THE DARKNESS }{ Gothic Horror

[Saorise McCloud]

The Begining

Night, cold and merciless, a lone tent stand on a moonlit beach. Two lovers, caught in the moment, lay there, beneath wool blankets and the shimmering moon. They lay there, watching the light reflect off of the clear waters before them. It was 2 am, dark, except for the moonlight. Chilly, except for the blankets they huddle under. They lay there, silent and in love. He holds her close to him, as if the moon might reach down and steal her forever. Her head laid lighty on his chest, she hears the steady beat of his heart and slips into the peaceful dreamland that she finds herself in every night she is with him. Hey strokes her smooth hair and smiles seeing her beauty in the pale light.He looks down to her hand and sees the beautiful ring he gace her, Gold, onyx in the middle with two small diamonds onm the outside, just few hours ago he asked to her to be with him forever, she agreed. Behind them in an old run down mansion. Windows creaking, howling noises can be heard as the wind blows through the empty home. There is an erie sense about it, but he pays no mind to the sounds he hears. At least not for now. Not while the love of his life is laying so peacefully next to him, he feels safe with her, and she feels the same with him. Her eyes flutter as she passes into the Rem State of sleeping. He knows now that is he moves, she most likely will not wake. He hears the creaking of the window shudders and slowly slides out from under her. He lays her head on a pillow and walks slowly to the abandoned mansion. He sees the shudder and closes it. He pears into the window just before closing the second one, he sees something. A white light, glowing, inticing him to come inside, does he dare to enter? He walks cautiously towards the door and pushes on it, allowing it to creak open.

He walks in, "Hello? Anyone here?" he says suspicously. Then he hears it, a soft wimper at first, then as he drew closer to the sound, it became a hollow cry, a sound of deep mouring. He bacame lost in the sorrow that was unleashed, with each cry out, each sob, each feeling of lonleyness...

He walked into the room and saw the same light, dimmer this time, but the same inticing light, that lead him in here in the first place. He creeped slowly to it, he stepped as softly as he could. -CREAK- A board creeked under his steps and the sobbing stopped. In a flash the light was in front of him, but it was not only a light, but a glowing figure. It was a beautiful woman, thin and pale, but in a way, absolutly breath taking.

She looked deep into his eyes, her eyes shown like deep wells of longing. "Eric?" her voice was smooth, like a raging sea, calmed, after a trecherous storm.

He looked into her deep eyes with wonder, shaking his head to try to come back to his senses he stuttered, "N...no...Im...Damon..."

She looked at him with a perplexed face. "But, you have to be Eric, my Eric...You just have to be..Remeber my love. Remeber, us." She touched his chest lightly, her fingers cold as death, surprisingly, though she was spirit-like, she was not tranlucent.

He shook his head and backed away. "I am not who you seek, not who you think I am!" His eyes darted around the room, finding something he could use, some way to escape, then he saw it. His eyes fell on a picture. It was of the woman before him and...himself....his jaw dropped as she walked to him.

"See, you are my dearest Eric. Remember my darling, it is me, Jocilen, please...you must remember. You are my love, we are engaged." She showed him the silver band with a solitary diamond in it.

"No..No...I am not this Eric, I am not engaged to you....I am in love with Elizabeth. She is my fiance', not you!" He shouts as he runs for the door. But before he get there he feels a sudden jolt, and then pain...and darkness....

[Saorise McCloud]

Waking up

He shook his head, looking up to see what had happened. His eyes met with a ceiling. He gasped as he tried to get up and found that he was not on the floor, but in a bed. He looked around. It was almost like he was in a dream. Candles were lit, the fireplace was letting little glimmers of light and heat in. He looked out an arching window and saw that is was still noght out. He must have only been alseep fro a few minutes.

"10 to be exact, my darling." A voice spoke from the shadows.

"What!?!" He looked around, slightly frightened until he saw the woman again.

"Eric, dearest, you must rest yourself" Jocilen saud calmly, pushing him lightly back onto the bed.

"No...I need to go back to Liz!" He said.

"Oh, you mean the woman, she will no longer bother you. I had her dispossed of. Now we can be togehter, forever!" She smiled with glee and mischief.

"What!?!?! What do you mean dipossed of her, she is my fiance'. The love of my life!!!!" He got up angrily and threw offthe covers, running down the stairs and out the door to the beach. He stopped suddenly with a look of horror, pure horror on his face. He looked at the blod stained sand and the ransacked tent. He fell to his knees in tears. He gripped the sand and screamed.

"I told you, I had everything taken care of my love! My Eric." She smield and walked to him. He scrambled away from her in a sorrowfilled rage.

"Get away from me, you, you...DEMON!" She scried as she ran to the tent. He looked around for any sign of life. He searched and searched until the moonlight glinted off something in the sand. He kneeled down an picked it up. He looked at it and his eyes filled with even more tears. It was the engageent ring he had given Elizabeth, when he asked her to marry him. It seemed like so long ago now. So far away, off, distant, like a dream, that had turned into a night mare. He fell to his knees once more and sobbed into the sand, riddled with the blood of the only woman he had ever loved. His mother had left him when he was young and he had met Elizabeth in school, they were friends and then they fell in love. He cried loudly as all these memories flooded back to him like a giant burden that had been carried. He fell apart.

"My love, why do you cry for this woman, why do you morn her?" She looked at him confused and slightly dazed.

"BECAUSE I LOVED HER!!!! AS IF YOU KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!" He screamed in a mourning fury.

"But my darling, I know all about love, I did this for you, so you would not be attached to anyone but me..." She looked at him, "Dont you see? I did this because I wanted you to love me again, and not huer!" She shouted as she beganto cry, she ran off into the mansion and up to her room. She laid on her bad and began to cry once more, not for her lost love, but for the man she loved not loving her back. If only she could make him remember.

If only she could make him see...

[Saorise McCloud]

Telling All

She cried herself to sleep that night. Not knowing what to think. This man, this Damon, he had to be her Eric. She died saving him, she died loving him. For all eternity. She had to make him see. She had to show him thir blossoming love, the love that she felt and still feels for him. She fell into a deep and sorrowful sleep. She drempt of the night her life ended and her sorrow began. She tossed and turned in her sleep, begging the nightmareto end. She screamed and woke up, her ghost-like body, sweating. She slid out of her bed. She ow knew what she had to do, she had to make him see, she had to let him see...

She slowly made her way down the stairs to the door. She opened it slightly and peered out to the figure of the man she loved... He was standing, looking up at the moon. His eyees were hollow, his heart, was cold. He held up the ring he had given Elizabeth and spoke, his harsh voice, destraut from crying screamed in agony to the moon.

"WHY DID YOU TAKE HER FROM ME MOON? DID I NOT HOLD HER CLOSE ENOUGH! DID I NOT PROTECT HER!?!?!? CURSE YOU MOON! CURSE YOU!!!!!!!" with that he threw the ring as far as he could, into the deep blue sea, that had now become his heart. Deep, emotionless, and unforgiving. He turned to Jocilen and scouled at her.

"Dont be mad at the moon, for it only brought light to your darkness, it did not conspire to bring you to eternal night." She walked to him and took his hand "Please, let me show you, let me make you remember our love." She held him tight as she walked to the masion, as soon as they walked in the mansion was alive, it was...real. Damon was not longer human, but a ghost as well. He watched in shock and slighty horror as two people sat together on the silken couch in the living room. It was Jocilen and this so called Eric, who looked like him. They were kissing each other and then they stopped and looked deep into each others eyes...

"I love you so much Jocilen, never leave me, for my life would be in eternal darkness..." Eric said.

"Oh, Eric, how could I possible live without you, I will never leave, nor forsake you my love. Never." Jocilen smiled and kissed his lips softly.

He looked deep into her eyes and smiled. "Marry me Jocilen? Will you?" He then pulled out a silver ring, with one solitary diamond in it.

Jocilen's eyes lit up withtears of joy. "Oh course my dearest Eric. Of course!" She smiled as she cried when he put it gracefully on her ring finger.

Then, suddenly, there was a crash. The two lovers looked over at Damon and the ghost Jocilen, but they did not see them, instead, they saw right through them. Their eyes were overflowing with fear and horror as men entered the room...

"Eric Hamuri, you are hereby under arrest for treason to the high archy!" A gruff looking man, with a little to much rump raost around the middle said.

"I did nothing of the sort and I will not stand for these aligatons. Nor will I ever betray my counrty!" Eric stood up and stepped in front of Jocilen and whispered to her. "My love, you must leave, they will kill youto get me. This is all the Carlatta's doing, she wants me for herself. You must go."

Through eyes stained with tears and a heart stained with sorrow, Jocilen stood and sild to the sid of the wall.

Just then a younger man came in with a sly grin. "Well, well, you have tow choices Eric...you can marry my sister, or you can DIE!" He laughed wickedly.

"I will never marry the whore that you call you sister. She is nothing but a slimy, caniving little slut!" He shouted back at man.

"Then have it your way..." He took out his sword and with one swift stab, plunged it into Eric. Eric creamed in agony, but he did not bleed. For his cream of pain, did not come from the physical pain, but the emotional pain of who was in front of him. He looked deep into the eyes of Jocilen. She bit her lip and winced as pure tears fell down her creamy cheeks, that had now turned pale.

She leaned close to Eric's ear and whispered weakly, "I will...always love you...forev...er..." And withthat she fell to the ground, in a pool of blood.

Eric fell to herside and so did the man. "Jocilen! NO!" screamed the man, brother to Carlatta.

Eric threw him away "You stay away from her, she did not love you years ago and she does not love you now...or did not" He nearly choaked on those last three words. He hled her close to him as the man walked out of the house. The last words that he heard from Eirc were "I will get you for this Draven! I will get you!!!"

Draven left for the America's and was never heard from again, while Eric had a different tale. He had actually found Draven and killed him for killing his only love. Then a few months later, grief stricken and lonely, he died. The doctors said it was of natural causes. But everyone close to him knew, it was grief...

The masion faded back to its gloomy stae as Jocilen stood sielntly crying. Damon on the other hand was shocked. Still tryingto take everything in. He shook his head. "So, you decided to kill the one woman I loved. To make you feel better!?!?" He rushed from her side and out the door. She just stood their, reminising on all the pain she had indured and had put the man she loved through. She saved his life and died for him. How could Damon not see, not see that he was Eric. She looked down at the floor where there was still encrusted anddried blood, from where she drew her lasr breath, still professing her love for Eric.

[Saorise McCloud]

Those Three Words That Bled Me Dry

He ran from the house in a fury of anger, rage, sorrow, and confusion. The man, the man that she loved, looked like him, sounded like him...yet, how could it be him? He did not know what to do, or what to think. The love of his life had been stolen away from him, just like this man, this Eric. He sighed as he walked over to the door and saw Jocilen stooping and touching the stain on the floor. He closed his eyes and let out another sigh. Jocilen quickly turned around and looked at him. She stood and walked to him.

"Please, come inside, rest, I have a room prepared for you..." She said.

"Fine..." He said lightly, though his voice sounded grim. He went to the room, led by Jocilen, his captor. He sighed as he entered and looked around at the well made up room. He slid his clothes off and laid in the bed. He had many things on his mind. He did not know what to do. He did not know if he could even live without his dearest Elizabeth.

The night went on slowly, he had nothing to do but lay there and contemplate his life, or lack there of, without his dearest Elizabeth. Damon sighed to himself as he looked out at the moon. Suddenly he felt himself slip into a uncomfortable sleep. No dream passed through his mind, just thoughts of his love, the precious woman he lost, not a few days a go.

Jocilen is in her room looking at the wall... She gasps as she sees two people standing before her, one is in a long pure white robe. Her hair is golden rod and her eyes are bright blue. The other is in a long black Priestess gown, her hair is pure white with black and red streaks and her eyes were red with black pupils and a strange insignia imbedded in yellow in the center. She had a devilsh smirk on her face, where as the other woman had a soft smile.

"Jocilen, my dear he is not who you think he is..." The angel in white spoke.

"I dont understand Badb. What do you mean?" Jocilen spoke innocently, truly perplexed.

"He is not Eric, he is the lover of a woman that you cant seem to kill, you dont know why, but she is wasting away in the dungeon and you just cant bring yourself to kill her, because deep down inside you know she is the one he is meant to be with." Badb said as she flipped a lock of her golden rod hair from her face lightly. Suddenly the one in black laughed a maniacal laugh.

"Way to sugar coat it Badb!" She smirked and turned, walking from the light and as she disappeared Badb yelled at her.

"Aerten! We are not done here! She must know!!!" She sighed when Aerten did not return. She rubbed her head and spoke again to the confused Jocilen.

"Damon is in love with Elizabeth let him be with her" She sighed.

"NO! I WILL NOT!!!" Jocilen ran down the stairs to the dungeon and grabbed a knife running to the chained Elizabeth.

"You will not have my Eric! You will not!!!!!" She growls in pure hatred at the one who could ruin her life with Damon, or is it Eric? She plunged the knife deep into her heart as Elizabeth let out a final scream and then uttered her last words, the words that would stay with Jocilen forever...

[Saorise McCloud]

Saying Goodbye

"I love you Damon, forever" Elizabeth closed her eyes, never to open them again.

"NO!" Damon ran from the top of the stairs, he had heard the scream and came running.

"Elizabeth! No! Don't leave me! I love you! I love you!!!!!" He kneeled by her body and wept. Jocilen put her hand on his shoulder.

"Eric..." Jocilen sighed.

"GET AWAY YOU DEMON!!!" He yelled as he ripped the chains from the wall and ran outside with her. He laid her down and took a sheet from the tent, wrapping her in it. He began digging, with his bare hands when he was done he picked her body up and laid it in the sand, and he buried her and put a rock at the head and carved "Elizabeth Marie Darling-Connors... Loving Daughter, Sister, Friend, and Wife... You will be forever missed..." He bit his lip and he lay next to her grave and wept for her...

Suddenly a woman with Golden rod hair and blue eyes appeared. "Hello Damon." She said

"Who are you?" He looked at her in awe...

"I am Badb, and I am here to take your dear Elizabeth's soul..." She sighed

"The f**k your not! He shouted.

"I must." She sighed as a scream was heard and Elizabeth appeared with Badb's hand on her arm.

"Damon" Elizabeth's soul whispered pleadingly as the two began to disappear.

"NO!!!! ELIZABETH!" He runs to catch her, but they disappear before he could get to her. He knelt where they had disappeared. He laid there and cried himself to sleep. The next morning he awoke covered in sand and dried tears. Jocilen walked to him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Eric, I am sorry..." She looked down.

"I am not Eric..." He looked over at Elizabeth's grave. "Nor will I ever be..." She feels tears run down her eyes as she realizes that killing Elizabeth was the worst thing she could ever do. She sighed and went inside...

She gasped suddenly as a dark black aura was seen as a figure stepped out of it. She wore a long black Priestess gown, her hair is pure white with black and red streaks and her eyes were red with black pupils and a strange insignia imbedded in yellow in the center. She had a devilish smirk on her face. It was the same woman from before, who disappeared.

"Aerten! What are you doing here?" She looked angered slightly...
"I am here to take you to the Underworld..." She smirked

"W-why!?!?!" She was in shock

"You murdered..." She said

"Out of lo..." She did not get to finish for Aerten cut her off

"Out of Hatred and jealousy for someone who was not rightfully yours..." She walked to her and grabs her by the neck. "Time to go home little girl." She smirked as they began to disappear. They were surrounded in darkness, and all the was left in the house was a black scorch mark...

[Saorise McCloud]

At the Gates of Retribution

The darkness soon faded away into a mist grey. They were on a platform, looking over a giant rot iron gate made of pure black onyx. Aerten smirked.

"This is you new home..." She laughed

"N-no... this can't be... what is going to happen to me?" She began to cry silently as Aerten smirked; grabbing her by the wrists and pulling her to the gates. They opened with a loud CREAK. Aerten pushed her in as she fell on her knees before two people, one was badb and the other was unknown... he had a black coat buttoned to the neck...The coat made him look like a preist...He wore black gloves and black boots that came to his knees...His hair was pure silver...Long and silky...His eyes were Emerald... They seemed to stare right into her soul. She felt a great deal of pain from his eyes, but soon they were blocked by Aerten walking in front of her to take a seat beside Badb. Jocilen look at Aerten's face, she seemed to be slightly bored, and her posture showed it. Jocilen returned her gaze to the man in all black, she searched his entire body, looking for any sign of a weapon, she was about to give up when something glittered on his left hand. She looked at it and found taht it was a ring... Beautiful really, it was as silver as his hair, with something ingraved in it... she could not read it though. Could it be possible, could a man that dark be loved? He seemed to be slightly bored as well, his emerald eyes were dim at the moement, until he looked over at Aerten...

"So this is the one?" He smirked

"Yes..." Aerten looked at him. She then turned her gaze to Badb.

"Can we get this started... I have work to do..." She sighed and put her left elbow on the arm of the chair and rested her chin in her left hand, that is when Jocilen noticed it, two silver rings, one with a Crimson stone and two Black Onyx ones and then other was a simple silver band, with something engraved in it as well, it seemed the two bands were the same... Could Aerten be with this man? This woman who she though could feel nothing, felt for a man who she assumed to be the same... Impossible... Aerten smirked and so did the man...

"Believe it swine... Belive it..." Aerten said gliding her finger over the two rings. Badb sighed and gave a stern look to Aerten as she began.

"You are here to be judged for the murder of one Elizabeth Darling... You murdered for hatred and jealousy... and you punishment will reflect your actions..." Jocilen looked frightened

"Wh-what is going to happen to me??" She bit her lip

"You will be forced to watch the man that you love be beaten over and over again for all eternity..." Badb said, she looked to the man. "Dimitri... This will be your job, take her to Eric..." Jocilen's eyes showed fear and remourse.

"You mean... he is here...?" Jocilen bagan to weep. "Why?"

"Because, after your death, he took his life, his last wish was it to be claimed as 'natural causes', when really he killed himself, suicide is a sin... punishable by eternal damnation..." Badb stood and so did Aerten and the man Dimitri. They all left as shackles appeared around Jocilen's wrists. Dimitri came back and dragged her away to a darkened area. All of a sudden there was a spotlight on a figure in the middle of the area. He was chained to a crossbeam, it looked as though he was in great pain. Jocilen's eyes widened as she saw who it was, it was Eric. She tried to shout to him but no vioce came from her. Dimitri chained her to a floor shackle so she could watch. She looked helplessly as Eric looked to her, he did not seem to even recognize her.

"He will never remember who you are..." Dimitri said walking away as a hooded man went to Eric and pulled out a whip. Jocilen looked helplessly into the eyes of the man she loved, who did not even remember her, and then her gaze turned from sorrow to horror as she saw him wince and hear his hollow, lifeless screams...

[Saorise McCloud]

The Lonely Heart Weeps

The screams of Eric echoed throughout the heart and soul of Jocilen. She began to scream in pain, emotional and even physical. She began to writhe in the chains to get out. She screams louder and louder as the pain wears on. Dimirti walks into a great Onyx Castle. He walks up to the main bedroom and opens the door.

"It is done Aerten... Now, what shall we do about this... this... child... the one who she though was Eric... I can't rememberh is name..." Aerten laughed darkly

"We will see what he does, wither he lives or her dies, either he feels freedom or he feels eternal torture... We must go soon..."

"I see..." Dimitri and Aerten nodded; disappearing.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Damon lays there on the hot sand as he feels the sun on his face. He slowly opens his eyes and for a few moments there is nothing wrong, he looks for Elizabeth and sees the grave, suddenly, he knows it was not all just a dream... He tries to weep once again, but no tears flow. He has cried his eyes dry. There are no more tears able to be shed for his beloved... He gets up weakly and walks into the mansion. He had one thing on his mind. He was going to show Jocilen true pain... He walked into the main room and looked for her, he noticed a black scorth mark on the floor.

"Revenge shall not be necessary young Damon..." Aerten and Dimirti stepped out of the shadows together.

"Wh-what? Who are you two? Why is it not necessay? What is going on?" He looked from one of them to the other in true bewilderment.

"Who we are does not concern you." Dimirti said

"We will show you why your revenge is not necessary..." She closed her eyes and they appeared in a dark area. There were two spot lights. One was on a man, he looked exactly like Damon, the other was over Jocieln. They both were creaming in pain...

"Wh-what? What is happening ot them?" He looked at their pained faces and it made him turn his head.

"What is the matter?" Dimirti smirked "You wanted her to feel true pain for killing your beloved... now she is enduring the worst pain she could ever imagine, seeing her only love in pain..."

"I did not mean it, I just... I was just blinded by rage and love for Elizabeth." Aerten smirked.

"Just like she was with you, she was blinded by jealousy and love..." She pushed him towards her, she did not seem to nictice anyone but Eric.

"Are you two so different??" Aerten said into his ear. She grabbed him took his hands, she danced with im, taunting him. "How does it feel to dance to the sound of someone else's pain? Hmm... how does it feel to get revenge without evne trying?" She smirked and dropped him right next to Jocilen. Both Aerten and Dimitri disappeared, leaving Damon there, to listen and feel true revenge. The dance he just had replaying over and over in his mind, The Dance of Revenge... a dance, set to music... with nothing... but screams...

The End

© MyLa
May 2006
All rights reserved.