From Darkness It Comes

Darrin Lights the Seal

Darrin takes the book of matches and looks at Mr. Stark with worried eyes. "What do you expect me to do with these?"

"You have to light the seal." Mr. Stark's voice was low and serious, with that deep rasp behind it.

"Okay." Darrin says, but doesn't look or sound sure of himself. "But, why? What's going to happen?"

"It will show you the room and let us enter." His voice was starting sound curt and annoyed. "There is no time to waste. The components are fading."

"Right." Darrin says, almost absentmindedly, and kneels down. Opening the book of matches he pulls out a match and strikes it on the back. The red tip bursts into flame with a crackle of sparks. As the flame slowly burns down the match he lowers it towards the groove in the floor just inside the door. For the first time he sees the careful craftsmanship of the carving that allows the oil to coat the rounded bottom in a thin layer.

He touches the match to the floor and flames start to lick up from the grooves, spreading quickly down the curved lines into the room. As they burn up the flames form a large shape that Darrin thinks looks like something from a horror movie about Satanists. The flickering glow from the burning symbol lights up the room around it, as if the darkness is retreating from the flame, and they see what is through the door clearly for the first time.

The walls of the small round room seem to be covered with thousands of intricate carvings and the firelight seems to glint off dozens of small metal bands riveted to the walls. In the center of the room, beyond the circles of flame, is a small stone pedestal banded with some polished metal strips in a crisscross pattern. The stone itself seems untouched and perfectly smooth between the bands, with no carvings of even dust touching it. The bands are riveted to each other and the stone floor beneath them, but not into the pedestal itself.

Darrin stares at the scene in awe and doesn't move, except to drop the match burning his fingers. Lisa takes a step back but says nothing. Only Mr. Stark dares to move and speak, stepping closer to the doorway, next to Darrin, and looking into the room. In his low, raspy voice he talks more to the room or himself than to Darrin. "The key will open the gate and reveal the prison from which the darkness has seeped unto the world."

The fire fades and the room starts to darken again, but instead of becoming blackness the runes all over the walls seem to glow with a faint green light. The room is draped in an eerie low light without shadows, in which nothing seem quite real.

Darrin kneels there, sitting up, and Mr. Stark waves him towards the room. "It's time Darrin. Your destiny lies within this room, for only the key is allowed to cross the threshold first. Lead us into chamber."