Page 11 of Lost in the Dark

I fight for balance as another tremor quakes underfoot. Dammit! Scrambling to my feet, I gain purchase on the uneven floor and sprint toward the portal.

The sounds of battle quickly fade away, and the point of light that I run toward winks away to nothing. I’m surrounded by an impossibly smothering dark.

The rules. The damned rules that Vox made me repeat.

Don’t listen to any other voice but mine.

I let one of those creatures lure me away from the path. I turn to run back the way I came from, but it’s no use. There is no battle, no light, no Vox.

I’m in the middle of nothing and nowhere. The darkness obliterates everything around me, and soon, soon, it will invade me.

A vibrato growl echoes around me. Quiet at first, but growing in intensity. I wrap my arms around myself to keep myself from shaking. A rush of movement glides past me, dangerously close.

An icy heat slashes against my arm. I grab at the spot, grateful that my suit is still intact. I fall to my knees. There is no point in continuing on when I can’t see where I’m going. If there is actually any place to go.

For all I know, any move I make can push me farther into some beast’s trap.

As the growls grow louder, I resign myself to my fate. I hope that Vox and his friend make it out of here. I would hate to think of them dying, lost and alone as I am.

My watch lights up and vibrates an obnoxious alarm. When I tap the face, double zeros blink at me as if it’s been counting down to something. But what?

A golden ring of light circles around me. Runic-looking letters flow within the ring, spelling out a warning I have no hope of understanding. From just beyond the halo, I see the sickle-shaped talons of a massive creature, easily ten times the size of the wraiths. It won’t step foot out of the darkness.

A crashing boom punches through the veil of night. Blue orbs sail over the space and ignite blinding light all around. The creature, a mad scientist mashup of teeth, tentacles, and claws rolled into one impossibly large body, recoils with a pained roar as the light flays its skin apart, exposing muscle and bone.

Vox flies into the fray, the glow from the orbs revealing his face etched in battle fury. His eyes are like molten gold and the markings on his chest and face have spread over his body like some intricate chain mail.

He looks like a vengeful god and fallen angel all at once. No wonder legends and myth have perpetuated supernatural beings throughout cultures over the millennia.

I don’t know if he can hear me, but I call for him. “Vox!”

That wrathful face turns toward me, and for a moment, I see the end of my life. But when Vox sees me, his look of profound relief shakes me to my core.

He’s alive. I’m alive. We’ll be able to get out of this together.

He lands in front of me, his form back to the one I’m more accustomed to. “Mahal! You’re safe! I’m so relieved!”

As he reaches for me, something moves behind him. Whatever it is, runs quickly. I shout for him to move; though I don’t touch him, he’s pushed away by some invisible force. The spiked tail of the enraged creature misses Vox and lands in my abdomen.

I stumble back, crumpling to the ground in the middle of the halo of runes still spiraling.

An unholy sound ripples through the air that I realize comes from Vox. Light refracts around him until he is nothing but a dark smudge of light with burning golden eyes that burn into my soul.

I’m only vaguely aware of the violent chorus of battle waging just beyond my field of vision. My eyelids are so heavy, but I fight the coming dark.

It wasn’t so long ago that I entertained embracing death rather than living yet one more day. But now that I’ve just met Vox, the possibility that there is another path meant for me gives me strength to hold on. Even if it’s just long enough to know where it is I’m supposed to be.

“You will not fade.” He demands it from me with such intensity that I believe him. He pushes something against my flesh and it’s fire and ice all at once. More yells and growls, and Vox is gone once more.

My watch vibrates once more. It’s so hard to focus and I’m dizzy, but I look at my watch, regardless. There is something about it I’m supposed to do.

My hand is heavy, but I scratch at the watch face once more. There was something to it, something that I can do to make it stop vibrating. My clumsy fingers slide over the crown dial on the bezel, and finally, it stops buzzing.

Golden sparks flare to life around me. Rings above me illuminate as well until they come zooming down in a stacked column. They land with awhompbefore they light up and retract once more.

Darkness takes over my vision. I must be fading. I try to call for Vox to let him know I tried so hard not to fade, but I have no more voice.

I’m sorry.

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