The Fate of Darkness Calling

A boy must sacrifice something to save someone long lost to them.

 

The cawing of the birds over head threw him out of his trance.

“Kylie, why do you keep doing this?” He bowed his head, dropping it to his hands. He was at a lost at what to do. Pulling open the car door, he turned back to the cliff, confirming his next return.

 

---

 

“Jonathan, are you going out to that lake again? You know, spending all that time out there by yourself isn’t very good for you. And don’t you start telling me that Kylie is out there with you.” The woman gave her son a stern stare. He just turned tail, walking out, not even bothering to answer her.

“I swear, you’re losing yourself everyday.” She mumbled under her breathe.

“Go out and spend your day with that nice Jenny girl. You know she has a real interest in you.” She spoke up just as her son slammed the door shut. Giving a sigh she sat back in her chair.

 

---

 

“Hiya J’nathan. Where ya’ going?” A petit girl of 5’2, with red hair and blue eye asked, jogging up to the boy.

“Out.” He tried to ignore her, but she stepped in front of him, jogging backwards.

“Can I come with?” Her hands were held behind her, her tresses swings side to side.

“No.” He pulled open the car door, plopping himself into the drivers seat. The girl moved to the passengers side.

“Jen, you can’t come. Just please go.” He locked the doors, slamming his shut, and driving away, leaving the girl titled as Jenny, standing there by herself. Turning she headed to the house he had come out of before. The door opened and his mother stood there, welcoming her in.

“Come on in Jenny, let’s have a talk.” The two disappeared into the house.

 

---

 

“So Jon. I missed you since we last talked. I guess it’s my turn to tell you a story, right? Ok. So I guess I’ll start.” A thin girl of sixteen said. Her dark brown hair was blown about by the lake’s natural breeze. Her hazel eye’s bright with teenage youth, but cloud over by a mysterious haze. Her pale, almost translucent skin reflected the sunlight, giving her a ghastly white glow. The boy next to her took her small hand in his own.

“Kylie, my love. Why do you keep doing this to yourself? You died once, why relive it?”

The dark haired girl shook her head, ebony tresses flying about.

“To understand, we must repeat. Haven’t they told you that in school Jon? Or do you just not pay attention?” He turned to him, a smile prominent on her soft features. She glowed so brightly that it almost burned to look at her.

“Oh, you’ve caught me. It is your fault really, I see you all the time at school. I know you’ve been checking up on me. I see you in the windows all the time.” They shared a little smile before the smile dropped from the girls face.

“I guess it is time to tell you the whole story. It is only a few more hours till the end anyway. It all started on a rainy day in august.”

 

---

 

“You see Jenny, Jonathan hasn’t been himself lately. He has been having delusions. Of a girl, a girl who lived over one hundred and twenty years ago. Her name was Kylie Storm.” The woman had tears in her eyes, dabbing at them with a tissue.

“But who is she? And why is he having these hallucinations?” The girl put her glass of water down, staring into it.

“Remember that day that he had almost drowned in the lake, the one by the bridge with the broken down railroad on it. Well, then Christopher and Nicholas got to him, he had kept trying to swim out further, into the swamps. He told them that he needed to save ‘her’. That he had seen ‘her’ floating about in the water. ‘She’ was calling to him. They got him out of the water, but he became obsessed with her. He did all of this research on this girl. She ended up being “Kylie Storm”. It is said that one rainy day, she was out walking on the bridge, when the 2am train came in. To avoid being hit, or so the story goes, she jumped off, but ended up hitting her head on a beam. She drowned. Her body was never found though, so some believe she haunts the railroad.” The woman sobbed, and balled into another tissue. Jenny just stared into the glass of water.

“Well, if Jonathan knows this, why does he think he is talking with her? Wouldn’t he know she is dead?” Her eyes never left the glass.

“That is the problem. We try to tell him, but he just insists. And he won’t take the medication the doctor gave him. He is so adamant on this, I just don’t understand. I’m losing my boy to something that isn’t even real…” Jenny couldn’t tear her eyes away from the glass no matter what she tried. It was as if they were being held there. Suddenly a picture shimmered into view. A dark haired figure. Then, she felt as if her throat was closing. She couldn’t breathe. The dark haired figure became clearer. A girl with green eyes. Jenny slapped the glass of the table; it ricocheted of the floor, breaking into thousands of tiny pieces with a shattering sound. The image now gone and her breath returning, she now had time to panic. What was this thing doing to Jonathan, his mother and what had she gotten herself involved in?

 

---

 

“Kylie?” The girl had gone deathly still, her spine as straight as an oak, and then she relaxed back into him.

“It’s nothing; people were just talking about us again.” Her face looked more tired and worn then it had mere seconds ago.

“Why can’t they just leave us be!? Maybe you should wait to tell your story; you know how you always get tired after you tell them. Let’s wait. We still have a few more hours till the end. Let’s go down to the wharf, we can watch the sunset there.” He made to get up, but Kylie put a hand on his arm.

“It’s ok, they just don’t understand us. And I want to watch it from here.” She had far off look on her face.

“But we always watch it from here. Don’t you want to see something different?” She turned away from him; her eye’s hidden by a dark shadow. The wind began to blow faster, whipping around her hair, it was so fast it left small cut on both their skins. Jonathan just stood there, unsure of what to do.

“Kylie! Stop it! You’re going to hurt yourself or somebody else!” His voice was barely a whisper above the wind, but he knew she had heard him. She turned toward him, large, fat tears spilling out of her hazel eyes. Her body shook, like a chill that never left, and the air around them grew freezing. It grew so cold in fact, that Jonathan almost instantly lost feeling in his extremities, his arms and legs prickled, while his toes and fingers went numb.

“Kylie!” he warned. Her eyes held a murderous glare, directed at him, but it shifted into a one of confusion and lost. She looked about her surroundings, her movements becoming more rushed.

“Kylie…” Jonathan opened his arms, beckoning her to him. She flew into his arms, clinging to his shirt, her tears already soaking his it. The wind began to die down, and her shaking slowed to a shiver every now and then.

“Please find me; I don’t know where I am. I only have a few hours left.” He wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her head. 

“Don’t worry, I know where to look. Let’s go.”

 

---

 

“Mrs. Kirk, Do you know where Jonathan went? Can you tell me?” The mother looked at the girl.

“Of course Jenny. He’s gone to the bridge, he does everyday. But what are you going to do?” Jenny jumped up out of the chair and ran out of the door. She flew down the drive away, hitting the road at full speed. She needed to get there before Jonathan did anything stupid. She had a feeling she knew what he was going to do, she needed to get to that bridge.

 

---

 

The car door slammed shut and Jonathan stood before the cliff. The lake swayed just over the ridge, beckoning him to it, shaking his head he turn to the bridge. He knew better. Side stepping a rotted hole hidden beneath a few branches from the latest wind storm, he ventured onward, jumping broken planks, and hopping over holes, and narrowly missing a few rusty nails. The “Do not Enter” sign lay tangled on a cross beam about three feet down, along with the chain used to keep it up, again, another victim of a wind storm.

“So, do you want me to just climb down here, and you lead me, or what?” A slight wind chill created goose bumps on his skin, and sent a shake down his spine. Kylie reached up and touched his cheek.

“No, you must relive it, follow all the rules. I can’t help you. You may very well come with me in the end.” She took his hand and lead him a little further down the track.

“Here, this is where it happened, and must again. Sit here, with your legs dangling over. I’ll give you my memory.” Again se touched his forehead, but this time at the temples, and with her two fore fingers.

“Remember.” A stick shot up his spine, his back as straight as a board; his eye’s rolled back in his head.

 

---

 

Her lungs burned as did her calf muscles, but she had to get to him before he did what she thought he was going to do. A two door jeep wrangler pulled along side her.

“Hey, Jenny, where you heading off to in such a rush?” Turning to her right, she saw Nicholas and Christopher.

“Hey, guys, I need a lift. Care to help a girl out?” She was still running, her breathe coming in short swallows.

“Sure, but you’ll have to sit on Nick, only two seater, remember?” The jeep stopped, and she hopped in, climbing over Christopher, and onto Nicholas.

“I don’t care, just drive! To Cliff Lake.” The two boys exchanged weary looks before Christopher shifted gear and drove off.

 

---

 

“See, that is all you have to do. Sit here and wait.” Kylie smiled, planting herself next to Jonathan. Suddenly, a jeep pulled up to the wharf besides Jonathan’s car, three people got out.

“Jonathan! What the hell are you doing out here?!” Nicholas yelled. The boy and girl sitting on the bridge stood, the girl standing in front of him. The girl and other guy made their way the bridge.

“Jonathan! Who is she, this girl you’re obsessed about?” Jenny stared at Kylie with a confused look. Kylie gave her a distasteful look.

“I’m his girlfriend, I’m sure he’s told you everything about me. Oh wait, I forgot, none of you think I’m real. Surprise!” The dark look never left her face. Christopher stood right behind her, with Nicholas behind him. The sun was being to set and a loud noise scattered all reasonable thought. The tracks began to rattle and shake, the rocks on them vibrating. Jenny ignored them, as did the other to boys. Inching closer Jenny asked

“Jonathan! Come home! Everyone is worried about you! Please, we love you and only want you safe.” Jonathan gave her an odd look before speaking up.

 “Who are you? Do I know you?” His look was seemed honest and innocent of lies. Those two questions broke through Jenny, shattering her to the very core.

“Dude! What are you talking about! We’ve know each other since first grade, and we’ve know Jenny since eighth! Have you lost your mind?” Christopher questioned. Jonathan gave him and Nicholas a glance and shake of the head.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know you. Maybe you’ve got the wrong person.” He took Kylie’s hand, glancing down to the ground in what looked like embarrassment.

“That’s right, you’ve got the wrong person. Please leave now!”

With a loud cracking noise, the brown haired boy fell through the floor. On instinct, the girl dropped to her stomach and grabbed his arm.

“Christopher, hold on!” He weigh an incredibly more then her, and she could barely hold him.

“Nah, I’m going to let go, and plummet to my death! Duh I’m going to hold on!” His sarcastic tone was disregarded as Nicholas reached for his arm, and helped him up.

“The railroad tracks are too rotted, we shouldn’t chance standing on them. It’s a miracle Jon got that far without falling. Come on Jenny, let him be, he always comes home anyway.” Nicholas reached his hand out, offering it to her. His eyes showed concern for her, and it hit her hard in the gut. Nicholas was in love with her. Her crushes best friend was in love with her, oh the drama of high school. She shook her head, slowly backing up.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t leave him out here, not alone. Look at him…” She through her arm in Jonathan’s direction. “…Look how lost he looks. I can’t just leave him here.” With that she turned and picked her way over to Kylie and Jonathan.

“Jenny! Get back here! It’s too dangerous! Please!” Nicholas and Christopher were calling to her, but she just focused on her feet, and the bridge began to shake again.

“Foolish girl, he doesn’t remember you. Why can’t you just leave us be?” All of the rants fell on deaf ears. Jenny made sure to stay away from the edges; a fall from here would surely mean death, even if by chance she didn’t hit rocks or beams. Looking back, she saw Christopher run back to the jeep, probably to call the police, Nicholas was watching her with fervent eyes, willing her to come back to him so that she would be safe, but she just couldn’t leave Jonathan out her all by himself. She now stood not even two feet from Jonathan, and he just continued to give her a confused look. A loud roar drowned out every other sound, in over a hundred years, a black monster chugged down the tracks, puffing out black smoke, a bright central light focused on the girl standing in the center of the railroad. The whole bridge shook, trembling from weakness. Jenny watched as a figured jumped up from its position, tumbling forward off the bridge, and as jenny stepped forward to avoid the train and see what happened to the girl she gave a scream. A scream for her eminent death as she lurched too far forward and began her decent of the bridge. With sharp tug on her wrist she fell backwards, in the path of the train which blew gone like dust on a breeze.

“Jonathan!” Nicholas and Christopher screamed at the same time. As if in slow motion, Jenny watched Jonathan’s form free fall, and hit the water with a sickening crunch. Tears poured down her eyes, as she sat sprawled out on the decaying bridge. There was no way he had survived that fall. Jenny sat there and cried for what seemed like hours but only happened to be few minutes, when someone called to her.

“Jenny! Jenny are you ok?!” She just sat there, not understanding what had just happened, or if it was all really happening. Someone touched her shoulder, and she started. Nicholas was at her side, some how having been able to pick his way to her. Her eyes continued to spill tears, her throat sobs, when he hugged her, lifting her up off of the ground. Carefully he made his way back to solid land with her in his arms. Once on land he sat her down on the driver side seat in the jeep.

“Jenny, are you hurt? Jenny, talk to me I need to know if you are hurt.” He spoke quietly but commandingly. She could only splutter out words between sobs, hen she looked up and met him in the eyes.

“Is he really gone? Did I really kill him? Where’s Chris?!” Nicholas gave her a sympathetic shocked look.

“No Jenny, you didn’t kill him, no. It was an accident, not your fault, never yours. He saved you. You tripped and he saved you. Not your fault, never.” He clutched her to his chest as she cried and balled some more. Christopher came up on the other side of the jeep soaking, shaking his head. Nicholas hugged her tighter and nothing moved for the next three minutes when the authorities pulled up, all lights and sirens.

“Where is he boys?” The police officer came up to Christopher.

“We can’t find him, he isn’t where he fell. I couldn’t go that deep to fin out if he had sunk. I think you might need divers, and check in the swamp too. The currents go that way.” The divers where suited up and in the water, scanning the whole lake. An hour later a gurney was pulled over to the lowest cliff, and three men were carrying something up. It was a pale color, the eye lids a dark purple. The men placed him on the gurney, while another diver came up with a black bag.

The three teens walked over to the ambulance, all of them except Jenny staring at the cols face of Jonathan. Just as Jenny looked, his eye’s opened; he gave her a quizzical look.

“I remember you. You’re Jenny. Why you crying Jenny? I don’t blame you.” His voice quiet and raspy, Then his eye’s closed again.

“Hey! Hey! He just opened his eyes, he just spoke!” Jenny started yelling. A Medic came to stand in front of the three teenagers.

“That’s impossible; he died once he hit the water. I’m sorry for your loss.” Then he walked away.

“No! No, that’s impossible! He just spoke!” She turned in Nicholas’s arms to face him.

“You saw right?! I’m not lying! Please believe me! You saw him didn’t you! He spoke, he really did!” Christopher and Nicholas exchanged looks, before he spoke.

“Jenny, you’re just seeing things. He didn’t say anything.” A defeated look came about her face, and her legs gave out from under her, forcing Nicholas to take her weight, and she started crying again.

“Hey! Jenny! I told you not to cry.” The voice was a whisper from behind Nicholas. Looking over his shoulder, she saw Jonathan and a girl standing, hands clasped in the last rays of the sun. The girl smiled at her.

“It’s ok Jenny, I’ll take good care of him. After all, he found me.” The ghost girl then pointed to the black bag that an EMT put on the truck. Looking back over Nicholas’s shoulder Jenny saw the girl wave, Jonathan give her a smile, then they turned and walked into nothing. They just disappeared. Hugging Nicholas’s neck harder, she sighed, tears still pouring down her face. If he was happy, she was fine with it, she wouldn’t have to like it, but at least he was happy. She would still cry because of his death, ad would still love him, but he now belonged to another, and she had another too. She had a life here, no matter how much she wishes she could be with him.

“You better treat him right; he did die for you after all.” Closing her eyes she leaned into Nicholas more, Nicholas and Christopher turned to go back to the jeep after talking with the police. Taking in his scent she realized, she did have another and a life here. Maybe she could live on after all.

Author's Note

This is rough, so please excuse the errors. When i find the time, I'll revise and edit it.
Thank you for reading.

Reviews

[Jason Again]

All I can say is...wow. According to your profile you are only sixteen. I simply could not look away from the page until I was done. When the train came, I thought it was going to be a typical, Jenny saves Jon, and she dies in his stead. But no. It had a sad ending, and I love sad endings. Good job. Can't wait to read more of your work.