Chapter 3: Murder

I scrambled across the ground towards her. The man yelling at me jumped out of the way. I didn't register what he was saying.

"Mila, I'm so sorry." My hand wrapped around her arm. She was cold. "Mila?"

She lay still. Too still. Her face was frozen in a silent scream. Her eyes looked like she was in shock. They were too big, too wide.

"Mila! Oh my god." I spun on my injured knees, grounding them into the asphalt. I looked up to the man still shouting obscenities at me. "What did you do? Did you kill her? Did you rape her?" I screamed at him.

"What? No! Fuck no! She's my sister. Damn it. Who are you? How do you know her?"

I ignored the man and turned back to her. My arms closed around Mila's body as I pulled her into a hug. My breath still came in gulps as my lungs spasamed. Her body hung limp as I held her against me. I felt awkward. I wasn't really a hugging kind of person, but Mila was my friend. And now, she was dead. She was the only good thing in my life and now that had been taken from me.

"Mila..." It came out a sob. I didn't even realize I was crying. I never cried. I looked down into her angelic face. It was okay. I could cry for her. She deserved it. She was a good person and she was good to me. If I was going to cry over anyone, it would be her. The tears began to fall, as the panic and terror instilled by the darkness was chased away by grief.

The man's hand grasped my shoulder. "There's nothing we can do for her." His voice was strained and hard, like he was trying to show compassion but he was still pissed.

My eyes snapped to him. "What happened? Did you do this?" My voice was low and coarse. I could feel the quick temper rising to the surface again. I had no fighting skills to speak of. I didn't think I've actually ever punched anyone for that matter, but rage burned inside of me. This dickweed jut took away the only good thing in my life. I had nothing to live for now. What did I have to lose?

I released Mila, laying her gently back to the ground at the edge of the light. Her platinum blonde hair draped perfectly across the ground. I turned fiery eyes to the man. My fists balled as I stood to face him.

He took a step back with his hands held up. "Whoa, wait. I didn't kill her. I was trying to protect her. She's my sister."

I hesitated. He had said that before. His hair was the same platinum and his eyes the same blue. His features echoed a family resemblance as well. She had spoken of her brother on occasion.

"Anton?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, I-,"

"What happened?" I growled.

His eyes snapped over my head. "That," he hissed.

My head whipped around. The alley filled with darkness like it was a liquid.

"What the he-," I started.

Anton grasped my arm and pulled. The familiar fear I felt earlier gripped my throat. I'd never seen the darkness actually move before. It was coming at me. The soft edges of it blurred out everything as it melted forward.

The streetlight above us flickered and buzzed before it shorted out leaving us in complete darkness.

"Shit," Anton spat. "Come on." He tugged at my arm.

My eyes adjusted as much as they could. My vision wiggled and my body swayed, but I couldn't tear my eyes away. I was frozen. It was hard to tell if it was from terror or curiosity. My fingers grasp Mila's arms as I watched the darkness come. I knew it was over. Deep down I knew it had me.

The inky blackness rolled over Mila, enveloping her other side. She started to move away from me. My heart jumped. At first I thought she was still alive, but quickly realized it was the darkness. It was taking her.

"No," I hissed. I gripped her arm to hold her in place. It wasn't taking her. I didn't care what this black thing was or how afraid it made me. Mila wasn't going anywhere. She deserved better. I pulled. The darkness pulled harder. More of its smoky black depth curled over her. It yanked her and I with it. I was dragged across the ground ripping larger holes in my bloody knees.

"No!" I screamed as I slid across the pavement.

Anton stumbled forward, overcoming his shock over either the darkness or my sheer stupidity. He grabbed my arm and anchored us.

The blackness pulled. I pulled back. The absurdity of this tug-of-war over my dead friend's body was starting to register. Was I really fighting with the absence of light?

A yank sent us tumbling forward. The darkness swirled. It covered more of her body as it reached up her arm toward my hand. It felt like pins and needles as it wrapped around my arm.

I looked down at my disappearing arm. "What the fuck?" I whispered.

I still didn't let go. I don't know why. Maybe I had just had it with things going wrong tonight, but whatever this was, it wasn't going to eat my friend.

"You can't have her," I breathed through gritted teeth.

The darkness climbed up my arm. I couldn't even feel my hand anymore, but I willed it closed anyways. The blackness jerked us forward. Anton seized my other arm. He yanked me back.

"Just let go, stupid bitch. You're going to get yourself killed for nothing!"

"No! Not for nothing. For Mila!" I shrieked. My voice had never sounded like that before. I bit my tongue in surprise.

The smoky dark jerked again, drawing my attention. Anton planted his feet. I was caught in the middle as the force of each side pulled on me. One of the two entities jerked hard. A sickening pop filled my ears as my shoulder separated from my arm. My cry pierced the air as I flew backwards. Anton and I tumbled over each other across the ground. I scrambled to see Mila again, my vision shaking from the vertigo. The streetlight flickered back on as my vision settled. She was gone.