The Broken

by A. L. Frances

  No response. His eyes become overcast and heavy. His temples start to throb and the fear of the unknown is getting too much for him to bear. Feeling more vulnerable than ever, Matthew looks dead ahead; still, he sees nothing but darkness. The only sound is of his breath as it leaves his body. He tries bravely to suppress the fear he feels. Finding his inner courage, he shouts, “Hello, can anyone hear me?”

  He doesn’t know whether to feel relieved by the deadly silence or even more fearful as the evil presence surrounding him appears to be getting stronger. Not knowing who, or what, owns this energy, but feeling as though it isn’t the blessing from the Lord Christ himself, Matthew breathes in and closes his eyes. His legs become weak. Desperately trying to dig deep and locate every inch of his inner strength so he doesn’t collapse, Matthew looks down at his appearance. He’s still wearing the green and white checked pyjama pants and he can just make out the flesh showing at the bottom from his bare feet. Looking beyond his body, he appears to be standing on nothing. No floor. No ceiling. It’s as though he’s floating on a jet-black blanket of air, standing alone in the universe with no stars, no planets, just an abyss of nothing, as though life itself never existed.

  Imprisoned by his own thoughts, Matthew absorbs the fear this evil entity is feeding his mind. Closing his eyes, he says, “Come on, Matthew, it’s all in your head. You just need to wake up.”

  Opening his eyes, he fiercely begins shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want from me?”

  Surrendering to the darkness, he lies down, a broken man. He’s completely unaware of the deception he has so cunningly been thrown into. Such a calculated and scheming trap. Unknowingly, Matthew has converted to the evil entity’s desires. This once strong man is now a victim to the shackles of his own mind. He sobs gently, holding his head in his hands with his eyes still closed. Suddenly he hears a female voice echoing towards him.

  “Do you like to play games, Mr Honey?”

  Lifting his head from out of his hands, the only desire Matthew has right now is to break free and find his daughter. And so, he chooses to say nothing.

  Again, he hears, “Do you like to play games, Mr Honey? Ring a’ Ring o’ Roses—”

  “What do you want from me?” he interrupts with saliva flying uncontrollably from his mouth, irritated by the suggested games.

  There is a long pause. Suddenly, he hears an echo resonating in the distance. This calms him slightly as his aggression subsides. Closing his eyes and tuning in his ears, he soon works out, it’s him. His own voice is mockingly echoing around him. Placing his head back into his hands, he closes his eyes. No sooner has he shut off his sight, Matthew’s mind begins to project a disturbing memory. He hears the screams of his innocent young Eve. He sees her face as she watches her mum collide with the ground, covered in her own blood. Distraught by this vision, he covers his ears and screams out in agony, “Eve!”

  A pungent stench once again begins to take over his nostrils and explore the back of his throat. Matthew chokes on the metallic taste. Curled up, he feels as though someone has taken a blade to his organs and they’re slowly ripping through each one. There is nowhere to turn and not a glimmer of hope in sight. Eventually the teasing female voice reappears.

  “Don’t cry, Mr Honey, your purpose is aligned – you will soon receive your fate.”

  With these words, the female entity releases a psychotic laugh. The insane laughter begins embedding itself inside Matthew’s eardrums, and as it circulates, it implants its unwanted existence deep within his mind. Matthew screams louder and louder, in a desperate attempt to drown it out. Tears form in his eyes and fall down his face. “Let me out… Let me out… Let me out…” he screams.

  Feeling exposed, weak and vulnerable, he lies on his side, his knees tucked to his chest and his hands stuck to his ears, desperately attempting to prevent the psychotic laughter from entering further into his mind. Squeezing his eyes together tightly, he feels as though he’s crying thick tears of blood. And then, for the second time, his mind goes blank and there is only nothingness.

  Matthew leaps forward with a sudden gasp. He’s unexplainably in his own bed, soaking wet from head to toe, wearing nothing but his boxer shorts. He tries to call out to Eve, but he’s lost his voice.

  The room is empty. The perfectly painted white walls appear bright as the sun peers through the gap in the curtains. The mood in the room is calm and still.

  Touching his face and wiping the sweat off his head, Matthew lies back and coughs as he struggles to clear his dry throat. He reaches for the glass of water on the bedside table and takes a sip, wondering whether he is losing his mind. Still in a daze, he begins to wonder where Eve is. He pushes his legs out from underneath the bedsheets. They suddenly feel stiff and heavy. He shuffles to the side of the four-poster bedframe, feeling as if he has almost no energy, and slowly slumps to the floor. His sight becomes blurry. Gradually he raises his head. Feeling pathetic, Matthew lies with his head on the edge of his bed. He’s so tired. The entrapment begins to replay in his mind; he hears the psychotic laughter of the woman and her teasing words as they play on repeat in his head, like a scratched disk.

  Another undesired memory surfaces. He sees Lauren’s soulless face and cracked skull flash in his mind. Closing his eyes tight, he shakes his head in a desperate attempt to remove this image from his vision. As soon as he opens his eyes once more, Matthew’s mind projects another image. It’s Eve. She’s curled up on the ground next to her dead mum, uncontrollably crying. With salvia running down her chin and fluid gushing from her nose, she’s screaming, “Mum, come back to me, I’m sorry. Mum, please, don’t go. Somebody do something. Dad, save her.”

  Reliving this horrific moment, suddenly he sees himself, and he’s not helping or doing anything to save his wife; he’s frozen on the ground next to her battered body and isn’t moving. He closes his eyes again to remove the image. Matthew’s determined this time he isn’t going to surrender and become frozen with fear. Pushing himself up using all the upper body strength he can, slowly he rises off the ground. Now standing on his feet, he manages to steadily take one step at a time as he gradually makes his way across to the bedroom door.

  Exhausted and fragile, finally he reaches the wooden doorframe. Instantly, he loses his balance and collapses whilst still holding onto the golden doorknob. Mentally drained, he quietly begins to sob as he presses his head against the wall. He hears voices clearly in his mind. Female voices. But the tone isn’t haunting, sad or full of sorrow, it’s laughter; it’s happy, joyous laughter.

  It’s Eve. He can hear her. Hearing her voice is like an injection of life administered directly into his veins. Dragging himself up, he attempts to stand once again and this time he triumphs. Gathering enough strength, he reaches out and successfully opens the bedroom door. Feeling a sharp pain shoot up his right arm, Matthew lets go of the golden doorknob and looks into the palm of his hand. He sees the four deep cuts which are spread out and shaped like a cross.

  Matthew glances down to his chest. The white chain along with the cross is gone. All that remains in its place are tiny spots of what he believes is his own blood mixed with a small amount of his chest hair. He hasn’t taken the chain off since the day Lauren gave it to him almost four years ago, on their final Valentine’s day together.

  Hoping the chain came off in bed and is in his bedsheets, Matthew is now standing in the hallway. The mood is the complete opposite of the last time he stood in this very same spot. It’s now bright, airy and filled with life. The pure white painted walls are complimented beautifully by the exquisite bright pieces of art hanging perfectly parallel on the walls.

  Suddenly he hears Eve. She’s laughing away downstairs. Still unsteady on his feet, he slowly places one foot in front of the other. Feeling slightly weaker than before, Matthew approaches the top of the spiral staircase.

  Standing like a statue, looking to the task
in front of him, he sees each step beginning to stretch out. His breathing rate changes, becoming out of sync with his body. He has an overwhelming sense of nausea and becomes light-headed as the ground beneath him spins. Daunted by the challenge the staircase presents him with, he suddenly hears Eve’s voice getting closer. His heart begins to warm and his eyes form tears of relief as he sees her. She has appeared from the kitchen looking cheery, well rested and full of life. Satisfied now that he has seen his daughter, and thankfully she’s okay, Matthew collapses on the top step. Grabbing the metal rail as he falls, he places his head on the cold, metal bars.

  “It was just a dream,” he says quietly to himself.

  Relief sinks in as he hears Eve shout out to someone, “My God, Dad. Help, quickly, he’s collapsed…”

  As he opens his eyes slightly, daylight beams through the glass surrounding the front door, and glows like a torch into his eyes. Squinting and in somewhat of a daze, he can just make out Eve’s worried and concerned face. With his vocal chords still refusing to resume to their normal tone, he sounds as though he’s losing his life.

  “Eve, there you are. Please, I’ve been looking for you.”

  Again, he hears Eve speaking to someone in a panic. But he doesn’t know who it is.

  “Help me, please. I think we should take him to the hospital. Dad. Can you hear me?”

  Matthew hears a familiar voice in the distance.

  “Matthew…”

  Peering through the tiny slits in his eyes, he sees a woman walking up the staircase and heading towards him with a sliver shimmer. He notices a beautiful star-like glisten around the woman’s neck. Almost instantly, his expression becomes happy. “Lauren,” he says hoarsely, reaching out his arms. “Lauren – it’s really you. You came back.”

  “What’s happening…?” Eve says, sounding panicked.

  The woman he believes is Lauren kneels at the side of him on the step. Still smiling, Matthew turns to face her. The daylight isn’t as bright anymore and as he opens his eyes fully, he sees the truth. It’s not Lauren, it’s not his soul mate, it’s a very concerned-looking Jess, with a locket around her neck glistening away, and next to her kneels a scared and concerned-looking Eve. Turning to Jess, confused, Matthew says, “I don’t understand, what’s going on?” Looking to his daughter he continues, “Eve…”

  But, before Eve has time to answer, Jess says, “It’s okay, Matthew, don’t worry, you just had a bit of a strange turn last night. I think it was a bad dream. You were randomly shouting in your sleep and dripping with sweat.”

  “But I don’t understand, Eve, you… weren’t you… your skin turned grey, and you were in trouble. Eve, your eyes. They were black, and you had black blood down your face.”

  Eve stops her dad. “Dad, honestly, I’m fine. Like Jess said, it was a bad dream – nothing to worry about with me.” Holding her dad’s hand, she continues, “It’s you I’m worried about.”

  Confused, he’s in a slight panic as both Jess and Eve are practically confirming that he’s, in fact, losing his mind. Matthew turns to Jess in the hope of receiving some form of reassurance.

  “Jess, you were there, you were just as petrified as I was.”

  Immediately, Jess turns to face Eve. She nods her head and Eve, again, speaks up. “Dad – seriously, it was just a nightmare. I’m fine, you’re fine, Jess is fine—”

  Matthew interrupts. “Hang about… When did you two become best friends?”

  Still kneeling on the staircase, Eve, who was staring at Jess, turns back to look at her dad. She stands and reaches out to lift him from off the step.

  “Dad, come on, don’t worry about that, we’re fine. You need to concentrate on getting better. Now, let’s take you back to bed. Time to rest.”

  Helping her dad to stand, Eve carries him up the stairs.

  Reaching his room, she guides her dad and places him on his bed. Positioning herself at his bedside, she gently begins to stroke his face.

  “Dad, I love you. Please rest and promise me you’ll stay in bed.”

  “Okay, darling, I promise.”

  Matthew’s just as concerned for his own wellbeing. He’s confused, exhausted and simply desires nothing more than to feel himself again. Slowly surrendering to the bed, he can feel himself about to drift off.

  “Will you be okay?”

  Stroking back her dad’s hair, Eve whispers, “Of course I will. Jess is all right, and, well, to be honest, you really gave her a fright last night. She was so scared. And, well, between the pair of us, Dad, I’m kind of surprised she’s still here.”

  Now more confused than ever, he begins to question himself. Was it really just a nightmare? It felt so real. Looking down, he can still see the cuts on his hand. Eve holds him tight. As she lets go, she cups his face and says one final word, “Sleep.”

  Sinking into the mattress, the soft Egyptian cotton sheets embracing his skin, Matthew’s eyelids begin to close as all his energy leaves his body. With one final glance, he sees Eve leaving the room and as she closes the door behind her, he notices a bandage on her left arm. But it’s too late. He whispers, “Eve.” He’s out…

  Once again, Matthew is falling back into the darkness with his eyes firmly closed. No sooner has he escaped the traumatic nightmare than he’s back. Locked within his own mind. Falling deeper and deeper into the abyss of his inner soul, he becomes paralysed with fear. He’s falling into the jet-black, no longer in control of the movements of his body. Like a helpless individual who drowns at the hands of the vicious parts of the sea, Matthew’s drowning at the hands of his soul. It’s as though his spinal cord has been removed from his skeleton. Motionless, deflated, collapsing, Matthew surrenders himself. Within a few short seconds of his helpless submission, a powerful force awakens around him.

  With one final descent, his body has sunk. He’s no longer falling. He lands in a seated position. His eyes closed, Matthew feels an overwhelming surge of anxiety regarding his fate. Frozen to his surroundings and feeling suffocated, Matthew once again feels an energy surging through his veins. This powerful sinister energy field is letting him know, yet again, he’s not alone.

  His nerves slowly begin to activate, enhancing his ability to feel pain. His eyes closed, he breathes deeply. His lungs stretch and aren’t even close to their maximum capacity. Suddenly, Matthew’s chest becomes tight. It’s as though someone’s sat suppressing his ribcage as he takes each breath. The strong sensation from the movement of his chest feels extremely intense. Matthew’s in agony. It feels like each individual rib is snapping and piercing its way through the layers of tissue surrounding his lungs. He’s struggling to breathe.

  He is in excruciating pain and at a huge disadvantage as he is unable to influence, or control, any movement of his body. The powerful presence he has surrendered himself to is leading all his senses. Suddenly, the muscles and nerves behind his eyes begin twitching. His eyelids uncontrollably flicker. Paralyzed, Matthew’s aware he isn’t creating this spasm. In a desperate attempt to keep his eyes closed and wanting to stay away from the reality that’s present before him, Matthew tries to battle against the movement, but he’s unsuccessful. His eyes pop open as if someone has ripped his eyelids apart. He’s unable to fight it any longer. He can feel each wriggling blood vessel in his eyes as his pupils dilate and adjust to the light that is appearing in the distance.

  As he regains his sight, Matthew realises he can control the movement of his eyes. He puts all his focus on the light that’s forming in the distance. The strange single beam looks like a small star in the sky at night. Unwillingly Matthew begins to accept his fate. But before this acceptance takes over, he unexpectedly hears a voice present in his captured mind. Entirely restrained at the hands of this torturous, evil presence, he turns his attention to the voice he hears so clearly. He’s quick to realise, yet again, it’s his own voice. He feels no connection to the word
s, or the tone, whatsoever. The characteristics are almost unrecognisable. The words Matthew hears himself speaking are, “Whatever my fate, I ask you to free me – if death is in my cards, please let my soul know she’s gone with no return. If life is in my cards, please let my soul live free and tell me how I can bring her back.”

  Remaining completely paralysed and unable to speak, Matthew questions what this could mean.

  Wondering whether he’s receiving some form of clue, Matthew tries to piece things together.

  “Bring her back to me. Lauren’s gone.”

  He’s quiet, as though he’s waiting for the answer. But with no response, Matthew’s powerless. He’s only just broken free from one entrapment, and he has absolutely no desire to go through the same games all over again. With his previously traumatic experience still fresh in his mind, he begins slowly to realise that his current situation is far more concerning than the last. At least then he had the ability to move freely. This time, he’s completely unable to control or influence any of his movements. The only thing he can control is his eyes, which, given his current state, doesn’t seem so much like an advantage to him.

  The light in the distance is getting brighter. Desperate to regain possession of his body, he stares attentively at the enchanting beam, trying to work out what it is. Suddenly, he develops a new sensation within his lower body. With aches in his feet, and pain in his legs, Matthew’s body unexpectedly begins to move, in a very controlled motion. But this movement is once again not in his control. Every rock forward is timed to perfection, and each movement back is in sync with the next. The continual sequence feels calculated his body moves back and forth. Matthew’s completely incapable of stopping this. It’s as if he’s under a deep state of hypnosis. As the light gets closer, he can see his surroundings. He senses a strange presence at his side, which doesn’t at all feel friendly. Petrified, Matthew breathes faster and faster.