by P. S. Power
“The light as an illusion!” They seemed cheery enough about it, not creepy or cult like at all. It was almost enough to make me wonder if it was all a prank of some kind? Had I been hypnotized and this whole thing was a long drawn out version of making someone cluck like a chicken? It was possible. Even in the state I was in, I could see that. I knew the things that I’d experienced were real, but could that be proven? For half a second I felt like asking, but then didn’t.
It would be rude to start doubting now, even if I was going to look foolish later. Better to go along with the game and be a sport than to be the person that ruins an event. That was part of the social contract. Being the jerk that ruined things for others was a sign of mental weakness, it only served to make the person doing it look bad. No one sane and normal would want to do that.
They all made small talk for the better part of half an hour, Daniel looking at his watch and setting his drink down.
“Outside then everyone? It’s time, Ten-fifty in three minutes. This one is supposed to be spectacular. A total lunar eclipse. I read all about it online earlier.” He led the way out, Dr. Milford moving in directly behind me, pulling up the rear as everyone else moved out the door first.
He leaned forward, taking my right arm ever so gently from the back.
“You did what I said? Wrote the story down exactly and put it where others can see it? Then made sure to tell them about it? Both strangers and those known to you?” His tone was concerned and he sounded nervous suddenly. For once I didn’t feel that way at all.
“Yes. Just as you said. The whole story is there, and I made sure everyone knew to read it and tell everyone else about how great it is. Just like I was instructed, Dr. Milford.” I just hoped I’d gotten it right. Thinking about it almost made me want to go and do it again, over and over to make sure it was perfect, but the man took a deep breath and started walking again, slowly. Buying time.
“Good. You have to accept the being that has come. I can’t explain now, but make sure you read the story later. Read it over and over if you can. Do it until you remember who you really are. There are things in it that will help you fight the demon possessing you. I’m so sorry about this. They made me do it, the others. I wasn’t as lucky as you in a way. I found this body, but I’m not powerful enough to fight all of them. The human here with me is weak, otherwise I’d not have a body at all. Don’t speak of this with me again. Not tonight. If you try they'll know about what I did.” As we joined the others out front, Daniel ran to the door suddenly, he turned off the porch light and came back with one of his cameras. There was a little red glow that gave away what it was as soon as he powered it up.
I felt my skin start to crawl before anyone even bothered to speak. The night was cool enough, but the goose bumps weren’t about that. There was a feeling in the air of evil. Of darkness and foreboding. Before I could move at all Jerald and Toni each took one of my arms, holding me in place firmly. I expected chanting then, or at least someone coming and saying eclipse again to make sure I was deep enough to let whatever was coming in. No one did. I got the idea after a minute, nothing I did really mattered now. I’d already accepted the idea that I had to let the thing in. To protect Alex. That was the thing that had done the work, that point of decision had already settled everything, nothing I did now would change anything.
The idea that there would be a real deal, a contract or something, wasn’t going to work. It all crashed into me in a sudden rush. Why would a being that could take me by force bother with permission? Even if it made things easier, why would they make a bargain that benefited the weaker party at all? Maybe from a sense of fairness or moral values, but I didn’t know that anything not human even had those. This certainly didn’t seem to be gearing up to be a real conversation at least. Just an event. A play that I could only observe, and not affect at all.
I waited, noticing that everyone else was looking up at the moon. It was lovely. Nearly full, though not quite. Just the hint of a shadow slipping over it from the side. The eclipse had begun and my mind responded fully, opening and going very quiet, just tracing out the words in my head as it all unfolded, leaving me powerless to stop it. I felt the presence then, though I couldn’t see anything. I kept looking at the sky, not wanting to see what was coming for me. I knew what it would be of course, figuring out that I’d been pushed into all this, that everything had been carefully choreographed to work me into this position, the whole time.
Finally I had to look down and find the eyes of the presence that stood before me. It was a black shadowed form in the night, but as I watched the face shifted and morphed into something else. Something far more human seeming. Someone incredibly familiar.
Alex.
“Hey love. Did you miss me?” The voice was perfect and the words held a bit of a chuckle.
“I…” I wanted to say something profound, to ask the right questions. Maybe to call out and curse the thing in front of me for making fun of me like this when it didn’t have to. Why mock a fallen opponent? Worse, why make fun of someone that was simply prey? The words were thick in my throat and didn’t want to come out, but rage drove me to finally finish the sentence.
“Why? Why make yourself look like this? Just to prove that you tricked me? That Alex was never in danger at all? Why even bother? Why not just take me in the night and finish it? I can’t fight something like you, but this is a waste of time.” I gestured at the form of my lover, breath not coming at all. I forced myself to do it, inhale and look the thing right in the eye. If I could have, I would have punched the thing right in the nose, no matter who it looked like. Instead there was just a soft chuckle from the group. Everyone except Dr. Milford.
He just looked away, his expression unreadable. the thing in front of me shook its head.
“Ah… little horse, you don’t understand yet at all, do you? Not even a little bit. It’s so simple really. Here, let me explain before I climb on board then so you can really know what has happened. You see, you were tricked. By me and these others. You probably understand that part well enough on your own. Every single thing you’ve witnessed in the last weeks has been created to bring you to this point. From Jerald pretending to warn you in the parking lot to Toni acting like she was your friend. But the real trick isn’t what you think it is. Not at all. That one started nearly a decade ago.” Alex moved in and kissed me on the cheek, the soft lips barely touching my skin. I felt it, but only as a hint of wind on the skin, a bit of warmth that lingered for just a moment, until the air turned frigid around me.
“The trick isn’t that I used the shape of your dead love to get you to let me in. Though I did that too of course. I could have done it in a thousand different ways, but that one plucked the strings of your heart so very well. No, the real game is simpler than that. I am Alex. I always have been. The whole time you knew me I rode as I shall you now. Through all those nights that we held each other, all the kisses and soft touches. The meaningful declarations of love... All me. I am the only thing you ever loved. Remember that time on the beach when you saved me from drowning? It was sweet of you, though unneeded. It was me stringing you along. Always. You never loved anyone named Alex at all. Not a person named that at least. Just me, a simple demon. I used to love how clueless you were, not noticing the things I did when you weren’t watching. Blinded by love and that human lack of awareness you all have. I treated you so badly too, but you never even noticed it, thinking that I cared for you completely.” Alex, the thing shaped like Alex, moved closer to me.
“Remember the little neighbor boy that used to come around on weekends? I gave his mother cancer so the brat would spend more time with her instead of trampling our flower beds. The mailman that died? Blood clot. I just never liked him, he used to try to guess what was in the packages I got... it annoyed me. Or… Remember how Mongo got hit by a car? He wasn’t. I dropped him out of the window doing seventy in a residential area. Just because I knew it would hurt you. It goes on and on and you never ev
en noticed or bothered to try and guess at what was really going on. Because you didn’t want to know. Why, it was practically like you never knew me at all, which is a little insulting by the way. But you will now. You're going to know me better than you've ever known anyone in the whole world."
“Lies.” I said the words like I was sure of it, but I knew, deep inside, that it was all true. I could feel it.
Alex shrugged.
“Maybe. You’ll find out soon enough though, for certain. It’s thanks that lovely focus I had Tom here build into your mind. Reading a book on a screen. Just like the one I gave you. A very novel way of presenting things. As a focus, I mean, but one that works on more than one level, don’t you think? Even building a secondary personality that doesn’t know it’s not real and honestly believes it's just reading this… Genius! That one was Tom's idea you know.
Anyway, what will happen is that when the moon is covered with shadow and you stand under it, I’ll slip into place over you completely and you’ll ride along with me, reading a story. My story. The one about what I’m doing with your life. I think you’ll learn quite a lot about me then.” The form moved a half step closer, lips nearly pressed to mine. The presence that I thought of as Alex being right there. It wasn’t a lie at all. It really was my love.
I laughed.
There was nothing else to do after all. I’d been tricked, over and over again, for longer than I'd ever thought possible. My whole life was a lie. As a cap on it all, I was going to give my life to save the person I loved most in the world. Only it turned out they not only didn’t love me, but there was no other person involved at all. Just a demon that had made a fool of me the whole time. It wasn’t really funny, but it got everyone else to pay attention to me for a moment.
Dr. Milford stepped in from the side so I could see him.
“Is… everything alright? I mean, other than the obvious.” It was clear he thought I had some trick of my own up my sleeve, but I didn’t. I just didn’t have anything left at all.
Alex growled, voice a lot lower than it had been in life.
“It doesn’t matter.” Finger going up he pointed, my eyes following without me trying to at ll.
“Look. An eclipse.”
The shadow had pulled over the moon, like a soft gray blanket, leaving just a hint of silver on the far edge. Everyone else spoke at once as Alex vanished from in front of me.
“The light is an illusion.” It had the sound of ceremony. A simple one, but a thing of power none the less.
I laughed again.
“Yes, but don’t you see? I'm not the light, I’m a person. I'm real.” It wasn’t much, and didn’t help anything at all, but saying that was the last thing I ever did.
Chapter ten
I wasn’t dead, or even locked away completely. Instead I was sitting back and watching this thing live my life. Doing evil and vile things with my body that I’d never have even thought possible. Perversions and excesses that would have ruined me if I had done them, but that worked out just fine for the thing inhabiting me. I had to watch. I had no choice. Worse, it would talk to me about what it was going to do first. Taunting me constantly, making sure I knew who held all the power.
“Ever eat a baby?” The words chilled me, but I didn’t answer. I wasn’t certain if it could hear me or not, it didn’t let on one way or the other for the most part, but I suspected it could. If I protested something it always did it, often more than once. The only hope I had of influencing it positively was to stay silent about the things that were really bad. If I made an issue about eating a baby I had no doubt it would be kidnapping one and frying it up for dinner. Just to rub it in.
That was the kicker. The demon wasn’t just getting its jollies or simply trying to have a good time, it seemed to take genuine pleasure in making sure that I wasn’t happy. It guided me through life smoothly, as far as most things went. Better than I'd ever managed for that matter. Within three months the demon had taken over the advertising company for instance. Not just gotten my bosses job, taken the whole thing with a clever hostile takeover that had nothing to do at all with legality, but a lot to do with using its powers to influence people.
Even most of what it had done to me, tricking me into protecting Alex like it had, was really about just making sure the transition was as complete as possible and having a good time doing it. If the host was willing to take something like that in at any point it made it easier for the entity. The possession was more complete and fewer errors would show. Meaning that the original owner couldn't fight back as easily. I found I couldn't do anything useful at all in that regard. The people that knew me before didn’t even see a bit of difference. The demon had even started going back to church... And had a relationship going in secret with both the pastor and his wife. At the same time. Nothing was sacred to it. Luckily for the most part, it also didn’t care. Unless I did. Then it was great fun for it to tear things apart. To torment me.
“I’ll take that as a no then. Very tender flesh. Unfortunately I have something to do before we can have any real fun. Want to come with me?” That was its favorite line. It asked if I wanted to tag along, or join it, at least four times a day.
It turned out that we were going to see Dr. Milford and Toni that afternoon. We drove in my car, which the demon hadn’t bothered to trade in for something nicer yet. The money was there, but it really just didn’t seem to care. It liked nice things well enough, but it reveled in experiences, not possessions. Except me of course.
We got into the building about five-thirty, having come straight from work. The new office was bigger and nicer, but in the same place. It wasn’t a national company or anything, thank goodness. Some of the things being done there now, under my name, were hideous. Not bad work as far as campaigns went, but covertly promoting drugs, tobacco and alcohol use to minors for instance. That and rampant sex. Some of the things were so subtle that I doubted anyone would ever catch on to them, even though they were incredibly effective. The thing was using my body to poison half of the next generation of kids coming up. What a great legacy for me to leave behind.
My body didn’t play around, walking right in and then moving behind the desk where Toni sat, kissing her soundly, with a lot of tongue. It was just to bug me, but I didn’t exactly know what the demon had in mind by it. Was it because I was supposed to not like her for being possessed too? That or because I hadn’t responded to her when it was my choice? It wasn’t something I had control over, so I ignored it, reading about it more than anything else. The words on the screen that I’d been promised were there constantly. I wasn’t looking through my eyes as much as imagining the whole scene anyway. It took a lot of the sting out of the whole deal.
I had to watch, but there was a buffer. For now at least.
When I got into the office Milford seemed relaxed and gestured for me to do the same. My body kicked a leg over the arm of the chair legs spread and sighed.
“You know Tom, I think this is the best body that I’d ever ridden. That eclipse idea was brilliant. Using it as the trigger word so that when it actually took place it totally overwhelmed my little horse's mind. There’s no struggling this time at all. Unlike the last one. Alex gave me a real fight. I’d miss it except for the fact that I had to do all this work to get a new body after that suicide. Driving your car off a bridge? Can you think of anything more cliché? There won’t be any problems with this one though, thanks to you.” There was hand waving and a seated bow toward the man across from me, who took out his pipe and loaded it.
“You don’t mind?” He held it up a fraction of an inch.
“No, please smoke. I don’t really worry about lung cancer.”
“I suppose not, given how we can just get new bodies at will. Still, I’d suggest not being too careless with this one. Wouldn’t do to be overconfident after all. People can surprise you from time to time.” Dr. Milford seemed almost smug about something.
The demon laughed.
“Oh? You
don’t mean that little book you had me write, do you? Yes, authored by none other than me. Some of my best work too. Very proud of it. I even added everything in to the very end of the tale you know, including this part. You meant it to be able to wake my host here up, so that I could be resisted, didn’t you? Trying to get one over on the big dog and take me down a peg or two? Laudable. Instead I followed your suggestion, but built the work carefully so that anyone reading it would be entrained by the story, identify with it and be opened to our reality. The vast majority of them should experience haunting before they even finish reading. About sixty percent will be able to act as hosts for our kind as well. Really it’s a grand idea, using a book to cause such things. Efficient. I’d have never thought of it at all, if not for your suggestion. When they read this, they'll truly be overtaken and nothing they could ever do will save them.” I could feel the smile on my lips, which was rare. I normally couldn’t feel anything at all anymore.
“Yes. I think I have the situation well in hand on that score. By the way... don’t try anything like that again Tom. I know you’re Toni’s pet, but I will kill you if you get in my way. That or rape your soul for a few thousand years. You’re allowed to live in a body on sufferance. Mine. You need to stay useful if you want the arrangement to keep. Don’t push me.” The last bit was growled, a low sound that the Doctor probably couldn’t even hear totally.
He got the point anyway.
“I’ll see to that. So… do you plan to just keep torturing your host? I can’t say that I see the point anymore. I mean, it wasn’t something you had to force. I’d think you’d show a bit more style than that, after someone sacrificed themselves to save you from a horrible fate. Even if it wasn’t real, there’s a certain noble quality to it… Perhaps it's time for you to put that part of things away?” He seemed scared when he said it, almost as if he expected a blow, but nothing like that happened.