Dark Matter ( Unknown Origins Book One)

Episode 1

Sounds of chaos echoes everywhere; glasses breaking, women, children, and even full-grown men could be heard running for their lives as endless screams chases after them.

Suddenly, light lights up an empty warehouse dimly as a door opens up.

A lady gradually walks in, seemingly undisturbed by the chaos happening all around her. She is clothed in black with dark long hair, and a hood hung over her face.

** "Don't be scared." ** she said

** "I'm really not the one you should be afraid of" **

The sounds of agony spike, still it gradually calms.

She slowly raises her head, revealing pitch-black scars that covered her eyes from her forehead down to her chin.

** "Your time is not yet due. But you should learn how to fly while it hasn't yet reached." **

Bending her head to allow the hood to cover up her face, she stands still and lets the dim light reflect her shadowy body.

** " We were all once students, attending classes, camps and just having fun. Just like you"**

** " This is a story of love, a story of betrayal, a story of ignorance and fate~ a race against time." **

Massive waves of black dust is seen moving upwards through the top windows of the warehouse.

** " I hope you learn that there are things money can't solve. Hold the ones you love dear because you don't know how much time they have left." **

Part of her body gradually begins to fade into black dust.

** "Maybe there was a way all this would be avoided, maybe there wasn't. As you go deeper into the story, you will learn why you have to fly, but I hope you will never need to fly." ** she said with a sad expression on her face.

** "The story begins with a boy,"*

She concludes as her face faded lastly. The dust circles round the warehouse for a few moments, before disappearing into the ground.

...

...

Jason, a sixteen-year-old boy walks back home as always in deep thought, tomorrow is another school camping trip that though necessary will take several months before he will come back home. Cool wind blew pass his ear as the scent of damp sand hits his nose. How he loved it, especially because it reminds him of the home he left years ago.

Pushing his thoughts away, he approached the door to the duplex his uncle built, where he now lived in. Swinging it open, warmer air greeted him as he landed on a sofa breathing heavily with the relief that he was away from society, the main reason why he didn't want to relocate to a new country. The house was quiet strangely in the evening because his uncle was surprisingly sleeping, and his aunt still at work. Back home he was never used to this quiet because of his siblings and the neighbourhood where generators for electricity was a constant noise. Finally, he now had electricity constantly along with fresh water, but he was still not happy. There, though they had access to them, they were not constant and weeks could go by without them. Perhaps, it's because he barely adapts to a new surrounding talk less of a new race that were extremely rare in Nigeria.

After the delicious dinner, Jason carried himself upstairs to his unkempt room where he shoved his cloths on the closet, leaving only his shorts on, and went fast into the deep pit of sleep.

The next day, Jason made his way to school after breakfast and was soon in a bus with other students getting ready for the journey ahead. Observing his surroundings as usual, his eyes soon caught sight of someone standing in front of the array of silver-blue suits as she enters the bus. Her hair was as golden brown as the soft soil, with heavenly brown eyes and brown skin–his crush and his age mate– May. As she goes to her sit a few seats in front of him, he suddenly remembered just how much the girl drove him crazy. He started his crush on her since the very first day she welcomed him to class, but of course wherever there's a beautiful princess, there's always an ugly Dragon that keeps a close eye on her. Mike, the bane of his life the white jerk have always bullied Jason to make things worse he is ALWAYS with May even right beside her in the bus, but Jason never understood why.

Soon the bus arrived at its destination, "The Asteria Woods" and the beautiful site the camp was in. After the long, boring rooming arrangements, the place was enough for each student to have a room for themselves.

Jason after packing went outside the camp as usual, enjoying the nature which he loved dearly, just outside the camp. He is dressed in a black PE (the uniform assigned to the students while in the camp, blue, black, pink, and red) and goes to sit down on a tree's enormous root tying up his shoe lace and dusting his trousers. He suddenly thought that his eyes were deceiving him. Was in a black PE too, was coming right at his direction. He then looked left and right to check whether there was anyone else, but they weren't, so he took a deep breath as she came closer.

"Hey Jason! " She called.

"H-hi"

"We are going strolling, would you like to...ugh" May stopped as Jason just stared at her with his mouth semi-open?

*awkward what is wrong with this kid* May thought. It was if he couldn't hear her, and this wasn't the first time she caught him doing that.

"Ugh... go on"

"Oh, so would you like to jo ..."?

"Yes"

"Oh" May giggled, "okay! We're waiting" May said before leaving.

Jason stood up and followed her, he could barely believe that he was walking with her, but before he could remember to think what she ment by "we" it was too late. Mike, who was in blue and as usual always with her, didn't look happy and his dark blue eyes proved it.

Jason stopped moving for a moment before deciding that running away will be cowardly, so he just kept moving with them. Mike, who was then waiting patiently until May, was a few blocks away, pushed Jason to a tree. Being a year older and more biult than he was, it was quite easy for him to intimidate him.

"Hey jerk"

"let me be Mike"

"listen, if I ever see you close to her again..." punching Jason supposedly, so his words will hit deeper "I'm going to make sure you regret it all your life you imbecile"

"guys quit it and come take a look over here" May interrupted while Jason was about to try to defend himself

Letting him go, Mike ran towards her

"what's up"

*imbecile me! I'm not even that ugly* Jason thought, he was right, his face looked innocent and adorable. Going there, Jason looked towards where May was pointing, and a few meters away was pitch-black sand that seemed to be moving in a semicircular pattern.

"Whoa !! What the heck is that ?" May asked in amazement.

"I don't know, hey jer... sorry Jason, go check it out "Mike said right when Jason was about to turn away.

" No, it could be dangerous" "What? It's just sand, are you scared? " May rebuked.

"Coward" Mike insulted then May hit his hand "sorry" Mike apologized to her.

*I'm not a coward * he thought as he went to the sand even though his mind kept warning him not to. He turned when he was right in the middle and said:

"It's nothing, just sa ..." interrupted as something like a hand gripped his leg.

May, who was not expecting him to walk right into him, screamed in horror at the sight of an arm pulling his leg.

Jason looked down as several series of black, sandy hands grabbed him and pulled him to the sandy grave. May rushed to help him, but Mike grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Are you insane" he said, horror being written all over his face as he struggled and eventually dragged her back.

"Help me !! He..." hands covered his face and his last sight was of the bully and his crush running away.

They covered several miles running before they could stop to breathe properly

"I ... I only told him" she managed to say while panting heavily "to check it out! Not to walk right into it."

" Hey! ... calm down it's not your fault" Mike said reassuringly.

"It's not my fault! Jason is dead Mike" May shouted at him, there was grief written all over her face and her heart kept pounding heavily as tears kept pouring out of her eyes. She was too sad to notice that Mike barely showed any emotion at all, but only heard his reassuring words. He managed to calm her down enough to walk to the female students lodge after several hours.

Later, Mike noiselessly entered his room and fell on his bed, exhausted. The room was light up and was painted white with the rest of the rooms in the camp.

He then picked up a magazine, about to dive in, when a knock interrupted him.

" Who is that?"

" It's me, Mike!" Liam, his childhood best friend and classmate, answered as he entered the room. He is still dressed in his normal uniform (white shirt, silver blue suit and trousers). Knowing his friend well, he expected him to be too lazy to get up.

"What's up"

"I should be asking you that question, Mike! What were you doing in the woods this late at night," Liam asked, standing aside his bed and combing his hair backwards with his other hand in his pocket. He gives Mike a serious look, but he just keeps reading his magazine, uninterested. Mike has always had pride for his friend's cool fringe hairstyle that matched his golden brown straight hair and his spectacles with the same golden brown colour perfectly. Usually, he tried to imitate him, but his hair is too wavy, so he could never reach Liam's perfection.

"Nothing!" Mike responded sharply.

Liam kept silent for a few minutes before sitting down on Mike's bed, wearing a worried look on his face. He asked, "Where's Jason, Mike! "

"why are asking! I'm not his keeper, Liam!" Mike said, not surprised at the question at all, for he was well aware of his friend's cleverness.

" This is the first night in two years that you did not come to complain to me about Jason." "So we sorted things out"

"Sorted things out?" Liam said, raising his voice before remembering that it is ten'o'clock close to midnight, so he lowered it.

"If indeed you have sorted things out you should've told me first but, here you are lying on your bed reading a magazine... so I ask again Where is Jason? Mike!" Liam asked again, the redness growing in his white face told Mike that he was getting angry, so he decided to take his friend more seriously. Pulling himself of the bed, Mike opened the door and looked left and right of the hallway, making sure that there are no students around. Sure enough, there weren't because most were already fast asleep in their rooms.

"Listen, this may sound crazy" He said, sitting down next to Liam and rubbing his hands together in preparation to tell his tale. Liam adjusted his spectacle with a finger, opened his ears wide, knowing fully well that this won't be a happy story.

**" You remember the time the principal was giving rooming arrangements. "**

"how can I not, You weren't there, so I had to carry all the instructions that were ment for you including your luggage" Laim answered rolling his eyes.

** "Well, I was in the woods exploring"**

"You were what?"

** "shhh !! Listen. So, I was exploring the woods when something caught my eyes. Not too far 'way from camp there was this sand, not like an ordinary one because it was pitch black and moving in a concentric circular motion.

I ain't stupid, so I only got a bit too close to it but..."** he paused looking to his right and back at Liam demonstrating with his hands showing seriousness **" A hand! A freaky black hand stretched out of the sand."**

Liam's eyes grew wide, he never expected Mike to mention "a black hand" and there was no scientific explanation in his mind to say what it actually was

** "I fell back fortunately, so it didn't get me. So then I had an idea, a really good payback. "**

"oh no!" Liam exclaimed silently, putting his fingers on his forehead.

Mike continued, putting a grim smile on his face. ** "So in the evening I made May bring Jason along with us for a stroll and I made them go towards the path where the sand was. Good enough, May saw it and called us and I told that idiot! To check without and May boosted him up so..."** smiling more in enthusiasm making his face look stupid and eviller.

** "The idiot walked right in the middle of the sand"** Liam stood up suddenly, sweat trickled down his cheeks knowing what will happen next, so Mike stood up too.

Demonstrating with his hands the more, Mike continues ** "The hands! So many of them gripped the dumbass and buried him there, and I grabbed my babe, and we ran 'way from there"**

"oh my! Jesus Christ !!" Liam exclaimed putting both hands in his head, his face grew pale, and his heart pounded wilder on seeing the stupid look on his friend's face, he had no idea of how bad what he had done is.

"Why didn't you warn him?" Liam shouted at him

"shhh !! Shhh !! Calm down"

"I'm not calming down, Mike! How do you think poor May will feel? This is the second time you're doing this to her.

" Relax !! No one will find out, we didn't kill him you know"

" Are you stupid Mike !!! May is most likely not even sleeping now and first thing she would do tomorrow morning is to tell the police AND You're GOING TO PRISON MIKE !! A FREAKING PRISON." Mike's face suddenly turned pale and his eyes grew wide and grief stricken.

"Oh no...you're you're right !" he stammered

"of course I'm right Mike! I'm always right, why do you keep doing this to yourself? This is the tenth time you're getting yourself in trouble because of, DAMN Girls! And the second time you're risking a decade and, in this case, the rest of your life behind bars MIKE !!" shouting his name out loud at this a student knocked at the door shocking them down to their spines.

"He... hey what's up" Liam asked faking a smile when he opened the door to check who it was.

"Hi Liam, what's with the noise man" the student asked sleepily.

"Sorry, we were... eh playing video games"

"uh you know that isn't allowed here... well, keep it down"

"oh, sorry! Sorry !" Liam apologized while closing the door.

He turned and looked at Mike who is now seated crying on his bed

"Hey don't worry, I... I'll fix it" He said, reassuring him

"You will..." Mike asked subbing, "how ?"

"I'll talk to May and after tomorrow we can continue to pretend that we know nothing...she's a good actor. She can do it"

"OK buddy, thanks..." Mike said shedding tears in gratitude, "I will never ever do anything like this ever again."

"Alright I'll be going, which me luck mate"

" 'K thanks buddy" he said cleaning his eyes and lying down on his bed wishing Liam the very best of luck.

Liam managed to sneak through the girl's lodge undetected and slowly approached May's room, his heart raced as he walked closer but then...

"Hi Liam" Stacey, his classmate and age mate shouted out loud behind him, obviously catching him sneaking red-handed.

"Hush !!" Liam said, eyes wide with his middle finger on his lips, urging her to be quiet.

She was almost his height, had a blonde ponytail hair, green eyes, and on a pink PE.

"Oh sorry" she said quietly putting both hands together trying to look as apologetic and as cute as ever "what are you doing here" she asked, blinking and waving her body to and fro.

Liam wore an" ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME, RIGHT NOW !?" look on his face, but just smile and gave her the silliest excuse ever, which she believed and hopped back to her room with her ponytail dangling behind her.

Liam finally knocked on May's room but entered when she didn't reply. He caught her with her head buried on her knees, weeping on her bed.

"Hey !... May ." He called calmly.

" Mike told me what happened. How are you feeling?"

" Guilty ... very, very guilty," May answered sobbing, "I only asked him to check it out... why ... why did he walk right into it" she said looking at him. Her dark brown eyes depicted fear and guilt.

" Hey, it's not your fault, what has happened, has happened. "

" Yeah I know, but now I have to suffer for it. Tomorrow I'm telling the cops first thing" she said, confirming Liam's worst fears.

"Hey, hey !" he said holding her cheeks, "you loved Jason, right ?"

"Ho ... how did you know" she said her eyes growing wide with surprise

"he would've wanted you to live out your life and not suffer in prison"

" After ending his ?"

" Hey, he must've known that it wasn't your fault... did you push him inside the sand?"

"No"

"Did you force him?"

"NO !!"

"Then why are you blaming yourself" he said slowly lifting her head up and cleaning her tears with her long dark brown hair

"Yeah !!" she said bringing back some light on her beautiful face, "I didn't cause his death, he did in a way... though it's my fault, but I shouldn't go to prison..."

"Because it's not, so listen"

"yeah?"

"Tomorrow we are going to pretend that nothing happened, okay?"

She remained silent for some time, then nodded in agreement.

"If we're asked we act, can you do that ?" Liam asked slowly smiling to brighten her mood then put back his serious face

" Sure I can" she replied "thanks Liam" she said wiping off her tears. She should've hugged him standing, but she was relatively shorter than him, so they hugged knelt down instead. Accomplishing his mission, he left, not noticing Stacey and her worried look.

Mike immediately opened the door when he heard the knock and saw Liam.

"Hey how did it go ?" he asked worried

" It went well" Liam answered, entering his and wearing a smile to warm Mike up.

" Thank God!" Mike gasped closing the door and landing on his bed

"Hey! Make sure you never do anything like this ever again." He said, still standing, then he sat on the bed.

"Hey bro, look at me" Mike turned his head looking at Liam curiously.

"Girls are not everything. Don't do crazy things just to win them because one day..." he paused, "one day I may not be able to help you. Always think my friend THINK. Before doing anything" Mike nodded as he spoke words penetrating deep into his heart.

"I just hope what you do never catch up with you before you change "Liam said, finally leaving Mike's room.

May woke up very early in the morning, which was very unusual for her. Turning to her bedside, she opened her school bag and brought out her wristwatch from where it was buried beneath her books.

" 6 o'clock already !" she exclaimed, "argh! My head is on fire," she said, lying back on her bed and putting her hands on her forehead. She felt like she had cried her eyes out. Putting her thoughts aside, she took a shower in the bathroom embedded in her room and freshened up. Today will be a big day for her, so she thought about all that Liam said to her the day before and...

"Hi, May" Stacey called from the wide-open door, making May shudder in surprise.

" Damn it, Stacey! Don't you know how to knock or have you forgotten how to use your hands properly, "she exclaimed, forgetting that she had never locked her door.

" Blah blah blah," Stacey said sitting on her bed enthusiastically, "so tell me, what was Liam doing in your room last night ?" she asked, making May roll her eyes away. She needed to act as much as, and as fast as possible

"I couldn't help but notice...that" she paused and turned to May, then bouncing on her bed "he stayed for quite a long time," she said out loud.

May motioned to cover her mouth but stopped halfway, and looked straight into her eyes with a sly smile drawn across her face "yes, he was in my room last night because he wanted my textbook..."

"Lies" Stacey disagreed, interrupting her

"But... If you tell anyone about this, I'll tell them that you have a massive crush on him"

"You won't dare," Stacey said, staring back at her.

May just smiled at her and ran quickly out of her room screaming "Stacey has a crush on Liam !! Stacey has a crush on Liam"

"No !!... I don't, don't listen to her" Stacey shouted back anxiously as she chased after her

"May !! SHUT THE HECK UP !!"

She chased her until she reached the large dining ll, right in front of the buffet Mike and Liam were on, making her freeze on seeing Liam.

"Greetings Liam, Mike !" She greeted them jokingly, performing a curtsy. Liam greeted back impressed on how she acted, entirely ignoring yesterday's events, unlike Mike who wasn't doing well at it.

Stacey could feel her heart jumping out of her mouth since she thought that May will reveal everything to him, but she just hopped towards another table. She stood there with both her hands together behind her back for a while, hoping that Liam will at least notice her, which he didn't, so she walked towards May, staring back at Liam twice wishing that he would look at her or at least call back her attention, which neither happened.

"Oh," she exclaimed sadly.

"She's good Mike, unlike you," Liam said to Mike, finally raising his head on noticing that Stacey was gone.

"Yeah... I'm not good at these things "Mike replied drinking his juice soberly, "I hope I didn't reveal much".

"No ...not yet" Liam replied.

"Attention dear students," Mr Matthew or Mr Matt as the students liked to call him beckoned, silencing the hall instantly.

"I would love to welcome you all (again) to this year's Asterian woods camping trip !!" He said joyously, which received applause along with the smiling faces of the students as an appreciation.

"Since it's Friday, the begging of the weekend, we would allow you all to feel comfortable and enjoy the entire day doing what you wish. Explore the woods and so much more supervised as usual," he continued, which aroused another thunderous applause.

"Isn't he cute?" Stacey asked May, admiring his curly hair, light blue eyes and Chevron styled beard.

"Ugh ...! Every man is cute in your eyes Stacey "

"Of course not, Liam is way cooler than him"

Gesturing the students to keep quiet Mr Matt concluded by saying "So enjoy yourselves but don't do it too much and have a great! Fun! Camping TRIP !!" He shouted, returning to his conversation with the principal, leaving the hall a noisy place with happy monkeys smiling and chatting away their time as their breakfast was being served to them.

Jason woke up in the middle of the woods where he was supposedly buried and tried to open his eyes, but the morning sunlight was blinding.

"Aaaahhh" he groaned in pain as what seemed like black dust fell out of his eyes turning his eyeballs pitch black and putting kite-shaped scares in his face right from his forehead down his pitch-black eyes to his cheeks. He didn't know what happened to him after the dark hands grabbed him, nor what was happening to him now. He suddenly could feel the ground many feet beneath and around him, as well as the roots of trees and the dead animals that were there. Panicked, he couldn't feel afraid nor his pulse, so he checked his heartbeat but couldn't feel anything. Frustrated he raised his hands and shouted making about six hands rise from the ground spontaneously with the same force as his anger startling him. So, he ran about the forest, but the feeling in the ground like a shadow kept following him. Dodging countless trees, he then turned left towards a clifftop.

"Yes the river will end this feeling," he said before jumping into the river below but, instead of sinking, he stood right on top of the water.

"What the...!?" he exclaimed, astonished.

He saw beneath his feet the cause of what enabled him to feel in the ground beneath him. It was a blackish layer of sand stretching for about five feet away from his feet and several meters deep, probably floating and strong enough to hold him. His curiosity overcame his anxiety, so he gently but cautiously raised his right hand and a hand came out of the sand at arm's length. Staring in astonishment, he stretched his hand to fell the strange black hand, and It was like clay and sandy soil loosely mixed. He brought down his hand and the black hand disappeared back into the sand, normally his heart should have been pounding hard in his chest, but he couldn't feel anything but calmness. In an attempt to wake up from the nightmare, he ran about the water like a deranged person, but he was unable to sink. He jumped about the river and did everything in his might to sink, but he just couldn't sink.

"Hmmmmmmmm!!" a quiet hum was heard in his head.

"Who did that," Jason asked as he turned around, but he didn't find anyone in the surrounding forest.

"I wished I found a rabbit as a host instead of you. At least rabbits have instincts, I'm not sure that you have common sense," the quiet voice said like a loud whisper.

"Argh !" Jason exclaimed stunned.

He was very much frustrated that he could not feel anything but calm since he could be easily frightened before.

"What...what the heck are you," Jason asked, running out of the water."

" Hmmmmm!!" It hummed again.

"Who are you and why are you in my body...."

The creature ignored his question.

" Why me, please leave I can show you where you can find as many rabbits as you wish" Jason begged, he wanted nothing but his normal life back.

"I would, if I could a long time ago, but I need an intelligent life form as a host since I cannot view or feel the world on my own"

"OK, you could infect someone else... I... I know someone Mike, he has a good body" Jason responded, sounding more and more like a crazy person talking to himself.

"It would be difficult for me to enter and be sustained by a new host, besides if I leave your body you will fade, stupid ."

"I will die."

"All your body's visible matter has disintegrated into dark matter, and I am the force that keeps it together and especially the remaining visible matter in your brain, so I can view the world"

"what the hell is dark matter"

"I'm seriously considering the rabbits" Dark matter muttered in seeming frustration.

"Oh no., don't worry," Jason said, stepping back twice as if talking to Dark Matter face to face. If Jason was serious with his studies, he should have known what it was.

After a few moments of sitting on the floor with his hands on his chin, reflecting on what to do next, he suddenly remembered something significant.

"Ah geez! I almost forgot they may have already started searching for me, and they can't find me with my face and eyes like this."

"Where is your habitat" it asked.

"Well, we are staying temporarily at the camp, east a few miles from here."

"Jump in the direction you wish to travel"

"Okay...." He replied, not sure what it meant by that.

Kneeling on one knee to generate momentum, he jumped. As soon as his feet left the ground, sandy hands propelled him surprisingly very high into the clouds.

"Wow," he gasped.

He soon reached the roof of the boy's lodge. Unfortunately, he didn't think of that possibility. Instead of crashing loudly on the roof, his body disintegrated into dust, which then went through it into a room.

The dust particles moved rapidly round the room, gradually forming back his body. Once complete, he was so surprised that he almost fell, looking around in relief that he was in his room.

"Now seek something to shade your eyes from the sun. Everything is held by dark matter except the light, that's why I react to Sunlight" Dark Matter said,

So Jason put on his sunglasses, making the scares disappear.

Checking the time, which was 7'o'clock in the morning, Jason collapsed exhausted on his bed and fell asleep very quickly.

Waking up later that evening, Jason almost thought that everything was back to normal. But he could feel the four corners of his room, so he wasn't normal now.

Sitting up, he concentrated on the floor and raised his hand. As expected, a sandy hand rose from the floor. He reached out and touched it, but this time it held his hand.

" Please, could you at least tell me what you are?" He asked, but received no response.

" Why can't you show me your face, and why are you even inside me? I'm I losing my mind?"

" Hmmmmm! When it's time, you will know," was the only reply he heard, as the hand left him, and disappeared into the ground.

Deciding to take his dinner, even though he didn't feel hungry, he walked to the edge of the noisy hall where he would be least seen.

Soon, the food was served, and he tried to eat. But something was wrong with it. It seemed to turn into dust the moment it touched his mouth. Again and again he tried, until the spoon itself faded away.

" What the heck!" he exclaimed.

" You can't taste nor do you need to eat you highly stupid one, I am now your life force" Dark matter muttered.

"Darn it," Jason said scornfully he didn't know what he would do from then on, so he just sat motionless on the seat. He was supposed to be feeling scared and to be wondering about how his life would become from then on, but he was just as calm as ever. Thinking about the day before, he regretted ever following May and neglecting his instincts, but time doesn't go backwards, so he decided to learn how to deal with his new-found demon or whatever it was, instead of dwelling in the past.

Finally coming out of the dining hall, he only thought of taking a deep sleep.

May was unfortunately around the corner with Stacey when she noticed him.

She cleaned her eyes thoroughly with her fists.

" Wait a sec, Stacey!" She muttered," Who is that over there?"

" What are you talking about? It's Jason!"

" What? It can't be." She exclaimed, and ran towards him, not believing her eyes.

"Jason!" She called, and hugged him, immediately he turned.

" I can't believe you're alright, we were so scared" she wept.

** Is he really alive?** She thought.

Normally, this should have caused a chain reaction in Jason's head, but he felt nothing, though he still loved her.

"What happened back there," May asked crying profusely, she held his head close to hers in an attempt to comfort him through whatever trauma he must have gone through or is still going through.

"You guys left me there," he said, trying his best to fake emotion.

"Jason, please understand we couldn't do anything," wiping the tears from her eyes she drew him closer and hugged him, still confused about what had earlier occurred the day before, and was still wondering how he was still alive. She thought he had died or was taken to hell by dark forces or something.

He was very cautious while in her arms because Dark Matter was still new to him and was very unpredictable, and he didn't know what he could do. Feeling her heartbeat, he remembered that this is the part that he was supposed to cry, so he sobbed to the best of his acting capacity to fool her.

As they walked for a while in silence, May wondered while he wasn't as emotional as he was usually, but decided that he was too traumatized to show emotions efficiently.

Trying to start up a conversation he decided to tell her how he had felt for her ages ago since he could no longer feel emotional.

"Um... May you see"

"Hmm"

"I kind of... have a... umm something to tell you" *What is wrong with me* he thought

"Uh go on"

" I have a crush on you."

May kept silent for a few minutes she wondered why he was telling her that now of all times

** maybe he just really appreciated my concern ** she thought

"Aww I knew" giggling she said

"WHA...you knew..., but do you feel the same for uh... me," he asked

"Um NO! Sorry, I kind of have a boyfriend" they were now alone in the woods a few meters away from the school camp.

"Oh I understand, but who exactly if I may ask," Jason said now losing hope.

"Mike !!" The words sounded in Jason's ears like in slow motion.

"Mike"

"Yeah"

"Mike... Mike of all people on this earth you chose mike" Jason said

"What! He is not a bad person, you know"

"I've wasted a lot of attention on you, and you didn't even notice me," he said.

"No you don't get it, it's not that I haven't been noticing you it's just that ... you won't understand," she said, not wanting to remember her unsettling past with Mike.

" But I do like your character I..." she paused, not wanting to let her emotions burst.

Suddenly, Jason felt very uneasy. His head felt like it was about to pop out.

" Oh no!"

"Oh no !" He exclaimed

"what? What is it ?" May asked getting worried. Jason instinctively knew what was about to happen.

" May run."

" What but ... but why?" May asked, feeling terrified.

"Run NOW." Jason shouted, making May take to her heels as fast as she could. Jason could feel Dark Matter taking control of his body, so he raised his hands high with all his might trying to stop him, making about six dusks (hands from the ground) stroke several trees, fading them instantly.

Finally, taking control he walked further away from the camp to avoid harming anyone but unknown to him Mike who has been stalking him and May ever since followed.

If only he wasn't distracted by a bee when May took to her heels, and when trees suddenly faded into nothingness.

May after the incident at the woods with Jason was feeling very scared and could only think of going home.

*Jason has been possessed how long will it take before we all will be possessed * she thought to herself as she walked into the school camp like a poisoned rat.

*I know wat to do,I'll tell the school management... But they will probably think am crazy but I have to try * She thought feeling very sad for Jason

*if only I did not dare him to check out the sand he would have been normal* she thought to herself before staggering to the management office some student laughed at her movement oblivious to what she witnessed.

"Hello there ! How may we help you" the principal said when the disoriented May entered the office without proper permission

"Jason..." breathing hard

"What's wrong with Jason" the director asked

"Yesterday as we were hiking in the woods we came across... then hands from the earth started grabbing him we had to run away for our lives.... Then this evening I found him... then scares appeared from his face and he asked me to run" she stopped to take a breath wondering how they will react

Silence befall the office and no one said a word for a few minutes before

Everyone burst into laughter

"Umm May do you need to see the school nurse you could talk to her about your hallucinations" the vice principal suggested controlling his laughter

"I am not going crazy"May muttered "why don't you check his room then"

"Alright to be sure we will investigate his room" they all agreed

....

Jason was as anxious as ever strolling in the woods in deep thought he was wondering what Dark Matter would do next when Mike pushed him to a tree

"Hey jerk" Mike didn't notice the calmness in him and more importantly the fading tree he was leaning on

"What's your problem now " Jason said

*Is this boy an idiot why would he want to do this at this crucial moment* he thought trying so hard to stop Dark Matter from taking over his body that his head veins swelled and hot sweat faded from his skin .

"I saw you with my babe looks like you've not learn your lesson dead meat"

"Let me be Mike, Run ! run back you may die here" Jason beckoned as his eyes started forming pitch black sands again

Mike ignoring Jason's warnings landed several blows on Jason's face and Dark Matter was getting infuriated at Mike's actions on his host's body

"What in hell ... " Mike exclaimed when black scares appeared on his face trying to punch him again Jason held his hand and over powered him.

Dark Matter being in control of Jason brought the scared Mike's hand down

"What the hell are you" Mike exclaimed managing to escape from Dark Matter's grip as he attempts to escape

"Hel..." a hand that was not Jason's gripped his throat

*STOP STOP DON'T KILL HIM* Jason screamed but Dark Matter didn't pay any attention

....

May was too scared to follow the Principal and his vice to Jason's room but after much convincing she agreed. As soon as they opened his door May shrieked like a frightened cat and ran behind them but it was nothing but the sound of the wind from Jason's opened window

"There's nothing suspicious here" the principal said

"But... but...what about the black dust on the floor"

"That could be just sand from his shoes, you need to rest is getting late" The vice principal suggested "thanks for wasting our time" they both left May there to attend to their offices.

May took another glance at his room and didn't notice any other suspicious thing she then sighed and went to her own room.

She pundered over the events that had occurred and the talk they had while strolling when she got to her room

*I dunno what happened I just woke up the next morning*

*whoa you didn't remember anything at all after the gripping hands !?*

*No nothing*

May noticed how dusty Jason cloths were the same dust that littered the floor of his room *something is going wrong around here* she thought sighing she pushed the thoughts away and remembered the huge cracked hole under her bed. She then raised the bed up In annoyance and frustration but gasped and moved back quickly when her eyes caught the occurrence below her.

"Sand...black Sand in my room too" she stared in horror at the moving sand in the hole as if in a semi circular pattern .

"What's going on here" she managed to say picking up a hammer she broke a crack into another wall and was shocked to the bones when she saw more moving sand. It was as if the sand was traveling through the walls.

...

As if good fortune befell on Mike a lumberjack shouted in terror at the sight of a semi dark figure of a teenage boy with his hand outstretched about a feat away from a hand out of the ground strangling a poor boy.

"What the hell !!" The man exclaimed, his eyes wide open in fear as he moved back slowly, hot sweat dripping like rain from his cheecks.

Distracted Dark Matter left Mike and focused his attention on the now running man taking a few steps forward many series of dusks shoot out from the ground with one dusk grabbing hold of the poor man's heart giving him little time to shriek it pushed his heart out of him before fading it away. The poor man laid there lifeless with his blood fading from the gaping hole where his heart once was . Dark matter dust cloud filled the air and disappeared slowly as Jason took control of his body

"No ! " Jason exclaimed really wanting to feel emotional but could not nor could tears flow from his eyes

"What have u done ...I'm doomed" ...

"Hey Stacey !!" Liam called stopping her from entering the females' lounge

"Ye..yeah" she stammered not believing that he actually called her.

"Ugh... have you seen May recently she is not with the rest of the class, our teacher is about to start the night's horror story"

"Oh yeah, we were together before she went with Jason" she said shyingly with her hands together

"With... who ?"

"Jason !"

He looked shocked for a while before controlling himself

"Oh... okay thanks"

"Alright... you can talk to me anytime" she replied awkwardly

"Right , don't be late for the story " he said running towards the the bonfire where the rest of his class where heading.

"Owkay ! " she shouted "he just talked to me" she kept telling herself while hopping towards her room joyfully.