From Darkness It Comes

Something Old and Dark Is Coming

There was another long silence, as Mr. Stark seemed to struggle with some kind of internal struggle. His face seemed to sag slightly and his eyes looked to hiding a deep sadness as he went through his thoughts. Darrin and Lisa sat quietly and watched as they waited for the man to start.

Following a long rattling sigh the old man finally spoke in a low soft voice. "Something old and dark is coming. Something that has existed in this place for thousands of years before we ever set foot here. Something of unspeakable evil."

Lisa grips Darrin's hand as Mr. Stark continues. "For hundreds of years it has been held at check by those who were chosen, once the signs to identify them were understood. I have spent most of my life searching for the next one, and the signs finally appeared right before you arrived, but it's almost too late."

Darrin narrows his eyes and Lisa gasps. In a strained voice Darrin manages to speak. "What signs? Why me? How can you be sure?"

"This is not something I tell you lightly." Mr. Stark rasps with a slight cough. "I did not want to choose anyone, but the portents are not of my choosing. If I could stop it ag..." He stops and lowers his head, looking as if in pain. "But, alas, I can't. Only the chosen one of the age will have the ability, and unfortunately this now points to you. And I am afraid it will not be easy."

"Why can't you just kill it?" Lisa blurts out. "Get rid of it once and for all."

Mr. Stark shakes his dead and focuses his cold eyes on her. "You can't destroy evil. It is a primal force of nature. It has always existed and will outlast us all. This manifestation can only be pushed back and prevented from breaking through for a time. The amount of time it stays away varies, depending on how successful each chosen one has been, but it will always come back."

"Okay," Darrin says through a dry mouth but trying to keep it sounding light and friendly. "but why here? Why at NSU? Does it have something against higher education?"

"There is a tear here. Something in the distant past ripped the fabric of reality at this place, allowing the forces of darkness to break through easier at this point in space. It has been this way for hundreds, if not thousands of years."

Mr. Stark breaks for a moment to catch his shallow breath, before continuing. "Each time it flexes against the barrier and has the strength to break through, at least in part, bad things start to happen. People start to feel the influence. People die."

"Like what happened last night?" Lisa gasps with understanding and fear.

"Yes." He looks up and stares directly into Darrin's eyes. "And it only gets worse until the chosen puts an end to it."

"Until I put an end to it." Darrin says, his voice cracking.

Mr. Stark lowers his face again, a frown seeming to take over entirely. "Yes." He slowly sits into his chair again, looking as if it took a lot of power to do so.

"No." Lisa sobs as tears start to streak down her face. "There has to be a mistake. You can't be the one. You can't go up against whatever did that to that girl. You can't die."

Mr. Stark looks up weakly and raps. "He has no choice."

"Of course he has a choice." She snaps back at him.

"He is the only one."

"I don't care. Find another."

"The signs say there is no other."

"I won't let..." She starts to say, but Darrin's hand on her shoulder stops her cold.

With a shake of his head to Lisa, Darrin turns to Mr. Stark and speaks in a reserved voice. "Let's just say I believe any of this. What do I have to do to stop it?"

"I can't tell you." Mr. Stark says with a cough that becomes a fit. When it passes he continues. "I can only show you the path. You have to follow and find your own way."

"What about the dagger? You said it was important." Darrin points to the box on the table.

"It is." The old man wheezes. "It will be your main tool. It will guide you onto the path. That is why I had to make sure you had it as soon as I knew. In case it started and I wasn't around to get it to you."

"What do you mean? How do I use it?"

Mr. Stark coughed in a fit again and started to wheeze as he breathed. "Not now. I have to rest. Please go." He slumps further in his chair and started to finally resemble the old man he was.

A million things start to swim around in Darrin's head. Questions he wants answered. Things he needs to know. Could this be for real? Could I really be some mystical chosen one? Do I have to battle evil? He really wants to know right now, but Mr. Stark doesn't seem like the kind to give information when you want it. Plus he looks like he could use some rest.

It takes a moment, but Darrin finally stands and...