WHERE DARK ANGELS TREAD

Is this a case of madness or something else entirely.

    They said I am depressed. I cough. What do they know? People masquerading as doctors passing out pills that create suicides and homicides. Oh no. What do they know about my condition? Nothing. I turn away. What ever happened to the Hippocratic Oath? Doctors these days are nothing but government sanctioned drug pushers for the pharmaceutical companies.

     I cough some more. I open my eyes. I am disappointed. Another day but not another dollar. Not for me. I stare at the ceiling. I see a spider. A big black one. Shiny. Creeping across the ceiling. Ugh! Disgusting. But I can't be bothered to do anything about it. It takes the spider an hour but eventually it reaches the window. I watch it the whole time feeling a sort of horror seeping into me.

     A fly buzzes at the window. Throwing itself against the glass over and over again. I wonder why it is suicidal. Did it take too much Paxil? I cough. After a while I am crying. I have to get up and go to the bathroom. I check to see where the spider is. Still there by the window, looking like it had tucked it's creepy legs beneath it's shiny round black body. Maybe it went to the window to die, like the fly.

     In the bathroom I look at myself in the mirror. I don't look like me. I am off in my appearance. Somehow. I pick up the razor blade I had left on the side of the sink in a little pool of blood and cut at what isn't right on my face.

     After a few good cuts I manage to cut off what isn't right. My face looks wet with blood. I mop at it with a towel. A towel crusty with what looks like rust, some of which flakes off.

     I notice my arms look too long and pale. Boney even. There is a black spider creeping along the bathroom wall. I look at it and cry. I collapse to the bathroom floor sobbing. My face is wet and red again. I can't be bothered to wipe at it again. I notice a hairy brown spider scuttling across the bathroom floor.

     I scream.

     My arms are too long and thin. I cry. The brown hairy spider makes it behind the toilet bowl stand. I cry some more. I feel all my bones sticking out. I pull myself to my feet using the bathroom sink for support. I see my face accidentally in the mirror. It isn’t my face. I consider using the razor blade on it again but too much has changed. I could never cut all that is wrong off now. There is just too much.

     My eyes are wrong. Longer and narrower, cat like. My lips no longer look human. My nose doesn't either. My hair is now long, black and lush, like a mane. I once had unassuming brown hair.

     Shaking, I go back into my bedroom. I cough and cough again. The fly is still banging itself against the window. Three black spiders are curled up near the window now. One has spun a frothy looking web. I notice it is nighttime now. I cough, a real hacking cough and something sticky, wet and bloody plops out of my mouth onto the floor. Seeing it and hearing the gross sound it makes when it hits the floor makes me gag. I come near to vomiting from how disgusting it is.

     I lay down on my bed. Raising a leg I see how pale and bony it is, like my arms are. Both legs are long, thin bony and white. I can count my ribs with no difficulty. I should be scared at this transformation.

      The doctors once said I am depressed and need anti-depressant drugs. I laugh. Later I cry. When the thin bat like wings erupt from my shoulders all I can do is cry.

Using wooden matches I burn my boney white arms and legs, trying to burn myself back to normal. I try the razor blades and cut deeply along my bony thin white arms and legs. Cut. Slash. Cut. Slash. Burn. Burn. Nothing leaves a mark on my skin now, not like when I was still normal.

     Taking a deep sobbing breath I go to my bedroom window and using my newly discovered talons, easily pull the screen out.

     I perch on the ledge. Suicide. Suicide. I have to die. Something is wrong with me and I don't know what. I know I'm not depressed. I know I am not sick. I just don't know what is wrong with me. Screaming for some reason I don't know I leap from the window. I am on the 4^th floor of the apartment building. Hitting the pavement below from the 4^th floor should kill me. I believe it will, anyway.

     I drop like a rock. I hear a dark voice telling me to unfurl my wings. The dark voice tells me to spread my wings out wide. The dark voice is screaming at me to fly! Fly! Fly! The dark voice tells me to fly and I do what it says. I unfurl my wings and spread them out wide and suddenly I am riding up into the night air. The round silver full moon is pulling me toward it and I go, helpless to resist, not really wanting to.

And as I fly toward the moon it comes to me I am free! Free at last! Free from doctors and nasty pills and living a life I am unhappy with. I am free.

     Here, where I am going, only dark angels dare to tread. Here in the dark, I find myself at last. Here in the dark where no one can reach me or harm me any more.

Reviews

[Justin Littlefield]

This piece had a really strong tone to it, it let me think through the manic mind and for that brief read you can almost become that suffering person. The fly and spider really latched on with me too. Great work, I will check out more of your stuff :]

[Tina Kline]

Thanks very much.

[genocide]

this is good very well written my dear

[Tina Kline]

Thanks very much.

[genocide]

you're welcome my dear i enjoy your stories as well

[Stanley King]

An excellent piece indeed. A true work of honest art!

[Tina Kline]

Thank you very much!

[Rob Santana]

I always look forward to reading your work Tina. This is another strong piece of work. Here in the dark is where I LIKE TO BE, HAHAHA.

[Tina Kline]

Thanks Dark Dweller.

[Caradoc]

Inspiring.

This fills me with an urge to write something of my own. Interesting that this is not the first time something of yours gave me inspiration.

A truly intriguing horror tale. The spiders and the fly were very apt additions and the transformation is interesting. What the narrator becomes reminds of the D&D version of the Harpy.

Well written.

-Caradoc

[Tina Kline]

Thanks very much!

[Coyote Song]

Wow, this is really terrifying! I'm not sure what is going on which makes it a really mystifying and terrifying story. The spiders add a whole level of terror of their own. Is the character crazy or is the character actually going through some sort of transformation. It's either suicide at the end or a leap to freedom. I hope a leap to freedom. A truly outstanding horror story!

[Tina Kline]

Thank you much!

[Black Cat Fever]

A true horror story. The descriptions of the creatures, or what ever it is, are truly hair raising!
I'm impressed!!

[Tina Kline]

Thanks so much!!!

[Black Cat Fever]

You're very welcome.

[Sheila Kline]

OMG Tina, this is absolutely riveting!! I felt as if I was in the midst of it all. The way you develop the change of the person and then end it is beyond fantastic! And I like it that you don't really tell us if she is insane or is all a part of a fantasy piece. The spiders, oh those horrible spiders!!!!! You know I can't stand them and they are such an integral part of your story!
Gosh, you need to publish this!! It is really good!!

[Tina Kline]

Thank you very much!!!

[Craig2591]

Wow! Very, very dark! I especially liked the first 2/3 when you don't understand what's happening to the character. Is it actually happening or is the character going mad? Very surreal. I think this is one of your best.

[Tina Kline]

Thank you very much!

[hibc152]

A really good read. The bit when your character was in the bathroom, very visual. I liked it allot.

[Tina Kline]

Thanks so very much!