Unrelenting Terror

by P. S. Power

  The goal is for you to sense those that have died, and the many other things that may be around you, without aid at all... and you will begin doing that tonight. You will have much greater contact, both physically and mentally with the supernatural things around you and notice all the signs that you are not alone in your environment. Right now, I’d like you to take a few breaths and come with me to an event I have planned for the night. You won’t need anything at all, it will all be provided for you. It will not be safe, or comfortable and may disturb you greatly, but that’s alright. It will allow you to jump into the pool at the deep end, I think. There’s a place I want to take you along with several other people I know. They’re all like you, people that are learning to control their minds and open themselves to the supernatural.”Dr. Milford made a strange gesture in the air, and gave me a serious look.

  “You need to pay attention now. It’s more important than you know. As you read the words on the page, ready yourself to really experience things that you’ve never even imagined before. They will be far more solid and physical than what you experienced already and you will feel that your life is threatened. You should. Just knowing about some things can lead to death. Even just reading about them can do it. You need to pay closer attention to everything now than ever before.” He turned to walk from the room, not waiting for me to stand, or do anything.

  So I didn’t. I stayed right where I was, trying to stay as deeply focused as I could, letting my mind search for things around me. Supernatural beings or signs of their passing. I saw a black flash to my right again, with a slight blue tinge to it this time. I felt it brush my shoulder a few seconds later. It was a bit empty of a sense of presence though. There and clearly real, but also holding the feeling of being a part of me. My shoulder tingled where the contact was made, lingering on. Just the lightest thing that grew stronger as I paid attention to it.

  A lot of things worked that way. The greater the focus on something, the stronger it felt. My mind attuned to the little changes, I almost didn’t notice when the doctor came back in, smiling.

  “Ah, very good, I see you’re ready for the next step then. Excellent. I’ll drive. It can take a while to get used to the real world… experiencing what you are right now. Tonight will be very intense, so prepare yourself well. Keep your thoughts clear and focused on what you are doing and remember, no matter what else happens, do what I tell you. Things can go very poorly if you don’t. You might even die. Once you wake to the real world as you have, things tend to have a far greater effect on you than they do on those still asleep. Sleeping people are vulnerable, but those newly awake are tempting to many, many entities. No one understands why this is, not fully, but everyone experiences it on the road to true understanding. It could simply be that thinking about something draws it to you. You’ve been thinking and reading about ghosts and other entities, so they will come and seek you out. That is only natural. Think of it like calling to a friend by name in a crowd. They hear you and will come. It's a bit like that.” He gestured for me to stand, and I did it so smoothly I wasn’t certain I’d moved at first. It was an odd sensation, but the air felt thick again suddenly, like it was moving closer to me, just a few inches from my face. Something touched my nose, making it tingle just a bit at the tip. It was like a phantom feather had tickled it gently. One I couldn’t see.

  I wanted to rub at it, to make the feeling stop, to cover it up, but the time for hiding such things from myself had ended. That was clear from what the Doctor had said. I watched him turn and walk out again, slowly, not looking back, trusting that I would follow. I moved along with him, a strange overlay taking place inside my thoughts again. After a few seconds of greater focus, the picture became clear. The words on the screen in my mind were clean and stark, even as I saw the world that I walked through as if I imagined it. Everything I did was there, written on the page that hovered before me.

  It may not have been hypnosis, but I was definitely in a trance state. One that I knew I couldn’t let go of. Not if I wanted to see Alex again. Not if I didn’t want to die. It was a twofold thing, the carrot and the stick all at once. No one sane and mentally healthy could have resisted doing their best given that kind of incentive. I knew I couldn't.

  The car we got in to was a large blue thing, heavy in construction and with real leather seats inside that still smelled new, even though the car had to be very old indeed. I wasn’t an expert on vehicle makes and models, but this kind of thing hadn’t been made in decades. Driving it was a statement of something, since no one still bothered to do such things by accident and it was too well cared for to be the car of a poor person that just didn’t have a choice. I remember hearing once that serial murderers often drove large American made cars, because they liked how easy it was to keep bodies in the trunk. I couldn’t laugh at the idea now though as the engine roared to life and we started moving.

  Dr. Milford spoke a single word as I settled into the passenger’s seat.

  “Eclipse.”

  The word stung my mind in its suddenness. It was there behind my eyes again, stark and biting, driving me into an even deeper state. Nothing around me felt connected anymore. I knew that the car moved still, and that the engine made noise, but I was only barely aware that the doctor had spoken. The words in my mind were somehow more real in the moment than the man sitting next to me. Each line was more interesting to me as I followed along. I couldn’t help it. After a bit it felt like the most important and exciting thing in the world. I wanted to drink in each word, a slight feeling of electric excitement running through me with each letter.

  “When we arrive at the crypt I want you to be very aware. Answer questions when asked, but otherwise try to stay as open and ready as possible and do not speak. Can you do that?” The words were so soft I had to read them to understand what was being said.

  “Yes. I can do that.” I had to. I’d agreed to do what was needed to make a connection with Alex. Just paying attention wasn’t too much to ask. Besides that, I wasn’t certain I had a choice anymore. Not really, since it felt like I was obligated to see the whole thing through, no matter what. For a second I considered raising a fuss, climbing out of the car at the next light and just going home, but I knew I couldn’t now. It didn’t frighten me like I knew it should, but the words were there, on the screen, telling me that I’d decided to do what I was told and would never stop, as long as it came from Dr. Milford.

  A little piece of my mind squirmed at the idea. Losing that much freedom rankled, even if it was needed to reach my goal. For one thing, I couldn’t totally understand why it would be what had to happen. Why would I need to follow orders without question? It was though, so I let the whole idea go and tried to focus on the inside of my head, the words on the page in my mind crisp and clear, telling me what was happening.

  We drove in silence, each mile growing darker as night began to fall. It was a long trip, one that covered enough distance we had to stop for fuel. I just sat in the car, waiting, a sense of something dark and foreboding slowly crawling over my skin. It infected the air around me, like a scent that I couldn’t quite catch or make sense of, or the feeling of electricity in the air during a thunderstorm. It made my skin crawl, even as I just sat, making note of it. I could still feel the weight of my tablet, the imaginary one in my hands as I looked down at the screen. It was bizarre, but a lot more real than it should have been. I even wondered for a few moments if I was actually safe at home, just lost in a story. Sitting comfortably in a protected place. If so I was reading the best story ever.

  I knew that this was reality though. Nothing was safe now. It never really had been, that feeling was just an illusion that people invented for themselves so they could get through the day, not worrying constantly about the death that everyone knew for a fact was coming for them. I knew that now, on some level, and I guess I really always had. Safety was an trick, a thing we were trained to imagine to keep ourselves unaware of things that we just didn’t have power over.
Mainly because, if what I had from the Doctor was correct, once you noticed things, it called them to you. Even thinking about them, or reading a book could do it. Summon things that you didn’t want around you if you were sane and well adjusted. Just having that thought occur to me filled me with a tingle of fear. A small one, but one that I didn't think would ever really go away again. I knew too much now.

  I’d have to check that out later, if I could. For the moment it was important that I focus and feel whatever it was that came for me. Watching and paying attention was all I could do for the moment, which was a helpless feeling I didn't much like, but a real one.

  Something hovered around me, around my head and shoulders gently. It was a soft presence at first, but got stronger as the doctor came back and started driving again.

  He didn’t look at me, or say anything for a long time, though he finally glanced over at me quickly, not wanting to let his eyes leave the road for too long as the light faded away, leaving only the tunnel of light that the headlights gave off and the dark surrounding us, which was always there, waiting.

  “Do you feel the presence?” He asked softly enough that I didn’t answer at first, not shocked that he could see it too. It was growing stronger after all. I could feel that. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling, having it hang on me like it was, little tickles and itches crawling on my neck where it touched, a weight, almost imperceptible, having settled on my back.

  I could feel it though. It was real and it was all around me. Inescapably so.

  “Yeah. I do.”

  “Very good. I don’t think this presence is human at all, most likely a feeder, attracted by your thoughts. It happens and is actually a good sign. It means that you have truly begun to awaken. I know it isn’t comfortable, having something like that trying to merge with you, mingling its energy with your own, but don’t let your fear of it cause you to shut down. It’s important that you never ignore things like that. Once noticed, letting your attention lapse, even for a moment, will allow them greater purchase on you. Too much of that and it can end your life. These things aren’t powerful, but in time they can drain the life from you like a vampire, taking all your energy and leaving nothing but a broken husk. They'll make you miserable in the process. Most people that feel cursed actually have such feeders plaguing them.” He drove quietly as I sat, focusing on this thing that I now knew was a real threat. It was still so vague to me, just a presence, a few wisps of pressure.

  How was I supposed to keep all of my attention on it? Fear started to crawl through my belly as I realized the trap I was in, forcing me to tense. I had to keep my attention firm and constant until this thing went away, or it might grab my very soul from me. Somehow. Even in a trance though, even as focused as I’d ever been, I couldn’t keep it up forever. Eventually I’d have to sleep. If it was still with me, it could move on me then. Worse, what if I lapsed in attention for a few moments? My mind wandering to different things like it normally did? Could I keep my concentration on that one thing hard enough to survive this? Really, if there was another way to handle it, I needed to know.

  I didn’t ask about it though. I couldn’t make myself speak, the words just locked inside, not even coming to my lips as a grunt. Instead I just rode, trying not to let my attention waiver at all. The apprehension grew inside with every mile that passed.

  It took at least another hour of riding in the dark before we reached our destination. The driveway wasn’t what I expected at all, it was long, and paved, almost like a road that simply turned off, except for the black iron gate that had to be opened in order to get in. The wall around it was high, made of real stone, at least near the portion I could make out. The headlights didn’t let me see a lot, but there were trees, or large bushes on the other side. I thought. The whole thing was unlit at far an inky black expanse that seemed to drink the light. Then… why would a cemetery need lights? People didn’t go walking through them at night as a rule, did they? Even before I knew that ghosts were real for certain that idea would have been too scary for me to contemplate. It wasn’t until I saw the giant house off in the distance that I got the whole picture. It wasn’t a cemetery at all, but a private family plot we were headed to. The road curved gently and we turned, which took us behind something I couldn’t make out, that blocked the few lights coming from the large house in the distance.

  As the vehicle stopped, a low crunch of gravel under the wheels slowly settling, the Doctor shifted his weight, his face illuminated by the lights on the dashboard before he turned the engine off. Then he spoke into the dark. My skin crawled as I heard the words that came from him, low and commanding, like orders that I had to obey.

  “Two things. First, don’t let your attention waiver as you have been, or the feeder will sink into you too far to be easily scared off later. Second, this is the family crypt of one of my friends, Daniel. There will be several people here, but you need to not let their antics or observations sway you. Several are quite advanced and blasé about the supernatural, but at your stage of things a healthy fear will serve you better than trying to copy their more urbane demeanor. Fear is a warning that something real is happening. Pay attention to it and no matter what you see hear or feel, don't deny it.” The door opened, which I noticed by sound and just the tiniest bit because the light from the stars made the sky lighter. It was dark out. Living in the city I didn’t normally notice true black like this very often. It had the quality of a basement without windows or a deep cave. Luckily, outside at least, the sky gave a hint of light so I knew which way was up. It was the kind of pitch black that reminded you that anything could be inches from you. Ready to strike.

  I felt warm fingers, or something like them, on my neck, tightening just a little as I fought not to forget the thing I had hanging on me. The pressure firmed a bit as I focused on it, not painful, but real enough to notice. I moved out of the car without really realizing it, fighting internally, trying not to let myself fail and be overcome by the thing that had me in its clutches. The term feeder sounded ominous, but I didn’t know what about me it wanted to eat, if anything. My energy or life force probably.

  We moved to the mouth of the large stone structure, a thing I couldn’t really make out, except that it blocked part of the sky. The door was low, about five feet high, illuminated by the small flashlight that Milford took out of his pocket. He didn’t knock, just entering, the metal door creaking as he did.

  “Remember, focus and be aware of everything, no matter how frightening it may be to you. It is very important that you don’t let your attention waiver. So far it is your best protection against the supernatural. Later you’ll learn techniques that will allow you to protect your body and mind, but for tonight, it is all about observation.” He took my left arm firmly, pulling me into the dark mouth of the tomb without hesitation and leaned close, lips almost to my ear. I knew because I could feel his warm breath on my face.

  “Eclipse.”

  The word stole my breath this time, the world coming into sharp focus, a picture of things being painted in my head. Strange things that I wasn’t ready for. The world around me was dark, nearly black, except for the small light that the Doctor had in his hand. I wanted light. I needed it. Instead, almost as if knowing that I was being crushed by the darkness around me and felt like my breath was being stolen as I was wrapped in the gloom, he turned the little light he had off.

  “We hide in the light, fearing what we may really see. In the absence of light, we can see things normally overwhelmed and hidden by the illusion of the world. Watch and don’t be distracted. There are many things here in the darkness. They are always with us. You will experience them now, feel them on your body in a way more powerful than you ever have before and this effect will continue without end, from now on.” He worked something in front of him, the area having been a long tunnel just high enough to stand in. It opened into a larger space.

  One that had lights on. It was a relief. A tiny bit of fear that had been riding with me left
when I saw it. A thin tendril remained, probing my insides, but it was still nice to be able to see.

  “Hey, Dr. Milford, how’s it going?” This came from a man that was about five years younger than I was, who held a camera in his right hand. It wasn’t huge, but he was also by the single LED lantern that was the light inside the place, which made me feel happy to see him, even if he was a stranger standing inside a tomb.

  “Daniel. Is that the night vision camera you were speaking of?”

  “Oh, yeah, I got three of them, one for each section of the crypt. It works pretty well. When we’re ready we can turn off all the lights that we can see. They provide their own light, but it shouldn’t distract us. It’s in the wrong spectrum for us to see easily.” He turned the camera toward me, waving.

  “This the one you were talking about? The new explorer? That’s great. I’m Daniel, um, pleased to meet you. I get that you probably can’t talk much right now. We’ll chat some other time?” It was a question, so I answered or wanted to at least, trying not to let it distract me. The whole thing was playing out on the screen in my head though and the words behind my eyes told me what was coming next.

  I was going to say yes and then there would be a loud noise as a woman walked into the room. Then I’d feel odd, knowing I’d just predicted something I couldn’t have possibly known.

  “Yes.” The clatter was intense, like someone had fallen into a metal door, screeching and moaning, scraping on stone as it did. The woman that came in looked different in the darkness of the room, but I’d seen her before. She wore black this time and had her hair back in a ponytail. Toni, Dr. Milford’s receptionist. Apparently she was more than just that, if she was crawling around in crypts in the dark of night for him too.

  “Hi everyone.” There was a gesture toward me as she stumbled a little over something, laughing just a bit. It was a nervous laugh though, not the confident one I would have expected.