Glass

Fight in the Dark

I gasp as my feet finally slide out underneath me, knocking me to the ground. I cry out in pain as sharpness is embedded into my shoulder, and grunt as I feel Vanessa yank me up.

"We're both getting out of here. Focus on staying upright." Her voice is accompanied by a red light filling the room.

I gasp as I see them.

Hundreds of crunchers.

Hundreds.

And all of them are moving towards us.

"GET THEM!"

I turn to see Lu screaming and pointing at us. Fear shoots through my veins, pushing me forwards after Vanessa, running even faster than before. The room stays filled with pulsing red light as each of the cruncher's react to Lu's shouting.

"GET THEM! GET THEM! GET THEM!"

Adrenaline pumps through me as I duck under a long, black arm.

"Run!"

I gasp as Vanessa lets go of my hand, then places the golden disc from before in my palm.

"I'll hold him off, you go! Don't turn back!"

I keep running forward, clutching the disc. My eyes widen as I see flashes of golden light explode behind me, reflecting off of the glass.

⧫ ⧫ ⧫

Vanessa spins out of the way of the blast, shouting as she slides and hits the glass covering the ground. The sound of the shards clinking together echoes throughout the room. She puts her own hands together and shoots back, golden light pouring from her fingertips. She hears Lu gasp as the blast nicks his side. Vanessa ducks as another monster reaches for her. She shoots it with her light, and it's instantly blasted away from her, crashing into another group of monsters.

"How dare you..." Lu screams, holding up his hand. "...try to take away what's mine!"

Vanessa cries out as the magic slams into her, spinning her into the ground. Her chest is scalding hot, and as she looks down she sees that her shirt is almost completely burned off. Her skin aches and it's charred to black. She growls in anger and sends another blast Lu's way. "She's not yours! You're the one who took her from us!"

"She belongs to me!" Lu runs forward, trying his best to get close to Vanessa. "First you trap me here, in hell, and then you take away the girl I love!"

Light overwhelms Vanessa, and she feels her back slam into the ground. Glass tears through her back as she screams in agony. She stands up, slowly, crying from the pain. "You... you killed Shawn! And Milo! I had no choice..." Her eyes widen as another blast slams into her. This time, instead of landing on the ground, she's thrust into the arms of one of the monsters. Black skin drips into her hair. "You're a murderer!"

"And you're a bitch!"

Vanessa gasps as she feels sticky hands wrap around her head, and barely processes the fact that her neck is starting to turn to the right as the hands begin to twist.

And then...

Snap!

Crack!

⧫ ⧫ ⧫

I run away from the light, barely registering the screams and explosions coming from behind me.

Lu killed Toby.

I trip and barely catch myself, narrowly avoiding the glass on the ground.

Run! I'll hold him off, you go! Don't turn back!

I swallow back a sob as I keep stumbling forward. The crunchers aren't coming for me anymore, they're only moving back towards Vanessa and Lu. The disc that Vanessa gave me is still in my hand, gripped tightly. I push forwards, trying my best not to slide on the glass beneath my feet.

And that's when I hear it.

A sound that's much too familiar, slipping into my ears.

Crack!

I look back to see Vanessa's lifeless body, falling from a cruncher's hands.

And Lu is standing there above her,

grinning.