Into the Void

Chap #1 - The Darkness Between The Stars

Buzzing with adrenaline, the best ideas are borne in my mind. I plant my foot on the bed leg and propel myself from under it.

The room goes cold. Frigid clouds rise from my lips. Ella looks like she's covered in a thin layer of ice, proving how close the void-thing is to her. She is backed into a plastered wall by the void creature, that's the first thing I see as I come shooting out, sliding on the weathered wooden planks of the floor. Knife grasped in a death grip, I try to stand. My legs are shaking with a mixture of rage and fear.

"Hey ink-face! Void-brain!" My voice shakes slightly, much to my annoyance.
Ella looks terrified. Her pale face is twisted in the unearthly moonlight that is shining through the void monster and washing her in its strange glow. A brighter light, though, is beginning to slant in through various cracks in the boarded windows. She turns to me. I can only hope that fate will be on our side tonight, and that the sun will climb faster into the sky. If only we can hold out....

I stare back at her, willing her to read my gaze. It contains hope, fear, and sorrow. It begs her to understand; I'm utterly ready to die for my sister, but I'm not ready to die without reason.

The void whips around at the sound of my voice, and gives a hoarse groan. Its breathing is uneven, phlegmy, and reeks of rot and death.

The thing glides closer to me and reaches out a clammy hand to grip my chin, yanking my face up level with its eyes. They are pitch-black, not a speck of white. It stares at me with menace and hatred in its very soul - does it even have one, I can't help but wonder? - then lets out a bellowing roar through its slimy mouth that flicks spit in my face. I gag as the voids saliva fills my nostrils with a horrid smell.

There's a full-on staring contest after this. The creature is unblinking, and my eyes water.

After a minute or so of just standing there, the dreaded thing about an inch away from my face, I carefully attempt to steady my shaking hands. I raise a finger and wipe a speck of saliva off of my cheek. My face moulds into a revolted scowl. "Is that the best you can do?" Im not sure if it can understand me, but either way it doesn't seem very happy. If I can just save Ella...

It makes a convulsive gesture, its misty black arms twitching, and lunges for me. I smoothly sidestep, and raise my dagger, but I curse my stupidity as i realize - I've forgotten that the void monsters don't really hold a firm shape unless the want to. Blood streams down my hand as I grip the knife as though squeezing the life out of it and a gash is re-opened. A hot stab of pain, then. Though I know in my gut that it won't make a difference, I lift the knife and plunge it down into the flesh of the void...

Only, there is no flesh. My whole arm passes straight through the blacknes, all I feel is a misty temperature.  Immediately my stomach plummets as I heave violently. The void lets out a low, chilling screech that makes my ears ring, and moves out of the way of my limp limb, making a grab at me again. I dodge weakly as it slides closer to me, knowing that I won't be able to play this game for much longer. It spins around, sneering horribly, and I fight the urge to heave.

Ella is hunched in the furthest corner, exactly as we practice during the day. If this exact scenario were ever to happen, we'd rehearsed over and over again until we both knew it by heart. She'd scrunch herself up as small as possible as far away as possible, and I would fight the bloody thing!

Priority: keep Ella safe.

The monster keeps coming at me--ready to suck me into the void--until I don't think I can take it anymore. I'm exhausted.

I chance a glance out of the boarded windows, narrowly missing a fate worse than death as the void passes through me but doesn't manage to get a grip.

If the thing manages to grab me and envelop me... Well, I don't want to think about that.

Luckily, dawn is peeking up through the thick veil of shadows, and the sun will soon be spreading its rays through the sky. If we can last that long, I will hug Ella as hard as my tired limbs will allow and never ever let her go.

My mouth is dry. My shirt is ripped in multiple places.

It dives at me forcefully. It brings its hand in to clamp over my mouth, but I evade the spidery fingers, ducking.

Ella is whimpering in the corner. Her hair is thick with frost. Her back is to me, but I can tell that she's shaking. From here, she looks so tiny and vulnerable, and when I'm finally back to normal after experiencing the horribleness of the void monster's grasp, this is the picture that gives me the drive that I need.

I know that my dagger is no use against it. I know that it is now backing me up against another wall - luckily, away from Ella. I know that I can only hope to dodge it for so long before it has me cornered. I know that after me, it will go for my sister. I know that if I can distract it for even a few seconds, it could mean the difference between life and death.

I know that it senses my fluttering heartbeat and is thirsty for my light.

I focus all of my energy on staying alive. When the void monster dives sloppily for my heart, and I feel the cool wall behind my back, I roll to the left.

My light is on the brink of tipping and tumbling into the darkness.

Its mouth sucks at empty air and it screams, a disturbing sound. Ella shivers in the corner.

Goosebumps crawl up my skin as more screams follow, coming from outside. They are coming for us. My throat is dry, and my voice cracks as I yell to Ella. "Stay away from downstairs! Hide, stay safe!"

The light is beginning to pour in through the cracks now, and the only reason I can think of that the void monsters aren't leaving yet is that they are quite intent upon their prey.

The next thing I do is risking my life, but it's for Ella. I whirl around, blowing loose strands of my dark red hair out of my face. It bounces in its messy braid all the way down my back. I race through the splintering doorway and out of the room. The last thing I see as I turn my head to take one last glance is Ella staring after me fearfully. Even at ten years old, she knows a sacrifice when she sees one. She has tears brimming her eyes and I can tell she's trying to stay strong for me. I smile to her, half-apologetically. Then my resolve to live hardens, and I change my expression from one of apology to one of reassurance. Quickly, I mouth, I'll live; I always do. Wait for me... And stay safe.

Then she disappears behind the void monster.

I whip around and am shocked to see a blinding flash of light - that looks as though it came from my hand! Butterflies climb up my throat as I wonder if I -

But no. I look down to see the silver metal of my dagger still clenched in my hand. The light from outside must have reflected and shot in all directions. I am breathless with hope, but don't dare to glance behind me. It was nearly upon me, breathing down my neck, but now... I'm not sure. I can only hope it's fallen back and has been lethally weakened by that lucky happening. I'm going to use this new knowledge to my advantage in the next fight.

I hope Ella's safe, hidden. The hair on the back of my neck prickles up. I race down the corridor. Light is actually streaming in now, in thick shafts through the many cracks in the windows, and I run faster, hoping that I can outrun it and that the light will chase it away - if it is still there. My breath is heavy, the fear intense. My heart pounds so loudly that I hear it, even over the rushing blood that comes to my head. My goal is to lead the voids away from Ella. Then... Well... I have no idea what to do when I get downstairs.

I reach the stairwell. It is narrow and splintering, like a lot of things in this blasted house. It is old, and moldy in a lot of places. The mold carpets the rotting hardwood, sickeningly soft and squishy, even through my knee-high leather boots. I love how there's no heel on them. If there were, I would definitely not be able to leap down the stairs this fast without falling -

The mold is slick under my boots. My legs slip out from underneath me before I know what's happening and I'm falling, skidding down the steps and gaining a few extra bruises as I go. I try to grab hold of something - ANYTHING! - that will stop me from reaching the bottom at top speed, but lose my grip on everything, including my knife. All I see is another great flash of light before I complete my tumble and am swallowed by darkness.