Eternal Darkness

6. Whispers in the Void

Adrian stood, watching as James walked into the doorway of the building leading the way towards the docks. He continued to watch as James disappeared amongst the shadows of the interior and strained his eyes to see if he could notice a shadow, or even pick out the figure of James hidden now within the dark interior. Almost as soon as James had entered the building, he had seemed to disappear against that void within. If his friend had indeed seen some shadow, some person inside of that building, watching him that night, they would have been very close to him. 

Had James been in such a hurry that he had been oblivious to a person tailing him from the docks? Had someone been sitting here, waiting for the off chance that someone happened by? Or, was it a terrible coincidence that had led James to this fate? Adrian frowned and slowly walked towards the building that James had entered just moments before. He stole a quick glance to the beam overhead and wondered how difficult it would be to get to that beam. 

Adrian entered the open doorway which seemed to look much like an entrance to a dark, sinister cave with unknown evils inside. Unlike the first warehouse, a suffocating blackness clung to this one, a tangible entity that seemed to press against his eyes. No sliver of moonlight, no ghostly streetlamp glow dared pierce the inky void. Blinded, Adrian stood frozen, a prickling unease worming its way down his spine. Time stretched, each second punctuated by the frantic thudding of his own heart. As his vision began to adapt to the oppressive gloom, a single point of light could be located in the distance, a mocking beacon at the far end of the cavernous space. But James? No. Just a hollow silence, broken only by the rasp of his own ragged breath.

Mere moments had passed since James had disappeared into the void of this place, yet Adrian could not locate him in this darkness. He looked to the sides to no avail. All that he could see was darkness. He could not make out any details at all of the interior of this place. He stood still, listening and could hear absolutely nothing aside from the occasional screech of metal somewhere swaying in the gentle night breeze or possibly a door swinging open? He looked quickly towards the doorway at the far side of the building. Nothing. The light was gone. 

Terror coiled in his gut. The door. Who had closed it? James? No way. He considered calling out, but the thought of his voice cutting through the inky blackness sent shivers down his spine. If someone, or something was in here with him, it would give away any chance he had of not being noticed.

Silence, thick and suffocating, pressed in on him. He whirled around, heart hammering against his ribs, but the doorway from which he had entered gaped open – a mocking reminder of the world outside, bathed in light he couldn't reach. Panic clawed at his throat. Was his silhouette a beacon against that opening? He edged sideways, muscles screaming in protest, each foot a probe into the unseen. A single misstep, a rustle, anything, could shatter the fragile peace. To trip, to fall – a sickening thud echoing in the abyss – was a horrifying possibility he couldn't entertain.

Was there someone lurking within these walls with him? The chilling notion relentlessly pounded at the forefront of his mind. Dread seized him in a vice-like grip. His heart felt like it was on the brink of exploding out of his chest, desperate to flee. The shadows crept closer, enveloping him in their icy embrace, suffocating him. The darkness seemed to hunger for his fear, craving to push him to the brink of utter horror, to compel him to surrender to its sinister will.

"Are you ok?" James' voice jumped at him in the darkness, the precarious hold on his wits he almost lost in that instant. He reacted by jerking involuntarily towards the door, unable to help himself and was just barely able to keep his body from fleeing from this place. 

"Damn it, James!" Adrian exclaimed, a loud whisper escaping his lips. "You about scared me to death!" 

James' voice, rough and hoarse in a whisper, sent a fresh jolt of terror through Adrian. "Sorry about that," he drawled, the apology dripping with a strange nonchalance that did little to ease the tension. Adrian's heart hammered a frantic rhythm against his ribs, a drum solo audible even in the stale air. He could feel the heat rising in his face, a beacon in the suffocating dark, as he tried to melt into the shadows. A slow, humorless chuckle escaped James' lips, the sound slithering around the room like a hungry snake. "I could hear your heart racing a mile a minute," James continued, his voice dropping to an almost inaudible whisper, sending shivers down Adrian's spine. He edged a glance towards James, but the darkness remained stubbornly unyielding, revealing nothing but a vague silhouette. "And see the way you were trying to blend in with the darkness," James finished, his words laced with a hint of something that sent a cold dread pooling in Adrian's stomach. It wasn't just that James had seen him, it was the way he had seen him, as if peering through the flimsy shield of the shadows.