Scarlet Syndrome

It's a fleeting thought that seems to hit me during the most random points throughout my life. How a simple split decision could have such an impact. A simple yes or no question could lead on to something great. Or it could lead to something horrible. Something that could destroy the lives of others and leave nothing but destruction in its path. How was I to know my choice would end the lives of so many. That my simple "Sure" would lead to a war that shook the very earth and filled the sky with fire and screams.  ----- A slight breeze tugs at the loose strands of hair slipping out of my bun as I trudge along behind the boys. “It’s just a little further” an irritating voice calls for the ten-millionth time in the past three hours. “I’m killing him when we get back” A rather grumpy blonde manages to seethe beside me despite his clear lack of oxygen. “That’s if we don’t die first” I groan, wrapping my arm around his shoulder. “Didn’t think about that” He groans, wrapping his arm around my waist.    “You guys are being over dramatic. Look you can see the top of the church sticking out of the trees over there” Chad sighs rolling his eyes. For a fairly angelic looking guy he was one hell of a pain in the ass. “I mean you guys are practically supporting each other from falling at this point. I’m not even breaking a sweat” He smirks, pushing back a few strands of curly hair. “That’s it. You better start running Rowan!” Ryder briefly warns him.   A sharp pain runs up my back the second I hit the ground. Ricky taking after the laughing brunette maniac. “I should’ve taken dad’s advice and befriend girls” I groan.  You would think that after nine years those two would learn how to get along. Then Again they were never really on good terms. Chad is the living reincarnation of devil. From a young age this baby faced looking angel has been the bane of my existence. It started off with small things like filling my backpack with frogs when we were ten to now filling my shampoo with bright red hair dye.  Ryder however was a rough looking knight in shining armor. He's a complete teddy bear who wouldn't hurt a fly, unless that fly's name was Chad Rowan. Despite their constant bickering those two have been joined at the hip since i meet them, if you found one the other wasn't too far behind.   "DAMMIT RYDER!"   "I swear" I groan heading towards the bickering duo. "Are you ever going to learn" I muse. Chad was sprawled out on the dirt path, his clothing all wrinkled and dirty as he shot me a dirty look. "Hey, don't give me that look, your the i***t who decided to mess with Ryder" I smirk. "Suck it Rowan" Ryder grins, comfortably sitting on Chad's back. Chad wrinkles his nose in disgust for a split second before grabbing a large handful of dirt. Tossing it behind him, Ryder barely manages to turn his head in time to avoid getting dirt in his eyes. With a sudden burst of energy, Chad rolls onto his back tossing Ryder to the ground at the same time. "I swear you guys are more like ninjas with dirty tricks" I scoff leaving them to squabble in the dirt.   The whole point of this trip was to explore France. To take in the architecture, the culture and immerse ourselves in its rich history. So far it has been those two bickering like kids and Chad wanting to explore abandoned buildings. We had yet to even glimpse the Notre-Dame, the Eiffel tower or any popular piece of architecture and it was beginning to drive me insane. I haven't even had the chance to speak to any cute french boys, yet those two had been drowning in female attention.  This made up for it though. Nestled among the trees stood a church in the midst of being reclaimed by the earth. The glass had long been removed, the breeze whistling through the empty window frames. The carvings crumbling in some places leaving faceless angels clinging to the walls. "It always amazes me how you find these places" I grin, nudging Chad with my elbow.   I had always loved ancient and abandoned buildings. Even after people had left the buildings that remained would pass on their story. Whether it was a small family whose items gave you an insight to their lives and day to day activities or if it was a school or a church which echoed with the footsteps of those who stood there before. If felt surreal, that the beauty and effort that went into crafting a building was now lost and instead we build concrete boxes.   "What can I say, I'm pretty amazing" He grins loping an arm around my neck. "Now that you see it was worth the walk. I believe some apologies are needed"  "Let me start us off" Ryder sighs navigating his way past us. The broken tiles beneath his boots grind in sync with the snapping of plants as he made his way over to the crumpled alter.  "Eveylin, I'm sorry we're friends with an egoistic bastard" He calmly states, flipping Chad off. Before I could move to block the sound a ripple of laughter tore from my lips. My body shaking with laughter as I clung to the unimpressed Chad just to stay on my feet.   "I hate you both" he huffs, removing my grip. It was never a dull moment with these two. An uncomfortable pressure started to build in the front of my head cutting my laughter off as I grabbed my head. I must have laughed too much today. I could faintly hear the boys trying to grab my attention but I could barely catch a word as the pressure kept building. Closing my eyes, I tried steadying my breathing, counting slowing to ten and then down to one. A low sound causes my eyes to open on impulse. Two blurred figures lay on the ground beside me holding their heads as the sunlight that had once streamed in the church's window now flickers like a faulty light bulb.   The pressure.  It's unbearable.  My body is practically begging me to shut down to try and escape the pain.  So why resist the temptation.