The tunnel kept caving into itself, their only exit now a few feet ahead. Darks clicked and groaned as they struggled to catch up, puzzled by the collapsing tunnel walls.
"Follow the light!"
"It's coming down!"
"JUMP!"
-- Dayton, surface -- 2015 --
"Alright kid?"
"Thank you, Mr. Dayton."
Blake rolled over, letting go of the child's balled up form. "Blake'll do," he said, sitting on the copper-brown earth. He took a deep breath, finally calming down after an hour's worth of encounters and evasion.
It was far beyond him, the event of this day.
Death to all demons.
The memory had been forced upon his head, feeding on his guilt until it broke him. It was terrifying. Terrifying enough to drive him insane.
Anne looked around, but no one seemed to be near them. The whole place was shrouded in dust, casting an orange mist all that loomed mysteriously about them.
"Mark! Reyna!" Blake shouted, sending ripples through the hazy dust. "Redhead! Anyone!" It was useless.
The dust had begun to settle, their vision slowly regaining sharpness. Anne squeezed his hand, holding a gun in the other.
"You know how to use one of those?" Blake asked, giving her tiny palm a gentle squeeze in return.
"Yeah. Sure," she replied, gazing into the settling flecks of orange.
"Got the guts to kill someone with it?"
"Some - one?" she stuttered, her frame trembling ever so slightly.
"Human's aren't very different from darks. Could be worse even," he said letting go of her sweating palm. "Would you do it?"
"No," she said, lowering her head.
"Good," he replied, patting the eleven-year-old's head.
"My name is not redhead," came a woman's voice from behind him. The cold barrel of her pistol pressed against the back of his head. "Let go of the girl."
"It's alright," he whispered, glancing at Anne as he let go of her arm.
Samantha yanked the child from Blake's side, pushing the girl behind her. "So you're the monster I heard about."
"I thought we met before."
"Never talked once. You sure are a busy person aren't you, Blake Dayton?" she hissed.
"I'll take that as a compliment," Blake replied nonchalantly.
"You brought them here," she said, cutting straight to the chase. Blake felt the weapon shake as it pressed against the back of his head.
"What if I did?" Blake snapped, tilting his head further into the gun's mouth.
"You motherfu-"
In an instant he turned around, catching Samantha off guard. She planted the gun right at his forehead, her fingers twitching at the trigger.
"You got what it takes?" the bane taunted, his dead crimson eyes making a mess out of her nerves.
"What if I do?" she snapped back, her hands just as jittery as before. Sam was frozen.
"Lesson two," said Blake, snatching the gun from Sam, then walking right past her frozen form. "Never hurt something you can't kill," he said, looking at Anne as he walked past her.
"What if it's a bane?" the young girl asked.
Blake stopped mid-step, glancing at her over his shoulder.
"Don't even bother to try."
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"There you are."
"You really love tearing up old wounds, don't you?" Sam scoffed, crouching to pick Reyna up.
"It's just one stitch," she replied, hissing sharply as Samantha picked her up by the shoulder. "Where's Mark?" she asked, facing Blake. For some reason, he seemed a bit, indifferent. Anne wrapped herself around his arm, inciting a faint smile.
"We'll find him soon enough Rey," Samantha stated.
-- a few hours later --
"MARK!"
"It's no use," Sam snapped, her shoulders dangling from frustration.
"Anything on the walkie?"
"No," said Anne, hugging the receiver tight against her chest.
She'd been clinging on to the thing ever since he asked her to take it out. Blake gave her a thumbs up, making the girl smile. "It means we're fucked," he mumbled, his voice thick with sarcasm. Reyna replied with a quick rap to his head. "Watch your language idiot."
"You're one to talk," he snapped back at Reyna, looking at the wide-eyed kid in front of him. And I thought kids say that all the time.
The mist had settled hours ago, yet Mark was nowhere to be seen. "Did you try the tunnel?" Blake asked the girls, turning back to look at the entrance.
"It's been blocked off. We can't shove it all out anyway." Sam replied, walking over to Anne who was rubbing her wrist. "Did I do that? Sorry," she said, making a pouty face at the kid.
"Repulsive."
"I agree," Reyna added, following Blake's disgusted reaction.
"Hey! We're trying to make up here!" The redhead shot back, turning to look back at the young girl.
"Let's- not do that again," Anne muttered, dragging her words out.
"Okay," Sam replied, quickly recovering from the wave of embarrassment that had just crushed her pride. "Let's get going."
They walked on for a few more minutes. The sun however was on its way down, the bitter cold of winter slowly setting in again.
"We need to find shelter," said Blake, staring at the setting sun. The sight was truly one to behold as of any day on the surface, but as always, it was more of a warning. "It'll be dark soon."
"Where do you plan on camping genius?"
"Buildings, any one."
"Are you fucking crazy?" she snapped, toning down as she saw Anne walk up to her.
"We don't have tents or sleeping bags, so a building is our best option," Blake replied in his usual monotonous voice.
"It'll be crawling with darks." she retorted, waving her arms in protest.
"And what? You think those things'll stay in the tunnel all day long?"
"I don't recommend the streets either but that's way better than a building. I'd better fight in an open space than a corridor."
"Then what the hell do we do!" Blake snapped, not finding reason in her words.
"Let's, just keep walking towards the granary for now."
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YOU ARE READING
Where Light Dies
Fantasy--Completed-- Book 1/3 - A Phantom's Light The world has ended. It has been nearly two decades since humanity fell. The skies have turned a vile crimson, and the earth now lies smeared in the blood of billions. In a realm overrun by demons...
