Take Back the Light

Chapter 22

Alana opened her eyes hazily.

She was laying down in her bed, curled up under her blankets. She could hear Ash and Mage sleeping soundly next to her head, their quiet snores the only noise. All seemed peaceful.

But something was wrong.

Her room. It was dark. The Lumino crystals on the ceiling were out. The bioluminescent water lilies in a vase on her dresser were gone.

And why had she woken up?

Alana stayed still as she blinked sleep from her eyes. Heart heart pounded as she looked around rapidly, trying to see through the dark. The only light that came into her room was a rectangle of pale periwinkle shining through her window, the Lumino light coming from the crystals and mushrooms outside.

Her breath caught in her throat as she heard the floor creak quietly. Eyes darting back and forth, Alana began to slowly move her arm under her blankets, reaching for the blaster on her bedside table.

The floorboard creaked again, and Alana froze in fear.

A figure stepped forward into the light. A towering muscular figure, coated in shadows. Darkness obscured his face, but Alana could make out a wicked grin, and a slug that sat on his shoulder with a glowing red eye.

She gasped and threw up her arms, screaming as the man lunged forward. She saw the glint of a blade flash in the Lumino light-

Alana bolted upright, gasping for breath.

Her room was no longer pitch black. Yellow light drifted in through the window. The Lumino stickers on the ceiling were glowing, as were the water lilies in the vase.

She looked around wildly, making sure the figure was gone. But the only other signs of life were her slugs, who were beginning to stir and look up at their slinger with concern.

Tears began to form in her eyes as she rested her right hand over her heart, trying to calm herself down.

Just a dream, just a dream.

Her muscles still ached, even though it was the second morning since the Shane Gang had returned to the hideout. She wiped the tears away from her eyes as memories of the fury in Dana's eyes flashed through her mind, the feeling of the Briardrill thorns cutting into her arms and legs, the darkness that came from the ghouled Phosphoro.

"It all turned out fine," Alana breathed as she pushed away her blankets and stood, stretching out her arms and back.

But what was that dream about?

Alana had always been uncomfortable in the dark. She didn't like not knowing what was around her. She couldn't defend herself if she couldn't see what she was up against.

But that person. Alana's heart was still pounding. Who was he? She felt like she'd never seen him before, but at the same time, her fear felt like it came from experience. She couldn't think of a face to mask the figure, and didn't know what kind or slug- or ghoul- had been on his shoulder. And the blade she had seen hadn't exactly looked like a knife-

Ash chirped, pulling Alana from her thoughts. She smiled and held out her hand. Ash and Mage both jumped into it from her pillow. She raised her hand and Ash jumped on her right shoulder, Mage on her left.

"Sorry for waking you up," Alana said as she walked toward the door, not bothering to change out of her black tank top and blue shorts. Before she could grab the doorknob, another chirp sounded behind her.

Alana turned with a frown, looking down at the ground. Her Hypnogrif, Cipher, was staring up at her. No, not her- Ash.

Cipher frowned and chirped again. Alana frowned and glanced at Ash, who stared back down at the yellow slug. He chirped and shook his head. Cipher growled and shook his head before hopping away. Mage chirped disapprovingly at both the Infurnus and the Hypnogrif.