Wicked Ugly Bad (A Kinda Fairytale) (20 page)

Scarlett
and Marrok stopped short.  In front of them, Snow White and a dozen dwarf
guards stood with Rumpelstiltskin at their side.

“See,
Doctor White?”  The troll said.  “I
told
you they were planning an
escape.”

Sometimes
I think Esmeralda is getting worse instead of better.

I’ve taken
to carrying a water pistol with me to our private sessions, just in case I need
to melt her.

Psychiatric
case notes of Dr. Ramona Fae

“You
fucking little worm.”  Marrok’s gaze fixed on Rumpelstiltskin.  “You’d better
hope I don’t live through this.”

“Blow
me, Wolf!  You and Letty were trying to get me killed with this stupid plan.  Instead,
I cut a side deal that’s going to get me out of here.  You’d have done the same
thing if you were smart enough to think of it!”

Scarlett
didn’t have time to be angry at him.  She was too busy trying to think of a way
out of this mess.

To
her right, the vast lake stretched out in the darkness.  On the opposite shore,
she could make out the winking lights of distant villages.  All they had to do
was get across the water and she’d have a clear shot at the Enchanted Forest.  They
were too close to freedom to just give up.

Especially
since Benji had actually returned for them.

The
bridge ogre was back to looking like himself and being held at gunpoint by two
of the guards.  Dower must have handed him Dru, because Benji was cradling her
limp body against his chest.  A fishing boat was tied up to the hospital’s
small dock, just waiting for their escape.

There
had
to be a way.

“Did
you really think you’d get away with it?”  Dr. White arched a brow at
Scarlett.  “Oh I’ll admit, you got much further than I ever would’ve have
guessed, but you’re a
Bad folk
, you stupid twit.  Your kind never wins.”

“I
don’t believe in Good folk and Bad folk, anymore.”  Scarlett said honestly.  “I
think we’re all the same.”

Dr.
White and the dwarfs scoffed at that idea.  Even the Tuesday share group squinted
at her like she’d lost her mind.

Dower
snorted.  “Your woman is crazy, Marrok.”

Despite
the circumstances, Marrok’s mouth curved.  “I know.”  He kept his body between
Scarlett and Dr. White.  “I think she’s adorable.”

“I’m
disappointed in you, Wolf.”  Dr. White took a step closer to him.  Her words
were taunting, but her face was tight with anger.  “I thought we had a deal,
but instead you tried to play me.  For what ?  For
her?
”  She pointed at
Scarlett.  “Why?  What could an ugly stepsister offer you that I didn’t?”

“Well,
first off, she’s not a psychotic bitch.”

Esmeralda
gave a nervous laugh at Marrok’s wiseass response.

One
of the guards whacked her in the head with a gun.

Dr.
White stopped directly in front of Marrok, one hand trailing down the chest of
his wolf form.  “You’re such a beautiful brute.”  She murmured.  “You just need
training.”  She glanced over at the guards.  “Take them all to the dungeon. 
Except the wolf.  He and I have some things to discuss
privately
.”

Scarlett’s
eyes widened in horror.  “No!”

“The
only way you’re going to get me into bed is if you kill me first.”  Marrok told
the doctor flatly.

“Don’t
think I won’t.”  Snow White hissed.

“
I’ll
fuck you, Dr. White!”  Dower volunteered.

The
dwarf guards moved forward to grab Marrok’s arms.  He shoved them away.  The
rest of the escapees were standing there with their hands up, already sure they
were beaten.  But not the wolf.  Scarlett watched him begin his losing battle
and felt something shift deep inside of her.

Marrok
was going to fight.

Bad,
Good, ugly, beautiful, wicked, charming… All those labels meant nothing.  She
wasn’t sure who they applied to or why they mattered.  She just abruptly knew
that she and Marrok were alike in so many ways.  Ways that were so much more
important than the designations on their rap sheets or their reflections in the
mirror.

They
were partners.

“I’ll
tell you where the glass slipper is.”  Letty blurted out.

Marrok’s
head snapped around to stare at her.

Scarlett
kept her attention on Dr. White.  “I’ll give you whatever you want.  Just don’t
hurt him.”

“That’s
more like it.”  Dr. White smirked and motioned the guards back.  “Where is the
shoe?”  She demanded coldly, stalking towards Letty.

Scarlett
edged towards the lake.  “First, you have to promise to help my sister.  The gas
knocked her out.  I want Dru up and awake…”

“Yes,
fine.”  Dr. White waved that aside.  “Where’s the shoe?”

“Do
you promise to help Drusilla receive True Love’s kiss?  That’s the only thing
that can save her.”  She took another step sideways.  “Can I trust you?”

Dr.
White followed her.  “I don’t see how you have much
choice
but to trust
me.”

“I
have a choice.”  Scarlett retorted.  “Because, you want the glass slipper and, unless
my sister is safe, we don’t have a deal.”

“Well,
then I’ll just have to
question
the wolf about it, won’t I?”

“You
touch him and you’re
never
going to get it.”  Scarlett spared a quick
look down, gauging the distance to the edge of the lake.  Her eyes flicked back
up to meet Marrok’s and she saw realization dawn.  The two of them could
communicate without words.

He
shifted to give her more room.

“Do
you think you can threaten me?”  Dr. White scoffed.  “You’re
nothing.
”

Letty
refocused on Snow White and did her damnedest to piss the woman off.  “I must
be
something
, since Marrok’s chosen me over everything you’ve tried.  He
wants
me
.  Not you.”

“Do
you think I care what that oaf
wants. 
He’ll do as he’s told.”

“He
hasn’t so far.”  Satisfaction filled her, because it was true.  “You’ve
threatened him and bribed him and imprisoned him and tried to make him feel
small, and he’s
still
fighting you.  Because, he’s a better person than
you will
ever
be.”

Marrok
stared at her, a strange expression on his face.

“He’s
just a wolf!”

“He’s
my
wolf.  And he’d rather stay locked in a dungeon than touch you.  He
told me so.”  Scarlett arched a brow and got really mean about it.  “Then, we
laughed at how utterly pathetic you are.”

“Oh
shit.”  Dower muttered.  “I don’t think she should be saying that.”

“You
smug little bitch!”  Dr. White gave Letty a shove.  “Do you really think he
wants
to be with you?  Huh?!  Look at him!  He’s just stuck with your ugly ass
because you’re his True Love and animals are stupidly loyal.”

“She’s
not ugly.”  Marrok put in quietly.

Dr.
White turned to give him a venomous look.  She opened her mouth to spit out
some withering insult, but she never got the chance.  Scarlett used Snow
White’s momentary distraction to seize her arm.  She spun the doctor around,
wrenching her towards the Lake of Forgetting.  Snow White stumbled forward a
single step.  Just six extra inches.  But that was enough.  Dr. White
automatically tried to catch her balance…

…And
wound up standing ankle deep in the water.

As
Scarlett watched, the doctor’s eyes went blank, her mind fading into mystical
amnesia.  Snow White had no memory of what had just happened, or of who she
was, or of anything else.  Scarlett had just… erased her.

No
one moved.

“My
God.”  Marrok finally said in something close to awe.  “This is why I’m yours,
Letty.  Because you are fucking amazing.”

“Open
fire!”  One of the guards shrieked.

Marrok
threw himself at Scarlett, shoving her to the ground as bullets erupted.  She
hit the cold grass, shielded by his body.

Snow
White turned towards the noise, like she had no idea what was going on.  Benji
moved to protect Dru.  Avenant rolled his eyes and reluctantly ducked.  Rumpelstiltskin
ran back towards the hospital in blind panic.  Dower desperately scrambled towards
the boat.

For
a moment, Letty thought they were all going to die.  That it would be a replay
of all the times Good folk had mowed down Baddies with impunity.

Only
this time it finally occurred to Esmeralda that Bad folk could strike back.

Her
magic was so much stronger than the guns.  The witch looked towards the guards
and her powers melted the bullets in midair.  The metal projectiles liquefied,
pooling to the ground.  At almost the same instant, she lifted a palm and
blasted out a pulse of green energy.  It looked like a mixture of lightening
and birds in flight as it arced over the dying grass.  The guards were blown
backwards, toppling off their feet.

Esmeralda
seemed stunned when her attack worked.  If it wasn’t for Marrok and Scarlett’s
example, she probably wouldn’t even have tried.  Bad folk were so used to
losing that she seemed downright confused by her easy victory.

The
dwarves were no less flabbergasted.  They began radioing for reinforcements,
screaming for someone to bring more weapons.  Not even magic could combat
everything in their arsenal.

“Go!” 
Marrok roared.  He pulled Scarlett up by the back of her shirt, propelling her
towards the boat.  The rickety wooden dock swayed under her feet as they ran. 
He lifted her over the side of the fishing boat and quickly followed her
aboard.

Dower
was already working to untie the ropes so they could launch.  “We gotta get
outta here!  How do you drive a boat?!”

“Benji!” 
Letty called.  “Come start this thing!”

Benji
handed Dru’s unconscious body to Avenant as they all clambered onto the deck. 
“Hang on.”  The weight of his giant form sent the hull sinking a foot deeper in
the water.

“Weren’t
we supposed to be escaping
quietly?
”  Avenant demanded.

“Where
am I?”  Snow White called blankly from shore.  “Should I be coming with you?”

“No!” 
Half of them bellowed back.

Benji
got the engine started and spun the boat’s wheel, trying to get them out on the
water.  More guards were racing across the dismal lawn, headed for the lake. 
They were loaded down with an impressive array of guns, already sighting on the
boat.

“Uh-oh.” 
Scarlett hit the deck and grabbed Marrok’s hand, pulling him down beside her. 
“Tell me that isn’t a rocket launcher.”

“That
looks like a rocket launcher.”  He told her anyway.

“Why
the hell do they have
rocket launchers?!
  The hospital doesn’t have the
cash to heat the rooms, but they have the budget to buy rocket launchers?!”

“Faster,
Benji!”  Esmeralda screamed.

Scarlett
squeezed her eyes shut and knew they weren’t going to make it.  The guards were
going to sink the boat.  The boat was going to sink into the water.  The water
was going to erase their memories.  Without memories, they weren’t going to
even exist.  Everything about them was about to be eradicated and there wasn’t
a damn thing they could do about it.

And,
even knowing how it was about to end, if Letty had to do it all over, she’d
make the
exact
same choices again.  If she was going to die today, at
least she was going to die fighting.

Still,
that didn’t make her feel any better when she felt an explosion rock the side
of the boat.

Scarlett
saw the bright flare as the weapon fired and heard the shrieking whine of it
streaking through the air.  Then the hull was shuddering beneath her and she
could smell smoke as something caught fire.  She looked at the distant shore
and knew it was still too far away.

Dower
cursed.  “We’re all gonna drown!  Why did I let you talk me into this?”

“We’re
not lucky enough to drown.”  Marrok shot back.  Scarlett could see the wheels
in his head turning and coming up empty.  They really were out of good
options.  “We’re not going to make it to the other side of this lake, Red.”  He
finally said.

“I
know.”

“We
either go back,” Marrok continued, “or we go in the water.  Your choice, baby.”

Either
way was pretty much a death sentence.

She
craned her neck to look over the railing and back towards the WUB Club.  Benji
had the engine going full speed, so they were out of range of the dwarves’
weapons, now.  They’d built enough distance that the concrete walls of the
hospital looked smaller.  She wanted it to fade away completely.  Going back
would mean never leaving, again.  She’d be locked-up and watched even closer
this time.