I Thought They Were Beautiful

Things aren't as simple as they might appear in this town

No-one could tell you, and nor could I, when this started. Or even why. But one night as the moon rose and the last rays of sunlight faded, the candles went up. It was like a compulsion. Darkness came and up went the candles. There seemed no real rhyme or reason to it. Anyone you ask would tell you it had just become part of their ritual after dark. Enter a room, light a candle, and place it in the window. It made walking at night both beautiful and eerie. Every house you passed would have at least one window lit with faint flickering light. 

I found it beautiful then. Unlike many who found the practice weird and found what was happening scary or unsettling. Even those people would still light a candle. Everyone did. They couldn't have known what would happen if they didn’t. None of us did. Which made what happened next worse.

We all noticed the strangeness begin. People always blamed it on not lighting candles, or candles going out. Either way, posters for missing people filled the town, every window or pole had them. The faces of the missing.

I didn't believe that it was the candles, there was something weird, but how would a candle make someone go missing. But then I had no family in town to speak of, and my only friend was Mil, or Yamila if I wanted to annoy her, the cute girl from the bookstore. So I didn’t have anyone but her I would care about enough to look for if they went missing.

The shop she worked at was a cool mix of bookstore and coffee shop. So we hung out there on her breaks. We could talk over coffee and she would recommend books for me to read. On days when something new came in I would like, she always let me know.

Today was one of those days, I woke up to a text telling me she was unpacking the new book in the dark avenger series. Followed by a selfie with the book. As always, the cover was matt black with the title ‘Once More into the Dark’ looking like it was written in blood. They were trashy slasher novels, but I loved them and so did Mil.

“Hey Mil.” I waved entering the store.

“Hey,” She was still working as I was early but ran over to give me a hug anyway whispering, “I saved you a copy behind the counter.” As we embraced before rushing back to the shelf she was stacking. I doubted she needed to save me a copy. There weren't that many fans in town. But it was nice that she had anyway. 

Waiting for her break to start I ordered two coffees, just straight up black for me, and whatever Mil said she wanted. Something with an overly long name, that looked to contain loads of milk and flavorings. I never ordered for her, she would just yell over to whoever was behind the counter and I would take what arrived to one of the tables that had the comfy couches.

“Hey!” She said again, diving onto the couch next to me and leaning on me. As always, I was so engrossed in the book I was reading I hadn’t seen her coming. She made me jump every time.

“Do you always have to do that?”

“Um-hum, it's fun,” she replied, taking a sip from the coffee that has been waiting for her on the table. “You remember that party I was talking about? You never did say if you wanted to go with me.”

“You know I’m not really a party person Mil.”

“Ye. But… I am.” She jabbed me in the ribs as she said this, giving me a cheeky smile, “and I need someone to go with.”

“Alright, alright.” She knew I would agree eventually, I always did. But still her giddy grin as she hugged me made me smile regardless. I really wasn’t a party person, loud music, drinking and crowds all made me uncomfortable. But Mil was slowly bringing me around to them since I had to admit they weren't so bad as long as she was there. “We don’t have to dress up though, do we, like the last one?”

Turned out we didn’t have to dress up, but as per her request, I had to go to her apartment before the party. Her way of saying I wasn’t allowed to go in my usual outfit of jeans and a hoodie. So after arriving at her apartment just after dark and trying on what felt like every outfit she owned, she managed to find one she thought I should wear. According to her, it wouldn't look weird with my converse and hoodie, which she knew I wouldn't relinquish. Of course she was sparkling in a gorgeous black dress with her wild black and blue hair and makeup all done.

The party was fun, or more hanging out with Mil was fun. Everyone knew her and she was extremely outgoing, so she flitted from conversation to conversation by the minute. While I mostly just hung around with her occasionally talking as she introduced me to various people. Unlike a lot of Mil’s parties, this one wound down quickly and before long there were only five of us left. I actually liked that more. Just Mil and myself, Mike from the bookstore where he worked as a barista and Kathryn and James. Who were Mike’s friends, but I met them a while ago at another party and they were really chill. 

In this group, it was more fun. They could all keep drinking and talking, while I sat with Mil cuddled up to me on the couch and feigned interest. Though I joined in for a while when the topic turned to books.

Mil moving beside me is what brought me back from my half asleep state. I don’t know when I had started to drift off, but as I opened my eyes, I watched Mike blow out the candle in the window. James egging him on while Kathryn slept with her head in his lap and Mil snoozed on my shoulder.

“What the hell are you doing!” I yelled, waking both Mil and Kathryn.

“Why are you yelling?” Mil grumbled.

“Mike blew out the candle!” I don’t know why I was so angry. Maybe I believed the stories of people being taken more than I realised. “Light it again! Now!”

“Oh, come on, it was just a joke.” Mike said, stumbling a little as he searched his pocket and pulled out a lighter. He never did get a chance to use it.

The window turned black. Not the usual black of looking out a window at night, but the blackest void of darkness I have ever seen. Mike dived away from the void as sludge poured out, oozing onto the ground. The smell of rot and decay filling the room.

“Ssssss… You all ssmell nice,” a voice hissed from the void. A long appendage whipping out from the void that was a window. Long claws darting out, wrapping themselves around Mike. “You sshould have left the candle lit.” 

Mike caught hold of the windowsill or what used to be the windowsill. Now, with the void of darkness above it, it was more like the doorstep to oblivion. I could do nothing but watch as his grip failed bit by bit until he slipped into the darkness.

“Come on, run!” Mil was pulling me up from the couch, towards the doors that led into the kitchen. Kathryn followed as we entered, pushed by James who stepped through last, turning to shut the doors behind him. Before he could, something crossed the living room with a series of rapid footsteps. A familiar long arm like appendage shot through the gap in the doors wrapping its claws around his waist. Pulling him back through the doors, his hands reaching and grasping air.

“Help!” He yelled as Kathryn grabbed his hand, the sludge beginning to pour through the open door. Both of them sliding away, pulled by whatever creature was on the other end of that arm.

“There’ss no helping you now.” The voice hisse, another clawed arm emerging from the doorway and slashing out at Kathryn. She gave a high pitch scream, falling forwards as blood splattered the wall from a gash in her arm.

That's when I saw it fully, James held in one arm, fighting to get free. Kathryn wailing as the clawed arm grasped hold of her as well. Its head came into the room, peering around the corner at me and Mil. It was a vision of pure horror and nightmare. 

A hairless face of taut pale skin, with gigantic spider like eyes and a bifurcated lower jaw. It’s jaw open and covered with blackened and rotted teeth, its forked tongue flicking back and forth. Its vaguely humanoid body, but with four arms and as many legs all long and spindly with multiple joints that shouldn't be there ending in the claws that were gripping the others.

“Sssss… You can’t esscape me.” It darted forwards, dragging the others with it, jaws wide and snapping towards me. Mil saved me by yanking me to the side.

“What do we do?” Mil asked as its face turned to us again.

“Run!” Pushing her towards the back door of the house, arriving we found it locked.

“Running won't help you now,” the creature hissed, slashing out at me with one of its four arms. I pushed Mil away, mostly managing to avoid it myself. It only scraped my arm with one of its claws, leaving a searing line of pain, but not a deep cut.

I ran past it, still pushing Mil along. The creature momentarily distracted by James and Kathryn as they wrenched on its claws, still holding each other's hands and desperately trying to escape.

Their distraction allowed me to slip away and begin forming a plan. There sitting on the counter was a bottle. I grabbed it, also grabbing a towel and stuffing it in the open top. Just like the last book in the dark avenger series. I hoped it would work like the book as I turned the gas knob on the stove and hit the igniter, the flames roaring into life. 

I felt the creature grab me. Heard Mil screaming. Smelled the towel burning. Struggling against the grip, I couldn’t turn or get in the right position. Then the bottle was pulled from my grasp. Relinquished of my one weapon, and the only idea I had, I gave up. It had me.

Then the room filled with flame. Apparently it did work, though not as well as in the book. But there was still a flash of fire. The creature started pulling away from the flame, emitting a high-pitched whine. Relaxing its grip just enough I could scramble loose, pulled by Mil.

“Mil run!” I pushed her out the door following quickly after. Down the hall and out the front door which was open. I could hear the whine end with a loud hiss.

“I’ll ssee you again, ssoon.”

We ran all the way to Mil’s apartment across town. Slamming the door as we arrived and lighting every candle she had. We collapsed on the ground together, looking at the windows filled with candles. Hugging her close to me as we waited for something, anything to happen. 

I used to think the candles in the windows were beautiful.

Now I know just how necessary they are.

Reviews

[Winwin4ever]

I really love this story. You used a lot of inner thinking and it helped my relate with the narrator. Your description was also awesome, and I like how you connected the candle thing at the end. The creature was not something I expected. Great job!