Emerging In Darkness: Prologue

By Benjamin D. Baker

Bloody, half-dead, and marked for a fate worse than death. Elle watches as her health and her life slowly crumble around her as something sinister and unimaginable begins taking control.

As the pain gets more unbearable, her thoughts become grim and paranoid, and the nightmares become more and more horrific Elle will soon find herself leaving the life she once knew and emerging in darkness.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Benjamin D. Baker
• Release date: Feb 7, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463696781

Benjamin D. Baker

At a young age Benjamin D. Baker developed a voracious appetite for books. As his tastes matured and the school library began running out of books he hadn’t read he stumbled across the works of R.L. Stine and developed a craving for dark fiction.Now Benjamin has begun digging into his own mind to see what shadowy thoughts lie within and is sharing them with the world. Though his works run the gamut of science fiction, fantasy, and other speculative genres there’s always a little darkness found within the pages.He currently resides in the shadow of the mountains of Utah with his wife Maddie and little Maltese terror Alfie.

Book preview

Emerging In Darkness: Prologue

By Benjamin D. Baker

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2020 Benjamin D. Baker

This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed are either productions of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

This book is licensed for the personal enjoyment of the reader. It is the copyrighted property of the author and may not be reproduced, copied, or distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes.

Cover Design by Madeline Baker

Ebook Design by Benjamin D. Baker

Chapter One

Elle’s heart hammered in her chest as she ran down the street with one shoe on. Her throat was raw from screaming for help and each cry came out as a weak croak. Tears streamed down her face as she struggled to run, hoping desperately she would find someone, anyone.

You’d run faster without your shoe.

Gasping she stopped short as the voice spoke to her from the fog ahead. She wasn’t sure, but she thought she could see a dark figure amidst the gray cloud that hung thick in the streets.

I promise I’ll be good if you want to take your shoe off.

Ignoring the voice that rasped and whistled slightly as it spoke, she quickly turned and stumbled away. Her footsteps struck an odd cadence as her sneaker cracked against the pavement followed by the slap of her wet sock.

It’s your call, mumbled the voice, as if he was irritated or bored.

His voice sent icy chills down her spine as she hobbled away. Unwanted memories of his brutal acts in the parking lot flashed across her mind. More tears sprang from her eyes as the horrified look on that young man’s face as he fell dominated her thoughts.

She was so wrapped up in her recollections she failed to see the dark figure darting from the shadows to her right until he was almost upon her. Shrieking she bolted in the only direction she could, a dark alleyway between two tall office buildings.

That was a bit delayed, are you even paying attention? murmured the voice that was so close she swore she could feel his breath tickle her ear.

Ducking her head she brought a hand to her throat to protect it from what she was sure was coming. Her hope of getting away faded as she saw a chain link fence ahead, but she ran on, hopeful that it would be unlocked.

Yet her hopes were dashed when she slammed against the fence, causing it to clank wildly in the cold night air. Her fingers scrambled for the latch, unwilling to believe the chain wrapped around the post and the padlock that was securely fastened.

It’s locked.

Shrieking, albeit in a strained voice that barely rose above normal conversation, she turned to see the man standing at the opening of the alleyway. He’d pulled the black hood of his hoodie up over his head, covering his features. She could see several dark red stains underneath the hood and on his sleeves. His ragged and holed jeans were surprisingly free of any blood, instead they were stained with dirt, black smears and something green.

His mismatched sneakers barely made a sound as he stepped towards her, slowly, as if he had all the time in the world.

Can you do me a favor?

Elle’s eyes cast around the alleyway, searching for a door, a window, something to grant her escape from the horror that stalked towards her.

I know running isn’t your strong suit or using your brain, but could you promise me to fight back when I attack you?

Her eyes kept returning to a low window that sat a few inches above the cracked asphalt, it was dark on the other side, but it was one solid pane that looked big enough for her to squeeze through.

I’m kind of regret killing the young kid, I thought it’d be fun to see the look of terror on your face, and it was. But I feel like he’d have been more interesting to hunt. This doesn’t happen often for me, so could you…make it interesting?

Before he got any closer she bolted for the window and used her sneakered foot to kick in the pane with a tinkling of glass. She hissed as a shard still embedded in the frame bit into her ankle but continued kicking out the glass until it was clear enough for her to get through without shredding her body.

Ok, that’s more like it.

Dropping to her knees she dove through the window, falling with a thud to the floor inside. Her shoulders moaned from the impact and her ankle screamed, but the pain was secondary to the hope that flooded her as she scrambled upright.

It looked like an empty storage room, full of shelves and flattened boxes. There was a lone door that she bolted towards, her wet foot sliding in the thick layer of dust on the floor.

Damn, the man said outside, his voice suddenly somber, that’s a lot of blood, you must have cut yourself pretty good.

Ignoring him she wrenched the door open with a creak and found herself in a dark hallway. Her hand darted for the light switch and a few meager bulbs illuminated a set of stairs at the end of the hallway.

It’s good. He said in a low tone that was almost intimate, so much better.

He continued speaking in that low eerie tone, but her sneakered steps drowned out what he said as she quickly climbed the rickety wooden stairs to the floor above. She was in an old store that looked like it hadn’t been open for years, the wooden floors creaked and groaned with every step and she saw holes in many spots.

A thin beam of light from a street lamp cast through a hole in the paper taped up in the store’s front windows. Elle bolted for that entrance, determined to bash through if it