I awakened, startled by my own shrieking. I sat up a little confused and saw that the campfire was almost completely out. I squinted my eyes, trying to see through the dim light and after several seconds, I could make out the sleeping silhouettes of my friends. There was a strange buzzing sound that sounded like a radio on a station that had a low frequency.
"Sheesh, we make the worst lookouts," I muttered, sitting up straighter to work out the kink in my back. Shawn sat up next to me looking puzzled.
"Sorry, I fell asleep too," he mumbled, looking down at Sam who had fallen asleep with her head resting on his knees.
"I guess we all did," I said, standing up to throw another stick onto the fire and watched as the flames reignited and lit up the area. I gasped when I noticed that the net was gone and blackness surrounded our campsite. It was as if someone had snuffed out the moon and the stars.
"Hey where's the net?" I asked my friends, taking a groggy step forward. I reached out my hand, confused that the entire net had disappeared on us. I went to take another tentative step forward when I was jerked backward by a hand grasping my arm.
"What the heck?" I asked, aggravated at my brother who had gripped my arm so tightly. I turned to see his horrified expression as he peered out into the darkness beyond me.
Unease flooded through me like I had been doused in ice water. I turned around cautiously, scared that the eyes of a Daemon or something would greet me. I squinted in the darkness, trying to understand what had alarmed my brother. My eyes finally began to adjust and I was puzzled to see that the blackness around us seemed to pulsate as if it was alive. I took a terrified step backwards, finally realizing that thousands and thousands of bugs had filled the night sky around us.
My terror induced scream filled the night air when I realized that the net wasn't gone, but was completely covered with the squirming bodies of every bug imaginable. The weight of their bodies made the netting bow in around us.
Shawn grasped me by the shoulders, pivoting me around to face him as my scream continued to slice through the night like a banshee.
My nightmare had somehow seeped into reality.
Chapter 6
"Krista, Krista it's okay! They can't get in!" Shawn said, shaking my shoulders.
My scream cut off and I looked at him, too scared to look anywhere else.
"A-r-re y-you sure?" I asked in a trembling voice.
"It looks like the net is holding them at bay," John said, coming over to give me a quick pat on the arm as he and the others joined our group.
"Why are they crowding the net?" Sam asked, voicing the question all of us were afraid to ask.
"Victor," I said clearly, knowing without a shadow of a doubt we were facing one of the obstacles Haniel had warned us about.
John nodded his head looking at me.
"They're so disgusting," Kieran said, standing as close to John as she could get without climbing into his arms, which looked like a distinct possibility.
"I know babe, but they're out there and you're safe from them in here."
John and Shawn's confidence in our shelter reassured me and I finally worked up the nerve to scan the perimeter of our camp. I let out a pent up breath when I saw that they were right. The ground beneath our feet was clear of anything that crept or crawled. I glanced up above our heads and an involuntary shudder raced down my spine. It was freaky as crap to see the netting bowing under the weight of what looked like millions of bugs. Their chattering and chirping had swelled to a deafening pitch, making it hard to hear what the others were now saying.
I turned to Robert and Shawn who both look concerned, studying the area behind our tent. "What's the matter?" I asked, stepping closer to them.
They exchanged looks, obviously contemplating whether to tell me or not. Finally, Robert shrugged his shoulders in defeat.
"We think they found a way in," Shawn said, pointing to the darkness behind our tents.
I peered into the darkness where he pointed. "No, I thought you guys secured the netting back there too!" I said, unwilling to believe.
"We did, but I could swear I saw something moving just beyond our tents a few seconds ago," Robert said, pulling Lynn close to him as per the instincts of a Protector. I watched as the other Protectors, who were on high alert, followed suit, all but Shawn who struggled with his dilemma of protecting the other half of his soul and me at the same time. I made the situation easier for him by stepping behind him next to Sam.
Sam smiled grimly at me as we darted our eyes back and forth, looking for any kind of movement. After several seconds, I began to think maybe Robert was mistaken. I slowly started to relax until I noticed John tense back up in front of Kieran. I peered around Shawn trying to see the cause for alarm. Suddenly, our tents were completely engulfed by a mass of squirming, crawling bugs that was steadily making its way toward us.
My group backed up in one fluid movement, putting the fire pit between us and the oncoming mass. Shawn reached down for one of the branches we had collected for the fire. He pulled off his hoodie and jerked off the t-shirt he wore underneath it. He quickly wrapped it around the end of the stick and dipped it into the fire, creating a torch. The rest of Protectors quickly mimicked Shawn and within seconds they all held torches out in front of them.
My heartbeat was erratic as the distance between us and the insects closed to less than ten feet. The fire from the torches made it easier to see them now and I felt bile rising in my throat as I could make out the long hairy legs of tarantulas crawling over the hard-shelled bodies of the smaller bugs. It was as if the gateway to Hell had opened up and the end of time was now upon us.
I could hear Amelia panicking and gasping for breath to my left on the other side of Sam and Lynn. How ironic that we had spent the previous day discussing our hatred of bugs while we tried on boots together. Never in my wildest imagination did this scenario even seem possible. I was disappointed that Haniel had disappeared again, just when we needed him the most.
The gap between us closed to less than five feet and I watched in horror as some of the bugs and insects crawled right into the fire as if it wasn't even there, burning themselves alive. Black smoke rose around us as the bugs began to make the fire smolder from the multiple bodies piling up. The fire slowly snuffed out as if a bucket of water had doused it as more bugs crawled over the remains of the charred bodies. Terrified, I backed up even further, taking care to keep a safe distance between my back and the bowed-in netting behind me.
Our Protectors lowered their torches to ground level, keeping the fire close to the dirt in an attempt to force the bugs back, but I could tell they knew their attempts were futile. The insects didn't appear to have any sense of survival left. Victor had instead turned them into mindless pawns that would all burn alive trying to get to us, and by the sheer number of them, it was going to happen.
"Shawn by your foot," I yelled, watching as a group tried to make their way between the narrow gap of Shawn's feet. Several escaped his torch and began to crawl up his legs. Sam reached down, knocking them away with her own hands. Shawn shot her a silent look that spoke volumes and I felt tears fill my eyes, their bond was undeniable. Looking around, I was dismayed to see that the insects had found ways around the torches and were now freely climbing over and between the Guides.
Amelia shrieked beside me as several started the journey up her boots and legs. Without thinking, I dropped to my knees, trying to knock them off her. I realized my mistake instantly as my dream from earlier crept in. Kieran stumbled into me, trying to stomp on the bugs at her feet and sent me sprawling face first into the dirt. Panicked, I frantically tried to get up as pandemonium took over our campsite. I could hear my friends screaming and Robert yelling for Lynn. I tried to raise my head to search for her, but saw nothing but the horde of bugs crawling toward me. Sickened, I curled up in a ball with all hope disintegrating like dust in the wind. I wrapped my arms around my head, trying to make myself as small as possible. I felt millions of tiny legs crawling over my body. All sound was drowned out by the chirping noises coming from the insects that covered every inch of us.
I felt multiple pinchers stinging me through my thick clothing and gasped as fiery heat raced through my limbs. The tender unprotected skin of my hands felt like they had been doused in acid. I heard a muffled scream off to my left and my heart went out to my friends. It seemed ironic that after facing true evil in the face, mere insects would be the downfall of us all. Though my body burned and I was terrified that I was being eaten alive, I found the willpower to cast out my very last blanket of emotions to my friends. I could at least give them comfort in our darkest hour, I thought to myself as I shifted my focus off my pain induced state and instead on easing my friends pain and grief.
Summoning enough of my new power to help all my friends wasn't as effortless as it might have been under less dire circumstances, but I was still able to assemble more than I would have thought possible. I couldn't help wondering briefly, as I cast it out with all my might, if The Light had bestowed my extreme gifts to me for a situation such as this. Was it his plan to make my final act one that would at least bring peace to those that he held in such high esteem?
I realized after several pain filled moments that my body had gone numb while I was focused on my friends. I could no longer feel the weight of the insects the covered me nor could I feel their painful bites. The end must be near and my only regret was that I would not see my love one last time.
I felt a tugging on my arm that was firmly wrapped around my head. Horrified, I pictured the monstrous bugs chewing their way through my arm and carting it off to the dark forest to never be seen again. A whimper built up in my throat and spilled out of my trembling lips. The pressure on my arm increased and before I could comprehend what was happening, I was hauled to my feet.
Strong arms encircled me.
"How the hell did you do that?" Shawn asked me incredulously, giving me a bone-crushing hug.
"Do what?" I asked confused. I pulled out of his arms and saw that everyone had encircled me, awe-struck. Lynn and Sam reached out and grasped my hands in theirs. "Where did they go?" I asked in a trembling voice, scanning the area around me, frantically looking for the loathsome bugs.
"You drove them away," John said, looking at me in disbelief. "I felt it when you cast it out. I swear I felt the ground move."
"So did I," Jaime piped in, standing close to me like she was drawn to me.
"I don't understand," I said, sinking down on one of the logs around the fire pit. "I was just trying to send comfort and peace to all of you."
"Well, you most certainly did that," Paul said with a laugh. "By ridding the camp of the bugs, you definitely brought peace and comfort to Amelia and me," he continued, dragging Amelia into his arms.
"So you guys think that I—was somehow able to use my gifts to drive all the bugs away?" I asked, my tone making it quite clear I thought they were all a little crazy.
"How else do you explain what happened," Sam asked, joining me on my rough seat.
I shrugged my shoulders as I fought the impulse to weep. My emotions were a mess from the energy I had exerted and the relief I felt that all my friends were safe was tangible. The whole experience felt like a dream if not for the multiple bites that covered my hands. I studied the bloody mess for a minute, sickened that chunks of skin were missing from my knuckles and the soft flesh that made up the back of my hand. I looked up at my friends and saw similar angry bites on the exposed chests of the Protectors in our group.
"When you expelled all that energy, what results were you trying to achieve?" John asked, not bothering to hide his intrigue.
"I only had one thought, which was to give all of you peace before you died," I said apologetically, realizing how morbid it sounded that I had contemplated their demise.
"Amazing," John said, deep in thought. "Obviously The Light felt the best solution to bringing us peace, short of killing all of us, was to use you."
"You are correct," Haniel's deep voice said behind me.
"Haniel, dude, your timing really sucks. Where were you like five minutes ago?" Shawn asked, not bothering to hide his disgust.
"I believe my whereabouts are no concern of yours," Haniel said, making the chain of command quite clear.
Shawn opened his mouth to retort, but thought better of it, snapping it back shut. He glared at Haniel though, making his distaste obvious before sinking down on one of the logs with Sam.
Haniel returned his stare before finally answering him. "My duties were to get all of you to this destination and to deal with Victor directly. Any further assistance goes against my instructions from The Light."
"So, we're just supposed to fend for ourselves," Sam asked quietly.
"You are not by yourselves. You have a Gift," he said looking pointedly at me.
"What?" I sputtered. "Not again with the gift?"
"Krista, how can you keep denying that?" Lynn asked me.
"Because it all seems so ridiculous. Why am I the one that's been "blessed" with such extraordinary gifts when I'm only going to be here for a short while?" I asked, clearly fed up with all the hero worship.
"What do you mean 'short while?" Shawn asked, standing up to glare at me now.
Crap, I had let my emotions take over and wound up showing my cards before I was ready. "Come on guys, surely you know I can't carry on with any of this after we're done. If Mark can be saved then I'll spend the rest of my life thanking The Light, but if he has to be destroyed…" my voice broke and I had to swallow several big gulps of cool air before I could continue on. "If he has to be destroyed, there will be nothing left for me," I finally finished flatly. I turned away from their stares that had shifted from horrified to pity.
"How do you know?" Sam asked in a voice filled with thick tears.
"Because Sam, it's what we we're created for," I said, all fight gone from my voice. "I don't want to be special. I just want my Protector back and if I can't have him, I have no purpose," I said, turning from my group and striding purposefully for the tent. The fact that I now possessed extra abilities and could stand up to Victor's dark powers didn't bring me joy, instead it only seemed to widen the gap between what Mark and I had once shared.
I pulled the downy-filled sleeping bag up over my ears, but I could still here the mumbled voices of my friends outside. Craving peace, I pulled my iPod out of the pocket of my hoodie. I scrolled through my playlist and picked a song that was sure to drown out all background noise. After placing the earbuds in my ears and closing my eyes, my friends' voices were gone and I was alone to ponder my own solitary thoughts. My last coherent thought before I let sleep lure me in was how desperately alone I truly was.