What Our Demons Do in the Dark

Cass and Dean were on their way home after a late night movie. The roads were deserted as they drove through their small sleeping town. It was a pastime of theirs, to joyride in Dean’s old Impala, taking the long way home in the late hours of the night.

Dean grabbed Cass’s hand, interlacing his fingers with hers. He lifted it up to his lips and gave it a light kiss before he rested it on her thigh and smiled. Cass returned his warm gaze, and a moment later his eyes flitted past her and he nodded at the old building on the right as he idled by. 

“Bet that place is crawling with ghosts,” Dean said, giving Cass’s hand a squeeze.

“Oh yeah,” Cass replied with a laugh. “No doubt about it. Every chump that tries to fix it up doesn’t last a month. Cursed ground, I’m telling ya.” She turned to Dean as he pulled over and stopped on the curb outside, and she lifted an eyebrow.

“Whatcha doin’?” she asked, following Dean’s gaze as he stared at the old movie theater in the dim light of the moon. “I’ve got curfew, ya know,” she added, a look of concern in her eyes. “Dad’s gonna kill me if I’m late again.”

“I know. It’s just,” Dean paused, staring past Cass through the passenger window, “I’ve got an idea.”

“And that is?” Cass  replied, more like she was asking a question.

“Well, with Halloween coming up and all, and seeing as we were trying to find something fun to do…”

“Yeah?” Cass urged. 

“Well, how about a spooky double feature here? We can pack some snacks, I can bring my projector. It’ll be great. Just you and me.”

A smile crept across Cass’s face as she considered it.

“Sounds pretty legit,” she said. “But if you don’t get me home in the next three minutes you’re not going to be taking me anywhere for the next half century.”

“Right,” Dean replied, laughing as he put the car in drive and made for Cass’s house, where her stern father would no doubt be waiting to make sure his daughter made it home safe and sound, right on time and not a moment later. 

Dean pulled up to the house and leaned over. Cass gave him a quick kiss and tried to reach for the door. Dean pulled her back towards him and pulled her face to his. He could feel her smile against his lips before she let out a small laugh and resisted none too convincingly. Her hands reached up to touch his face, and after a long moment she finally broke away with a huge smile.

“Call you tomorrow?” she said as she opened the door and jumped out of the car. She peered back in, head bent as she grinned at him. 

“Tomorrow,” he said. 

He watched as she shut the door and ran across the grassy lawn, bounded up the steps and slipped through the door. He lingered for a moment after the porch light went off, sitting in the darkness and the silence. His eyes glowed with intensity as he smiled to himself. With a final look at the house, he slowly inched forward and turned for home.

—

A week later Dean and Cass were pulling up to the old theater at half past eleven. Cass shivered and crossed her arms as they stood on the sidewalk and took in the shattered windows and the marquee with crooked and missing letters. 

“I mean, I love creepy places as much as you, but this place has that extra level of creepy,” she said as she shot Dean a faux-scared look, wiggling her fingers in his direction as she “Ooooh-ed” like a ghost. He nudged her arm and laughed.

“Oh, you’ll be alright,” he replied as he adjusted his backpack on his shoulder. “Can’t be worse than the old Thomson house on Main Street.”

“You’re right,” Cass agreed with another shiver and a nod. “Bring it on then, old movie theater,” she said as she grabbed his hand and made for the entrance. 

The door creaked as they walked in. Most of the glass had been shattered, and the familiar crackling sound echoed beneath their feet as they stepped into the theater. The air was dancing with dust, swirling in the yellow glow of their flashlights as they looked around. The old carpet was faded to a dull salmon color, and the concession stands, though long neglected and abandoned, still had a few boxes of decades old Reese's Pieces, covered in dust and cobwebs to the point the words were barely legible on the label.

“My favorite,” Cass said with a sigh as she gestured at the fossilized candy behind the dingy glass. 

“Too bad it’s a million years old,” Dean replied. “And good thing you brought ten pounds of it in the backpack.” He shot her a playful grin and she laughed. 

“Well, I need to get everything set up in the projector room,” Dean’s voice echoed in the silence. “You wanna go find our seats? Better hurry before people start to show up. I heard it was a sold out show tonight.” He winked as he turned on his heel and made for the upper level. 

“Sounds great,” Cass replied, shaking her head and letting out another laugh as Dean headed up a flight of creaky stairs to the right as she made for the single theater on the left. It was a large theater, with rows farther than she could see in the beam of her flashlight. She ran her hand along the aisle seats as she made her way to the front, noticing that they were the same faded red the carpeting was at the entrance and on the floor beneath her as she walked soundlessly on.

She aimed her light up to the ceiling, and in the near non-existent light from a moon shrouded in dark wispy clouds, she could make out a large hole in the rafters, and through it the wind howled, making an eerie sound and making her shiver from the cool breeze that floated in. Small beady orbs of shining light reflected off the wooden beams in the ceiling, and she could make out the subtle sounds of screeching and scratching.

Bats, she thought as she dropped the backpack into the aisle seat to her left and sank down into a creaky velvet chair with a sigh. She tried to ignore the thought of rats scurrying around her feet as she rummaged for movie snacks and waited for Dean.

As she held the flashlight between her cheek and shoulder and opened a box of her favorite candy, she heard a creak in the rafters above her. A little cloud of upset dust sprinkled down almost silently as she looked up. She squinted to make out the cause of the disturbance in the darkness. 

Suddenly a light began to glow, lighting up the old silver screen as Cass realized it was the projector coming on upstairs. She glanced up to the rafters again, and with a shrug she leaned back in her seat as she put her feet up on the seat in front of her.

A few minutes later she could hear Dean coming down the stairs. As the previews began to play, Cass turned her head to try to see over her shoulder. He should have been there by now. She was about to call out when Dean sprang out from behind her chair. Cass let out a yelp and threw the contents of her candy box into the air. As Dean laughed and joined her at her side, Cass caught her breath. 

“What the hell Dean?” she exclaimed, but she couldn’t help but laugh at the situation. She looked at the floor, where a variety of yellow, brown and orange colored circles sat in the dust. She let out a sigh. “Well, there goes the rest of my candy. I hope you’re happy.” She narrowed her eyes and shot him the signature “I’m watching you gesture” as she rummaged in her bag for a new box. She handed him a bag of popcorn. 

“Alright, we’re set,” he said as he rubbed his hands together, took the bag and leaned back. “I picked Hereditary first.”

Cass smiled as she offered him a piece of her candy. He eagerly took one, tossed it in the air and caught it in his mouth.

“I hope you like bats and rats,” Cass said as she gestured up to the rafters and around them. “I heard crawly critters while I was waiting for you. It seems we aren’t alone.” She let out another ghostly “Ooooh” as she pretended to be scared. “For a minute I thought you found some way to get up on the beams so you could scare me.”

“Why do you say that?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow. “You think I’d be dumb enough to climb up there?”

“No,” she replied as she nudged him in the shoulder. “It must have been a bat. No biggie.”

Dean shrugged and grabbed another handful of popcorn.

“Oh,” he said suddenly as the screen went dark. “It’s starting.” 

They smiled mischievous smiles at one another and settled in for their movie marathon. When the credits rolled on the first one, they both broke into exaggerated applause as they hooted and hollered in the vacant theater. 

“Ready for Midsommar?” Dean asked as he turned on his flashlight, holding it under his chin and smiling a sinister smile.

“Born ready,” Cass replied as she flicked on her flashlight in turn.

“Then I’ll be right back,” Dean said ominously as he winked and slowly backed away.

Cass laughed and shook her head as she watched him disappear around the corner. He returned shortly after.

“Here we go,” he said as he settled back in. “My little May Queen,” he said as he leaned in for a kiss. He tickled her and she belted out a laugh. 

“Dean, stop!” she shouted, pushing him away as she caught her breath. “You’re going to make me spill my candy again. But also don’t you forget it,” she said with a wink before she laid her head against his and turned her face up to the screen.

They made it halfway through the film before everything went dark. 

“What the hell?” they both mumbled in the blackness. Dean fumbled with his flashlight, clicking the switch on and off a few times before he let out a sigh. 

“Lights out,” he muttered. “What about yours?”

Cass reached underneath her seat and pulled her flashlight out. She flipped the switch. 

“Nope,” she replied. “That’s weird.” She pulled out her phone. “Aaaand my phone is dead.”

“You’ve gotta learn to charge that thing,” he jabbed as he fumbled for his phone. After another sigh, she chimed in. 

“You were saying?” she jabbed back. 

“Okay, I know my phone was charged,” he said in the darkness. “Something’s up,” he declared. “I’ve got a spare light in the car. You coming with?”

“Yup,” she said as she did her best to gather their belongings in the dark. She could feel his hand reaching out for her. He clutched her shoulder. 

“After you,” he said as he guided her forward. Using the theater seats to guide them, they stumbled towards the exit. As she reached the threshold and saw the front entrance come into view, she felt Dean’s grip on her shoulder loosen.

“What…?” was all he had time to say before he let out a blood curdling scream. Something pulled him back, sending him flying into the darkness behind him. All went quiet. Cass stood, frozen, trembling as she tried to will herself to turn around. She couldn’t.

“Dean?” she whispered, clutching her shaking hands into fists at her sides as she stood there. No answer. She slowly turned around. 

“Dean?” she said, a little louder.

“Here, my love,” he said, making her jump. He sounded distant. His voice echoed down the aisle, seemingly from the front of the theater. There was something unsettling about the sound of his voice in the darkness. A shiver ran down Cass’s spine as she took a step forward. In her confusion she also felt a wave of anger.

“If this is some sort of sick joke, it’s not funny, Dean,” she said, louder this time as she gathered her nerve. She started walking towards the sound of his voice. “Now quit fooling around and let’s get out of here,” she demanded, breathing heavily as she waited for a reply. As she squinted in the darkness, she saw two distant orbs of light. They were blinking, and they were the color of blood.

“But we’ve only just begun,” Dean whispered as the silver screen behind him started to glow a crimson color and his silhouetted figure came into view. His arms were outstretched and he was suspended in the air, eyes solid red as they bore holes through Cass in the darkness, as if he could see her in the blackness.

“What the…” she gasped in horror, tears filling her eyes as she took a step back. “Dean?” she whispered. 

“Dean is but a vessel that I require,” he hissed. “I am his servant.” His low growling voice reverberated off the walls, sending another shiver down Cass’s spine.  

“Who…servant?” Cass stammered, lips trembling. 

“Yes…of the Lord of the Night…the reason you are here…”

“What do you want from me?!” Cass exclaimed, taking another step back as she bit back a sob.

“I want you to join me,” Dean replied, lips turning up into a sinister smile. “To join us.” 

“Us? Wait…Dean?...No, no, no…” she said, shaking her head as she backed away quickly. She tripped on the leg of an aisle chair and fell back onto the ground. She continued to crawl away, eyes locked on what was once Dean, but was now some unspeakable monster before her. As she gasped for air, the floating figure let out a demonic laugh.

“You need not run,” he said, arms still outstretched. “He welcomes you with open arms…”

A strong wind began to blow around the room, and there was a loud roaring in Cass’s ears as the faint glow of the screen and the demon’s eyes grew bright. She shut her eyes as she covered her ears with her hands. Her screams were drowned out as the wind picked up, and crawling on her hands and knees, she reached the exit. The big wooden doors slammed shut as she threw herself against them.

“Let me out!” she screamed as she kicked and pounded on the door. She was sobbing as the wind howled and the monster began chanting in a language unfamiliar to her. 

“Ilmiroth, Dominus Noctis…audi me,” Dean’s voice boomed as the wind picked up. The red glow flared with a great flash as he continued to chant. 

“Hear me, Lord, suscipe munus meum, oh unum in tenebris. Accept my offer, oh Great One enshrouded in darkness.” His eyes settled on Cass in the red light. She leaned into the doors, creating as much distance as she could between herself and this nightmare before her. She silently shook her head frantically as she trembled all over.

“You will make a fine offering, indeed. Together we will bring him back,” he growled. “The Lord of the Night will walk among us again.” Suddenly the light went out and there was silence. 

As Cass sat in the darkness, gasping for breath, the roar of the howling wind slowed, dying down to a faint whisper. As she tried to stand, she felt a cold grip around her ankle, and she let out a desperate scream as she was pulled into the darkness. Out of the blackness another set of red eyes gleamed. 

“I sacrifice my soul to you…Lord of the Night…to Ilmiroth,” she whispered in a low voice that was no longer her own. 

“Oh Ilmiroth, devotus sum vobis…I devote myself to you.”