Immortal Darkness

by David Falchi

«You don’t need rituals, charms or other silly things to protect yourself from me» recited the voice of a woman. «You’re so used to be surrounded by enemies that you don’t even recognize a friend who’s come to pay you a visit».

  The light intensity decreased, showing the shape of a girl.

  She was wrapped in a shiny mist, as if fireflies had been trapped inside her beam of light.

  I first thought that I had fallen into a trap. One of my enemies must have learnt about my past and it was now using it against me. That vision caused me such a big shock that the spell left my mind.

  «Marcello», repeated the young woman. «I’m not going to deceive you or hurt you. Can’t you see it? If you only knew what I had to go through to make contact with you, you’d stop trying to find a way to make me disappear».

  It couldn’t be her. My sister had died when I was only fifteen years old. For a little while, she remained very close to me, just like any sibling would do, but then nature did its job and her spirit disappeared. It was thanks to her that I had discovered my ability and maybe she was the reason why I had started to do this job. She was the one who told me that not every spirit had good intentions. In saw her in several circumstances, but every time she would disappear before I even had the chance to talk to her; in fact, in the end, I convinced myself that I was the one who wanted to meet her.

  And now, Priscilla, was standing right in front of me, and for the first time in years she was talking to me. Her eyes were big and they reflected the same light that surrounded her. Her hair was combed in a pony-tail, except for a loose lock; the same hairstyle that she had when she died. Her hair seemed to be made of silver fibres. Her face was even more beautiful than I remembered.

  «How did you find me? »

  My sister’s lips widened and formed a smile. «This isn’t the right question, you dummy. What you should ask me is why I’ve risked so much to see you. You’re so obsessed with scientific explanations that you can’t even distinguish the reasons that hide behind a phenomenon. Am I right? Was I able to speak your idiotic language? »

  Now it was my turn to laugh. «More or less. So, why were you looking for me? »

  «There’s a dangerous aura around you. Actually, you’re in such big troubles that I could hear the alarm bell even from where I was. You might have become a boring and pedantic adult but you’re always my brother. I had to warn you. Quit this case and go back».

  «Why? What do you see? »

  «That’s the point. I don’t see anything. It’s as if that house contained nothing less than a living mass of darkness. I don’t think that you have the right skills to face an enemy like that. Give up. Build a barrier that keeps people out of the property and go home».

  «Everyone keeps telling me that this investigation is way too dangerous», I replied. «But I’ve been dealing with threats from the Underworld ever since I was a child. I don’t understand why now things should be different. Whoever is the enemy, I’ll defeat him or I’ll die trying. I was born for this job».

  This is the only thing that I can do, I thought. I had saved some money and I could have lived without having to work for several years, but I knew that would have killed me. Only the idea got me the shivers.

  «It’s possible that you’ve dedicated so much time to this job that you’ve convinced yourself that’s the only thing that you can do. But it’s not too late to take another path. No matter how hard you work, dark forces will continue to haunt this world. There will be others who will fight your battles. You’ve already given your contribution».

  «Are you saying that I should quit, that I should retire? Why? I’m not that old. I’m fit as a fiddle».

  «I just would like you to have a cheerful life, at least for a little while. For way too long you’ve been on the battle field. Not even a soldier would be able to fight a war for his entire life. You’ve never left the front line. You never did and maybe you need help».

  I smiled again. «You might be right about this aspect. What do you think about helping me in this difficult case? Escort me to the property. Let’s go now».

  My sister came closer and she caressed my ethereal face with her hand. She couldn’t touch my body, but something did touch my heart.

  «Just like that time in the countryside? Should we go on a ghost hunt? »

  There was no need to correct her. During that occasion we were just going to explore an old abandoned house. I wanted to overcome my fears, while Priscilla just wanted to please her little brother. We both knew that we weren’t going to find any ghost. We just knew that we would have had fun. For as much as I could remember, that was the only pleasant inspection of my entire life. And we didn’t meet anyone, except some sleeping bat that we annoyed with our flashlights.

  «I think I’m still dreaming», I said. «Why don’t we make the most of it? »

  I was about to say that I would have liked to meet our parents but I decided to keep it for me. There was no reason to interrupt that positive moment.

  «Let’s go then. Grab my hand».

  * * *

  During my astral travels I’ve often seen peculiar and scary phenomena. But what I saw when we approached the gate of the haunted house was something that I’d never seen before. The metal net was wrapped in greyish bright fibres, which means that the entire perimeter was packed with presences. That was the only light source. In the area where the house was supposed to rise there was only a barrier of darkness. And that dark mass continued to move and to twist and turn, as if it was a living creature.

  I was terrified. So that was the real look of the entity that I had met this afternoon. Since it was darker than the night I supposed that during the day it must have been less responsive. So, if I had entered the house when the sun is used to set, there wouldn’t have been a single spell that could protect me. Everything would have been swallowed by that bundle of darkness. And if I’d come closer, in an incorporeal shape, maybe I would have been sucked inside, and I would have had zero chances of coming back. I was starting to get why my sister had insisted on escorting me.

  I approached the gate, floating in mid-air. The colour of the mist around the barrier changed its shade, turning into a threatening dark green. The estate was reacting to my presence.

  «Do you still want to go inside the ghost house, little brother? » asked Priscilla.

  «There’s no place to visit, now» I replied, with my eyes still on that bundle of throbbing darkness. «And even if I wanted to, how could we get inside? »

  «This is easier than you think», replied my sister.

  I wanted to ask her more about that sibylline sentence, but I didn’t have the time. She pushed me forward, as if she wanted to prove that she could be strong even though she was just a spirit. I was thrown against the gate that immediately opened as I touched it, as if it wanted to welcome me. I screamed – or at least I tried – while the dark cloud moved towards me and started to suck my spirit. What I’ve feared was becoming real. I was about to become a slave of that nameless entity.

  A few minutes passed but to me it seemed like an eternity. I was wrapped in that enduring darkness that was suffocating every survival instinct that I had left. I tried to fight it, relying on the strength that in desperate circumstances has always helped me to win, but this time there were no loopholes. After a moment of uncertainties the darkness got the better of me.

  * * *

  When the vortex that grabbed me stopped moving I realized that, after all, I was still me. I was confused and in pain but at least I was still real. I couldn’t hear any noise around me, and there wasn’t a single source of illumination. I was in what looked like an unlimited dark room. I must have been in the middle of the country house, which represented, for as much as I knew, the heart of the tornado. For quite some time I remained still and in that state of mind, trying to clear my mind and to recover from the shock.

  My sister had never been there. When I entered the house, the presence had fed of my memories and then
it had taken advantage of one of my strongest memory. It had been able to give life to a believable version of Priscilla, and I’d been so surprised to see her that I didn’t see the danger behind her figure. However, finding a pleasant memory in my mind probably hadn’t been a piece of cake, so, knowing that the creature had to struggle to finally get what it wanted, at least gave me a little comfort.

  It’s been a while since I hadn’t felt that naive but I didn’t have time to blame myself or to sink into self-pity. I had to think straight or I would have died in tears.

  That entity must have dug into my past to learn how to use a gun. It succeeded not only through the simple observation but also through the analysis of strangers. The creature must have been young. It still hadn’t come in contact with a lot of human beings, otherwise it would have already found a way to kill us. I concluded that the presence feared me. Priscilla had first tried to talk me out of the case, and only when I showed her my determination she had decided to accompany me to the haunted house. Its attempt to get rid of me had been its ultimate choice. Seeing what I had already done in my life, that thing had learnt to fear me.

  This was a good thing, even though that didn’t solve the problem. I still had to find a way out from that universe of darkness. I needed to go back into my body before the sun rose or I would have been lost forever.

  A sense of hopelessness was starting to make its way through my soul, especially now that I’d finished to analyse the situation. Knowing how things were wasn’t helping to find a way out.

  «Show yourself» I said towards that surrounding darkness, «and face me. What are you? Why did you bring me here? »

  I was sure that the entity was able to understand my words. It already showed me that it could speak my language when it took my sister’s shape. Normally, I’m not a vindictive person- I simply face my enemies in the most rational way that I know – but that gesture made my blood boil. Maybe because I had been so naïve to fall into its trap but deep down I really needed to make my enemy pay for what it did.

  I was under the impression that the dark mass was swirling before me so I prepared myself to recite a spell that could get me out of there. Even if I felt lost in that ocean of darkness that didn’t mean that I had been defeated. There were a few variables that I had to consider but if I was still alive it was probably because the presence couldn’t kill me.

  The reason wasn’t clear yet but I was sure that I would have found that out soon.

  I was relieved when I realized that magic was still impressed in my head. A Hungarian guy, Levente Gàlfly, had taught me a formula that he used to recite to introduce himself in other people’s apartments to find and steal what he wanted.

  Since he’s always been very passionate about peculiar objects he’s often found himself in trouble. So, during his research, he had discovered a quick way to pass from a spiritual form to a material one.

  According to his studies, it was like being suddenly thrown inside one’s mortal remains, and it occurred in such a brisk way that it caused nausea and vomit for several minutes. Obviously, he didn’t teach me that trick for free. In fact I had to free him from the spirit of a dead woman that had tenaciously tied herself to a bracelet.

  Gàlfly didn’t act that differently, and in fact he had done the same thing by keeping the bracelet for months. The night screams didn’t seem to bother him, but that apparently changed when he heard about me, and so he asked for my services.

  My guts agreed with me, and just like in other occasions, it was time to test the Hungarian’s skill.

  Until now, I hadn’t have the chance to test that technique, but considering how serious the situation was, I thought that vomiting what I had for dinner in the comfort of my hotel room wasn’t going to be such a big deal. I just needed to understand if the trick could work or if Gàlfly had sold me a fake.

  I was about to test the formula when the blurry figure in front of me took a precise shape. I stood still and waited. The words from my spell were still floating in my head. There was a human like figure before me, and I was starting to distinguish its features. I almost let out a moan.

  It was still a mass of flesh and uncovered muscles but its traits were getting clearer. The height was about right and so was the body size. Still, it was the face that almost caused me to lose my mind. Behind those rough features, which seemed to have been carved by a sculptor, I could recognize my face.

  The entity was trying to take my own shape.

  I still had my eyes on him, when I noticed that he was moving his thin lips, probably in the attempt to talk. Even though he had succeeded while he was in his spiritual form, apparently he still couldn’t do it now that he was taking a material form.

  I wasn’t going to stay there until he had learnt to talk. That sight had almost caused me to lose what was left of my right mind. I took my eyes off that despicable creature that looked so much like me and I recited the spell.

  I was under the impression that the being was echoing my words, as if he was trying to learn as much as possible from me, but I tried not let myself be distracted by him. Once I was done reciting the formula, the effect was instantaneous.

  I was no longer surrounded by the threatening darkness of the house. I was in another kind of darkness, but this time I was in my hotel room, coughing like a terminally ill person with convulsions.

  * * *

  The cough impulse had been so violent that it made me fell on the floor. I was on my knees, desperately trying to take control of the situation. Even though I knew that I was safe I didn’t like the idea of being vulnerable. Besides, I felt like my body had rejected its spirit when it came back in such a quick way.

  Normally, it takes quite some time because it’s a step by step process, and it’s just like falling asleep. Gàlfly’s technique wasn’t as sweet as a lullaby, in fact it was quite the opposite. It was like a violent bump on the head in which the victim would normally pass out. And that seemed to be the purpose of this procedure.

  Anyway, I didn’t throw up, even though several times I felt the urge to vomit. It took me a while to calm myself and continue to breathe. Once I was able to stand, I recited a prayer of gratitude for the Hungarian thief that had just saved my life. I might have given him a precious object but what he did for me was priceless.

  Once again, I dragged myself to bed. I sat on it and I enjoyed the freedom to breathe without risking to choke. Once I was back in my right mind, I approached the window and I opened it wide.

  The coolness of the night and the scents from the wood spread inside the room. Unfortunately, I needed something different in order to relax. In any case, now I knew that, not very far from there, a creature was longing to take my shape. But what I needed to know was the reason why the entity was so determined to turn into me.

  I left the windows open and I came back at the desk. I needed some fresh air. I took the mirror and I noticed that Lerner was awake, as if he had been waiting for me.

  «Seems like we’re doing our best to lose our life, aren’t we Kiesel? » he asked.

  He seemed to be in good shape now, and in his right mind. The room behind him was destroyed, as if a tornado had torn it down. The bed was burned and overturned on a side.

  The walls were covered by scratches and engravings. It looked like my assistant had raged against them with a hatchet. Maybe all that shattering was a way to channel his anger after the danger that he had endured inside the house.

  «No, I’m just doing everything in my power to try to get something out of this mess».

  «Mess, uh? You’re starting to talk as a poor ignorant asshole like me, so he must have really kicked your ass while I was away».

  What Lerner’s just said in in plain English was correct. I wasn’t just upset. I was trembling. I had risked my life but that wasn’t the reason why I was so terrified. On the contrary, it was the turn that the events were taking that scared the crap out of me. I wasn’t just leaving a dream that I couldn’t wake up from. It was
worse. I felt like I was living in Lerner’s world, at the wrong side of the mirror. The world around me had become a chaotic and threatening environment that I could hardly recognize, and it was undermining all of my certainties.

  «He managed to trick me because he used my sister», I said. «When he turns into a non-corporeal being he can be very good at imitating human beings. While, that doesn’t apply when he has a material form. But he is a fast learner».

  «You can’t just throw a stone and then hide your hand. Seeing Priscilla must have been pretty hard for you, am I right? »

  There was no point in lying to Lerner. I didn’t just choose him as an assistant to make me laugh in the most difficult situations. He was very good at interpreting things. And even though we hadn’t talked he had been able to come to the right conclusions.

  I nodded. «You’re right. But that wasn’t only because I saw her. The reason why it crushed me stem from the fact that I lowered all my defences. I had a weakness that I wasn’t aware of. And that suddenly made me lose all my certainties».

  Lerner’s snigger widened. Just like me, he was sitting on a chair, with his feet on a desk devoured by woodworms. He was wearing a white undershirt decorated with cigarette holes. From what I was able to see his jeans didn’t look any better. Outside the window, in his world, the wind kept raging against a dried bare tree.

  «Wanna know what I think? You’re tired, Master. You’ve been working like crazy for months now, maybe even for years. When you’re not in some old ramshackle house you’re hunched over some old book. And when you’re sleeping, you are wandering around the world in a non-corporeal form, continuing to work on your research. You don’t need a séance to know that you should just take some time off and sleep». His face was now close to the reflecting surface, and it showed his good eye. Through his eye I could see the wrecked room. «You know what I mean when I say “sleep”, right? »

  I sighed. «After what I just saw I don’t think that I’ll be able to close my eyes. It was too much, even for me».