Against the Darkness

By Iniriba Greymyst

The pain was gone. Somewhere during my wild flailing, Mark had wrapped his entire body around mine pressing the front of our bodies together. I saw us in the still waters of the small pond.
White fur and black. My Silver eyes and his in gold. Like Yin and Yang we stood there holding each other. I turned my face to look at him and he looked down into my eyes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Iniriba Greymyst
• Release date: Nov 5, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463802311

Iniriba Greymyst

Living in Northern Minnesota with her family.

Book preview

The Wolf

The blood dribbled onto the hardwood floor. Claws left deep grooves, bone white, against the deep red-brown stain of the wood. I stared at the droplets on the floor.

The moon shone through the torn curtains. Silver-white light filling the room with sharp angled black shadows that contrasted beautifully with the abstract patches of red spray on the white walls and furniture.

Pit, pit, pit. The drops hit the floor in time with my heart. Thump, thump, thump.

It grew thick on my tongue, tasting more like meat than copper pennies now.

I stood up on two legs sniffing the air. My ears swiveled to catch the sounds coming from outside. A high pitched howling, like a pup in pain. I knew the metal box with the red and blue lights would be here soon.

The female had been very loud. I was certain that one of the neighbors had heard her screams. She had managed to make her way into the living room before the end.

The male went down quick enough. One swipe to his throat and it was over. His life pouring out in a red hot wash of fluid.

He had tried to stop it. They usually do. Hands grasping futilely at the gaping hole as blood pours out around their useless fingers.

Some are so terrified they don’t even realize they have soiled themselves.

Meat, screaming meat that pisses and shits itself. Why can’t they just die with some dignity?

Outside the wind tossed leaves into the air swirling and twisting until they fell back down to the ground. The night was crisp, on the edge of fall.

There was a dog behind a fence as I moved through the dark cover of the trees. He barked at me, defending his territory. With a low growl I told little cousin to be quiet. I was moving on.

The howl of the metal box was near. I could hear more meat emerging from it. Smell the adrenaline from here. The wind carried the scent to me. A friend of the Moon.

The shadowed woods fell into a ravine. A small stream weaving its way through the earth, a silver ribbon of water in the dark.

The water ran dark as I stepped into the stream washing the blood from my feet. It was refreshingly cool against my fevered skin.

The reflection of the moon on the water caught my eye. Turning my gold and green gaze to the sky I sung my triumph to the white disk hanging full among the stars.

The Girl

The couple was found in their home late last night, The pretty news reporter read. Police say the deaths looked to be from an animal, though neighbors have told us the couple did not own a dog.

I let the news report fade into the background. Another weird death in a string of weird deaths. The police claimed it was animal attacks.

My mom turned the TV off as she swiped her keys off the counter top heading for the door. The click of her heels on the wood flooring faded as she got further from the kitchen, stopped then grew louder again as she came back to kiss the top of my head.

Behave yourself today young lady. she said with a small frown.

I will. I waved her away. Her frown said she didn’t believe me.

Bethy, I mean it. No trouble. I don’t need to have the sheriff calling me while I am at this meeting.

You better go or you’re gonna be late. with a sigh, she turned and was gone.

I flopped onto the couch flipping through the million and one channels of nothing offered by the local cable company. It was the last weekend before school started. I had no job. No money and anyone I would even consider hanging out with were several thousand miles away in another town, another state, another lifetime.

Since the divorce I had been passed back and forth like some kind of property. Dad was getting remarried to a woman I despised. One little thing goes wrong and the crazy woman insisted I move in with mom.

I contemplated heading to my room to listen to some Front Line Assembly and scan the web for more tattoo ideas. A knock at the door broke my train of thought.

The peephole was covered on the outside by a huge wreath of dead plants mom insisted be hung outside so I had to open the door to see who was there.

A guy in a flannel shirt was standing with his hands held together in front of him. His chin-length, straight hair was dyed black. Silver rings pierced both eyebrows, his long lashes lifted as he looked up from his feet revealing striking green eyes.

For a brief moment I was mesmerized but was caught up in his dazzling white smile. Um, hi, he said awkwardly running one hand through his hair. My car won’t start and I am late for work. Do you have jumper cables? he pointed to the duplex across the street. A beat up looking car sat in the driveway beside a newer Toyota.

I blinked a few times before realizing I was staring. I...I’m not sure. My mom already left.

That’s alright. My roommate is still home. He works nights. I can get a jump from his car. We just don’t have cables. He smiled again flashing perfect teeth. It made me self-conscious of my own awkward grin.

I glanced back into the house feeling nervous, blushing a bit after I realized how stupid that must look. Let me open the garage and take a look, I said heading down the hall, leaving the door open. He leaned in the doorway, the muscles of his arms flexing easily as he rocked himself back and forth. Come on in, I hollered over my shoulder. The entry to the garage was at the end of the hall before going into the kitchen.

My name is Devon by the way. he said from directly behind me. I jumped, squeaking a little at how quickly he was there. Wide eyed I whirled around almost knocking into him, losing my footing I started to topple. The hallway was a tight squeeze, but he managed to grab my arms to keep me from falling into the wall. He laughed while heat rushed up my face as he held me there for a moment. "I’m