From Darkness It Comes
Mr. Stark Warns of the Coming Storm
Darrin lets out a small gasp of fright at the sight of a tall man standing in his room. The dark figure, dressed in a long tattered slicker and wearing a floppy leather hat looks down at him from he stands. Darrin knows this is Mr. Stark, even if he can't see his face. Darrin is unable to really move and settles into a sitting position on his bed.
"W-w-what are you doing here?" is all he manages to get out, and even that was in a soft and terrified voice.
"There is no time to explain it all." The enigmatic Mr. Stark says in a low and gravelly voice. In the dim light his old weathered face stays dark, but his eyes seem to flash with light as he talks. "All I have time to tell you tonight is it has begun. The darkness that lives below this very ground has been stirring for years but tonight it has finally started its move to escape from its prison. For some reason you are the key to both its push to be free and our only hope of stopping it. The others are still uncertain but I know this to be true. They tried to stop me, but I knew I had to at least warn you before it was too late."
Darrin's head is reeling. I'm the what? He silently questions in his head. Why me? I'm just a college student who wants to take pictures of beautiful things and live a happy life with Lisa. He just stares at Mr. Stark in silence for a moment, as the man seems to be sizing him up.
"I know it's a lot to take in all at once." He continues. His voice trying to sound calmer and soothing, but only managing to sound more like a low angry growl. "I would like to have taken more time. To bring you in proper. To train you. But there is no time. The darkness stirs and tonight it showed its strength."
Darrin finally manages to say something, in a still weak but louder voice, but still can't seem to ask the questions he really wants. "What happened tonight?"
Mr. Stark lowers his gaze and bows his head slightly. "It killed." Darrin's eyes grow wide with fear as the tall figure keeps talking. "Some new student over by Tracker Hall. A young girl. They'll find her body in the morning, but the police won't understand what happened. They'll find some innocent to blame. They always do."
"Lisa!?!" Darrin gasps with fear.
"No." Mr. Stark says and Darrin feels a sense of guilty relief. He knows some poor girl is dead but at least it's not her. The man continues. "It was some girl who just moved into the dorms on the other side of campus. We are watching Lisa since none around you can be trusted to be safe. So we know it wasn't her."
"You're Watching her?" Darrin says, in a stronger and angry voice than he expected.
Mr. Stark nods and looks grim. "It is unfortunate you found her. She is now marked and it does not look good for her."
"Marked? What the hell are you talking about? She hasn't done anything to anyone. Leave her the hell alone or you'll pay for it." Darrin is really unsure of where this sudden burst of bravado and strength came from, but it feels right. He would do anything to keep her safe. He did love her after all.
"Hurt her? We will do everything in our power to see she is unharmed. It is you who put her in danger, albeit unknowingly. I wish I could tell you more, but I think I have told you too much already this night."
"Too much?" Darrin gasps with shock. "You haven't told me nearly anything but some stories to induce nightmares and really piss me off."
"I must go." Mr. Stark says as he turns to head towards the door. "The others will be angry I said as much as I did. But I will deal with them. They will leave you alone. They need you."
Darrin tries to say something but the dark figure is already out the door by the time the words start to form. There is too much to process right now and his head is swimming. I'm the key? Dead girls? They need me? Who the hell are they? What the hell is going on here?