Dark Side Darker

by Lucas T. Harmond

  Karen had been left at Carthy’s flat looking after Sarah. Time there had passed slowly, with little else to do but watch television.

  In Josh’s opinion, Carthy’s made awkward company. He hadn’t warmed to the demon to the same degree as his friends had. During his remaining time there, Josh had said little. Lost in his own—and other people’s—thoughts. In truth he didn’t trust him and he felt that he was manipulating his friends. Josh wished he could have kept his feelings secret but every time he looked at Carthy that smile let him know exactly where he stood. Wide open.

  So they had sat and waited.

  “So what did these guys look like?” It was Carthy who had spoke.

  The bleeding sun had fallen behind an ashen horizon of high rise flats and abandoned factory units about half an hour before. Even so there was still a golden brown murk sitting beneath the darker blue.

  “Just normal guys, really,” Josh told him.

  Carthy nodded as if confirming something he already had guessed. “Meat puppets,” he said to himself.

  “What Carthy??”

  “Yeah, well they wouldn’t want to approach people themselves. Essentially those kids are just doing what they would. They will get paid or maybe rubbed out but essentially they’re just trying to get paid.”

  “It’s this ‘essentially’ that bothers me.”

  “Hey, what’s reality anyway—what do you believe?”

  “That’s the whole problem.”

  “Look, I haven’t done anything to you. Am I lying?”

  Josh attempted looking inward, wasn’t sure he knew how to yet. It seemed to be truth. Seemed that way.

  “Look, when you start questioning you’ll never stop. Those guys back there haven’t been fully programmed, conditioned. No, they just won’t be aware of certain facts. The nature of who they work for, what they are really selling. They won’t even question why. Filters and suggestions have been placed.” He paused and smiled dark as always. “I wouldn’t worry about the illusion of free will anyway. your government’s conditioned everyone anyway. What do you think televisions for?”

  “Well, I’ll take the Teletubbies over mind control any day.”

  Carthy shrugged. “Eyes wide open in the land of the blind.”

  Josh frowned, sensing Carthy’s bemusement. “You’re changing the subject.”

  Rufus was sitting with his face pressed against the glass of his window pretending to snore. In the back, Josh sat eating what was left of the pizza they’d got an hour ago. Carthy was just sitting back, face perfect bliss and an expertly rolled joint in his mouth.

  Rufus shot another hopeful glance at the joint. Carthy took a huge drag, held it in, and silently offered it over. “That’s some damn good shit,” he said quietly, his mouth leaking smoke.

  Josh looked over his shoulder. “You sure we’ll be alright here?”

  Carthy was silent for a second. “Come on, they’re miles back and beside if they ain’t noticed by now I don’t reckon they will.”

  Josh shrugged and shoved some more cold pizza into his mouth.

  Rufus started coughing. “Fucking hell!” he choked out.

  Carthy started laughing. “Good huh?”

  Rufus was smiling. “Man, that’s fucking ill.”

  “Can I put on some music?” Josh asked.

  Rufus turned ’round, passing the joint to him. “Sorry man, I’m not in the mood for any indust’ shit. Nah I want something funky.”

  “What like?” Carthy asked lightheartedly. His smile had less of an edge to it than was normal. Suddenly he grimaced. “Oh not fucking hip hop. kid that isn’t music.”

  “Hey, fuck you!” Rufus said and then instantly regretted it.

  “No it’s alright. It is your car after all. I guess I’ll live with it.”

  Rufus smiled uncertainly, mainly thinking that Carthy seemed alright even if he was a demon or something.

  “Cypress Hill or Pharcyde. That’s some real stoner rap!”

  Josh groaned. “Can’t we put Fear Factory on?”

  “No man, too aggressive. We need to chill for this stakeout shit.” He turned to Carthy. “So Carth’, you got a preference?”

  “I don’t know rap. Limp Bizkit maybe?”

  Rufus sighed. “Ain’t got it. What I’ve got here is Body Count, Sensor, Hed PE, Black Sunday, Pharcyde, PE, the Chilli Peppers and er, Dislocated Styles.”

  Josh took a quick blast. “Chilli Peppers,” he choked out.

  Rufus looked at Carthy who shrugged. “Got any Sabbath?”

  “No but Cypress sampled it, no?” Rufus said sounding slightly hurt. “Jesus, I just don’t know,” he smirked as he pushed in a cd.

  Josh was surprised to hear the car fill with Jazz piano and again was looking back up the street. He could see blurred figures beneath the yellow street lamp glow.

  The dealers had been in there all day, sun rise and fall. Occasionally someone would walk to the door then reappear some time later. Nothing else had happened and he was beginning to doubt Carthy’s plan.

  “Don’t worry,” came Carthy’s voice.

  “Look, don’t do that!” Josh said. The last thing he wanted was to get paranoid with Carthy in his headspace.

  The pianos started to fade, a record being fiddled with and then the speakers were full of people chanting “Oh shit!”

  “Genius!” Carthy said sarcastically, then looked deadly serious. “We’re on.”

  Rufus and Josh looked back into the dark. The twin beams of a large black van blasted out of the dark. It slid over to the house and the lights went out.

  “That them?” Josh asked.

  “Look don’t speak to me for a second. I want to ghost myself.”

  Rufus looked over. “What?”

  “Shut up!” Carthy told him.

  Josh put on his glasses and the world focused. One of the dealers walked slowly over to the side of the van. It was dark and they couldn’t see much. He vanished into a vale of shadow.

  “Are we going to follow them?”

  Carthy ignored him.

  Josh looked back into the night. He couldn’t see what was happening anymore. “What are they doing?” he whispered.

  “Taking money off them, loading them up,” Rufus told him casually.

  “Look, shut up!” Carthy said annoyed. “I’m trying to see what’s going on.”

  They sat for what seemed like a great length of time just watching the parked van.

  “It’s taking a long time. Must be talking business.” Rufus observed.

  “Yeah, it is,” Carthy said quietly.

  Josh was squinting into the gloom when he heard Rufus suddenly say. “Oh shit!”

  He turned and followed the direction he was looking in.

  There was a light tap as a revolver was placed against the glass at Carthy’s head level. The kid had slunk out of the darkness, hood up and faceless in the gloom.

  “Jesus,” Josh gasped. There was nothing in the world other than that cold black eye.

  The kid tapped the barrel against the glass and Carthy casually rolled down the window.

  “Can I help you?”

  The chamber slowly revolved and the hammer moved to strike.

  Both Josh and Rufus were shouting. “Shit!” and “Jesus Christ no!”

  The kid’s mouth opened in a snarl. “What the fuck...”

  Carthy stopped him dead. “Give me the gun you fuck!”

  “W-what?” The would be killer stammered, bewildered.

  “Jesus Carthy he’s got a gun!” Josh yelled.

  “Oh that? You don’t want to use that do you, piss-fuck?”

  The kid was shaking. “Not—really??” he said and slowly uncocked the gun.

  Carthy smiled and took the gun from his shaking hand. “Okay, fuck off!”

  For a second he stood confused and then quickly started running the other way. Josh watched him disappear rapidly into the night.

  “Jesus,” Josh said, feeling his heart racing.<
br />
  “Shit! Carthy’s eyes were locked on the mirror. Behind them lights lit and the van rumbled into life. It tore down the street towards where they were parked.

  “Oh shit!” Rufus groaned, turning the ignition.

  The van was still picking up speed.

  Josh felt his eyes opening wider as the distance closed. “Oh shit, are they going to ram us?”

  Rufus’ car lurched forward, wheels screaming and then they were all thrown forward as the van collided with their back side. The whole world was in violent motion and everyone was screaming over the hip hop. Josh felt the back of the car lift mildly, saw lights right behind, saw Rufus struggling with the wheel for control. The van was pushing them briefly and then Rufus managed to pull them out of the way, riding up the pavement on the other side the road, slamming down brakes just before they hit a lamp post. The van thundered on, red tail lights glowing in the dark.

  “Shit! Follow that fucker!” Carthy was yelling.

  Rufus turned the ignition. The engine wouldn’t turn over. “Fuck!” he hissed.

  Behind them Josh could see the drug dealers running down the street towards them. He saw them as they entered each pool of light and then again as they reached the next.

  “Rufus, get the car going,” he said as calmly as he could.

  The engine spluttered into life.

  “Don’t lose them!” Carthy commanded.

  “Okay, OkAy!” Rufus growled and slammed the car into reverse before ripping, top speed after the dimming red lights of the van.

  The van turned right and out of sight. Rufus kept pushing the peddle and the speed needle rapidly climbed.

  Their headlights picked up the kid who’d stuck them with the gun, still running blindly along the pavement. Then he was just a blur in the mirror.

  Rufus sent the car lurching tightly around the corner.

  “Shit!” he hissed to himself. “Something feels wrong with the car!”

  No one said anything. Their eyes were all locked to the road. The van was some distance ahead, reluctantly slowing at a busy set of traffic lights.

  “Punch it!” Carthy said.

  The van sat revving behind a jeep blasting its horn frustrated. Suddenly it was thrown into reverse, then was again sent grinding into gear and lurched over to the right hand side of the road.

  “What should I do? Jump the light?” Rufus asked anxiously.

  Carthy didn’t say anything but the Ford started to speed up the wrong side of the street. Shooting across the crossroads, there was a light show and blasting horns, and then the car was back on the left of the street, close behind the van.

  “Whoaaaaa!” Rufus laughed and smacked the steering wheel.

  Josh sat terrified in the back of the car, felt like an egg in paint shaker.

  The van started to make a tight left hand turn.

  “No wait!” Carthy yelled.

  Rufus was already following, he flashed a puzzled glance over at Carthy. In front the van’s brake lights flared up red and loomed rapidly down on them. Every voice screaming “Shit!” and then Rufus was steering to avoid slamming into the van. His front skimmed up into the back of the van smashing out the light. And then they were skidding past it, paint being torn from both vehicles. For a second Josh saw the astonished face of Malok staring from the passenger window and then that too was gone.

  The van was reversing now, swinging out blindly into the crossroads they had just left. An old Citroen slammed on its breaks, followed quickly by its horn. Then the van took off again, with Rufus fighting with the gears to follow.

  Their car lurched into reverse swinging out into the traffic just as blindly.

  “Jesus Christ, Rufus!” Josh yelled as he watched a car ride up the pavement to avoid hitting them.

  Rufus wasn’t listening.

  The van was again some distance ahead now.

  ‘Fucking do him!’ The words flashed directly into Rufus’ mind as he gained distance on his quarry. He flashed Carthy a brief terrified glance.

  They were moving further into the dead part of the city. Here the tall husks of Council flats loomed up above the red brick terrace houses. Most of the houses they sped past had been boarded up and the hedges of the rubbish strewn gardens had been randomly set fire to.

  The road curved tightly and both vehicles forced past a badly parked Taxi, causing the irate driver to sound his horn.

  Rufus was shadowing the vehicle. The needle rising up towards 80 now. Darkened cars and the occasional shadowy figure were flashing past way too quickly.

  The driver in front was having difficulty controlling the bulk of his ride. Rufus on the other hand had been hot-wiring cars since he was fifteen and speed—although less frequently used now—was still very much in his blood.

  “He’s going to brake,” Carthy yelled and Rufus sent his own brake peddle through the floor just before the van’s bulk loomed up on them. Both vehicles jolted to an awkward halt before continuing forward.

  “This is fucking crazy!” Josh shouted.

  “Just shut the hell up Josh!” Carthy yelled back over his shoulder.

  They moved off the quieter streets onto a main road heading vaguely back towards the city centre. The van was rapidly heading towards another set of traffic lights. It flew across on amber.

  “We’re not going to make it!” Josh informed Rufus. Rufus was still pushing forwards as fast as he could. The light was on red now, but still their speed was increasing.

  “We’re not going to make it!!!” Still Josh’s voice was calm and still Rufus silently sped towards the junction.

  “Rufus!?”

  Carthy quickly cut in. “No, he’s right Rufus. Slow down.”

  Rufus took one look at him and then reluctantly eased off the peddle. They were close to the junction when a large truck went screaming past in front of them. No one said anything but everyone knew what had just been avoided.

  Rufus punched the wheel. Slowly everyone’s heart was returning to normal beat. They sat at the junction. In between the gaps in the curtain of traffic they watched the van moving further away. Josh spoke without thinking. “Drive.”

  Rufus sent the accelerator screaming and they flew forward, driving at a passing BMW. Despite his terror Rufus found his foot and hands locked in place. He closed his eyes, heard a blaring car horn and waited for the impact. When he opened his eyes he found they had crossed the junction. His mirror showed a Mini swerving to a stand still just behind.

  “Man, what the fuck just happened?”

  “I, I don’t know,” stammered Josh.

  Carthy was smiling to himself.

  Josh looked behind them. “I guess we just timed it right for a gap in the traffic. I...” His voice trailed off into the void.

  “Shit, where’s he gone?” asked Rufus, returning his focus to the high speed pursuit.

  “Don’t worry, just keep driving,” commanded Carthy. His eyes had taken on a strange far away look but he looked incredibly focused and determined. Both Josh and Rufus could feel his aura expanding out within the interior of the car. It was horrifying.

  Their car lurched violently to the right and Rufus wrestled it back over to the left. “That wasn’t me!!” he shrieked.

  Carthy’s voice hissed into both their skulls. ‘Just drive.’

  Rufus found his mind beginning to drift, couldn’t focus and suddenly he had the overwhelming impulse to send the vehicle screaming into the oncoming traffic and then it was gone. “What’s happening to me?” he yelled.

  Carthy was sitting silently with an intense look burning over him. Without speaking he spoke to Josh. ‘Josh, tell me when to turn.’

  “W-what?” Josh stuttered.

  ‘Don’t think, just know!’

  Something shifted within his consciousness and a wall collapsed.

  An ultimate calm washed over him. He let go of everything.

  “Next left,” he said matter-of-factly.

  “What???” screamed Rufus, over top of
the music that was still playing.

  Just as calmly as before the words left Josh’s mind without conscious recognition. “Turn left at the next junction.”

  Rufus made a wild turn and was still pulling to the left as Carthy seized the steering wheel and forced the speeding vehicle to straighten out.

  “What’s happening to me? I feel sick!” Rufus bleated as Carthy returned control to him.

  “They’re attacking your mind. Just keep driving. Josh?”

  “Slow down.”

  As the speed needle rapidly fell away Josh took in their surroundings. There was the tall spiked fence of a school on one side and a row of terrace houses on the other. Up ahead he could see some kind of factory complex. This, he knew, was where they were heading.

  “Pull over here.”

  The car rolled to a halt at the entrance of a long brick alley. All three of them stared suspiciously into the dark.

  “What is this place?” asked Rufus.

  “Does it matter?” replied Carthy, before continuing with, “Okay, you two head down this way, I’m going to drive round the back.”

  “What?”

  “Exactly what I said.”

  Rufus and Josh looked at each other uncertainly. Both knew Carthy wasn’t making a suggestion.

  Despite his own will, Josh opened his door and stepped out into the night. There was a click as Rufus opened his door and began to follow.

  “Here.”

  Rufus paused and looked back over his shoulder at Carthy. The small black revolver was being held out to him handle first. He looked at the weapon and then at Carthy silently questioning.

  Carthy shook the pistol. “Take it!”

  Josh watched his friend take the gun and then he joined him outside of the car. Carthy slipped across into the driver’s seat, gave them a nod and then sent the car screaming backward.

  Josh and Rufus stood staring at each other in silence with just the echo of Carthy’s will hanging in the air. Slowly they both looked into the mouth of the alley and then again at each other.

  “What the fuck does he expect us to do?”

  Josh shrugged with a lot more casualness than he actually felt. “Go down there, I guess.”

  Rufus looked down at the gun he held in his hand and got a feel for its weight. He struggled with a mechanism for a few seconds then span out the cylinder and checked it was loaded. Josh listened to the cold ratchet turn as Rufus rolled his hand over the metal and then snapped the cylinder back in place.