Darkness

"Just look how the ashes slowly fall out of my cigarette, and gently hit the floor, ha if only that were true." The interviewer then says in a resenting tone. "Sir uh your story can we get back to that?" Marty quietly says, "exhilarating, freedom, adventure, life. These were the words that the young 'wide eyed' me would use when talking about climbing. But people change much like mountains do, slow and methodically but change none the less. We were young, careless, free, and ready to do anything. Now Leo and I grew up together, we were basically brothers. One day Leo and I were climbing up a small cliff face, about 1,500 feet up; we made it to the top. Leo looks at me and says." "We can do better, I just know we can, Marty we can conquer Everest!" Now he and I have been talking about that climb for years, and I could not have agreed with him more, we were ready."

That following weekend Leo and I were visiting my brother Mark down in Colorado. Mark was nowhere near as experienced as Leo and I when it came to climbing. But he had heard that Leo and I were going to climb Everest he was begging to come along." The interviewer then noticed Marty whispers something to himself "why.....why did I... Oh sorry shall we continue? Where was I ah yes." Now at first I said no but Leo promised that he would look over him. And Mark insisted that he could hold himself up their so I had to say yes.

5 long anxious months of constant preparation passed in the blink of an eye. Then before I knew it, I was packing my bags for that momentous trip. It was the night before we flew to Nepal, I could heard Mark tossing and turning, he like us all was nervous. Leo, well this was the type of thing he lived for so he was sound asleep. So days go by and we land in Nepal, I looked at Everest in all of its primal power, God like really. For this climb more that ever we study the mountain's maps, which showed the best paths to climb. We studied that map for 2 days straight. Mainly to calm our nerves; ever Leo was getting nervous. The next day I woke up very early and sat looking out the wind and looked at the mountain, my destiny, glory, infamy.

We arrived at the bottom of the mountain Leo said in a uncommon tone "welp hahah uh we made it." Shockingly my brother was the first to start the walk toward the mountain. He didn't say a word, not to me not Leo he just walked with some false sense of safety. We were about 2 hours into our claim. And we have not even started ascending. I would say it took 12 hours to reach the first major climb; we had to go up a vertical face about 1,000 feet. Half way through the climb the wind picks up, swinging us pushing us. I remember saying "the mountain...even she gasps for air." Then like it started it was over for no reason and
without warning. We all had a good laugh.

The first check point, the feelings we had had when we saw this check point were whole heated and strong. Normally one would know if they are at a check point by a marker in the map but no...we..we saw graves. 10 of them 10 bodies of climbers before us, humans reduced to frozen skeletons. Reminders of our own humanity and mortality. So we had to make a decision to either say here or try and brave the in coming storm and try to make it to the next check point. So of all people Mark made the call to push on. Now the real climb began we had to basically run up the mountain, we had to run from the lurking darkness that the night carried. Closer and closer it was getting consuming everything in its path. There we were finally at the checkpoint. We could finally slow down so we did, we some how slept. The next day we took our time climbing the 2,000 foot face of the wall. Well at first Leo and I did, Mark was 20 feet ahead of us. Leo was right next to me; he grabbed my arm and looked at me. I was thinking he was in trouble. He was but in physically, Leo in a tired voice said. "Marty, I've gone through life holding back only one thing, my story." I said "Leo what are you talking about?" Leo said "Marty, my family I have never told you about my family."

Leo in a relived tone said. "When I was younger my mom and dad we killed in a fire, I was in the same house but I survived. Just one night I heard screams. After that I went to live with my extended family, my life was the same more or less. But when I met you I felt like I had a real family again then you showed me climbing and how much fun and can be. You helped me accept that my family had died and that I was saved because I was met for a higher purpose. Leo it was you that brought me here, to climb this mountain is my destiny."

Then the wind picked up more than ever Mark had made it to the top before is so he was the safest. The wind was blowing very hard throwing is around. Then....then it happens Leo's rope got caught on a sharp rock and snapped. He unlike the ashes from my cigarette fell fast and was consumed by the darkness that had been with us the whole time but no one had noticed. Then my rope was caught so my brother started to come down and he helped me up to the top. At this point I was where it was safe but Mark was still on the cliff face but the darkness that took Leo was now creeping onto Mark. Going up his leg to his rope and then crack.

Hahah just like poor old Leo my brother was consumed by the darkness, his rope was cut my the darkness." The interviewer then said. "Marty what do you mean the darkness cut his rope and Leo's rope, what is this darkness?" Marty then said. "Well Doctor Frost, some might say that I and the darkness are one, hahah let me out of this room and I'll tell you." Then the doctor from behind the glass then says to a fellow doctor. "Yes he is defiantly suffering from a care of schizophrenia or split-personality." As Dr. Frost being to walk away he hears Marty yell . "I killed them it was me" he said this in a remorseful tone "the darkness is me I'm the darkness, we are one we killed as one..."