Darko

xxxii - The Hostage

Numb.

Anne had been taken and all he could do was lay there completely numb.

He tried to push himself up but he was too far weak. There was simply not enough strength left in his body to get her get the help she needed.

However, an unlikely hero came into the line of his vision.

The girl immediately noticed the boy laying on his stomach down on the ground. His face looked bruised and his eyes were barely open. "You didn't even drink anything.." Alex remarked.

"Al.." Was the only thing he seemed to muster out.

At this point, Alex seemed to be a bit more concerned. Darken seemed to not even be able to think cohesive thoughts and Anne was nowhere in sight. "Where's Anne?"

He used all his strength to open his mouth a bit more. "Dark..Core.." He breathed.

Alex's eyes widened, kneeling down to meet the boy's hazy eyes. Her heart beat picked up speed, pounding against her chest. "Were you attacked?" She asked, her face full of concern.

Though Alex's voice was foggy, it had an edge of fear he hadn't heard in her voice before. She was truly frightened.

All the boy could do was nod. He didn't seem like it was a very effective response before Alex hopped to her feet and screamed for help.

For a moment, it all felt like an eerie dream. He didn't protect her this time. There was nothing he could do but hear the sounds of his friend's voices before the world around him went black once more.

"HELP!" She screamed, tears swelling in her eyes.

Elizabeth was the first one to come out of the door, shortly followed by the other Soul Riders.

Linda's mouth gaped open at the sight. "What happened?"

Alex looked up at Linda with large, puffy eyes. "They took her.." She sniffed.

"Who?" Linda kneeled down beside her.

"Dark Core, Linda." She said shakily.

Elizabeth frowned, looking around. "They must of left awhile ago." Her gaze then drifted to the boy laying on the ground. "He's out cold."

"How would they even get in Silverglade?" Linda looked up at Elizabeth, utterly confused.

"They might have been dressed to go to this event, people might of thought they were here for it.."

Elizabeth kept her eyes on Darken. "We need to get him to the Stone Circle."

"How?" Linda queried. "I can't make portals from this far away.."

Elizabeth pulled out her phone. "Fripp can do it." She typed for a bit before putting it back in her pocket. "I installed a chip in the library. It alerts him when we're in trouble."

Linda lifted her eyebrows, impressed but surprised at herself she didn't think of that. "Smart."

"Sit him up against the building." Elizabeth ordered.

All the girls took a limb, carried him up the stairs and set him down so that he now had his back supported. "Easy.." She whispered.

Alex sniffed again. "Hurry Fripp.."

***

When Darken slowly opened his eyes, he found himself in a completely different floor than what he had collapsed onto.

The texture below his back was rather..soft and comfortable. It was nothing like the cobblestone streets of Silverglade Village.

The more his vision became clearer, it appeared that he was no stranger to this room at all. Judging by the blue wallpaper with stars covering the ceiling, and the large bookshelf that stood beside him it didn't take a fool to recognize where he was.