An Entangled Halloween Story with Jus Accardo

David's Demons

The light from the full moon filtered through the dirty skylight, illuminating
enough of the room to cast eerie shadows on all the walls. They laughed, the
shadows. Taunting and teasing. They knew I wasn't alone.

It was here with me.

The monster.

I first encountered the creature two weeks ago. From a peaceful slumber I woke
as something skimmed my flesh. Tiny prickles, feather light, made me cry out in
surprise. When I recovered my wits, it had already gone. Vanished as though it
had never been.

Several days passed before we crossed paths again. This time bolder, it stepped
from the shadows as I prepared my dinner, lingering only long enough to taunt
me, before fading back into the darkness.

I tried to chase it that time and failed. It was much too quick. Much too
smart.

As the days went by, we continued the same game. It would appear, staying just
long enough to ensure I'd caught a glimpse, before slinking silently back into
the nether.

What do you want from me? I screamed, as it disappeared on the sixth
night. It wouldn't answer. It never answered.

I questioned people. Had anyone else seen it? Did they know what it was? What it
wanted? Did they know how I could rid myself of its disease? Frantic, I
approached everyone.

Several of days of this and I found myself the undesirable target of clandestine
whispers and strange looks. By the tenth day, I stopped going to work. There was
no longer any point.

I was sure this thing had been sent to me as punishment. These subtle
visitations were the work of some higher power. A cosmic force of justice. I'd
done something wrong. Committed a grievous crime. This creature, sent from the
very depths of hell, was to be my guide on the pathway to insanity. To ensure I
paid for my sins.

I deserved to pay.

Each evening would find me in the same place, doing the same thing. As soon as
sunlight began to dwindle, I positioned myself in the middle of the living room
floor. There I sat, waiting. The creature never made me wait long.

Each day I was ready, a new weapon in hand. Each day it emerged from the
shadows, laughing at my fear and whispering things to the dark no one else knew.
Secrets. My secrets.

On the fourteenth day the game changed. The sun set. Hours passed as the clock
ticked each second with a deafening echo. This time, the creature did not emerge
from the shadows on schedule, and before long, I started to doze.

I woke to a foul stench and gossamer voice in my ear.

I saw what you did, it hissed. I was there. I saw it all.

Liar! I cried into the inky blackness. €œNo one was there!

I was there, the voice came again. €œI saw it all. Heard it all. You killed that girl.

Images of the crime washed over me. The way her blood pooled in odd shapes on
the ground around her lifeless corpse. Her head, twisted at an unnatural angle,
tilted skyward as though she was looking right through me. It was an accident! I screamed. She was mean and I got angry!

Your soul is black, the voice laughed. It's withered and stained.

The creature made a noise that could only be describe as delighted.

Anticipatory. You will make a delectable snack. We will take you with us.

I bolted upright, covered in a cold sweat. To my left, the digital clock above
the TV was blank. The power had gone out.

I rose, and from the corner of my eye, saw it. The creature had come at last.

I'm not going anywhere with you! I spat. Movement in the corner of the
room caught my eye as the creature glided past. I struck out blindly with the
rusted axe I'd found in the back of my garage. It crashed into the glass end
table. A loud crack, followed by a thousand plinks and clatters as the shards
fell to the hardwood floor.

To my right, the creature laughed. A cold sound birthed by madness and violence.
€œYou cannot fight us for we are legion.

I tried to step towards the door, but something tangled my feet. Landing hard on
the floor, the breath was banished from my lungs and the axe was knocked from my
grasp.

Leave me alone! My fingers clawed the hardwood in search of a new weapon.

All I found was a shoe.

Rain pounded the rooftop, it's almost musical tapping providing an eerie
soundtrack. Lightning flashed. Drawing myself up, shoe in hand, I lunged toward
the sound of the creature's voice.

I missed.

Another brilliant flash and I saw the creature's outline ahead of me. Again I
lunged, swinging my pitiful weapon with the desperation of a starving man. I
landed on top of the thing, beating it until my arms were on fire and heavy with
fatigue.

Another flash of lightning provided me proof that the attack had been
successful. In front of me lay the creature's black, lifeless body. A plump
round corpse split open at the side and oozing a viscous, milky white substance,
surrounded by eight long spindly legs.

For the first time in two weeks, there was silence. A peaceful haze settled. I
let finality of it all wash over me and laid my head in my hands and cried.

A moment passed. Maybe two. I was about to stand when the laughter came again.
Not from one particular place, but all around.

Yes, a symphony of voices hissed in unison. You will make a fine meal.

The storm passed and the lights flickered to life. The creature, hundreds of
them actually, covered every inch of the room. From the ceiling, a dozen hung,
descending on shimmering, silvery stands.

I screamed.

TOUCH

A DENAZEN NOVEL - Book One - by Jus Accardo

When a strange boy tumbles down a river embankment and lands at her feet, seventeen-year-old adrenaline junkie Deznee Cross snatches the opportunity to piss off her father by bringing the mysterious hottie with ice blue eyes home.

Except there’s something off with Kale. He wears her shoes in the shower, is overly fascinated with things like DVDs and vases, and acts like she’ll turn to dust if he touches her. It’s not until Dez’s father shows up, wielding a gun and knowing more about Kale than he should, that Dez realizes there’s more to this boy—and her father’s “law firm”—than she realized.

Kale has been a prisoner of Denazen Corporation—an organization devoted to collecting “special” kids known as Sixes and using them as weapons—his entire life. And, oh yeah, his touch? It kills. The two team up with a group of rogue Sixes hellbent on taking down Denazen before they’re caught and her father discovers the biggest secret of all. A secret Dez has spent her life keeping safe.

A secret Kale will kill to protect.