You know all the usual stuff, don't read if it's illegal or you don't like sex or sex between two males offends you. All characters are purely fictional, and any likeness is coincidence. Joshua Glynn reserves all rights to this story, the characters, and the world they live in. Edited by Kumani
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Night Eternal
Prologue: A Thief in the Night
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The unknown fills the night. Since the beginning of time, people have both feared and worshipped the nocturnal. The darkness is ruled by the supernatural and the occult. It holds the basis for every person's primal childhood fears. I was never afraid of the night myself, but it changed my life forever.
My name is Ryan Carlyle. I'm twenty and I look at the world through bright green eyes that often get startled looks from others. I'm on the college swim team and always get compliments on my body. I have lived in the same small town, just outside of the city all my life and I know practically everyone.
Biologically, I'm an only child, but I do have a brother. I've known Coby Daniels for as long as I can remember. Our parents were friends long before we were born. They would take turns watching "the boys" as we were called, while growing up. Therefore we spent a lot of time at each other's houses. We like to think of ourselves as brothers. Coby's tall thin frame and short-trimmed red hair causes him to stand out. He has a younger brother, Caleb, who is sixteen and idolizes us both. He's also my little brother.
When we graduated high school, Coby and I were accepted into the computer science program at the local state university. We have been here for over a year now, sharing a dorm room and several classes. Luckily, the university is only an hour's drive from home, so we get to go home at least once a month.
We have done everything together, not to mention sex. We taught each other how to jerk off. We even lost our virginity together, with the same girl. We actually shared several girls over the years. Not always at the same time, but the freaky girls loved having us at both ends. We didn't disappoint them.
In college we have a diverse group of close friends. First, there's Steve and Scott, they are English Majors and gay partners. Steve is a skater and a complete queen. Scott is the strong silent type. Then, there is Bill and Sam. They are the over the top cute couple. With, "I love you Billy bumpkins!" "I love you too snuggle bump!" Yea! That kind of "so in love". Sam is a brilliant scientist. She has gotten all of us through chemistry and biology several times. Bill is a human calculator.
Then, there's Jamie, Peter, and Nick. Jamie loves Greek history. She is also a complete nymphomaniac. Peter is a Geography Major, focusing on Geographic Information Systems. It is a combination of computers, cartography, and database management all in one field. He is also the resident geek! Finally, Nick is the drama and chorus guy. He loves musicals. He is also a Try-sexual. He'll try anything once. I understand that Steve and Scott introduced him to his first gay sex. But he is into anything kinky.
As a group we always do things together. We go to clubs, bars, and theaters on a weekly basis. There are a few others that hang out with us too, but the core group is a constant. However, our happy existence was short lived. Six months ago, something dreadful happened that changed all of our lives forever, but none more than mine.
Scott and Steve had convinced us all to go to a local gay nightclub. They were having a drag show that promised to be hilarious. So we all went. It was very funny. They had this big fat guy dressed like Cher in the video for "If I Could Turn Back Time." Complete with fishnet stockings and the black thong suit! We were all having a good time. I even danced with a couple of guys that Steve knew. I think Nick got some phone numbers! Even Jamie was getting down with this really hot little girl. I saw them kissing a few times. It was fun!
When we got ready to leave, Coby was nowhere to be found. We looked everywhere. He was not in the club. We thought he might have gone off with someone, so we waited around for another three hours. We realized he wasn't coming back. I was very worried. I didn't think he would leave without, at least, telling me. The next day when he didn't show up on campus, we called the cops and his parents.
My best friend, my brother, was gone! The only lead the police had was someone saw him leave with a guy no one recognized. What was worse, they could get no real description of this guy because the descriptions given were conflicting. One person said they saw a tall skinny guy with long black hair. Someone else said he was a short fat guy with short blond hair. It was all very weird.
They never found a body. No one received a ransom note or anything. It was like Coby disappeared off the face of the earth. I couldn't believe he would just run away with out telling someone, without telling me where he was going! Steve and Scott took it hard too, because it was their suggestion to go to that club. We would never have gone otherwise. I don't blame them though. I blame myself. I didn't even notice he was missing until we were about to leave.
Over the next few days, the realization set in that he was gone, and I would probably never see him again. I barricaded myself in my room. I didn't leave for over a week. I was without my brother, my best friend. We had never been apart before. I think I wept for two days straight; then off and on again for the next month.
Why did it have to be him? Who could have done this? Where is his body? Why did he leave without telling anyone where he was going? How am I going to live without him?
The last question surprised me. How am I going to live without him? I started to reflect on the time we shared. He was my brother but more. I could even say I loved him, but I see now it was more than just a friendship kind of love. I felt incomplete without him, like a car with no gas. No, that wasn't right! I felt like a car without a driver.
I really missed him. I missed his scent, his presence, his humor, but mostly I missed the caring and love he had for me. The feeling he gave me, the feeling that someone gave a damn about me. I still have friends, but if push came to shove I know they would abandon me. Coby would never have abandoned me.
Have I abandoned him? Have I done everything I can? After a month and a half wallowing in my pain, I finally began to pick up the pieces of my life. I started going back to class. I even started hanging out with my friends again, but I knew something changed. They knew it, too. I wasn't happy anymore. I used to be happy but after Coby's disappearance, I was just going through the motions.
Coby's family was devastated. Caleb took it the worst and had to see a shrink. None of Coby's family seemed happy anymore, it was like all the happiness had been stripped from them. They held a memorial service for Coby two months afterward. It was the most miserable experience of my life. I couldn't even look at Caleb or his parents. I felt responsible for his disappearance.
Then, two months ago, everything else in my life just started to crumble. First, Jamie stopped hanging out with us. We never saw her anymore except for a few nights that she went to the club with us. The fact that she went from going out with us five days a week, to only twice a month, had us all concerned. The worst part was she no longer came to any of the classes any of us had with her. So we began to really get worried. When we did see her she didn't want to tell us anything about what she was doing, just that she missed us, and it would all make sense soon. We never saw her at all during the day.
Then, a little over a month ago, we lost Steve and Scott to a car accident. They lost control of the car and it went off a cliff. It was such a waste. It brought Coby's loss back to me ten-fold. I was devastated again, and became depressed.
On top of that, we had another tragedy. Nick was found dead in his apartment three weeks ago. The police believe he fell asleep on his couch and a lit cigarette fell from his hand. The whisky he was drinking started a fire that burned him alive. Losing four of my best friends in less than half a year was killing me.
