The Night the World Went Dark

From the living room, I heard the old grandfather clock strike midnight. The loud gong startled me. I suddenly realized I’d been reading for four hours straight. The house had fallen dark and I’d been sitting in bed mesmerized by The Night the World Went Dark. I slowly crept out of bed and down the hallway to lock the front door. I hadn’t realized how quiet the house could be. My feet creaked the hardwood floors. I clicked the lock and grabbed a glass of water on my way back to my bed. I crawled back into my bed and pulled the covers up snug under my chin. I sipped my water and clicked the light off.

I woke to the loud ringing of my alarm on the nightstand. Groggily I rolled over to snooze and through the fog of sleep I noticed what looked like blood smeared on the doorhandle of my bedroom door. I shot up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes to focus. There’s no way that’s what I think it is, I whispered to myself. Tentatively, I looked again and sure enough, blood was covering the door handle and was messily smeared down the wall towards my bed.

My hands started trembling and my heart was pounding. My mouth instantly went dry, and my mind raced. What the fuck is going on? I threw my sheets off and realized there was blood there, too. My pillowcase was smeared with handprints. MY handprints.

I jumped from the bed and ran to the bathroom. I scrubbed my hands until they were raw. Tears streamed down my face. I looked at my reflection, searching my eyes for anything that gave way to what could have possibly happened. I had no recollection of the night past locking the front door and crawling into bed. I slept. I slept soundly through the night. I was certain of it.

Was I, though? Could I have slept walked? Is there any way that I could have done that? Could I have completely lost an entire night and actually not recalled what I’d done? No, I yelled to myself. You didn’t do anything. This is not what it looks like. You must be dreaming still. You’re not awake. You’ll wake up and see that nothing is out of the ordinary.

I shook my head, rubbed my eyes and walked back to my bedroom. I ignored the blaring red smeared on the walls and crawled back into bed. I shut my eyes and told myself that I just needed to wake up. It would all be okay if I just woke up.

The loud gong of the old grandfather clock woke me up in a start. I quickly glanced towards the door sadly found it was not a dream. There was still blood smeared along the walls. My bedsheets remained covered in bloody handprints. I took a deep breath and picked up my phone to call work. There was no way I was making it in with the night I’d had. The one I couldn’t remember. My boss was understanding as I was a very reliable employee and rarely called in. She told me to feel better and said she’d see me on Monday.

Once I’d settled my day, I grabbed The Night the World Went Dark from my bedstand and headed to the kitchen and poured myself a cup of coffee. I figured if I just ignored it, maybe it would go away. I knew better. I needed to clean it up right away. I stared out the window, sipping softly. I watched as a robin plucked a juicy worm from the grass and took off. I sighed a heavy breath and tossed the book on the coffee table. After I’d cleaned up the mess I curled up on the couch. I wrapped a blanket around myself and cracked the book back open. I sipped my second cup of coffee and dove back in. Anything to take my mind off of what had just happened.

* * *

Naomi had been covertly watching Josh. They had dated briefly and after a night she couldn’t remember, Josh had stopped calling and no longer answered his phone when she called. She woke the day after that forgotten night groggy with a splitting headache. She knew that something bad had happened, she just wasn’t sure what. So, she’d taken to watching him from afar.

She’d found Josh at a bar playing pool with some beautiful girl who seemed a bit naïve and overly flirty. He’d brushed his hand along the small of her back and she laughed a little too loudly at his witty charm. She brushed her hair from her shoulder with a side glance. Naomi knew the look in Josh’s eye. He was certain that she was wrapped around his finger.

Naomi had covered her hair with a baseball cap and her slight form was hidden under a baggy sweatshirt. She ordered a beer and watched them from the corner. Some guy sat next to her and offered to buy her a drink. She politely declined and told the man she was waiting for someone. She preferred to be alone.

Josh saddled up to the bar and ordered two beers. The little brunette leaned against the pool table and pulled a mirror from her small bag. She swiped a pink lipstick across her lips, oblivious to the fact that Josh had just slipped some white powder into the beer he was now walking towards her with. Naomi was appalled and jumped into action. She quickly hopped up from her barstool and headed towards the bathroom. She launched herself into Josh’s path and tripped him. He lunged forward and the beers crashed to the ground. Under her breath Naomi apologized and continued towards the bathroom.

She hid in the stall, her heart racing. She knew she’d done the right thing. Josh was a horrible person and now she was certain she knew what he’d done to her. She wasn’t sure what to do with the information but she’d at least stopped one awful night from happening to the tiny brunette. She cracked the bathroom door open to find them both gone and the bartender sweeping up the glass from the bottles.

* * *

I stopped as the sound of growling came from my stomach. I looked at the clock. One o’clock in the afternoon. I’d been reading for hours and barely moved an inch. I threw the blanket off and stumbled to the kitchen. I made myself a turkey sandwich on sourdough with a pickle and potato chips. I cracked a diet coke and sat down at the kitchen table. My mind wandered to Naomi. I knew it was just a story but my heart ached for her. What a terrible ordeal. How would one even begin to process all of the horrible things that had happened to her and that she’d witnessed?

I rinsed my plate and placed it in the dishwasher. I sipped my diet coke and made my way back to the couch. I opened the book again and started reading. I was certain I’d be finished with it by nightfall.

The sound of the grandfather clock again woke me with a start. Seven o’clock. My mind raced. When did I fall asleep? The book was open against my chest, and I was curled up comfortably on the couch. I pulled myself up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I pulled the blanket from my legs and noticed at the end of the couch a length of rope and a roll of duct tape. I was stunned and confused. What the hell is that? My heart began to race and my mouth instantly went dry. I searched my mind for any inkling of how this could have gotten into my house without me knowing.

It hit me like a punch in the gut. In the book, Naomi had drugged Josh after a long text asking him if they could talk. He showed up at her house, cocky and put out and she answered the door in a slinky little dress. Josh was certain he was going to get lucky so he sauntered in and quickly drank the glass of wine that she offered him. Once he was out, she’d hog tied him on the bed and duct taped his mouth shut. She poured herself another glass of wine and waited for him to come to.

My stomach churned. I looked down at my hands. They were red and sore. My fingers were a bit tacky. I took a deep breath and the taste of red wine lingered in my mouth. I glanced at the coffee table to find a fresh wine glass with my lipstick on it. I rushed to the bathroom to vomit. My mind raced as sweat poured down my temples. What in the actual fuck is going on? I asked myself in the mirror. I paced the bathroom slowly, trying to get my bearings. I searched my mind trying to figure out what I’d done.

I walked back to the living room and picked the book up from the couch. I flipped through the pages and realized that the end of the book was blank. As my thoughts raced, the words filled the page, mimicking my every thought. I tossed the book onto the couch as if it were on fire. This can’t be real. I paced. What the hell is this? This doesn’t make any sense.

The next thought that flooded my mind was, what happened to Josh? Where was he? If I was Naomi, and I had done this to – who was the Josh in my life - what did I do with his body? Where was he? Who was he? I raced towards my bedroom, my legs like jello as I steadied myself along the wall. With an audible gasp, I found a man hogtied in the center of my bed. His mouth was covered in duct tape and his head had a big, bloody gash. I threw up on the floor next to the bed. What in the actual fuck? I screamed in my head, afraid to wake the beaten man.

I slowly backed out of the room, walking backwards towards the living room. I took a deep breath. I thought to myself, “If this is all happening while I’m reading the story, I need to keep going. I need to figure out how this ends.” I poured myself another glass of wine and curled up on the couch with my blanket. I thought to myself, “Here’s go nothing.”

I once again woke to the sound of the grandfather clock. 3:00 AM. I searched the living room, nervous about what I might find. As I reached for my wine glass, I found my hands covered in dirt. A small blister had formed on my right hand. I started to tremble. A crash of thunder cracked above me as the living room filled with light. My eyes turned to backyard. As another flash of lightning filled the sky, I found unsettled dirt in a mound. I looked to my hands again as tears filled my eyes. This couldn’t be happening. I ran to the bedroom, hoping that the man would still be tied up and breathing. To my dismay, the bed sat empty save for a puddle of blood. My body trembled.

I moved slowly towards the back door. I was numb both emotionally and physically. I wasn’t capable of this. I was certain I wasn’t capable of murder, even if the person may have deserved it. I drug my feet slowly as a I went to face my own demons. Again, the lighting filled the backyard shining a spotlight on the mess I’d made. With tears streaming down my face, I turned and slid my back down the door and hit the floor with a thud. My legs sprawled out in front of me, and I closed my eyes. What do I do now?

A deep thud pulled me awake. The sun was just waking up. It was nearly 6:00 AM. I searched the room, trying to figure out where the sound came from. From the corner of my eye, I noticed that the book was on the floor. It was opened, face down. I pulled myself from the floor and walked to the living room. I landed on the couch with a light thud. My body felt heavy, and my brain felt full of fog. I picked up the book. My eyes burned from the tears. I started to read the last page of the story.

* * *

Naomi sat with her glass of wine, glaring at Josh as his shallow breath slowly moved his tied up body up and down. After she’d finished her wine, she kicked the mattress.

“Wake up, dick,”, she called out.

Josh stirred slowly. She kicked the mattress harder.

“Wake the fuck up.”

Josh’s eyes shot open. The look of fear that flooded his pupils filled Naomi with a rush of adrenaline. The air felt thick and heavy. He knew that he was in trouble, and she knew that she was in control. Josh stared at Naomi, desperate to speak but unable to from the duct tape. She stood and slowly peeled the tape from his mouth. He winced at each tug. Halfway she ripped as hard as she could. His lip began to bleed. She smiled.

“What the hell is going on,” Josh whispered. His voice shook as he spoke, fear sticking in his throat.

Naomi stared at him. Finally, when the tension hit it’s peak, she knelt down in front him. She got her face close to his. He pulled back a bit.

“I know what you did to me. You thought I’d forgotten or maybe just didn’t realize it. I know. I remember. I will never forget.”

His chin quivered. He went to speak when Naomi started again.

“I saw you. I was there when you tried to drug that little brunette. I stopped you.”

“That was you?” His voice cracked.

“That was me. And you are a despicable human being. You don’t deserve to breathe the same air as me. You don’t deserve to take up space with any woman any longer.”

Josh’s eyes widened as Naomi pulled an axe from below the bed. She heaved it over her head with all her might and cracked it down blade first right into the center of his skull. Blood pooled on the bed. Naomi wiped blood spatter from her face.

“That is for every woman that you’ve done this to in the past and for every woman that you would have done this to.”

* * *

I then grabbed his hogtied hands and feet and yanked his body from the bed. I dragged his body to the backyard and by the full moonlight she started to dig. Just as I’d finished the rain started. I threw the shovel near the rose bush hedge, went inside, and poured myself another glass of wine. I sat down on the couch and fell asleep with a smile on my face.

The next morning, I woke to a sunshine and fresh air. I enjoyed a breakfast of avocado toast and coffee. I took a nice walk around the block, waving at neighbors and feeling a heavy weight lifted from my chest.