The Eye Of The Hurricane

9:

All of the air seemed to be sucked out of Brendon's lungs. There was a figure standing in front of him, but it wasn't Josh or Tyler.

Josh and Tyler didn't have red eyes.

The figure in front of him appeared to be a male. He looked about the same age as Brendon. His dark colored hair sat in wavy curls atop his head. His features seemed soft, but Brendon had a hard time pulling his gaze from the red eyes.

The figure grinned. "Hello, there." He spoke with a voice as sweet as honey. He blinked at Brendon, waiting for a response.

Brendon didn't have a response.

The grin turned sour. "No need to be rude." As he spoke the last word, he shoved Brendon.

Brendon went flying to the floor from the force of the blow. He landed on his rear, using his hands to brace himself from the fall. He looked up at the figure with wide eyes.

Around the figure, darkness seemed to seep into the very air surrounding him. His red eyes glowed with intensity as he tilted his head, looking down at Brendon with curiosity.

"Going to say anything?" He asked.

Brendon barely found it within himself to shake his head.

The future crouched down in front of Brendon, growling lowly as he did so. It was a growl that seemed to originate from deep within his chest. His gaze was curious as he continued to regard Brendon.

Brendon just stared back. His chest rose and fell at an even pace, despite the fear he held within. Where had this guy came from? Who the hell was he? Why were his eyes solid red? Despite those questions, however, his biggest followed the strange sense of familiarity that seemed to keep his breathing calm.

"Do you not remember me, Brendon?" He asked, cocking his head to the other side.

"Remember?" Brendon finally found his voice to repeat one of the words spoken to him, like a parrot. It was like he couldn't think of any other words to say. He just gulped, rather than add anything else.

The figure growled again, though his face remained neutral. The red of his eyes became the only source of light as the darkness that seeped from him completely consumed the two. He leaned close to Brendon, stopping just inches from his face.

"You really don't..." A small, unsettling, smile hooked the corners of the figure's mouth. "You don't know?"

"No?" Brendon was breathless. It was hard to breathe in the darkness. Or was he just panicking? Spots began to dance in his vision.

The figure laughed. "No, no..." He reached out and grabbed hold of Brendon's jawline. The spots faded and Brendon found his focus on the figure's eyes. The red was shrinking down from its consumption of his eye. Now, it was just a ring of red in his iris that burned intensely. "Not yet, Brendon."

Brendon tried go respond, but his vision began to go fuzzy. His eyes crossed and the darkness was creeping in on what little he could see. He couldn't think straight. Everything was going dark.

The sound around him echoed as if he was in a tunnel. Despite that, however, there was one thing that came in clear.

Laughter.

A soft laugh that hid an underlying growl.

That was all he knew before he was completely consumed by darkness.

---

"BRENDON!"

A voice called out to Brendon. He could hear his name, but anything else was drowned out by a howling sound. A continuous howl.