The Shadows Always Win
His next-door neighbor was a vampire. His secretary was a succubus. The bartender was a werewolf. And Marcus was going crazy.
“No, I’m not,” the late thirties insurance salesman declared over a beer bottle. “I’ve seen these things with my own eyes, Lucas! I know they’re real.”
“Do you really?” his best friend asked, shaking his head. “Because that sounds absolutely ridiculous. Have you been taking your meds?”
The two were sitting in a bar a couple of blocks away from Marcus’ house. He was visibly uncomfortable as if his mind wasn’t connected to his body at all and instead wandered inside a never-ending maze of atrocities beyond human comprehension.
“No, I haven’t. Those things weren’t helping me at all but keeping me blind to the truth.”
“That’s what all paranoids end up saying, my friend, and I hate to see you like this.”
“I’m not insane. The veil has been lifted. Please, you need to believe me!”
Lucas sipped his beer and lay down the bottle at the center of the table. He sighed and asked,
“How can I do that when all you’ve been doing is talking about supernatural shit? I know Halloween is just around the corner but those things are nothing but dumb fantasies. There are no vampires, no ghosts, and no goblins… nothing! It’s all in your fucking head and the longer you go on without your meds, the worse it will become. You need to come back to the real world, Marcus. Let me help you.”
“The only way you can help me is by seeing what I see. That’s why I called you here.”
“And how am I supposed to do that?”
“I don’t know, but you need to try somehow. There are dozens of them all around us as we speak.”
“Okay, Marcus,” Lucas reached for his friend’s trembling right hand. “Let’s pretend for a moment I do indulge you on this one. I want you to take a deep breath and describe in detail what it is you’re seeing right now. Can you do that for me?”
“Sure, but please come closer so they don’t hear us.”
Lucas followed his lead. Sitting so close to one another, they looked like lovers sharing a dirty secret. Marcus cleared his throat and said,
“See the man behind the counter? He’s wearing contacts. Wolves can look like humans whenever they want but their eyes always give them away. Now, look at the woman in the red dress. She looks all dazzling and pretty, right? Lies! She’s nothing but a wrinkled old hag using glamor to make herself appear desirable. Can you see it?”
“No, Marcus. I can’t. They’re just normal beings like you and I.”
“No, far from it!” he growled. “There in the corner,” he pointed at a pair of identical twins straight out of a fashion magazine. “Those two? They have fangs for days and the dress of the one to the right is covered with blood. If you look at the far end of the room, you will see at least three creatures with fluttering wings scoping the premises. I think they’re on the hunt.”
“Oh, Marcus… and you see these things everywhere?”
“Of course! This is their world as much as it is ours. I know that now and it’s terrifying.”
“I understand…” his friend finally said. “… and I’m sorry you’re going through this. I had no idea things had gotten so out of hand, but things will get better, trust me.”
Lucas turned to the entrance of the bar and motioned a beautiful purple-haired woman to come to their table. The moment Marcus glanced at her spiraling gaze, he almost spat his drink.
“What the…? She’s one of them too.”
“Shh…” the mysterious woman said, impossible irises fixated on him. “One of who? You saw nothing. You’ve never seen a thing. You will never see a thing again. Relax, Marcus. You’ll be free of your burden soon.”
“Y-you…” Marcus gasped, the cold realization of his friend’s betrayal suddenly engulfing his world. “You knew?”
“I’ve known it forever but some things are not to be perceived by frail intellects like yours. I’m sorry, Marcus. You’ll feel a lot better when your mind is rebooted again.”
“Again…” he muttered, thoughts going blank. No matter how many times he woke up to the truth, the shadows always won.
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