A Light in the Dark

Chapter Eight

•~•Lilah•~•

What a fucking asshole! Who says that to people?! I think as I turn and march to the tent. I grab his sleeping bag and pillow and throw them outside. Then I zip the tent closed and tie the zipper up so he can't open it. I slip into pajamas and lay down. How dare he. As I close my eyes a lone tear slips down my face. I shouldn't have agreed to this.

I wake up the next morning to an earthquake. Opening my eyes I jump up, only to realize it's Sam shaking the tent.

"Lilah get up we need to finish our hike today." Sam says. His voice is cautious as if I were feral. I get up and get dressed. After untying the zipper I throw my bag out and roll up my sleeping bag. I exit the tent and walk over to the campfire. A plate of food sits on a stump. I take the food and enjoy my breakfast, not caring if it was for me or not. Sam collapses the tent while I eat. Once everything is packed he looks to me to see if I'm ready, then starts walking.

We have been walking for about an hour when some strange happens. I faintly hear a rustling coming from behind us. Sam stops which means he heard it to. We both glance at each other and then turn around. A large black panther-like creature with eyes like glowing embers steps out of the brush. It's glowing red eyes signal it's alliance to the Darkness, as well as it's spiked tail that looks like it's made of smoke but is actually solid through and through.

"Sam I thought you said there weren't any creatures in here" I say as I step back.

"There aren't supposed to be. Any dark creature that goes through the gate dies, and although the fence is eight feet, there's eight more feet above it of electrical currents that should have killed it if it tried to go over." Sam looks puzzled and on edge. "This is impossible." He mutters.

The creature, a Shwarklot (pronounced sh-war-ck-low), turns slightly and glares at me. Now, even though I am slightly behind Sam, the creature is obviously targeting me. I reach a hand back and pull a throwing knife out of my bag. In the two seconds it took me to reach my arm back the Shwarklot disappeared and reappeared behind me, but I had already been spinning around. Right as it is beginning to appear I throw the knife. It sails end over end into the creatures head, causing it to turn into an oozing piles of black goop with two red dots in it. A gust of wind sweeps in, turning the goop to smoke and blowing it away.

A sudden cry of surprise sounds behind me, and I find Sam in the middle of a heated battle with another Shwarklot. Just as I reach back to find another knife the creature appears behind me and rips the bag from my back. It drops it back by the bushes the first one emerged from, then starts to advance on Sam again. My heart drops in despair as I see he only has the handle of a sword left and the other half lies under the creature's massive paw. I see the muscles bunch together and know it's going to leap at him.

Just as it is about to leap I jump in front of Sam with a cry of desperation. As the creature sails through the air at me everything slows down, my hand raises almost of it's own volition as if I was telling the creature to stop, and then.....

Black.

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•~•Sam•~•

I was about to go hep Lilah with the Shwarklot when I heard the bushes rustle for a second time. Right as I turned to look at them another Shwarklot stepped out of the brush and instantly sized me up.

I pulled my sword from my back and fixed my stance. A deep rumbling growl erupted from the beasts throat, warning me of what I was getting into.

As it leaped forward I thrashed out and sliced the thick spiked end off of it's tail. A red cloudy liquid came squirting from the tip and slowly floated up like dyed smoke.

The beast yowled in more annoyance than pain, and then it was it's turn to act. It evaporated and reappeared behind me.

Taking my sword in it's massive jaw, the Shwarklot thrashed it's head back and forth, and disconnected the blade from it's handle. I let out an outraged cry, seeing as I was now unarmed.

I blinked and the creature disappeared. Befote I had time to turn around it was back and holding Lilah's bag between it's teeth. Turning to face me, the creature bunches up it's muscles in preparation to leap.

A black shadowy form hurls through the air at me. As I'm about to leap aside and attempt a dodge, another form makes it's way in front of me with ash blonde hair. Lilah!

Before the creature reaches us Lilah raises her hand in a way that says stop. What is she thinking? I think to myself.

Then....

The

World

Goes

Black.

Light erupts from the palm of Lilah's hand that makes the world look black in comparison. With a startled cry the Shwarklot falls back to the earth, but it's not quite the same as before.

In it's place lies a white leopard, with bright blue eyes. A light creature. Yes light.

Lilah changed a creature's alliance with the palm of her hand.

Not even the gods could do that.

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