Where Shadows Lurk

Too many corners. Too much empty space. Too many shadows. Yes. This was their best bet. The power was out, and it was too close to sundown. I had a smile plastered to my face just as my eyes were wide and rabid, screaming with fear.

"Okay, kids! It's time to set up the tent. You remember how, don't you?" My eyes didn't register in their small faces. They only beamed up, radiating the excitement back at me, the excitement I only pretend to have. It wouldn't help anyone to have them afraid. God knows what they would do, a 10- and 6-year-old scared out of their wits. It's better to let them think it is safe.

"Daddy will we have to top open to look at the sky? I like the twinkling stars." My youngest son was gripping my pant leg and jumping up and down excitedly.

"No, Benny. We have to keep all the flaps and windows of the tent closed, remember?" I tried to keep my tone upbeat and happy, but he still drooped, neck bowing as he looked at his feet. "BUT-," I began loudly as to get his attention, "how about in the morning we make S'mores for breakfast? How does that sound?"

Benny looked up at me, eyes wide and mouth dropping open as he gasped, "For breakfast?" 

"Yep." Jake walked by as I continued. "S'mores for breakfast. How about it Jake?" He only gave me a weak smile as he walked out the back door with the tent poles. "I'll take that as a yes." That got a giggle out of Benny, stars now forgotten. "Let's go. We can't let Jake do all the work." 

As we walked out to join Jake, I noticed the darkness creeping in around the edges of the yard. It created a menacing vale, all writhing shadow and mist. All too aware of the setting sun, I tried to get the boys to work quickly to set up the tent, feeling the growing sense of dread in my gut. Just as the shadows came to close for my liking, we finished.

"Okay, guys lets get in. Hurry." The boys had gotten fidgety setting up the tent, I assume they were catching a sense of my nerves and they quickly entered the large tent without complaint.

Following behind them with my flashlight, I quickly zipped up the entrance. "Did you two remember your headlamps?" Without a word, they each pulled out a little square LED light attached to an elastic band. I found them at a nearly cleared out hardware store, perfect for kids who didn't want to hold lights all the time.

"Dad. Why do we have to have all the lights on now? Everything has been weird lately." I was unrolling our sleeping bags as Benny's small voice came from behind me. I sighed and turned to him.

"It keeps up safe, remember. The night can be a scary place." Keeping with my lies, Sarah, I hope you are happy with my lies. She decided when it all started that she wanted to keep the boys ignorant, to let them stay children. She went on about how they couldn't do anything anyway, so what good was it to scare them. I thought it was irresponsible. "Remember what your mom said."

Benny was about to say something when Jake scoffed from the other side of the tent. "Something you would like to share Jake?" Jake has been getting more and more reserved. Ever since Sarah left over a week ago, he has only become more withdrawn, and I was starting to thing he was catching on to what is happening with the Shadows.

"Keep a light so you never have to fight. Right, Dad? Fight what. What are we trying not to fight?" Jake's voice came out low and angry and him catching on was no longer a question.

The sun had fully set.

"Jake, I-" The sides of the tent shook angrily being buffeted, but not by wind. Illuminated by the lights within, we could see dark tendrils trailing on the sides of our shelter. Shadowy fingers grazed the nylon, beckoning us out.

"Dad." Benny let out a whine, quiet as a whisper.

"Shh." With a finger to my lips, I looked each of them in the eyes, urging them to be quiet. As the shadows slithered along the tent, I whipped my light back and forth, banishing the menacing darkness.

The angelic melody sounding so much like their mother, so much like my Sarah. Singing so sweet and low. Enticing us. Loving us.

"Come my children, into the dark. There is nothing to fear here, only the embrace of the stars. Come, my children, walk into the dark. Come, my children, into my arms." The tune only repeated, ebbing in and out as I waved the light, the song never coming from any one direction at a time.

"Mommy!" Benny cried and lunged for the front of the tent. As I heard Jake yell out to Benny, I grabbed his shoulders, whipping him to face me.

"That is not her Benjamin! Do you understand? Mom is gone! If you go out there, you will be gone too!" I was yelling and gripping him too hard. I should let go. But he needed to understand. He couldn't go out there. "Do You understand?" I was softer as I asked again and loosened my grip on his shoulders. He nodded his head without looking at me. I could feel his small form hiccuping under my hands as face became a mess of tears and snot. I pulled him in close, letting him unleash his grief onto me.

"I know you miss mom. We all do, trust me i-," my voice cracked, and I had to hold back my own sobs, "trust me I miss her every day, but what would she say if she saw you run at the door like that, if she saw you just run off into the dark?" I looked at him waiting for his answer, him knowing it wasn't rhetorical.

Benny rubbed his eyes and to my astonishment put on a high pitch tone in an attempt to impersonate his mother's voice. "You reckless boy! If you loved me at all, you would be more careful." All three of us chuckled quietly at the memory of her.

"Exactly. So don't make her sad. I'm sure she is still watching from somewhere." I spoke softly, remembering my wife I loved so much.

"From the shadows..." a barley audible whisper came from Jake.

"For Heavens. Jake, why would you say-" my words were cut off by familiar singing.

"Come my children, into the dark. There is nothing to fear here, only the embrace of the stars. Come, my children, walk into the dark. Come, my children, into my arms."

As the tune repeated, the light in my hand flickered and with it, my heart. "No." It came out as a whisper, then quickly, desperately, "Kids! Lights!" Not fast enough. I could see their confused faces as the light went out a final time. The sound of whooshing, howling evil came from all directions as everything I cared for cried out.

"Daddy."

"Dad."

It was so fast, maybe three seconds, but that's all it took. It blinded me as Jake clicked on the light on his forehead, looking from one side to the other.

"Thank god." I exhaled in the mercy of Jakes brilliance.

"Dad. Dad! Where is Benny!" Jake's voice was panicked as the light continued its circuit back and forth.

"No. No, no no no." It got him. I looked desperately in the, now all too small, tent. In my anger at the situation that was forced upon us, I reached for the door of the tent.

"Dad!" Jake's voice was high and cracking. "What is going on? Please." I paused and looked back at my son. He was shaking and had sloppy tears running down his face, mixing with the mess beneath his nose. Jake hasn't cried in years.

"Jake, I- I'm sorry. Your mom didn't want you to live in fear. She wanted you to stay a kid for as long as possible. Maybe that was impossible."

"What are you talking about," his frustration edging his words.

"It's the shadows, Jake, or the darkness maybe. No one is sure, just that a few weeks ago the darkness... it- it began taking people. No one knows why or where they go, but none of them have come back."

Jake's eyes furrowed as he thought about my words. "Is that what happened to Mom? And to Benny?"

"I think so, yeah." I reached for Jake, no longer thinking about leaving the tent. I still have a son to protect. He pushed me away.

"Dad," Jake was whispering, wide-eyed, "It's my fault."

"What, no. Jake, that's ridiculous. The shadows are-"

"No, it's my fault we are out here, that they took Benny." He had his face buried in his hands as his body shook.

"Jake, what do you mean?" My apprehension grew as Jake spoke.

"Remember when you said you would take us camping. It was like a month ago, but then you and mom started acting weird and said we couldn't go camping anymore. I just wanted to go camping, Dad. You said we could." Jake was crying harder now, voice rising with the fury against the sides of the tent.

"Jake, what did you do," it came out as a whisper.

"I heard you talking to mom. I heard you say that in an emergency we couldn't stay inside, that it was too big. I didn't understand, but you said we would have to stay in a tent." His words were broken up by hiccups and sobs, making it difficult to understand. "I'm sorry dad. I'm sorry. The fuse box, the emergency preparedness plan we use to have. I'm sorry I didn't think."

That song quickly silenced Jake's sobs. "Come, my child, into the dark. There is nothing to fear here, only the embrace of the stars. Come, my child, walk into the dark. Come, my child, into my arms."

In an instant, the darkness enveloped us. Headlamp useless. So quiet, I wasn't sure if I heard it. "Dad." Jake's voice whispered.

"No, no no no! You can't have him! You already have everything you can't have him!" I felt around frantically. Searching for a light. Searching for Jake. Searching for my son. Then I felt it, the cold plastic exterior of a headlamp dropped by one of the boys. Hands shaking, I felt around the plastic for the button of my salvation. Before I could find it, my body went stiff, as ice ran in my veins and chilled my spine. I heard a tune.

"Come, my love, into the dark. There is nothing to fear here, only the embrace of the stars. Come, my love, walk into the dark." Cold hands gripped my shoulder as darkness whispered in my ear. "Come, my love into my arms."

The darkness embraced me.