Excerpt: The Shadow Soul

Darkness closed in from all sides of the room, spreading along the walls. They gathered at Dr. Carlyle’s back, becoming a small torrent along his spine. Tentacles of black reached from it, towards Baron. He raised Barons face until it met his. The doctor’s mouth opened, revealing a black emptiness. A dark serpent slithered from its depths and edged towards Baron as he hung helpless. The doctor tightened his grip around Baron’s neck, forcing him to open his mouth. Baron could feel his lips grow cold as the serpent came closer.
Just as he began to close his eyes, a white clipboard smashed across Dr. Carlyle’s face. He faltered, releasing Baron from his steeled grip. Another blow hit Dr. Carlyle, causing teeth to fly from his mouth, his balance put off as he hit the floor.
Nurse Barr had broken her spell. She rushed to Baron’s side as the doctor and shadow tried to recover.
I remember, she thought to herself. She remembered what watching had done to her. She remembered that she became a nurse, so she would never stand by and watch, ever again.
She dragged Baron to his feet and rushed for the door. A small shadow had beaten them to it and swirled over the knob. The door locked itself. She reached for the knob, her hand turning cold as soon as it entered the shadow. She gritted her teeth and turned with all her might but it would not open.
“Help!” she screamed, banging on the door. “Help, somebody!” she screamed again, as loud as she could.
“Nurse Barr!” she heard a voice yell from the other side. “Are you alright!?” the voice said. Nurse Barr recognized it as Tabitha, the nurse aid who had helped with the delivery. She thanked God Tabitha had cut her break short.
“I can’t open it!” Tabitha said. The doorknob shook.
“Get help, now!” Nurse Barr yelled through the door. “Hurry!”
Tabitha ran back to the desk to phone security. Two guards ran from around the corner before she could even dial.
“Over there!” Tabitha yelled, pointing at the door.
“We heard screams,” one guard said, out of breath.
“A male”, said the other guard. They were smart, Tabitha thought to herself. It made sense to question why a male would be screaming in the women’s maternity ward. She brushed the thoughts aside as one of them spoke.
“Who was inside? “, he said.
Tabitha searched her mind to recall the last twenty minutes.
“Nurse Vicki Barr, Dr. James Carlyle… Uh, uh patient, Nancy Albright and possibly our uh, maintenance man Ernie Baron!” she said, blurting the words quickly.
“Dr. Carlyle!” the other guard said, banging on the door. There was no answer.
Nurse Barr couldn’t hear them. She was mesmerized, peering through the broken darkness at Carlyle and the shadows correct themselves. She watched stupefied as the teeth she had knocked away clicked their way across the hospital floor. Tiny white squares rolled their way towards Carlyle and leapt from the floor soon as they were near. They settled themselves neatly back into his mouth, fully rewinding the damage she had done.
She grew scared, Baron slumped at her side. He was pale from the loss of blood and would die soon if they didn’t get out.
She looked at Nancy and her new baby, remembering they weren’t the only ones in danger. Nancy’s head was down, and her eyes were closed, her lips moving in a silent prayer. She saw the baby between Nancy’s knees but couldn’t tell if she or the baby were possessed as well.
Nurse Barr slid to the floor, her back against the door. She could feel the vibration of people kicking at it and voices outside of it. It didn’t matter, she supposed. She could scream but what use what it do if she couldn’t get out. Whatever had them wasn’t going to let her answer.
A slopping sound came from Dr. Carlyle. He stood full among the flickering lights, the wet noise coming from his hands.
He was clapping. His hand and the pulverized hand he’d torn off Baron gave her a gory round of applause. He grinned, teeth straight as ever, mocking her feeble attempts at bravery.
His arrogance lit a fury in her. Nurse Barr rose to her feet, more resolute than she’d ever been. If she were all that was left, she wouldn’t lie down and go away meekly. She might die in this room, but she’d make damn sure he wouldn’t enjoy it. She whispered to herself the name of the boy she had watched die.
“Thomas…” she said, her eyes focused on him. “Never again.” She flew towards Carlyle, swinging the clipboard with everything she had. Baron reached for her but he was too late, his fingers grasping the edges of her uniform. She screamed, wanting to put it through Carlyle’s brain this time around. He stepped into her swing, moving too swiftly and backhanded her. The strike sent her soaring through the air. She hit the ceiling first, shattering the light. A shower of sparks fell as she hit the side wall and fell to the floor in a stilled heap.
Baron rose to help, stumbling towards Dr. Carlyle. He swung his remaining fist at Carlyle’s face. To his surprise, the blow landed hard and even, dislocating the jaw.
Carlyle glared at him in annoyance, his eyes burning black. Pulling back his own fist, Dr. Carlyle launched it into Baron’s stomach. It hit much harder than luck could ever grant Baron and he heaved from the heavy blow. His arm gushed blood from its stump and he vomited. Chunks of half-digested food spilled onto Carlyle’s chest. He flicked the indistinguishable bits from his coat with Baron's borrowed hand. With violent force, he grabbed Baron by the neck and hurtled him across the room. Baron smashed through the bathroom wall, crashing headfirst into a mirror. He landed facedown on the tile floor, knocked cold. Shards of the broken glass landed around his battered body.
Outside the door, Tabitha and the guards could hear the crashing and yelling. She had already called the police and the guards were still attempting to kick the door in. She tapped her teeth with her finger, nervously waiting for something to happen. Though Tabitha couldn’t tell what was happening in the room, her prayer, however minor and unknown, didn’t go unanswered. Nancy opened her eyes.
The gaps between flashes had become lengthy, staying darker for longer. Sparks fell from a broken light on her left. Nancy’s eyes adjusted quickly as she surveyed the room. Nurse Barr was on the floor, not far from her bed. She heard banging from the door and voices outside. Mr. Baron was nowhere to be seen. A gaping hole in the bathroom wall gave her a clue as to what she’d already heard. Carlyle and the Shadow had their back to her. They were looking around at the damage they had caused, fuming for more. She heard Carlyle’s jaw click back into place, repairing itself.
“Amun…” Nancy spoke so they could hear. Her shoulder length brown hair was matted from sweat. In her mind the word translated itself, “hidden one”.
They turned to her and glowered. Being called upon by this flesh-bag, even such a name as “hidden”, angered the shadow further. They had no reason to hide, her kind were powerless against them. It considered consuming the child as punishment but knew it were impossible. It was marked, especially marked this one was. There were plenty of flesh babies in the building to occupy at whim, but none would serve their dark purpose as this one would. It decided instead to devour the insolent mother.
Black limbs moved from the floor toward Nancy’s feet. Carlyle and the shadow followed behind, stopping at the foot of her bed.
Nancy leaned over the side of her bed, wincing from pain of her recent birth. Her hand quickly searched the bag beside her bed, returning with a dagger. It felt light in her hand, shining clear and bright, like a diamond. She held it where they could see. The knife seemed to absorb light from the room, glowing even as the room grew dark. Carlyle and the shadow smirked.
The dark tentacle arms withdrew, just shy of her feet. She could feel the cold leave her toes as they backed away. The doctor and the shadow took a step back as well.
“You were expecting a meal? “ She said to them, her eyebrow raised. They began to pace in front of her bed, back and forth, their eyes never leaving hers.
“Tell me your name Amun”, she said, holding the knife. They smiled at her and raised their hands in question.
“Sodi...” it hissed at her. She didn’t know what it meant but she were sure the shadow would lie. Its voice entered her mind and spoke to her from inside.
“My secret…” it said translating the name it had given her.
“Tell me your name!” she said more forcefully. They raised their hands higher and spoke to the ceiling,
“Zephaniah…” they said.
“God has hidden” the voice inside answered her.
She flashed the knife over the baby. It stirred and she settled it with her free hand. The shadow lowered its hands, growing impatient. Every piece of scattered darkness from the room gathered to churn around them. A thick, black cloak encircled the doctor, blocking her view. His body became a silhouette and then inked out entirely in the darkness. The shadow tightened around his form and before long, a flowing black effigy of him stood before her.
“I want a name”, she said plainly, refusing to acknowledge its show of power.
The effigy clenched the steel end of the bed. The metal groaned and bent under his crushing hold. Wisps of fog circled his mouth as he responded to her.
“Abaddon!.. Destroyer. Lilitu!.. Of the night. Samael... Venom of God.” It said the voice inside her translating each name.
“Liar!” she yelled. She pointed the blade at him, unable to control the trembling in her hand. Adrenaline coursed through her exhausted body, the pain in her center pulsing. Bangs from the door became louder, distracting her attention. The shadow noticed and reached for the dagger. Before Nancy could pull away, a tendril of smoke quickly circled the blade. Its movement slowed and became hypnotic. She pulled but the knife was held in place, her arm stuck in midair. The effigy looked deeply at Nancy, the black fire in its eyes softening.
“Narke…Sleep”, it said. Nancy tired suddenly. Her body grew warm and her mind faint. “Lie… Er...” she said as her eyelids closed. She began to have visions of a beautiful field. It was full of flowers and her baby was there, grown to a small child.
“Ialu…Field of dreams”, the shadow continued.
Her vision shifted to a golden room, a throne at its far end. On it sat a double of her and the child. They smiled and waved at her. The double stood up and held a hand in the air. She snapped her fingers and the room changed. Its golden walls shifted and melted away into the same field of flowers she’d just visited. The double snapped again and the field dried. The grass withered and turned to sand. Crystal blue water ran beneath Nancy’s feet as she stood at the shore of a small oasis. Soft music began to play around her. Two desert palms grew over the throne, covering the double in a cool shade. The double smiled and sat back down.
“Morpheus…God of Dreams”, the shadow said.
Nancy centered herself. She looked at the child sitting on the throne.
“You’re not real” she said to herself, controlling her breath. The child appeared at her side and took her hand. The small child’s hands held Nancy’s softly.
“Mommy?” it said, looking up at her. She looked away, searching for the double of herself, but she’d disappeared. The vision shifted, standing her and the child at the steps of the throne.
“Why mommy?” the child said.
“Why what?” Nancy replied, trying not to answer.
“Why aren’t I, real?” it said. Its face was curious and genuine.
Nancy did all she could to hold herself back from tears. She kneeled down and hugged the child close, kissing it.
“You are sweetie, you are.” She said, stroking its face. “But mommy can’t stay,” she said. “Not here.” A saddened expression crossed the child’s face.
“But I love you”, It said. Its brown eyes turned moist. Nancy couldn’t hold herself in anymore as a warm tear flowed down her cheek and greeted her lips.
“I know babe”, she said smiling. “I love you too.” The child smiled back and they embraced, gently weeping in each other’s arms. The child pulled away suddenly, wiping its eyes.
“I have a Mother’s Day gift for you mommy”, it said. Nancy wiped her eyes and curiously watched the child skip over the sand to a nearby palm. It snapped its fingers and the sand shifted. A column grew from the sand and peeled back revealing a bright diamond dagger. The child grabbed the dagger from the column and skipped back to Nancy.
“For you mommy”, it said, holding up the dagger with both hands. They looked at each other, knowing it was time for her to leave.
”I’ll come back for you”, Nancy said. The child responded with a tender smile.
“I know.” it said. Nancy took the diamond dagger and cut across her palm. She flinched as blood dripped from her hand and blotted the sand. The sand’s color drained around her blood and turned white. The oasis faded and the illusion began to dissolve around her. The child gave her one last smile, waved goodbye and shimmered away.
Nancy opened her eyes. They were wet still. Her hand still held the dagger, its edge pointed at the effigy. Blood ran from her palm, down her arm and onto the sheets. She raised the dagger above the baby and pointed it downward.
“These are your names” she said to the effigy. “Remiel, Sudarshan and Niga…“she uttered, looking down at the newborn, remembering the words she’d spoken to it.
“To look after,” she said. Her expression sobered, holding the blade above her baby. “This child is my own”, she said softly. “No slave.” She paused before the final words. She breathed deep, the weight of her choice heavy now that it had arrived. Her eyes welled with tears, but her mind concluded.”It will die” She said. “Or you will heed the names I have given you.”
The shadow snarled in desperation, unable to change what was happening. It roared as its cold darkness spread to the walls, enveloping the entire room in darkness. The dagger glowed above Nancy’s head, keeping the encroaching darkness from closing in. Nancy looked at the effigy under its light. She raised the blade higher above her child.
“Either way,” she said, “you’re fucked”. The shadow reached for her as the knife came down.