Bittersweet Umbra

6.

"We have you surrounded!" Rodney yells. "Enough of this. Hand me the girl and her mother and all will be forgiven. You are transitioning, Kudzai. From that which makes you a man to that which makes you more. Yes, it is true, all I feel is pain, all I feel is anger. All I know is sadness." Here, his voice wavers. "But this is my fault - the folly of being too eager in my experiments. Who is to say you will turn out the same? Hand them over, with the crystal she stole from me, and all will be forgiven. This, I promise, my friend. Please, don't do this."

At this moment, a bright light beams out from the windows. It fluctuates, getting bigger and brighter. Everyone, including Rodney, stares, transfixed. Inside the house, Kudzai whispers incessantly, telling himself to not stare into the light. Meanwhile, Zee, her eyes closed, fumbles around as she nurses her hand which had been burnt by the hot crystal. She's unsure of where she'd tossed it, the crystal landing beside Tully who remains unconscious.

Outside, everyone watches curiously as the light begins to take shape, forming a sort of bubble. It expands, Rodney stretching out a finger as it gradually moves closer. As he touches it, everything around him suddenly turns deathly quiet. The world dissipates into a pure white. Raising his hand, he can barely make out its shape; its faint, obscured by the haze.

whoosh

He feels it more than he hears it. Figures surround him, their movements frantic and confused. He gets knocked back as walks into him. His hand shoots out, grabbing the person by the shoulder and pulling them close. Shouting for them to identify themself, his words sound like the faintest of whispers, even to his own ears. He lets go and stumbles backwards, confused and unsettled.

Although he still feels the street beneath him, he has no idea of where he is.

And that's when he hears it. Muffled but still recognisable. It sounds off again, multiple times. The sound of a gun being fired.

He follows the noise, his hands outstretched in caution as he waves them about. The shots get louder and a bullet whizzes past his ear, barely deflected in time. At this, he ducks to the ground, proceeding to crawl forward. Calming himself, he stretches out his hand to see if he can sense anyone nearby. His mind, latching onto something, feels the familiar tug of a human soul. He's unsure of whether this individual is one of his own or not but, deciding to not take chances, he begins to drain.

His body contorts in pleasure as their essence enters him, spurts of joy, fear, excitement, flowing through his veins. He laughs, inaudible yet wild. And, just like that, it's all over. The numbness returns, all that remains being pain, anger, sadness. He lets out a scream of rage, not satisfied in the slightest. As the months have gone by, each draining has become less satisfying than the last. He remembers when one body could make him feel for hours. This last one barely sustained half a minute. His hunger has become insatiable.

But he must feed.

Getting to his feet, he begins walking forward, his arms once again outstretched. He searches for anyone nearby, intending to drain them all. Absolutely all of them.

***

The two ski-masked guards make their way through the haze, trying to ignore the deafening screams which come from all directions. Hush covers his ears, keeping his head down and his feet moving. Babbles, his eyes wild with fear, his heart thumping in his ears, struggles to ignore the riotous screams. The brothers tremble at the sound of each voice for they all sound familiar - the voices of all those they'd helped Rodney kill.

A deep-seated fear they both share is that one day, somehow, they will be forced to reckon with the past. They've killed so many for the sake of the crystals but their guilt has begun to outweigh their pleasure. Now, in this mysterious white haze, it seems as if fate has found them.