Prologue

Darkness has always been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. It has always been there, lurking in the shadows, watching me. Ever since the war broke out between the creatures and humans, darkness has been a persistent companion, protector, and guide. But this night was different. As I made my way through the darkness, I felt something else. Something that has never been there before. Something that has my heart beating a little faster and my skin crawling with unease. The darkness seems to be reaching out towards me. Almost as if it were trying to take me.

Memories of the first time I felt the darkness clouded my vision and burned the back of my eyes.

"Raven let’s go!” It was beautiful out with the moon illuminating everything.

I watched Mike take a seat on top of the picnic table with his buddies Jessie and Brian.

I gaze around taking in the park. We were surrounded by the eerie quiet of the deserted forest. During the day the park is full of hikers and kayakers.

Once I reached Mike’s side Brian took my hand to help me sit down next to him. I smiled from ear to ear and giggled with excitement as Brian let out a howl as he pulled me closer, and we all laughed.

Brian was my brother’s best friend. We spent most of our childhood flirting and being shy around each other, scared to upset my brother if we ever took it further than friendship. We never expected my brother to get tired of watching us tip toe around it.

A week ago, he finally had enough of us and said if we didn’t just hurry up and start dating, he was going to lose it. It wasn’t long after that Brian got the courage to approach me.

“Raven, come swing with me!” Jazzy yelled at me from the tire swing a few feet away.

“No,” Brian barked at her and held me tighter. “She is busy right now.” He told her with his lips brushing across the sensitive skin of my neck. It sent shivers down my arms, but I laughed it off and pulled away from him laughing when he groaned in disappointment.

I was halfway there when I heard a scream that sent fear straight through my veins.

It sounded like someone was dying! Instantly I was terrified. The shadows started swimming around making it darker than it should be, and I couldn't help but feel like something out there wanted me and possibly wanted me as much as I wanted it.

I was being watched. I didn’t have time to focus on it before dark figures began running toward us from across the meadow. Their eyes burned red. Their growls were deep and angry. I screamed in terror, not realizing that someone had taken my arm and was not pulling me down a trail.

The feeling of being pulled deeper and deeper into the shadows terrified me and I knew that I had to escape before it consumed me and my last strand of will. My feet reacted quickly, and I ran away from the darkness, but no matter how fast I ran the feeling never disappeared, only intensified.

Tripping over a fallen log I hissed in pain and knew even without being able to see it I was bleeding. I could smell the coppery scent in the air. I cried; my body shook uncontrollably.

"Raven, look at me." I looked up to see Mike shaking me, I was quiet. I had not realized I had zoned out. "Whatever you do never let go of my hand. Do you understand?" I nodded and squeezed his hand.

"We have to find the others and get out here now." He started pulling me along after him back towards the entrance where mama and daddy usually sat while we played. He was running so fast I could hardly keep up. My feet were tripping over each other in my attempt.

That is until he stopped in front of me. I ran straight into him. I wanted to look around him to see what he was staring at but was instantly blinded.

"Don't look Raven, just run!" He screamed his hands over my eyes as he turned me around and pushed me to run in front of him.

What were we running from? I looked back and wished I had not. There laying on the cold dead leaf covered ground was Jazzy and Jessie. The beasts were ripping them to pieces. They were covered with the blood of my friends from head to toe. Its flesh was black and what I would think a decayed body would look like. The figure was ripping flesh from mama's stomach with its mouth. Its eyes were pitch black. I screamed and wanted to run back towards my friends, but Mike had a death grip on my hand and kept pulling me along.

I barely heard him as he tried to comfort me. Saying soothing words and promising everything was going to be okay. Bile filled my mouth and my eyes watered. We broke through the trees at the end of the trail. We had made it back to our cars. Mike opened my door and swiftly threw me into the passenger seat.

“Brian,” it came out as a whisper at first, then louder. Before I knew it, I was reaching for the door handle screaming his name.

“Raven, Raven!” Mike screamed at me in a tone he had never used before. It caught me off guard and had me frozen in spot staring out the car window praying he would just come out of the forest any minute, but as we drove away, and it became further and further away I realized the chance of him being okay was less and less likely.

He promised it was going to be okay.

It was not though because all I could see was the lifeless eyes that used to belong to my friends. Nothing was ever going to be all right again.

Mike kept driving. His hands were gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were white, and I feared he would snap it in half.

“There has to be something on the radio about what the hell is going on.” He quickly switched on the radio.

"---attack near Bolton. Residents are advised to evacuate immediately. Military troops have been deployed. Earlier today a council has reported their existence to the government demanding the President recognize them. Investigation has…" he shut it off quickly. When he started punching the steering wheel, I grabbed his arm.

“Mike, please stop!” I pleaded with him. Tears streamed down my face. I felt so weak. He eventually calmed down. Knowing we both just needed some time to process I settled back in my seat and pulled my knees up to my chest.

We were finally escaping the darkness. The sun was beginning to come up and I had no idea where we were. I felt disoriented and confused but more importantly I knew that I could never go back.

 I continued to stare icy blue eyes into the darkness, knowing that someday it would come for me I just didn't know when. Hours had passed since my life had ended.

"Mike," I whispered. My body was shaking so hard. Mike pulled the car over to the side of the deserted highway.

"Hey, it's okay." He grabbed my shoulder and pulled me into a hug. "Look, we have to find a store to get gas and some food. The city is not going to be a safe place for us to go. We have to get somewhere secluded and hole up there. Can you be strong for me?" I nodded knowing if I feel apart, Mike will probably break down too. Right now, I needed him to the strong one.

We pulled up to a store and it was empty. I followed him in and helped grab things. For the first time since we'd gotten away, I felt a sliver of hope. I just prayed this was enough for us to get away and survive.

The store looked like it had already been ransacked. Shelves were empty and items were scattered all over the floors.

“Raven looks around for anything we could use as a weapon.” I nodded and walked behind the cashier’s counter. Someone had already broken open the register and took all the cash. Not that cash would do anyone any good now.

I moved some boxes around and on the back of the shelf under the register was a pistol. Dad used to take Mike and I to the range all the time when we were younger so we both knew how to use one.

I never would have imagined I would ever need to.

“Mike here. I am going to find a bathroom before we leave.” I handed him the pistol and went to find the restroom.

“Yeah, okay. Just don’t wonder off too far.” He Hollard at my retreating form.

Once I reached the bathroom, I locked the door behind me. The pressure of what had happened began to become too much for me and I sat on the floor, and I let the darkness take over.

Everything that I was trying to suppress was becoming too much to handle and I just let it come. I let the tears fall until I had no tears.

I wasn't sure how long I had been there. As I opened my eyes, I realized the darkness had taken complete control of me.

I reached out and touched my face. I had to become stronger, and I knew something inside me was changing. Was it the darkness that had taken control, or was it just me?

Once in the car and many hours later, we pulled up to an old compound. It was nothing special from the outside. But when Mike opened the gates, I realized it was more than a compound. It was a command center.

I took Mike's hand in mine and squeezed it. I had no idea what was in store for us but I knew I wasn't going to give up. Not with Mike by my side. We were the only ones that could save ourselves from whatever was happening. We had to fight with everything we had.

“Well, baby sis, you ready.” Mike looked down at me standing shoulder to shoulder with me.

Staring ahead I don’t think I would ever really feel ready again. “Now or never right. What option do I have?”

Weapons in hand we walked up to the cold empty-looking structure not really prepared for anything that may come our way. How do you really prepare for something you don’t even understand?

When Mike tried the handle, it didn’t budge. Waves and waves of cold emptiness started filling my chest and radiating outward. It was the same feeling I had when we were attacked in the forest. “Here hold this.” Taking the pistol, I turned my back to him and scanned the area while he worked on the door.

Fear was racing through my veins. Then I saw them. It was like an out of horror movie. Their tall dark forms stood at the end of the driveway. They just stood there covered in shadows.

“Mike. Mike!” I became panicked. “Mike, now. We need to move now.” I heard him huffing in frustration as he kicked and beat on the door.

Growls began to fill the air it was only a matter of moments before they would attack us. We didn’t stand a chance out here in the open without proper protection.

Giving up on the door, Mike turned knife in hand and stood in front of me. “Run Raven.” He wouldn’t look at me and by the tone of his voice he was not going to listen to my argument.

In that moment it began. They ran toward us and Mike toward them. My world feels apart. I feel to my knees and scream. “MIKE!”

A loud crash behind me would have had me flinching, but I was in shock. I couldn’t move or scream.

“Hey look at me.” I felt his hands take a hold of my shoulders. When I didn’t respond he shook me. I let my eyes travel over to his deep blue ones.

“We need to get you inside.” He began to pick me up off the ground. Realization that I would be taken away from my brother set in. My body responded by fighting back.

“No, no, no, Mike.” I pointed at my brother fighting one of those things off. Another man standing next to him fighting off another. I had never noticed him before.

“Mike? Is that your boyfriend? Don’t worry, my friend is helping him. He will be okay.” My head was shaking as he spoke.

“No that’s my brother. He is all I have. I can’t leave him here alone.” I stood up ready to run toward him.

“Damn it.” He grabbed me by the waist and dragged me backwards into the house.

He shut the door behind us and blocked it with what I can now see was a huge, muscled body.

I ran over to the full glass wall pushing the curtains out of the way. Mike’s knife went into the figure’s neck, his body falling to the ground limply. I gasped as blood sprayed across the stone walkway.

The other man and Mike started retreating into the house. Mike was coming into the doorway when I ran up to throw myself into his arms crying.

“Shh Raven I’m okay.” He pushed my hair out my face and smiled down at me. It was over. We were safe. A loud pop sounded making my ears ring. Mikes eyes grew wide, and his body tensed up.

I heard screaming but I couldn’t make out the words. I watched his face change into one of pure fear. His body slumped against mine. I struggled to hold him up, but my frame was no match for his and we went down. I kneeled Mike groaning in pain next to me.

“Mike what is it? What happened?” I ran my hands over his shoulders and down his chest. I felt it. The warm wetness soaking his t-shirt. I didn’t need to pull my hand away to know it was blood.

I could smell it. It had such a distinct smell. So much of it was filling the air I could taste it.

Having him was the only thing that kept me moving. We both just lost everything, there was no way I could lose him too.

I looked up at the two men as they came back into the room with hands full of first aide.

“Save him please.” Tears streamed down my face, and I knew I looked pitiful, weak.

They shared a look and though they didn’t say it I could read the look of pity on their faces.

“Raven,” Mike was coughing his hand grabbed mine. I looked back down at him." “Raven, you,” he gasped between words his eyes turning glossy. “You have to promise me.”

“Mike don’t talk. I’m here I’ll get help.” I started pulling his shirt up and snatching the gauze from the men’s hands to pack his wounds. "I can’t lose you.”

“Raven, stop.” He coughed blood spraying out. My heart stopped at the sight. “Promise me.” I just nodded my head. I would agree to anything if it meant he would stay with me.

“Anything Mike, I love you.” I whispered my voice breaking on sobs.

“Make sure you never back down, no matter how hard it gets.” blood was coming out of the side of his mouth as he tried to whisper to me. My heart broke and I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

“No, no, no,” I took him into my arms and held him to my chest as I felt his body go limp. “No, please Mike!” I screamed not caring that they were still out there.