Those Black Eyes

My girlfriend...my poor girlfriend. 

She is the apple of my eye and is perfect to me in every way another person can be to another...

But as lovely as she was, she was a total klutz and a sickly person.

I came home often to her crawled up into a ball passed out or in a blind panic.

She got worked up into a rage easily as well.

I did all I could to ease her pain when she got upset, but as time went on, it got harder and harder.

Her blind rage led her to be even inept somehow.

I would find her up late into the twilight hours searching up all kinds of different things.

If she got sick, there’d be tabs full of medical sites.

If she were mad, it’d be different forums for her to rant on.

Now, she didn’t make threats or do anything extreme when in these rages, thankfully.

I guess you could say they were collective rages?

But it didn’t matter; people still saw it and were not pleasant.

She started getting private emails from people telling her to kill herself or they’d kill her, along with others going into more disgusting details on what they were going to do to her.

While reading through dense text, I questioned her.

“What in the world made them do this... what have you done to provoke such vile and violent reactions?” I asked, concerned.

She just stared blankly at me, then at the screen and after a spell would smirk and say.

“Those pathetic little shits deserved all I did,” she said in a bone-chilling tone.

This went on for weeks until one day as I went to get the mail, I saw something odd on our mailbox.

There was a strange blue envelope wrapped in red ribbon.

Someone had taped the ribbon to the mailbox door, and I reached out for it slowly because it seemed odd, and I was concerned about the contents.

I opened the mailbox itself and got the normal mail of bills and junk.

When I got to the door to open it to the house, I heard footsteps running to the door.

I thought it was my girlfriend rushing to be goofy and jerk the door open and jump into my arms, but... that was not it.

I heard a click as the deadbolt locked, then I heard her yell.

“GO AWAY!” she hissed.

I had to peek through the cracks in the blinds and try to see what in the hell was going on.

I saw staring back at me... a woman with pitch-black eyes, and in shock I jumped back.

I fell straight on my ass and onto the stray cat that we fed, and he too hissed, and I noticed his eyes were also pitch black.

He not only hissed, but he leapt onto my leg and started biting and clawing at me wildly.

I was in shock cause none of the cats have ever acted in this manner.

I didn’t want to hurt him, but I had no choice.

I reached for his neck and grabbed him firmly and tossed him off me.

He landed and slowly turned his head to me.

He let out a deep growl as he did this as well, and as soon as his head had turned completely around I heard the deadbolt click.

The cat stared at me with its black eyes, and in fear I backed away up to my door in fear and shock.

I went to open my door, but I fell back once more; my girlfriend had opened it, and I felt her pull my shirt collar and drag me in.

She pulled me in with remarkable strength and threw me up against the wall.

Before I could even catch my breath, she was on me.

She took my head in her hands and brought me face to face with her.

She looked awful!

Her hair was a mess, and I saw her black hair streaked with strands of white.

Her face looked as if it were peeling off.

Her breath reeked of something awful and, most of all... those eyes.

She tilted her head a bit to the right and looked at me.

I couldn’t move; I was in shock and fear.

She looked me all over before she lifted her gaze slowly back to mine.

She grinned as she saw what I had in my hands and leapt off me and stood up straight and demanding.

“Give it to me quickly!” she snapped.

Again, before I could even get out a damn word, she seized the blue letter and ran off into another room.

I heard another click as the door locked.

In shock and dripping with sweat from fear, I got to my feet and galloped to our computer and tried to do a quick search of what was going on.

Someone had wiped the computer!

The whole damn thing was!

All of her stuff and mine gone!

I felt insulted and upset and went to find her; something was wrong, and I had to know what it was and stop this madness.

I tried all the bedrooms and found nothing, not even the bathroom.

I was sure I heard a click as she ran back here, but she was nowhere to be found.

I thought maybe it’d been a window I heard and checked them, but no.

When we moved in, we saw that someone had glued them shut, making them impossible to open.

I looked under all the beds and closets.

I was about to give up when I noticed something in our walk-in closet... a string.

What the hell was this?

I pulled on it and again heard a click.

I felt dread as I pulled on it more and, to my surprise, it was a hidden staircase.

I never knew this when we moved in, so I didn’t know what to expect.

I carefully started my ascent of the stairs, not knowing what I’d find there other than maybe my girlfriend.

Once I had reached the last step, I looked around, and it was dark but not entirely.

I saw candles in one area in the middle of the room.

I saw no sign of my girlfriend at all.

I sauntered to the spot, and when I got there, I gasped.

There were tons of colored letters like the one I found on the mailbox.

I picked one up and read the letter inside...it was short and very disturbing.

“We got your inquiry, and your pickup will be ready at 12 pm; DO NOT BE LATE!” one read.

I picked up another.

I appreciate your timely intervention in resolving the problem; your services are invaluable.

I felt a sick feeling knot up inside me.

I found the letter outside and picked it up.

I undid the ribbon and took out the contents.

There was a photo, hair, a bone and a small bag of dust and a brief note.

“Use this and prosper as your well-earned reward, and may you have a wonderful afterlife.”

I felt a chill run down my spine and turned the photo over slowly...

I didn’t know what to expect, but I braced myself for the worst.

But... before I could do it, I heard her.

“That’s not for you to see!” I heard my girlfriend scream and tore it out of my hands.

She looked at the note and smiled insanely.

But as fast as she smiled, she turned to me and gave me a dead look.

“You need to leave.” She said in a flat tone.

I was afraid, but I’d come this far; I had to know.

I took a step towards her.

“NOT ONE MORE STEP!” she hissed.

With that, she moved with inhuman speed to push me away from the candles.

“Leave now... please.” She whispered.

I felt my fear melt and my heart cry out for her.

“Baby, please tell me what is going on; let me help you.” I pleaded with her.

She seemed not to notice my pleas and went on and removed the contents she and set it around the candles.

“Leave...you don’t want to be here for this...but let the cat from outside in please.” she simply said in the same flat tone.

I hoped with the cat maybe she’d give some answers then if I gave her what she wanted.

I ran back downstairs and flung open the door to let the cat in, but to my horror I saw a man there dressed in black.

He looked up at me, and he had pure white eyes.

He had no expression on his face...

“Are you the keeper’s pet?” he asked in a flat tone, as my girlfriend’s.

“I’m sorry, the what?” I said in shock at the situation.

He kept his flat tone and face and extended his arm to the room where my girlfriend was.

“Do you have any idea what is living with you?” he asked plainly.

I was feeling confusion and horror roll over me.

“What...my girlfriend?” I muttered.

Shocked, he made a face, but I’m not sure what to call the look he gave.

“She is no longer of your world and belongs to the others, and we are here to collect,” he said flatly.

“No, no, you can’t have her!” I yelled.

I closed the door and ran back to my girlfriend, who had made a fire and... was chanting.

I could see in the fire she was bleeding and burnt!

“Babe!” I yelled out and tried to reach out to her.

She turned quickly and looked at me and sniffed the air like an animal.

Then she gave me a horrified look.

“You...you saw the collector.” She whispered, with a trace of fear as well.

“Baby, tell me what to do, what is going on?!” I pleaded once more.

She narrowed her eyes at me.

“Get that cat at all costs before dark or we both die,” she said and went back to chanting by the fire.

I had no words, just fear and concern.

I backed away and fled to the door.

I saw that the man was still outside.

I had no choice but to get that cat.

I yanked the door back and pushed the man out of the way, making sure the door shut behind me.

I ran to my car and expected him to follow, but he only brushed himself off and stood there once more facing the door.

Even more confused now, I got into my car.

I was looking for the damn cat; where had it gone?

I started my car and drove aimlessly around the town looking for the cat.

I looked in the places I normally saw the strays sitting out at, but nothing.

I searched for what felt like hours.

Day was slowly fading into night, and my heart raced at the thought of what would happen if I didn’t find that damn cat?

Who was that man, and what the hell was going on? What had my beloved gotten herself into?

Why were her eyes pitch black? They were not human-looking, and also that man.

What was all of this — her the keeper and him the collector?

Why was this damn cat so important? It was ridiculous, but here I was driving around chasing after a cat with a madhouse to return to.

What the hell was going on!

So many questions about all this weird stuff and not a single answer.

What had happened to her — was it because of all the threats she had been getting?

Did she go too far with them and piss someone off to make them do this or cause it?

Still, there were the weird letters and that circle...

Just as I was about to scream in frustration, I saw it!

The cat was sleeping in the sun in a field of flowers just off a side road.

I stopped the car and didn’t care to turn it off.

I jumped out and went to get it.

When I approached it...it seemed to know why I was there and sat up quickly and ran and jumped into my arms.

It meowed with an odd, deep tone, one of almost desperation.

So crazed by all these events, I ran back to the car and put the cat in the back seat, and took off back home.

The cat never moved.

When I got back to the house, I saw that the sun was deathly close to setting and that the man was still there.

I grabbed the cat and carefully made my way to the door.

The man sniffed the air, and as if I had a gun, he let out a horrifying hiss at the sight of me and the cat.

The man leapt aside as I ran by and to my door; I had it opened just barely, and the cat jumped off and ran up to where my girlfriend was.

“You will never succeed; none have, for it takes one pure of heart,” he said flatly as always.

“Listen here, asshole, I’ve got no idea what’s occurring here. So start talking or fuck off!”

I felt myself losing my grip on this crazy bullshit.

The man took his place once more and looked up only with his eyes to the sky.

“You have less than ten minutes, best to say your goodbyes.” he said.

“What?” I asked, confused.

“Leave me,” he said and gave me a look with those creepy white eyes that bore into my very soul.

I shut the door and locked it and put up some chairs in front of it and the couch.

“You’re wasting what small time you have left.” I heard him say.

“We’ll see.” I called back and then ran upstairs.

As I climbed the stairs, I felt dread once more, and I was afraid of what I would see.

I wasted no time in peeking like last time; I just shot up the stairs and shut the door behind me.

I looked for anything to put on top of it.

I found some blocks and put them over the door and hoped it would be enough.

As I went for more, I felt an icy hand on my arm.

“We are running out of time,” said my girlfriend.

She dragged me to the circle.

To my horror, the cat was there, but... she had cut it open.

There was a small altar she built.

“One pure of heart...” she said, trailing off.

Looking up at me, she had her normal eyes again; I observed.

She smiled, and then she cried...

The sun finally set, and I heard a loud boom from below.

Something broke the door down, and a swift, inhuman sound came from below.

“Whatever you do, my love, do not show fear! Don’t look up... I love you.” She said and then kissed me.

The kiss was long and full of passion, and as she did this, I felt dizzy.

My eyelids got heavy, and my vision blurry.

“I’m so sorry, my beloved,” she said. The room was swirling around me.

The noise from below was now beating at our door.

I heard my girlfriend walk over to the door.

I tried to tell her no; it was that man!

But I was stuck as if paralyzed!

I was barely awake, but I fought the overwhelming feeling.

I heard voices and tried to look around to see where my beloved was.

To my horror, as I was just able to turn my head, I saw her and the man facing off.

They were fighting and covered in blood!

I tried to get up, but it was no use...

I could not move at all. Forced to watch my lover fight this freak.

My clumsy girlfriend... a total klutz... she fell right onto his knife.

No web surfing or rants would fix this...

I felt my eyes sliding shut and my heart slow.

So much pain and confusion...

I awoke with an aching headache and was in a sweat.

I sat up and bent over the bed and threw up.

After I had puked up all I could, I turned to see my girlfriend looking at me with concern.

“You asked for it,” she said, trying to be cute.

“Yeah... yeah, I did.” I said, laughing a bit.

“So now you know how I feel about not wanting to sleep?” she asked, grabbing my hands.

“Yes...” I muttered.

“Good... please don’t make me do that again, dammit.” She leered.

She put her head on my lap, and I rubbed her hair, which was silky black with no white strands.

We sat in silence for a long time.

“So what did you see there?” she asked softly.

I stopped rubbing her head and instead kissed her head.

I put my mouth to her ear.

“I saw why you’re scared to sleep and will never question you again.” I told her and kissed her.

She lay dead still.

“He was there, wasn’t he?” she asked with a small tremble.

I nodded, and she cried.

I held her all night.

She slept all day, and I woke her an hour before the sun would start setting.

“No dreams?” I asked.

“Nothing.” She smiled and kissed me.

She went to the computer and got on her favorite site... WebMD.

We will never stop looking for a logical reason for her nightmares and what they mean.

She had a gift and could show me a taste of the hell she lived when she slept at night.

We don’t know what the dreams meant, nor did any doctor.

She never lived out any of the things in her dreams, and the house I had been in during the dream was not our house we live in.

The cat I had not seen in a long time...it’d been dead for weeks.

She never got the mail I did, and nothing odd came.

The man was a mystery, and the whole thing was, really.

But anytime we slipped up, and she was asleep after sunset; she got sucked into the “other world,” and the man and all like him would try to keep her there.

At first I thought she was crazy, but... after that bond she did... she’s not crazy but maybe... cursed?

All I know is I will never forget those eyes... those cold black eyes.

She is hunted, and we still look for the answer of why and by whom.

She has a very sought for gift but can’t be at peace till she is pure of heart... or finds one that is.

She always tells me I have a heart like no other; I never hurt her, and she loved me so much and didn’t know what she’d do without me.

She is still a total klutz, and I don’t mind patching her up and holding her long into the night as she fears sleep of any kind...

She is getting sicker, and the doctors can’t figure out why.

She sleeps during the day and eats well and is normal other than her awful nightmares.

One day I fell asleep by accident while watching her.

I went to cuddle with her, and feeling her warmth made me pass out fast.

I’ll never forgive myself...

I woke up, and it was dark; I turned the lights all on as fast as I could, but...it was too late.

My beloved lay there on our bed with the cats next to her, all looking up at me and staring at me with dark pitch-black eyes.

My beloved’s hair was all white now.

I tried to reach for her, but I felt a hand grab me from behind and put another hand over my mouth.

“Your heart is pure...” the voice said.

I didn’t need to look to know who it was.

“What do you want?” I asked, muffled by his hand.

He took his face and put it on mine.

“Watch and see,” he whispered.

Once again I was in the same room, and the same story played out.

After it was done, he let me go and reached for her limp body.

I smacked his hand away and threw myself on top of her.

I looked up into his pure white eyes again.

“You will not take her; this was my mess up take me and torment her no more!” I begged.

To my shock, the man smiled and bowed.

“You have proven to be pure of heart; you both may be at peace.” he said and started to leave.

“Wait!” I called out.

He stopped at my doorway.

“How do I get her back?” I asked, now holding her limp hand.

“How do you think?” he said back in the same flat tone, and he vanished.

I sat in pure terror and confusion.

I looked at the cats, and their eyes bored into mine, then all slowly looked at my girlfriend and all at once meowed.

It was a very distressed tone.

I didn’t know what to do, and in my grief I lay next to her and held her limp body that was growing cold.

Her heartbeat was fading.

“Please, baby fight it come back to me I’d do anything to get you back I’m sorry for this, it’s my fault I’d take your place in a heartbeat if it meant you would never have to suffer again and could be back with me and have a normal life.” I said, sobbing.

I lay there crying, feeling her grow colder.

I pulled her favorite blanket onto us, and the cats all sat around us.

I recalled how she melded our minds and hoped this would work.

I wrapped myself around her and put my temple to hers.

I cried as seeing her hair growing whiter still and her color fading.

“I couldn’t save you; I’m so sorry... please, I’d do anything!” I sobbed more.

Nothing happened still.

I lay there watching her fade away.

I took her hands in mine and cried.

“Take me, whatever you are, take me, you son of a bitch, TAKE ME YOU COWARD!” I screamed into the night.

This time when I laid my head back onto hers, something happened.

I was back in the dream world, but it was different.

It looked like a... jury room.

My beloved was strung up in the middle of the room, people were beating her, and she was bleeding all over.

Without a thought, I ran to her and pushed the figure away and tugged on the ropes and got her down.

I held her half naked broken and bloody body in my arms.

“TAKE ME INSTEAD YOU MONSTERS!” I yelled at all the hooded figures.

Next thing I remembered was a swirling of voices and pain beyond words in my head.

It brought me to my knees, but I never let my beloved fall, not even a hand slip to the ground.

Something lashed my back and head over and over with a searing hot pain.

I blocked it out by looking at my girlfriend, who was looking up at me now.

Her eyes were pitch black, but I didn’t care; just seeing her was more than enough to give me the power I needed to stand up.

I held her close and felt her grow warm in my arms.

I yelled once more.

“YOU WILL NOT HAVE HER!”

The figures backed away, and low and behold, the white-eyed man came forth.

“She is the keeper and I am the collector; she did her deed at last and is free... but you... are not free,” he said this time but with a smile.

My girlfriend was always clumsy and a klutz, and as annoying as it was, I took care of her... until this very day.

She can sleep now at night.

I am now her keeper, and nobody dared mess with me.

It hurts only ever seeing her when she sleeps, but I was pure of heart and I’d chosen to do this.

How, you may ask, did all of this happen?

I guess the best way to describe it before I have to go is like this.

My girlfriend has a gift.

She can cross into the dream world, and it’s as real here as it is in the waking world.

They are rare people to find, and only the pure may be keepers of this world and keep their sanity.

In order to do so, you must be pure-hearted to pass back and forth safely.

If one is not pure of heart, the white-eyed man will come and collect their soul and leave their waking body in a coma vessel or kill them if they are too far gone.

The second thing is to make offerings to them.

My clumsy girlfriend didn’t do this right, and now I am here.

I miss her, but I am glad to see her when I do, and as bad as it sucks to be here, I at least know she is safe and no longer pained by this world.

I weave her dreams now as she sleeps.

If I as a keeper am ever to fail... well, I was told she’d be better off dead and I didn’t even want to guess my fate.

So my body is in a hospital until I am replaced as keeper.

The only way for me to be replaced is another keeper was born or found.

The thing my girlfriend did in the room though... was the only thing she did not mess up on.

In nine months, she passed away from heart failure out of the blue in her sleep.

The cat she had me go get only had lived nine months as well in the waking world before dying of heart failure as well.

At long last we were together again, and I felt her in my arms as if nothing had happened.

I was replaced as a keeper quickly, to my surprise.

A young blonde girl was now the new keeper, and I paid it no mind, all I cared about was having my beloved back.

The white-eyed man went to my body, and I too died of heart failure.

Alone at last with my beloved, dead or not, I cared not the nightmare was over.

She laid her head in my lap as we stared into the darkness of the afterlife.

“So what was on that photo?” I asked her, stroking her hair.

She took my hand in hers and kissed it.

“Let’s forget about it,” she said softly with no hint of anger.

I dropped it but... after seeing the new keeper; I saw that there was a striking resemblance between her and my now wife.

I asked the white-eyed man one day.

“Can you tell me anything about the new keeper and why she looks like my wife?” I asked with great care, afraid of upsetting him.

He looked away, and at the new keeper strung up.

After a long time, he said.

“There is more than you know to this dimension, young one; give it a few hundred years and you will figure it out,” he said in his usual tone.

Five hundred years later we had the same keeper, and I grew curious once more.

I went to my wife and asked her again.

This time she looked at me sadly and said.

“She looked so much like me, but she had your heart.” She cried.