Darker than Dark Chapter 1: The Beginning

“The screaming! Make it stop!”

“Why, dear boy? Is it not beautiful? This enchanting music?”

“No! Stop it! Stop it!”

A twisted chuckle escapes his lips. “Ah, chaos in the making as the boy you cared for so dearly screams in the veil of darkness.” His tainted white teeth curl into a devilish smile.

“No! Jamie!” Reaching. I reach for him, wincing at each catastrophic scream. This pain! Curling, holding my stomach, bellowing in pain! No, no! I have to reach him! Crawling, the tears are pushed away, squirming, worming my way to Jamie’s side.

“You can do nothing, Jack! He is in the realm of nightmares now! My nightmares.” The devilish laugh returns as I glare at the man of shadows. I scowl at his hideous humor, my body rages with hate and anger for him! A small chuckle arises from him.

“Yes, hate me! Give in to your hate, your misery! Reveal to me the Jack I know is in there!” My eyes fill with a burning anger! Aggression takes hold of me! “Give in to your darker half!”

“Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!” I lung at him in complete intent to kill! Die! Die you horrifying man!!! I strict him with my blackened staff of ice, throwing him to the ground! “Fool! You fool of a man! How dare you hurt him!” This man, I’ll kill him! His eyes stare in shock following the dust that surrounds me. He shifts his terrified gaze to me.

“H-how did you…” The fear-stricken man of shadows is frozen, lips trembling, staring into the eyes of his self-create demise.  

“Bye-bye, Pitch.” I command the blacken dust as it takes to my cane and climbs to the frozen death of the King of nightmares!

“Jack!” He cries out as he is ripped from himself. Death is among us. The nightmare king is dead. I stare at the iced and tatter body. This is what death truly is, cold and dark. I turn away from the mess with uncaring eyes and walk towards the boy.

“No!” My knees grow weak. I collapse beside the cold skinned boy. Trembling, I take his frozen hand in mine. Death… has claimed yet another…  “NO!!!!!! JAMIE!” Tears flood from my eyes as I see the horrified stare in the boy’s eyes. I grip his arm and pull him close. Why?! Why did this happen?! I hold him, rocking myself alone in the darkness. “I killed him… I killed Jamie…” I drift in darkness as I hold the boy near, eyes with anger and sadness.

“Jack!” My head slings in the direction of the noise. “Jack, are you there?!” Tooth…

“Jack!” North…

“Jack! Oi, frostbite! Answer us!” The other guardian…  No, I killed Pitch! I killed Jamie! I am no guardian anymore! I am… death. I retreat to the shadows, holding Jamie close. I drift, floating away from the following voices.

“Great gobs of yoshkov!”  The gasps erupt from the group as they stumble upon the laying man of fear.  

“Mates…” A gasp from Tooth.

“T-that’s blood… it’s frosted…”

“Jack!!!” North’s panic increases. I continue receding into darkness.

“… this is Jamie’s hat…” The tears of Tooth can be heard in the echoes of the nightmare king’s lair. A golden light begins to illuminate the cave. Their faces appear in the light of Sandy’s dust. Gasps arise.

“Who is that?!” They’ve seen me! I turn and dash out as fast as I can. Bursting out into the cold snowstorm, I fly uncontrollably. Rushing, rushing to the only place I know. Home…

I reach the iced lake. And fell to the whitened ground, tears falling as I hit the ice.  The snowstorm rages out of control as I stare into the face on looking back at me, black eyes, white hair with tinted black ends, dark veins hold my face. Blackened, dusted clothes of my hoodie and pants. Frost holds to them. A staff of dark and cold, iced in the black dust of nightmares. The boy that stares at me, a boy of darkness cradling another boy, a boy with death’s hold.  The boy was myself…  We stare at each other, for we are all we have, my reflection and I. My former self died with Jamie. I look at the frozen boy. I drag him in closer, and watch my reflection mimic me. I reach out for… I know not what… I reach my hand, grasping for something, someone. No one… Nothing… just cold… dark… death… I lift myself and leave the boy on the ice. I walk aimlessly in my loneliness. This is no longer my home.  I walk forever. I will walk… until I find a place that suits me, my loneliness, my death…

Here. This is my new home, and my new life. I spread death to those through cold and dark. Everyone ends in darkness, their body lays cold. This is my truth. I am the Jack Frost of death… nippin’ at your life.