Into Darkness

He stands in darkness, alone and frightened. No stars or moon. An underground world, encased in stone and earth. The eerie silence at the far horizon of hearing, where nightmare creatures breathe.

No light, only vague memories of dawn, sunset, and noon. Glimmers from another world, light lost. The thought brings a wave of pain. Blame follows in its wake, echoing in his mind.

Who did this? The darkness does not answer.

He hears only the silence of an unseen listener.

Did I extinguish the light?

Fear claws into his guts. His body overrides his brain with panic, the desperate need to move, to be anywhere else. One foot slides forward, bare sole scraping sand over solid rock. Another sightless step, no direction, only away. He is blind, hands groping into the void while his reptilian brain screams.

Wait. Beware. Go slow. There are cliffs, crevasses in the dark. Long falls to sharp rocks.

His body does not obey. Faster now, racing toward the plunge, the collision, any disaster better than waiting in silent darkness

An animal howl climbs in his throat, cut short as his hand scrapes solid rock. He stumbles, catches himself against an unseen wall. Throws his arms wide, presses his face to cold stone. An anchor, a refuge in the emptiness. He rolls his body, presses his back into the rock. Exhales the panic, tries to slow his hammering heart. Solid wall behind him, he stares into the darkness.

Think! This is not a dream. You’re awake. What happened? Try to remember.

He forces his brain to slow down, closes his eyes to blot out the blackness. Yes, memories of sunlight, green grass, a child’s smile. These things exist beyond this nightmare.

Then, a booming voice fills the void, driving away all thoughts.

“You are alone. They are coming for you. You are weak. Only I can protect you. The enemies within will destroy you. I will save you. You have no hope without me. You know this is true. Everyone knows this is true.”

With a squelch of feedback, the voice fades to silence. The man’s heart pounds in his chest. He crouches, arms splayed against the wall, cowering in dread of that horrible voice. The silence draws out, tearing at his nerves. Then he hears another sound. Not the voice, but the scratch and slither of something moving over rough stone.

There! A green glow appears in the darkness. He stares dumbfounded. Details come into focus. A creature taller than a man, illuminated in an eerie light. It lurches upright on stumpy legs. Tentacles dangle from a lumpy torso. And leading the way, two long arms with groping claws.

He tries to push himself into solid rock. The monster looms closer. Its weird glow dispels the darkness. Horrified, he peers at the shuffling thing. Something isn’t right. The monster’s legs twitch and jerk like a clockwork toy.

The man blinks, trying to make sense of what he’s seeing. Then a shadow races out of the blackness and slams into the monster from behind. The creature topples to the ground. It smacks the rocky floor and breaks into pieces. Debris rolls into the darkness.

A green glow rises from the fragments. Someone stands in the glow. He sees the figure crouch, hears a tearing sound. Then it stands upright, gleaming green rods in each hand. The light reveals a woman, another human being.

She waves the glowing sticks, beckoning him forward. He pushes away from the rock wall, but an angry voice freezes him in midstep.

“Did you see that? They broke my monster.”

“Sir, the mic is live.

“Fuck the mic, that bitch wrecked my monster. Get me another one.”

“Okay, kill the mic, right now. Sir, I…”

“Goddammit.”

The man freezes in place, caught between the dying echoes and the beckoning woman.

Did I just hear that? Am I going mad?

The man shakes off the shock of the unseen voices and tries to focus. He forces himself to walk toward the woman and steps into the feeble glow. Her hoarse voice breaks the silence.

“Who are you?”

“I… I don’t know. Who are you? Where did you come from?”

“Over there somewhere. It was all black. I saw that… thing, then I saw you. Didn’t know what else to do, so I shoved it down.”

“That was brilliant. But how did you get here?”

“No idea. This place feels like a nightmare, but I know I’m awake. Listen, do you think we’re in hell?”

“You mean like dead and gone to hell?”

“I know it sounds stupid, but I think I did something wrong.”

“That’s weird. I experienced the same feeling. Guilt, like I willed this place into existence. But we’re not in hell. Hell would have better demons.”

He toes a rubbery tentacle. She laughs. Her incongruous laughter pushes back the darkness.

“Yes, real demons wouldn’t use cheap glow sticks. Here, you better take some of these.”

Holding the glow sticks like torches, they examine the debris at their feet. He toes the disembodied head.

“It’s just a cheap carnival trick.”

“It scared the shit out of me.”

He kicks the head, and it rolls away.

“Me too. What do we do now?”

The woman looks beyond the green glow.

“There must be other people.”

“You think so?”

She nods, hesitates, then speaks.

“Yes. I can’t explain it, but I think someone built this place. Why go to all this trouble for two people?”

“I guess that makes sense.”

He feels a trickle of hope followed by a surge of anger.

“If you’re right, someone is fucking with us.”

Her reply comes swift and hard.

“Then it’s time we fight back. If someone built it, we can tear it down.”

Her words are a call to action, kindling fire in his guts.

“Right. So, we find the others.”

She waves at the darkness as she speaks.

“Yes, and we work together. Dig our way out, climb out, break down walls. Whatever it takes. No more wandering in darkness. I’m ready.”

She holds out her hand. He takes it. Together, they turn and walk away.

“Don’t let them get away. Get in there and stop them.”

“How, sir?

“I don’t care. Kill them, you idiots! Do I have to do everything around here?”

“Sir, there’s just two of them.”

“Goddammit, do it now.”

Beyond the echoing voices, a green glow and two silhouettes fade into darkness.