Tuesday, January 24, 2012


Now Playing: The Darkness
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The Darkness 1.


Episode Four of The Darkness

Episode Three concluded with:

The gambler walked over to his desk and stared at the cards as if trying to discern his future. “Things have not gone well for the Monahans. Any of us. There are some things you need to see. I have an extra horse. We’ll ride out tomorrow; it’s too dark now. You can spend the night here.”
            Bart liked this subdued Jesse Monahan a lot more than he did the caustic man who had greeted him at the door. McRae spoke in a soft, whimsical voice. “Thanks for putting me up. Guess you got plenty of empty rooms.”
            “Not really,” a sad expression crossed Monahan’s face. “I sleep right here. The second floor had to be closed. It needs repair work that I can’t afford. Just take the stairway up to the third floor. You can sleep in Uncle Adrian’s old room.”

Episode Four

The room was large, but the August heat pressed in giving Bart a claustrophobic feeling. As he lit the kerosene lamp beside the bed, he looked about for particles of Adrian Monahan’s head.
            McRae cursed himself in a low whisper. Jesse had no doubt been indulging in some very dark humor. That was before the letter had completely changed the gambler’s mood. Where would this ride they were going to take tomorrow lead to?
            Bart sat on the bed, took off his boots and lay back. Believing sleep was far away, he leaned over and removed a Bible from his valise.  He began to read the story of King Saul’s visit to the Witch of Endor, where the king was confronted by a spirit who told him he would die the next day…
            The vision of a horrifying old crone dressed in rags filled the room. She was cackling as she performed strange ritualistic movements with her hands. Footsteps suddenly sounded in the distance.
            “He’s coming!” The witch declared. “The ghost is coming!”  
            Bart awoke with a start. The Bible lay on his lap where he had dropped it when he fell asleep. With relief, McRae saw that there was no witch in the room.
            His relief was short lived. The witch had only been a dream, but the footsteps were real and they were moving down the hallway toward his room.
            Silence suddenly seemed to fill the entire house. McRae remained in the bed, his back pressing against the headboard. He wished for a gun. But could a gun really help him now?
            The bedroom door opened slowly and Bart immediately recognized the man that stepped inside. It was Adrian Monahan. 
            A trickle of red ran down the middle of Adrian’s head as if dividing it in two.“Help me!” Monahan shouted. “Justice! I won’t rest until I get justice!”
            Adrian reached into his suit coat and brought out a large knife. “I will claim the head of the man who killed me!”
            Adrian stepped back out of the room and closed the door. Bart could hear his footsteps moving down the hall.
            McRae grabbed his boots and hastily put them on. He was leaving this place and leaving fast. He tossed his Bible back into the valise, closed it up and stepped quickly toward the bedroom door.
            It was locked.
            “Let me out of here!” He began pounding furiously on the door.
            Bart suddenly stopped. He dropped the valise, made both of his hands into fists and took a deep breath. “I need to think,” he whispered to himself. “Think calmly.”
            A loud scream filled the house. McRae froze, not moving a muscle until a second scream sounded.

Tomorrow: Episode Five of The Darkness