short stories

The Darkness in the Light

"Gone!" A girl bellowed. "He's gone! Oh, God! He's gone!"

Everyone in the small neighborhood awoke to her screams. She kept repeating it. "Gone! He's gone! Oh, God! He's gone!" Slowly people still dressed in their night attire staring emerging from their homes and out to into the sidewalks. They watched her none knowing what they should do. She fell to her knees. "He's gone!" She screamed louder than she had before, then she stopped. The woman held her head in her hands. The people that had gathered on the streets looked at each in confusion.

"Who is she?" A man questioned as he held his children close.

"What should we do?" Asked a woman.

Far away from the crowds, Harry, a tall, slim built, young man, watched the group of people. He watched as many walked away from what was happening and back into their homes. Yet, others still just stood and watched the poor girl who sat hunched over in the middle of street. Harry stepped down from his porch and walked towards the crowd. He approached her with caution not knowing what would happen if he startled her.

"Ma'am?" He said softly. She didn't move. From far away he hadn't noticed that her clothes were torn, her hair was knotted with small parts of tree branch stuck in it, and scraps all up her arms. "Ma'am." He said again reaching out his hand towards her back. The girl gripped his arm and dug her nails in his skin before he could place it on her back. Harry, startled by the woman's sudden movement could also hear a woman who stood on the sidewalk gasp.

"Don't touch me." The girl snarled as she lifted her head. She was young. She looked to be in her late 20s with one side of her face looking badly burned.

Harry put his free hand up in a sign of surrender. "I'm just here to help." He then gestured to the rest of the people. "We're all here to help."

"He's gone." She said once again. "They took him. He's gone. He's gone. He's gone. He's-"

"Who's gone?" Harry said cutting her off.

"He's gone." She said again. "I left him there. I left him there!" She looked down and let out a loud sob.

"Where's there?" Harry questioned, knowing she wouldn't give a straight answer.

The girl looked up, her eyes wide and her grip tightening around Harry's arm. He winced and brought his other hand up to try and pry her fingers away from his arm. She resisted against the force of him. Harry stopped trying and saw small pools of blood begin to form around where her fingers were.

"Go away!" She yelled. "Go-" She gasped for air and then fell to the ground her grip finally letting go to Harry's arm.

"Ma'am?" Harry asked. He looked around at the few people who were still outside watching them.

"Is she-" A man from the small crowd emerged started to say and then he whispered, "Dead?"

Harry looked at the girl shocked and looked behind him to where she had been looking and he saw nothing there. He looked back at her and her eyes were still wide open and her skin to the touch was cold. He then picked her arm up and felt for a pulse. He waited for something. But there was nothing. He lowered her gaunt hand slowly back to the ground.

"She's gone." He said quietly.

"How?" One asked.

"She looked fine." Another said.

"Call someone." Harry said. "Just call someone to get her someplace other than here."

Harry rose from the ground and looked down at his arm to see the small bloody imprints of the girls' nails. He sighed looked back one more time and saw one woman standing over the girl with her phone up to her ear.