Blinded By The Dark
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The sun was setting in the west, casting long shadows across a field of grass. A man stood alone on this small plot of land; he had been there for some time now and his clothes were covered with dust from walking through it so much.
He looked up at the sky as if searching for something but couldn’t find what he sought. His eyes wandered around until they found their target: an old oak tree that towered over him like a giant sentinel watching out for its kingdom below.
It seemed almost too big or perhaps just far away enough not to be noticed by anyone else who might have passed here before today. As he stared into those dark green leaves, the man’s mind began racing back through all of the things that happened since last night when everything changed forever…
“I’m sorry,” said a voice behind him. “But I can’t let you do this.”
He turned slowly toward where he heard the words come from only to see nothing more than empty air. There wasn’t even any wind blowing past them because no one could possibly be standing right next to him without being seen yet somehow she knew exactly where he was looking.
Then again maybe her power made her invisible? No matter how hard he tried though, he still didn’t know anything about this woman other than that she wanted to stop him from doing whatever it is he planned on doing.
She must’ve known that if he succeeded then he would die soon after which meant that stopping him wouldn’t really make any difference anyway. Still, he felt compelled to listen to her request and did so reluctantly.
“What are you talking about?” asked the man. “You don’t understand me at all!”
She sighed deeply as she stepped forward onto the patch of dirt between two rows of corn stalks. Her body glowed faintly blue-white while her hair remained black although it also shimmered slightly in the fading sunlight. When she finally spoke, her tone sounded sad rather than angry despite the fact that she clearly disapproved of what he intended to do.
“No, I suppose not,” replied the man. “And neither does anybody else. That’s why we’re going to change all of that starting tonight.”
His hands started glowing brightly once more as he pointed them straight ahead. With each step, the ground beneath his feet grew hotter causing several nearby plants to wilt under the intense heat.
Soon, however, he reached the edge of the field and stopped moving completely leaving himself surrounded by scorched earth. After taking another deep breath, he closed his eyes tightly for a moment before opening them wide.
For a brief instant, he saw flashes of light dancing inside his head followed quickly by a loud explosion as bright white flames erupted forth from every direction. In less than ten seconds, the entire area surrounding him was engulfed in fire.
The smell of burning crops filled the air along with the screams of terrified animals caught unaware by the sudden blaze. Even the birds flying overhead took flight immediately upon seeing the inferno raging on the horizon.
Only the man remained unaffected by the conflagration consuming everything around him. Instead, he continued staring intently at the distant oak tree as if waiting patiently for someone to show up.
However, nobody ever appeared nor did any sound reach his ears save for the crackling of the flames growing louder by the second. Finally satisfied that everyone else was gone, he walked slowly towards the center of the blazing hellscape.
Once there, he knelt down beside a large boulder sitting near the very middle of the fiery wasteland and placed both palms flat against its surface.
As he concentrated harder, the rock became noticeably warmer until it eventually melted into liquid lava flowing freely underneath his fingers. Using his powers, he lifted the molten mass above his head and held it high in front of him.
This action caused the stone to glow brighter than any star in the heavens as countless tiny cracks spread rapidly throughout its surface. Eventually, these fissures widened to form a circular hole roughly five inches in diameter.
At first, the man thought that he’d failed but then realized that he hadn’t done anything wrong. All that needed to happen now was for somebody to walk directly into the circle he created. So he waited for hours hoping that sooner or later someone would appear.
But no one came except for the occasional bird soaring overhead. And even though he kept trying to convince himself otherwise, he knew that no one was coming either. After all, this was the same place where he killed his wife and daughter years ago.
Why should anyone want to go anywhere near such a cursed spot?
Eventually, he gave up waiting and simply sat down cross-legged atop the hot rocks. He stared off into space thinking back over the events leading up to this day when suddenly an idea occurred to him. If he couldn’t find anyone here who cared enough to help him, perhaps he might have better luck elsewhere.
Maybe he could search out someplace new where nobody had died recently. Or maybe he just needed to wait longer since time heals most wounds. Either way, he decided to stay put for a while to give things a chance to work themselves out.
As long as he stayed focused on something else, he figured he shouldn’t feel too bad about letting others suffer. Besides, it wasn’t like they were actually dying. They weren’t dead! It was merely their souls trapped within the afterlife unable to move on to the next stage of existence.
Hell, maybe he should try helping them instead of wasting his time worrying about those already beyond saving.
The man stood up abruptly and began walking away from the blazing pit of destruction behind him. His mind was set on finding somewhere safe to live. Somewhere far removed from the painful memories of his past life.
Without realizing it, he found himself heading northward through the forested hills. Although he didn’t know exactly how he got there, he soon arrived at the top of a small hill overlooking a valley below. From this vantage point, he gazed across the rolling green landscape dotted with numerous farms and scattered villages.
Each settlement seemed to be located close together so he assumed that people lived in relative harmony here unlike the rest of the world which was still reeling from the effects of the Great War.
There was nothing particularly special about this particular region other than the fact that it was relatively peaceful compared to everywhere else. Still, the man felt drawn to this part of the countryside despite knowing full well that he wouldn’t fit in.
Not only because he was a stranger but also due to the nature of his curse. No matter what happened, he always ended up killing whoever he encountered. Whether it was a farmer stealing food from his family or a soldier slaughtering innocent civilians during wartime, he never hesitated to take lives whenever necessary.
Yet somehow, he managed to survive for hundreds of years without being discovered thanks to his ability to hide in plain sight. That is until he met her.
She was standing alone outside a farmhouse surrounded by dozens of frightened children. She looked to be around twenty-five years old yet she possessed the appearance of a young girl. Her hair was a dark brown color while her skin tone was pale almost ashen.
Despite wearing simple clothes consisting mostly of loose-fitting trousers and a shirt made of rough cloth, she exuded an aura of confidence and strength that instantly captivated the man’s attention.
When he approached closer to get a better look at her face, he noticed that there was something different about it. Instead of having eyes, hers were completely covered by two large black circles. The effect was startlingly disconcerting given that she appeared human otherwise.
However, it quickly dawned upon him that this woman must not be entirely normal after all. For although her body may have been female, her spirit clearly belonged to another species altogether. Perhaps she was a demon sent to punish him for murdering his own kind.
Whatever the case, he immediately recognized her true identity and understood why she was here.
“I’m sorry,” said the man softly. “But I can’t allow you to harm my friends.”
He reached out slowly toward the woman’s chest intending to stop her before she could hurt anybody else. Unfortunately, his hand passed right through her torso without leaving a trace. In response, the strange creature smiled knowingly and stepped forward to meet him halfway.
Then she gently placed both hands against his shoulders and pulled him towards her. Instantly, he felt a surge of energy surging through every inch of his body causing him to stagger backward in surprise. A moment later, he fell flat onto his rear end and lay motionless staring up at the sky above.
Even though he knew he was alive, he couldn’t seem to make any sense of what was happening to him. All he really wanted to do was sleep. So much pain…so many terrible memories. Why did everything have to happen to me? What did I ever do wrong to deserve such suffering?
Then, without warning, the ground beneath him erupted violently sending shards of rock flying outward in all directions. Screams filled the air along with the sound of shattering glass followed closely by the screams of terrified children.
At first, he thought someone had thrown a bomb at him but then realized that it came from inside the house itself. Apparently, the woman hadn’t come alone. Before he even had time to react, several more explosions ripped apart the walls and ceiling of the building creating a massive hole big enough to drive an entire army tank through.
Somehow, he managed to roll over and crawl away from the carnage before collapsing once again. He tried desperately to stand back up but failed miserably. It took him three tries just to lift one leg off the ground. By now, everyone within earshot was screaming hysterically including the woman who was frantically trying to calm them down.
But no amount of soothing words would help these kids escape their fate. They were going to die anyway whether they liked it or not. And if anyone deserved to suffer like this, it was definitely him. After all, he’d killed countless innocents throughout history.
How could he possibly justify living when others suffered so terribly simply because of his actions?
The man closed his eyes tightly hoping to shut out the horrific scene unfolding before his very eyes. To his relief, darkness enveloped him almost immediately allowing him to finally relax. His thoughts drifted aimlessly as he recalled the events leading up to this fateful day.
As a child, he grew up in a small village where most of the residents worked hard each and every day tending crops and livestock. Life wasn’t easy since there weren’t many opportunities available for advancement. Most people lived on meager wages and struggled to feed themselves let alone provide anything extra for their families.
Their situation didn’t improve much after the war began either. The soldiers slaughtered thousands of villagers indiscriminately forcing them into slavery. Many died from disease and starvation while others perished under torture. Those fortunate enough to survive still faced constant harassment and abuse.
There was little hope left anywhere except among those few brave souls willing to fight back. One of them was a young boy named Thomas whose courage inspired the rest of his community to rise up against the invaders.
Together, they formed a resistance movement that eventually became known as the Resistance Army. Although only a handful survived the initial onslaught, the group continued its struggle until the final battle at last brought peace to the land.
Nowadays, he often wondered how things might’ve turned out differently if he’d never joined the cause. Would he have grown up to become a farmer instead? Or perhaps a merchant traveling abroad trading goods across the world? Who knows, maybe someday he’ll find out.
Either way, he certainly wouldn’t change a thing about his life despite all the hardships he endured. That is unless somebody asked him nicely.
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed loudly through the room causing him to open his eyes wide in shock. Had something fallen over behind him? No, wait, it sounded too close. Something must be moving around nearby.
Slowly turning his head, he saw a large figure standing directly beside him. Its face was covered by a hood making it impossible to tell exactly what kind of person it was. For some reason, he instinctively sensed danger emanating from it.
Without thinking twice, he grabbed hold of his sword lying next to him and prepared himself for whatever was coming. Just then, the stranger raised its arm high overhead preparing to strike. With lightning speed, he thrust his blade downward slicing cleanly through the creature’s neck.
Blood spurted forth spraying the surrounding area with crimson droplets. Immediately afterward, the corpse collapsed lifelessly to the floor.
A second later, another explosion rocked the house sending debris raining down upon the two men. This time, however, he barely noticed. Instead, he stared intently at the blood dripping steadily from his weapon. “This isn’t right,” he muttered quietly to himself.
Why did I kill her? What happened to my humanity? Wasn’t she human just like me? Did we really deserve to die like this? Maybe…maybe not. Perhaps killing us both was inevitable given our circumstances. If nothing else, it proved beyond any doubt that humans are capable of committing unspeakable atrocities.
Even though he knew better, he couldn’t help but feel guilty knowing full well that he was responsible for unleashing such horrors onto the world.
The End