by Box Set
Maybe he was better off as one of those magnificent creatures.
Maybe I would be, too, living among this beautiful world, living in the comforting darkness.
Maybe, as one of the Ulama, we could truly be together the way we were meant to be.
Maybe it wasn’t worth fighting anymore.
Maybe I could just give in and let the power in my blood do its work. Then I could be one of them. Then I could be free.
Free to find Cohen.
Free to run through the dark with him.
Free to be.
Just looking at the thing, at the calm familiarity in the brightness of its eyes, it all seemed so perfect, like it was supposed to be.
Changing.
Becoming.
Being with Cohen.
Finding my true purpose with the black blood that already ran through me.
The thoughts ruled me. One after another, they came, faster, stronger, my mind echoing them as the bright yellow eyes of the thing seemed to grow brighter, more beautiful, more like home…
And then it blinked.
It blinked, and the yellow vanished for only a second, an instant that sent the world plunging into black, leaving me to breathe. The glistening world abandoned me for the darkness, leaving me to look over to where Travis still lay under the car, his eyes frantic as he looked around, desperately trying to see, to know what was going on, if I was safe.
I wasn’t, though.
The heavy thunder of my heart, the painful tension of my muscles, I hadn’t felt it before, when I was trapped by the rigid look of the thing. In that moment, however, without the glaring color, without the trap of my mind, I could feel it. I could feel the darkness the way I used to, the way that was frightening and dangerous and seeped into my soul with a painful snap.
I could feel the fear.
It wasn’t safe, not unless I wanted to be one of those things. And I didn’t, no matter how hard this thing was going to try to put thoughts into my head.
Try.
That was what it was doing. That was why it hadn’t killed me.
It could sense how close I was. It could sense how like them I was. And it was drawn to that.
Drawn to me.
It wanted to change me, to show me how life was, how a new life could be similar, how letting the last of the change take over was worth it, and why I shouldn’t fight it anymore.
It made me somehow not want to.
Just as the thought cemented itself in my brain, I was flooded with the same bright color of its eyes, but this time, they didn’t seep into me like they had before. They didn’t fill me with that same familiarity. They didn’t try to turn me into something I didn’t want to be.
I just saw eyes.
I just saw yellow so bright it was almost painful to look at.
I just smelled its blood and felt the dead weight of its claw against my shoulder blade.
Then I realized the danger I was in, something that had been masked before, something that had almost been taken away.
I held completely still as I looked into its eyes, trying to simulate whatever had happened to me before in the hope that it would not notice that whatever trance it had placed me under had broken, that it wasn’t changing me.
Maybe it wasn’t only about changing me, though.
I had looked into the creature’s eyes, seen what it wanted me to see, but what if it was more than just a simple look, a simple change? It had happened before in the basement with the clicking of the talons. It happened only minutes ago as I watched it walk around the cars on the other side of the garage then again as I looked into its eyes.
It had controlled me, pulled at whatever was inside of me and tried to change me.
But what if it was more than that?
What if it was simply communicating?
The muscles in my back tightened even further at the word communicating, as if it was foreign and filthy when used alongside the thing that still held me in place.
They were creatures.
They were things.
They were insects soaked with blood and violence.
Insects didn’t communicate.
Looking into his eyes, however, I was beginning to think they could. Perhaps it hadn’t been trying to change me. Perhaps it was merely trying to communicate.
The thought was crazy. Of course, maybe I was so close to changing that crazy was making more sense than reality.
Standing there with this monster’s claw holding me in place, with its eyes trying so desperately to see into me, it somehow made sense. And if that somehow made sense, then shouldn’t I be able to communicate with it, too?
The thought seemed sound, and something deep inside of me said I was right. Something deep inside wanted to try, except it came from the same place as the creature’s golden eyes, the place that wanted to become like the thing I stood before, a place that I knew was too dangerous to venture into.
Besides, what if I failed? What if it saw through me; saw the human, and attacked? I already knew I would not survive, not with the precarious position I was still trapped in. A situation that was becoming more dangerous by the minute.
I knew I couldn’t escape as much as this thing did, and judging by the way its breathing was shifting, it was quickly becoming aware that it no longer had control over me.
I was out of time.
I was in trouble.
I was armed with nothing more than wires, my brother hiding blindly beneath a car. It was just me, facing this thing that already had me trapped.
I was screwed.
Unless, of course, I could somehow get Travis to come to my aide.
He was smart enough that, even in the dark, this would work. Right? Please say that this would work.
“Pssst.” I tried not to move my lips, to make it sound as much like a moan or a hiss as I could, afraid the sound would be too much, and the monster would know what I was doing, yet afraid it would be too quiet, and Travis would miss it completely.
Luckily, the monster didn’t seem to notice, but Travis didn’t, either. Darn my subtlety. I guess that whole “heightened senses when one was taken away” thing was bunk. Who knew, maybe he could just taste the dust acutely well.
Come on, Trav, I need you.
“Psst,” I tried again, this time louder, changing the leaky tire sound to more like a gasp of pain. At least that way, the thing would possibly think it was winning, that I was changing.
The creature’s eyes narrowed at the repeated sound, and my heart fluttered painfully at the change in its countenance. I didn’t dare breathe as I watched it, waiting to see if I had gone too far. I needed to get Travis’s attention, needed his help, but any more than that and I didn’t know what would happen. Would it charge for Travis? Would it finish me off first?
As the smell of oil and blood filled my head again, I knew that whatever it had done before was going to happen again. Judging by the way my head was already becoming light and unfocused, I couldn’t fight it.
Holding my breath or not, it still filled me, still tried to control me.
Travis wasn’t hearing me, and I didn’t know how much further I could push it. I didn’t have another option.
I had to do something.
It had blinked before, and whatever control it had over me had left. I knew that breaking my contact with its eyes was the best bet, but I also knew that, the moment I did, it would know exactly what was going on. It would know I was only an enemy. With its claw so close to my arteries, I was done for.
Should I blink, look away, or try one last time to get Travis’s attention and just speak frankly to my brother? I already knew each would give me the same result.
They would all end in a flash of gold and a screech of victory.
I guessed, if I had to choose…
“Travis?” I spoke his name as loudly as I dared, unsurprised when the creature’s eyes narrowed even more, its head tilting to the side, as if it was a dog trying to understand
whether I was going to take it to the park or not. Its mouth opened slightly, as though it was one move away from filling the garage with its terrible sound, the sound that would herald my death.
Fist tightening around the limp wires I still held, I fought the need to take a step toward the thing, to fight it. Instead, I only stood, waiting for its attack, for it to figure out what I was doing and end me.
“Lex?” His voice came through the dark, and for one terrifying moment, I tensed, waiting for the creature to attack, to turn, to lunge at me, to finish me off, and then make a straight line to Travis.
For all of this to end.
But it only froze before me, its eyes darting toward the sound as if it wasn’t sure it had heard him, its head cocking to the side once more at the sudden presence of a bigger prize.
“Travis?” I repeated, watching its movement like a hawk, waiting for my good luck to end at any moment and taking every advantage of it before it did. “There is one right in front of me.” I spoke slowly, not daring to take my eyes off the thing, even though it wasn’t even looking at me anymore.
It kept staring toward where Travis was, as if it was trying to figure out what was going on.
I didn’t dare look away, stalking my prey as it stalked another.
“What?” His voice was as slow as mine, the carefully chosen word making it clear he instantly understood the danger that we were in and how much every move, every word would affect the situation.
The one word did not go un-noticed. The creature before me took a single step toward the sound, the gentle click of its talons against the floor as loud as a gun.
I stepped as it did, careful to mirror its move, to keep myself as invisible as possible.
Feathers rippled and moved over its skin like the hackles of a dog, the gentle roll of sound that came from its throat almost like a purr, like a roll of excitement as it moved toward much more tempting prey.
Toward a human that it hadn’t noticed until that moment.
It was a terrifying sound. It was terrifying to watch.
If I had thought watching it before, through the cars, was like watching a creature in its natural environment, it was nothing compared to this, nothing compared to the hunt, the Tar vibrating with excitement, purring with anticipating.
I didn’t dare look away, my mind moving into overdrive as I watched its movements, a plan formulating in my mind with just enough hope that I was sure it could work.
The Tar was fully intent on Travis, even though I wasn’t sure what it was going to do. From the way it was moving, I would guess that, if I played my cards right, I could get to my rail and attack before it could reach my brother, giving him enough time to turn on the light.
Enough time to get to his gun and attack it himself, to fix the bike, to do something to help us both survive this mess.
It was something that hadn’t even seemed possible a few minutes ago, and even though our chance of success was slim, I was going to take it.
I was going to try.
I exhaled slowly, quickly taking stock of energy and ability, the adrenaline that was running through me enough to get me through this.
“Travis?” I said his name again, partially expecting the Tar to turn toward me again, but it only stayed focused on my brother, another loud click breaking up my words as it moved another step away from me. “Don’t talk unless I tell you. There is a Tar right in front of me. Its hand is on my shoulder.” I paused, watching the monster, its breath heaving as that terrible sound continued to pour from its throat. It didn’t seem to pay me any mind, even though its actions made it clear it hadn’t forgotten I was here.
Stepping back as it did, I took a chance and let my eyes fall away from the thing for a split second, searching for the rail, for the weapon that would be so vital for my success.
It still lay on the other side of the bike from where I was, flat on the ground, as if it had been forgotten there from some other warrior long ago. It was farther away from me than I expected, and I knew that would cause problems, but I really didn’t have any other options.
Fighting the need to exhale in frustration, I turned back to the creature, surprised to see its yellow eyes fixed on me again, staring at me, boring into me.
My heart rate skyrocketed in surprise at the appearance, my muscles tensing as I flinched, the unwanted movement as good as a jump to the creature whose grip on my shoulder tightened. Its face pulled closer to mine as the horrific purr grew louder, the warning it could not phrase becoming frighteningly clear.
I had been right before; I was a fool to look away.
Suddenly, the plan that had taken hold in my mind was a dire impossibility.
Unless…
“Say one word,” I instructed to Travis, my heart a lead weight in tense hope.
“Bridget,” Travis said, the choice of his wife’s name an unspoken tribute to his fear.
With that one phrase, the creature’s focus snapped away again, the feathers rippling as it took another step, the loosening of the grip of its claws against my shoulder almost seeming involuntary, like it couldn’t stop itself from moving toward the human.
Like Travis’s words were a string that pulled it from its true desire.
From the hotter to the human…
I could use this.
“There is a Tar right before me, Trav.” I kept my voice level, the tension calming a bit when the Tar’s focus didn’t turn back to me. “He moves toward you every time you speak. If I look away, he comes back to me. I am unarmed.”
I heard the sharp intake of fear come from my brother, the noise a piercing tack in the dark and unmissed by the monster before me.
It jerked toward the sound, a click of talons as it took another loud step, its claw loosened once again from my shoulder.
I tried not to breathe, I tried not to blink. I merely stood in the dark, staring at the thing, trying desperately to keep my breathing steady, to keep my terrified heart beating.
Two more steps.
That should do it.
I hoped so, anyway.
“I am hoping,” steady, slow words, thankfully ignored again, rushed out of me, “that if he moves much closer, its hand will let me go. Then I can get the rail, and you can turn on the light…”
I stopped speaking as the monster froze before me, its breathing calming somewhat as its posture made it clear it was about to turn back to me.
Or that it could understand me.
Please let neither be true.
“Say something else, Travis.”
“Bridget,” he said again, the same word calling to the monster.
It turned its focus right back on where my brother was hidden underneath the old car.
“When I give the signal, turn on your light.” I tensed, watching the creature as it listened to me, wondering if it knew of our plan before we’d even had a chance to enact it.
I knew I shouldn’t have spoken aloud, knew it was risky, but I didn’t have another choice.
“Be ready to shoot.” I waited, watching the thing while my heart pulsed painfully. “Say something, Travis.”
“I’m ready.”
With another step, its grip loosened even more, its talons sharp through the heavy leather of my jacket, sharp enough to cut yet not enough to keep me there.
“One more, Trav.”
“Let’s go.”
Click.
“Now!”
Chapter Two
The second I screamed the word, light erupted through the darkness around us, cutting through the obscurity with a knife of color that cast the world in greys and browns.
The moment the light flared, the creature rushed Travis, the tapping of claws quick as it raced toward the source, toward my brother, toward the sound of the gun that echoed violently around us.
One after another, they came, cymbals of sound that exploded with each step as I ran toward the rail. The shots rang out as Travis desperately tried to slow the monster’s pace. They r
ang out as I wrapped my hands around the rail. They rang out as I blindly swung toward where I assumed it to be, desperate to stop it before it reached my brother.
The rail made contact with the wings of the thing, slicing through them like they were butter. The creature cried out in agony and pain at the dissection, its mournful sound ringing in my ears as I pulled the rail back again, ready to attack, knowing I would need to.
Sure enough, the thing turned, blood dripping and running over its skin in rivers. Its once beautiful yellow eyes were now the deepest shade of black, its anger and hatred pushing it toward me as it had toward Travis before.
Let it come. I was ready.
“Don’t let it destroy the bike!” Travis yelled from underneath the car, his gun still aimed at the thing, although I was sure by the shake in his hands that he was out of bullets. Judging by the open backpack near the motorcycle frame, he didn’t have any clips on him, either.
I knew we were running out, but I didn’t expect it to happen so soon. And why now? Why couldn’t it wait until after he had left the dark world?
“The bike!” Travis screamed again, his panic pulling me out of my own.
Looking from the creature to the tangled piece of metal, I knew at once what Travis meant. That bike was our only escape. If the Tar stepped on it, if it ruined it in any way, we would be right back where we started when we came into this place.
No, thank you.
Taking the warning to heart, I held the rail out in front of me in warning, the long, metal piece stretched between the Tar and me like a battering ram, ready to impale the thing if it got too close.
Running around the garage as quickly as I could while holding the heavy thing, I guided the monster back over to the cabinet, toward the space I hoped would be far enough away from the bike to keep it safe, keep the Tar away from Travis while he worked.
Luckily, it seemed to work. However, before I could even reach the cabinet, the Tar screeched again, this time louder, the tapping growing in speed as it rushed me. With my heart tight from fear, I braced myself, expecting impalement. Instead, the thing’s arms flailed wide, its hand pushing the rail out of the way.
