Dark Light

by Bernard, Bonnie; Ellery, Stefan; Hansen, John; Browning, Amanda R. ; Thomas, S. J. ; Barrett, Ruth; Sharpe, Dennis; Parker, Megan J. ; Purdy, Alexia

  “So are you like me?”

  “No!” He snapped, disgust thick in his voice. In this one word I knew that Mark, if that was even his real name was full of shit. He could not be here to help someone that filled him with such revulsion. I couldn’t let him know that I was on to him. If I ran, he would. He would catch me I was sure of it. So I forced myself to act calm and curious.

  “Are there male Succubi?”

  “Incubus.” His patience was thinning. “Men are Incubi.”

  “You said earlier that you are each assigned a Succubus…who assigns you?”

  “I…uh, it’s kind of confidential.”

  “Okay.” I said slowly, “How do they find us?”

  “A Tracker can detect Succubi-like by their energy surges. Your energy reads different than someone mortal.” He was far from calm and collected now, the initial façade giving way to irritation.

  “Mortal, so I’m not really human?”

  “Well technically you’re half. Your mother needed to procreate with a human.”

  The sarcasm was hard to fight down. “You mean there are no purebred Succubi?” I couldn’t quite seem to hide it completely in my voice.

  “No.” His sense of humor, or lack of, was very evident in his own voice.

  We passed closed shops, their windows dark and lonely. I knew from experience that this part of town was pretty desolate this time of night, but I allowed myself a small amount of hope to filter in because two blocks over there was a popular night club. It was also an exclusive nightclub that would have customers waiting in line and possibly an enormous bouncer checking ID. I silently prayed that we would continue in that direction without any detours. If I could just get into an area to make a run for it, preferably with lots of people to conceal me, I would be okay. Worst-case scenario, I could always yell and make a commotion that would alert people to my distress.

  The next block we remained quiet. My abductor, could I call him that? Technically he wasn’t forcing me, I was willingly following him. There was no doubt in my mind that he would restrain me if I attempted to run…yes, I would consider him my abductor. I tested him by changing my speed, if I slowed down, he slowed down. If I sped up, he quickened his own pace. Yep, no doubt he would pursue me if I ran.

  I could feel the tension radiating off of him. He seemed eager to reach our destination and if I had to bet, it was more to be rid of me than anything. He didn’t seem to enjoy this assignment.

  Luckily we did not turn off; we seemed to be heading in the same direction as the nightclub. I tried to remain patient, though the urge to flee danger was now trying to claw its way out. My natural instinct was combating my own reason. I shoved my inner war down to the pit of my stomach and forced myself to focus on something else. I watched Mark instead. I reached up to scratch my nose and he flinched. I knew he was all too aware of my movements. There could be no hesitation when I ran. I would have to act immediately and not look back.

  We were coming to the intersection I’d been waiting for. My palms were sweaty and I could feel my heart pounding in anticipation. I hoped my adrenaline would be enough to carry me as far away that Mark would not be able to catch up.

  We stepped onto the intersecting street. It was significantly brighter than our previous path and this warmed me inside, if only a little. But my optimistic celebration was abruptly cut short when I realized we were not headed right, toward the club, but instead Mark was leading me straight. I had to pay that much more attention for the precise moment to run. Too soon and he would catch me before I could ever reach the line of clubbers. Too late and I would never get a chance to test my escape plan.

  I waited until we were about to disappear onto the adjacent street. Mark had almost reached the corner building when I made my move. To say I hauled ass was putting it lightly. My lungs were burning, my legs were already protesting, I could feel sweat beading on my forehead. I had the element of surprise but he was not far behind.

  I ran the length of the club and once I had reached the farthest corner of the building I pushed through the line of people, instead of rounding the corner and putting more distance between us, I hooked a hard left. I stayed between the exterior wall of the building and the line of people standing in line. A few noticed me and protested but I pushed on, using the crowd to camouflage myself.

  A young girl probably only a couple of years older than myself watched me curiously. I put my finger to my lips and pointed at Mark as he passed. I held my breath praying that he would continue around the corner and give me more time to run. Unfortunately he was smarter than I gave him credit for and as he started back toward the entrance he watched the faces in the line closely. The blond girl turned and faced Mark obstructing his view of me. She was covering me.

  I held my breath, willing my heart to slow down. The girl finally turned back, she jerked her head sharply and I understood that she was signaling a clear coast. I stood shakily and gave her a thankful smile. I wasn’t sure which way Mark had gone but I figured heading toward my house was the best option. I crossed the street so that I would have more cover in the shadows of the buildings. I set myself at a jog so I wouldn’t wear out too fast, I wanted to steadily put myself as far from the direction Mark had intended.

  In the pale bluish light from the moon this side of town was eerily abandoned. No late night grocery stores, laundry mats or restaurants.

  Nothing.

  Well, nothing but the thump of my shoes on the sidewalk. It was a gradual incline making my run back harder than the initial trip. I knew I could only be a few blocks away from the club I had visited earlier and allowed myself to slow down. I couldn’t believe the mess I had almost gotten into. My brain too stunned from the closeness of disaster to even contemplate the new information.

  Tomorrow my world would change, I would be a Succubi. I wasn’t even sure what that meant, how it worked. I couldn’t hold any truth to what Mark said. How could I discern what was fact and what was being used to cloud my trust. I caught myself chewing my nails down to nubs and thrust my hands into the pocket of my jeans. The moment I became vulnerable, with my hands restrained in my pockets, he hit me. He threw his weight at me from the hidden alley tackling me to the ground. I hit hard and felt my hipbone hit the concrete. Mark wrapped his hand in my hair and my skull crashed into the sidewalk.

  For a split second the world went white. A blinding white flashed, the world slowly seeped back in and I fought the waves of nausea. I didn't have time to allow myself to be sick, though my stomach begged and pleaded to empty its contents. I sucked in air and bit my lip to keep from getting sick.

  I screamed for help and thrashed wildly while he held me to the ground.

  He spat into my ear, “No one will hear you.”

  I screamed again and he slammed my head into the ground again. I felt like my head would shatter. No matter how hard I tried to look strong I couldn’t control the tears escaping, an involuntary reaction to the pain. He yanked at my hair pulling me to my feet.

  “You will come with me, whatever I have to do to get you there, got it?” He shook me by the hair.

  I sobbed in answer and he shoved me forward back toward the club. I would not become his victim. I had to make another move. I would fight the whole way. I promised myself that much. The throbbing behind my eyes made it hard to focus but I knew I would have to make a move soon, the farther I let him get me toward his destination the further my chance of escape became. If I struck soon I could possibly surprise him.

  I seized the moment and stomped his foot, it wasn’t as excruciating as say slamming his head into the sidewalk but he hadn’t seen it coming. I took the opportunity to add further insult and rammed my knee into his groin. His hold on my hair slipped and I made my move. His hand never fully let go of my locks and I grit my teeth as the hair ripped from my scalp.

  I felt myself release from his grip and ran as hard as I could. I could hear his steps and knew for the second time that night he was right behind me. I zigz
agged down a couple of alleys and though my lungs burned I ran faster because my life depended on it. Like earlier, I could not spare a glance behind me. I had to always assume he was right on my heels.

  A building to my right caught my attention and after sneaking a second peek I noticed why. The abandoned building had a door that had a considerable sized crack in it. I wasn’t quite sure I would be able to squeeze through the opening but I wouldn’t be able to outrun him all night. I would have to make a move, why not now?

  At the last possible moment I hurled myself at the door, I crashed into it, taking another second off of my time. I stuck one leg through, then the other, and then wriggled my body through. My head was last and I could see that Mark was not as close behind me as I originally thought. I quickly pulled my head through and threw myself up against the wall to make sure he would not be able to see me when he passed.

  I heard his footsteps just as my back hit the cool brick. I held my breath, my heart hammered in my chest. It felt so loud in my ears that I was convinced Mark could hear it. For the moment though I was safe, I heard his footsteps pass and took inventory of my surroundings. It looked like an old bookstore or library. The dust was thick and covers rested across what I assumed were bookshelves. They stood like ghosts in the pale moonlight. A tremble ran through me as I thought about childhood fears of ghosts and monsters under the bed. Now here I was running from something far scarier and so much more real. I would give anything to go back to those nights of comforting myself from non-existent threats.

  I had to keep moving, I couldn’t chance Mark popping his head in while I stood unguarded and plainly visible. I crossed the room and into a dark entry, I felt my way along the wall and moved with it until I hit a staircase. I felt for the banister in the dark and guided my hand along it delicately. I had no idea how long this place sat rotting and in the dark I couldn’t tell the extent of the disrepair. After what I imagined had to be several floors of stairs a sound from below stopped me, I stood frozen, scared to let out a breath.

  Another sound jolted me to attention, an unmistakable blow to wood. The sound of it splintering forced my heavy legs to move. I hoped the sound of Mark knocking his way through the front door would drown out my flight up the stairs. I moved as stealthily as I was capable of and reached a landing by the time the strikes stopped. I knew he had gotten through and I would have to keep moving or find an excellent hiding spot. The moon illuminated the floor through a wall of windows to my right, the left grew progressively darker. I ventured to the left knowing it would provide better cover from Mark. But a door seemed out of place among the wood and antique feel of the building, a steel door with a push bar. In the dim light I could just make out the exit sign that hung uselessly above it.

  My heart fluttered at the idea of an exit and I didn’t allow myself the chance to wonder where it could possibly lead to, or worse, where it might not lead. I winced as the hinges creaked from years of desertion. I had to assume Mark heard and hastened my pace. The door led into a concrete room lit by a small window. It was another staircase, it obviously led back down to the floor I had originally entered but also up to what I had to assume was the roof. I couldn’t risk going back downstairs and running into Mark. There was a chance he had heard the door open though and was already on his way up, giving me the chance to escape back the way I had come. But what if he hadn’t? What if I ran into him on my way? It seemed too risky, too much of a bargain. I had to chance the roof, maybe a neighboring rooftop would be close enough to jump across, or there would be a fire escape…the roof seemed to provide the possibility of more options.

  I dug my nails into the palms of my hands and cautiously took the stairs up to the roof. Unfortunately the door had been locked by a thick chain and padlocked. I felt tears threaten my eyes, disappointment, fear and frustration burned at them. For one split moment I felt resignation creep in, but the stronger part of me refused to go down like this. I searched the dark, felt along the walls, and yanked the door in desperation. It only budged enough to let the cool, crisp night air in to tease me. I fought the urge to scream for help, though panic was rising I couldn’t just hand myself over to Mark. I had to keep fighting. I couldn’t be that pathetic girl I had laughed at in so many predictable movies.

  I had finally argued with myself enough to resign heading back down the stairs. But felt a sharp metal box along the brick wall. A fire hose complete with ax, just like the movies. I sent a silent prayer up to the heavens as I discovered the glass had already been knocked out, or never existed judging by the lack of shards on the ground below. I removed the ax and found I had to use both hands to bear the weight. It was far heavier than I imagined. The first blow to the padlock didn’t budge it, neither did the second or third. I recoiled with every blow, surely Mark would come running. I hoped the steel door leading into the staircase would be enough to mute the sound of me battling the padlock. After finally knocking the lock open I pushed through the door only to discover Mark had found his own way up to the roof. He was waiting by the door with a smug grin that I was beginning to despise.

  He landed a punch to my jaw but luckily in the last hour I had learned to take a hit. I swallowed down the cry that had worked its way up and launched myself at him. This was clearly not what he had expected, he had probably assumed I would go down after the punch or run the other way. I managed to knock him to the ground. I pushed myself up and kicked him hard in the head before running to the edge of the rooftop. I slowed down once I reached the low wall that bordered the roof. This side dropped off to an alley below, no fire escape, and no buildings within reach. I spun to check on Mark but he was already on me.

  For a brief moment we were locked in a battle for life, I was dangerously close to the edge. In the end, he won the fight. I toppled over the edge.

  But some measure of luck was on my side, I managed to fall feet first and my hands gripped the wall in a last minute attempt at survival. Mark loomed above me grinning.

  “It’s a shame.” He said gruffly while his nose poured blood from my kick. He smiled and his mouth filled with red liquid. “I didn’t want to kill you.”

  I wanted to answer, I wanted to land another kick to his nose, but instead I dangled from the side of a building gasping as I tried desperately to get some sort of foothold.

  “Well, I guess that’s a lie,” He spat the words like venom, “I mean in the end you’re going to die either way but I really wanted to get you to the Order. Then they would kill you. Sacrifice you more accurately. You see why it is important for me you get you there? If you die now it’s for nothing, a waste. I can’t allow you to become one of them, a disgusting parasite that thrives off of others. I won’t allow you to turn anyone into a shadow.”

  “Wh-Wha-What?” I managed to get out breathlessly.

  “When you take a life, what’s left, becomes a shadow, something unable to enter the afterlife without a soul, unable to walk the earth without a body. And after sucking the energy out of someone, your energy burns a little brighter. Yes it keeps you young and healthy and potentially immortal, but with every life you attract the shadows. The brighter you burn, the more drawn they are to you, like moths to a flame.”

  My eyes caught a nearby building harboring a gigantic illuminated clock. It distracted me long enough for Mark to make his move. He bent down unexpectedly and pried my fingers from the building. I started screaming in protest but he gripped my fingers and began to pull.

  “Look, you don’t understand. I have to bring you back or they’ll kill me.”

  I had my elbows on the building, my feet rested on a groove I was unable to reach just moments ago.

  My voice felt scratchy from fatigue, “It’s you or me then, one of us has to die.”

  “Yes.” He said it as if he were relieved that I finally understood what he was trying to explain, “And I’m the Tracker.” He said pointedly, “It’s as much of a curse on me, as what you are.”

  He began to pull my wrists up but I leane
d forward and whispered into his ear, “And I know something you don’t.”

  He pulled back and looked pensive for a moment. I brought my face to his once more, “It’s midnight.” And before he had a chance to realize the implications, I brought my lips to his. Generations of the curse guided me, while I heard bells toll in the background. I felt Mark’s hands dig in to my wrists. The only sign I was doing something right. The rest of him was placid, complacent even. His head tilted to give me access. I knew once his body went slack that I had succeeded.

  I never got to see the look of surprise he must have expressed once he finally realized that midnight meant I was officially eighteen and now a Succubus. Instead his face looked peaceful. I hauled myself up over the wall and sat for a moment next to Mark’s body. I struggled momentarily wondering what to do with him.

  I eventually decided on leaving his remains, this building sat untouched for quite a while judging by the thickness of the dust. Aside from the smashed in door, most people would probably continue to walk by never noticing. I would piece together as much of the door as I could on my way out. Even if they had something linking me to this man, I would be long gone by morning.

  Whatever Order was waiting for Mark tonight will be disappointed. Tonight, they will continue waiting with no reward at the end. I know this is not the end of my story, quite the opposite now that I know who, or what I am. My story is just beginning. I will never return to my foster home to collect my things, not that I had much anyway. Better for them to think I’m dead. The least amount of trails I leave the better. I know others will come for me, hunt me. But I will not give them the satisfaction of being easy pretty. No I am a natural predator and I will do everything I can to stay alive.

  I worried about what I would become, about how much of Mark’s opinion of Succubi was true. But I could have all the dark magic in the world inside me and still not be as sinister as Mark or the people he worked for. I didn’t wish to inflict harm on others, I would do what I had to survive, but I wouldn’t go out intentionally luring in bait to be sacrificed. That was unthinkable.