The Dark Path (Part 1/2)

A Close Shave

[Archer’s POV]

I arrived back home feeling extremely exhausted and fatigued. I’m guessing that using my dark powers would sap some of my physical energy. The wolf lowered itself and I dropped down in front of the doorstep of my house. I tried getting up only to collapse onto the ground, accidently giving myself bruises on my arms in the process.

After a few attempts and several more bruises, I came to a conclusion that I won’t be able to get up so it looked like I was going to have sleep on the doorstep. God knows what my parents find me sleeping out here.

Fighting those thugs was good exercise but it didn’t get my mind of Alexis. I try so hard yet I always fail. I might as well let her go. Better for to be safe and single than wrecked and with me. I rolled my eyes. All that is easier said than done.

I sighed as I thought about myself. I failed my girlfriend, I failed my parents, and I failed my life. I’m going to be the Dark Lord that everyone’s going to fear and hate. No doubt some goody two-shoes that everyone loves is going to kick my backside and smile as people want to pictures with him while I’m in the background behind bars. I tried getting up again only fail as before.

“Why do I even try? There’s nothing worth living for anymore.” I said in self-pity.

“Well, there are the good things in life like nachos for one thing.” a voice spoke from beside me. I recognized it immediately.

“What do you want? Can’t you see I’m trying to be in my pool of self-pity?” I replied harshly.

“Looks like someone’s a little bit grumpy.”

“Screw off.” I grumbled and turned my body facing away from Miles.

I heard a sigh that was quickly accompanied by footsteps. “I will but not before carrying your heavy ass into your house. I can’t have my brother from another mother looking like a hobo in front of his own house.”

Miles hoisted me up and slung my arm around his shoulder to act as support. I opened the door with my key, reluctantly. It took about ten minutes for Miles to lift me up a short flight of stairs as my bedroom was on the upper floor. Miles kicked my door open and dumped me on my bed.

“Don’t let the bedbugs bite and all that crap.” Miles muttered as he walked out of my room and closed my door.

I was still in pathetic mood but at least I was in my comfortable bed. This was a lot better than the hard doorstep. I closed my eyes and started to sleep but couldn’t as something just didn’t feel right.

[Miles’ POV]

‘Well that’s done,’ I thought to myself. After leaving the diner, I headed straight for the warehouse. However, by the time I got there, I saw a beat-up old car being driven at breakneck speed chased by a pack of wolves. The largest of the wolves had a human-like figure covered in shadows riding on top of it. This figure, I had no doubt, was Archer. I slammed the gas on my car in pursuit. In spite of having a fast car, the horsepower was no match for the wolves. Either my car was in desperate need of some servicing or these wolves were of another dimension.

Eventually, I found the beat-up car underneath a bridge but by the time I got there, the wolf rider was nowhere to be seen. Only a few wolves were lingering around. I decided it was best not to step out of the car to investigate. There was no telling what these wolves’ diet was.

I decided to drive to Archer’s house to check if he was there and sure enough, he was. Only he was crawled up in a fetal position on his doorstep. He was acting more of a moron than usual when I acknowledged him. Other people would feel unappreciated  by Archer’s harsh words if they were in my place since they spent all night looking for him and will not hesitate to just leave him there but those people aren’t me. I‘ve known this boy since our early years. He always acts this way when he gets tired.

After dumping Archer on his bed, I grabbed an unopened can of soft drink from the Steeles’ refrigerator. I began to feel relaxed and began to unwind  when I smelt the sweet smell of the drink. Stepping outside, I sat down on the doorstep and took in the quiet, peaceful night. I hardly have time to experience nights like this. Other nights, I would usually have some girl trying to kiss me on the lips and most of them weren’t even my girlfriends.

I breathed in the cold air and took a sip of my drink. That was when I heard something. My sound senses were kicking in. There was the sound of someone’s breathing at 53.4 degrees anticlockwise from the direction from where I was facing. His heart rate was higher than normal, which meant this guy was definitely not walking by to say hello. I couldn’t hear any footsteps either. I was the elemental of sound, not the elemental of eyesight so I had no idea if this guy was spying on me but based on the sounds he was making, he meant trouble.  This is not going to escalate well.

I pretended not to take any notice of the sneak. Every tip toe  he was making sounded like an explosion to me and yet, I did my best to act oblivious. I could hear him climbing a tree in Archer’s front yard that had branch leading to his room, with the sneak’s breathing and heart rate increasing . From what he was doing, he had no clear intention of picking a fight with me. Despite that, I dropped my drink and ran inside. That’s because I already had a good guess who the sneak was. More importantly, I know who he was here for or to be specific, who he was going to kill.

[Archer’s POV]

He climbed through the window and walked across my room without a sound. He reached into a pocket inside the jacket he was wearing and pulled out a dagger that emitted light from its sharp point like a flashlight.

“You’ve breathed your last, Darkness. Your just another demonspawn that I need to take care of” the figure mumbled under his breath.

He lifted the dagger high in the air and brought it down. At the very last second, I caught his armed hand with my left hand. I was still in a very weak condition and could barely hold his hand from burying a dagger in my chest, let alone fight back. Just as the sharp point of the dagger began to touch my chest, Miles burst in and let rip a sonic blast that almost deafened me and sent the intruder flying across the room and crashing right through the wall.  Miles hurried to the hole in the wall and looked down.

“Nice try, Al but you’re going to have to do better than that to stop Team Archer because…” Miles taunted before he was interrupted by a large bird that reflected the moonlight off its feathers fly right into his face and tried clawing at his face. I tried to get up and help but all I managed to succeed in doing was fall off my bed.

Just then, two wolves leapt through the hole in the wall and started gnashing the bird. In doing so, they managed to get the bird off Miles’ face.

“You alright there?” I asked him.

Miles scurried over to a wall mirror and checked his face.

“Ah yes. Still beautiful, fortunately.” He chuckled to himself.

I walked weakly to the hole in the wall and looked down at Alessandro who was badly bruised from the fall but could still stand up. Clenching his fist in the air at me, he shouted, “You can’t prevent the inevitable, Archer. I could have finished you off back at the zoo but I knew if I had done that, you wouldn’t act reckless and stupidly waste your energy. Count yourself lucky that you get to sleep another night.”

“Wait…” I spoke weakly as Alessandro walked off into the night.

I staggered over to my door but before I could reach it, someone else opened it. It was my mom. As soon as she saw me, she pulled me into a tight hug.

“Oh, thank god. I didn’t want to have to lose you too.” My mom said softly.

I was confused by her words. “Why…why do say that?”

“God help us. Your father has mysteriously grown ill and has become bedridden. While you were gone, a neighbourhood doctor was called. He said there was little hope.”