It was later than normal when Sammy stepped off the elevator. The light still flickered, but Sammy couldn't even bother to be annoyed by it. He was so tired, it was taking all he had to just push his bike down the hall. A really busy day, and working a double, had meant that Sammy had been at work much later than normal after closing. The good part of it all, he guessed, was that his boss had hired two new delivery riders, he had tomorrow off, and he'd gotten a ton more tips than normal.
The down side was he was absolutely exhausted. He didn't feel any better, if anything, he felt worse. He couldn't think of any reason as to why he would be so tired other than just overworking himself, but he couldn't even blame his exhaustion completely on work. He was beginning to think that he may have been coming down with something after all.
Digging through his backpack for his keys, Sammy unlocked the front door, pushed his bike inside, and closed the door behind himself. The dining room was dark, and Sammy hoped that it meant Ashli had actually gone to bed at a decent hour. Kicking his shoes off, and setting his bag down, Sammy moved into the kitchen with a yawn as he flicked on the light. Blinking to let his eyes adjust, everything seemed quiet and peaceful.
Noticing a piece of paper on the counter, Sammy walked over to it, turning it so he could read what appeared to be a hastily scribbled note from Ashli. Last minute plans to go hang out with her girlfriends and just take a night to relax. She'd be back in the morning. Sammy nodded to himself, yawning again. He'd been so busy during the day that he had never gotten around to texting her in the end. He hoped her note was the truth, and that she simply wasn't still trying to avoid him. She'd been putting so much effort into her schoolwork lately that Sammy was surprised that he was the one basically sleepwalking while Ashli was awake and bubbly like normal.
Deciding he was too tired to eat, Sammy went down to his room to get some clothes before a quick shower. He stripped down, threw his dirty clothes in his laundry basket and walked to the bathroom naked, taking advantage of the fact he was truly alone for once. He loved Ashli to pieces, was glad they were roommates, but there were just some things you didn't do when your roommate was around.
Closing the bathroom door behind him, Sammy yawned again, unable to get over the feeling of complete exhaustion that seemed to be holding tight to him. Leaning over the tub, Sammy paused, debating whether or not he really wanted to take a shower tonight, or if he just wanted to wait until tomorrow. Standing, he decided it was safer to wait until the morning, just in case he fell asleep in the shower again. Without Ashli there to make sure he was all right, who knew what could happen.
Not trusting himself, Sammy closed the lid on the toilet and sat down, tugging on his sweatpants that he'd brought along as far as he could up his legs before standing. Sammy took a deep breath, closed his eyes for a brief moment, and told himself all he had to do was stand up, pull up his sweats, brush his teeth, and he could go to bed. His day was almost over, and he would be able to sleep tomorrow away without worry since he didn't have to work.
Opening the bathroom mirror, Sammy grabbed his toothbrush and toothpaste. Turning on the water to the sink, he wet his brush before putting toothpaste on it, closing the door once the tube of toothpaste was back on the shelf. Looking down to make sure he shut the water off, when Sammy looked up again, meeting the eyes of his reflection, he knew something wasn't right.
His reflection was smiling at him. More of a smirk, really, with its head tipped forward slightly as it watched every move Sammy made. Closing his eyes, and convinced he was hallucinating, Sammy tried to brush his teeth, and ignore his brain.
Ducking his head to spit into the sink, and rinse out his mouth, Sammy suddenly felt even more tired, if that was even possible, groaning as he stood back up to drop his toothbrush into the cup by the corner of the sink. Doing so, he met the eyes of his reflection once more, and felt fear twist in his gut.
Despite how tired he felt, he took a step away from the mirror. When he did, his reflection took a step closer to the mirror's edge instead of taking one back like it should have. "What the fuck," Sammy breathed out, fear keeping him from leaving the room. He was pretty sure he was going crazy, but he wanted to remember this as clearly as he could so when he talked to Ashli about it, he would be able to recall what happened.
His reflection answered him in the only way that it seemed to be able to. It smiled; a large, creepy grin that made a shudder of fear run down Sammy's spine. Swallowing, Sammy watched as his reflection took a step back away from the mirror, clearly acting on its own as it raised its right hand. Closing it into a fist, Sammy's reflection did the unthinkable, and punched the mirror, sending spidering cracks along the surface.
Sammy hissed in pain when it did, looking down to his hand and seeing the redness of his own knuckles from where his reflection hit the glass. His reflection realized that Sammy was catching onto what was going on — although, as crazy as it seemed, Sammy knew what was going on here. Everytime his reflection hit the glass, he was the one getting injured, not his reflection.
With a soundless laugh, Sammy's reflection hit the mirror a second time. Blood splattered on the backside of the glass, and this time when pain flared across his skin, Sammy could also see blood begin to well from his knuckles. "Stop," he heard himself say, but his reflection simply shook its head, pulling back and hitting the glass a third time.
Bits of glass shook free and fell into the sink where they clinked and splattered Sammy's blood near the drain. His own hand was throbbing now, blood beginning to flow over his knuckles, and as much as he hated the thought of moving closer to the sink, Sammy did so, not realizing he had moved until the blood from his hand dripped into the sink to cover the shards of mirror that were in there. His reflection hit the mirror again, and Sammy flincked as sharp pain bit into his skin, and what looked like small pieces of his bathroom mirror manifested themselves underneath his skin.
One piece of mirror glass was a little bigger than the rest, and Sammy could see his own fear reflected in the tiny bit of glass that stuck out of his hand. Still staring at himself, as well as the blood covering his hand, Sammy heard his reflection hit the glass a final time. There was a loud crack and the sound of cascading glass as the mirror shattered and fell into the sink loudly.
Looking back up in complete shock, Sammy met the eyes of his reflection, and his breath caught in his throat. His reflection was leaning toward him through his bathroom mirror. Behind it, Sammy could see what appeared to be dark woods, rain pouring down as thunder grumbled. Rain splashed against the edges of the broken mirror as the wind howled angrily. Water trickled down his reflection's face, and matted its bangs to its forehead as it leaned farther through the mirror frame, reaching out for Sammy as an evil smirk only grew wider.
Sammy tried to scream, but no sound came out. He felt frozen to his spot on the bathroom floor, hand dripping blood onto the small carpet that was kept in front of the tub. Sammy felt a new pain flare across his hand, and he looked down to see a large cut across his palm open and well with blood right before his eyes. As his reflection climbed toward him, grabbing him by the shoulder. Sammy tried to pull away, but now that they were touching, he felt unable to move, as if his body was completely drained of all energy, and there was nothing he could do but stand there in the middle of his bathroom floor bleeding profusely from his hand.
Swallowing, Sammy looked up in time to meet the eyes of his reflection. It was his eyes staring back at him; his eyes that seemed awake, alert, and focused, so much more than he felt right now. His palm began throbbing with pain, and Sammy barely caught the fact that his reflection had closed its hand into a fist as it prepared to hit him now that it crawled more than halfway through the mirror.
At the last second, Sammy realized he needed to try and do something, but it was too late. He felt his reflection's fist connect with his check. Then there was nothing.
***
Rourke had been walking long enough to feel a need to rest for a moment. Stretching, he looked around. The trees in this forest were far apart, the trunks thick and wide, able to support the many limbs with their dark purple leaves. In places, patches of purple-gray grass were able to push through the leaf litter, but for the most part, the forest was covered in a thick layer of dead plant matter. Tipping his head back, Rourke looked up into the high branches of the tree he was standing under. It would be hard to climb up there, but if he needed to, he would figure it out since he was going to need to find a place to sleep soon. He couldn't stay on the ground with that pack of echo foxes he had heard moving around.
Taking his backpack from his shoulders, and his sword from his side, Rourke sat down at the base of the tree. Opening his pack, he rummaged around in it for something to eat, frowning at the meager amount of food he had left. He really did need to find a more secure place, especially if he was going to have to stay here for a while to collect food before moving on. With a sigh, Rourke leaned his head back against the tree, wondering if he would find a suitable place to call home for a little while so he could gather up supplies again. Above him, he could hear a crow cawing, the low and constant sounds a comfort, letting him know that the immediate surrounding area was safe from danger.
Still chewing the small crumb-like pieces of umbra jerky he had been eating, Rourke dug deep into his pack, looking for his bhasvah. He knew he shouldn't unwrap it in the open �� he had bundled it up in a dirty piece of white cloth at one point — but, even now, he still felt a comfort he couldn't explain whenever he held the glowing stone. The bhasvah, along with his backpack and sword, had once belonged to his sister, Asha, and were the only things he had left of her now. Resting the stone in his lap, Rourke looked around the area, trying to figure out which way he should go. He'd been wandering around in these dark woods for a while, always keeping the dim glow of the Last City ahead of him. The darkness of the lands was constant, and something that Rourke had to adapt to as he traveled. He knew he needed to continue toward the goal of reaching the Last City, but he also needed to find food and water if he was going to actually make it there.
Taking a deep breath, Rourke closed his eyes, content to just listen to the calmness of the woods around him. He hadn't encountered any Wolves for a while, and even though he knew he needed to remain alert in case some were nearby, the crows were still cawing, so he knew he could take a moment to close his eyes. When he decided he was ready to start moving again, Rourke opened his eyes and pulled his pack toward him, tucking his bhasvah back into the bottom of his ruck as he gathered up the smaller pouch he used to keep food in, packing everything away before standing.
Just as he was securing his sword back to his hip, Rourke noticed a small flash of light. He gasped, turning toward where he had seen it, hoping to see the small spot of light again. It was rare to see a Last Light now; ever since the fall of the cities only a few Last Lights seemed to remain. In the darkness that seemed to cover everything in the lands, the small glow of the Last Lights was a beacon of hope, a reminder that some things had stayed the same despite the arrival of the Wolves and the Mistwalkers.
The tiny light flashed again, and Rourke ran after it. Something in the back of his mind told him that he needed to follow this Last Light. Loss twisted in his gut when he thought that maybe it was the Last Light of his sister, unable to find a resting place because of the way she had been killed. Yet, if it was her, she still looked out for him, and Rourke couldn't thank her enough. "Where are you taking me," he murmured, trying to keep his voice low, but not entirely sure why. He was making a lot of noise as he chased after the tiny speck of light. If there was anything in the woods that wanted to hurt him — shadow cats, echo foxes, Wolves — they certainly would know exactly where he was.
The Last Light sailed silently through the darkness and gloom, ignoring its surroundings as Rourke chased after it. He moved around trees, pausing whenever he lost sight of the small light. Rourke exhaled the breath he didn't even know he had been holding when he spotted the tiny light higher up a small hill. Climbing after it, Rourke was so intent on following the Last Light he didn't even realize he hadn't been following the dim light on the horizon until he came to the top of the hill.
The other side dropped significantly, and near the bottom of it, Rourke could see a small stream. Overhead a crow cawed loudly, and somewhere far off, Rourke could hear the bugle of an umbra. He looked over his shoulder out of habit, seeing nothing but the dark forest behind him. He was never truly safe out here in the woods. Turning back to the steep slope before him, Rourke searched for the Last Light, finally finding it as it seemed to hover over the small stream.
Without hesitation, Rourke started down the hill, stumbling once as he tripped over a root buried by the thick layer of leaves on the ground. The Last Light remained by the water, bobbing about as if waiting for Rourke to reach it. Coming to the bottom of the hill, Rourke shrugged off his backpack, slowing his steps as he carefully approached the small glowing orb. The Last Light didn't seem to be paying any attention to Rourke as he approached, silently bobbing up and down where it floated over the water. If anything, Rourke felt it was waiting for him; maybe it really was his sister, after all.
Reaching out with one hand, Rourke tried to coax the tiny light to come to him, smiling when it did so. Once he was able to, he cupped the Last Light in his hands, pulling his hands back against his chest. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled slowly through his nose, raising his hands to kiss his thumbs. "I miss you," he murmured lowly, lips brushing against his hands. "As always."
Lowering his hands, he opened them, the Last Light resting comfortably on his palm. The little orb gave off no heat and barely any light, but it was still a beacon in the darkness of the lands. Without warning, it lifted into the air, gliding off silently into the gloom of the woods and leaving Rourke alone. A warmth filled him; a feeling of contentment as Rourke took a moment to look around at his surroundings.
The stream was shallow and broad, but it looked deep in places. The edges and bottom were littered with stones, and it wouldn't take long for Rourke to build a small dam. He followed the path of the stream with his eyes, seeing that it circled around a large tree and back toward the hillside. Rourke noticed how the landscape curved from the steep hill into a cliff side, the rock face littered with plant life and climbing straight toward the sky. The stream seemed to flow up from under the rocks, more than likely surfacing from an underground spring.
Clearly in some sort of small valley, Rourke kept turning, trying to find another way to get out of the area without having to backtrack or climb straight up the cliff side. Just beyond the rocks, the terrain slopped again, circling around the far side of the stream and coming back down to the edge of the water. That part of the area was surprisingly open with one large tree that Rourke knew was very old. Even from where he was standing, he could see that if he tried to wrap his arms around it, he wouldn't be anywhere close to his hands meeting on the far side of the trunk.
Deciding the top of the cliff was the best place for him to try and get a better idea of the area, Rourke picked up his backpack and jumped over the stream before he walked up the hillside to stand at the top. From up here, Rourke could see the stream winding through the darkness of the area and the gradual slope of the hillside as it came down to the water just to rise sharply on the other side and crest at the hill he initially came down. Behind him, the ground leveled out with a large chunk of rock, void of any plant life that butted up against a higher rock face.
Rourke could now see the height of the rocks — he hadn't been able to judge them accurately when he stood by the stream — and about half way up, maybe just a little higher than he was tall, Rourke could see a dark opening. Not wanting to get too excited, but feeling that hopefulness just the same, Rourke decided to climb up there, anticipating that the darkness of that spot was in fact a cave and not just a depression in the rock.
The climb wasn't hard, Rourke easily found handholds and footholds to help him, and he climbed up onto the small ledge just as a crow flew away, most likely startled by Rourke's presence. The ledge flattened out, sweeping back into the darkness of what Rourke could now see was a small cave entrance. Twisting to sit on the edge, Rourke took a deep breath, sighing heavily as he looked around. He was getting pretty tired, but he knew he wasn't done yet, especially if there was a decently sized cave beyond that opening in the rock face.
From somewhere in the trees, the crow cawed loudly, clearly upset with Rourke sitting on the ledge. Deciding to keep moving, Rourke stood, brushing the dirt from his pants before moving toward the cave entrance. Pausing, he decided to get his bhasvah, and he carefully unwrapped the stone once he was just inside the entrance to the cave. It wasn't a very big cave, and appeared to not have been used by any animals recently, but it was more than enough for what he needed. It had a pretty flat floor that was stone, and there was a thin layer of dirt that he knew could easily be swept away. The walls were high, allowing him to stand easily, and it was several paces deep; large enough so that the light of his stone wasn't quite able to reach all the shadows. He knew as soon as he built a fire that it would light everything fairly well.
Setting his backpack on the floor, Rourke decided he would use this cave as he gathered more food and supplies, and began to make a mental list of things he would need to do. He would have to make a door of sorts to help keep the light of his fire from being seen, as well as damming up the stream in order to have a larger pool to collect water from and wash his weapons, clothing, and even himself.
First, though, he would need a fire, and Rourke opened his backpack, digging around for his rope, as well as the smaller pouch, just in case he found li'kai berries while he was out collecting firewood. He hadn't seen a lot of fallen wood around, but he had been pretty focused on following the Last Light and not surveying his surroundings. He was confident in his abilities to find enough wood for a fire, as well as some branches to make a door to help keep his presence in the cave unknown to passing Wolves. He certainly had a lot of work to do.