Absence of Light: Chapter 1

He was awake. James sat up in his bed and glanced over at his alarm clock with heavy eyes. The time was three in the morning. He turned his attention to the pitter patter sounds coming from his bathroom. The spout was dripping water in his porcelain sink in a rhythmic fashion.

James listened to each drop and counted the seconds between the time the water left the faucet to when it would hit the bottom of the creamy white sink. James had a vague hope that this activity would cause drowsiness and ultimately deliver him sleep once more.

He decided that a quick rendezvous to his favorite place was necessary and got up out of bed. When he arrived, the dripping sound was still emitting its playful rhythm causing James to continue his method of counting seconds between water droplets.

James stood in front of his bathroom mirror and stared into it. For a moment, it seemed as if there was nothing wrong with his head of jet black hair. A few seconds had passed as James stared into the mirror searching for any sign of aging and was about to turn away when he noticed something in his hair. James’s had always thought that his head of hair was a well-fortified fortress. The sight of a gray hair infiltrating his fortress was infuriating and unheard of. He glared at the tiny strand of grey hair, “Well, well, well. What do we have here? I turn my head for one moment and you find a way to sneak into this house of hair.” James smiled at himself playfully has he reached for his tweezers to bring swift justice to the assailant.

Just as James had the grey intruder in his grasp, he heard a loud screech and crash from outside his apartment window. The horrific sound that came from outside sounded as if they were filming a high octane Hollywood film right outside his window. James quickly gathered himself and ran to the third story window.

James opened the window and peered down on the street where the noise had come from. A droplet of sweat dripped down his brow as he looked out on the destruction below. Small sparks fell on the roof of the crashed sedan. The vehicle, from what James could tell from three stories up, was a small sedan, maybe a Honda. It was difficult to make out the model due to the way the front end was wrapped around a power pole. Shattered glass was all around the car and the driver side door was completely torn off and lying at the opposite side of the street.

Though James had always read about and seen car accidents in books and movies, he had never bared witness to an actual wreck before. James thought for a moment what his next action would be. Utter shock of this unexpected occurrence strangled James’s brain and emotions. The rational, non-adrenaline side of James screamed at him “What are you waiting for stupid? Call 9-1-1!” The shaking and frantic side of James, the part of him that he seemed to be unfamiliar with screamed at him as well “What in God’s name are you waiting for? You don’t have time to get help, you are the help! Get your ass down there and see if the person is alright!” Between the two voices in James head, most of his life he would have not concerned himself with someone else’s problems, but tonight, something was different. Something was changing in James that he was unbeknownst to at this point. In times of life and death, sometimes the heart interferes with logic; we tend to lean in the direction of the heart when we are weighted with the heaviness of the world.

James quickly made his decision and chose his heart. While crossing the rational choice would have been a safe move and most likely provided a victory for the brain, James tallied one for the heart and gave instant attention to the latter. He quickly ran from the window and went towards his dresser. He opened the top drawer and removed a white t-shirt and pulled it on, then into the third drawer down, reaching down and retrieving his faded blue jeans, put them on and sealed the button and zipper. The oak dresser was made in Italy and was once of the pieces that he still owned after his divorce. The dresser and a set of Elvis collector tins is all that remained after his separation.

With really no time to think about the past, James grabbed his iPhone and wallet and hurried to his front door. After he was out of his apartment room, he made his decent down the stairs that lead to the main lobby. Once he reached the lobby, he found it slightly odd that Albert was not at the front desk. Albert was the main graveyard host and self-appointed security guard for Astor Luxury Apartments. James walked over to the front desk and peered into the back office. Albert’s coat was hanging on a basic office chair and a fresh brewed pot of coffee and donuts was evidence that Albert was around. No sigh of Albert though besides the normal graveyard refreshments.

James would have liked to speak to Albert and let him know what happened but on second thought, realized that he might already have been made aware form the terrible sound of the crash outside the apartments. James rushed over to the double doors that was the entrance to Astor Luxury Apartments and made his way out to the street.

The rain was very subtle but very present. It was the type of rain that penetrated and soaked through the clothes without even noticing and allowed the chill to cut straight to the bone. James would have imagined more people gathered around or at least people peering down from there windows like he did when he heard the crash, but nothing. James looked around the street and saw no one, not even Albert was anywhere to be seen.

The scene of the crash looked worse than it did from three stories up. The sedan was demolished, glass littered and spread all around the vehicle while the front end of the sedan seemed to be crushed inwards towards the driver and passenger seats. The wooden power pole that the vehicle had hit was split in the middle; the top of the pole housed a sparking transformer can. The electricity running through the line to the transformer made crackling and loud buzzing sounds, to James, it sounded very unstable. Sparks continued to fall on the roof of the car as James took in the whole horrific scene.

He stood about twenty feet from the wreckage, wondering why he could not put one foot in front of the other and move towards the wreckage to see if someone needed his help. All the bravado and sense of being the rescuer was leaving him. The rain was a constant, pesky, drizzle that continued to soak James. He was completely drenched as he stood in the middle of a dark street in front of Astor Luxury Apartments. Not a soul in sight, just him, the rain, and the crash site.

James’s fear was setting in as he contemplated the seriousness of his rescue attempt. Electricity and rain do not go together he thought. If the power pole decides to fall while he is attempting the rescue, it will kill him and anyone else inside of the vehicle. James knew that if he didn't do something, whoever was in the car will parish long before any actual help can arrive. James wrangled his senses and started his trek forward. He walked towards the wreckage, one step, two steps, and then three until he had built a walking rhythm that seemed the right pace for moving towards his possible death.

James continued to walk cautiously towards the vehicle, as he drew closer, he could hear faint breathing coming from inside the vehicle. He steadied himself as he began to shake. James could not tell if he was shaking from lack of food, warmth, or just the simple adrenaline that was coursing through his veins as he drew nearer. When James was about two arm’s length away, his foot met a large puddle. He froze has his foot remained immersed in the cold water. The buzzing and crackling sound of the electric lines over head made him more aware of the rain water. Sparks were hitting the top of the car roof; the breathing coming from inside the vehicle became clearer. James knew that someone was still alive; he had to see if they were ok.

As James drew closer, he heard someone speak. “Please, please help me.” The voice sounded gentle, faint, struggling to breath, possibly female. “Are you OK? I’m here to help, stay still, I’m coming to you.” James responded. He reached the driver side and looked inside. The woman’s breathing was shallow, her deep brown hair was tattered and a mess, blood covered most of her face and shards of broken glass decorated her skin like a strange art piece. James gasped at the sight; he wondered how anyone could have survived such a brutal accident and still be alive. After studying the damage, he let his eyes trace the blood running down her face, he made eye contact. The woman’s eyes were green; a light color that almost took James away from the horror that surrounded them, away from the ever persistent rain that drenched his entire medium frame.

It seemed that the only sound in the world was his breathing and hers, James reached for her seat belt to unlatch it and attempt to pull her from the driver’s seat, as James unlatched the belt he spoke “My name is James Sanders and I am going to get you out of this.” The woman became unresponsive as her breathing became shallower and less noticeable all together. James awkwardly tried to place is arms under her and pull her out, nothing, it seemed as if she was stuck.

A loud snapping and crack sound came from overhead, the wooded pole that housed the power line and transformer was losing its structural integrity and beginning to split more and more in the middle. James realized he may only have minutes or maybe even seconds until the pole snaps completely and comes crashing down. The woman stirred briefly as James positioned him-self in a way to lift her out of the wreckage. The woman let out a small scream as James tried to pull on her. The front end of the vehicle was so badly damaged that the entire front end was smashed inward and over the woman’s legs. Sparks rained down, threatening electric shock with each spark that made its way to the puddles that James’s foot was immersed in.

Among the chaos, James began to have a strange feeling, a feeling that he may have had a serious lapse in judgment. “What am I doing?” He thought to himself. He had never been this reckless or brave. What possible thing in his current or even past life could have compelled him to leave the safety of his own home and rush head first into a dangerous, life threatening situation? “Bad time to be having doubts James.” He thought to him-self. “You are committed to this; you chose this course of action.” A voice that sounded like his in his head said.

Which seemed like an eternity in his thoughts, had only been a few seconds in the real world. James forced himself out of his fog of uncertainty and gathered his composure. With all of his strength, he pulled at the woman again, James did not hear any scream of pain or discomfort from the woman this time. She was completely unconscious now, still breathing but barley as her chest rose and fell slowly. To no avail, James’s attempt to pull her directly from the car failed, her legs were lodged firmly beneath the front end of the vehicle. James knew he had to somehow remove or push the front end to free her.

James placed two hands on the front dash and gave it a push, nothing. James decided that he needed to give it all he had to attempt to push back the front end. With all of his might, James pushed with two hands again. “Come on, you bastard!” James yelled as he pushed hard into the dash. His insult did not go unnoticed, as he was pushing, his right hand slipped from the rain soaked dashboard. His soft flesh met a thick shard of glass. The sharp, jagged chunk of glass pierced his skin, blood sprayed out onto the woman and the inside interior. James yanked his hand back immediately and let out a blood curdling scream. James held his right hand and looked down at the injury. The thick piece of glass had driven itself about four inches into his flesh and provided a sizable opening for blood to gush out. “Damn it!” James yelled. The pain, while severe, was probably less due to his current situation and adrenaline filled blood vessels.

James brought his head up and glanced at the woman sitting in the driver’s seat. She was awake, staring directly at him now. James was caught off guard, it felt like only minutes had passed when the women was unconscious and now she was awake, staring at him no matter. James stared back at the woman while clutching his right hand. “Oh my God, your awake, are you OK?” The woman provided a faint smile. “Come closer James; let me see your wound.” The woman gestured James to come to her. James stumbled closer and knelt beside her. The woman turned her attention to James’s hand. “Let me see your hand.” She said. James obeyed her soft command and without hesitation, gave her his hand. The shard of glass was a grotesque sight. It was lodged firmly in the middle James’s hand. Her hands were cold but very soft to the touch James observed. The woman took his wounded hand and cradled it in hers. “I need you to listen very carefully about what I am about to tell you.” James nodded his head, never taking his eyes from hers. “In the next few moments, your life as you know it will change forever. What I am about to tell you will be hard to believe or even grasp.” James interrupted. “Wait, what are you talking about, I have to get you out of this car before that power line falls and kills us both.” The woman’s grip tightened around James’s hand which caught his attention. “No James, it’s too late for me. The One has been watching you before time itself, before you were even in inkling on your mother and fathers brain, He has been there preparing you for what is to come. It’s not by chance that you are here right now with me.” James stared blankly at the woman, not really sure how to take in the strange information she was telling him, he listened further. “When I die, darkness will cover this world, the sun will be blotted out by an eternal blackness never to shine down its warmth and glow. The earth will freeze in a matter of weeks, a month at most. James, you are the only one that can bring light back to the world, you have been chosen by The One.” She stopped speaking for a moment to insure that James was still mentally with her. “Wait a minute; hold up for a second, how hard did you hit your head? You are not well, let me get you out of here and then we can talk.” The woman could tell that James heard every word she had said, but did not believe her. The woman’s smile faded. “If you will not believe in words, than believe in something you can see. Look at your hand James.” Right away, James felt an intense burning sensation in his right hand. When he looked down, the glass shard that was lodged deep within his hand began to unearth itself. James stared in shock as the shard of glass was lifted out of his hand and stayed suspended in midair, hovering. Then, the blood that was flowing out of the wound stopped its cascade mid-stream and started to reverse its course back to the wound in which it came from.

James was completely amazed by what he was seeing. His wonderment turned to fear when he realized what was actually happening. “Is she healing my hand? What kind of madness is this!?” he thought. James pulled his hand away from the woman and stared at it with a fearful awe, like a child that has discovered something dangerous and cannot decide if he wants to play with it or not. “How did you do that?” James demanded to know. The woman smiled. “If we had time, I would tell you, but we do not. Your hand is healed and as a sign of gratitude I ask that you hear and believe what I am saying.” James was still in a dazed state, “OK, you have my attention.” It was almost like the words that James spoke were not even his own, he didn't even know what to think at this point. The woman grabbed both of James shaking hands and drew him close to her. “Look at me, I need your eyes.” James listened and met her gaze. From what James could read from her green eyes was that she was holding something very heavy, something very important was buried beneath her eyes. She met his eyes with an intense gaze as she began to speak. “When darkness falls, you will not have much time. This world will freeze over and the Fallen will rise and claim this earth. I’m not entirely sure how to reverse this James, but I know someone who will be able to help.” James wanted to interrupt again but decided against it. “His name is Hobbs Fenton; he is the residing priest at St. Gabriel’s Cathedral. Find him and tell him that Light sent you.” Before James could from a response, the power pole snapped and started it’s decent towards them. The line that was supported by the pole made contact with the rain water on top of the car. Sparks and ferocious surges of electricity danced as it coursed through James and Light’s veins.

James awoke in a dim lit room. His head was pounding and vision was blurry. He heard a constant beep sound coming from above him. It sounded like some sort of medical instrument. As his vision became a little clearer, he realized the sound was coming from a heart monitor and that he was lying in a hospital bed. James shuffled in his bed; a nurse noticed James’s movement and rushed to his side. “Oh my goodness dear, how are you feeling? It’s a miracle that you’re even alive right now.” James could barely make out what the nurse had just said. His ears were ringing and felt like they were bleeding from the inside. The nurse adjusted his pillow. “Can you hear me Mr. Sanders?” The nurse continued her routine of making her patient feel comfortable, checking his vitals and minimum re-bandaging. James nodded his head that he could hear. “Do you remember what happened before being in the hospital?” James did not nod this time, he spoke. “There is only one thing that I remember; the only thing that can I remember is that there is no Light.” With that statement, James fell into a deep slumber filled with dreams.