EVA

"THESE ARE BOOKS. Fiction. It was all just a dream."

A dream that was becoming reality.

No matter how many times Eva muttered the words, she couldn't bring herself to believe them. The black goo in Bobbi's coffee shop that morning. The photos of the feline monstrosity with dark tumors littered across its back. It was all too familiar and terrifying. Despite knowing the events had to be a horrible coincidence, it felt like anything but.

The thought consumed her while she paced the living room, flipping through her novels to find every mention of Corruption. The Darkness was a living plague—infecting creatures and humans alike with a bubbling, black goo by ingestion or contact with open wounds. It sucked the being's life force until it obtained full control of the corpse. The Corrupted then found new victims to infect, spreading its curse until hordes of dark beasts lurked in the shadows, bringing Astraela to its knees.

Over the years, the Darkness had grown stronger until it could even Corrupt nature, turning multiple forests into deadly jungles of goo and decay. There was no cure.

No hope.

And it matched their current circumstance—the goo, the mountain lion, the random victims—with absolute precision. Eva wanted to stop reading. Blind faith had her convinced that if she went to bed, a dreamless sleep would reset her mind and all would be normal by morning.

But she couldn't stop.

Hours passed like minutes until the evening sun dipped below the horizon, and when Eva finally collapsed into her armchair, it was well after midnight. She rubbed her face, exhaustion creeping over her in waves.

"I need sleep," she muttered.

Fatigue weighed her down, making the walk to her bedroom seem impossible. She slouched in the chair and rested her cheek in her hand. Resting her eyes felt like a lovely idea.

The moment she shut them, she was not met with darkness.

Instead, as sleep pulled her under, colorful flashes danced in her subconscious: non-specific blobs of reds, oranges, and browns. They dipped and swayed through a darkened space too blurred to make out.

Sweat trickled down the back of her neck before she registered how sweltering her surroundings had become. It was a blast furnace, nearly drowning her in inhumane humidity. She had never felt anything so... hot. Thrusting out her arms, she reached into the blurred room to find a wall, a door, a window—anything that would help her escape the sauna.

Her hands met empty air.

She tried to drop her arms back to her sides, but she found herself unable to move. An invisible force had frozen her muscles in captivity; no matter how hard she wriggled her elbows, her arms remained stagnant.

Blinding oranges and reds erupted before her eyes. Flames engulfed her, searing her skin and melting muscle from bone. She let out a shrill cry as burning flesh met her nostrils—a stench so horrible that it forced the contents of her stomach from her mouth in heaving waves.

The room went black.

Eva collapsed to the ground, her body meeting a patch of cool grass. She gasped for air, buried her face in the fresh dew, and allowed herself a moment to breathe. When her lungs stopped burning, she planted her hands on the ground to lift herself up. She was almost afraid to open her eyes, as if it would teleport her back into the blazing fire. She ran her trembling fingers across her cheeks and, once she felt her skin still intact, let out a shaky sigh of relief.

Upon opening her eyes, she met a sight so familiar she wondered if she was still dreaming at all.

A majestic tree loomed in the center of Havenwood Park, branches swaying in the midnight breeze—but the town's Guardian had taken on a sickening appearance. Its trunk, still blackened from the lightning strike that had set it ablaze months prior, glistened and bubbled with a dark substance. Bark peeled from the tree to reveal globs of goo within. More dribbled from the wispy branches overhead, splattering droplets onto her hair.

Even her favorite part of the tree, where the trunk's knots and crevasses formed the Guardian's face, was deformed beyond recognition. Its kind, wrinkled eyes had become pitch black, with a dark emerald hue glowing in their centers.

The face cracked apart, the bark breaking first on its forehead before traveling down the entire length. White light seeped through the cracks, blinding her even with its small rays. From somewhere deep within the tree, an orchestra of howls and echoing screams grew to a deafening crescendo. An unseen force slammed against the inside of the trunk, rattling the ground beneath her feet.

The cracks widened, and radiant light drenched the park. Eva shielded her eyes, but found herself unable to look away from the destruction.

Chunks of bark burst from the tree, narrowly missing her as they flew through the air. She couldn't look. Even when she closed her eyes, it felt as though she was staring into the sun.

With a final crack that rocked the earth, the trunk shattered. Shards flew in every direction, and before she could move, a sharp pain penetrated deep in her stomach.

Unable to open her eyes against the blinding light, Eva dropped her hands to feel around her abdomen. She didn't need to look. She could feel the wood protruding from where it had impaled her—and the stickiness of blood flowing from the area.

Eva opened her mouth in a silent cry. Hands trembling, she wrapped her fingers around the fragment wedged within her belly. Splinters pricked her hands, but she ignored the pain and yanked as hard as she could.

She woke with a jolt.

Sweat soaked her clothes, which clung to her body just as strands of auburn hair stuck to her tear-stricken cheeks, but she didn't feel it. She didn't feel... anything.

Am I still dreaming? she thought.

White haze blurred the edges of her vision as she stood, though not of her own accord. She never felt her feet shuffle against the floor, even while the front door drew closer and her own hand reached out to open it.

Flashing dreams interrupted the daze, whipping her through a whirlwind of foggy surroundings and grotesque scenes that all came back to one place.

"The Guardian."

She didn't feel her lips move, but the sound of her own voice was unmistakable.

Through the hallucinatory visions, Eva peered past the haze to make sense of her surroundings. While breaks between dream and reality were short, the landmarks proved time passed much faster than it should have.

First, the stairs of her apartment complex, followed by the street she lived on and the awning of a flower shop two blocks away. Each time, the world around her became a bit clearer as the white cast faded from her vision. Eva fought against it.

She had to wake up.

It wasn't until her nightmares cleared again and she caught sight of a wrought-iron archway that her heart leapt into her throat. She pushed harder against the visions, forcing herself to watch her legs carry her beyond the arch and into Havenwood Park. Willing her body to obey, she finally felt her slippers flapping against the stone pathway.

The Guardian loomed taller with every step. Eva squinted through the remaining haze to inspect the tree, but too many shadows fell against its trunk. While part of her burned with curiosity, the other part wanted to run away—and she was determined to do just that.

Using every bit of willpower, she forced her legs to go rigid. She didn't expect her feet to cease in their tracks, but when they did, she wobbled in place.

She dropped to her knees, the cobblestones scraping her tender skin even through her pajama pants. Tears trailed down her cheeks. That morning, she had gone out for a cup of coffee and enjoyed a day with her coworker. Now, she was on her knees in the park at two in the morning after being manipulated like a puppet.

What was going on?

Rustling leaves only yards away made Eva quiet her sniffling. She shivered, not only from the nippy air that cut through her thin pajamas, but from the sudden realization that she was not alone.

Eva scrambled to her feet and looked out at the park with bleary eyes. It was nearly pitch black anywhere the lamp lights didn't reach, but she made out a rush of movement within a cluster of tall flower bushes. A rounded, feline head poked above the wispy leaves.

A monstrous cat burst from the bushes in a snarling flash of tan and black. She scrambled backward, trying to put as much distance between herself and the charging cat as she could, to no avail. She was too late.

"Eva! Get back!"

A wall of flames erupted between Eva and the charging beast. Heat flashed against her face, and she staggered back from the blaze.

Through the fiery tendrils spiraling into the night sky, a tall silhouette stood on the other side of the inferno. The hooded figure grounded himself, staring down the feline as if it were no more than a feisty kitten.

When he thrust one arm toward the animal, Eva thought what she saw was a trick of the light. Or, perhaps, her dreams had returned to wreak havoc on her sanity.

His fingers were sparking.

Park lamps flickered and sputtered out of control, lighting the night with a dazzling display. One by one, the bulbs blew, and a deluge of glass poured in every direction, plunging them into shadow and crimson.

A bright flash shattered the night as another blast erupted from the man's fingertips.

The creature let out a vile shriek when the flames connected with its deformed skull and seared its flesh to a blackened crisp. It reared back on its hind legs to stand twice as tall as the man. Baring fangs longer than daggers, it let out a deep, guttural snarl. Its tail flicked back and forth threateningly, with foot-long barbs glinting in the firelight.

It moved faster than a blink, springing onto the man with extended claws. They clattered to the ground, but the creature landed square on his chest, and his head slammed into the cobblestone. The barrier of flame fell and drowned the world in darkness.

Eva couldn't move. She was frozen in fear, forced to watch as the feline stared down its prey, so close that their noses almost touched.

She stepped back, brain whirling with half-formulated escape plans. The man needed help, and she needed to stay alive long enough to get it for him, but she couldn't pry her eyes from the scene.

From the shadow of his hood emerged two small lights—glowing, golden circles that brightened while his body went rigid.

The blaze began faster than Eva's eyes could register. One moment, the man's muscles tensed from what must have been excruciating pain—the next, both he and the mountain lion were engulfed in a ten-foot ball of flame that raced toward the overhanging clouds.

An object flew from the inferno, skidding to a stop on the grass. In its smoldering state, the corpse was unrecognizable, save for what remained of its barbed tail.

When the fire dimmed enough for the man to be visible once again, Eva's heartbeat thundered in her ears. The flames were not extinguished, nor did they consume the ground they lapped. Instead, they were being absorbed. Each wisp and ember retreated into his pores, filling his body with warm, radiant light.

Eva rushed to his side as he coughed and wheezed. As his ethereal glow dimmed, he forced himself to sit up.

He turned to her, face half-cloaked by his hood. "Are you hurt?"

She paused at his voice. His deep, rich tone, though laced with pain, was unmistakable. While he tensed at her approach, he didn't object when she pulled back his hood to reveal a swath of unkempt brown hair.

"Jensen?" Her voice trembled. "How are you... what—"

"Are you hurt?" he repeated.

Eva's tongue tied around itself. He'd set himself on fire and chucked whatever the hell just attacked them ten yards away... and he had the gall to ask if she was okay?

"I'm fine, but—"

"We need to go."

With a sharp breath, he pulled himself to his feet. Eva grabbed his arm in an attempt to keep him in place, but he was too strong. They stood together while he wobbled and swayed before finally finding his footing.

With her pressed against his side, his body heat clashed with the bitter nip in the air, and Eva's skin wasn't sure whether to sweat or turn to gooseflesh. His warmth cooled with every passing second, just as his skin paled and his eyes—still emanating a sharp, golden hue—dimmed to a more dull blue then they'd ever been.

"You need to see a doctor."

What kind of doctor, she had no idea. She had never met one that specialized in fire-breathing men, but surely there had to be someone.

Jensen shook his head. "We've got to get out of here."

Before Eva could think better of it, she punched him hard in the arm. Though his pained gasp brought guilt to her chest, her stare hardened. Sirens wailed in the distance, accompanied by fire engines' blaring horns, but they became background noise to the panic buzzing inside her head.

"We're not going anywhere until you explain what the hell is happening."

"I just barbecued Simba," he said. "Do you really want to explain that to the cops?"

Eva's mind reeled. Glancing back at the smoldering creature made her stomach dip and flop. Possession, giant cat monsters, a human flamethrower...

He was right: the cops would have a lot of questions. Questions that, if she didn't believe the answers of herself, would certainly end with both of them in a padded cell.

Which was why, when he began walking, she followed. It wasn't a smart idea, but he was the only source of answers she had—and she was certain her luck would fare better on his side than ending up as another crispy corpse.

They picked up their pace, half-jogging for a block before he finally slowed. His chest heaved with labored breaths, but he stared ahead, fixated on a neon sign glowing at the end of the street. The promise of cheap liquor and greasy food waited inside—not what she imagined Jensen's first choice would be, but likely the only establishment still open.

Jensen turned to her and forced a breathless laugh. "So, how about that drink?"

Eva wanted nothing more than to give a sarcastic response, but found herself unable to speak. The morning before, she would have killed for a drink with him.

Now, she wondered why she hadn't run far and fast.

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