Nightmares... Pt.7

With the amulet in hand, the group set to locating Yami and Chilled as they awaited the remaining members in the Irish man's home. Mark had been attempting to locate the British man using his persoanal connection to him, but to no avail. It was likely that the creature's aura was blocking both of theirs, making tracking them near impossible. The storm outside wasn't helping their situation either; the wind as howling, the rain assaulting the ground as lighting tore open the bruised skies, thunder erupting moments later. 

"You guys need to calm down, you're going to drown this place."

Minx sighed, holding Krism close to her side as they sat upon the pleather couch. The storm waned for a brief moment, only to return to full force moments later.

"I'm sorry, but I can't seem to control it as well at the moment. Now, things like 'natural disasters' are to help the planet. But this... This feels like my energy has been thrown off balance..."

"I think this whole incident if affecting all of us... No matter how hard we try, once we get emotionally involved in a situation such as this, our powers fluctuate, even if it's only a little..."

"How would that affect the rest of us?"

Mark pondered, the question swimming throughout the group's thoughts. If it affected Mother Nature in such a manor as displayed outside, the others abilities could have just as concerning results. A knock on the front door broke the awkward silence, and Jack went to answer the door, wary of who their next guest may be. But upon opening the door, they were greeted with two familiar faces. Drenching wet from the storm, both Cry and Felix stripped themselves of their jackets and boots, piling them next to the rest.

"So... What's the plan captain?"

"We try to find out where they are, sneak in, and try to trap it in this amulet."

Ken explained swiftly, twirling the sparkling amulet between his fingers listlessly, his eyes gazing somewhere far beyond the room. As the couple shuffled near the fire, Minx immediately sensed that something was off. And as she observed the room, she noticed that the others were picking up on it as well. The dark, foreboding aura that begun to choke out the air in the room, ice-like dread seeping into their pores. Cry seem to be ignorant to the sudden change in atmosphere,  and Felix simply kept his head low, showing no emotion. 

Looking to her parents, then to her brothers, a plan was set with a few simple gestures. No words needed to be spoken, they knew what needed to be done. As Adam gently pulled Cry away from his boyfriend, both Ken and Minx kneeled before the Swedish man, reaching for him. But he pulled away from their tender touch, and it became apparent that he was crying. Hot, salty tears bit through the chilled rain upon his face, leaving his face flushed crimson.

"Felix, what happened?"

"It hurts....."

His hoarse voice was just barely above a whisper, but they heard it clearly as day. Again, Minx reached for the trembling man, but released him once he let out a pained whimper.

"Please.... You all make it hurt...."

"Make what hurt? Can you tell us?"

"When.... When Cry went to go out, while... I was doing my charity stream....... I took a break.... This... This shadow, thing, came out of nowhere.... Told me if I said anything to Ryan he'd kill me...... Then my chest.... It was as if he was holding a burning stick to my chest.... Around Cry, it started to hurt.... Around all of you, it's unbearable..."

"Hm... Jack, come over here. You're not related by blood, so he shouldn't have a bad reaction to you."

Joining Minx next to Felix, he carefully helped the Swedish man remove his sweater, revealing a startling discovery. There seemed to be something implanted in his skin above his heart, curled into a coil. It bruised the skin that was stretched taught, but what it was was a mystery. But as the Irish man reached out to prod at it, it suddenly began to move, as if whatever the shadow had implanted was alive.

As tears ran down his cheeks, the group watched in horror as the creature burrowed out of Felix's skin, revealing its odd appearance. It was long, midnight black, and smooth, it fine features accented by the black blood seeping out of the wound. The pattern that adorned its sleek skin gave them the impression that it was a serpent of sorts. Jack yelped as he jumped back, but he couldn't pull his hand away in time. The snake-like creature leaped onto his arm, making its way to his head in a blink of an eye. And before anyone could react, it wormed its way up Jack's nose, and straight into his skull. 

The room was speechless as the Irish man fell backwards, his body convulsing violently as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. But just as it seemed that the creature was surely to kill him, Jack suddenly went limp. The snake then crawled out of his mouth, a trail of  bloody saliva left down his face, its blind head searching for another target. Adam gave Ken a quick glance, urging his partner to use his abilities to remedy the situation. But before either could react, the snake lunged again, this time aiming for Mark. 

As fast as lightening bolt, it worked its way into Mark's skull before he could react, producing the same result as Jack. But this time it didn't come back out after he stopped convulsing. Ken motioned for the rest of the group to stay back, uncertain if it would resurface at any moment. But as he placed two fingers against Mark's neck to check for a pulse, the youtuber suddenly began coughing violently. As they settled down, the coughs became wheezes, and as Mark slowly opened his eyes, all that was visible were the whites.

"Mawk..... Please, help us.... He's keeping us in a warehouse in Canada..... *Whimper* It hurts.... I know.... The province is British Columbia, the city is Vancouver.... *Yelp* Iloveyou-"

And just as quickly as it had happened, Mark collapsed once again, the snake almost melting out of his mouth, turning into what appeared to be liquified shadows, no longer on the prowl. It was dead, its purpose fulfilled. The air instantly became clear of the darkness that had once occupied the space, but the dread remained as they stared at their dazed compainions.

Jack shook his head, groaning heavily as he sat up, his back pressed against the wall. Blood still dripped lightly from both his nose and his  mouth, but that's not what shocked the group. Upon opening his eyes, it was evident the snake-like creature had altered his appearence.

"Whoa... Jack... Your...Your eye...It's not...."

"It's not what?"

"The white on your right eye....it's.... green."

Stumbling to his feet, Jack hobbled towards his bathroom, eager to see the change for himself. Both Krism and Minx followed the Irish man, making certain that the sudden change in eye color was the only side effect he would be experiencing.


Meanwhile, the rest of the crowd hovered around both Felix and Mark, hoping that the pair were alive and well. Cry and Ken had rushed off to the kitchen, discovering a first aid kit underneath the sink. Returning to bandage Felix's chest, they were relieved to hear Mark groan next to them.

"Mark! Mark! Are you alright?"

"Ow... my head.... Wha-what happened to the snake?"

"It died, but not before it explained Yami and Chilled's whereabouts. Don't worry buddy, they're almost home."