Claire

by Lynda Behling

  The shadow man's eyes opened, his tawny eyes seemed to look straight at Julius. The water around them glowed a bright orange.

  Julius took a step back, though he was sure that no one in any of these windows could see him. That he could not directly affect what happened in them. But, this was a dream, so he was not really sure what would happen.

  There was a commotion in the lab now. The technician behind the computers was yelling into his headset. Suddenly he put his hands over his head and tore the headset off, throwing it to the floor. It sparked and a finger of black smoke issued from the ear piece.

  Sparks began erupting over all of the computer consoles. They failed, their screens going black.

  Julius knew what he was seeing. This was the shadow man's escape from the basement lab, sixteen years ago. Light screens didn't work that far underground at the time, so they were using conventional monitors.

  Julius watched as the floor lights highlighting the tank went dead. Then all the lights in the room went out and the entire lab was plunged in darkness. After a few seconds the emergency lights came on, throwing out an eerie red glow. The tank was shattered, the shadow man was gone, and the technician was lying on the floor, unconscious.

  Julius turned away.

  He sprinted down the hallway now, not turning his head in either direction. He didn't want to see any more. He just wanted to reach the end. He wanted this over with.

  He halted quickly. He hadn't even seen it coming. Suddenly, the hallway had ended.

  He was standing in front of a door. It was unlike any door he had ever seen in his life. It was large and made of a dull black metal that was rusted in places. Two sections had been cut out of it and barred, one at the top and one at the bottom. Darkness was the only thing he could see on the other side. A Heavy black chain crossed the door several times, running through thick black rings set into the wall. There was no handle or lock, just a heavy padlock made of that same rusted, dark metal. The two ends of the long chain met, and were held closed by the padlock.

  He pulled on the padlock, but it was strong. The chains rattled loudly. He took a step back, studying the door. He placed his hands in his pockets while he thought. He felt something cold in his left pocket and pulled it out.

  It was a large black key. It was made of that same smooth black metal as the door, but clean and polished. Carved into the top were the initials J.C.

  He looked back up at the door. "So, this is my door then? Well, it is my mind. This is all part of my subconsciousness." He placed a hand on the padlock, lifting it so he could insert the key. He turned it and a loud click filled the hallway. The countless lighted windows behind him went out all at once.

  He pulled the padlock away from the door, tossing it aside. There was sharp crack that echoed when it hit the floor. He pulled on one end of the chain until the whole thing came free. He tossed it aside as well. It hit the floor with a deafening rattle. He could see light coming from behind the door, through the barred windows. He pushed at the heavy metal door and it opened slowly, stubbornly. There was a horrendous screeching sound, but he managed to push it open enough to squeeze through.

  He was in an empty, pitch black room. In front of him was one lit window, taking up the entire far wall. It showed a white room on the other side, the same dimensions as the black room he stood in now. There was no door leading into the white room. He looked behind him. The black metal door had vanished. He turned back to the window.

  The pure white walls and floor were marred by streaks and splashes of blood. Some of it was a fresh, bright red, while other parts were a dull, dried brown. Hand prints, splatters, and indecipherable words and shapes decorated the walls and floor in this blood.

  In the center of the room a man knelt. He was hunched over, his dirty and tangled brown hair was too long and covered his face. He was naked from the waist up and barefoot. The skin on his back and chest was a sickly white. It was marred with black and purple and brown and green bruises, and scrapes and scratches of all sizes. His ribs showed clearly, the skin was pulled taut over them. His arms were soot black, the hands were covered in blood.

  As he watched, the man rose slowly. His shoulders were hunched forward. The pants he wore were dirty and tattered. He lifted his head, straightening up fully.

  Julius saw a pale and drawn face, scratched and bleeding. There were deep shadows under the eyes and his lips were white and chapped. Long, lank locks of hair fell over his face. He was smiling. Dark eyes glittered at Julius.

  Julius started to take a step back, repulsed.

  The man rushed forward, lightning fast. He hit the window with those dark hands, and stopped. He leaned his face close to the glass slowly, staring right at Julius. His breath fogged up the glass in front of his mouth.

  Julius hesitated, then took a step forward, closer to the glass. As much as he was repulsed, he was also drawn in.

  The man raised one black fist and banged it on the window, once, forcefully. There was impact but no sound. Julius could see that wherever those hands touched, it left behind bloody smudges on the glass.

  He stepped a little closer, wary. This man could not punch through the glass. Also, there was something about this man, something that made Julius unable to look away.

  The man in the other room lifted a hand, forefinger extended. He picked a clear spot on the glass, about chest height and began to write there, in bright red blood. He wrote backwards, so Julius could understand it:

  hello A muscle tightened in Julius' jaw. He made no move to communicate. The man grinned at him, an insane smile. Julius could see scratches all around the man's mouth, and his teeth were stained red with blood. He picked a new place in the glass and started writing again, slowly, lazily. The letters were extremely messy, but Julius could make them out.

  let me out Julius gave the man a hard look, shaking his head slightly. The man's grin dropped from his face. He gave Julius a burning look, leaning both hands against the glass again. His fingers tightened on the glass, as if longing to grip something. Julius saw his mouth open in a shout, and again heard no sound. Again, the silent shout. Julius just stood there, unmoving. His black eyes icy.

  The man pushed away from the window, standing straight. He raised his hand, writing in large letters across the glass:

  YOU WILL BREAK

  He grinned again at Julius, his tongue ran over his chapped upper lip. Underneath he wrote in smaller letters:

  i will kill her first just for you Then he placed his hands back on the window, staring at Julius. Those dark eyes bore into him, challenging him.

  Julius' entire body was rigid. His hands were clenched into fists. His jaw was tight. He stared at this monster across from him, hating it to his core.

  The man stepped back from the window, laughing harshly, silently.