Whispers in the Dark

Whispers in the Dark

~Prologue~

         They are real. Don't ever, ever forget it.

         They are all around us and we don't even know about it.

         They see everything we do and we can't even perceive them.

         They watch us.

         You think that you're the top dog? You think that because you hold a rifle and you aim at an animal that hasn't detected you, you're the top of the food chain?

         You're wrong.

         That doubting voice in the back of your head? Or the unfamiliar voice that called your name in the parking lot? Maybe it was the feeling you got in the elevator, when no one else was riding with you. Paranoia, insecurity, anxiety--take your pick. Any one of those three emotions describes how it feels when they're with you.

         "Look at you."

         "Worthless."

         "Pathetic."

         "I can't even stand to look at you."

         You can try to wave them off but they're right there.

         You can try to ignore them but they'll get louder.

         They'll talk louder.

         They'll yell.

         They'll scream it at the top of their lungs in your head until you acknowledge them or obey them.

         There's no peace. There's no quiet. There's no rest. There's no safety. There's no security. There's none of it.

         They've been with me all my life. I've heard them ever since I was small. No one else hears them and I don't know why. But they talk to me. Sometimes they make me laugh. More times than not they tell me to do something, and it's never fun.

         And sometimes?

         They wake me up in the middle of the night, shouting in my ear.

         A regular adult needs anywhere between seven to nine hours of sleep in order to process and function at maximum capacity. I am lucky to get three to four hours a night. But my friends keep me entertained. They keep me occupied. They make sure I'm awake. I'm important, I guess--at least to them.

         They are very, very real.

         Don't ever forget it.

         Ever.

         Or it'll be the worst thing you do.