Categories > Celebrities > AFI > December Starlight
There must have been hundreds of them. Hundreds of pairs of cold, gray eyes stared at him from all directions. None of them made a move to attack him, or even greet him.
Two figures in particular caught his eye. They faced him directly, as if to say something, but they could not. None of them could.
None of them could move or speak because they were all statues.
Davey was in solid shock. Chills ran down his spine. He felt his own breathing stop from terror as if he was about to become just like them. He had finally found them. Hunter. Adam. The Despair Faction. All of them stood before him, frozen in time and turned solid. A thin, dusty ice lightly frosted their features, yet held them in place as strong as stone.
"Hunter...Adam...how could I let this happen to you?" he slowly asked himself. It seemed impossible. His friends, the people he had searched for all this time, were frozen and probably dead. They seemed to reach toward him, with the fingers of their outstretched hands slightly curled. It was the same way he had seen them the first time, right before Stella had sent him plunging through the ice and into the world of Decemberunderground.
"Once we were together," Davey whispered to himself, staring straight into their eyes. "But now I am simply surrounded."
Yet even now this was not the strangest thing he saw. Directly between Adam and Hunter stood a newer statue. It was a younger boy, probably a teenager, with sickly white skin. Hair of black ink fell in front of his now gray eyes.
Davey then realized that Shade had never really looked alive to begin with.
"Shade," he said, voice barely a whisper. He wondered what kind of power these Ghosts had to have to do something like this. Shade was a powerful magician. Davey found that to be very clear. But it looked like he had been brushed aside and easily disposed of, just like the others before him.
Davey closed his eyes and looked at the floor. He felt hot tears begin to form, but squeezed his eyes tightly shut. He would not cry. He had had enough of this. Enough running. Enough crying.
Enough being a second too late.
He opened his eyes and locked gazes with Shade, becoming more determined than ever. This was not over. Not by a longshot. He may have lost Adam and Hunter. He may have lost Shade. He may even have lost half the people in the Despair Faction. But he was not about to lose his only friend left.
Davey turned on his heel and briskly walked out of the room. He wasn't sure where he was going, but he was determined to find Zio and finish this. Nothing was going to stop him.
He heard a sound that halted him in his tracks. It was familiar. He looked toward it. The sight that reached his eyes nearly stopped his heart.
"It's okay, Nex. I'll never let them hurt you," Jade said quietly as the girl cried into his shoulder. Davey quickly hid himself before he could be noticed. Stealth would work to his advantage in a situation like this.
"Jade...you didn't see what they did...to all those people-" She burst into tears before she could finish speaking. Jade tried to reassure her, but it was difficult. "They're all dead!"
"Calm down, it's okay...you're safe..."
"Unfortunately I'm afraid that's no longer true," said a power-filled voice that echoed ominously around the room. Davey's eyes narrowed upon hearing it. His hands began to grow hot.
"Zio, stay away from her. You've done enough damage," Jade said defensively. Davey heard dark laughter.
"You think you can stand against me? That is amusing. I disposed of all your little friends without a second thought. Even that so-called magician of yours. Nothing more than a sad excuse for an illusionist, I'm afraid." There was a brilliant flash of white light, and Davey heard Nex scream. "And now I'm rid of you as well, /Jade/," Zio said disdainfully. Davey inhaled sharply and silently. Not Jade too.
"Let go of me!" Nex shouted, trying to control her sobs.
"I'm afraid I can't do that, Nex. And no one is going to save you now." Davey stepped out of his hiding place to see Zio holding Nex up by one thin wrist. His emerald eyes narrowed in anger. "There is nothing you can do to save her. I hope you realize that, though I would not be surprised if you act as foolishly as your friends have."
"This has nothing to do with her, Zio. Let her go." Zio laughed darkly.
"You have no say in the situation. I advise you to leave for your own good." Davey's response was a blast of fiery magic aimed at Zio's heart. He dodged it in one fluid step, though some of his platinum-blond hair was singed. Growling angrily, he threw Nex to the other side of the room, where she slammed into the wall with a sickening crack.
"Nex!"
"Her injuries are minor compared to what you are about to endure." Davey considered his options. Nex wasn't likely to last much longer, especially with any broken bones. He had to protect her, but if anything happened to him, they would both die.
"Why are you doing this, Zio?" he asked, taking a slight step to his left while keeping eye contact with the Ghost.
"That is not of your concern." Zio copied his single step. They began to move in a circle, mimicking each other's steps exactly. Davey kept watch on Nex out of the corner of his eye. She wasn't moving at all; he couldn't tell if she was even breathing.
"Actually, it is. You've gone too far with what you've done to my friends, Zio. Now you have to answer to me." Only a few more steps, and he would be between Nex and Zio...
"Answer to you? You're mistaken in that regard. I am the rightful leader here, not a weak, pathetic punk who can't see that he's about to die." Davey was one step away from being directly in front of Nex's seemingly lifeless body. He almost took that step.
"And I'm afraid your little plan isn't going to work." Zio released a wave of arctic ice at the wall. It narrowly missed Davey, who thought Zio had merely aimed poorly, but then he saw its real target. The blast flattened Nex against the stone for several seconds before subsiding. When it did, she fell to the floor, face down. Davey let out a low growl upon seeing the blood.
That was when all hell broke loose.
Two figures in particular caught his eye. They faced him directly, as if to say something, but they could not. None of them could.
None of them could move or speak because they were all statues.
Davey was in solid shock. Chills ran down his spine. He felt his own breathing stop from terror as if he was about to become just like them. He had finally found them. Hunter. Adam. The Despair Faction. All of them stood before him, frozen in time and turned solid. A thin, dusty ice lightly frosted their features, yet held them in place as strong as stone.
"Hunter...Adam...how could I let this happen to you?" he slowly asked himself. It seemed impossible. His friends, the people he had searched for all this time, were frozen and probably dead. They seemed to reach toward him, with the fingers of their outstretched hands slightly curled. It was the same way he had seen them the first time, right before Stella had sent him plunging through the ice and into the world of Decemberunderground.
"Once we were together," Davey whispered to himself, staring straight into their eyes. "But now I am simply surrounded."
Yet even now this was not the strangest thing he saw. Directly between Adam and Hunter stood a newer statue. It was a younger boy, probably a teenager, with sickly white skin. Hair of black ink fell in front of his now gray eyes.
Davey then realized that Shade had never really looked alive to begin with.
"Shade," he said, voice barely a whisper. He wondered what kind of power these Ghosts had to have to do something like this. Shade was a powerful magician. Davey found that to be very clear. But it looked like he had been brushed aside and easily disposed of, just like the others before him.
Davey closed his eyes and looked at the floor. He felt hot tears begin to form, but squeezed his eyes tightly shut. He would not cry. He had had enough of this. Enough running. Enough crying.
Enough being a second too late.
He opened his eyes and locked gazes with Shade, becoming more determined than ever. This was not over. Not by a longshot. He may have lost Adam and Hunter. He may have lost Shade. He may even have lost half the people in the Despair Faction. But he was not about to lose his only friend left.
Davey turned on his heel and briskly walked out of the room. He wasn't sure where he was going, but he was determined to find Zio and finish this. Nothing was going to stop him.
He heard a sound that halted him in his tracks. It was familiar. He looked toward it. The sight that reached his eyes nearly stopped his heart.
"It's okay, Nex. I'll never let them hurt you," Jade said quietly as the girl cried into his shoulder. Davey quickly hid himself before he could be noticed. Stealth would work to his advantage in a situation like this.
"Jade...you didn't see what they did...to all those people-" She burst into tears before she could finish speaking. Jade tried to reassure her, but it was difficult. "They're all dead!"
"Calm down, it's okay...you're safe..."
"Unfortunately I'm afraid that's no longer true," said a power-filled voice that echoed ominously around the room. Davey's eyes narrowed upon hearing it. His hands began to grow hot.
"Zio, stay away from her. You've done enough damage," Jade said defensively. Davey heard dark laughter.
"You think you can stand against me? That is amusing. I disposed of all your little friends without a second thought. Even that so-called magician of yours. Nothing more than a sad excuse for an illusionist, I'm afraid." There was a brilliant flash of white light, and Davey heard Nex scream. "And now I'm rid of you as well, /Jade/," Zio said disdainfully. Davey inhaled sharply and silently. Not Jade too.
"Let go of me!" Nex shouted, trying to control her sobs.
"I'm afraid I can't do that, Nex. And no one is going to save you now." Davey stepped out of his hiding place to see Zio holding Nex up by one thin wrist. His emerald eyes narrowed in anger. "There is nothing you can do to save her. I hope you realize that, though I would not be surprised if you act as foolishly as your friends have."
"This has nothing to do with her, Zio. Let her go." Zio laughed darkly.
"You have no say in the situation. I advise you to leave for your own good." Davey's response was a blast of fiery magic aimed at Zio's heart. He dodged it in one fluid step, though some of his platinum-blond hair was singed. Growling angrily, he threw Nex to the other side of the room, where she slammed into the wall with a sickening crack.
"Nex!"
"Her injuries are minor compared to what you are about to endure." Davey considered his options. Nex wasn't likely to last much longer, especially with any broken bones. He had to protect her, but if anything happened to him, they would both die.
"Why are you doing this, Zio?" he asked, taking a slight step to his left while keeping eye contact with the Ghost.
"That is not of your concern." Zio copied his single step. They began to move in a circle, mimicking each other's steps exactly. Davey kept watch on Nex out of the corner of his eye. She wasn't moving at all; he couldn't tell if she was even breathing.
"Actually, it is. You've gone too far with what you've done to my friends, Zio. Now you have to answer to me." Only a few more steps, and he would be between Nex and Zio...
"Answer to you? You're mistaken in that regard. I am the rightful leader here, not a weak, pathetic punk who can't see that he's about to die." Davey was one step away from being directly in front of Nex's seemingly lifeless body. He almost took that step.
"And I'm afraid your little plan isn't going to work." Zio released a wave of arctic ice at the wall. It narrowly missed Davey, who thought Zio had merely aimed poorly, but then he saw its real target. The blast flattened Nex against the stone for several seconds before subsiding. When it did, she fell to the floor, face down. Davey let out a low growl upon seeing the blood.
That was when all hell broke loose.
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