Darkness Fades (Darkness Falls Series, Book 3) (21 page)

“Stop!” I cry. “Fall back!”

They don’t listen, and all I can do is
fight. I stab the first abomination that reaches me and blood
spurts all over my face. I tear the dagger from its body and spin
into the next, stabbing at its chest. Sylas moves beside me, and we
fight together, dipping and dodging as we slice through flesh,
coating ourselves in their blood.

The abominations’ bodies pile up at the
alley and create a small barrier for us. My mood begins to lift as
I think that maybe, just maybe, we can beat them. Then I hear a
loud thudding noise that grows louder and louder before I then feel
a ripple in the ground. I know before I see it what it is.

Moments later, the over-sized abomination
charges around the corner of the building and down the alleyway at
us. The rest of the abominations move out of the way, creating a
path for it to get straight to the pile at the end of the alley and
to us. There’s nowhere to go and I’m not sure if we’ll survive
fighting it.

“What the hell do I do?” I mutter, glancing
around at the Day Takers and people waiting for me to give them a
command.

I feel someone touch my arm. I turn my head
to meet Sylas’s eyes.

“Run,” he says in a low voice, his eyes
pressing for me to listen.

I shake my head. “No… I’m not running away
like a coward. What the hell are you talking about?”

His grip on my arm tightens as the massive
beast starts to charge over the wall of abominations at the end of
the alley. “You are the key to the cure. No one else,” he presses.
“Go back to the lab. Make sure that you get Mathew and the others
out of here... make sure you survive.”

He jerks me towards him and kisses me
quickly. I barely register it before he’s shoving me away,
breathless. He whirls around, sprinting for the beast. Even though
it tears me apart, I do what I have to do. I hurry and spring over
the wall at the end of the alley, landing on the other side in
another street, telling myself he’ll make it. That he’s a Day
Walker. Deep down, I’m not sure, though. I’m not sure of anything
anymore.

Blood stains the building walls and the
ground below me. Horrifying screams blare at me from every angle,
but I shut out the sight and run. I pass the blood and
abominations, pass the bodies, pass all the death.

Was this all worth it? If Mathew’s still
alive, will he even be able to save everyone? Will I be able to go
through with the fading?

I shove these thoughts from my mind when I
reach the lab. Nichelle is gone, along with everyone else, except
for one person lying dead on the ground. Her red hair is scattered
across the blood stained ground, her flawless features frozen in
time, like death managed to preserve her beauty. I feel my dead
heart inside my chest ache for a second, taking in the death of
Emmy.

She stares up at the sky, her eyes open, her
arms lifelessly to her side. I crouch down and let my fingers drift
over her eyelids, shutting her eyes, letting myself feel what I
need to. Letting myself realize what I have to do.

I get to my feet and head for the door.
There are signs of a struggle, blood splattered on the front
section of the wall, boot tracks in the dirt leading away from the
building, blood all around them.

I open the door and rush inside, running to
the lab. It’s quiet inside, however it looks untouched. The only
signs of a mess are the vials everywhere, yet it was like that
before.

“Mathew?” I call out quietly, vigilantly
entering the room with my dagger out.

There’s silence and then I hear a whimper as
Mathew jumps up from behind the table. “Kayla.” He glances over me;
cuts and gashes, blood soaking my clothes. “God, what’s going on
out there?”

“Did you figure it out?” I ask, stepping
towards him. “Please tell me you figured out if my blood and the
virus replicates like it’s supposed to.”

“Not yet,” he replies. “I’m still waiting to
see if time will get the process moving.” He glances down at his
arms. “Like your blood did with me.”

I walk to his side and rest my hand on his
back, trying to shake out this bottomless, hopeless feeling. “You
know you can fight, right?” I ask. “You don’t have to hide behind
tables.”

He glances up at me. “I know, but I also
don’t want to risk the chance of dying, either. I need to figure
all this out before I die. You and I… we need to make sure we
survive so that we can move forward.”

He waits expectantly for me to say that I’m
with him, that I’ll do the fading. My mouth opens, ready to give
him my answer, but then I snap it shut when I hear the door open. I
know it’s not an abomination because they can’t open doors, so I
don’t know who to expect.

When I turn my head and look in the
direction of the doorway, I wish it’d been the abominations.

Gabrielle and Monarch are standing just
inside the room with Aiden behind them. All three of their eyes are
filled with the same coldness. The only difference between them is
that Aiden is dressed in all black while Monarch and Gabrielle are
in all white.

They’re the same. God, poor Aiden.

“Bravo,” Gabrielle says as he claps his
hands together and enters the room. “You almost had us. Almost, but
not quite. Yes, you put up a fight, but at the same time, there are
still way more abominations over humans.” He pauses, looking
thoughtfully at Mathew. “Because Humans are weak.”

I step in front of Mathew as he rises to his
feet. “Run,” I hiss at him. “Or prepare to fight.”

Gabrielle snaps his fingers and in five
lengthy strides, Aiden crosses the room. I move to hit him, but he
catches my arm, matching, if not exceeding, my strength. He shoves
me down to the ground and I crash against the table. As I scramble
to my feet, he moves for Mathew, throwing his body into his.

They tumble into the cabinets, glass falling
everywhere as they topple to the ground and roll around, throwing
fists at each other. Mathew is still getting used to his power and
he moves very sloppily compared to Aiden, causing them to move all
over the floor and crash into things. Vials fall off the counters
and shatter, pieces of glass surround them.

I start for them to pull Aiden off him, but
Gabrielle grabs my arm, stopping me. I swing my other fist around
and ram it into his jaw, but he’s barely fazed by it as he pushes
me effortlessly to the floor. I fall onto Mathew who’s curled in a
ball in front of Aiden’s feet, giving up before this has even
started.

Gabrielle chuckles as he slowly walks over
to me, glass crunching under his feet. “I’ll give it to you, Kayla,
you’re strong. You would have made a fine Higher if you weren’t so
determined to fight back, and go against rules and order. It’s your
one flaw, yet you’re the cure to saving the Highers’ breed.” He
shakes his head like he’s so disappointed in this fact. “It’s so
pathetic that such an emotional girl is what’s going to save the
strongest and brightest species that’s ever lived.” He smiles as he
glances down at himself, filled with vanity.

I search my mind, trying to figure out what
to do next. Fight him? Run? What about Mathew? Will he run, too? Or
will we fight? Do we even stand a chance? And what if I don’t? What
if the Highers capture me and are able to save their race? What
would happen to the human race?

I’m not sure, but out corner of my eye I see
the vial filled with black liquid that bubbles red. It’s the
easiest answer to all this. If it works, it gives the best outcome.
Do I dare go through with it, though? Will it change me back to a
human? Or will it change me into a shell of a human? Am I ready to
give everything up? My life? My strength? My feelings for Sylas? My
entire existence? Am I selfish or am I self-sacrificing?

“It doesn’t matter what you do,” Gabrielle
continues as he paces the floor in front of me with his robe
trailing behind him. “We’re too strong, and in the end, you’ll come
with us and I’ll find my cure.”

You must save the world, Kayla, no matter
what.

I feel the vial in my hand, the glass
scorching hot against my skin. When I glance at Mathew to the side
of me, he nods his head once, his eyes begging me to do it.

Gabrielle kicks me in the foot, bringing my
attention back to him. “Get up and come now. It’s time to give up
and come back to the colony.”

“
Kayla, there are other things more
important than Sylas and Aiden. Bigger things. There will come a
time when you’ll have to choose your battle, and may have to let
someone go. You need to realize that you can’t save everyone. Not
if you are going to save the world,” Monarch presses, his eyes
locked on me. “Do you understand?”

I understand.
I wasn’t created to
fight against the Highers and vampires. I was created to end them.
I bring my foot up and kick Gabrielle in the chin, putting as much
force as I can muster behind it. As he buckles back, I jump to my
feet and scurry over to the counter as Monarch and Aiden rush for
me. I grab one of the syringes, bite off the cap from the needle
and stab into the vial, filling the liquid. Then I drop the empty
vial onto the floor and I hold out my wrist, pointing the needle to
a vein in my arm.

I look Monarch straight in the eyes with no
fear because if I feel the fear, then I won’t go through with it.
“I understand now,” I say to him. “To save the world not everyone
can survive.”

I’m not sure if he understands me or not,
but I don’t care anymore. The needle plunges into my skin and the
purple liquid enters my body. It burns in my veins like liquid
fire. I drop like a ton of bricks to my knees, feeling sad, yet
satisfied as I wait to fade.

“You stupid bitch!” Gabrielle screams as he
races across the room at me. When he reaches me, he doesn’t touch
me; instead he picks up the vile beside me. He peers at it,
trembling with rage. “What was that?”

I sit down on the ground as a euphoric state
overcomes me, reclining against the counter, staring ahead at the
wall. The burn in my veins stops and I feel oddly content and at
peace as I feel this strange emptying sensation slither through me.
“It was the fading.”

“Dammit! What have you done?” Gabrielle
chucks the vile across the room, breaking it against the wall. Then
he swipes his arm over the table, shattering vials and vials into
pieces of glass, losing control of his emotions.

I look down at my arms expecting to see my
skin fading, but everything looks normal. I’m not changing into
anything, though, then again, will I even look different? What does
fading even look like? Will I just vanish within myself and not
even realize it?

Everyone watches me as I sit there,
unmoving, unchanging… I don’t feel different at all, just more
content. Then I hear something that’s not normal, like the tiny
beat of a footstep; a small sound forming in my chest. I glance
down at it, but see nothing. I can still hear it, though.
What’s
happening to me?

Gabrielle starts to relax as he takes in the
sight of my unchanging. “Well, look at you. All that bravery for
nothing… even the fading can’t work on you. You see, you’re the
perfect creation and soon you’ll make the Highers the same
way.”

Ba-bump… ba-bump… ba-bump…

My heartbeat. Oh my God… I’m becoming a
human. And it feels… invigorating because I can fully feel it,
fully feel everything. My arms start to shake, tremble, weaken. My
muscles deteriorate into the strength of a normal person. I feel my
breath struggle a little more, my body stops healing, standing
still; the wounds that were sealing themselves together pause and
allow blood to trickle out.

Gabrielle’s eyes burn with hatred as he sees
it; his cure slipping away. He turns to Aiden with rage in his
eyes, ready to throw all of it at someone. “Kill her… she’s no use
to me now.”

I crawl back towards Mathew as he says it,
feeling helpless. Shards of glass split at my skin. “No, Aiden,
don’t… please.”

Aiden ignores me, nodding at Gabrielle and
then marching towards me, his eyes cold and his expression hollow.
I try to stand as Mathew gets to his feet, ready to protect me, but
I fall back down, my legs weak and aching. I glance at Mathew for
help, but Monarch rushes forward and pummels him, throwing his
weight into him before both of them crash into the wall.

Aiden crouches down in front of me and cocks
his head to the side, assessing me for a moment with his pale eyes
that used to be honey brown and so beautiful. I miss those
eyes.

“I’m sorry, Kayla,” he says in a monotone
voice. “I always have, and always will love you. Forever. Please
forgive me.” Then he opens his mouth, lets his fangs descend and
then digs them into my vulnerable throat.

The sharp tips stab into my skin and
straight into my muscles. I feel myself about to split apart,
wanting to cry out or beg as hopelessness crushes me down.

Moments later, I feel myself drifting away
and can feel the cure for mankind drifting away with me. I struggle
to hold on, but the room fades around me as I sink to the ground.
Aiden covers himself over me, drinking from my veins. The more
gulps he gets, the weaker I become, and I know that soon I’ll be
gone. Dead.

And the cure might die with me.

Suddenly, Aiden jerks back, letting out a
growl. My eyes widen as I sit up, bleeding out all over myself,
watching in horror as Aiden clutches his head and falls to the
floor. He screams so loudly it rings in my ears. His body begins to
flail as every one of his muscles spasms.

Gabrielle’s expression collapses as he grips
onto the table, watching Aiden roll around on the ground, shouting
out and begging for help. “What did you do to him?”

I shake my head and press my hand to my
bleeding neck as I crawl across the floor, feeling somewhat normal
again while Aiden continues to go into a crazy fit of frenzy.