I almost lost her.

It was so close, but it still didn't make any sense as to why it happened a day early, I looked down at her as she tilted her head back to look at me I lowered my head to her lips as she kissed me. I held her tightly to my body as I kissed her neck almost feverishly as if I was afraid I was going to lose her again, the want started hurting as she gripped the inside of my legs, my left hand started to wander up her shirt as she turned kneeling catching my lips on hers pressing them into mine. I laid on the floor as she started kissing my neck, lifted my shirt off, started kissing my chest as I sighed softly she started going lower then worked her way back up to my lips as I put my arms around her, "I love you." I said as she smiled, "I love you too, Emile."

WHAT?

"Oh shit." She muttered as she looked at the look on my face, I pushed her off, "Slut." I snapped as I ripped my shirt away from her, "Drake stop." She said as I pulled my shirt over my head storming to the door that Lana and Patrick had left through, I expected her to follow me, but she didn't follow, and I figured it was because she didn't want to follow. Anger boiled in me as I walked away from Clifftop still expecting an out of breath Chloe following behind me when I reached the bottom but still no sound of feet hitting the ground or someone calling my name. I gritted my teeth as I kept walking back towards town where the kids were sitting around smoking pot, drinking, and eating what ever was left of food for them. The kids looked at me but didn't pay much mind as I walked through my stomach started having hunger pains as I smelt burning rats, mice, cats, and dogs. Everyone was in survival mode and I was afraid to know what was going to happen once we ran out of anything edible, cannibalism was a possibility, "DRAKE!" I turned to see Chloe behind me as I glared at her, "What?" I asked as she looked at me, "I'm sorry." She said as I narrowed my eyes at her.

The shadow of a man
I am nothing less

I had enough of the crap I was going through with her and I honestly felt like I was beginning to become soft, which made me shudder, because Drake Merwin showed no mercy to anyone, but all of the sudden this girl takes over and I'm the wimp.

I am holding on, still holding on

"You know what, Chloe?" I said as she looked at me, "It's not going to cut it this time." I said walking away from her as she ran in front of me I stopped looking down at her as she looked at me, "What's your problem?" she asked as I narrowed my eyes, "You." Was all I said before shoving past her leaving her standing in the street staring at me like an idiot. I started walking back towards Coates when I heard, or rather felt, someone probing in my mind, which was when I turned back around and hit Chloe's face with my whip hand making the other kids jump around us. Chloe looked at me as I turned my back to her again walking back up the road, but this time she didn't follow, and I didn't feel anyone inside my mind as I heard the coyotes howling at the fake moon and stars I looked back one more time to see that Chloe had disappeared.

And every now and then life begins again
I am holding on, still holding on
I'm not like you

Three months passed and I still had not talked to Drake, the last time I saw him was when him and a couple of other Coates kids raided Ralph's Grocery Store, which had only had some success. That wasn't too long after my birthday, the monster's voice still buzzed in my head every now and then, but it wasn't as prominent as it was that night, and I didn't want Sam or the others to think I had issues. I sat in Astrid and Mother Mary's house while we waited for Sam, Edilio, and some kid named EZ to come back from checking out a cabbage patch that they had found, food was starting to become scarce and that brought the worst out in people. Astrid was at the computer going through paranormal files that she had created of all the animals that had transformed, some were even of kids, and she even had them categorized in the level of bars that their powers were. The amount of four bars had increased, thanks to the Coates kids that betrayed Caine, but the only two five bars in Peridio Beach were Sam and I, the Coates kids were put into a different category.

I sighed and stretched my legs as Sam came in with what looked like a worm, but it had razor sharp teeth, "What is that?" I asked as Sam looked at me, "A worm, mutated, it killed EZ." He said as all color drained from my face, "So how are we going to get to the food then?" Astrid asked as Sam looked at her, "I don't know yet I haven't figured it out, have you seen Quinn?" he asked looking at me this time, "No, he hasn't come back from fishing yet." I said as he nodded slowly. Quinn and I had become nearly inseparable over the past three months, I had intended for it to stay that way, but one way or another I knew Drake would slither his way back in. Sam and Astrid started talking to each other as I stood up and walked to the door, "I'll be back in a little bit." I said as Sam waved his hand dismissing me, it was his way of acknowledging the fact I was leaving without interrupting Astrid who was about to go into a long winded explanation, like normal. I shook my head as I opened the door and stepped outside to see Zil and his group of thugs standing outside the house glaring at me, I glared back and walked down the street, my palms in my pockets so they knew that I wasn't trying to start anything.

"Hey freak!"

Here we go again.

"What?" I snapped turning around as Zil smirked, "Where's Sam? Inside?"

"Why do you care Zil?"

"No reason, we're hungry and wondering where our food is."

"Well you can go to the patch by yourself but you'll get eaten by the worms, I would personally enjoy seeing that happen to you."

"Watch your mouth mook."

"Watch yours you filthy-"

"Chloe! Enough." Sam had stepped outside because he heard our voices rising at each other; my palms had started to come out of my pockets, which was a bad move because now Zil's little army circled him. I shoved my hands back in and kissed my teeth as I walked away not wanting to deal with the crap anymore, I still had dreams of my mom and dad being home, eating with them, and I even missed the stupid family game nights we had. It was my dad's idea of "bonding", we "bonded" alright, Justin and I fought every game night over who won or lost, and mom would be the one to intervene it was sibling rivalry at its best.

Your faceless lies
Your weak dead heart
Your black dead eyes

I kept walking unaware that I was being watched by someone who was lurking close by, someone I hadn't spoken too or really wanted to speak too, until I heard a twig snap behind me I whipped around hands out, palms flat as I dodged the whip that went flying past my head. I rolled and put one hand on the ground pushing down sending a pulse into the dirt that rose like a wave then fell, everything fell motionless after that, I could hear my breathing but I unfortunately didn't hear or see the whip that had tied itself around my ankle and pulled my foot out from underneath me. I fell face first into the ground making dots appear in front of my eyes from the impact as I felt myself get dragged backward towards my attacker, and I could not move due to an enormous pressure on my back that I hadn't felt in three months.

I'll make it through, but not this time
Your hope is gone, and so is mine

Live, fight
Crawl back inside

"Well, well, look who it is."

"What are you doing back up towards Coates traitor?"

The two scorning voices belonged to Drake and Diana, I didn't have to look to know who it was, I kept my face opposite of them as boots stepped in front of me, I looked up to see Caine looking down at me. There was no anger in his eyes, it was a look I had not seen on his face in awhile, concern, "Why are you here?" Diana asked as I felt the whip hand tighten its hold on my calf now instead of my ankle, "I was going for a walk." I said as I felt a tingling in my head, a low growl, I knew what was going to happen so I closed my eyes tight, "Just let me go back to town." I could feel my head starting to rip open as I felt bile coming up into my mouth, I swallowed hard, I had to get way before this thing started tearing me apart. I heard Drake chuckle as his whip hand tightened around my stomach I gasped for air as the monster started making its way into my body I started thrashing, "GET AWAY FROM ME!" I screamed as Drake, Caine, and Diana jumped as the Gaiphage chuckled, I felt my eyes roll back as darkness overcame me, and that was all I remember after that I blacked out.

Sick, blind

Everything started spinning, my head started feeling like it was being ripped in two, Caine was on the ground clutching his head, and I stood starting to sway from the pain in my head. I looked down to see Chloe had slipped into unconsciousness I stumbled slightly as Diana looked at me, "What is wrong with you?" she asked, of course she wouldn't know Caine, Chloe, and I had been exposed to the Darkness, "Nothing." I answered quietly afraid to say anything else since I felt like I was going to puke. My body shook as the headache started slowly going away, the Darkness was hungry, that I knew, but hungry for what?

Caine stood slowly as Chloe stirred, Diana looked at us like we had somehow caught an insane disease from each other, "It's hungry." Caine said as Diana looked at him, "What's hungry?" "The Darkness." I answered as Diana looked at me then laughed, "Wow you two are something else, the Darkness? What the hell is that?" she asked with a smirk on her face thinking we were joking, "A monster." Chloe whispered as I kicked her foot, "No one asked you." I snapped as she glared at me then laid her head back down on the ground. Part of me honestly just wanted to get rid of her, but another part honestly did not, and it was conflicting me, which was pissing me off because I was not about to play a game of cat and mouse. Me being the mouse and she being the cat, "Bring her back to Coates." "Wait…what?" I asked looking at Caine, who had spoken, "Bring her back to Coates." He repeated as I went to argue Diana shot me a look, and I decided against it, because I was not about to argue with her either.

Love left behind
And I won't live, your weak wicked lie

When we got back to Coates Caine helped Chloe out of the Jeep, wrapping his jacket around her, I glared as he looked back at me I slammed the door shut as Diana grabbed my normal arm, "Don't worry about it, he's not going to do anything." She said as I looked at her, "Says you." Was all I said as I followed Caine inside he had disappeared into the old Headmasters room with Chloe, I gritted my teeth as I went up the stairs, and went to my own room, directly next to Caine's room as I heard the undeniable sound of the bed squeaking I gripped the pillow.

Caine had just stolen my girl.

You pull me in, I'm one step behind

I woke up the next morning next to Caine, who had his arm draped over me, and I looked around to see that he had locked the door, but no noise was coming from the other side, no shouting, fighting, or anything. The quiet in Coates was eerie to say the least, but that didn't last too long when a loud knock came on the door, "What?" Caine asked opening an eye looking at the door, "Come outside." "Now?" "Now." I knew who it was and I looked at Caine, "I wouldn't go out there if I were you." I said as he slipped on his pants and white shirt, "Don't worry your pretty little head over it, I'm sure it's nothing."

Yeah….Drake calling you out this early is defiantly nothing.

I rolled my eyes as he walked to the door where he was greeted by a fist to the face, I jumped as he stumbled back holding his nose, "What the hell!" I practically shrieked as Drake stood in the doorway, his one hand clenched in a fist, the other twitching eagerly at his side. Caine glared at him as he shot his hands foreword sending Drake into the railing near the staircase, he wrapped his whip hand around the railing quickly so he didn't fall over, Caine sent another blast his way, Drake tightened the hold but the railing gave way and he gripped the side as Caine put his hands down he walked over to Drake, who was dangling.

Show me where it hurts
And I'll make it worse

"CAINE!" I yelled pulling on the blazer that was sitting on the bed, "STOP!" I said fighting back tears as Caine looked at me, "Leave him alone!" Caine looked down at Drake stepping on his fingers with his shoe I grabbed him and yanked him away, "GET AWAY FROM HIM!" I said sprawling my hands out sending Caine flying back into the room as I grabbed Drake's lower arm, he wrapped his hand around mine, and I pulled him back up and away from the ledge. As Caine started getting up I whipped around and closed the door so he couldn't come back out and attack Drake, "Why?" I turned towards Drake as he looked at me, "Why what?" "Don't play stupid with me." He said as I looked at him, that's when I knew he had known, "Drake…" "Tell me." "I don't know what you want me to tell you." "Why did you sleep with him?" "I don't know." I said as he ran a hand through his hair, I walked over to him, and wrapped my arms around him.

I don't know what hurt me more, the fact that he tensed when I did, or the fact he pushed me away. I looked at him as he looked over my head at the wall he was bothered by it, and I knew what I did was stupid, but I honestly didn't think it was going to hurt him this bad, "Drake?" I said softly as he looked at me, I wrapped my arms around his neck as he lowered his head I kissed him softly on his lips he wrapped his arms around my waist.

Are you holding on? Keep holding on

"I have a feeling I'm not going to be around much longer." Drake said as I looked at him, "What do you mean?" I asked as he kissed my forehead, "Don't worry about it." Was all he said as he unwrapped his arms from my waist and walked down the staircase.

TBC…..

HL: ok so first of all thank you everyone for the reviews this is by far the most reviewed story I have got on here =D I really appreciate it and you will all get thanked at the end, which by the way is coming up very soon if you didn't realize I was using Breaking Benjamin's "Crawl" lyrics.

Which I do not own.