Hiding the Light

24th July, 2011 Part 4

Willow looked up in surprise at her sister's comment, she stood up and unsteadily wobbled forward a few steps only to have her legs give out from under her.

"What's the matter with me?" Willow slurred her eyes rolling back in her head as she collapsed on the compartment floor.

Faísca knelt down beside her and lifted an eyelid as Conner dropped down beside them.

"Is she gonna be ok?" He asked Faísca, his voice laced with concern.

"She still has the drugs from The Darkness in her system she'll be fine after a rest." Faísca explained kindly, shrugging off her coat and slipping it under Willow's head as a pillow. "All the adrenaline pushed the drugs from her mind but now they are catching up to her all at once."

"Are you sure she'll be ok?" Connor asked again stroking Willow's hair softly.

"Yeah yeah, she'll be fine" Faîsca said distractedly her gaze focused on the open compartment door.

Suddenly everything went pitch black, Connor tried to see the compartment opening, but everything was dark.

Then he heard a sweet singing fill the compartment, then a blue opening appeared in the darkness. Connor stumbled towards it, drawn towards the voice.

"Get down!" the voice punctured the fog in his head and he dropped to the floor. He felt something fly past his head and then his body felt the impact of the pressure grenade and he was thrown backwards into the train wall.

He groaned as the explosion faded, shaking his head to clear the ringing in his ears he blearily looked around the compartment. There was a smoking crater where the door of the freight train used to be. On the floor in front of the door was a girl lying face down. She had blonde hair that was cut short to her head and she was wearing a ratty white dress that was ripped in places.

Connor stood and unsteadily walked towards her crouching down he rolled the girl over. Connor gasped and stumbled backwards, her eyes were open and staring but instead of normal pupils they were all black. And her mouth was dry with black lines spreading from her lips around her mouth.

Connor shoved himself away from her as her head rolled lifeless on her shoulders. She was clearly dead.

Connor shook his head, there was still a layer of thin fog on his mind. The fog cleared with one thought.

"Willow!" He shouted getting to his feet and scanning the wall of the compartment. He saw her slumped in the corner still passed out, with Faísca next to her laying her gently on the ground with a sweatshirt under her hair.

"Is she okay?" Connor asked hurrying over and dropping to his knees on the other side of Faísca.

"She'll make it but anymore stress on her body and her mind might put her in a coma."

Connor rubbed his head then looked back at the body of the not-girl lying by the opening in the train.

"What was that thing?" He asked Faísca staring at her in horror.

"That was a banshee, one of The Darkness's experiments. They realized if they found a supernatural with the power of persuasion they could take the power out of the host, then kill the host and put the power back in any body and create a monster that would hunt men." Faísca said with a mixture of sadness and disgust.

"That is terrible." Connor whispered staring at the banshee in a new light.

"That is what they did to my cousin." Faísca whispered looking at Willow as she spoke.

"What cousin?" Connor asked gently.

"Willow didn't know her, but Mom's sister had a girl the same age as us, we grew up together as her Mom was captured by The Darkness." Faísca spoke slowly as grief drew itself on her face. "They captured both of us at the same time, her name was Kieran." Faísca's hands balled into fists. "Kieran didn't know she had the power to persuade others, she thought her ability was being able to sense her surroundings. But The Darkness saw her power and they took it out of her, ripped a part of soul away. She was left mad, attacking herself, and anyone, or anything that she saw. She didn't even recognize me. Finally one day they killed her, then they put the morphed and tainted power back in her." Faísca punched the train wall. "She never even stood a chance! They turned her against herself and then against everyone she loved!" Faísca screamed hitting the wall with both fists as she started sobbing.

"Hey hey," Connor said moving over to her and holding her hands. "There was nothing you could have done, it's not your fault."

"But it is." Faísca whispered looking at him with tearstained cheeks.

"They asked for information on The Light. When I kept refusing they said I could either choose to tell them or they would make me suffer. I didn't think they would hurt her." Faísca let out a scream of anguish.

"It's ok, we'll find them, and we'll make them pay for everything."