Flash Fiction: Take a Walk on the Dark Side

Walk hand-in-hand with yourself, 'neath darkest shadows of the moon

In this short horror story, a young woman named Alicia finds herself trapped in a parking garage. As she searches for a way out, Alicia realises she’s not alone,

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The elevator jolted and came to a stop, nearly toppling its sole occupant.

Alicia passed a hand over her eyes. “You’re kidding me.”

It was Monday. The kind where you stay at work late working on a report for your supervisor who didn’t tell you about the project until 24 hours before its deadline. That kind of Monday.

At least she made overtime pay.

Gritting her teeth against a curse, she forced herself to exhale. The elevator smelled like piss and weak disinfectant. As Alicia leaned back against the wall, she felt the tackiness beneath her sneakers. Of all places to be stuck, a parking garage elevator was not the best.

“It’s alright,” Alicia said aloud. “Press the service button and you’ll be home a few hours later than you planned. It’s okay.”

Leaning over, she pressed the emergency button. Nothing happened. No bell rang, no radio crackle over the speakers.

Alicia tried again. Then again.

Still nothing.

“Of course it doesn’t work. Why would it?”

The annoyance—now bordering on despair—remained. She definitely missed Monday night yoga.

Digging into her pocket, Alicia retrieved her cell phone. She scrolled through recent contacts, contemplating who would be the most likely to reply. Friends were friends, not reliable. Parents went to bed at eight these days. Roommate put her phone on do-not-disturb as she studied for the Bar. No boyfriend.

Alicia pursed her lips. It was 9 o’clock, everyone should be home.

She should be home, honestly.

Then it struck her. Cameron was likely waiting for a daily text from her.

What’s up, sis? Good news and bad news. Good news: im going to sue this building and get rich. Bad news: im stuck in the elevator and the emergency buttons dont work.

Heart soaring, she watched the blue bar speed to about 75% capacity. It halted.

“Please, please, please,” Alicia whispered.

A red exclamation point: NOT DELIVERED.

“Screw it,” she said and open the keypad. 911 seemed extreme and embarrassing, but Alicia refused to spend all night here. If she was lucky, the firemen who would come to rescue her would be good-looking.

As she was about to hit the dial, the elevator shuddered to a start once more. Its mechanics screeched and groaned.

Alicia pumped her fist in the air. “Alleluia!”

Her elation was short-lived.

The door creaked open, fluorescent lights flickering. Alicia saw the elevator had not completed its journey to the 6th floor. Her way out was halved.

Licking her lips, Alicia hesitated. A rush of fresh air entered. Alicia felt her hair—freshly blown out yesterday—begin to frizz and curl from the evening’s humidity.

What if the elevator fell while she crawled out? Alicia shivered at the thought. But what am I supposed to do? The buttons aren’t working.

She draped her purse securely about her shoulder. “I really don’t want to do this,” muttered Alicia.

Steeling herself, Alicia took a deep breath and a running start. She leapt through the opening, rolled, and came to a stop.

The elevator, meanwhile, remained open and steady.

Thank goodness...

Alicia suddenly felt quite silly lying there on the concrete. Rising, she dusted herself off while taking in her surroundings. Hopefully, no one was around to witness her little stunt.

There wasn’t.

In fact, the parking lot was empty. It was an eerie sight. This morning, it was packed. Alicia circled the lot six times before managing to find a space.

She took a few steps in the direction of her car before stopping. The lot was totally empty. Her car was not there.

Looking at the floor signs, Alicia saw it was blank. Am I on the wrong floor? she wondered, I must be. I could’ve sworn I hit the 6th floor.

Rolling her eyes in annoyance, she made her way to the open balcony. She was stalling. The lights from the staircase door’s window blinked. Unease pricked at her belly.

It was why she insisted on using the elevator, despite its unreliable nature. It’s why she took a loan for a car instead of riding the bus. The night brought unseen dangers, leering faces, and doubled shadows.

Alicia peered over the edge. A mist had descended, shrouding much of the environment. A single light shone on the first floor. Squinting, Alicia could make out the ticket booth. It would have an emergency call button too.

Suddenly, she remembered her phone.

Alicia took out her phone once more and opened the messages. She resent the last text to her sister.

Once again: NOT DELIVERED.

“Weird.”

At night, in the empty lot, Alicia did not want to wander searching for her car. Her irritation was waning, replaced with something that was just a step below fear.

She chewed the inside of her cheek. Turning back to the empty garage, Alicia organised her thoughts. The building had 24-hour security guards that also patrolled the parking lot. Though she didn’t want to ask, Alicia knew she would feel better having someone with her.

It bothered her that she wasn’t strong enough to take care of herself; wasn’t strong enough to say no to her supervisor; and wasn’t strong enough to wander a secured parking lot alone. Not very girl-boss, go-queen-slay of her.

“Okay,” she sighed.

Ding!

The sound caused Alicia to jump. Chuckling at herself, she watched the elevator doors slide shut. She pressed a hand to her chest. “Don’t freak out, girl,” Alicia told herself. “You need to calm down.”

“You need to calm down.”

The voice followed hers closely, almost an echo.

But it wasn’t.

A chill ran up Alicia’s spine.

She looked around at the garage, taking note of the many pillars separating the car spaces.

Was it an echo?

Alicia couldn’t be sure. She took a single step toward the stairs, still looking around. Her heart rate hastened slightly.

Then, Alicia saw it. She froze. There was someone else here in the back corner of the garage, hidden by shadow. Her breathing grew heavy.

The immediate fear response was followed by confusion.

It was a young woman, smartly dressed in office attire. She leaned against the pillar, half hidden, black hair falling forward hiding her face. The body language was strange, like a young child trying to play hide-and-seek.

Alicia began toward the woman. “Hello?”

“Hello?”

“Are you lost too?”

“Are you lost too?”

Alicia stopped. The voice was simultaneously familiar and unfamiliar; as though from a childhood memory or dream.

Is she mocking me? Alicia wondered.

There was something weird going on here.

The strange woman’s pale hand gripped the pillar, fingernails scratching against the rough stone. The sound grated against Alicia’s ears and nerves.

When it became clear that Alicia would go no closer, the woman—slightly hunched—emerged into the yellow light.

Alicia felt her limbs go numb with fright.

The woman was… smiling. Not a pleasant smile; something vicious and hungry, like an animal with its teeth bared. Worse still it was shining wetly, like she was drooling.

Alicia took a step back.

The woman took another step forward. Her breaths were ragged and irregular like she was holding back a giggle. Using the back of her pale hand, the woman wiped her mouth.

“Ha ha ha ha…”

Yeah, this was weird.

Every single hair on Alicia’s body stood on end. “Oh, shit…”

Another step back, then one more. These were matched by the strange woman as Alicia broke into a jog for the stairs.

“Oh, shit, shit, shit.”

“Oh, shit, shit, shit.”

She looked back over her shoulder and immediately regretted it. Ape-like, the woman was scampering toward her at full speed.

Alicia released a shriek.

The sound was echoed by the stranger. It was inhuman, tapering into high-pitched laughter.

Like a nightmare, time slowed. Alicia saw her hand reach out and grasp the staircase door. She yanked it open and pulled it shut behind her with all her might.

It slammed, but through her adrenaline-fuelled haze, Alicia could not hear it. Her hands shook as she dragged the heavy lock into place. She fumbled, the doors warped metal not fitting exactly.

Alicia used all her strength to force the bolt across, half-crying.

Not even a second later, the woman’s full weight slammed into the other side of the door.

Alicia sprung back before, in terror, she saw the tiny bolt jostle. Quickly, she pressed herself up against the door, holding it shut as best as she could.

“Leave me alone! Please, leave me alone!” Alicia cried.

“Leave me alone! Please, leave me alone!” It mocked her through snarling teeth. The glass fogged from the woman’s saliva and breath.

The whites of its eyes were red as though it hadn’t blinked—let alone slept—in days. Its pupils were enlarged and black. Whoever this deranged person was—

Alicia realised.

It was her. Somehow, impossibly. Yet, there was no mistaking the visage, at once so recognisable.

“Jesus Christ,” Alicia breathed.

It was more of a prayer than an exclamation; a plea that fell from her lips without thought.

This time, her mirror image did not imitate Alicia’s words. The creature snarled as if affronted.

Once more Alicia squeaked, “Jesus Christ!”

Hissing, it dodged out of sight.

Alicia pressed her full body weight against the door and prepared for a second assault.

None came.

For what seemed like hours, Alicia stood there, peering through the window at the empty lot.

Where did she—it—go?

A thought occurred to her; a sensible one: what about the other doors?

Trembling, Alicia turned away from the door to look behind her.

“What the hell?”

There was no staircase. Instead, Alicia was standing before a long and narrow hallway. It looked like the inside of her office building, but off. The smell of mildew and stale air filled her lungs.

Alicia shuddered. Where was she?

A loud bang cracked the silence. Alicia jumped, turning to see the door shudder.

“Come out! Come out! Come out!” screamed the creature.

She watched in horror as the bolt began to loosen. Tears filled Alicia’s eyes, hands covering her mouth.

This had to be a dream, a horrible nightmare that she was bound to awaken from at any moment. Yet with each second that ticked by and with every shaking bang of the door, Alicia knew that it must be real.

All the same, she found herself whispering, begging, “Please wake up, wake up. Time to wake up, Alicia.”

She did not.

Then another thought emerged from the cloud of panic. No, not a thought; an instinct. Move!

On autopilot, Alicia began to sprint. Her footsteps were muffled on the ugly brown carpet. It crossed her mind that it would be hard to hear someone else coming. The banging receded before going silent.

That meant two things: either it went away… or it got through.

A series of doors presented themselves. Alicia tugged the first door on the left. It opened easily, revealing a treacherous drop down an elevator shaft. A dreadful moan emanated from within.

Alicia caught herself just in time, teetering on the precipice. She hung onto the door handle and pulled her body back, stumbling as she reentered the hall.

Quickly, she shut the door.

It just didn’t make any sense whatsoever. The building did not have offices hallways or multiple elevators.

The pounding of feet drew near.

Alicia continued to the next door and opened it. This one presented an empty room. On either side were matching closets. It was devoid of any particular character. On the walls, off-white paper curled from humidity. Electrical sockets were left wide open.

Alicia entered and shut the door quietly behind her. Quietly, she padded across the floor to the far-side window. Peering out, she could see that the strange mist remained. Alicia made out the light of the ticketing booth and beside it, the faint red glow of the exit sign.

“But how to get down there,” muttered Alicia.

Footsteps were approaching, their sound mismatched and irregular. They slowed and paused just outside the room.

A cold sweat broke out over Alicia’s skin.

As quietly as humanly possible, she crept to the nearest closet and slipped inside. Alicia crouched. The scent of mothballs filled the space, clothes pressing in on all sides. The fabric scratched uncomfortably against her skin.

At that moment, the door handle turned. It slowly opened with a dreadful creak and light poured into the room.

Alicia pressed a hand to her mouth as the silhouette of the woman ambled ever nearer.

Please don’t look here, please don’t look here.

With every step closer, Alicia pressed back deeper into the closet.

She shifted a hanger.

The woman’s head began to slowly turn in her direction. That face! That awful, awful face! The smile widened and her bared teeth audibly began to grind. It began to laugh; a disgusting, wet sound.

“Ha ha ha ha ha…”

Alicia reached back, searching for something, anything to use to defend herself.

The floor fell away. With a gasp, Alicia fell into the dark.

She fell for only seconds, but those moments lasted for what felt like an eternity.

With a painful bang, she landed on her hands and knees on a metal surface.

Gritting her teeth and squeezing her eyes shut, Alicia began to crawl forward before she opened her eyes.

When she did, Alicia recognised the landing of the garage staircase.

“What?”

It was ridiculous, it made no sense. At the moment, though, Alicia did not care to try and reason how it could have happened.

There was clanging above her, footsteps on the stairs coming down at breakneck speed.

Panic bubbled up inside her and she rocketed upright. The pain was forgotten as she raced down the steps.

First floor, first floor, first floor, first floor!

The sound of damp breath was close on her heels, the hysterical laughter rising in volume.

Then, Alicia saw it: the first-floor door was propped open. She sprinted through the open doorway, arms pumping and lungs burning. Everything went silent save the wind and blood in her ears, pressing in like cotton.

In her periphery, she could sense the woman; felt the tips of the woman’s fingers grasping for her hair.

Ahead was the red EXIT sign and (Alicia prayed) freedom.

Twisting her body, Alicia slammed into the exit door shoulder first. Something caught her sleeve. Alicia tore away, unconsciously hearing the sound of tearing fabric.

She barrelled through the door and into a blinding white light.

Beep!

Beeeeep!

Beep!

“What the hell are you doing, lady!? Get out of the damn road!”

Alicia shielded her eyes and moved toward the voice. “Help me! Help me!” she cried.

Headlights dimmed slightly, revealing a Hyundai Genesis. She was in front of the garage’s barricade, its arm raised.

Alicia wheeled about, searching for the other woman. She was nowhere in sight.

Limping forward, Alicia called out once again. “Please, you’ve got to help me.”

A man leaned out the driver’s side window, irritation morphing into concern. “Woah.”

Only then did Alicia became aware of the blood staining her jeans and warmly dripping from the palms of her hands. Somehow she still had her purse draped around her shoulders.

The man opened the car door, but did not exit the vehicle. “Are you alright?” he asked. “Do I need to call 911?”

“I… I don’t know.”

He stared at her for a moment, obviously uncomfortable. “Come here and wait in the car,” he urged. “I’ll call the cops.”

Alicia took a tottering step forward before pausing. She caught sight of her reflection in the ticketing booth glass.

She looked back over her shoulder, into the shadows of the parking lot.

Besides cars, there was no one.

And yet, Alicia could not shake the feeling that just beyond her field of vision, that woman lingered.

Alicia shuddered.

From the Author

Hello all! I hope you enjoyed this flash fiction as much as I enjoyed writing it. Well, perhaps by definition, it’s not flash fiction. This story is over 1k words. Brevity may be the soul of wit, but I never claimed to have any!

It’s the week of Halloween, so I’m going to be releasing two posts this week. This one is the first, the second will be released this Wednesday (a new addition to the Shades of Night Anthology).

As I mentioned in my last newsletter, Stoney Hollow is on a hiatus.

Next week is the first week of November, stay tuned for the announcement of our Winter series coming out December fourth!

Oh, what the heck. Here’s a little hint:

What do you think? What kind of series could it be?

Thank you so much for reading!