RISEN || The Keepers of Astraela #2

3.0 || BOBBI

|| CHAPTER 3.0 ||
|| BOBBI ||

THERE WAS SOMETHING PEACEFUL about coffee at midnight.

It was the only time Bobbi had to herself once her best friend finally fell asleep. It was quiet. Calm. The closest she'd been to serenity in months, and likely the closest she would ever be again.

Bobbi perched in the front window of an abandoned clothing store, careful to rest in the cover of a vehicle that had been turned over on the sidewalk outside. The full moon cast shadows along downtown Havenwood, accentuated by wispy clouds that passed overhead.

The ability to see in the dark was one of few benefits her Corruption had given her. While the dimmed world was void of color, her black and white surroundings were as crisp as they'd been in full daylight. She had always loved the night, but even more since she could fully drink in its beauty—even if it meant standard brightness was nearly unbearable.

Still, she tried not to cast her gaze too far into the distance, between gaps in buildings that allowed her to see farther onto the horizon... but she did anyway.

She couldn't help it. There was something entrancing about watching Earth's inevitable doom thread across the sky in the form of Dark webs. Its progression had been slow, but she knew that it would eventually overtake all life, just as it had done in Astraela.

Just as it would do to her soul.

A slither crept across the back of her neck, followed by another on her arm. Corruption writhed far enough beneath her skin to not be noticed, but while she tried not to think about its presence, it refused to be ignored.

Bobbi swore under her breath. She had done so well that day until the store owner revealed his true colors—another harsh reminder of what she would eventually become. It had been the longest she'd gone without using her newfound abilities, but her control over the Darkness only lasted until Eva's head cracked against the floor.

The sight of her unconscious friend had darkened her sight with rage and, before she knew it, she had succumbed to her Corruption. Watched herself knock the man over the checkout counter, drag him into the back room, and rip off the son of a bitch's head. It was easy to laugh over his lifeless body as it drowned in a pool of its own viscosity.

It had been much harder to reel herself back in.

She'd managed to inject a small dose of Starlight Serum before Eva found her, but it had hardly been enough to return her to a human state—or so she hoped. But since her best friend had yet to mention anything about black eyes or a widening maw in place of her mouth, she assumed Eva hadn't noticed a thing.

Waiting for Eva to fall asleep that night had been hell. She was like a child who refused to lie down, making sure she had everything from a bedtime drink to multiple bathroom trips before finally allowing herself to rest.

Not that Bobbi could blame her. If she had an angry goddess in her head whose torment strengthened inside her dreams, Bobbi wouldn't have slept either.

But she needed Eva to rest. If not, the Darkness would have only strengthened within her, and she needed to suppress it before it took control.

Bobbi reached into the bottomless satchel at her side. It didn't take her long to locate the syringe within, glowing with radiant white light. She uncapped the needle, sucking in a deep breath before hiking up her sleeve and sticking the syringe in her arm. As she pressed the plunger, the following burn was familiar, though she still gritted her teeth against the searing pain.

She leaned back against the window display to catch the breath that'd hitched in her chest. The Darkness would be subdued for the moment. So long as she fought to keep control over it, she would keep her soul another day.