dark – Tyrek's Writing

Just a Dream

The television screen flickered wildly, as Ben scrolled haphazardly through streaming services. It was always hard to find a new show to watch, but he was determined to do just that. Camille never really liked the kinds of shows he watched. Pain filtered through his fingers as he stood flicking through sitcoms, dramas, and documentaries so fast his head began to spin, the colors blurring together in a tapestry of boredom and disappointment. He didn’t know what the shows were, but he knew none of them were right. Nothing was right.

“Just pick something already,” Camille chided from the couch, “You’re not getting any younger”

The flickering slowed as Ben landed on a sitcom. An old sitcom, about dating, break ups, love, and friendships. He hated those shows. They were fake. So painfully fake. Camille seemed delighted by the choice however, so reluctantly he pressed play.

A laugh track permeated the air as Ben sat next to Camille on the couch. They watched as the people on screen talked, and laughed. A chorus of laughter accompanied their every movement. The laughing was incessant, and Ben knew nothing could possibly be that funny. He sighed, at least Camille enjoyed it, he thought so anyway, she never spoke as he leaned his head to lay on her shoulder.

He was falling. He must have missed her shoulder, as the air streaming past, roared in his ears. The arm of the couch approached quickly, as his eyes widened in fear.

His head hit the side of the couch with a thud. Pain shaking his senses fully awake. Rubbing his neck he searched for Camille, but he knew he wouldn’t find her. She had left. Disappeared. Just like she did every night.

Why does this keep happening to me?

She would be back though, Ben knew. She always came back. Ben pulled his blanket close, and let the cold glare of the TV wash over him, as raucous laughter filled his empty apartment.

She’ll be back

Ben came home from work the same time he always did. At least he thought so, although he couldn’t really ever remember leaving. Did he even have a job anymore? He didn’t know.

Ben laid down on the bed, and stared at the ceiling, letting his eyes drift out of focus.

“You can’t keep doing this,”

Ben looked over to see Camille lying next to him.

The tinkering of a piano filled the room, as Ben walked into the living room, to see her, breathtaking and beautiful, standing on the stage.

The lights dimmed as a spotlight illuminated her glittery red dress. Like a scene from a movie. The kind of movie with cheap beer, and cigarettes. The kind with wanted heroes, and misunderstood villains.

Sunday is gloomy

My hours are slumberless

Dearest the shadows

I live with are numberless

The kind of movie where the good guys always win.

Little white flowers

Will never awaken you

Not where the black coach

Of sorrow has taken you

The kind where he always gets the girl.

Darling, I hope that my dream

Never haunted you

My heart is telling you

How much I wanted you

Gloomy Sunday

Ben walked swiftly unsure of where his legs were going. He exploded with longing, hypnotized and confused . He had to kiss her. He had to love her. He did love her, and he could never stop. He reached out toward her glittering form, ready to whisk her up and away.

Only air greeted his fingertips, the spotlight was gone and so was Camille.

“You can’t keep doing this, Ben”

Camille stood by the door, a suitcase in hand, and her winter coat held snug to her shoulder.

“I’m leaving y’know, I have a plane to catch.”

You can’t leave, did I do something wrong?

“I already left, seven years ago. It’s been seven years. You poor bastard. I really can’t stay Ben, my plane leaves in an hour”

But there will be plenty more planes, just stay a little longer, I can be better.

“Poor boy, it won’t make a difference, my plane has already left. It’s waiting for me, I really must be going”

Why are you leaving me?

“I don’t love you Ben, maybe I never did. Maybe I was just too young to know what love was? It hardly matters now. I could be anywhere in the world at this very moment. Seven years is a long time y’know”

…

Where are you going?

“Paris. There was never any room for me here anyway. Best to leave while I’m still young, and beautiful. He really is a good man, y’know. He’ll treat me well, and Paris is a lovely city”

…

But I love you

“No, Ben”

…

You’ll be back tomorrow, right? You always come back.

…

“No… It’s just a dream. Can’t you tell anymore? You poor, poor bastard.”

Ben had never been to the roof at night before. The stars twinkled, and danced as he sat watching. The sky looked so much closer from up here, a blanket of dark stretched over a broken city. He wondered if he could reach it.

Reaching a hand in the air he grasped for the abyssal fabric, ready to pull it in close to his chest. His fingers grasped desperately at empty air. Perhaps it was just a little higher. It couldn’t be more than a couple feet from his fingertips.

All he would have to do is jump.

Shimmering white caught his eye, as Camille strolled past onto the dance floor. Had she been invited? Had he? A hand lifted to gesture him over.

“Youre making a mistake, Ben. Go home”

May I have this dance?

Her white dress swayed in the wind as he approached. Her hair cascaded around her face, a white crown adorned her head. She lifted her arms, in saintly stature. It was an invitation.

“You can’t keep doing this, Ben”

Just one dance

“I’m probably landing in Paris right now, I can’t be here”

Just one dance

“This is stupid, GO HOME!”

Ben only smiled, offering a hand and a small bow.

May I?

…

“Of course, love”.

She reached out her hand, and was gone. The dance floor, melting into concrete. He watched as the sky seemed to grow closer and closer. He reached up for it,

He stretched, higher and higher until the tips of his feet were all that kept him down. He could almost feel it. The warmth of the void radiated through his fingertips.

Just a few more inches now.

All he had to do was jump.

“You bastard”

…

“You poor, poor bastard.”

The Shadow

They didn’t see him; nobody ever did. They sat around the dinner table, joking and singing or whatever, but Jack didn’t care, not now. There were 3 of them this time: a father, a mother, and a daughter. The parents were old, and the daughter was maybe 22 or 23, not that it mattered to Jack; he went where he was told, no matter what. A birthday party, perhaps, Jack wondered mildly, as he lazily strode through the kitchen toward the back door. He locked the door quietly before lazily looking for the light switch. The Change was Jack’s favorite part, the moment they went from joy to fear. The Change filled the room as Jack found the light switch and flicked it. Jack was quick with his duties, and when the lights came back on, the family was unrecognizable; bits of blood, hair, and flesh coated the walls and floors. Jack admired his handiwork. The Shadow would be pleased. Jack smiled once more before wandering back into the night.

Jack Rowe worked as a bartender, or at least he pretended to be every week for 40 hrs or more. It wasn’t something he liked doing. Matter of fact, he hated it. All those degenerates and heathens lit Jack on fire. If he had to hear one more story about how, this one got dumped for that one, while the other was screwing somebody else, he might decide to put an end to the whole affair in a very violent manner. Jack never got what he wanted, however, because The Shadow loved the bar. Young women were its prey of choice, and there was no shortage of them tonight.

“Jack, Hello”, Rose waved a hand in his face, “Earth to Jack.”

Jack blinked his way back into existence while turning to meet the gaze of his “boss”. If you could call her that, I mean, she was 20 years younger than him. A fact that wasn’t lost on him as his gaze slid from her face and down her neck, over curves and dips, and down to things only his imagination would ever see. Her deadly blue eyes shone in her pale face, as wild red hair framed her freckled cheeks. Rose was heartachingly beautiful, but far too young. Maybe he was just too old. It was only a few years ago when a woman like that would have been all over him, but now…

“Jack, the trash needs to go out,” Rose said, interrupting his thoughts once more. She shifted uncomfortably before shuffling out of the room. Jack didn’t blame her. With a sigh, he gathered the trash and walked out the door.

Jack dragged a trash can behind him, and he felt a familiar twinge in his neck. Jack didn’t flinch; he was used to it by now. One moment he was throwing a bag into the dumpster, and the next he was falling. Then he was still. The Shadow never really had a form other than glowing red eyes. The eyes were never the same. The size, the shape, the number. It changed from occasion to occasion. Jack noticed this idly as he looked around, for the eyes.

He found them to his left, and when their eyes met, he felt an image surge into his mind. A woman in a blue dress is sitting at the bar. She had been at the bar drinking her sadness away. Her boyfriend was a jerk or something, but it didn’t matter now. She was Marked. She would be his next victim.

When Jack returned to his post, the woman was there, sipping on something sweet, Jack never bothered to learn the name, and pouring out her soul to the woman next to her. The Shadow lurked in a corner, listening with glee as the woman described how her boyfriend went home for the holiday and hooked up with his ex. Three red eyes appeared in the corner of the room as she went on about how she found his second phone, the one with all his other girls. A fourth eye opened. Maybe it was a smile. Maybe not. Jack couldn’t care less about the woman or her crappy boyfriend, but this was part of the chase, and Jack always did what he was supposed to.

So while the woman talked, he listened, and when she got up to leave, he followed. Jack kept his headlights off as he drove behind her; he didn’t need them. His night vision had been extraordinary. When she drove up to an apartment building, Jack watched to see which was hers. Once he was certain of her apartment number, he drove off. The Chase was fun, but the rest was yet to come. He went around back, walking through an alleyway, a pair of glowing red eyes peering from the darkness. The fire escape was easy enough to climb, and the window opened easily enough. There were only two of them this time. The woman in the blue dress and a boy. Presumably the boyfriend. From the bedroom, Jack watched them argue in the kitchen. The moment wasn’t right for The Change to work; it had to be the right moment. Jack slipped out of the bedroom and into the living room.

They didn’t see him, nobody ever did, but he saw them. The fighting intensified, and Jack began to worry that the moment would never come. He would have to do it anyway; it just wouldn’t be as fun. Jack sighed. Well, if it had to be, it had to be. Jack had a job to do. A moan escaped the woman’s lips, and stopped Jack in his tracks. The fighting was morphing; they still yelled at each other, but only between breaths as they began to shed their clothes like the wretched animals they were. The yelling devolved into moaning as the woman’s back found the couch Jack had been standing by. He had escaped into the bathroom while they were… busy. Six red eyes watched as the man’s pants fell to the floor, and six more eyes watched as the woman continued her shrieks, for lack of a better term, of pleasure.

This was the moment. It was time for The Change. The breaker was easy to locate because he had already seen it on the way in. It was in the bedroom. Jack smiled, and with a push, the power was out. The shrieks and groans from the living room silenced, and Jack’s smile widened. It was even better than he had expected. He heard them whispering to each other in the living room, and Jack walked past them to the front door. He waited for a moment before locking it. He wanted to be sure they heard it. A gasp of fear from the woman confirmed it.

A laugh escaped his lips; he couldn’t help it. They couldn’t see him, he was sure, but they could hear him. He savored The Change in all of its glory, but all good things must end sometime. With a sigh, he brought up a shadowy hand, where he held his new weapon. A vase from the nightstand. Thirteen eyes watched as the vase cracked against the boy’s skull, and another laugh escaped into the void. The woman screamed and ran to the door, but Jack was fast. Jack’s tendril-like fingers grabbed her throat before throwing her back down on the couch. A shard of the vase lay at his feet. With a singular motion, he brought it across the boy’s neck. The woman was next. Jack’s hand found her throat again, and he squeezed, as her naked body squirmed beneath him. His joy could not be contained any longer, and he laughed. He laughed and he laughed and he laughed, until his eyes turned red.

When the lights were back on, Jack admired his masterpiece. The Shadow was pleased. Jack knew because he no longer saw the eyes. He was satiated for now, and so was Jack. He giggled to himself quietly all the way home.

“Jack, could you empty the trash again? I know you just did, but…” Rose’s voice trailed off as she left, not bothering to finish her sentence. Jack watched as she walked away, watching her hips sway side to side. Heartachingly beautiful was the term he had used, and his heart was aching for sure. She was the girl he wanted but knew he could never have. He thought about this as he felt the familiar twinge in his neck, one moment standing and the next falling. And then he was still. The eyes were uncountable this time, but he didn’t need to look at them to know who was Marked.

It was Rose, it’s always been Rose. Jack smiled. Maybe it was time to let her go. Or maybe he’d hold onto her for a little while longer. The eyes blinked in what could have been laughter, and Jack joined in for the last time.

The Man in the Mirror

I stared into the mirror, and a tall, dark skinned man stared back. His movements were sluggish, as if he were trying to predict my next move. His eyes glazed over, as if staring just a little too far into the glass. I reached out a hand, and so did He. Our fingers met on the glass, and we both stared at our fingertips. A red stain marked the glass, proving its existence, although I couldn’t see it. All I could see was the world behind it. The world where He lived.

He didn’t speak, but he looked down at the red stain streaking the glass between us. I took comfort in the fact that there was a divide between us. Why did He just stand there? Did he know something, I didn’t? Didn’t He know what was coming? If He did, He didn’t act like it. Frustratingly He smiled a demonic smile. The smile of a man with no remorse, a man with no soul.

A gun sat on the countertop in front of him, he only glanced at it momentarily before looking back into my eyes. He looked disheveled, as if he hadn’t washed himself in days. His shirt was torn, and bloody. He smiled, of course. That dreadful smile. Why did he smile? I looked deeper into his world for an answer and found more questions.

Blood. I saw blood covering the floor. A wall obscured my vision into the rest of the room behind him, but I saw long strands of orange-red hair swimming in a pool of amber. It was obvious what happened, even obscured as it was. Someone was dead, and the man had done it. I leaned to the side slightly, and so did He, to get a better look. I saw her face, and instantly I recognized her. Her name was Cara. We were together for a little while, although I hadn’t seen her in a few days. He had killed her, had I done the same?

Of course not. We had a slight disagreement, sure, but that was a while ago. I would never go so far as to kill her. Although now that He had done it, I found myself feeling ashamed. Not the shame of remorse but the shame that comes with the lack of it.

The man, reading my thoughts, smiled at me mockingly. I quickly looked down to the red streak. It was there. The mirror was still there. I breathed a sigh of relief, and he did the same. Smiling the whole time, as if to mock my movements. As long as He was on his side of the glass though, that was fine. The side of the glass with Cara’s body.

Cara. She was a lovely girl. A pretty girl. Funny, beautiful, kind, and considerate. A girl all men want. A girl that I had. All people have their flaws, I’ve had more than my fair share of them, but she was different. She was perfect. That’s what I thought at least.

I wonder if his situation was similar to mine. I wonder if He had dated her too, if He had fallen in love. I wonder if his heart was torn out, and ripped into shreds. I wonder if she looked at him with the same coldness she had looked at me with. I wonder if he watched that perfect facade crumble before his eyes, to reveal the serpent underneath

It’s enough to drive anyone mad, but I didn’t kill her, break ups happen often enough, and I deal with them and move on, but maybe The man didn’t.

Maybe He waited until the sun went down and she was asleep. Maybe he broke into her apartment, with the spare key he knew was hidden under the mat by her door. Maybe, just maybe, she wasn’t exactly as asleep as He hoped she would be, and they had fought. The fight would have been loud, and the gunshot would have been even louder.

The man in the mirror never stopped smiling. I hated that smile. I felt the anger bubble beneath the surface, as hatred burned into my soul. I hated that man in the mirror, and He knew it. That’s why he smiled.

He knew I couldn’t hurt him, on that side of the glass. The red streak between us serving as a reminder of our separation. He mocked me, standing beside Cara, and I hated him for it.

I did have something on him though. He wouldn’t move without me. I had the control. All I had to do was stand still, and He would never hurt anyone ever again. I laughed at the absurdity, and he followed suit. I couldn’t hear him, but his motion mimicked my own. I hated him for that too.

I heard the police open the front door to Cara’s apartment. They screamed and yelled, but I didn’t move. I held him in place, to meet his demise. I knew I could save him . All I had to do was lift my hands and do what the officer told him to do. He didn’t deserve it though. He deserved to stay right where He was. I looked at the red stain on the glass. He was still in his prison, where He would stay forever. This time I smiled, He mocked me with a grin of his own, as I reached for the gun, and fired.

The End

Guilt & Forgiveness

“So, what are you running from?”

I looked up at the older man ahead of me. He was helping me carry my luggage into the lighthouse where I would be living for the next 6 months

” What do you mean?”, I said

“People who take this job are always running from something, so what about you, what are you running from”, he said without turning around, but I could tell he was smiling.

“Oh, um, nothing. I’m not running from anything, I just saw a job opening and I went for it’

The old man laughed, “Let’s hope that’s true, the past tends to catch up to people in this place.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“The isolation really gets to people in this place. It’s best if you forgive yourself before walking in, because this place won’t do it for you” he said this while putting my stuff down,

“This is where you will be staying for the next 6 months, you can decorate if you want, it’s your house”

He points to the other side of the room at a phone on the wall. “You won’t get much cell service out here so if you need to call anyone use that, My number is on there for emergencies. Kyle’s number is on there too. He will be your shopper. If you need anything, within reason, call him and he will get it, and if of course emergency services is on there as well”

I looked at the sign, and saw the name Mr. Abernathy. I assumed that was the old man’s name. I really should have known it at this point, but if he has told me it, I completely forgot it, and it felt wrong to ask.

“Come on, Alisa, I haven’t got all day”, Mr. Abernathy said from outside the room. I quickly followed after him.

“This is the lantern room.” Mr. Abernathy waved his arm across the room. ” It’s where the big light comes from. You really don’t have to do anything in here. Just make sure the light goes on at 6pm sharp. It’s on a timer. Make sure to check it every now and then during the night. I recommend every two hours, but it really doesn’t matter. As long as the light stays on all night.”

He began to walk to the far wall of the room

“If for some reason the light is off when you check on it, hit this button. It kicks on the back up generator and it should last for the rest of the night, Make sure to fill the generator back up in the morning though ”

“What if the button doesn’t work?” I asked

“Call the coast guard and they’ll handle it”

“What will they do?”

“I don’t know, tell people it’s not safe to dock, or something. It’s really not the end of the world, just make sure to call me in the morning so I can fix it.”

“Mr. Abernathy looked around the room, seeming satisfied he said. “That’s all the important stuff, You can figure out the rest. What you do with your time is up to you. As long as the light is on at 6pm”.

I walked Mr. Abernathy to the door in silence.

I watched him get in a boat and head off.

It was going to be a long six months.

_________

The first thing I did was call Kyle.

Kyle: Ms. Walker, how may I help you?

Me: You already know my name?

Kyle: Of course, I try to know every keepers name, Ms. Walker.

Me: You can call me Alisa, I’m just looking to get some general grocery stuff. I’m assuming there’s a kitchen, and a bathroom.

Kyle: There is. He didn’t show you them?

Me: No, he said I could “figure it out”

Kyle laughed

Kyle: That sounds like him.

I gave Kyle a list of things I wanted. and when I was satisfied with the list Kyle said

Kyle: Alright, I’ll go get this stuff, it should get to you tomorrow morning

Me: Thank you

Kyle: You’re welcome, Ms. Walker.

_____________

The first few weeks were uneventful. I walked around the premises a dozen times, and found something new every time. It was weird having no contact with the outside world at first, but Kyle was nice enough to talk to. He would even hang out for a little bit sometimes. He helped me set up the Wi-Fi, and would sometimes stick around to play video games. I wasn’t much of a gamer before, but I’ve picked up a few new things. But then it happened for the first time. The phone rang.

Me: Hello?

Unknown: Hey, baby

Me: Isaiah?

Isaiah: That’s what my license says.

Me: How did you… How did…

Isaiah: How did I get this number, My new position has its benefits.

Me: You can’t call me. You’re…. You’re

Isaiah: What? I’m What, Ali? WHAT AM I? ALISSA!!

A loud roar resounded on his side of the line.

I jumped back, dropping the phone in the process. When I picked it back up, the call had ended.

I sat on the ground in shock. He shouldn’t have been able to call me and yet he had. What was I supposed to do about it? In the end I decided to brush it off. It was just a phone call after all. He can’t hurt me through the phone.

Days went by before I had the next call. Again it was Isaiah and again he was screaming while the roaring surrounding his voice

I tried to respond but he didn’t seem to hear me so I hung up.

After that day the phone calls were a regular occurrence, and eventually I just stopped answering.

__________________

Kyle was running late. It was getting close to noon, and he was yet to show up with my groceries. He is usually very punctual so after an a few hours I decided to give him a call to see where he was at. As I reached for the phone it rang. Instinctively I flinched back and strangely enough the ringing stopped. I reached for it again and the ringing started anew. It was giving me a choice this time. If I wanted groceries I would have to answer eventually. As odd as that was. I wasn’t scared. I was angry. He was somehow holding me hostage through the phone, and I wasn’t having it. I answered the phone, through gritted teeth.

Me: STOP CALLING ME!

There was silence on the other end. Absolute silence. After I a moment of silence I decided it was stupid to listen to nothing so I started to put it back. But then I heard him.

Isaiah: I know what you did, I know what you did, I know what you did.

Me: Wh- What do you mean?

Isaiah: You know, I called you that night.. But your phone was off. Where were you Ali?

Me: I- I was working late, I couldn’t leave.

Isaiah:LIES, I know what you did,Ali. Where were you that night? WHERE WERE YOU WHEN I DIED, ALI! WHERE WERE YOU?

I slammed the phone back onto the receiver, and ran out of the room. The phone rang behind me, but I ignored. I slammed the bathroom door open and frantically splashed water on my face.

“Who’s Alex?”

My head shot up and where my face should have been, I saw Isaiah’s. It was charred, his whole body burnt beyond recognition. As if he could sense my shock, he took a step back and looked himself over.

“Oh, this? Don’t worry about it, it didn’t kill me. It was the smoke that did it. I felt every agonizing second of being burned alive, but enough about me. What about you? Who’s Alex? “

Isaiah reached through the mirror grabbing the sink on either side and pulling himself through as if it were nothing more than an open window.

” I don’t know what you’re – ” I began to say

“Don’t lie to me , Alisa. I know what you did already, there’s no point. Is Alex the reason your phone was off? The door was stuck, Alisa. I couldn’t get out. You knew that already though. The police would have told you that.”

” Please , go away” I muttered weakly, “Go away, you’re not real”

Isaiah has finished pulling himself through the mirror and was now sitting on the sink. His face looked calm, sad even. When he spoke, it was with pain in his voice.

“Who was he? Is Alex the “work” you were doing? Is Alex the reason your phone was off?”

“Go away, you’re not real” still muttering.

“You don’t have to answer, Alisa. I already know what did.”

Isaiah hopped off the sink, and began to walk towards me. With every step forward, I took a step back until my back was against the wall.

“Alex … Alex is a guy from work” I stammered out. I wanted to reach for the door but I couldn’t. My body was completely paralyzed.

“It was a one time thing, I swear. And I didnt know about-“

“The fire” Isaiah said, right in front of me now. “If only you knew about the fire, you wouldn’t have gone with Alex. Is that it? It would have been okay, if only I hadn’t messed it up by dying”

“No , that’s not it. That’s not what I’m saying” I said, my eyes were shut tightly, but I could hear his ragged breath only inches away.

“Then what are you saying, Ali?”

“I don’t- I don’t know. I don’t know what to say! This was never supposed to happen, It was only one time” Frantically I reached towards the door, my eyes still shut. ” I thought it was harmless. No one was supposed to get hurt. It was one time! One time!” I finally felt the doorknob and I pulled it hard. Running out of the bathroom, I ran right into Kyle knocking him over.

“Hey, what’s going on, you alright?”, Kyle said standing back up. I ran into my room, tears springing involuntarily from my eyes.

“He wasn’t supposed to get hurt” I said through tears.

Kyle walked in, and I told him everything. Then we sat in silence, for a long time.

” You know you didn’t kill him right. It was a freak accident. You couldn’t have saved him, even if you did answer the phone.” Kyle said quietly,

“I know” I said weakly

Kyle: You have to forgive yourself, this place won’t do it for you