Dark Soul Silenced - Parts One & Two

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It was the hunger that woke him, as darkness fell. Not the hunger he’d fought against the day before. This was a different beast, one that overwhelmed him easily. Something waited in the dark, something the hunger wanted. Not the animals already fleeing as he started to clamber out of his refuge. They were poor fare. What waited in the dark glowed in his mind, drawing him towards it.

He didn’t walk now, he ran – almost flying over the rough ground. He ran for ten minutes, then twenty, not slowing and not tiring. Despite his speed he always found a path, was never blocked, never had to turn back. He felt so strong! And somehow he knew he’d be stronger still, much stronger, once his hunger was sated.

Then, suddenly, he sensed he was near. He dropped into a crouch, carefully closing in until he could see his target. People! Two adults and a child, bundled up beside the glowing embers of a fire. Sleeping deeply. The hunger rose like a dark tidal wave, washing away all reason. Silently he closed in on the sleeping family.

Mary woke with a start, heart pounding, eyes scanning the dark trees. She was too scared to move. Her parents still slept. Again. She’d lost count of how many times she’d woken like this during their journey. She missed the town. She couldn’t get used to sleeping outside in the woods. Her heart leapt into her throat at each strange sound, and there were many of those. Even when she fell into exhausted sleep the sounds dragged her awake again.

They’d been making their way along the coastal path by day, but each night they headed into the forest for ten or twenty minutes before picking a camp-site. Each evening the fire was small and quickly put out. So it wouldn’t attract creatures, her parents said. She might be young, only seven, but she knew fire frightened creatures off. Only one creature sought out fires, the same creature that might be prowling the coastal path at night. Man. Whatever had her parents scared it was people, probably outlaws, not animals.

Now she lay awake, scared rigid, listening for any sound that suggested outlaws had found them. There was nothing. It took her a few seconds to realise why that was wrong. There were no sounds at all. All the normal night sounds were gone. Scared as they had made her, their absence was far, far worse.

Then a shadow seemed to move above her, a man’s shadow with deep red glowing eyes that stared down at her. She wanted to scream but a heavy warmth flowed through her body, sapping her strength, her will. Her last thought was to wonder why the strange man had dogs teeth… incisors sticking out of his mouth. Then the warm fog closed around her tightly.

The child stirred as he closed in on the family. He froze. He could tell she was awake. She lay still, hardly breathing, and she was facing away from where he now crouched. After a few moments he moved on, silently closing in.

His body moved by instinct, the hunger in control. He was floating, relaxing in a deep warmth, only vaguely aware of what happened around him and not caring at all. As his body reached the child he saw her expression change from shock to fear and then into blank slackness as his power overwhelmed her. He knew what would happen next, could feel the excitement quickening the hunger. He could feel his incisors lengthening, ready to pierce her neck so he could drink deeply of her blood. He knew the immense strength her blood would grant him.

His body leaned forward, as under the hunger’s spell as the girl was. His eyes met hers. Pretty eyes. Pretty blue eyes. Eyes that stirred a memory, deep down inside him. Like a bubble freed from the oceans depths the memory rose, faster and faster until it crashed into his mind. A memory of his sister, aged seven or eight, staring at him. His sister? His sister! This child was like his sister!

He jerked back from her, revolted at what he’d been about to do. Lowered her gently back to the ground. Saw her eyes regain focus, watched her draw a deep breath… then ran as she screamed with all her might. With the scream ringing in his ears, stomach churning with disgust and chest full of hatred for what he’d almost become, he ran… and ran… and ran.

In his head a battle raged, the hunger trying to wrest control. For the moment he was winning. The girl’s face, so like his sister’s, shone in his mind. A beacon against the dark. The hunger tried to overwhelm him with a full on assault, tried crashing against his mind like a tsunami. It tried stealth, tendrils sneaking around the sides of his thoughts, feints and counter thrusts. He managed to hold out against every attempt, clinging to his sense of self.

But against the hunger’s greatest weapon, patience, he knew he would lose. Already the anger and the horror were fading, as was his recollection of the girl’s face – and of his sister’s. He could hold on for hours, maybe a day, but he would lose. And when the beast inside won the girl would die. The whole family would die. He could still feel where they were… knew he could find them again now, wherever they went.

The answer, when it came, was shocking in its simplicity. He had to die. In one way he was already dying. If the darkness won he’d no longer exist, he knew that now. Something would carry on, but it wouldn’t be him. He had to die. The question was, how?

His thoughts were clear for the first time in days, which let him realise how hard dying might be. From the way his wounds had healed recently dying wasn’t going to be a simple matter. Just harming himself was unlikely to be enough. He thought some more. How about burning? That might work, but could he build a big enough fire? Could he stay in control long enough to be sure the fire did its work? He didn’t know.

How about the sun? That had burnt him! But in the forest there was shade everywhere. If he lost control he knew the darkness inside would drive him to find cover, to find shade. Could he keep control for long enough to ensure that wasn’t an option?

He didn’t know. Ideas and their drawbacks bounced around his head for several minutes. He continued to run, to flee the family, but he knew he was only buying them a little more time. As he ran, as he felt the dark hunger slowly start to take hold again, he kept hoping for a clearing, a large one ideally. One where he might be able to seek the sun and hold on for long enough that it killed him.

Suddenly he burst clear of the trees, but not into a clearing. All that faced him was a gentle slope of scrubby grass which merged into a sandy beach a couple of hundred paces in front of him. He almost smiled at the sight. Forget clearings, this was what he needed

That beach was where he now sat, watching the eastern sky brightening above the sea. The rising sun would bring his death. That was certain. There would be no shade on the beach, and the treeline was well behind him. He was glad he’d get to see one last sunrise. It would be a beautiful one, judging by the colours already in the sky. He felt more at peace than he had since the bandits had attacked.

The dark hunger hadn’t given up, though. It alternated between subtlety and aggression. First his mind filled with thoughts of how wonderful life was, how precious. Glowing memories filled with pleasure and joy. When he resisted those the hunger attempted to wrench control. It sought to overwhelm him with its force, to stun him enough to loosen his grip. He held on. Sitting peacefully on the beach, hearing the gentle crash of the waves, he was able to resist. Despite the best efforts of the hunger inside, he felt calm, centred, determined.

The pre-dawn light was bright now. Sunrise was only minutes away. He removed his boots, then stood and removed his clothes, throwing them well away from him. He wanted to be sure the sun could reach every part of his body.

Then he sat again. The nearest shade would be under the trees, at least two hundred paces behind him. Or in the water ahead, but with the tide out that was a good hundred paces away. The position was perfect. He settled down to wait. Not thinking… just drinking in the beautiful morning.

When the sun crested the horizon he blinked at its brilliance, then cursed as his skin started to blister and burn. The sun leapt up above the horizon. His curses were replaced by screams. The darkness lashed his soul, urging him to run. Trying desperately to snatch control of his body. He stood firm despite the agony.

The light started blazing through him and he felt the darkness inside shrivel and die. He grinned through gritted teeth. At least, at the end, he would die as himself – his soul cleansed of the dark stain.

His skin charred and burnt. Far worse though was the burning he felt inside. Intense heat within his body and his head made him writhe. The pressure inside kept building, the blazing heat trying to burst its way out of him. Far beyond pain, beyond agony. Filling his world. Causing him to howl and scream. Until finally it burst through him, destroying his body and mind in a blaze of light and heat.