Night had fallen on the city once more. Well, it was really a matter of what time the clocks read by now, night was almost perpetual by now. No one knew why, but the time read that it was 'round evening or so. What was left of the city's population was settling down, cars slowly reducing in the streets to a trickle, lights in the homes' and apartments' windows flicking on.
This city wasn't average in any way. A rather forbidding darkness surrounded the area, so much so in the minds of the citizens, that it even took a physical form. No one knew how or why the dark had accumulated, but it held more than a blackness about the sky. There was a tint of a vicious red color, as if wishing to drive the entire city into mad violence. The people tried their best to ignore it, to act normal, as if there was nothing wrong... The seams were beginning to strain, though, and everyone knew their pretend ignorance was going to rupture soon.
*CRACK*
Nearly jumping out of his skin, a young man spun around in his decrepid home, searching desperately for the cause of the noise. He soon located it, however: It was... his foot. He had stepped on a piece of glass. How typical of him, to be so startled by his own actions. Todd moved along in the home, looking about the place. It had fallen to hell, the remains of it at least. His neighbor's base, the crazy man he so feared and honored for so long, was falling apart. Looking down at a single meat hook on the ground, Todd suddenly felt an unexplainable rage falling over him. I'm going on a vacation for a while... "FOR A WHILE?!" came the scream, Todd throwing a kick at the hook and sending it ricocheting against the wall."IT'S BEEN 5 FUCKING YEARS, YOU FUCKING LIAR!" Todd fumed over the disgusting mess of a living room, the rage boiling over and soon extinguishing. Todd soon only felt sadness. "Fucking liar." Giving the place one final look, he left the house and walked a few feet down the sidewalk.
No one came by this street any longer, not even the blind hobos. This area seemed to be the epicenter of all the darkness, something that could almost be felt. Todd reached his home, opening the door. It came off this time, causing the boy to scream, then snarl and throw it out into the yard. This house, Todd decided, was still better off than his neighbor's. He had tried, time and time again, to clean that crumbling structure, to perhaps make it at least liveable, but try as he might, it refused to allow it. He had eventually just settled on taking advantage of his home. It was old and grimy, but neat. Aside from the well-managed furniture, though, there were hundreds upon hundreds of drawings on the walls, floors, sometimes ceilings if he could manage it. Much like an urban Sistine Chapel, it was really a work of art. Todd couldn't help notice something, though... It was changing. Not deteriorating, but actually mutating. Todd hadn't an idea why this was happening, but he chose to ignore it for now.
Picking up a marker, he began to add some detail to the drawing he was working on before he had stepped out. He had found a CD player with a plethora of odd CDs in Johnny's house, and was surprised the house had allowed him to pick it up... A particularly loud marker squeak broke the silence. Allowed me to... What the hell am I thinking?! It's a fucking house, not some organism! he thought to himself, scratching out the error he made. Sighing, he soon went around the other parts of the house to redo his drawings were beginning to slowly err.
Sleeping in his bed that night, Todd had the usual stream of nightmares. He had grown quite used to them by now, but things were starting to get more difficult. It was as if his dreams were getting more intelligent. They were honing in on more specific fears, speaking to him, beginning to know him. Todd was thrashing about his bed covers, dealing with a particularly smart demonic ghost, when suddenly there was a noise in the dark. Eyes snapping open, Todd looked around in the dark. A hand went over to one of the saws he had taken from Johnny's home. He almost sighed. It was gone, the house had taken it back. He was too wary to even remind himself how ridiculous the thought was. Getting up, he crept quietly throughout the house, locating the sound into the bathroom. Why was this so familiar? Turning on the light, Todd screamed at what was in there.
"Oh, hello. Can you help me find some Bactine?"