Saving The Dark Side: Book 1: The Devotion

by Joseph Paradis

  When Cole woke there were no bumps or hum from the engine. There was no noise at all in fact, or anyone else in sight. Cole shivered, peering out the windows, seeing nothing besides a sea of yellow parked all around. His heart drummed faster as he realized where he was. This was the parking lot where the buses were dropped off at the end of the day. Why didn’t Joshy wake him? Why didn’t anyone wake him?

  Cole grabbed his bag and made his way to the front of the bus. The doors wouldn’t budge. Feeling trapped, he pushed and kicked, but the doors remained solid. Fumbling in the dark, he pulled every lever and pushed every button on the dash. Nothing. He realized the bus must need power to open the door from the inside. Panicking, Cole looked around at the windows. It was difficult in the dark, but he found and yanked on a small handle on one of them. He was about to crawl through and brave the drop when he saw something in the soft glow of a street light: EMERGENCY EXIT.

  Cole swore, stomping to the back of the bus and cranking the red handle. He probably would have fallen on his face crawling out of that window. The back door swung free and Cole hopped down. He shut the door as far as it would go but couldn’t latch it from the outside. That would definitely look suspicious in the morning.

  Cole walked until he found a fence with barbed wire at the top. He looked up, considering the spiked wire for a moment. Definitely not. This place had better have an unlocked gate. He was going to kill Joshy when he got home. He followed the fence around and eventually found an exit over a climbable gate.

  After nearly an hour’s walk in the clammy fall air, Cole finally shuffled his tired feet up the front steps of the apartment. He couldn’t help but wonder how much paint he was rubbing off with each step, as if part of his childhood were fading away. The door was unlocked and the lights were on. Joshy was on the couch watching the Spanish channel on mute and Nana Beth was at the sink. She must have made dinner. The smell made Cole’s stomach whine.

  “Lasagna’s in the fridge. You’ll have to re-heat it.” Nana Beth didn’t bother looking up from the pan she wrestled. “So Colton, funny thing happened today. Would you care to hear it?”

  Though his stomach felt as if it was eating itself, Cole didn’t dare grab himself a plate just yet. Nana Beth sounded just a hair away from unleashing her formidable temper. “Nana Beth, Joshy didn’t wake me up on the bus! I told him to wake me up when we got to our stop but he just let me sleep right through it!”

  “I was upstairs on the phone with my granddaughter when I heard a little knock at my door,” she continued as if Cole hadn’t said a thing. Her fury was restrained, like a loaded bear trap. “Can you guess who was at my door, Colton?”

  Cole remained silent this time.

  “Joshua was at my door, cold, crying, and alone. I asked him how he came to be at my door, cold, crying, and alone. He was in such a state I couldn’t get a word out of him. I had planned to go visit my youngest son and his family tonight, but instead I’ve been playing host to little Joshua for the last four hours. Now don’t get me wrong, I love Joshua as one of my own, but I’ll be damned if my granddaughter wasn’t looking forward to seeing her grammy tonight. I don’t like disappointing my grandchildren without cause, Colton. I know you wouldn’t have me doing such a thing without a very good reason, so I’m not going to bother interrogating you. You will, however, tell your mother the very good reason as to why I had to miss dinner with my granddaughter this evening. Do we understand each other, Colton?”

  “Yes, Nana Beth.” He wished she had hit him. This was much worse.

  Nana Beth finished drying the pan and set it down gently on the counter. “Very good. I am going back upstairs to enjoy the rest of my night.” The floor creaked as she strode over to Joshua and gave him a kiss on the top of his head. “Not that I didn’t enjoy my night with you, Joshua. You were an exemplary gentleman as always. Goodnight boys.”

  Furious, Cole waited until he heard Nana Beth’s heavy footsteps travel all the way back up to her apartment before rounding on Joshua. He wanted to yell and shake his little brother. It was his fault Cole had missed their stop and now Cole had to explain the whole thing to their mother, who was probably still angry from this morning. Joshua didn’t even look up from the TV as Cole stood over him. He was oblivious and smiling, though his eyes were still raw from crying. After a moment, Joshua finally looked up at Cole. There was no trace of resentment, only love and adoration. Joshua was pathetic, and Cole took pity on him in that moment. Deflated, he collapsed on the couch next to his little brother.

  “Mind if I turn the volume back on?” Cole asked, settling himself in for a marathon of the Spanish news.

  Tara came home shortly afterwards, and true to his word Cole explained what had happened. He’d learned long ago not to go back on a promise made to Nana Beth. Tara was mad of course, but seemed more worried for Cole’s health in the end. She agreed to get him checked out again after he fell asleep right there at the kitchen table. Tara took Joshy upstairs for a shower and Cole started on Nana Beth’s lasagna. Even though the old woman had been furious, she had still put all of her love and expertise into the dish. It was delicious. Before his second bite the phone rang. Who would be calling at this time of night?

  “Cole honey, get that will you?” Tara called from upstairs, clearly engaged with Joshua’s nightly routine.

  He swallowed dry before picking up the phone. “Hello?”

  “Cole?” It was a girl, and it sounded like she was sobbing.

  “Um, yeah? Who’s this?” he asked, checking the windows.

  “It’s Ashley,” said the voice.

  An odd mixture of elated confusion filled him. “Ashley! Hey how’s it going? I mean are you okay? You sound like you’re crying.”

  Ashley, to Cole’s guilty elation, had just been dumped by Kyle. He loathed to hear her anguished sobs over the phone, but she was now dateless for the Fall Ball.

  “I know this is last minute but please Cole, I don’t have anyone else to go with.” She sniffed and blew her nose.

  “Wait, are you asking me to go with you?” His heart seemed to stop, waiting for her answer before it was safe to resume beating.

  “Well yeah, unless you’re already going with somebody else,” Ashley mumbled.

  Could it be true? This must be a dream, but he felt more awake now than he had in a week. Ashley hadn’t called the house in at least five years. Was this actually happening?

  “Cole? Are you still there?” Her voice was shaking.

  “Yes! Yes I’m here with you-, I mean I’ll go with you. This is just so… What time does it start tomorrow and when should I pick you up?” He was talking so fast he nearly tripped over his tongue.

  Ashley laughed, “Aw Cole this means the world to me! You’ve always been such a good friend. I should have just gone with you in the first place. Mark’s such a scumbag. It starts at eight tomorrow, so pick me up at seven?”

  Her words were music to his ears. Hopefully she couldn’t hear how big his smile was over the phone. “Seven it is then.”

  They talked for a long while. Ashley eventually apologized for having grown distant over the years. She claimed it hadn’t been intentional and not something she had noticed. Cole didn’t care though, he had his Ashley back, for good this time. They stayed up late into the night reminiscing about the good old days in elementary and middle school. While she chastised Cole for all his pranks, she still laughed and asked to hear just one more story. He left out a few of the more nefarious tales, however. Best not to overdo it. Strangely enough, Cole felt wide awake, even after midnight. It was odd, as if she anchored him to the world. He would have stayed up all night talking, but Ashley eventually nodded off, leaving him in silence.

  Cole went to bed with a grin that nearly touched both ears. Careful not to wake Joshy, he sneaked under his blankets with ninja-like stealth. He was too excited to sleep, though he was content with fantasizing about all the implications of his date tomorrow evening. Ashley and him! His hopes, now somewhe
re near the stratosphere, suddenly dropped to the mud when he realized he had less than a day to come up with a suit. Suits were expensive.

  Cole didn’t remember falling asleep, but at some point his dreams melted into something else entirely. He felt himself being pulled. It was gentle at first and without direction, as if he were being drawn into himself. The pulling waxed with every exhalation until it was no longer a gentle tugging, but a steady falling sensation. He couldn’t tell where he was falling, but he was definitely moving. Someone else was falling with him. He couldn’t see this other person but His presence was obvious. It was definitely a He, and He felt familiar. It felt as if this person had been there with Cole throughout his entire life, watching and observing at the edge of his thoughts. Unsure but unafraid, Cole reached for the familiar presence. Cole could sense that He was hesitant to make the connection. Inch by inch, or it may have been mile by mile, they were slowly drawn together by strands of curiosity, falling all the while. Cole faltered. This person, however familiar, was immensely powerful. His presence was overbearing now, it was too much. Cole could sense that He somehow knew everything about Cole’s life; everything Cole feared, everything that incited his rage, all of his passions, everything that made Cole who he was today. Cole’s own memories rushed from Him like a storm. Cole tried to pull back, kicking and screaming. It was too much. He wouldn’t let go. His presence enveloped and engulfed Cole until neither of them could tell where one began and the other ended. They were the same, they were one.

  They were no longer falling, but moving with purpose. They were no longer in their bodies, but comprised of a single orb of life and light. They were no longer directionless, but flowing onwards and upwards as if flotsam in a river. They were no longer scared or overwhelmed, but very much aware. Others were with them, glowing and pulsing like a river of multichromatic fireflies. Together, Cole and He glowed with them. Some roared, cherry red with terrible fury. Others dripped with unsettling tones of bruised flesh which seemed to scream in agony. Cole steered clear of them, and in the act of steering found that He had no problem with Cole guiding them along this river. They were together now, and He made the two of them glow and pulse fantastic colors of lavender and white snow. They felt great, as if their deepest desires were actively fulfilled and they had eternity to appreciate it. They found others that hummed similar songs with their lights. Some were golden diodes that blared with pride. Others were throbbing flames, baying with euphoric bliss. Cole and his new friend found themselves dancing with these other lights, creating an aurora of emotion with too many colors to count. Even the darker motes danced with them, contributing their morose tones to the symphony. The tempo rose to a feverish pace as the river flowed faster, onwards and upwards. Cole found himself at the fore of the throng, and the others were following. With His help, he would lead the river to their destination. Cole was unsure exactly where they were going, but He knew they were heading in the right direction.

  Time was not a factor on this journey. It may have only been seconds, or perhaps years, but they had arrived. The pulsing mass of the river broke upon a meadow like a heavy rain. The meadow and surrounding forest were unlike anything Cole had ever seen. The plants were foreign and the sky glowed with strange hues coming from a massive moon. The moon seemed like it couldn’t make up its mind as to what color it wanted to be, and that amused Cole to no end as He changed their color to complement the moon’s shifting fancies. This place was alien to Cole, but it felt as if he’d been here before. He certainly felt comfortable here, as if He were visiting an old haunt. Together they danced and reveled with the other lights. The meadow was their stage, and this was their show. The odd plants and even strange animals joined in before long. The whole place felt alive, as if it were being born anew and Cole was helping with the energy from his soul. Every tree, shrub, vine, and stalk of grass blossomed with flowers, adding to the spectacle. Critters large and small jumped and twirled through the lights, mad with life. Cole wove in and out of a stream that twisted through the meadow, determined to touch every orb of light along the way. Dizzy and careless, he gave himself fully to the beautiful chaos.

  Cole would have stayed in that meadow forever, but eventually He decided it was time to go. Cole resisted, but His influence was too strong. Together they slowed the music and dance of orbs until they were all ready to go. With His gentle yet firm nudge Cole led the river upwards and onwards, but not before something caught his attention. There was a person at the edge of the meadow, not a creature or speck of light, but a person. She stood there transfixed, staring directly into Cole’s orb of light. He pulled, harder this time, but Cole would not be denied his curiosity. Cole was now in control and moved them towards the woman until his entire being was right before her gaze. He could only make out her eyes as the rest of her was cloaked from his awareness. Equal parts of intelligence and ferocity radiated from them, but within them Cole also found a sadness so deep that he could feel her drowning. Throwing caution to the wind, Cole asked Him to change their color to one of comfort and compassion. He obliged, and together they cast out their healing song into her. Cole held her for a moment, bathing her in a soft lavender glow. Tears of gratitude leaked from her sweeping lashes, masking her in a terrible beauty that left Cole numb. Satisfied, Cole allowed Him to pull them to the front of the river; it was time to go.

  Chapter 5

  Fading

  When Cole woke the following morning, he recalled the entire dream, which was unusual because he barely ever remembered his dreams. The whole thing felt so vivid and real. He looked around for the strange yet familiar presence, peering into every shadow. He would have sworn He was still in the room. Perhaps He still was there, just out of sight, quietly observing. Frustrated and exhausted, Cole threw off the blankets and forced himself upright. He felt as if he had spent the entire night running instead of sleeping. Even worse was his feeling of disconnection, as if he were not entirely there. After having to return to his room for mistakenly putting on Joshua’s shirt, Cole joined his family down in the kitchen for breakfast.

  “Are you feeling any better this morning?” Tara looked up from a magazine and inspected him.

  He seemed not to hear her as he stared transfixed down the hallway.

  “Cole, I said are you feeling any better this morning?” she said, more loudly this time.

  Cole’s voice was gravelly and rough: “Yeah. I mean no, not really. I feel even worse than yesterday.”

  Mild concern laced Tara’s voice. “Worse like you’re catching the flu or what? Do you want to stay home today?”

  Part of him wanted nothing more than to stay at home and sleep the day away in the comfort of his own bed, but after talking with Ashley there was no way he would miss out on seeing her. His mother wouldn’t let him go to the dance later that night if he was too ill to sit through class.

  “No I’ll go, today should be an easy day anyway. I think we’re just watching movies,” he said trying to find a way to smoothly segue to the topic of tonight’s dance; however, his grogginess slowed his mind down too much. “Mom, there’s a school dance tonight and I want to go.”

  Cole could see the empathy in her eyes. “Colton you know I work Friday nights. Who’s going to watch Joshy?”

  “I’ll ask Nana Beth if she will. If not then I’ll figure something out. I really want to do this.” Just the thought of a dance with Ashley opened his eyes a little wider.

  A slight smile tugged at the corners of Tara’s mouth. “And who is the one that makes you want to go so badly?”

  “Ashley asked me to take her,” Cole said, noticing the pride in his tone.

  “I figured as much. You two were chatting pretty late on the phone last night. Go ask Nana Beth before you head out, and see what she says. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind the company.” Tara reached over and ran her fingers through Joshua’s hair. “Do you want to watch movies with Nana Beth tonight Joshy? Cole has a big date with Ashley.”

  Cole laughed a
nd gave Joshy a false-glare, daring him to make fun. Joshua didn’t poke fun at Cole, however. He showed no response at all in fact, which was highly unusual seeing as Nana Beth and Ashley were two of his favorite people. Instead, he looked up at Cole with pleading eyes.

  “I want lights please,” Joshy whispered in a quiet garble.

  Tara’s magazine fell to the floor.

  “What did you say?” Cole put a hand on his brother’s arm. Joshy hadn’t talked about the lights since Cole’s last bout of vanishings seven years ago.

  “I want lights please,” Joshua repeated the words more slowly so Cole could understand.

  “Joshy look at me,” Tara sat straight up in her chair. “What lights are you talking about? Where did you see these lights?”

  Joshua casually jabbed his thumb towards his big brother. “Cole lights.”

  Tara’s eyes shimmered wide. “Cole, what’s Joshy talking about? Did you…? Is it happening again? Oh my God that’s why you’re so sleepy. No no no…”

  “Mom relax, please!” Cole raised his hands as if she were a bomb about to go off any second. “I was in the room the whole night I swear. It’s definitely not happening again. I was gone for days last time, remember? I went to bed last night on a Thursday and today is Friday, right?”

  Tara checked the calendar then snatched Cole’s wrist and scanned his watch. “You’re sure?”

  Cole lowered his voice, trying to instill calm into her: “I’m sure. Joshy’s probably just talking the same nonsense about the fireworks we saw last week from the stadium.”

  Joshua shrugged, nodding as if this were a perfectly good explanation.

  Relief and color flooded back into Tara’s face. “Oh Joshy, you really had me worked up for a second there. I’m still calling the doctor today. We need to get you in first thing Monday morning for a second opinion. The sooner we find out what’s wrong, the better I’ll feel.”

  “And who knows, I may even kick this thing over-,” even as he said it, a big yawn took the words right out of his mouth, “-the weekend.”