When Darkness Comes

by Beck Cummings

  The kiss heated every fiber of my being and my idle hands decided to act on their own accord, gliding across Trent’s sinewy back. One hand slid up his nape and grabbed onto the long strands of his hair, while the other hand slid lower and gripped the waistband of his shorts. I was going up in flames, right here in the middle of our kitchen.

  Trent’s hands found my backside and I let out a small gasp when he lifted me and turned, setting me atop the counter. Bodhi barked and we both turned to look at him. He was staring Trent down and I couldn’t help but laugh. Clearly, he did not like Trent picking me up.

  Trent shook his head and turned back to me, smiling. “Damn dog. Cramping my style.”

  “You can’t get too mad at him. He just loves me is all.” I said while I stroked Trent’s cheek.

  “I guess I can’t fault him for something I’m guilty of as well.” Trent winked at me. “Well, I hate to break it to you, but you’re not going to listen to anything on this.” He changed the subject, reaching around me and tapping the stereo once more.

  “And why not?!” I have to admit, I was kind of perturbed. We were just making out and now he has an issue with me using his stuff? Why did he even have me move in with him, if that was the case?

  “Calm down, woman. I can’t listen to anything on it either. It’s been broken for years.” He touched the tip of my nose with his finger.

  “Oh... Well, why was it in the closet? Throw it out if it’s broken.” I made a move for the stereo, but Trent’s hand stopped mine.

  “It was a gift from my mother. And corny as it may sound, I just can’t bring myself to throw it away.”

  If there’s any good reason to keep an old, busted stereo, that would be it.

  I pulled my hands back and fiddled with the hem of my tank. “Are you sure it’s broken? Is there a way it can be fixed?” I would try to fix it myself, but I would probably end up making it worse.

  Trent smiled sadly. “Yeah, babe, it’s broken. Took it in a long time ago and was told that there was no way to repair it, it was toast.”

  Well, I really felt bad now. Not only was Trent keeping an old, broken CD player, but I had to go and drag it out, along with all the painful memories of his mother. I glanced at the tattoo on his side, feeling even worse.

  “I’m sorry, Trent. If I had known... I’ll just put it back where I found it.” I reached for the stereo once more, but this time Trent’s hands grabbed my face and pulled me in for another deep kiss.

  He leaned his forehead onto mine and took a deep breath, shuddering slightly when he exhaled. “You can put it up in the morning.” His green eyes bore into mine. “Let’s go to bed. It’s too late for you to be cleaning anyways.”

  I laughed as I leaned over and looked at the clock on the microwave. “Trent, we didn’t get up till 11. Plus, you’re a night owl. There is no way you want to go to sleep at 10 o’clock.”

  “Who said anything about sleeping?” Trent flashed his sexy smirk and his hands squeezed the backs of my bent knees.

  I was about to scold him, but I was cut off by his mouth crashing onto mine. He grabbed my calves and wrapped my legs around his waist. When I squeezed my thighs together, he lifted me from the counter and carried me up the stairs, never breaking our kiss.

  †

  I sat straight up in bed, looking around the room, heart racing, palms beginning to sweat. Where was that awful noise coming from? I glanced at Bodhi’s bed, and in the dim light of our wax warmer, I could see that he was staring straight at me, ears perked up on full alert. He hears it too. I’m not dreaming. Checking the time on my cell phone, I realized that Trent and I had only been asleep for an hour. It was 3:30 a.m.

  I gently nudged my boyfriend in the shoulder. “Trent, babe, wake up, I hear something.” I spoke softly.

  But Trent quietly moaned and rolled over to his side. I guess our extra-curricular activities had thoroughly worn him out.

  “A lot of help you are.” I said aloud to myself, as I climbed out of bed and prodded to the hallway in nothing but Trent’s Boston University tee and my bare feet. The sound continued to get louder and I stopped at the top of the stairs to try and figure out what I was hearing. It sounded like static.

  With Bodhi hot on my heels, I descended the stairs and made my way to where the sound was coming from. I flipped the switch to turn on the lights in the kitchen and jumped when one of the light bulbs blew out. With the back-porch light illuminating the inside of the kitchen, I froze when I saw the source of the sound. Static was coming through the speakers of Trent’s old stereo... The stereo that hasn’t worked in years... The very stereo that was on the CD setting, not the AM/FM setting, when we had left it and went upstairs to bed...

  Before I could think of anything better to do, I turned around and bolted back up the stairs to wake Trent. I could still hear the white noise coming from the kitchen.

  “Trent! Trent! Wake up!” I shook his shoulders; non-too gentle I might add.

  He grumbled in his sleep, but still didn’t wake. What can I say? The man slept like a rock whenever he was worn out.

  “Trent, wake up!” I shook him again and then kissed him roughly. He started to respond to my kiss, grabbing hold of my hips and pulling me down on top of him. I pulled away from him and playfully swatted his chest. “I knew that would wake you!”

  Trent smiled sleepily. “Aren’t you exhausted from earlier?”

  “I’m NOT waking you up for THAT! I’m waking you up because... Wait... It stopped!” I listened closely. The noise was gone.

  “What stopped?” Trent yawned.

  “The static from the stereo... It’s gone.” Why had it stopped as soon as I woke Trent?

  “You must’ve been dreaming, Paige. Go back to sleep.” Trent yawned again and pulled me to him once more, tucking me under his arm.

  I laid my head on his chest and closed my eyes. I wasn’t imagining it, right? I don’t think I was... I listened for any sound in the house, but the only thing I heard was the strong, steady beat of Trent’s heart beneath my ear. I wrapped my arm around his waist and cuddled closer to him.

  My eyes shot open when static broke through the quiet house. I sat up and Trent jolted awake.

  “What the FUCK?!”

  “I told you.” I backhanded his chest.

  “Now is NOT the time.” Trent climbed out of bed and scrubbed a hand across his face. I followed him down to the kitchen.

  Flipping the light switch multiple times with no luck, Trent got frustrated. “What happened to the light?” He yelled over the static. He wasn’t yelling out of anger, but merely out of necessity; we could barely hear over the sound coming out of the stereo’s speakers.

  “It blew out when I flipped the switch earlier.” I yelled back.

  Trent’s eyebrows knitted together as he tried to process whatever thought was running through his head. He flipped on the light switch in the dining room and started walking toward the radio. I stepped in stride with him, clutching his hand with ferocity. He stopped in front of the black electronic device and flipped the switch to the off position and the radio went silent.

  Running a hand through his long hair, he lightly shook his head. “I don’t get it. It’s broken.” He whispered and then turned to look at me, smirking. “Like my hand’s about to be, if you don’t loosen your grip soon.”

  I released his hand and blushed. “Sorry, babe. Just kind of creeped out.”

  Trent shook out his hand and then picked up the stereo, examining it closely. He set it back down on the counter and moved the switch to the AM/FM position. Nothing happened. The radio was silent. He picked up the Theory of a Deadman CD case and opened it, pulling out the CD and placing it in the stereo. He switched the stereo to the CD setting and pressed the play button, but still, nothing happened.

  “Does it have a short in it?” I asked, trying to think of any logical explanation for why the boom-box wasn’t working before, then working, and now once again, not working.

  “No,
the repair guy said it wasn’t a short.” He let out an exasperated sigh and stared at the stereo, like he was expecting it to explain its’ behavior to him.

  I fought back a giggle. We must look so silly right now. Trent with his palms firmly planted on the counter, leaning over the radio and wearing nothing but his black boxer-briefs. And me, with my bare legs and feet, wearing only a red BU shirt, with Bodhi cemented by my side.

  “Clearly, it’s not talking. We’ll try water boarding in the morning.” I cracked a joke, trying to lighten the mood.

  Trent looked over his shoulder at me and let out a laugh. “Didn’t realize you were proficient in torture techniques...”

  “You should’ve. You know I’m the master at sleep deprivation.” I tilted my head and bit my bottom lip.

  Trent nodded his head. “That’s true.” He pushed the stereo further back on the counter and turned around. “So, water boarding in the morning?” He smirked.

  “Yup, and if that doesn’t work, there’s always dismemberment.” I chuckled.

  Trent’s eyes widened. “Who are you? A secret agent?” He cocked his head to one side, carefully assessing me.

  I laughed, recalling my conversation with Nic from a month ago. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.” I deadpanned.

  “Well, let’s go back to bed, secret agent woman. We’ll figure out the stereo in the morning... when I’m not tired and horny.” Trent grabbed my hand, leading me back up the stairs toward our room with Bodhi bounding up the spiral staircase behind us.

  “How can you still be horny? You insatiable...”

  We all came to a halt, the sound of static rippling through the otherwise silent house. Trent dropped my hand and darted back down the stairs with Bodhi right beside him. I followed after my boys and watched silently as Trent went straight for the stereo. He yanked the power cord from the outlet on the wall and my hands flew to cover my mouth. Trent grabbed the radio, turned around and paused, mid-step when he saw the expression on my face.

  “It’s gone. I can’t do this.” Trent shook his head, his jaw tight.

  My own head mimicked Trent’s as tears pricked my eyes. I slowly pulled my hands away from my face. “Trent, no.” I pleaded quietly.

  I couldn’t let him throw away the stereo his mother had given him. It wouldn’t be right. We could just tuck it back in the furthest corner of the closet and keep it there. Why did I have to find it in the first place?

  “Something’s screwing with us, Paige.” He stepped closer to me and tucked the stereo under one arm, reaching for me with the other. “And if it knows what’s good for it, IT WILL BACK THE FUCK OFF!” Trent yelled as he looked up and around the room.

  He gently touched my elbow, placed a kiss on my forehead and strode past me and out the patio door in the dining room. I watched as Trent opened the trash can on the back porch, and dumped the stereo inside it. He slammed the lid shut and walked back into the house, slamming the patio door shut behind him.

  “Trent...” I tried to reach for him as he walked past, but he shrugged off my hand.

  “There’s no need to talk, Paige. Just leave it alone.” He said coldly.

  Bodhi quietly sauntered to my side and licked my hand, while I just stood there and watched Trent climb back up the iron steps. It was so easy for Trent to just run away, instead of talking about things. Why did he always have to run away?

  There’s something screwing with us... I thought about what Trent said. Maybe I was the wrong girl to be dealing with this kind of thing. I seem to be destined to end up with a deeply tormented man, but one who is being haunted by... whatever it is... well, that’s a different situation altogether. One that I’m not entirely sure I can handle, especially if Trent is going to freeze me out over and over again.

  I rubbed Bodhi on the head and took a deep breath. “What am I supposed to do?” I looked down and asked him. He just wagged his tail in response. If only dogs could talk...

  “Slap your idiot of a boyfriend for acting like such a dick to you, when he had absolutely no right.”

  I looked up and saw Trent sitting on the bottom step of the staircase. He was now wearing a pair of black sweatpants but was still shirtless. I guess I hadn’t heard him come back down since I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts.

  I walked over to him and sat down beside him. “Why is it always so easy for you to push me away?” I placed my elbows on my knees and dropped my head in my hands.

  Trent was quiet for a minute and then exhaled loudly. “It’s like... I’m watching myself do these things. And, I’m screaming at myself to stop. But, I can’t. And, I go and hurt you even though it’s the last thing I want.”

  I turned my head and looked at him.

  “I get upset and then I get scared that you’re going to want to leave. And, I wouldn’t blame you because I know how messed up I am. But then I just push you away, so maybe it won’t hurt so bad when you finally decide to go.” He continued.

  My shoulders dropped as I saw the pain reflected in his eyes. “Trent, you can’t always be waiting for me to leave. For one, that’s no way for us to live. And for two, it’s not going to happen. Unless you become a drug addict or cheat on me, I’m here come hell or high water.” I shrugged.

  “I’m sorry, babe. I really suck at being a boyfriend.” Trent frowned.

  “Maybe you’ll be a better husband.” I bumped his shoulder with mine and chuckled when a look of shock flashed across his handsome face.

  “Maybe I will.” Trent nodded.

  We sat in silence for a moment, me leaning on him and both of us looking toward the kitchen.

  “Do you think it’s the same thing that attacked you at the Fort that night?” I asked.

  “I hope not.” Trent said solemnly.

  I shivered at his comment and he wrapped his arm around me.

  “I don’t think it is, Paige. I think if it was demonic, things a lot worse than this would be happening.” He gave my shoulder a light squeeze.

  I shivered again. Things a lot worse!? I don’t even want to think about what demonic entities are capable of, much less experience them first hand. I pray to God that Trent is right. Maybe it’s just Casper the Friendly Ghost... Or maybe there’s a perfectly logical explanation for everything that has absolutely nothing to do with the paranormal world. Maybe...

  chapter 18

  The sound of Bodhi’s bark woke me from a deep sleep. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. Looking around, I realized that Bodhi wasn’t even in the bedroom with me. That’s odd... Bodhi is NEVER more than ten feet away from me whenever I am at home... Trent must be home.

  I glanced at the clock and saw it was only 3:30 A.M. I’m sure the investigation wrapped early and I bet he probably has J.J. or Riley with him. That’s why Bodhi is going crazy.

  Yawning, I decided to get up and see how the investigation went. MPS was investigating reports of poltergeist activity at a single mother’s home tonight. Hopefully they were able to debunk any activity and give the mother and her children some peace of mind.

  I slipped on a pair of Trent’s BU sweatpants and a BU hoodie, wanting to make myself semi-appropriate for guests. My bare feet padded their way across the cold, hard floor and out the door of our bedroom. I stopped at the top of the staircase. Looking down, I realized that Bodhi was practically glued to my left calf, staring back up at me.

  “Bodhi! What are you doing chilling’ at the top of the stair case?” I squatted down and ruffled the hair on his head. When Bodhi began to emit a low growl, I froze. Something was off. It had only been a week since our little “experience” with the busted stereo and ever since, I’ve had this feeling that I haven’t been able to shake. That feeling had been magnified by a thousand in the last two minutes.

  The house was dark except for a soft light coming from the living room. Slowly, I descended the stairs. Taking one step at a time, my pulse quickened with every inch I got closer to the living room. Pausing on the bottom stair, I noticed that the television was o
n. The screen was filled with static. No show. No movie. No picture on the screen whatsoever, simply snow. My breath caught in my throat. Trent was seated in the chair, staring at the electromagnetic noise pattern on the screen.

  “Trent, what are you doing?” I asked as I walked up behind him, my hair standing on every inch of my arm. I glanced behind me and saw Bodhi was firmly rooted at the bottom of the stairs. His growling began again, getting more aggressive by the second. When I turned back to address Trent again, I saw the chair was empty. He had moved and was standing directly in front of the TV, in some sort of trance.

  “Trent.” I said firmly. I received no response. He stood there in his black V-neck and blue jeans with bare feet, not moving. Could he be sleepwalking? Is that it? He’s asleep and he has no idea what he’s doing? That has got to be it.

  I slowly made my way to him and touched his forearm. His flesh was hot to the touch. My fingertips on his arm garnered no reaction so I reached up with my left hand and tentatively brushed the backs of my knuckles across his jaw. I jumped when my wrist was suddenly caught in the tight grip of Trent’s fingers.

  Bodhi was beside me in a flash, baring his teeth and growling an almost inaudible growl. I held my breath and bit my bottom lip while tears filled my eyes. The pain was excruciating. I don’t ever remember Trent being this strong. He wasn’t weak by any means, but it felt as if every small bone in my wrist was cracking under the pressure of his fingers. Trent whipped his head to the side and under his intense gaze, Bodhi whimpered and laid down on his side.

  As I closed my eyes and waited for Trent to let go of my arm, the tears escaped my eyes and rolled down my cheeks. The pressure on my wrist eased and I immediately reached for it with my right hand. Bringing my arms to my chest, I doubled over and exhaled as sobs wrecked my chest. I raised my head and saw the front door was standing wide open. The streetlights illuminated the rain falling lightly on the pavement outside. The wind brought a new chill into the house. Trent was gone.