The Nightmare Club: Part 5 (2016)

Count to three

Close your eyes

Now you’ll see

Where shadows lie

            The moon hung heavy and full in the night. It reflected the dying light of the sun as it retreated below the horizon. Night swept across the city like a flood enveloping everything in its wake. Jason ran along the rooftops in a silent rush. He felt as if he had been trapped in a recurring nightmare. Tonight the cycle would be broken. Jason looked down at the scars on his arm. They glowed with a luminous purple light now that he was in the Nightmare Realm. They reminded him of the darkness within him, the darkness that balanced the light within his spirit. With his newfound powers Jason would be able to stop Ahri from bringing eternal night to the world.

            Bri, Tess, and David ran behind Jason. They were following him now. Only Jason could reach Ahri and Nyx’s palace. It lay at the edge of the world and they needed Jason’s powers to get inside. Ahri and Nyx were hosting their annual Nightmare Ball on All Hallow’s Eve. The moon was full and nightmares were free to roam the Earth for one night. Ahri and Nyx planned to use the Soul Orb to allow them and all their shadows to stay in the physical world and rule it. It was almost midnight, and the witching hour would soon be upon them. When Bri explained it to the group in the room before they entered the Nightmare Realm it sounded simple. But now, in the midst of the darkness, in the dying light of the sun, nothing seemed more impossible.

            The air was calm and the group of warriors was uninterrupted in their trip across the Nightmare Realm. It seemed every Nightmare was attending the ball. Jason hoped the large group in attendance would make it easier for them to sneak in undetected. As they neared the horizon, the buildings stopped and Jason jumped into the air and deftly landed on the ground. Bri, Tess, and David followed. As they ran forward, the concrete ended and gave way to grass then black, jagged rock that crumbled and gave way at the slightest step. It was difficult to navigate but Jason and the guardians were able to move nimbly, almost glide, across the ground. Fog began to form around them. It quickly became so thick they could no longer see. Tess’s lightning and Bri’s fire were not able to pierce it. Everyone looked to Jason to show them the way.

            Jason closed his eyes and remembered what Bri told him. He focused on his goal. He called to the light around him to disperse the fog. When he opened his eyes nothing had happened. The fog was as thick as ever.

“Let’s go,” Tess said impatiently, “this fog makes me nervous. I feel like it’s watching us.”

“Patience,” Bri said calmly before turning to Jason “I need you to focus on the shadows, Jason.”

“Why can’t I just use the light?” Jason asked, afraid to focus on the darkness after his time with Ahri. He did not want to lose himself again.

“There is no light here,” Bri softly explained, “Don’t forget that you are bringing balance, not destruction. You cannot have light without the darkness.”

            Jason did not fully understand what Bri was saying to him but he knew what he needed to do. He closed his eyes and reached out with his mind to the shadows. He felt his eyes go black and he began to float off the ground. He became like a shadow. The shadows danced around him and followed every wave of his hand like a symphony following the wave of the conductor’s baton. Bri, Tess, and David watched in awestruck terror at the beauty of the movement. It was not long before the fog dispersed and the shadows opened to reveal the Nightmare Palace. It floated in a dark abyss, shimmering like obsidian. The towers and battlements rose up from behind the walls in jagged formations and appeared to move and shift like shadows. It drew in everything around it and became the center of the nothingness it inhabited. Jason stared at it, unable to look away until Bri placed her hand on his shoulder.

“Remember,” she whispered, “Balance. If one dwells only in shadows, then only shadows will dwell in them.”

            Jason silently nodded as the four of them grabbed hands. He closed his eyes once again and reached out with his mind to touch the spirits of the other three. He felt his spirit, burn, crackle, and ripple with the powers of the other three. Jason reached out to the abyss and he felt them suddenly drop as the ground beneath them gave way. They fell into the darkness and Jason commanded it. It carried them across the void to the gates of the palace where it gently dropped them and Jason was able to exit his trance.

“Nice moves!” Tess said as she slapped Jason on the back.

“It was an excellent display,” David said softly.

            Bri did not say anything. She smiled warmly at David and gently placed her hand on his scars. Her touch was soothing. Jason could tell from her gaze that she knew what it was to walk in darkness and what it took for him to teeter on the brink of oblivion. Jason looked at the wall of shimmering darkness that towered before them. He stretched out his hand and touched it. The darkness shot up his arm and felt like ice. Jason pushed through the stabbing pain of absorbing pure shadow and felt for the entrance. There was no gate on the wall. He looked to Bri who reached out her hand. Jason grabbed it and instantly felt his body warmed by her fire. Tess and David joined the link and Jason pulled apart the darkness so they could all pass through the wall.

            The palace courtyard was bare. The ground was black and swirling with ash. Jagged trees stabbed through the ground with roots spider-webbing out around them. There was no living soul to be seen. A chill ran down Jason’s spine as he heard a dissonant melody float through the cold air to them. It sent an intoxicating tremor through his body. He felt it draw something within him across the courtyard. Jason’s scars glowed intensely and felt hot on his arm as he walked around the corner of a wall. Bri, Tess, and David followed him. Jason rounded the corner and froze in the middle of a paved path before a towering gate of dark red wood. The paneling appeared to shift in the dark light. Jason’s stomach turned when he realized the movement made the gate look like blood. He jumped as a hand grabbed his shoulder. He turned to see Bri staring at him. She looked worried.

“You okay, dude?” Tess asked, “You’re kinda’ freaking us out.”

“What do you hear?” Bri asked.

“There’s music inside,” Jason answered, “Can you not hear it?”

“Once we’re inside. Be careful,” Bri said hesitantly.

            Jason did not know what she meant but he followed her gaze and approached the gate. He paused before pushing against it and looked back at his three friends behind him. They looked on expectantly. He turned back to the gate and pushed against it. It was cold to the touch but thankfully not made of blood. As Jason pushed he felt himself slip through the gate. As he fell through the darkness he manipulated the shadows so Bri, Tess, and David could also enter the palace.

            The entryway of the palace was dark. It seemed to glow with its own darkness. It reminded Jason of the Shadow Beast’s eyes. He could see shifting pillars and chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Everything appeared formless, always shifting but dazzling to the eye. The spectacle of the room filled Jason with awe and terror at the same time. The music was louder now, echoing around the palace from a room deeper in the palace. Jason lead the way through the darkness, following the cold chill that pulled him toward the source of the melody. They walked through an entryway and into a large room that served as the center of the palace. It was the largest room Jason had ever seen. It stretched in a large circle in every direction. The ceiling soared above them in a large dome so high it looked more like an opening to the night sky than the inside of the room. A large purple flame danced in the center of the room and cast its eerie and cold light across the floor. Jason could not see the source of the music but it was almost deafening as it reverberated through the room.

“What do we do now?” Tess asked.

“We find Ahri and Nyx and get back the Soul Orb before midnight,” Bri explained.

“Got it!” Tess said, slamming her fists together and sending sparks in every direction.

“Do not be so aggressive,” David said, “remember that they are stronger here on All Hallow’s Eve.”

“Don’t tell me what to do!” Tess shouted back.

“Guys! Stop!” Jason shouted.

“Jason is right,” Bri said calmly, “we need to stay true to each other. Our spirits are not tuned to the darkness like Jason’s. We cannot let it take us over.”

“Sorry,” Tess and David said in unison.

            Jason did not know how to feel about what Bri had said but he knew he needed to not let them down. As he looked around the room he realized it was full of people. They clung to the walls like shadows, neither fully alive nor fully dead. They looked in-between.

“What’s wrong with them?” Jason asked, watching the shadows dance slowly to the beat of the music.

“They are the ones who have given their spirits to darkness. They exist in the twilight, always chasing death but never arriving. They have been seduced by Nyx’s beauty.”

“But why?” Jason asked.

“Different reasons,” Bri said shortly as she pushed into the room.

            Jason looked down at his arm and understood what she meant. He did not press the issue further. He just wanted to be away from this place of nightmares. As they walked closer to the flame in the center of the room everything became colder. Their shadows stretched across the floor and joined the dance of the twilight children on the wall.

            Suddenly the music stopped and all eyes turned upward. Jason followed their gaze to a balcony that ran along the circumference of the room. Ahri stood against the rail looking down on the room. The Shadow Beast sat at his feet like a loyal dog, much smaller than when Jason had first seen him.

“Good evening, death boys and death girls,” Ahri said in a commanding voice, “Thank you for attending our Halloween Ball. This year is special because I have attained the Soul Orb!”

            A cold and dissonant cheer rose up amongst the death children as Ahri held the orb above his head.

“With this we will not be cast back to the nightmares after our time on earth during Halloween Night!”

            Another cheer rose through the darkness and Jason felt cold. His skin crawled with the knowledge that Ahri only had the orb because he had allowed himself to be deceived.

“Don’t beat yourself up, kid,” Tess whispered, “We’ll get it back.”

“Silence,” David whispered.

            Jason looked back up at Ahri. He was addressing the room but he had the unmistakable feeling that he was looking directly at him. The Shadow Beast shifted from side to side and looked ready to leap over the balcony and tear him to pieces.

“We have a special guest with us tonight,” Ahri announced with a wicked smile, “The prophesied one has finally come to us!”

            All eyes turned to Jason in the center of the room. He looked around at the hollow eyes of the crowd surrounding him. Their gaze looked expectant and somehow hopeful. He looked back at Ahri.

“If you think he’s gonna’ join you, you’ve been hanging out in the darkness way too long!” Tess shouted.

“That is for him to decide,” Ahri smirked.

            He nodded and the Shadow Beast leapt over the balcony railing and flew through the air toward Jason. Its shriek filled the room as the shadow children clung to the walls in fear. Jason readied himself for the attack but Tess jumped in front of him, landing a punch on the creature. It whimpered and hit the ground. Ahri watched the battle and whispered something into the orb.

            The Shadow Beast Beast recovered and growled low and gravelly. It began to grow until it became three times its original size, seeming to absorb the darkness around it. It charged the three warriors who leapt into action as before.

“Take care of Ahri,” Bri said to Jason, “we will take care of this creature.”

            The Nightmare Club collided with the Shadow Beast and Jason was about to charge Ahri when he heard his friends cry out in pain. The Shadow Beast had grabbed all three of them in its jaws and was shaking them like rag dolls.

“It appears your powers are not what they used to be outside this place of darkness,” Ahri said tauntingly.

            There was no response except the growl of the Shadow Beast. Jason felt anger fill him as he stared into the eyes of the monster killing his friends. Darkness filled him until he could no longer contain it. Light shot from his eyes and he felt himself consumed by light and shadow. He flew through the air in a flurry of movement. He grabbed the Shadow Beast and lifted it into the air as he flew upward. Its jaw went limp and dropped Bri, Tess, and David to the ground. Jason continued to fly toward the ceiling. He felt his body absorbing the creature’s darkness. It cried out in a pathetic whimper. Jason yelled in a violent rage and allowed light to flow through his veins and fill the creature. The Shadow Beast cried out and disappeared in a pulse of light that filled the room. The death children cried out in pain and Ahri flinched from the blast. Jason slowly recovered as he descended back to the ground.

“Whoah,” Tess said in a quiet whisper.

            Jason looked to his friends. They stared at him. He was not completely aware of what he had done but they looked terrified of him. Before he could go to them he felt something hit him in the back. He fell to the ground and rolled over. Ahri stood over him.

“How dare you kill my pet!” He screamed in rage as he grabbed Jason by the throat and lifted him into the air. Jason coughed and gagged as he choked in violent gasps of air. He looked into Ahri’s eyes and saw anger but it was mingled with sadness. He felt Ahri’s pain. He almost pitied him.

“Ahri! Release him!” A voice echoed across the room in the most hauntingly beautiful voice Jason had ever heard.

            Ahri released Jason and once again all eyes turned to the balcony. Jason pushed himself to his feet and looked up. A woman stood on the balcony. Her skin glowed like moonlight and her hair was darker than the night and she was wearing a dress that flowed elegantly behind her like a mist on the coldest night. She was the most beautiful woman Jason had ever seen. Her eyes glowed like stars as they looked over the room and Jason felt a cold and calming sensation pass through his spirit.

“I’m sorry, my queen,” Ahri said as everyone in the room dropped to their knees.

            Jason stood dumbfounded as Nyx, Queen of the Night, floated from the balcony to the ground before him. She ran her hand through Jason’s hair and he felt like he was dreaming. He smiled as he stared into her eyes.

“Snap out of it!” Tess yelled, running forward.

            Without looking, Nyx waved her hand through the air and shadows sprang from the ground and knocked Tess into the wall. With another flick of her wrist, more shadow tentacles shot from the walls and grabbed Bri and David and trapped them against the wall.

“Do not listen to them,” Nyx said in a silken voice, “I am here to love and protect you. I am the mother of the night and you are my prophesied child.”

            Jason stared into her eyes. He remembered everything Ahri had promised to him but this felt different. She was too beautiful and kind to have any evil within her. Nyx placed her hand on Jason’s scars and covered it in a dark glow.

“Bri can soothe your pain,” Nyx said slowly, “but I can take it away.”

            As Nyx removed her hand Jason looked down and saw that the scars were gone. Her hand moved up his arm and wrapped around the back of his head as she pulled him into her chest and embraced him. Jason felt a shiver run down his spine. He let it fill him. He felt home.

“Now,” Nyx said, slowly releasing Jason, “Like all things in life, my powers have a cost. They demand blood.”

            Nyx slowly shifted her posture and fear began to grip Jason. A pain shot through his arm and he looked down to find the scars had reappeared.

“If you are to stay with me, you must kill Ahri,” Nyx said evenly.

            Ahri gasped in surprise. He dropped to his knees and grabbed at Nyx’s dress. She did not look down at her pleading lover as she gazed into Jason’s eyes.

            Jason looked at the pathetic display of Ahri’s cries. It seemed simple. Even if Nyx was evil, so was Ahri. He was being given a pass to kill someone who was responsible for so much pain and darkness in the world. Jason grabbed Ahri by the throat like he had done to him and lifted him into the air. Ahri coughed as the air was squeezed from his body. The Nightmare Club pinned to the wall shouted something but Jason could not hear them. He felt the darkness inside him pulse through his veins as he floated into the air with Ahri in his grip. With a flick of his wrist Jason snapped his neck and ended it. Ahri’s limp body fell to the ground and Jason floated back to the ground at Nyx’s side. Nyx smiled as the music filled the room once again and the shadows returned to their dance.

            A loud yell filled the room and resonated above the music. Jason looked over and saw a pulse of light shoot from the spot on the wall the Nightmare Club had been pinned to. Bri, Tess, and David flew through the blast and collided with Jason, knocking him to the ground. Bri pinned Jason to the ground, an intense fire in her eyes he had never seen. Tess and David stood over him and covered his body in a blast of water and electricity that shook him to the core. He cried out in pain for Nyx to save him.

“Snap out of it, Jason!” Bri yelled over his cries of pain, “She cannot save you.”

“She took away my scars!” Jason yelled back.

“At what cost?” Bri asked, her voice softening, on the verge of tears, “She can cover your scars, but at the cost of becoming cold like her. She will allow the darkness to choke out the light inside you. Your past, your scars, make you who you are. They give you strength.”

            Another pulse of electricity sent tremors through Jason’s spirit. He cried out in pain again and this time was answered by Nyx who waved her hand and sent the warriors flying across the room. She stood over Jason and extended her hand to him. Jason looked to his friends on the ground then at Nyx. She smiled coldly at him, her jagged but beautiful features looked inviting. Jason grabbed her hand. It felt like ice and he realized Bri had been warming him the entire time he had been on the ground.  A cold sensation shot through Jason’s spirit and he felt the darkness creeping in around it. It pushed against the light that warmed him and he realized the cost to forget his past. As he rose to his feet and looked into Nyx’s eyes he pulled her toward himself so she spun and her back slammed into his chest. He held her close and formed a dagger from the light within him and held it to her throat. Nyx laughed. The death children looked on in terror.

“You can’t kill me,” Nyx said defiantly.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t.”

“The shadows are linked to me,” Nyx explained, “the children in this palace are fed by my spirit. If you kill me they will die. Everyone filled with darkness will die with me.”

            Jason looked into the eyes of the children around the room. He felt their pain call out to him and he knew Nyx was not lying. He released her. She turned to him and laughed wickedly. Jason threw his dagger of light and hit her in the chest. Nyx gasped as she tried to pull the dagger from her chest. She screamed in pain as it burned her and disappeared, leaving a scar.

“Just because I let you live does not mean I will not stop you from expanding your darkness,” Jason said in a commanding voice he did not know he had, “I will leave you with that scar so you remember what I am capable of and that I have the power to stop you should you ever crawl out of your darkness.”

            Nyx met Jason’s gaze and he could feel her fear. He looked to his friends and saw them waiting a few feet away with the Soul Orb.

“We got the orb thingy,” Tess said smugly, “Let’s get outta’ this dump.”

            Nyx watched as the four heroes left the palace. She stood alone in her grand ballroom surrounded by her children.

            Jason awoke back in the room where had fallen asleep with the members of the Nightmare Club. They all smiled as Bri placed the Soul Orb between them. Jason looked down and saw the scars on his arm. Each scar had changed color during his time in the Nightmare Realm. One was now black and the other was white. Jason knew he could not forget what he had done but he also knew he was not done fighting the darkness with the Nightmare Club and he would be a crucial hero in the fight against the shadows.