1. In The Dark

Act 1: Blossoming Fires

Chapter 1

The darkness crept into the streets, as a young woman stood at a bus stop, waiting. Her fingers trembled, as she rubbed her arms anxiously. Her short frizzy hair covered her face, winds blowing from every side. Shivering, Alicia gripped her thick jacket together, pressing her already dry and cold hands together against her body. The streets were empty, which left the woman alone and distressed. In her current state, sickly and paranoid, Alicia had seen, what appeared to be, smoky bodies drifting into the sky, obscuring the twinkling stars from above. The bench she’d been sitting on for hours, might as well been ice. Though she was covered heavily from head to toe, the chills of the depressing voids of the night struck deeply into her body, clashing with the mysteriousness of the streets.

Alicia checked her phone. 11:34am. No, she thought, I’ll never make it back in time. She briefly, subconsciously, brushed the back of her hand against the left pocket of her jeans. The pendant. It lay heavy in her pocket. The streets were beginning to blur, the streetlights flickering as well. Her head throbbed, but Alicia tried to push the pain away. I need to let them know, she thought. Alicia stood up, immediately sensing shocks ripple down to her knees. Grimacing, she began to turn away from the bus stop, when she heard a horn pierce through the dead of the night, causing her to jump in surprise. She immediately turned, peering at the road off to the distance. A vehicle's headlights glared through the darkness, blinding the woman. A wild cat, prowling from the bushes behind the woman, emitted a shrill screeching sound, before scampering back into the darkness. The noise, in an environment of near dead silence, echoed throughout the ghastly street, breaking the emptiness.

In the moment of shock, Alicia sensed a string of energy emitting from her arm and into her hands. Oh no, she thought, not now. She glanced down, fearfully. Lines of green, like glowing veins, erupted from the palm of her hands, swirling into the air. Moving as though they had a life of their own. The air began to electrify, vibrations materializing as energy surrounded her. Alicia gritted her teeth, shutting her eyes closed feverishly. The green light from her hands continued to glow for a few more seconds, before escaping through the dark of the night, leaving her in a daze. The bus was moving closer to the stop, the lights much brighter now than before. Her breathing became uneven. She exhaled. Small puffs of smoke materialized into the cold air. Alicia rubbed her eyes, shielding them from the lights.

The bus, now stopped right in front of her, opened its doors to reveal an old man with a slightly puzzled look, replaced immediately by a toothy grin. “Miss, ya lost?” he asked, turning her focus to him. “I need to get to Mildred Avenue, can you get me there?” she asked, slipping her hands into her pockets. “A ’course, may take a min though, make ya self comft’able at back”. Alicia took a deep breath and made her way through the old bus. There were a few passengers, a woman in shawls and a headscarf, two middle-aged men, and a boy, who looked to be her age. Alicia chose a spot at the back, far from the rest of them. The boy, engrossed in a comic book, wore headphones that blasted heavy metal music, which Alicia heard loud and clear, undoubtedly, even at the back of the bus. The woman in shawls clenched her jaw in annoyance, restless, as she frequently peered over her shoulder to glare at the boy. The two men, engrossed deep in conversation, paid no attention to the rest of them. Alicia scrutinized the passengers, before turning to her phone. She was reading a news article. Three men dead from mysterious explosion read the headline of the article. Alicia bit her lip, reading through the contents. Her foot nervously tapped against the floor of the bus. She briefly closed her eyes, leaning against the seat support. Could it be him?

Alicia opened her eyes, peering out through the windows. Houses and large buildings filled the view, illuminated solely by flickering streetlights. Occasionally, she’d find a couple on a late-night run, or a pack of wild dogs trooping into an alleyway. The two men got off on the next stop. Only the boy and the woman remained, soundless as ongoing traffic.

“Boy, if you don’t turn down that music, you will regret it!” the woman vowed, her hands up in the air. The boy, breaking away from his book, glanced at her in amusement before turning back to the pages. The woman grumbled, letting out an audible sigh. “Kids these days don’t respect anything!” she exclaimed.

Alicia seemed perturbed by the commotion, frequently glancing down, in the direction of her hands hidden beneath the pockets of her coat. The bus driver seemed engrossed behind the wheel, weaving through traffic, and beginning to pick up speed. “Driver,” shouted the woman in shawls, “I need to go to the bank, as I said before. How long will it take to get there?” The bus driver turned his head towards her, slightly. “Not long now, I’ve a shortcut that’d get there quick,” the old man said. Alicia sensed her own heartbeat quicken, as though her heart wanted to leap out of her chest. She cleared her head and took a deep breath, glancing back towards her phone. It vibrated in her hand; she received a message. It was from someone named Carol, urging her to hurry. She frowned. Alicia looked out the window. She was getting closer; Alicia could almost hear the loud music echoing through her eardrums. Must be miles away.

Stop them, whispered a voice. Alicia jumped in surprise. She heard it in her mind, a distraught but firm voice that seemed to call out as a plea for help. The voice was synonymous to those of Alicia’s. She shook her head in distress. No, she thought, not again. Her heartbeat quickened as the bus neared the next intersection.

A signal light turned red; the bus stopped abruptly. Outside, there were a few stragglers walking on the side of the road. Alicia stared at them. Their clothes were in tatters, patches of exposed skin revealed layers of dirt and grime. She watched, as the homeless people stopped to stare at the bus that settled in the middle of the empty road. One of them, at the back of their little group, gazed at her, locking eyes with Alicia. “The fire will rise,” they chanted loudly, wide-eyed and fearful. Finally, the signal light turned green, and Alicia immediately turned a blind eye to the group of stragglers as they were left behind.

Her breathing turned uneven, growing heavier with each second. The street they were driving through was almost pitch-black, only the headlights of the bus made it possible to see anything at all. With shaking hands, she fumbled inside her purse, pulling out her tangled earphones. Slipping it on, she connected it to her phone, immediately playing a song in her playlist. The screen showed the title, ‘Control’ by Halsey. Alicia turned the volume high.

The woman in shawls, stood up from her seat and stomped towards a seat situated in the front, scowling. It was clear she wanted to put as much distance between her and the boy as possible. She sat down at a spot behind the driver, who was eating a bag of chips and humming a cheerful tune, one hand on the wheel. They send me away, to find them a fortune, a chest filled with diamonds and gold. The music continued to play. Alicia looked out the window yet again. The streets were empty, very dark, and all she could see were dirty old alleyways and stores that have been barricaded shut. The streets seemed eerie and creepy, sending chills down Alicia’s spine. I sat alone, in bed ‘till the morning, I’m crying, they’re coming for me. The music didn’t seem to ease her mood. Her heart began to pound louder this time. A tight feeling gnawed at her stomach.

Alicia began to rise from her seat, fighting the urge to crawl into a ball. The kid, previously engrossed in his comics, now seemed alert. Scared. Alicia felt silhouettes of smoke and shadows slip through the alleys, attracted by the lights emitted by the bus. A signal light glowed red. The bus stopped. I’m bigger than my body. The earphones were still plugged into Alicia’s ear, when she heard a pounding and yelling coming from the front doors of the bus. They seemed to have approached from one of the alleys that surrounded the bus. I’m meaner than my demons. Alicia, wide-eyed and afraid, clasped her hands on a rail next to her. I’m bigger than these bones. Alicia tore her earphones out of her ears, right before three men in dark clothing entered the bus. “Where’s my money, old man?!” screeched one of the men. The bus driver, previously in a cheery mood, now was paralyzed in his seat, desperate for his life. The old man opened his mouth, but the words struggled to come out. “I-I told you, Jackie, I’d get it to you s-sometime t’morrow,” stammered the old man. Jackie, Alicia desperately thought, where did I see that name before?

Cautiously, Alicia glanced at her phone, and clicked on an article she read moments ago. It showed some of the wanted criminals in the city. She darted her eyes between the men, her phone, and her surroundings. Petrified to do anything; Run, hide, or breath. She found the name Jackie. Scrawny, light skinned, with evil eyes, staring directly at her through the phone, like daggers, was standing only a few metres away from her, at the entrance of the bus. Jackie, as well as the other two men, had an “X” painted on the center of their clothes, faded but legible. It was a dark colour, a mix of shades of purple and a darker, maroon colour, though Alicia couldn’t figure out what it meant. She couldn’t recognize the other two. One of the men, burly and wearing a dark hoodie, was standing beside Jackie, hands tucked beneath his pockets, as though hiding something. Perhaps a weapon of sorts. The other, undoubtedly a cokehead, seemed to hide behind the two men, constantly moving his feet around and fidgeting. Alicia cowered behind another seat as the men and the driver exchanged words. A bead of sweat began to form a path down the side of her face.

“Yeah well,” said Jackie, “Some shit’s been going down, I need it now, or did I not remind you what we could do?” he sneered. One of the men slightly raised their right hand, opening their palm. A flicker of purple light escaped through them. Both the woman in shawls and the boy, were shivering in fear, wide-eyed and shaking in disbelief. Alicia tried to hide herself behind the seat even more, peeking out from behind. “P-please sir, give me time, I don’t got the money right now,” the old man said, shaking. “Well, the poor shit doesn’t have money, what the fuck?” Jackie yelled, suddenly angry. The three men whispered to each other, the other two urged him, motioning over to the passengers of the bus. “If the shit doesn’t have it, let’s see if some of these lovely folk have something for us!”

Jackie smiled wickedly, locking eyes with, first the woman, then the boy, and then Alicia. Alicia was paralyzed; she couldn’t move herself. “I h-have nothing to give, please”, the woman in shawls pleaded. Jackie sighed, rubbing his temples, while pulling back his jacket. “Well, if you have nothing to give,” he continued, grabbing something from his belt, “Then you’re a waste of space”. A loud piercing shot boomed throughout the bus, jolting Alicia from her hiding spot. The little boy began to bawl; long streams of tears rolled down his cheeks, and snot began to dribble down his nostrils. Alicia felt her vision beginning to blur, dazed, and confused. She wanted to shield her eyes, but her body forced her to peer out from the top of the seat, one she frantically cowered behind. Alicia suddenly sensed the flicker of energy again, light emitting from her hands. She stared, fearful, at them. The green light began to flow from the palms of her hands, and danced around her arms, unveiling lines and spiraling waves of green smoke. Alicia hid her arms deep beneath her coat pockets, forcing her to peer out towards the men, in terror. Jackie had pulled out a gun, had the weapon drawn by his side. A smirk grew on his face. The woman in shawls, was now a lifeless heap on the floor. Trickles of blood began to pool beneath her head. Her headscarf had fallen to the floor.

The boy covered his eyes, burrowing his head into his lap. “Now look what you’ve done, Simon,” motioned the old man to the now-dead woman lying on the floor of the bus, “You made me kill a poor woman, over something that could’ve been easily solved”. Jackie then waved the other men over to the body. One of them, the cokehead, scooted down and began to rummage through her purse with shaky hands, reluctantly. “You’re gonna have to give me double of what you owe me now,” Jackie said, “Just cause you made me waste time here”. Simon, shivering and shaking in terror, lowered his weepy eyes towards a shining, but ancient-looking pendant he wore on his necklace, clutching it, as if trying to ward off evil. “Hey boss,” said the man rummaging through the dead woman’s purse, “I found something good”. He held up several wads of cash, in hundred-dollar bills, held together by rubber bands. Totalling more than a thousand dollars. “Excellent, just what we’re looking for,” Jackie said, reaching for the cash, “Looks like it’s enough for now.” He pocketed the money. “As for you, old man,” Jackie continued, staring daggers at Simon, “Next time you won’t be so lucky.” Alicia’s pendant grew heavy in her pocket.

He smiled wickedly. “Although," he continued, taking a step over the dead body, "Your passengers aren’t,” he exclaimed, a sinister twinkle in his eyes. He took a deep breath, exhaled, all while looking around the bus walking over to the boy, who seemed to cower into his lap, willing himself to disappear, “I’m really sorry for this, little boy, but I can’t actually let you off and tell the cops, now can I?” The boy, still weeping into his lap, clutched his comic book and offered it to the man. Jackie sighed. “Alright I’ll humor ya kiddo. ‘Gold Light: The Rise of a Hero’. Did I see that somewhere before?” pondered the man, frowning. He threw the comic away; it landed on the cold, dirty floor, inches from a growing pool of blood. “Never mind, doesn’t matter,” Jackie declared, motioning for the man with the purple light. The other man grimaced, as though he didn’t want to get involved. Dark purple smoke began to flow along his arms, purple light rippled across his palms. The man's eyes also glimmered with a purple light. The light ignited, the smoke slowly churning, purple lightning erupting in the middle of the bus, creeped its way in the direction of the little boy. Simon had tears flow down his face, weeping quietly.

STOP, Alicia’s voice boomed out, just before the purple smoke reached the boy. Everyone in the bus flinched in shock, the man with the purple light retreating, a horrified look appeared on his face. The purple lightning slowly crept back towards the man. Alicia rose, her eyes closed, arms lined with green light and covered by thick smoke, it circled around her and beneath her feet. “What in the fucking he-” Jackie yelled, before a swirling thick smoke began to engulf him, encasing him and pushing him off his feet. Alicia opened her eyes, revealing an electric-green colour of shining light, in place of her irises. Jackie collapsed in excruciating pain, wracking his head, and holding it with his hands, screaming out in agony. “Mom, I-I’m so… I’m so sorry, I-,” Jackie rambled, shivering and afraid. He howled in pain, a disturbing and paining voice, which shook the whole bus. The boy and the old man peered out and stared in wonder, and terror as well, as Alicia motioned her hands. The silhouette of the smoke followed her hands, which moved smoothly around the man. “I... ah, didn’t mean to kill yo-it just happened so suddenly,” Jackie cried, convulsing, spurting blood out of his mouth, “I-I’m so… so sorr-”. The smoke seeped in and out of Jackie's body, controlling him. Suddenly, her hands tightened shut, causing the bright lights to tighten around Jackie, crushing him, as he collapsed onto the floor, exhausted.

A series of fleeting images passed before her mind, memories of some sort. An old apartment, dusty but habitable. Garbage and overturned furniture covered the room. Alicia turned her head, wreaked with sudden pain. The sound of a blade unsheathed from its holster. Her breathing grew heavier. Blood splattered over the walls, and pooling over the floors, a woman clutching at her clothing. The woman dropped to her knees and succumbed. Alicia was thrusted out of the memory, her green light became much brighter, as she stood in front of the very same seat she’d cowered behind. She watched as the lines danced around her fingers. Alicia became strained with energy, exhausted but powerful. As though someone else was steering the ship of her mind. As the green light tightened around Jackie, Alicia sensed the tightening of her powers against her as well, yearning to be free.

No, she thought. Suddenly the enormity of the powers seemed to consume her, controlling it seemed too much of an effort. It wanted to do more. Kill. This isn’t me, thought Alicia. The green light continued to circle around the man on the floor, who seemed barely alive. The smoke also continued to curl and sift throughout the bus. Gritting her teeth and tensing every muscle in her body, Alicia managed to let go of Jackie, which, in return, loosened the grip of her powers around her as well. The rest of the people on the bus; the boy and the driver, along with the other two men, stared at Alicia in shock. Jackie, coughing and trembling, in fear, struggled to get up. For a moment, he could only stare at the light emitted from Alicia, in silence, petrified. Seemingly with newfound energy, Jackie got up and staggered to the entrance doors, throwing himself against the other two men, who seemed frozen in place. They regained their senses. The three men bolted out of the bus, tripping over each other, as they raced into the dark of the night, slipping into an alleyway.

For a long moment, Simon and the boy stood in fear, paralyzed at the surprising new turn of events. A loud honk whizzed past them in the open road, rays of blinding headlights freed the two from their state of mind. The old man jumped, while emitting an audible squeal, obviously still traumatized from the recent events, while the boy attempted to compress himself in his seat even further. The car that passed them, continued to race through, becoming just a dot in the horizon, away from view. Though, they continued to glance at her from time to time. Alicia felt the energy dissipate, the smoke and green lights beginning to disappear from their view. She glanced around the bus, locking her eyes towards the dead body of one of the intruders. Another tear slipped through her eyes, as she struggled to look away from the woman in shawls. And then another. Alicia began to weep quietly, holding onto a railing for support. She’d almost killed a man. She gazed at her surroundings in despair, the green light completely faded from view. She stared at her hands; a little worn and grimy but didn’t seem to have any proof of any type of divine energy.

“I-I thought I saw somethin’ in ya hands,” Simon whispered, “when I saw ya at the stop. Yer one a them”. Alicia slumped over a nearby seat, dazed. She could barely move anything now. The boy, still wide-eyed and terrified, mouthed a thank you as he turned away, facing the front of the bus. The temperature suddenly seemed to drop down fifty degrees, leaving Alicia shivering and covering herself profusely. Simon, now seemingly normal, sighed. “Don’t ya worry, miss. They was some big bads there, ever heard of the Dark X’s?” Alicia, still distraught, shook her head. Simon turned to the ground. “Lemme jus’ say that ya saved mo' lives than us, darling”. The old man ran his hands over his head, leaning against a pole. “I’ll be takin’ care of d’body n’ yer destinations,” he muttered, pausing for a moment, before lowering his voice “jus’ perhaps wish t'man died too”.

The boy, with shaky hands, reached down and slipped on his headphones, but left the volume down to its lowest. The woman’s head stopped bleeding, but the pool of blood continued to seep along the floor. He reached down to retrieve his comic, which had settled onto the floor of the bus, amid the chaos. A small edge of the comic was covered in blood. The boy trembled.

Several minutes have passed, where none of the passengers have exchanged words. Sitting in the silence of the night. Simon wasn’t humming a cheerful tune anymore.

Alicia suddenly felt a drop of a liquid on her face. It was a clear liquid, might’ve been water. She glanced up, but there hadn’t been any leakage from the roof, and it hadn’t been raining. Alicia wiped off the water-like liquid, and tried to relax in her seat, still trembling.

Simon sat in the driver seat, turning the key to the engine. The bus roared, as it began to take on gradual speed, driving through the darkness of the streets. The headlights of the bus were turned on, shining a pathway along the road. Alicia felt another drop of water. Confused, she wiped her face again, glancing around her. “Did anyone feel that?” she said. “Feel what, miss?” Simon yelled. Alicia stared at the driver, who turned to look at her, still driving at full speed. “Nothing, it’s fine. Just drive”. Simon glanced at her in a questioning gaze, before turning to face the road. The boy glanced at both curiously, before turning to read his comics. Something feels wrong, Alicia thought. She pulled out her cell phone from her pocket. The screen wouldn’t turn on, the battery seemed to be fully drained. Weird, she thought, it was almost full just a moment ago.

Droplets of rain began to drizzle onto the windows of the bus. Streetlights emerged along the side of the road; they were entering a neighborhood. Alicia continued to peer out the windows. Rows of houses passed by as they drove. There were more people on this street, either walking or going for a nightly jog, along the sidewalks. The rain was starting to pour much heavier now, pounding against the roofs and windows of the bus. “I’m getting off at the next stop,” the boy said, moving closer to the front. “Oh boy, you better get home quick, storm here looks a handful.” The boy nodded, holding onto a pole. Water was beginning to seep through many of the opened windows of the bus, spilling onto the seats and the floors. The wind was howling, and soon Alicia felt more of the droplets on her face and her coat. “Oh, boy,” Simon said, concerned.

“Are you going to call the police?” the boy questioned. Simon, distraught and glancing at the boy, sighed. “I’d say, if any a’us did that, we’d been ending up like that poor ol’ lady there”.

The storm outside had become stronger by the second, water began collecting and pooling on the floors of the bus. The rain began to pour heavily inside, showering Alicia, her hair and clothes soaked. “Wake up,” the boy muttered. “Sorry, what?” she questioned. He turned to look at her, wide-eyed but emotionless, walking towards her. “Wake up!” He cried. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” she exclaimed. The rain and water broke through the windows, crashing through, causing a flood inside the bus. Alicia got a mouthful of the water, as it slammed through the windows, and into the bus. The boy, struggling to walk in the ever-increasing flood, ran slowly towards her, his facial expressions a mix between fear and shock. What the hell? Alicia thought.

WAKE UP, a voice inside her head yelled. The boy, still running, jumped towards her, his clear anxiety rippling through his face. The bus driver continued to drive, not noticing the boy, or the flood. As soon as he reached towards her, the boy disappeared. Suddenly, everything turned black.

Continued on: The Lights

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