In the dark (Fiction)

The Guardians of Zion

William Noble walked through the countryside. He appeared to be pleasantly strolling along, but was carefully studying the area for any unusual signs. Reports of suspicious murders in this area had triggered something in his memory. He couldn’t quite place it, but he knew an old “friend” was involved somehow. He just had to figure out who they were. The morning's newspaper had reported another disappearance in this area, so Will was investigating. So far, he had found nothing in the neighborhood but a number of grand but run down mansions, all darkened and abandoned in disrepair.

He was about to turn back when something tugged at his mind. It wasn’t a full connection, but something had definitely been there. Will had been in the Adventuring business long enough to discern even low level telepathic influence. Turning around slowly and carefully studying each house in turn, he finally pinpointed the source: The grand Victorian house across the street. Without thinking, Will hurried across the empty street and vaulted the low fence into the yard. On the surface, it appeared to be no different from any other buildings in the neighborhood but another subtle psychic pulse confirmed his destination.

He marched to the front door, pulling a flashlight and loosening the clasp on his holster. He had a bad feeling that things were about to get “interesting”. The house was musty and rundown, although there was nothing really out of the ordinary. But the pulse was definitely originating from within and a growing, perhaps unnatural, sense of foreboding kept him searching. The longer he stayed, The more the air seemed to be filled with malice. He thought he heard whispering and hissing and the dark itself seemed to grow thicker and blacker. This all felt unmistakably familiar, but he didn’t know why. Finally, on the second floor, he found some answers.

An unconscious young man was lying in the corner. Examining the youth, Will determined he was still alive, but very weak. The telepathic signals were coming from him, but he didn’t appear to be anything more than an average Human. Will tried to remember what would give a normal man telepathic powers while draining his life, when The realization dawned on him. Slowly he clicked his flashlight off. He counted to three and flicked it back on. Caught in its beam was a writhing humanoid mass of blackness, twisting and convulsing in horrible torment. It shrieked horribly as it fell to the ground and seemed to fizzle away. Bogies!

It had been a long time since he had ran into any of them. Will stopped down and picked the man up, before the whispering and sense of dread suddenly skyrocketed: This entire house was probably filled with them and armed with only a flashlight… Will Instead turned to the window, taking a running jump through it and telekinetically cushioning their landing. Will looked back to the house: They would be safe in the moonlight. But what were Bogies doing here?