The Darkness , part 1

  
    The darkness came for me when I was seven.

    Ever since that night , I had always been terrified of the dark , sleeping with the lights on , and when I got older , popping caffeine pills like they were candy , because I was afraid to close my eyes. I still am. I knew there was nothing to be afraid of ; darkness is nothing more than the absence of light. But there are things in the dark that should be feared. Things that can drive you mad if you were to look them in the face.  Because you would be looking into the face of madness and insanity.

  
    Some people believe in the devil. Others believe that we are responsible for the evil in this world. What most people don't know , is that there are things beyond this world that are far more evil than the darkness that abides in the human soul. Things foul and disgusting. Things of madness and nightmare. They live in the darkness ; they hide in the shadows so we cannot see them. If we did see them , the mere sight of them would drive us insane. They are afraid of the light , like some of us fear the dark. They influence our dreams ; they are the cause of our nightmares. They themselves are responsible for the evil in this world.

  
    Every once in a while , they will venture forth from their world , their dimensional plane , into ours , to take some of us. Always children , never adults. Children are the most susceptible to their influence , the most easily frightened. Those they cannot easily influence , such as most adults , they attempt to control through dreams. Those they cannot prey upon , they drive insane. These tortured souls become serial murderers , and child predators.

  
   I first encountered the Darkness when I was seven.

   I was a frail , skinny child , afraid of almost everything , including my own shadow. But it wasn't until after my first encounter that I developed a fear of the dark , and it has remained with me ever since.
  
   One night I fell asleep , and when I woke up , found myself , not in my bed , in my own room , but in a strange place. An alien world. It was cold and dark. There were grayish walls that dripped and oozed a disgusting grey slime. The floor beneath me was covered with the same stuff. It had a putrid odor.

  
    At first I thought I might be dreaming. , but at that age I was able to distinguish dreams from waking life , and this was no dream. There was a faint , dull light that seemed to emanate from the floor and the walls. Getting to my feet , I discovered that my entire body , from head to foot , was covered in the weird slime. It had even gotten into my mouth. It tasted foul and disgusting. I wanted to vomit. Instead , I spat it out , and looked at my hands. It felt as disgusting as it tasted. It stuck to my hands as stubborn as spider silk ; no amount of shaking or wiping would get rid of all of it.

   Looking around at the slime covered floors and walls , I realized that the light came not from them , but from the slime itself. And since I was covered in the stuff , it was coming from me as well! I shuffled toward the nearest wall , hoping to discover a way out. However , the closer I seemed to get , the farther the wall seemed to recede , as things have a way of doing in dreams. But this was no dream ; I was awake and desperate to find a way out.

   It wasn't long before I heard the screams .... and the other sounds. Sounds I had never heard before and hoped to never hear again. I can only describe them inhuman whispering ; eager and hungry. The screams were faint and far off , but the whispering sounds were closer , much closer. So close , in fact , that they seemed to be coming from everywhere.

   For a moment , my heart seemed to stop , then beat like a jack hammer. My only thought was to get out of there. It was then that I noticed a faint light , like the beginning of sunrise. I ran toward it. I ran for all I was worth , my seven year old legs pumping like the cylinders of an engine. I was aware that my feet made disgusting squishing sounds as I ran.

  
    I heard the screams again , nearer this time , and the whispering , also nearer. I recognized the screams as those of children crying out for help. I wanted to find them and help them. But where were they? All I could see was slime. It was everywhere. I was ankle deep in it.

   Footing was slick. I slipped several times. The second time , I fell flat on my face in the stuff. The whispering sounds were almost upon me! I struggled to my feet and looked back. What I saw brought a scream to my throat. I couldn't swallow. My mouth  was full of the putrid stuff.

  I continued running for the light , spitting the stuff out and retching at the same time. I slipped again , but managed to stay on my feet. I wanted to erase the image of what I had seen , from my mind. But it was too horrifying. What I had seen was like something from a Lovecraft nightmare. Something so hideous and monstrous that it defied description.  All I really saw were the tentacles and gaping maw of the nearest creature. It oozed the same slime that covered everything in this nightmarish landscape.

   Like the walls , I was afraid the light would get farther away , the closer I seemed to get. But it didn't. It was getting brighter. It was definitely getting brighter!

   I ran faster. I ran , never taking my eyes off the light , which gradually grew brighter. Soon I would be out! I would be out of this nightmare world and back in my own bedroom. I was sure the light was a doorway back to my own world. I did not know how I knew this , but I knew.

   I seemed to be running for an eternity. I began to tire. My legs felt like lead. The vile stuff made it difficult to run , but I ran as fast and hard as I could , not looking back a second time , because if I did , the monsters would get me. I kept my eyes fixed on the light , trying to ignore the pain that shot up my legs like a bullet , and into my lungs.

   The screams became louder , and the whispering sounds grew more intense. Upon the walls I began to notice strange shapes. They were sacks of the vile slime ; some of them were moving! Looking directly at one of them , I saw a face peering out at me , a child's face , screaming for help! I wanted to stop and help them , but if I stopped running , I would be devoured by the monsters that pursued me.

   I ran toward the light. It was so bright now. Squinting my eyes , I thought I could make out the faint out line of a doorway. Was it real? I was almost there! The pain in my legs and lungs , was unbearable. I wanted to stop running. I wanted to give up and let them have me. But I ran .... and ran .... and ran. The opening - it was a doorway! - was almost upon me. If I could just manage ....  something grabbed me from behind , pulling me face down into the slime. I screamed , and my bladder let loose. Looking back , I saw that one of the monsters had latched onto my left ankle with a tentacle. It was no thicker than the limb of a small dog , but incredibly strong. It was the same color of the slime ; black veins coursed through it.  

   It dug into my flesh , drawing blood.

  
   Screaming more in anger than pain , I grabbed hold of the tentacle and viciously sank my teeth into it. There was an ungodly shriek ; foul smelling black blood erupted from it , and it released it's hold.

   Ignoring the pain in my ankle , I leaped through the doorway ....