Dark Illuminations: Volume One, Tales From the Final Setting Sun

By A.A. Colvin Jr

Are you alone? Is it dark? Is your mind open and ready for an onslaught of uncontrollable thoughts? Within these covers are stories that will make your mind turn over on itself, folding over, and smashing the walls of your reality. These stories of broken realities, psychological thrillers , and things that lurk inside the darkest of shadows, will keep your mind boggled and your fingers constantly turning the pages. Original tales written with a unique blend of realism and colorful surreal imagery to provoke fear and confusion in one's mind. Stories inspired by classic suspense and horror, tumbled together with modern twists and turns.

• Language: English
• Publisher: A.A. Colvin Jr
• Release date: Jan 31, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386302018

Book preview

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events and locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2015 A.A. Colvin Jr.

Published by A.A. Colvin Jr.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information please send email to: [e-mail]

Cover art designed by A.A. Colvin Jr.

To my wife Nikki,

Thank you for all the support and love. Thank you for just being you. With you in my life, life becomes worth every minute. I love you so very much.

The idea of Dark Illuminations came to me through a conversation I was having with an acquaintance. He himself an established writer, already involved with how the ways of the book go. He said to me, ‘start off small, see if what you are doing is going to work.’ At that point I had already written Extraction and was going to move forward with it. He told me to slow down and test the waters first, and I’m glad he did, so much to learn, so much to change as I moved on. So I sat back and and began to move through my creative mind and came up with a few short stories. This book is my first published piece and here it is for you to enjoy. So sit back, dim the lights, and enter my mind of controlled chaos. Thank you and enjoy!

I don't see why you won't even think about going to the party with me, Dan asked his wife as they drove home from a late night movie.

You already know why. Because I don't get along with your family. You know this, and yet you bring it up every year. All they do is mingle together and complain to each other about their minor troubles for five and half hours straight. I just can't do it. I love you Dan, but after the first three years of trying to fit into that crowd, I'm going to have to say, that I don't want to try anymore.

I know. I know, but this will be the third year you have bailed out on...

Dan's words stopped short as he watched the fear in his loving wife's face grow quickly. He stared as her mouth began to gape wide and her eyes even wider, as a bright white light flooded the interior of the car.

Inside the car, the microsecond of silence was completely disrupted by the sounds of screeching tires, shattering glass and twisting steel. The sound of the vehicle's airbags deploying, and an uncomfortable groan from his throat was the last thing Dan heard before blacking out.

The car slid sideways and began to roll, forcefully flipping over before landing back on its wheels. The twisted car suddenly halted, where people on the sidewalk watched with fear pasted faces.

As Dan's mind bounced in and out consciousness, he saw and heard glimpses of what was happening around him. He could hear the sirens in the distance and saw the flashing lights coming from the police cars. The lights seemed to swirl and dance around on the tall city buildings that surrounded him and the crowd that gathered around the accident. He could see the worried expressions on the onlookers faces through the busted window.

As his willingness to stay awake weakened, he quickly faded into unconsciousness once again. Only to awaken to the sounds of the firefighters cutting away at the vehicles contorted metal.

As his reality fluttered in and out uncontrollably through an unforeseen void, he felt a moment of weightlessness inside the darkness of his battered mind. Dan quickly realized that he was being lifted into the back of an ambulance before the darkness once again consumed him. His eyes cracked open once more to see the bright white lights in the back of the ambulance. He could make out two figures above him that were working busily on him, their hands reaching out towards him. The figures engulfed by the bright lights of the ambulance made them look distant and fuzzy with long, thin outstretched arms.

That was the last memory that he could remember before waking completely to the bright sunlight shining through the window, giving the room he was in a strange luminous glow.

Everything around him was white and exceptionally clean. It was the beeping sound of the heart monitor that grabbed his attention, giving away his new location.

Dan quickly understood that he was lying on a bed in a hospital room. His eyes gazed down to his right arm as it rested on a large pillow with two intravenous needle tubes extended from his arm, up to two clear pouches of fluid hanging next to him.

A squeaking sound pulled his focus away from the hanging bags. As he looked to the door, he saw a nurse walk into the room. Her hair, a light red, tightly pulled back and rolled into a bun.

She walked in swiftly, her shoes slightly squeaking with each step. The nurse reached for the clipboard attached to the post at the foot of the bed as she walked by.

Mr. Wright, can you hear me? she asked, as she walked over to the monitoring equipment and began to transfer the information from the screen, down to the sheet of paper on the clipboard.

Dan's mouth opened with only a slight croak escaping his dried-out throat.

Mr. Wright, it's fine. I will get you some water. You were in a serious accident, she stated, with her eyes never looking over in Dan's direction.

Right there, her words instantly brought back the sounds of the wreck, filling his head with the noises and sights from the accident. The sounds constantly being played over and over again in his mind, like a broken record, with no one to adjust the needle.

I will get the doctor, Mr. Wright, and your water. Try not to move around so much. You have several severe injuries, she stated before rehanging the clipboard at the end of the bed and walking out into the hallway.

His gaze moved down to his body where he could see no visible marks of damage. In fact, he didn't feel any pain within his body at all. His eyes reverted up to the bags of fluid hanging beside him and thought a moment about what the contents of the plastic bags could be. Quickly, Dan rationalized the notion that one of the bags could most likely be morphine, explaining his void of pain.

Soon after, the doctor walked into the room with two familiar faces behind him,those of his sister and her husband. They walked in and stood next to the bed. She gently grabbed a hold of Dan's hand and lovingly squeezed it tight. A look of tremendous sadness covered her beautiful face, making Dan feel very uncomfortable. He could see the mascara stains on her cheeks and knew she has been crying.

June? he called out to her, confused by all that was happening.

Mom will be here soon, she said in a somber tone, placing her other hand on top of their already coupled hands.

Mr. Wright, I'm Doctor George. How are you feeling?

Fine, Dan forced out.

Do you remember anything from last night?

I slightly remember an accident, he answered the doctor slowly as he tried to recall the details.

Yes. You were in an awful wreck. A gentleman ran a stop light and hit you in an intersection downtown. You have many bruises, contusions, and slight fractures throughout your entire body. The gentleman that had caused the accident passed away at the scene. Mr. Wright, your wife Lisa, she also didn't survive the accident. She passed away early this morning due to her injuries. I am sorry for your loss, Mr. Wright.

Dan watched the doctor as he turned to leave the room. The doctor and the room became blurry as Dan's eyes filled with tears that gently slid down his cheeks and onto his hospital gown.