The Darkness

Her grip on his hand stiffened slightly and she scowled. She looked for a momant like she was going to tear him limb from limb however resisted the urge. She quickened her pace slightly, keeping close to him, having to choice but too trust him.

Jackie halted at the door that led onto the street. He turned to Jenny, holding her face gently between his hands. "Wait here for me, I'll just check it's safe. I know I sound strange...but I know...I know somethings wrong." he said, and winced as the voice came back...

"Jackie...be careful...make it dark, let my power be freed, it is yours to wield..."

The voice sounded beckoning, almost nice. But Jackie shook his head. "Don't move, Jenny, not until I say, promise me?"

Jenny frowned as she watched his face for a long momant, her eyes unsure. Reaching up, she brushed a stray strand of hair from his face. "I promace..." she said quietly, unsure to why she was. "I wont move..." she added as extra reasurance.

Jackie smiled at her loving action, and kissed her nose quickly before walking out of the door.

He took a gun from inside his jacket - Jenny didn't know it was there, but hopefully he would'nt have to use it.
He walked onto the street, looking right and left. Everything seemed normal - he could hear a dog barking somewhere, and a police car uptown. But nothing else....

"Jackie, Jackie, Jackie...not even giving us a chase?"

Jackie jumped at the voice, and held his gun towards the voice. A dark figure appeared from behind a bus stop opposite the apartment door. "Why give a chase when I can kill you right here....right now?" Jackie replied, but all of a sudden Hell broke loose.

Another man jumped from behind a wall, and shot at Jackie, hitting him in the arm. "Dammit!" Jackie shouted, and aimed his gun towards the person and shot, a direct hit to the head.

"Jackie...use the Darkess...use it!"

Then it changed.

Suddenly, a long, black tentacle came from Jackie, hitting out the lights on the street. "The Darkness feeds us, Jackie..."

More men appeared, and each one was stabbed by the tentacle, piercing them through the chest and hurling them hundreds of feet away. Then lastly, it grabbed the ringleader, and threw him for miles.

**********************

Moments later, the...monster....within him recoiled, and Jackie came back to himself. He was kneeling on the floor, one hand clutching at his wound on his arm, blood running down his coat sleeve.

He hoped Jenny didn't see that...he wished he hadn't...what the Hell was happening to him?!

At the sound of the first gunshot, Jenny had frowned and oppened the door a crack, pearing outside in the dark. What she had seen... what had she seen? She watched as teh creature within her ex broke forth and reaked havoc. She felt the tears bristle in her eyes as she watched the sceene take place.

Once it was all over and she watched Jackie fall to his knees, she could see the blood glinting in the night. Slowly she let the door creak open, as she took a fearfull yet tentitive step out. "Jackie...?" she called softly, her voice confused.

Jackie felt more than heard Jenny nearing him, and let his head fall. "It's okay now Jenny....it's safe now, the bad people have gone." He stood up very slowly, still clutching at his wounded arm and gave her a smile through gritted teeth. "I hope I didn't scare you, but there were a few guys who wanted to hurt you...I stopped them though." he said. He wished, he hoped more than anything he had ever hoped for before that she hadn't seen anything, that she had stayed where she was.

Wrapping her arms around herself, she looked down at the floor, rolling a rock under her foot lightly as she fought for the words to ask the question that burned inside of her. "What... what happened... that thing... The t-tenticles that came from you... Jacie, they came form you... " she had frozen, too confused to make heads or tails about what had happened. "What the hell is going on?"

Jackie shook his head and sighed heavily.

"I don't know, Jenny...I was running away from those guys who were trying to kill me earlier tonight. I hid in a public toilet but...something happened when the clock struck midnight."

Jackie closed his eyes tightly, reliving the moment. "I changed, it was like, as soon as I turned 20...a monster released inside me. It....it talks to me."

Jenny frowned, dissbelivingly but her memory go back to all that she had seen before... The temticles. Slowly, she stepped out, looking at him. The confusuion in her face. "What... What does it say..?" she said softly.

Jackie shrugged, hanging his head.

"It tells me the Darkness is what makes the power strong, it tells me to...embrace the power...it tells me to use it, it warns me when something is wrong..."

He looked up at Jenny and gave her a weak smile, "This isn't a good evening for you is it?"

To her own suprise, Jenny returned the smile weakly and stepped closer, more confidently then before. "Thats... one was of saying it," she replied however was very cairfull to stay in the pools of light.

Jackie shook his head in despair,

"Embrace it Jackie...go find those who need destroying, get them back Jackie!"

"I'm sorry Jenny, I really am. I never would have asked you to be my girlfriend if I knew this would happen - I would never want you to go through this." he said, his voice cracking with emotion.

Sighing gently, her expression softened as she took a tentitive step foward, as if testing her self before moving over to him. Slowly, she crouched onto her haunches infront of him and reached out softly, lifting his chen gently. She scanned him with a warm, gaze before settling on her knee's infont of him.

"Don't be sorry..." she whispered, allowing her hand to move so it rested on his cheek. His thumb traced her cheek bone softly as she relaxed. "What has happened has happened... all we can do is deel with it..." she said gently.