Chapter One: The Beginning
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THE BEGINNING
Tucked away from city lights and busy streets, a pleasant, prosperous town, called Troutwine Springs, located in Pennsylvania, bustles suburban life. A place where nearly every storefront showcases their history and pride wavers on almost every porch. Homes lined along endless strips of road, each no different from the next. Only the grandest of houses located on winding streets offer a unique structure to look onto. Solid, luxurious homes built for comfort. Our story begins at the location of one of these enchanting dwellings. Owned by a married couple, as common as any, enjoyment for the simplicity of their community is what encourage this family of four to move in.
It was a summers day in Troutwine Springs. The sun was shining, birds were singing, and busy footsteps filled the streets. Yet, something was different about this ordinary day. It was the discovery of a rare book at an antique store in town. A discovery made by Jonathan, the couples fourteen year old son. I say unique for this book was not your typical reading book, for any book that I have read, never truly brought to life their reading words like this one.
Like any young adult, discovering something rare but new, Jonathan was eager to return home, rushing past his mother, straight to his room, barricading the door shut. Regardless for closing his bedroom door, the twelve chimes coming from their Grandfather clock on the main floor reached Jonathan’s ears. All the while, sun-beams of light enriched the teenagers darkened room. A room of great size. Sure he could have shared this space with his younger brother, but who would want to share a room with an infant, leaving Jonathan the pleasure of enjoying all the extra space to himself.
Resting on the edge of his bed, Jonathan’s eyes scanned the book’s mysterious cover. A latching system securing it contents, bearing a glass-like surface. He placed the book on his lap as a ray of golden light playfully provoked its blood red surface to swirl about, encouraging Jonathan to glide his fingers across the books haunted cover, resting them at one of its sharply crafted corners causing him to inhale a deep breath due to the sudden pinch of pain coming from his finger. Like many cuts marked on skin, unavoidable, splotches of his blood fell. With little concern, Jonathan held his bloody finger over the book’s surface. Drop after drop this blood of life spread to the book’s four corners. Once complete, the latches dark abyss came alive by an awakening eye glaring at him, as symbols emerged, revealing its mysterious existence. Never before had he seen such a lively book, not to mention the one eye wonder.
Focusing on such an impressive cover, Jonathan could see his reflection peeking back at him; at the same time, confirming the fulfillment of blood-thirst this book required. Removing his finger, he suddenly heard what sounded like a beating heart coming from the book’s depth, enticing Jonathan to a new frame of thought. Cautiously he opened the book to the sound of his heartbeat merged with its pantomime thumping. Instantly, a gust of dampening wind greeted him, carrying the moaning and whispering sounds of dark voices. Sounds, he never heard before. Taken back by such greetings, he was graced by a new craft of dark beauty, of pitch black sheets of paper with letters of gold. Unable to pull his attention away, he pressed on, flipping through the pages until his eyes fell upon one grabbing his attention. With each elegant stroke, these golden letters formed the title, Where Evil Dwellers Dwell. To Jonathan, it appeared as if this book was a journal that someone or some-thing created. But for what cause or purpose he did not know, and of course, the only way to find out was to read which Jonathan began to so.
Deep within this dark place where pure evil bubbles and resides, souls scream in agony with their broken voices in hopes of reaching the ground above. But no matter how hard they may try, this majesty of evil, this place to which these creatures with no faces, grab the flesh and bite at the skin from the bones of their committed dammed, maintain their grip. Further down into this labyrinth of torment, more evil things dwell.” He could hear a voice say, “Eventually, you will go mad in your solitude and, in the end, the suffering and the torture will overcome you.
With bewildered and confused eyes, Jonathan was pulled back into the reality of his room. He took a moment catching up to his racing brain. His mind that heard the terrible cries of mentioned damned, as well as the gruesome images of his reading words. Words that not only pulled its young reader beyond its message but stole a piece of his life source. Never had he embraced words describing such an unforgiving place. An underground haven for demons. Continuing, he found himself at ease with the evil, hellish words. Hungering for more, Jonathan carried on, knowing not the darkness he allowed into his soul. Darkness that would surely overtake him in ways he never dreamt imaginably.
