2012 Los Banos, CA
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
The single bulb above him flickers rapidly, revealing the thick rope tied around his wrists. Sweat runs down his inked body and over the open wounds from yesterday's torture. Every move he makes stings like hell.
Just then, he hears rustling from the other side of the door and a nervous tingling runs down the back of his spine. The door opens and a Shadow appears.
TATTOO MAN
"Hey man I told you I didn't do it! Just let me go!"
Photo by Ricky Kharawala on Unsplash
The Shadow moves to the shelf and removes a propane cylinder. He pulls out a small object from his pocket, connects it to the nozzle, and lights it. The flame shoots out of the torch head.
The Tattoo Man's eyes go wide.
“No man don’t do this!”
The Shadow moves closer, torch raised high. The Tattoo Man struggles, backing away from the flame. Then the Shadow does something more haunting and terrifying than fire. He giggles. But it wasn't your average giggle, it was sinister, evil. His laughter shook the Tattoo Man to his core, and all he could do was scream.
TATTOO MAN
"NO PLEASE, NO!"
Present Day
Mountain View, CA
Lucas stares up at the ceiling wide-eyed. Nothing else exists at the moment. Nothing but the light fixture above.
Photo by Daniel Apodaca on Unsplash
PSYCHOLOGIST
"Do you see him?"
LUCAS
"Him? No, not him."
PSYCHOLOGIST
"What do you see?"
The faces of tortured victims suddenly flash into his mind.
LUCAS
"I see, them."
MUTILATED BODY PARTS
resembling mannequin pieces lay scattered in a sick version of a Jackson Pollock painting.
Lucas shuts his eyes.
LUCAS
“Sometimes it’s hard to forget. There are nights I wake up feeling empty, like there’s something I should be doing. I try going back to sleep, but I can’t. Then I get that urge…"
He falls silent.
PSYCHOLOGIST
"Has the urge gotten stronger?"
LUCAS
"No. Not the urge, him."
PSYCHOLOGIST
"What do you mean?"
LUCAS
"Things he did, people he hurt."
PSYCHOLOGIST
"You mean in your dreams."
Lucas shakes his head.
LUCAS
“They’re becoming more than dreams. I’m feeling them. I’m feeling him. I’ve been having these flashbacks lately. I’m remembering everything. Can’t seem to shake it.”
PSYCHOLOGIST
“What you went through is not something you can just lock away and forget. You will get glimpses here and there. Maybe for the rest of your life. The key is in you. These dreams, these memories will only get worse, but you have to remember they are not real. He is not real, not anymore.”
Lucas lets out a long sigh. He wants very much to believe him, but in the back of his mind, he knows the demon haunting his dreams still exists, and it’s only a matter of time before it wakes up again.
The Psychologist closes the notepad and gets up from his seat.
PSYCHOLOGIST
“You’ve done really well this week Lucas. Listen, it’s perfectly normal to experience flashbacks of the trauma you went through. Just give it time. Remember, the past can’t hurt you anymore. You just have to decide how you want to deal with it. Either you let it define you, or you overcome it. That’s something I can’t help you with. It’s all on you at that point.”
LUCAS
“What happens when these memories become more than glimpses?”
PSYCHOLOGIST
“I guess it depends on the person. People have different ways of coping with trauma. Some fall into depression, isolating themselves from the world. Others look for connection, typically in the wrong places, drugs, violence, gangs. Events like that usually happen after an overwhelming amount of stress though. That’s why it’s important to keep a mental balance. As long as you maintain that balance, you will always have control.”
LUCAS
"And if I lose control? What then?"
The Psychologist thinks for a moment, then looks back at Lucas.
PSYCHOLOGIST
"I honestly don't know."
El Ojo del Diablo
Five years have passed since the killer known as "El Ojo de el Diablo"terrorized the city of Los Banos, CA. It was a time of fear and horror that resulted in the murders of nine people. Before then, no one had ever known a crime so violent, or a killer so malevolent. It was a summer Lucas Garcia would never forget because one of the victims, was Daisy.
Lucas slept...
The visit to his therapist did nothing to make him feel better, so he decided rest was what he needed. But as he lay there in his studio apartment, sweat seeping out of his pores, a disturbing image appeared in his dream.
It was Daisy, his lost love. She was beautiful, standing there smiling at him. There was a glow about her and all he wanted to do was wrap his arms around her and never let go. Then her smile faded. He couldn't move.
"Daisy?"
Her face turned into a scowl. Her eyes widened. Suddenly, she let out a loud painful and torturing cry. It weakened Lucas to his knees. He covered his ears and lowered his head. Then everything went silent.
DAISY
"Lucas, stop it's me."
Lucas opens his eyes. She giggles. He looks up at her confused.
DAISY
"Stop it..."
He frowns. She repeats herself again, a bit more playful this time, seductive even.
DAISY
"Lucas stop. It's me..."
LUCAS
"I'm not doing anything."
Then her eyes widen and the sexy image of her changes to something horrible and scary. Suddenly she’s standing naked and badly beaten. Blood oozes out of the center of her neck where a deep cut separates her flesh. The streaks of blood run down to her torso. Lucas watches in horror. She yells.
DAISY
"STOP LUCAS IT'S ME!"
Photo by Viktoria Hall-Waldhauser on Unsplash
Lucas wakes up and gasps. He checks his surroundings. Dresser, bed, closet, it was his room.
Another Nightmare
He catches his breath and checks the time. It was just past noon.
He heads to the restroom
and splashes water on his face. He looks longly at his reflection in the mirror and notices a change in the color of his eyes. Its very subtle, but its there. A hint of yellow glows out of his brown eyes. He leans in closer.
"Lucas!"
He jumps back and catches himself on the rail. Lucas closes his eyes then slowly makes his way back to the mirror. He opens his eyes. Daisy is gone. The yellow in his eyes is gone, and the face staring back is his own.
Lucas rests his hands on the sink. He looks down and sighs.