Run

by MonkeyNinja

Flashes in the Dark

The bedroom door closed with a resounding "thunk!". I shambled over to my bed, not bothering to even roll over, and crashed into the pillowy surface with a groan. Some vacation this was turning out to be. I had only just bid my Emily goodnight and turned in for the evening. It was like, seven o'clock. Turning over, another groan escaped my lips.

'What the hell?', I thought to myself, 'This is supposed to be the best part of the year, and I can't even find a good reason to stay up past eight!'

I flopped over again, stuffing my face into a pillow, and screamed. It wasn't loud enough to draw attention from down stairs, but it was enough to let me vent. With a surge of adrenaline, I scraped myself away from the sheets. The whole summer couldn't just pass me by like this. I had to DO something!

Ten minutes later, after a round of push-ups, video games, and gorging myself on leftover cake until fit to burst, I had run out of 'somethings'.

I returned to my bedroom, defeated, and slammed the door in frustration. There was just nothing to do! Not thinking, I angrily kicked my open closet door, which not only sent me hopping on one foot in pain, but swung into Dave's old punching bag, ricocheting back full force.

Still hopping on one leg, the wood of the door slammed into my skull with a sharp smack. Then, with all the agility and grace of a drunken sloth, my body went flying into the closet.

"Shit...", I moaned, doing my best to rub both head and foot at the same time. An assortment of clothes that had been hanging up a moment ago had nearly buried me. To top it all off the door had closed, plunging me into darkness. Now, ordinarily this wouldn't have been a problem. The only issue was that my closet door didn't have a handle on the inside. I'd discovered this problem a year or so back, by getting trapped inside and having to call out for Emily to open the door. Immediately afterward, I figured out how to pick the lock. Thankfully, it wasn't very hard. The bolt that held the door closed was left with a little bit exposed, which meant it could be forced open by shoving a small piece of metal into the gap, and levering it to the left.

Groaning once more, I shook a few pieces of clothing off of me and rose to my feet. After doing so, my head was promptly introduced to the ceiling, leaving me seeing stars. Unable to catch myself on anything stable, I fell over for the second time in as many minutes, my face leaving a small crater in the surface of the door I'm sure.

Now, I would give you accurate description of what I said, but it would probably make the grumpiest of sailor-men cringe. Suffice it to say that it wasn't, "Oh gosh darn-it!".

What on earth, had possessed the builders of this house to make the closet ceiling slanted?! I waited a minute or so before standing up, slowly, and reached for a hanger. Now thoroughly pissed, I tore the object from the rack, let out an aggravated sigh and plopped myself onto the pile of fallen clothes. Ever so carefully, I began to bend the wire straight enough to move the bolt. It was almost finished, when a bright flash illuminated the back of the closet. I spun abruptly to see what it was, slammed my head on the wall, fell onto my back, and screamed. My head was definitely aching now and the rest of my body wasn't much better off.

'We'd better have some aspirin...' I thought groggily as I tried to sit up. My hands traced along the wall and floor of the small space, but there was nothing but drywall and clothes. After a short time, the flash was passed off as just me seeing things. Eventually, after much cursing and twisting, that god-forsaken door finally relented, creaking open in the slowest way possible. I made a silent vow to myself that if I ever got trapped behind that thing again, the damn thing was getting kicked down! Clutching my head, I hobbled out of the closet and collapsed onto my bed. I still couldn't go to sleep.

'I won't let myself. It's summer and it's still only...', I rolled over to look at the clock, 'Nine thirty...'. Was that right? I blinked, unsure if my eyes were seeing things correctly, then picked up my phone. 'Nine thirty one'. I had no idea what to make of it. My little adventure in closet land had only lasted a few minutes. My head pounded.

'Maybe I blacked out?'

No. Never in the darkness did I feel myself slip into unconsciousness. Maybe I read the time wrong earlier? I racked my brain for an answer. Wrong again. Dave had said goodnight to Em' and I, right before hanging up at exactly 6:54. I'd spent maybe fifteen minutes trying to entertain myself, and about five stuck in the closet. So how then, had more than two hours passed?!

Another flash lit my room behind me as I pondered this. Looking over my shoulder, I was once again met with silence. Passing it off as the light of a passing car, I shook my head, trying to get a handle on things. Obviously, my calculations were off. The flashes were both dubbed to be passing cars and nothing more. I deliberately tried not to think about the fact that there were no windows in my closet.

Another minute later, it was set in my mind to be nothing more than a rogue set of headlights.

I flipped my phone back on. It was time. Time to do the only thing there is to do when nothing left remains. Time to delve into the one place that single-handedly holds more wonders and horrors than Heaven and Hell combined... The Internet.

Admittedly, what I should have been doing was looking for a college. Of course, that's what I was always supposed to be doing. But who has time for important decisions about the future when you have dancing cats at the press of a button?

Anyway, shortly after opening the browser, a third flash lit the other side of my room, right above my bed. I looked up quickly, but again to no avail. There was no way in hell that a car light reached that far into my room. Slowly, I scanned the room inch by inch from my bed, searching for anything bright. There was nothing.

Now hyper alert, I decided to stay on my toes about things. Looking back to my phone, I continued to surf the web, very aware that something strange was going on.

I pressed forward in my digital escapade, the strangeness of the night weighing heavily on my mind. I knew something was up, yet I continued to stubbornly push it aside. The videos I was watching were all under five minutes, and there couldn't have been more than ten.

As I reached to tap the link to yet another video, three consecutive flashes illuminated my room. That was the last straw. I threw my phone on my bed and began to scour every solitary inch of the room for something bright, something reflective, anything that could've caused the flashes. There was nothing. However, as I spun to retrieve my phone, something disturbing caught my eye. My back stiffened, as I suddenly found myself afraid to turn around. Slowly, I began to crane my head to the side, like people do in horror movies right before they see the monster. My eyes locked onto my clock.

'One forty five AM'.

I dropped onto my bed with a heavy thud, not even bothering to double check this time. It just didn't make sense! My phone hadn't even been on for an hour. Why was it almost two in the morning?!

There was a noise downstairs, followed by the sound of a door closing. I thought it strange for someone to be up at that hour but I was a bit preoccupied with a conundrum of my own.

I just wasn't thinking clearly, that had to be the answer. Standing with a sigh, I ambled over to the window, throwing it open and taking in the scent of the fresh night breeze. It was only recently that I had discovered this little escape from my stuffy room.

Up until about six months ago, I hadn't dared to venture out onto the roof. However, there came that one night, so perfectly clear and cool, that I just had to try it. Slowly, I lifted the window, careful not to make any noise. Almost shaking with anticipation, I took a deep breath and slid out onto the roof. The night air came in a strong breeze which rippled through my hair wonderfully. My second story bedroom allowed for an easy walk down to the center of the roof. In addition, the edge of the roof sloped gently downward, allowing for a safe jump if the need should arise. As I laid my head back against the roofing tiles, I was met with the most astounding display of stars I'd ever seen. There was even a full moon to top it off! I couldn't have imagined a more perfect sight. Ever since then, the night had become a regular escape of mine.

I stepped up to the open window trying to clear my head. The cool air felt nice on my skin as the breeze danced through the window. I moved to slide out, when a white flash illuminated the roof. Now absolutely sure that it wasn't just a car, I looked toward its source. I didn't see anything, but there was a rustling in the grass below.

"Hey!" I shouted into the night. The rustling stopped. With a surge of adrenaline, I pulled my head inside and darted over to my closet. As quickly my hands would allow, I pulled on a pair of jeans, a shirt, my watch, and a dark blue hoodie. My phone and day pack were snatched as afterthoughts, and shoved into my pockets. Emily and I would always grab them before heading out at night. We’d committed the bags to routine ever since “The Skunk of 07” caught us without a flashlight.

I spared one last glance at my room before turning and slipping out the window.

---

As I stepped into the night air, the window slid gently down behind me. I turned and dashed out across the roof, stopping to perch at the corner. For a few moments, I was perfectly still, content to enjoy the warm breeze on my neck. In stark contrast, my face was licked by the cool night air drifting by…

'Wait a second...'

That's when I froze. A cold shiver ran down my spine. There was something... right... behind me. Something big. With horror, I realized that the warm breeze I had been feeling was coming in rhythmic waves, not unlike the flow of my own breath.
The realization that Em’ was fast asleep nearby gave me some strength. Whatever was behind me, I would either lead it away from them, or kill it.

Of course, there was always the more likely outcome of me getting eaten by a terrifying creature, but I did my best not to think of that. After swallowing a few panicked breaths, I spun around to face whatever horror awaited me on this darkest of nights. Instead, I was greeted with an empty rooftop. The shock didn't even have a chance to register. As suddenly as it had disappeared, the rustle came back, this time trailing with it the sound of hollow footsteps. I shook off my moment of dread, listened for another second to pinpoint the source of the sound, then jumped.
Had been thinking clearly at the time, perhaps I would have noticed the fact that soft grass doesn't make hollow footsteps.

Rather than landing on a person's shoulders, I felt my feet connect with firm ground. I attempted to tuck and roll to cushion the landing, but ended up tripping and falling flat on my face.
On top of feeling stupid, all sense of where the intruder was had been lost. Groggily, I dragged myself to my feet. It was then, hearing that deep sinister laugh emanating from behind me, that I knew something was very, very, wrong. Before I could turn around, something flew into my back. And I don't mean in the sense that something collided with my back; I mean it literally went inside my back. It felt like being stabbed with icy needles from the inside out. I wanted to double over in agony. I wanted to cry out in pain. But I couldn't move, and I couldn't speak.

"Finally!", a horrible voice rumbled in my head, "It's been so long since I last had a body that could actually be of use to me!". Needless to say, it was god damn terrifying. I had to do something! Anything! Anything that could stop this monster that had taken over my body. With a surge of willpower, I forced all of my energy into moving just my hand. After ten seconds, I was now not only physically paralyzed, but also mentally drained. My finger had barely twitched.

"Is that all?", the voice rumbled in my ears, "The other put up a much better fight. Well, if you're quite finished resisting, we can get started!".

What was happening to me?! Other than the knowledge that something unnatural had taken control over my body, I had no clue.

As I pondered this, my hand rose to my face. At first, it seemed my efforts in moving it had succeeded, but once it began stroking my chin, I realized my assumption was dead wrong. My body was still petrified, yet my face split into a grin that would have been more than unsettling had anyone seen it. Fortunately... Or perhaps unfortunately, there was no one awake at the time. No one to get hurt, but also no one to help me escape the clutches of this... This... What the hell was this thing anyway?!

As if reading my thoughts, the voice in my head piped up.

"Oh, but of course, how rude of me,", It said in what would have been a jovial tone had it not been accompanied by a low rumble, "Allow me to introduce myself! While I have long since forgotten my name, you may come to know me as your master, The Shadow. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance human!". I'm not entirely sure why, but the formal introduction of a demon that was controlling my body like a puppet did precious little to calm my nerves.

"Let's see, where was it at this time of year?", the Shadow spoke in my head, still stroking my chin thoughtfully, "North, or maybe... Ah!". My head snapped up and turned to the forest on its own accord. "Northwest of here! Come along human, we don't want to keep the other waiting!". The entity laughed before walking off toward the woods, dragging me along for the ride.

---

After a few minutes of trekking through the endless see of darkened trees and underbrush, the icy pain had dulled into a cold stinging sensation, making it somewhat more bearable. However, none would call the feeling of having your body taken from your control, pleasant.

I wanted nothing more than to stop myself, to overpower the being that had stolen my body from me, but any effort was futile.

Eventually, after an eternity of hiking, the Shadow perked up, a grin plastering my face. 'We're close...', it whispered in my head, the cold undertone giving a strange depth to the sound.

It was about this time, when the demon decided it wanted to take part in the Indie 500... Minus the car.

My body lurched forward at an unnatural speed, footsteps striking the earth like the wing-beats of a hummingbird. The world around me became one giant blur, as I practically flew through the dense forest. Now, don't get me wrong, I very much wanted this shadow thing to be stopped; ejected from my body and sent off, preferably to go die in a hole somewhere. However, I ALSO wanted my body intact when this happened! At the speed my body was going, a single bump or trip would end with me in multiple pieces. Meanwhile, me being held a terror-stricken prisoner within my own body, the bastard actually seemed to be enjoying it! My body slid under low branches and swung from higher ones. Once, I swear it actually swung off of a branch completely upside down, just to scare the crap out of me! It was outstandingly effective. And the best part? It was pitch, freaking, black! I couldn't even see the trees until they were two feet away from me, making the world a dark, blurry, windy hell, for a good few seconds.

After what seemed like an eternity of flying through trees, my heels dug into the soft earth, bringing me to a skidding halt.

Thank goodness I wasn't the one in control of my body at the time. If that were the case, I probably would've either vomited, wet myself, blacked out, or some very messy combination of all three.

A few moments later, once the world stopped spinning, I was able to take in my surroundings.

My body was standing in a small clearing, only about fifteen meters wide, somewhere deep in the forest.

Just beyond the tree line, something made a low retching groan.

"Let's begin before the other gets even more restless than it already is", it hissed. What ever this "other" thing was, I wanted NO part of it. The horrible grunting it was making made my skin crawl.

Slowly, my arm begin to extend itself toward the center of the small grassy expanse. With a snap of my fingers, the Shadow stomped twice on the ground. At first nothing happened, but after a few seconds the grass in the center of the clearing began to part. Before my very eyes, a flat, round stone emerged from beneath the crumbling soil. The edges of the stone were curled slightly inward, almost like a bowl, and there was an old looking knife resting on the edge.

Shit.

I thought I had panicked when my body went from zero to sixty back in the woods. That was nothing. Only there in the clearing, Shadow bringing my helpless body closer and closer to that knife, did I truly understand what it meant to freak out.

At this point, I was absolutely positive that my body would either be a sacrifice for some demonic ritual, be cut open and left to die for the amusement of a malevolent spirit, or simply drop dead of a heart attack right then and there. None of the outcomes I could foresee had a particularly happy ending with me involved.

Shadow stopped moving. Ever so slowly, I reached down, lifting the knife to eye level to get a good long look.

"You don't mind if I borrow some of this, do you?", the monster said in a cruel mockery of my own voice as he rolled up a sleeve, "The darker arts will sometimes require a little... incentive".

The tip of the curved blade dug deeper and deeper into my arm until finally it broke the skin. Then, with a stomach-churning wrench, the knife twisted violently, unleashing a scarlet cascade from the wound. The pain was excruciating. Every nerve in my arm screamed in agony, trying in vain to numb the sting. The pain only seemed to stretch the grin that remained plastered on my stolen face.

The crimson stream ran down my arm, creating a small pool as it collected in the bowl.

'Maybe the Shadow just wants a drink of blood before it goes to bed', I thought to myself, 'Perfectly normal behavior for your average sadistic demon'. Once my body began to crouch, this actually seemed to be the case. A glimmer of hope showed the creature drinking the blood, then letting me go on my merry way. Disgusting, but a hell of a lot better than being slaughtered. Of course, this was not what happened.

As the shadow crouched, it placed a finger in the crimson pool, mumbling something that sounded foreign under its breath. An electric ripple shot down my arm, resonating in the blood. Then, I watched in terror as the blood oozed down into the stone basin. It shouldn't have been so frightening, but something deep down told me that what I had just done was unnatural, and very bad.

Standing up, the ground shook slightly as the rock sank back into the earth.

Just when it seemed over, the shadow threw my head back, shouting something strange to the heavens. Whatever it was it scared me even more than the blood. A red column of light slowly began to rise from the ground, illuminating a symbol carved into the air above the treetops.

'Yep. Demonic ritual it is...' I thought, surprisingly calm when faced with impending doom.

In an instant, the sky split open as if torn by the hands of some invisible giant.

"Now you be a good little body and don't get yourself killed while we're separated," the horrid voice whispered in my head, "I'll need you alive once we meet again!".

Then, the other stepped up behind me, still making those sounds.

"Ja... JAR... Jaja...". It was seriously unnerving to be unable to see it. As my clothes began to get lighter, the other let out a scream that terrified me more than anything that had happened so far. Not because it was loud, or because it's voice was so strained, but because it was familiar.

"Ja... Jaa... JAAACK!!!" Screamed my little sister.

With that, gravity was suddenly reversed, sending me through the tear and off into the ether.

---

-

Author's Note:

EDIT: Fixed the issue with the first chapter... (By getting rid of the darn thing!)

Comments

[StarChaser01]

My eyes locked onto my clock.

'One forty five AM'.

My thoughts:

"So long as you don't know you're dreaming you're safe"

Kudos to whoever gets that reference!

[PegaSeraph]

5300175the deeper sleep?

[Radioactive Dragon]

With a snap of my fingers, the Shadow stomped twice on the ground.

hmm TIME FOR SONG REFRENCE!

end about at 1:24