Children of Darkness (7 page)

My jaw opens as the shadow moves around. It is about four feet tall and moves with slow, deliberate steps. The closer it comes to the opening of my closet door, the more air seeps from my lungs. My blood feels too cold under my skin and sluggish. My heart beats frantically in my chest warring with the absolute stillness of the atmosphere surrounding me.

As the figure moves forward, moonlight shines into the room. All at once, I see The Leader to my nightmares standing there. His eyes reflect back into mine and my body trembles. I want to scream for Max or scream for Coby. Anything to make this monster leave my mind. He purposefully strolls to Max’s side of the bed, his dagger-like toes clicking as he moves.

I take note of his small frame and protruding ribcage. The power that rolls off him feels stifling and I can't breathe. The closer he comes to me, the more oppressive his power feels.

My mattress dips as he climbs onto my bed. Fear immobilizes me. I am so terrified my body actually stops shaking. I become as still as the air around me. He squats beside me, yet I feel surrounded by him. I feel so small next to him even though I am the bigger one physically. Something glints in his claws and tears my gaze from his eyes. Max’s torn collar. The creature’s tongue slides out of his grotesque mouth, but seems smaller than before.

A pungent odor slaps my face as a grumbling noise grates my ears.

“Soon.”

He lays the collar on the pillow beside my head. My eyes are glued to the collar. The grating grows louder and I feel a stinging pain on my cheek. His tongue slices my skin as a frigid chill spreads from the wound to the rest of my body. I am frozen staring at Max’s collar. I can hear the eerie giggling from my childhood as his feet click back to my closet. The breath I was holding rushes out of me until my lungs burn for air.

The shape disappeared and my body seemed to come back to life. I gulp in large gasps of air as if I just ran a marathon. I pull the covers over my head and will my brain to dream of something else. Tears run down my temples and into my hair. The beach is where I want to be. I need the warm sun to heat my cold body. The sound of waves crashing on the beach starts out distant, but slowly becomes the only sound I can hear and lulls me into a deep sleep.

I wake up to the sun peeking through the curtains. I stretch my arms and brush against something cold. I turn and a silent scream fills my head as I see Max’s broken collar lying on the pillow next to me. My gaze shoots directly to my open closet door and my world comes crashing down as those damned giggles reach my ears.

I search through the house with Max’s collar in my hand.
Was I in a dream? Where is Max?
I look through every room and call his name over and over. There is no sign of him.

Nothing is out of place. There is no sign of struggle anywhere. The only sign of Max is in my hand. I stumble into the living room and sink to my knees as a strangled cry of anguish escapes my throat. Max is gone. This isn’t a dream. Tears drop to the floor as I carry myself to my phone to call Coby.

He answers the phone and all I could say was Max’s name.

“What’s wrong with Max? What happened? Janet?”

I couldn’t answer. Sobs are the only sound on my end of the line.

“Don’t move. I’m coming.”

He hangs up and my phone slips out of my hand as I unlock the door and move to the couch, clutching the collar in my other hand. The minutes crawl by as I wait for Coby to come. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak. The only thing I could do was stare at the collar in my hands and cry.

The front door slams open and I hear Coby calling my name as he runs to the living room. He is by my side in a flash and takes my face in his hands.

“Janet? Can you hear me? What happened?”

“He’s gone. Max is gone,” I whisper.

“Where did he go? Did he run off?”

It was then that Coby saw the collar in my hands. He opens my fingers and strokes the collar.

“Janet. I need you to tell me what happened to Max,” he said.

“They…they took h-him,” I reply.

Confusion fills his beautiful eyes. He looks at the collar and back at me. “Who took him?”

“The children…” I said on a sob.

He sits back and stares at me.

“I’ll explain, but not here. I need to get out of this house. I need to leave!” I scream hysterically. Frantic is the only word I can use to describe my thoughts as they dart all over my mind.

“Shhh. Baby, calm down. Let’s get you some clothes and I’ll take you to my house.”

At the thought of going to my bedroom closet, I can’t breathe. Coby sees the look on my face and takes my hand into his.

“I’ll go with you. I’m here, Janet,” he soothes.

My entire body shakes with fear and I can’t seem to stand. Coby takes my hands and guides me to my room. As we near, my limbs grow heavier. Each step toward my room is more and more difficult.

Coby wraps his arm around my waist and ushers me into the bedroom. A shiver skids up my spine as we cross the threshold. I look over at Max’s mat and my knees wobble. The closet door is now in front of us.

“Turn on the light,” I whisper.

Coby walks over and flips the switch. I expected to see children in there, but find only clothes and shoes. My hands go through the motions of picking something to wear like it was any other day. My eyes constantly scan the small space.

As I pick up the clothes to change into, he heads towards the door.

“Don’t! I mean, can you please stay here while I change in the bathroom?”

He nods and sits on the edge of my bed.

I attempt a smile and walk into the bathroom. As my hands start to lift my shirt over my head, I realize I am not wearing one. I am still in a sports bra and panties. A nervous giggle bubbles up that sounds strangely delusional. I quickly pull my clothes on and step out of the bathroom.

“I called Stacy and told her to cancel all appointments today. Are you ready?” Coby asks from my bed.

“Take me away from here,” I plead.

“I know just the place,” he replies.

We pull into a parking spot at
The Morning Hut
and I smile over at Coby.

“Thank you,” I say as I lean over and give him a quick kiss.

We walk in and take our usual spot on the patio. After our coffee cups are sitting in front of us, I take a deep breath. “Are you ready?” I ask softly.

“I am if you are.” He nods and covers my hand with his.

I am not, but I need to talk about it to someone. I take another deep breath and begin my story from the start. I told him every detail I could think of from my past.

“The first night the children came to me, they didn’t stay very long. I heard them and then saw them playing in my room. My nightlight went out so they were mostly just shadows to my mind. They came back every couple weeks for a while, but then started coming once a week. My toys would disappear, and my parents yelled at me for losing them. My parents yelled at me a lot.” Tears prick my eyes as I remember my mom threatening not to buy me any more dolls if I kept losing the ones I had.

I wipe my eyes and continue. “They kept telling me the children were just dreams and they would go away, that they weren’t real. No matter how many times I tried to explain to them that the children weren’t dreams, they brushed it off. I guess I eventually drove my mom into a depression and my dad was so mad at me for it. My mom attempted suicide over it.”

“I’m so sorry, Janet. That must’ve been tough for you as a child,” Coby says as he strokes my hand.

“It was. My friends at school said they had bad dreams, too. They stayed away from me once I described the children to them. No one would talk to me about it. It got to the point where my parents took me to therapists and psychologists to make me sleep at night. Nothing worked. They all told me the children weren’t real and that they were all in my mind. I tried so hard to believe that, I truly did. I didn’t ask for them. I didn’t want them to come to my room and destroy my toys. They tormented me!” I yell and Coby hugs me to him.

“Shhh. You’re okay. I’m right here with you. You’re not a child anymore. You have someone to talk to now,” he murmurs into my hair.

I cry on his shoulder for a while, not wanting to continue. But I have to let it out. I can’t hold it in anymore. I sit back and take a couple deep breaths. After clearing my throat, I continue.

“So, when I reached the age of twelve, the nightmares came less and less. Once I graduated, I vowed to do everything I could to help children like me. I know how it feels to tell someone and have them not believe a word you say. They think that you’re doing it for attention or to make them feel guilty about something.” I choke on that part of my story and it takes a moment to clear my throat. My hands shake so badly I almost drop the water glass. After I set it down, I look back into Coby’s eyes. “I wanted to help destroy nightmares. I’ve never been able to stay in the dark, but relieving my patients’ fears brings me peace. As of March this year, the nightmares have returned tenfold. Not only have they come back, but they took Max,” I cry. I feel hollow inside.

“March? That’s rather exact. Did anything out of the ordinary happen?” Coby asks.

I think over his question for few minutes. “Yes. I had a new patient come in. Her parents met with me in the middle of March and asked if I would see her. They were a reminder of what I always wanted my parents to be. I couldn’t help but accept her as a patient. She reminds me so much of myself. And in our last session, I found out why. These children haunt her, too. They haunt her life like they did mine. Like they still do.”

“What can we do?” Coby’s face is hard in concentration.

“I have to warn her and her parents. I told her they would go away. I have to protect her.”

His eyes lower to the table and he looks deep in thought. I give him a moment to process everything I said. I’m hoping he believes me, since I am having difficulty believing it
myself.

“If you’ve seen them and this little girl has seen them, has anyone else?” His gaze is still on the table.

His question makes me wonder how many people have to live with the same demons. I have so many questions and no answers. I put my head in my hands and shrug my shoulders.

“Do you want to spend the night at my house tonight? I don’t want to leave you alone,” he says as he takes my hand.

I almost cry out with relief. “I don’t want to be alone, either.”

He takes me into his arms and holds me while I cry. We leave the restaurant and drive to Coby’s house. We spend the day together talking and I cry periodically. The loss of Max is overwhelming. As the sun creeps beyond the horizon and slowly disappears, my sadness multiplies as realization slams home. Max would never again sleep next to my bed.

“Can I hold you tonight?” Coby whispers in my ear.

I nod, not trusting my voice. He takes me to his room and helps me change into some shorts of his. We slip under the covers and he holds me all night. Every time I wake up, he is there to whisper to me sweetly and soothe my soul. I love him more this night than any other night in our relationship.

I feel lips against my cheek and stubble tickles my nose. “I have to get ready for work. Thank you for staying with me.” His words are muffled by my skin, but I hear him all the same.

I smile with my eyes still closed and begin to stretch my limbs across his bed. I am not ready to get out of his bed yet. I roll over and grab his pillow, breathing in his scent.
I could get used to this
.

I hear the front door close and I roll onto my back. I stick my head under the covers and think I hear another door open.

“Did you forget something, Coby?” I smile as I prepare for him to give me another kiss.

There is no response to my question.

“Coby?”

Laughter resounds through the room. My heart stops beating in my chest.
This isn’t happening. This can’t be happening.
Shallow breaths make the covers rise and fall into my face. My feet feel like ice and I fight the urge to curl into a ball.

I pull the covers from my face and look to the side of the bed. Little children are running around Coby’s room, laughing and playing. I look in the corner and I see The Leader staring at me. He opens his mouth and his tongue slides out, noticeably smaller than before.