NIGHT OF THE PHANTOM: Episode I

By Carlos Manuel Reynosa

Perception is a powerful tool to obtain, it could turn the innocent into the guilty,  a sinner in saint, a murder into a hero. But what happens when you have the ability to change that Perception. Will you be proven right or be proven wrong? Find out what Nick Solitario does in the Night of the Phantom:

• Language: English
• Publisher: Writers Branding LLC
• Release date: Oct 22, 2021
• ISBN: 9781639452194

Carlos Manuel Reynosa

I'm a graduate of Kean University with a B.A. degree in Communications/Journalism. The youngest and only boy among three sisters of Carlos and Gloria Reynosa. I wish to be a storyteller and hope this story is of many to come.

Book preview

Prologue in the eyes

of Ana Solitario

THE SUN ROSE OVER New York City and shone on each building as the people awakened. The birds sang as they spread their wings. There was no traffic, and the streets were almost empty. The warm weather made people come out and enjoy the sunny day. In Central Park, a woman in a white dress was sitting on the grass, while enjoying her favorite book. The sun lit up her face as bright as her blonde hair. The woman, named Ana, remained focused on her book, for it allowed her to be as peaceful as her surroundings.

On the spur of a moment, a far off explosion diverts her attention. The sound of the explosion broke the serenity of the moment. She turned her head to where she believed the sound came from, but the noise faded. The explosion left a powerful impression on the woman. Out of the blue, she saw a giant wave of fog coming towards her and others in the park. Startled and frightened, she jumped and ran out of the park, leaving her things behind. Upon reaching the street, Ana found herself in a stampede of New Yorkers running and shouting. She followed the crowd as they tried to escape the dooming cloud of smog coming after them. But no one could avoid it. It’s as if the smog was drawn to the people. Once the smog hits its prey, it smothered its victims as they gasped for smoke. Screaming, coughing, fighting to breathe, and feeling powerless to stop its attack. One by one, the victims fell on their knees. As Ana was running as fast as she could to escape from the smog, she ended up turning into a dead-end alley. Terrified by the smog that’s moving towards her, Ana becomes frozen, while the smog surrounds her. She had no other choice but to inhale the deadly gasps into her body. When she inhaled the smog, it directly traveled to her embryo, affecting her unborn son. When the smog reached her unborn child’s body, its eyelids opened, with eyes that appeared red and evil.

One year later

It was an early morning, and the sun’s rays illuminated a small kitchen.

Everything in the kitchen is white, except for the brown table and counters.

It took me a year to forget what happened on that dreadful day. The thought of being a single parent was bad enough, but the idea of my baby dying before it was born was unbearable. Ana was cooking breakfast while the TV was on, and the news reporter was covering the day of the smog incident.

Listening to that news still made her nervous, but she has to make breakfast since Nicholas will be awake soon. Meanwhile, Ana heard her child crying. She turned off the stove as if she were responding to a fire alarm and hurried toward his room. She entered her child’s room and approached the baby’s white crib, hoping to find him under the blue blanket. Ana was aghast when she saw that the baby was missing. Her eyes widened as she anxiously looked around the room looking for her child, but the baby was not there. Nicholas! Nicholas! Ana screamed as she ran out the apartment, thinking that someone had taken him. But there was nobody outside. Then, she started hearing her child’s continued cries inside the apartment. Ana hurriedly went back inside and ran to her baby’s room. But the baby is still not there. She searched the entire apartment, but she could not figure out where the crying came from. She was driving herself insane, as the cries of her baby are getting louder and nearer each time. As she continued to yell for her son, the echoes of the child’s cries had surrounded and tortured her to tears. She collapsed to her knees, closed her eyes and hoped that it was all a dream. No! No! No! She pleaded. She couldn’t believe this was happening. She couldn’t believe she had lost her only son.

When Ana opened her eyes, she felt the baby close to her. She could literally hear the baby crying behind her. She turned around only to see an empty crib. Then, a cool breeze blew in and as she blinked, her child mysteriously appeared inside the crib, crying and waiting for her to pick him up. Ana stood there, appalled. Then, she hurried to the crib and held her baby into her arms. As long as her son was still with her, she didn’t care how it happened. She cried out of joy as she clasped her son and promised to never leave him alone again. Yet, this was just the first of many things to come.

Few days later, Ana was having a rough day. She was so upset because everything on that day seems to go wrong, and her child’s nonstop cries only worsened her situation. The baby was so fussy; it didn’t stop crying no matter what she did. Until Ana lost her cool, and out of anger, she picked up the baby and yelled, What? What? What do you want? WHAT? Out of frustration, her child’s brown eyes suddenly turned red, and he glared into his mother’s eyes. In a flash, Ana became calm, but her face seemed frozen. Her own child hypnotized her, and somehow through this power, she could understand what her child was saying. Yes, I understand, Ana said, nodding her head for approval. She gently put the child down and turned around to do what her child had asked.

Instantly, her face was no longer frozen, and she was no longer hypnotized. But she wasn’t able to remember what had just happened. So Ana went on as she normally would, without knowing what her son was truly capable of.

Later that night, Ana was in her bed tossing and turning. She kept hearing screams and felt a great deal of pain and anguish. She was having a nightmare. She finally woke up and took three deep breaths so she could relax. She got out of her bed and began pacing around the apartment to take her mind off the nightmare she had. Then she approached her child’s room and walked in as quietly as she could so she wouldn’t wake her child up. But to her surprise, the child was already awake. The closer Ana walked towards her son, the more she could see his bright red eyes. The second their eyes connected, an image appeared in her mind; it revealed the nightmare she had. After seeing that image in her mind, she realized that her son created her nightmare. Ana was astounded. It worried her that something was wrong with her son, that an evil spirit or something worse may have possessed him. She backed away from her child and as she tried to get away; she tripped over her own feet and fell down. When she looked at her son, he continued to stare at her with his eerie red eyes. No, she whispered, Not another one. Ana leaned against the wall, and for the very first time, she saw what her son truly was. With the little courage she gathered, Ana got up and ran as fast as she could to her room and locked the door. She waited for the baby to fall back asleep, and for the morning to come so she could figure out what to do.

The next morning, Ana took her child to the nearest church, hoping that a priest could perform an exorcism to her son. The priest attempted to pour some holy water over the boy’s head, but it made the baby weep uncontrollably. The baby’s loud cries echoed throughout the church, causing the stained glass windows to shatter into little pieces. It was then that Ana knew where she needed to go for help. A place where she never thought she would ever have to return. But she didn’t have a choice, for she did not want to lose her only son.

It rained later that night, as Ana was walking in the alleyways wearing a hooded coat that covered her baby. She walked as fast as she could so nobody would follow her. When she reached the entrance of the final alley, she walked to the door and banged on it. The door slowly opened, and a man appeared; he stared down at her and said, How dare you disturb us? Ana removed her hood long enough for him to see her face. I need to speak with him. She quickly answered.

The man leaned forward to get a closer look on her. He stared at her eyes, and he knew what she had to ask was of great concern. He shook his head and let her in. When Ana came in, she placed her child in a chair, and took her coat off for the man to put away. The man extended his hand towards Ana as she picked up the baby, showing her the way to the waiting room. I know my way, thank you, she said. The man shook his head. Then, he will be with you shortly. The man left her to wander away and find her way through. Holding her child, Ana entered a familiar room that she hadn’t been in for a long time. The room was covered in red. Ana found herself in the middle of a circle of candles. As she turned around, a man appeared behind her and uttered, We have been expecting you. Ana knew who the man was by the sound of his voice, it was the sound of her past; the sound of the shaman. She turned around to see him. He was a tall man with a yellow poncho and a brown hat to match his pants. He covered his face with a little powder that made him look like a ghost, a walking ghost. He walked away from her and went behind a table that had mysteriously appeared. We have been waiting for this day to come, the Shaman spoke while walking towards the table. But are you sure you want to do this?, he asked. Ana placed her child on the table. The shaman closed his eyes and touched the baby with his two index fingers. Images appeared on his head; images of things that are about to happen. He opened his eyes and gazed at Ana. The child has a bright future, he said, You could disturb that. Ana replied. I don’t care. I just want this to end. I want my son to live in peace. The shaman responded, Very well then, let us proceed.

The shaman stood over the baby’s head. And at the strike of a lightning, he lifted his arms from side to side and began the ritual. He closed his eyes and mumbled his incantations. Lightning struck each time he finished a sentence; while Ana stood there and prayed that the ritual would work. The louder his words became, the stronger the lightning struck. It seemed as if he was summoning the lightning. As he loudly chants his final incantation, two bolts of lightning came through the room and landed on the palm of his hands. The shaman then started running both hands over the baby’s head. Electricity surrounded his arms during the ritual. The lightning engulfed the shaman’s arms and got even bigger as he put his hands together. The shaman tapped the baby’s head with his two fingers, when his hands were close enough to generate a charge, letting all the transferred electricity seep in. Instantly, the lightning and the wind went out, and the power disappeared. The shaman looked at Ana and said something. It is done.

Chapter One

Years later

THE RAIN IS POURING in New York, and the darkness of the night makes it harder to see anything. It’s hard to tell which is worse, the flashes of lightning that appear to touch the streets, or the sound of the lightning itself. There was no one in sight. Not a voice, or a scream could be heard, not even that famous New York vibe that all people know and love to experience. Everything is silent until sounds of footsteps occur in the puddle of water, footsteps of a boy who appears to be running for his life.

The boy runs as fast as he can, but the rain keeps slowing him down. He doesn’t know where he is, nor where he’s going, he only knows why he’s running. He’s running from a dark figure that is chasing after him. It’s too dark to see, but the boy somehow knows he’s coming, and he knows he’s coming for him. The boy can tell by the sound of hooves that the dark figure is chasing him on a horse, just as the dark rider can tell that the boy has nowhere else to run, which urges him to ride even faster so he can catch the boy. The flashes from the storm blinds the boy from seeing anything, but because the hooves of the dark rider are getting louder and louder, he has no choice but to run wherever the streets lead him. The street has finally ended, leading the boy to an enormous gate that appears to be an entrance. When he arrives, the boy tries opening the gate, but it’s locked. He looks around for other openings to enter, but there are none.

Just then, he hears the horse coming and sees flashes of lighting. He knows that the dark rider is getting closer. He rushes to the right side of the gate where he somehow trips on the sidewalk and lands on the side gate. The side gate he crashes into breaks, causing the boy to fall inside and lands on the wet grass of a grave. As the boy quickly gets up, he realizes that he’s in a cemetery. The boy becomes frightened, but as he hears the dark rider’s horse approaching, he runs right through the cemetery. The boy runs as fast as he can until he falls down again and lands on another grave. As the boy tries to pick himself up, he hears the loud hooves of the dark rider’s horse as it slowly walks towards him. He knows at that moment that the chase is over. The dark rider has finally caught him. The boy takes a deep breath, horrified, as he slowly turns around to see who is after him. The boy looks up, scared, and sees the dark rider. The rider still appears as a shadow on top of a big black horse, an evil creature that’s wearing a dark hat with a cape over him. Even though his face is hidden by the darkness of the night, the boy can still see him staring right at him with his big glowing red eyes. The boy is frozen out of fear. Just then, a strike of lighting occurs, causing the horse to jump up and raise his master higher. As the lighting occurs, its resulting flashes reveal the dark rider’s entire face, which is scarier than his red eyes. The rider then screeched in a loud voice that made the boy cover his ears. Then the dark rider stops screeching, quickly grabs his sword and attacks.

Like a shot, the boy opens his eyes and feels his body shaking. That’s when he realizes that he’s sitting down on a train waiting for it to stop on his destination. It was a dream, it never happened. He says to himself. But for the boy, it felt so real, just like his other dreams. And each time he dreams, it feels more real than the others before. But the boy shrugs it off and remains seated with both his arms across each other. He wants to appear to be sleeping, so he can hear what the two girls near him are talking about. The girls are sitting close enough behind him that he can hear them perfectly. But he soon wishes they weren’t because they’re talking about him, and it wasn’t in a good way.

Oh god, look at him. What is he doing? Says one girl. The other girl responds, I know he is so crazy. Why is he even out in public? He should be in jail. The criticism continues. Yeah, and he is so hideous.

Yeah, what’s wrong with him?, the other girl asks.

I don’t know, but look at the way he’s dressed, responds the other girl. As they giggle at the boy’s expense, the boy turns around to face them. The girls then whisper to each other to keep quiet so he wouldn’t know that they were talking about him. But because he fears confrontation, he says nothing and turns his head back around. The girls giggle again saying, He’s so pathetic.

All along the ride, the poor boy has to hear the girls criticize him. I don’t even think they know me. Says the boy to himself. But most of all, I think they’re right. The boy looks in the window and sees his reflection; all he sees is nothing but a face that no one can stand to see, not even himself. He thinks. What is wrong with me?

Moments later

The boy finally arrives at his school, the Lincoln County High where every day is a miserable day for him. The boy walks down the long hallway where he is shoved around left and right. It is because they can’t see him or because they know that he can’t defend himself. There’s nothing he could do; he has the urge to fight back, but not the balls to do so.

Hours later in the cafeteria, another young boy is eating at the edge of the table, minding his own business with no care in the world. Until he turns his head and sees the boy eating with him, Oh god, Nick! You scared me, he exclaimed.

I’m sorry, Nick responds. Nick has been sitting with him for the past 20 minutes, but the boy never realized it because he never cared to turn around and notice. The young boy then looks around and realizes that he is being watched by other students in the cafeteria. Worried that they would assume that he and Nick are friends, the young boy gets up. Excuse me, Nick, I’ll see you later, says the boy and walks away.

Well, at least he kept me company for those 20 minutes. Nick says to himself as he wonders. Am I really that hard to be around? He turns around and notices the people that have been staring at him are now looking the other way. I guess I am.

However, Nick is used to it. He has been alone all his life, no one to talk to, no one to trust. But he would do anything for at least one person to talk to him. Especially Lindy.

Lindy, a beautiful red-headed Asian girl, sitting five tables away from him. She’s the type of girl that he could only see in his dreams. That is whenever he doesn’t have nightmares. Just seeing her face already makes him happy. He will never, however, be able to speak to her. She is out of my league. He thought to himself. So he continues staring at her playful tan face and black eyes with lips that match her hair. Even though Nick is taller than her and he could wrap her around with his one arm, he would gladly bow down on his knees like a servant and obey any wish she commands.

The guy currently holding Lindy under his arm would be the other reason Nick can’t speak with her. Lindy’s boyfriend, Ice, draws her body tightly close to him. Nick can understand how hard it is for Lindy to resist his strength from the many times Ice has beaten him up. What in the hell does she see in him? Nick thinks as it puzzles him. Is it really all about the bad boys? Suddenly, Lindy pushes Ice away. Ice’s eyes widen as he steps back with his mouth open. Causing a huge scene, Lindy walks away. Nick smiles after seeing that because he believes there may be hope for him.

Just then, Ice sees him watching them. Ice’s eyes are full of anger and his teeth are grinding. When Nick realizes Ice’s anger, he immediately jumps off his chair and runs away.

Shit, he saw me. Nick thinks as he runs fast. Out of all the people in school. Out of all the people in this world, why does he have to be the only one that acknowledges my existence? But Nick really isn’t that surprised. Ice preys on the people that can’t fight for themselves or the losers.