Shadowy Darkness
Chapter One
It had been raining in southern California for pretty much a week straight, and warnings about possible mudslides had been issued. Mick drove his Mercedes along the coastal highway, oblivious to the soft soil shifting beneath the road surface. By the time he noticed that the pavement was caving in it was too late. The highway undulated, dipping and then falling toward the ocean. The Mercedes was pitched over the side with Mick holding on for dear life as the car tumbled and flipped down the embankment.
Mick awoke enveloped in the smell of engine oil and gasoline. He tried to open his eyes, but he found they were glued shut with some kind of sticky substance. He clawed at his eyes, realizing they were full of mud. He finally cleared his eyes enough to take a look around. The color seemed to have been taken out of everything. In the dim light he could tell he was trapped inside his car, which had landed on its roof. The convertible top had been mostly torn away, and he was hanging upside down from his seatbelt. He pressed the button on the belt latch, and he fell to the ground with a painful thud. He blew out through his nose, clearing mud from his nasal passages. A flash of light caught his attention, and when he looked to his right he saw a beam of light bobbing up and down in the distance. It was coming closer. When the light reached the car Mick saw that it came from a flashlight carried by a young boy. The boy fell to his knees beside the upside-down Mercedes.
"Holy cow!" the boy exclaimed, shining the light into the passenger compartment. "Are you all right, mister?"
"I think so," Mick answered groggily. The boy grabbed the door handle and pulled, but it wouldn't open. Mick put his feet against the door and pushed, and the door squealed open. He crawled out, and the boy helped him to his feet. Mick was standing in an open field. He could hear the ocean crashing. He looked around, still marveling at how everything seemed to have a black-and-white quality to it. There was a cliff about a quarter mile to his left, with the ocean beyond it. To his right about the same distance away was a huge mansion. Lights shone in the windows of the massive building, and the front door stood ajar.
"I heard a crash and came out to see what happened." Mick had almost forgotten about the young boy standing next to him. "Are you sure you're ok?"
"Yeah, I think so," Mick answered. "Thanks for your help…"
"My name's David," the boy offered. "Who are you?"
"I'm Mick. Mick St. John," Mick said, holding out his hand. The boy took it and shook it. Mick tousled the boy's blonde hair.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. St. John. Why don't you come to the house with me and we'll have Doc Woodard check you out?"
"I really don't think that's necessary," Mick began, but he did feel a little dizzy, and maybe the lack of color in his vision was a symptom of a bigger problem.
"I insist," David said, taking Mick's hand and pulling him toward the mansion. "Plus Vicky will be wondering where I've run off to." Mick stumbled along behind him.
When they reached the open door, Mick had to do a double-take. Standing in the doorway was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. It was Beth. Or was it? She looked a lot like Beth - maybe a Beth who had been to the 1960's hairdresser from hell. She had an old-fashioned big hairdo, and she was wearing a dress that had to have come off the rack at a retro clothing store.
"David, what have I told you about running away like that?" the woman scolded. She had a sweet, musical voice, but it wasn't Beth's voice.
"Gee, Vicky," David whined, "I just went out to see what caused that big crash, and look who I found!" David gestured toward Mick. "It's Mick St. John. He totaled his brand-new Mercedes in our yard!" Mick frowned. Brand-new Mercedes? That thing was forty years old.
The woman in the doorway stood staring at Mick, unable to speak. Mick held his hand out to her. She stared at it. David grabbed the woman's hand and brought it up to meet Mick's.
"Sorry about the commotion," Mick said. "I hope I'm not inconveniencing you. I'm Mick, by the way."
The woman finally breathed. She shook Mick's hand gingerly.
"My name is Victoria Winters," she said. "Welcome to Collinwood."