Darkness Falls (The Darkness Duet #2)

Chapter 3

Kyler

" W anderer?" I call out, but she doesn't hear me. The strange lights are back, and I don't know what' s going on. There are sounds all around me, but none of them make any sense. It’s jumbled and blurred. So much is going on even though I'm alone now. I look up, and the lights above me are moving faster. I try to reach up, but they moved further away, and I can't reach them anymore.

"He's crashing."

Who said that? Everything's getting cold. My vision starts to tunnel. I need to find a way to warm up. Why am I so cold? I was warm a few minutes ago when I was next to my wanderer. I need to find her. She will keep me warm.

"Kyler, fucking fight!"

"Give me the paddles."

"Callie needs you."

I hear her name mentioned, and part of me warms again. Something hits my body, and it hurts.

"Again." I hear a voice, but it still sounds so far away. The pain spreads throughout my body again. It feels like tingles, and I can’t stop it. I can see her face now. She’s stunning. I reach out to pull her toward me, but she laughs and runs away. I follow after her because there’s no way I’m letting her get away from me again.

A voice fills my thoughts. "Fight for our girl. She will need you when we get her back."

I swear it sounds like Barrett, but that doesn’t make sense because he’s not here. So many voices swirl through my head. I reach up to grab my ears, wanting to make whatever is happening stop.

"He's lost without you."

The only thing that seems to drown out the noises are thoughts of Callie. I need to find her again. Just as I think of her, she appears in front of me. I chase her through a mysterious door, and the world lights up around me. I’m in the middle of the woods with trees surrounding me. I have to put my hand up to block the sunlight from my eyes because it’s so bright. I hear her giggles and run toward her.

"Wanderer?"

"Come find me, Ky! I need your help!" I hear her call out.

I can’t figure out which direction the sound is coming from. I spin around to try and catch a glimpse of her, but I don't see anything. There is smoke in the distance, and I decide to head toward it.

Birds fly around me, chirping loudly. A raven is perched on a branch high up in one of the trees. When I spot it, it takes flight, landing on another tree further ahead. It’s almost as though it is leading me. I continue following as it flies a little further with every step I take.

"KYLER!" I hear her yell for me. It sounds like she’s crying now .

"Callie? Where are you?" I croak out.

"KYLER!"

My pulse quickens as the frantic need to find her overtakes me. There is a chill in the air, and the sky above me darkens. The raven takes off again, and I run after it, but it doesn’t land on a tree branch this time. I’m worried I’ll lose sight of it, but there is a break in the trees ahead. It caws at me, fueling my need to find her. Is it trying to tell me something?

When I get to the opening, I see a house with smoke coming from the chimney. She has to be in there. The raven is perched on top of the chimney, and it sounds like Callie yells for me again. Slowly, I make my way toward the front door when I hear things banging inside.

"Please," she cries out.

Another loud crash comes from inside. When I push open the door, I see her on her knees on the floor in front of me, crying. Her head is slumped over in defeat. She looks battered and broken. A blurred figure stands in front of her, reaching down to grab her by the hair and pull her up.

I sprint toward her to stop it. Nobody puts their hands on my fucking girl like that, but when I get close, my body slips right through them. I can't help her if I can’t touch her. I'm forced to watch as the figure drags her into the other room and throws her on a couch .

"You're not going anywhere. When are you going to get that through your head? I am your future. The sooner you accept that, the better things will be for you."

"Just tell me if he’s okay, that's all. I just need to know if he’s alive or dead,” she pleads.

"I don’t take kindly to my future wife asking me about another man."

"If you just tell me, I’ll comply and marry you," she tries, seemingly defeated.

"You're going to do that regardless. You have no power here. The sooner you come to terms with that, the easier this will be for you. I like it when you put up a fight, though."

Who is this guy, and why is he being so forceful with my girl? Is this some kind of dream? The blurred figure of the man begins to take more shape, and my entire body becomes rigid. It’s the guy who shot me.

He grabs her by the throat, pinning her to the back of the couch as she tries her best to not react. She keeps her eyes on him in a silent challenge. He squeezes tighter, causing the color in her cheeks to change. I’ll kill him for putting his hands on her.

His grip finally loosens, and she grinds out a defiant "fuck you.”

He releases his hand, slapping her across the face. Coughing, she tries her best to catch her breath as her hand comes up to rub her cheek. I lunge forward to attack him, but my body goes through him again. I need to wake up from this dream and make sure she’s okay. The last thing she needs is for someone to treat her with less than she deserves. I’m supposed to keep her safe from everyone who makes her feel unworthy.

I tell myself over and over to snap out of it, pinching and slapping myself. Wake up, Kyler. This is a nightmare. She will be right next to you in bed when you open your eyes.

My heart aches for her. My soul calls out to her. Lights flash around me, and before I can figure out what’s happening, I’m pulled away from the scene in front of me. It feels like I’m being yanked through some type of vortex. A moment later, I hear a soft beeping sound.

My eyes blink open, and I take in the scene around me. At first, it's blurry, but then it all starts to come into focus. I'm in a hospital bed in someone's home. I look to my left and see Seb sitting in a chair next to me. His arms are crossed over his chest, and his head hangs down like he's sleeping.

I shift my body, and his eyes pop open, sensing my movement. It's just the two of us in the room, which gives me a sick feeling. Memories come back to me. The last time I was with her, she was being pulled out of the room after I was shot.

"Where is she?" I whisper. The words come out choppy and hoarse in a voice I hardly recognize. It hurts to talk, and pain courses through my body, but I don't care.

"Dr. X, get in here! He's awake!" Seb calls out, eyes wide with disbelief.

"Where the fuck is Callie?" I try yelling, my voice rasping out as I find it a little bit more.

"You were shot, Ky. You've been in a coma for five days," he chokes out, a mixture of fear, relief, and grief in his eyes as a tear slips free. I haven't seen him cry since Ms. Monroe's funeral.

"I don't care about any of that Seb. Where is my girl?" He better answer this time. I wince, sitting up to try and pull the cords off of me. There are bandages wrapped around my chest, and my body feels weak, but I'll find her myself if I have to.

Dr. X jogs into the room with his hands waving in the air. "Stop that; you need to keep those on."

"If someone doesn't tell me what the hell is going on, I'm ripping every single one of these off. I need to get to her."

"Give us a few minutes, doc, and I'll come grab you," Sebastian tells him.

"Fine, but I need to check him over. Everything stays attached." The doctor looks directly at me when he says that, so I nod to pacify him.

"Tell me she's here and that she’s just in the other room," I beg.

Seb's head drops in shame. I've never seen him look so fragile before. There are giant black circles under his eyes like he hasn't slept in days. His dark brown hair is messy, and he has thicker stubble on his face as if he hasn't taken the time to trim it in days. He looks like he's aged well beyond his 25 years.

"Tell me what happened now," I urge.