The Ninth: Sequel

Part 5. An eternal night

Darla and Hal were driving somewhere in a car. And then Darla suddenly screamed: a cutting pain pierced her entire body.

"Who the hell is doing your dirty work there?" she pinned Hal to the seat, "Say it!"

"What are you talking about? What dirty work?!"

"Something just happened in Endhill. Someone did something to one of those under my compulsion. I felt it with my whole body. Explain to me what's going on, now!"

"I don't know what happened, it's useless to ask me about something I don't even know about! Stop choking me please!"

Darla pressed him even harder and then freed his neck.

"What's going on?" Hal asked.

"One of my compelled toys was killed, I think."

She looked around very angrily.

"That's it, then... Stop the car, Keith," Darla asked the driver.

They stopped at the curb. All three got out of the car. There was nothing around. Rain-wet road, woods and impenetrable blackness of the night.

Hal looked at Darla questioningly.

"Kill him," she pointed at the driver.

"What? Are you insane? Why?"

Darla furiously grabbed Hal's arm and stared into his eyes, activating compulsion.

"Hal Fort, from now on, you serve me!"

He twitched.

"I repeat. Kill him," she said in an even colder tone.

"No... Damn... Man, don't do it!" Keith started to back away in a panic.

Hal clenched his hands into fists, trembling. His eyes glittered devilishly in the darkness. In a split second, he was next to Keith and instantly dug into his neck, drinking him to the last drop.
Darla stood watching this, and just laughed smugly.

- - - - -

"Dana?"

"Dean..."

Shocked, Dana took a couple of steps back and sat down on the bench opposite him. For minute or two, neither of them could utter a word. They only heard each other's breathing.

"I don't know, honestly, I don't even know where to start..."

Dean crawled from the bench to his knees in front of her, right on the sidewalk.

"I was gone for a whole month. For a whole month I led the most idle way of life, like I used to before I met you. Side by side with her. I hung out a lot. I drank. I threatened. I fed on some of them. And I was with her. I'm gonna go crazy now realizing all of this. I just wanna die again right now..."

Dana didn't make a sound. She didn't even blink.

"And after all this, you are unlikely to forgive me. Dana. I wish I could bring everything back, even if just for a moment. You suffered for more than a month. You probably also watched the crooked picture of old me. How did you even survive this... or are you still struggling... Of course, yeah, no doubt you are. You don't wanna see me now, I know. I left you to your fate. Right at the hardest point of your life, I left you alone, and now that you got stronger without me, I am more than sure that I am no longer needed. And I myself am to blame for this, unfortunately."

"You have nothing to do with it, Dean," Dana spoke up, "This was the compulsion. I know that you tried to get out of it, that you came to my office. Threatened the security guard... I know everything. It wasn't you. Everything you did with Mary Louise, you were compelled to do it, those weren't your actions. It's okay. It's okay..."