Chapter 9
"For as children tremble and fear everything in the blind darkness, so we in the light sometimes fear what is no more to be feared than the things children in the dark hold in terror and imagine will come true."
-Titus Lucretius Carus [99-55 B.C.], De Rerum Natura, bk. III, l. 87
**
Evan was instantly glad that they had had decided to stay; there were several people, some clustered around the deep barbecue pits, others engaged in games of volleyball. The dancing light from the various fires lit up the faces of couples as they laughed and talked.
"This is so cool! What do you guys want to do first?" He asked eagerly.
"I think ve should get zomething to eat," Kurt replied, perking up noticeably after he spotted the food tables. He rushed over to one of them, hologram up, and began to voraciously dig in, his face thickly smeared with barbecue sauce.
"Well, he looks a lot better," Scott commented, smiling.
"Hey," Evan said, watching as a couple of kids stopped their game of volleyball, thus leaving the sandy court open, "you guys want to play?"
"Sure," everyone agreed, even Rogue.
"But how vill ve play vith only four people?" Kurt asked, wiping the his mouth with the back of his left hand.
"We'll play ya," someone announced, and they all turned in unison. It was none other than Lance, his hands folded across his chest. Behind him, Toad grinned dangerously, Aileen by his side.
"No way," Scott abruptly refused.
"What's the matter, wuss? Afraid to take us on?"
"No, we-,"
"You guys are chickens. We could beat you any day," Tolensky boasted.
"Ah don't think so," Marie screamed back, walking right up to the net and glaring the little weasel down.
"Rogue, don't-," Scott started, before she gestured to him to throw her the ball.
"Ah'm goin' show y'all that we ain't chickens. Or losers."
With that, she served the ball as hard as she could.
It sailed over, and Toad sprang up into the air, bumping it back. Kurt, who was just as agile, knocked it to him once more. When the ball was returned, Scott positioned himself near the net, waiting…and then Alvers slammed into the net, shoving him roughly to the ground. The volley ball bounced on the sand and rolled to a stop at Rogue's feet.
"Our serve," Tolensky sang cheerfully.
"Ah don't think so. Y'all cheated," Marie protested, glowering from across the net.
"We did not."
"Ya did too," she said, then served it again.
The Brotherhood didn't protest further; instead, they hit it back over. As Kurt lunged to strike the ball, he saw Aileen staring at him, sending chills down his spine. Biting his lower lip, he tried hard to concentrate, his hands about to make solid contact with the small ball. But he was stopped when Toad spit across the net, covering Nightcrawler's face in thick goo. As he thrashed in the sand, trying to get the slime off, the ball hit the ground once more.
"Now it's all our turn," Tolensky said.
"Here. You can have it. We quit," Scott responded sourly.
"You guys are sore losers," Lance called out, his dark eyes glittering.
"Ignore them," Scott told the others, walking away.
"Yeah, you guys are such dorks. Especially you, Rogue. Too bad you didn't stay with the cool people," Lance sneered, leaning against the net.
"Well, y'all certainly aren't the 'cool people'," she hissed. The others stopping walking, and Scott grabbed hold of her shoulder, careful not to touch her flesh.
"C'mon," he said, though Marie protested as he pulled her along. They hurried back toward the camp site; by now, all the last rays of sunlight had vanished, cloaking the world in black.
"Man, this place gives me the creeps. We gotta get back to the site," Evan said, pushing aside a hanging branch.
"Tha' was real fun," Rogue stated, rather dryly, after Scott had let her go.
"Leave it up to the Brotherhood to ruin everything," Evan sighed, as they made their way past an empty campsite.
"Hey, we never ruined anything. We just wanted to play a fair game of volleyball," Lance said, stepping out in front of them.
"Yeah, right," Marie snorted.
Lance feigned shock.
"Us? Hey, we play fair," he told her, studying the group as his two companions appeared.
"Y'all better leave us alone," Rogue threatened, her eyes narrowed.
"Yeah, and what if we don't?"
Before Marie could say anything, Lance stretched out his arms and the ground began to stir like some angry beast.
"What the hell are you doing?" Scott furiously demanded, falling to the ground. Lance towered over him, smiling sinisterly.
"You're find out, soon enough."
Scott didn't wait for him to say anything more; instead, he lunged at the other boy, knocking him to the ground. He tried to keep Lance pinned, but a blow to his chin sent him tumbling off. As Evan rushed out to help his friend, Toad jumped at him, smashing him into a tree.
"Tha's it, y'all-," Rogue started, before she saw Aileen coming toward her out of the corner of her eye. Except she changed, no longer a gaunt girl with pale skin, but a tall teenage boy, handsome, with blonde hair. She gasped as she recognized him as Cody, the football player that she had first hurt at the party, so long ago…
"Wha' tha' matter, Marie?" He snarled, his voice definitely Cody's, "afraid to see me?"
"No," she whispered, her body numb with fear.
"Ya hurt me, Marie. An' now Ah'm gonna have mah revenge."
"No! Ah-Ah didn't mean to hurt ya, Ah'm sorry!"
"Too late for tha'," Cody growled, his foot lashing out and striking Rogue in her chest. She rolled over, terrified, her mind filled with raw terror.
**
Behind her, Kurt saw Aileen roughly kick Marie, sending her to the ground. He teleported over to give her aid, only to see the woods go dark and everyone else vanish.
"Vha-?" He wondered, then heard a hissing voice, like wind blowing over dry leaves.
"Kurt," it said, and he felt overwhelming fear as he turned slowly, as though time was trapped in thick molasses. There it stood, the cadaverous monster from his nightmare, one spindly arm clutching for him, its hollow eyes gaping blindly.
Nightcrawler shrieked as it came for him, its decayed skull face grinning…
**
Rogue watched from the ground as Cody picked up a heavy shovel, left by the site's owners. He grinned maliciously, raising the rusted shovel high above his head, obviously aiming it at Kurt, whose face was frozen in a rictus of pure horror. Despite her own bone-chilling fear, she stood, sprinting over to save her blue companion.
Ripping over her leather gloves, she latched onto Cody's face, gritting her teeth in determination. The minute he screamed and arched his back, the moment she saw his true memories, she knew that it was Aileen. The disguise promptly faded, and the girl yanked herself free, half dazed. Rogue had not had enough time to knock her out cold, but at least now she could see through the veil of fear.
Aileen wasn't the only one reeling; Marie's mind was flooded with horrible memories of pain. As she struggled to regroup her thoughts, the other girl scooped up the shovel once more, her face twisted in fury. Rogue had seen her deep secrets, and now Aileen planned to kill her for it. But Marie, noticing her attacker, blindly lashed out, her new power working on her enemy instantly…
**
A figure moved in the thick darkness, and Aileen huddled beneath her sheets, terrified. The air reeked sourly of alcohol and stale sweat and…him.
"Aileen," a gruff voice rumbled, and then there was only silence, punctuated by the rhythmic pounding of her heart. She could feel the cool beads of sweat drip down her face as he spoke.
"You left a mess downstairs, you goddamn bitch." Her father's voice was slurred, and she trembled. The blow that she was expecting came a split second later, his hand violently snapping her heart back. Aileen tasted the coppery blood within her mouth as she cowered against her pillow, petrified.
He grabbed onto her, his meaty fingers digging into her neck and ripping her nightgown. She cried out as she was thrown to the bare floor, and her father's leg pulled back, preparing to pulverize her.
"Nooooooo!"
**
Tolensky heard Aileen's bloodcurdling scream, and he spun around, ignoring Spyke. He could never remember being concerned about a fellow teammate before, but now…He leapt toward her, spraying opaque goo in Rogue's face as he hopped past. He hardly heard her muffled shrieks as she raked at the stuff, clawing.
Aileen was huddled against a tree, her eyes wide and glassy. Toad gathered her up and called out to Lance, who was pummeling Scott unmercifully. He nodded and swept her hand across the grassy ground, sending Spyke and Cyclops flying. Lance grabbed their prize, Kurt, and slung him over his shoulder like a heavy sack.
Then they vanished into the thick forest.