Obsidian Dreams
Fog rolling in as I stare out of the window. No moon tonight. No solitary night time travellers. Nothing. The world is empty, the night is lifeless. I can’t sleep; the darkness has a way of creeping in. I think my mind might be unravelling by the seams. The headaches, the nightmares, the cold caress of Hypnos. I must be stuck. My mind wanders. I thought I escaped whatever was in that town, in that house. Didn’t we leave it all behind.It must have tagged along like a stubborn summertime sha dow. It happened so many nights ago, yet I can revert to those events with the clarity of an acid flashback. The darkness is coming. I may not have enough time. A typical Friday night. I just finished my shift, cashed up hanged up, heading out to the dive bars, our dive bar and its smokey grungy atmosphericness. Compulsory beers and regretful shots heralding the week’s end. The bar was full with its late afternoon regular crowd; Bikers in their colours gossiping and sipping beers, old men with greying beards glued to the bar stools elbows all akimbo holding their weary heads as they ramble to the bored looking bartender about the good old days, couples sitting hither and thither unashamed of their public affections, hedonists on the dance floor doing all that is necessary to complete the predatory ritual of casual sex. Queers, steers, boozers and cruisers, the odd junky or two, scratching away at invisible fleas. My mates and I, we were sitting in our usual spot; way at the back far away from the orgy of civility. Emilia the sweet blue eyed skinhead little miss, John the humorous the great boar consumer of all; a bearded mass of fat jigglyness. Fenris, silent and contemplative, with his twin; sweet old whiplash Amy and her classic beauty. Emilia sits across from me. Her petit porcelain foot out of her big black boots massaging my inner thigh. Fenris is off in another one of his worlds whilst Amy sits next to him, teasing his Beethoven hair. The corner is always theirs. John at the head reserved for heavy machinery. Emilia and I are caught in the middle of the wooden table; stained with years of abusive and liberal spillages. Our table. Many a plan of world domination was discussed here over shots and draughts and the ever philosophical jug of wine. Tonight was no different with Emilia on the ball. “I say we all get our asses on the cruise ships, take em down to South America, right? U...” she points to herself and I “We can be the waiters. John you’re kitchen detail.” “Fuck you dearly.” “Not a chance in hell my fat jiggly wiggly friend.” She glances conspirationally at me “Fenris and Amy…Hmm, we will sneak you on board, hide you in the pantry and feed you all kind of psychoactive drugs and tranqs, till we make shore.” No response from the two lost doves. A pause, a wait, fire sparks in the eyes. “And once we get there?” Amy rests her head on Fenris’ broad chest and relaxes her feet on the table. Fenris still lost out there, somewhere. “We make friends with some Columbian Drug lord and offer to smuggle a couple of bricks. Then we commandeer a-“ “You guys want food?” John stirs and rubs his pregnant belly “God-dammit! Wait you fiend!” “But you are losing the plot and nobody is really listening. Besides, knowing us and how our nights usually end up, we should probably load up on grease whilst the nights still young and before we feel like wretched shits in the coming morning! Besides what are our plans besides getting shit faced?” “Getting shit faced, presumably.” Life comes to Fenris brown eyes as he looks and gives his big toothy woolfy grin at us all. “AH you are awake! Fucking finally. Score one for the alcohol kicking you in gear! But wait, wait, wait I gots something to tells you! But wait wait wait!” A conspirational grin from Emilia as she hits the table with an open palm “What’s pink and red and silver and crawls into walls? …Give up? A baby with forks in its eyes!” John bursts out laughing; spraying nose beer all over the table. Fenris and Amy just stare with light smirks. Emilia cradles herself and goes off on a giggle fit. “Christ, are we going where I think we are? That can only mean we need more shots then! Amy you comin’?” She nods and stands up on the couch. Fenris gets off the couch and gives Amy a piggy back ride. “Wait wait wait! When is the best time to bury the baby you just killed? WHEN IT STARTS TALKING AGAIN!” This sends both John and Emilia into jiggling giggle fits, Fenris and Amy are well on their way. “Hehehe! FENRIS! Hold up Holmes! I wanna place an order!” John gets up and manages to stabilize himself and waddles of behind them. Emilia shifts back in her seat and crosses her arms across her chest. “Sigh. Nobody but John really likes my jokes and he will pretty much laugh at anything. Jesus.” Her cobalt blue eyes look into mine. “How ‘bout you?” “Well I find, when the moment arises, quite fucking hitlerious to be honest. Other times not so much. I guess it depends on my alcohol intake.” I try to smile the goofiest toothiest I can muster. “Listen. Let’s talk; whilst we are alone.” “About?” “You know.” “No I don’t.” “Oh God please! Stop playing coy you cheap bastard! I mean us! You think they know?” “Of course… Of course they know! We aren’t that secretive my dear…” “Yeah… I guess we have been quite obvious.” “You blushing?” “Fuck off!” A kick to the shin with the booted foot. “So what do we tell them?” “What is there to tell?” “What are we?” “No idea… Your thoughts?” “The same… But whatever it is, it’s fun and I enjoy it. Maybe a bit too much.” Before we can say anything further Fenris and Amy come back with a tray of shots. Looking like they just saw a ghost. “Where’s John?” “In the kitchen…” “And all of this then?” “Well… We were standing at the bar trying to flag down a bartender when this guy in a blue robin’s egg suite just appeared out of nowhere and starting talking to us. We shook hands… His name was King. Some out of towner or some shit like that. Anyway we were kinda reluctant to talk to this–“ “Aren’t you always?” “Fuck off!” “And?”!” “ Well like I was saying, this guy in the most robins’ blue egg pinstripe suite started talking. Introduced himself as King and how he just moved in from out of town.” “He gave me the hebes!” Amy shifts her feet uncomfortably and distances herself a little from Fenris. “There was just something off with this guy, dead hands, dead eyes…” “He had this way of making you do things, like hypnotised us. He got Fenris to shake his hands—“ “Fenris old pal you only touch Amy. Hell I even think you have never even touched yourself!” “Jesus man! I’m trying to tell you there is something wrong with that guy and you go off making jokes like her!” “Well let me go and find him them!” “No, no let me. You’re a bit weak for confrontations dear.” Emilia’s foot slips away from my thigh, replaces her boot and gets up “Besides someone needs to go thank him for these shots then!” Fenris and Amy get back into the booth and into their usual position of one. Both have a slight trance like air around them. A slight look of apprehensive fear. “You sure he didn’t spike these shots?” “No, we saw the bartender pour it himself. That guy never came close. Just stood there, stared and smiled. It was almost like he was in my head. I could hear him say:” Enjoy this gift, my friends. Whilst you can.” That shit just makes me shudder thinking about it. Jesus.” Emilia returns looking quite unimpressed. “Okay I went to the bar to try and get a look see of this Mr Badfella that spooked you and no sign. The bar is slowly emptying out, so I thought he must have left. I walked to the bartender and asked him, who I might add looked high as fuck. He told me he didn’t see anyone and that you paid in full for these shots yourself.” Emilia slaps a credit card hard down on the table, almost upsetting our collection of drunken revelry. She stares Fenris dead in the eyes. “You sure it isn’t a bout of mini-paranoia dear?” “I’m certain he was there. I know it! Maybe yes I have been drinking, we all have and you said the bartender was whacked so he probably doesn’t even know shit!” “Yeah! Explain then how I saw him too!” Amy wraps her arms around Fenris and tries to get his attention. Silence hits our table. Everybody just stares at each other. Welcome to Discordia. “Well, fuck it! Let’s be merry and forget this minor transgression. How I see it is we shouldn’t worry. Emilia checked he isn’t here so fuck ‘em. Shots are getting warm people and the night is only starting! So as you so lovingly put it: LETS GET SHIT FACED!” “What about John?” everybody gets their little of pile of shots together. “Kitchen, probably gorging.” The tables atmosphere starts to dissipate, even the entire bar’s atmosphere changes; the music shifts dynamics, becoming a somewhat darker element of the alternative record sales. The bar regulars start filtering out. All who remain are disjointed groups of freaks and a few bikers still gossiping away. The old men stumble out and go home. The couples and hedonists retire to neon clubs or comfy houses. It becomes our harem. Amy gets up and pulls Fenris up. “Let’s go a-dancing! Hehehe” “Wait up!” Emilia grabs my hand “We are coming with!” Emilia is grinding up against me, her ass dead centre on my crotch. My hands on her hips as they snake side to side. She grabs hold of my hands, starts to rub, glide, caress up to her breasts and back down her sides. She lets go and turns around, pushing me back, till my head smacks against the wall. I can’t not. I am her slave. Surrender to the hunger. Let the body feed. Our mouths meet, we bite, we lick we pull back; we slowly tease each other driving the hunger wild. We fondle, we caress, we scratch we pull we push we shove through the bathroom door. Let the beasts come out. Let them play. Unhindered. Let them tear each other apart. She on top of me, riding hard, grinding my ass cheeks onto plastic toilet seat, digging her nails deep into my back, pulling my hair. Eyes deep with mine in contact. She leans forward, her breasts massaging my chest. My teeth sink into the soft flesh of her neck. She gasps and pounds harder, now and again gyrating against my pelvic bone. She slows down, I lift her up, push her against the wall. Her canines sink into my shoulder, her claws dig deeper into my back, me trying to force her through the wall. Feed the hunger. Feed the pain. Feed the turmoil. We get dressed. Ignoring the craving. Separation must come for us to remain sure. We walk back out the dance floor. The music is still building up as if the climax has yet to come; just drones on and on. We search the crowd of bodies moving to a rhythm the music entranced them in. No sign of Fenris or Amy. No sign of them at the booth. It is so loud we have to scream. “God! Where are they?” “Fuck knows… Let’s take a look see at the bar! It isn’t like they could just up and vanish. They are either gone or at the bar. Last resort, pray!” We walk to the bar, pushing and shoving our way through a large crowd. “Who are these people?!” “No idea! Word must have gotten out.” “ But look at them! They seem…Lifeless.” “Come on! We can crowd perv later!” I grab Emilia by the arm and pull her through the throng of people. She loosens my grip and holds my hand in both of hers. A strange sensation shudders down my spine. We manage to shove our way through to the bar. An endless ocean of people, a never before for a place like this. I try to flag down a bartender but to no avail; Running hither and tither helping whoever is in earshot. Feeding time at the petting zoo. I drag Emilia to the front door. Get out. Get fresh air. Get away from the maddening mob my mind screams. Emilia is drone eyed staring at the faces, clutching hard on my hand. The music is oppressive. The atmosphere is chokingly thick. Cattle pushing and shoving to get first in line, mindless of who falls and tramples, just the incessant need to be first in line to the slaughterhouse ramp. I shove Emilia through the door and look back into the crowd to see if I might catch a glimpse of Fenris or Amy. My eyes follow their own path and all I see is a man with a blue robin’s egg suite staring at me, smiling. The last thing I remember is white light and gravitational loss. “Wake up wake up wake up!” “What’s going on back there?!” “SLOW DOWN! You are going to kill us all!” “Guys… I think he is awake! Are you okay?” “Is he okay?” “He isn’t fucking answering! Just staring into space!” “I’m pulling over.” Cold wet grass. A slightly fuzzy night sky; Cheshire cat all-a-grinning and somebody shaking me violently. “What the fuck!” “Jesus! Are you okay?” “Yes, where the hell am I and what the fuck am I doing on the floor?” “You were knocked out when we exited the bar, some beefcake tried pulling you back in. I kicked him in the groin and dragged you to the fucking car. I found Fenris and Amy on the way and they helped me put you inside the car and hightailed the fuck out of there; Fenris is one hell of a fucking speed demon.” “Everyone okay?” “Yeah, I guess. Amy is pretty shook up. Fenris is consoling her, looks pretty freaked himself. Are you alright?” “Feels like a freight train ran right through me and several walls. Help me up.” “Right.” “Jesus, he’s alive! I was worried.” “Yeah yeah, you guys okay?” Fenris and Amy just stare at each other “Listen, where’s John?” “Didn’t see his Fiat in the parking lot. Fuck him! He must have left us the fucking glut.” “And I am not going back. Those people are animals. I’m taking Amy home. I can drop you off?” Before any of us can answer a loud wailing siren breaks the serenity of the night. Flashing red lights and bright headlights burst forth from the horizon, hurtling towards us; The local departments Big Red Big Rig fire truck shoots on by. “You think?” “No, just our paranoia. I think we all drank too much and got a little spooked. Let’s have a smoke, forget the night and head back home. Okay? We stick together. Hell sleep in the same bed if that will make you feel better.” “I hear Fenris em gots a nice king sized bed.” Light hearted smiles all around We slowly make our way home. Fenris at the wheel, his eyes glued to the road. Amy resting her head against his shoulder, her dark hair like waterfalls against his side. Emilia, her boots up against the clouding window, her head resting on my lap. Fenris’ house is a little out of the way. One might say on the outskirts of town. A 200 year old house left to him by his Grandmother, the only family he has ever known. The house was small sized but had one hell of a fucking yard. Used to be the old bat’s old bat’s farmhouse. There are two ways to get there: The highway or the back road. The highway is faster and has the ever presence of cops waiting to jump out from the bushes that populate the little islands of shrubbery. The back road is a run of the mill two way road flanked by Bluegum windbreakers for the stormy season. Dark as the night is black. We always take the back road without fault. Tonight’s no different, except the strange oppression filtering into our atmosphere. “Hey man, you awake?” Fenris whispers to not wake the slumbering girls. “Hey, yeah. What’s up? My turn to drive?” “No… Just, do you see what I see?” “The fog?” “Yeah…” ”Shit you don’t think?” “No, can’t be. Just a natural phenomenon.” Fenris steps a little harder on the gas pedal. I stare out into the fog, almost mesmerised by it. I don’t know if it was just the knock I took or the combination of alcohol and the lack of sleep or just plain old reality. What I do know is we were travelling quite fast, yet the fog rolled on by slowly. Engulfing and enveloping the trees. Devouring with unseen mouths and out far in the distance were figures behind trees fleeting from one to the other. Following us. Chasing us. Hunting. The fog was following us faster and faster. Panic our navigator. Hearts pumping like pistons out of sync. Fenris’ eyes are huge in the rear-view mirror. Two yellow dots growing bigger and bigger in his diluted pupils. I try and turn my head to the direction of his stare. It feels like time has stretched to infinitesimal proportions. Two orbs of yellow growing bigger and bigger, faster and faster. Eyes of a giant beast catching up with its prey. The interior of the car lights up, flooding it with yellow. All that is heard is the whining of the car being pushed to its limits. But the eyes grow larger and larger and larger. Yellow hate filled eyes. Before it swallows us it starts to recede. The fog grows thinner and thinner and we can see the porch light of Fenris’ house shine bright. Fenris hits the corner hard, tyres dig into gravel, rocks pulverize the undercarriage. It feels like we might go over, but the car manages to dig in and we are on the home stretch. The house dead centre in our path and nothing behind us. We get to the front gate. The headlights illuminate all in front. Three German Shepherds come running from the porch and the night is silent except for the engines fan kicking into high gear and the cacophony of excited dog barks. The gate slowly opens and we drive on to the house. We wake the girls and go inside. We’re sitting around a wooden table right in the middle of Fenris’ kitchen whilst he fills a kettle, pushes the button for the stoves pilot light and places the kettle on the stove top as it click-click-clicks to life, everything else is dead. Amy and Emilia them both are battling to stay awake. Fenris starts washing filthy mugs, rinses them out and dries them. He places all the mugs on the table, gets tea spoons and the tin container of coffee together with one tea bag for Amy; his dear sweetheart. The kettle whistles its sirens call and Fenris takes it off the stove and fills the mugs with water adding the correct amounts of coffee granules and sugar. No milk lest it curdles. “Jesus! What a night!” Emilia exclaims as she clasps the mug with both hands and brings it to her mouth. Her lips pout and she softly blows, cooling the coffee down. “Agreed…” Fenris gives the mug of tea to Amy who is neither here nor there. She just holds it and stares at the table. “Are you okay?” Fenris stands behind her and hugs her “Yeah. I guess I am just tired.” “Well, after this, we all go to bed. The guest room is there for you two if you want or you can pass out on the couches in the lounge.” “Ain’t no rest for the wicked dear ha-ha” “Not my problem if you feel like wretched shits in the morning –“a sudden realisation grips us “Where’s John?” “God knows. Him without a phone makes it a problem for the morning. No use chasing ghosts now.” “Right then. I guess we should head to bed.” We get up and shuffle out of the door connecting to a long hallway. The moonlight illuminates a window at the end of the hall. Three doors counting the kitchen’s on the right, two to the left. “This is us, first door on the left. You two are in the last on the left. Toilet middle right, bathroom the last one and you know where the kitchen is. Behind us is the door to the lounge. Got it? Good. Sweet dreams and goodnight. “Night.” “Nighty night dears.” Emilia and I walk to our room, open the door, close it, undress, me in my jeans, she in her black hot pants and shirt. I put the light off as she gets into bed. I walk on over, get into bed and greet the coming darkness. Become one ball of shared body heat. Sweet, sweet, oblivion. I awake to the sounds of dogs barking, a slight knocking on the door and my name being whispered by a disembodied voice in the hall. Emilia stirs and vocalizes her contempt for disruption of her sleep. I get out of bed and try not to disturb her any further. I shuffle to the door, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I open the door to bright eyed Fenris. “What’s wrong?” “No idea. The dogs have been going at it for a while. I can’t sleep… I keep on feeling that there is something outside. “Those silhouettes driving up here. That fog—“ “What’s going on?” Emilia slips her warm arms around my mid section and presses up against me.” “Are you two—“ “No, Emilia, please go back to bed. Everything is okay.” “It’s cold…” her arms slip away and I go out into the hallway and close the door behind me. “Let’s talk where they won’t hear.” “Okay. But, I have something to show you. Go look out the window.” “If this is some kind of prank—“ “Really? Come on you know I don’t do shit like that. Just go have a look.” “Why can’t you just tell me?” “I need your reassurance.” His eyes, the staring jittering paranoid eyes. The seriousness, the abhorrent apprehension inside of them tells me all I need to know. He points to the window and I start my slow trudge down the hall. At first it felt like a goose chase I was inadvertently getting involved in, but as I got closer my chest started to knot, my feet lead cased, every organ struggling. Oh so surreal like a twisted lucid dream. Choked and chained down being pulled with my body fighting like stubborn mule. Left foot pause, right foot pause, left foot pause, right foot pause, come on soldier, march on to Electric Avenue. At the window I see a large yard with many trees, big tall and menacing in the fog and moonlight. I hear the dogs more clearly. Their voices frantic. The fear slowly seeping in, slowly engulfing all. The fog has tagged along. I try to look back at Fenris, I try to peel my eyes away from the sight in front of me, I struggle as I try to turn my paralysed body away but all my body does is riddle me with goose-flesh. Far off in the distance I see a figure walk towards the house, a figure shrouded by the fog, a figure surrounded by ghostly silhouettes. The dogs start baying; I can hear my heartbeat gallop away within my eardrums. A sudden silence pierces my ears. The figure comes closer and closer and somehow I know it is smiling, it is licking its lips. Strange unknown faces flash before my eyes, different faces, they grimace, the scream, they laugh like mad men as the gouge out their eyes. It all disappears as the fog sweeps and engulfs the entire yard. Nothing to see but grey. I grow cold as I feel a hand on my shoulder. “There is someone outside.”A loud blood curdling scream comes from down the hall behind us. We turn around and see Amy stumbling towards us, her hands up covering her face. Fenris runs towards her and halfway he stops dead and takes a step back. I can still see Amy over his shoulder. I can hear her crying or laughing, either thought fills me with dread. I see her hands and front are bloody. She becomes silent and stops moving. She drops her hands. Her face is bloody streaks. Her eyes are black holes that cry blood. She collapses to the ground and Fenris runs towards her screaming her name. The sound of breaking glass comes from the guest room. Loud screaming and the sound of a door struggling to open. A fist beating a door, naked feet trying to kick it open, screams for help. I run to the door of the guest room and try to open it. I scream Emilia’s name, for her to move away from the door. I put weight behind my shoulder the door doesn’t want to budge. The dogs are growling, snarling and yelping, I hear more crashing glass from around the house, and I look back at the window and see a large object fly from out the fog and breaks through, landing in the hallway. It’s one of the German shepherds, fur matted with blood. Its stomach torn open and its innards spill out onto the hallway floor. It’s missing its lower jaw. I force more weight behind my shoulder to the door, a frantic need to get it open. I take a step back and take a running start and I throw my entire body at the door. It breaks open. I see two figures on the floor. One crouching on top of the other. The figure on top lifts it head and looks straight at me. Ghostly skin stretched taught across its face, covered in gore, large owl eyes as black as obsidian. It cocks its head to the side and starts snarling, gnashing its needle teeth, rocking back and forth pounding the body of Emilia. A figure dressed in a suite walks out from the shadow of the corner towards the creature, placing a hand on its shoulder. “Feed my brothers, there’s fresh meat for all.” The creature rears its head and bites into the belly of Emilia. I turn and run out into the hall as more and more creatures start pouring through the window. I See Fenris cradling the body of Amy. I scream to get his attention, but he just sits there rocking back and forth muttering apologies. I look back down the hall and see the creatures walking on their hands and feet, some are climbing the walls like spiders, others on the ceiling, their backs littered with spikes, their skin the colour of fog. The hallway fills with guttural hollow sounds like drains sucking in the last of the water. I run towards Fenris, trying to pull him up but all he does is shove me away and goes back to cradling the body of the eyeless Amy. The creatures move in slowly, the fog seeps in from the window. I take steps back as they come in closer and closer, the hollow sounds becomes louder and louder, I scream Fenris name, I scream for him to run to get up. But nothing, he remains rocking back and forth. One of the creatures is a few feet from him. It stands up, raising one shoulder then the next and snaps its head back and brings it level. It jumps on top of Fenris, sinking its teeth into his neck and drags him backwards as Fenris starts screaming and kicking and punching. More and more creatures come and help to drag him back; more and more teeth sink into flesh, claws ripping him apart. I run towards the door to the kitchen and burst on through. Inside the kitchen is on, on the table is the head of John on a plate, mouth agape, eyes missing. I carry on running, trying not to retch, out into the lounge, out the front door and on the porch, running towards the car. I rip the door open as more and more creatures start to chase after me from the house. I see more and more coming from the distance out of the fog. An entire legion. I scramble for the hiding spot of the spare keys, franticly searching. Something lands on top of the roof of the car, loud pounding from above, the roof dents in. I find the keys, put it in the ignition, put it in reverse and hit the pedal hard. Tires spin underneath, kicking up gravel. The house slowly starts to become smaller. I yank on the steering wheel swinging the car in a full 180 degrees. I see something fall off from the roof as I put the car in gear and aim for the gate. Pedal to the metal the engine roars as I barrel down the dirt road towards the gate. No time to stop and wait for it to open. Gotta ram it gotta get out. The sound of steal and metal breaking, gates go flying to the sides. I look around me and see the creatures gaining on the car, running at full speed, some leaping and bounding, others on two legs, others on all fours and on the porch far back at the house the figure in the suite stands with its arms crossed, becomes enveloped in darkness and disappears. I hit the corner at full speed, the car feels like it’s on the tipping point but holds on fast. Barrelling down to the road. The creatures slowly falling back as I get closer and closer to the road, and once rubber meets tarmac they are too far away to be any threat, but I maintain my speed, knuckles white from the grip on the steering wheel. Flying down the road trees whizzing by, I see two yellow orbs growing in front of me coming straight at me my eyes locked dead on their centre as they grow and grow to menacing size. I no longer hear the engine, or the sound of the wind, no longer the beating of my heart. Just pure deathly silence. Everything starts to slow, the road disappears. All there is darkness and the yellow orbs. I have a nagging feeling to look to my side and behind me. Next to me I see Emilia smoking a cigarette and looking at me, smiling. Sitting behind her is Amy, stretching her back, twisting from side to side. I look behind me to the right and see Fenris face between my headrest and the middle bar between the doors, His arm stretched out in front of me pointing. Him laughing. I turn around to look whose sitting in the back seat and there with his arms crossed and resting on his belly John, all a smile. They all slowly start to disappear, to flicker, and become transparent until there is nothing left. I turn my head back to look at the road or where the road was. Instead all I see is a man sitting in an arm chair in front of me, one leg over the armrest. In his hand is a cognac glass filled with the most crimson liquid I have ever seen. He stretches and sits up. He is dressed in a robins’ blue pin stripe suit. I can see his face, it always seems obscured but I can hear him speak: “So here we are my pet. Welcome to my Obsidian Dream. This is what the world will become. No matter what anyone does, nothing can be saved. The universe came from darkness and shall return to darkness. And those trapped in the darkness will come and play and feed upon all that light falls upon. This is just a taste of what is to come and you are my messenger, my horseman. I am King. Now go and tell all who will hear, their king comes to claim his throne.” The world slowly comes out from the darkness; I can see the dawn breaking. I can see the road. I can see a car heading straight for me, I pull hard on the steering wheel, and I can feel the car tipping over. The sound of steel crunching, glass shattering. The darkness comes back and claims me. Fog rolling in as I stare out of the window. No moon tonight. No solitary night time travellers. Nothing. The world is empty, the night is lifeless. I can’t sleep. My walls are padded. They call me mad. They call me a killer. A psychopath. They say I killed them all. That I set fire to the bar and burned everyone inside. That I ripped my friends and the dogs apart. That I feasted on their flesh and rubbed messages all over the walls of the house. They say I rolled the car. That I am lucky to be alive. They don’t believe anything I say. That I am the King’s messenger. The Harbinger of the obsidian dreams. That I am King