Board Thread:Writer's Workshop/@comment-36393004-20181117043002

Darkness is not what scares us. It is far more primal than that. When the cavemen where lost in the night they were afraid of what was lurking beyond the light. They knew that at any moment a predator could leap and take them down. That is what we are truly afraid of, the unknown. When you lie awake at night staring into the abyss and you hear a creak or groan from your old house, you try to imagine it away but the truth is, somewhere inside you fear what may be beyond the light. Your mind creates monsters and demons but you close your eyes and wish them away. The truth is, there is evil in the dark and none of us are ever truly safe from it.

It started with a conversation with a friend. It was nearing midnight and I found myself browsing the web to keep myself awake. A message box opened with a simple, “Are you awake?” I had not spoken to this particular friend since high school but the message was welcomed. I had always been the type to be curious of where my childhood friends ended up. I replied to prove my alertness despite the late hour. I learned that the message had went out to her whole contact list. I had been the only person to reply. I remembered Heather had always been a very intelligent person but the frantic messages that followed truly had me worried. She began telling me how she felt like she was being watched and it immediately had my attention.

I have to admit that Heather and I had never really been close. My interest was very selfish, you see I have always enjoyed the macabre. My movie and book collection was full of horror and many of my drawings were of the darker nature. The idea of getting a legitimate creepy encounter was intriguing. As she continued with her story I was drawn in. She told me that the shadows around her, despite the source, felt as though they were eyes upon her. As the story continued, I felt the paranoia creep into me and I felt the need for proof. I asked if she could possible turn on her webcam, share her experience with me. She hesitated, feeling as though it might provoke whatever entity that was stalking her. Somehow, I was able to reach her and the video feed came through our message box.

Her face seemed pale considering it was only illuminated by her laptop screen. She was sheltered under a blanket and when I asked why she hid herself, she explained that the light from her computer created more shadows. This only drew me in further, but proved nothing. My skepticism forced me to ask her to remove the blanket. Her eyes were wide at the thought of revealing herself. Her voice quivered over the voice chat and asked me to turn on my webcam too. I obliged, hoping it would calm her nerves and allow me to see what she was so afraid of. My face was soon lit just as hers was.

I could tell she was scanning the screen. I asked what she was looking for but she disregarded my question with a simple, “Nothing.” I asked again for her to remove the blanket and she gripped the cloth with both hands. Seconds passed, her hands trembling. I honestly have never seen fear like that in anyone’s eyes and it started to make me feel it as well. When the blanket fell, the room was dark and the only light came from her laptop. I could see the shadowy reflection of her form behind her and a few of her personal items but nothing else. Her eyes scanned the room around her as I watched intently.

“Do you see them?” she said, almost begging me to answer.

I opened the video stream so that it would be as large as possible. My eyes searched the grainy footage for anything of note but I saw nothing. I shook my head and told her that there was nothing that seemed odd. She sighed and burried her face in her hands. She began to sob into her palms and I started to feel guilty. I was getting enjoyment out of someone elses pain. I started thinking that maybe Heather needed psychiatric help and I opened a tab on my browser to search for someone in her area. When the new page opened I began to type but something just outside the page caught my eye. The shadow behind Heather moved.

I closed the tab and looked again. She was still crying into her hands and mumbling something about the “Watchers”. My eyes watched as the figure that use to be her shadowed form wriggled like a snake. My eyes widened as I exploded the visual to full screen. Through the digitized footage I watched as that shadow became a writhing mass of something that was intent on our conversation. A gasp erupted from Heather as she looked up to the screen. I stared back at her widened eyes, still full of her tears until the shadow behind her engulfed the screen and the connection was interrupted.

I spent the next hour sending messages and trying to reconnect to her webcam. I received no response and no matter how unbelievable that was, it allowed that fear to remain within me. My eyes were glued to my computer screen for hours as I searched the web for an explanation for what my friend had endured. Your general searches turned up fictional exploits and left me confused. I had no idea what I had witnessed and secretly hoped it was a sick prank. When the week ended I had sent over a hundred messages to Heather, with no response. I finally searched for any mention of her online and there was an article about a missing student from her university. I contemplated calling the authorities, but I had no idea what I would say that would not sound completely insane.

I remember being afraid of the dark as a child but the event made me rethink my fears. I snuffed out every candle, I turned out every light, and found myself covering my laptop just like Heather. I had not seen them yet, but I could feel their eyes. It was like someone had set a hundred pound weight on my shoulders and I could not shake it. I woke up everyday, pulling myself from my protective cloth and trying to make it through my day. Every moment I would jerk toward the sign of a shadow and it started to draw attention from my employer. I was asked multiple times if I had a problem but I tried to play it off as stress. I had no idea how to explain how I felt without looking like a lunatic.

I stopped going to work and from the last voice mail I received, I am unemployed. I cannot pay my rent without a job but I have a feeling that it will not matter much longer. I have started seeing the movement in my peripheral. They are watching me now and I have no idea how to protect myself. I started writing this in hopes that I can save someone else. There is something in the shadows watching us, something waiting for the darkness to allow us in. That fear you feel when the lights go out, it is not just your mind. The “Watchers” are waiting and eventually they will get you. 