FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Author's note: Any reference to actual events, people, or places are just coincidental.

"Liek" is pronounced as "leek"

"Li'thel" is pronounced as "lee-thel"

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Chapter 6 â€" Waiting Darkness

Location â€" Liek's House: Liek's Room

Ah...my head...

Liek sat up rubbing his head in the comfort of his own home. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at the bed sheets before him before he grasped his current situation.

I'm at home? How is that even possible? Last thing I remember was flying...back...wards.

"You're awake," said a voice behind his door.

"Huh?" asked Liek as he looked up.

The door opened and Lily popped her head in. "You're awake," said Lily in a happy mood.

"Mom?" Liek asked with some confusion.

Lily opened the door wider and walked in holding bandages, gauze pads, and white tape. Howard followed after with a bowl of water and some wash cloths.

"What's that for?" asked Liek.

"They're for Li'thel. It took him a great effort to bring you back here unscathed," answered Howard as he kicked the door shut behind him.

"Li'thel?" whispered Liek as he followed Lily to the left side of his bed.

Li'thel brought me home unscathed? Then what happened to him if my mom needs to have all of those band aids and gauze cloths not to mention the bowl of water.

Howard placed the bowl and wash cloths on Liek's desk as he stood next to Lily and looked down at the person lying next to Liek. Liek followed Howard's gaze and noticed Li'thel next to him sleeping perfectly still with bandages and gauze pads covering half of his face. The blankets were pulled up to his neck so Liek can only hope that there wasn't anymore damage.

"Don't be scared sweetie but you might not like what you're about to see," said Lily seriously but Liek wasn't listening.

What happened to Li'thel? Why are there bandages all over his head? What did he do to save me? Why do things have to be this way? What if the rest of him is like this? What will I do then? I can't stand to think about any of this but it's all too much and I can't stop looking no matter how hard I try. Was I going to end up like that if he didn't save me? No...it's not true...that wouldn't have happened.

Lily drew the covers away from Li'thel and Liek couldn't believe what he saw. Most of Li'thel's body was covered in bandages and gauze pads. At the very sight of the injured lion, Liek almost had the urge to throw up at that very moment but he fought against it and won. All Liek could do was stare wide eye and in horror at what he saw.

"No...no...this can't...there's no way...this isn't..." said Liek as Lily squatted next to Li'thel's left ear.

"Time to change your bandages again. This is going to hurt a little but it will help in the end," said Lily softly.

Liek wasn't sure if Li'thel even heard that or not as Lily and Howard began to work on replacing the bandages and gauze pads swiftly. Liek couldn't take any more of what he was seeing and quickly ran out of the room

Location â€" Like's House: Bathroom

Standing over the sink, Liek had various flashes of being hot and cold as he tried to calm down and control his sweating but nothing seemed to be working.

Why can't I stop sweating? Why can't I stop shaking? Is this what Li'thel talked about when he said I didn't understand what it's like to lose someone? He can't die...right? I mean...we are one another...so he can't die or else I'll die. I guess this is what those families feel when they lose someone in those mystery films and CSI.

"There's no need to be afraid. Everything will be all right," said a voice.

A voice that doesn't sound even the slightest muffled. It's too clear and it sounds like it came from in here but there's no one else in here aside from myself.

"Who's there?" stuttered Liek as he glanced around to find the person emitting the voice.

"Yu," answered the voice.

"Me? What are you talking about? There's only one me in this whole world!" exclaimed Liek.

"You're pretty stupid not to understand that my name is Yu," said Yu.

Liek realized that he wasn't looking in the right area when he decided to turn around and faced the mirror. All he saw was his reflection, the beads of sweat that rolled down the sides of his face, and his dark eyes looking back. There was something off about the reflection but Liek couldn't place his mind on it.

"It's just my imagination," breathed Liek as he started to relax while looking at his reflection.

"Sure, you're just imagining a mirror that's talking to you," said Yu as the reflection took on a whole different person.

"Why do you look like me?!" gasped Liek as he saw the reflection in its true form.

"I only have different eye color and hair but I'm still you none the less. I'm just manifested from the dark depths of your heart so that it wouldn't work out in the end if you were to think about it," said Yu.

How can this...thing...be a manifestation of my darkness. The eyes and hair are light colors so it doesn't make any sense at all no matter how hard I think about it...unless that's what my darkness looks like if it was given a shape.

"Let me guess, you want to know what I'm here, don't you? Well, I have no definite answer that would go to your understanding. Let's just say that you loath Li'thel since he gets to kill and you want to enjoy the sensation that killing can bring to you. I mean, I like what you're thinking. It feels really good to me and I don't mind helping you achieve your goal but," said Yu.

"Shut up! I'm not like that!" shouted Liek.

"Are you sure? It's floating around in your mind. You're thinking that if Li'thel was gone, you could experience taking another's life. It's all here. I can keep telling you the thoughts you deny like how you wish to stab your friends in the heart or," said Yu.

"I said SHUT UP! I'm not like that! I'm not violent and I don't think like that!" shouted Liek as his anger grew.

"You're breaking my heart just denying the situation but what heart did you have in the first place? Just seeing you deny what is true is funny. No matter how hard you try you can't escape the truth," said Yu.

"I don't have to listen to a fucker like you! I don't care what the hell you are but you can't tell me what I can and can't do with my life at all!" shouted Liek.

"It doesn't matter what you try to do since there is nothing you can do anyways. Even if I was to leave now, you would still have those thoughts in your head. No matter what you try to do, the darkness is still there and continues to keep those thoughts alive. Why don't you just succumb to the urges and let me make your life a lot nicer," said Yu darkly.

"I told you to shut the fuck up!" shouted Liek as he punches the mirror leaving a web of cracks in his wake.

"Hehehehe. You think that that would get rid of me? Well it doesn't. Darkness lives in everyone and is forever living. I'll leave for now but this isn't the last time you'll see me. The more you feed, the stronger I'll get," said Yu.

"Liek? Is everything okay?" asked a concerned voice on the other side of the door.

"Mom?" whispered Liek.

"You were shouting and it had me concerned," said Lily.

"I'm...I'm fine," said Liek gripping the edge of the sink tensely.

"If you say so sweetie. Just remember that Howard and I are here for you," said Lily.

I'll be fine...right? I mean, that wasn't real...was it? The mirror is proof but it's not enough to relax my mind. I can't let that thing get to me. There's no way that I think that way but...maybe I do. No! I can't think like that! I'll just be playing into that thing's hands which I refuse to do. Li'thel...what would you do in this situation?

Location â€" Liek's House: Liek's Room

Liek stepped into his room and saw that Howard and Lily were gone. Li'thel was still lying in his bed with fresh new bandages sleeping peacefully. Liek closed the door behind him softly as he sat on the open space of the bed still thinking about Yu.

"You seem disturbed about something," spoke Li'thel.

"Li'thel!" shouted Liek as he jumped out of the bed.

"And I was enjoying my rest," said Lithel opening his visible eye.

"You're awake! Don't surprise me like that!" exclaimed Liek with anger.

"You're just like Lily. I'll never forget how she's easy to surprise and how angry she gets afterwards," laughed Li'thel lightly.

After all that has happened to him, he still smiles and laughs. Is this what is meant to be strong or is he just optimistic? I don't know what he's thinking. I'd be completely scared and afraid of what has happened to me...especially if I was in that state.

"How...how can..." started Liek.

"'How can' what? How can I smile and laugh in my current state?" asked Li'thel.

Liek nodded but he wasn't sure if Li'thel could see since he kept staring at the ceiling above him.

"You wouldn't really understand unless you've been through this the way I have. Sorry about earlier, I lost my grip and couldn't stop," said Li'thel.

"I never really thought a lot about that," said Liek.

"I'm guessing you want to know why I was like that and why I can be the way I am right now," said Li'thel.

"Well...ya...I mean...," started Liek again.

"It's okay if you don't understand. It's better if you don't though," said Li'thel.

"I want to know anyways even if I don't understand," said Liek.

"I didn't impose this on you. Remember that," said Li'thel.

Maybe I can understand what is going on now. I don't want to succumb to my darkness even though I won't understand any of this but...

"At first, I never like war, like it was just a pointless method to reach an understanding between groups of people. War is something that young people don't understand unless they've been though it. I didn't get a choice about this though; I got drafted in as a recon soldier. My mother always taught me to smile in all kinds of situation but the group I got assigned to never smile at all. I didn't understand but after a while, smiling is one of the last things you want to do. My very first recon became my last. As you see me right now, that's what I ended up in the end. Intensive care. All of the doctors and nurses pitied me, saying I would never see the next day but I do. Every day I always thought about dying but I also thought about living. It was then that I found the true fear in war. The desire to live and die at the same time. I've never killed but I know the feeling. I can't really describe it but it's the desire to live and die that kept me sane unlike the unlucky people who live in constant fear of death," said Li'thel.

It's...just...hard to understand no matter what I do...why are things like this? I always wonder what a soldier's perspective was but it seems different from what I imagined.

"After I was fully healed, which took several months; I was given an honorable leave from the military. When I took a step out into the world, I no longer saw it the same way. All I saw was the people in fear of being killed and my resolve about war changed. War is a cruel way to settle things but there are people who go to war to be the protector of others. That's what I was when I enlisted myself for another round of service. Not the brightest thing but it seemed like a good idea to me. I never truly achieved that status until I went to save you from death. Almost lost myself in the process but I'm lucky to be alive for what I did," said Li'thel.

He's different from other people some how. I don't get this myself but if he understands this thing then he can be that way. As for me though...I don't know where this will go. Yu...what that thing says...I can't listen to it and believe it. I don't care if that thing is the darkness within my heart but I can't let it win.

"But you already have," said Yu inside of his head.

"What?" whispered Liek.

"You already lost the moment we met," said Yu.

"No...no...I haven't lost yet...I'll never lose to you," muttered Liek.

"Did you say something, Liek?" asked Li'thel.

"No...just mentioning the fact that I want you dead," said Liek as he lifted his head so that Li'thel could see.

"Liek?" asked Li'thel.

No...no...it couldn't have...there's no way...

"Ah, but it has happened. I have taken control of your body," said Yu.

"You're not Liek. What did you do with him?" asked Li'thel growling.

"I did nothing except take over his body. All of his darkness in within my control. I will make his life easier by removing anything and everything that I will!" shouted Yu answering Li'thel's question.