thedarkwithinusbook1

[thedarkwithinusbook1]

The Dark Within Us - "Epilogue"

-x-

I stared as Nikron's body seemed to vanish into the night. Bachard stood at the top of the hill of rubble, staring down at where Nikron once stood. A look in his eye showed a level of pain within the immortal that I hadn’t expected. It reminded me of true loss and painful grief. I was not sure what to do or say. I just stared, eventually my eyes trailing off elsewhere.

I could spot Matt and Angela off to the side, both staring off into the destroyed abandoned ruins around us. The armed British Darkslayer approached them two, placing comforting hands on them both. They bowed their heads solemnly as the British man spoke quietly to them both. After a few moments, Angela snuck a quick glance over to me. I stared, not registering that Angela had been motioning for me to join them.

I just stared, and once again, my line of sight glazed over, and I began staring down at the ground below me. I heard footsteps, and felt a presence approach me. A hand was suddenly placed down on my shoulder. I turned, and found Remus standing next to me. “Hey,” he started, “take a minute if you need to, kid.”

I blinked. “W-what?”

Remus frowned. “Death is weird.” He glanced down beneath my feet. “You’ll feel the overwhelmingly empty hole in you pretty soon, if you haven’t already. A hole that you didn’t know could ever exist in you. You’d never want it to be there. But this universe…is made to test us. To show us what is possible, and what we can do with these possibilities.”

I stared deep at the blood-soaked pebble in the rubble beneath my feet, when Remus nudged me softly, gaining my full attention. Remus looked right into my eyes. “Ronnie, you have a decision to make now. You’ve fought this battle. Threats will come again, and we are possibly the last line of defense there’ll ever be. Are you ready to take on that responsibility, and answer the call when you need to bear arms once more?”

I felt my fists instinctively clench to my sides. I glanced down at my hand, and without realizing it, I had forgotten that my father was dead and his corpse was below.

Remus cleared his throat. “If it were me…I wouldn’t bother.”

I turned to look at Remus, feeling a frown stretch across my face. He continued. “All I mean is, with what’s happened, and how quickly all of this has all happened, I just think you deserve to take time and decide what’s now important to you. Whatever brings you love and joy…find that. Get that. And don’t look back.”

I stared at Remus, and forced a smile across my lips. As long as it took for me to convincingly pull it off, my smile just as quickly faded. Remus caught this, and nodded. He glanced down at my feet once more. “He’ll get a proper burial, Ronnie.”

I nodded, feeling that hole that Remus warned me about. “Okay,” I said softly.

Remus turned back, glancing over at Matt and Angela, who were now walking over to us. They stood next to Remus, each carefully eyeing me. Matt spoke up first. “We, uh…we were chatting with that guy.”

Angela nodded. “His name is Bruce. He works with a government agency that actually specializes in our work.” She turned back to point at the British Darkslayer, now packing up duffle bags of arsenal into the nearby helicopter. “He’s part of a unit called NERO. I think him and the rest of his team are just government sanctioned Darkslayers.”

Matt patted my shoulder endearingly. “They got big-time resources, weaponry, all these things the government actually pays for! Probably housing too, who knows?”

I blinked, suddenly tuning in entirely to the conversation at hand. I caught Angela frown aggressively at Matt, as if he had said the wrong thing.

“Housing?” I asked. “Y-you mean, like, leave with these soldiers?”

Everyone grew quiet. I fought hard not to look down once more, but I stole a glance. My father, who I barely knew, and was just beginning to know, was lifeless and decaying under us all, and I had no idea what was expected of me now.

“Nothing has to change right now,” Angela said. I glared at her, and she held her hands up to my arms, and spoke quietly. “You’ve done great, Ronnie. But…I mean, without Robert, the clan lies with you and Matt, now. Just you two.”

I shrugged. “And what about you?”

Angela sighed. “Well, Ronnie…Matt and I don’t have homes. I’ve traveled on my own for years, and Matt was with your father. We don’t have options, but, with NERO, we could be of use from here on out, and won’t be really alone anymore.”

I glanced over to Remus, who stayed quiet. I took note, then turned back to Matt. “Are you going, too?”

Matt bit his lip. “I…y-yeah, Ronnie. I think so.” I shook my head softly, and felt Matt staring at me with worry. “I just think we’ll do more good for the world, and will be able to do SO much more with these guys. They can make us better, Ronnie.”

I sighed, shaking my head. “I mean…we could do a lot together, yeah. But…I mean, I still have my mom.”

Matt nodded. “Yes, you do.”

I gasped heavily, suddenly feeling a panic deep in my chest. “I thought I would die out here. She has no idea what-”

“Then go home,” Remus said. I turned to him, surprised at his remark. He continued. “You know what she means to you. Your father too, but…your father gave you all you could need, and that’s worth something. Don’t waste it just yet. So go home. Give her a hug. Be human, just a little bit longer.”

I swallowed, taking in these words. At this point, Bruce started the chopper’s engine. The blades spun across the top of the cockpit, and the British man inside gave a thumbs up from behind the window. He called out through an intercom. “Oi, folks, taking off! Who needs a ride?”

I glanced back at the group, who began to split off. Matt and Angela both made their way to the chopper, ready to embark on their flight to their new home. I turned, and spotted Bachard suddenly approaching me. He bowed his head. “I’ll take care of him, son,” he said in a low, deep voice.

I nodded, following his gaze, then spotted my father’s corpse. Bachard reached down, lifting the body up in his arms with ease. “You know, we cannot leave him here.”

“Why?” I asked. “Wh-what would happen?”

Bachard turned to me, frowning. “He wouldn’t be laid to rest.”

I opened my mouth, then shut it in embarrassment. Of course. Laid to rest.

Bachard gave a weak smile, then nodded. “You know where I’ll be, Ronnie, if you ever need me.”

I nodded back, and watched him walk into the distance, carrying my father in his arms. I felt tears roll down my cheeks. I couldn’t move for a moment.

I stood for a few moments, not realizing Remus had never left my side. I almost jumped, looking back at him. He eyed me for a long moment, then smiled at me. The smile was…a strangely genuine smile.

Finally, Remus began to walk away. I reached for him and called out. “Wait, where are you going?” I asked.

Remus turned back to me, still walking away. “I’m going to go live.”

“Where?” I called once more.

“Wherever this universe takes me!” Remus shouted back. “Remember! You’ve gotta choose! Answer the call, or find what you love! The answer you seek is wherever you choose!”

I blinked, and suddenly, Remus Bune was gone. Like a ghost vanishing in thin air, he disappeared. I sighed, and turned back to the chopper, where Matt and Angela were seated, waving me to join them. I closed my eyes, and took a deep breath.

[thedarkwithinusbook1]

The Dark Within Us - "We Are Darkslayers"

Catalyst Avenue - VII -

I could hear shouting; like cries of war. I heard gunshots, flesh being sliced, and roars of monsters. I struggled to open my eyes, but when I did, all I saw was the night sky, and stars shining so brightly above Catalyst Avenue. I struggled to stand, and after several moments of trying, I realized I was more awake than ever before. So why couldn't I lift my legs?

I glanced down, and saw a large slab of debris on top of the bottom half of my body. My heart began to race, and I began to breathe heavily, and before I knew it, I was panicking. Stuck underneath part of a building that must've collapsed in what I assumed was an explosion; maybe a rocket launcher? But...we hadn't packed that in our trek.

“Oi, we've got a live one!" called an unfamiliar male voice. Automatic gunshots erupted around me, and I caught sight of a familiar shaggy haired Remus. He ran over to me, and effortlessly lifted the slab of debris off of my legs. He gave me a once over, investigating my legs.

“Can you walk?” he asked, almost screaming over the noise around me.

I struggled to nod. Remus let out a sigh and helped me onto my feet. By some insane miracle, I was able to hold my footing as he let me go. I swallowed. "Th-thank you."

Remus nodded. "Get ready, man. The game has started. We cannot lose." With that, Remus vanished in shadows, and appeared in the distance, slashing at monsters with his bare hands.

I surveyed the area, feeling energy filling my hand. I felt the hilt of my sword in the palm of my hand, and I gripped it tight. I saw Angela using a spear to swing at several monsters, and Matt nearby shooting monsters one by one with his magnum. I let out a deep breath and raised the blade over my shoulder. A monster leaped towards me, and I slashed down, slicing the creature down across its torso. The monster vanished, becoming nothing more than a smokey shadow. I exhaled, and moved forward.

A blast impacted the ground between me and Angela and Matt, blowing us away with sheer force. I collapsed on my back, wind knocked out of my lungs, and I struggled to breath. I couldn't tell what we were hit by; it was dark, and there was no fiery explosion.

"TAKE COVER!" called the same strange male voice I heard when I awoke, but it was much more obvious that the man was not American, possibly British. I scanned, and caught sight of a helicopter hovering above us. I made an effort and successfully brought myself up to my feet, and began running towards a stack of scorched debris. 

An explosion erupted behind me once more, and that's when it dawned on me that I was in war, and it truly was life or death for me. Smoke cleared, and I managed to catch sight of Remus leaping from the shadows, through the smoke and onto a creature that I hadn't noticed was about to attack me. I exhaled, and nodded at Remus, who nodded back. He turned to face other monsters approaching us, and I turned and pressed my back against his as two monsters approached me from the other side. We were cornered. I leaned back, speaking loud enough that I hoped Remus could hear me through the noise. "I take out the two back here, and you'll take on the ones over there?"

"What?" Remus shouted before swinging his arm at the other monsters, slicing their heads off with his bare hands.

I chuckled, shaking my head. "Never mind," I breathed to myself, swinging my blade up in the air and bringing it down into the ground, causing a crackling ripple between me and the monsters before me. A small chasm split the ground apart, and monsters fell in as they ran towards me. 

I spotted Remus shooting me an approving glance. "Nicely done, newbie!"

I grinned, and made my way to the spot where most of the monsters had congregated. I spotted Matt fending off a crowd of monsters, all slashing at him as he struggled to aim his handgun at them, and fired shots blindly. I swung my sword over the monsters attacking Matt, and sliced through a few heads that splattered misty smoke and something I assumed was blood. The monsters I slashed ended up vanishing into nothingness. I surveyed the area once more.

Matt, right in front of me, was shooting monsters. Over in the distance, I caught sight of Angela fighting other monsters, and doing so with ease. Remus had made his way across a large distance with insane speed, slashing at monsters as quickly as he ran. I struggled to spot where Bachard or Robert had gone…

"NIKRON!" shouted a deep voice. I looked up, somewhere in the air where I heard the voice echo from. I didn't see who had shouted, but suddenly a body came hurtling down from above. The body came to a smashing impact, with rubble and bones cracking with the landing. I ran towards Bachard, who was already making his way back onto his feet.

"Bachard!" I called out, reaching him and helping Bachard up onto his feet. "Where's Robert?"

Before Bachard could speak, a dark smokey mist began to swirl before us and take form. The being I had spotted before, the dark-clothed man with pure darkness in his eyes, appeared in front of us. I shuddered as he growled at Bachard, then glared at me. "You bastard," Nikron hissed.

Suddenly, I spotted Robert running up from behind, swinging the hilt of his blade down onto Nikron's back. Nikron winced, and immediately spun around, slapping Robert with his backhand. Robert flew in the air, landing hard on his back against some debris.

I began to run towards Robert when I felt a cold pressure against my chest. Nikron had pushed back on my chest; not hitting me, just...halted me from moving. He stared right into my eyes, and the most chilling sensation was sent down my spine. "You, young one," Nikron started, "will not survive the night."

Bachard leaped onto Nikron, pummeling the man's face with his bare fists. Blood splattered from the man's face, surprising me that a heart that pumped blood existed inside of the man's body. I backed away, letting the two duke out their fight. They could withstand one another, being immortal. I needed to get to Robert.

The familiar sound of a helicopter grew louder; above me was the same chopper from earlier, with a tall bald man parachuting out from the chopper and landing down near Matt and Angela's battle. He descended, removing his chute, and arming himself with a large assault rifle. He began taking aim at the nearby monsters, and started firing at the hordes. Matt and Angela began defending the man.

I blinked, not giving the stranger's sudden alliance any thought, and nodded. I began to circumvent the perimeter, making sure to stay out of Nikron's field of vision. As I approached the brawl between Nikron and Bachard, I came to Robert's side, inspecting any injuries he had. Somehow, Robert was not bleeding at all.

"Hey, son," Robert breathed, slowly getting back up on his feet. "Thank...thank you."

I smiled weakly, starting to worry to myself. This was becoming dangerous. "Can you do this?" I asked.

Robert chuckled. "Have been for decades. Just follow my lead, and stay on your toes."

I nodded, and huffed, gripping the hilt of my blade tight. I watched Robert summon his weapon once more, and we both prepared ourselves to fight Nikron. Bachard was still engaged in hand-to-hand combat with him, and was losing. His face was bloodied, and he spat blood out of his mouth onto the ground nearby. He didn't look sad, or scared though. He was taking the hits, and only looked angry. Fury flowed through the immortal. Suddenly, the weight of what we had gotten into felt so heavy.

Robert lunged forward, swinging his blade down onto Nikron's back. Nikron vanished into a shadowy mist, completely dodging the swing from Robert. The shadowy mist solidified behind Robert, and an arm appeared through the mist, and gripped Robert's neck tightly. I spotted the fingers digging so deep into Robert's neck, it pierced his skin and blood began to flow down from his neck.

I let out a scream, cry, roar, I don't know. My body moved with unfamiliar certainty; I ran forward, and angled the blade forward and shoved the blade through the misty aura. I felt my blade pierce what felt like flesh and meat. I got the bastard.

The mist grew, and suddenly washed over me. Pitch black darkness took over my body, and all I saw was a void of nothingness. The blade was still in my hand, and suddenly felt heavy in my hands. What the hell happened?

"Ronnie Reid," a voice called. It sounded like Nikron. I gripped the hilt of my blade tight. The voice echoed in the void once again. "You...wield no strength. You are not a Hyperios."

"And you are?" I called out. "You were, what, a Darkslayer for five minutes before you became evil? You couldn't withstand being taken over and becoming a puppet for darkness, now, could you?"

My voice echoed into the void eerily, as I waited for a response from Nikron. I saw and heard nothing still. I sighed to myself. "You...are right about me, though. I'm not strong, not the way I should be, but I will be. And you won't be around to stop me. You'll watch me from Hell, or whatever exists that will keep you locked up for good. I'm going to be great, and you'll be gone."

The quiet following my words was deafening. In the void, a low rumble rose, and suddenly became a guttural growl. I shuddered at the noise, and wrapped both hands around my blade's hilt tight. I surveyed my surroundings cautiously as the growls grew louder, and finally, the growls became a booming roar. A shadow flew at me, and manifested into the familiar Nikron, staring down at me with fury.

"I will rip your heart out, Ronnie Reid!"

. . .

I blinked, and suddenly I was back at Catalyst Avenue, standing before Robert being choked out by Nikron. What the hell happened?

I instinctively moved to attack, but, when I tried to move, I found myself frozen in place. What was this? Had Nikron done something to me in his shadow realm? Why couldn't I move? Why couldn't I run to save Robert?

Bachard came into sight, swinging a sword at Nikron, who deflected it with a shielding aura around his form. I saw bullets ricochet off of him, bouncing from the direction that Matt and the British soldier. I struggled to make myself move when Nikron began to summon an energy, similar to the Darkslayer's aura, and charge up his protective shield. As he did so, he let out a bellowing roar, and finally let out a scream. The aura became a blast, causing a wave of unfathomable power pushing us all several yards away in the air.

I landed on my back, feeling several concerning cracks from within me. I howled in pain, and quickly threw my head up to spot the damage. Debris flew across the destroyed Catalyst Avenue district, with Angela and Matt knocked out nearby to the far left. The strange British man struggled to get up, but was incredibly injured still. I glanced and saw Bachard off to the far right, still closer to Nikron than any of us. But...where was Robert?

I winced as I stood up, fighting against the pain to collapse onto the ground again. I limped towards Nikron instinctively. I caught sight of Nikron bending down, reaching for something on the ground, and lifting Robert up in the air by the collar of his shirt. I cursed at myself. I shouted, let out a cry, and for the life of me, could not recall what I had screamed. I ran, blindly, towards the corrupted Darkslayer.

I raised my blade over my head, and brought it down hard like a hammer, slicing through Nikron. I stared up at him, and he slowly turned, grinning, as my blade was inside of him. It took me a moment to realize his hand had pierced Robert's chest, and blood was pooling up in Robert's mouth.

I cried out once more, dropping the blade, and grabbing Robert's back in my arms. He collapsed, with Nikron's hand phasing out of Robert's chest. My blade vanished into mist, and Nikron towered over me for a moment before being tackled by Bachard, Matt, and Angela. They joined in the fight, and I sat there, holding Robert.

"N-no..." I breathed. I felt numb. An emptiness I hadn't expected to feel, and it was an unnerving feeling, something I hated with every fiber of my body. Something altered, maybe even snapped, in me. I watched as Robert's eyes fluttered from side to side, blood dripping from his lips and soaking his chest underneath his shirt. He swung his hand up, feeling around for my chest, and gripped my shirt tightly.

"Ronnie," Robert choked, "you...are my son."

"Don't talk," I shuddered. "Just relax. You'll be okay."

"Y-yes," he said. "You...you can carry us out. The Hyperios...the young ones...you can save them. Save us all."

I stammered, unsure as to what he was saying. "R-Robert, just...it's okay. You're gonna be okay."

Robert's grip on my shirt grew even tighter as he pulled me down close to him, almost tearing my shirt. "Ronnie...be the Darkslayer. It'll come from the Devil's Den...you'll need to stop..."

I blinked angrily as Robert's voice trailed off, and his eyes gazed out into nothingness. 

He entered a void, a state of decay. Robert was dead. My father, who I had in my life for the briefest of time, was gone. I hated this life. This was the loss, the death I was supposed to endure. It filled me with something intangible, and I was going to kill Nikron.

I stood up, turning to spot Nikron, deflecting sword slashes and gunshots with one hand, and blocking Bachard and Remus's hand-to-hand combat with another.

I dove in. I slashed, and Nikron dodged. I stabbed, and hit no flesh or bone. I screamed, and Nikron let out a laugh. Remus punched, cutting Nikron's laugh short. Bachard lifted Nikron up, and a sigh escaped Nikron's lips.

"No MORE!" cried Bachard, just as he brought Nikron down onto his knee...HARD.

A crack.

Silence.

Eerie silence.

[thedarkwithinusbook1]

The Dark Within Us - "The Prince of Hell"

Catalyst Avenue - VI -

I sat in the middle seat of the two door truck between Robert and Bachard. I felt a little awkward on this road trip between the two, but it was a short distance according to Bachard and Robert, and thankfully, neither felt the need to strike conversation with me like awkward old men. They thankfully could read the room. The end was coming.

I glanced back through the rear windshield, and saw Angela and Matt sitting in the trunk, both gazing into the distance we'd driven from. I sighed softly as I stared out at the two of them. Angela really was beautiful.

I shook the thought out of my head almost immediately. It wasn't appropriate, and Robert was slowing down.

"Right here?" Robert asked, turning the truck down a barren spot of land.

Bachard grunted. "This will do."

Robert put the truck in park, and opened his door. Bachard opened his door and exited the truck, and I slid out from his door after him. Matt and Angela hopped out of the trunk, and we all made our way towards the view of our target.

We had essentially driven up to a desert cliff, and below the cliff was an abandoned strip with lots of tall, abandoned buildings. Off to the distance, a street sign was hanging for dear life on a metal pole. It read "Catalyst Ave".

"We're here," Angela said softly.

I glanced at Angela, then back at the abandoned city we stood over. I furrowed my brow in confusion. It resembled Vegas eerily, but it was dead. The whole city was dead. "What happened here?" I asked.

"Nikron came," Bachard replied. "He...didn't kill anybody here. He just arrived. The city wasn't here before, but materialized in his presence. It became his domain, and we're at the mercy of it."

I swallowed in fear. We were in the domain of Darkness.

Robert cleared his throat. "So here's the plan." Robert reached into the trunk of the truck and removed a large duffle bag. "We are covering support for Bachard at this vantage point here. Bachard will descend down into the ruins and reach Nikron from within."

I nodded silently, and I noticed Matt and Angela staring as well. We stayed quiet, until Matt finally spoke up. "That's it?" he asked.

"That's it," Bachard answered.

"Aw, dude, come on," Matt replied. "Why don't we go down too? Any of us?"

"Not a debate," Robert insisted. "We are providing support from here."

"You know I could at least help Bachard," Angela remarked. "He's out of practice, right?"

Robert smirked, and suddenly a WOOOOSH was heard. I spun around to see Bachard, suddenly up in the air, leaping across the cliff and effortlessly landing on a rooftop across the gap in Catalyst Avenue. He waved in the distance. I gasped. Angela and Matt both turned around, and stared in shock. "Holy f-"

"Yeah, Angela. Out of practice," Robert remarked mockingly. I let out a chuckle as Angela nudged my shoulder in annoyance.

Robert finally bent down and opened the duffle bag, revealing its contents; large marksman rifles were disassembled in the bag.

"Whoa," Matt breathed. Angela and Matt both walked up to the bag, each beginning to put a rifle together.

I tilted my head in confusion. "Are those...regular guns?"

Robert glanced up at me. "What do you mean?"

"Well, don't we just...summon our weapons?"

Matt lifted up a case of ammo, and removed a single bullet. He tossed it at me, smirking. When I caught the bullet, Matt explained. "They’re weapons manufactured solely for this purpose. You know...killing monsters."

I examined the bullet Matt tossed at me, and took note of the design. It was a normal looking bullet, admittedly as normal as I'd imagine bullets looked, but then it started to...energize? Dark energy began to emit from the bullet, but at the same time, it almost looked like it was focused on the bullet, like there was gravity pulling the dark energy back into the bullet, but a magnet pulling the energy out at the same time, causing it to shift rapidly in my hand.

Robert nodded at me. "Yes, these ammunition rounds are designed by fellow Hyperios slayers who delved into weapons dealing."

I blinked. "W-what?" I tossed the bullet back to Matt. "Like...soldiers?"

Robert shrugged. "They operate like soldiers, at least. I don't know where they are now, but they've been a lot of help as the last few Hyperios vanished. Plus, for this task, it'll be effortless to use these rather than draining our own energy using our own weapons."

I nodded slowly, understanding the point being made. I had questions about these mysterious Darkslaying soldiers, considering it seemed we were a dying breed, but I dismissed the curiosity for another day...if there'd be another day.

I watched as Angela and Matt readied their rifles and laid themselves down on the ground close to the edge of the cliff, aiming their rifles out into the distance. I bit my lip nervously. After a moment, I feel a cool metallic sensation on my shoulder. I turn, and see Robert handing me a rifle. "Take this," he said. "I can put another together."

I swallowed. "Uh, thank you," I said, taking the rifle. I struggled to hold it comfortably in my arm for several moments, feeling Robert's gaze burning into me. I sighed defeatedly. "I, uh..."

Robert chuckled. "It's okay that you've never used one," he said. "In fact...it makes you one of the better ones."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Robert smiled painfully. "You grew up not having to do what we do."

I forced a smile, but for a moment, it almost hurt hearing this said to me. I wanted to be prepared like Matt and Robert. I wanted to be...ready. Helpful, even. But Robert was right; and if anything, this may be our undoing.

"Hey," Angela breathed from her prone position. "Is that...?"

"Nikron?" I asked, making my way to Angela.

I saw Angela shake her head. "N-no, I think it's..."

I noticed Robert lifting his rifle up in the air, peering through the scope on top of the rifle. He shook his head. "Oh, no," he said.

"No way," Matt called out from his rifle.

"Okay, what am I missing?" I asked, feeling a little frustrated.

Eerily, in unison, everyone responded. "Bune," they said.

"Bune?" I said confusedly. I glanced into the duffle bag and noticed a spare sniper scope. I grabbed it and brought it up to my eye, surveying the distance. On the rooftop where Bachard had landed on, a dark clothed young man was walking, making his way in the direction that Bachard had gone. He came to a gap between two rooftops, and vanished in a dark cloud of smoke, then just as quickly, appeared on the rooftop across from where he previously stood. He quickly hastened his pace and vanished once more in smoke, but seemingly spawned nowhere.

"Where'd he go?" Matt said.

I dropped the scope. "Is he a Slayer?" I asked.

The ominous silence answered my question. Whoever this Bune was, he was a problem. Robert cursed to himself quietly. "He got Bachard."

"And you wanted his help?" Matt asked, turning to Angela.

Angela slugged Matt's shoulder. "Shut up," she said.

"Wait, is Bachard in trouble?" I asked.

"Bachard should be okay," Robert said, still watching through his rifle. "I've got sights on him, and he's engaged in combat with Bune, but I don't want to make a shot with the risk of shooting Bachard.

I exhaled, maybe a little more panicked than I should've. "We need to help him."

"Ronnie, no," Angela said.

"Well, hold on," Matt said to Angela, "you didn't trust Bachard to be useful, right?"

"Right, but Bune is unpredictable, so we can't get involved."

"But you wanted his help with this?"

"Kids, enough," Robert exclaimed harshly, silencing the two. He turned to me once they silenced and stared up at him nervously. "Ronnie, he may need help."

"O-okay," I said. "So...we gotta get over there. I, uh, can't jump that far, though."

Robert smiled. "No, we can't," he admitted. He made his way to the duffle bag and removed a crossbow. He aimed it straight across to the building Bachard and Bune were in, and shot an arrow across. The arrow carried a tight string over, and felt it tug tight. He grabbed the end of the string and set it down with another arrow, digging it into the ground. "You'll have to get across with this."

"I'm ziplining?" I cried out nervously.

Robert nodded, still smiling. He handed me a harness with a clipped hook. "You're ziplining. You'll be okay."

I turned to Matt and Angela in shock, who both looked up at me with enthusiastic smiles. "Can we go next?" Matt asked.

"If necessary, sure," Robert said. He turned back to me, speaking in a hushed voice. "When you make it across, you'll be inside the domain. The building is a physical construct, so you don't need to worry about the structure collapsing, despite the ruins surrounding it. You'll find Bachard nearby with Remus Bune, but do not worry; Bune is a rogue Slayer. He's incredibly powerful, and very well may be working with his own agenda. Convince him to leave Bachard with you, or, if he's uncooperative, let him be, and we'll go in. I don't expect him to hurt or attack you."

"Why would he attack me?" I asked. "Is he like Nikron?"

Robert shook his head. I didn't realize he had his hand on my back until he started nudging me closer to the edge of the cliff. "Good luck, son."

I frowned, feeling more scared than I ever have. Matt and Angela both made their way to me, helping strap the harness onto me and clipping the harness to the zipline. Angela looked up at me with a smile that almost brought me comfort. Matt slapped my shoulder encouragingly. "You got this," Matt said. "Right, debate champ?"

I chuckled at Matt. "Yes, sir." I took one deep breath, readied myself for the leap, and lunged myself forward, zipping across the line.

I hung as I slid down the line, dangling over the tall and agape distance between the cliff and the building I was headed towards. Air blew past me, ruffling my hair and leaving my eyes irritated with the strong breeze in my face. It was such a short moment of being up in the air, I realized too late that the zipline was leading me straight into the building's window.

I braced myself, and crashed through a window, rolling over broken glass, dirt, and debris. I rolled myself into a kneeling stance, and sat upright, glancing around my dimly lit location. I was in what looked like an abandoned lobby, with a pair of elevators to my left, and nothing else. Windows were across from me, giving a view of absolutely nothing outside, and no other doors were around. How did anybody get anywhere in here? After the elevator door rang, I realized the power should not have been on. Lights, and the elevator, were functional. How was that possible?

The doors to the elevator opened. Bachard was inside, on his knees, and over him stood Remus Bune. He was in the dark clothing I noticed before; Black t-shirt, tight jeans, chains across his hips, and combat boots. He had shaggy, untamed dark hair, and the smallest bit of stubble. His eyes...his eyes were bizarre. Dark, black, possible dark purple pupils in his eyes. He stared at me with a sinister glare. "Oh, hi," he said.

"R-Remus Bune?" I asked.

He nodded, glancing around the outside of the elevator. "Wrong floor," he said. He turned back to me. "Are you a Darkslayer?"

I nodded nervously.

"Okay," he said. "Come with me."

I frowned confusedly. "I, uh...I don't think I should."

Remus smiled, then in an instant, vanished into smoke and dropping Bachard down onto the floor of the elevator, then appeared next to me, helping me up onto my feet, giving my heart a scare. "Come with me, kid. I need you to come up."

I darted several glances out the broken window, hoping the others were aware of what was happening. "I, uh, I'm not alone," I pleaded.

"The more, the merrier," Remus said, dragging me into the elevator with him and Bachard.

I bent down to help Bachard, then turned to look up at Remus. "Where are we going?"

Remus pressed a button on the elevator panel; the 13th floor. "We're going to meet Nikron," he said, baring fangs as he grinned devilishly.

. . .

I had my eyes shut as I silently prayed to myself. Hopefully anybody was listening, but that was doubtful. The rogue slayer, or vampire, or whatever was standing beside me just...loomed threateningly. I held Bachard with the weight of my body, hoping all would go well, but I had no idea.

"So, you're new to this, kid?" Remus asked me. I turned to look at him, now noticing our similar heights. He shouldn't have been intimidating, but...

I sighed frustratedly. "Yeah. What gave it away?"

Remus smiled. "You haven't tried to attack me yet."

I shook my head. "Well, I think if anything, new Slayers would try to kill the first monster they'd see, right?" I said, almost mockingly.

Remus let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head back. "Fool," he muttered.

"What?" I growled. "Say that to my face, you-"

"You're new, but I'm not the first monster you've seen. And chances are, you didn't try and kill the first monster you did see, am I right?"

I frowned even more. Remus was really pissing me off.

Remus shrugged. "It's fine. Takes a little bit for you to decide that you want to start killing; and even then, it's easier killing mindless sheep than it is to hunt the Big Bad Wolf, right?"

I rolled my eyes, and in that moment, the elevator doors let out a DING!

Remus Bune turned to me. "Do you need help carrying him?"

I arched my eyebrow at Remus, then back at Bachard dangling under my arm. I sighed. "Y-yeah, actually, this dude weighs a ton."

Remus nods, then comes around the other side of me, and hoists Bachard up along his side as well. We both lug the tall and ancient warrior out of the elevator. I glance over to Remus carrying Bachard, same level as me, and I sigh. "He isn't even heavy for you, is he?"

Remus grins, then yanks Bachard from my grip, hoisting him up over his shoulder effortlessly. "Yeah, he is," Remus said.

I shrugged. "So what the hell am I doing here, man?"

Remus drops Bachard, and instantly appears inches from my face. "You are to keep your mouth shut and sit like a good puppy when I'm speaking to Nikron. We are giving him Bachard's body, and you will not even blink unless you are told. Understood?"

I let out a shuddered breath, caught off guard by the sudden 180 change in this Remus Bune. He was terrifying; unpredictable, as was said before. But...being alone with him...surely this guy would kill me.

Remus Bune suddenly appears right beside Bachard and lifts him up again, dragging the man over to a set of double doors. I clear my throat before speaking again, against my orders. "How old are you?" I asked.

Remus hangs his head down and sighs exaggeratedly. "You want to know how old I am or how old I was...?"

"Wh-what-"

"I'm 914," Remus Bune said. "I was 17 when I last aged, but...time is weird that way, isn't it?"

I nodded. "I'm, uh, 17 too."

Remus glared at me. "Whoop-dee-doo. Join us."

I bit my lip, and glanced out of the windows again. Through the window, I could see Robert, Angela, and Matt both on the clifftop. However, I noticed what looked like a helicopter in the distance. Was that a random chopper flying through the area? Would they even see what was happening down below?

"HEY! TODAY, SLAYER!" Remus called from the double doors, voice booming in the already opened room.

I sighed, making my way slowly towards the room. Remus was close to the windows, with Bachard kneeling at his feet. The room was dark, with no lights lit up, surprisingly; Considering the power coursing through the manifested building, it was jarring that this room was only lit up by the moonlight shining down through the windows. Shadowy monsters were slowly roaming all around the furniture-cluttered room, almost phasing in and out of existence.

Towards the back of the room, near a window, standing on top of a long office table, was a man with dark smoke swirling around his feet. He dressed in a black business attire, with a long black trench coat, and dark black hair messy on top of his pale face. His eyes...black. His whole eye; no visible irises, a lot like the monsters we've encountered. At least...almost like the monsters we've encountered. I turned back to Remus, arching my eyebrow. What was happening?

"I've got a friend of yours here, Nikron," Remus calls out to Nikron, gesturing to Bachard on the ground. He's laying lifeless; I still wasn't sure why the man was out cold as quickly as he was. Was Remus Bune really that dangerous?

Nikron stood at the table still, almost as if his mind was elsewhere, and what I assumed was his physical body was just...there. He paid no attention to anything going on.

Remus sighs. "That was the deal, right? You get your boyfriend from the Ice Age, and you give me what I want."

The air grew tense, and you could cut the tension and dark smokey monsters with a butterknife. I considered whipping out my sword, but I didn't want to instigate anything that didn't need to happen. I just...needed to see what the game plan was.

Remus begins pacing. "You've done really good work here, Nikron. Your reach is stretched out across half the country. You'll soon reach half the world. Before the year is over, you'll have the world, I think. And the Slayers will be dead." Remus turns to face Nikron again. "And it'll just be you and me left in the world."

I arched my eyebrow. Maybe I wouldn't need to debate anything. Maybe Remus was better at talking than I was. He seemed to love hearing himself talk, more than me, anyway.

Nikron finally turns to look down at Remus, gaze still piercing with his dark vision. "Ah," Remus chimes, "so you ARE listening. Glad I got your attention."

I stared as Remus continued pacing. "This...domination that you're enacting is...well, it's stupid. You're looking to send this realm into oblivion, and for what? For life to cease? For nothingness to take over? It's stupid, Nikron, and quite frankly, not even what you want. No, that's what the other guy wants, right?"

"Who is the other-"

Remus held a finger up at me without turning to face me, shutting me up. He continued staring up at Nikron, who was holding his gaze at Remus. "So," Remus began, "who is it that I should be dealing with? Nikron, the being I am looking at right now, or the other guy who is using Nikron like a little pawn?"

An echo, followed by eerie silence filled the room. Even the shadowy monsters phasing in and out of the room fell silent, as if waiting in anticipation for the next words to be spoken. I shuddered. Remus was fowl for that smack-talk.

I watched Nikron intensely. He didn't even really seem to notice me at all, let alone Bachard's body below him. Nikron just stared at Remus, motionless and still, but his intense glare made it seem as if his mind was racing with thoughts of violence being enacted, and presumably on Remus.

Remus cleared his throat, turning away from Nikron. He was facing me, and shot me a wink, before speaking. "I think...you'll need to come out and play soon, Nikron. The game has started..."

As Remus approached me, leaving Bachard on the ground, he gestured to the window with his head. I turned to glance out of the window, and saw the cliffside that Robert and the others stood at. A fourth person was standing there, wielding something large over their shoulder. Was it a weapon? After a moment, a flash occurred, and something was flying towards us. It was kind of bright. It whistled loudly as it got closer. Right before impact, the sound of the monsters around us began to rise in volume, as a high-pitched hiss began echoing between all of the monsters. I caught a glimpse of Bachard rising from the floor just before Remus grabbed my arm, and threw his body over me, and an explosive shattering of glass rained across the room. A roar was heard from where Nikron stood, and the floor gave way, and the ceiling collapsed.

[thedarkwithinusbook1]

The Dark Within Us - "No One Left to Hear Our Prayers"

The Veldt - V -

We woke up only a few hours after the attack on our campsite, and I think I had about forty minutes of sleep. I begrudgingly got up and helped Matt and Angela pack our camp up, and did my best not to pout the entire time. Despite being generally a morning person, it was the hardest thing to do. Maybe it was because I had a subconscious awareness of the fact that from here on out, there'd be no turning back. A point of no return.

We traveled further through the desert, with Robert insisting that we were close enough to our destination. I let my mind wander with the goal of our trek; we were searching for the immortal Darkslayer. One of the first to ever become, or be born as, a Hyperios. Would he be a wise sage-like being? Someone ethereal? God-like, even? I had no idea what to expect. The only Darkslayers I knew were the group I was with. They were all relatively normal, despite the experience that fighting monsters entailed. Would one as old as Bachard be any different? Like a hermit who hid from the world as it progressed forward? Maybe he was caught up with all things with the turn of the millennium.

I sighed, and nudged Matt walking next to me. "Has anybody met this Bachard dude before?"

Matt shook his head. "Most Hyperios didn't think he was still alive."

I gasped softly. "Really? Wait, so-"

"How does your dad know he's alive, then?" Matt turned to me with a soft smile. "I don't know. He might not know for sure. But...this is the plan, at the moment." I frowned to myself, staring back down at the ground as I walked. Matt cleared his throat. "I wouldn't worry though. I trust Robert. You can, too."

I nodded, then glanced behind me, where I met Angela's eyes. I quickly glanced away, then in a split second, Angela made her way back up to my side. She nodded towards Matt. "You watch the rear now, Matt."

Matt blinked. "Why?"

"Because we should have somebody guarding the back of the group."

"Why don't you?"

"Because I'm up here now."

Matt scoffed, then turned to me. I shrugged, and Matt let out an annoyed sigh, slowing his pace down a bit to make his way behind me and Angela. Angela smiled, then nudged me on my arm. "Okay, now I've gotta ask you a question."

I nodded nervously. "I, uh, I'll try to answer, but I don't know a bunch right now..."

Angela shook her head. "It's okay. I wanted to know...what happened that brought you to Robert and Matt?"

"Like...when did I first see these monsters?" I asked.

Angela nodded with a soft, pretty smile. "When did you first...awaken, so to speak?"

I bit my lip, staring off ahead, forcing myself to not relive the moment I was almost killed in Heavenfall Academy. "I was...attacked at school. I thought it was a student...it could've been a student, I guess. I don't know how it happened or how it got there, honestly. Matt came and, uh...saved me."

After a long, awkward pause of silence between Angela and I, Angela cleared her throat. "It could've been a manifested being of Darkness," he started. "Basically, they spawn out of its influence in the area, and sometimes if the Darkness is powerful in the area, it'll manifest as a creature that has been around for a long time, like a vampire or something. But...it looks like Darkness just manifested as a corrupted student."

I let out a deep breath, then almost whispered my next question. "He wasn't...an actual student...?"

Angela shook her head. "Probably not, no."

I nodded in relief. I hadn't even considered that the boy, the student, that Matt had saved me from, wasn't actually a human I could've known. It brought me a little bit of comfort. Perhaps any monsters we'd encounter wouldn't be a former human. Maybe?

Finally, I noticed Angela stopping in her tracks. I turned to her, then back to Matt, who all stopped walking. I turned to Robert in front of us, who halted and stared forward.

In the distance, I could make out a small shack. It was essentially in the middle of nowhere, and I had to squint to make out details. A tall pole stood out in the front of the shack; unsure what the pole was. I noticed a small wooden fence around the property of the shack. A small metal contraption was set off to the front of the shack. I shook my head in confusion. "What is that?" I asked.

Robert let out a gruff sigh, then turned back to me. "Welcome to the Veldt, kids. The home of Bachard."

. . .

We collectively approached the shack in the distance. I shuddered as we approached the property, unsure as to what to expect still. I glanced at Matt, who was carefully armed with his magnum concealed under the palm of his hand. He seemed prepared. I turned to Angela, who lagged a bit behind; whether it was from lack of interest or out of pure caution, I couldn't tell.

Robert approached the front door and knocked twice, rather loudly. He waited for a response, and when nothing was heard, he knocked again.

I turned and noticed the metal contraption I noticed from our trek over to the property. I walked up to it, examining its details. It looked like a furnace of a sort...possibly a miniature forge, but modernized. Was Bachard a blacksmith?

"Alright," Angela huffed, making her way to the door to the shack. She reached for the doorknob and turned it, opening the door.

"Hey, no," Robert hissed. "You can't just walk in."

"You're the one who wanted to ask for his help, right?" Angela asked. "Even so, he may not actually be here. Let's just walk in."

Robert sighed, and Angela walked in, followed by Matt. Robert hung his head, then turned to me. I shrugged and approached the door, and he followed me in as well.

It was a little depressing when we walked in. The shack looked bigger from the outside than the inside, where it was stuff of dusty armor and weapons; scythes, swords, and maces. The furniture consisted mainly of a table with half-eaten plates of food, one chair off to the side, and a bed in the back of the shack. It was all one room, with nothing else.

"Wh-where's the bathroom?" was Matt's first response. We all turned to Matt, who glanced at each of us, as if expecting an answer. "I...I dunno, how does a guy hold it?" he asked.

"I don't," called a deep voice in the shadows in the distance. We all spun around to find the source of the voice. Suddenly, I could make out a figure in the back of the shack, behind the bed, kneeling on the ground. He slowly stood up, and stepped from the shadows. It was a tall man, with long black locks of hair with gray peppered down his locks. He wore a long black robe, with seemingly nothing underneath. I averted my eyes when I caught what looked like a glimpse of his genitals, and after a moment, the man slowly tied his robe up around from his waist. "Apologies. I...was not expecting guests."

I swallowed and turned to Angela, who had a displeased look on her face. Glancing at Robert, I could see a look of surprise in his eyes. I heard Matt clear his throat. "So where do you take a dump?"

I sighed. "Matt-"

"A guy has to go!" he exclaimed.

The man chuckled. "I have an outhouse a little ways off of the property," he said. "Feel free to use it."

I blinked, and Matt let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, I'll be back." I watched Matt leave, and it was just us and the man.

I spoke first. "Are you...Bachard?"

The man smiled. "I...was. It's been a while, you see, since I've been called that."

Angela shook her head in frustration. "Are you or are you not the first Hyperios?"

Bachard nodded, approaching us three. "Once upon a time, yes. It's just been forever, now. I...I honestly didn't think I'd see any more clans in these last few years. Things have been chaotic as time went on, and...well, I hadn't been active in the battle, I'm sure you could make out."

Angela let out a sarcastic scoff. Robert cleared his throat. "Will you be able to fight one more battle? Nikron is somewhere in Nevada, and-"

"Catalyst Avenue," Bachard muttered. My eyes widened in surprise. "He is there."

Angela stepped closer to me, arms crossed over her chest. I turned to her, hoping to reassure her, as Robert followed up. "Fantastic," he said. "So you've been keeping track of his whereabouts. We're journeying that way, and would like you to-"

"I haven't been tracking him," Bachard said. He shook his head. "I had no interest in where he's been this whole time. I've...I am connected to him, in a sense. I know where he's been, always, and ever since we were branded."

"Branded?" I asked.

Bachard glanced up at me. "You...you must be a young Hyperios. New to this all, yes?"

I nodded hesitantly, and Robert stepped forward, gesturing towards me. "My son," he said.

"Ah...one of the last clans, then," Bachard said. He turned away from us, facing the back wall of the shack. I noticed a cross hanging up above on the wall. I arched my eyebrow at this detail.

"Will you help us defeat Nikron?" Angela asked, almost out of patience.

A long pause was held in the room. I shivered with anticipation. I heard a low guttural sound from Bachard, but it sounded like he had said no.

I turned to Robert, who's eyes looked pained. I opened my mouth to speak, and Bachard spoke again. "I want to make this clear; I do care about what is going on, and am very concerned. I trust that, if you are working to stop the threat, then things are going to be okay."

"Isn't Nikron super strong and tough, though?" I asked. Robert and Angela shot me a glare, catching me by surprise.

Bachard smiled half-heartedly, and gestured for me to approach him. I felt my chest beat hard, and turned once more to Robert and Angela. After no response from them, I approached Bachard. I took only a few steps towards Bachard. A waft of a scent caught me off guard; something...herbal. It was strange, considering how the man lived. It had a pleasant scent. "Young man," he started, "you are correct. Nikron is one of us; but he is inhabiting the source of Darkness in him. He has all of what is evil and wrong in the universe coursing in his veins, and it is all at his disposal. Be prepared for more than a battle. Be strong for your father, and for the world."

Robert let out a sigh, then stepped forward. "With all due respect, Bachard, I don't find your response acceptable," he started. I almost gasped at the sound of his aggression. "You are THE Darkslayer. The immortal one, the first of us all. You have seen Nikron, you have gone face-to-face with the man, and you are possibly the only one who can take him on and live." I turned to Robert, surprised by the admitting of the last statement, regarding our lack of potential success. Robert looked up at Bachard once more. "Why won't you fight alongside us?"

At this point, Matt entered the shack once more. He let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, man." He stepped towards us, and shrugged. "So where's Bachard? Did we get him on board or what?"

I groaned in embarrassment. Bachard let out a soft laugh. "I...am not who I used to be. I can try and help, but with my history with Nikron, and my abilities at this point in my very long life, I...may be more of a liability than anything."

I heard a scoff from Angela. "I knew we should've gotten Bune's help instead."

Bachard's eyes widened at the sound of this name. "Remus Bune?" he said. "That is, uh...certainly an option." He glanced back at the wall behind him, and let out a sigh. "I think if anything, that rogue Slayer will be harder to get 'on board' than me."

I arched my eyebrow. "I thought he was a vampire?"

Before I could get a response, Richard spoke. "So we can count on you to aid us?"

Bachard nodded. "If you truly believe in my ability to help you succeed, I shall aid you folks. I cannot make any guarantees or promises in this quest."

Richard applauded suddenly. "Excellent! We will embark in an hour. Prepare yourself, Bachard. The trek won't be far, so do what you need to before we leave." With that, Robert leaves the shack, and Angela shoots Bachard another glare, before also leaving. Matt began to wander around the shack, eyeing the various pieces of forged equipment in amusement.

"Are you sure you are ready?" Bachard asked me.

I shrugged. "I don't know," I admitted. "I have to be, right? It's been less than a week, and I'm not sure I'm even really a Darkslayer still."

Bachard nodded, letting the words I said sink in. "It's one thing to be born into it, obtaining the abilities and learning the slay. It's another to have the capabilities to embark fully into this world. It's okay to not be ready this early on." Bachard let out a sigh, then glances away. "Lord knows I wasn't..."

I take note of this last remark. "B-Bachard...are you religious?"

Bachard grinned softly, then looked up at me. "It's funny. At the time I was in Valetia, living as a soldier alongside Nikron, we had never practiced religion. We did not pray to any god, nor did we follow any holy book. We simply...were."

"But you do now?"

Bachard nodded. "Now, yes. As time went on, and religion washed over the world, I found myself fascinated by it. I pray. I follow Catholicism."

I smiled softly. "My mom does, too."

"And do you?"

I bit my lip. "I did...but now, I'm not so sure."

Bachard placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Considering our backgrounds, I find it incredibly amusing how our upbringings have shifted how we view the universe now. It's okay not to be sure. I know I'm not sure of any higher power. I only pray for personal comfort."

I glanced up at the cross hanging on the wall once more, then turned back to Bachard. "Do me a favor...and pray for us. All of us. We may need it, and I don't have the heart to do it anymore."

I caught a glimpse of Bachard frowning before turning to exit the shack, unprepared to face the foe threatening the world.

[thedarkwithinusbook1]

The Dark Within Us - "The Hyperios of the West"

Mojave Desert - IV -

It was safe to say that, as soon as it came to actually fight for my life, I was wildly unprepared.

We drove further into the desert, leaving the state of California and making our way through Nevada. We were essentially in the middle of nowhere, and I was sure that we were lost, but Robert insisted he knew our location and our destination. I just had to take his word for it.

Matt was scouting for a potential campground for us to rest as we were beginning to travel on foot. I hated the idea of being this exposed, feeling defenseless, and possibly outnumbered by whatever we'd encounter. Robert, once again, insisted that we'd be alright, and that no harm would come to us.

By the time that we eventually found a spot near a giant red boulder in the desert, we set up our tent, a small table for food and supplies to be sifted through, and a small lantern that cast an incredibly bright light. We could see just about everything within our tent, and the light was cast over the table outside our tent, shining through the opening from inside the tent, shining out into the dusk. I tried very hard not to voice my concerns, being an inexperienced fighter, let alone camper, but I knew Robert would've insisted that the light was fine, and that we'd be alright.

Matt and I sat, eating some cooked beans and fajita that Robert managed to make after picking some up during our travels, while Robert stayed on lookout. I felt safe in that moment, with him on lookout while Matt regaled more tales of what he had encountered.

"Did you really meet a mermaid?" I asked Matt.

He nodded, scarfing down a spoonful of meaty beans. "Uh-huh," he managed with his mouth full. He swallowed, and continued. "Well, I mean, sirens, but same difference, right?" He set his bowl down to elaborate with his hands. "There was a bunch down below the Gulf, but this one had made her way up through Texas, and I think Louisiana, and your dad and I met her traveling through Florida. We weren't even looking for them. I think at the time there were reports of a zombie-like entity roaming the State, but when we found her, she said she was being hunted by fishermen. Me and Robert had to save her from these hillbillies, who were tough to fight non-lethally, but we managed to safely escort her."

I arched an eyebrow. "Was she going home?"

Matt shook his head. "No, apparently she had been disowned by her clan, so she was looking for refuge somewhere up North. She was looking for solitude, so we helped her get to the Atlantic. We told her about the sea, and she was surprised about how big the ocean actually was. She made her way out of Miami, I think."

I laughed softly. "Miami?"

"Mmhm! She loved it; the lights, the music, the dancing. She said it reminded her of what her home used to be like. I honestly felt really bad for her. I just...wanted her to be safe."

I sat there, taking in what Matt had told me. The look on Matt's face when he spoke about her made me think...maybe there was more to this life than just slaying demons. "Did you love her?" I asked.

Matt smirked. "Well, sure," he said. "They're not all bad. Some monsters, creatures, they're not always aligned with pure darkness," he said. "Some vampires or even demons, they are sometimes just trying to exist. It's our job to protect those who can't protect themselves, and sometimes it isn't just humans we have to protect."

Matt and I sat and ate for a few moments before Matt added, "but if you're asking if she was hot, yes, she definitely was gorgeous. Just not my type."

I snickered, chewing my bite and swallowing. "Was it the tail for you?"

Matt shook his head. "N-no, she was able to shift legs out of her tail, but, no, I prefer boys."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "Ah!" I exclaimed, possibly louder than I needed to be. "I gotcha."

Matt smiled. "Did you know anybody like me at your school?"

I thought for a moment, and despite immediately knowing the answer, I thought just a little bit longer to ensure I wasn't forgetting anybody in my life. That being said, I sighed defeatedly. "No, honestly, not really," I admitted.

Matt nodded, and laid back with his empty plate next to his legs. "I can imagine gay boys are closeted over there, or maybe just frowned upon."

I pursed my lips, considering my words. I cleared my throat nervously. "W-well, I mean, there really shouldn't be anything wrong with that. But...the school is just really conservative, so I feel like they've just imposed their ideologies on the students. I can't say it stuck for every student, but maybe."

Matt turned to be, slightly twiddling his feet together. "That's sort of what I was dealing with when I first started my work as a Darkslayer. I was taught to consider everything I'd encounter that wasn't human as...well, as a threat. To me, or to humanity, whatever. But, it's like the refugee siren, or the uncorrupted vampires, they showed me that I didn't need to use the imposed ideology of slaying everything to still do good. I can save anybody that needs saving, but like people oughta accept queer people, I guess."

I smiled at Matt, really appreciating the point he was trying to make. "You're pretty cool, man," I said softly.

Matt glanced at me smiling. "Thanks, Ronnie."

Suddenly, a sound echoed outside of our tent. A low hum. A growl, almost, with a distorted and deep echo vibrated through the tent, and was even felt under our feet. I turned to Matt, who had a momentary look of panic in his eyes, until it vanished just as quickly as it appeared. Matt shot up onto his feet and rushed out of the tent, where the sound of a blade slicing through something was heard.

I silently cursed to myself, jumping out of the tent and preparing myself in a fighting stance before realizing I was unarmed. I scanned the campsite to find the threat, where I saw Matt engaged in hand-to-hand combat with a dark, shadowy humanoid with dark red eyes and blood seething from its mouth. I turned and saw Robert, slashing his blade against three other enemies, and successfully landing his hits. I stared in awe briefly, but my gaze was interrupted by the roar of another monster emerging from shadows behind me.

I shouted; whether it was panic, fear, or courage, I wasn't sure. I leaped back, dodging the grasp the monster almost had on me. It followed me, and I backed away cautiously as it was moving at a slow pace; whether it didn't recognize me as a threat, or it merely was weak, I couldn't tell. I was so unprepared and terrified for my life, just as I had been at Heavenfall High before. I managed to swing my leg around, landing a kick against the monster. The adrenaline saved me, knocking the monster back. However, the monster shot back on its feet, and aggressively made its way to me. The fear washed all over me once again; knowing I'd die, and this was the last moment of my life, seeing this demonic entity make its way to me was all I'd see when I'd go. I shut my eyes, accepting my fate this time. As I waited for the pain of death, I realized I was waiting for longer than I had expected it to.

I slowly opened my eyes, and in front of me was a tall, tan, thin but muscular young woman, maybe my age if not a little older, who wore a black tank top with a tattered jacket of a sort wrapped around her waist, and dark baggy cargo pants that scrunched up above her ankles, with tall combat boots. She had bent down, extending her hand out to me. She smiled. "Don't worry; I've got you," she said softly.

I took her hand and she pulled me up, bringing me to my feet. I watched as she pointed to the monster that attacked me, which now had a hatchet lodged into its shoulder. It was weakened, but still mobile. I stared, both in confusion and in horror, as the woman still smiled while pointing at it. "This is your first kill," she said. "You need to take it. And I'll help you."

She stood behind me and grabbed my hands, with the warmth of her body and hands warming mine. I glanced up in panic as the monster slowly made its way to us; so slow, however, I had confidence that we could take on the entity together.

I felt something tingle in my hands. Something numbed my fingers, but it was also tensing up as if pressure was emerging from my palms. "Do you feel that?" the woman asked. "That's the power. The dark within you. It's what we use to combat the Darkness; dark against dark. The only difference between us and them is we have light at our true center, our true core. Deeper than our heart. You pull out from there, and imbue it with darkness, whatever it is you find yourself needing."

As I let the words soak in, the woman stepped back and made her way next to me, almost as if she was about to demonstrate. She let her hands drop to her sides, and they gracefully traced the sides of her hips, revealing a dark misty energy that conjured two large weapons. One side of her wielded a large sword-like blade, and the other revealed a long marksman sniper rifle, each etched with intricate detail and engravings. She smiled as she turned to me. "You can do this," she said.

I nodded, and felt the sensation still lingering in my hands. I focused hard, and imagined exactly what I needed: the woman's blade, Robert's sword, and mine. A sword big enough to easily defend against the biggest threats, sharp enough to cut through the toughest shell of a creature, and dark enough to be for my use. I watched as, the more I thought about it, the quicker the sword emerged in my hand, with the same dark energy swirling around the sword's hilt. My sword.

The woman clapped. "Yes!" she exclaimed. "Now you're ready," she said.

"Now I'm ready," I muttered. I looked up, and the monster was less than a few feet from me. It still struggled to make its way to me any quicker with the hatchet still stuck in its neck. I adjusted my grip on the hilt of my sword, squeezing the handle tight, and brought the large sword back in preparation for an attack. It was heavy, I could tell, but I somehow had the strength to hold the sword with ease. It was mine.

The monster lunged forward, and I swung the sword a little too much like a baseball bat, but when I did, the sharp end of my blade cut through the neck of the monster, and the head went flying into the tent, and the body collapsed at my feet.

I stared in horror. The monster, whatever or whoever it was, was dead. I had killed it.

The woman clapped behind me. "There ya go, papi," she said. "Now you're a Darkslayer."

I turned to her, still ridden with shock, but managed a nod. I watched her as she summoned a long, thin katana, and ran towards monsters attacking Robert. I glanced off to the side and noticed Matt fighting monsters with his fists, with every few attacks he landed summoning his pistol to hit the monsters with. I smiled to myself briefly; Matt was unbelievably cool.

I shook the distracting thought from my head, then let out a roar as I wielded my sword, and ran towards the monsters to defend Matt.

. . .

After what felt like forever, Robert, Matt, the mysterious Darkslayer, and I all ended up slaying every monster that attacked in the evening. I was exhausted. Matt was recuperating after a mild injury, which the woman warrior was already tending to with a first aid kit, thanks to Robert's preparation. We each sat around a campfire, near our destroyed campsite, and despite Matt insisting that we should leave immediately after the attack, Robert and I both agreed that the night was too dangerous to travel in, and we'd have to take shifts in guarding the group. I, however, was skeptical of the newcomer we had.

I cleared my throat before speaking. "So," I started, "w-what's your name?"

As I asked this question, everyone turned to me, as if the question hadn't occurred to anybody else. Matt and Robert slowly turned back to the woman, who let out a soft sigh while still bandaging Matt's wrist. "Angela," she said quietly. "Angela Grace."

I slowly nodded, and smiled at Angela. "Cool. So...what brought you out here?"

Angela chuckled softly. She finished wrapping Matt's wrist, then patted his wrist with her palm. Matt winced, and Angela turned to me. "You're very new, right? Like, a few hours into this?" I felt my cheeks blush in embarrassment as Angela nodded. "Yeah, I figured. I've been keeping track of the waves of Darkness flowing in this end of the country. Nikron is coming back, and I'd like to put an end to it."

Matt smiled. "Yeah, we're working on that too."

Angela glances at Matt. "Are you three ready for that, though?" She turned back to me. "You're too fresh, amor, and you need to be careful. These two guys are good, I'm sure, but even with the four of us, we wouldn't be able to stop Nikron from fully coming back."

"But," I started, "...you were going to go after him yourself?"

Angela nodded. "I'd put my life down to do it, yes."

Robert shook his head. "Ms. Grace, you can't do that. There aren't many of us left, and this may not be the last time this happens. We'd need to keep each other alive for as long as possible, to both complete this task and to survive afterwards."

Angela turned to Robert. "Ms. Grace?" She brushed her hair back. "You're charming." Angela turned back to me, and at this point, I was worried she was beginning to tell me too much, and I'd have to start taking notes. "Nikron and his spawn are emerging from a place, and I believe I've tracked the location."

I nodded, and glanced between Robert and Matt, who each seemed to be staring at Angela. After an awkward pause, I decided to ask the question nobody seemed to be thinking. "Where is he, then?"

Angela smiled at me, and I was starting to notice how beautiful Angela was. "So you three don't know, huh?"

"I had a destination in mind," Robert admitted.

Angela turned back to Robert, shaking her head. "Wherever you're headed, you are going in the wrong direction," she said. "Nikron is in Nevada. You aren't heading that way, it seems."

Matt and I both blinked confusedly, then turned to Robert. He sighed, and nodded in confirmation. "Nikron seems to be there, yes. We aren't heading that way."

"What?" I asked in surprise.

"Are you kidding me?" Matt exclaimed. "Come on! What the hell, man?"

Robert raised his hand, silencing Matt's outburst. "Ms. Grace is right. We four aren't fully prepared to tackle this task alone. So I've been leading us to a place where someone I believe can help is residing."

Matt, Angela, and I were quiet in anticipation for the reveal. Robert dropped his hand, and gestured to the night. "There's only one person left who has encountered this level of threat, and survived. He is out there, and I believe when we convince him of how dire the threat is, he will help."

I shook my head. "We have to convince him?"

"Bachard?" Angela whispered.

Robert nodded. "Yes, kids, we have to convince Bachard."

I turned to Matt, whose mouth was agape. I shrugged, not picking up on the lore-dropping. "Okay, who?"

Robert smiled at me. "We mentioned to you that Nikron used to be a Hyperios, right?" I nodded. "Well, he was one of the first in Valetia. Bachard was as well."

I let the words sink in. After a moment, I came to a conclusion and blinked in surprise. "Bachard is...one of the first Darkslayers? Like...a living, breathing Darkslayers from way back when Greenland wasn't even Greenland?"

Robert nodded as Matt exhaled. "Wow," he said. "We're calling in the big guns?"

Before Robert could reply, Angela chimed in. "That's a mistake," she said. "That old fool won't be of any use. You need somebody else."

"Who else will be strong enough and experienced enough to take on a Vessel as old and powerful as Nikron?" Robert asked, losing patience.

Angela sat back, looking a little ashamed of the frustration directed towards her. "W-well, there's always Remus," she muttered softly.

"Who?" I asked, getting sick of learning of these new people who hadn't been previously mentioned.

Matt shook his head. "He's a myth," he scoffed. "Remus Bune is just a story, probably meant to scare other Darkslayers from attacking vampires."

"Then why would the story speak of him fighting other vampires alongside Hyperios?" Angela retorted.

"Because vampires probably thought a mythical savior would save them from getting massacred by us?"

"Enough," Robert growled. Everyone shut up at that moment. "We...may not need the help of Bune if we recruit Bachard, so...we should start with him. Bune will be a last resort if it comes to that."

I nodded, not necessarily in agreement, but in satisfaction with any progression of the plan we had. Whether we inducted a vampire or an ancient warrior to fight with us, anything would seem to help. I had no right to be picky. I watched Matt and Angela glared at one another briefly, and before I knew it, I began to doze off. I felt a warm arm wrap itself around me, and I lay asleep in the comfort of someone; whether it was Robert, or the Darkslayer that seemed to invite herself to our journey, I didn't know nor care. I just needed sleep.

[thedarkwithinusbook1]

The Dark Within Us - "Tales"

Mojave Desert - III -

I had been on the road with Matt and Robert for a few hours before the sun began to set in the afternoon; it was a lot of driving with the roof down, and speakers blasting rock music. It varied between AC/DC and Nirvana to Linkin Park and Nickelback, and I sat there and took in all of Matt and Robert's taste in music.

We stopped at a diner off in the middle of the road to wherever the hell we were going, and went in to grab a bite. Matt brought his backpack, while Robert carried a small satchel strapped to his back. All I had was the small wallet I carried with me, and a pen on my person. It made me realize how underprepared I was for such an endeavor like this.

I sat awkwardly across from Robert and Matt at the diner booth as they blissfully glanced at our laminated menus. I carefully pried my wallet out of my butt pocket, embarrassed at the few dollars crumpled in the corner of my wallet. I sighed as Matt grinned like a fool and slid his menu away from him. "I'm gonna get this BLT."

I smiled softly, nodding at his choice. "Gotta have that bacon, lettuce, and tomato, am I right?" I joked.

Robert pursed his lips at the menu, still thinking about the choices, and then smiled at me, putting his menu off to the side. "Get whatever you'd like, Ronnie."

I glanced at Robert nervously. I hadn't considered a meal, but I was uncomfortable with the idea of him paying for my food after having just realized he had secretly financed most of my life's necessities.

I began to stammer. "I, uh...I'm not really-"

Matt leaned forward. "You're hungry," he said. "Even if you're not, you are."

Robert laughed softly, then turned to me. "He's right, Ronnie. You won't want to do what we are going to do on an empty stomach," he said ominously.

I swallowed a gulp in fear of what this warning meant, then slid my menu back across the table. "I'll, um, do a BLT also."

Robert smiled. "Fantastic."

The waitress came and Robert gave her our orders. She filled up a glass of water for me, and left to get coffees for Matt and Robert. I self-consciously stared at my water, unsure if I needed to be caffeinated for our journey. While I was lost in my thoughts, Robert and Matt chatted about the area, the locals in the diner, and that's when I realized how relaxed they were. This was just another week for them, it seemed. I wondered if I'd ever get that comfortable with the looming danger that haunted us.

Robert cleared his throat as the coffees landed on the table. "Alright, Ronnie," he started, "so tell me, do you have any questions?"

I sipped my water and swallowed. "Oh, um..." I trailed off.

Robert smiled and nodded. "It's okay. We'll make sure you're prepared."

Matt laid back against the booth, arms crossed behind his neck. "I'm glad you decided to come along with us, Ronnie." He smiled at me and nodded towards Robert. "You're honestly in great hands with this man."

I was initially uncomfortable with the close relationship between Robert and Matt because, despite their history, Robert was supposed to be my father. Circumstances brought them two together, but it only initially bothered me. After a while, it dawned on me that if circumstances had been different, Robert would've been there for me just as he had been for Matt. Robert was honorable, and I had to appreciate that at least.

I smiled at Matt. "So," I started, finally generating a thought into a question, "what is the coolest thing that's happened since you've become, you know..." I struggled to find the right term. "D-Darkslayer?"

Robert turned to Matt, who let out a soft chuckle. "Oh, boy," he said. "I, uh, don't think I've ever been asked that." I watched Matt consider the question.

"Night Wave City?" Robert suggested.

Matt shook his head. "Nah, it was cool out there, but...no." Matt hummed to himself as he began to rifle through his bag, searching for something. "I guess the coolest thing that's happened to me would be the manifesting."

I arched my eyebrow as I sipped on my water. "Manifesting?"

Matt nodded. "So, the gun you've seen me use. It's just manifested out of the energy we have, and it's how we fight." Matt lifted his hand and dark mist began to emit from his palm.

Robert placed his hand over Matt's and lowered it. "Not here, Matt."

"Right, right, whoops." Matt closed his palm, and the mist dissipated. "Well, you've seen it."

I nodded and turned to Robert. "When will that happen to me?"

"Well," Robert started, "it's different for any Hyperios descendant. Could be as soon as you'd need it, or it could take longer for your body to understand how to manifest weaponry like that." Robert noticed the sudden fear wash over my face. "That being said," he emphasized, "not every Darkslayer needs to manifest a weapon to fight."

"Really?" I asked.

Robert nodded, then turned to Matt. "Your mother in particular, as far as I remember, never usually manifested weapons."

Matt's eyes widened in surprise. "Neat!" His face dimmed, losing the same lit-up expression he had a moment ago. He reached into his bag, and pulled out a small leather-covered book. He opened the small book to a page, then stared blankly for a moment.

Robert cleared his throat. "Yeah, your father, you, and just about every other Darkslayer I've come across usually do what I do and manifest a weapon, but your mother was just...very strong." Robert smiled, as if lost in thought. "Your mom was someone I really looked up to."

Matt began glancing back in his bag awkwardly once again. He had his thumb tucked inside of a page in his book, and kept searching for something else. I leaned forward towards Matt, slowly pulling the pen out of my pocket. "Did-did you need something to write with?" I asked.

Matt turned to me, and a goofy grin stretched across his face. "Yes sir!" He reached for my pen, and nodded. "Thanks man!"

I watched as Matt opened his book up, revealing a blank page next to one that had already been scribbled in. He began to write; I wasn't quite sure what, but once he started, he was lost in a zone.

I smiled, turning to Robert. "Sounds like you and Matt's parents were...close?"

 "Yes," Robert said, "I was close with many Darkslayers back in my youth. It, uh...was sad as more and more of them passed away, and our numbers dwindled."

As the waitress returned with our meals, Robert reached for his plate and smiled. The BLTs dropped in front of Matt and I while Robert had an omelet. As the waitress left, Richard continued. "For a lot of us, we were each other's family. Between the clans here in the States, some of the agents in Europe, and the ones born near the Motherland up North, they reached out everywhere. It was nice."

I glanced at Matt, who took a break from writing to eat his BLT. I hadn't touched mine yet, mainly because I was intrigued by what I was learning. I turned back to Robert. "What was it exactly that caused the Darkslayers to go away?"

Matt stopped, mid-bite with his sandwich hanging out of his mouth, and turned to Robert. As Robert opened his mouth to speak, Matt mumbled something with his mouth full. I scoffed softly as Robert sighed. "Matt, come on," he said.

Matt chewed for about a second, swallowed, and gasped. "Nikron!" Matt said, almost shouting.

Robert nodded. "Y-yes, it's someone named Nikron."

I slowly nodded, pretending to understand. "N-Nikron," I muttered. After a second, I caved. "Who is that?"

Robert spoke. "Nikron-"

"He's a former Darkslayer!" Matt called. "He was one of the first to ever come out of Valetia, the place the Hyperios were born, basically." Matt took a moment to think. "I think...it's Greenland, now, right?" he asked, turning to Robert.

I turned to Robert for confirmation, and found him nodding in agreement. "Yeah, that's pretty much correct," Robert said.

I struggled to understand one thing. "Why would a Darkslayer...begin to murder other Darkslayers?"

Robert leaned forward. "Well, he was corrupted," he started. "Darkness, the very thing that we are fighting, that spawns the monsters we fight, that Darkness latched onto him. He became a vessel for the Darkness to do what it wanted; begin eradicating us, and spread further into this world."

I shuddered. "Could...that happen to anyone else?"

Matt, still holding his sandwich, turned to Robert, as if also searching for the answer. Robert shook his head. "No," he said, then continued to eat his meal.

I let out a sigh of relief, not realizing I had been holding my breath for the answer. I let what I had learned sink in; about Matt, his appetite, his parents, and Robert's history with other Darkslayers. The notion of a rogue Darkslayer being behind the deaths of most of the Darkslayers was haunting. I would've been lying if I said I wasn't terrified, which is why I said nothing and began to eat my sandwich.

Robert and Matt began to converse casually again, eventually asking about my life, and taking an interest in what I had done before leaving with them. My reputation at Heavenfall Academy was one that impressed Robert greatly. He told me my mother must've been proud of me, and I smiled, fighting back the pain I felt of leaving her behind. I had to convince myself that, with me leaving, she would be safe without the risk of harm coming her way. No, the only risk would have to follow me down to wherever the hell I was headed.

I smiled as time began to fly by during our meal. I was growing fond of Matt, and I was used to Robert now. I didn't see him as my father, which only just complicated feelings, but he was a kind mentor to Matt, and I felt as though he was the same with me. That much, I was happy with.

Eventually, we finished our meals, and just relaxed for a while as we began to get ready to hit the road again. I thought of what I knew was in store for us, and had to be grateful that I hadn't seen anything horrifying since leaving Chaseville. Robert sat up to make his way to the front counter and pay the tab, while Matt got up to use the restroom. I smiled as I watched Matt walk away, and suddenly I was alone at the booth.

I glanced around at the people in the diner, each eating their meals, either alone or with others, and I considered their lives; all unsuspecting, all oblivious to any threats that the world may face. I couldn't help but briefly envy their ignorance, wishing I was back in Chaseville, making my way to my second period of classes. I missed debate, and batting cages. I missed the comfort of Heavenfall, and I missed the smell of my home, and my mother's cooking. I missed the feel of the furniture, lived in and was cozy. I wondered what my mom was doing right about now.

Then I saw Matt's Journal laying at the table across from me. I knew that curiosity would kill the cat, but I was never a cat person, and I wanted to know if there was any more information on what I'd be up against. I reached over without hesitation, unfortunately, and opened to a random pair of pages in the journal…

I read these pages in awe; I felt I had learned so much more, not just about the experiences of the Darkslayers, but about Matt himself. I was a little ashamed of invading his privacy, but I felt I needed to learn these things. As I took a deep breath, not realizing I had been holding my breath reading these pages, I felt a presence above my shoulders. I turned and found Matt standing over me.

I panicked. I opened my mouth, beginning to apologize, but before I could formulate a sentence, Matt plopped down next to me with a big grin on his face, slowly slid the journal closer to him, and began to flip through the pages. "There was this day," he started, "where I had to save Robert from a werewolf wielding a flame-sword."

I stared at Matt. "Shut up, no way."

Matt nodded, still grinning like a fool, and began to search for the page. As he found it, he passed the journal back to me. "He was honestly a really cool werewolf. Like, monster stuff aside, he was really smart, and kind of endearing."

I began reading the passage as Robert returned. "You boys ready?"

Matt waved a hand. "I'm telling Ronnie about that one werewolf. You know the one."

Robert sighed, then leaned against the booth's table. "Yeah, Matt did come to the rescue on that one." Robert glanced around before speaking again. "The...beast, he mistook me for a specific hunter he had been fighting for months, apparently. Just looked a lot like me, and when Matt arrived, he fought to save me. I wasn't even looking for the wolf or anything; he just found me first."

I turned to Matt and Robert. "How did he come across that sword?"

Matt and Robert both shrugged. "My theory was that the sword was Excalibur," Matt said. "Robert disagrees."

Robert chuckled. "Excalibur wasn't anywhere near those woods," Robert clarified. "Whatever the sword was, it had to be enchanted or something along those lines."

Matt and I both turned to one another. "Magic," we whispered to each other.

Robert shook his head in amusement. "Yeah, I suppose so."

We debated more about the possibility of other mythical legends that may or may not be real, whether it was something Robert and Matt had encountered or not yet seen, and for a brief little while longer, things felt...normal again.

[thedarkwithinusbook1]

The Dark Within Us - "It's In Our Blood"

North Chaseville Lofts - II -

Home was a place I knew I could go to after an awful day. Sometimes I'd feel as if I had really let the world down, and my mother would be there. It would be some of the smaller things, school or girls, and sometimes it'd be issues that made me existentially terrified. Whatever it was, she was there for; no matter what I needed, or didn't need, she never pried or made it into a big thing. She just knew how to help me ground myself and regain control again. I loved her for that, and I was always happy that she was in my life.

Today was a different type of existential terror.

I went up the stairs with Matt, making my way to my mom's apartment. My feet lagged, each step that I took feeling heavier and heavier. I wasn't sure what terrified me more: going home after what had just happened at Heavenfall, bringing a monster-slaying stranger into my mom's apartment, or telling my mom everything without being called a liar.

I felt Matt reach up to my shoulder from behind. "Hey," he said softly, "are you gonna be okay going up there?"

I stopped at the top of the stairs, just down the hall from my apartment door. I sighed, then turned back to Matt. His eyes stared up at me with a type of concern I hadn't expected from a boy I just met. They were kind, concerned, but also...tired. I took a deep breath. "I just...don't know what to do now," I said to Matt.

Matt nodded softly, making his way up the last step of the stairs, meeting me eye to eye. "This is your next move," he said. "Everything has changed for you now, but you can choose to pretend this world doesn't exist, or let your mom in on what's going on."

I scoffed, slowly making my way down the hall. "My mom wouldn't believe any of this," I muttered. "She'd think I was on something."

Matt chuckled. "Sure. She might. She could believe everything you tell her, too. You have to decide whether it's worth it to let her know that much."

I nodded, weighing my options. Lying to my mom was one thing, but admitting a dark and insane truth as monsters of darkness attacking me at my school, a place of holy worship, was something I couldn't put into words to her. Growing up in a Catholic household proved difficult some days, and this was one of those days. With doubt in the beliefs I was raised to put my faith into, I didn't know how to bring any of this up to my mom.

When I finally got out of my own head and cleared my thoughts, I realized I had made my way to our front door, and Matt had been right beside me this whole time. I could've told him to go away, and make himself scarce, but a gut feeling told me I'd need him beside me for this next bit. I let out a deep breath, and found myself knocking at the door, awaiting my mother's response.

"Ronnie?" I heard my mother call from inside. "Espera, mijo; it's locked," she said. I bowed my head, waiting for her to come to the door. I could feel Matt standing tall and strong next to me. He had so much more mettle than I ever did. I'd like to blame school, or my extracurriculars somehow, but I couldn't with a literal demon hunter beside me.

I heard the door unlock, and let out a sigh of relief. The front door opened, and my mom stood on the other side of the door with a faint smile on her face. She glanced at Matt briefly, then stepped back to let us in. "Hungry?" she asked.

I smiled, and turned back to Matt, who nodded. I shrugged. "Sure, mom." We walked into the apartment, and I wondered why my mom didn't question Matt's presence. Matt followed behind and closed the apartment door, entering the small place I called home. My mom's pieces of furniture were all second-hand pieces; stuff from her mom, or her dad, or her mom and dad's parents. They were the grandparents I never met, and never would've even been able to share stories with because of the language barrier between us. It never bothered me, though, because I always had Mom around.

Matt glanced around the apartment and smiled. "I like this," he said, gesturing to a tapestry up against our wall. I chuckled, nodding at the Virgin Mary imagery on the tapestry.

My mom looked up at Matt, head poking over the kitchen counter with pots and pans on top. "It's pretty, no?"

I sat down at the kitchen table behind the couch, and watched as Matt wandered around the living room. As I stared at him, I felt a strange familiarity with him, as if he had been in my life all along. Once he entered my thoughts, the reminder of the attack at Heavenfall came rushing in; the flashback shattered in my mind like broken glass. I felt numb as all I could see was that monster's face as it ran towards me. My legs were shaking and my arms were shivering.

"Ronnie?" my mother called. I gasped, and suddenly she was kneeling down next to me, holding my hands in hers. "Breathe, mijo, ok? Don't forget to breathe." Matt stood beside me, hand behind my back. I could feel his hand rise and fall with each heavy breath I took. My mom patted my hand and stood. "Tea," she said.

. . .

I wrapped my hands around the warm mug, watching the steam rise from the cup. Plates of rice and chicken were placed around the table I sat at. Matt and my mother sat beside me, each slowly eating their plates of food. I struggled to lift the mug from the table. I could feel their eyes burning into me, staring to examine my condition. Concern, sure, but...I hated feeling weak.

Matt cleared his throat. "Thank you for the meal, Mrs. Reid," he said. "Super good."

My mom waved him off. "It's just leftovers," she scoffed. "But call me Lorena. I never took Ronnie's father's name."

I glanced up, noticing Matt's eyes perk up at this detail. He nodded slowly, chewing his meal as he turned back to me. I looked back at my mother, surprised at what she said. She almost never talked about my dad.

I pushed my mug away, then built up the courage to finally speak. "Mom," I croaked, "I...was attacked today."

My mom's knife dropped from her hand, clattering against her plate. She turned to me with wide eyes. "Who attacked you?" she asked. "Where was this? Why are you just NOW telling me this?"

I stammered, struggling to find the words, when Matt chimed in. "Lorena, it's my fault," he said. "I, uh...wasn't quick enough to defend him. It was really bad, and I think it was kind of a shock for Ronnie too, you know?"

I listened as the two began to discuss Heavenfall's safety parameters, and how Matt waltzed right in as I had been attacked, but the school had no other security detail, despite its hefty tuition rates. The two ridiculed the institution's lack of initiative on the matter when I shook my head. "Kind of a shock?" I muttered. "It was a demon, Mom."

My mom and Matt turned back to me, the conversation between them trailing off. My mom leaned closer. "Demon?"

I turned to Matt, who gave a slight nod, then back to my mom. "A demon," I said. "I don't know what happened...Matt, over here, knows a little bit more, but yes. I just...feel like I'm losing my mind."

I sat there, trying to control my breathing, when I noticed the glances my mom shared with Matt. Something began to feel strange again. I didn't know what it was that they knew, or that I didn't know, but I was sure that something was beginning to be kept from me. Was I becoming crazy? Paranoid, even? Maybe. Maybe I really was losing my mind, but how would I know? Do crazy people know that they are crazy?

I turned to Matt. "Is what you told me real?" I asked. I watched for his response.

Matt chewed his spoonful of rice and swallowed. "About?"

I struggled to speak as I opened my mouth and softly croaked, "About...the Darkslayers?"

Matt took another spoonful of rice and nodded. "Oh, yeah," he said with his mouth full of food. "Yep. Race of warriors, darkness and hearts of light, all that."

I blinked in utter shock, then turned to my mother, whose reaction surprised me just a little bit more. Rather than also being in shock, she frowned. She looked...upset. "M-Mom?"

My mother looked up at me, eyes welling up in tears. "Lo siento," she said. "I...I hate that this is happening."

I felt my face grow numb as I felt a sense of panic. "Mom, what is happening?" I asked. "Did...you know this would happen?"

My mother pushed her plate of food away from her, then sat up from her chair. She walked around the dinner table, making her way towards the hallway. She approached one of the doors; her bedroom door. "I don't have all of the answers for you, Ronnie. But Matt here can help. So can your father."

I gasped as I watched my mom open her bedroom door. "My father?" I cried.

My mom stepped to the side, and out came a tall, heavy built man with dark hair and gray sideburns. His beard was a mix of gray and black with stubble reaching over his lips and cheeks, and his eyes were dark with bags under his eyelids. His hair was clean cut, and the white button up shirt he wore was neat and form-fitting, revealing how fit he seemed to be at his age. He smiled weakly at me. "Hi, son."

I almost choked on my own vomit seeing this man. I had grown up almost never seeing or knowing my father. As far as I knew, he had just vanished. He was never around in my mother's life, and seemingly never needed to be. She worked so hard being a single parent, being both my mother and my father in his absence. I never felt the need to ask about him, nor did she ever seem to want to bring him up. He was an enigma of sorts; a piece of history I was never taught, and never bothered learning either. And now he was here in my kitchen.

He cleared his throat. "Are you oka-"

"17 years," I growled, cutting him off, "and today is the day? This is when you decided to come on by?"

I felt a hand rest on my shoulder. Matt suddenly leaned closer to me. "Ronnie, take a breath. Hear the man out."

I shrugged Matt's hand off of my shoulder. "I don't even KNOW you, man! Six hours ago, you didn't exist, and my father was a ghost!"

"Shh, Ronnie, no," my mom said, hushing me. "You don't know the whole story."

"Apparently not!" I cried out, feeling my numb fingers clenched tightly. "My entire world has just gone to hell, and all of you are treating me like a child who knows nothing, and I'm realizing that I don't know anything, and I don't understand why or how long it's been like this for!"

My mom rushed to my side and held me tight. Her long soft hair draped over my head like a blanket almost. "Mijo, escucha...it's really him. And he knows what to do."

The man smiled at my mother, then slowly came around the kitchen table. He brushed past Matt, then kneeled in front of me. "Your mom did everything for you, Ronnie. I...wasn't here. I wanted to be, but life had different plans for me." He glanced at Matt, then sighed. "I didn't know what it was like to have a son when I had you, but now that I'm here..." He turned back to me, with a weak smile and a single tear dropping from his eye. "I want to make sure you never have to feel the way you did today."

His voice was deep and low, but almost soothing. I turned to face him, just a little bit, as he nodded and continued. "That fear of death is...something that awakened you. It's in your blood; our blood. It showed you what this world can truly be like, but unfortunately, that looming fear is something that you inherited. Matt has it, and I have it...and now, you do too."

I glanced over at Matt, who stared down at his feet, arms crossed over his chest. I could see him nod slowly at this detail, as if he had endured what I endured today. I sniffled, wiping a tear away from my face, then pulled away from my mom, who stroked my hair before stepping back. I cleared my throat, then spoke. "W-what do you mean, inherited?"

He smiled. "Well...Matt explained, didn't he?" he asked, turning to Matt.

Matt sighed. "Hyperios; the last few warriors left facing the resurgence of Darkness. Robert here is a Hyperios Darkslayer, and I am too." Matt turned to face me. "Ronnie, so are you. That's why today happened."

I nodded at Matt, turning back to Robert. I stared at his wrinkles, taking in his facial features across his aged face. His eyes, his faint smile at me told me what I was afraid of. I didn't know if I trusted this man, but the longer I stared at him, the more I knew...he really was my father.

My mother stepped close to me and placed her hand on my shoulder. "Sweetie, he's right," she said. I looked up at her, still in disbelief of everything. "When I met your father, he...would tell me stories. He fought monsters, and lived a very hard life. I didn't know all of this when I fell in love with him, but...then I had you." My mom sat in a chair beside me. "I didn't know if this life was one I wanted with him, where I'd always be on the run with my baby. But Robert knew he had to do what he was born to do, but take care of his son as well."

I blinked at this last note, son, when my mother waved her hands around the apartment. "All of this, all that you have, and your time at the Academy, would not have been possible without him. I only make so much, so thankfully Robert would help pay for what you needed." My mother turned back to Robert. "He did what he could as a father without putting you or me in danger."

Robert nodded. "I didn't want this to be the way you found out, Ronnie, but it's where we are now. The resurgence of Darkness is emerging from the West, and it is here, and now it has a hold on you." Robert stood up, reaching for a bag placed beside the couch. "There is little time for us to destroy its source while also showing you what it means to be a Hyperios Warrior, but it needs to be done."

I was at a loss for words. After the day I had, after what I saw at Heavenfall Academy, and after all I had learned in the span of an hour, I just wanted to curl up in a ball and forget about it. I wanted to forget everything; about the monsters, about Matt, about the demon slaying race of warriors, and about my estranged absentee father who decided to invade my life and ask me to destroy a source in the West. Before I knew it, I was already up out of the chair, and I had walked straight into the bedroom.

Maybe my mother and Robert called after me, but I wasn't listening. I tuned everything out as all I could hear were my own thoughts, and blood pulsing through my ears with each beat of my heart. My head was throbbing, and my mind was racing. What the hell had my life begun?

A knocking began to fade into sound as I broke out of my thoughts and glanced at my bedroom door. I could hear a voice faintly speak on the other side; "It's Matt. Can I come in?"

I sighed, and called back to Matt, "Yeah." Matt slowly cracked the door slightly and slid into my room and quietly closed the door behind him. He smiled, taking a glance around the room. I had random medals and trophies plastered across my shelves and walls. "You...were on the debate team?"

I scoffed softly, amused at the question. "Yeah, I was."

Matt nodded, smiling at the medals, bringing one close to him in his hand. "And baseball," he said, impressed. He glanced at another. "But that one is for track?"

I sighed. "I did a lot of stuff throughout school," I admitted. "All of it kept me busy, but I liked it."

Matt turned to me and smiled. "I can see why it would," he said. "It's like, all of the practice and dedication it took to get where you did paid off in the end, but why stop at succeeding once?" He waved his arms across my wall of medals and trophies. "You can't stop once you get good, can you?"

I smirked, nodding at Matt's flattery. "I guess, yeah."

Matt nodded, then made his way to my desk chair and sat down. He turned the chair to face me, then sighed. I felt the pressure of what he was about to say. "Y'know, I've known Robert for a really long time," he started. "Most of my life, really. I wish I grew up like you, to be honest. All of this, all you did in your life before today, it all seems really fulfilling. Growing up, all I had was bloodshed. My parents died at the hands of some Darklings, and Robert saved me. He took me in, raised me and trained me to be a Darkslayer like my parents were."

I shuddered at that last detail before Matt chuckled. "Yes, Ronnie, my parents were Darkslayers, and they died. A lot of us die, and a lot of us have died, but running with Robert has taught me how to live well enough to survive, and I'll be the first to admit, it's a miracle I made it as far as I have. I, uh, couldn't have done it without your dad, Ronnie."

I let Matt's words sink in; the truth of the matter was that as much of a ghost he was to me, my father was a true hero for others. I couldn't have known that, but now that my life was in danger, he had come to save me. My father, essentially a stranger, came back for me, and I was expected to leave my life behind to journey with him.

Matt leaned forward, reaching for my hands and grasping them softly. It caught me off guard, but then he spoke. "I get the hesitation, man. Going on a road trip down a road that'll lead to certain death is not the best reunion for your dad and you, but...for the last few years, he has done NOTHING except marvel at your successes and tell me how much he misses you."

I felt tears finally well up in my eyes. I hated believing any of this was true, but suddenly, there felt like there was nothing but sincerity in his words. Matt truly trusted Robert, and he truly believed Robert wanted to be back in my life again. I cursed the fact that the only circumstance in which this was happening was due to my surprise duty to fight supernatural entities, but...this was my life. I looked up at Matt, and nodded softly. "I just...I don't want to leave my mom behind," I admitted.

Matt smiled softly at me, then nodded in agreement. "If things work out, you'll be back in less than a week, and your mom and you will be alright."

I gave my room one more glance, gazing at the memories I've made living in Chaseville with my mom. The little neighborhood parties we went to on holidays, our mornings at church going to Spanish mass despite me not knowing any Spanish, our lazy nights ordering takeout from small local food trucks, all of it was at risk of going away forever. If things worked out, my mom and I would be able to do all of that all over again. Hopefully.

Suddenly, a knock came from my bedroom door. "Ronnie, are you okay?" called my mother.

Matt sat up from the bed and turned to me. I sighed, gesturing to Matt. "Yeah, ma, I'm here."

The door cracked open, with my mom poking her head through. She glanced at Matt and smiled. "Mijo, you mind if-?"

"Y-yeah," Matt replied softly. "I'll let you two chat." Matt walked to the bedroom door, where my mom held it wide open for him to leave the room. She sighed, entered my room, and closed the door behind her.

My mom approached me. "What, um...what are you thinking?"

She sat next to me on the bed and placed a warm hand over mine. I sighed, searching for the words. "I...think I...always knew?" I shook my head. "I mean, like, I always had...a feeling, I guess, that there was something strange going on. Not about dad not being around, but with feeling different. Like, things were perfect, but almost too perfect for me, I think. I never thought about it until recently I guess, but things were always like that. Always...perfect."

My mom nodded. "They were, weren't they?"

I shrugged. "But none of it was real, was it? This is real. Monsters, and dark whatever, and needing to go out and stop them from coming back anywhere."

My mom sighed. "Yes, mijo." She glanced around the room for a moment before continuing. "You...don't have to go, though." I looked up at my mom, surprised. She placed her hand on mine. "This life doesn't have to be for you."

I considered her words, and considered the options. Stay home, forget any of this ever happened, and continue living life as I knew it, or…

And that's when I realized, I would never be able to forget any of this. How could I?

[thedarkwithinusbook1]

The Dark Within Us - "Monsters All Around Me"

Heavenfall - I -

Has there ever been a day you wake up one morning and just feel the entire universe shift beneath your feet? Like there was something, some sort of sensation that you couldn't quite shake, an instinct you couldn't deny, and no matter how hard you tried, you knew something big was coming your way? Maybe whatever you felt coming your way was exciting, perhaps even exhilarating, like an adventure. Or, it could even feel terrifying, like the anticipation of a storm brewing. Once, the universe shifted for me, and let me tell you, it was a hell of a morning.

I remember that day vividly. I woke up that day, getting ready to return to Heavenfall Academy from Spring Break, and it wasn't any sort of hangover, intense migraine, or sudden fever or pain that I was feeling. I woke up that day feeling amazing, quite frankly...but I kept feeling the illusion of being lightheaded. Not only that, but strange flashes of little sparks and bolts of white light would appear in my vision. Now, if I was concerned about that, I probably would've gotten my vision checked out by an eye doctor. Maybe that doctor would have recommended that I go to a clinic, and I would've been prescribed something "for the pain". Since I felt no pain, I wasn't concerned, and continued on throughout my day. If someone told me that I was being protected and looked after that day, I wouldn't have believed them.

In Heavenfall Academy, they took the teachings of the Old Testament and the New Testament, and they tried to imbue those beliefs into their students. My mother, being heavily Catholic, believed that Heavenfall Academy would be an excellent school for me. According to my grades, my extracurriculars and athletics, and involvement in the school's debate team, I was a top-tier student to have at Heavenfall. I enjoyed my time there too, seeing as I had more friends in that one school then I had anywhere else. Each day was fun, you know? Walking through those doors was always a lively experience for me at Heavenfall. I only wish that my last day at Heavenfall Academy was as fun or lively as any other day. Sometimes, I still don't believe that last day was real.

School was the one place I felt like I knew where I was meant to be. Students gravitated towards me, and teachers were always so impressed by my work. I was always taken care of. I got by, needless to say, but there was something that made coming to Heavenfall hard. There would be days that I'd expect, almost wish, for something bad to happen. I wasn't sure why. Maybe it was the fact that life was good, but...almost too good.

That day started out not much differently than other days at Heavenfall. I got to school pretty early to meet up with some friends at batting practice. After that, I hung out in my history teacher's class to study some notes. A friend of mine joined me, and then another mutual friend sat with us as well. Before I knew it, an entire group of lingering football players and cheerleaders surrounded me. I smiled and enjoyed the company for the most part, but it could be a little much some days.

My day continued. The first bell rang, and I sat in class. The second bell rang, and I studied some Latin. When the third bell rang, I was with my debate team preparing some work for a regional competition. When the fourth bell rang, I was caught up speaking to my debate coach. After about five or so minutes, I realized I was running late for the next period, so I needed to rush out quickly. I quickly grabbed my books and bag and rushed out of the classroom. I had been late to class before, so I wasn't necessarily worried. There was something about that moment that should've set something off in my mind, like a warning or a premonition. I didn't notice it then, but in retrospect, I should have seen it coming. I should have...felt something.

As I walked through the large, quiet hallway, I heard my footsteps echo loudly, reverbing across the arches of the academy's walls. The school's interior resembled that of a church, which paired with the vast quietness of that moment, almost scared me. What really scared me, though, was how the echoes of the footsteps I heard seemed to not belong to my own footsteps. That's when some dormant voice in me instinctively cried out for me to turn around.

I spun in place, turning quickly. I hadn't expected to see anybody behind me, so I was startled to find a tall, skinny boy at the very end of the hallway. He wasn't walking when I spotted him, but he was in the middle of the hall; no way he was just standing there the whole time. He was also eyeing me suspiciously, with his eyes piercing into me from the distance. Part of me considered calling out to him, ask if he was lost, but the subtle hum of my instinctive voice felt hesitant to do so. I was still late to class, so I turned around and began to make my way back.

As I walked, I mentally counted my footsteps and paced them along with the quiet echoes I heard. For a while, I could. With each step that I took, I could hear its echo ring in the empty halls. I even glanced back a second time to ensure that the skinny boy wasn't suddenly walking towards me again. I smiled as I turned back, embarrassed for even worrying. I was just stuck in my own head; overreacting a bit much. I looked up at the door leading into my classroom. As I stopped to place my books in my bag, I suddenly heard the unsettlingly rapid pattering of footsteps. I glance to my side to see the tall, skinny boy almost a foot away from me, running to me with his teeth bared wide and eyes bulging out of his face.

I jumped back, tripping on my feet as I stumbled away from the skinny boy. I fell to the ground and watched him lunge forward, slashing at me with his claw-like hands. He twisted his neck to look down at me with a feral glare, and I began to crawl away from him. With each heavy breath heaving in my aching chest, I felt my body struggle to move away from the boy quick enough. With each swing he swung at my face, I noticed more and more distorted features in his face. Not only were his cheeks sunken into the bone of his face, but his eyes were darkened by ashy shadows. When his bare fangs weren't trying to tear my skin off, I could manage to see the colors in his eyes fade into pure black. No pupil, no whites of his eyes, just...nothing.

After years of being raised by a Catholic mother and attending a Catholic private school, I finally knew what it meant to look the Devil in the eye.

I panicked, kicking and flailing my legs as a silly means of defense. As my bag spilled over, I reached for one of the books that fell out and flung it at the black-eyed feral boy. The book hit him in the face, causing him to hiss at me. I slid back, further away from him, and threw book after book at him, watching as the boy began to swipe them out of the air with his clawed hands. Eventually, I found a Bible in my hand. I glanced at it briefly; if God truly was looking down on me, he'd save my life right now, wouldn't he?

I threw the Bible at the boy, and watched him catch it with his left hand. I stared in horror as the boy gripped the book in his hand. He looked down at the book in his hand and grinned a terrifying grin, fangs peeking out from his dark smile. What I was looking at was not human. Whatever this was, whatever unholy thing I was facing, was an abomination of a monster. Hell, it wasn't even that, but rather the corruption of what must have been...formally human.

That didn't matter though, because in that split second, I had no seconds left between death; mine or his. I surveyed the area around me to find nothing at my disposal to protect myself with. The monstrous stranger hoisted me up by the collar of my shirt, and bared his teeth at me. I genuinely feared that my entire face would be eaten, and that I'd die in the form of devouring with no body left for a burial.

PHT!

I felt a warm stench coat my entire face suddenly. I slowly opened my eyes to find a large hole, right between the stranger's two eyes. Blood practically poured down the wound, and before I realized it, the stranger collapsed onto my shoulders. I let out a shuddered gasp, and shoved the corpse off of me, and wiped the sticky mess of blood from my face.

"You okay?" I turned to find myself staring at a young man cladded in black clothing and blonde hair. His hair was parted in a classy way, but his clothing stuck out with chained links hanging across his jeans with straps over his belt and t-shirt. He looked like a punk who'd hurt me. My eyes dropped to the weapon in his hand: a pistol with a long attachment on the barrel...a silencer? I watched as the young blonde lifted the gun up, and began unscrewing the silencer. My heart stopped as I watched the blonde hide the silencer in the back of his pants, and the gun in his hand...disappear into smoke.

I looked back down at the dead thing below me, then back at the blonde boy. "What's happening?"

The blonde sighed. "My name is Matt. Are you Ronnie Reid?"

I stuttered as I tried to respond with a nod. "W-what are you?"

"I'm someone who needs to help you. I'm sorry you had to see all of that, but we need to hurry before somebody-"

Suddenly, a shrill scream echoed throughout the hallway. Matt and I jumped at the loud cries, and turned to find a young student a few doors down the hall terrified by the bloody scene before her. I gasped, panicked, and ran towards Matt, who rushed to a fire alarm, and pulled down on the handle. "That's our cue, Ronnie!"

I staggered as I ran, following Matt down the hallway. We ran through the school as students began to exit their classrooms, and mayhem and chaos flooded the halls. I felt my chest ache as students I knew, friends I was close with, all surveyed the area in confusion, seeing me running away from them with this stranger cladded in an outfit that would've given our teachers paranoid nightmares. Is Ronnie leaving with a devil worshiper? I could almost hear their thoughts. The only thing I knew is that, with me coming face to face with that monster, I knew nothing about anything after all.

I didn't realize I had slowed down until Matt turned around and grabbed me by my collar. "Faster, man, COME ON!" he called, his voice being drowned by the commotion.

Suddenly, more eyes were traced onto me than I noticed at first; almost everyone could see me escaping from the school. The school's intercom began to ring, as someone began to speak: "Attention, Heavenfall Academy students. This is NOT a drill! Please exit the school and follow fire safety protocols, and remain with school faculty. Do NOT engage with strangers in the building!" I gasped at that last warning. Did they know a non-visitor had entered the Academy? Did they see Matt?

Finally, Matt and I made our way through the school's double doors. The sunlight bathed my cold skin. I shuddered at the feeling; it was like I hadn't felt true sunlight or warmth in my life. I knew that wasn't the case, but suddenly everything was changing for me.

"What the hell was that?" I managed to breathe out as I ran alongside Matt. "What the hell is going on? What the-?"

Matt stopped in his tracks, hand against my chest, and eyes wide with panic. "Ronnie, I swear, I've got ALL of the answers you're asking for, but at this very moment we HAVE to move," he said.

A church bell began to ring as the Heavenfall students flooded out of the school building. I gasped as I watched faculty members of the Academy, priests and teachers, all visible from doors, windows, the roof and bell tower, staring down at me. Suddenly, Heavenfall felt eerie; more suspicious and horrifying than the strange monster I had just encountered.

"Ronnie!" Matt cried, "Let's go, man!"

I blinked, then turned back to Matt. I finally gave him another once over, and something about him struck me in a familiar sense. Matt gestured for me to follow him through the crowded mayhem in the large campus lot, but before I did, I blurted out the first question to come to my mind. "How old are you?"

Matt arched his eyebrow at me questioningly. "I'm 17, just as old as you are, man."

I blinked in surprise. "Oh," I croaked. "I just...I dunno, I thought-"

Matt smirked. "I might be older?" He chuckled softly, guiding me through the crowd over the grassy yard passing the lot. "No, we're very close in age. We could even be twins, I think."

I stared at Matt as I followed him across the street, into the nearby plazas and shopping centers Heavenfall students would hang out at after school. Something about him was so interesting, yet terrifying. He was giving loose-cannon energy, but a bizarre sense of calm and collectedness in him. I had no reason to not trust Matt, but something in me was so scared. It was like walking into a dense thick fog of horror, and my heart was pounding with so much fear, it literally began to hurt.

. . .

I followed Matt until we reached a safe enough distance from the school. We were only a few blocks away from my home, which thankfully was far enough for me to let out all that had been bottled up inside of me.

I slowed to a stop, leaving Matt to stumble as he realized I wasn't following anymore. He raised his arms defeatedly. "We're almost there," he sighed. "Come on, you can-"

"Is the Devil real?" I croaked.

Matt scoffed. "The Devil?"

I cleared my throat, searching for what it was that I truly meant. "Well," I started, "the...Bible, and whatnot...I've heard of exorcisms, and demonic possessions, though I never attended any of Heavenfall's courses on it, but I always just thought-"

"Not the Devil," Matt interrupted. "Not Satan, not Lucifer, nothing biblical about what is happening, Ronnie." Matt placed his hand on my back and slowly walked me alongside him towards the direction of my home. "No, that would be nice, though."

I arched my eyebrow at that last remark. "That would be nice?"

Matt nodded with a weak smile. "Yeah. Then that would prove the existence of God, ya know?"

I frowned at the thought. Despite the relief of this not being Satan's handiwork, our survival was not an act of God. It was really just thanks to this strange guy who had appeared in my life.

I sighed as I turned back to Matt. "What happened back there, man?"

Matt and I walked in silence for a few moments, then approached an apartment building across the street from our stop. We waited while cars drove back and forth through traffic, eventually the streets giving us the green light to walk on ahead.

Matt took a breath. "Monsters," he shuddered. "They're in books, movies, dreams, and all types of folklore. They all are inspired by a real-life source of pure darkness and evil. Call it 'Satan', or whatever, but it transcends this world, and these creatures and monsters are how it sets foot in our world."

I stared off into the sky, taking all this in. I wanted the words to soak into me, but the more Matt spoke, the more the words seemed to roll off of my skin, like I was disassociating. He continued. "So, there are also people in this world, Ronnie, who are born to slay these demons. They used to call us Hyperios Warriors, like a clan or a race of beings, but lately we've just been dubbed as Darkslayers; beings of light in a world of darkness, extinguishing the dark, in a way."

I blinked, and the world seemed to focus again as Matt nudged me forward. We walked across the street as the light turned green, allowing us to cross towards the North Chaseville Lofts.

I took a deep breath as we walked towards my apartment. "Welcome home, Ronnie," Matt said.

[thedarkwithinusbook1]

The Dark Within Us - by Sameer Diab Ronnie Reid embarks on a journey through a world hidden from him for 17 years. He discovers that he is last in the long line of monster slaying Hyperios Warriors that go back a millennia, and he is one of the last still alive. With the help of his long-lost half-brother Matt, his estranged father Robert, and the rogue slayer Angela Grace, Ronnie will have to face an immortal herald of darkness, but in doing so, he'll find the darkness within him.

The Dark Within Us is an original supernatural-horror novel trilogy, spanning across three decades, about a family of demon-hunting Darkslayers, dealing with loss, grief, and one's identity.

[thedarkwithinusbook1]

The Dark Within Us - "Prologue"

-x-

Anastasia stepped onto the bus as it slowed to a stop in front of Sinful Temptations, the gentlemen's club where she worked late nights. She had just finished her nine hour shift, having danced across the stage and tending to the dozens of men who showered her with money and promises of giving a life that they assured her she desired. She entertained them, allowing them to believe that she'd call them as soon as she was off work. Anastasia scoffed at the thought as she took a seat in the back of the bus, clutching her bag closely to her side. What she desired the most was a night where she could sleep soundly beside someone who truly loved her.

Anastasia's boyfriend still hadn't called her to apologize after he trashed her apartment and left in a drunken fit. She knew how he got when he went on his routine benders, and she yearned for the quiet moments when he or any man wasn't degrading her, or threatening her. After all, her White Knight was waiting for her at home; a tiny Shih Tzu named Lando. She couldn't wait to get home and shower so she could cuddle her dog.

Suddenly, a loud and sickly cough awoke Anastasia from her thoughts. She looked up and noticed the old homeless man sleeping in the seat in front of her. She covered her mouth subtly as his coughs became more severe, as though the poor man was hacking up a lung. Anastasia did her best to not be rude, but once saliva began to spill from the old man's lips, she stood up and moved a few rows away from the hermit, closer to the driver. As she passed the homeless man, she noticed a can of beer knocked over at his feet, spilling across the floor of the bus. Anastasia sighed nervously as she made her way to the driver and tapped his shoulder.

"Um, excuse me," Anastasia said softly, "but there's a man in the back of the bus. He was asleep, but he's starting to look a little sick." The driver glanced back at Anastasia with an arched eyebrow. "I think he's been drinking on the bus, too."

The driver nodded and slowed the bus to a stop. He glanced back at the homeless man, then reached for a radio device beside his seat. "Sit tight, ma'am," he grunted.

Anastasia took a seat in the front of the bus as the driver made his way towards the back. She watched as the driver stood over the old homeless man, calling out to him. When the old man didn't respond the first time, the driver slammed his hand against the seat, raising his voice at him. Anastasia jumped at the sound of the driver's voice booming across the bus. She noticed another bus rider, a young blonde teenager with dark punk streetwear, resting his head against the window at his seat. The blonde teen rolled his eyes as the driver threatened to call the police if the drunk homeless man didn't exit the bus immediately. The old man grunted in his sleep as saliva dripped from his lips.

Anastasia watched as the driver raised his radio. Before the driver could call for assistance, the old man suddenly awoke. He let out a screeching howl, attacking the driver with a claw-like slash. Anastasia screamed as the driver hollered in pain, reaching for the bloody cut across his face. Anastasia scrambled for her phone in her bag, but dropped it when she trembled at the sound of a terrifying crunch, followed by a splatter. She turned slowly to find the driver impaled by the homeless man's fist, heaving at the sight of the driver's chest torn wide open, with dark blood and guts dripping from the old man's hand.

Anastasia screeched as she stumbled to reach for her phone. Suddenly, the driver lay limp and lifeless on the floor of the bus, and the old man was inches from Anastasia, reaching out to grab her with his bloody hand. Anastasia let out another scream in terror as his face got close to hers, revealing his dirty skin with bloody hives. His mouth oozed with saliva and thick blood, and his eyes were wide like a madman, but redder than a drunk's bloodshot eyes. Anastasia shuddered in fear as the homeless man wrapped his hands around her neck. "Young and tender," the old man hissed.

Anastasia shut her eyes, afraid of dying at the hands of a homeless monster from the streets. She ran her hand through the inside of her bag, reaching through her sequin costumes from the club and envelopes of cash, and gripped the small canister of pepper spray. Anastasia whipped the spray out quickly, pressing the cap on it tightly. She sprayed the pepper spray directly into the hermit's eyes, but began to loosen her grip as the old man let out a maniacal laugh.

Suddenly, the old man was jerked backwards, losing his grasp on Anastasia's neck. She fell back onto the seat as she saw the blonde teen slamming the old man against the backrest of a bus seat. The blonde slammed his boot into the old man's gut repeatedly, keeping the ghoulish menace down. Anastasia's eyes widened as she spotted the blonde remove a black blade from the back of his waistband. The blonde swung the blade high and brought it down quickly, stabbing the homeless man in the chest.

A misty smoke-like energy began to rise out of the old man's wound. It rose upwards, curling around the blade, swirling through the blonde's grip. As he twisted the blade deep in the old man's chest, Anastasia noticed how dry the blade was. The old man didn't bleed. It was strange and unnatural.

Just as the blonde began to remove the blade from the wound, the old man lashed up at him with his claw-like hands. The blonde blocked the attack, cutting his forearm in the process. The blonde leapt back, hissing in pain, then turned to Anastasia. "This is about to get ugly!" he called out to her.

He turned back to the old man, who now stood before the blonde, with veins growing darker against his now pale skin. His eyes grew darker, almost soulless, and his chest began to heal from the stab wound. The blonde stood between Anastasia and the monstrous hermit, defending her from the threat. Suddenly, the same smokey mist that emerged from the old man's wound began to manifest around the blonde's hand, slowly taking form. It solidified within his hand, and the smokey mist energy became a dark, matte revolver. The blonde wrapped his finger around the trigger, and aimed it at the old man.

The hermit charged at the blonde, and just as he bared vicious fangs, the blonde pulled the trigger. The revolver's barrel shot an explosive flash, and the shot pierced the old man's head. Blood blasted from the shattered skull, splattering across the windows and the blonde. Anastasia ducked, covering her face from the sudden rain of blood. She felt herself gag at the stench of the corpses throughout the bus, and crawled her way to the bus door. She struggled to open the door, and began to panic as the door refused to open. She felt her breathing grow rapidly, as if her lungs were being deprived of air by fear itself. After she was convinced that she would die on that bus, the doors slid open. Anastasia turned to see the blonde at the driver's seat of the bus, with his hand on the door switch. "Sorry about all of that," he said softly.

Anastasia grabbed her phone and followed the blonde as he began to exit the bus, wiping blood from his face. Anastasia stumbled after him, struggling to keep up. "Hey, wait up!"

The blonde shook his head as Anastasia made her way to his side. "Go home, girl. It's late."

Anastasia scoffed at the blonde as they walked side by side. "Are you kidding me? What the hell was that back there?"

The blonde wiped his face with the sleeve of his shirt, only to groan at his sleeve smearing more blood across his face. "I hear this part of Los Angeles has a problem with too many homeless people. That's all it is."

Anastasia shook her head. "No," she said, "that was something else. Him, and you, that magic gun...was that the Devil?"

The blonde smiled. "That'd be nice, wouldn't it? Maybe if we just shot the Devil in the head, and all evil is eradicated, right?"

Anastasia rolled her eyes at the blonde. "Okay, fine, stupid question. Can I at least get your name?" The blonde stared straight ahead as the two walked. Anastasia cleared her throat. "I'm Ana," she said, with her policy being to never give her full name upon first meeting anybody.

The blonde glanced over at Anastasia as he stopped at a crosswalk. He sighed as cars passed through the intersection. "Matt," he said softly.

Anastasia smiled. "Okay, Matt," she said. "So what was on that bus back there? The thing that killed the driver?" Anastasia looked back at the bus, arching a worried eyebrow. "Shouldn't we call the police? Or anybody?"

Matt groaned. "Oh, jeez, again with the stupid questions!" Matt turned to Anastasia, gesturing towards the stopped bus. "That back there is nothing a police officer could have handled. The driver was a minor casualty, and to be honest, we're lucky that it was just him. It confirmed that the hobo wasn't human, and made it easy to determine how to kill him. Aside from that, there's nothing else I should be concerned about."

Anastasia frowned as the streetlights turned red, allowing for Matt to cross the street. Anastasia followed. She wanted to understand what had happened, and despite Matt's lack of consideration for anyone's safety, he did save her life. She needed to understand. "That man...wasn't human?"

Matt shook his head. "Not even in the slightest," he admitted. "Looks can be convincing, but there are monsters like that all over the world." He turned to Anastasia and smiled softly. "You're lucky I was on that bus. There aren't many of us who can fight them left."

Anastasia let the truth sink in. As awful as the world around her was, the idea of monsters like that, the kind that could tear into her body and rip her apart, terrified her. She already lived with fear for her safety constantly dictating every aspect about her life, but to throw in the element of surprise by revealing the existence of monsters...she already had enough of them in her life. This was too much.

Matt sighed, turning to Anastasia as they reached the other end of the street. "Look, Ana, I understand this is a lot for you to understand right now. Quite frankly, I could go on and on about all of this. About my world, about my life, my purpose, and more about this evil and how to look out for them. But, if I'm being perfectly honest here, I really don't want to. I don't really have time to, because I'm actually on my way to stop this from becoming a bigger problem for our world than it already is."

Anastasia opened her mouth to speak, but Matt cut her off. "I promise you, after tonight, everything will be just fine. All I need is for you to tell me where to find Heavenfall Academy."

[thedarkwithinusbook1]

let’s start this off right.

hi, y’all. for those of you who have been following me for a while, y’all remember me as nightwing-and-rum, a big nightwing die-hard tumblr fan blog. to quote my amazing fanfic that I wrote about dick grayson when I was younger, things change. things always change…

anyway, I started a blog roughly a year ago called Stars and Monsters. initially, it was kind of just a way for me to kill time while I was stuck in a weird limbo between everything coming together in life, yet going absolutely nowhere. then I used it as an attempt to freelance, and eventually, as a platform to publish and release some creative projects that I’m developing.

So far, all I’ve been able to do is write scripts and write blog posts. Didn’t really have a place to share things in regards to the projects “in development”. The blog wasn’t steady, and the freelancing hasn’t been nearly relevant.  So I’m back on tumblr!

I feel good here, and feel pretty safe sharing these ideas and concepts for these stories I’m writing, and I hope it’s okay that I’m sharing this with y’all as well! I’m hoping to create a place for people to share their creativity in a little safe haven of sorts.