This is a draft of the first part of my new novel 'The Darkness Within'.
I hope you enjoy it.
A shadow as dark as the surrounding night slipped wraith-like through the inky blackness, as seemingly smooth as the moonlight from which it was made. With deadly silence this shadow stalked it's blissfully unaware prey, taking no haste nor joy in what it was about to do. The forest was eerily silent, the creatures of the night sensing danger.
The shadow slunk closer to the forest floor, preparing to strike a fatal blow which was nothing more then second nature after all these years; at the last second however the prey turned, casting wary eyes about suspiciously, they were a man's eyes, held prisoner by chains of fear and uncertainty. The shadow had not made a noise, it was almost as though some sixth sense had warned the man that there was something dangerous lurking in the dark just as the animals had sensed it. Unfortunately for the man his eyes could not penetrate the depth of the darkness in which the shadow crouched. After several moments of fruitless searching the man attempted unsuccessfully to shake the feeling of being watched from the back of his neck.
The man started walking away at a brisk pace, determined to get out of the darkness that played so cruel of tricks upon his imagination, yet all the while scolding himself for being afraid of the dark. Calmly the ghostly shadow followed, waiting for another chance to strike; it did not have to wait long, although it would have been prepared to wait for hours, after all the hunt was what it truly loved.
The doomed man didn't see a stone laying directly in his path, tripping over it he fell hard, landing with a loud thump and a groan that escaped with the air in his lungs. Gasping to catch his breath the man lay still for a moment, waiting for the dizziness to dissipate. Once it had done so he slowly got to his feet, still bent double. It took him several more seconds to straighten up but little did he know these precious seconds were to be his last.
The creature standing before him was clad in the shadows themselves and gave off an aurora of terror that permeated through to his bones like a sickness he could not shake; it was the eyes that terrified him the most though, they were just as dark as the rest of the creature with a glint that held him in place when all he wanted to do was run. This creature was something evil, something ancient, something that he could never understand. The desperate man could only stand stricken as the shadow moved ever so swiftly, breaking his neck with a fluid precise movement and a soft crack that pierced the night. He crumpled, falling forwards into the folds of shadow that surrounded the wraith. Catching the man in it's arms the wraith laid him gently upon the ground and closed his eyes with a spooky lack of compassion; then the creature was gone, slipping away into the silence without a trace.
-
The scene Nathaniel saw as he walked into the room was not an unusual one for him. The room was long and thin like the table which stood in the center, surrounded by men sitting in high-back chairs. These men wore expensive looking suits that were a dull grey color and quite plain. They were muttering to each-other in quiet whispers and didn't bother to stop when Nathaniel arrived, not that he really cared. Nathaniel walked to the foot of the table and waited silently to be addressed. It was several moments before anyone spoke above a whisper, the man who did was seated at the head of the table. He was clearly the boss, not just by where he sat but by the confident authoritative manner in which he spoke and the way all muttering stopped the second he stood up; this was a man to be taken seriously.
"Recently there have been several killings of this organizations members and other organizations of the same nature, these killings have been erratic, some bloody and violent, some as silent as a whisper." The boss paused for a moment and looked around the table. "Now we don't yet know who is killing our members or why, but this man here," he pointed at Nathaniel "is going to find out and take care of this little problem before it causes anymore issues." The boss took his seat and one of the other men stood up "We have all invested quite a lot of money in this venture, how do we know you can deliver, assassin?"
Nathaniel remained silent for a moment, as if pondering the question then answered, "you can not know for sure whether I can deliver but I assure you I am worth your money." The man stayed standing, "I am not reassured." The boss spoke again, lounging in his chair like a content cat. "Perhaps a demonstration is in order," he gave a low whistle and two burly men entered. The boss pointed at Nathaniel and the two large men advanced.
Nathaniel did not bother turning to look and see who was coming, the sound of their heavy footfalls told him all he needed to know. Both men reached him at the same time and when they reached out with huge meaty hands to grab him Nathaniel twisted about, his tall form as elusive as smoke. Before the two men had time to register what was happening Nathaniel had gently placed a gloved finger on each of their necks and withdrew it, the touch was so light and so quick they never even felt it. Both men reached for him again but something was wrong, their muscles weren't moving the way they should, their legs felt as though they were made from jelly. The men tried to speak but no sound came out, together they collapsed to the floor, their bodies twisting in agony, then they were still as stone.
Nathaniel's gloves had been coated in a poison that attacked the nerve system of who ever was unfortunate to come into contact with it, a quick effective way of murder that left no identity of the killer. Everyone seated around the table broke out into appreciative applause, they loved nothing more then to see someone die in a manner they had not yet thought of.
When the applause stopped Nathaniel spoke quietly, "are you reassured now? If not perhaps you could be my partner in the next demonstration." Nathaniel's eyes were cold as ice as they stared at the man who had doubted him before. The boss laughed, "I think he will do quite well, don't you think gentlemen?" The boss looked around the table and the others nodded in agreement. "Now down to business, the last man killed was in the Czech Republic. Sort this out for us quickly and you will be payed in full," Nathaniel nodded then turned and left.
