The Nightmare Chronicles: The Age of Darkness

September 22nd, `54 It was pitch black. Not a sound could be heard as I crept up the winding staircase to the topmost tower. The cobwebs created a soft barrier for me to pass through. My eyes, sparkling in the darkness, lit a violet path in front of me. I knew he was here. I had seen it. As I ascended the steps, I stepped carefully over the corpses of those few who dared to stand between me and my prey. My heart pounded lightly in my hollow chest. I saw the faint glow from the fire coming from the room at the top of the stairs. I reached into my cloak and dusted my violently aged hands with a light, radiant, silvery powder. They immediately began to tingle and burn. First a white hot then an ice cold. It was working. I reached the top of the steps and skulked surreptitiously into the circular room. The room was empty. I admired the tall stone walls and steeped ceiling. There was one, lone window slightly ajar at the peek of the round room. The fire crackled and I admired my own reflection in its flames. A brisk wind snuck in through the open window. Then, suddenly, I felt a sharp blow to my back. I stumbled forward a few steps, but remained standing. I turned slowly around and faced Remy. The young, handsome figure stood tall over me, sweat dripping from his chest and face. His soft brown eyes were filled with both determination and fear. I knew he was behind the door, I saw it before I entered the room, but sometimes I like to toy with them. He didn't say anything…he just stared at me. Remy and I stood face to face. I could read him like a book. He wanted to kill me. He wanted to take thirty-two years of misery out on my bones. He breathed heavily and his muscular chest expanded with confidence and retracted in fear. He eyed me up, like a lion sizing up a weak antelope right before the pounce. I just stood….I could feel the blood from my wound trickle down my back. We stood facing each other in silence for a long time. Remy made the first move. He lunged at me and tackled my weak frame to the floor. I took one swift blow to the face and a spit a tooth onto the floor beside my head. Remy stood over me and held his sword to my throat. His face was overcome with fear and angst. I looked back at him and sneered as I noticed, in my peripheral vision, the clouds disperse outside. At that moment Remy froze, his face swathed in the bright gleam of moonlight that streaked abruptly through the open window. His eyes turned a deep black and began to slowly dilate, absorbing the whole whites of his eyes. I felt his skin turn hot and all the hairs on his body stand up. He had a look of ultimate terror in his sullen face and his breathing stopped as mouth hung open rigidly. He stood paralyzed, and his sword dropped to the floor; his eyes were pitch black and empty as he stared right through me. I had a brief moment to make my move. My hands burned with impatience. With a flash of violent white light Remy flew into air, smashed into the ceiling, and fell to the floor. In one quick angelic movement I slipped from the floor and hovered over Remy, who laid on his back, bleeding from his brow, his black eyes glaring up at me. He lifted his great arm and I raised a hand, the force from which withheld another blow from the weakening hero. With much energy Remy's paw-like hand was forced to the floor. I then closed my icy hot hands around his throat, though without actually touching his skin. My palms grew white hot, and a radiant silver mist erupted from my palms, spinning in ringlets around his neck. Remy's whole body tensed and his neck burned from my fiery grasp. He writhed and twitched on the floor beneath me, choking on air, but my grip was tight and unforgiving. His body released pools of sweat and his flesh continued to burn. Remy began to scream and cry and howl in agony, and I stayed still, my gaze transfixed on his eyes, which faded from black to wholly white. I leaned forward and whispered gentle words to him: “You are no hero; this world will never see peace. I know what you are and I have won. I know your weakness. Your brother will come and he will join you in hell.” Remy's eyes glossed over and his body relaxed; his eyes rolled back in his head and his breathing ceased. I let go of his neck and in an instant, as if being pulled by some great force, I flew backwards out through the open window into the darkness.