Soundtrack: Sound of Darkness - Shinedown

THE TOUCH OF THE DARKNESS

Two days had passed since Lanas previous break down. After the tension of the Darkness finally left her mind, she was finally able to gather herself enough to get back on her feet, lower her shoulders and sit back in her arm chair.

He mind was still spinning, tense and discomforting, yet empty. Whatever presence was there had left her. For now, at least, and she now found herself sitting by the balcony, heavily smoking a cigarette as she looked out through the glass. It was around 2am, making it impossible for her to spot the town, hadn't it been for one of the idiot habitants that had set the town on fire, it seemed.

The flames didn't bother her, though. In fact, they were pretty to look at. As she watched the flames from afar, she lifted her hand, pulling the cigar out of her mouth between index and middle finger and lowering her hand, before pushing the stump of the still smoking cigarette against her upper arm, squeezing it down with all her might, burning part of her skin in the process.

It wasn't the first time she found relief from the burning, that she had come to consider sensational. It had been going on for months, though it was not as frequent as her... louder break downs. Though when sitting still, and being relaxed, she tended to keep herself that way somehow, by cutting, feeling the skin beneath the cigar somehow subside as the surface changed structure, color.

As the first one finally burned out, she took out another cigar from her package, working the lighter on it as if she had done so her entire life, and placing it between her lips yet again as if she spent her day doing nothing else - pretty accurate. Her only bother about this lifestyle of hers being that she was coming close to running out of cigarettes, meaning she would have to return to the town sometime soon now, if she ever wanted a refill. Which she knew all to well she would not only want, but need.

Before she got the chance to finish her smoking and return her attention to her arm, a knock on the door brought her back to focus. With a heavy sigh she got up onto her feat, fearing that it was Sam returning once again. He had come only a couple hours after she had recollected herself from the previous break down - and was pretty damn close to trigger her into another fit - yet she was too exhausted to even bother anything other then crying.

Stumbling across the room in the direction of the door, she passed by a full length mirror, covering the wall opposite of her bed. Taking a look at herself, she felt a tinge of her old self - her more girly self - the one desperate for popularity, constantly caught up with how she dressed and acted. This old specimen of her was facepalming at how she had somehow allowed herself to let boys into her room, dressed the way she was.

Her hair was tangled, some pieces having knotted themselves together to the point where they were now currently developed into solid dreads. She was wearing a pair of boys boxers and her top was, believe it or not, the t-shirt Quinn had left behind the day she pulled the gun on him.

Lana knew that the lack of sunlight had caused her to skin to whiten, yet she had never realized how bad it had been getting. She damn right looked like an albino. Her somewhat white skin adding up with the rings beneath her eyes from multiple sleepless nights made her look terrifying, not to mention the scars from previous cigarette burns, making a vile contrast, drawing immediate attention.

Yet with the gun in her hand and one of her last cigars between her lips she did not only look like some homeless dealer, but somewhat more badass than originally intended.

There was another knock at the door, drawing her attention back from her unsettling reflection. She closed the distance to the door, glancing through the peephole for safety. After the incident at the Power Plant, four months earlier, even places such as the hotel were deprived of light, and beside her lighting a couple of candles in her room in the evenings, the rest of the hotel was abandoned by all sources of light.

Considering that she never left her hotelroom anyways, it never really bothered her, other than when she had visitors, which would make it harder for her to make out who was on the other side of the door.

She could make out the shape of someone tall, masculine, blonde hair covering the majority of what she supposed was a boys face. A sigh escaped her lips. Although she wasn't planning on going to sleep any time soon, that was not an invitation for Sam to drag her off into the town in the middle of night to heal whatever idiot set fire to the Town Plaza.

For another couple of seconds she just stood there, in front of the door, her hand on the handle and her gaze fastened on the wooden door, wondering if he would go away if she did not answer. She was still shaken up by their previous encounter, even if she had handled the situation well... Well, as in better then usual, anyways.

Another knock and an impatient sigh from the other side of the door, brought her head up to stare straight through the door, were she guessed his head might be located, as if she could see him through the thick wood. Now he was going to leave, she was sure of it, but when he sighed again, he did not walk away. He opened his mouth and spoke.

'I know you're there, Lana.' he said, his voice dark, intimidating, yet not the usual cruelty she'd gotten so used to. She could recall that voice anywhere, and the image of his face entered her mind again, all at once, occupying her head once again.

She unlocked the door and opened it. It was as if her actions were driven by his voice, by the knowledge that he was there.

As the door slid all the way open, they both just stood there, studying each other, taking in the others appearance, as if what the other looked like would somehow update them on what had been going on in one anothers life through out all the lost time.

Lana noted how he today looked nothing like he had two days back when she imagined him last. This time, he was more beat up, his clothing ragged, dusty, his hair even shaggier than she had ever gotten used to. He wasn't tan like she had observed two days earlier; in fact, he was as pale as he'd always been, if you did not count the ultimate dirt covering just about every inch of his bare skin.

And his arm... His right arm was just like she remembered it had been at the end of their two previous encounters. Red, rough skin stretched out into what could only be the most awful replica of a humanized whip.

Lana noticed how he stared at her too, probably taking in the horrid sight of what had become of her.

Then Drake realized she was staring at him, and glanced upwards to meet her eyes, his face twisting back and forth unsure of how to react, of what to say or do to her, now that he was there.

'I didn't walk across the desert all day just to stand here and be gaped at.' he pointed out to her in a taunting manner, a playful sneer playing at his lips as he gestured at her. She did realize she was blocking the doorway, standing in the opening, one hand holding the gun, the other holding onto the door so it wouldn't budge an inch. They both noticed the awkward silence surrounding them as she stepped aside for him to enter.

Not until Drake had gotten the chance to look around the room and Lana had closed the entrance door again, did she walk over to him, grabbing him the moment she got within reach, catching him off guard as she slammed her fist into his jaw.

Her arm went flying even after having hit bullseye, and her body followed along as she stumbled across the floor, her wrist burning. Yet the pain faded quickly, as she got distracted by the sound of the boy behind her groaning and cursing.

'Jesus fuck! First you won't let me in, then you punch me?!' he basically yelled at her, his fiery eyes meeting hers the moment she turned back to face him. 'God, I don't even see why I came at all, then. I had quite a good time running around the town harassing everyone. I should've just stayed there. Getting a good scare on Sammy Boy would be way better of a welcome back then you fucking fist.'

As he blurted all this out, Lana just stood there, staring at him, panting besides not haven showed any great effort at exercise other then taking advantage of Drakes face as a somewhat suitable punching bag. When she said nothing, he continued throwing his tantrum.

'Jeez, I could've whipped him bloody, I could've whipped them all. Yet I came here. Maybe I should just finish you off. Make it quick and then move on over to them, get to finally test this out for once.'

When Drake finally quieted down, he looked over at her, his hand still resting on his jaw, his eyes still brutal.

Then he straightened his stance at the sight of her, the fury in his gaze decreasing as he looked at her wonderingly, curiosity taking over. Why was she just standing there? Besides the words having fully registered her mind, she did not seem bothered by what he'd said at all. Completely untouched.

They stood there, staring at each other in complete silence before finally, he gave in, sighing once again.

'You know why I came here, Lana.' he muttered, not feeling all too comfortable getting so close to what he considered an unnecessary confession. Taking the conversation any further felt inconvenient to him at the moment, no need to talk, really. He knew that she very well preferred silence, and so did he. She wouldn't be any more interested in hearing him open up then he was doing so.

So instead he took the final couple of steps towards her, to once again close up the distance between the two of them, gripping her face with his left hand, holding her against him for a long moment. With their foreheads pressed up against each other, their eyes never leaving each other, Drake finally got the response from Lana that he had wanted for so long, as she moved her head forward to greet his lips greedily.

With fierce passion, they held onto each other, as Lana dropped her gun and cigar onto the ground before finally she jumped into the air, latching onto him, her legs curling around his hips, him holding onto her thighs as he backed up, laying down on the hotel bed with her on top of him.

They went on kissing, moving along each other the same way they had did more then half a year ago, a ghost of a smile spread across the lips of both teenagers.

Drake couldn't help but feel a tinge of anger as he pulled off Lanas t-shirt which he was convinced was a boys shirt. All anger was forgotten pretty quickly though as it was Lanas turn to button up Drakes shirt, finding it quite difficult to pull it off of his whip. They ended up with having to tear up the right sleeve, something which took Lana more time then she imagined, because for some reason she couldn't help but be caught up laughing.

'What's so funny?' Drake asked as he pulled away from her, looking down at her grinning face, waiting for an answer for once, sincerely wondering why his condition was considered so hilarious to her, when nothing else ever seemed to amuse her.

'This just seems too real.' she stated.

It was the first thing she had said to him since he arrived, and would be the last words spoken that night, leaving him wondering for the rest of their time together what she had meant by that.

Somewhere through the night, they both completed the process of undressing the other as clothing was spread across the room. Through out, they rolled around, lustfully fighting for dominance.

Drake never left her side when they were done. Their night together consisted of no stinging blades, harsh words, or possessive gestures. In fact, when they were done and Drake laid with flat on his back with Lana on her side, using his bare chest as a pillow, it all seemed slightly too... normal.

You know you're growing mad when you believe these kind of circumstances are normal, she reasoned with herself, as darkness seemed to cloud her vision, sleep taking over only hours before the sun rised.

A couple of sweat drops trickled down Quinns forehead as he was handed a bucket filled with water from Cigar, passing it on to the next fisherman in the line. They had been going at it like this for too long now, and Quinn was starting to feel his arms tremble from the heavy, constant movements. Yet he did not stop

This was his family, right here. They had accepted him, somehow, even if some had lost hope for him after having betrayed Sam. Yet to them he had become a leader, a friend, and he was looked up to as that. He needed to keep on fighting for the town, alongside them. Everyone had already accepted him after he solved starvation, yet he was never able to live up to his own expectations, pushing himself to his very limit from time to time.

'Quinn!' he heard a familiar voice call out for him.

Quinn didn't turn around to face the tresspasser, considering how he was currently passing yet another bottle and not wanting to stop the work, knowing he would clog the progress for the rest of the group too. Not that there was any need for Quinn to look at the person who was seeking him, for other reasons than showing proper manners, considering how he could easily tell it was Sam.

'Hey brah.' he panted as Sam appeared in his side vision sprinting forward. He slowed his pace and straightened up in front of Quinn, not offering the fishermen any help, and - unfortunately - not pulling Quinn away for more private business. Instead Sam stood in front of him, allowing him to keep working as he spoke.

'The fire seems to be dimming.' Sam stated, clearly accurate. From where Quinn and Sam where standing, they were about fifteen feet from the burning buildings, another fisherman from Quinns crew, lined up from the beach and all the way over to the houses, keeping between 1 and 2 feets distance in between each other as they efficiently passed on the buckets.

Sam looked at ease by the sight of proper cooperation, genuine team work between willing teens who wanted the best for the community of the FAYZ, regardless of wether they'd get paid or not, driven only by the knowledge that it was the best for everyone if the fire was put out.

'Listen Quinn, I have to go get my hands on Zil and the rest of his Human Crew, what with being a leader and all,' Sam started. It wasn't his way of bragging about his already well known status. It was closer to a complaint; Quinn felt as if he could sense Sams sadness, his need for a hug or some kind of support, maybe guidance for him to get rid of the awful burden it was to take charge of the town. Quinn felt slightly annoyed by Sams self-pitying attitude, but tried to remind himself that this was how he always acted himself, and so he really had no right to criticize anyone. Sam seemed kind of off, for a moment, before he caught himself, continuing. 'Listen man, we need Lana down here to do some healing, and everyone else are too busy with-'

'I don't know brah, we aren't really...' Quinn didn't know what to say any further then that, looking down to the ground and scratching his neck with one hand, before he felt the cold metal of a water bucket bump into the side of his arm, forcing him continue with his job as he tried to come up with someway to formulate himself properly, to explain to Sam what had happened. He was completely caught off guard when Sam finished for him.

'So you dropped a glass,' Sam stated, making Quinn glance up at him in shock, having difficulty grasping how Sam might've figured out. 'Look, I went up there myself, alright? Yesterday I went there, and she told me about it. I don't know why, but she did. And then when I tried to talk some common sense into her; I just tried to get her to collaborate with me, really. You know like, act civil and stuff. And she just lashed out at me.'

Quinn wasn't surprised by this, not really, though for some reason the part about Lana telling Sam seemed to bother him a lot. He wasn't sure how much Lana had told him, and although he was convinced that she hadn't vividly explained to Sam exactly how he had ruined the glass, he still felt his face heat up at the thought of anyone having figured out exactly what happened between him and Lana.

'I get that she... did some impulsive shit,' Sam went on, gesturing at Quinns leg, all bandaged up after having been Lanas bullseye. 'But really, you're the only one she ever willingly spoke to. I get it if you don't want to continue those frequent visits, alright, but this isn't about you, Quinn. There are some nine year olds at the plaza now, with some serious wounds. Not fatal, but seriously painful. So go take a second look at those wounds, listen to their whimpers, and then come here and tell me you don't want to do this. You could always find Edilio and get one of his riffles, if you'd rather hunt down Zil for me while I go get Lana?'

'We're going fishing after having put out the fire... Alberts order.' Quinn attempted, knowing all too well that he'd lost. Sams stern voice and expression had made the discussion final. He wasn't sure wether the part about hunting Zil with hunting gear was mere exaggerations to get his point straight, or if Sam was actually serious about this, but he knew for a fact that he certainly did not want to stick around to find out.

'You can fish if you want,' Sam stated, his voice restrained and his eyes looking urgent, stressed out. Quinn was wondering when the last time Sam got a proper night of sleep had been. 'But I understand if it will be to much work, and in that case, don't go fishing today. The other fishermen will do just fine without you for one day. Either way, I'm begging you to get up there and bring her down. You're both obligated to do your part in this community, all right? And currently getting everyone back on their feet is our main priority. '

'Alright.' Quinn said at last, nodding slowly.

'Thanks brah,' Sam said, relief washing over his face. He placed his hand on Quinns shoulder as a sign of gratitude. Then he turned on his heel, running down the street, stopping a couple yards further down, turning around and pointing at Quinn yelling at him 'Be there by sunrise!'

Quinn stayed behind, passing on buckets until the fire finally burned out, before he and the rest of the crew moved on to the boats by the beach to start their fishing. He decided to go fishing before going to get Lana, wanting to come there as late as possible, giving her more time to sleep in hopes that there more rest she'd get the less of a chance there was for him to get shot.

This of course, would be what he would've used as a reasoning if anyone asked him. And although it was true, there was also the same, old whimp inside of him, terrified to arrive at Clifftop, knowing that he'd face a hole new lot of drama he had desperately attempted to avoid for the past month.

Although there was no sight of the sun in the horizon, the sky was beginning to turn lighter, giving Quinn a decent three hours of life before he'd have to go pick her up. He could feel a shiver run up his spine at the thought of returning to the hotel.

He knew she was unstable, and that a lot of horrid things had occurred there. Yet he'd never had any idea just how bad things could get.

Thanks to FAYZlover101 for your review! :)

Merry Christmas everybody!

The next (and last) chapter will be up on the 30th, so make sure to take some time off to read it!