Darkness Light

He could feel the poison pumping through his veins. Father Armand Sandoval had been hunting them for decades, but tonight he was not the hunter …he was the prey. He could hear them slithering behind him, their claws scraping against the brick and pavement. They were getting closer and he knew there were just too many. Usually he would have been prepared for this but his source informed him that Narcot had left town, obviously she had lied. Soulless bitch, he thought. The only thing he couldn’t understand was why he hadn’t sensed Narcot’s presence sooner. Any other time he could smell the reek of death long before he caught sight of him. It was an ambush. Narcot and his spawns had been waiting for him, expecting him, creeping out from the sewers and city dumpsters. Armand felt the sting of a large needle pierce his back as he stumbled for a bit while the poison flooded his veins. He reached back to pull the needle from his flesh, tossing it to the ground as he continued to run. Armand glanced back nervously into the alley seeing the glow of their eyes slithering back and forth through the darkness. He estimated their numbers to be in the hundreds. He could hear the scratching of their claws getting closer, but if he could keep his pace he figured he’d be able to make it to holy ground. The trashcans he had just passed clamored onto the pavement noisily as they were tipped over by the creatures that pursued him. Armand’s ears alerted to three more needles whizzing through the air behind him. He turned swiftly barely swatting away one of them, while the second needle pierced his leg and the third entered straight into his liver. Armand turned back around pulling the needles from his flesh as he continued to run, but the effects of the poison had now blurred his vision. One creature leapt from the fire escape overhead landing on his back, biting and tearing at his shoulder. Armand snatched the spawn from his back and swiftly snapped its neck. He began to feel weak; the poison had begun to take its toll. His swift run had now fizzled to a dragging hobble. If only he could make it to the monastery, he would be safe there. Another needle penetrated his ankle. The creatures had finally caught up to him. Armand felt Narcot’s spawns pile onto his back, wrapping their snake-like tails around his arms and legs, their claws tearing at his flesh as they dragged him down to the cold wet pavement. He could now sense their master’s presence. Narcot now stood towering before him. His long, greasy, black hair hung down to his chest and his pale, green skin glistened under the streetlights. Narcot’s eyes were as black as marbles, and his veins pulsed with toxic poison, the same poison that was now coursing through Armand’s veins. Tonight, their mission was to kill Armand and destroy his ancient gift. The spawns hoisted Armand in the air offering him to their Master. Armand was riddled with scratches and bite marks from the horrid little beasts. Blood trickled down Armand’s face as he coughed up blood. Narcot held several more large needles, spinning and rolling them in his fingers. One after another he stabbed the needles into Armand, injecting him with the deadly, addictive liquid while breaking off the tips inside his body, one by one. Armand writhed in pain, the poison burning through his body. Narcot seemed to find enjoyment in the sound of the priest’s blood-curdling screams echoing off of the alley walls. After what seemed like an eternity, Narcot revealed a final needle. He stopped looking at it for a moment, as if he hadn’t tortured Armand enough. Narcot leaned in close to Armand, who was now coughing and choking from the fumes released by Narcot’s every exhaled breath. “Your kind is a dying breed, old man, tell me… WHERE IS YOUR GOD NOW?” Narcot delivered the final blow, injecting the needle straight into Armand’s heart before ordering his spawns to release him. Armand fell to the hard pavement taking in his last breaths. His heart pumped furiously trying to fight through the poison, but to no avail. Armand’s heartbeat gradually slowed as he drifted into unconsciousness.