Page 117 of Dark Angel

Charles swivels around to see the cloaked figure stalking him. It’s dark in the laneway, but somehow the figure is even darker. His eyes make out the outline. It’s about the same height as him, maybe a little shorter.

“Hello?” Charles’ voice is a little hoarse and shaky.

Is he vibrating from the cold or fear?

The figure takes another step closer.

He has no weapons on him. Nothing to fight with but his trembling bare hands.

He needs to move.

He needs to run.

Charles gulps down a scream and takes off, running as fast as he can in his intoxicated state. His arms extend out from his sides to act as a balance mechanism as he tries his best not to fall over onto his face.

He can see the end of the alleyway. It’s illuminated from the streetlamps beyond. Not much further. He’s almost there.

His shoe catches on a branch that’s buried underneath the snow, and Charles stumbles forward, landing in the frost and rolling onto his back. The figure is on top of him within seconds. Cloaked in darkness, Charles’s heart hammers in his chest.

He stifles a scream once more as the creature holds him down.

“This won’t take long, but it won’t be painless.” It whispers down at him. The hood of her cloak falls backwards, exposing her sharp face and curling black hair.

Charles holds his breath.

That face. He knows that face.

“Daisy?”

“I’d stop talking if I were you,” she continues, “otherwise it’ll hurt even more.”

A blade appears in her hand and Charles’ eyes flare at the sight. It catches in the dim light. Silver, serrated and dripping with some sort of liquid. “No. Daisy, wake up. This isn’t right. Please!”

“Shut up!” She snarls viciously.

Charles curses colourfully as she pins the blade tip against his side. Charles screams. It’s not by any means a manly scream, but he doesn’t care. It’s his final chance of escaping her.

The dagger pierces his side and a flurry of agony blooms through his muscles and flesh, digging through his insides, tearing him apart.

Pain flares through him, causing Charles to shout out in pain as Daisy twists the blade in his side. Charles tries pushing her off once more when someone comes running for them.

Daisy’s head flashes up, her garnet eyes replaced with onyx ones. She stands, ripping the blade out of his flesh, and takes off down the alleyway, disappearing into the shadows.

“Charles!”

He groans, hearing Clarence’s voice.Thank the Angels.

Clarence is in his face now, his tawny hair and blazing hazel eyes. They land on the wound in his side, the dagger now leaving a gaping hole. “What happened?”

Charles grunts, unable to move. The poison is spreading quickly through his veins. “Daisy.” He pants out. Clarence frowns as Charles grabs a hold of his coat with his hand. “Poison.” And he loses all control. His hand falls back into the snow numbly. His body is trying to fight the venom, but all of his senses are lessening.

“I’ve got you.” And Charles feels the snow falling away from him, the ground no longer beneath him. Or possibly Clarence is holding him. He can’t really tell anymore. The world is spinning as his head falls back.

“Thank you.” He expires before slipping into the darkness lurking in his mind like a monster.

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Tendrils of Darkness

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