Like the Darkness, but not the Darkness (A Gone series fan fiction)

Angelic (Chapter Twenty Seven)

"Hello, freak."

Lana froze. She'd been arguing with Howard, asking him why he was threatening her by gunpoint as he led her- his hand noticeably shaking as he did. Howard wasn't a criminal, not like this. Sure, you could see him selling drugs or downloading pirated movies- but he wasn't a murderer.

But, his leader was. Drake.

Of course Howard was doing it for Drake.

Lana's hand went to her mouth, taking in Drake's arm- burning flesh hanging off bone. Her eyes went to his face, and she instantly recognized the contorted pain. An odd mixture of fear and pity spiked through her, knowing that he was the evil- but the pain had to be horrible. 

"I can heal you." Lana said quickly, nearly sobbing out her words as she did. Some part of her would gladly leave him to rot, but she also knew that the second Drake got his, now it was singular, hand on the gun Howard currently held- he wouldn't hesitate. 

He would do what he thought he needed to do to get what he wanted.

"Oh, you assume that's what I want. Lucky guess, you could say." Drake mumbled, chuckling like a psychotic person as he stumbled forward a bit- with Orc taking a step away from beside him. But it wasn't what Lana was focusing on as an noise from the distance echoed in her ears.

It was dark, so she couldn't see- but Lana could hear the sounds of paws.

Drake was talking to her, taunting her- but she didn't hear.

All she heard was the sound of paws.

"No, no!!" Lana sobbed, turning and trying to run but being caught by Howard- who held her firmly in place. She squirmed and thrashed and kicked, but her panic made her weak and sloppy. He was going to just hold her until they reached her- until they took her back-

"Oh yes Lana, you should be scared of me." Drake drawled, smiling a shark like smile as he inched closer. "You should be very afraid-"

Orc screamed from behind Drake.

"Howard, Howard help!" Orc shouted, finally uselessly trying to fend off the coyotes that had appeared out of the darkness. Howard immediately stiffened, frozen in place by his own fear and shock. Lana did the opposite, her attempts at escape becoming more frantic.

Staying as calm as he could, Drake shot his gun- once into the air and a second time into a coyote.

But they didn't stop. The writhing bodies continued to attack what was Orc but more and more could easily be mistaken for a hunk of meat that was being torn apart under the coyotes sharp teeth. Were they hungry? Was that why they had began to torment, and partially eat, Orc so suddenly?

For all Lana cared they could have him. She just needed out. Now.

"Give us female." A voice said, a coyote stepping past the pile of coyote that were still attacking Orc. The voice had sounded like it had come from the coyote, the rough and unpracticed speech coming straight out from the animal's mouth. 

Drake glanced around, but then his gaze narrowed at the coyote.

"No." He said, just testing the theory he had in mind.

"Darkness want female."  The coyote spoke, his jaws snapping as he barked the demand at Drake.

Howard gasped from behind Lana, who was sobbing into her hands. It was assured now. Either the animal was talking or all three of them were going crazy in the same way.

"Darkness can't have female." Drake mocked, aiming his gun. Insanity was something he could roll with. Odd, dark things that go bump in the night- he could deal with. These coyotes were nothing more than moving targets with teeth that you had to watch out for.