DARKNESS - Opening 1. The moss-covered gate swung in the strong wind in front of me as flashes of lightning illuminated the bell tower which stood guard over the grounds. I entered the church, leaving the unearthly weather behind. However, what I saw inside made the weather seem like a friendly companion. A #life-less figure, shrouded in darkness, hung from a cross at the old chapel end of the church. I walked towards it slowly, my eyes reluctant to look up. The empty sound of footsteps echoed throughout and reminded me that I was alone. Dimly lit through narrow grimy windows, the main body of the church seemed to stretch out endlessly in front of me. I forced myself forward until the silence was broken. A dripping sound focused my attention to the base of a large, wooden cross. I walked closer. Blood splashed on the grey stone floor beneath. I looked up. A sudden flash of lightning revealed a man, naked, with hands and feet nailed into splintered wood. I stared in horror, unaware of the darkness leaving the shadows behind. 2. I had composed myself as best I could by the time the police arrived. In the doorway of the church, I hastily explained my findings and escaped into what now seemed a welcome storm. Taking refuge on the nearest bench, I could see the extent of this investigation. Flashing blue lights now replaced the lightning above and countless police officers guarded the crime scene. Sitting with my head in my hands, the horrific images slowly, but vividly came back to me. The deep gashes across the chest. The shattered rib-cage. The thick blood draining from the open wounds in the victim’s side and blood-soaked grey hair clinging to a tortured face. I shook my head to bring me back to the present. My officers would need directing and organising in there and I couldn’t afford to let anything slip on this case. Standing up, I began to walk back through the church grounds. I passed the old oak by the edge of the graveyard; its knarled-fingered branches gripped at the collar of my jacket. A snapping sound behind made me turn. Nothing. I moved on, quickening my pace. A strange sensation had come over me. A shiver stealthily crept down my spine. I had become cold, but my skin felt hot and I was increasingly finding it hard to breathe. I became aware that I could see my weakened breath misting the air in front of me. Was it that cold? Suddenly, a loud, endless shriek came out of the darkness. A thousand tortured cries. The sound was all around me, ringing in my ears. It hurt. I staggered forward, slipping on the mud beneath. I tried to find my bearings but my head was spinning. I fell. As my eyes re-focused, I could see my hands stretched out in front of me, cuts spoiling my skin. The mud by my hands slowly began to move and a burning smell filled my senses. I shook my head in dismay, trying to make some sense of what was happening. No explanation came. I pulled my body away from the ground as the mud boiled beneath. The heat was unbearable. I wanted to move further away, but I was being held. I tried to look up but my head would not move. I was paralysed. My eyes began to stream, and through them, I now noticed flames that roared in front of me. The tears blurred my vision, but then my eyes saw what they should never have seen. A figure, flames dancing from its skin towered above me. Its body, riddled with dark veins, lowered and shuffled forward. Transparent skin stretched across its face, with eyes and a gaping mouth visible underneath. It leered down at me with the darkest eyes. Terror forced me to watch as huge fangs grew from its chest splitting its skin, leaving a dark hole where terrified screams escaped. Its breath hissed against my face as saliva steamed off its own blazing skin. I began to wretch. The stench in the air engulfed me. I needed to escape, but why would my body not respond? What was this evil? Before I could find any answers, flames shot towards me. The hairs on my arms singed in the heat. The smell of my own burning skin filled the air as it tightened and cracked. I screamed! Then there was darkness. “Destruction cometh; and they shall seek peace, and there shall be none.” ------------ I. ------------ He watched the apparition torment its prey. Yes. Only an apparition. To unleash a real demon into this world, this early, would have ended #life too quickly. No. He would play with him first. He had to. It was the only way. He would take him to the edge of sanity and reason. That would be the only way to upset the balance. Turn the remaining light into dark. Total darkness. His own race would then be free.