Page 10 of Lost in the Dark

“No, I don’t know. Unfortunately, there are no markers here. However, we are making good time. As much as we avoid the Back Hallways, so do the wraiths.”

“That’s a measure of relief, I guess.”

A giggle echoes in the darkness, and the scant bit of relief I had is gone. Nothing says ‘Danger, Danger’ quite like a disembodied voice laughing at you from the dark. The way Vox stiffens around me, I also know he hears it, too, but wisely doesn’t acknowledge it.

He keeps his pace steady, his body thrumming from unspent energy, as if he wants to break into a run but doesn’t. A good thing, since there were several times when I think I hear something scurrying alongside of us, keeping pace. Other times, the presence feels like it’s behind us or even above us.

Through it all, Vox’s rhythm and pace are steady. Nonchalant, even. The cadence of his words makes it seem like he’s just shooting the breeze with casual small talk. I barely hear what he says, focusing on his voice more than his words. I’m glad that he’s carrying me because I think I would’ve run a long time ago.

Here, wrapped in the halo of his arms, his wings a living shield, I can keep my eyes closed and pretend that I’m on a really weird date.

Where did you go on your first date?

Oh, you know, just strolling through a nightmarish hellscape that links between a computer simulation and the real world, which I actually haven’t seen in this lifetime.

A series of booms echo around us, followed by the whine of twisting metal. Whispers rise from the dark, rousing a storm front of pressure from behind us.

Nothing good is going to happen next. The next thing I know, Vox breaks into a run.

“Remember what I said,” he says. “Don’t let the wraiths touch you.”

Beings of unrelenting darkness burst through the walls in front of us. Their gaping maws of jagged knives glinted with lightning.

I swallow my screams. I’ve seen them before. My nightmares come to life. I’d convinced myself that I was imagining things, but here they are.

The wraiths slash forward, sickles for claws. All the fear that I’ve reined in for so long tore free from me in an ear-piercing scream.

A golden shaft of light punches through the host of horrors clamoring for us.

“There!” Vox changes direction to rush for that small opening that appeared. His arms grip me, and I melt as much of myself as I can against his torso.

The wraiths regroup quicker than I wish. Did I do that to them? If so, how can I recreate whatever I did?

Vox ducks and rolls, shifting his hold on me. A cataclysm explodes behind us as the creatures that call the Back Hallways home crash into the wraiths.

A violent maelstrom whips around us as the two demonic hordes battle each other for dominion. Our forward momentum has slowed to a crawl, trying to avoid being collateral damage. Vox shelters me with his wings as reality slowly unravels around us.

Suddenly, he lifts his weight off of me. I look up to see that a black tentacle whips back from the dark as Vox arcs a long crystalline sword blade through the air. He is rage incarnate as blue flames dance along the outline of his body.

The blade winks and swirls once more, cutting into the surrounding air. In the glow of this light, Vox keeps the darkness at bay.

Amid this chaotic nightmare, another bit of light slashes the air, disturbingly close to Vox. This newcomer is nearly identical to Vox in coloring and size, except he is darker, bulkier, and looks a lot meaner.

“Vox!” I yell.

He spins and pauses when he sees who arrived. “Dammit, Ruairc! Where in the hell have you been?”

Ruairc lobbies a few glowing spheres into the mad rabble behind him. “Watching your back, old man! Move!”

Though they snarl at each other, they dance around each other as if they’ve battled before.

The floor beneath me buckles, and I land hard on my knees. A strong arm curls around me and gets me to my feet. Smoke and mist surround me, and I can’t stop coughing. Tears streak down my face.

Vox yells at me, but I can’t see him. “The portal! In front of you!” A glowing ring of light impossibly far away shines at me from afar. “We’ll distract them away from you. You need to run for that portal!”

“Alone? I can’t—”

“Go! Now! Before it all falls apart!”

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