This used to be a crossover fic, but after a lot of thinking, I thought it was best to make this only an RotG fic. I realize its been years since I've worked on this, but hopefully, the fandom is as alive as it was back then.
Darkness. Always darkness.
It was a bitterly cold night in Hanover. The season was beginning its slow metamorphoses from a somewhat calm and eerie fall to a desolate winter, and the change was palpable. The air was far more rigid, and the nights even more unforgiving. They were longer, darker, and of course, much much colder. Some could argue they were also crueler.
The ever-watchful light of the moon was shrouded by dense, nearly opaque clouds. A perfect opportunity for the dark to come and reign again, taking its rightful place over Hanover City and its inhabitants. Of course, the dark itself was nothing to fear. It was what the darkness hid that struck terror into the hearts of more than a few citizens, especially one particularly frazzled young woman.
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
The loud crunch of ice and gravel beneath Kiara's leather combat boots was a little more than she could bare now. Every step reminded her that she was out in the open, all alone, at night, in a poorly lit parking lot. I knew I should have gone home, she thought, being only about half right. Kiara should have gone home right after her evening class, but the fact of the matter was, she couldn't. The truth was that Kiara got far more work done here, at school, than she ever would have hoped to at home. Mainly if she was there. Unfortunately, that also meant that Kiara would be forced to expose herself to this nightmare each and every time she wanted a little peace and quiet.
Kiara shivered and pulled her thick pea coat around herself a bit tighter, trying in vain to keep the bone-chilling darkness from creeping its way into her clothes and permeating her very skin. Her overloaded backpack was becoming more and more of a burden with each step. She shivered again, but not from the cold. Long, inky black tendrils of the dark would slither into her peripheral vision, but every time she'd dart her eyes to look, they would vanish only to reappear a few moments later. She began walking faster. The dark had always frightened her. The emptiness, it's deathly cold touch, and the ear piercing silence that came with it was too much to deal with without her music. Unfortunately, Kiara had forgotten her phone in the warmth and safety of her car.
The sweet melody of her only musical solace was, what seemed like, miles away from her and the darkness was taking its toll. The air around her began to thin, and the bitter cold of it lodged itself in the depths of her throat. Like a vice, the unforgiving winter began to strangle her, and she could feel herself gasping for air, for freedom. She stumbled forward, and her wobbly knees hit the pavement with a clunky thud. Kiara bent over in agony, balancing herself on one hand while the other desperately attempted to pry the imaginary vice open.
Her chest began to tighten, and she could hear the frantic beating of her own heart pounding in her ears. The tendrils of the dark came out in full view this time and rushed around her like the chaotic winds of a hurricane, creating this enclosing space. Suffocating, she struggled for a few moments, shooting her head up and around to see if there was anyone out there who could help her. Only darkness.
However, through the ever winding coils, she could make out the glare of something broad and made of metal. Her eyes widened at the realization that her car was only a few feet in front of her. She reached out, forcing herself to crawl on hands and knees to the metallic safe house.
Please… Gods, please…
The tendrils seemed to shrink away as she got closer and closer until finally, they disappeared, along with the tightening of her chest and throat. Kiara gasped like a newborn baby and shoved her hand into the pocket of her dirty black jeans, searching wildly for her car keys. An overwhelming wave of relief washed over her when she finally heard the chirp of a car alarm and pulled herself up and into the light and safety of her 1995 Toyota Corolla.
She schlepped her heavy backpack into the back seat and shoved the key into the ignition. She was breathing somewhat irregularly and slowly turned the key. The silence of the night was quickly replaced with the roaring of her engine and an exhausted chuckle from herself as Kiara reclined into the cheap synthetic covering of her seat. She then immediately grabbed her phone from the glove box and let the soothing melody of Bach's "Sarabande" take hold of her and guide her return home.
The horrors of tonight slowly melting away with each passing mile…