Dark Lights

Madison Tentos’ only task as she walked down the deep dark streets of Detrum City was to get back home as quickly as she could. The dark was so thick, she felt it would seep into her skin at any moment. It clouded her in its chill and the simple spotlight she had as accompaniment did little but shine the path two steps ahead of her. It gave neither heat nor comfort, and its light was barely sufficient at best. All said and done, Madison was just about ready to turn back.

But she already made it this far. If there was one thing about Madison, it was that she would much rather keep going than to have gone through such trouble only to turn back. In everything she did, she applied the same mentality, and it was no different when she was faced with the lonely streets of this massive – and terrifying – city. It was a blackout, one that had decided to hit when she was halfway to the convenience store ten minutes away from her house. At first, her instant thought was to run back home as fast as her feet could take her, knowing only too well what sort of evil crept out during the dark, but she dismissed the thought as soon as it came. Now and again – which really meant every other second – Madison contemplated giving into the fear but she stuck to her decision. Foolish, considering she was only on a mission to grab a few things she could wait for.

That didn’t stop her. Madison clutched the flashlight to her chest, holding it as tightly as she could. It shook, the dim yellow light dancing over the dusty paved sidewalk. At every sound, at every creak, Madison’s head whipped around, eyes darting as if, if she looked hard enough, she would spot someone lurking in the shadows. Her heart pounded in her chest, her skin was on fire, and she was already feeling the chill of the night seeping into her bones.

It was way too dark.

Almost there, Madison chanted in her head. She had no idea if it was true; she had no idea how much time actually passed, but it gave her comfort, although it wasn’t much. Just a few more steps.

In what felt like years, Madison finally reached the corner. As soon as she did, she saw the convenience store sitting snugly at the end of the street. The candles lit inside shone like a beacon in the darkness, dark yellow light shimmering brilliantly. Madison almost cried in relief. She set off running, resisting the urge to throw the dying flashlight away. She hoped she’d brought enough money to buy new batteries

The bell over the door rang upon her entrance. She was panting when she stepped into what felt like a sauna. Candles were everywhere, covering the cashier’s counter and lined up along the aisles. It was unbearably hot. Madison shuddered instantly. After stepping out of the cold, dark night just seconds before, her body broke out in cold sweat and she stripped her jacket off. She slung it over her shoulder as she waved to the cashier. The pudgy man ignored her.

Madison didn’t mind. She pulled her list out of her back pocket and grabbed a cart. She started down the aisles, throwing things in one by one. The now dead flashlight laid at the bottom, and Madison threw in some batteries. When she was done, she made her way back to the front.

“Good night,” she greeted the cashier with a smile.

The man didn’t answer her. He had earbuds in, bobbing his head to what sounded like metal music. He wore a black shirt with lightnings all over it under his work vest. The man got up from his chair and began cashing her items. Madison watched him as he paused in the process to pop a gum in his mouth, and then continue again.

“That’ll be fifteen fifty,” the man droned, chewing his gum open mouth.

Madison dug into her pocket and drew out fifteen dollars. “I only have fifteen,” she said apologetically. “I’m sorry, but could I owe you the next fifty cents? I really need these batteries to get home.”

The man only blinked as slow as a cat. “That’ll be fifteen fifty.”

“Uh, yes. I heard you the first time. But I don’t have the other fifty cents. Can I owe you?”

The man slow blinked again before sighing heavily. He looked down at the screen then back at Madison. “There are cheaper toilet paper rolls in aisle 2. You can pay for the batteries then.”

“Oh, yeah, I know. But I don’t like those. They’re kind of rough, don’t you think?”

Again, the man blinked.

“Okay … I get it.” Madison picked up the toilet paper roll and headed back down the aisle. She sauntered, eyes running up and down, side to side, searching. Dimly, she heard the ding of the bell above the entrance.

Right at the very end of the aisle, she found the cheap toilet paper. She picked it up with soft grimace. Just as she turned back to the cashier, she heard the words, “Give me all your money!”

Madison froze. Her face fell. The toilet paper fell out of her hand, landing silently onto the floor. She could hear someone before her, someone banging on the counter. Slowly, she backed up and peered around the corner into the other aisle that had a good view of the cashier.

Sure enough, a man dressed in all black was holding a gun to the cashier. The cashier was no longer chewing – Madison was pretty sure the gum had fallen out of his mouth – and his hands were in the air, his eyes wide with terror behind his wide rimmed glasses. Fear coated her tongue. She sank to the ground, watching wide eyed.

The cashier’s frozen state was obviously angering the robber. He banged his hands on the table again, cocking his gun higher. “I said, give me all your money! Now! All of yours and everything in the register. Come on! Move it!”

That got the cashier going. He fumbled to open the cash register. Shaking, he took the bag from the robber and began stuffing it with all the bills inside. Madison hands started trembling. She should have gone back home. She should have known criminals would start crawling out of their holes. It was a blackout, for God’s sake.

“You’re taking too damn long, man!” The robber was getting antsy now. He kept looking outside, as if someone would burst in on him at any moment. His hood kept falling from his head, which had him pulling it back on every second, and Madison could have sworn his hand was shaking.

Finally, the cashier managed to get all the money in the bag. The robber didn’t wait for him to hand it over. He reached over the counter and grabbed it from him, clutching it to his chest like it was his lifeline. He kept the gun held upright, still pointing at the cashier with his hands raised, as he inched his way to the door. He was almost there, almost free, but then the door opened.

Madison’s hand flew to her mouth to hold back her gasp when a man with a hood over his head entered. The robber whirled on him, aiming the gun in his face. “Get out of my way!”

The man didn’t answer. It had Madison biting her lip. Her heart was doing flip flops now.

“I said, get out of my way!” the robber screeched. The stranger still didn’t answer. His hood cast shadows over his face, obscuring the details. He stood still in the doorway, not moving a single inch. Not even a finger.

The robber was obviously getting freaked out. Madison could imagined was going through his head. The longer he stayed, the worse off he’d be. And the man standing at the door didn’t seem scared at all that a gun was in his face. Whether it was loaded or not, anyone would have been terrified. Madison was all the way at the back of the store and she was already close to peeing her pants.

“Do you want to get shot, man?” the robber screamed. His shaking hand shoved the gun closer into the still stranger’s face. He came near to him, puffing himself up to intimidate. “Don’t mess with me, man. This thing is loaded. I won’t hesitate to put a bullet in your brain if you don’t step out of the way right –”

The robber didn’t get a chance to finish. The stranger’s hand shot out and clamped around his throat. This time, Madison barely managed to hold back her gasp of horror. Even the cashier had his eyes bulging out of his head. The stranger’s hand squeezed around the robber’s neck. The robber struggled to breathe, dropping the gun so he could scratch and scrape his way to freedom. The stranger didn’t flinch. He didn’t even lift his head, even as his hand reached higher.

The robber was turning blue. Money forgotten, gun forgotten, he only wanted get out alive. Madison couldn’t bear to watch. She wanted to help, but she knew she couldn’t do anything. The stranger was choking another man with just one hand. There was something wrong with him; something off. He didn’t seem human and that scared Madison more than anything else.

Her need to help almost won out. She even rose to her feet, unable to bear watching anymore, but then something odd happened. The stranger’s head snapped up. The hood that shadowed his face fell back, revealing a clean-shaven head, black eyes … and no mouth. The stranger only sported a nose and a pair of eyes, eyes which were full deep pools of black that stared straight into the soul of the man he choked. The suffocating robber stopped fighting for a split second, before fear lit his eyes and he became more frantic. The blue began to turn purple.

The stranger smiled. Madison didn’t know how it was possible seeing that he had no mouth but there was no doubt about it. He smiled, in triumph. Then, suddenly, dark veins began to light his arm. They grew from his shoulder, stretching down the length of his forceps until they wrapped around his fingers. Then the robber began choking even more. A dark cloud surrounded him, as he choked and screamed, choked and screamed. His face became hollow; his body grew so thin, it was like skin over bone. His voice grew hoarse, stretching long, until the man threw him aside. His body had become so light, he flew all the way to the back of the store and landed right before Madison. She had to hold back her scream. Tears sprang forward when she saw his terrified eyes and open mouth.

The stranger’s hand fell to his side. He stared at the ground for a few seconds, then, his eyes snapped to the cashier. That spurred the pudgy man into action. When he saw that he was next, he wasted no time trying to run away. The man stalked forward, slowly, while the cashier scrambled to grab the fallen gun. He caught it just in time and sprang to his feet.

Three rounds went off. Madison flinched at every one of them.

The man paused. Then he continued walking.

Terrified, the cashier kept on shooting, round after round after round until the chamber was empty. By the time he came to that realization, the man was already upon him. He tried to run but the man grabbed him by the neck. This one was faster. A simple, loud snap that had his body crumbling to the floor and Madison crying in fear. She kept her hand over her mouth, to hold back her sobs. She watched the stranger kneel at the dead cashier, place his hand over his body and suck the life out of him until he was nothing but skin and bones like the robber.

Madison didn’t want to be next. She shuffled backwards, trying to keep out of line of sight. She was crying uncontrollably now and she didn’t know if she could hold back her sobs anymore. She kept shuffling backwards, trying to lose herself in the darkness, but then her back hit the back door too hard. It made a sound, a loud one.

Madison froze. She didn’t want to look around to see if he heard, but soon enough she didn’t have to. His footsteps sounded. Step after step, he came closer. Madison held her breath. She prayed – to whom, she didn’t know – but she kept doing so, hoping someone would hear. The footsteps grew louder as the man grew nearer. Soon, Madison was sure he was right before her and she was positive this was where she died.

Suddenly, the lights came back on. It burned her eyes, its brightness. The footsteps paused. Then they sounded again, growing fainter until she heard the ding of the entrance. Madison couldn’t even afford a breath of relief. She was full on crying, hands fumbling as she reached into her pocket for her phone. She dialed the police as fast as she could.

Madison could do nothing else but stare at the dead body beside her until they arrived. That was how they found her. Curled up with dried tears, staring lifelessly. It was only when they tried to help her up did she look away. She passed out soon after.

--

“What’s her name?”

“Niore Tentos, sir.” Regina Flash kept her hands clasped behind her back and her eyes trained forward as she answered. Her back remained stiff, even when her superior stepped further into the room – and closer to her. She could smell his expensive cologne wafting from his well-toned body, and her toes curled in her hard, black shoes. Jake Lincoln, chief superintendent of the Detrum City Police Department, was just as good looking as he was dedicated to his job.

“She’s the one you guys found on the crime scene?” Jake asked. He had rolled his sleeves up, arms crossed before him. With his legs braced apart, he stood staring at the girl through the one-way mirror, the one girl with the flashy hair and hard eyes. She ambled back and forth in the holding room, boredom written all over her face.

“Yes, sir. She was the one who called us.”

“What was her mental status?”

“Distraught, sir.”

“Yeah? Doesn’t seem like it now.” The girl looked anything but distraught. She kept walking back and forth, hands swinging beside her. She came up to the mirror, rapped her knuckles on them, then tapped on her empty wrist twice.

“Have you questioned her as yet?” Jake asked.

“No sir. We were waiting on your order.”

“You don’t need my order, sergeant. You should know how to take initiative.”

“Is that permission to question her, sir?”

“No, it’s not. You lost your chance so better luck next time.” To show he wasn’t trying to be too harsh, he patted her on her shoulder. Ever the stiff one, she turned to him and nodded, then faced the witness again. Jake cracked a tiny smile at her stuffiness. Regina Flash joined the task force a few months ago, an eager, dedicated woman with a tight mask. It didn’t take Jake long to figure out she was a tough nut to crack.

Before long, he was entering the holding room. The witness, Niore, turned to him upon his entrance.

“Took you long enough,” she grumbled. She walked over to the metal chair and sank into it. “Let’s get this over with.”

“You sound like you’re in a rush,” Jake commented, taking his seat before her.

She rolled her eyes. “I don’t like my time being wasted. You got some questions, then just ask them. I can’t stand when you guys keep me in here for hours like I’m a suspect or something.”

“Oh? You’ve been in a holding room before?”

“Once or twice. You got a smoke?”

“You’re not allowed to smoke in here.”

“That’s not what I asked you.”

Jake smiled. He stared at her for a moment, drinking in her nonchalant expression before he reached into his front pocket and withdrew a pack of smokes. He pushed one out and handed it to her. Niore pulled it out with two fingers. Jake pulled out his lighter and slid it across the table. Niore huffed a laugh before picking it up.

She’s interesting, Jake thought. A tough cookie, wrapped in an odd appearance. Her hair was long. From roots to half way down, it was jet black. Then from halfway down to the ends of her hair, it was pure white. It was straight, thick, and held up in a tight ponytail. Even so, she was wearing a pair of tight jeans and a pink frilly shirt. Her jacket was slung over the back of her chair.

Niore slid the lighter back to him. She took a deep drag. “Ask away, pretty boy.”

“Pretty boy?”

“I’m sure you’ve heard it before.”

“Not from a nineteen-year-old.”

“Not in front of your face, then. Come on, I don’t have any time to waste. I haven’t been here for a while and I don’t want to spend most my time in this metal box.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing. You’re going to question me or what?”

Jake chuckled. He leaned back in his chair. “What were you doing at the convenience store?”

“Picking up some things.”

“At eight in the night during a blackout?”

“Do I look like someone who’s afraid of the dark?” she asked, cocking her head to the side. She blew more smoke out her nose. “Chill, pretty boy. The blackout hit when I was already halfway there.”

“And you kept going?”

“No. I went back home, went to my bed and this is all one big annoying dream.”

“Got it. Can you tell me what happened?”

Niore sighed, blowing more smoke. She crushed the cigarette on the table then flicked it away. “I don’t know what happened.”

“What do you mean you don’t know what happened?”

“Did I stutter?”

Jake sighed. “Please clarify, Ms. Tentos. Weren’t you the one who called us?”

Niore only shrugged. “I walked in and saw them like that.”

“So, you’re saying you didn’t witness anything.”

“Pretty much.”

“Then why are you here, Ms. Tentos?”

“You tell me, pretty boy.” Niore leaned over the table. Her eyes were odd. A full black color that didn’t lighten in the slightest, even when they were hit by the overhead light. “Why the hell am I here?”

Jake leaned closer. Their noses came inches apart. “I don’t believe you.”

They stayed like that for a while. Tension built between the two, held together by the cord of defiance in Niore’s eyes. He could see the annoyance mounting in them and he fed off it. She might not look like an easy person to deal with, but Jake was almost positive he could wear her down.

Finally, she leaned back. Her foot began shaking beneath the table, and she crossed her arms. “What are you?”

Jake leaned back too and regarded her with cool eyes. “What do you mean, Ms. Tentos?”

“What are you? The boss here? A regular officer?”

“I don’t see why that matters right now.”

“It matters because I don’t know why I’m wasting my time with a stiff neck like you. Get me someone who’s opinion carries some weight around here.”

Jake couldn’t help but laugh. “You know that isn’t any way to talk to an officer of the law, right?”

Niore just rolled her eyes. She scraped the chair back and stood. Jamming her hands into her jeans, she began walking around the room. “Did I hurt your feelings?”

He didn’t answer for a moment. She was a bottle full of agitation, he noticed. She couldn’t keep herself still. From smoking a cigarette she probably didn’t even want, to shaking her foot beneath the table, to this. She was hiding something.

“Let’s get back to the matter at hand, shall we?” Jake said. “Niore Tentos –”

“Don’t call my full name.”

“Niore Tentos, what happened on the night of November 2 at Huntsman Convenience Store on Cambrin Street?”

“I don’t know, pretty boy.”

“You really don’t know, Ms. Tentos?”

She turned to him. “I don’t know. Now, can I leave?”

Neither spoke. Jake pursed his lips, stared her down. She stood near the door now, black eyes building with something akin to anger. She folded her arms and returned his stare, eye for eye, intensity for intensity. Built like a model with long legs and a slim waist, Jake knew she was no stranger to male attention. Even so, she was skinny, sporting no muscles and looking especially tame in her pink frilly shirt.

Jake didn’t mind seeing her get agitated. The more restless she became, the easier it’d be to crack her open. But he knew the rules. “Fine, Ms. Tentos. If what you say is true, then you’re free to leave. I’ll be contacting you if we ever need your assistance in the future.”

“Don’t bother me again, pretty boy. I do have a life.” Niore gestured to the door with an impatient shake of her head.

Jake went over and opened it. “Stay safe out there, Ms. Tentos.”

Niore was already whizzing past him, a flash of black and white hair. She flipped him the finger and disappeared.