The Dark: Chapter 5

Scott started and emitted a loud shout when the hand contacted his shoulder. As he came back to his senses he realized he was at a desk...his desk. At work. The surroundings seemed bright and harsh compared to the lighting of the world he had just come from..or was it a dream? What happened? All of this passed through Scott's mind as he rotated his chair to face the person who had..woken him? As his char came around full rotation he nearly had another heart attack when he saw Ted standing there looking..well..normal. "Hey buddy, you fell asleep at your desk..is everything going ok? Thats not like you to fall asleep on the job." Scott, still struggling about what he had just experienced, stumbled over his words. "Well, I..Ted...man, I just had the creepiest dream ever. I mean, you were in it, but you were..evil...I think. I really don't know. What day is it?" Ted looked at him funny. "Its Wednesday the 6th. Remember the presentation that YOU are supposed to be giving in 45 minutes??" Scott's whole body went numb. The 6th? How was that possible...had he literally dreamed an entire week? It couldn't be..but what other explaination could there be? Ted stood there staring at him blankly, waiting for an answer. "Oh..yea. Of course I remember! I have it all right...uhh yea right here!" He said shuffling around papers, trying to remember back a week to where he had left it. As he pulled the presentation off his desk he noticed a curious thing: beneath the presentation was a gloss black folder. A folder he didn't recall ever seeing before. The only inscription it bore was a single red "D" in the bottom right corner. "No matter." He thought. It was probably just some new applicant trying to catch his eye. All this time the fog was beginning to clear on Scott's mind, and things seemed to be falling back into place. "Ok, Ted, I think I'm set. How about we go over this presentation one more time?"

Scott worked for a large company called Vanguard Technologies (VGT), which had many branches. Scott had graduated top of his class with a dual degree in Neuroscience and Theoretical Quantum Physics from MIT, and was immediatly offered a Job in VGT in their Physics research department. His job consisted mainly of processing various experimental results for a project, and compiling them into reports that he would give at the conclusion of the project. It wasn't an incredible job, but it was a road to where he wanted to be. He dreamed of running experiments on the Psychological and Physiological effects on the brain of quantum transportation. Not, of course, in the same was as Star Trek, where human bodies were digitalized and sent was a wave, but rather in opening up "portals" between two points in space. Scott theorized that such travel would have extensive impact on the Brain's ability to process information, as the normal process of travel would be completely done away with, and for a fraction of a second, the brain would be in two different places at the same time. VGT was the road he needed to take to get to that end point. Every time he had to give a report on some tedious solar physics project, he would just remind himself "Some day..some day It will be MY project being presented. Eventually it will happen!"

CHAPTER 5 TO BE CONTINUED...

The Dark: Chapter 4

As the door swung open, Scott felt the acute thrill of a full body adrenaline rush. The scene before him was impossible. He stared across the room at his own, lifeless frame, lying on the bed; a small, clean bullet hole through his forehead. Scott gasped and fell back against the door, closing himself into the room. He slid down the door, on the verge of unconsciousness. "Wh..what is going on...?" He thought to himself. Then all at once it struck him. This was the same dream he had been having for the last two weeks..but..different. Each time he had dreamed it, he had woken up as his fingertips made contact with the door. This didn't make any sense at all. "This MUST be a dream," Scott said aloud to himself. "I just need to wake myself up, and go see Dr. Payne, and everything will make sense." Funny thing was, he didn't feel like he was dreaming, yet he knew he wasn't awake. He couldn't be awake. Was he? These thoughts began running through his head at an alarmingly fast rate, and just as he was beginning to be completely overwhelmed by panic, a hand touched his shoulder from behind.

The Dark Chapter 3

As Scott's hand approached Ted's shoulder, he involuntarily froze. All motion and sound around him ceased. The cars on the street stopped in their places, and all conversation stopped. One by one, heads turned in to face Scott as he stood helplessly frozen in his tracks. They all seemed to stare through him as if he didn't exist; as if he was some kind of void. Then he saw what they were looking at. Ted. Ted turned to face Scott, and what Scott saw, he would never forget. Ted's face had been horribly disfigured, as if it had been burned by an incinerator. The only problem was, he was smiling. Or at least appeared to be smiling. Scott swallowed and said "What is this, some kind of practical joke?" No one answered. Then Ted laughed. Not laughed, screamed. Maybe both. "Do you really think this is a game?" he said as he laughed. Scott just stared in horror. "Maybe you are right, maybe this is a game! The kind of game where I hunt you down, and you run like a scared child! Sound like fun?" More laughing. Then something changed. Scott, still frozen in place, felt a chill run down his spine. Ted's face began to twist into a shape that Scott didn't think was possible. "You will succumb to me! You will be mine, do you understand? This is a game that you cannot win, because YOU ARE MINE!" With that, The face that no longer looked like Ted at all burst into flames and let out a wail. "You better start running!" it said with a horrible cackle. Scott realized that he was no longer frozen in place, so he did exactly that. He ran. The day was no longer bright and clear; the sky was black, but not with cloud cover. He didn't have time to think about it. He ran back to his house, hearing that "thing" screeching all the way home. As soon as he got through his door, he slammed it shut and locked it. He gasped as he leaned against the door and tried to catch his breath. There, he was in the house with the door locked. All is well now. But something told him all was not well. Something told him to go into his bedroom. He felt a familiar tingle run down his spine as he approached the door. He slowly pushed the door open dreading what he would see next, but not knowing why. What he saw next made him freeze in his place again, but for an entirely different reason.

The Dark Chaper 2

He looked from his vantage point. Things were going exactly as planned. Soon this one would be his too. He laughed to himself, yes, this one he would have some fun with. That was the game, wasn't it? To take the victim without a fight is no fun; there must be contest, there must be resolve. There must be climax. He would definitly get this one. Not without contest, not without resolve, for that was the point. Yes, this one would be fun.

The Dark Chapter 1

Scott opened his eyes to light streaming in his window. "Not already!" he thought as he rubbed his eyes. He hadn't slept well last night...or the past few nights, come to think of it. "What is it?" he wondered subconsciously as he got up and streched. "Never mind, im sure it was just a dream." He stood and padded into the bathroom. 23 years old, six feet tall, and lean, with short dark hair. His reflection. He looked each morning, hoping to see some change for the better. He never did like what he saw. Not for the last two weeks anyway. "No matter, " he thought "looks aren't what count in the end anyway!" But he wasn't reassured. He never was. "It must have somting to do with those dreams, or whatever they are!" he thought aloud. Yes, they had been causing him much grief lately, and today he intended to find out what. After the "dreams" started two weeks ago, Scott called and set up an appointment with a counselor, upon the suggestion of a friend. He had argued vehemently against it at the time, but in the end, he saw no other alternative. Hi figured that atleast they could tell him he was insane. "Wouldn't that be great!" he thought. "Then I could just pretend whatever I wanted!!" He sighed. "Insanity would be a perfect explaination for me right now. Oh well, that probably isn't the case, so I better act like a sane person and get ready." He looked at the hastily sctratched out appointment card. It read: "10:00am Tuesday May 12th, Dr. Payne." "Dr. Payne, huh?" He was looking at his appointment slip. "Sounds like he should be doing somthing more like open heart surgery!" He laughed to himself at the thought. The whole time these thoughts were taking place he was getting his breakfast and getting ready to go. He left the house, #104 on Sycamore Lane, at 9:45, and began walking toward the "counseling center" or whatever it was called. He walked passed his neighbor, David Franz's house and waved as he passed. "Funny," he thought. "Why didn't Dave say hello? He always greets me when I come out. Huh, maybe he's just having a rough day." He kept walking, but the unease kept growing. As he passed more and more people, none of them seemed to pay any attention to him. He was just beginning to worry when he saw his best friend, Ted Schaffer at the upcoming crosswalk. "Ted! Hey, Ted, over here!" He called. Ted nonchalently turned his head in Scott's direction and turned back to face the stoplight. "Maybe he just can't hear me" he thought as panic set in. He walke right up behind him and reached out to tap him on the shoulder. His hand however, never made contact.

The Dark Prologue

It was black. Pitch black. The wind was rustling the leaves nearby, but no other sound was to be heard. Not tonight. This was his night. His only chance to prove himself. The sensation of cold steel on his hands; the sensation of immenant death. He caressed the smooth, cool surface of his semi-auto nine millimeter; his constant companion. Tonight, they would work together yet again. Always differant, yet always the same. Nothing ever changed, he is what he is. What is he? He is The Dark.



104 SYCAMORE LANE
He crept carefully through the back yard, careful not to desturb anything. This had to be done with no trace left. He approached the door of the house. Locked. No matter, he pulled out his reproduced key and unlocked the door. So much for security. He paused-nothing to be heard inside, except the sound of the deep, rythmic breathing of a person deep in sleep. All the better. He approached he bedroom door cautiously, gun ready in his hand. He passed through and spotted the subject, the target lying in bed sleeping peacefully. Not for long. He placed his weapon to the head of his target and pulled the trigger. No sound but the soft phwt of a silenced weapon. No remorse, no guilt, no feeling whatsoever. He is The Dark, and this is what he does. The slow, rythmic breathing ceased with a long, slow exhale.

TO BE CONTINUED...

The beginning of all...

It is here that I hope to express myself through writing...the mood may be anywhere from ecstacy to depressed...im not sure how this will turn out...