Micah is badly injured and leaning against a tree after a battle with a mysterious monster. In flashbacks, Micah recalls living peacefully in Greenrun Village with his family until a survivor from a neighboring village arrived, telling of a monster that destroyed his town. Micah's father leads a group of men to confront the monster, but Micah secretly follows. He watches in horror as the monster kills his father and the other men by transforming between a stallion and a black sword. The monster then turns its sights on Micah.

1. DARKER THAN BLACK
By Jeremy Patterson

2. DARKER THAN BLACK
 Micah leaned his back on the willow tree wincing in pain. He tried lifting his strong side arm but it
wouldn’t budge, it would not move. It hung there lifeless and dripping blood. He had never broke any of
his limbs before but he surely thought that it was broken. He remembered his father would say, “If it is
broken you’ll know it", and he thought how true those words were. Father...., he thought. Shaking
memories before they could fill his mind he surveyed the rest of his situation. He had many bruises from
head to toe, he felt the majority of them hidden beneath his clothes. His eyes stung from blood and
sweat and no matter how he felt he knew that he could not give up, he could not let IT win.....A cold
shudder ran up the back of his neck, the MONSTER was moving closer to where he was. He looked
over his shoulder and saw the glowing red eyes in the distance. Even though it was too dark to see its
face, he knew that it was smiling, sharp teeth exposed in a vicious smile. As he clutched the sword with
his weak hand he began to let the memories take him this time. It was hard to imagine that just a short
time ago, he was with his family and his world was at peace.

3. DARKER THAN BLACK
 The Greenrun Village was a simple yet beautiful place in the middle country. The war was over and
the land was safe and free of turmoil. The villagers were hardworking and all contributed to the well
being of Greenrun. In the morning farmers minded the fields, women were at the stream washing the
clothing from the day before. Children were at the village school learning about parts of the world that
had only been seen by the eyes of few of the eldest villagers. Men did their respected jobs, blacksmith,
doctor, guard, baker and much more. By evening the roar of the village was quieter but not silenced since
many could be seen at the center square by the fire. Songs were sung of the wars of the past and the
heroes that won them. Micah and his family were a small part of the village. They lived toward the north
end of the village wall in a modest hut. There was Amaris, Mica’s mother, Donovan, Micah’s father.
Samara Micah’s elder sibling and the runt of the family, Micah himself. Amaris was a olive skinned
woman who was beautiful by any mans eyes. She was not glamorous but any person could see that she
had true beauty that surpassed any made-up woman.

4. DARKER THAN BLACK
 She had piercing light eyes that seemed to search a gazers soul and a smile that would warm their
heart. She loved her family very much and was the glue that held them all together. Donovan her
husband was a stoic man of proud stature. He was rustic, strong and was easy to tell that he was once a
warrior. He was a jack of all trades in Green Run and respected by most of the villagers. There were
some though that avoided him due to stories of his role in the war. He was nevertheless a skilled
swordsman as well. Samara was the oldest child of the two. She was beautiful like her mother and strong
like her father. She was quiet young lady in public and a terror to her younger brother Micah at home.
She teased him relentlessly daily but loved him dearly. She was very protective of Micah because of his
frail nature, something that her parents instilled in her when Micah was born. Micah was a small child.
He was a handsome boy but it was masked under his meek nature. He was frequently sick and quick to
avoid physical activity. While the village children he lived near his hut would play boulder dash, he would
be in the dirt with gems and stones recreating the galaxy’s planets from memory. Studies were his game.

5. DARKER THAN BLACK
 Though Micah was more of a scholar than a warrior, he would jump to practice sword fighting with
his father. He enjoyed it because his father would share tales of the war and history in between the
sparring. Micah enjoyed the bonding that he shared with his father. He also knew that his father went
easy on him during their bouts.
 The four of them moved in different directions in their daily lives but all came together at the end
of the day. It became a ritual to exchange their individual stories of the day. Each looked at one another
with love. Before bed Donovan would rest while reading with Samara and Micah would sit with his
mother as she sang to him. Micah loved her beautiful voice and his favorite song was “Amura Te’
Adorah”, a lullaby song that was about brave elves that lived years ago when the land was supposedly
roamed by magical creatures. True or not he didn’t care. He loved the ancient words that his mother
sung. Occasionally, when his family slept, Micah would wake up in the middle of the night and stare at
his parents and sister. He would smile knowing that he loved them and that he was loved.

6. DARKER THAN BLACK
 The next day at Green Run was like all the others before it. The farmers in the field, the women at
the lake, the men with their work and Micah’s father doing his numerous tasks. At school during break
Micah went to the dirt area while his school mates played. He heard something in the distance,
something he had not heard before. It was cries for help. From the dirt mound he could see a man on a
horse coming toward the main wall. Micah climbed a post to get a better look. The man was badly
tattered, bloody and beaten. He was slumped on the horse yelling for help as he came to the front gate.
Micah did not know why but he felt a strange since of dread at the sight of the man. After word came
from the head village Duke, the guards let the man in to he village. He thanked them as he drank the
water given to him and was helped by two guards to the closets hut to talk to the council of why he was
running for his life. Micah’s classmates were quickly called in but Micah was strangely drawn to the man
and his situation. He ducked the instructor and made a dash to the hut were the man was taken. His
small stature made him able to not be seen as he observed the scene from the back. The council, a few
guards and other important people of the village surrounded the man as he told his story.

7. DARKER THAN BLACK
 Micah could also see his father, who he assumed was called due to his background. The man spoke
of a terrible evil that struck his village in Sevesta, not to far from Green run. He said that during the
night, a force of unimaginable power killed all that slept. He said that there was a resistance put up by the
remaining villagers, but they were quickly wiped out by the thing. The “thing” was a monster with
glowing red eyes and teeth of as sharp as daggers. The beast was tall and had a long sword that was
darker than any black ever seen. He was asked by members of the council on how he survived and while
weeping he shamefully said that he hid underneath his wife’s body while the beast rampaged the land.
While others consoled the man and asked him questions, Micah saw his father quickly leave. Micah made
his way home as quickly as he could.

8. DARKER THAN BLACK
 Micah and his family sat at the supper table but they did not exchange stories or smiles. A more
serious matter was discussed. Earlier that day a plan was made by the council to send armed men to the
direction of the beast before it could make it to the village. The group would be led by Donovan, Micah’s
father. Amaris and Samara hugged Donovan and wept while Micah stood in the corner watching. At
night while the woman slept, Donovan spoke with his son and told him to be brave. He left him
instruction if he was to not return. They spoke a while longer until they fell asleep. When Micah awoke
his father was gone.

9. DARKER THAN BLACK
 Donovan and the other men held their torches high in the night as they followed the man from
Sevesta, who was their scout. Unknown to Donovan was that Micah had snuck out and was trailing his
father nearby. Micah was afraid but he had a strong feeling that he needed to be near his father. The man
from Sevesta was in front, Donovan close behind and the rest of the men in back. Micah watched as his
father asked the man to slow down a little with his horse. The man, spoke to Donovan but his back was
turned to Donovan and was hard to hear. Micah bounded from tree to tree to see what was happening.
As he made around to the Sevesta man his mouth gaped in horror. Unseen to the Micah’s father and the
rest were the man’s glowing red eyes. He smiled with sharp razor like teeth and plunge his hand into his
horse’s side. The horse eerily did not move or jump in pain but began to dissolve and form into the
shape of a black sword. Micah tried to scream to his father to alert him but no sound escaped his mouth.
The beast turned around and quickly stabbed Donovan in his side. Donovan, mortally wounded called
out to the men. He drew his sword and clashed with the beast but the monster was too powerful

10. DARKER THAN BLACK
 . The men ran to Donovan to help but were quickly cut down. The beast walked to each body and
seemed to suck their essence into his sword. Micah watched all of this in horror. The beast walked to
Donovan and stabbed him again giving a fatal and final blow. He then continued to take Donovan’s
essence. The monster threw his sword in front of him and it quickly tuned back into the black stallion.
Micah knew that he was headed for the village. He stepped from behind the tree and with a shrill voice
and eyes full of tears he let out a mighty yell at the beast. The thing screeched as it halted and turned
toward the boy who had came out of the woods and revealed himself. The thing smiled and stepped off
the horse. He again plunged his fist into the horse and it more quickly became the black sword. Micah
walked to his father’s body and grabbed his sword. The beast laughed a evil cackle as it walked to Micah.
It towered over him and spoke no words. Smiling it took the sword and swiped to Micah’s direction. Like
a reflex Micah blocked but the force of the strike quickly broke his arm. Terrible pain flooded Micah as
he grabbed the sword with his other hand. More quickly the beast approached and Micah fought with
every skill he was ever taught. The beast was surprised and grew tired of the boy and angry.

11. DARKER THAN BLACK
 Micah parried and stabbed the beast and the thing let out a painful shrill. It grabbed Micah and was quickly stabbed
again by the boy, his small stature was perfect for fast attacks. The beast threw Micah in pain and Micah tumbled down a
steep hill falling trough the forest. The fall and blow to his arm had weaken him tremendously. His entire body quivered in
pain. The beast jumped down to where the boy was to finish him off. Micah weakly stood up and ran into the thick of the
woods. His father told him of warriors of the past and how they led adversaries out of their comfort zone. He hid behind a
tree and could feel the beast approaching, could feel the black skin on it’s face pull back to reveal the mouth of daggers. He
heard foot steps approaching slowly then all of a sudden heard them pick up to a terrifying speed. Micah jumped out and
revealed himself to the beast as it made a strike to the boy. The black blade swung as Micah rolled under. It stuck into a tree as
Micah stabbed the things heart. It screamed so loud it pierced Micah’s ears terribly. He stood his ground and stuck the blade
deeper. The beast fell to its knees and when it slammed the forest floor it burst into nothing. Micah stood there crying for
some time for the loss of his father. He then made his way to the village.