Dark Side Darker

by Lucas T. Harmond

  “Yeah? What the fuck do you know?” Rufus scoffed.

  “Look, we’ve got to find Rob and then, maybe, we’ll look for Carthy.”

  “We? I’ve got a lecture in... oh, shit!”

  Josh smiled. “Well, I guess that’s one less problem.”

  Ten minutes later, Rufus’ rust-marked car tore down into a small cul-de-sac of identical looking houses. His front tire scraped along the side of the curb briefly before riding up it and biting a hole into an emerald lawn, throwing up black earth.

  Josh was already out of the car before it had stopped moving. He reached back inside and seized Sarah.

  “Will she be in?” Rufus said looking up and down the street anxiously. Several curtains and one set of blinds twitched with hidden eyes behind.

  Josh was already walking up the red brick drive of the nearest house past a black Mini with flames painted on its sides. Sarah hung limply in front of him.

  “I think she has Wednesday’s off,” he called over his shoulder.

  Karen’s front door burst open before he had even reached it.

  “Jesus, you killed my lawn! Dad’s gonna’ kill me. What the hell’s wrong with her? Is she drunk again?”

  “We don’t know,” Josh said calmly and eased his way past Karen into her house.

  Karen’s face flushed. “Hey, what you doing?” She moved to grab Josh’s shoulder. “Why’d you bring Morticia to me. What is this, the city morgue?”

  Josh disappeared into her living room, leaving her standing in bewilderment still on the doorstep. Karen turned on the approaching Rufus for an answer.

  “Honey, there’s some real fucked up shit going on. She’s in a real bad way.”

  “Oh Jesus, what is it, drugs? Did she O.D.?”

  Rufus was still shaking mildly with a mixture of terror and adrenaline. His eyes were wild with intensity, seemed to look right through Karen and she felt dread creeping into her chest.

  “Just look at her eyes. There’s something really weird with her eyes.” He moved past her directly into the kitchen. A second later the kettle clicked on.

  Rufus returned back into the hall back towards Karen. He spoke before she could.

  “Could you please make three black coffees?”

  Before she could tell him to go fuck himself he was already entering the living room.

  “Oh, sure,” she fumed to his back and then muttered to herself. “And why don’t I suck your dick while you’re waiting?”

  Karen followed him into the other room, hands firmly on her hips.

  Sarah lay shaking violently on the chair. Her whole body convulsed and twisted and a froth of foam gathered on her pale lips.

  “Jesus,” she said softly, genuine concern moving through her anger.

  Josh stood next to the sofa, he looked at Karen solemnly. “She keeps doing that.”

  Karen moved closer, reaching down and touching the girls’ forehead.

  Rufus paced nervously on the other side of the room, the battered remains of a joint still locked in his fingers.

  “Shit, she’s like ice. What’s wrong with her? Epilepsy?”

  Josh shook his head and laughed weakly. “Is it enough if I say I don’t know?”

  Now Karen laughed but without any joy. “No, buster you better believe it isn’t.”

  Calmly, Josh kneeled down and gently pressed his fingers to one of Sarah’s eyelids. He looked up to check Karen was watching then slowly lifted it up.

  Karen jumped back slightly. “Fuck!”

  Rufus had flopped into one of the other chairs and was attempting to roll a fresh joint. “She should be in hospital,” he said mainly to Josh, who ignored the look of scorn.

  Karen looked at him, back to Sarah, then back to Rufus. “Hey, not in here. This isn’t a crack den.”

  Rufus murmured something, but no one paid attention. Instead they were both lost in the black sea of glass that had been revealed beneath Sarah’s pallid eyelid.

  “Jesus,” Karen repeated softly and then stared silently at Josh for a moment. “What’s happening, Josh?”

  He thought for a second, then decided to go with the truth. “I haven’t got a fucking clue, but I think Rob might know. Can we leave Sarah with you a while?”

  Karen opened her mouth to speak but then realised she had no idea what to say. Her pretty eyes flicked about in slow desperation and her lips twitched as she tried to conjure up a response.

  “No,” she said finally.

  Josh opened his mouth to respond, then paused, suddenly stunned and finding himself unprepared for her answer.

  Karen spoke before he could gather his thoughts. “Look, I don’t know what in the name of blue hell is going on. you’ve been acting like a complete maniac this past month. Till now I’ve played along but now you’ve brought—Sarah here and I’m just supposed to drop everything and baby-sit? What the hell’s wrong with her anyway? Her eyes,” Karen’s voice died away as she found there was no way she could explain what she had just seen.

  For a few seconds the room fell back into an uncomfortable silence, the only sound being the vague rustling of a Rizzler in Rufus’ unsteady fingers.

  Josh stood awkwardly, then took a step towards Karen and gently let his hand fall to her shoulder. “Listen...”

  Karen erupted, knocking his hand aside.“Fuck you, Josh!” She screamed with more bile than he had ever heard. Rufus cursed as the weed tin he held leapt from his lap.

  “God damn it, I look after you when you’re drunk and acting crazy, I let it drop that day when you went chasing after that, that freak in the mall. I still don’t know what the hell that was about but I didn’t bug you. you’ve been freaking out, talking about stuff, crazy stuff, and I don’t even know if you know it’s crazy...”

  “Listen, I’m...”

  Karen continued, drowning out his feeble attempts to speak. “Using my god damn phone, sleeping on my sofa, I’ve put up with all this shit...”

  “Look,”

  “No, fuck you! I won’t listen! I’m not going to just calmly sit here and babysit the ice bitch!”

  “Hey!” Josh snapped angrily.

  “I want some fucking answers, Josh. That!” Karen’s voice was shaking cracking up, tears were beginning to streak from her eyes. She pointed a needle finger at Sarah who responded only by twitching slightly. A fine trickle of blood was snaking it’s way from her left nostril.

  “That,” she started again, “That is not normal. Her eyes, Josh get her to a hospital!”

  Josh was feeling alive with adrenaline. “And what would they do? No, we’ve got to find Rob!”

  Karen’s voice became calmer but none of the fury left her eyes. “So you just leave her with me and I’m not even supposed to question what happened?”

  “If I knew, I’d tell you.” Josh was now struggling to remain calm.

  “But her eyes!” Karen shrieked as if pleading.

  A low laugh rumbled out from Rufus behind them. The tip of his joint burned down as he filled his lungs. He went silent, closing his eyes in relief and holding down the smoke. He was still shivering violently.

  Karen turned her hysteria on him. “What, damn it!”

  Rufus held in the smoke for a few seconds more before casually releasing it.

  “Hey, you think Sarah’s in a bad way? Baby, you should see Cally.”

  Josh shot a dagger glare at his friend. Telling Karen about what they had just seen was the last thing he had wanted to do. He could see no way of rectifying the situation now.

  “Who’s Cally? What’s wrong with her?”

  “What’s right with her!” Rufus said then began to laugh madly.

  “Ignore him!” Josh said sharply.

  Karen opened her mouth but found her mind muddled, suddenly couldn’t reach what she had intended to say. Her mind felt clouded and overwhelmed, and she slumped into a free chair.

  She looked up at Josh and met his intense eyes. There was something wrong with them, but not in any way she co
uld clearly define. They seemed darker than usual, in fact she felt pierced by them. She felt herself being drawn inside, through the lenses of his glasses and into the abyss beyond. Abstract terror began to bolt itself inside her mind. She froze, scared by his sudden alieness.

  Then Josh blinked, once, twice, then he himself stood looking stunned. He continued to stare at her with a blank expression giving way to a concerned frown.

  “Look after Sarah.” He said in a low voice.

  Karen nodded without thinking, suddenly aware she was shaking. They continued to stare at each other for a few seconds, each equally troubled.

  “Come on Rufus, lets go.” Josh said, managing to look away from Karen.

  “Why not.” He murmured and rose to his feet.

  Josh walked out of the room without a glance back.

  Rufus moved over to Karen and leaned down to her. “As soon as we’re gone, ring an ambulance.”

  THE HUNT

  “DO I KNOW YOU?”

  The girl seemed surprised to see him.

  “I don’t think so.” Josh said and looked around trying to remember where he was. He turned back to the plump girl. He felt a little confused but tried to mask it.

  “So are you... alright?” he asked.

  “I feel great. I’ve seen so much and it all feels so, so real!”

  “Yeah?” he said quietly and again tried to see where he was. He appeared to be standing in some disused factory. Light streaked inside, capturing dust motes swirling through the stale air. Rows of what looked like cages sat on wooden benches and in the distance something was glowing. He tried to see it clearly, but then the girl spoke again.

  “Yeah! So why are you here Josh?” She looked around. “It’s a bit gloomy!”

  “I don’t know,” he said distantly. “Do you know where we are, Sally?”

  She shrugged. “No. Anyway it’s been nice meeting you but I’ve got to get back to my friends now.”

  “Okay,” Josh said softly but the girl was no longer there. He didn’t think anything of it.

  He held the rusty metal bars of the cage. He could see nothing inside yet he felt terrified of what he held. A distant voice echoed around the vast space and was answered by another he thought he recognised. He paused for a few seconds but it didn’t come again. There was another sound—a high pitched squalling wail which repeatedly grew louder before dying away again. Cries echoed from outside the building. They sounded like the screams of sea birds stretched out to a higher pitch. He shivered, sensing the dark shapes moving around him.

  Sarah stood in the distance watching him. Then the figure began to move towards him. Slowly, Josh realised it wasn’t Sarah. Maybe never had been.

  They were almost choked by darkness as they trudged slowly down the pathway between rows of stained wooden benches. The man’s form seemed crippled and bent, and as he made his slow progress the wailing sound grew more intense.

  Josh tried to move but found the world frozen around him. Each footstep carried him nowhere.

  Rufus still sat dead in the corner. His neck slashed and mottled with a scarf of rust and a disfigured grin locked onto his dead face.

  The scream between Josh’s ears was fast picking up intensity.

  The broken man continued his slow progress forward, he seemed to take an infinity. Josh knew he would never reach him.

  Hands expanded from the darkness, vice-grips choking the life from his neck. Josh stood paralysed, staring up at the figure who even at this range was just a silhouette. The cold hands couldn’t be broken as the faceless creature silently strangled him. Inside his head a world of screaming static and pain was crushing his mind, growing to a point of such power that his mind’s suffering was the only thing in the universe.

  In the deathly void in which Josh had become a part of he became aware of a distant scream of anguish. It seeped rapidly out of the past, growing in volume until it threatened to overpower the wall of white noise which was crushing him.

  The scream became his and he erupted upright in Rufus’ car. His strained voice continued for a second before he realised he was awake again.

  Panicked, Rufus swerved slightly before turning on him. “Man, what the fuck’s up!?”

  Josh looked around confused, saw grey houses rushing past.

  “Josh?”

  The voice sounded distant.

  “Yeah?” Josh looked at his friend, shook away the brief dream-flash of him sitting dead and continued. “Bad dream,” he said simply. “Real bad dream.”

  Rufus nodded and looked back to the road. “We’re nearly there.”

  Josh breathed out deeply. He couldn’t remember going to sleep, but that didn’t surprise him. Recently he’d been so deprived of sleep that when he wasn’t walking around like a zombie, he found himself slipping into brief sleeps at every possible opportunity. He thought backwards. The last thing he remembered was Rufus talking on his mobile to someone, finding out Rob had moved back in with his mother and then finding out the address. Next he’d woke up and...

  “Damn!” he cursed.

  “What?”

  “Oh, er, nothing.”

  Rufus seemed past caring and drove on silently.

  Already the dream was gone. Josh had been trying to recall every dream he had on waking but this time he had been distracted. He tried to think what he had seen but could only remember Rufus’ corpse. He shivered and wasn’t sure why.

  After figuring out the bell wasn’t working and then banging on the old door for the fourth time, there came the first signs of life: a dog barking and a child’s cry.

  Slowly the door opened as far as the safety chain would let it and Rufus and Josh found themselves facing a distrustful eye.

  “Yes?”

  Rufus swayed mildly, bracing himself on the garden wall. Josh decided to do the talking.

  “Er, is Rob here?”

  The woman shifted slightly, the look of distrust remained. “Yeah.”

  Josh stood awkwardly, then realised she wasn’t going to say anything else.

  “Can we see him?”

  “Are you the Police?”

  Rufus giggled. “Hell no lady, we’re not the Police.”

  Josh spoke quickly. “We’re his friends. We, er, haven’t seen him for a couple of days.”

  The woman stood silently for a few seconds.

  “Wait here,” she told them finally and the door shut again.

  Josh looked back at Rufus, now again smoking the joint he had hid behind his back.

  “Will you please stop smoking that shit!”

  Rufus blew a plume of smoke into his face as a response, with a wide, dirty grin.

  Josh nodded. “Cute! Well at least do me the courtesy of shutting the fuck up.”

  There was a rattle from the other side of the door and slowly, chain still pulled, the door opened.

  “Rob says he doesn’t want to see anyone,” the woman told them weakly. Her face was a tapestry of strain and her eyes looked wet with worry.

  “Please, it’s, er, important.” Josh attempted.

  “Hey, we’re worried about him!” Rufus injected. “We haven’t heard from him in days. Is he okay?”

  The woman’s dead eyes flicked back to Josh.

  He shrugged. “It’s important,” he repeated meekly.

  She sighed and they both heard the sound of the rusty chain being pulled loose.

  “Maybe you can find out what’s wrong with him. He won’t talk to me. Come in.”

  Josh followed her in awkwardly; he wasn’t entirely comfortable with the situation.

  The woman, with greying hair, wrinkled and worn skin, turned her watery eyes back on them. “Do you want a cup of tea?”

  Rufus seemed mildly stunned by the question. Josh wasn’t entirely certain how stoned he was. Rufus could certainly smoke a lot more skunk than he could, but he’d lost track of how many joints he’d actually smoked now.

  “Two cups of coffee thanks. Black,” he said quickly.


  She nodded and trudged down the end of the hallway. “He’s in his room.” She called over her shoulder.

  Josh turned to his friend, “Do you...”

  Rufus shrugged and followed the woman with his hand trailing against the wall for support.

  The door with a battered Sound Garden poster seemed like a reasonable guess.

  Cautiously Josh knocked on the door. He felt slightly unsettled by something.

  Before he could knock a second time, Rufus turned the handle and virtually threw the door open. The door collided with the wall and Rob, sitting on the edge of his bed, jerked upright, looking at them.

  Rufus stormed in. “What the fuck’s going on?”

  Rob sat staring blankly for a few seconds, looking in between the two of them with the most perfect expression of confusion they had ever seen.

  “W-w-what?” he stammered eventually.

  The room smelt stale and thick with cannabis. A fat, blue bong sat still smoking at Rob’s feet. He looked pale and it seemed obvious he had been smoking for some time.

  “What the hell happened to Sarah and,” Rufus’ voice trailed off and he looked briefly troubled before continuing with fresh rage. “Yeah, and, and Cally?”

  “Jesus, man! Will you keep it down?” Josh whispered, closing the door behind them.

  Rob seemed to come out of his catatonic waking slumber, his eyes now wide open. He kept repeatedly shaking his head.

  “Oh shit, oh shit,” he repeated to himself.

  Josh stepped past Rufus. “Hey, er, Rob,” he started, trying to sound calm. “Look, Sarah’s in a bad way. I just want to know what happened.”

  Rob’s dreadlocked head fell into his hands. He was still repeatedly whispering “Oh shit” to himself.

  “Hey, hey asshole!” Josh barked, losing it mildly and clicking his fingers. If Rob hadn’t exactly been on his list of favourite people before, he was now firmly on his list of people he wanted to kick in the balls.

  Forcibly he relaxed. “Hey man, man, it’s alright. We just want to know what happened.”

  “Come on, talk, you fuck!” Rufus snarled.

  Josh looked back at him and made some frantic hand gestures.

  “Hey Rufus, quit with the bad cop good cop shit.” He murmured to him.

  Rufus nodded, looked visibly shaken. “Yeah, yeah, sorry man. I’m just, you know, a little tense.”