The Descending Darkness

by Michael Chulsky

  “Well, yes, as an angel I do happen to attribute really good events to miracles. But if you’d prefer a more practical explanation, I believe Niki had something to do with it.”

  Shadow’s mouth went agape and he smacked himself in the forehead. In the excitement of everything that happened, he had almost forgotten. “That’s right! Niki had that crystal and she cast some sort of spell before the bomb went off. I think it saved our lives.”

  “Where is Niki?” Ellie asked, frowning as she scoured the scene. “I haven’t seen her since I came to. Have any of you?”

  “I did,” Ethan said softly. “She told me she had to go somewhere and she’d be back soon. But I’m sure she’s alright.”

  “Good, can I go now?” Kay asked.

  Shadow ignored her and breathed a sigh of relief. “So it’s all good then. We’re all good.”

  “Now, now, Shadow…lying does not become you,” Maedara declared. She sashayed into the clearing with a hand on her hip and the other extended out in front of her, holding a jeweled staff. When everyone’s attention was on her, she gave a pose. “I have arrived.”

  “Maedara!” Kay whispered. She glanced around and found everyone to be focused on Maedara, so she slowly edged out of the clearing.

  Shadow moved forward and got between Maedara and the others. He pulled the sword out from the sheath on his back and brandished it at her.

  Maedara’s face screwed up into a pout as she counted everyone there. “Well, I must say I’m surprised. It looks as though the majority of you survived. It’s just so upsetting…and unbelievable.”

  “Sorry to disappoint you, but you didn’t kill anybody. We all survived, and we’re going to take you out once and for all.”

  Maedara laughed, a sudden burst of sound. And then, as quickly as it came, it faded, like a flash of thunder. “Oh that was hilarious! But I’m afraid if you think making me laugh will distract me from killing each and every one of you, you’re sorely mistaken.”

  “You’re not killing–”

  “Excuse me? I’m not finished with my monologue. Don’t interrupt me. Anyway, all of you have been this constant annoyance to me. You’re like the tear in a pair of really good stockings, or underwire creeping through a tiny hole in a bra and constantly poking at me. I’m tired of being undermined by peasants not fit to lick the dirt off my pumps. But now…enough is enough. I’ve gotten tremendous power from the Staff of Ondeyr, and you’re all going to pay.”

  “Are you finished?” Shadow asked.

  “Actually, I’m not,” Maedara replied. “You guys have annoyed me for months, so I think I’m entitled to a bit of dialogue here. And I’ve tried to kill you all in many ways…believe me, I’ve tried, but in the end, I’ve decided to get my hands dirty. So here’s the plan, and tell me if you like it, because I’ve worked really hard on it. I’m going to beat each and every one of you to death. And then, if by some chance any of you are still alive, I’ll beat you to death again. And it’s going to really suck to get all sweaty and smelly…so it might just be better for all parties involved if you just kill yourselves now to save me the trouble. In fact, it would be much appreciated.”

  Shadow tightened the grip on his sword and readied himself for battle. “Shut your mouth before I come over there and shut it for you.”

  Maedara waved her hand dismissively. “You know, you’re really rude…it’s how I can tell you’re an orphan. Because behavior like this is what happens when kids grow up without parents. They never get the opportunity to learn proper etiquette…but I’m happy to teach you – all of you proper manners. And I’m a huge fan of corporal punishment.”

  “Enough talking,” Shadow said. “You won’t get the chance to hurt anyone, Maedara. Because, staff or not, I’m going to cut you down.”

  Maedara smirked and tossed the staff away like a piece of trash. “It’s useless now that I’ve taken in all of its powers. But it’s nice to see that even when the odds are stacked against you, you remain noble…how admirable… how pathetic.” She started toward him. “I hope it’s not in vain.”

  “That’s right. I’m their leader, and I’ll protect them with my last breath if I have to. You’ll be nothing but dust in the wind after today.”

  Maedara continued her advance with a bemused expression on her face. “You talk a good sell, but I don’t know if I’m buying it….”

  “Too bad,” Shadow replied. “Because you have no choice.” He lunged forward and swung his sword in a crescent arc, aiming for her throat.

  Maedara took a step back, grabbed the sword with one hand before it could cut her, and grabbed Shadow’s throat with the other. She lifted him up into the air and smiled as he struggled in her grasp. “And you call yourself a leader…such a shame.” She tossed him carelessly to the side.

  Shadow flew several yards through the clearing and smashed headfirst into a metal fence. He fell down and didn’t move.

  “No!” Cameryn cried. He took a step forward. “You won’t get away with that!”

  Ellie grabbed Cameryn by the arm and jerked him back. “No, she’s mine.” She ran toward Maedara and threw a kick at her chest.

  Maedara moved to the side, dodging the kick. She dodged an incoming punch and then slapped Ellie across the face, almost knocking her off balance. “You shouldn’t charge at people like that. It’s absolutely barbaric.”

  Ellie rubbed the area where she had been slapped, a red imprint of Maedara’s hand slowly forming on her pale cheek. In spite of it, she laughed. “Is that all you got, bitch?”

  “How dare you?” Maedara replied, flicking a strand of hair to the side. “I know I just knocked out your boyfriend and all, but there is no need for petty name-calling.”

  “First off, he’s not my boyfriend. Secondly, I’m going to enjoy kicking your ass.” Ellie thrust her palm out and sent several shards of ice at Maedara.

  Maedara whipped her hair forward and the icicles rebounded off of it and fell to the ground. She then jerked her head in a circular motion and her hair lashed out toward Ellie.

  Ellie fell backward as the hair struck across her shoulders and chest. She followed the momentum into a backflip, landing on her feet a short distance away. She focused her energy into her eyes and fired out two thin lasers of ice energy.

  Maedara tried to dodge, but the thin strands of ice curved and wrapped around her like a cocoon. She struggled to break the hold. “This better not ruin my dress!”

  Ellie rushed forward and shot out several more thin beams of ice, further wrapping up Maedara. She reached her and stared her right in the face. “This is for Shadow.” She turned and swung her body, delivering a roundhouse kick directly to Maedara’s chest.

  Maedara flew backwards through the air and collapsed on the ground. She slowly got to her feet and gave an angry huff. “Okay, I’m done playing with you, little girl.” In a sudden burst of speed, she closed the distance between her and Ellie and raked her nails across the young girl’s face.

  Ellie growled in pain and reeled back. She didn’t have a moment to recover; she was forced to duck, dodging another swipe of Maedara’s nails and then immediately had to dodge several more. She waited for an opening, and when she found it, she lashed out and grabbed Maedara by the hair, punching her twice in the face, then kneeing her in the stomach. “Had enough yet?”

  Maedara reeled from the blow to her stomach, and jumped back, disengaging. She brought a hand up to her face and touched her lip. Her fingers came away crimson. “Am I bleeding? Oh, you’ll pay for that you little brat.” She dashed forward once more and, dodging several punches from Ellie, grabbed her by the shirt and lifted her into the air.

  Ellie squirmed and kicked at Maedara’s legs. “Put me down!”

  “Oh, I’ll put you down,” Maedara replied with a dark smile. “And just like the little animals in those shelters, you won’t be getting up again.”

  “Get off of her you skank-biscuit!”

  Maedara started to turn to look at the perso
n who cried out, but a flash of light hit her and she was knocked off of her feet. Her hold on Ellie broke and she went flying several yards away.

  Ellie gingerly got off the ground and searched for the source of the attack. When she caught sight of the person, she gasped. “Niki!”

  “Hey, everyone,” Niki said with a wave. “Sorry I’m late to the party…but I brought a gift for the occasion.” She took a few steps to the side and revealed Isaac, standing behind her. “He wanted to come, and I couldn’t say no. Besides, I figured he’d be useful.”

  “We could definitely use the extra help,” Ellie replied. She turned to the others. “Faith, how are your energy levels?”

  Faith closed her eyes for a moment and concentrated to get a sense of her energy. “I’m not at one-hundred percent, but I’m okay for now. Why?”

  “I need you to go heal Shadow before Maedara comes to. Okay?”

  “Got it!”

  “Isaac!” Kay whispered, from her hiding space while the others were distracted. She beckoned him over to her and then pulled him into a hug when he reached her. “How did you get here? They told me you were back at their house?”

  Isaac smiled warmly. “I was sleeping on the jet…I think I was under some sort of spell, I don’t remember, it’s hazy. But I had to come when Niki told me what happened. I had to see if you were okay. I had to protect you.”

  “Don’t be silly. I don’t need you to protect me, kid. I can protect myself just fine. You’re the one who needs to be protected. We have to leave before it’s too late.”

  “But Kay–”

  “Don’t argue. As soon as the coast is clear, we’re getting out of here. That’s final.”

  Niki went to interject in the conversation between Kay and Isaac, but noticed Maedara stirring and recuperating. She threw a glance towards the others. “I’m out of juice…anyone have an idea?”

  “I can take her,” Ellie said. “I want another shot at her.”

  Tristan shook his head. “No, you’ve had a turn. Let someone else have a go.”

  “Oh, children, don’t argue,” Maedara said, getting off the ground. “Trust me, there’s enough killing to go around for all of you. In fact, if you can’t choose a next one…how about I pick?” She pointed at all of them in a row and played eenie-meenie to choose. In the end, she settled on Niki as her target. “I guess you’re next.”

  “There won’t be a next one,” Shadow declared, entering the fray once more. He picked his sword up off the ground and stood, whole and fully healed once more. His eyes were pools of darkness, and the look on his face was like stone.

  Maedara glared. “How are you still alive? I used your head as a battering ram.”

  “What can I say, I eat my Wheaties.”

  “Oh, ha, ha,” Maedara replied. “It was rhetorical. I know perfectly well how you’re still alive because my dear friend Kay told me all about Faith and her healing abilities.”

  Shadow gritted his teeth. “Of course she did.”

  “Kay, is that true?” Isaac whispered. “Did you really tell her all about us?”

  Kay shushed him. “Keep quiet. We can’t let her notice we’re here or we’re as good as dead. If we’re lucky she’ll finish them off, and then we can walk away after she’s gone.”

  “But Kay…we can’t just leave them to die. They’re our friends.”

  Kay made an incredulous noise. “And what can we do, Isaac? Nothing. She is on a completely different level than both of us. We’ll be lucky if we can get out without her noticing.”

  Isaac shook his head. “I can’t just abandon them…it’s not right.”

  “And again, what are you going to do about it? She’s practically invincible after absorbing all that power from that staff.”

  “I don’t know…maybe nothing. But you, you can do something. You know Maedara better than any of us. Maybe you could talk to her or something and ask her to stop….”

  Kay laughed under her breath and put her hands over her face. “Isaac, you’re talking crazy. Just because I know her doesn’t mean I can do anything. Nothing I say will make her decide to be all cupcakes and sunshine. She’s psychotic.”

  Isaac sighed. “If you can’t do anything and I can’t do anything and they can’t do anything… then the world is doomed. So what’s the point in us getting away? We’ll be killed either way.”

  “Isaac–”

  “Kay…we have to do something or the entire world is done for. If you really care about me, you have to at least try to stop her. Please….”

  Kay hung her head. “I don’t know…okay? I just don’t know.”

  Meanwhile, Shadow dove at Maedara with his blade again. He slashed out at her several times with increasing speed.

  Maedara dodged each one of his attacks and then opened her mouth, spitting up a large torrent of acid in front of her.

  Shadow jumped back and out of the path of the acid. He had to continue backwards to avoid several more puddles of the stuff. He stared in revulsion as the liquid made the ground sizzle and smoke. He held out his hand and sent a wave of darkness spiraling towards her. And then, for good measure, he sent several more. He then rushed at her with his sword raised.

  Maedara whipped her hair forward and the attacks rebounded off of it. She jerked her head around once more, and strands of hair lashed out towards her oncoming attacker.

  Shadow jumped around to dodge the attack, but a few of the strands caught him around an arm and a leg and he was stuck in place. He struggled to break free, but the hair held like chains around his limbs. “Ugh…”

  Maedara lifted her head enough so she could meet his gaze. “Do you like my hair? I use only the strongest hairspray to achieve the desired effect…as you very well noticed.” She watched him struggle for a few seconds before a smirk spread across her lips. “I’m going to enjoy this…you know, the whole killing you thing. It’s kind of a big deal for me. Because once you’re gone, the rest will drop like flies, and then I’ll rule this world as I was always meant to. Goodbye, Shadow.”

  “Maedara, wait!” Kay cried. She ran forward and held out her arms, as if to show she was unarmed. “Please stop.”

  Maedara frowned. “You’ve got to be joking…the traitor suddenly has a conscience? How utterly boring.”

  “It’s just…I’m tired of all this violence and pain. Don’t you see? You’ve already won. You don’t need to hurt them, any of them. They’re completely powerless.”

  Maedara tilted her head to the side. “Hmm, perhaps you’re right…after all, I absorbed the power of the Staff of Ondeyr. These peasants couldn’t hold a candle to that kind of power.”

  “Y-y-yes…you’re right. You’ve made your point. They know their place. It’s enough.”

  Maedara smiled. “I guess there’s some truth in what you’re saying, girl. Even if you have horrible fashion sense.”

  “You mean that?” Kay asked softly. “You’re going to let them go?”

  “Of course, dear! I’m not a monster, you know. I mean, you’re obviously very upset, and I don’t like it when people are upset around me. It’s not good. It creates worry lines. And who needs that kind of negativity in their life?”

  “Kay, no!” Shadow yelled, struggling harder. “Don’t listen to her – she can’t be reasoned with!”

  “Not now, Shadow,” Maedara replied, jerking her head and sending him flying through the air with her hair. “Mommy is talking. Don’t be rude.”

  Shadow flew several feet away and landed in a pile of bricks. He didn’t go unconscious this time, but the impact knocked the breath out of him. He groaned and fought to get up.

  “Sorry about that,” Maedara said. “But he really hurt my feelings…he’s always doing that, you know. He paints me out to be this horrible, vile creature, but I’m not. I’ve never done anything to him, well, not directly. And I’ve never stabbed anyone in the back…unlike you, Kay.”

  “I know what I did,” Kay said quietly. “And I’m not proud of it. I was
just trying to ensure my own survival….”

  “Yes, you’re such a selfish little gerbil. Aren’t you?”

  “I am. But I can’t do anything about my previous choices. The only thing I can do now is try and make up for it.”

  Maedara strolled forward and placed her hand on Kay’s face. “Isn’t that what you’re doing now? Making up for your sins by petitioning for the safety of your teammates?”

  Kay tensed up but didn’t break eye-contact. “Yes…please–”

  “Do you really want to not see any more violence here today?”

  Kay nodded. “Yes please. I just want…I want all of this to be over.”

  Shadow got to his feet and started towards them with his hand out. “Kay–”

  “Alright then,” Maedara said, with a shrug. She took her hand off of Kay’s face and twirled her hair. “I guess I’m done.”

  Kay smiled and made a noise of triumph. She turned around. “See, Shadow? You said I couldn’t reason with her. All I had to do was–” Three long, sharp objects jutted through her body, piercing her throat, chest, and stomach. Her eyes widened and she tried to work her mouth, but nothing came out except for a strangled gurgling sound. Abruptly, the objects retracted from her body and she fell to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

  Maedara raised her hand and the twelve-inch long fingernails began to rapidly shrink until they were normal-sized once more. She licked the fresh blood off of them and then smiled, showing off her blood-stained teeth. “Now we’ve both backstabbed someone today.”

  12

  The Greater Good

  Shadow’s grip slackened and he dropped his sword. It felt as though he were in a trance and couldn’t move or do anything but stare at Kay’s writhing, bleeding form until it stilled. A chill went down his spine as he realized she was beyond healing – beyond help. It didn’t matter what choices she made or how badly she screwed up and hurt them. Nothing changed the fact that they had spent months living together and growing as a team. Kay was gone and never coming back.