9 Tales Told in the Dark 10

by 9 Tales Told in the Dark

  “The stairs!” they yelled together.

  A red steel door was a few paces away and he was first to reach it. When he grasped the bar, a swarm of dots blocked his view and he was propelled backwards. There was a strange tingling in his teeth while powerful arms grabbed and then carried him back to the door. His vision cleared just enough to see a boot kick the bar forcing the door open.

  Electrified, said the caveman.

  Before the door swung closed, a bell gonged and the elevator doors opened. This was followed by the sound of feet moving quickly across the floor. He didn’t need to see what the feet belonged to. Breaking free from Herb’s grasp, he swung down the flight of stairs and continued to clear each staircase by gripping onto the handrail with one mighty hand. Tommy became a human sling shot briefly dropping onto each landing before propelling onto the next one. It wasn’t until four floors down that he realized that Herb had hitched a ride.

  There was a crash overhead and a large red object, which he quickly identified as the remnants of the stairwell door, landed a foot away before tumbling to the next landing. Tommy cleared the twisted metal and rebounded over the next flight. Overhead lights flickered followed by a rumble that could have been mistaken as an earthquake. Both looked in time to see a large wheel comprised of interlocked Brands rolling down the set of stairs above them. That wheel glowed red and there were sparks when it collided with walls and handrails. It didn’t turn well, which should have been an advantage for the two men, but the momentum of the shape compensated for its lack of maneuverability. The shaking grew louder as it gained on them.

  It was at the next landing that Tommy found encouragement. A square white sign identified a door to the 9th floor. The sign seemed separated from the wall behind it, hovering in a small circle.

  “There!” Before he could open it, a gloved fist struck the door with such force that it buckled inward and flew into the corridor behind it. The floor was dimly lit but there was just enough light for him to make out the bright colored animals and balloon murals on the walls. A bright almost glowing door ten yards away was blinding, even with his goggles on.

  He froze and listened but there were no sounds from the stairwell behind them.

  Herb licked his lips nervously, looking in all directions. “This is where it all started, huh?” A pause before he continued. “You know the fight ain’t over Meathooks.”

  “I know,” he answered his eyes never leaving the glowing portal. “Funny that our final battle is in a maternity ward. The charred remains of a building or the top of a mountain would have been more suitable” He looked down at his hands and then at his companion. “This was the beginning for me. A life and a future ahead of me. A clean slate. This was before the disappointments, the failures, the emptiness. I can’t believe all the years I wasted.”

  Herb grabbed Tommy by the shoulders and turned to face him. “That was the past. You have a chance to make it right. Guilt is gonna literally drain you. Remorse is fine as long as there’s the fight in you to fix those mistakes. “

  Tommy wanted to believe Herb’s words but couldn’t.

  The two men walked cautiously down the hall, side by side. Both were tightly wound, ready for the attack they knew would come. They weren’t disappointed.

  They were half the distance to the door when the wall to the right shifted and then spun. Amongst a smiling starfish and dolphin a figure began to stir within the funnel that was once the wall. The creature stepped onto the polished hallway floor and expanded until its mass blocked their view. Claws extended out and clicked repeatedly.

  Herb rushed forward and swung but the crab-creature caught his right hand. He attempted to spin but was held fast. A left hook was also intercepted. Veins protruded from the boxer’s neck as he strained against the much larger foe. The creature gurgled as it began to pull on Herb’s arms. His scream echoed through the hallway and the walls became alive again. Brands piled into the hospital tripping over one another in the process.

  Tommy attempted to help Herb but a wall of Brands blocked his passage. The creature’s face changed, became human, and now wore a top hat. The smile on the Mayor’s face widened as Herb’s arms were torn off.

  There was no blood-the boxer simply dimmed. Tommy was then looking through Herb and could see the creature before his faded image melted into the floor. Two eyes stared up through the patterned tiles.

  Nausea forced bile into Tommy’s throat. He grabbed two Brands by the neck and slammed them together. They cracked but continue to reach for him. A repeated blow destroyed the pair. A haymaker struck another row but they were simply pushed backward. They advanced expressionless.

  He was losing. This was the way it ended. Brands continued to fill the hallway and the mayor lumbered forward amongst his army. There was no more reason to fight.

  The hallway exploded with light. Overhead lights glowed well beyond their wattage. The mayor howled and the Brands froze. A wolf jumped from the wall and sunk its teeth into the neck of the Mayor. He attempted to slash it with his claws but the wolf spun to the side of the neck out of reach. A dog collar with a name badge rattled as the wolf shook its head. Its dark eyes lightened when it met Tommy’s.

  Midnight.

  Green liquid squirted from the Mayor’s neck. There was a buzzing noise and then he faded along with his attacker.

  Tommy felt a warmth course through his body. It was soothing. The Brands advanced their eyes glowing like Christmas lights.

  Young Tommy sits on the grass engaged in an imaginary mission with his toy helicopter. His mother pushes a truck making sputtering noises to mimic an engine. Their eyes meet and she says something to him that he can’t quite hear…

  I love you

  Tommy swung at his attackers smashing everything that he hit. One swat of his mighty hand decapitated five Brands. A front kick decimated five more and sent a slipper flying. He moved forward breaking through the columns as more and more Brands joined the mealy. He felt none of their blows and was soon in front of the door. He didn’t hesitate.

  The door opened to a room with glass walls for viewing and was filled with warming trays. All were occupied by slumbering newborns save one. He walked to it on rubbery legs nervous yet hopeful. There was a blanket inside with the imprint of its former inhabitant. The blanket was warm to the touch but then moved. It wrapped around his hand and then slithered up his arm with amazing speed. When the cotton snake reached his face it swallowed him and there was darkness. The last sensation was that of falling.

  ><><

  There was a white sliver. Gradually, the sliver widened and became round. A dark crescent cut the circle in half and then retreated. For a while, it remained a moon devoid of detail. Then there was a shadow and the shadow gained form and detail. It was rectangle that had grooves in it set against larger panels. Shifting his eyes downward there were hands, large but not mutant ones. He wiggled his fingers and grinned.

  The pain is his head throbbed but was bearable. The curtain around the bed was clean but discolored and the only sound was a repetitive blip from the heart rate monitor. He tried to raise a hand to touch his head but wasn’t able to. He tugged again and metal pinched into the flesh of his wrist. The bracelet had a chain that connected to side rail of the bed. Tommy took a deep breath to take inventory of his thoughts.

  He was in a hospital handcuffed. There was an injury to his head. His hands were normal (for him).

  It made sense. He had shot himself and was in the hospital from the head wound under police custody. The only unanswered question was one he refused to acknowledge. It didn’t matter about the Bad Place. He had to clear his name with the authorities, repair his relationship with his parents, and give his dog a huge sloppy kiss.

  The heart monitor caught his eye. The blip on the screen rose and fell forming like a mountain range similar to what he’d seen on television shows. But it was the color of that blip that puzzled him-instead of white or dull green it was red. Deep red.

  A
n electric current made his him pop up the mattress. The wire leads from the monitor began to melt and the pads that were stuck to his chest and abdomen scorched his skin.

  The blip on the screen broke into little lines, lines that danced and scattered until coming together to form an image. The face was a human face. It was rotund with a curly mustache and spectacles atop a plump nose. On his head was a top hat.

  The wires, now part of him, made slurping noises and became larger as every fiber of him tore apart. He saw the gown fall to the mattress as his body deflated and there was a dark tunnel with a current pulling him. He didn’t fight it.

  THE END.

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