John flicked through his phone mindlessly. The news headlines didn’t catch his interest and he’d already finished the audiobook he’d been listening to. Sighing he set it on the nightstand and stared up at the ceiling.
He felt off. It wasn’t something he could identify, but he felt like he needed to be doing something. He couldn’t imagine what considering they were on vacation and made a point not to make any plans. But it felt as if he were forgetting something, something urgent.
Grumbling under his breath he picked up his phone and started flicking through the alarms. Seeing nothing he opened up his calendar.
“Wow, first day and you’re already going stir crazy?”
John looked up and smiled. She was wearing a towel around her torso and had one wrapped around her hair. What deepened his smile was that the one around her body had been folded over so that it sat higher up on her legs. Not enough to reveal anything, but enough to drive him crazy.
She was leaning over the counter in the other room, her head out of view. He shook his head watching her.
“First day of vacation and you’re putting on makeup?”
“I want to look nice. If we go out it’ll save time and if we stay in, well.”
John smiled and settled into the bed, letting his body sink into the pillows a little as he watched her.
“So why are you stir crazy?”
He sighed and looked up at the ceiling.
“I feel like I’m forgetting something, like maybe there was something important and I never got around to it.”
“You didn’t book any jobs did you?”
He shook his head.
“No, Mrs. Wendleman was the last one and that was two days before we left. Mr. Harris is next and that’s the afternoon the day after we get back.”
“Were you supposed to refill your supplies?”
“Stocked up for another month at least.”
“A bill you forgot to pay?”
“All automatic or the end of the month and it’s the fifth.”
“Well,” she said in a strained voice as if she were concentrating, likely applying eye shadow if experience taught him anything, “I don’t know what to tell you. If you can’t remember it must not be important.”
“We don’t have kids right? We didn’t leave a little guy at home or anything?”
She giggled.
“No, another few years before that’ll happen.”
“Well I’m at a loss.”
The light suddenly flicked off and John felt a weight fall onto his lap. Reaching down he found it was a damp towel.
“Perhaps you need a distraction.”
Grinning John reached over and flicked one of the lamps on. His wife was in the process of sneaking across the room, she was still wearing her body towel.
“You cheater,” she said standing up and shaking her red hair out, “it was supposed to be a surprise.”
John sat upright in bed, his eyes wide with alarm.
“What’s wrong?”
“Who are you?”
She titled her head and ran a hand through her red locks, pulling it away from her pale skin and freckled cheeks.
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re not Salem,”
Frowning she stared at him for a moment. Recognition suddenly blossomed across her features and she rolled her eyes.
“Really? You’re trying to roleplay?”
She sauntered over to the bed and sat down next to him.
“You know that’s not my thing.”
Placing a hand on his bare stomach she ran it slowly up into his hairy chest. John shivered at the cold touch of her hand and swatted it away, scooting over to the other side of the bed warily.
“What was that for?”
“I said who the hell are you?”
Sighing she folded her arms and gave him a pointed look. It was eerie that John was familiar with the look, especially when he didn’t recognize the green eyes giving it.
“We’re not doing that ok?”
John stood out of bed, sweat built up on his forehead and the air in the room suddenly felt heavy.
“John,” she said standing up, the frown turning into a look of worry, “you don’t look so good.”
She started making her way around the side of the bed and John backed away, holding a hand up to stop her.
“Don’t you come near me.”
“What’s going on John?”
“Who are you?”
Her eyes searched his for a moment and a flicker of fear appeared in her green eyes. It both confused and frightened him that she was genuinely concerned with how he was reacting.
“It’s me,” she said hesitantly, “Salem, your wife.”
“You’re not Salem.”
She sat on the bed slowly and patted the spot next to her.
“Sit down and tell me what’s going on.”
“No.”
Her hand drifted across the bed and grabbed his phone. Thinking she was going to call the cops he prepared to pounce on her when she held the phone out to him.
“Look through the pictures John. Social media posts, things I’ve texted, email, whatever you need to look at to convince yourself that I’m your wife.”
The words were said calmly, but John could sense the fear and nervousness in her voice. She only sounded like that when she was genuinely terrified and it pained him that he was-.
He shook his head to disrupt that line of thinking. This woman was posing as his wife, she wasn’t actually Salem.
“Look at the pictures John.”
“I’m not looking at the pictures.”
A thought crossed John’s mind and he quickly reached out and yanked the curtains back. Light flooded into the room and the redheaded woman blinked at the sun, holding a hand up.
“John what are you doing?”
John ignored her and looked out at the ocean. It was a pristine white beach with dozens of people lounging and playing in the sand or in the water. A couple of surfers were out catching waves and everything looked wonderful.
Except in the water, past the surfers was a large dark mass. It was the size of a car and slowly traveling under the waves. John watched a surfer glide over the top without ever noticing or looking down at the steadily moving mass mere inches below him.
The utterly bizarre and indescribable mass was somehow familiar. Reaching out John opened the window in-spite of not Salem’s protests behind him. When the window opened the sounds of the people overwhelmed him, but he felt the warm breeze. A breeze that stopped every now and then; and smelled like fish.
“John talk to me.”
“You’re not real.”
“What?”
Looking back at her John searched her pained green eyes a moment. He felt a few heart strings being tugged, but he said it again calmly, and firmly.
“You’re not real.”
#
One minute John was staring into the green eyes of a woman pretending to be his wife and with a blink he was back in the Void. His legs and backside felt raw as Mathew was dragging him along the rock. The smell of brackish water and fish was overwhelming and with horror John turned to see the thing chasing them.
The darkness was too pervasive to make out any details, but what he could see was enough to cause madness. Its amorphous body was dark like the rest of the Void and slide off in waves down the sides. The only thing John could compare it to was a pile of black ice cream melting without ever losing its shape or growing smaller.
From the peak of the sliding flesh a large crab-like leg appeared and gripped the ground in front of it. The crab-like appendage pulled the mass along before slowly fading into the thing’s body at the base of it. As soon as one leg disappeared another appeared to take its place.
It was a slow and methodic crawl, but just a bit faster than being dragged along by Mathew.
“Mathew let go.”
Mathew gasped and immediately dropped him.
“John that thing it’s-.”
John picked himself up and winced at the pain in his legs and backside. It felt as if someone had been rubbing sandpaper on them.
“I know, we need to go.”
“Where would you like to go John?”
He smiled as his wife leaned against the back of his chair. He could feel her warm breath on his neck and noted that it was slightly fishy, though hardly surprising considering they had fish sticks for lunch.
“I was thinking Cuba.”
“Cuba,” she purred, “warm beaches and sunny weather. Count me in.”
John smiled as he clicked away from the pictures he pulled up and into an airline site to book everything.
“Wow you’re excited this time?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well when we talked about snorkling in Barbados you didn’t seem all that interested. I had to remind you we were leaving and where we were going the day before.”
“Barbados,” asked John with a frown, “I don’t remember going to Barbados.”
“Sure you do, we swam with the turtles.”
“I don’t remember that at all.”
She giggled and smacked his head gently.
“You were wearing those ridiculous yellow swim trunks and that one turtle kept bugging you. I made the joke that he thought you were a mango and was going in for a nibble remember?”
Frowning John searched his memories for something even remotely along the lines of what she was talking about. Coming up empty he turned to her.
“I really don’t-.”
He froze when her face came into view.
It was Salem, but she was melting. Her hair was falling down the sides of her face along with her ears, eyes, and flesh. But her face held its rough shape by sprouting new hair, eyes, and other features. At one point she had five eyes that blinked in unison.
“What’s wrong?”
Feeling around blindly on the desk John found a pen and plunged it into one of the eyes. The hideous thing that sounded like his wife shrieked as blood poured down its face and pulled away from him.
“This isn’t real.”
#
With a blink he was back in the Void and Mathew was screaming. The thing had sprouted a tentacle while John was in a hallucination and had it wrapped around Mathew’s legs. The young man was clawing at the ground trying to gain purchase, but there was nothing to grab.
John rushed forward and grabbed the young man’s sweaty hands. They slipped out of his grip a few times before he grabbed his wrists and yanked back hard.
The tentacle stopped its pulling and the warm breeze, that John now realized was its breath, disappeared for a moment.
Seizing the opportunity John quickly yanked Mathew free of the tentacle and started dragging him away. He blinked away the sweat in his eyes and was tempted to release one of Salem’s cold hands to swat a gnat away.
He remembered them being particularly thick in this part of the woods the last time he was here. Though that was nearly ten years ago, back when he was with Carole.
The image of her empty brown eyes filled his mind and he shuddered with pleasure. Looking down he saw Salem’s empty blue eyes staring up at the sky, a gnat landed on one and he watched it curiously.
“Is it cold my little friend? Is it nothing more than a hard blue marble? Or is it a slimy grape just waiting to burst?”
The gnat walked around the iris a moment before taking flight. John waited to see if it would come back, but it never did. Grumbling he started pulling Salem’s cold corpse through the woods again.
Her body became stuck on a tree trunk and he pulled hard to release her. Her shoulder made a cracking noise that sent shivers down his spine. It was one of the most satisfying sounds he ever heard.
“I might have to break a few bones before giving you away,” he said with a chuckle, “It’ll be like when you used to pop bubble wrap to calm down after one of our fights.”
He smiled as he continued tugging her through the grassy field and around the trees.
“You’re my little bubble wrap.”
#
It only took a moment to find the spot he’d chosen for her. It was in sight of the road so he’d be able to see it whenever he drove by, but remote enough no one would disturb it for some time. To his knowledge no one had found Carole and she was a few yards away.
“Don’t worry. I won’t put you too close to Carole. I know how you like your personal space.”
Reaching the desired location he let her arms fall and wiped the sweat from his brow.
“She’s not exactly chatty either so I think you two will get along great by… not getting along.”
Bending over he retrieved the shovel he had placed here earlier. Gripping the handle tightly he plunged the spade into the dirt.
“The ground’s stiff,” he said with a grunt, “must’ve…”
He trailed off as liquid started seeping from the gash he created in the dirt. A thick gray substance was bubbling up from the wound and spreading across the ground at an alarming rate. It washed over his shoes and he was overwhelmed by a fishy smell.
The smell triggered a memory of a monstrous creature in a dark place. Within seconds everything came rushing back and he threw the shovel to the ground in alarm.
“It’s not real.”
#
With a blink the woods disappeared and he found himself standing in a puddle of gray liquid. Looking around in bewilderment he saw that Mathew was struggling with the creature a distance away. The thing had a long tentacle wrapped around his body and gray liquid was seeping from the base of the creature.
John ran over, his feet sloshing in the soupy liquid oozing from the creature. The smell is horrendous, and it takes a tremendous amount of willpower not to throw up.
Grabbing the tentacle he yanked hard. The creature quivers from the act and immediately lets go of Mathew. The young man gasps for air and holds his chest.
“It almost crushed me.”
“Can you walk?”
Before Mathew can respond the tentacle lashes out again, but this time for John. He dives for the ground, barely managing to avoid the sweeping tentacle. It disappears at the base of the creature and another forms at the top in its place.
Mathew and John back away, keeping an eye on the tentacle. John can hear Mathew panting heavily, his arm around his chest.
“If you hallucinate again I’m leaving you. That’s twice the thing’s nearly killed me trying to save your butt.”
“I don’t know what’s happening, but I’m realizing it’s not real sooner and sooner.”
“I don’t care, leave me and I’m letting it eat you.”
Both men keep backing up, their feet plodding in the liquid covering the rock.
“What’s this crap we’re walking in?”
“I don’t know,” says Mathew, his eyes never leaving the creature, “I hit it a couple of times with my fists when it tried to grab you and it sorta freaked out and this stuff started leaking everywhere. I don’t know if I hurt it or scared it.”
John wrinkled his nose and tried not to think about what the liquid could be.
“I appreciate you keeping me alive, but if I go out again promise me you’ll leave.”
“I’m not going to leave you.”
John wiped his eyes and kept his gaze firmly on the floor. He can’t bring himself to look up at her, let alone her feet.
“John look at me.”
John shook his head, barely in control of his own breathing as the sobs kept bubbling up.
“Please look at me John.”
Taking a deep breath he raised his head and froze when his gaze meets hers. Salem’s face is shaded by dark black shadows as if she were standing in a pitch-black room and all he can see is her general outline. The rest of the room is brightly lit from the sun streaming through the windows.
“John, I get that it’s scary,” she says, pulling a strand of her shadowy hair back behind her ear, “but I knew I wasn’t marrying a perfect man, just as I don’t expect you thought you were marrying a perfect woman.”
Unable to speak, John stared at her dumbfounded, trying to process exactly what he was seeing.
“I’m glad you told me about these dark thoughts you’ve been having. I know that must have been hard and I can’t imagine what you’re going through.”
Pausing she reached out and gently grabbed one of his hands with her shadowy fingers.
“But I know we can work through it. Maybe with some help you can learn to control these urges better and find a way to control your temper when it flares up.”
“Salem.”
She reached out with her other hand and touched his lips.
“We can figure this out, I know we can.”
Blinking a few times John shook his head looking into her shadowy features trying to see her eyes in the darkness.
“What’s going on?”
“I’m saying I’ll be here for you John. I’m not going anywhere.”
“No I mean…”
His voice trailed off as it occurred to him what was happening. Growling in frustration he jumped up from the chair he’d been sitting in and shouted at the room.
“This isn’t real!”
#
It took a few blinks before he was back in the void. Mathew was tugging on his shoulder, cursing him up and down. The creature was slowly stalking forward, a new tentacle sprouting on its head.
“I’m back,” John says quickly backing up.
“Can you stay in the present?!”
“I don’t know what’s happening,” shouts John as they continue backing away from the creature as its tentacle disappears to be replaced with a crab leg.
“Well get it together because that thing is getting ready to chase us.”
“Just go,” John shouts to him as the crab leg spears the ground with a crack and drags the creature forward a few feet, “I can’t promise it won’t happen again.”
“If it happens again I’m leaving.”
John remains silent as the creature continues pulling itself forward. Walking backward they’re able to gain ground on the creature and more than once John felt tempted to run. But he didn’t dare take his eyes off the thing.
“What the hell is this thing?”
“It’s a Banksy.”
John looked over at the man who spoke. He was a few inches taller than him and had soft olive skin. His brown eyes were focused on the art piece they were referring to, a masked figure in the act of throwing a bouquet of flowers.
“It can’t be a Banksy.”
“What do you mean,” the man asked in surprise, “it’s one of his more famous pieces.”
“But he was a street artist, his work was all graffiti. This is a section of a wall in a museum, one that charges for entry. I kind of have a feeling Banksy would be pissed if this was his piece.”
The man titled his head from side to side as if thinking.
“Ok so maybe it’s not his piece precisely, but it’s obviously inspired by it.”
“Doesn’t that make it plagiarism?”
The man rolled his eyes and sighed heavily.
“Honestly John, are you incapable of relaxing and having a good time? Does everything have to be so analytical with you?”
John studied the man carefully.
“You know who I am?”
The man blinked in surprise before he started grinning.
“Oh I see,” he said clicking his tongue, “you’re upset I didn’t agree with you so you’re pretending not to know me.”
To John’s surprise the man reached out and grabbed his hand tenderly.
“It’s not going to work hon.”
John pulled his hand away and the man frowned.
“What’s wrong?”
Closing his eyes in frustration John smacked his head against the Banksy ripoff.
“This isn’t real.”
#
This time when he comes back it’s absolute chaos. Mathew is screaming at the top of his lungs and the creature is making strange squelching noises. Looking around John quickly sees what is wrong and screams himself.
The creature is much closer than it was before and one of its long crab-like legs has Mathew skewered to the ground. Mathew’s hands are weakly smacking against the leg as it has him pinned to the rock; the point embedded deep in his stomach.
With a shout John rushes forward, grabs the crab leg, and yanks it upward. This time the creature isn’t as accommodating and fights back against the action.
Growling in rage John punches the leg. It’s harder than he anticipates and one of his knuckles splits open from the act. The creature keeps the leg in place, a new one forming to replace it instantaneously.
“Go.”
Looking down John sees Mathew has stopped fighting and his hands are wrapped around the tip of the leg embedded in his body.
“Go John.”
“I’m not leaving you here.”
The young man chuckles a moment before it cuts off with a hacking cough.
“You don’t have a choice. Even if you get me free it’s not going to matter.”
“No we can get you out. I can fix this.”
“How are you going to do that,” Mathew asks weakly, “you’re going to take me to a hospital? Perform surgery with your bare hands? There’s nothing you can do.”
John searched the man’s shadowy face. He can feel the crab leg replacing itself underneath him and he becomes eerily aware that the creature is getting steadily closer to them, the squelching noises growing more animated.
“Just go.”
Wrenching his eyes shut John almost wished he would find himself in another illusion when he opened them. But when his eyes open he’s still in the void with Mathew dying and the creature practically hovering over them.
“Go.”
Howling with anger, John let go of the leg and darted away. Looking over his shoulder he can see the creature pull itself the final few feet forward until Mathew’s body disappears and the crab leg disappears without being replaced.
The creature jiggles a few times like a plate of gelatin in an earthquake before it gives a loud hiss and blasts the area with its warm, fishy breath. Then suddenly, the entire creature puddles to the floor with a splash of liquid. Within seconds neither the creature nor Mathew’s body remain.
John turns away from the bizarre scene and starts running into the darkness. Tears stream down his face and sobs rip through his chest as he puts as much distance between himself and that horrific scene as possible.
Author’s Note:
I hope you’re enjoying Darkshield: John’s Arc 1. A new chapter comes out free every week and next week’s chapter will be available on October 19th 2020.
If you decide you can’t wait that long then you can find the entire book on your favorite retail site for $3.99. It comes with all 10 chapters of Arc 1 and is much more convenient on your ereader. If you’re interested click here.
Alternatively, if you enjoy receiving it in serial fashion than feel free to support the project through Patreon. You can find a community of readers like you who enjoy this world I’m creating and want to see it grow by providing whatever support they can. My Patreon page can be found by clicking here.
Finally, if your finances are tight right now or you have mixed feelings about the book and aren’t sure you want to support a weirdo, then keep reading for free as the chapters come out every week. I’m doing this for fun and I’m appreciative of anyone who’s coming along for the ride.