After Dark

"Oh god, oh god, oh god"1

The pounding of footsteps echoed through the night barely ten meters behind her. The rain pelted against the floor and she could hardly breath. Ducking down she crawled into an alley way, it was dark, they might not see her. Closing her eyes she prayed to God:2

"Oh father, if you can hear me,3

I am your servant4

hide me from them,5

don't let them take me from you,please...please."6

A black shadow fell over her trembling form and she shrank back from further into the shadows.7

"Please, please don't hurt me, don't...no, not that, please -" A shriek pierced the night and from where small children in The City lay in their beds, they were reminded why stepping outside after dark was forbidden.8

"We are here to mourn the passing of Anne Grisham. May her tragic death always be a reminder to us of the terrors our society face, and be a warning for all those who disobey the rules of the Theroux..." 9

"Stupid sermons," whispered Mikey to Jane, "all they ever teach us is things we already know. God, how stupid could Anne be, I know she was your friend but, God..." Mikey turned to looked up at Jane with his vibrant blue eyes and saw silent tears running down her cheeks, "aw, heck Jane I'm sorry, but I just can't take it anymore, the mystery, the rules. What is going on?!" 10

"Mikey, you don't have to understand," whispered Jane, " you just accept it. This is the third person I've lost this year, I don't want to lose anyone else," Mikey reached out to touch her arm, she shunned him "No... I have to go..."11

Jane crept out of the church and into the graveyard, where the rain was pouring down. Sunlight lit her face and the rain mingled with her tears, she thought about Mikey's words and she thought about Anne. Pushing her blond hair out of her eyes she surveyed all the fresh graves. All the newly dead...and why? No. She knew she couldn't think of it. Curiosity was something to be suppressed and hidden. No questions and you would be fine, she'd learnt that much. She closed her eyes and felt the familiar fear of darkness, warm arms snaked their way around her. Familiar. Mikey. Snapping her eyes open she raised her head up to the heavens, and he held her while she screamed. 12

In bed she dreamt of it, the same dreams she always had. Of their faces, of their horrific twisted faces, feasting on blood, dripping with it. They were bent over a body 'a fresh victim' she tiptoed closer to where an arm was strung out, still twitching. Alive? Or just ...twitching. Blood and thicker things were splattered around them and the smell. God the smell. As she drew closer to the body, the things twisted around and hissed at her. They bolted off into the distance and she was left alone staring into the bluest eyes she had ever seen, glazed over distant. She knelt down to brush a lock of hair from his cold angelic face. She awoke in a cold sweat. She awoke to a shriek. She awoke to the knowledge that Mikey was dying.13

Another funeral, another day, another Night. She felt so distant, like life was a dream. Jane was no longer little Jane Edwards, she was an empty shell. A husk of her former self, just like Mikey's eyes... she was dead inside. Yet her body still lived. She knew what these creatures looked like foul...grotesque. Occasionally walking down the street she would breath in and taste their putrid Oder like rotting fruit at the back of her mouth. She tried not to think about it. There was nothing left for her anymore.14

That Night it was still raining, thunderous and vile. Jane detested Night storms, they were frightening and vile. She knew what she had to do, she had been thinking on it all day. But in a night storm... No, no this was something she knew she must do. For the good of everything she believed in, for Anne... for Mikey. She knew of the truth, and the truth was more horrifying than anyone could ever believe.15

Creeping down the stairs she pushed open the front door, and crept into the night, it took a moment for her eyes to adjust. She had the knife in her left hand and the tape recorder in her right. She switched it on, and stepped into the road. She was almost at the river when she heard them coming. For a moment she froze, panicked and cold. The rain was paralyzing her. She turned and made out their shapes making their way towards her. They crawled on the ground like insect, limbs rotating 360 degrees, steadily advancing toward her. 16

She let out a strangled gasp as the first one reached her. She struck blindly out at it and it charged her too the ground. Pinned and frightened, she felt teeth graze her neck. She stabbed at the thing that had her pinned and it raised its head up at her. She felt one bite her shoulder and another tear the flesh of her stomach, but still she did not cry out. She looked at the one that had her pinned and found herself staring into Mikey's blue, blue eyes, she screamed, as he hissed at her. The pain in her stomach was excruciating and tears rolled down her face. Mikey licked away her tears and grinned down at her with his blood stained mouth. Her blood.17

She threw her head back and screamed into the night, for a second 'Mikey' studied her, just a second mind you, a studied her for a second before he tore out her throat. 18

The next morning, a small child stumbled upon the tape recorder and seeing it was abandoned, took it and showed his friends. Not knowing what it was, they took it to the river and threw it in. To see how fast it would sink.19