Call of the Dark (Dark Paranormal Steamy Monster Encounter) Read online

  “Standing is a possibility.”

  “Ugghh. Couldn’t you have picked up a jelly filled love doughnut in an airport kiosk to molest? Include me out.”

  “I wish I had the time. Damn traffic,” Tom joked.

  “You know, if the internet of things ever became self –aware, it would be less like Terminator and more like a creepy version of you. Some pathetic entity filling its mind with porn, cat memes, and random trolly comments while leering at you and watching every move you make in its perverted presence,” Natasha said acerbically.

  Tom laughed. “Wow. I had no idea you felt that way about me. I would be honored to be the template to the future.”

  They both went quiet as the plane began its trek down the runway for take-off. Natasha slyly slipped a look at Tom and snarked to herself as he girded himself for take-off. His anxious face told her that he wasn’t kidding about his fear of flying. She, however, enjoyed the sensation of speed when lift off took place. As the plane tilted up into the air, she observed him crossing himself before his fists gripped the armrest and his mouth set itself in a tense line. Unwrapping her earphones, she plugged them in and turned on the in-flight entertainment system. Hopefully Tom would get the hint and leave her alone for the rest of the flight. As the flight went on, she noticed while stealing the odd glance at Tom that he was starting to look more and more unwell. His pale face began taking on a greyish color, and he was starting to squirm in his seat more.

  “Hey Tom, are you all right? Is the long flight getting to you?” she asked. She was getting a little worried for him, despite his previously raunchy attitude.

  “I’ll live. I’m not feeling so hot though. I’m feeling a bit nauseous,” Tom admitted.

  “Is it the plane? Something you ate maybe?” she inquired.

  “No, I don’t think it’s the plane. My roommate just got over the flu. Maybe it’s my turn now,” he stated.

  Great, Natasha thought. “Try to get some sleep. We’ll be pretty busy for the next few days getting this article together. I’d rather not do this alone,” she told him.

  Tom nodded and closed his eyes to try to get some sleep for the rest of the way. He twisted and coughed intermittently while Natasha put away her earphones and tried to get some sleep as well. Hours later, she woke up while the pilot announced they were on the descent. A sleepy glimpse of Tom revealed that he was starting to shows signs of a severe man-cold. He looked more worn out and haggard than this morning when he rushed to the airport. Inwardly, Natasha steeled herself. He didn’t look like he was in any shape do much of anything. It was possible that she would have to do most of the heavy leg work of this assignment alone.

  “Hey Tom, how are you doing over there?” she asked.

  “Still hanging on,” he said, “But I don’t feel so good.”

  “Still feeling nauseous?” she replied.

  “Yeah, I feel like I still need to hurl.” At the word hurl, Tom choked a little and started to turn grey again.

  “Bring the in-flight emergency bag. Just in case. We don’t want to add a cleaning bill to the car rental.”

  “Good call,” Tom said as he reached in the seat in front of him to grab it.

  After they disembarked the plane, Natasha waited for their luggage and equipment while Tom slumped in a corner. They walked over to the car rental office to pick up their reserved vehicle. As Natasha made all the arrangements, Tom sat down in a lump on the chair, curled over his lap with his head in his hands, with the barf bag gripped in his hand. Finally grabbing the keys, Natasha patted Tom on the shoulder.

  “Ok, time to go,” she told him.

  Tom lifted his head and croaked a response. “OK,” he said as he slowly and painfully lifted himself up to slouching.

  “I guess you can’t drive. But can you navigate for me?” she asked doubtfully. His bleary eyed face didn’t exactly inspire confidence.

  “I’ll try,” he said, unsure of himself.

  The pair managed to get to the small hotel with Tom as a guide. After a few curses, dry heaves and wrong turns, they made it to the obscure building where they would be staying for the week. It was small and quaint, but most importantly, clean. They agreed to retire in their rooms for a few hours before getting up and heading for the first destination.

  “Let’s see how you are in a few hours. You try and sleep it off. I can take the first assignment. That location is close to the hotel and easy to get to. If I take the camera equipment, I can do that one by myself easily. And if we need to reshoot, we can do that at the end before we leave. Is that a deal?”

  “Yup, sounds good. After sitting up for so long it will be nice to lie down. I’ll recover faster that way,” replied Tom.

  “All right then. Catch you later,” she said as she left the room and closed the door for him. He was really sick. Otherwise he would have made some lame crack about her joining him in bed. What luck, she thought to herself as she went to her car for her first stop.

  ҉ ҉ ҉

  After ten minutes of driving in the countryside, she arrived at her destination. It was a small cemetery, decorated with colorful painted tombstone crosses. It looked more like a collection of wooden folk art than a place to bury people. She set up the camera equipment and took some pictures, capturing some of the more elaborate panels. Satisfied that she had done her best to represent the scene in her collection of photos, she went back to the small hotel to see how her co-worker was doing. Hopefully he was well enough to take on their next assignment before the end of the day.

  She entered his room and scanned the room for him. Not in bed, she walked over the tiny washroom. Natasha found him hung over the toilet bowl.

  “Hey trooper, still hanging in there?” she asked.

  “Yeah, Nat, thanks for asking. How did the first shoot go for you on your own?” Any lurkers we have to crop out?”

  “I think it went ok. I had the place to myself mostly. But I’ll be off to the second place soon. The drive to the church is trickier.”

  “Good. I was planning on taking some pics of the cemetery during magic hour later in the week when I improve. But I don’t think I’m in any shape to drive you up to the church. I’m still working out this new flu diet. I’ve probably puked out some serious weight loss already.” Tom smiled weakly and leaned his head back against the wall, still sitting on the floor.

  “Feel better soon. I’m just going to grab something quick to eat before heading off. I’ll be back before dark to check in on you. But before I go, do you need anything? Should I be taking you to the hospital maybe?”

  Tom shook his head. “No, I’ll be ok. My roommate had this for two days and then felt better. I’m sure it’s just running its course through me now. Just hope that you don’t get it.”

  “I could take you to a clinic. Maybe antibiotics would help you,” Natasha offered.

  “Don’t worry about me. About the church. You have to go get the key to open the front door. Matt gave us the address to the lady’s house. You can call me if you have any problems. And be careful driving. It’s one of those narrow mountain roads that many people would find intimidating to drive. I’d still prefer those roads to a plane any day though. At least with the car, you’re in control.”

  “It will be fine. I’ll call you if I have any problems...”

  Tom interrupted her. "You better go. I have a sudden Call of Duty. Better follow those orders or my ass will court martial me."

  Natasha gathered her things and went to the dining area to grab a quick lunch of sausage, bread and rice. Then she drove to the house listed on Matt’s task sheet. Walking up to the small house, she noted the ornate wood carvings on the door and took out her smaller camera to take some shots. She knocked on the door.

  An older lady, in her sixties, answered the door. She was dressed mostly in black, with a dark scarf covering her black hair. Natasha tried to speak to her about the church. It was obvious the lady did not understand English. She took out a picture of the church and s
howed it to the lady in the house. The old woman shook her head emphatically and waved her hands in front of the picture. Natasha grew frustrated. She didn’t want to waste the afternoon arguing with this lady just to get a key when the last few hours for taking prime photos were ticking by. She should have brought a lock picking kit with her, instead of a sick translator. She called up Tom on her cell. Maybe he would know what to say.

  “Hey Tom, it’s Nat. I need you to talk to this lady. She doesn’t want to give me this key. Do you think it’s open anyway?”

  She heard Tom faintly on the other end. “Let me talk to her. I’ll convince her.”

  Natasha handed the phone to the lady. She talked into the cell, her voice raving a few times, with her free hand waving madly in the air. Finally, after several minutes, her voice softened, and she calmed down. Natasha saw the old lady nodding her head and a sense of relief washed over her. Perhaps she would be able to finish this day by scratching two assignments of her list. The woman looked at her, gave her back her phone and motioned that she was going upstairs. Natasha waited for her to hobble up the stairs and come back. In her wrinkled hand, she held a large iron key.

  Natasha grabbed the key and bowed to her smiling to thank the woman. She had no idea how else to show her appreciation in a way that she would understand. The woman waved her off briskly, shaking her head. The old lady still did not seem pleased that she ended up giving her the key. Natasha called Tom back to thank him.

  “Hi Tom, it’s me again. Thanks again. I finally have the key, all thanks to you. What did you have to say to convince her to give up the goods?”

  “I texted Matt on my phone. We ended up making some promises we will have to try to keep.”

  “Is Matt going to cut her a check or something?” Natasha asked.

  “We promised her many fine goats with udders flowing of rich milk,” Tom joked, “And you have to give the key back to her before dark tonight. No exceptions.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I got the spiel. Haunted church. Now I really can’t wait to visit.” Natasha couldn’t keep the excited sarcasm out of her voice.

  “The lady said it was a bad time to go there. Especially now. Too near Walpurgis night,” Tom stated.

  “What the heck is that?” With all her experience in haunted places, Natasha had never heard of such a thing.

  “It’s kind of like Halloween in April. Bad things come out of the dark. But you’re going to a church right? What’s the worst that could happen?” Tom added this last statement with forced levity.

  “Absolutely. Time to get me some religion.”

  “Have a safe drive. Look out for the crazy local traffic. As for me, I’m going off to pray again myself to my own god. The one of the porcelain variety. If you need me, call.”

  “Ok, thanks again. Take it easy,” Natasha replied, signing off.

  Key in hand, Natasha headed off to the car for the long winding drive to the first wooden church on Matt’s list. Nestled midway up one of the tall local mountains, it was not a common tourist destination. Due to the remote location and lack of resident traffic, the road had apparently fallen into some disrepair the last third of the way up, where the general farm traffic turned away. According to Matt’s cursory research, the church had not had any regular visitors for over 20 years. With Tom, the drive up would have been old hat to him, but Natasha felt some apprehension. She got into the small blue rental car and internally psyched herself for the trek up the mountain.

  The first half of the drive was quite pleasant. The scenery was beautiful, there were rudimentary barriers separating the road from the open cliff downwards, and the road was wide enough to let two cars pass with ease. As the dirt and gravel road winded its way higher, the diameter narrowed, larger rocks were strewn across it and potholes started making an appearance. Fortunately, traffic was uncommon on the road, and she passed a few wooden carts on the way. Only once did she curse as a cart that was heading in the opposite direction hogged the inside road, making a wide turn, causing her to inch to the edge where there was nothing between her car and the drop but open air. As he smiled and waved a greeting to her as she passed, she waved weakly as she passed and inwardly swore at him for making her almost plummet to her death. Soon afterwards, she came to a fork in the road where the general traffic and the road to the church split. As she headed left to drive to the church, she felt mild relief at the thought that the last cart she had just passed would probably be the end of her vehicular problems that would be blocking her way. As she travelled upwards, her grated nerves frayed more and more as the hairpin turns drew tighter and the potholes grew larger, decreasing the width of the road. Natasha grumbled as she had to get out of the car twice to roll off a boulder the size of her head sitting in the centre of the road so she could get the car around it. As she rounded the next sharp turn, she could see through the brush and trees the dark spire of the church she was heading to. A sense of elation came over Natasha when she realized that her scary commute was almost at an end. Looking at the road ahead, she noticed in the next dip downwards, a huge chunk of road in the edge of the corner turn was eaten away by erosion. If she moved the car forward, the right tire would fall into it, causing the vehicle to tip and fall into the abyss. There was no going past this point. She would have to walk the rest of the way. Carefully, she reversed the car to a wider part of the road where she could turn it around in the direction of home. Lifting the camera equipment out of the trunk, she hiked the rest of the way up to the church hidden in the foliage ahead.

  Finally arriving at the church, it had suddenly struck her how isolated she felt. Twenty years, she reminded herself, was the last time someone set foot inside it. The silence of the woods surrounded her. She could detect no signs of wildlife anywhere near the church, no birds chirping, no insects buzzing or squirrels bouncing from tree to tree. The trees nearest to the church were gnarled at the base of the roots and warped in unnatural, unsettling shapes. As there was no wind, it felt like an empty stagnant vacuum, lost in time. She checked her phone. No signal. She couldn’t even tell Tom she made it to the church in one piece. The large black wooden structure loomed before her, giving her a sensation of eerie foreboding. Shaking off her unease, she advanced towards the building and came to the ornate wooden arch framing over the door. It contained a huge carved snake curled around and gnawing at a twisted rope, eyes malevolently pointed downwards to look at the visitor beneath its gaze. Shadows playing off the coils of the snake tricked the eye into believing that it was almost moving, winding and turning around the rope in its grasp. Natasha opened the bag and took out the camera and tripod to take some pictures of the doorway. She then moved around the perimeter of the church, taking pictures from different angles and noting the condition of the building. For being abandoned for so long, the solid oak structure held up very well over time. She couldn’t find any loose or rotting boards on the church whatsoever. Satisfied with her outdoor shots, she headed back towards the door, lugging the equipment with her. She turned the key in the door and fought a mild shiver of anxiety as it creaked open. Standing briefly outside of the open door, she let her eyes adjust to the dim interior before advancing inside. Dusty pews and benches lined with embroidered cloth greeted her in the main room. A worn Persian-style rug covered the floor. As she walked to the pulpit, she saw wooden painted icons and other devotional Orthodox paintings surrounding the altar. Time had aged them, as the paint was worn and chipped in places. Natasha set up the camera again for an appropriate indoor setting and moved back and forth around the room, taking pictures. Calmly convinced that she had taken enough pictures of the main floor, she headed upstairs towards the steeple. This was the area that Matt wanted her and Tom to focus on. Sitting at the top of the church, was a scene of the Last Judgement, reportedly painted in the 1600’s. She was going to shoot the crap out of that picture, plus take some panoramics of the view from the steeple.

  The stairs were solid, but creaked under her weight. She moved through the large a
rched doorway to the smaller room ahead. As Natasha circled the room, she discovered that the whole room, from all four walls to the ceiling, was surrounded by painted images. The ceiling was painted with swirls and designs with winged angels hovering overhead. The rest of the walls were painted with various scenes of repentance and punishment. Her face tightened into a frown as she took in the hellish scenes of creative torment. She set up the camera and tripod again and prepared to devote the next hour to taking multiple shots of the room alone. Working quickly and diligently, she swept through the room covering the multiple scenes. A spectacle of a man lying in bed getting burned alive. Check. A farmer being run over by his own plough with some goblin-type creature pointing and laughing. Check. Suddenly she stopped as she heard the door downstairs swing open on its rusty hinges. To her horror what followed next was the steady heavy sound of steps on the creaky stairs leading the way up to the steeple. This place felt completely abandoned, and apparently there were no houses or farms near the area for miles in the mountains. So who was coming up the stairs?

  She braced herself against the wall in fear as she prepared to meet the visitor. A large dark shadow emerged in the doorway. It was huge, at least 6 foot 8, and completely blocked her exit. There was no chance to escape. Without any warning, it quickly advanced on her and grabbed her wrist. Too terrified to even scream, she gaped at it. The figure in front of her was undeniably masculine. He was immense, burly, and his skin was grey in color. Veins and tendons wrapped around his muscular arms like cords. Solid ebony horns curved around over his head. Large wings erupted from his back which spread and unfurled in front of her, crowding her into him, and obstructing her only avenue of escape. Thick powerful legs, the size of tree trunks, blocked her in from either side. She cowered as she looked into his face, certain that her end was near. Her fear abated a little when she looked into his eyes. Somehow, she knew instinctively, he had been human once. Thin wisps of black hair still remained on his head. The face still had human-like features, although somehow it was more angular and streamlined. His eyes wandered over her, scanning her like he was unlocking a once forgotten memory . He smelled of moss, damp rocks and clear spring water. He slowly bent down towards her neck. Natasha froze as he leaned in and she felt a sharp sting on her collarbone. Nettles like fire coursed through her shoulder and followed its way through her blood, singeing her entire body. Natasha suddenly felt feverish and lightheaded as the sensation filtered to her extremities. Her breath stopped in her chest as she felt the warm moisture of his tongue trail below her collarbone down to her exposed arm. His tongue was thick and long, more than fifteen centimeters and black in color. Her skin heated at its touch as it slid downwards to explore the space between the cleft of her breasts. The burning radiating through her blood gave way to an overwhelming desire to surrender herself as she felt the tension build and clench inside her body. She leaned back against the wall with a groan and tilted her hips towards him as he let go of her wrist and moved his hands down her loose khaki shorts. She murmured and writhed against his touch, feeling his rough hands grazing her mound. Using a quick flick of the wrist, he cut her belt with a sharp black claw and let the shorts fall to the ground. Reaching down and cupping her thighs, with a rapid jerk, he slid her up the wall to raise her above his head off the ground, bracing her shoulders to the wall with his outstretched wings. His wide serpentine tongue stretched beneath the elastic of her underwear and glided into her sleek entrance, forcing its way to bury itself into the back of her inner core. Natasha groaned with pleasure as she felt the muscle inside her turn, lick and press against places no man before could ever reach. The silky glide of its intimate touch caused her to cry out involuntarily. Insurmountable pressure built inside of her as her body begged for release that would not come. Still, the teasing sensation of it swirling in her continued, stimulating a yearning within her that reached a point of mindless need. Natasha felt the sensation of being lowered as hands gently grabbed her from behind the shoulders to rest her into a horizontal position above the ground. She realized that there were now three of the demon-like males in the room with her now. The pair of newcomers held her aloft solidly in place supporting her back while the other one withdrew from her to stand in front of her straddled figure. She gazed at the male in front of her. His massive erection was poised in front of her, covered in a thin film of slick, clear fluid that exuded from the tip. Natasha moaned with longing as she stared at him. The still stinging heat coursing through her veins combined with the moist probing of his tongue ignited a primal need rife with an intensity that she had never felt before. He grunted deeply as he entered her. Natasha gasped as she felt the solid member swell in her, testing her limits. As she buckled her legs along his broad waist, her body instinctively contracted around his wide girth to secure him within her. With a masculine growl, he buried himself deep into her and held her firmly, supporting her around his bulky thighs. After another low growl, she felt his release within her. Warmth exploded and poured into her, and with that sensation a sudden rush of exhilaration followed. She felt his rod pulse and expand within her, and with each forceful throb, a new torrent would gush into her, causing her to climax with each following wave. On and on it went, as she felt it pumping in her, filling her, searing her, overflowing in her, and sending her into a boundless series of orgasms. She lay limp against the other two holding her as she took it all in blissful ecstasy . Hands reached to caress the various parts of her body and she felt multiple tongues taste, probe and nestle against her skin. After what seemed to be an endless stretch of time, the male tightened his grip on her thighs, arched over her and with a final push, roared and burst a last powerful surge within her. She shuddered from the after effects, and as her quivering legs felt like rubber, she had the sensation she was again being moved and tilted by them. The first male moved to take the spot to hold her from behind as another one, more of a sepia brown color, took the position in front of her. Still feverish from the bite working its way in her circulation and trembling from her first encounter, she barely had time to prepare for the second male entering his broad shaft into her. With a grunt of exertion, she strained inwardly and shifted her pelvis to align herself to take him in fully. She could hear the second male breathing heavily as his now pulsing cock pounded his essence into her. As with the first male, after each new storm of liquid that shot out and enflamed her, she fell away as the crush of her climax hit her in a continuous barrage of euphoric peaks. Natasha sensed her body rotate again as it was lifted into an upright stance so she could lay vertically against the chest of the second male as his shaft bulged and consistently spewed its hot payload into her. His chest was smooth and cool against her skin. She arched her back as she felt the third male enter her from behind. She groaned and lost herself in the sensation as the two males shifted and pulsed simultaneously within her. The combined pressure of the both of them inside her in synch with the roar of their eruptions engulfed her and sent her over the edge. She cried out incessantly as waves of pleasure rolled through from her center to her extremities. Muscles flexed and gripped her flesh and hot breath steamed her skin as they laboured tirelessly to drain themselves in her. Sensing he was close to finishing, she ground herself into the base of the second male as he grunted, thrust and ejected a final barrage into her soaked pussy. The third followed with a sharp heaving expansion and shortly afterward with a final grunt, causing a new round of electrical thrills to course through Natasha’s body.