Where Darkness Dwells

by Lynnette Brisia

  There was a light smile attached to her lips. It was no secret at school that Evie had dated a guy from Aspen. He played hockey there, and so even though she came to the games cheering for Palisade’s team, everyone knew she silently cheered for Jeremy too. But he'd graduated last year and their relationship ended with his move to Denver to play hockey for DU.

  Though I heard it was amicable, I think she still missed him a little.

  "Yeah, they don’t really have the power they used to have,” I commented, slightly referring to her old flame. Jeremy was a power forward. And he and I were always competing against one another in the standings. Gauging her reaction to my slight mention, but surprisingly finding none, I continued on. “I think we can take them pretty easily."

  "I'm sure you can. I have no doubt." Her smile was crooked as she spoke to me, her white teeth shining.

  Distracting me momentarily. Scrambling up my thoughts. Making me more stupid than I already was around her.

  "You going to the game?"

  "Yeah. Bethany and Mandy want to go. Want us to dress up in school spirit too, as though people need to know where we go. So if you see three crazy chicks dressed in maroon and white, in the stands, that's us," she laughed lightly, and the sound made my stomach flip flop. I watched her juggle with her car keys to unlock the doors and couldn't help but smile myself. I found I was definitely looking forward to seeing her dressed up in support for us. I found I was looking forward to seeing her in general.

  "I'll look for you then, yeah? I mean if that’s okay?" I asked, my voice cracking at the end in my nervousness.

  The smile she gave me then was a little on the shy side, but oh so very sweet. And completely vanquished my nerves. I gotta admit, it made my heart flutter a lot more than a little. "I'd like that," she answered, her voice sweet and warm like honey in the chilling air.

  "Me too," I grinned back, feeling my cheeks heat, even against the cold. There was something so impossibly alluring about Evie that I could feel myself fall stupid at her feet. She was smart and sassy, playful and sexy. She kept me on my toes in the best way possible. If I bothered to look deeper inside myself, I might start to think I liked her. And not just as my lab partner. And not just as a friend. Clearing my throat and adjusting my bag, I looked at her with an easy smile. "So, I'll see you in class tomorrow?"

  That was the last question I was able to ask. And she never did give me her answer. We'd reached her green Mazda 5 and right as she went to open the passenger door and deposit her belongings, my world went dark.

  I heard her scream, and then the rest was silence.

  THREE

  Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy

  ~Francis of Assisi

  Confusion, thick and grimy, matching the way my skin felt, pushed it's away into my consciousness. Something was very, very wrong, but I was so disoriented, that I didn't know which way was right.

  And then I realized why as my vision worked to slowly clear.

  The thing was, when I could see again, I still really couldn't see anything.

  Everything was dark. But not just any kind of dark. A pitch blackness that permeated every surface. There were no lights that I could detect, and I seemed to be sitting on concrete. There was no scent of dirt, or any sign of nature, just hard, solid concrete. I wasn't cold yet, but I knew the longer I was on the floor, the closer to cold I could become. I knew hypothermia was a very real possibility.

  My head was throbbing, making my stomach roll, but I knew I hadn't been hit. At least not with any real force. And not actually on my head. Something stung against my back, but there was no way to reach for it or find out what it was. Its location too high up, too centered for my hands to find. I felt groggy and a little light-headed, but that wasn't the only problem.

  In fact, it wasn’t even the biggest problem I could “see.”

  Sitting up slowly, so as not to push my uneasy stomach, I tried to figure out where I was, and why. But I couldn't pinpoint anything.

  There was nothing to the right or left of me, nothing but open space and wall behind. My back was against the wall, which only intensified the sting, as the rough material rubbed against my skin. My legs were splayed out before me, telling me the room was bigger than I expected it to be.

  Rubbing my hands roughly over my face, I tried to think. There was so much wrong here.

  Most concerning was the fact that the last thing I remembered was hearing Evie scream.

  Moving around gingerly, mindful of my throbbing head, upset stomach, as well as an uncertainty of my surroundings, I crawled along the wall until I met a soft and thankfully warm form.

  I had no idea how long I’d been out for, so I had to assume the warmth was a good sign.

  "Evie?" I whispered. I could feel long hair, soft and smelling of fruit, against my fingers and hoped she was okay.

  There was no response.

  My heart began pounding, fear and doubt beating its way into my veins

  My skin prickled as ice struck my spine. "Evie?" I tried again, louder, and more forceful, as my hands came to rest on her shoulders. I gave a quick shake, willing her to answer me. "Evie, please wake up."

  Tears stung behind my eyelids as I shook again. I was beginning to fear the worst.

  A moan sounded from her, and I let out a gust of air. Relief.

  "Oh, thank God," I gasped, as I felt her begin to stir more.

  "Caleb?" she groaned, voice gravelly. My hands slipped from her shoulders, back to my lap. I tried to make out her features, but the dark was too much. At least I could feel the heat from her body. "What happened?"

  "I don't know. I just came to," I answered. Reaching blindly for her, I managed to get her close to me, nestled against my body under my arm. "Do you remember what happened?"

  "No. Well, that's not true," she began, her body tensing against mine. "I was just about to dump my bag when I saw the shadow of a person in the back window. You were toward my right side, by the hood, so I know it wasn't yours.” She moved closer to me. “They, whoever they are, moved so fast. And then everything went dark. Though there is some kind of burning feeling on my shoulder."

  I tried to wrack my brain to see if I remembered seeing anything unusual, but failed.

  She was right. I had been at the front of her car, but unlike her, I wasn’t looking in the window. My attention wasn’t split. I was looking right at her. Looking at her and…feeling. But I didn’t remember much else.

  All I could remember was feeling my heart flutter at my brief conversation with Evie. All I could remember was feeling the shiver of excitement about seeing her the next day and the fact that she had said she wanted me to look for her after my game.

  I remember all of it had felt good. Had made me feel light headed – in a good way – and kind of like the luckiest guy in the world in that moment.

  I'll be honest; I'd never had a real girlfriend before. At least nothing serious. No one I’d have brought home to mom, which had always been important to me. And while Evie – or anyone - hadn't known, yes, that meant I was still a virgin.

  Was being the operative word.

  Ego aside, I know I'm good looking, as I came from good stock, as it were. Plus I worked out, played sports. I got good grades. I was the “whole package” as they say. But there was never really anyone that peaked my interest enough to have a real relationship with. At least no one that wasn't already taken.

  I went out on a couple dates with one of Evie's former friends when we were sophomores, but Tami was too into cheerleading and wanting to be "seen" with someone to have been a legitimate romantic interest for me. I’m not saying she was an airhead, or only going out with me because of my parents’ financial status. She was smart, and her parents were well-off too. She didn’t need me for anything. Besides, Evie and the girls would�
��ve never included her in their group if she were that shallow.

  Still, after less than a month of dating, I told her I needed to focus on sports, needing to get a scholarship and all. Not that that was true, but she didn't really seem to care. And it wasn’t like she was heartbroken about it anyhow.

  In the end it didn't even matter. A few months later, she transferred to some school in Colorado Springs and that was the end of that.

  So I knew, the feelings I’d had in that simple conversation with Evie on the way to her car was a big deal. I’d never had them before. Could hardly understand them though they made me want to. And it distracted me with horrifying consequences.

  "I think we were drugged somehow. My head is heavy and groggy," I told her quietly, trying to refocus my thoughts to the here and now. "There's a stinging on my back. Probably the same as what you feel burning."

  "Oh god, who would do this. And why?" I could hear her fear. It matched my own.

  "I don't know. I don't even know how they would have accomplished it taking us both out," I answered. I was baffled and too out of it to get any kind of grasp on logistics. "Unless they used some kind of dart gun or something. There had to have been more than one, that’s for sure. Everything went dark, but I don’t think we ever hit the ground."

  I felt Evie’s head move. “No, you’re right. I assume if we had fallen, there would be some sort of scratches from the gravel on our skin. But nothing hurts like there is.”

  I can't tell you how much time passed between us coming around, to the moment when we caught our first glimpse of who was responsible for our abductions and their twisted reasoning. Without light, without any indicator of time, everything seemed suspended. On hiatus.

  It was as though someone paused a movie, only that movie wasn’t fiction. There were no actors. It was our life.

  But then, suddenly, as though the sun had managed to break free, heavy and metallic, a door, far away, and yet so close to where we were huddled, opened.

  We were blinded instantly, our hands moving to cover our eyes from the intrusion.

  Through my fingers, I tried to see. I tried to make out what was at the light. But it was difficult. The room had been dark for so long. My eyes didn’t want to adjust right away.

  And then my sight managed to clear the slightest bit. Though it was blurry at best.

  There were three figures in the light. Two were standing, the third seemed hardly able to.

  I held Evie close against me, foolishly believing I could protect her somehow.

  I heard more than saw the figures approach. Until they were so close to where we were I thought I would pass out from the tension.

  "Looks like our newcomers have decided to wake," I heard one say with a laugh.

  "Little Missy sure will want to meet them real soon," another said.

  And then there was a thump. The third figure was dropped unceremoniously, close to our position.

  "Boy, next time you better listen when Little Missy talks. No more backtalk will be acceptable around her." The figure groaned as it moved, escaping away from the voice and to the wall. "Ain't playing around wit ya, Jackson. Be wise to learn that."

  "Fuck you," Jackson pushed out on a harsh breath, as his body undoubtedly sought distance.

  Laughter peeled from the other two figures. "Right back at ya, boy, right back at ya."

  "We'll be coming for you two in a little while. Little Missy needs some recouping time, if ya get my drift."

  And with those parting words spoken through a laugh, they walked back out the door and plunged my whole world once more into darkness. Except this time, darkness had allowed absolute terror to join it in smothering us.

  FOUR

  Black and white are the colors of photography. To me they symbolize the alternatives of hope and despair to which mankind is forever subjected.

  ~Robert Frank

  Jackson promptly passed out after being dropped near us. Or at least as soon as the coast was clear.

  Evie was shaking so bad, I thought she might break. I could feel her shaking me, her teeth chattering as her fear pushed against her skin and bones.

  I worried she’d bite off her tongue.

  "Oh God, oh God, oh God," she chanted against my chest, her tiny fingernails scraping lightly at my skin. "Oh god, what are they gonna do to us? Why are they doing this? How do we get out of here? Oh God, oh God, oh God!"

  I didn't answer her questions because I couldn't. But I was asking the same questions. And in my head, I was passing panicked too. I was pushing into complete freak-out mode.

  I didn’t know what to do. Didn’t know how to figure out even the most meager of plans for a way out. I couldn’t see anything to think of anything. And that made my insides twist. Didn’t mean I didn’t try to come up with something. No matter how improbable it was.

  With time, darkness stops being so black. Eventually, eyes adjust and shapes and forms and even some features are manageable. It isn't much, nothing close to real vision, but after a while, the complete blindness dissipates.

  From what I could tell, there was the shape of a toilet on the side of the door, but off toward a corner, and a stack of what appeared to be tissue next to it. But no other amenities. Not even a sink was available.

  I imagine it was being the son of a doctor, brother to a doctor in training, and of having had some aspirations of my own of becoming a doctor myself, that made me even more aware of just how bad our situation was. Without a way to properly cleanse ourselves, there was no telling what we would come down with.

  Though looking back, I know that really was the least of our concerns.

  There were blankets not far from where Evie had woken. We found those by accident, after the tremors in her body had Evie shaking so bad, her left leg jerked out, touching them. In a moment of terror, we thought it might have been another body. It’s weird, the relief we felt that they weren’t.

  But there was nothing else. No food. No water. Nothing to keep us alive.

  And only the three of us in this room.

  But that didn't make me feel any better.

  The door didn’t appear to have a knob on the inside. We were truly trapped. Trapped with an unknown.

  I had kept watch over Jackson, fear and the need to protect my constant thought. I was a teenaged boy, I watched a lot of television when I had the time. And my mind was running rampant with who this person was. And what his purpose here was. Possibly against Evie and me.

  Was he a mole? Was he someone meant to get us to let our guard's down, trust him because we were terrified and looking for someone to help? Was he meant to make us believe him and then he would turn on us? Who was he? Why was he here?

  Why were we here?

  As if he could sense my thoughts, Jackson began to stir.

  He was nothing more than groans at first, his body shaking with each move he made toward leaning against the wall.

  I gripped Evie tighter as we both watched with limited sight, Jackson sit not far from our position. He draped his own blanket around his body, before sighing heavily.

  "Fuck," he wheezed, his head lagging against the concrete wall. I saw him glance in our general direction and shake his head. "Fuck, fuck, fuck. What's your names?"

  I studied him for a moment. They'd told us his name. He knew we'd heard it. It wouldn't matter if he were a potential enemy or not. He would no doubt find out our identities either way. Still, I was treading carefully.

  "I'm Caleb. This is Evie." I kept my voice low. Tried to maintain the façade of calm. Tried to pretend I wasn't as fucking frightened as I felt. "Where are we?"

  "Fuck if I know, man." Jackson had a southern accent, from what I could detect. "I don't even know how long I've been here." His exhale was ragged. “What…do you know when they got you? What day it was?”

  “It was close to Thanksgiving,” I offered. I don’t know why I didn’t give an exact date, tell him it was November eighteenth, around seven o’clock at night. Then again, I
didn’t know if I could trust him and giving him any kind of information seemed wrong to me.

  "What do they want?" Evie stuttered out, her voice full of hiccups and terror.

  The sigh that left Jackson made my blood run cold. "To break you. And when it's your time, they will break you so thoroughly, you will beg for death."

  FIVE

  Who knows what true loneliness is - not the conventional word but the naked terror? To the lonely themselves it wears a mask. The most miserable outcast hugs some memory or some illusion.

  ~Joseph Conrad

  The terror I felt exhausted me. Overwhelmed me. But I couldn't sleep.

  I wouldn't sleep.

  We found out Jackson was twenty-two. Studying for his Master’s in Addiction Counseling at Portland State, he had been passing through Boise on his way home to Dallas because the classes were harder than he expected. Not being able to handle the pressure, he had dropped out after only a few weeks.

  With his tail between his legs, he'd stopped to fill his gas tank, when someone snuck up behind him, sending him to darkness.

  He woke to a stinging sensation against his shoulder and a groggy head.

  Because of the location, he never imagined he’d not have been rescued yet. Gas stations had security cameras. For the longest while, he felt it was just a matter of time before the Calvary rode in to save him, seeing as everything should have been recorded. For whatever reason though, that hadn’t happened.

  He hadn’t known, till we showed up, just how long he'd been held captive. He just knew it was long enough to feel his once pudgy frame shrink down to near bone. And in that time, he had experienced things he'd never imagined in his worst nightmares. And he claimed he’d heard quite a few horror stories as a result of his college major.