Switch off the Light (Something Is Out There, Book 1)

by Timothy Cox

  Jacob nodded.

  ‘Why don’t you go speak to Father Rick for a while?’

  ‘…I think I just need some fresh air. That’s all.’

  She really wanted him to speak to Father Rick, you could see it on her face, but she understood that fresh air did the body good. ‘Ok, does that mean you’re leaving?’

  ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘If you do, promise me one thing.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Come back later when we close down, let’s say around five, and let us know how you’re getting on?’

  He hesitated answering, but agreed.

  (10)

  Clouds were moving in, and fast. It already blocked out the sun, diminishing its light to nothing more than a few scattered rays. The town was quiet, streets empty, the people in it tired and wanting to go home. The wind also picked up, helping the clouds move a litter faster, helping the sky darken quicker, it also blew rubbish around; rustling cans, kicking them into bushes.

  ‘This sucks.’ Ant said. He walked towards the wall with his shoulders slumped. ‘Looks like I won’t be able to afford dinner tonight.’ He stood next to Jacob. ‘How you doing, you hungry?’

  ‘Not really.’ He felt his pockets and didn’t feel many coins. He knew dinner was off the menu as well. He thought of a place to get some food, and he couldn’t think of any. So it was going to be bin scavenging night. ‘Where we sleeping tonight?’

  Ant looked up. ‘Shit I don’t know. But rain is on the way, I really hate rain…’

  ‘We can go under the highway bridge, should be–’

  ‘I don’t know.’ Ant said. He saw a woman approach and bumped himself off the wall. He walked closer. ‘Excuse me ma’am change please.’

  She passed without looking.

  Ant glanced around to see if anyone else was coming. He walked back. ‘I don’t know about the highway bridge. Too overcrowded, and too many druggies.’

  ‘Have any place in mind?’

  ‘I don’t know. Wait. What about the place we went to yesterday?’

  Jacob licked his teeth; it felt like licking sand. ‘Why do you want to go back there? Isn’t it right in the open?’

  ‘No not the bench. After I left you I found this cool shelter stop, it has a roof we can sleep under.’

  ‘Sounds good.’

  ‘Let’s go?’

  ‘You go ahead…I needa go Christian Aid.’

  ‘For what?’

  ‘They ask me to come in, tell them I’m ok.’

  Ant coughed. ‘Just leave it – waste of time.’

  ‘I said I’ll do it.’

  ‘Ok whatever. I’ll meet you at the bench.’ He said, and walked off.

  Jacob started for the building, and felt a drop on his head.

  (11)

  They were closing up. A few people came walking out with tables, a little kid ran past with a lollipop. Jacob smiled, but she ran away. He looked up at the sky before going in, and felt a lot more drops start to fall.

  Elizabeth was in deep conversation with Father Rick, she saw Jacob and waved. He gave her a nod and walked over. As he approached he could already smell the shower he had that morning fade off, he lifted his arms and smelled the dirt under his arms. He quickly lowered his arm, realizing that it was probably bad manners.

  ‘My son. How are you feeling?’ Father Rick asked.

  Jacob felt like punching his jaw, and maybe see some blood trickle from his lips. ‘Oh hey father. I’m doing a lot better now, thank you.’

  ‘Elizabeth here told me that you were coming in, so I thought I’d stay just to see how you are.’

  ‘That is very kind of you.’ Jacob said. ‘I do feel much better now that I had some fresh air. As a matter of fact, I even did a little prayer.’

  He held his cross and looked extremely pleased. ‘That brings light into my heart Jacob. It really does. When we face a life of peril, we so often shun the very thing that can save us. And that is our Lord Jesus Christ.’

  ‘I agree with you father.’ Jacob said smiling. He didn’t believe in the whole soul thing, and didn’t know where it was in the body, but something in him wanted to come out, he could feel his own skin begin to stretch. He turned his attention to her. ‘Elizabeth.’

  ‘Yes dear?’

  ‘I was hoping that I could ask you a favor.’

  ‘Anything.’

  ‘With it raining and all, can you please drop me off at Elin Park?’

  ‘Well of course, I’m actually heading that way right now. Let me go get my things.’

  Silence fell between Father Rick and Jacob. Jacob stared at the door.

  Father Rick got out a bible with many bookmarks. He flipped through the pages until he found what he was looking for and smiled. He cleared his throat and spoke loud. ‘Jacob.’

  Jacob looked at him startled, his trance broken.

  ‘“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body,” do you understand what this means Jacob?’ Father Rick asked, closing the bible.

  Jacob’s face crumpled into a dozen wrinkles. His cheeks rose so high that it touched his eyes. He licked his lips glossy wet. And spat words with teeth bare. ‘Your wife is a little slut and I liked it.’

  The bible dropped from his hands. He shook his head and closed his eyes – praying.

  ‘Pray pray pray pray pray.’ Jacob said laughing.

  Father Rick picked up the bible, completely startled, not knowing what to do or say, he wiped his head and walked out.

  As if on cue, Elizabeth came walking around the corner, checking her handbag. ‘You ready to–’ she looked around. ‘Where’s Father Rick?’

  ‘He had to go.’ Jacob said. ‘Can I help you carry anything?’

  (12)

  The wipers were on full blast, trying to keep the rain from blurring view.

  ‘The weather is so awful.’ Elizabeth said, trying to see where they were going. ‘I don’t think my car is good enough for weather like this.’ The car stopped at a red light. She ducked to the side and opened the cabinet, trying to look for any good cassettes to play. ‘Are you ok back there?’

  ‘I’m fine.’

  ‘Sorry you couldn’t sit in front, it’s a total mess.’

  ‘Ok.’

  ‘Tell me when the light goes green.’

  She rummaged the box, trying to find anything. She threw crumpled paper, a bible, a few books. ‘Oh goodness. Now where did I…’ She groaned as she went down even more – stretching her seatbelt. She extended her arm under the seat, trying to feel for anything. ‘Ah ha!’ She yelled, thinking that she had it. She pulled her hand, looking at rubbish. She dropped it and tried again. ‘How.’ She grunted. ‘How’s the light?’

  ‘Red.’ He said, staring at green.

  ‘Oki doki. Ah wait I feel–’

  Cars hooted.

  She jumped up startled and looked in the rear view mirror. She saw a line of cars waiting, the man behind waving his hand. ‘Jacob I asked you to–’ the car jumped forward, accelerating at a pace she wasn’t comfortable at. ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’

  ‘I did.’

  When the car was at a safe distance, she looked in the rear view mirror. She saw a happy face staring back.

  ‘You ok back there?’ She asked, feeling a little nervous for some reason. Her hands felt a little sweaty around the steering wheel.

  Silence.

  ‘Jacob?’

  Silence.

  She looked in the rear view mirror. He was still staring; like he never looked away; a face frozen in time. The sound of rain falling on glass made her look in front again. She frowned and felt like stopping the car somewhere. But a part of her just wanted to get to the park and drop him off. She decided not to stop.

  After fifteen minutes of uncomfortable silence, they drove around a corner, the park was in sight. Not once did she loo
k in the mirror – she knew he was still staring, she could just…feel it.

  The car came to a halt. ‘Ok here you go.’

  ‘Thank you.’ He said.

  ‘You…are welcome.’ She mustered the strength to look in the mirror, and saw him climb out. When the door closed, she felt relief wash down her body. She took a deep breath and put the car in reverse. She looked back into the mirror and felt her stomach jump to her throat.

  Jacob was standing behind the car, his face planted against the window; flattening his nose. The water washing down him made him look dark and wet.

  She screamed and tried reversing. The car stalled.

  She glanced behind her and saw him gone. She looked at her arms and saw every tiny hair stand up. She tried starting the car but she was so startled – that she ripped the key out. It fell on the floor. She ducked down. While picking up the key, all her senses came alive, she heard the rain thumping the roof loud for the first time. When her fingers felt the metal key she jumped up. A part of her told her to lock the doors. But there was no time to manually lock each door – she put the keys in. The engine came on–

  Her window shattered. Two arms came in and grabbed her by the neck. He pulled her out like a snail out its shell. She scrapped her leg against the window and fell to the floor. The scrape on her leg was so deep, that blood squirted; the hammering rain couldn’t even wash it away. He sat on top of her and kept hitting her head with both his fists.

  Her body realized on a deep primal level that this man was going to kill her. So, it jumped into fighting mode – giving her all the necessary adrenaline to defend. But it wasn’t enough. Her small body quickly collapsed into a coma.

  Too many punches. Too many…

  (13)

  He smiled when he saw him coming. He sat under an umbrella he stole from a shop. But something made him stop smiling. It was the way Jacob was walking towards him in the rain. The way his body jerked back and forth like he wasn’t in control.

  When he was running distance, he gave a little wave. And ran.

  Ant threw his umbrella down and ran the opposite way. One part of his brain was asking him why he was running away from his friend while another part of his brain told him that something was terribly wrong. He ran as fast as he could, slipping a few times in puddles, but managing to keep his pace. He looked behind a few times and saw him closing in. While running, he shouted at him, asking him what he was doing, but he didn’t get any answer back.

  They ran into the woods, dodging trees and rocks. Ant felt his stomach ache, his breathing stutter; running wasn’t something he did often. He looked behind and saw black trees; trees wet from the pouring rain. He also saw his friend run between trees like a crazed animal – a carnivore chasing its pray – not stopping until it got what it wanted.

  Ant kept shouting, pleading for mercy. But there was no reply.

  He tackled his friend against a tree. He pinned him down and held his mouth shut with his hand. While Ant lay unable to get up – his friend sniffed his neck, looking for a good place to dig his teeth in. A place where the blood would come out the most.

  Jacob released his mouth. The only words Ant could get out was: please don’t–

  But then he screamed. He screamed until blood from his neck poured into his mouth. Jacob kept ripping his neck apart, until there was nothing left.

  (14)

  He climbed inside the window, not knowing whose house it was. He glanced outside and looked at the morning shower; loving how dark it was, how wet everything was. Suddenly everything around him buzzed, he felt severely depressed, like a drug addict on a comedown, he needed another fix, and the fix was blood.

  He walked down the hallway, knocking a picture frame off the wall. He looked at it and saw people in it, but he needed real people, real flesh. He heard voices coming from downstairs and licked his matted red lips. But then a cough came from one of the rooms. He decided to keep on walking down the hallway.

  He opened the door, and saw a young boy in bed. His heart raced with anticipated pleasure; the taste of something so small, so fragile. He needed to taste it, feel it in his mouth. He walked to the bed and stood still beside it.

  The boy woke up. He saw something stare at him from above. Something with two eyes, a mouth, and a nose.

  The boy thought he was having a nightmare.

  (15)

  He killed his meal like a cat. He dragged the weak bones out the window, and near a bush where he could eat it up, in private. While he chewed on the shoulders, someone approached, and spoke in language unknown to him. Like an animal territorial over its meal – he jumped out from the bush.

  A man was in front of him, with a sharp object. Jacob could see veins on his neck, his forehead, he looked scared. He liked it when things looked scared. Every fiber in his body told him that it was his life mission to make things scared, to make them fear who he was, to fear the true and only one. Everything in him told him to attack the man standing in front, eat him up just like he did with the little thing behind the bush. He wasn’t going to go against his primal instinct – and walked forward. But then his legs ached, his heart stopped beating, his mouth went dry. He fell to the ground, and felt a pain so terrible; that the only comparison would be to burn in the flames of hell. He lost control of his limbs, and felt his body convulse on the floor, and saw the unknown man walk past him.

  His brain told him to get up, that the strong fights on. Only weak things die. Jacob agreed, he knew what he needed to do, and when he did, his body functioned; like a computer that had been turned back on. While rain wetted his whole body, he stood back up, and turned around. The man was crouching on the floor, holding his food. He didn’t like it when things touched his food.

  He attacked.

  He was now eating two things.

  And soon, two more things.

  (16)

  Jacob woke up from his own internal nightmare. He became conscious and in control of his own body; his own two eyes. He saw a kitchen in front of him, a plate with egg and toast, a bowl and a box that said: Honey Loops.

  He also saw chairs on the floor, spilled milk, cutlery, a phone with its batteries spilled out, and two bodies. A woman and a young girl. Jacob shook his head, he started to cry, something was wrong. He stepped backwards until his back hit the cupboard. He held his face with both hands, and stared through the slits of his fingers, at the two bodies, a brutal massacre. He cried and looked away, he didn’t want to look at all the blood on the floor, the open flesh. His body shuddered, he didn’t know what was going on. Nothing made sense. His head throbbed, and that was when he felt something in his pocket.

  He reached for it, and pulled out–

  He threw the finger away from him, and screamed. Something was wrong, and he knew it. He felt like throwing up.

  ‘I didn’t do this.’ He told himself. But his mind laughed at him, taunting him with terrible flashbacks.

  He fell to his knees, and cried. ‘I need to turn myself in,’ he said.

  Part two out on Amazon: US / UK

  Melissa, a woman from a small quiet town, has a very special night ahead of her. Her long-term boyfriend invites her to a place in the middle of the woods; a warm and romantic cabin where candles are lit, and music is playing. But when she finds herself driving on a never-ending road, she thinks back to that argument they had, the one where he said: “Make sure you take a map.”

  She wished she did.