Darkness. That's all I could see. Darkness upon miles and miles of woods and once visited scenic routes that my feet instantly remembered on reflex. Beyond the forgotten memory of Alice and the depthless chasm, beyond the rocks and rubble and cliffs, lay a lighthouse illuminated by the carousel like motion of the beacon of safety and light. That's where I was heading.
Zane had helped me get this far only to vanish before the shit hit the fan. With the taunting fragment of myself coming from the televisions conveniently spread about this nightmare, spewing promises of hordes of Taken, and with no weapon I knew my chances of escaping were slim. There were only two thing I knew for sure.
My only defense was the flashlight.
My only salvation, the light house.
Seemingly out of thin air, typed words appeared near giant boulders that blatantly spelled out clear. The word itself was ominous, but when I gripped my flashlight and focused it's beam, the word evaporated into the converging Dark Presence to reveal it's meaning.
In the midst of all the swarming Taken, one by one the boulders crumbled away to let in the rays of light the lighthouse produced. The Taken burned and burst into fiery embers before my eyes, howling out the last remnants of their existence. I quickly seized the opportunity to make a break for the lighthouse.
I continued to clear all the boulders obscuring the light from my path until the batteries could no longer take the strain from the focused beam. I could see the entrance to the lighthouse a few yards away, illuminated by the ethereal light Zane basked in and my feet blindly picked up the pace even when all the muscles in my being screamed in protest.
Go gentle into that good light.
The crisp words rang in my ears as if an otherworldly force was beckoning me on. As if Zane was still with me, showing me the way and pushing me forward, acting as an iron will that wouldn't let me give up. The lights wrapped around the landscape for the dozenth time, obliterating more Taken in it's wake.
An exceptionally large Taken bounded around the structure the last remaining boulder that blocked out the lighthouse's beam. I stumbled back, twisting my ankle as I tried, in vain, to focus my already dimming beam on the the typed word clear, but, to no avail, it did no such thing. I pushed my feet underneath myself and dodged the incoming attack poorly as I was struck in the back of the head with the blunt end of an axe.
Why he didn't just kill me right then was beyond debate at this point. I didn't care about what sick game Mr. Scratch or the Dark Presence or whoever was behind this anymore was playing right now.
The only thing that remained at the center of my brain was lighthouse.
Despite the pain that flared within my skull and the warmth trickling down the back of my head, I willed myself onwards. My leg muscles were on fire and my ankle shook weakly with each step I took. Everything within my being pleaded for me to just give up and admit defeat. To let the Dark Presence consume me entirely, but I wouldn't let it win.
I had come too far.
Staggering up to the front of the lighthouse, my hand shot out for the doorknob. For salvation. The blood pounded in my ears and my heart raced as the hulking, thudding footsteps intensified until it was right behind me. With my remaining strength I thrust the door open, letting the brilliant white aura embrace my surroundings before I collapsed to the floor and let exhaustion me.
In a far off place, I was aware of the presence surrounding me. It wasn't insidious or malicious as I've come to expect, but rather subtle and encompassing. The presence itself felt far away and close all at the same time, but it's aura was calming and unmistakable.
I felt his being in the air around me, embracing me in his warmth as my body became weightless, like I was floating on water. Without protest, I let myself be carried by Zane up towards the light. I could see myself being lifted towards the beacon of the lighthouse almost as if I were out of my body. Like a spectator of my own story unraveling before me word by word.
For the first time in a long time, I felt safe. Safe from the Dark Presence and safe from Mr. Scratch's influence. If only for the moment.
A wave-like motion unfurls itself along my pliant form and caresses me in ways some would deem too intimate for someone who isn't your lover. My body tries to relax as Zane's presence wraps it's way all around my extremities, but the guilt that lays dormant in the back of my mind won't let me.
Then, Zane's ethereal voice chimes distantly around me like bells on Christmas morning, fading in and out of existence.
"You must not resist, Alan... I am too weak to heal you on my own... I need you-"
For a split second things went quiet and my body consciously tensed up for the impending darkness, but Zane's aura shined true as he grappled to stay in control over this little section of the dark place.
"The Dark Presence is too strong... Too close... I need you to focus... Focus, Alan... Focus..."
I wanted to trust Zane, I needed his help now more than ever, but the overwhelming guilt on my conscience wouldn't let that happen. The Dark Presence wouldn't let me. I thought of Alice and Barry and all the other innocent victims I had roped into my story. How could I have been so stupid and selfish?
Go gentle into that good light.
I could still hear that soft voice rattling around in my head and I tried to focus on that one silver lining. Light. My will was shattered but not broken and I could see my body slacken as I spectated the scene before me. Perhaps it was the trick of the shadows and the revolving bulbs of the lighthouse, but Zane's aura seemed to shine a little brighter as if my conscience was the thing holding him back from his full potential.
"Good... Now concentrate, Alan... Concentrate on my light..."
And I did.
At first it was a subtle brush against my aching muscles and then a tremor shuddered it's way through my body as Zane's presence enraptured me in a billowy haze of nerves. My mouth parted by a fraction of an inch and I let out a soft hum of what sounded like completion. Zane seeped underneath my skin and lit up my frame like a Christmas tree.
I could feel him leaving murmuring vibrations all over me, much like kisses from a lover, as his presence shone bright with intensity. Warmth snaked it's way around my arms and legs and enveloped me in it's grace, keeping me secure and safe under the glow of the lighthouse. Zane's presence brushed my cheek and then against my lips teasingly until it undulated downward.
I gasped in surprise as Zane's aura breached me from all my orifices and unfurled within me. I watched from above as I saw Zane filtering in throughout my entire being. In places I never thought I'd be touched in before. He lingered below the waist perhaps a little too much, but it was surprisingly pleasant, so much so that I had the overwhelming need to keep him there forever.
Zane pressed against my thighs in a way that mimicked hands gripping them tenderly and I keened from the contact. He creeped his aura up a little further until it was softly undulating against my groin and all at once I lost myself in the feeling of being embraced by something as elusive as a memory of a once forgotten soul.
My knees started to tremble when Zane pushed his way inside of my lower body a little more and lightly brushed against the nerves residing inside. I practically whined at the sensation, making Zane more actively invested in this approach. All too quickly, I sensed Zane's aura pulsating in and out of me in waves, similar to the motion of thrusting.
But there was no pain or fear. Only trust and god, yes, more.
Mewling as if I were mortally injured or, in this case, overcome with immense pleasure, I concentrated on Zane's light as he told me to do. I felt him uncoil inside the untouched space of my body and pulse against what can only be assumed as my prostate. This sensation coupled with the grace-like caress against my groin only served to coax physical reactions out of me as I became unconsciously aroused from Zane's ministrations.
Maybe Zane was taking advantage of the situation. Maybe his guidance was building up to this moment where he can possess me entirely. Whatever the motivation was behind his actions were didn't seem to matter, because his grace filled me up and cast the darkness out of my soul. The more intense his presence became, the stronger I got and the louder I mewled.
Zane, despite his physical disadvantage, was gentle and loving and all encompassing as he proverbially made love to me with his grace. It almost felt like he was right here, with his hands in my hair softly scraping my scalp and his lips murmuring promises into the flushed skin of my neck. It's never felt this good before. Not even with Alice. And as I realize this thought crossing my mind, I find that I don't feel guilty for thinking it at all.
The feeling of Zane being all around me as well as inside me is something beyond words. Beyond all comprehension, actually, and as his grace curls around my hardening flesh I know his work is approaching it's crescendo. I realize now that his warmth has already repaired the damage done to my body. This part however... This isn't about healing or fixing. It's about comfort.
This is Zane's way of giving me a reprieve for the nightmares I'm about to face off against. A slice of paradise in an otherwise hellish work of fiction come true.
So I let it happen as I see it for what it's worth.
At this acceptance, Zane's becomes stronger as he merges with me in a way that feels as if his own manhood is really inside me. My muscles twitch and my hands flex, searching out for anything to grab as I break ever so marginally from Zane's influence. And I feel him. I feel his hands and lips and cock breaching me. I shudder with delight.
"Alan...Alan... Alan..."
It's a cascading cadence of ambiance as Zane's melodic voice repeats my name over and over in a mantra of soothing calm.
His presence curls around me like arms and I blindly reach out to do the same, finding that a figure is physically there. Well, physical in the sense that anything goes in this dream-like dimension. I instantly arch up into him and I felt his grace press lightly against my lips, leaving behind a tingling sensation before he presses more incessantly inside my body.
He's really here. He's actually making love to me and I'm letting him and I don't care. He is my guardian. My angel. My beacon through the darkness.
Zane's imagined fingertips are leaving behind tingling trails all along my body and his hands are gripping me in places that shouldn't feel this good. Shouldn't feel this real. It shouldn't feel like someone's gripping my hips and gently thrusting their pulsing manhood inside of me and it definitely shouldn't be nudging against my prostate... But it is. He is.
A tightness uncoils itself within the pit of my stomach and a burst of light shines through my body. A light so brilliant and true that it emits its energy through every fiber of my being as it enraptured me completely. A tremor of pleasure wracks my body as if reaching my climax and all too quickly his grace eludes me, leaving behind a trembling mess of nerves.
My eyes open slowly, but no one's there. All I can see is the spinning lights above me and the word return typed into the atmosphere of the confined tower of the lighthouse with the sound of Zane's soft timbre filling the spaces in between.
"Alan, wake up... You must... Return... Return..."