Dark Draft

First Time In The Darkness

When I was nine, my mother slit her wrists Infront of me. She was wasted and having a mental breakdown over my father's constant infidelity. The sight of her blood beginning to gush out of her three large cuts made my stomach uneasy, I remember having a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach as if angry wasps were trying to rip their way out of my insides. A chill ran up my spine as I closed my eyes and then everything was quiet.

My mothers loud screaming and hysterical crying had become faint and distorted. However I could hear loud and heavy breathing that sounded animalistic as if it was right next to me. I opened my eyes and felt my stomach drop. The bathroom I had been standing was barely recognizable it was strangely dark, and murky, all the colors around me faded into hazy shadows. I could hear whispers of my mothers wails coming to my left.

I stared with an open mouth as my mother sat motionless as the blood slowly pooled out of her wrists and into the dark shadow consuming her. As I stared I came to the realization that the dark shadow was breathing and it seemed to be staring back at me... somewhere deep down I knew it was. The shadow didn't have the shape of a human or any animal that I had ever seen. The air reeked of death and fire, yet it was cold. All my senses became honed in on this unknown being, call it curiosity but I felt a dark pull toward the creature.

I gasped as I watched my mothers face become darker as the shadow became larger behind her absorbing all the blood that had pooled around her. I wanted to do something but I was paralyzed with fear. The shadow stopped staring at me and focused more on my mother.

A loud screech shattered the whispered silence of the strange and hazy place around me. The sound making my ears ring. My mother slumped over, her eyes were looking in my direction without actually seeing me. I felt hot tears rushing down my cold cheeks as I stared silently at her, unable to fully understand what was happening.

My eyes were ripped away from her as I saw the creature stirring. I felt its dark hooded eyes looking at me. I resisted the urge to scream as I watched it, my body feeling numb but my senses heightened. Slowly it started shrinking into the dark shadows around it. I stepped closer towards my mother feeling as though it wasn't gone but creeping among the dark surrounding walls encircling me.

Instinctually I looked at my mother confused and disoriented. Carved into her forehead was a strange symbol. I walked closer to her as my knees wobbled beneath me. I felt weak and tired. I sat down next to her and tried to grab her hand that was closest to me. As soon as my flesh made contact with hers, my skin started to burn like I was touching a hot oven rack. I pulled back my hand and bit back the urge to cry out loud. Scared whatever creature that crawled into the dark might come crawling back out for me.

"You have to leave." Came a voice. I looked up and saw a black cat sitting across from me in a dark corner.

"Hello?" I managed to whisper.

"Whispering doesn't make any difference. They can smell you here. You have to leave before the scavengers come for the remains." Replied the cat without speaking. I could hear his soft but sarcastically toned voice in my head.

I stood up slowly. I was dreaming. I had to be. This was all too strange.

"Yeah kid, think whatever you want just follow me quickly. Unless you want to be ripped apart and eaten." The voice said again as the cat stood and began to walk into a shadow to the right of us. I took a deep breath and followed.

It was dark. I felt like I was pushing my way into a satin blanket. I felt my skin tingle and then electric shocks going from my toes to my fingers with every step. I closed my eyes and kept walking and pushing through the thick sheet that I felt was devouring me. I clawed at the thick air around me claustrophobic, then in the next instant I felt myself laying down comfortably. I opened my eyes and stared at my bedroom ceiling. I was laying in my bed covered in sweat and wrapped in my blankets. I sighed with relief. It had all been a dream. I smiled to myself as I looked around my familiar room, feeling unbearably tired.

My small blue room with my familiar bed dresser and toy box that sat underneath a window at near the edge of my bed. In the window there was a shadow looking outside. Once I noticed it, it turned slowly to look at me. It was the black cat. I gasped and it jumped from the window sill to the end of my bed by my feet. I stared at the cat suspiciously alarmed as it stared back at me.

"Are you real?" I whispered.

"Are you?" That cat replied sarcastically in my head. I rubbed my eyes tired and exhausted. The cat had strange eyes that didn't look like any cat eyes I had ever seen. Dazed, I watched the cat eyes as it watched me. My eyes slowly fluttering shut I drifted into sleep.