Dark Nights

It was just another ordinary day for Rachel taking care of her younger sister Lily, that is, until the sky tore open and monsters flooded into the world.

The first thing Lily remembered about the Dark Nights, was the silence, the calm before the storm. The day was beautiful, the sun radiated , casting a warm orange glow across the towers of the city as it peaked over the distant mountain range that surrounded the valley. Lily didn’t remember what she wore that day, much of her memory was clouded concerning that day, just the feeling of warmth the sun gave off.

Which made the otherworldly chill that came after that much colder.

The first sense that something was unusual was the burning odor of ozone that hung in the air as if a thousand lightning bolts suddenly struck.

A clap shook the skies, like something tore the fabric that was their reality. It thundered through the spires of the city, turning eyes skyward before a shock wave shook the very foundations of the people, throwing them back.

“Lily!” Rachel called for her sister, her breathes coming in shallow increments, her heart fit to burst from her chest. Her head spun as she tried to stand, a pain deep seated in her head, a dull rhythmic ache. Like a heart beat. She fought off the pain and scanned the front lawn. There, she was by the porch, lying face up. Limp.

The grass clumped beneath Rachel’s hands as she crawled to her sister’s limp form. Her sight was fading, no, the sun was fading. The red streaks of sun crossing the sky were dwindling as a void blacker than the inkiest night tore the sky in two. Rachel saw nothing but despair deep in the void, her heart lurched, her hands began to sweat, a fear gripped her unlike any she had known before.

I have to get Lily, we need to run. Rachel steeled herself, taking a deep breath, she pushed through the ice cold fear. Steady now, steady your heart.

The small form of her sister was limp, yet she could see her chest moving, her lungs pumping. Rachel let out a sigh of relief and turned her over. 

A single trickle of crimson split Lily’s pale, thin face. The source was a thin cut just below her auburn hairline. Her eyes opened, focusing on Rachel. There was fear in those deep, sapphire eyes.

“Come on Lil, we have to go!” Rachel shouted over the dull hum emanating from the sky. As Rachel pulled her sister to her feet another crack rattled the city. 

A flash of light burned stunned Rachel as a large comet came from the rift forming overhead. It looked metal to her eyes, like a spaceship she had seen in sci-fi.

The craft burned a streak of fire across the sky, splitting the black sky with a brief flash of fire and light. It flew overhead, causing a shake as it crashed into the ground miles away.

Rachel pulled her sister to her feet, remarking how muddy her clothes were now. She pulled her close, attempting to keep the 10-year-old safe. We need to get out of here. Rachel stated the obvious as she looked all around.

A demonic screech erupted from the sky. Lily covered her ears, a look of pain covered her face. Hundreds of thin, . The arms jerked wildly, flailing to and fro. Several others grasped the sides of the rift, pushing it open. The sound of thousands cloths being torn came from the overgrowing hole. The arms that were free made strange movements with it’s gnarled fingers, Rachel’s mind was taken back to when she saw the puppet play at her school years ago.

Suddenly more arms spilled from the void like a mound of tentacles, they shot down towards the city with incredible strength and speed, bringing something back with them.

It was people.

“Come on! We need to get out of here!” Rachel shouted, fumbling in her pockets for her car keys. She felt the metal of the key and pulled it out.

Lily was shaken up, the trickle of blood had slowed yet the bewildered look in her eyes was more intense than ever. She tightly gripped Rachel’s hand with her own, shaking hand.

“Rachel… we… we need to find D-dad.” Lily stammered out a sentence, her voice shaky. 

“Dad’ll find us after he and the military lock things down, right now I have to get you out of here.”

“B-but what about him? Won’t he be in danger?” Lily innocently asked.

“He’s too important for the military to let him die. I need to get you out of here.”

Dad would want it this way. Rachel thought. Her mind was carried to her mother and the freak accident that had killed her years ago. Not even a body remained to bury. 

Rachel’s car sat parked on the concrete drive-way a few dozen feet away. She rushed for it, Lily right behind her but before she could reach it, a meteor landed directly on it, smashing it under a crunch of metal and glass, engulfing it in flame and sending debris flying in all directions. Rachel pushed her sister behind herself. 

Rachel could feel the heat from the burning flames from several feet away, flushing her pale face red. She stared, shocked. What now? She thought. They needed to flee, more balls of flame were raining down from the sky, crashing into the ground with the force of small bombs, shaking the earth as they crashed into it. Some of the meteors crashed into buildings, blowing holes into the walls. The flames were catching onto some buildings, already some were up in flaming heat.

A moan came from behind followed with the grinding of steel and glass. Turning around, Rachel was shocked to see a corpse rising from the flames, it’s body charred, blackened by the flames. It’s form was emaciated, it’s eyes, dead and glazed over. It looked as though someone stole all the life from someone, made them a doll. Not even it’s muscles and movement looked to be it’s own, jerked around as if it were connect to stings.

If only Dad were here. Rachel thought.

“Rachel, look!” Lily tugged at her shirt, pointing towards the street. An olive green jeep was barreling towards them, through the flames and the flocks of pedestrians running in the street, horn blaring to split the crowds. Rachel spotted a mounted gun on top.

Suddenly it opened fire, a flurry of bullets flew towards the girls. Rachel dove over the top of Lily, pinning her to the ground under her in a shield of her own body.

What are they doing?! She thought. Her hands were sweaty, her heart racing in her chest, she buried her face to the ground as the hail of bullets whipped over their heads and found their mark. The bullets tore flesh and bone, obliterating the monster.

Eventually the shooting stopped and the all was quiet. Rachel’s ears rung as she rose her gaze from the ground to the monster. It was absolutely torn to shreds, pieces of it lie on the ground in all directions. Its chest and head were split open, yet it did not bleed. It's organs were dry, muscle was severed from the bone yet no blood, nothing. 

Was it even alive? How could we kill it?

Rachel carefully stood up, gazing at the jeep as soldiers exited the vehicle. She helped her sister to her feet Lily’s eyes streamed with tears as she looked at at her sister. Rachel ruffled the dirt out of her auburn hair and held her close. 

“Girls!” Came a voice from the soldiers, one Rachel recognized. A man approached her, about one head taller than Rachel and dressed in an expensive suit. His jawline was square, much like her own and he sported two emerald green eyes. His ashen hair was combed cleanly. The soldiers flanked him on both sides as he rushed over.

“Dad!” Both Lily and Rachel exclaimed as he stopped in front of them. The look on his face was one of relief, his eyes wide as he took in his daughters. He kneeled, pulling them into an embrace, wrapping arms around both of them. Rachel filled her lungs with his aroma, Lilac, like a fresh field of flowers on a warm summer day. Mom said it was that smell that attracted her to Dad. Rachel reveled in the comforting warmth.

 “Whats happening Dad?” Lily asked, her tears drying. She looked up at him with terror in her eyes.

“Don’t worry honey.” His voice was like velvet. “Just stay with your sister, this will all be over soon.” He said, rubbing her auburn head.

He turned his attention towards Rachel.

“Rachel, do you remember the special project I showed you a few weeks ago?” Rachel pursed her lips as she dug through her memories. He must be referring to the government project to shield the city from external threats, apparently it was one of the last projects Mom had worked on.

“The DNA shield?” She asked.

“Correct” He affirmed. Rachel wasn’t sure what it was but she saw something in the depths of her father’s eyes, something sad. Rachel’s mind was brought back to night her mother died, the look was the same, a deep seated appearance of loss.

Did her death have something to do with the shield?

“We need to get the barrier up and running, every moment it’s down the city is in danger.” Her father reached into his pocket and pushed something into Rachel’s hand, it was a key card, featuring her father on the front. “Head Researcher” it read.

“You have to go to the Eastern Research Facility” He waved behind him and two men clad in camouflage uniform, wielding assault rifles stepped forward. “These men will make sure you arrive safely.” They nodded in compliance.

“But we want to stay with you Dad!” Lily complained.

He was already shaking his head. “Your mother and I installed two generators to keep the shields up and each came with a bio lock.” That sad look returned, the shadows around his eyes deepened. “I need you two to activate the second while I get the first.”

“Will you meet us after?” Lily asked, her eyes pleading.

“Of course Lil” Dad responded, his face warm as a smile split his cheeks. “Will you do it for me?” He asked Rachel.

Blood flushed Rachel’s nose red. The air was getting colder. The sky was now completely consumed with the darkness. Shadows cast their lengths across the land. The only light came from the porch lights and street lights. Beyond all that was that heart beat, still there, still thumping dully.

Bodies rained from the sky, enveloped in flame as they streaked across the stars. They sent clouds of dust into the air as they landed in the city. The towers that touched the sky withstood onslaught of meteors crashing into them, tearing holes in their mighty walls. 

“Why me? She asked quietly. Her voice barely more than a whisper. She clutched her fists tight, the knuckles turning white. The kept her head down and shut her eyes tight, she didn’t want to look at them, the pleading faces, she was tired of being depended on.

“I’ve raised Lily since Mom died…” She stammered out, feeling tears begin to well in her eyes. “I gave up my athlete scholarship to be there for her… and yet…” Her breathes came in bursts. “I can’t, I don’t have the strength…”.

Her father grabbed her by the shoulders, placing a hand under her chin, he raised her eyes to meet his. 

“You’re the only one who can do this, Lily is too young.” Rachel looked deep within him. “If your mother was here we wouldn’t need to ask you but, every moment we waste, more people die.” He motioned to the city. Flames leapt across buildings, smoke grew skyward and gunshot rang out. Several people drove by the house and many others simply ran by, not bothering to shoot them a look.

“I know you’re scared, but you have to do this, WE have to do this.” The look upon his face was sincere.

The distant echo of screams and gunshots littered the air, tugging at Rachel’s heart. Somewhere out there were families, not unlike hers, fighting to survive. This may be their only chance.

Her sister looked up at her, her green eyes wide. A look of confusion spelled across her young face. Her hands held onto her father, desperate for protection. 

Rachel’s heart hammered at the walls of her chest. Every time she looked skyward a primordial fear rose within her. She wanted to hide, to scurry away, to abandon everything and run, yet… When she looked at her sister, she knew her answer.              

“Okay, Ill do it.” Rachel responded, a lump in her throat. She had to be strong, for her sister.

A smile burst forth from her father, he enveloped her in his arms.

“Where is Lily going?” Rachel asked her father as they stood. “Won’t it be too dangerous?” 

“It will be, but you have to take her. She’ll be safer with you than anyone else.” 

“What? Wouldn’t it be safer for her to flee with the civilians?” Surely she was better off running?

“Trust me Rachel, there is no safer place than by your side.” Her Dad waved his hands and the soldiers stood to attention. “Follow these men, they’ll protect you.” 

Rachel sighed and looked at her sister. “Make sure you stay close, okay Lil?” Rachel smiled. 

“Okay Sis.” She said, her grip tightening.

Their father walked them to the jeep, the man on the mounted gun saluted as her father approached. He helped Lily into the back, buckling her seat as he set her in. Rachel climbed in after, sitting right next to her. 

“Stay safe girls, I’ll see you when this is all over.”

The jeep fired right up, the driver, a young man in military uniform, revved the engine, making the jeep rattle. They backed off of the curb they had been stationary on and took off down the street. 

Charles watched as his daughters faded into the metropolitan jungle over the horizon. 

A tear streamed down his face, he couldn’t hold it in any longer. Charles looked skyward, at the devastation that was wrought. His memory brought him back to a not-too-distant past, a memory he was not keen to relive.

A voice played in his mind, severing the shroud. His wife.

Life is a loop, destined to repeat until the end of the universe. 

“Maybe she was right, maybe it was foolish to think otherwise.” Melancholy over took him as his thoughts drifted towards his family.

“Sir?” A soldier asked, tapping his arm. “We need to get going.” The soldier motioned to a group of soul-drained approaching, shuffling lifelessly, their strings manipulated.

Charles nodded and swung himself into the jeep, there was still much to do, and no time for mourning.

�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"

The road afforded little safety as the jeep had to bound over debris, fallen from the devastation of the skyscrapers around them. It shook the entire vehicle. If not for the seat belts they surely would have gone flying.

The city was darker than night and the head lights only illuminated in front of the jeep. Brief glimpses into the world around them were afforded when the jeep passed near the streetlights, the jeep lit up intermittently in a white haze.

Lily sat beside Rachel, her hand pressed into her sister’s. Rachel knew this was a lot for a ten year old to deal with. She wished there was another way, somewhere her sister would be safe. 

“How are you doing Lil?” Rachel yelled over the engine. 

Lily looked up at Rachel, her face was stained with dirt, split by were the tears had streaked. Her purple t-shirt and blue jeans were stained with dried mud. Her knee poked through a hole in her jeans, exposing her thin, pale leg to the air.

“What's going to happen to Dad?” She asked, eyes filled with curiosity. “What's going to happen to us?”

“I don’t know Lil.” In truth she didn’t know what was going to happen, or if they’d even make it there.

Lily looked out the window, the flames from the passing buildings cast an ominous orange glow on her face. “What's going to happen to our house?” She asked, an undertone of fear in it.

“I don’t know Lil” 

A pained look crossed her little sister’s face. Rachel rubbed her sister’s head, the only thing she could do for her sister.

If only there was something more I could do, I feel so useless being carted around like this.

“You kids are real brave ya know?” Said the woman in the passenger seat. She looked back, a warm yet melancholic smile crossed her face.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t be able to do what your doing.” Chimed in the driver, a young man.

“You guys are practically heroes, we’ll always remember your sacrifice.”

What are these guys talking about? What sacrifice? We’re just going to activate the shields right? They came to protect us.

“What sacrifice?” Rachel asked.

She watched as the passenger’s face shifted to one of confusion and finally settled on one of dread.

“Wait, so you’re telling me they didn-”

“Brace!” The driver shouted. 

Rachel threw herself over Lily before the jeep suddenly lurched sideways. The world spun and colors blended as the jeep lurched and twisted over itself, being flung over and over. Sparks flew into the air as metal crushed against stone. Rachel’s vision blurred as everything blended like a paint. The vertigo sent Rachel’s stomach tumbling in kind, a bile rose at the back of her throat, she fought to suppress it.

Rachel tucked her sister into her bosom, shielding her from the metal and glass shards flying through the air that were slicing at Rachel’s back.

Suddenly the mangled carcass of the jeep groaned as it slammed into the side of a building throwing Rachel and Lily into the door of the jeep. 

It was all silent after that.

Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump.

�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"

The second thing Lily remembered about the Dark Nights was the running. It never stopped. Lily’s lungs felt fit to burst and her legs were burning like hot embers shoved in her pants.

“Rachel…” She panted between bated breathes. “I can’t… keep up…” Her chest was heaving , in and out, in and out.

“Just a little further Lil…” Rachel said, her breathing substantially more controlled. 

Lily was being drug along by her arm like a kite. Her sister’s long legs covered far more ground than Lily’s. She was practically gliding off the surface of the stone.

The girls bolted through alleyways, all so narrow the two could barely stand abreast. The occasional light ornamented the concrete and brick walls breaking up the inky darkness with the brief safety of the pale white glow. The walls radiated cold, Lily could see her breath with every exhale of air. The rift was visible from here, the puppeteer controlled it’s thralls still.

Wails of torment could be heard from behind. A group of lifeless puppets moved as a unit, their sole desire was to catch their prey… They clawed at the walls and ran, sending sparks into the air. Their sights long set on Rachel and Lily.

Lily’s thoughts kept turning to the crash, the those poor soldiers, their twisted expressions, the crimson red on olive green that splattered the jeep. 

The two girls turned another corner, slowing only to push a dumpster out from an alcove and into the path of the puppets. 

“That won’t hold em long, let’s go!” Rachel shouted. 

The two bolted down the tight alley, footsteps falling in rhythm with the pitter patter of water droplets somewhere, echoing off of the stonework.

 

Suddenly Rachel came to a stop, much to the relief of Lily’s legs. Catching her breathe, she surveyed their obstacle. 

A chain-link fence joined the walls of the alley, forming a barrier more than three heads taller than Rachel, split by a metal door.

Rachel pushed on the door to no avail, it was locked.

“Goddamn it!” Rachel cursed. She looked around but there was no way through, not even a mouse could push through the chains. The path back was dark and linear, there was no where to go.

“Sis, they’re coming!” Lily shouted. The screams were getting closer, gradually growing louder every second. Every groan, every cry sent shivers down Lily’s spine. The sight of the puppets drew out an instinct to run in Lily. Everywhere they went, even here, it felt as though she was being watched, being manipulated.

“I know! I know!” Rachel looked around, there was nothing else for it. They would have to go over.

“Lily, come over here.” Rachel’s arms burned, and her legs felt ready to give in, not even high school track had been this bad but she had to get them over.

Rachel stood behind her sister, placing her hands underneath her arms, the screams were growing closer, this had to be fast. Rachel gritted her teeth.

“Oooh!” In one swift motion, she threw her light weight sister into the air. Lily grabbed the fence, linking her fingers with the chain only a foot below the top. Lily’s breathes came faster as adrenaline pumped through her veins. 

“Hurry and climb over Lil, we haven’t much time!” Rachel shouted. She heard the soulless coming ever closer, their moans of pain resonated in Rachel’s chest now. 

Lily struggled her way over the chain threshold, throwing her body over to the other side of the gate. Her feet finding safety in between the links. Lily started climbing down, one leg and arm movement at a time. Right arm down, left leg down. Left arm down, right leg down. Lily’s fingers hurt from leaving her weight on the fence but she was so close just a little further…

Suddenly the world felt as if it were crashing, gravity pulled her back as her foot slipped from it’s nook and her strength failed her. Lily’s hands released the gate as she plummeted to the concrete, screaming.

“Lil!” Rachel shouted, pressing her body against the chain.

Lily landed with an “oof”, her back screaming in pain. Air was driven from her lungs as gravity weighed down upon her. She gasped for breathes in between shock waves of pain. Her arms dribbled blood from sites of torn skin near her elbows.  Tears begun to stream down her face as Rachel looked on in horror. 

“It hurts!” Lily managed between bouts of pain, trying to coddle her back.

“I’m coming Lil!” Rachel said as she hopped up onto the fence. She started far lower than Lily though her longer legs and arms meant a faster climb. Rachel neared coursing the gap when something grabbed her leg, pulling her back down.

A scream of pain cried out from Rachel as claws dug into her thigh, drawing blood and tearing her jeans. She kicked out wildly, scoring a lucky blow against her assaulter, a pale, lifeless shell.

Rachel hurriedly threw herself over the gate as more soulless poured at the metal chain. The gate shook more and more, the instability shaking Rachel’s grip.

 Not wanting to make the same mistake as her sister, Rachel jumped, relying on her natural athleticism and longer legs to break her fall. 

Rachel landed, her legs spread to take in the fall as her teachers in high school had taught her. As she landed a burning pain shot through Rachel’s thigh. Blood still drained from her, pooling below her leg.

“Lil, are you alright?” She said to her sister, her tears beginning to subside as she gapped in fear at the soulless.

“Me? Rachel look at your leg!” Lily exclaimed, pointing at the crimson gash in Rachel’s thigh.

That's no good, I'm gonna have to bandage it soon or I may bleed out. Rachel’s head was whirling, the ground blurred and she felt uneasy.

The gate behind her clinked as the soulless piled onto it, shaking as if they were mice but two feet away from cheese.

“Come on Lil, we’re nearly to the station.” Rachel stumbled a few feet, she was beginning to feel nauseous. 

“You're bleeding too much!” Lily exclaimed as she stood. Droplets of blood trickled down her arms, streaking crimson on pale skin. Rachel could see how ragged they were, the tears in Lily’s pants from where she fell, the mud caked on her clothes, Rachel's cuts and gashes, she could feel the wind blow through the holes in the back of her shirt.

What a pair we make. Rachel thought to herself. Looking at them now, there could be no doubt they were sisters.

“C’mon Lil, I’ll take care of it when we’re safe. Promise.” Rachel smiled at her sister. 

Hand in hand the sisters pushed forward, out of the oppressive alley and into the open air, towards the research station, one step closer to the end.

Strangely, the heart beat grew louder.

Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump.

�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"

The third thing Lily remembered about the Dark Nights, were the sacrifices. The decisions that invariably led to the same conclusion, the same place. Lily knew it all started before they were born, in some distinct place, with people she thought she knew. There were things behind the scenes trades, experiments gone wrong… and one that went right.

And it all led to that day.

The research station was not what Rachel was expecting to find.

The facility was surrounded by a square box of white brick walls, rising high and topped with barbed wire. The sole method of entry was a gate house that split the walls. Cylindrical barriers rose from the ground, each a foot apart. Blocking vehicle access. They found no guards, nor any sign of resistance in the guardhouse.

The building itself offered little in the way of resistance either. The bullet proof glass doors opened wide when Rachel produced her father’s security card. Not even a guard remained.

The reception was the same story. Seats occupied the walls on either side of the door and yet none entertained anyone. The receptionist’s desk was in surprisingly immaculate condition, in fact the entire facility was. Not one paper out of place, not a single scratch on the medically white walls, not a single cold, white light shattered.

It gave Rachel the chills.

As she had promised her sister, Rachel had fashioned a tourniquet from her shirt. She had torn the red sleeve from her right arm and tied it a few inches above the wound. It had stopped bleeding but she knew she would need stitches.

They had found a water fountain in the halls, Rachel soaked a bit of cloth she had left with the clear, cool water and washed her sister’s face, removing the grime and dirt from her youthful, elfin visage, flinching as the damp cloth touched her skin.

Lily’s wounds were less severe in contrast to Rachel's, after cleaning up the blood the scrapes looked worse than they actually were and with the blood gone, weren't so bad. Inspecting her back though, the skin was already turning shades of yellow.

The research wing proper was deep underground, accessible only by a lengthy elevator ride. 

“Can I press the button?” Lily asked as they stepped into the cubical lift.

Rachel smiled and nodded, after all they’d been through she was still a child after all. Rachel couldn’t resist the urge to muss up her sister’s auburn hair.

As Lily pressed the button labeled: “Research Wing”, the elevator kicked into motion, sending them sliding down into the earth. 

The deeper they descended, the more the struggles of the world above faded. The gunshots, the explosions, the screams… They all faded into the background as the girls buried themselves. It would be easy to stay here, Rachel knew,  to hide from the horrors plaguing them.

Rachel turned the key card she had received from her father over in her fingers, felt the laminate surface. She studied the picture of her father, his square jaw line, his dark eyes and strong features. Rachel knew she was a spitting image of her father, yet there was always something el inside her, something her mother had felt…

A beep sounded from the control panel, signaling that they had arrived at their destination. The doors split wide, revealing a long corridor lit by fluorescent lights, casting a cold and professional glow on the medically white walls and floors.

Rachel led the way to the end of the hall, passing door after door, taking each step more carefully than the last. The double doors at the end of the passage were alluring to Rachel, her eyes were transfixed. She felt so… complete as she neared it.

“Sis, are you okay?” Lily asked, pulling on Rachel’s shirt.

Rachel shook her head. “Yeah, I… must have spaced out.” The look on Lily’s young face was one of concern, her green eyes transfixed on her sister.

The door was sealed tight, only revealing it’s contents once coaxed with their father’s security card. As the door slid open air rushed in from behind the girls, pouring into the room and nearly pulling Lily to her knees. Rachel gasped as she saw what they had walked into.

Corpses were scattered through out the room like a minefield. Everyone died with a look of horror on their faces, their expressions contorted in an attempt to gasp for air. Scratches lined their necks, blood and flesh under the fingernails, their skin was pale and lifeless. 

Lily shouted and hid behind Rachel, grabbing her shirt and peering out from behind.

“I guess we know why the place was so empty.” Rachel muttered to herself. 

There had to be at least a dozen of them, all wearing lab coats. The research staff. Rachel thought. They were all facing an object in the middle of the room, something in a tube of thick glass. In fact everything here seemed devoted to this one object, every table, every computer, it was all facing the tube.

And inside of it was a heart.

A dull, rhythmic thumping echoed off of the walls. Rachel felt it inside of her chest. Ba-dump ba-dump ba-dump. It’s dark, wispy flesh convulsed and contorted with each pulse of the heart. There was an aura around it, like streams of pure darkness encircling it like the rings of Saturn or an atom. Every pulse called to her, each pump of the anomaly demanded her body and mind.

Something grabbed Rachel’s mind, like a hook sinking into her consciousness. Her limbs moved of their own accord, walking forwards, over corpses and debris, her gaze fixed on the heart. At first she fought it, grunted as she used all of her might but it was for naught. There was something alluring about the heart… like a missing puzzle piece finally set right…

Lily looked on at her sister in a mixture of confusion and concern. Rachel’s entire demeanor had changed, she was fixated on that thing in the center. 

“Rachel? Whats wrong?” Lily said with apprehension.

Rachel was silent. She moved forward with a singular purpose, not even waiting for her sister. She pressed her hands against the glass. So close, it feels so good. I need to get it. Rachel could nearly feel the heart within her, she needed it, needed to envelope it.

Lily pulled on her sister. “Rachel! Snap out of it!” She pleaded to no avail.

A large, red button lie on the desk near to the tube. It was protected by a glass case labeled: “DO NOT OPEN WITHOUT CONSENT FROM HIGH COMMAND”. Rachel smashed the glass with no hesitation, slicing into the flesh of her fist and spilling blood onto the counter.

Lily yelped as she watch her sister hurt herself. Lily felt anxiety rising in her breast. She looked around for something, anything to help but found nothing.

What do I do? Lily panicked.

She grabbed the back side of Rachel’s shirt and pulled hoping to get her away from the thing in the tube, yet she couldn’t even manage to make her budge. 

Where did she get such strength? Lily thought. Of course, it must be the thing in the tube. Maybe if I destroy that heart she’ll come to her senses.

Lily scrambled around for something, anything to break the glass when her hand finally rested on the cold, steel barrel of a pistol. The gun sat heavy in Lily’s thin arms but she had just enough strength to point it shakily at the glass. The trigger was taut, she put all of her strength into pulling it…

Rachel’s attention diverted immediately. She threw the back of her hand towards Lily, connecting with her left cheekbone. The action threw Lily back, sending the gun flying out of her hands. A spike of pain shot through Lily as she landed on her back a few feet away.

Rachel pressed the red button inward. An alert signal sounded, the lighting changed from medical white to a sickly orange, flashing against the walls, painting the room the color of danger. An Alert sounded through the facility intercoms: ALERT. THE HEART HAS BEEN REMOVED. ALERT. THE HEART HAS BEEN REMOVED. 

Lily gasped in horror as the air from the room drained, each breath came harder than the last. She clawed at her throat. She could feel her heart growing faint, its rhythm slowly fading. She was forced to watch as her sister stood in front of the Heart, it’s darkness splitting , as if to embrace her.

“Rach…el” Lily sputtered out in between gasps for breath. 

“Lil?” Rachel questioned, turning around and looking at her, eyes lit with confusion. Her attention was drawn between her sister and the Heart several times before it clicked.

Oh, what have I done?! Rachel bemoaned. There's only one way to fix this. 

Rachel ran entirely on instinct, she knew what to do, like she had done it before. 

The heart split before her, revealing it’s pitch core. Rachel stepped up to it, she understood now, what her father expected of her, what had happened to her mother years ago, it all came falling back into place.

Rachel reached out, grasping the core in her hand. It fit nicely into her hand, no larger than a baseball. It was like dry ice against her skin, cold and unforgiving, yet it was familiar and comforting. She shoved the core into her bosom. It melded within her, like a puzzle piece that was long missing. Everything suddenly just clicked.

A surge of power flowed through Rachel, she felt it, the infinite time lines, infinite directions. Every atom in her body quivered with possibility. She felt the darkness bond with her molecules, infusing them with it’s dark energy. Everything made sense now, she could see what it all was, the puppets, the puppet master, the rift that sundered their reality. It was all right there. 

Rachel felt such power, with only desire, her wounds stitched themselves shut, leaving only the blood as a reminder that they were there. With but a thought she transformed her arm into a slender black appendage with five bony digits twice as long as her other arm. With a simple flick of her wrist the sliding doors were blown clear off of their hinges. Air once again rushed into the room, scattering papers into the air, and giving Lily her second wind.

Lily gasped, filing her lungs with the precious air. Her vision slowly returned to her as she found herself lying on the cold tile floor. Her heart raced and her head pounded. Lily looked up at her sister, hardly believing it was still her.

“Rachel?” Lily ventured, weary that Rachel may not be herself.

“I’m so sorry Lil.” Rachel turned to her sister, her blue eyes filed with grief. 

“It’s okay.” Lily assured, her breath stabilizing. “You’re back to normal now. Right?”

Rachel’s gaze averted from her sister. “That's not it.” 

“What do you mean?” Lily was confused. Now that they were here they would stop the monster…right? But what was wrong with Rachel’s arm?

With a snap of her fingers mist enveloped Rachel and suddenly, she was right in front of Lily, kneeling beside her. Rachel pressed her warm hand against Lily’s face. A refreshing wave of energy flowed through Lily’s body, like water over barren desert. The pain in her back subsided and the scrapes on her arms all but vanished, it was like none of it had happened.

“Wha… what’s happening Rachel?” Lily asked, bewilderment written plain across her face.

“Oh Lil. I know I promised we would make it out together but, I’m going to have to stay here.” Rachel’s eyes were apologetic. A weight settled in Lily’s stomach as she realized what her sister was saying.

“Then I’ll stay too!” Lily exclaimed.

Rachel smiled. I’m so sorry I won’t be there to watch you grow up. 

“I love you Lil. Stay safe for me and live a long life.” Rachel stood, hovering a hand over Lily.

Lily’s eyes grew wide with realization but she was too late to do anything about it.

“Wait…No!” Her protest was cut of by a resounding snap and suddenly everything went dark.

Rachel sighed. That her father would be willing to leave Lily all on her own. Yet Rachel saw the wisdom in it. This was the only way to stop the spread, to save their reality.

Lily would survive, Rachel knew. It was a possible time line after all, though there were many, Rachel prayed on this one the most. It was the only one they saw each other again after all.

With a snap of her fingers tendrils of purest dark formed at the broken doorway, crossing each other, allowing not a single point of entry. The light faded, darkness settled in but Rachel wasn’t scared. 

The tube shut on Rachel as she stepped back into the enclosure. She took one more glance at the room that would be her home for the foreseeable future. The cold of the glass pressed against her back through the shredded shirt as she settled in. 

Rachel closed her eyes. She was so very tired, the fusion with the heart had more strain than she thought it would.

I’ll rest a while. Yes, and when I awaken I’ll fulfill my promise to Lily.

�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"�"

The sounds of birds chirping and the whispers of the foliage blowing in the wind greeted Lily as she returned to consciousness.

Lily opened her eyes.

 

She found herself on a hill in the countryside. The sun was bearing down on her, shining like a beacon in the sky. There was no sign of the rift that occupied the sky before, where the sky was torn, it was now mended. The sun brought warmth back into Lily’s cold body.

The grass tickled her bare flesh as it swayed in the wind. The scent of lilac carried from flowers further up the hill. Lily gazed into the deep blue sky and wondered if any of that was even real. She half expected her sister to wonder over and criticize her for being lazy.

   Get up lazy bones! Its a bright, beautiful day outside. A smile pursed on her lips, her eyes shining like the bluest star.

Lily sat up, her wounds were healed, she felt like a battery with too much juice but… her heart lie in pieces, shattered like so much glass.

Yes, the beauty nearly tricked her, deceived her into a sense of denial, yet that, told otherwise.

The city was ablaze. The place that Lily had spent her entire life, where she was raised, where all of her memories found their origin, was gone. Smoke billowed into the air, the orange glow of flame burned bright as the flames licked the buildings. 

A line of trucks crawled across the interstate leading away from the city like a line of ants. Their goal appeared to be the Mountain passage, the only way out of the valley and through the mountains.

How many survived? Lily wondered. No matter, I’ll stay alone if I must.

A piercing beam of pure dark energy erupted from the center of town, flying higher than even the tallest tower. The beam pierced the heavens, reaching into the sky’s domain. Gradually, the bream expanded from the top, at a downward angle, spreading itself over the city limits. As the last truck left the city the dome finished it’s process, completely enveloping the city, standing like a rising black moon on the horizon.

Lily stood, her legs stronger than ever, her heart was steel. She made for the mountain pass, towards the town of Border. She would be there, watching, waiting. Waiting for the day the barrier fell, for the day she could save her sister.

I promise… I promise I won’t abandon you Rachel. I’ll save you from that Dark Heart and we’ll go back to our normal lives.

The last thing Lily remembered about the Dark Nights? Her promise. Her sister would be free.

Author's Note

I would appreciate feedback on anything, from the writing to the grammar. The formatting may be off since I wrote most of this in Scrivener.

Also, I would appreciate feedback on the pacing of the story.

Reviews

[JayG]

Well, you did ask for comment. But I'm not going to make you happy, after all the work and emotional commitment you’ve made to the story. But the problems I’m about to address aren’t related to how well you write, or, your talent. And since they’re fixable, I thought you'd want to know.

The first problem is that because you know the story, the characters, and the setting before you begin to read, you begin reading with context, backstory, and intent, which is something the reader lacks. So when you hit the spots where you left out information you don’t need but the reader does, you’ll not notice the problem. As Mark Twain put it: “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”

Look at the first line as the reader must:

• The first thing Lily remembered about the Dark Nights, was the silence, the calm before the storm.

So Lilly, someone who could be of any age, live in any era, and in any location, remembers that at some point before a “storm” came during an unknown thing called “Dark Nights,” it was calm? Given that the reader knows nothing about the setting and the character being discussed, why do they care what she remembers about what happened an unknown time in the past? Forgetting that the reader lacks context to make it meaningful, that’s history, not story. You know that you really mean you're going to tell the story about it, but the reader gets only that someone unknown remembers something about a meaningless term at the beginning of her story.

So while this has meaning when you read it, for the reader? Not so much.

• The day was beautiful, the sun radiated , casting a warm orange glow across the towers of the city as it peaked over the distant mountain range that surrounded the valley

Here, you’ve lost the reader. This is a weather report. Who cares what the weather was like before the story begins? You might as well list her breakfast menu, or how many times she urinated that day. In any case, the single worst opening of any story is said to be: "It was a dark and stormy night..." So you do NOT want to begin with the weather, unless it's critical to the action in progress.

But put that all aside because it’s a symptom, only. In this, you’re transcribing yourself as a storyteller, performing before an audience, and, telling them a story. That cannot work on the page.

First, storytelling is a performance art. How you present the story—your personal performance—matters as much as what you say, because you're substituting for the entire cast of the film version. On the screen, the actors would illustrate their emotion through behavior, gesture, expression, tricks of vocalizing, and more. The viewer would, in the time between two eyeblinks, know the setting, the weather, the characters and everything that seeing them would provide, and more. But on stage as the storyteller, with those actors missing, you, of necessity, cannot take all roles, so you explain in summation and overview, while providing the emotional part of the story through your acting. And how much of that makes it to the page? Not a trace.

What is the reader given to illustrate that emotion? Only the generality of punctuation, which they only see AFTER they read a given line. And the meaning they take? What the words suggest to them, based on THEIR life experience.

But on the page we have the actors. And we can take the reader to a place that neither a live performance or a storyteller can take them: into the protagonist's mind. We have the ability to make the reader feel as if they are the protagonist, living the scene in real-time. Using the skills of telling the story, in a horror story you tell the reader the protagonist feels terror. Using the tricks of fiction, we terrorize the reader.

In short: you can’t use the skills of one medium in another. Added to that, the writing techniques you and I were given in our school days, and perfected over years of reports and essays were designed for writing reports and essays, not fiction. Their goal is to inform. Ours is to provide a emotional experience.That takes a very different approach: Emotion, rather then fact-based, and character, not author-centric.

The thing our teachers never mentioned is that, as E. L. Doctorow put it: “Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader. Not the fact that it’s raining, but the feeling of being rained upon.” And how much time did your teachers spend on how to do that? None, right?

Remember, universities offer 4 year majors in Commercial Fiction-Writing. And you have to figure that at least some of the techniques and tricks they teach are necessary, Right?

We don’t acquire those tools when we read fiction, any more than we learn the skills of a chef by eating. And since every published book you’ve read was created with those skills, both you, and your readers expect to see those skills in use—and will know in a paragraph if they aren’t. Which is the best argument I know of for acquiring your writer’s education.

Fully 75% of what’s received in the publisher/agent’s offices was created by people still using their basic school-day writing skills. These are sincere, dedicated people, who are working hard, but who lack the tools the pros take for granted, because we pretty much all forget that all professional knowledge is acquired IN ADDITION to the general skills of school. The publisher/agents call those submissions “unreadable.” So to even get in the game…

The best place to begin is with a few books on the basics of creating scenes, and stitching them together to form a coherent whole. The local library’s fiction-writing section is a great place to begin. No tests, no pressure, and you work at your own pace, when you have the time. And the best book I’ve found on the nuts-and-bolts issues is Dwight Swain’s, Techniques of the Selling Writer. It’s an older book, but still, the best, and is the one that got me my first contract offer. Maybe it can do that for you. The good news is that because the copyright has expired, it’s free to download at archive sites. One such is just below. Because this site doesn’t handle links, copy/paste it to the URL window of any internet page and hit Return to read or download it.

https://archive.org/details/TechniquesOfTheSellingWriterCUsersvenkatmGoogleDrive4FilmMakingBsc_ChennaiFilmSchoolPractice_Others

I know this was far from what you hoped to see when you posted this, but still, since it is what you need to know, and is a problem every hopeful writer faces...

For what it might be worth, the articles in my WordPress writing blog are based, in large part, on what you’ll find in far more detail, on that book.

I think you’ll find it’s like going backstage at the theater, and filled with lots of, “So THAT’S how they do it. And the practice? Writing better and better stories.

What’s not to like, right? So jump in. And while you do, hang in there, and keep on writing.

Jay Greenstein
https://jaygreenstein.wordpress.com/category/the-craft-of-writing/the-grumpy-old-writing-coach/

[wordman]

i thought it was pretty good,,if we we`re all scholars we wouldn`t be on a poetry site