Let There Be Darkness

Chapter 1: The Unknown

I walked through the forest, picking my way through the overgrowth. It had been a long time since anyone had walked here, for fear of the Darkers. My steps were careful, and quiet, so as not to attract attention. It would be better to hear what was happening around me. To listen to the quiet clicking of the Darker's jaws. In the two hours that I've been out of safe territory, I haven't met a single one, though the forests here are infested with them. Regardless, I had to be ready. So I pulled a short dagger from the leather sheath on my hip and kept it close to my chest for the entire journey. First of all, it helped clear the way by cutting a path through the bushes. Secondly, it made me feel safer. If a Darker came my way, I would be ready and could easily use the knowledge my father gave me  when I was little about combat techniques. I was not sure the Darker wouldn't catch up with me before I had time to realize it. 

The forest itself was noisy; I could hear birds singing, leaves rustling, and the wind. And then there was my breathing and the slightly irregular beating of my heart, which didn't fit the atmosphere. Up ahead appeared what I was looking for - the remains of some ancient building. It had two nearly intact walls and one dilapidated one. There was no roof, but there was some debris sticking out. Windows were out of the question. I shrieked with delight, or rather, I shrieked inside my head, if only I didn't feel as if I was not alone. It was an amazing find! I immediately began to explore the ruins. It seemed to be a primitive structure of the twenty-first century. Perhaps a dwelling house, judging by its size. Inside, I found nothing of interest except a broken log from a fallen tree. If there's one dwelling here, then others must be nearby.

Just then I heard a crunch. Not under my feet, but somewhere outside the house. My heart sank into my heels. I looked around sharply, but carefully. Shit. Darkers. Fuck them. My breathing completely stopped. I gripped the knife with both hands, feeling the carved hilt. I should have gotten a blaster or a sword, but I'd forgotten. Goddamnit, you idiot. Now I lightly moved towards a nearby wall. When I leaned my back against it, I immediately looked around the perimeter that I could see. The bushes and trees moved only in the breeze. I was hoping the wind or a squirrel was playing with me. My eyes darted from side to side. I'd only seen a Darker once in my life, and once was enough.

Darkers attacked our settlement years ago. They were hiding in the darkness and waiting for us to put out the last torch. Usually we have a dozen people on guard and they make sure that the fire illuminates the settlement well, but that night they fell asleep on the post. And those things easily got in. Before long chaos ensued. I remember not being able to sleep all night as panic crept. I even remember hearing the first scream. It wasn't a cry of pain, it was a cry of fear. Someone wanted to warn the settlement about the arrival of strangers, and in a moment was killed by the long claws of a monster, and then there was no longer just a cry of fear, but a death cry. I jumped up sharply from the bed and so did my parents. My dad grabbed his blaster and my mom grabbed her sword. Mom was a very skilled swordswoman in the settlement.

 I saw her come up to me and kiss my forehead. "Sit here and be quiet. Don't make a sound." she commanded in a half-whisper. But I was afraid to think, numb, frozen. I pulled the fur I had been sheltering myself with closer and burrowed into it. The room was quiet, a cold silence that wouldn't last for long. My mom looked like a little lantern of hope and I wanted to hold on to her forever, but she just put my hand away and looked at me one more time before leaving, like she had a feeling like something would happen. 

   I could see shadows flickering through the window, hear shouts, the clang of metal, the growl of Darkers. Then I saw the lights flicker on and off. Someone had lit the sphere of light in the center of the village, where the power of the sun was stored. Darkers were not afraid of light, but the harsh rays of the sun left burns on their bodies. That was why we had invented blasters, fueled by the sphere. From the village monastery came a piercing sound that I had never heard in my life. Hellish sounds, murderous sounds. Little me in my bed started pouring tears, streaming onto the fur. I only calmed down when I realized that the Darkers could smell them and hear the crying. I didn't want to die. People were dying, monsters were dying. The only thing I could do was cover my ears and close my eyes. It wouldn't save me, but it would make me feel safer against the panic I felt from hearing the screams of the people I knew. I don't know how long I sat like that, but I didn't notice the shadow of a Darker creeping into our house. It was quiet, invisible. If I had been with my eyes and ears open, I wouldn't have noticed it in the shadows even then.

It froze behind me and stared at my silhouette with a long and hungry stare. I felt its breath on my back and inhaled the Darker rot myself. Cold, nasty, slimy rot. I was terrified. I could feel my heartbeat echo throughout my body. The Darker already had a premonition of how my bones would crunch and how sweet the little girl's blood would be. It raised its clawed paw, but it was in no hurry to strike. It tormented me, slowly swiping its limb through the air, before moving away from me, its prey, then bringing me closer. Now the tears rushed without stop. I tried to keep them silent, but what was the point, anyways.

"Liv, no!" My mother shouted not far away, and then threw herself at the Darker with her sword. The blade of the sword penetrated the monster's body and it growled angrily. Up close, the sound seemed even more horrible. Its black blood immediately burst all around the room, ran down the sword's blade.

Before my mother could do anything, the monster turned toward her and grabbed her by the throat. A moment and it ripped my mother's head off and tore her body apart right in front of my eyes. That's when I screamed. I screamed, I cried, but the monster didn't care. I was ready to be torn as well as my mother, but it didn't happen. The monster was gone, leaving a sharp pain in my chest, and it still hurt to this day. The pain was now dull and superficial. However, wherever I went it stayed with me. Now I was ready to tear a Darker for the crime of one of its brothers, to tear a hundred Darkers if need be. For seeing my mother's blood, for seeing the lake of blood of the people of our village. For seeing that at least a third of our people was slaughtered. I only hope I have the guts to swing a knife over the monster's body. And that it doesn't eat me before it's dead.

I quietly peeked out from around the corner and looked at where the sounds were coming from. Nothing... It was hiding. Or... I peered into the shadows, coming up with the worst things that could kill me out in the wild.

"Hey, Liv!" , came from behind me. I swung my dagger and turned, almost hurting the man behind me. And then I stopped, because it was Drake, my best friend and partner. Sometimes he could be quite annoying, like now, for example. He often thought that me and him were intact, a single creature separated into two different people. I've known him ever since I was born, or around that time, so sometimes it made sense. But me and him were not children anymore and privacy along with secret businesses were to be respected.

"What the hell?" I swore a lot quieter than he yelled. Belief in angels, demons, God, heaven and hell was long dead, but the expressions were still there. I stared at him. His appearance was almost unbelievable. 

 "Whoa, what a belligerent Olivia! Where'd you go without me?" he put his arm around me, squeezing my ribs. It was a little punishment for not telling me I was leaving and not taking my best friend with me. He and I always travelled together. Usually, you could not survive alone out in the wild...