The Complete Creeping Darkness

by Greyson, Quinn

  “Oh my God!” He said with such pure joy. He didn’t even know he could be this happy and over such a thing. He felt like crying.

  He felt a sudden pain in his stomach. What the hell was Olivia doing? He reached down and touched his stomach and looked at the liquid on his fingers. Blood! He was bleeding.

  “Olivia? What the hell?” He asked, leaning on her.

  Olivia looked up at the sun briefly and then back at him. He suddenly felt weak. He feel to his knees. He saw the knife in Olivia’s hand. She showed it to him and then threw it to the ground, the blade sticking into the dirt.

  “I poisoned the blade.”

  She kicked him in the chest and he toppled over.

  “Don’t bother fighting it Peter.”

  He turned over and looked up at her.

  “What are you doing Olivia?”

  Olivia looked up at the sun again.

  “Solar flare, don’t get too excited.”

  He started shaking and felt cold.

  “I’m assuming the army probably wanted to send nukes to the sun, but the sun’s like ninety three million miles away. It would take awhile,” she explained rather casually.

  “Olivia…” he said weakly.

  “Are you going to beg?” She asked and kicked him in the stomach, “No, I rather doubt you will. You’re not really that kind of person are you? But maybe you’ll cry? Yeah maybe. Wonder why I’m doing what I’m doing? I saw the hurt on your face when I told you about Sophie. Which, by the way, were all lies.”

  “What… Why are you doing this? I thought…”

  “You thought, poor boy, poor boy. Oh you and me together through thick and thin, hmm? Until the very end of you, until the end of me? Not so much,” she shook her head.

  “No…” he started.

  “No, not a beggar, just a murderer,” she continued, interrupting him, “Why?” she said and sat down beside him, cross legged. “West Point! A guy! A girl! Anything sounding familiar yet? A guy you killed and a girl you killed. Do you remember? Of course you do!” Her voice shook a little.

  Of course He did, how couldn’t he? West Point had haunted him every day and even in his dreams.

  “You murdered them didn’t you?” she said almost yelling. She stood back up again.

  “No,” he shook his head in protest, “It was an accident.”

  “No,” she shook her head as well, “Let’s go over the facts. Fact one; your girlfriend broke up with you. Fact two; you blamed Emmanuelle Vasquez or Manny as some called him. Fact three; during a live round exercise, that you were in charge of, you personally opened fire on your ex Lilly, and on Manny. Both were subsequently killed. And this, after you already had several violent encounters with Manny, yes? But you were found not guilty and got away with only an expulsion from West Point right? You got away with murder!”

  “What do you care?” He asked. “It was an accident! I didn’t know it was them, they didn’t take cover properly. What does it matter to you Olivia?” He screamed, starting to get mad, as useless as the emotion was.

  “You idiot! Don’t you recognize me? Little Lola Vasquez? Manny’s little sister. I was always vanquished to the shadow and you never really paid any attention to me, too busy being the big man on campus, but I was there. I didn’t know you’d be able to get away with murder though. But at least I managed to make sure you got kicked out. But that wasn’t enough for me, I wanted my brother back. He meant everything to me. I wanted you to pay. So I followed you here and not unlike you, made myself new. I took my mother’s maiden name and my middle name and glammed myself up a little and waited for you boys to go gaga.”

  “I knew you were hiding something,” he said softly.

  “Oh wow and that really helped you didn’t it?” she laughed, “Yeah I suppose you did, not that it stopped you from fucking me every chance you got. And you even sent Sophie to get my file didn’t you? Oh, perhaps you had an inkling, and Sophie never liked me, that stupid blonde bitch. While you were gone she found my file, and I couldn’t hide who I was from the file, unfortunately it had all my real history in it. But I never thought that would be a problem, after all the files are supposed to be sealed. But then, well you know, this. So when I found out she had it, I ordered her to be shot, even chased her up to the roof myself. But the bitch got away and with help to boot. But I’ll find them and I’ll kill her.”

  “This is crazy,” He protested. “Olivia!”

  “So I saw you here, at first you were small and quiet, but that didn’t last too long. And soon you were mister big shot again. And for awhile I thought maybe I didn’t have to kill you. But then I realized I did. You didn’t care or have any remorse. You pretended nothing happened!” She said and wiped away some tears, “Like it was all a dream.”

  “Your brother was the murderer not me!” He yelled at her. “You want to know the truth?”

  “Lies, no matter what you say it’ll be lies.”

  “Manny was a friend of mine, sure maybe I didn’t know his siblings or his dreams...”

  “Shut up liar!”

  “…But I knew him. Lilly, after she broke up with me, wanted to go back out with me. And I was so in love with her, or lust or whatever you want to call it and I took her back. But she was torn and I was torn. And Manny knew it. He knew he didn’t have her. She just wanted a little bit of fun, that was all. And Manny knew it, that’s why we got into so many fights.

  “So she told Manny that it was over and during the training exercise we weren’t even going to use live rounds, but someone switched them. But I didn’t question it at the time, thinking the Officers had changed it. Manny opened fire on me and wounded two of my men. I just fired back. I don’t know exactly what happened, but I know Lilly tried to stop him. He opened fire on my men again and pushed her out into the open and I shot her accidentally. Manny didn’t pull the trigger, but he killed her,” Peter explained. It took so much out of him to talk. He was breathing hard.

  “And then you murdered him?” she asked. “Just like you murdered her? Just like you murdered Rachel and all the others?”

  “My bullets were found in both of them yes. We surrounded Manny and realized he was going to get away with murder and that we were going to be blamed. So we made sure he got what he deserved. And when I was brought to trial they couldn’t prove I murdered any of them, that’s why I wasn’t court-martialed.”

  “So you admit you killed my brother?” Olivia asked crying.

  “I did what I had to do, I got revenge,” he yelled.

  “Revenge, what an ugly thing for an ugly mind! But it’s infectious, you know that. It’s like a never ending circle. I got infected as well, but I will burn out my infection here and now. Do you know what I’ve done here? Remember the fair? I told those Yale guys that Madison was up for a good time, even though she was drunk! I told them that Lee was some weirdo going to rape her. Ha-ha. It was so funny! And then I started crying as soon as I saw you. I thought they’d kick your ass, no luck though, losers. Then when Madison did get sick I contacted the doctor at Yale and told them she was a goner and not to listen to anyone else. He was most willing to comply. So really… I killed her! I guess as much as the bugs and the doctor did anyhow.

  “And then I slowly destroyed your soul. Every battle, every coup, every plot. I was behind it. I personally tore a piece off your moral fiber every day just to make sure that when I killed you that I was killing a monster. Every bad decision, I was there to whisper in your ear. Every kiss brought you closer to damnation. After your death I’ll sully your memory. I’ll make sure Lee suffers and knows what you did. You even had him arrested. How nice, what a friend! I’ll tell him about how you forced yourself on me and wouldn’t leave me alone and how you had him imprisoned because I didn’t want to be with you! He’ll be crushed. But then again I guess I might just get rid of him too. I just want him to suffer a little is all. Guilt by association.”

  “You’re a monster. How do you not see this?” Peter turned his
head, he could hear the roar of the gulf, so close. He started dragging himself towards the sound. Useless? Maybe, but his body would give up long after his mind did.

  “Also I’ve been in touch with your brother,” she said almost whispering.

  He stopped and looked up at her wondering how such an angel could be so evil. He turned back and continued crawling. Soon the cliff was there. But he couldn’t jump off, the fall would probably kill him.

  “Why?” He asked.

  “Well I thought the bloody Nazi bikers would finish you off, but they failed. But I suppose I didn’t really think they’d kill you, but I was hoping they’d kill some of you, maybe Lee. Whoever. So I sent a message to your brother to come quickly. That you were in trouble. And when he gets here I plan to kill him. And maybe I’ll luck out and maybe some more of your family members will come and I’ll get to kill them too! Oh happy day baby!”

  “Jesus,” he uttered. He didn’t even know what to say. She was so cold and he knew he couldn’t reason with her. She’d turned him into her, “All this for revenge?”

  She smiled and reached down and touched his face and stood back up.

  “Just for revenge? Didn’t you kill countless innocents just for revenge?” she asked him. “You bloody burned down Harvard for a girl that probably wouldn’t have been with you that much longer anyhow. She would have dumped your ass, and I would have been in the shadows making sure it happened.”

  He looked away.

  “I mean I’ll take credit for it, but when you’re explaining to God why you did it, well good luck!”

  “And what about you?”

  “Don’t you worry about me. Sure I lead you to the path, but you followed it,” she said and fell to her knees.

  “I don’t particularly like this school either, so I didn’t mind when people suffered. I was hoping to go back to West Point after. But I doubt there is a West Point now. I’m glad you crawled to the cliff, I was going to throw you over anyhow, now I don’t have to do all that pushing. Another time, another place lover,” she said and started pushing on him.

  He grabbed her and attempted to throw her over him. But he was too weak.

  “You would kill me?” she asked and then laughed, she gave him one of her looks of utter innocence, “But I thought what we shared was beyond words?” she mocked.

  She pushed him and he started slipping over the edge. She stood up and started kicking him. He started falling over. He grabbed onto a dead branch.

  He slipped again and Olivia stopped kicking him, he guessed she was happy that he was probably beyond the point of no return, especially in his condition.

  She stood up and smiled own at him as if he was an ant. She took off her jacket.

  “What a beautiful day! The sun is shining, if only for a little while, a murderer is literally holding onto his last life-line, my greatest enemy about to fall to his death! Oh life is great! It’s funny when I woke up this morning I knew it was today. You should know that after things went down, I didn’t have a definite timetable, just kind of playing it by ear. But then when I woke up today, I realized it was all over.”

  She looked up and basked in the sun, closing her eyes and smiling wide.

  “Plead for your life, just once, or at least for the ones you love. Maybe I’ll make Sophie’s death fast.”

  “Olivia… drop dead!” He managed and reached up for her foot.

  She was too fast and stomped on his hand, pinning it down. She pulled out her knife and dropped to her knees.

  “Drop? What a choice of word, and great last words for you.”

  She poked her knife into his ring finger and brought the blade across his fingers. She pushed hard; soon blood was released from his four right hand fingers.

  “Think your skin will come off?” she asked and then did the same thing with the left hand.

  The blood made his grip slippery.

  “Go, join the sea. Join the dead that you had thrown over, imagine the living that we threw over as they screamed, and know it was all by your hand.”

  She reached down and kissed his head. She drew back and sliced at his hand. He instinctively let go and plummeted. He didn’t scream, didn’t want her to have the satisfaction. The wind was still cool, but the hot sun was warming it. He stared at the sun and felt the cool wind at his back…

  Chapter 11

  Peter was bundled and in darkness. Would he now face his sins in hell?

  “Still alive?” a familiar voice asked him.

  The crackle of a fire was close. And whispering, it was all around. He could only catch snippets, but it was about him. He opened his eyes and they slowly adjusted to the dark.

  “How are you feeling?” The familiar voice asked him.

  Peter could blurrily make out blonde hair on a blurred face

  “Sophie?” He struggled out.

  She nodded in the dimness.

  “Jack saw a body fall from the cliffs and Olivia above, turns out it was you. We thought you were a goner.”

  He reached up and touched her face like a baby would.

  “Whatever she told you about me, it was a lie,” Sophie said. “I found her file, but maybe you know all this?”

  He nodded weakly.

  “I told you she was bad for you. But the poison she gave you actually acted like a muscle relaxer and is the only thing that saved you when you hit the water. Jack gave you an antibiotic. You’ll be as good as new in no time. You’ve been asleep for almost two days.”

  He looked around. They were in a cave.

  “I can use the rest. Where are we?” Peter whispered, his voice cracked and pained.

  “Once Jack realized things were really screwed up, he started bringing people down here, especially people that weren’t fans of your administration,” Sophie explained.

  Jack caught sight of him and walked over.

  “That’s to say Olivia’s and Lee’s military junta,” Jack said and sat down.

  “Impressive,” Peter said.

  “Thanks. I found a system of caves one night when I was diving. And we’re not worried about the Crawlers. It’s all rock around here,” Jack explained.

  “Oh great, a hiding place to overthrow me.”

  “Nothing personal, but I am committed to the preservation of life.”

  Peter nodded at Jack.

  “You’re almost like a real doctor Jack, so am I under arrest or something?” He asked.

  Jack shook his head and laughed. He looked so much older and mature. Everyone else around him evolved, he was the caveman that lived his life, not with the bow and arrow, but with his sticks and stones.

  “You’re a free man here. But we are very committed to preserving our lives.”

  “I get it. I did try to make things good though. I thought I could make a perfect place. I screwed up,” he said quietly, “So what are you guys going to do down here?”

  “Waiting I guess. We’ll steal what we need and what we can. We managed to get a hydroponics system down here. So now we’re growing food, well not a lot, but we did manage to get some canned goods. So we’ll live another day. But I’m sure we’re objects of desire up on the surface world, so we’ll try to stay put,” Jack said.

  “You’ll have to excuse me, but I can’t wait. You’ve seen what Olivia and Lee are capable of. They’ll kill you all,” Peter said and looked at Sophie, “Especially you.”

  “I know she doesn’t like me, but Jack’s in charge down here. He says wait, we wait,” Sophie replied.

  “I understand that, but you have to understand that I have to go back. They don’t know that I was here.”

  “Jesus Pete, can’t you just let it go? You just about died…” she said exasperated.

  “My brother’s coming and she’s going to kill him and she’s going to kill Lee. Olivia called my brother to come; she’s going to ambush him. She really wants revenge against me.”

  “Revenge? Why does she want revenge against you?” Sophie asked.

  He shook
his head.

  “It’s stupid and complicated. I’m not asking anyone to go with me, but I do have to go. I’m sure you can both understand that.”

  “Alright, alright Pete, but don’t bring hell down here. Most of these guys don’t want you down here. But I’ve known you for as long as you’ve been here and I know you’re a pretty good guy, it’s just the situation.”

  “Thank you Jack,” he said looking around at some of the stares.

  “You’re safe for as long as you’re down here. I have people to see and things to run. Feel better, do try to stay in bed as long as you can, you might have pneumonia. You definitely have a rasp in your chest, not to mention a broken rib; falls from cliffs will do that. It’s not like we have X-rays down here or a hospital to go to.”

  “I’m sorry about…”

  “That’s… well, you both were messed up,” Jack said and walked away.

  “What a guy. He’s more of a man than I am. I thought he would hate me after Wendham,” he whispered to Sophie.

  “Who says he doesn’t? Some people are just really forgiving, they see the bigger picture,” she said.

  His heart ached at the word. Such a simple word. Yet such a hard thing to do.

  “My brother could be here at any time, I should go.”

  Sophie touched his face gently.

  “You’re a fool, but I understand. Stay here the night and I’ll go with you tomorrow,” Sophie offered.

  He grabbed her hands and examined her fingers. They were cracked and worn.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Look at your poor nails. When I first met you, you had the nicest nails. You’d have them done every day; they’d look perfect every single day.”

  “Sorry, we don’t have a manicurist down here and I was helping clean some of the laundry,” she laughed and looked at her nails, “Perfection takes time and resources, none of which we really have here, too busy surviving.”

  He nodded sympathetically, shocked that she could change so dramatically.

  “Did you stay with me all the time I was here?”