The Complete Creeping Darkness

by Greyson, Quinn

She nodded.

  “Are you and Jack a thing?”

  She shook her head.

  “I’m sorry…” he said and tried to continue, but he couldn’t, a lump in his throat started to form and his voice was cracking, tears started down his eyes and he looked away.

  Sophie wiped his face. He weakly tried to stop her, but couldn’t put a lot of effort into it.

  “Thank you,” he said. He closed his eyes and thought about it all. It was all too much to take, “I’m such an idiot. Weak and pathetic, like you’ve always said. If this was the past you’d laugh at me.”

  “It’s not though.”

  Sophie hugged him and crawled into his bed beside him.

  “And no, Peter, you’re not pathetic. You’re just a kid who had to grow up too fast. Did the mission go off well at least?”

  “Well I’m not dead. We did manage to cave in the hole, that’s a plus.” His thoughts drifted to the Queen.

  “What is it? How far did you go down?” she asked.

  “I went down far, far enough. But… well I was dreaming I think…”

  He looked up at her, he didn’t want her to think he was crazier than she already thought he was.

  “I fell asleep and my mind or consciousness was pulled away. The Queen wanted to reveal herself. She wanted me to know that she was ancient and powerful. She didn’t speak, but it was like having a rushing river in my mind. The Night Crawlers have been around forever. She doesn’t want a war, she wants our species wiped out, a total annihilation.”

  Sophie listened intently.

  “Are you sure you weren’t dreaming?”

  Peter shook his head.

  “No. She’s still around, sending soldiers up.”

  “One day...”

  “You shouldn’t have to hide in a cave, I’ll get you out,” he promised her.

  “Oh it’s not that bad. I mean sure it’s horrible for my skin and bats occasionally attack people, but…” she smiled at him.

  “Lights out!” someone yelled.

  He looked around.

  “We only have one generator and very little gas, it’s not like the surface, we don’t have a lot of energy here. So we have blackouts. This would have been a great place to have parties back in the day.”

  “It would have been. I guess I could use some more sleep. Goodnight then,” Peter said to Sophie and hugged her tight, he kissed her head.

  “Ever thought we’d be in this situation?” she asked.

  “Not in a million years,” he answered honestly.

  “Told you I’d look after you,” she whispered.

  He nodded in the dark.

  Chapter 10

  The brief bit of sunlight hadn’t lasted long and by the time Peter left the caves with Sophie it was dark again.

  Peter thought for the most part that the people in the cave were happy that he left, but he did hear murmuring about what would happen if he came back. And usually they’d probably be right. He had been horrible. But now he could fix it. And maybe save them and maybe himself.

  Peter and Sophie left the caves and walked along the cold shore to the harbor in New Haven. They had to back track a bit since they couldn’t really climb a cliff wall, well he could, but not without the proper equipment.

  The duo walked through the dead city, looking about. Destruction was everywhere. But one sight he enjoyed seeing was the Harkness. It was a symbol that they could rebuild. Now more than ever self-loathing flowed through him. Olivia had managed to drag out the worst in him and use him as a mortar, just firing and firing, not caring what got destroyed in the process.

  Sophie grabbed his hand at some point and held it tight.

  To think about Olivia hurt. That was the most confusing thing. Didn’t she care about him even a little? Was she thinking about him right now, wrapping herself in regret or was she smiling and plotting her next move? He thought he knew her. Was he a fool to even be thinking of anything but filleting her?

  Peter and Sophie walked down the lonely path to the school’s gate.

  “Can you tell me something?” He asked Sophie.

  “Maybe.”

  “Why were you and Maddie so close?”

  She looked at him and seemed to blush.

  “You really want to know?”

  ”Why not? You guys weren’t… like lovers? Were you?”

  She rolled her eyes at him and smacked him in the shoulder.

  “Please, you guys. We were there for each other when no one else was. She was heavy into drugs… you saw how she can be sometimes… and I was suicidal. We’d known each for a long time, but then we went to camp and… well really got to know each other. We made a suicide pact for the end of summer. On our last day we were going to kill ourselves, together. Well the last day came and we sat there. We had a blade to slit our wrists and pills, so we wouldn’t feel it and hopefully maybe over dose, end it nicely, nice and peacefully, just go in our sleep. We looked at each other. And we both picked up our blades and put them to our wrists…”

  He listened intently, not completely shocked, in a completely self serving way it was nice to know Maddie’s demons had haunted her long before he came into her life.

  “Madison looked at me and started crying. She said… something as beautiful as I was shouldn’t die. But I thought I looked hideous at that time. It was just typical teen angst. I looked back at her and I said pretty much the same thing. She was always gorgeous you know. So we stopped and held each other and made a new pact that we’d always protect each other and that no matter what came between us that we’d be strong enough to overcome it. She told me…” Sophie was sniffling; it was hard for her to tell him.

  “She told me that there was a taste to life and although it had gotten very bitter for her, if she tried hard some days, it could taste sweet, said that she thought she saw an angel, or a halo over my head and she even called me an angel. She was like that you know. It was weird, one minute we were willing to face the end together and then the next, it seemed like the future had so much promise. It was… maybe the most religious thing I’d ever been involved in. That’s when she really got into religion. Of course my God became Gucci and Guess. My religion was brand names and glamming myself up and… being a bitch most of the time. I guess we both still had our issues. But that’s about it. We saved each other. In retrospect it might sound dumb, but that’s the way it happened.”

  “It doesn’t sound dumb,” he said as gently as he could.

  “We were stupid. We thought… we thought it’d be better. That we’d show everyone.”

  They arrived at the gates.

  “That’s an incredible story,” he told her.

  “She made my life worth living.”

  “Me too. You should go back now Sophie.”

  “No way! I said I’d go. Never thought I’d give a shit about anything else but clothes and prestige, but now I want to stay.”

  He turned and grabbed both of Sophie’s hands.

  “Sophie, you and I are perhaps the last people that remember Maddie. I can’t have us both dying.”

  “She wouldn’t have it any other way. I can’t die tomorrow and tell Maddie that I was too scared to follow you. I’m her and she was me. I don’t want to sound too deep. But I’m not doing this because I feel like I owe Madison anymore. This is what I want to do.”

  “You know if I die, you die too.”

  “Yeah, that crossed my mind,” she smiled, “You’re nothing but trouble. I told Madison that.”

  “Yeah every chance you got,” he laughed. He really wanted to kiss her. He realized she’d be the last girl he ever kissed.

  They both leaned in and he gave her a simple kiss. She wrapped her arms around him and they held each other.

  Peter pulled out a gun and handed it to her.

  “What…”

  “Keep it on the safety and keep it hidden. Use it if you have to, but consider the consequences.”

  “I don’t like guns.”

  “Y
ou should really be more worried about the people behind the guns.”

  Sophie took it and put it in an inside pocket of her jacket.

  Two guards appeared, clearing their throats to get their attention.

  “Halt, who goes there?” A guard yelled.

  “Halt?” Sophie said quietly, raising an eyebrow.

  Peter shrugged his shoulders, “Probably heard it on a movie,” Peter said and turned to the kid to see if he could recognize him.

  “Just let us through,” Peter growled.

  “Who’s there?” The other one yelled and shined his flashlight on them.

  “Get me Lee!” Peter snarled.

  The guards looked at one another and swallowed nervously. He didn’t recognize them.

  “Hold on!” the first guy yelled.

  “Eric and Tom I think,” Sophie said. “I think they were in my Chem. class.”

  They stood there waiting. Sophie grabbed Peter’s hand again. He actually had butterflies in his stomach. Was he approaching this wrong? Should he have just snuck in and killed Olivia, could he even do that? Maybe things weren’t as hopeless as they seemed. Maybe Lee would listen to him at the very least.

  “Talk to him, be honest and sincere and remember to apologize.”

  From far away the lonely sound of boots crunching against gravel was heard. It came closer and closer, and then the gates opened.

  “You shouldn’t have come back!” Lee said, his voice piercing the eerily still night.

  The spotlights turned on, illuminating them all for Olivia’s little play.

  “I want to explain things. I think things have gotten out of hand.” Peter said.

  “Slightly,” Sophie murmured.

  Lee walked closer to them, his hand on his sword and gun.

  “Do you have any honor left? Or do I have to shoot you?” Lee asked, venom spilling out of his voice.

  Peter brought his hand to his sword, instincts. Peter stepped in front of Sophie backing her up a bit.

  “And with the enemy? Do you have any clue what she did? Oh wait of course you do. You both do. What’s the matter you couldn’t have Olivia, so you settled for her? What would he have done with you Sophie, had Olivia agreed with him? Would he have stabbed you in the back like he has with countless others?” Lee questioned.

  “Lee you need to listen, please,” Peter said.

  Lee pulled out his sword, “Good choice hand to hand combat is a way better way to die!”

  Peter wasn’t afraid of dying, but he was afraid of dying knowing he let down Lee, Sophie, Maddie, everyone at his School and his family.

  Lee ran at Peter, Peter pulled his sword and easily blocked his attack, he regained composure right away and assumed his battle stance.

  “It’s funny Lee, we’ve both been brain washed by her. It’s even funnier still that the only way I can save you is by beating you.”

  “Then I guess I won’t be saved, will I?”

  Lee struck again, Peter blocked it and fought back. They both attacked with less than ferocious strikes. He was letting him control the tempo of the fight for now. Peter knew what Lee was capable of and Lee knew Peter was capable of. So they both knew when the other was playing for keeps.

  Peter wondered if Lee actually wanted to hear him out. He was probably as messed up as he was, he just wanted the truth.

  “I’m sorry Lee, me and Olivia had a thing! She might lie to you about it, but I won’t. She made up lies about you, telling me that she was unhappy with you, and that she was lonely. I was an idiot and I didn’t know what I was doing. She took advantage of my grief.”

  Lee ratcheted up the strikes, but Peter expected it. His arms were already getting tired though and his body ached.

  “How convenient. She came to you! You just think you’re the hottest thing around don’t you?” Lee asked.

  Peter returned the strikes and started to get into it more when suddenly he hit loose gravel and wiped out. He was definitely not in the best of shape for a sword fight. His sword went flying and he skinned his face. Lee backed off. Peter banged the gravel, mad at himself.

  “What’s the matter Peter? I’m not as bad as you thought? Did you think this was going to be a cake-walk? You assumed that I was just a push-over didn’t you?”

  Peter looked up at Lee.

  “After Olivia tricked me and brought me out to the woods she stabbed me in the stomach and then pushed me off a cliff, I’m not a hundred percent. But Sophie found me and bandaged me up. I knew in this condition I was nowhere as good as you, but I came anyway, just to talk to you.”

  Peter slowly picked himself up. Hoping he wasn’t bleeding internally. He picked up his sword and used it as a cane standing up.

  “She’s using us both. She used you to get to me. How convenient is it that we’re fighting each other? Who really wins? This was all about revenge. Her revenge on me! I killed her brother because he had an affair with my girlfriend. And yes I get the irony. She’s clever that way. She knew what she was doing alright. She’s destroyed both of our souls, but it doesn’t have to be like this!”

  Lee struck out at Peter, Peter ducked the swipe and returned one of his own, slicing Lee’s arm. Lee looked furious with him.

  “That’s the thing that gives you away; you always have to be number one. When you asked me to help you with the school, I thought it was you and me, but you just wormed your way in and used Olivia to further yourself and used me to murder those you didn’t like,” Lee said.

  Peter sighed.

  “I didn’t make you do anything you didn’t want to do. Most of the things you did, I didn’t even order, so don’t give me that bullshit,” Peter said through clinched teeth.

  Lee struck out, Peter blocked a series of thrusts and then caught a good slice in his own arm.

  He looked down at his cut, blood ran down to his hands.

  “This is how she’ll end us, one nick at a time, one cut, one limb, one death at a time.”

  “Stop worrying about Olivia! I can kill you any time I want!” Lee declared and attacked.

  Peter blocked. They traded good hard fast strikes. Lee intertwined their swords, Lee’s dropped to the ground, he grabbed Peter’s, tearing it out of his slippery, bloodied hands, turned and stabbed it into Peter’s thigh and front kicked Peter sending him sprawling.

  Lee picked up his sword, walked over to Peter and pulled the other sword out Peter’s thigh, blood spraying lightly. He put the two swords to Peter’s throat.

  “No!” Sophie screamed and ran over, throwing herself over Peter.

  “Pathetic.”

  Lee threw Peter’s sword to the ground and backed off.

  “Grab my sword, I’m okay!” Peter said to Sophie.

  “No you’re not.”

  “Maybe not, but grab my sword. I’m getting through to him,” Peter said, “Besides we both know I deserve whatever happens to me right?”

  “Peter! Please don’t be like this.”

  “I screwed up Sophie, I did. This is on me. I need to reap the consequences. And if I can save a couple of people it’s worth it.”

  Sophie turned and looked at Lee, he nodded at her. She grabbed his sword and handed it back to Peter. Sophie helped him. She turned back to Lee.

  “Lee, I know my words might mean little to you, especially with the lies you were told. I know in the past I was, for a lack of a better word, a bitch and I was cruel sometimes. I was the stereo-typical blonde ditzy bitch, but I’ve learned a lot of things. And I’ve made mistakes and I’ve watched Peter make a lot of mistakes, but I’ve also seen him learn a lot too. I, just as he, I’m sure, wish the lessons weren’t always so hard. And in this darkness, I’ve watched a lot of people fall from grace and do things they usually wouldn’t do.

  “He’s always been a good person and so have you, and it breaks my heart to see what you’ve both become. And I know all about Olivia, she’s like the devil, always tempting, but never delivering. And I have no doubt that after she’s done with you s
he’ll kill you. She’s just keeping you alive to kill me because I know the truth and of course she’ll use you to kill Peter’s family when they show up.”

  “You’re right, you haven’t been a good person. And here I am, I’ve been told you tried to kill Olivia and now you show up to finish the job.”

  Peter stepped in front of Sophie.

  “Lee if I wanted Olivia dead in the forest, I’d have killed her! If I wanted you dead, I’d have killed you.”

  “No! You’re weak, just plain useless! And even if you were telling the truth you betrayed me! You’d have known the consequences. So this would be happening regardless.”

  Peter nodded and shrugged.

  “I guess you’re right,” Peter said assumed his fighting stance.

  “You’ve come back to take everything!” Lee yelled and took his stance.

  “Lee!” Peter screamed, “I came back to save your life and if I have to beat that into you I will!”

  They ran at each other and struck. Sparks started flying. They leaned in and faced each other, swords precariously close to each other’s throats.

  “She told me she’d kill you just to make me suffer! She doesn’t care about you!” Peter’s arms strained, “I admit I was wrong! But I want to save you before it’s too late! We were like brothers.”

  “Shut up and fight me like a man,” Lee said.

  They broke off their stalemate and resumed slashing at each other.

  Peter slammed Lee’s sword down to the ground and stepped on it, he brought his knee up to Lee’s unprotected face. Lee reeled back dropping his sword. Peter swung around and kicked Lee in the chest. Lee fell to the ground.

  Peter picked up his sword and walked over to him, he tossed it to the ground beside Lee.

  “Think you’ve got the market on honor?” Peter asked.

  Lee looked a tad bit confused. He stood up. They once again walked into the middle of the light and crossed swords. Peter was seriously getting out of breath and his leg, body and arms were killing him, he could barely hold his sword. They crossed swords and bowed their heads and attacked each other again.

  He stumbled as he blocked a strike and quickly reposted. Another strike slashed across his chest, cutting deep.