Into the Shadows: The Coming Dark (c) Chapter Two By Fiction Writer #13 (nosex, paranormal) For a moment, time and space ground to a halt. All rational thought, the laws of science, of logic and reason, did not exist. Everything that thirty-nine year old Steven Edward Johnson believed as reality blinked out of existence the moment his eyes peered into the space that should have been his adopted daughter Bethany's bedroom. The pink carpet, the flowery wall paper, the shelves filled with books about 'Babysitting Clubs', the dolls, the stuffed animals, the happy face night-light... it was all gone. There were no walls, no floor, no ceiling to be seen. It was all gone. All that remained was a dark oblivion so powerful that it filled Steve with a sense of dread, and he openly wept without realizing he was doing so. The space was not entirely devoid of life. Before him, seemingly floating in a sea of blackness was a canopy bed, his daughter's bed. Upon the frilly pink and purple covers sat Bethany, tears pouring from her green eyes, her shoulders trembling. "Daddy, no! Don't come in!" Her screams fell on deaf ears. Steven was numb to the world, the shock of it all seizing his mind. Vertigo hit him, and his shaking knees gave out. He fell into the nothingness before him. End over end he spun, falling away from the only doorway back to reality. He watched the broken door get smaller and smaller. His stomach lurched. There was no sound in this place, no light. With no point of reference, was he falling or rising? Maybe he was perfectly still, and the door was moving away? Maybe he was still dreaming? He closed his eyes and prayed, prayed that all of this was just a bad dream. 'CEASE THAT INFERNAL BLATHERING... YOUR GOD HAS NO POWER HERE!' The voice exploded in Steven's head, startling him out of his desperate prayer. Terrified, he opened his eyes. Before him Bethany once again floated on her bed in the darkness; to the left of her hung the limp body of his son Tommy. Tommy's eyes were open and tears fell down his cheeks. To the right of Bethany's bed hung the equally limp body of his wife, Mary. She too was crying, her eyes pleading to him for rescue. There was no sign of the owner of the powerful voice. 'YOU WISH TO GAZE UPON THE GLORY THAT IS I? FOOLISH MORTAL, WERE YOU TO SEE MY TRUE FORM MADNESS WOULD REND YOUR SOUL APART!' The voice tore into his mind, causing Steve to shudder in its wake. 'MY BRIDE HAS NEED OF YOU; THAT IS WHY YOU STILL LIVE... IT IS THE ONLY REASON YOU STILL LIVE!' Each word slammed into him like a punch from a boxer. His mind was reeling, swimming in pain and confusion. 'I HAVE DECIDED TO ALLOW ALL OF YOU TO LIVE, BUT IT WILL COME AT A PRICE. YOU WILL CONTINUE TO CARE FOR MY BRIDE UNTIL THE DAY THAT I AM REBORN... UNTIL THEN I WILL USE YOU AS MY VESSELS. I SHALL USE YOU AS I PLEASE.' This was insane! What was happening? Who was speaking? What bride? A million questions filled Steven's aching head. "You didn't say anything about using them!" little Bethany's voice cut through the darkness. 'I AM LETTING THEM LIVE AS WAS OUR DEAL, LITTLE ONE. SHOULD YOU TRY TO TEST MY PATIENCE ONCE AGAIN, I WILL TAKE THEM FROM YOU FOREVER! 'AS MY VESSELS, THEY WILL NEVER BE FAR FROM MY GRASP. REMEMBER THAT, LITTLE ONE, THE NEXT TIME YOU TRY TO RUIN SIX THOUSAND YEARS OF PLANNING!' The anger and hate of that voice crushed Steven. He felt as though every bone in his body had been shattered. A searing pain burned the skin off his back and shoulders, like a dull razor slashing at him. 'LEAVE ME NOW, UNTIL I HAVE NEED...' A tidal wave of darkness enveloped his wife, his daughter, his son, and finally himself. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Aaaaahhhhh!" Tommy woke screaming, his arms flailing in front of him, clawing at an unseen attacker. His body was drenched with sweat, white cotton sheets clung to him in a tangled mess. He was breathing heavily, as if he'd just finished line sprints on the ice. Sunlight streamed in through his bedroom window. 'That was some nightmare... ' Tommy got his breathing under control, stretched and shook away the memory of his night terror. His eyes scanned the room seeking the digital glow of the alarm clock. A pair of flashing twelves met his gaze. "Oh shit! The power went out again!" Tommy leapt from his bed and began rummaging through the drawer of his nightstand. Finding his watch he breathed a small sigh of relief. 'I haven't missed it... but I'm running really late. Fuck.' He dropped the old timepiece with the broken clasp back into the cluttered drawer. 'I've got to get moving if I want to play today.' All playing members of his hockey team had to be present at the beginning of the game in order to get time on the ice. It wasn't a league rule, just something his coach had come up with to make sure that everyone showed up for warm-ups before the game. His coach didn't want any of his team getting an injury because they hadn't stretched properly. Tommy bolted out of his room, grabbing a towel on his way to the shower. "MOM! DAD! THE POWER WENT OUT AGAIN! I'M GONNA BE LATE!" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Steve and Mary woke with a start, their bodies in a tangled embrace, hearts pounding, and sweat dripping. "Oh shit, not again." Steve pulled himself free from his clinging wife. Sitting on the edge of the bed he wiped the sleep from his eyes. "I thought I fixed the electric problem." Mary stretched out her long, lean body on the bed. "Well, it looks like you'll have to try again." "I'll go start breakfast, see if you can get Bethany up," Steve yawned, and then left the room. Mary continued to roll and stretch her lean body languidly under the covers. Despite the strange nightmare she had been having, she felt absolutely refreshed and relaxed. 'Amazing what a good nights sleep can do!' She slipped her body free of the wildly twisted bedding and stood up. 'Why is the floor cold?' she wondered. Her body still held the delicious warmth of slumber; she'd expected the floor to be warm as well. Her gaze went to the window. Ice had formed on the inside of the glass, confirming that the room was in fact cold. 'Hmm... must be running a fever.' Mary turned to the tall full-length mirror, looking for signs of illness. 'Not bad for a thirty-eight year old, cancer surviving mother of two', she thought as she admired herself. She'd always been tall for a woman, even in high school she towered over most of her friends. Back then it had made her feel awkward, but during her college years she came to appreciate the benefits of being nearly six feet tall. Not only did she get a full scholarship for playing basketball, but being tall, thin and toned got her plenty of attention from men. A day didn't go by without someone mistaking her for a model. That's how she met Steve. Much of her former shape remained despite the passage of time. Her auburn hair was still long and full. At the moment it was a mess from sleeping, but in a good way, almost like the wild way it flowed after sex. Her eyes were deep brown. The only difference between now and then was the confidence that showed through them, something she was in short supply of in school. Her skin remained unblemished, and it kept her summer tan well into winter. She'd worn a silk nightie to bed, not because she wanted to turn Steve on, but because most of her clothing was still in boxes after the move. The sheen of sweat coating her skin caused it to cling to her body in an enticing way, showing off all of her curves, nearly transparent in some spots. The silky, smooth material encased her perky breasts, her nipples outlined as two eraser-sized points. Steven loved her long legs. He told her that the biggest thrill in his life was when she wrapped them around his waist. She loved to hold him like that, squeezing his body into her own. A microscopic point of light drifted past her field of vision, drawing her attention away from her perfect contours. Sunlight filtered in through the bedroom window, motes of dust dancing like fireflies in the shaft of light. Mary became enthralled by their movements, it was so beautiful. She felt as if it were the first time she had ever seen the floating specks of brilliance. It filled her with such joy tears stung the corners of her eyes. "Mary, are you out of bed yet? We have to get a move on!" her husband's voice called to her from downstairs, shaking her out of the trance. "Yes honey! I'm moving!" she called back. 'Whoah, that was weird. I must be hormonal or something,' Mary chided herself. Leaving her room and the sunlight behind she made her way down the hall to Bethany's room. A sense of deja vu suddenly washed over her, but went away just as quickly. Stepping up to the door decorated with paper butterflies and flowers, she paused to listen if Bethany had awakened on her own. When she heard no sound, she knocked gently. "Bethany sweetie, time to get up; Tommy's running late for his game today." There was a soft sound of sheets rustling before Bethany replied, "Oh... ah... okay Mommy. I'll be down in a minute." Mary smiled to herself. 'I love when she calls me Mommy.' ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Steve was halfway through his first cup of coffee before Mary padded down the stairs and into the kitchen. "Hello sexy!" he said as she came up to the counter and poured herself a cup of the aromatic Kenyan blend. "You're looking bright eyed and bushy tailed today," she replied, kissing him on the cheek. "I feel great! Like I've slept for a week!" Spinning around he gave his wife's tiny buns a playful slap before she sat down at the table giggling. "Frisky too!" she smiled. Steve couldn't explain it, he just felt wonderful. He felt younger, stronger, and happier than he had in years. Uncontrollable energy pumped through his veins. The kitchen buzzed with his activity. Pans sizzling, toast popping up, the smell of bacon and eggs frying. It was going to be a beautiful day! What more could he ask for? He had a vague memory of a bad dream he'd been having, but that was dissolving faster than the butter in the pan in front of him. A smile spread across his face, the kind of smile that a teenager gets after having sex for the first time. "Did you wake Bethany?" "Yep, she'll be down in a minute." "Good, because breakfast is almost served!" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tommy stepped out of the shower into the steam filled bathroom. He wiped his hand across the mirror, clearing the condensation away, revealing his still boyish face. 'Nope, no whiskers yet.' Water dripped down his young muscular body, soaking the rug under his feet. His mother had yelled at him before about drying off before getting out of the shower stall, but he never seemed to remember to do so until after the blue rug squished between his toes. Taking the towel, he dried himself briskly from top to bottom. His long brown hair, styled like so many of his favorite players, took some time to dry properly. It would still be a little wet when his skates hit the ice later on. He'd been working out with some of his teammates in the school gym for over a year. The results were really starting to show on his 5' 5" frame. His arms and legs were nicely cut, and his chest was starting to bulge out. At least no one would be calling him 'Chicken Chest' anymore. He inspected the skin between his pecks. 'Still no chest hair.' Further down as he was drying his privates. 'And still nothing down here, either.' He was disappointed. All of his friends had begun to grow pubic hair. Some had even started to grow facial hair. Even if it was patchy, it was still more than what he had. 'Oh well, maybe tomorrow.' Finished with drying and inspecting, Tommy wrapped the towel tightly around his waist. Picking up his toothbrush he began scrubbing. Even though the excitement of playing hockey was bursting inside of him, he had a gnawing feeling that he was forgetting something, something that was important. 'It'll come to me.' Realizing he was still running late, Tommy spat and rinsed out his mouth, turned and rushed out of the bathroom to get changed. In the process he tackled his sister who had been waiting patiently to use the toilet. "Ouch! Oh god, I'm sorry Bethany!" He reached down to help her up. "I didn't know you were there." She took his hand and he pulled her to her feet. The siblings stood in silence for a moment, staring at each other. Tommy, wearing only a towel, towered over the little girl dressed in her long nightshirt. She smiled brightly up at him, filling his heart with joy. "Good luck at your game today." Then she wrapped her arms around his naked waist and hugged him tightly, pressing her head against his chest. For Tommy it was the first time she had hugged him since he told his parents about her strange one-sided conversation. The hug only lasted a moment before Beth disengaged and ran into the bathroom, closing the door behind. "I love you Tommy!" Tommy stood, stunned. "I love you too, Beth!" 'Wow! Today's going to be a great day!' ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Johnson family ate breakfast together, smiles and laughter all around. Something had changed within them, something they couldn't quite put a finger on, nor did they really want to. Today was better than all the days that preceded it. They were a family once more. Breakfast over, the family finished dressing and loaded into the car. They arrived with just moments to spare. Steven patted his son on the shoulder and told him to go out and win one for the family. Tommy smiled, nodded, and then joined his team out on the ice for warm-ups. As the puck dropped starting the first period, Bethany cheered out to her big brother, "Go, Tommy!" The rest of the game was a blur. It was as if Tommy were possessed by the greatest legends of professional hockey. He couldn't miss the net if he tried. Goal after goal Tommy dominated the ice. By the second period the points on the scoreboard looked more like a football game than a game of hockey. By the third, the rival team grew tired of playing fairly. They became more aggressive, trying to trip him, slash him, and check him into the boards. Mary became more and more distressed as the cheap shots on her son started getting out of hand. After a particularly blatant stick to the face, Bethany cried out in anger. "Get 'em, Tommy!" Tommy heard her, turned on the ice seeking out her tiny face in the crowd, and once he found her green eyes, he smiled. The name Tommy Johnson would be whispered about in locker rooms for months after that day, his tale scaring rookie players in the junior hockey league to the point of complete disbelief. The story always started with his amazing talent on the ice, leading to the rival team taking cheap hits on him, and then the carnage that followed. It was said he took on the entire visiting team, and when he was done with them he took on their angry parents. It wasn't until his own family pleaded with him to stop that his fists stopped swinging. The ice upon which the one man battle raged had to be removed and replaced, the blood too thick to clean by any other means. Tommy made it through the fray nearly unharmed, just a few scrapes and bruises. Unfortunately, Debbie Fergusson had been there, and she'd cheered him on until the blood began to flow. By the end she was sick to her stomach, the violence too much for her to handle, and she left crying. Later, after the police escorted Tommy and his family away from the sports arena, one of his teammates asked him why he had snapped. Tommy turned to the stunned friend and replied smiling... "She told me to." Continued in Chapter Three.... You can find more of my stories at: https://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Moments_In_My_Mind/www/Index.html Join my forum and I'll send you an email notification of when I update my stories: http://fw13.suddenlaunch3.com/index.cgi Read what I've been up to on my Blog: http://fictionwriter13.blogspot.com Feedback, Questions or Comments can be sent here: FictionWriter13@msn.comThe Coming Dark 02