Standing Against the Darkness

Disclaimers: It will probably come as a shock to no one to learn that I do not own The X-Files or any characters associated therewith.

Author's Note: This story is set in the second half of the year 2012. This is merely an introductory chapter, so let me know if you like it, or if you don't.

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Will Curran sat slumped in the back seat of the school bus, his head leaning against the window, his eyes drifting shut as he lost the battle against sleep. Four days spent camping in the mountains had exhausted him. Had exhausted the whole hiking club. Will was one of the last to fall asleep on the journey home. Beside him Chloe muttered occasionally, her head bouncing gently off the back of the seat with every bump in the road. Even Miss Milligan slept, the teacher snoring gently at the front of the bus. But Will had fought the urge to sleep, knowing that to do so would put him in danger. He didn't know how or why or what type but he knew without doubt that he needed to stay alert, aware.

So Will continued to fight even now as his eyes closed of their own volition. He banged his head of the window, hard enough to hurt, to startle him fully awake once more. Then he shifted his position to the most uncomfortable one he could find, jostling Chloe as he did so. She grunted and flailed an arm at him. He pushed it away, grinning. Even in her sleep his best friend was irritable. He resisted the urge to pull her blonde hair and wake her, instead turning his attention to the window. He recognised the passing scenery – ten more minutes would see them back to the school. He sighed with relief, he could hold on for ten more minutes. It didn't even occur to Will that whatever danger was threatening him would not vanish when he got home. He was eleven years old and he knew of no danger that his parents couldn't banish.

"Come on, campers. Wakey, wakey. Time to go home." The constantly chirpy voice of Miss Rainey, who had been driving, reverberated around the bus. She pulled the bus over near the school gates as Miss Milligan awoke and began to waken Will's classmates. Will shook Chloe and she groggily rubbed her eyes and looked around her.

"Come on, Chlo. We're here." Chloe stood up and grabbed her day bag, following the rest of the hiking club of the bus. Will hesitated a little before following her, worried because the sense of danger he had felt had not faded – if anything it had intensified since the bus stopped. He shrugged it off and scrambled down out of the bus, looking around for his parents. He saw no sign of them among the cluster of adults waiting at the gates to greet their children. No sign of them or of their ancient pick-up truck. Will frowned. It wasn't like them to be late. He glanced around again, the feeling of danger growing with every second. Instinctively, he edged toward where Chloe stood with her parents, talking animatedly and non-stop. Before he could reach them however, the sound of his name being called brought him to a halt. He turned around, smiling with relief only to see that the man who had called to him was not his father but rather a tall man dressed in a suit like lawyers on TV wore. Will had never seen him before and he went to turn away, assuming that he had misheard.

"Will. Your father sent me to pick you up." Will frowned and looked up into the man's face, opening his mouth to speak but his tongue froze the moment he saw the man's eyes. Without having any idea how, Will knew that this man was the danger he had known was coming. He shook his head and backed away. The tall man smiled, a quirk of the mouth that did nothing to change his frightening eyes.

"You are coming with me, William" All pretence at friendliness was gone, the man's voice was now hard and cold. Will shook his head again and he managed to get one word out.

"No." His voice was low and weak, his breathing harsh with fear. He still did not understand what was happening but a voice in his head was screaming at him to run, to get away. Will's legs tensed, ready to obey. The tall man placed a hand in his pocket.

"You should know that I have a gun, William. And – in case you are truly your father's son – I have it aimed not at you but at the little girl with the blonde plaits. Chloe, is that her name?" Will's mouth dropped open. The voice in his brain still urged him to run but he couldn't. He was a farmer's son – he had seen the damage that a gun could cause to flesh. All too easily his mind summoned up an image of Chloe lying in a puddle of blood, her flesh torn open by bullets, her constantly moving hands stilled forever.

"What…what do you want?"

"Good boy, William. You're doing the smart thing. Come with me." The tall man placed a hand on Will's shoulder and he had to force himself not to shrug it off and scream. He had to force himself to place one foot in front of another as the tall man firmly steered him towards a dark sedan car that he had not noticed before. The tall man opened the rear door and gestured for Will to get in. Will glanced back once before climbing in, his last sight that of Chloe picking up her little sister and swinging her around, both girls laughing. The car door then closed behind him, the tinted windows leaving him trapped in a world of shadows. When he heard the sound of the door locking, Will could no longer hold back his fear. He curled up on the seat and began to cry.