Dark Ties

In a long forgotten alley way of black, where dampness rained as a king, moss grew in the cracks of bricks stacked upon one another; a prison, for the inhabitants it surrounded. No single detail could describe the sheer dread swirling around the air, pure darkness encompassed the scene. This place had been home to Kathleen for a few short months, after addiction and death had claimed her only known family.

A wisp of a girl, she huddled inside a dampened cardboard box; the words Fed-ex printed along the side, faded with time. The shelter appeared as sickly as she.

Under the torn rags of cloth, she shivered, skin raw from exposure. Glued to her face, her hair was matted together with trash and twigs and who knows what else. A grudge of hatred and fear fumed from her. It nearly overpowered the already intense disparity of her surroundings. Yet despite that, her eyes cut through the bleak, black hole that had become her life.

A beautifully intense cold blue; crystal clear in that hell.

Funny, how it’s the littlest things that can save our lives. An older man of about forty had decided to go out for a morning walk. He happened by that alley merely on a whim. One quick glimpse to his right and he almost disregarded the mess of a girl. And he may not have taken much more notice, but in a chance of fate, Kathleen had looked briefly in his direction. If it wasn’t for those damned blue eyes

He approached her; taking care not to touch any of the grime that might stain his pressed white suit, while his hand stretched forward with fondness and warmth. He struggled to gaze upon her face, covered by the shadows that enveloped it.

“Come to me darling” He whispered in a gentle caring tone.

She watched as several people passed by without so much as a glance in their direction. Then looking back at the strange man, whose whiskered smile seemed to cut through her fear, curiosity caught her by the tail. It felt like a rope was pulling her from the dingy box that had been her only protection from the world. She moved toward the man’s hand, believing any end that might possibly befall her could be no worse than what might come if she chose to stay in the heap she had lived for the past few months.

“What is your name child?” his voice as sweet as an angel’s.

“Kathleen” she whispered hoarsely. She had not spoken for days, and her voice had grown weak.

“What a beautiful name for such a beautiful child.” He cooed, “Are you alone?”

She shied away for a moment, then returned, “Yes”

The man’s smile grew wider. His teeth almost matching the color of his obnoxiously bright suit, “Here, take my hand, I will take care of you Kathleen”

Hesitant, she stared at the man, unsure of whether he could or not be trusted. After a moment of consideration though, her grime covered hand reached out and took his. It was warm and soft, but most of all, it felt safe. He chuckled and turned, walking her from the alley way and toward the street. As they left the hole she had called home, the sun burst through the overcast and shone brightly down on them.

She was sure everything would be alright as a black car, one like she had never seen before, approached. The world around her grew blindingly bright as the car’s rear door opened to another black hole and she climbed in.

Inside the car Kathleen was amazed by how spacious it was; the man sat a foot or so away from her on the black cowhide seat, with room to move even further. After a time he pulled a large cigar from somewhere beneath his coat, and lighting it, his smile slowly disappeared. The scent of fresh leather and cigar smoke began to fill her nostrils, casting a nauseating sleepiness onto her already weary eyelids.

“Sleep child, sleep” the man whispered putting a hand on her shoulder with a pat. She took this as a sign of assurance that she was being carried away from the darkness that had befallen her before. Her eyes closed, and a slight smile grew across her face as she began to dream of all the adventures that awaited her. Somewhere in those early moments of sleep, a grimacing chuckle echoed.

Images of a Knight with a lance capable of splitting clouds, and separating a Dragons chest to save the Princess, danced in her head. She dreamt of a huge sun, one she knew would never set behind the hills. And of fields so encased in rows of flowers; ruby red, banana yellow, even colors she couldn’t name, that the children prancing about them could get lost if they fell down. But most of all, she dreamt of her mother rocking her within her embrace, whispering of a never coming night.

“My little Kathleen, are you awake?” The voice was warm and flowed with a touch of love, rekindling the image of her mother.

Kathleen smiled as she opened her eyes; unsure of how long she’d been asleep, or where she was. She blinked rapidly, trying to adjust from sleepiness and asses her bearings. There was a light, but not sunlight, no this was too dim and unnatural. As her eyes became accustomed to the low glare, she could see there were no Knights of honor carrying lances able to separate the clouds and darkness from the sky, or Princess’ running through unnaturally colored fields with children laughing. Her mother was nowhere to be found.

Beyond the light was a void. She could make out small spikes along the roof above, water dripping from them like drool in a monsters mouth. The enclosure appeared damp and rough. Every shade of brown and black colored the walls. She turned on her side; behind was a barrier of grey cement with one large metal door set in the middle, the only entrance to the tomb.

A wave of horror rushed over her, the realization that she was now trapped somewhere far worse than before.

A scrape from behind broke Kathleen from her daze, her head snapped toward the abyss, her heart jumping from the depths of her stomach and into her throat with fear. Another noise, like something being drug across the ground and closing in on her. Kathleen trembled, frozen in fear. An abstract outline formed from the pitch black, almost the size of her own body. Then a face, not unlike her own; grime covered, young and feminine, with eyes as wide as the sky. Filled to the brim with fear and lost in confusion.

Behind that girl, came another, and another. Kathleen could tell they all looked similar to her; Small, frail girls, ragged with suppression. Their clothes were different types of fabrics, presumably what they were wearing when taken, but, after sleeping in the dirt and excrement, had become almost identical. Practically clones created by a never ending abyss of neglect.

Not one of them was within her grasp, so who had spoken to her so easily? She thought for a moment before she realized; the shadows had spoken to her through dreams. She was surrounded by darkness and it reigned supreme. This was the only home should would ever know.

“Another” one of the girls growled.

“New meat” someone else said in a cracked whisper.

“Ha-ha she’ll be broken in.” cried the first girl, moving closer toward Kathleen.

Whispers came from the horde in many tones and voices. Echoing off the walls, the clamor caused a swarm around Kathleen’s head like a flock of pigeons. One of the girls hissed and they all spun together, scurrying back into the depths where they had come.

What were they talking about? She had no idea. Kathleen’s mind was in a flurry trying to come up with answer when something touched her shoulder. It was warm and hard and it clutched like an eagle’s claw. She turned in fear and began to kick away before she could register what was happening. But it was to no avail. Her capture simply wrapped her legs in twine, flipped her helpless body over and tied her arms together behind her back.

A warm voice, belonging only to an angel, crept into her ear, “It’s your turn.”