even more and took a knife out, then jabbed the wolf’s skull once more. The knife went from one end to the other, which ultimately killed the beast with its canines still lodged into her skin.

Falling on her knees, Athena dislodged the wolf on her arm and laid it in front of her. The amount of blood she lost in just a few hours was immense that could kill her, but the words that rang in her head angered her. I will not lose to you, she thought as she stabbed the wolf in the ribs and put her hand in its intestines, searching for the heart.

“Are you alright?” Spoke the janitor who just got out of the pool; her overalls drenched as she slowly unzipped them. Athena did not bother turning to her, her vision was slowly turning dark as her hand could not find what she looking for.

Frustrated, she tore the wolf’s chest wide and opened it even wider than any normal wolf could until she saw the still beating heart. She grabbed it and pulled it heartlessly out of the wolf’s chest; in her hand, the heart of the beast that still throbbed, slowly stopped and Athena lodged her red dagger through it, completely killing her foe once and for all.

As she accomplished this, her vision finally deteriorated and her body fell side-ways, her blood flowed out of her like a river that met the ocean. The janitor attended to her, calling out to her, but Athena’s sense slowly turned dark and the last thing she saw was her soaked nametag.

“Don’t call 911…”