Chapter 16: Creature of Darkness
The whole mansion crew was filing into the dining area for dinner. Doug and Roberto were comparing tacky Christmas sweaters, while Charles was catching up with Raven, who had just returned from visiting some friends upstate.
"Roberto, when can we eat man? I'm starving," Doug complained.
"Let me see who we are still waiting on," Roberto replied as he glanced around. "Hey Storm, I think we are just missing Que. Have you seen her? I know she went to change and grab some things from your room about an hour and a half ago. I wouldn't be surprised if she fell asleep with all the baking she did," Roberto laughed.
Storm looked over at Raven and the Professor in concern. "No, I haven't seen her. I was just in the room 20 minutes ago, and she wasn't there."
The Professor centered himself more in the room. "Has anyone, aside from Roberto, seen Que since earlier this afternoon?" he asked seriously.
The room was silent as the residents glanced around, watching and hoping for someone to speak up.
"Storm, check your bedroom and the basement, Raven you have this floor, boys the top floor, and Hank if you will check the mansion sensors. I will check on Cerebro. If anyone sees anything, contact me immediately!" the Professor instructed, quickly wheeling out of the room.
Everyone hastily went to search for Que, and after ten fruitless minutes, they met down in the basement war room. The only exception being Hank, who was still going over the mansion security systems and dark matter sensor.
"Nothing on the top floor Professor," Roberto said.
"And the room looked the same as when I left it. She had been there but it's been a while," Storm reported.
"I saw her gifts under the tree in the sitting room. They weren't their earlier this evening. Maybe she went there after changing?" Raven suggested.
"I couldn't pick her up on Cerebro, but if she chose to leave she would have some ability to block me out. So, we know after she left the kitchen, she came down here, and then went upstairs to the living room." the Professor confirmed.
At that moment Hank burst in the doors.
"I've got a visual," he said walking around to project his findings on the screen at the head of the table.
He hit a few buttons on an adjacent panel. Then, a side by side view of the room sensors and outdoor cameras appeared on the screen.
"Look, at 6 o'clock she was in the living room. Then, she exited the mansion through the back doors at 6:05. See?" he said as he showed them video footage from the back. The sensor readings showed a single presence in the living room, then the foyer, then they went blank and a small figure could be seen on the video side of the screen now.
"It was definitely Que," the Professor thought.
The footage showed Que's slim frame, exiting out the back doors and slowly walking toward the forest before disappearing out of visual range.
"Something is not right," the Professor thought.
Storm spoke up quietly "Charles, all of her things were still there. Clothes, computer, backpack, photographs. She wouldn't leave some of those things."
"So, she decided to take an evening stroll by the lake and into the woods?" Doug asked confused.
"No!" Raven spoke up suddenly, standing. "Don't you notice something strange about this?" There were a few blank expressions, but most nodded in agreement that something was off.
"Look," she continued. " First off, there is a foot of snow out there, and she isn't wearing a jacket, gloves, or anything to keep her warm. Plus, look at her posture and gait. Que does not walk like that! She looks half asleep. Charles, could this have been another telepath?"
"I don't know. I didn't sense anyone near. Hank, what about the dark matter?" Charles asked.
"I just got in some more readings… it's definitely here in the city. I think I can pinpoint it," Hank replied.
"Alright everyone, suit up. Doug, Roberto seeing as we are short staffed, and you both are older with combat training, you both may come with us to search for Que," Raven commanded.
The first thing Que felt was the cold. She shuffled her feet and rubbed her eyes. Why was she outside in the middle of the snow? Her vision was blurry at first, but it slowly cleared and the pickling in her scalp subsided. She look around, trying to get her bearings. There were woods to all sides of the clearing she was standing in, and there was around a foot of snow on the ground. Her clothes were soaked through with melted snow, and she couldn't quite feel her toes. What happened?
"Hello? Is... anyone th-there?" she stuttered. She was shaking with the cold, chilling her to her core. There was no answer. All she could hear was the wind howling as it blew snow about around her. It was so dark she could only see vague outlines of trees. She cupped her hands a brought out her light sphere. Immediately she felt the small warm glow of the light gather around and comfort her. She looked up to the sky to see if she could get her bearings any better from there, but the sky was clouded over and the snow was coming down too hard. She looked down and saw she had left a trail from where she'd walked through the snow. Maybe she could just follow it back to the mansion. She had obviously walked, so it couldn't be too far right?
As she turned to follow the path, she heard a deep, slightly distorted voice.
"Well, look at you. Kind of young this time are we not?" the voice said with a sneer
Que whirled around to identify the source. At first, she saw nothing but the blackness and shadows of trees, then as her eyes adjusted, she couldn't believe what she saw. Not eight feet away was the dark shape of a man, only it was like he was out of focus, kind of like his voice. If something could be darker than darkness, this was it because even though the figure was in the shadows he was darker than them.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Que called to the dark shape.
"Oh, come now. You can't remember? I guess you wouldn't, and I would have never believed it would pick a child. It must have been desperate. Oh, this is delicious," he chuckled coldly.
"As for who I am, well lets just say I am death, darkness, and deceit. I am the nightmares that plague your dreams," he replied coolly.
This dude must have had way too much time to think about this. He was so melodramatic, and Que would have pointed this out to him, but as he said the words, Que knew them all to be true. There was something about his presence that all but unhinged her. The very air around her seemed permeated with this cold darkness, and she felt like more of her energy was being drained with every passing moment in his presence.
"Are you going to continue standing their mute? What is your name child? I'd love to hear a few last words before I get you out of my way forever," the figure said.
Kill her? What was he talking about? She had never even met the guy, Que thought incredulously.
"What are you talking about? I have never even met you before!" she retorted as bravely as she could, making her light orb grow double in size and squaring her shoulders toward him. Even if she didn't feel confident she sure wasn't going to show it.
Though as she said the words something felt strange, like it wasn't quite true. She knew 100% that she'd never met a raving, melodramatic, dark blurr, and yet something about him was hauntingly familiar.
"Ah, she does speak and can do a little light trick. I dare say little one, you still don't seem like much, but no matter. I don't have much more time in this form," he continued, sneering, at least, Que thought it looked like a sneer.
"Somebody! Help!" she wanted to scream, but she couldn't speak or move for the terror she felt was like nothing she'd ever experienced. What was going on? What was wrong with her?
Things naturally went from bad to worse. At that moment, Que watched in horror, as his form moved toward her and started shifting into a giant, dark, blurry wolf.
"I have a lock on Que!" the Professor entoned to everyone, sending them the location. She wasn't too far from the mansion. He could see the scene playing out. "He is a threat! I repeat he is a threat! Hurry!"
Storm flew toward the clearing as fast as she could like in the direction the Professor showed them, vlearing a path through the falling snow for her commerades on their snow vwhicles on the ground as she went. As the Professor broadcast the message, they also continued to watch the interaction between the creature and Que unfold. Come on Que run! Why didn't she run? As Storm thought this, she suddenly felt the wave of fear Que was overwhelmed with. Que was never scared, or at least she never showed it. This was bad and the image faded as they grew closer.
As the group burst into the clearing, they were met with a horrid site. There was a giant wolf thing in the center of the clearing. Darkness radiated from its body. Its sharp black fangs and claws were the only focused features of the creature, but they were enough. Que was standing obscured on the other side of the wolf, a giant sphere of light in hand.
The creature saw the group and immediately lunged for Que. Before anyone could react, it was on top of her. She screamed, and let her sphere fly. It was slightly off center but it was good enough to deflect him. It quickly got back to its feet and lunges again. The new commers started blasting the creature with everything they had, and it took notice of them. It reared back with a ground rumbling growl, and black spikes erupted from its body, flying in every direction. They all narrowly missed the unexpected assault of spikes. Que was across the clearing still on the ground after the creatures first attempt. She looked to be in shock.
"Stay alert and moving everyone. Move in your teams. Doug! Grab Que!" Raven called. Storm flanked her friend at this command and started struck the creature with a large bolt of lighting. It faltered, but was mostly unphased as it reared back again with a chilling roar, releasing more spikes in quicker succession. The team scattered as quickly as the could, but they were not as sucessful in evading them this time.
Hank got pinned to a tree, and Roberto dodged one by mere inches. Then there was a blood curdling scream, and they saw Doug laying motionless in blood red snow, a black spike lodged in his side.
Almost instantaneously, a blinding ring of light blast through the clearing. They had to brace themselves against the force, but the X-Men stood their ground, yet before the ring could hit the creature, it dissipated into the sky. The clearing went silent.
Then, rumbling low through the air, they heard the deep, chilling, distorted voice.
"You have your friends now, but they cannot protect you forever. Soon, I will have my full power and form. Then, I will be back for you little one," the voice said letting out one last crackly, chilling laugh. Then there was silence again.