A Candle in the Night

Darkness clung to the earth like a cloak. It wrapped around all things and within its embrace dwelled death and rotting beasts.

Not even the sun’s light could pierce the shadow cast over all of creation.

Deep within the Dark a traveler journeyed.

Rose walked within the eternal dark her candle held firm like a shield, its light her one defense from the shadows pulsing around her.

This wasn’t her first journey through the Dark, but it was her longest.

The only sounds that reached her ears were the scratching of terrible claws and the faint crackling of the candle flame.

She smelled rot, but that was normal. Under the dark curse the entire world had begun to decay.

She closed her eyes, concentrating on her breath, “You’re going to be ok. You’re going to be ok.”

Her mantra echoed through the valley within which she stood, but by the time the echoes had faded a new chorus of voices had begun their own chant.

“Ok. Ok. Ok. Ok.” The words came from deep within the distorted throats of the beings that dwelled within the Dark.

Rose began to look around her, desperately searching for any other living being.

In the distance she spotted a figure walking towards her, their own candle shining faintly in their hands like a lighthouse within a tumultuous sea.

Rose smiled, they were probably heading to the same town as her. They were probably also a survivor trying to reach a Haven, the only truly safe places that still remained within this dying world.

But as she watched them they began to run, something was wrong.

Rose took a step forward trying to see what terrible thing had to be chasing that figure, for surely only something truly horrendous could cause someone shielded by light to run during the eternal night.

Then Rose saw the light of their candle flicker for a moment, they were running out of light.

The person began to shout, their words barely reaching Rose’s ears, “Help! Help! He-”

Their candle went out.

Screaming, and then silence.

And then Rose was alone once more.

Alone except for the shadows.

And the shadows were still hungry.

“Come.” A voice began to speak from within the darkness where the man had been standing mere moments before, “Come out.” 

Its words were broken, and its voice gravelly.

“Come out and”

It was obviously not used to speaking, not used to having a body to speak through.

“COME OUT AND PLAY!”

Rose took a step back, she had a job to do. She could not let herself be distracted by devils.

Rose looked down at her own candle, it was almost entirely burned away, “Oh great Apep have mercy on me.”

Her body grew cold, she didn’t have enough time. 

She reached into her pocket and pulled out her last box of matches.

She had a choice.

Return home to the broken buildings that still stood in her old town, or continue on, risking death in order to find a better home.

Rose sighed, before carrying on. To turn back would be to give up, and her old town was running out of resources. If she didn’t make this trip now, she would never have another chance.

It was better to die reaching for a better world, than to live out her life in hell.

She began to speed up.

Her footsteps rang out through the valley as she began to walk faster.

She could not run, she could not risk running. She couldn’t put her faint flame at risk of being put out.

As she walked a second set of footsteps joined her from beyond the veil of night.

“Come out.”

Rose could see the figure faintly within the swirling darkness outside of her bubble of protection, but it’s features were obscured.

“Come out”

Rose ignored its incessant pleas.

She would not give up.

As she walked she began to notice more figures moving in the shadows, and soon the pair of footsteps became a chorus of travelers and the whispered requests were repeated within a dozen different throats.

A dozen bodies, but only one voice.

“Why won’t you play with me?”

Rose tensed as she realized that they had surrounded her completely.

“They can’t stand near a light this bright.” She whispered to herself, but it didn’t fully vanquish her fears.

Soon she found a new source of hope.

She could see the light of a bonfire in the distance. She was drawing closer.

Around the pillar of light and safety stood a group of people, and their laughter rang out through the night.

Safety was within her grasp.

Civilization was only a few minutes away, and once she reached it her life would forever change!

Soon the distant laughter was drowned out by a closer cackle that burst forth from the beings that had followed her for miles.

“It’s almost time to play” The voices reassured her.

Rose realized what they meant just in time. She looked down and the truth struck her. Her candle was almost gone.

Rose acted instantly as she pulled out a match and ignited it just before the candle flame vanished.

Rose knew immediately that it wasn’t enough.

She fell to her knees and held the match close to her, trying to keep as much of herself in the light as possible, though she knew the act was futile. The fragile flame wouldn’t keep out the creatures hunting her.

She looked up and saw a face staring at her, a smile plastered across it.

She stifled a scream as she stared at it.

Worms pulsed through the skin, and cobwebs filled the eye sockets. The skin hung limp upon the bones and the creature smelled of rotting flesh and rancid meat.

The sounds of other creatures nearby began to grow louder as the excitement of a meal soon to be received grew more overpowering.

“Please.” Rose whispered.

But the broken man just kept smiling.

He reached his hand into the light, its power too faint to stop him.

“Time to play” he said before putting out the light, plunging Rose finally and eternally into darkness.