The Darkness came for me when I was seven.
Ever since that night , I had always been terrified of the dark , sleeping with the lights on , and when I got older , popping caffeine pills like they were candy , because I was afraid to close my eyes. I still am.
I knew there was nothing to be afraid of. Darkness is nothing more than the absence of light. But there are things that live in the darkness that should be feared. Things that can drive you mad if you were to look them in the face. Because you would be looking into the face of madness and insanity.
Some people believe in the devil. Others believe that we are responsible for the evil in this world. What most of us don't realize , is that there are things in this world that are far more evil than the darkness that abides in the human soul. Things foul and disgusting. Things of madness and nightmare. They live in the darkness ; they hide in the shadows , so we cannot see them. If we did , the mere sight of them would be enough to drive us insane. They are afraid of the light , like some of us fear the dark. They influence our dreams ; they are the cause of our nightmares. They are responsible for the evil in this world.
Every once in a while , they will venture from their world , their dimensional plane into ours , to take some of us. Always children , never adults. Children are the most susceptible to their influence , the most easily frightened. Those they cannot easily influence , such as most adults , they attempt to control through dreams. Those they cannot prey upon , they drive insane. These tortured souls become murderers , and child predators.
I first encountered the Darkness when I was seven.
I was a frail , skinny kid afraid of almost anything , including my own shadow. But it wasn't until after my first encounter that I developed a fear of the dark , and it has remained with me ever since.
One night , after falling asleep , I woke up , needing to empty my bladder. But I found myself not in my bed. I was in a strange place. An alien world. It was cold and dark. There were greyish walls that dripped and oozed a disgusting greyish slime. The ground beneath me was also covered with the stuff. It had a putrid odor.
At first I thought I might be dreaming , but at that age I was able to distinguish dreams from waking life , and this was no dream. I noticed a faint , dull light that seemed to emanate from the floor and the walls. Getting to my feet , I discovered that my entire body , from head to toe , was covered in the weird slime. It had even gotten into my mouth. It tasted disgusting. I wanted to vomit. Instead , I spat it out , and looked at my hands. It felt as disgusting as it tasted. It stuck to my hands as stubborn as spider silk ; no amount of shaking or wiping , would get rid of it all.
Looking around at the slime covered walls , I realized that the light came not from them , but the slime itself. And since I was covered with it , it was coming from me as well! I shuffled toward the nearest wall , hoping to discover a way out. However , the closer I seemed to get , the farther the wall seemed to recede , as things have a way of doing in dreams. But this was no dream. I was awake and getting desperate to find a way out.
It wasn't long before I heard the screams ... and the other sounds. Sounds I had never heard before , and hoped never to hear again. I can only describe them as strange whispering ; eager and hungry. The screams were faint and far off , but the strange whispering was closer , much closer. So close , in fact , that it seemed to be right behind me.
For a moment , my heart seemed to stop , then beat like a jack hammer. My only thought was to get out of there. It was then that I noticed a faint light , like the beginning of sunrise. I began to run toward it. I ran for all I was worth , my small legs pumping like the cylinders of an engine. I was aware that my feet made disgusting squishing noises in the slime , as I ran.
