Page 3 of Darkness Falls

Chapter 1

Kyler

Strange lights fly past me at unnatural speeds. Some are shiny, and some are dull. I lean in closer to try and catch them, but they're too fast for my hands to grab. One flies past my face, and the image is seared into my heart. It's of my mother laughing and one of the happiest sounds I’ve heard in a long time.

One of the darker lights flies past me, and I see an image from one of my foster homes. I was sneaking into their pantry to steal food because they decided I didn’t get to eat dinner as punishment for misbehaving. I got caught sneaking crackers that night, and the woman punished me for it. That image hurts, and I don’t want to feel it anymore.

I let it fly by, looking toward what I think is up. All the strange lights continue to fly past me until another one catches my eye. It's blurred at first, but it’s an image of the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. She has brown hair and hazel eyes and is smiling down at me. Everything inside me yearns for her. As I get closer, the image becomes clearer. I grab onto the light, and when I do, she appears in front of me. My wanderer.

I reach out to touch her, but something isn't right. My hand slips right through her. Why can't I touch her? She's crying, and I want to hold her. I want to tell her everything is okay, that I'm here now. She doesn't need to worry, but she won't stop crying.

"Callie!" I yell, but she doesn't respond. "Wanderer! Please look at me."

She can't hear me. This is wrong. The pain in her cries cut through me like nails on a chalkboard. Seeing her like this is so much worse than seeing the images of the foster home. I don’t like seeing her hurting.

"It's going to be okay, Callie. I'm going to help you." I try to reassure her, but she can't hear me, and I still can't touch her. This must be a nightmare. A bright light appears ahead, and I hear strange voices in the distance.

"Ky, we're here. You need to fight."

"Come on, man; we can't lose you.”

"You need to let me work."

"We're not leaving."

"Let me do my job."

There are so many voices, but I can't make out who's who. Everything has a haze to it. The light that just appeared slowly begins to fade as darkness seeps in all around me. I can’t stop my mind from sinking into the abyss.

When my eyes finally open again, I'm somewhere I don't recognize. The room is small but comforting. It has gray walls lined with bookshelves, filling the length of two of them. I’m lying in a small bed in the middle of the room. Something shifts beside me, and I look down to see the hazel eyes I love staring back at me.

"Morning," she says with a smile.

I tuck a piece of hair behind her ear andlean down to kiss her softly on the cheek. The warmth of her body is so comforting. I could lay here in bed with her all day.

"Morning, wanderer."

"I missed you last night. You and your brothers were at that job way too long. I had to take care of myself, if you know what I mean."

Last night? Why don't I remember last night? The last place I remember being was in the darkness. What the hell is going on? She straddles me, and my hands instinctively land on her hips. She feels like my wanderer, but something is off, and I can't place it.

"Ky, I need you," she murmurs.

I feel disconnected from my body. It's like I'm here, but I'm not. I blink, which causes her to flicker. One moment she’s there, and the next, she’s not. I close my eyes for a moment and shake my head, and when I open them, she’s gone.

Where did she go? I pinch the bridge of my nose and sit up on the bed, but my vision goes black again. When I try to stand, I fall over, my knees colliding with the floor as darkness takes me again.

I blink my eyes open, full of confusion. Callie is leaning down with her hand on my shoulder. "You're okay. I'm here, Ky."

"Callie, what's happening to me?"

She just smiles. "I love you, Kyler. You snuck right into my heart, and I love you so much. You are the calm to the storm inside my head. Even the simplest touch from you is enough to soothe my soul."

I've wanted to hearher tell me she loves me for so long, but I was afraid she would never say it.

"I love you so fucking much, wanderer," I say.

A strange voice in the distance interrupts our moment, filling my head. "Come back to us. He's a mess without you."

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