Darkness Descends

by J. C. Kavanagh

  “I’ll go first,” he volunteered. “But before I step into the unknown, I have to get something from my backpack.”

  Jayden watched as Max unzipped his hoodie and then un-hooked the buckles strapping the pack to his belly, all underneath his General Jaxxon shirt. He rummaged through the bag and pulled out a stuffie.

  “Ta da!”

  Bemused, Jayden whispered, “You went to all that trouble to bring a stuffie here? What the heck kind of stuffie is that?”

  Max was nonplussed. “It’s a baby pangolin. Remember Connor said it was his sister’s favourite stuffed animal? The one she slept with every night? Well, here he is – Foleydota. He’s my sister’s ‘Foleydota’ actually, but Foleydota nevertheless.”

  “Aw, you’re a sweet guy,” Jayden replied. “Don’t ever lose that.”

  Max re-connected the backpack straps and hooked it over his arm.

  “Let’s go.”

  They sprinted out of the woods and into the stark moonlight. The cabin ahead was dark, the open door in shadow. As they advanced, Jayden could see that the wooden door was split, almost in half. Someone kicked it in! Max was ahead and she grabbed him by the arm, intending to pull him to the side of the shack and warn him. He immediately halted and Jayden ran unchecked into his back. Her momentum pushed Max to the ground and then Jayden’s feet tangled with his legs and she tripped. They were both splayed in the dirt when they heard an anguished call.

  “Georgia!”

  The voice cracked with raw emotion and they knew instantly that Connor had found his sister.

  Jayden scrambled to her feet and raced into the shack.

  Connor stood in front of the wardrobe, arms propping the two doors open. From head to foot, his body trembled at the sight of his beloved sister. Jayden strode to his side and put her arm around his waist. She gasped at the sight before her. Georgia was in a dark, dank corner of the cupboard, sitting in a curled position. Her arms were wrapped around her skinny legs and her little head rested on top of her knees. Dark ringlets fell across her cheeks. Her eyes were half-open in a dull glaze, seeing nothing, seeing everything. It was too much for Connor and he dropped to his knees.

  “We have to get her out of here,” he sputtered. “Back to the real world.”

  Jayden nodded. “But we have to wake her up.”

  “I can carry her,” Connor said.

  “N-n-no you can’t,” Max stammered. “We have to climb the wall.”

  Jayden stepped into the cupboard and knelt in front of Georgia. “Hey Georgia, wake up Georgia.” The little girl was breathing in short pants but she didn’t respond to her name.

  Max thrust the stuffed baby pangolin in front of Connor. “Will this help wake her up? Or make her aware of where she is?”

  Connor viewed the stuffed creature as if it were a lost treasure. “How did you get this?”

  “Actually, it belongs to my sister.”

  Connor held the stuffie to his face in a tiny embrace. Suddenly, his eyes popped and he jumped to his feet. “I know!” he declared. “I know what to do!”

  Jayden breathed a sigh of relief. “Tell us. We’ll do whatever it takes.”

  Connor spread his feet and crossed his arms. In one quick motion, he thrust Foleydota back at Max. “Close the cupboard doors.”

  “What?” gasped Jayden, moving to one side. “We can’t close them and leave her here. Think! This is why I crossed over last week by myself – to lock the shack so Dick wouldn’t find her!”

  “I realize that now,” Connor responded. “Just do as I say and close the cupboard doors.”

  “N-n-no, we can’t do that!” Max said. “You’re not thinking straight. We have to bring her with us.”

  “I said, CLOSE THE DOORS.”

  The distress in Max’s eyes was evident and he reluctantly stepped toward the cupboard. He turned toward Connor, hoping he would change his mind. “Do it!” Connor commanded.

  Max slowly closed the doors. A sob built in his chest and he twisted away, hiding his tears. Poor Georgia, he thought. Jayden sidled beside him and whispered, “What’s he doing?”

  “I don’t know,” Max responded.

  Connor took a step toward the cupboard doors. He placed both hands against the wood and bent forward, leaning his forehead on the door. Then, taking a deep breath, he raised his fist.

  KNOCK.

  KNOCK.

  KNOCK.

  He paused, listening intently.

  Quiet.

  He raised his fist again.

  KNOCK.

  KNOCK.

  KNOCK.

  Nothing.

  He was about to raise his fist again when a muffled, whimpering sound came from the cupboard. Connor jerked upright.

  “Connor... CONNOR?”

  Connor threw open the wooden doors. Georgia’s wee face looked up from her knees and she held out her arms. Connor pulled her out and enveloped her in a powerful hug, cradling her in his arms while she smothered his face with kisses.

  “I knew you’d come!” she cried. “I knew it and I waited and waited and waited for you and the magic knock.” She hugged his neck in the tightest of embraces. “I knew you’d thave me from the Thtompy Monthter.”

  “Oh, Georgia,” Connor said, gently stroking her back. “I will always save you from the Stompy Monster.”

  Georgia nodded emphatically and kissed his cheek again. “Never let me go, Connor,” she entreated. “Never!”

  * * *

  His head was pounding like a thoroughbred horse racing on a cement track. It was the closest thing he felt to pain in his moonlit world and he didn’t like it. To make it worse, there was a Crossover in the shack and it had figured out how to use the invisible shield.

  Richard trekked back to the vine bridge, furious he had to circumnavigate the volcano vent in order to get back to the lever side of the shack. His fury grew at the thought of the effort it was going to take for him to jump over the electrified vines. Richard began his chant, slamming the cutters with such intensity that chunks of bark flailed off every tree he hit. Destructiveness fuelled his craving for power and he liked it. It was the only thing within his control.

  He arrived at the vine bridge and screamed in dismay. The bridge was upside-down. My work never ends! Fussing with the base, he pushed and pulled and wrangled the vines until they began to swing left, then right. He waited until the swinging motion was at its highest arc and then he jerked and flicked the base. The vines responded accordingly and the bridge flipped. Dick stepped back and admired his handiwork. The vines remained strong. The centre was still saggy but the handrails were upright and the braided base was where it was supposed to be: at the bottom.

  Tucking the cable cutters in the back band of his pants, Richard began the snake-like motion required to cross the bridge. Right hand and left foot moved forward simultaneously. Then left hand and right foot forward simultaneously. It was a slow go, but the only way to cross.

  Dick reached the end of the bridge and wiped the sweat from his brow. He stood at attention and glared at the moon. It glared back. Hmmm, something’s wrong. Reaching for the cable cutters, Dick took a step forward. He could hear insects buzzing and crickets chirping, but something was missing. He jogged until he reached the shield and then stopped, puzzled. All the vines were on the ground.

  That’s what was missing – the hum of the activated shield. The Crossover must have turned it off.

  Richard lifted his cutters in the air and howled with rage. His wail was a cross between a human shriek and a wolf howl and within moments, it was followed by the yowls of multiple wolves. They heard Richard’s call and they were coming.

  * * *

  The howling wolves diverted their attention from Georgia and the teens dropped to the floor of the shack. Georgia covered her ears and began to cry. “Pleathe make them go away, Connor. Pleathe!” Large tears dropped from her deep blue eyes and her mouth opened in a silent sob.

  “Here,” Max said, “I brought something
especially for you, Georgia.”

  She regarded Max with alarm and nestled deeper into Connor’s arms.

  “Georgia,” Connor said soothingly, “These are my friends, Max and Jayden. They’re going to help us get out of here.”

  Max presented the little pangolin and Georgia gasped with delight. “Foleydota!” She grabbed him and hugged him close.

  “Hey, guys,” Jayden interrupted. “I think we need to get climbing. Before it’s too late.” Behind Georgia, she mouthed the words ‘Dick’ and ‘wolves.’

  Jayden pointed to the lever on the wall. “It was you, Connor, who shut down the shield, right?”

  “Yup,” he replied. “The humming drone and the electric current were driving me insane.”

  Connor spied the body harnesses on the table. “We should bring these too, for the top of the rock wall. Just in case.” Jayden grabbed one and put it on. It was just like the zip line harness from their previous dream world adventure. However, there was only one left.

  “I can use my backpack,” replied Max. “You take it Connor.”

  “Hey Georgia,” Max said, turning to the little girl. “I have something else for you!”

  Georgia shifted her grip around Connor’s neck and gave him a shy smile.

  “I have something so special, you’ll be invincible AND invisible!”

  Connor regarded Max with a stern eye. “Those are big words,” he cautioned.

  Max unzipped his hoodie and then removed the General Jaxxon shirt. His pale, freckled torso was exposed for a moment before he zipped the hoodie back on his body.

  “Ith General Jaxxon!” Georgia declared.

  “Yeah,” agreed Max, “and when you put it on, the Stompy Monster can’t see you. Nothing can see you. Only me, your brother and Jayden.”

  Georgia turned to her brother for guidance and he gave her a gigantic smile. “Isn’t it great that Max is sharing his super-power shirt? No one can see you except us.”

  “Okay,” Georgia agreed and held out her arms. Max draped the shirt over her frail body. As short as it was on Max, it hung below the knees on Georgia.

  “See!” admired Max. “It’s your invincible/invisible cloak!”

  “What about Foleydota?” Georgia pushed the creature forward.

  “I have just the thing,” Jayden declared. “I have magical strings to tie him to your super-power shirt!” Jayden unwrapped several of the shoe laces from her wrist.

  “Oh, can I have the pink one, pleathe pleathe?”

  “Sure thing,” Jayden replied. “We’re going to tie Foleydota on you just like a backpack.”

  “Hey Georgia!” Connor interrupted. “You’re going to be your own ‘happy dream package.’”

  Georgia’s face lit up in anticipation as Jayden looped the long lace through one arm of the General Jaxxon shirt, across the back and out the other arm. She brought the laces together and tied them through the little knitted sweater covering Foleydota’s body. When everything was tied, the little creature rested securely on her back. “There,” she said. “Foleydota is protected with you!”

  Without warning, another round of wolf howls began and Georgia clutched her brother’s leg.

  “Time to go,” said Connor and they hustled out of the shack.

  They raced over to the rock face wall and peered up. The moon shone directly over it, highlighting its smooth walls but forming deep, dark shadows in its multiple crevices.

  Max was hesitant. “Can we scale this thing?”

  Connor placed his hands on the wall and checked out the first two indentations.

  “There are ledges and outcroppings for hands and feet, similar to what you find in a man-made rock-climbing wall, only not as steep,” he observed, peering upward. “The pitch actually angles inward and then left to right, so we’re not climbing straight up. It’s kinda like an inverted, twisted climb.” He stood back and dusted his hands. “We can do it.”

  No one spoke and Connor paused. “Georgia is our mission, right guys?” They nodded in agreement. “We do whatever it takes.”

  Georgia fidgeted with the embossed shield across the front of her ‘invisible’ shirt. The howling assaulted their ears and they realized the wolves were closing in.

  “They won’t catch me, right?” Georgia asked, trying to control her fear.

  “They won’t catch you – heck, they won’t even see you,” Max replied.

  Jayden picked up Georgia and positioned her on Connor’s back, wrapping the child’s arms around his neck and her legs around his torso. “You hold tight now, okay?”

  Connor swivelled his head and planted a kiss on Georgia’s arm. “You heard Jayden, right? Now it’s your turn to never let go. Promise?”

  “I promith,” replied Georgia.

  Connor tested a couple of handholds and then began to climb. Jayden waited until he was up a few metres and then she nudged Max. “You next,” she said.

  “No, you next.”

  Jayden put her hands on her hips and shook her head vehemently.

  “Not this time, buddy.”

  “But if I fall, I’ll take you with me!”

  “Then you better not fall,” she advised. “Get going.”

  Max hoisted his backpack across his shoulders and strapped it to his waist. “Alright then. See you at the top.” With a nervous nod, he placed his left foot on the first ledge and hoisted himself up. Jayden waited until he was several metres above and then she began her climb.

  “Isn’t this what it’s all about?” she muttered. “Climbing before you fall?” She concentrated on the footholds and handholds around her. They were numerous but many were so shallow she feared she would slip. Get a grip – really get a grip! she told herself.

  She glanced upward and then pulled herself back to the wall in one swift movement. Woah. The motion gave her a moment of vertigo. Jayden began to pant with fear. She had almost fallen backward. She was comforted, though, at the brief glimpse of Connor nearing the top. She was tempted to peek below but, judging from her reaction to looking upward, she decided to remain fixated on hands and feet. Placement – it’s all about placement.

  Jayden shrugged her right shoulder upward. She hadn’t bothered to tighten the harness and it kept sliding off her arm. There was no place on the rock face to adjust it so she ignored it.

  “You’re almost there!” It was Connor, peering over the top.

  Jayden took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Her progression had slowed as her body built with fear.

  “Come on, Jayden,” Max whispered. “If I can do it, then you can do it better.”

  Jayden had to smile. That boy is gonna make a good man one day.

  Perspiring profusely, Jayden rested her head against the rock. It was cool to the touch and she pressed her entire body against it, absorbing the stony chill.

  The excited yip and bark of wolves startled Jayden. She forced herself to remain calm but she knew the wolves were directly below her. Now is NOT the time to fall.

  “You’ve got this Jayden. You’re almost here!” It was Max, his teenaged, squeaky voice providing encouragement.

  From her peripheral vision above, Jayden saw night sky and two sets of frightened eyes. She concentrated more keenly, pushing the side of her foot into the wall and gripping the outcropping rocks with all her might. Her right hand reached up for the final hold but Connor grabbed her. He plucked her upward, his iron grip assuring her that no matter what, he would not let go.

  He heaved her over the edge and they sprawled together, both panting with exertion.

  Max was grinning from ear to ear. The top surface of the rock face was only a few metres deep and Max held Georgia’s hand as they walked a few paces to the opposite side of the rock cliff. There was a short, wooden post with the sign ‘Town of Sleepmore’ tacked to it. They stood in awe, staring. Below them were beds and comforters and colourful pillows and all kinds of stuffed animals.

  Max checked their surroundings, looking for a way to safely transport them to
their final destination. The moon shone brightly on a small staging area to their left. A tiny wooden platform jutted out from the rock and a double-runged zip line cable angled sharply downward. It appeared to disappear directly into the town below. Elated, Max fist-pumped the night air.

  “Check it out, Georgia,” Max cried out. “We’re going to zip our way home!”

  Georgia was transfixed with the Town of Sleepmore below them. Her body was responding to the lullabies cooing to her from the town, each one an encouragement to surrender to a grand slumberfest. The sweet musical notes echoed throughout the sleepy valley. They had completed the ‘climb.’ They made it to the top of the mountain.

  “We did it,” Jayden said softly.

  “Not quite,” said a harsh voice beside them.

  Jayden rolled to her side, straight into Connor’s chest. Together, they bolted to their feet, bewildered. Standing in the moonlight, his scarred head shining like a beacon of horror, stood Richard – Dick – a malicious grin stretched across his gaunt cheeks.

  “I bamboozled you! I did so!” He threw his head back and laughed. There was no humour in the cackling sound, just sour bitterness.

  Connor edged closer to the boy, fists clenched at his sides. “Get out of here,” he warned.

  “Oooh, he says ‘get out of here,’” Richard mimicked. “Should I be scared?” He slammed the cable cutters against the rock. “This is MY world and I’ll decide if you stay or go!”

  Connor took another step and pulled Jayden forward with him. Max was positioned on the zip line platform, sheltering Georgia with his body. She had her hands over her ears and her head tucked into his tummy.

  Connor pointed to the Town of Sleepmore. “You know what to do, Max!”

  A wordless communication transpired between them and Max nodded solemnly. With one motion, he affixed the hand strap of his backpack to the dangling carabiner on the zip line. Bending over, he whispered to Georgia, “Hang on to me and don’t let go!” He scooped her in his arms, charged forward and in three humungous steps, vaulted off the platform. The zip line sagged with their weight and then they began their descent to the town below. At first they were falling at break-neck speed and then it seemed that time slowed down. Their bodies stopped dropping and instead, they appeared to be floating. Max’s feet were parallel to the fiery, ginger hair on his head. He was supporting Georgia and they were both in a prone position, as if already sleeping in bed.