Darkness Ignite

Chapter 3

Nesrin

The screeches that came from the unknown creatures were a pitch high enough to shatter windows. It rang through the alley, leaving no space for one to think. It was such a deafening sound; I would have fainted had it not been for my peaked interest in these things. I watched as shards of glass from nearby windows rained down upon us. Even as all of this was happening, I felt satisfied when I saw Misty back away from Khiry. She screamed when one of the shadows scrambled for her. When she went to run, she stumbled, and the creature easily caught up to her. I looked away before I could watch the thing attack her.

I screamed when I felt a hand grab ahold of me.

"Come on!" Khiry stood in front of me. A flood of relief rushed through me. I dropped my arms and gathered him into an embrace as best I could and hugged him tightly. "Let's do this later, right now we need to go. Before those things fall back."

When I looked back at the Crimson Hustlers, they were struggling against the dark entities that came upon them. The shadow creatures were still afoot, attacking the rival gang. The shrieks were still as loud as they started. This time, however, the Hustler's own screams mixed with the creatures. I watched as the creatures mutilated some of the members. I saw the head of one member fall from their shoulders, another with an arm hacked off, and some being dragged into the shadows beyond our reach. Everything was happening too fast.

"Run, Nesrin." Kai took me by the hand and guided me through the streets of Dark Alley. All the while, the screams were slowly wailing far in the distance.

I didn't understand. What was happening? What are those shadow things that came forward? They were things I've never seen before, yet it felt like I knew them. Their existence was familiar to me. Except, I didn't understand how.

I felt a harsh tug on my hand. "If we want to survive this, I need you to run a little faster than that. I spotted Misty following us."

I quickened my pace, taking shallow breaths with each step. My skirts dampened much more than it was when I first encountered Khiry. It was all I could do to keep pace with my brother. His large figure was accustomed to this sort of thing, I was not. We rounded a corner, but they were still behind us. Kai ushered me behind a large tree that looked away from the lone torch hanging onto the side of the building. As we stood in silence, I could make out just the faintest of my brother's face. He looked down at me with a finger positioned on his lips. I was to keep quiet.

It was then that I heard the hurried footsteps coming from the direction we had fled. I held my breath when the suspect slowed down a few. Misty was determined to hunt us down if she came all this way. Containing my panic was proving to be hard at that very moment. It took all I could to keep a wary cry from escaping my lips. It wasn't long before other footsteps accompanied the first. I could hear Misty commanding the others to disperse and find the "two foreign bastards."

The sound of running footsteps began to recede. In every direction, I could hear shouts and curses among them. For the longest time, Kai and I stood still in our cramped spot, not daring to move an inch. As soon as Khiry heard nothing more of the Hustler's, he led me down a dark patch of dirt road. The narrow spaces were making it hard to move around it. Each corner we passed made my heart beat a little faster.

Finally, we came to the city limits where Dark Alley didn't reach. I could tell from the rather open surroundings. There were lights aligned the buildings, paving the way to safety. I gave a sigh of relief, but to Khiry it meant nothing. He rushed me some more, pulling me to keep up with him.

"Khiry, we're safe," I said.

He replied with a shake of his head. "Misty won't give up so easily. For all we know, she made way into the city. She understands the city more than the City Watch does. She could be hiding in any lightless alleyway."