Encounters of the Dark Kind

By Rylan D. Marie

Ezra Donavan’s stable life is submerged into mayhem that disintergrates his personal life and leads him down a dark road that is steered by an unexpected shadow which brings harm to his friends and family. The truth can be bent into many different ways to become a lie and a lie can be bent many different ways to become the truth which Ezra will soon learn. Ezra discovers that it is easy to please the dark side by using the trust people have in you to be honest and then abusing that trust. Fear should not be an option when encountering the dark side. Are the truths that help build society sometimes just lies that break it apart?

A note from the author

As long as I can remember I have been fascinated with words, playing with them and having them do both the dirty and clean work. At 25 years of age, my dream became a reality when I began putting together the pieces for my books. It is funny how one sentence can lead to two full books, a far cry from my Human Resource background and education. I found comfort in expressing myself through words. My favourite saying is something that goes a little like this: “Our greatest critic is ourselves, we have the ability to kill or grow our own dreams”. Our imagination is our tool in life, without which life would be a very gray scale.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rylan D. Marie
• Release date: Nov 28, 2016
• ISBN: 9780620668217

Book preview

Encounters of the Dark Kind

Encounters of the Dark Kind

Rylan D. Marie

Copyright © 2016 Rylan Marie

Published by Rylan Marie Publishing at Smashwords

First edition 2016

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without permission from the copyright holder.

The Author has made every effort to trace and acknowledge sources/resources/individuals. In the event that any images/information have been incorrectly attributed or credited, the Author will be pleased to rectify these omissions at the earliest opportunity.

Published by Author using Reach Publishers’ services,

P O Box 1384, Wandsbeck, South Africa, 3631

Printed and bound by Novus Print Solutions

Edited by Vanessa Finaughty for Reach Publishers

Cover designed by Reach Publishers

Website: www.reachpublishers.co.za

E-mail: [e-mail]

To a lady who is no longer with us physically, but always in our hearts my Granny(Bigs), this is dedicated to you for always telling me to chase my dreams for they won’t chase you.

I run as fast as I can and the light behind me begins to grow smaller and smaller. The light is fading, says my inner voice.

New shadows are being created around me, their distorted voices sounding eerier as the wind wails between broken tree trunks. Their flashlights look like eyes glimmering from tree hollows.

The wind begins to howl more loudly, carrying a sickly stink of wood rot, the leaves crackling from my footsteps and creating sounds like someone is closing in on me, but, when I turn to look, there’s nothing but darkness and glowing flashlights like eyes in tree hollows. I move faster to get towards the light that seems like my freedom, but, the faster I move, the faster the footsteps grow and the more distant the light seems.

Ignoring what is in front of me, I scurry through the darkness, branches scratching my body and twigs clinging to my jeans. My footsteps on the ground seem like a treadmill in the damp leaves. The trees stand utterly still like statues in a museum, where no leaf will dare to fall. My heart races.

What have I done? I ask myself.

"What haven’t you done?" my inner voice screams back at me as the darkness wraps itself around me tightly.

A figure in the dark screams out my name. Ezraa-aaa, stop running, boy; you only making this worse for yourself. We will catch you; there’s nowhere to hide.

I hear whispers in the distance as fog creeps in and I take a minute to catch my breath and figure out my bearings. As I look around, it appears as though someone has pulled a new canvas over my eyes; it’s like I don’t know where I am. Each sound and rustle is more intensified than the next as I frantically look around to see if anyone has caught up to me and, suddenly, I notice that everything is deathly quiet. My sanity is my friend and I am about to lose it.

What seemed inviting and beautiful by day has turned into a nightmare as the moon took its place, my mind says, trying to hold on to humanity….

Chapter 1

Well, senior year is finally over and it’s now time to be making some big decisions as to my life and the path I want to take.

I stand looking out at the football field thinking how fast the years have flown by… the loss of my father, finding the love of my life and now finishing high school.

I jump with shock as hands wrap around me and lips press against my ear, whispering, I love you.

I turn and see Emma, my beautiful girl, looking ever so ready to tackle the world. She is followed by our friends, Tyson, Brett, Melanie and Mackenzie. She must have run ahead to get to me first.

We all sit on the field and drink beer and joke and laugh about the years that have passed.

Hey, guys, don’t worry; once we start university, there will be so many... Tyson says and stops, looking at his girlfriend, Mac.

Many what, Tyson? asks Mac.

Journeys, new things to experience, he says to cover his arse.

Oh, is that so? Well, girls, there will be many more new fresh guys to see, replies Mac, letting out a playful giggle.

Tyson’s face changes colour.

Our group of friends is something that nobody will believe to be true, since we are friends from such different walks of life.

We have Tyson. Now, he is the jock in the friendship. He plays football and is a total wackjob. Then there’s Brett – he is the English major with a flair for writing. Then there’s me, the average guy with the average test score, just average, and, to complete each of us, we have our lovely ladies, who belong to the school cheer club.

My friendship with the guys started when we all got detention for making a ruckus in the English class, and we got together and devised a plan to get back at the teacher. The rest is history and we have been tight buddies ever since.

Tyson and Mac have been dating forever – an ‘on and off again’ relationship – and Brett and I met Emma and Mel at one of the football after-parties and we have been together since junior years.

What are you thinking about? asks Emma.

I break my focus from the sky and look at Emma. I am thinking about… I move closer to her and whisper in her ear.

She lunges back and punches me, screaming, Ezra, don’t be so naughty!

We giggle and the time passes, and then we all leave to go to Tyson’s house for a graduation party.

By the time I arrive at the party, it is in full swing. The music is louder than ever and people are laughing out of intoxication. I make my way through the house and into the backyard; there are guys chugging and people screaming chug, chug, and I glance around to find any of my friends. Over the music, I hear Brett call for me. I turn and look around, but can’t see him until I look up and there they all are sitting on the roof. I join them and we drink and laugh the night away. The party carries on and Emma and I are left alone on the roof while the rest of the gang has gone to do the deed, so to say.

We sit hand in hand and talk. Emma’s hands on my thighs are such a turn-on and one thing leads to another and we find ourselves in Tyson’s parents’ bedroom. My thoughts of how clichéd this is are poking at me, but the heat of the moment is too strong. Emma takes off her clothes and I do the same and then we kiss, her lips melting against mine as we fall into bliss.

* * *

The next day, I drag myself out of bed and into the bathroom. I feel like a ton of bricks has been thrown on me. Distorted flashes of last night drift in and out of my memory. After a quick shower and change of clothes, I make my way into the kitchen to find a note from my mother saying she has gone and has taken Charlie with her and that she left lunch for me in the microwave.

I heat the lunch and plonk myself in front of the TV for the majority of the afternoon. I drift in and out of sleep, watching the beginning of a movie and waking up to the end credits.

I decide that it’s the end of high school and we need to live a little, so I call my friends.

I try Brett and his phone kicks into voicemail, so I try Tyson.

Hello, he says in a half-awake tone.

Hungover are we, Ty? Limits, my friend, I tease.

Limits… I have no limits. I have just woken up, my friend, he replies.

I shake my head at his reply. We should go out, the girls and us, and have some kind of fun before we all start university; some last-minute adrenaline, I say, with more life than his reply of Hmmmm we should.

So I give the others time to recover from the night before, then I call Emma and she answers, more chipper than ever.

Hey baby, I really missed you the most of the day.

Most of the day? I ask. Why not the whole day?

She grunts that annoyed grunt and I know she thinks I didn’t get her sarcastic comment. Well, I went shopping with my mother and my father and Sam, and my parents have come to some agreement that it’s time they stop listening to a guy asking for me over the house phone or walking me as far as the front door; they wanna see this guy.

And who is this guy? I tease.

Oh, I don’t know; some hopeless fool who fell in love with me, she jokes back.

I wonder why. I laugh.

She lets out a loud sigh and I know she is already thinking of a million questions as to why I said the last statement.

She tells me that her family is having a barbeque for her graduating from high school and they want me to attend, so I agree and she gives me the details.

I think about the fact that, two weeks from now, I will officially meet the Bryce family as Emma’s boyfriend.

So we continue talking over the phone and I tell her that I think all us friends should go out for the weekend and spend time having fun before we start university. She seems happy about the idea, but thinks that we should all meet and discuss this further. That night, we all meet up at Joe’s for supper. Somehow, I have the appetite of a pig. The conversation resembles that of a marketplace with lots of talking and conversations going on all at once between us and then Mel starts to talk about how her sister’s dream marriage-to-be was shattered and that kills the whole mood. Emma and I sit hand in hand, with our hands resting on my lap; she knows how that turns me on and she uses us being in public to her advantage. I defuse her game play by getting straight to the topic of the moment.

So, guys, we need to go enjoy ourselves before we all begin university, I say.

Tyson agrees with a loud, Oh, yeah!

We need to look for places to stay guys, I say.

Yes, of course, Ezra, and the bathroom and toilets have to be good, hey, Mel says at the top of her voice.

All the girls agree.

Hey, just rough it out for a week, you girls; leaves and holes, Brett jokes and pulls Mel in for a cuddle.

Mel pushes him away and asks, Ty, has your father sold the house by the lake yet?

No, he hasn’t; they just came back from there this morning, he replies.

Will he give it to you for the weekend? I ask.

If he wants to keep the family together, he will. He smirks.

So that’s a hint to know that his father is having an affair that Ty is using to blackmail him with; it’s genius and bad at the same time. With that said, Tyson’s dad is this all-time player; he has slept with what some would say half of the Newtown women, and he has avoided being divorced by Mrs James on many occasions. You see, Tyson’s dad is rich because of Tyson’s mother; she inherited millions from her father and she invested it in Mr James’s company at the cost of her being the largest stakeholder – eighty percent of the company is hers and the rest is Mr James’s. Tyson’s mother always says she has her man by the balls and she tells the girls they should do the same.

Well, yes, that’s sorted, I say, and we all agree to the venue and date.

Hey boys, say a silky voice.

I see the girls’ expressions change, especially Mac’s – if she could hurt someone, it would be now. I turn my head and resting on the backrest of our cubical is the blonde, well-racked and hot-figured Bethanie Middler. Everybody knows she has an eye for Tyson and she makes it well known too.

Hey, Beth, how you doing? asks Tyson.

With a swift elbow from Mac, Tyson is clutching his side and asking what that was for.

You know what! she snaps at him.

I’m sorry, Beth, but we are having supper! snaps Mac.

I’m not blind, Mac; I can see that, Beth replies silkily.

Mac hisses under her breath.

I turn to look at Tyson to give him a signal to control his girl, but he has issues of his own. I hadn’t noticed, but he is sweating bullets for some reason; it’s probably the huge cat fight that went down between Mac and Beth over him.

Hey, Ezra, Beth says, her tongue peeking from under her top lip as she takes a chip from my plate. She puts it in her mouth, then lets her tongue roll around it and I feel Emma squeeze my hand as she does.

Well, guys and, uhm, girlfriends, it’s been fun, but a lady knows when to walk away. Beth smirks.

By that, I hope you don’t mean you! snaps Mac, and the girls giggle.

She leaves with my chip in her mouth and I ask for my hand back from Emma. I lift it and make a pained face as I shake life back into it.

Quite a grip there, Em, I say.

Her neck is what I wanted it to be around, she replies.

Ahhh, babe, you have nothing to worry about; that Beth doesn’t faze me, I assure her, yet I cannot see the reason that Tyson was so jumpy.

The mood lightens up after the beers get finished and eventually we are back to the marketplace style of conversation across the table and bursting into loud laughter.

That night, Emma drives me home, as I don’t drive at all if I know I am going to be having more than two beers.

* * *

I wake up the next morning in my bed dressed in just my underpants, not knowing how I even got up the stairs. It’s Saturday and I smell the English breakfast and the sound of annoying cartoons – Ben10, I think. I get out of bed, brush my teeth and head for the kitchen. I reach for some bacon, but my mom slaps my hand and says, Not yet, kiddo.

I smile and kiss her cheek, stealing a piece of bacon as I do. I make my way to the TV room and, there, Charlie is watching Ben10. I deliberately fall on top of him as if I don’t know he is there and he struggles to get out from under me.

Get… eh, get off me, Ezra… ahhh, Mum, help! Charlie screams, his voice muffled under me. Mum, Mum… ugh, Mum, help me, Mum! he screams as he futilely attempts to get me off him.

Then a hard slap on my upper shoulder shocks me and I get off Charlie.

Get off your brother, Ezra. The words come at the same time as the slap.

Ouch, I say sarcastically.

Breakfast is ready, unless you boys want to starve the whole day; that’s fine by me, my mother jokes.

We sit at the table and the smell makes me hungrier and hungrier and then, finally, my mother puts the food on the table. I eat my fill and we sit at the table to digest it, but Charlie is still eating; he eats rather slowly and my mother’s words echo in my head: chew your food; don’t swallow it whole.

So what are your friends and you doing for the holidays? my mother asks, breaking my chain of thought.

What did you say? I ask.

She repeats herself.

Last night, we decided that we will be going to Tyson’s dad’s lake house for a weekend, I reply to her.

Hmmm, that sounds like it’s going to be fun, she says in an amused tone.

After breakfast, Charlie and I laze on the couch playing PS. My phone rings and my car in the video game crashes.

Hello, I answer in an annoyed tone.

Hey, Ezra, let’s meet at Joe’s in fifteen minutes, says Tyson hurriedly.

Err, okay, I respond.

I get showered and dressed and take my mum’s car to go meet Tyson at Joe’s. On the way, I wonder why he was in such a hurry to meet me and for what; it could even be a stupid reason, as Tyson always plays stupid games and with him everything is a rush. As I enter, I see Brett sitting at our usual booth and I walk over to him and we shake hands.

You’ve been summoned too, hey? I ask as we shake hands.

Yeah, I wonder what for. I had to make an excuse to get away from Mel, says Brett.

Why? I ask, confused, as I raise my hand to signal the waitress to come over.

Yeah, he screamed at me when I told him I was with Mel, he replies, lifting his hands in an ‘I don’t know’ gesture.

Hey guys, thanks for coming at short notice, says Tyson as he takes a seat next to Brett.

What’s the story, Ty? You made me ditch my girl, man; hope it’s not one of your drinking company calls, says Brett.

Easy, easy, I need a drink for this, guys, says Tyson, almost shaking.

I stare at him and wonder what on earth has him so scared.

The waitress arrives and we place our orders; she gives us a smile and heads to the kitchen to give our orders in.

So what’s the story, Tyson? I ask.

I’m in love, you guys, he says shyly.

My jaw drops and Brett almost chokes. Tyson James is in love; something that is so hard to comprehend.

So that’s why you are so jumpy; now I get it, I say and lean over the table to pat him on the shoulder.

No guys, that’s not the reason, he says.

I am now looking at him, confused.

Then what is it? asks Brett.

The order bell rings and the man behind the counter screams Order up, and our waitress goes to get our food and drinks. As she lays them in front of us, she passes Tyson a serviette, then smiles at him and walks away.

He opens the serviette and it has her name and number on it. Tyson lets out a giggle, then rolls it up and passes it to Brett, who throws it at me. I leave it aside on the table and place my phone on top of it.

So what’s this other thing that has you scared, man? Brett probes.

It’s not one; it’s two, or more than that, Tyson says.

I look at him, bewildered, and let out a shocked ‘okay’.

He takes a gulp of his beer and puts a chip in his mouth, then begins to talk. Okay, for one, I want to ask Mac to marry me. I love her, a lot, and I know she is the one.

I freeze and just stare at him. Brett, however, cannot restrain himself. Are you okay, man? Are you high? What have you done with the real Tyson? he sarcastically asks.

Shut up, Brett, Tyson scolds out of embarrassment.

Yeah, Brett, back off, I add.

I know how hard it must have been for him to admit it to himself, let alone us, and I know he is a good person for Mac, or, should I say, she is a good person for him; he would never let any harm come to her.

Well, that’s good, Ty; I’m really happy for you, I congratulate him. But are you done with your player days?

Yes. Yes, I am, guys, he says.

Yeah, me too; happy for you, says Brett sheepishly.

Thanks, guys, says Tyson, "but