Of Fire And Shadow [completed]

Chapter 3

The hellhound walked out of the hospital doors and stumbled over to its car. Its arms swung aimlessly and it stared at the ground, focusing only on putting one foot in front of the other. Where was that spark and fire Thanatos had heard so much about? This creature looked absolutely defeated. He almost felt bad for it. The hellhound got into the car slowly and sat in the driver's seat for a few minutes, just staring at the empty seat next to it. Finally it started up the car and drove away, having no clue he was there watching.

Jordan Parrish had just left the hospital after the longest night of his life, and it wasn't over yet. He stumbled over to his car, exhausted, and sat down heavily in the driver's seat. He looked over to the passenger side and saw the blood left from Lydia only a few hours earlier. He shuddered, remembering the events of that night.

Lydia had come over to watch The Notebook but he had freaked out after seeing some sort of shadow figure that had said ... what was it? Cerberus. Another name for his hellhound alter ego. He'd gone into the bathroom to cool down but she had followed him and tried to comfort him. His hellhound side had taken over and he attacked her, not realizing who she was. He snapped back to himself and rushed her to the hospital where she needed to stay overnight. At least now they knew she was going to be okay, which was more than they could say for him. What was going on with him?

He tried to think back to the past few times he had seen the shadows, searching for a pattern like any cop would, but his head was too foggy to think straight. "I need some sleep," Parrish said to himself as he turned the key in the ignition and decided to head home.

He pulled out of the parking lot and drove off into the night, not noticing the man in the dark suit watching him from the opposite corner of the lot.

As Parrish drove, all he could think about was Lydia. He wanted to be with her, but he was afraid of what would happen if he didn't get his abilities under control. Again he found himself asking, "What's going on with me?" But nobody had the answer. Or so he thought.

Parrish arrived at his house without incident, stumbling up to his apartment in a daze. All he wanted was to flop down in his bed, but he really needed to get cleaned up first. He got in the shower and closed his eyes, feeling the hot water stream down his face, chest, legs. Steam rose around him and perspiration dripped down the walls as the water seared his skin, washing away every trace of the events that had transpired that night. He could feel his body growing warmer each minute he stayed in the shower, and he let that warmth flow over him, like a wave of fire...

Thanatos leaned against a black corvette, looking up at the steam escaping from the open bathroom window of the hellhound's apartment. Again he found himself wondering, "Why was this particular human chosen to cheat death? What made it worthy of housing the immense and powerful hellhound?" Nothing interesting had happened since it had left the hospital, and Thanatos was beginning to think he should just come back in the morning. He was about to get in his car when he saw a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned slowly and saw only the empty parking lot, with its lone street light illuminating the small circle of pavement he stood on.

Then, at the edge of the lot, the shadows began to condense. They appeared to stretch from every direction, gathering together at a single point as though drawn in by some invisible force, and moved slowly toward him, becoming darker and more solid. Eventually he could make out a faint figure, face hidden by its hood, at the center of the shadows. The figure strode toward Thanatos, and stopped just before reaching the light from the street lamp. Thanatos drew his sword, a weapon of the strongest metal, forged in the fires of hell itself, but did not raise it, for the figure was no threat to him.

"Speak," Thanatos commanded.

The shadowy figure bowed its head to its superior. "The hellhound struggles with control," it said in a low, raspy voice. "It fears its power, which makes it unpredictable and dangerous. It must be terminated."

"Its time is not yet upon it," Thanatos responded. "It still has time to prove its worth."

"But..." the shadow began to protest, but Thanatos cut the meddlesome noise off with one fell sweep of his sword. The sword glowed with a faint light as it cut clean through the shadow, causing it to disappear completely.

Thanatos glanced back up at the hellhound's window. He knew the appearance of the shadow figure meant they were becoming impatient, but he was willing to give the creature a chance. "Don't prove me wrong," he said as he continued to gaze up at the window...

As the water washed over Parrish, he began to let his mind wander. He imagined what it would be like if the events of that evening had never happened. Him and Lydia would be sitting on the couch watching a movie, when she would lean in, brushing her lips against his, her hand caressing his face and chest.

Parrish's heart rate began to rise and the water molecules danced across his skin, turning quickly to a vapor that spread through the room. His hands began to tingle and he opened his eyes slowly to see them engulfed in flame.

"Shit!" he shouted as he struggled to put it out. He turned the shower to cold and stood there for a second, letting himself cool down. His powers had never been this sensitive. It was like he was on high alert after his encounter with the shadow, and he didn't know what to do.

There was no way he was going to be able to sleep after that, so Parrish decided to go for a quick walk to clear his head. He threw on some clothes, grabbed a flashlight, and left the apartment, locking the door behind him. Stepping out into the empty black night, Parrish wondered if this had been the best idea after all. He felt a little uneasy, but brushed it off casually. He was not one to be afraid of the dark.

He walked for a few minutes before realizing he had never texted the sheriff. He stopped to pull out his phone, but looked up suddenly. Something was watching him, he was sure of it, but all he saw was the walkway stretching ahead of him. He looked over his shoulder into the forest and drew a sharp intake of breath. At the very edge of the woods, between the trees, the shadows were moving.

Parrish closed his eyes and shook his head, hoping this was just his imagination, but when he opened them again, the shadows had grown larger and come closer. They floated like wisps of smoke drifting in the wind, closing in from every direction until he was surrounded. A black haze seemed to cover everything and Parrish didn't know which way to turn.

The surrounding air turned cold and Parrish started to shiver. His flashlight flickered off, and he tapped it a few times to no avail, which left him in almost total darkness. The only light now came from the moon.

Parrish's eyes began to glow their brilliant orange and he let the heat wash over him gratefully, embracing his power for the moment. His clothes burned away and his skin became completely covered in fire. The shadows retreated slightly, and further condensed into six or seven cloaked figures, just like the one he had seen in the apartment earlier that night with Lydia.

"Cerberus," they said in unison.

Parrish's eyes glowed brighter and he began to feel the heat coursing through his body. Usually he didn't feel it, but this time was different. He found it difficult to maintain control, and that made him nervous, especially after what happened earlier that night.

His breathing became heavy as he struggled to contain his fear. He looked around at the mysterious figures, which now appeared clearer than ever. Their faces were completely hidden by their hoods, and the bottoms of their cloaks were washed in shadow so they looked as though they were floating.

"What do you want?" Parrish asked, but they didn't answer.

The usually level-headed deputy was way out of his element, and very much alone at the moment. His phone lay forgotten on the pavement and was soon lost in the encroaching darkness. The shadows took a step closer, reaching out for him, seemingly unaffected by the flames dancing over his skin.

His mind raced as he struggled to catch his breath in the overwhelming dark haze. His fire began to die until it was only a faint glow. He felt like he was drowning, and reached for something, anything to grab onto. He thought of Scott, and Stiles, and the Sheriff ... and Lydia. He focused on her. He reached out to her. He looked around wildly. The shadows were everywhere. He tried to fight back but he couldn't touch them. They slipped right through his fingers. He fell to his knees in defeat.

The last thing he saw was a faint light slicing through the darkness. "Lydia," he whispered as his eyes closed.