The Taking

A loud noise shattered the darkness and brought reality crashing down on Mathew Lewis. He had spent another night out at the bar trying to drown his sorrows. Opening his eyes, the sunlight pierced his eyes, and he groaned in agony. He searched for his phone blindly, he just wished the alarm would stop, and the light would just go away. He risked lifting one eyelid to peak at the time. 7:30am. He slammed the phone back down and covered his head with a pillow.

He had forgotten to turn off his alarms. He was fired yesterday yet again. The woman at the front desk kept giving him the ‘eyes’, it wasn’t all his fault. She was clearly interested, but that didn’t matter when the boss found them half naked in the supply closet together. Mathew was just about to slip back to sleep when his phone started ringing again. He let out a moan and reached for the phone to see who would be calling him so early in the morning. He let out a groan again, the phone read, Mother. Mathew shook his head and cleared his throat before answering.

“Hello, mom.”

“I wanted to catch you before you went to work.”

“You’re just in time.” Mathew answered dryly.

“Well, Thanksgiving is on Thursday, and I was hoping that if you weren’t working you would be able to join us for dinner.” They both sat in silence, and Mathew thought it over in his head. He was remembering the last time he had gotten together with his sister and mother. They ridiculed him for not having his life together, and for his latest failed relationship.

“You need to take better care of yourself.” His sister Chided.

“Why haven’t you made anything of yourself?” His mother asked. He let out a big sigh, the memories of their last gathering heavy on his heart.

“I know the last time we got together wasn’t the greatest for you, but I really think we should get together this time. We never know how much time we have left.” His mother spoke, sounding sadder and more broken than usual.

“Alright.” Mathew sighed, unable to deny the request of his mother.

“Great!” She said excitedly. “I’ll see you Wednesday evening.” Before Mathew could protest, she had hung up the phone. Mathew dropped his head back down groaning once again. Deciding that he should probably get up and tend to the hangover he was bound to be feeling, he pulled himself from his bed. In the kitchen he chugged down a glass of water and popped a frozen pizza into the toaster oven then started the shower. Mathew got into the hot shower to rinse away the coming hangover.

Mathew got out of the shower and took his pizza out of the oven, at just the right time because he had done this almost every day for the last three years since the love of his life left him. He didn’t care to live any other way. After getting dressed and eating his pizza Mathew decided he should take a walk and see if there was a job he could start after the holiday. Mathew zipped his winter coat and pulled his hat down low, although the sun was bright it didn’t bring any warmth to the day.

Mathew walked and walked the city, took the bus across town to warm up and take a break from walking but still did not find a suitable job for himself. The sun began to drop in the sky and Mathew thought he should return to his apartment before it got too cold. Darkness was falling around him, some stores had festive lights to give their stores some curb appeal, but as he got closer to his building the shadows grew longer and the chill really set into his bones. Mathew hastened his steps to get to his apartment before his nose froze off.

“Mathew.” A whisper called from behind him, of course he turned, but no one was there.

“Hello?” Mathew called into the darkness. A whisper returned his call from another direction. He could not understand what it said, so he stepped closer. “Larry?” He called thinking perhaps it was an old coworker, trying to scare him. The whisper resounded, and Mathew looked around. He could not see anyone, or anything for that matter. The darkness was growing with the setting sun, but it seemed to be heavier as if it were a black fog rolling in. Now unable to see anything Mathew felt along a brick wall no longer concerned with the disembodied voice, but with getting back to his studio apartment.

He stumbled along in the dark, whispers all around him, but he did his best to ignore them, trying to keep his fear at bay. Cursing, he tripped over a barrel and fell to the ground hard. Still cursing he pulled himself to his feet. He couldn’t stop for long; he didn’t know what the voice was, but he knew he had to keep moving. Gusts of wind blew by his face, feeling unnatural, like something was toying with him, pulling at his jacket, poking his hat. The fear he felt could no longer be held in, and Mathew broke into a run just trying to get away from the darkness.

Once again, he stumbled over something unseen and crashed to the ground, his hands too numb from the cold to feel the scrapes. Mathew heard something clatter next to him and he closed his eyes, this had to be the end. Something or someone was about to capture him and do the untold before leaving his dead body for some other poor sod to find. Instead of hands around his neck, or the cocking of a gun he saw a light from behind his eyelids, and a sound that was familiar, but was forgotten amidst the panic. His phone was only two feet from him, and it was ringing. Eleanor. His sister. He snatched the phone up as quickly as he could, pleading for any shred of help.

“Help me!” He said answering the phone out of breath and panicked.

“Say what?” Eleanor said from the other side, clearly already annoyed by him. “Seriously, Mathew, there isn’t enough help in the world to save you from yourself.” She snapped. Mathew was breathing heavily, and still on the cold cement of the ground. He looked around waiting to hear the disembodied whispers once more but the world around him was no longer as dark as it had been. He could see the outline of buildings, trash barrels and even a cat was grooming itself calmly atop a dumpster.

“El,” Mathew said, unable to believe what he had just experienced.

“Hello?” She said annoyed. “Are you drunk already? Jesus, Mathew, its only six o’clock.”

“No,” Mathew managed and cleared his throat trying to get off the cold ground. “No, that’s not… I’m not drunk Eleanor. Did you call for something other than to insult me?”

“Mother says you will be coming to Thanksgiving dinner. Is that true?”

“Yeah.” Mathew said looking around the alley he had found himself in, waiting for something to come out and attack him. “Yeah, ill be there. What of it?”

“Well, it’s just a surprise. She also said she wants you to bring something for us to share. That isn’t alcohol.”

“You could have texted that.” Mathew said gravely and hung up the phone. He then began making his way out of the alley and in the direction of his apartment. Although he felt that somehow that phone call saved him from a terrible fate, it did not make him feel any better to hear his sister’s voice, she was always the most judgmental.

A short walk brought him back to his grungy apartment, and after bolting the door tightly he collapsed onto the couch. He pulled a warm beer from the case he always left by the couch and cracked it open but placed it down on the table instead of taking a sip.

“What on earth…” Mathew said aloud to himself sitting back into the couch rethinking the events of his walk home. He didn’t want to think about it, so he grabbed the remote and turned on the television. The news was the first thing to pop on. Mathew rolled his eyes and was about to change the channel until he read the headline. MASS DISAPPEARANCES. He watched the tv in awe.

“Thank you, Denise.” The reporter began. “I am standing here in front of the home of the third family to have gone missing since Friday. This is a troublesome story folks. The police have no leads at this time, and no active suspects. In each of these cases the ones that have disappeared were the last living relatives in their family, with a total of nine people now missing.

The police don’t know how the victims have been taken with no obvious crime scenes or signs of violence, the police are urging anyone who sees anything suspicious to please report it immediately. A special hot line has been opened in response to these crimes and the police are hoping that we can all have a safe and happy holiday. Keep your loved ones close this holiday. Back to you Denise.”

Mathew watched the news in awe, he wondered if that was what was about to happen to him. If it was, why would a simple phone call stop it all? He rubbed the scruff on his unshaved chin and sat back on the couch. Then he laughed while looking at his untouched beer on the coffee table. “Perhaps I do drink too much.” He said to himself and took a long sip of his beer before changing the station on the television to find something to lighten the mood.

The sun broke through the window in his kitchen onto the couch where Mathew had fallen asleep with the tv on. Mathew looked at his phone to see it was now Wednesday, the day his mother had been expecting him to show up for thanksgiving. Grumbling, he got up to mentally prepare himself for the grueling treatment he was about to endure for the next day and a half. He searched his apartment for the money he had hidden on himself and was pleased when he had discovered thirty dollars in fives and ones.

Heading out of his apartment well before dark, he headed to the nearest bakery to purchase a pie of some kind to bring to his mother’s. He walked to a couple of bakeries before he found one that had two blueberries and an apple pie still in stock. He grabbed a blueberry pie and a chocolate donut at the counter. He handed the cashier his crumpled thirty dollars.

“Keep the change.” He said, “Happy Christmas.”

“Thank you.” The cashier said looking at him confused but was too busy with bustling customers to correct him. Mathew left the store eating his chocolate donut and the pie in a bag and headed to the bus to take it across the city to his mother’s house.  

Mathew watched the sun closely, hoping he could make it there before the sun went down. He didn’t want to repeat last night’s encounter. It was almost four when the bus stopped at the one closest to his mother’s and he got off and started walking as quickly as he dared without ruining the pie. The sun was almost fully set by the time he reached her front step. He tapped her doorbell impatiently.

“Alright, alright. I’m coming.” His mother called from the other side of the door. She had a humble ranch style home, that was full of plants and smelled of thyme and rosemary. “Mathew!” She breathed and embraced him in a tight hug. She was much smaller than he was but as she hugged him, he noticed she was a little smaller and frailer than the last time he had seen her.

“Hi mom.” Mathew said, returning her hug. “I brought a pie.”

“How lovely,” She said pulling away from him and leading him into the kitchen. Mathew made sure to close and lock the front door when he entered.

“When is Eleanor coming?” He said putting the pie on the counter.

“She should be here in the morning.” His mother replied, setting herself down at the table with what looked like a fresh cup of tea. “Just took the kettle off if you’d like one.”

“I think I would.” He said retrieving a mug from the cabinet.

“You would?” She said surprised.

“I would.” Mathew said with a smile. He sat himself down across the table from his mother and began dunking his tea bag in the hot water. Mathew spent some quality time with his mother and was happy to have some company and it seemed she was too.

“I’m not as young as I used to be.” His mother said abruptly, looking into her tea absently.

“Neither am I.” Mathew joked, trying to make his mother feel better.

“I’m dying.” She said still not looking up from her tea.

“Aren’t we all.” He said thinking she was just being depressed, until he looked at her and saw a seriousness that only appeared when he was in trouble.

“No, Mattie.” She said, looking at him from across the table tears streaming down her face. “I’m dying. The doctors say I have until springtime to get my affairs in order.” She said, wanting to say more but her voice broke, and she was wrought with tears instead.

“Oh, mom.” Mathew said rushing to her side. He did not have the words to console her, nor did he think that there were any words that might change her fate. So, all he could do was comfort her as she cried on his shoulder. “Let’s get you into bed.” Mathew said after she had cried for several minutes and could breathe once again. He took her down the hall to her room where she changed, and he helped fold her blankets down and put her into her bed.

“Thanks honey.” She said sleepily, sad but smiling.

“Anytime mom.” Mathew replied kissing her on the forehead and turned out the light closing her door and he ended up back at the kitchen counter. He stood for several minutes as the shock of her news subsided and the reality of the situation fell on him. Unexpected grief shook his body as tears flowed silently down his cheeks to the countertop. Pulling himself together, he wiped his face and went to the living room to crash on the couch. It had been a long day. He flicked on the television and relaxed on the couch with a blanket. He watched a movie on the tv as quietly as he could and slowly drifted off to sleep.

A bang jolted Mathew out of his slumber. He opened his eyes, but the darkness was so overwhelming that it wouldn’t have mattered if he kept them shut. He heard someone cursing and shuffling around in the darkness.

“Who’s there?” Mathew called into the darkness.

“It’s me you idiot. Why wont the lights work?” It was Eleanor that called back to him.

“Beats me.” Mathew replied, now unconcerned, and rolled over to go back to sleep.

“Mom!” Eleanor yelled, then Mathew heard her fall to the floor with another curse, and he couldn’t help but laugh at her.

“Serves you right. Leave her alone. Use the light on your phone.”

“I tried. It doesn’t work. It’s like all the light is getting eaten up by something.” Eleanor replied and that made Mathew’s heart skip a beat. He opened his eyes wide although it did not help him to see.

“What do you mean, eaten up?” Mathew asked.

“Oh, just get up and help me you idiot.”

“I’ve got to check on mom.” Mathew said getting up from the couch as quickly as he could. With long purposeful steps, and his hands groping the walls, he did his best to make his way to the second door on the right. His mother’s room.

“Wait, what about me?” Eleanor said, sounding like she was still on the floor.

“Mom?” Mathew called to her, ignoring Eleanor. There was no answer.

“Mom?” Eleanor called too. She was now behind Mathew and seemed to have put her fears aside and was following him. The darkness had engulfed the house, not even a streetlamp could be seen through the windows. They reached her door and discovered it to be open.

“Mom?” Mathew called once more, and he heard a strange sound. Like something slid across the floor but stopped when he spoke. There was no light to see, and there was not enough for any shape to be made out. Eleanor was right, it was as if something had eaten up all the light on the planet at once.

“Ew, Mathew don’t touch me like that.” He turned to her voice he wasn’t touching anything but the wall.

“El, that can’t be me.” He replied, his heartbeat quickening to a pace where if it beat any louder it would simply leap right out of his chest in terror.

“Well, then who- “Eleanor began but her voice stopped, and Mathew felt around the darkness where her voice had come from, but he felt nothing in the darkness.

“El,” He began. “Eleanor, this isn’t funny. Where did you go?” He panicked, and started feeling around in the darkness for anything when he heard the whispers again. Mathew froze with fear. The whispering grew louder, so he could finally hear what it was saying.

“The darkness has come for you.”