I thought I could almost see the doom around us, like a black aura.
My bed was empty and cold, and on the chair, only my own winter clothes remained.
Guilt twisted in my stomach.
Jessie McCall
I must have caused this, somehow, getting close to her.
I stepped outside, shell shocked by blast of cold and suddenly glare blind.
I saw, as my eyes adjusted, a pristine layer of fresh snow.
It was broken by a single line of footprints leading from my front door and down the street.
They lead toward The CALM Building.
I grimaced and followed the tracks in search of answers.
The Black Dog was close enough for its barks to echo off the walls of the buildings.
The world felt both hostile and alien.
My mind was fried and I couldnt seem to hold on to a thought for more than a moment.
On Industrial a snowplow trundled along, pushing the snow off the street and salting the ice beneath.
For now, save the plows, the town still belonged to me and my harbinger.
I saw by the first turn which way the tracks were leading, and my dread magnified.
We were heading for that place of recent dreams.
This road lead to The Lyndon.
I followed it all the same.
I had to know.
When at last that rotting old motel came into view, I thought I was hallucinating.
Alone in the brilliant glimmer of crystalline snow, the Lyndon seemed to be enveloped in a living darkness.
It writhed and surged and blotted out the land.
Oh Christ,I thought,What is this?
I quickened my pace, desperate for answers.
As I drew closer I could see a thin, dark figure.
It stood motionless before The Lyndon in the middle of the street, looking like grim death.
She stared, transfixed, at the black mass congregated on the blanketed lawn of the place.
She betrayed no sign of having noticed me, even as I bounded through the snow toward her.
I called, ten steps to her right.
She spun around, hands flying into the air like startled birds and screamed.
As if following the lead of her hands, hundreds of crows took flight.
We screamed together in terror, though even that was drowned out until the congregated finally departed.
I embraced Alaina, half in relief and half for fear of collapsing.
She held me so tightly I could feel her breath hitch in her chest.
I said, looking into her eyes.
She looked strangely as though she had just awoken.
What are you doing out here?
I thought I was still dreaming, she said, I cant believe this.
I havent sleepwalked since I was eight.
God, Im glad youre here.
You had a dream?
Like, right outside.
I got dressed and ran out after her, only she was booking it down the sidewalk.
So you gave chase?
Yeah, I ran after her, I dont know.
Like I saw her for a reason.
Dreams are funny like that, you know?
They have their own rules, and you just know stuff.
I nodded, remembering thinking the same thing at some point.
When I looked down I saw she had become that doll of yours.
With the gore-crows gone, we could finally see what actually lay half buried in the fresh snowfall.
Lucas, my friend, lay dead in the snow with a rictus of terror contorting his eyeless face.
His body was in pieces, frozen solid and bloodless.
Lucas had become as a doll, unstrung.
The next few hours were spent with the police.
I barely remember any of it.
Im sure I wasnt coherent.
That was a sick joke.
Lucas did not have an enemy on the planet, so far as I was aware.
He was always like that, as far back as I could remember.
He made me laugh my way out of a serious funk the first time he met me.
It was the first day of gym class in the seventh grade.
I had just been hit in the face with a basketball.
The assailant was an overgrown fourteen-year-old bridge troll named Walter Woodrow.
Well, mostly the mockery that followed.
Naturally, everyone apart from myself found that little bon mot to be absolutely hilarious.
We watched as Walter knocked another kid, Chris Wembley, flat on his ass with a body check.
Have you ever noticed, Lucas remarked nonchalantly, that Walter Woodrows ass always smells like peanut butter?
Lucas paused, an expression of mock sympathy on his face.
Turns out thats the only way he can get a boner.
Thats animal abuse, I said when I could finally speak.
Oh weeping, creeping Jesus!
I said and collapsed in laughter yet again.
Christina knew Lucas since they were both in diapers, and loved him as a brother.
I texted Christina to come over.
Alaina sat knee to knee with me on the couch and took my free hand.
I noticed she also had time to wash her face and change clothes.
She was wearing a black turtleneck and leggings and sat with the easy grace of a professional model.
I noticed these things almost clinically, my mind too frazzled to infer anything about them.
Somewhere, closer than ever, the Black Dog continued his auditory assault.
She winced slightly, almost imperceptibly, on every bark.
How are you holding up?
Alaina asked me, though surely she could see the same haunted expression on my own face.
Not well, I admitted.
I looked down at my tea.
Steam rose from the foam in wispy plumes, warm and inviting.
I still felt cold.
My neighbor, too.
I think Im cracking up, but Im starting to be more afraid that Im not.
You know what I mean?
Yeah, Alaina whispered, and winced.
I guess I know a bit of what you mean.
And now Im pulling you into this thing, I said, Fuck.
Alaina squeezed my hand, saying, You didnt pull me anywhere.
I got here all on my own, and Im not going anywhere.
Can I get in on that?
Christina asked, having just arrived.
We nodded and she sat on the couch beside us.
For some time we said nothing, just held one another and thought of absent friends.
It was Christina who finally broke the silence.
She rubbed the bridge of her nose, which was bright red and raw from crying.
Under her breath and all unknowing, she muttered something terrible.
She said, I wish someone would stop that goddamn dog from barking.
As she stared into our shocked faces, bafflement withered into horror.
She realized at once what she had said.
Its not like that!
She protested, weakly, I just started hearing it…
How long ago, Chris?
I demanded, leaning forward.
My skin felt like it was crawling all over my bones.
When you told me Lucas was killed.
It glowered down upon us, upon Breckenridge, with two silver moons for eyes.
Its endless, slavering mouth dripped with hideous anticipation.
It would swallow us all.
Christina was saying something to me, shaking my shoulder.
I returned to Earth and heard her say, Justin!
What is going on here?
I dont know, I said, weakly.
I thought I could almost see the doom around us, like a black aura.
You too, Lainy.
Yeah, sure, Alaina said, huskily.
It was her first speech for over an hour.
She looked to me and said, You start, Justin.
I came in somewhere around the middle, I suspect.
I nodded and said, I guess Ill start from the beginning.
Ive been sort of… leaving things out.
Ive told you both a lot, but youre right.
Youre both in this with me all the way, like it or not.
You should know the whole story.
That segment was agonizing to relive, but I had to get it out all out.
Alaina cut in when I spoke of our first meeting.
I saw Justin reading my book.
Its a collection of photos of green houses in Breckenridge.
Turning to me, she said, You just seemed so lonely there.
I dont usually bother customers, but I couldnt help it.
No one else had taken more than a glance at my book before.
Your apartment was in the book, remember?
Christina and Alaina asked in unison.
I realized I had frozen mid-sentence.
My mouth was dry and grabbed a glass of water.
(destroy what you find there)
Oh shit, thats it.
I said, half to myself.
She said Find his basement, destroy what you find there.
I thought she was talking about-
The Lyndon!
Yeah, exactly, I told her, Thats where I found her in my dream.
I slipped through the snow and wound up there.
She told me something terrible was down there.
No, Something Wrong.
She said it like that, like it was a proper noun.
I think its part of this, or maybe this is part of that.
I dont think she was talking about The Lyndons basement, though.
He said there was no basement there, but we found the door.
He had chained shut and padlocked, but it was there all right, behind the building.
I think hes hiding something down there, maybe whatever is causing this.
Lets go, then, Christina said, standing.
Her eyes were blazing and I knew she was looking to bring the fight to whomever deserved it.
Well stop by my place.
Ive got a pair of bolt cutters thatll chew right through those chains.
Right, I said, rising to my feet.
I was still terrified beyond belief, but it felt good to finally do something about it.
Alaina rose up beside me and squeezed my shoulder.
It was almost five and the sun was already sinking low in the sky.
When night fell, Emily warned, The Black Dog would find me.
Alaina had already seen the thing, and I worried more for her than anyone.
Back at my place I led Christina and Alaina inside.
We rushed for the door, feeling too exposed in the yard with that damned dogs booming sonic assault.
With the sun still floating above the horizon, we might still be safe.
For a few moments, anyway.
Do we have a plan beyond get inside the basement?
Sort of, I admitted, Were supposed to destroy whatever we find down there.
But its not going to be a hot water heater, will it?
Christina asked, grimacing.
She still held the bolt cutters in a white-knuckle grip.
Probably not, I admitted, I didnt get a lot of details.
I think whatever it is, well know it when we see it.
And Emily told you all this in a dream?
Alaina asked, dubiously.
Thats right, I said, gravely.
Strange days, indeed.
Alaina said, softly.
Lets pop this lock, Christina said, brandishing the bolt cutters and taking charge once again.
Yeah, Alaina and I said together.
I scanned my dismal field of view, but thankfully saw no sign of it.
Under the weight of the snow it was nothing but a nondescript mound.
Keep an eye out, I said, and cleared away the snow with my gloved hands.
The padlock, glazed with ice, looked formidable.
Perhaps it was, but the chains it held were not.
We were dumbstruck by what we found below.
The doorway was bricked shut, sealed.
Entry would be impossible.
He sealed it up, I muttered, I dont believe this.
Christina swore, throwing the bolt cutters to the ground in disgust.
Both of us looked up at her, startled.
She was staring down the alleyway behind us.
She cried, grabbing at the two of us intent on dragging us both inside, if need be.
I had a split second to glance back before running after her, full tilt.
And I saw it.
Even in the dim winter gloaming I could see The Black Dog was no true dog at all.
It was a distorted avatar of the alpha predator.
It was a symbol, a totem, an idea made flesh.
Outside my curtained windows, the shadow of an omen paced a circuit around my drafty apartment.
It howled and growled and snarled, throwing its weight against the walls of the house with thunderous results.
Its going to get in here, Christina said, springing to her feet.
Weve got to do something!
Alaina said, Block the doors!
Help me with the fridge, I said, already heading for the kitchen.
I unplugged the machine and together we pushed it against the back door.
It was something, at least.
The situation was grim.
Theres heavy boxes in the Harry Potter closet!
I said, dashing into the bedroom.
I could unload faster than they could bolster, and so soon I had the closet cleared out.
I could see the back wall for the first time in ages.
Above my head I heard the skitter of the ceiling rat, closer than ever.
A steady draft blew in from behind it, despite the wall in question being an internal one.
I muttered, and hunkered down to investigate.
A cursory examination revealed the loose panel to be, in fact, a door to an apparent crawlspace.
If not for the chaotic warping of the decrepit old house, I might never had noticed it.
If not for an apparent careless user, I might never have gotten it open.
I could see that this hidden door was meant to be locked tight from the other side.
Alaina arrived first, leaning over my shoulder and examining my find.
Oh shit, secret tunnel!
Or a rat run, Christina added.
Weve got to go down there, dont we?
I nodded, and said, Ive got a lantern under the sink.
The house shook with another massive impact.
More of the barricade fell to the floor with a resounding crash.
Alaina said, already kneeling before the portal and peering into the darkness within.
I dashed across the apartment for the kitchen.
Panic made a frenetic jumble of my movements, and I stumbled hard into the doorway.
My shoulder took the brunt of the damage and I fell to the floor, clutching my shoulder.
I threw initiate the cabinet doors and searched for the lantern.
I could hear wood cracking under the strain.
God, where was that lantern?
Christina called from the bedroom, Are you okay in there?
I called, plumbing the darkest depths of the cabinet, behind old paint cans and my meager toolbox.
Shoved into the farthest, deepest corner, I found the lantern at last.
Scrambling to my feet I spied the butcher knife which so recently had drawn my blood and snagged it.
It was a good time to have a weapon.
It was getting inside!
It was already forcing its head through the hole it had created.
All around us the house groaned an ill portent.
It would get in or tear the house asunder trying.
That the lantern still worked was a small but welcome relief in the midst of the terror.
By the sound of it, the thing was venting its rage on everything around it.
The house groaned again, and shuddered.
Ill take that, Christina said, glancing down at the butcher knife.
Perhaps she remembered what happened the last time I wielded it.
I gave Alaina the lantern, mostly so she would take the front of the line.
I wanted the both of them in front of me in case that thing caught up.
She said, Thanks, and crawled inside.
Christina came willingly after her.
Within the rat run, the only way to go was forward, crawling.
Even through the walls the sound of The Black Dog was thunderous.
Its not going to stop, is it?
Christina said in front of me.
No, I said, fighting to keep up.
What do you see ahead, Lainy?
Is there a way down?
No, She called back, but I think I see a way up!
The ceiling opens up and I think… yeah, theres a kind of ladder!
Keep moving, I said, Shout if you see a way-
THUD!
We screamed in unison as The Black Dog slammed itself against the wall opposite the tunnel.
It snarled and issued another volley of barks, so loud my ears rang.
Alaina screamed, scrambling forward.
Just as well, I would have crashed into her.
I needed my hands free to scramble after them.
I was losing ground, quickly.
My knees, forearms, and lungs all burned like a coal fire.
I think… Alaina said, panting, I think I see an opening!
A massive obsidian muzzle thrust itself into the hole sniffing out its prey.
Saliva dripped from its grisly maw, and the stench of its breath was unspeakable.
I began, quite involuntarily, to shimmy back the way I came.
Someone was screaming RUN!
and I realized it was me.
I knew I had no other option for progress.
In the fading light I could still see The Black Dog trying to force itself into the tunnel.
As a small mercy, it was far too small but still determined.
I knew it would soon tire of this, and renew its path of destruction.
Somehow I managed to reach the ladder, relieved that I didnt miss it in the darkness.
It felt wonderful even in the midst of all the chaos to be standing on my feet.
Nevertheless, I was quick to ascend.
I thought I heard the dog on the move again.
Directly below me came another shock, one that nearly sent me hurtling to the floor.
I heard a snap and the entire house groaned.
Distantly, I heard sirens.
Sprawled on the wood, I remembered my phone and fished it out of my pocket.
The space I bought between myself and my doom brought me small comfort.
I was alone up there but for vermin and the constant companionship of my terror.
It seemed that Petrov had a way into all our apartments, but why?
He must have known about it, as the house was divided into apartments under his stewardship.
I tried to remember our few interactions over the past year.
The day he showed us the apartment was the longest time either of us spent in his company.
To our knowledge, at least.
I remembered he was late for the showing and appeared distracted.
It was snowing then too, a light January flurry.
For want of a welcome mat we tracked snow through the entire apartment.
That was my impression.
Emilys impression of Petrov was much different, though I didnt think much of it at the time.
Like the asshole I was, I just assumed she was being paranoid and dismissed her claims.
She said he made her very uncomfortable.
She wanted to leave, but I convinced her to sign the papers.
Eventually she relented, starting a chain reaction which lead, somehow, to her death.
Another enormous impact rocked the house, followed by another tortured shriek of splintering wood.
The floor below me sunk perceptibly, preempting my thoughts with renewed panic.
Any moment now the floor could collapse beneath me, sending me into the jaws of the thing.
I hoped Alaina and Christina were okay.
The floor shuddered again, this time without the help of The Black Dog.
I pushed forward frantically, my phones case cracking under my vice grip.
Beams of white light bounced off the walls in front of me, until it suddenly stopped.
I stabbed at the home button, only to find the screen illuminated briefly with an empty battery symbol.
In its absence, however, I found a small hope: A familiar blue glow, just ahead.
The sirens were louder now.
The blue light was coming from below.
I called downward, expecting only silence in return.
Such was the weight of doom, leaving little room for hope.
In this, however, I was wrong.
They called back in unison.
Justin, Alaina said, as I reached the floor, look at this place.
In the ample light the lantern provided, I found myself in a tiny squatters apartment.
The furnishings consisted of a bedroll, a milk crate stuffed with moldy books, and an empty cooler.
The walls were papered with photos of Emily.
She was nude in several of them, particularly the series taken from inside the shower.
Many more were taken with her asleep in bed.
He must have crept in and taken them, both of us unaware.
He could have killed her or raped her at any time.
Thats her, isnt it?
Alaina asked, sympathetically, Emily.
I nodded
This is his journal, Christina told me, handing me a slim volume.
I leafed through, trying to decipher his wretched handwriting.
I saw Emilys name many times.
We got here just after that fucking thing burst through the wall.
Thank Christ it couldnt reach us, went after you instead.
We wanted to wait for you, Alaina added, so we stayed here and snooped.
Check the last entry.
It read:
January
Waiting.
For months I wait and watch and take my photographs.
She knows this, but she has her foolish boy.
For now, she is satisfied to play her game.
For these months she keeps the power.
Keeps me to my shadows while she lives in the light.
Tonight She loses her power.
Tonight it will be mine.
I have found what I needed in grandfathers books.
They did not find them all in their raids.
The book has the key to the power.
I will take it.
Tonight is the night.
Tomorrow I shall have her.
Scrawled below, almost childishly,
My Emily.
I think he means these books, Alaina said, gesturing to the milk carton.
I couldnt bear to touch them.
Me either, Christina admitted, The covers look greasy, foul.
Rotting leather, maybe.
Another splintering crash reminded us we had no time for such discussions.
The Black Dog must have found us again.
We have to go.
Thats the other thing.
Alaina said, shifting to the side.
Alainas space concealed a square of wood with a knotted rope handle.
I think we found the basement, Christina said, grimly.
I nodded and took the lantern from Alaina.
Lifting the trap door, I said, Id suggest you stay up here, but-
Another splintering crash.
But its no safer up here, Christina finished.
Down we went, into another abyss.
Floating in the brackish water were dozens of rotting carcasses.
I saw the decaying bodies rabbits, cats, mice, and the ceiling rats bloated brethren.
If I had anything in my stomach I would have heaved it up at once.
My empty stomach tossed and turned.
Oh, my god, Alaina said, as she joined me there, That stench!
Christina added, It smells like rancid assholes down here.
Come on, I said, sloshing through the frigid muck.
From above us, another thunderous assault.
If it found its way down here, I doubted we could escape it.
Though we encountered no shrieking wraiths or shambling horrors, an oppressive and electric atmosphere pervaded the place.
I could feel some awful sort of vibration beneath my feet like ancient machinery suddenly springing to life again.
What are we looking for?
Alaina asked, breaking the silence.
Well know it when we see it, I answered.
Didnt get much of a choice, Alaina said, sneering at something that floated past her.
Look, Christina said, pointing to the next corner, Dry land.
The floor sloped upward ahead as we reached our apparent destination.
Why doesnt that make me feel better?
From above us The Black Dog continued his assault.
I swallowed hard, knowing it would find a way down here soon.
We reached the corner and turned it.
Over the fetor I thought I could smell smoke.
I suddenly remembered the ancient gas heater in my apartment.
It would be a wonder if the dog hadnt knocked the damn thing over in its fury.
It could be spewing flames even now, as we approached the door at the end of the hall.
I tried the handle, and was not surprised to find it locked.
From above our heads, a tremendous blast rocked the foundation.
Dust rained down around us, stinging our eyes and throats.
There was no time to wonder what caused it or how close was the apartment to total destruction.
Stand back, I told them, Im going to kick it down.
Try it again, Alaina suggested.
The door finally gave on the fifth attempt, for which I was momentarily grateful.
Collectively our breaths caught in our throats.
They all seemed to radiate in concentric circles from a single point in the far corner of the room.
There, illuminated by the eldritch glow, was a kneeling corpse.
Taking care not to step on any of those strange runes, I approached the body.
Somewhere, distantly, another resounding crash.
I barely registered the sound.
Energy fairly crackled from the walls, making my hair stand on end.
The room was small and it took little time to reach the corpse.
Just like the books in the squat.
Asked Alaina from somewhere behind me.
I told her, I think its Petrov.
Petrovvv, Yesssss… whispered the corpse.
I turned back, dumbstruck.
Petrovs eyes were open, alive.
He looked into my eyes andsaw me.
That goddamn thing is talking!
Alaina said, sounding somehow far away.
Christina said something in response I didnt catch.
I felt a hot sensation in the back of my head I could not quite identify.
You are the boy, yesss?
The hot feeling grew.
I realized my fingernails were digging into my palm.
Nooo… he said, mournfully, She is not.
Heh, heh, but she is not yoursss either, I think.
I thought I could make her mine for always, with my grandfathers runes but…
But you tapped into something big, didnt you?
Alaina said, standing beside me now.
Something you couldnt control.
Petrov did a terrible thing then: He smiled.
His skin, drawn tight and desiccated, split from the effort in several places.
The wounds bled, but he did not seem to notice.
I thought of Emily, of her destroyed face.
The demon who eats the moon and the sun.
I leaned in closer, unable to stop myself.
Petrov met my gaze and grinned his ghastly smile.
I hear something big coming!
Youll know his name when his harbinger takes you, fool!
Petrov cackled, Its too late now, I think.
A savage growl echoed down the hallway, and an impossible blackness stalked the lesser darkness toward us.
The Black Dog was coming.
Justin you have to do it now!
I realized I still had the butcher knife in my hand.
I stared down at it and tried to make sense of things.
This wretched thing, Petrov, brought this trouble on us.
His vile, misguided obsession cost Emily her life.
Dabbling in things he did not understand, he brought down a doom on all of us.
He killed Lucas, he killed my neighbor.
And he was a human being.
I would have to take a human life to end this.
If I killed him to take my vengeance, what would that make me?
Would I be a monster, too?
I looked to them and realized there really was no choice.
With my knife I cut Petrovs throat, spilling his lifes blood onto the rune scrawled cement floor.
There was gratitude in his eyes when he fell, as though a terrible pain finally released him.
As he died, the runes faded and disappeared.
Hes dead now, I declared, staring down at his filthy, ragged form.
Christina said in a tiny voice, Nothing is over.
Standing in the hall outside was The Black Dog, growling deep in its throat and tensing to charge.
Get behind me, I said, knowing there would be no hope for any of us.
They stood beside me instead, and linked their arms with mine.
We would meet our doom together.
I felt hot tears streaming down my face as I prepared for the end.
Just then, I perceived a strange and furtive movement from just outside the door.
It reached the beam of the lantern and turned back to us.
It was Emma, the doll.
She tilted her head and waved, just like Emily used to do.
The dog padded forward, and she turned back to meet it.
They met face to face and regarded one another for a long moment.
I held my breath.
And they both disappeared.
The three of us let out our breath at once and fell to our knees.
Alaina said, and I did.
Where the corpse of Petrov once lay, nothing remained but dust.
The Varcolac took everything from him.
I could almost feel sorry for him.
Lets find a way out of here, I said.
We found our exit by following The Black Dogs trail of destruction.
That part, at least, was surprisingly easy.
Above ground, the house had suffered a nearly complete collapse.
Lights from dozens of emergency vehicles made a discotheque of the neighborhood.
We made the local news.
No mention of a dog, black or otherwise, was made by anyone.
How the killer did so was another mystery.
They could not even agree on the path to the exit the killer might have taken.
They could find no tracks or blood trail leading from the killing room to the outside.
I still miss him, terribly.
He was a true friend, and Ill never forget how he stood by me during my worst moments.
I learned to cope and little by little I got better.
I still keep in touch with Christina and Alaina through video chat.
Christina packed up her things and moved back to Texas to stay with family.
She says shes happier there, and I believe her.
Alaina went back to school at Breckenridge State, but tells me shes keeping an eye on things.
I still have bad days, usually following the bad nights.
The darkness meets the sky and spreads over everything.
To my recollection, I have never had another dream of Emily, The Black Dog, or Emma.
