by Tom Howard
As he sat there, mesmerized by the beauty before him, Wyatt pulled Jess down onto his lap. Gently, he caressed her cheek, slowly raking his fingers through her hair. “I love you.” He whispered then lightly pressed his lips to hers. “I almost gave up on love…then I met you.” Jess was the only one to whom he could bare his soul, be completely vulnerable.
Jess smiled, gazing longingly into his eyes. “I could live a thousand lifetimes and never be as happy as I am in this moment, wrapped up in you.” She half laid across her husband with her arms wrapped around his neck, gently stroking his dark shoulder length hair. She loved the feel of its softness, and the strength in his arms as he held her close.
The kiss she laid on him was quickly escalating from lightly burning embers into a raging wildfire. Jess was so light in his arms, it was no trouble to pick her up as he stood to his feet. The rocking chair lightly tapped the siding by the window as it was thrust back, slowly coming to a halt. However, just as he was turning to go inside, there came a weird noise from the forest just beyond the tree line. There was no wind, and all the nocturnal animals around usually vanished that time of night. Though he didn’t want to stop, he set Jess down and began walking toward the edge of the yard. Staring into the darkness, a small figure began to appear. Wyatt’s seemingly constant brow furrow became a little tighter as he squinted to see what appeared to be a small child. It couldn’t have been older than four years, and by the looks of it, a boy. Now, how did you get way out here? Wyatt wondered. There had always been a soft spot in his heart for children. If ever there was one who needed anything or was in some kind of trouble, he didn’t hesitate to help. Several times he’d helped James and Eva on jobs where a child was being abused or mistreated. His favorite thing to do – aside from envisioning himself beating the person to a pulp was smiling at them as he threw them behind bars – and he wasn’t gentle either.
This time was no different, obviously the little man needed help. “Hey! Kid!” He yelled. The boy kept walking, hearing nothing. Wyatt made his way into the trees, running after the boy. He could see his torn clothes as though he’d been attacked by some wild animal, and his shoes were missing all together. Thankfully there was no blood – at least none visible by the dim light of the moon. “Hey, are you lost? Where are your parents?” Still, no response. He reached out, grabbing the toddler’s shoulder, and spun him around.
Taking a sharp step back, Wyatt was shocked by what he saw. The boy had no face! There was nothing there but skin. “Who are you? What do you want?” The words felt like a whisper on his lips. It was clear the kid wasn’t a demon…or so Wyatt believed. The boy slowly faced the house and pointed.
Suddenly, as Wyatt looked back to where his wife stood, climbing over the top of the house, coming toward her, were dozens of half-headed, scale covered, rotted flesh, gangly demons. If ever there was a time he could’ve used angelic help, it was right then. He bolted for the house, pumping his arms, achieving full speed in about two seconds. When he was halfway there, his feet and lower legs became ensnared in thick sludge-like mud. His speed was instantly gone, but that didn’t stop him from trying to get to his two loves, trudging as hard as he could through the muck. Wyatt hollered for the demons to leave, and they just smiled their jagged smile and kept going. His eyes didn’t move from his daughter’s window, and as several demons entered, all he could hear was screaming and frantic crying. Though Jess tried to run to their daughter, she was instantly caught by the gangly claws of five demons.
“No!” Wyatt yelled with pure rage filling his body. He continued to move, struggling for every step. “Come on! Come get me instead! Leave them alone!”
The beasts didn’t listen. Right then, the demons climbed out of the second-floor window, little girl in hand. Two demons carried Jess up the side of the house, tossing her back and forth like a ragdoll, quickly joining her daughter. Suddenly, there came a noise from behind Wyatt he’d never heard before – a scream which sounded like shattering glass. It was the boy, he was overcome with pure terror, clutching his head, screaming for his life. “Help! Save me!”
Wyatt looked back, and though the boy could talk, his face was blurred and distorted, no features were even remotely visible. For the first time in his life, Wyatt couldn’t do anything to help anyone. He was helpless to watch as hellish monsters carried away the only ones who meant anything to him. And as he looked back at the boy, a large silhouette of a demon stood over him, this one was different than any other he’d ever seen. He was tall, at least eight feet, very muscular with a broad chest. His bare, rippling arms, looked as big as Wyatt’s thighs. Moving only slightly into a beam of moonlight, his face revealed its aged scars. The beast’s eyes were a burnt gold and its skin was like charred brown leather. Upon his head sat what appeared to be a crown of three large spikes pointing to the sky. The huge monster hoisted the boy up by the back of his shirt, glared into the child’s eyes, and let out the deepest growl the earth had ever heard.
“Help!” The boy was scared to death. “Help me!”
“Wyatt!” Jess called as she reached for her baby, touching her with barely a fingertip, only to have her yanked away.
The more Wyatt fought his sludge-like confines, the stronger they became. He was submerged to his waist and sinking fast.
“They’re mine!” The crowned beast snarled. “Now you’ll watch as everything you hold dear is ripped from you. I will make them pay for what you’ve done to me!” With screaming coming from all around him, Wyatt couldn’t take it. He was being pulled in too many directions at once. With every ounce of his strength he tried like hell to reach his house, plummeting deeper into the muck with every forced step. “Kill the woman, bring the baby to me!”
“NO!” Wyatt pleaded. “Please don’t!” Those were his final words. Just before his head was sucked under, he looked up in horror to the roof just in time to see four demons grabbing Jessica’s limbs, and with one quick motion, ripped her apart.
Wyatt shot up in bed, drenched in sweat, his heart nearly hammering out of his chest. Catching his breath, which raced as fast as his heart, he peered through the darkness of his room, his senses on high alert. The only sounds to be heard were those of gentle breathing coming from right beside him. It was Jess, lying in peaceful surrender. No matter what, I’m here…now and forever, he thought, gently stroking her light red hair. The corner of her mouth curled into a smile as if she’d heard her husband’s thought.
Nightmares had become common place for the detective lately, however, this one felt different, he couldn’t tell if what he’d seen had been a nightmare or a premonition. However, one thing was certain…trouble was coming. The only question was, would he be ready?
Dwelling on the images plaguing his mind, Wyatt tossed back the covers and rose to his feet. He originally intended to get a glass of water but was drawn to the window of his room which overlooked the front yard, and the tree-line in which the demon had stood. Peering out into the vastness of the night, being lit by a cloud covered moon with the occasional beam of light piercing the darkness, he couldn’t help but wonder what awaited him in the near future. He began to question if he could truly keep safe those who mattered the most in his world. Instantly, the void of night was penetrated by a faint evil laugh of which Wyatt was unable to distinguish if it was only in his mind…or closer than he realized.
About the Author –
At the early age of ten, Tom discovered his passion of writing when inspiration struck in the form of a children’s commercial. He had no idea that thirty-seconds would drive him through childhood, the always fun teenage years, right into adulthood. Like all writers, his brain wouldn’t shut off, whenever he picked up a pen, his imagination took flight.
Tom began his writing career with his first novel “One Summer”, a romance about young love and the hardships that come with. After writing love stories, and an inspirational novel about a family struggling to hold it all together after tragedy strikes, he decided to turn his attenti
on to something in which he could make anything happen – supernatural thrillers.
It was with “Caged Light” Tom finally found what he loved to write. It began several years back when he wrote a scene about two people being chased through a forest by hellish creatures, knowing full well, death was imminent. He wasn’t sure why he kept those two scrap papers around, until one day finally pulling them out of the sock drawer realizing he had to know who those people were, what they were running from, and the events surrounding them. It wasn’t until reaching the last few pages, Tom realized what he intended to be a single novel had in fact spawned a series.
Tom graduated from Allegany College in Cumberland Maryland with an Associates of Applied Science. He currently lives in Martinsburg West Virginia, with his Wife Laurel, and their three children, Ian, Chloe, and Eva.
Tom can be reached at [email protected]