The Dark

  The Dark

  by Jason Brant

  Copyright © 2013 Jason Brant

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission from Jason Brant, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Editing Services Provided by Cynthia Shepp

  www.CynthiaShepp.com

  Cover Created by Phycel Designs

  www.phycel.com

  Table of Contents

  Copyright Page

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1

  The growling startled Christy out of a shallow sleep.

  Molly never growled. Hearing the sound, feeling the vibration on the bed beside her, made Christy snap to a seated position. The last thing she remembered was snuggling under the blankets with her ancient dog at her side, reading a new thriller on her Kindle. Her typical night consisted of living in a world of words until she fell asleep and tonight hadn’t been any different.

  The screen from the e-reader bathed the room in a low light, making Molly just visible beside her. The dog continued growling, her throat rumbling in anger. Her hackles stood up, the hair on her back looking like it had been styled into a mohawk. Christy ran her hand over it, trying to smooth it out, wondering what could have her so worked up.

  “Did you have a bad dream?”

  Molly didn’t acknowledge her owner. Her attention was fixated on the open door of the bedroom. Christy squinted; trying to see through the dimly lit doorway at what could have the dog so pissed. Molly was almost fifteen years old, making her prehistoric for a German shepherd, and she didn’t even growl at the UPS man when he knocked on the door. She only cared about eating, pooping, and sleeping nowadays, so this sudden hostility couldn’t have been more out of character.

  “Stop.”

  Christy turned to her right, reaching for the lamp above the nightstand, when she noticed that her digital alarm clock didn’t have the time displayed on it. The power was out. She rolled the switch on the lamp anyway, hoping that the alarm just wasn’t working. It didn’t turn on.

  “Damn it.”

  Molly stood on the bed, her back hips creaking as she did so. She didn’t favor her hind end when she got up as she usually did, making Christy realize how focused her dog was.

  What the hell was out there?

  Christy threw the covers back, feeling the cool fall air on her bare legs. She lifted the Kindle in front of her and closed the book she’d been reading, bringing up the home screen. She found the flashlight app she’d installed and started it, jacking up the screen’s brightness. With the tablet held out in front of her, Christy hopped from the bed and slid into her slippers.

  Then she noticed it.

  There weren’t any sounds coming from outside. She lived only a few dozen yards from Route 22, a road that always had traffic. Standing in her room, cocking her ear to the window, she couldn’t hear anything at all. The nonstop sounds coming from the bustling highway had become the norm for her and the silence made her feel uneasy.

  Christy placed the Kindle on the nightstand, its bright screen facing the ceiling, and brushed the curtains away from the window.

  Darkness encompassed everything outside.

  Only one spot of illumination stood out – a flaming car on the highway.

  The light from the fire flickered off the windshields of surrounding vehicles, which were scattered haphazardly around the road.

  Many of the cars had crashed into each other, run over curbs, or rolled to a stop against the buildings beside the highway.

  Silence.

  “What the?”

  Christy stared out the window, her mouth falling slack as she gawked at the carnage. She couldn’t understand what had happened or how she slept through what must have been an incredibly loud series of events. Even more surprising to her was that she didn’t see a single person milling about the road.

  The amount of road rage she had witnessed firsthand told her that she should be watching a dozen fistfights. People took their cars very seriously and having a massive pileup of vehicles should have caused a near riot.

  Instead, she saw no one.

  People weren’t inspecting the damage or shouting at one another.

  The street had a population of zero.

  Molly’s growls magnified, filling the room with her anger. Christy turned back to see that her normally calm dog had bared its teeth, snarling at the open door. Her front shoulders dipped down, lowering her chest to within a few inches of the comforter. The growling was bad enough, but seeing Molly on the verge of attack was something entirely alien to Christy. The German shepherd was ready to pounce.

  “Molly! No! Lay down.”

  The dog held her ground on the bed, still leaning forward, her hackles on end. Christy couldn’t remember a time when Molly hadn’t listened, with the exception of some kind of food being involved. As she’d grown older, Molly had become an obedient and intelligent dog. She did anything and everything that Christy asked of her, usually with a tail wag and a woof.

  Molly’s aggression put Christy on edge even more than the car wreckage outside.

  Had someone broken into her apartment? The thought of someone slinking around in the hallway, especially with the power out, sent a shiver up her spine. More than one person had described her as petite and she knew that anyone weighing more than one hundred and fifty pounds would be too much for her.

  “Quiet, girl.”

  Christy waited, listening for creaking floor boards.

  Molly’s fury continued.

  “If anyone’s out there, you better run because I’ve got a gun!” She grimaced at her inadvertent rhyming.

  She’d never fired a gun in her life, but she had no idea what to say or do now. The sight outside, and the sound of Molly’s anger, had her freaking out. The black skirt and white t-shirt she wore − the mandatory uniform at the diner where she waited tables − made her feel exposed, naked. Normally she would have changed out of her work clothes before now, but she just couldn’t wait to get back to her book.

  What if someone was standing in the darkness of the hallway, watching her? The thought of it made her want to vomit.

  “Christy.”

  The voice came from outside the door to her bedroom.

  Christy recoiled at the sound, bumping into the nightstand, sending the Kindle to the floor. It rested against the wall, showering it in light, and cutting the visibility of the room.

  Her throat dried instantly, feeling like sandpaper.

  Breaths came rapid-fire.

  Her pulse drummed in her ears.

  Christy had a roommate, Annie, who was with her boyfriend down the hall, but her voice sounded nothing like what came through the door. This one had a wispy quality, like someone who
had smoked their entire life. It sounded familiar, but it had come so unexpectedly that she didn’t have a chance to really listen to it.

  “Who’s there?” Her fear rose, lifting her shoulders and making her teeth chatter. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, finding she couldn’t. Moments ago she had been asleep in her warm bed, and now someone was inside her apartment, calling her name. The entire situation felt like a bad dream.

  She hated the dark, always had. It made rational thought a struggle any time she was caught in it. It wasn’t that she had a fear of the dark itself, but she didn’t like the idea of not being able to see if someone, or something, was sneaking up on her. It had bothered her since her childhood and she never grew out of it.

  “It’s Mom.”

  Christy stood beside the bed, trying to understand what the hell was going on. The voice sounded exactly like her mother’s now that she’d heard it a second time. Her mom, Dee, liked to sip on whiskey in the evenings, which had slowly changed her voice over time, and often made people think she was a smoker.

  “Mom? What are you doing here?”

  So confused.

  Christy’s mother lived almost twenty miles away and it was the middle of the night – why had she snuck into the apartment?

  “Come out here, honey.”

  Christy bent down and grabbed her Kindle, angling the screen toward the door. Her mother stood just outside the frame, ramrod straight, her forehead bent down slightly. When the light fell across her, she took a step back, turning her face away from it.

  “Turn the light off, honey, it’s bright.”

  “The power’s out, Mom. This is all I have.”

  “It’s too bright – turn it off.”

  Christy started across the room when Molly let out a bark that made her jump. Shrill and angry, the sound gave Christy goose bumps on her arms. “Quiet! What is wrong with you tonight?”

  Christy dropped the Kindle onto the bed, letting the light shine onto the ceiling again, giving the room an even glow. Without the screen aimed directly at her, Christy’s mom moved a little closer to the door, but didn’t come inside.

  “Mom, what−”

  Something looked off with her mother. She never stood the way she was now, with her head angled downward and her eyes looking through the straggled hair that fell before her face. And why had she come into the apartment at such a bizarre time?

  “I need to talk to you, dear. Come into the hall.” Her voice fell flat, emotionless.

  Molly snarled. She had picked up on Dee’s odd behavior as well.

  “Come into the room, Mom, I can barely see you. You’re kind of freaking me out.”

  Dee didn’t move. She stood in the door and stared at Christy. “Turn the light out, dear. It’s too bright.”

  “It’s too bright? What are you talking about? Why are you here?” Christy’s confusion grew with every passing second. Her mother was the kindest person she’d ever met, yet her arrival was putting Christy on edge.

  Her brain wanted her to go and see what was wrong, but her gut told her otherwise. Something was off.

  Dee and Christy had always had a special bond between them. They were close, even by mother and daughter standards. Every Thursday they shared lunch and every Saturday they went shopping together. What they didn’t do was show up in each other’s homes in the middle of the night and act weird.

  Molly continued her growling, locking her ferocious gaze upon Dee. The fog from Christy’s sleep had evaporated, yet she still couldn’t wrap her mind around what was happening. Molly adored Dee. Her mother always brought a small piece of rawhide for the German shepherd so Molly went nuts every time she came to visit. This reaction to her presence was so far out of the norm that Christy wondered if her old dog had finally lost it.

  “Turn out the light.”

  “Why do you keep saying that?”

  She grabbed the e-reader from the bed and stepped toward the door. When the light washed over the frame, Dee’s mouth curled into a snarl, a hiss slithering between her teeth. She stepped sideways, disappearing into the hallway, her eyes awash in an emotion that Christy couldn’t understand. It looked like pain and anger.

  “Mom? Are you OK?”

  If her mother truly was in pain, then she needed help. The thought got Christy moving.

  Christy stepped into the hallway, looking in the direction her mother had gone. She couldn’t see her anywhere. “Mom?”

  Molly jumped to the floor behind her, landing with a thud. Christy had put steps beside the bed for the aged dog a couple of years ago and she always used them. Hearing her skip the stairs, knowing that it had to be murder on her joints, made Christy cringe. The dog plodded beside her, head low, throat rumbling.

  Christy looked to her left, in the opposite direction her mother had gone, at her roommate’s closed door. Annie could sleep through a nuclear blast so it wasn’t much of a surprise that she hadn’t heard Christy, Dee, or Molly. Christy wanted to go down and wake her, hoping that she could verify her mother’s weird behavior.

  “Turn the light out.”

  Dee’s voice came from the living room at the other end of the hall.

  Wishing that she had a brighter light than her Kindle, Christy took slow, creeping steps, unsure of why she was sneaking. This was her mother for God’s sake – why did she feel so afraid? Yes, Dee’s presence and demands for darkness didn’t make any sense, but Christy felt ridiculous nonetheless.

  “Mom?” Christy knew she sounded like a broken record, but she didn’t know what else to say.

  Shadows danced on the walls as Christy moved forward. She couldn’t remember a time when she’d ever seen a darkness so complete, so encompassing. Without exterior light coming from street lamps or the LEDs on appliances, the apartment had become eerie. She chanced a quick peek through a window at the end of the hall and couldn’t see any stars. Only a few flicks of fire provided any light outside at all. There must have been a thick cloud cover to completely blot any light coming from the moon.

  Molly’s growls came out in rapid, short bursts as she walked quietly on the pads of her paws. She moved silently, as if hunting something, waiting for the opportunity to kill. Christy had no idea that her dog even had those kinds of instincts still left in her. She had trouble getting Molly to chase a ball, let alone want to attack Dee.

  She thought about locking the dog in a room, afraid that she might hurt herself, but something wanted to keep her closest friend beside her.

  It felt like she was walking through a dream.

  The thought made her pause in the middle of the hall. Could she be dreaming this?

  The cool floorboards sent chills up her legs.

  She could smell Molly beside her.

  If this was a dream, or more like a nightmare, then it was the most vivid she had ever experienced. She pinched her cheek, wincing at the momentary pain. This was no dream.

  Christy turned into the living room and waved the Kindle around in front of her, shining the light in every corner.

  The room was empty.

  The next door down the hall opened into the kitchen, the last room in the apartment. Her mother had to be in there. Hopefully she would be rounding up some flashlights or candles, though her sudden aversion to light didn’t get Christy’s hopes up. She needed to figure out what the problem was in here so she could go outside and see if anyone needed any help.

  Forcing herself to relax as best she could, Christy took the last three steps to the door in quick succession and stood in the frame. Her mother was nowhere to be found. The room didn’t have much space in it with only four feet between the cabinets lining the opposing walls.

  The lack of hiding places left little room for someone to disappear.

  Christy had watched her mother go this way down the hall. Unless she climbed out a window, she had to be in either the kitchen or living room, yet both were empty. Where had she gone?

  Fear settled in the pit of her stomach.

&nbs
p; Molly searched the air for a scent. The hair on her back slowly settled down into place.

  In the quiet, the darkness surrounding Christy felt constricting, claustrophobic.

  “Christy? What in the name of shit are you doing walking around in the dark? You’re such a fucking weirdo sometimes.”

  Annie stood in the hallway, rubbing her eyes. She held a candle in one hand, letting the wax drip to the floor. Cleanliness and consideration had never been something that she cared about. Christy used to fight with her about it, but she finally settled on the understanding that her roommate was a bit crazy. She didn’t really care about anyone but herself.

  Her hair was smoothed down, though she’d probably just woken up. Christy figured she had spent time to make sure that it looked decent before coming out to admonish her. And of course, she only had on a thong. Annie had her breasts augmented six months ago and she used every opportunity she could to make sure that everyone saw them.

  For the first three months they’d lived together, Annie kept a jar above the fridge with a strip of tape on it marked ‘tit fund’.

  Classy.

  Christy wanted to punch her in the boob. “My mother’s here.”

  “What? It’s—” Annie looked around, confusion spreading on her face. “What time is it? Why is the power out?”

  “How should I know? I just woke up too.”

  “But your mom is here? Where is she?”

  “Yeah, she was standing outside my room when I woke up.”

  Annie smirked at her, not even trying to hide her disdain. “The two of you have problems.” She walked down the hall toward Christy, swaying her hips in extreme exaggeration. She’d obviously spent a lot of time perfecting her ridiculous gait, and like her breasts, she always used it to bring attention to herself.

  “I don’t have time for your weird little games. I just wanted to get a glass of water before John and I start on round three.”

  John was almost as high on Christy’s shit list as Annie. He also liked to walk around the apartment in the nude, which disgusted Christy. Twice he’d tried to sleep with her while Annie was in the shower. Christy tried to tell her roommate about it, but she didn’t seem to care. Between the two of them, Christy often wondered how they remembered to feed themselves.