Call of Darkness

Areoman, when does he talk to himself? He thinks to himself, and makes the occasional comment to the reader, but as far as I can remember he doesn't actually talk to himself. But I'll look into that. As to the library scene, I gotta agree with you on that. I've extended that scene a bit in the revised version.

Yeah, I think the dream sequence is permanently out. It just doesn't work. It doesn't serve the purpose I hoped it would, and with where I'm taking the story it really serves no purpose. That's writing for ya. Thanks for all the feedback everyone, it's really helped.


Chapter 4


All right, things had already gotten out of hand. Now they felt like they were on the other side of the country. And I had a feeling that they weren’t going to stop there. I was going to need to get a clue and get one soon. You think you’ve “been in the dark” before? Trust me, you have no idea. Not even close.

After the rather bizarre meeting with Sharon, I didn’t know what else to do but go back to my apartment. What else was there to do? I had no idea. To think of how clueless I was back then, it’s almost depressing.

Instead of entering my room though, I went to the basement and got my bike out. It was still annoying to get it up the steps, but I managed. I thought that maybe some exercise might help relieve some of the tension, in both body and mind. I just didn’t want to stay in one place and think.

So I was off, biking around town. The college was near the center of downtown, so the route wasn’t exactly scenic. It was still better than sitting around doing nothing though. My homework could wait for the meantime.

I’d been out for about an hour or so, and I was starting to feel the ride. I wasn’t really all that exhausted, but even in shape you start to feel your workout eventually. For me, it was then. Going up hills didn’t help much either.

I looked over my shoulder, another odd habit of mine I’ve noted, and noticed a police car behind me. I’d been seeing that same car on and off for a while now, and I was sure it was the same car. That weird feeling, which was beginning to feel natural to me, seemed to be coming from the car. I hadn’t had any good things come from that feeling, so I started making my way home at a quicker pace. This time, the car actually followed me.

Not good. Come on clue, you can show up any time. I couldn’t cross at the next intersection so I started to turn right on the block, but stopped when I saw two cops walking shoulder to shoulder from that direction. I got the same feeling from them that I did the car. The car pulled up next to me and rolled the passenger side window down.

“Mr. Tarrel, would you please get in the vehicle?” the man inside asked. He was in his middle years, just really showing his age. Though his voice was like the one that had called the day before, it wasn’t the same one.

Somehow, I doubted I would have had an easy time getting past the other two guys, and it wasn’t like I was going to evade a cop car. If they wanted to talk to me, they likely weren’t going to leave something to chance. Seeing as how they were cops, they were likely also armed and last I checked I wasn’t bullet-proof. I wasn’t in the mood to test that. Reviewing my options, which were few and hardly options one way or the other, I dismounted my bike and got into the car. All right, go with the flow and maybe I’ll end up in one piece. That’s what I hoped at least.

As I got in, I noticed that the rear section of the car was enclosed, so I couldn’t see the driver. I also noticed that all the windows were tinted and I couldn’t see out. That seemed unusual for a police car, as far as I knew. The driver said nothing. There was no way I was going to start the conversation, so the car remained quiet. Well, except for the inevitable noises you hear riding in a car. I could almost understand what the feeling was telling me, but I still couldn’t piece it together. All I knew was that I didn’t like it.

We finally stopped after quite a long ride. I hadn’t looked at my watch in a while, but I didn’t even bother checking it then. I knew a good bit of time had passed. He got out of the car; I got out of the car. We were in some kind of building.

“Please, Alex, follow me.”

Unable to think of what else I could do, I followed the guy. I really didn’t want to get shot in the back. The weird feeling was stronger than ever, which made me even more uncomfortable. Whatever actually caused the feeling, there was a lot of it nearby. I took a quick look around to orient myself. The place was pretty plain, like perhaps an old warehouse or something, except that it looked new or at least unused.

He was leading me to a door, and that’s when I realized something. It was pitch black in this place. Yet, I could see just fine. I could tell there was hardly a ray of light coming in from anywhere, and still I could see. It wasn’t like normal sight though; there was an odd look to everything. Most likely because there wasn’t a single bit of reflected light like I was used to.

When he opened the door, the room beyond looked even darker. Darker than pitch black. Believe me, it’s something that you’d have to experience to understand, though I doubt you’d willingly want to experience it.

He gestured me inside, and I went in. It’s not that I trusted him or anything, it’s that I didn’t think I really had much of a choice. The only other choice would have been running, and like I said, I didn’t think I’d get all that far. So in I went, into the blackness. Maybe, just maybe, I’d find out just what was going on. And hopefully make it out in one piece with that information.

The door was closed behind me, and at first I couldn’t see anything in this section of the building. As far as I could tell, it was completely empty. Then, things began to materialize. Creatures with night black bodies formed and filled the entire room. Some looked like dogs, some bears, some werewolves, and others in forms I’d rather not describe to you. All their eyes seemed to glow dimly from within and ranged from green to red. I didn’t even need my sense screaming at me to know what these beings were: demons.

This, isn’t, good. I thought. Running was completely out of the question at that point.

The last to materialize actually took human form, with the right colors and everything. He was garbed in black, and I couldn’t really tell more than that except that I was sure he wasn’t wearing some kind of robe. But, seeing as he materialized like the rest, there was no way he was human.

“My dear Alex, how nice of you to join us.”

That was one voice that I would never forget. It was the voice that had called me on my cell phone. I said nothing; I didn’t know what to say. I just stood there staring at him and all the demons that stood nearly motionless around us both.

“Ah, Alex, you truly do not yet understand, do you?” he began, his voice even more chilling than it had been over the phone. “As much as I’d rather you find out on your own, you need to know now. As I have said, your life is in grave danger. Or, was, as you are now safe with us.”

Safe wasn’t exactly the way I was feeling, but I didn’t comment. This guy, no matter what he was, knew things that I wanted to know. So I stood there, silent, listening.

“As you no doubt have surmised, those around us are demons. Not from hell, of course, but demons all the same. Hell is only an imaginary place. Some day, you will visit our home. And that day may not be too long in coming.”

“Why is my life in danger?” I felt compelled to ask. If I could get it, I wanted the whole story. I didn’t like where he was leading the conversation. Or at least where his monologue was going.

“There are those who want you dead, for what you have become. But we, we understand who and what you are, and we want you to live and thrive. You have great power Alex, far more than you’ve ever dreamed. I’m sure you’ve already discovered some yourself.”

“And just who’s trying to kill me?”

A look of anger flashed across his face before he smiled broadly. “That, Alex, is not important at the moment. What is important is for you to learn your power.”

“And what makes you think that I have so much power?”

“Because” he started, in a tone that again sent a chill down my spine, “I can see what you are. It is a useful ability of mine. You, my dear Alex, are a black dragon.”

That sent my mind into overdrive. A black dragon? But I could hardly simply dismiss it, being surrounded by demons. But was he really telling the truth?

“A dragon of darkness. You are a rare breed Alex, for a black dragon is rarely born. We had not hoped to see a black dragon for a millennium at best.”

“How long have you been waiting?” I said, pushing most of my thoughts to the back of my mind. I’d deal with them later. If I had a later.

“Not as long as you may think. A few months in fact. That’s why I was so surprised to find you.”

A few months? That was when the bug had started. Then they were connected after all. Which meant that there were a lot more demons out there.

But then I realized, I had the sickness, but I hadn’t become a demon. I’d become a black dragon. Did the sickness leave multiple reactions?

The man’s speech pulled me back from my thoughts. “With you, once you are properly trained, we can finally complete our task, and far sooner than any of us had imagined. In time, no one will be able to stop you. We will rule the world, and make it our own.”

That did it for me. I wanted no part of taking over the world, and likely destroying it in the process. I knew that they would kill everyone and everything that did not agree with them. They would eradicate the world and make it their own. I just had to figure out how to get out.

“So, Alex, are you with us?”

So much for planning. Time was up, and I saw only one option. “No.”

The man looked confused, then annoyed. “Alex, you have no choice in the matter. You will be killed if we can not protect you.”

“I’ll take my chances” I replied. I was beginning to surprise myself. Where did that come from?

He let out a sigh. “It seems you are set in your ways. But they can be changed.”

The demons began to slowly advance, having already encircled me earlier when they appeared. “Do what you will with him, but don’t kill him. He needs to be convinced to join us.” I could hear the sarcasm at the word “convinced”, but the grim smile said far more. I didn’t know what they would do to me, but torture was probably the gentle word for it.

I shut my eyes and prepared for the worst. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what demons could do to me. They took their time, and I could hear them slowly approach. My heart was racing, pumping the grey blood through my veins. My life was over, but not in death. Death would have been favorable compared to what I knew must be coming. I wanted to be anywhere else but there.

Chapter 5


Strangely, I couldn’t hear the demons anymore. I opened my eyes, and flinched in surprise. I wasn’t in a warehouse anymore, I was in a cave. A stone cave. A dark stone cave. What the…? How the hell did I get here?

I looked down at my hands, my arms, and then the rest of myself. As far as I could tell, I was still in one piece. I was also still on earth. So how did I end up in this cave?

The man’s words echoed in my mind. You are a black dragon. Was he really telling the truth? If he was, it would explain a lot. But, still, a black dragon? How could that happen? I was human, as far as I knew. Still, the thought stayed at the front of my mind.

Well, I’d come this far, I might as well go all the way. I shut my eyes and tried to do what I could. I wasn’t sure what exactly what I was doing, but I was determined. After a moment, I felt something. I knew what it was now. I could feel the darkness. As far as I was concerned, the darkness was as much an entity as myself.

Now that I understood that, I now understood what I had felt when it all started. I could feel the darkness of demons, the dark entity that made their bodies. That meant, I realized to my horror, that Sharon was a demon.

I let go of the darkness and sat down heavily. Sharon, a demon? It couldn’t be. How could this happen to her? As I contemplated this, tears had begun to slide down my cheek. I was torn. I desperately wanted to find Sharon, to tell her what was happening, to save her; but I knew that going anywhere where Sharon was would put my life in danger, likely both our lives. I was now hunted; by two sides if the man was telling the truth, and I had to protect myself and figure things out if I was going to be able to help anyone.

Trying vainly to hold back tears, I stood up and searched my memory for the darkest place near my apartment. There were things I needed to pick up, and needed to do. I wondered briefly if I could actually control my power, if I even knew how. Well, I knew I was about to learn.

Then I had it. Underneath the stairs into the basement of my apartment building. Yeah, that would work. Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I closed my eyes. I wanted to be under the stairs.

Actually willing it to happen was a lot different than doing it out of reflex. This time, I was conscious of what was happening. My body felt as though it was fading, and soon I no longer had a physical form. I was darkness. Once my transformation was complete, I became one with the darkness surrounding me.

It was like I had entered another world, except it was nothing. I felt like I was almost everywhere at once, and at the same time I was nowhere, I did not exist. There, in that darkness, I could feel the other world, the world of darkness, but I did not know how to get there. I didn’t want to though, not yet.

This all happened in an instant, and I was under the stairs, separated from the overall darkness. Quickly, I regained my physical form, and took a deep breath. It was good to actually have a body again, no matter how brief the experience had been. I looked around before stepping out from under the stairs. No one was there. Likely they were either still in their rooms or off doing whatever it was they did during the day.

Walking up the stairs, I made my way to my room on the second floor. If I was going to be on the run, I needed more than I had on me. And to think, only a few hours ago or so I was a college student; and only a few days ago I was just an ordinary college student. A prime example of why I have little faith in plans.

For a moment, I thought about checking my mail, since I hadn’t bothered when I left. But then I realized, why bother now? However, mail gave me an idea. Maybe I’d send off an e-mail to my parents before I suddenly disappeared. Give them some kind of assurance, even if a possibly false one. They cared so much. It was likely going to be a long time before I saw them again.

I unlocked the deadbolt of my apartment. With any luck, either the demons hadn’t reached here yet or thought I wouldn’t come back thinking they were there. I hadn’t had much luck, and I was definably overdue. But then again, life’s not fair.

Taking a moment before I opened the door, I “felt” inside the apartment. There were no demons in there. That was a good sign. I opened the door.

Sitting on my futon was a guy in a tight, dark red shirt and tight fitting jeans. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

I froze. That’s the best way to put it. I simply froze. I hadn’t felt him, yet here he was. How did he do that?

“You don’t know who I am, do you?”

I couldn’t remember the last time I heard such an obvious question. I couldn’t disappear, not with so much light, I didn’t know how to use my power to fight, and I knew I wouldn’t win in a straight fight. I stood there, still, and waited to see what he would do.

“Don’t worry Alex, I’m not here to do you harm. Unless you intend to do me harm.”

Hearing his voice, there was a quality about it that was odd. It wasn’t like the voice of the demon man, but it still had a strange quality to it that made him seem… different. Was he of the other group that wanted to kill me?

“I’ll tell it to you straight. My superiors want me to kill you, but I don’t want to kill you. You are not who they think you are. They go merely by prejudice. I’ve watched you, as they told me to, and I have a good idea as to who you are. Please, come in and lock the door, I am unarmed.”

Though I didn’t trust him, I walked in anyway. If he wanted to kill me, he likely would have already done that. “Who are you?”

“My name is Derrick Parler, and I’m a lot like you.”

“I doubt that” I said sarcastically. After all, weren’t black dragons rare? Then I realized I probably shouldn’t have said that. Real bright Alex.

“True, but not as much as you may think. Your blood isn’t red, is it?”

It seemed my attempts to keep a low profile after discovering that fact had been pretty useless. Everyone I would have wanted to keep it from apparently already knew.

“I thought as much” he continued when I remained silent. “I wish to offer you protection. Once you realize your potential, I’m sure you can take care off yourself, but until then, you are vulnerable. As long as you are vulnerable, you are a threat to us, and others. That is part of the reason my superiors are afraid. They know your power, or at least your potential. What I offer is an alliance, for as long as it takes you to learn.”

The offer sounded too good to be true, but at the moment I didn’t have many options, and at least this one had an appeal to it. It seemed like the word “option” had been taken out of the dictionary for me for the time being.

“And if I said no?” I asked, curious as to how he would react, not yet willing to flatly say no just yet.

“Then I shall continue to follow you. If you become an active threat to us and others, I will kill you then. If you become strong enough to resist the demons, I shall leave you alone to follow your own path.”

For some reason, this felt like an exception to the “If it’s too good to be true” rule. Everything he said seemed to have sincerity to it, especially the threat of death he said so calmly.

“And if I say yes?”

“I will help you in any way I can.”

Maybe it was the way he said it, maybe it was the fact that he wasn’t making outrageous promises, but I got the feeling that he was telling the truth. And if there was one thing I needed, it was help. As much as I wanted to do things myself, I knew when I needed help, and I wasn’t afraid to ask for it; or take it when honestly offered, which was what I felt about Derrick. It was a risk I felt willing to take.

“Okay, I’ll go with you. There are just a few things I want to pick up here.”

“Of course. It will be a while before you can safely return. Just don’t waste space packing clothes. I’ll make sure they’re provided. And don’t bother with the Playstation, though you can take the games.”

Nodding, I packed in a few games, grabbed a couple books, my money (despite his assurance that I wouldn’t need it), and a few DVD’s. At my computer, I put all my important files on a flash drive then packed it and a few computer games.

When I got on the web, he asked sternly “What are doing?”

“I’m sending an e-mail to my parents” I replied shortly. I didn’t care what he said, that I would do.

“All right” was all he said however.

I kept the email short and sweet, as I did anything I wrote. All of it was partial truths and misleading statements, but there was no reason to make them worry any more. I told them I was fine, something came up, and I'd be gone for a while. At the end, I all but begged them to tell no one of the email, and not to worry, though I knew they would. I hoped they'd understand.

Once set, I adjusted my backpack and took a quick look around to make sure I hadn’t missed anything. I turned to Derrick and asked, “So, what now?”

“Are you all set?”

“As set as I’ll ever be I guess.”

“Then we can go.”

I followed him out, assuming he had some mode of transportation. Sure enough, he had it parked in my spot behind the apartment; a bright red Toyota Camry. Personally, I had thought he’d drive a better car. Then again, why would he? In the end, it didn’t matter. I got in the passenger side as he climbed in.

“This is going to be a long ride” he said. “Just a heads up.”

“Sure. I think I’ll get some sleep.”

“That might not be a bad idea.”

As we pulled out, I shut my eyes, but not to sleep. Instead, I tried to see if I could find Sharon. If I could feel the darkness that was her when I was near, maybe I could find it if I looked for it. I reached out with my mind and felt the darkness as far as I could. There were a few dark areas I could feel, but no demons. Meaning no Sharon. I let out a sigh. It was worth a shot.

“Is something bothering you?” Derrick asked, though I barely heard him.

“It’s been a long day.” That was putting it lightly.

He smiled at me. “I understand.”

No, you don’t I thought, but remained silent. Well, maybe a glimpse, but he could not honestly say he could understand. Not what I was going through. Unable to find Sharon, I closed my eyes again, this time for sleep. I was out in a flash.

Awsome story I can't what to see it when it's finished. If you get it published I'll get it and read it all and show it off.