The Eternal Sleep

Night Terrors in the Dark

“Long story, short, we’re being shot at by a freaky creature and you and I are the last two people remaining and whatever it’s shooting with is strong enough to cause explosions.” Luca prattled off, sweeping the area with his scope, looking for the creature that had once again disappeared.

“What?” Rena shrieked, “When did that happen, this was supposed to be a normal parkour quest!”

“We know, I said the same thing, but plans changed, painfully.” He yelped as a bullet hit the tree he was hiding behind. Luca grabbed Rena and teleported to the top of a tree. “I can barely see the thing!”

“What is it?”

“I don’t know, it’s nothing like I’ve fought before.”

“Luca, look out.” The breath in his chest froze, he was suddenly weightless, body moving as if he was in slow motion. The shove at his back saved his life, a bullet passing his side harmlessly. He turned mid-air, watching Rena falling with him, dissolving into purple and black dust.

“Rena!” he screamed in shock, back slamming into another branch, and landing heavily on the ground. He groaned, pushing himself up slowly, his mind dissolving into panicked flight responses. He pushed himself against the tree, trying to take stock of his situation.

‘It’s just a game.’ He reminded himself, noting the silence of the large cave. He was most likely on his own, facing a dangerous enemy that he knew nothing about and carrying a weapon that could very well be useless. Not bad odds, considering he thought his day was going to be very boring.

He started as the tree behind him shattered, making him feel like cornered prey. Luca gritted his teeth and hefted the gun in his arms, he guessed it was time to take the fight to a better vantage point. He teleported to a tall tree, throwing caution to the wind and searching for his opponent. It was standing at the exit of the cave, gun facing him.

Luca hardly stilled, teleporting mid-air, metres from it and fired several times in the general area. He teleported again, to a stone on the water, crying out as the graze at his neck registered, it didn’t hurt as bad as the mark on his cheek, but it still wasn’t pleasant. The bullet hit the roof of the cave, the lights of the cave becoming dangerously dimmer.

He winced, the creature missing from its position at the cave exit. Luca swung his aim around, trying to get a glimpse, he had no idea if he’d even managed to injure the creature. A bullet exploded in the water to the side of him, the spray blinding him. He only just dodged the bullet to his shoulder by teleporting to the cave exit.

It was standing on the very steppingstone he teleported from. Luca didn’t hesitate on his shot this time. He nearly dropped his gun as a piercing screech echoing on the walls of the cave when his bullet hit its mark on its leg. The creature pulled it’s cloak closer and disappeared in a puff of black and purple smoke.

Luca wasn’t going to let it off the hook that easily, he teleported to another outcropping of rock, searching the area. The creature was standing on another stone in the water, gun at its side. Luca tried the same tactic as last time, teleporting mid-air and aiming. He regretted it immediately when he realized that the creature was no longer standing in front of him.

Snarling reached his ears, the sound coming from behind him, in a foolish decision, he turned around with his gun c****d to fire. It didn’t give him the chance to take a clean shot, grabbing his hand and aiming the bullet upwards. Momentum gone, they were both falling fast, Luca struggled to release its vice iron grips to no avail.

He spotted the cave entrance from the corner of his eye, teleporting. Luca thrashed, trying to release the creatures hold. Flat on his back, he kicked, dislodging the grip long enough to aim a strike to its head. It freed his arms, allowing him to run into the cave that he originally came thorough, the golden glow casting shadows on the walls shielded him from view.

The creature walked out confidently; gun propped at its shoulder. Luca aimed his own at it, waiting for the perfect moment to fire. He didn’t get the chance, a slight echo of his foot knocking against a pebbled and the creature had disappeared again in a puff of smoke.

Luca ducked, allowing a bullet sailing harmlessly over his head and turned around, raising his gun as a shield as a blow came down on him. He pulled away and teleported to the edge of the bridge, breathing hard from fear. A small wind chime sound came from the bridge. He spun around in terror, but it wasn’t the creature, instead it was a small, black card floating in the air.

He lowered the gun in surprise, taking a step onto the bridge. A snarling came behind him, he didn’t waver, teleporting next to the card and aiming his gun at the end of the bridge, firing twice. He shook his head as the screeching sound filled the chasm, tripling the strength of the sound. Luca grabbed the card and hastily shoved it into his pocket.

A loud slicing echo reached his ears, the bridge rocked dangerously to the side. He clutched onto one of the ropes, heart in his throat. The creature was standing at the edge of chasm, hand covered in shadowy claws. Luca turned to the other end, cursing as he realized that it would be too dark for him to teleport the entire way.

The ropes gave out and the stability under his feet disappeared. Luca teleported as close as he could to the exit of the caves, clinging tightly to the planks as his perception of the world shifted dangerously. The bridged slammed into the wall of the chasm, Luca dangling precariously. He didn’t dare waste time, scrambling up the planks like a monkey.

He dragged himself up onto steady ground, neck and cheek stinging from the jostling. Luca didn’t even bother to look behind him, racing as well as he could up through the tunnel he came down in, tripping and stumbling in the darkness. If he had any hope of fighting this creature, he needed the open forest above him filled with a permanent light source.