Dark Comes Quickly

DARK COMES QUICKLYA THRILLER F. K. FAZLI DARK COMES QUICKLY First Edition First Printing, 2023 This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, incidents, and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used factiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, actual events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Dark Comes Quickly © 2023 by F. K. Fazli. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner, shape, or form whatsoever, including internet usage, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without written permission from HOD Publishing, except in the case of brief quotations utilized in reviews and critical articles. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for you, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author. Published by HOD Publishing LLC Cover Illustration by Youness Elh Printed in the United States of America This one is for the kids.You pushed and pushed and got me to finish. DARK COMES QUICKLYF.K. FAZLI Contents DARK COMES QUICKLYDedicationDARK COMES QUICKLYPrologueCHAPTER 1CHAPTER 2CHAPTER 3CHAPTER 4CHAPTER 5CHAPTER 6CHAPTER 7CHAPTER 8CHAPTER 9CHAPTER 10CHAPTER 11CHAPTER 12CHAPTER 13CHAPTER 14CHAPTER 15CHAPTER 16CHAPTER 17CHAPTER 18CHAPTER 19CHAPTER 20CHAPTER 21CHAPTER 22CHAPTER 23CHAPTER 24CHAPTER 25CHAPTER 26CHAPTER 27CHAPTER 28CHAPTER 29CHAPTER 30CHAPTER 31CHAPTER 32CHAPTER 33CHAPTER 34CHAPTER 35CHAPTER 36CHAPTER 37CHAPTER 38CHAPTER 39CHAPTER 40CHAPTER 41CHAPTER 42CHAPTER 43CHAPTER 44CHAPTER 45CHAPTER 46CHAPTER 47CHAPTER 48CHAPTER 49CHAPTER 50CHAPTER 51EpilogueAcknowledgementsAbout The Author PrologueBriana didn’t stop or look back. She climbed the hill, dragging her right foot. It was swollen and the pain was unbearable. Suddenly, she heard something on the wind. It was the sound of a pack. No, it couldn’t be! The coyotes had picked up her scent, and now, the hunt was on. She wanted to scream and curse, but the only thought that ran through her mind, was, How did it come to this?!” “Lookout Mountain was where every high school student who wanted to smoke weed or make out went. To outsiders, it was CRSF, Coopers Rock State Forest, but to us, it was LM. After a game or a movie, we’d all drive up there and do our thing. The views were spectacular, but you really didn’t go there for the views, if you know what I mean. That night, I knew, something was off, when I saw Amelia Dark there, with my brother Cole. What I didn’t know was the magnitude of the shit storm we were about to walk into.” Prom Night, 1999 The gymnasium was packed with seniors. Boys, in tuxes and girls, in dresses, dancing. Disco lights were flashing red, green, and blue. Fog machines kicked in at certain beats as the DJ was spinning a rocking mix of Brittany Spear’s “Baby One More Time” with “Genie in a bottle” and “Livin’la Veda Loca.” The world was heading into the 21st century, and Wheeling Park High School wasn’t going to be left behind. There were drinks, punch of course, with umbrellas in the glass. Palm trees, strategically placed, at the entrance and by the DJ booth, made by the art class. Billboards hung from the ceiling, depicting classics from the past: Westside Story, Grease, Marlboro Man and Club 54. The dance theme was Los Angeles at its finest, and it was organized by the Student Body President, Brianna Collins. Brianna Collins had always been ambitious. Daughter of Emma and Ernest Collins, she wanted nothing more than to live the fabulous life of the rich and famous, a show she secretly loved and watched on television. She grew up here in West Virginia, a few blocks from the High School, and watched the tourists flock to town every summer to take in the beauty of the forests and mountains. The hikers, bikers, the trail blazers, the weekend warriors, all escaping their daily grinds to find a piece of paradise, when in fact, it was the complete opposite. She never understood, why on God’s good name, anyone would want to come here and spend their vacation, in the middle of nowhere, with subpar food and no amenities. She hated this town, its lackluster people, it’s “we don’t mind our own business,” busybodies, and a general coldness to the region that she despised with every fiber of her being. She wanted the sun, the endless beaches, the flashy cars, the homes lined with palm trees, and all the pretty little things that made up a life worth living. “If you’re not rich, then what’s the point.” She’d read that somewhere when she was little, and it had truly shaped her thinking. She wanted fame and fortune. To be influential in making big decisions. Throughout school she’d worked hard and gotten straight A’s, and now she was on the verge of getting into the University of her choice and getting out. Harvard, Yale, USC or even GW, but secretly all she wanted was to be on the West Coast. That was where the money was. She wanted it all, and she knew she wasn’t going to get it here in this measly small town of cashier’s, truck drivers, and registered nurses. She’d rather slit her own wrists then end up like them. The thought made bile rise in her throat. Even though the dance floor was packed, and the music was loud, everyone still couldn’t help glancing her way as she made her grand entrance with the captain of the football team, Caleb Ethan Chase. God, that was a mouthful, she thought, and he insisted on being called by all three of his names, as if that elevated him somehow. He was the hottest guy in school. Tall, well-built, icy blue eyes, dashing smile and a brain to go with the looks. Caleb Ethan Chase was into computers and a software genius. He was also on the debate team, as was she, and had ambitions to get into MIT. He wanted to create the NEXGEN program that would allow robots to take over manual labor. Bullshit idea, but