The Eyes

[granobulax]

I haven't been able to get on the internet too much as of late due to school, my daughter, and my impending divorce so I thought since I had a slight opportunity to post this here for review today that I would. It's still a bit rough and I haven't been able to look at the new template too much yet, but I'm sure I can figure out a way to make things work. I hope there's some good criticisms on this story for when I can muster up the time to get back on the internet between now and the middle of next month when I get internet back. Thanks to all that read this.

 

The Eyes

 

There he stood, in complete darkness. Franticly, Jason Aldridge looked around, desperate to see something… anything. His mind was now racing, trying in vein to figure out where he was or how he’d gotten here. All of his memory from before this moment had completely left his mind. After a few hours, and what felt like an eternity of futile stumbling around in pitch black, bewilderment was now setting in. Every step he took in this god-forsaken place only furthered his torment. With nearly every step he took, he would stumble on a protruding rock jutting out of the ground or bang his head on what he assumed must be stalactites. “Where the *vulgarity* am I?!†he kept bellowing out loud in hopes for an answer. Despite his many pleas, a response would never come.

 

In his panic, madness crept into his mind. Hallucinations of total chaos and hellfire wrenched the futility of his blindness from his mind and replaced it with sinister visions. His brain had to compensate for his hysterics somehow after all. Popping out from all around him where demons and devils that danced to an evil, yet seducing song that echoed though out the chamber. “This is it…†Jason thought to himself, “I’ve actually died and gone to hell.â€

 

Suddenly Jason heard a clear, yet ominous voice whisper out in the dark distance; snapping Jason out of his temporary madness. “Take heed. Step no further…†the horrifying voice spoke, seemingly echoing off into space.

 

Jason froze; the hallucinations instantly vanished, plunging him back into darkness. He could hear the sound of gravel and rocks that he had kicked from under his feet on his last step crumbling off an invisible ledge just beneath his toes that sent a nauseating wave of fear coursing though his body. He could feel the hair on the back of his neck tingle as it stood at attention. A further sense of terror shot straight through him when he realized that the gravel and rocks had fallen over the edge into the darkness had never hit bottom. Either that or the bottom was just too far down for the clattering of the rocks to be heard. Paralyzed with fear, Jason dared not move or a little slip may lead to his eminent death, a potential perpetual fall into the black abyss before him. Standing perfectly still, his sweat profusely dripping from his forehead and into his eyes, he waited. Something was there with him. Something else was there within the eternal darkness that surrounded him. Something…

 

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! The alarm clock that went off every day at 5:30 ripped Jason for his terrible nightmare. Jason jolted out of bed, sweat still stinging his eyes and the hair on the back of his neck still raised. Jason breathed a huge sigh of relief, as he realized the vivid dream was just that, a dream. A new sense of dread now awoke in his mind, the dread of another long day at work. He cursed the thought of having to get up and go to the mines. Jason hated his job so much that the thought of having to go back to the mine and dig relentlessly for another day was almost as unbearable as the thought of reliving that dream.

 

Jason jumped out of bed, got ready for work, and gave his wife a kiss as he headed out the door to make his trek through downtown Khazan on his way to work. The odd thing was, the drive to work somehow felt different today. An ominous feeling of something wrong plagued his mind as he weaved in and out of traffic. The whole trip there, which was a ninety-minute commute, somehow felt foreboding. As he pulled into the Khazan Mines parking lot, Jason summed up that his uneasiness was just him not wanting to work today. “Work… the worst of four letter words.†Jason thought as he climbed out of his car.

 

The mines had been created directly under the city of Khazan only about two years ago. To get into the mine, you had to descend a half of a mile into the earth in an elevator. Jason parked his car and walked up to the front building, just past the huge billboard that said, “The future of Khazan is beneath our feet!†He said good morning to the receptionist as he did every day, clocked in, and stepped into the elevator.

 

“Good morning Jason.†A familiar voice said from behind him. Jason turned around to see that Chuck was on the elevator too. He hadn’t seen him when he’d gotten in. Chuck had befriended him when he first started this job a year ago and they became real close pals. Things had changed in the past few months, however, as Jason became more bitter about his situation. Jason had been a big shot at a major Khazan corporation before being undermined and kicked out the door. Soon after Jason started, Chuck heard the unfortunate story from another co-worker and took pity on Jason. Chuck decided to take him under his wing and show Jason the ropes. After all, going from making big corporate money in a corner office to the dirty, grimy, low paying job here at the mine must have been an extremely difficult transition.

 

Here it was, a year later and they were still pretty good friends. “Good morning Chuck. How’s the wife and kids?†Jason responded. It was the same conversation every day. The monotony of Jason’s life made his heart yearn for so much more… his only problem was that he hated change. Such was the oxymoron that was his life. After a few more moments of mindless conversation, they reached the bottom of the mine and parted ways.

 

Stepping off the smooth floor of the elevator onto the hard, unforgiving rock of the mine just further reinforced the fact that his life was not where he wanted it. A cool breeze of air streamed up one of ventilation shafts right next to him. The cold air sent an uncontrollable shiver down Jason’s spine. The mine was dark and damp, with a lingering foul musky smell that hung in the air. Inadequate lighting from dozens of burnt out lights made the trek to his digging station a dangerous adventure in of its own. Every day, it took at least a half hour just to get over the horrible stench and get busy with his work.

 

After the thirty-minute walk through his assigned tunnel, he finally reached his workstation. It was one of hundreds, if not thousands, of branching shafts that the enormous mine had to offer. Each miner had his or her own shaft to dig and brace. All Jason did all day long was chip away at the rock with crude tools, such as dull picks and blunt shovels, load them up in the mine cart, and have them towed away. For him to have to use a pick to mine with… well, it infuriated him to have to use these tools. What was this, the Stone Age? As always, and without complaint, Jason just bottled it up and got to it.

 

He was three hours into his shift; sweat was streaming down his dirt-caked face. Jason was just about to swing his pick when a loud whistle blew. That meant break time. He was allowed a fifteen-minute break every three hours. He decided to sit back and relax off to the side of where he was digging on the oh-so comfortable rocky ground that the company provided for his leisure. Once he sat down, he pondered how he’d gotten here in his life. Thoughts of the wronging in his life trickled through his mind.

 

A few minutes passed and Jason was deep in thought, when something caught Jason’s attention. A warm dry breeze, barely a trickle of air, was ever so lightly tickling the hair on the back of his neck. This was odd. The ventilation in this place was always cool and the air was always damp. Slowly, he turned around and peered at the source of this warm air. It was a small hole in the wall of the shaft, barely large enough to put his pinky through. Could this be another mine shaft that someone had dug into his own? Curiosity got the better of him and he stood up and grabbed his pick. All it took was one strong swing and the side of the shaft crumbled away.

 

As the dust settled, Jason could tell he had discovered something more than just another mineshaft. He had found something… amazing. It looked like he had tapped into a natural tunnel of sorts, perhaps an ancient lava tube or something. The floor of the tunnel was black as night with frequent stalactites and stalagmites. Grabbing his gas lantern, he lit the wick and climbed over the pile of rubble on the ground to investigate. His first thought was, if this were a major find for the mine then maybe he would be promoted and no longer have to work down in the trenches. Perhaps then, he could regain a semblance of what he once had.

 

Stepping into the tunnel, Jason knew something was off. That same sense of wrong swept over him just as it did that morning, only this time it was far stronger. He wasn’t a superstitious man, but it felt to him as if the source of his ominous feelings today emanated from this tunnel. Shaking off the feeling, he probed deeper into the tunnel, determined to find something incredible to show his boss. The tunnel, barely large enough to walk upright at the entrance, gradually got larger and larger as Jason tread on. The darkness that surrounded him was eerie to him. The light from his lantern by all rights should have shone much further in the darkness than it did. An unnatural darkness was creeping in on him like a veil with every step he took. Still, he kept going, telling himself that it was only in his mind. Over and over he repeated those words in his head as the light gradually shrank in around him until finally, Jason could only see a few feet in front of him. Jason had enough now. The feeling of intense wrongness was drilling into his brain. That coupled with the ever-darkening cave was really freaking him out. Without a second thought at this point, he turned around and started to walk back.

 

Suddenly the darkness vanished around him as the light from the lantern shown true. The immediate contrast of the lamp on his surroundings made Jason gasp in awe. Setting the lamp down on the ground, he was completely astonished at what the now excess of light shown…

 

He found himself standing on a large natural platform at the edge of an enormous chasm. The chasm around him was easily several hundred feet across to the other side, as the light from his lantern could barely be seen flickering on the other side. In front of him was an empty void that seemed to go down forever. All around him, he could see gold, rubies, diamonds, and just about every precious mineral one could ever hope to possess protruding from all over the walls of the chasm. A great sense of excitement and relief coursed through his veins, warming the cold feelings he had for this little exploration just moments before. Without any hesitation, he picked up his lantern and started to head back. He couldn’t wait to show his boss his magnificent discovery. He would easily make vice president with a find like this. Ah, to be vice president of a company again…

 

He didn’t make it more than a few feet when the darkness came crashing in from all around. With astonishing speed, the light disappeared completely throwing Jason into complete chaos. Even the feeble light his lantern had when he first arrived had been completely extinguished. He could see absolutely nothing. Just as fast as they come, all of his warm feelings were silenced in an instant. The uneasiness he had felt all day crushed him into the worst feeling of chaos and disorder he had ever felt in his life. Falling to his knees, he clutched his at his stomach, as the sinking feeling he had was unbearable. His terror and fear was unfathomable for only a few minutes, but to him it was an eternity. Gradually, the feeling faded and eventually stopped.

 

Jason looked around, praying he could see something, anything, to help him find a way out of this place. Desperately, he felt the ground around him in hopes that he could find his lantern. He had gotten turned around while he was fighting off the wretched feelings and now he didn’t have a clue where the lantern was or which way to go. Then, a dim light shone into existence and it wasn’t his lantern. There was something glowing… something growing… Two enormous glowing eyes hovered in the distance. It was so dark, Jason couldn’t tell if the eyes were connected to a giant body or if they were just giant floating eyes, but he didn’t care. Terror unlike anything he had ever experienced before hit him like a brick, sending a paralyzing chill down his spine. Frozen with fear, his eyes fixated on the blood red eyes that were now looking down upon him. Then, the creature spoke.

 

“You shall do thy bidding!†The voice boomed in a deep, rumbling manor. The very ground that Jason knelt upon shook when the being spoke. Jason mustered all the energy he could and said, “W-what d-do you w-want m-m-me t-t-t-to do?†He could feel a warm, wet feeling streaming down his leg. He had peed all over himself. Shame would have to wait though because his fear kept him from doing or thinking anything else but gazing upon the menacing eyes. With one tremendously loud word, the eyes yelled, “Go!†With that, the eyes vanished and Jason was shoved back into total darkness. A moment later, his lantern came back on as if it never had burnt out. Looking around, Jason could somehow feel the presence that had made him so fearful had gone. He didn’t know how or why, but he felt completely alone. When he got up to dust himself off, only then did he notice the wetness of his blue jeans. He didn’t care though. In a total haze, Jason made his way back through the maze of stalactites and stalagmites to his workstation.

 

Jason worked the rest of the day wondering what he should do. He wanted to show his boss his discovery and become one of the most significant men in Khazan once again. The dilemma he faced was if he showed his boss, he would have to go into that cave again. Hour after hour, he worked while running the events through his mind and weighing his options. As the last whistle blew to end his shift, he was exhausted. The poor man decided to think things over for the night and make a decision the next day.

 

That night, visions of those devilish eyes haunted his dreams. Over and over, like a broken record, the words, “You shall do thy bidding!†ate at his soul. The darkness that surrounded his presence disturbed him the most. Blackness, everything seemingly in darkened chaos except for those eyes burning its gaze right through him. He had to escape, to find a way out of this nightmare. He had to…

 

He woke with a start. Sweat drenched the sheets and stung his eyes for the second night in a row. Jason could feel his heart racing and his breathing labored. The clock on the wall said it was already five-fifteen in the morning. He couldn’t believe he’d slept that long. He felt like he’d been running a marathon all night long. A shiver quivered down his back as he remembered the dream he had just woken from. Shaking it off, Jason figured he’d better get ready for work.

 

The shower seemed like a safe haven at the time being. With all of the pressures in his life, this was the one place he could really unwind. He stripped off his night robe and stepped into the shower. Reaching down to pick up the bar of soap that his wife had left on the floor of the tub, he noticed out of the corner of his eye a red streak running down the drain. Instantly, adrenaline shot through his body. Looking himself over, he saw no cuts, no bruises. Franticly, he looked in the direction of the drain again but saw no blood. “Get a hold of yourself, Jason,†he thought to himself. Calming down a little he just figured the stress was just getting to him too much. After another minute or two in the shower, Jason felt rejuvenated and decided to go through with telling his boss. Jason finished his shower, did the rest of his morning routine, and headed off to work yet again.

 

This time, Jason headed straight for the main building which was located across the street from the work building. All of the big-wigs had offices in this building and he was about to go see the head honcho himself, Mr. Hoover.

 

Walking into the building, he headed straight past the receptionist, despite her calls for him to stop. Down the hallway he walked, full of the most confidence he had ever felt before. Jason walked right up to Mr. Hoover’s secretary and announced himself. “Hello, I’m Jason, Jason Aldridge. I have no appointment but it’s urgent I speak with Mr. Hoover immediately. He stands to make a fortune.†The secretary looked at him in one of those ‘I don’t care’ kind of looks, picked up the phone, and called into the office. A moment later, Jason could hear a muffled voice on the other line. “A Mr. Jason Aldridge is here to see you. He says you can make a fortune if you see him right now… yes… yes… okay.†She hung up the phone and looked up at Jason. “I’m sorry, he’s busy right now. Can I make you an appointment for next week?â€

 

Jason was visibly upset now. If he waited a week, someone else would find the tunnel and they would reap the benefits. No, Jason wasn’t going to stand for that today. He turned away from the desk and headed straight for Mr. Hoover’s office. Again, a hysterical woman was barking orders for him to ‘not go back there’ but Jason didn’t care. He thrust the office double doors wide open and marched right in.

 

The scene before him almost wanted to make him laugh. There was practically a miniature golf course laid out on the floor with a short stocky man with a cigar trying to sink a put. Jason cleared his throat and announced himself yet again. “Hello. My name is Jason Aldridge. I work over in the mine and I have made a discovery that could stand to make you extremely rich.†With those words, the CEOs head lifted up from the putter and he smiled.

 

“And what do you want in return for making me all of this so called money?†Mr. Hoover asked in a thick southern accent, almost mockingly. Jason’s answered short and to the point. He looked down on the short man and said, “Vice-presidency of the company, nothing less.â€

 

Mr. Hoover’s facial expression perked up. “That’s awful convenient being that he… well, he no longer works for the company. Well, I’ll tell ya what, let’s go see this ‘amazing discovery’ and if it’s up to my expectations then you’ll get the job.†Jason grinned from ear to ear and nodded. He thought to himself, this will definitely be worth your while.

 

Down in the mine, the buzz of Mr. Hoover making a visit was spreading like wildfire after the phone call from Mr. Hoover giving notice that he would be making a personal visit into the mine. Mr. Hoover hadn’t made an appearance in that mine shaft since a month after it opened nearly two years ago, when there was only five shafts extending off the main branch of the mine. The two crossed the street, entered the work building, and descended in the elevator. Once at the bottom, the door opened and instantly Jason could tell that Mr. Hoover was appalled. “This is why I don’t ever visit down here. It stinks. Whatever you’ve got to show me had better be good.†Mr. Hoover said as they stepped off the elevator.

 

It didn’t take long for them to make their way to Jason’s workstation. Jason was getting really excited. He was looking forward to two things. First was the look on Mr. Hoover’s face when he saw all the gold, diamonds, emeralds, and rubies. The second was the look on his face if all the light went out again. Jason could hardly contain his excitement. Rounding the last turn Jason was looking back, making small talk to Mr. Hoover. When he looked forward though, his heart sank.

 

Ahead of him was his workstation. His shovel was set up against the wall as was his pick. The mine cart he had filled half way before leaving the day before was still sitting there. Large railroad ties lined the wall on the right side and on the left side of the tunnel… nothing. There was no tunnel. It had disappeared. All that was there was the usual gray and black rock that he had always dug through. He looked back at Mr. Hoover who was waiting.

 

“It was right here!†Jason yelped. “There was a tunnel right here!†Looking around franticly, Jason walked over to his pick and grabbed it. With all his might, he swung at the very area that the tunnel was at only twenty-four hours ago. The pick just struck rock. Another minute of frantic swinging and Mr. Hoover chimed in. “If this was some kind of joke, it’s not funny. If this was just a con to get me down here, it worked. I’ll replace the filters in the ventilation. This place stinks.†Speechless, Jason stood there and watched his boss walk away and his dreams melt away with him. With a heavy heart, Jason started his workday.

 

As soon as he slipped on his work gloves, the sinking feeling returned to his gut. Not from being turned down by his boss, but from the cave with the eyes. Turning around slowly, there was the cave, as he had left it the day before. Cautiously, he walked up to the entrance. A warm breeze flowed out of the opening. It was almost inviting. A sense of calm spread through him and he stepped into the cave.

 

This time, the lamp’s light hadn’t faded. He walked clear up to the giant chasm and peered around him in awe. Calm… almost euphoric, he stood in wonderment. Then, as he had expected, the light began to dim. It dimmed slowly as to not alarm him. The blackness was upon him again but this time he felt no fear. Jason waited for his master.

 

The eyes, fiery and sinister, appeared in the distance just as before. The voice was deep, yet this time it was soothing. “Heed this warning. Do not tell anyone of me. Do not attempt to show anyone my lair. You have done well for me thus far and I do not wish to kill you. Great riches await you if you complete my tasks.†Jason understood. He responded with, “Yes master. I will finish your tasks over the next few nights.†With that, the eyes disappeared once again and the light turned back on in the lantern.

 

Moments later, Jason stepped out of the tunnel. Reaching over, he grabbed his pick and continued to swing away. Every now and then, he would glance at the spot where the tunnel was before and wonder if everything he had seen the day before was a dream… he had a feeling in his mind that he shouldn’t bring up the tunnel to anyone again although he didn’t know why.

 

That night, the dreams weren’t as bad. He could see the eyes, burning deep into his soul, but this time something was different. There was no fear. It was as if he had known this entity for his entire life… for many lifetimes. In the morning, he woke up to his alarm and felt much better. Jumping out of his bed, he made his way to the shower. Once he got in, he was shocked to see a lot of blood on him this time. Where was it coming from? He looked all over his body and didn’t see so much as a scratch. Something odd was going on and he wanted to get to the bottom of it. He decided to take the day off work to figure things out.

 

Jack Freemont was Jason’s shrink from nearly a year ago. When Jason had lost his vice-president job, he desperately needed counseling to get through the depression. After three months of intense prodding by Jack, the depression was gone and Jason was able to resume his life as an average person would. It had been nine months since he’s seen Jack but this time it was warranted.

 

A brief phone call later and Jason was on his way to see his old psychiatrist. When he got there, he sat down on a long brown couch and instantly remembered how comfortable it was. It took nearly two hours to tell the story of the cave as well as how he had lost bits and pieces of time that he couldn’t recall. Eventually, Jack decided to hypnotize Jason. A few minutes later, Jason was hypnotized while Dr. Freemont delved into the depths of his subconscious.

 

Deep in the realm of his subconscious, Jason found himself in the cave. Everything felt oddly familiar to him as if he was comfortable with walking down the tunnel. Once he reached the end, he waited for his master to show himself. “What?†he thought to himself. “I don’t have a master. Why would I feel like I do?†While he was thinking these thoughts, he was saying them out loud to Dr. Freemont. “What’s going on? Is this something that I’ve done but don’t remember?†Suddenly, the chasm around him went black once more and the demonic eyes showed themselves.

 

The voice boomed louder than ever, “You had been warned not to tell anyone of me! For this crime, you shall be punished! I shall not kill you, no, you shall realize my power so that you can still serve me without question. Now go, do thy bidding and the dreams and riches I promised can still be yours.â€

 

With that, the area darkened. This time, no light returned to his lantern. Lost in his own thoughts for what felt like an eternity, Jason could only hope he would wake up soon. This whole experience felt like an odd out of body experience turned nightmare. Light began to shine into his eyes once again. Not from his lantern, but from his eyes opening up again. Jason felt hazy, not completely realizing where he was or what was going on. Looking around the room, it slowly dawned on him where he was and he remembered why he was here. As consciousness began to fully set in, he realized something very bad had happened.

 

Blood was everywhere. Scanning the room, Jason noticed that there was obviously a horrible struggle that took place in the room. Then it hit him. The eyes. Whatever that terrible beast is from the cave must have came here and done this. Jason looked over to the corner of the room where Dr. Freemont’s library of psychiatric books was at and saw him. There he was, lying limp on the floor, Jack.

 

A sudden since of panic set upon Jason now. How could this have happened? The eyes. He did this while he was hypnotized. Only then, did he see the blood covering his hands…

 

“What happened next grandpa?†the young man asked, a look of complete interest in his eyes.

 

“Well, that’s a story for another time. Its way past your bedtime.†the old man said, bending over to kiss his grandson on the forehead. “Get some sleep. I’ll tell you the rest of the story when you’re older.†With that, Chuck walked out of the room and closed the door.

 

“You used to tell me that same story when I was a kid.†Mark said, clearly startling Chuck as he closed the door. “How did the story end anyway? You never did tell me the rest of it.â€

 

“Ah, you always were quite the eves-dropper. Okay, I’ll tell you what happened, but let’s go downstairs and pour ourselves a drink before I do.†There they were, father and son, walking down the stairway of the house. This was going to be quite a treat for Mark as he had been wondering what had happened in that story for the last twenty-five years. Chuck pulled up a chair next to the fireplace, poured two glasses of the finest brandy and began to finish the story for the first time.

 

“Well, something you didn’t know about me is that forty years ago, I used to work at the old abandoned mines while they were still open. I was actually Chuck from the story. I befriended a man by the name of Jason while working there who really did lose his job as a vice-president. Well, the whole cave thing was just something I made up for your entertainment when I first told you the story.â€

 

Mark spoke up, “You mean this all really happened and you turned the whole thing into a bedtime story?†He seemed astonished.

 

“Hold your horses, let me finish.†Chuck said with a smile on his face. “Like I was saying, I made up the cave part because it made the story better. What really happened was Jason had clearly gone mad. One day, be brought a large mirror with him to work. I asked him what he was going to do with the mirror but he just ignored me. Naturally, I was concerned for my friend so on my lunch break, I went over to his shaft to visit him. That’s when I saw him talking to himself in the mirror. Over the next few days, a chain of murders occurred, all of which were his former employers. I kept my mouth shut because I prayed it wasn’t my friend doing it. Eventually, the League of Dangermen caught up to him and put him in an insane asylum.†Chuck paused for a brief moment. Reliving his friend going though this seemed to weigh heavily on his heart. Chuck sighed and then continued.

 

“Word of Jason’s killing spree made the headlines in no time at all. Of course, people looked down upon me as I was his friend so eventually, I had to quit my job at the mine. Even though, for many years people would tell the tale of Jason staring intently into that mirror. People would ask questions like; what was he looking at? What did he see? I know exactly what he saw in that mirror. The eyes.â€

[treacherous]

Yeah, yeah...then what!!

[TroytheRobot]

It always warms my heart to see a character I reviewed.

[granobulax]

Yeah, yeah...then what!!

I'm thinking about changing the ending and finishing the story. I just thought that the story was getting too long and decided to use the current ending to keep it from getting way too long.

 

What do ya think? Should I scrap the current ending and just end the story?

[TroytheRobot]

No, I like the mysterious flavor you added. It leaves the door open for a number of fictions, and possibly a few tie in characters.

[granobulax]

Good idea. It would be open for further storylines down the road and I wouldn't have to make this character unbelievably long.

[treacherous]

Trash the whole idea and succumb to chaos.

[granobulax]

Trash the whole idea and succumb to chaos.

But that wouldn't be any fun.

[Guest MarvelFan15]

But that wouldn't be any fun.

 

You'd be surprised what a little Choas can do for you.