Status: Work in Progress.

Acrylic Bones

Dark Light

Sean sits at the tall bar stool, his head lowered into his hands. Three nights have passed since his discovery of the murder. Three nights of nightmares; of cold lips smiling at him through the fog, of things that whispered in the night. Of blankets that wrapped around his body like the fingers of some angry, sadistic God.

Breathing out into the smoky room, Sean pinches the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger as the memory comes back to him. The the orange and gold light in the bar flickers. The room is full with the low hum of conversation, of men speaking in their deep voices, breathing low above the circular tables behind him. The entire building is made of wood, and it reeks of cigarette smoke and sweat, underlain by the sweet smells of alcohol and licorice. Resting one elbow against the bar, Sean glances about to watch the other bar patrons. None are particularly threatening, nor interesting, and he goes back to his drink. Ice clinks against the tall glass as he rolls it through his fingers. Amber liquid washes up the side of the glass.

Turning his mind back to the happenings of that night, Sean closes his eyes and breathes out deeply.

-

"What the fuck are you doing here?" he asks. The boy in front of the door looks mildly taken aback, and more than mildly offended.

"Whoa - sorry man." the figure apologizes quickly, holding up his hands. "I was just in the area, and I thought I heard someone scream. Just wanted to make sure everyone was alright." as he spoke, he glanced past Sean into the cabin.

Before he knew what he was doing, Sean had stepped through the door and wrapped his hands around the smaller boy's jacket. He lifted him off his feet, dragging him out into the clearing. The features of his handsome face curled in rage, and his blue eyes glittered dangerously.

"You killed her, didn't you!" It wasn't a question. The shout rang of accusation.

"Let me go, Penbeaurogh." the boy whispered, not in the least bit intimidated. His pointed chin was tilted upwards slightly, and he looked down the bridge of his nose at the larger boy. "You have no idea what I'm capable of."

"Oh I think I have a pretty good idea, murderer." Sean snarled, bringing his face close to the other boy's. Robin Albrick, the boy from the bookstore. Sean could feel it, now. The almost static-like crackle against his skin as he came close to the other boy. The darkness lying just beneath the surface, hidden.

Robin was like a swamp, Sean thought. He looked pretty enough to make people want to step on him once, just safe enough to make people think it was okay to test the surface. But beneath his thin exterior, the waters were dark and seemingly endless. Filled with loathing.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Robin murmured.

"Sean, what are you doing?" his mother's voice called out from behind him. "Let that boy go!"

Sean stood where he was, the muscles in his arms tense as he held the other boy above the ground. Robin's black eyes seemed to glow, rage and hunger swirling just beneath their surface like a fine wine.

"Let me go, Penbeaurogh." he murmured, his silky voice hard-edged. "This will go much more smoothly for you. I didn't kill whoever you think I killed, I assure you."

"Oh good." said Sean. He let the other boy go, and tucked his hands into his jean pockets. "I'm reassured, then."

"Really?" the other boy asked calmly, taking a step back and tilting his head to one side as though reconsidering Sean.

"No, fuck you!" Sean shouted, taking a step forwards and swinging at the other boy with all his might.

"Pity." Robin shrugged. Only his arm moved as Sean's fist whistled towards him, though Sean didn't actually see it happen. It was as though the other boy twitched, and then Sean was lying on his back. His breath left his lungs in an explosion he struck the ground, and the other boy's foot pinned him there. It was like being trapped under a ton of bricks. He gasped, his hands clutching at the boy's ankle as he fought to roll out from under the killing grip, but it was useless.

"Enough!" said Robin, stepping back and removing his foot from Sean's chest.

Sean gasped breath back into his screaming lungs, coughing as he did so. Rolling onto his side, he glared at the other boy and gulped in the air.

"Besides," he said, turning his back on Sean where he lay gasping on the ground, "I didn't kill them. Who was it?"

"Girl ..." Sean gasped "... in the ... beer store."

"Not Sophie!" Robin whirled around, his black coat spinning around his whip-like frame as he spun. Striding forwards, he grabbed Sean and hauled him to his feet. His black eyes were wide and desperate. "Was it Sophie?!"

"Not ... Sophie." Sean managed. "Other girl."

Robin looked like he might collapse in relief, releasing Sean's coat and stepping back. His face was vaguely embarrassed as he smoothed the front of his own coat with his hands. "Ah," he muttered, "Kathryn. Too bad. She was a lovely girl - usually. She could be a bit of a bitch if you got on her bad side, and she got pretty messed up if you put any drinks in her, but she definitely didn't deserve to die for it."

"You knew her?" Sean asked, narrowing his eyes at the boy in front of him.

"Call us mutually-inclined neighbors. We both had a love of horror movies and salty foods."

"So why'd you kill her?" Sean asked, unwilling to drop his opinion. His instincts were rarely wrong, and ever nerve in his body screamed that he was staring at the girl's murderer. In his mind, the image was there. Robin Albrick, standing beneath the tree, a dark, intimidating shadow. The same shadow which had shown him the girl's body. Everything fit.

"Accuse me of that again, Penbeaurogh - and I'll break your neck. Any other questions?"

Sean stepped forwards slightly, meeting the other boy stare for stare. Both of them were every inch the warrior, bodies tense as they faced off. Robin's dark eyes watched him; a strange mixture of confidence and wariness. "What are you, Robin?" he whispered.

"What do you mean?" the other boy asked, frowning slightly. "As in, who am I?"

"What are you." Sean repeated, his voice low. "I saw it in the bookstore. You can't hide it from me, Robin. You reek of evil."

The other boy smiled, his teeth brilliant white and straight in his open lips. The smile was friendly; genuine, somehow. "Now that's just rude." he murmured. "I'll have to take a shower when I get home." Sean went to speak, but the other boy continued over him. "... Besides, we all have our demons."

"Why are you here, Robin?" Sean asked, his voice tired. "Are you really just here to exchange cryptic hints and assault me on my own property?"

"You swung first." Robin brushed off his accusation. "And no, I'm not. I'm here to tell you that you have to leave. You and your mother - though you're the issue."

"The ... issue?" Sean asked, taken aback. "What are you talking about?"

"You really don't know." Robin whispered, as though to himself, and then clasped one hand on Sean's shoulder. "There is far too much to explain right now. Can we talk soon?"

"Now would be ideal."

"Alleycat. It's a bar in town. Just off the main road, follow the third alley on your right. It'll take you right to it. Meet me there just before dark, four days from now. We'll talk then."

-

And so, Sean now sits in his bar stool, waiting for Robin to enter the bar. The morning before, the police station had received a call from a phone in town telling them of the body in the woods. Sean had made sure to speak through his sweater, so his voice would be unrecognizable.

He doesn't have to wait long. Robin's unmistakable figure enters through the doors a moment later, and looks around. As soon as he sees Sean, his dark eyes fasten to him and he gestures towards the door. Sean frowns slightly, but levers himself off the bar stool and follows.

Outside, the air is cool and dark. The sun has just set, and the purple-blue sky is still lightly brushed with deep red and grey. Stars, silvery points of light in the sky far above, shine brightly. The moon is waning, but still almost full. It casts the whole world in translucent, ghostly white light, and makes Robin look even more sinister than he usually does. A light breeze causes Sean to shiver, raising goosebumps along his exposed skin. Tonight, he wears only an off-white t-shirt, tinged slightly with age, faded jeans, and his usual leather shoes. His blonde hair still looks matted from sleep, and he rakes his long fingers through it as he meets the boy outside the bar doors.

"Evening, Penbeaurogh." Robin greets him, turning down the alleyway. "My car's parked just over here. Next street over."
The other boy wore his usual long black coat. Underneath, he seems to be wearing a one-piece suit. His black suede shoes make a soft clicking sound against the pavement as he walks. A black beanie with the North Face logo is pulled down over his jet-black hair.
"Thought you might not make it."

"What's with all the secrecy?" Sean asks, matching the other boy step for step. "You understand how sketchy this looks, right?"

"Yeah, trust me." Robin assured him, his dark eyes glancing in each direction as though he might find police officers hidden in the brick walls. "What we're doing right now is more dangerous than you know."

"You know what, Albrick -" Sean muttered, "you're one creepy mother fucker."

The other boy turned to him with a smile, his white teeth flashing in the moonlight.

"It wasn't a compliment." Sean sighed under his breath.

"Whisper sweet nothings in my ear, Penbeaurogh." Robin said sarcastically as they left the alleyway and stopped at his car. "You're a real sweet talker."

The car was painted grey, with a beige interior and grey-tinted windows. Sean clicked open the passenger-side door and crawled in. Robin followed quickly, falling into the driver's seat and twisting the key in the ignition. The motor made barely a sound as they pulled away from the curb and wound their way through the city. Neither boy speaks. Sean looks out the window, studying the night sky as they drive. The stars seem especially distant tonight. And cold, somehow.

"So," Sean said after a while. His voice sounded awkward after the silence. "Where are we going for our first date?"

"My room, if you keep that up." Robin smirked. "Or more specifically, my bathtub. I'm pretty sure I have enough chemicals to dissolve a body."

Despite himself, Sean chuckled.

"There's a small clearing on the edge of town. It's hidden by the trees, enough that nobody will see what we're doing. More importantly, whoever's been killing people won't be able to feel us."

"Feel us?" Sean's voice was hesitant. "Jesus. Can't you just tell me what you need to in the comfort of the bar. I prefer to be suitable hammered while discussing murder, anyways."

"It's not something I can tell you about." Robin said, shaking his head slightly. His black eyes stayed fastened to the road ahead. "We won't be able to seriously discuss the matter until you've seen it for yourself. Then we'll talk in booze-induced comfort. My word on it."

Sean let the matter stand, and they pass the rest of the drive silently. The distance between the houses begins to grow, and then the houses slowly begin to fade. Tall, gnarled oak trunks surround the vehicle. Robin drives for another five minutes, and then turns sharply down a road that Sean didn't even see. The car bumps and rolls down the dirt pathway for a few minutes, and then they open up into a clearing. Robin spun the wheel in his hands quickly, parking it at the edge of the clearing. Both boys sat in the parked vehicle, Sean glancing out the window.

"I think this is the part where you kiss me." Sean said, cloaking his uncertainty in humor. The other boy grins, reaching over and pushing open his door. Sean follows him out into the night air.

Robin walks a few steps away and stretches, his hands behind his neck and his back arched. When he turns back to Sean, his young face is serious.

"Before we go any further, I'm going to need you to promise me something, Penbeaurogh." he said quietly.

"... What's that?" Sean asked uncertainly.

"Whatever happens in the next half hour - you will not breathe a word of it to anyone. Not the police. Not your mother. No one."

"Robin," Sean said, taking a step back so that his back was against the car, "you're seriously creeping me out, dude. I believe you that you're not the murderer. Can we go back into town now?"

"Promise me, Penbeaurogh."

"Robin, I don't think-"

"PROMISE ME!" the other boy roared, advancing forwards a step.

"Alright," Sean exclaims, holding up his hands. "I promise I won't say a word! Now tell me what you need to and let's get back into town."

Robin breathed deeply, shutting his eyes and stepping back. With one hand, he reaches up and takes the beanie off of his head, tossing it onto the grass. Running his hands through his slick black hair, he coughs deep in his throat and cracks his neck.

"You scared, Penbeaurogh?" he whispers, without opening his eyes. Robin breathes deeply through his nose.

"Slightly." Sean admits, edging away from the other boy around the back of the car. "Uh, Robin. What are you doing?"

"Your mother," Robin said slowly. "Did she have a nickname for you growing up? Little angel, maybe?"

"Dude, what does it matter! Let's go! You're being fucking weird."

"I trust you, Sean." Robin said suddenly. His eyes were still closed, his face raised to the night sky. He didn't seem to hear what the other boy was saying. "I won't hurt you. You're going to think I will, but I won't. I am always myself."

"What are you talking-" Sean's voice died as the other boy opened his eyes.

They were gone. Dead black. They were the same eyes as in the bookstore, but worse. Two gaping sockets, filled with dark light and nothingness. Suddenly the night air smelled of rotting vegetation and wet earth. A cold wind prickled along Sean's arms, and the hair stood up on the back of his neck as through electrified.

Suddenly, Robin collapsed. The boy dropped to his knees, his palms hitting the grass with the sound of cracking bones. Sean almost took a step forwards, but the boy's face snapped up to see him. The action was accented by the sound of his neck breaking.

"Don't touch me!" the other boy gasped. His fingers were rigid against the ground. Sean watched as a line of blood, like a tear, rolled from the corner of Robin's eye and fell to the ground.

"What the fuck." Sean breathed. It was more awe than fear which held him in place.

Then Robin screamed. Jerking off the ground, he opened his jaw wide and flung his arms to the heavens. The sounds which was torn from his throat was completely inhuman. It was somewhere between a dog screaming and the howling of the wind. Sean watched wide-eyed as the boy's black eyes flashed. They pulsed, his body jerking as they did so. The boy collapsed back towards the ground, catching himself with one hand. Smoke curled from his open mouth. Blood dripped from his

"...Robin?" Sean whispered, panic beginning to rise in his throat.

The transformation happened slowly, at first. It began with a crack along his neck. The boy's skin split, like wood hit with an ax. Reaching up, the boy grabbed onto his face. His face was raised to the sky, features locked into a silent howl. Sean's jaw dropped open as Robin ripped his fingers across his cheek. It tore away like parchment paper. Beneath, there was only blackness. The darkness spilled out of the tear, crawling across his skin like tiny black locust. It consumed his flesh, and Robin screamed.

"My God." Sean breathed.

The darkness consumed Robin completely, and his screaming dropping in pitch. It deepened, seeming to broaden as it did so. His scream slowly became a roar. The boy rose to his feet, his skin the colour of coal, his eyes like flat, dead slate. The creature turned it's head to one side and spit blood into the grass. Then it turned back to Sean and snarled, revealing two rows of curved, serrated teeth. The sound reverberated through Sean's bones like thunder, and chilled his marrow to ice. Robin was gone, and in his place - a monster.