This Darkness Light Read online

  Copyright © 2014 by Michaelbrent Collings

  All rights reserved.

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  cover design by Michaelbrent Collings

  NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the internet or via any other means without the permission of the author is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.

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  PRAISE FOR THE NOVELS OF

  MICHAELBRENT COLLINGS

  CRIME SEEN

  ʺ[Crime Seen] will keep you guessing until the end…. 5/5. ʺ–Horror Novel Reviews

  ʺIt's rare to find an ending to a novel that is clever, thought-provoking and surprising, yet here Collings nails all three….ʺ–Ravenous Reads

  ʺCrime Seen by Michaelbrent Collings is one of those rare books that deserves more than five stars.ʺ–Top of the Heap Reviews

  ʺWith an ending that, again, will keep you guessing until the last chapter, I would definitely recommend this book to others.ʺ–Horror Drive-In

  THE COLONY: GENESIS (The Colony, Vol. 1)

  ʺ5 out of 5 stars…. I couldn't put it down.ʺ–Media Mikes

  ʺI barely had time to buckle my mental seatbelt before the pedal hit the metal….ʺ–The Horror Fiction Review

  ʺWhat a refreshing read. This is the first of a series and if this is any indication of what's to come, count me in! …. If I could, I would gladly give this novel a 10 star rating.ʺ–Horror Novel Reviews

  THE COLONY: RENEGADES (The Colony, Vol. 2)

  ʺFast pace in your face, the action doesn't stop…. This bestselling author has done it again…. I didn't want the book to end….ʺ–Horror Novel Reviews

  ʺRenegades is a hardcore thriller that you can't stop reading.ʺ–horroraddicts.net

  ʺThis is Book 2 in The Colony saga, and it rocks.ʺ–Monster Librarian

  THE COLONY: DESCENT (The Colony, Vol. 3)

  ʺI had planned on reading just a couple of chapters and ended up reading the entire book in one sitting! …Rating: 4.5/5ʺ–Horror Novel Reviews

  ʺRenegades is a hardcore thriller that you can't stop reading.ʺ–horroraddicts.net

  STRANGERS

  ʺCollings is so proficient at what he does, he crooks his finger to get you inside his world and before you know it, you are along for the ride. You don't even see it coming; he is that good.ʺ–Only Five Star Book Reviews

  ʺMove over Stephen King…Clive Barker…. Michaelbrent Collings is taking over as the new king of the horror book genre.ʺ–Media Mikes

  ʺSTRANGERS is another white-knuckled journey that demands to be read in one sitting.ʺ–The Horror Fiction Review

  ʺMichaelbrent spins a tale that keeps you enthralled from page to page…. Overall I give this novel an A.ʺ–The Horror Drive-In

  DARKBOUND

  ʺReally good, highly recommended, make sure you have time to read a lot at one sitting since you may have a hard time putting it down.ʺ–The Horror Fiction Review

  ʺIn Darkbound you will find the intensity of Misery and a journey reminiscent of the train ride in The Talisman…. A proficient and pedagogical author, Collingsʹ works should be studied to see what makes his writing resonate with such vividness of detail…. You will not be disappointed in this dark tale.ʺ–Hellnotes

  ʺA spell-binding conclusion comes from out of nowhere that is hauntingly reminiscent of M. Night Shyamalan or Alfred Hitchcock. A certifiable bone chiller….ʺ–horrornews.net

  ʺDarkbound travels along at a screaming pace with action the whole way through, and twists to keep you guessing throughout…. With an ending that I didn't see coming from a mile away, and easily one of the best I've had the enjoyment of reading in a long time….ʺ–Horror Drive-In

  THE HAUNTED

  ʺThe Haunted is a terrific read with some great scares and a shock of an ending!ʺ–Rick Hautala, international bestselling author; Bram Stoker Award® for Lifetime Achievement winner

  ʺ[G]ritty, compelling and will leave you on the edge of your seat…. The Haunted is a tremendous read for fans of ghoulishly good terror.ʺ–horrornews.net

  ʺThe Haunted is just about perfect…. This is a haunted house story that will scare even the most jaded horror hounds. I loved it!ʺ–Joe McKinney, Bram Stoker Award®-winning author of Flesh Eaters and The Savage Dead

  APPARITION

  ʺApparition is not just a 'recommended' novel, it is easily one of the most entertaining and satisfying horror novels this reviewer has read within the past few years. I cannot imagine that any prospective reader looking for a new read in the horror genre won't be similarly blown away by the novel.ʺ–Hellnotes

  ʺ[Apparition is] a gripping, pulse hammering journey that refuses to relent until the very final act. The conclusion that unfolds may cause you to sleep with the lights on for a spell…. Yet be forewarned perhaps it is best reserved for day time reading.ʺ–horrornews.net

  ʺApparition is a hard core supernatural horror novel that is going to scare the hell out of you…. This book has everything that you would want in a horror novel…. it is a roller coaster ride right up to a shocking ending.ʺ–horroraddicts.net

  ʺ[Apparition is] Riveting. Captivating. Mesmerizing…. [A]n effective, emotional, nerve-twisting read, another amazingly well-written one from a top-notch writer.ʺ–The Horror Fiction Review

  THE LOON

  ʺIt's always so nice to find one where hardcore asylum-crazy is done RIGHT…. THE LOON is, hands down, an excellent book.ʺ–The Horror Fiction Review

  ʺHighly recommended for horror and thriller lovers. It's fast-moving, as it has to be, and bloody and violent, but not disgustingly gory…. Collings knows how to write thrillers, and I'm looking forward to reading more from him.ʺ–Hellnotes

  MR. GRAY (aka THE MERIDIANS)

  ʺ…an outstanding read…. This story is layered with mystery, questions from every corner and no answers fully coming forth until the final conclusion…. What a ride…. This is one you will not be able to put down and one you will remember for a long time to come. Very highly recommended.ʺ–Midwest Book Review

  RUN

  ʺ[A] tense and intense scary sci-fi chiller/thriller…. RUN is a winner, as fast-paced as it should be, cinematic and gripping, lots of fun but with moments of poignancy and disturbing paranoia.ʺ–The Horror Fiction Review

  HOOKED: A TRUE FAERIE TALE

  ʺHooked is a story with depth…. Emotional, sad, horrific, and thought provoking, this one was difficult to put down and now, one of my favourite tales.ʺ–Only
Five Star Book Reviews

  ʺ[A]n interesting and compelling read…. Collings has a way with words that pulls you into every moment of the story, absorbing every scene with all of your senses.ʺ–Clean Romance Reviews

  ʺCollings has found a way to craft an entirely new modern vampire mythology–and one strikingly different from everything I've seen before…. Recommended for adult and teen fans of horror and paranormal romance….ʺ–Hellnotes

  RISING FEARS

  ʺThe writing is superb. The characters are believable and sympathetic…the theme of a parent who's lost a child figures strongly; it's powerful stuff, and written from the perspective of experience that no one should ever have to suffer.ʺ–The Horror Fiction Review

  Dedication

  To…

  anyone who ever believed they might do something great, and then realized that belief was great in and of itself,

  the genius who invented Diet Dr. Pepper, because that person has probably saved my life several times over,

  and to Laura, FTAAE.

  Contents

  prelude: FALLEN

  THE LAST FLIGHT OF AN ANGEL

  one: AWAKENING

  THINGS LOST AND UNREMEMBERED

  THE BODY ON THE FLOOR

  THERE WILL BE OTHERS

  TO JUDGE AND ATONE

  FALLING DOWN

  NEW BLOOD

  IDLE HANDS…

  PACKET FULL OF POSIES

  FOUND OUT AND DISCOVERED

  AND THE SIMPLE WILL BEWARE

  PRESENTING THE PAST

  HOLY ROLLER

  interlude: CORRUPTION

  ON AXIS UNHINGED

  two: FLIGHT

  UNEXPECTED ANSWERINGS

  MEN AT WORK

  FACELESS THINGS

  BLINDING LIGHT

  SMALL STEPS

  NINE LIVES

  GOOD FATHERS

  RUNNING BLIND

  NEARLY A COWARD

  interlude: SAVAGED

  EARS UNHEARING

  three: PASSAGE

  OPTIONS EXHAUSTED

  MISTAKEN IMPRESSIONS

  GAMES PEOPLE PLAY

  BALANCE OF JUSTICE

  FACES IN GLASS

  POST MORTEM

  UNCOVERED BY LIGHT

  BEARING GIFTS

  BLIND LEADING BLIND

  interlude: POSSESSION

  MUTED SONG

  four: ASYLUM

  STRANGERS WE COME

  EDGE OF REVELATION

  THINGS MADE FLESH

  THE MIGHTY HAVE FALLEN

  A RISEN BEAST

  CHANCE ENCOUNTERS

  interlude: POWERS

  ALONE IN THE DARK

  five: THIS DARKNESS LIGHT

  CRUEL MERCIES

  TRAVELING COMPANIONS

  WHERE ALL ROADS LEAD

  RESTORATIONS

  FROM DARKNESS LIGHT

  prelude:

  FALLEN

  THE LAST FLIGHT OF AN ANGEL

  From: POTUS

  To: 'X'

  Sent: Thursday, May 29 3:32 PM

  Subject: OUTBREAK

  HOW THE HELL DID THIS HAPPEN? HOW AM I BEING PUT IN THE POSITION OF ORDERING A STRIKE ON US CITIZENS?

  From: X

  To: Dicky

  Sent: Thursday, May 29 3:32 PM

  Subject: RE: OUTBREAK

  Temper. Sometimes these things happen. Containment is the priority, not your poll numbers. Besides, when it comes out that you acted decisively and saved millions or billions of lives, youʹll get reelected again, if not made dictator-for-life.

  From: POTUS

  To: 'X'

  Sent: Thursday, May 29 3:40 PM

  Subject: RE: RE: OUTBREAK

  Wouldnʹt THAT be nice.

  From: X

  To: Dicky

  Sent: Thursday, May 29 3:40 PM

  Subject: RE: RE: RE: OUTBREAK

  ;o)

  ***

  Janice Kane was thirty years and two hips too late for this trip and didnʹt care in the slightest.

  When the other three women she played pinochle with three days a week found out about her plans they went through a strange burst of emotions that Janice found difficult to understand until she realized that she was seeing the five stages of grief.

  They laughed at first, thinking she was joking. They wouldnʹt accept she was serious. They just asked her to bid the next hand.

  When they realized she was serious–she had actually missed spotting a full family in her hand, and she hadnʹt done that since she lost Frank in the accident–they turned strangely sullen. The rest of the game was almost silent until Sandy started muttering under her breath and then it was like a dam burst. Karen started cursing. That wasnʹt unusual, since Karen had a mouth that could have passed for a sewage processing center, but Janice had never been the target of the generous and creative curses that now issued.

  Only Ethel didnʹt say anything. She just glared like Janice had run over her little Chihuahua on the road. Not that the thing needed a full-size car to kill it–a leaf tossed by a stiff breeze probably would have broken it in two.

  After the anger they started bargaining. Offering her alternate trips, things to do around town that might be just as fun, even thrown games, for goodness sake. The last were offensive and simply strengthened Janiceʹs resolve. She had refused to sit in the back of the bus before it was cool, she was hardly going to give up this dream for bragging rights around the coffee machine in the common room.

  Seeing her unflagging intention to go, the others grew silent again. Not angry this time, but depressed. Karen switched from cursing to crying. The others sniffled.

  This stage was the hardest to resist. But Janice thought about everything she had done. All the training. All the time.

  She was a steel rod. Quite literally, in places.

  Finally, by the end of the game, the girls accepted. They nodded. They blessed.

  And Janice flew.

  She had little trouble getting into the plane, but quite a bit getting into her seat. No surprise there: a pair of fused hips kept her from bending at the waist without extreme difficulty. Even in a first-class seat she barely had enough room to maneuver into place.

  If I canʹt get into a damn seat how am I going to climb Kilimanjaro?

  She folded her walker, handed it to the waiting flight attendant. He smiled at her and she smiled back. He was good looking, with wavy brown hair. A little chubby, which Janice liked. Frank had been chubby, which he hated, but she liked a man with something to grab onto.

  She had trained for three years. Climbing everything she could get to, everything she could afford to train on while still hoarding enough money to make this final trip.

  She wasnʹt insane. She didnʹt intend to climb all the way up. A woman with hinky hips didnʹt do that. Or at least she couldnʹt do that. But she wanted to climb partway. To look at the sun from the side of a sheer wall and know that she had pulled herself up by the strength of her arms like she had pulled herself through life by the strength of her will.

  It had been a dream she shared with Frank. A long time ago. The memory had started to fade, and she needed to do this before it wiped itself clean away.

  Kilimanjaro rested in Tanzania. Feet buried in earth, head rising above clouds. Just like Janice had always tried to be.

  Her seat was luxurious. A single leather-covered chair that reclined to turn into more or less a bed. It had its own television with satellite and all the latest movies available. Janice didnʹt watch it. She watched the window, the clouds and the land that passed below her. They werenʹt even out of the United States yet, but she already felt like she was in a foreign land. A place that was strange and wonderful, like she had received a half-day passport to Heaven.

  The only thing that kept it fr
om being perfect was the ever-present throb in her hips.

  That and the coughing.

  Someone had a cold. She didnʹt know who it was, and was tempted to listen to one of the radio stations–also satellite-based–that would pipe in near-infinite choices of music. But that would mean she would miss out on the sounds of the trip: the near-subliminal whine of the engines, the soft voices of the crew as they offered free drinks (free!) and meals with expensive-sounding French names.

  She dealt with the coughing. Into every life a little rain, etc.

  She watched the clouds. Looking not for gremlins on the wings but for angels with wings of their own on her short trip through celestial realms.

  Something fell. A sharp clatter of dishes that jarred its way into pleasant thoughts, cutting them as surely as the shards of broken glass might cut into flesh.

  Then a scream.

  Janice had heard screams like that before. She had seen a man beaten to death in front of her once. A pair of men who were afraid because some buildings fell down found another man who looked like the thing they had decided to fear and they killed him. He screamed like that.