Thomas Ohme stood in front of the mirror, mentally preparing himself for the day. Going into work was never fun but he had had a bit more of a pep in his step lately with the transfer of the new girl into his department. You'll never meet a woman looking like a bum, his grandfather had always told him. Tommy could practically hear the old man's voice as if he was standing behind him, his lessons having been drilled into him from a young age. Trust me when I say, you will always feel underdressed when you meet the one. So best to look sharp. It was a good rule to follow in life, even if only half-heartedly. Taking in his own appearance and making an assessment, he couldn't help be feel slightly bedraggled. His khakis had a slight wrinkle to them, and his belt was starting to fray where the loop met the leather. At least my polo is fresh, Tommy thought to himself, sniffing his freshly dried shirt. Having run a quick comb through his shaggy black hair, he couldn't help be feel at a loss with his wild hair. It had a tendency to dry wavy and a bit unkempt, and brushing it out only served to make it poofy.
Overall, he couldn't complain. His outfit wasn't perfect, and his hair was average at best, but that didn't have to determine a first impression. Character and personality outshine wardrobe flaws anyways, he thought to himself. Running another hand through his hair, he rushed to the door, grabbing his sweatshirt on the way out. Being fall, it wasn't especially warm anymore; but, the weather wasn't demanding enough yet for a heavier jacket either. Making his way down the block to the nearest subway, he clambered his way through the terminal and onto the train, finding standing room near the corner of the car.
Subway, check. Breakfast? Tommy glanced at his watch, seeing he had an hour before his shift started, he smiled. Shouldn't be an issue. Throwing in his earbuds, he closed his eyes and leaned against the side of the car, letting his beats and the swaying of the car rock him into a light snooze. A short thirty minutes and three stops later, Tommy found himself emerging from the underground a short block and a half away from his office. Breaking into a quick walk, he made his way around the corner to the closest donut and coffee shop, delighting in the sweet smell of the baked goods sitting behind the counter as it wafted out the door and down the street. After a brief wait, Tommy found himself making his way to his office building with a hot coffee in hand, and the leftovers of his double chocolate, glazed pastry stuck to his fingers. Doing his best to lick them clean, a less than satisfactory way to clean them but what else could he do for the moment, he found himself walking into the main level of the worst place on planet Earth, ChippiCenter. One of the worlds leading software companies.
Specializing in accounting and tax software, they also provided a help desk service for various products they had managed to buy over the years. It was in this area, on floor 4 of the ChippiCenter building, that Tommy found himself working as an escalation technician for the past seven years. It wasn't the most glorious of careers, nor did it pay the best. But, it did pay the bills, with a little left over for extracurriculars. And for that, Tommy was happy.
At least, that's what he told himself. Every day. For the past seven years.
It's not like he had a bad job or anything. He just couldn't stand the work anymore. Every phone call he would pick up was almost guaranteed to have an irritated person on the other end. Years of depressing calls can take a toll on a person, but Tommy did his best to be on the positive. Always look for the silver lining, Thomas, his grandfather's voice chimed out from the back of his mind, breaking him out of his already slightly zombie like state of mind. This job, while not simple, wasn't overly complex either. Once you work a place long enough, any procedure just becomes rote.
He wanted something...more. Something he could wake up to every morning, put his all into it, and see some actual results. To feel driven by something grander in life, and not just the need to pay the bills and buy food.
Sighing slightly, Tommy put those thoughts aside as he made his way towards his cubicle. If he was lucky, he would make it through the day with little to no hassle. If he managed to make a good impression on the new girl, that would be even better. But he would take what he could get, and for now that meant settling into his seat and picking up his headset. Hearing his phone ring moments into his shift, he dove into his role.
"Thanks for calling ChippiCenter! This is Tommy, how can I help you today?"
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Work day over, and finding himself at home, Tommy powered on his desktop. He had waited all day to come home and launch his new game, Titan’s Rising: Rebirth, the latest role-playing game in his all time favorite series. As he expected, there was a day one patch that he needed to install first. Kicking it off, he decided on grabbing some food before losing the rest of his night to cutting down the Gods in a virtual, bloody battlefield.
Finding his cupboards empty and fridge bare, he figured he would have to risk an outing down to the corner store - not something he was overly fond of doing, period. Normally he could just have DinerDelivs send something his way through the use of their phone app, but it was still a few days off from payday and he wasn't willing to risk spending the extra for delivery. Glancing at his computer and seeing the progress bar, he made his decision.
Throwing on a pair of well-worn sweats, an overcoat, and some sneakers, Tommy made his way down to the lobby of his building. Glancing out into the night, he braced himself for the ten-minute walk down the block to the nearest shop. Living in the city had its benefits. The night life was always bustling and there was no want for restaurants. There was a coffee shop or two on every street, and the plethora of corner store-delis was unimaginable. The blaring of horns could be heard throughout the day and well into the night and there was always a beggar or two waiting around a corner asking for change.
Or booze - depending on the corner.
Overall, the city was a great place to live and work. You just had to dodge the stray bullet or two. Hoping for a quick and painless trip, he waved bye to the doorman and set off into the dark, making his way on his own little adventure. He walked at a brisk pace past some older apartments and empty lots, making decent time. Happy with his exploits so far, he approached the shop faster than normal. Walking around the corner and reaching for the handle on the door, Tommy stopped dead in his tracks as he looked through the glass.
Blood was everywhere. Caked to the wall behind the cash register, splattered to the ceiling and on the cigarettes organized so neatly on the wall lining the back wall. The snacks you would find organized around the register were strewn everywhere, and the whole place was a disorganized mess. Racks had fallen over, shelves had been knocked down, and a few ceiling lights were hanging from their fixtures on tenterhooks, appearing to be seconds from crashing to the floor to rest in peace with the twinkies. But to Tommy, the eeriest part of the whole scene was how quiet the city seemed to become. The minute he had laid his hand on that door he felt as if the world had stopped. He couldn't hear any horns in the background, or the trains as they made their last rounds of the night. The music from the nightclub a block down seemed to have been placed on mute; he couldn't even hear any sirens from the city police as they made their rounds. In that moment, it felt as if the entire city was paused, waiting for his next move.
The next second, Tommy’s attention was drawn back to the shop as all the lights seemed to shutter and turn off. Unsure of what to do, he released the door handle and began to back away from the horror scene, all intentions at that point in time directed towards getting the hell out of there, lickity-split. Tommy took no more than two shuddering steps backwards when it happened. Darkness. Absolute, petrifying darkness. The kind you only read about in stories. The kind you only see in theaters during a horror movie. The kind of darkness that seeps into your bones and has you questioning whether you are going to make it home. His entire world had faded to black.
That was when he heard it. A low, guttural emission the likes of which he had never heard. A spike of ice cold fear ran in a line down his back, sending tingles to ever fiber in his being. The darkness ebbed away and for just a moment, Tommy could make out a figure that loomed over the counter. A beast that somehow appeared to be even darker than its surroundings. Tommy was petrified, unable to move, but he felt a small hope in that. Somehow, from deep within, Tommy knew that any movement or noise, however small, would decide his life or death.
Slick, thump. Slick, thump. Slick, thump. Tommy held his breath as a new sound joined his frozen world. Slowly, a slashed and severely mangled arm made its way out from behind the counter, slowly dragging its host behind it. Whoever it was, Tommy could only assume it was the poor night shifter who had been managing this shop tonight, made it no more than three feet before the monster hacked down, finishing off it's gruesome act with a sickening crunch.
Tommy's heart trembled as he took an involuntary step backwards, his foot kicking a rock as it slid backwards. Time seemed to stop as that rock kicked up and tumbled once, twice, three times before settling down. The demon turned, looking in his direction. A presence, ancient, cold, calculating, and remorseless, settled onto Tommy's shoulders as the two beings locked eyes.
Without a second thought Tommy turned and ran, breaking the spell on the city around him. Like an arrow shot from its bow, he flashed down the street in the direction he had come from. As he ran, arms pumping and chest heaving, he slowly felt a sense of dread rise from the bottom of his very being. The hairs on his arms and on the back of his neck stood up, and icy goosebumps raced across his skin even as sweat poured down his brow. Taking a chance to glance back he saw the darkness creeping closer to him. Appearing to move slowly, it crept closer and closer to Tommy, regardless of how fast he ran. Propelling himself even faster, he bolted down the sidewalk and into the street trying to get away. All thoughts focused on one thing only.
Escape.
Seconds slipped by as the world around him seemed to blur, his legs pushing him in the only direction he could think of. Home. And with every second, his heart stuttered and the temp dropped. Degree by degree, step by step, Tommy raced against the clock. Approaching the front doors of his building, he almost cried in relief.
"Somebody please!! Jared call 9-1-1! Ther-" his words cut off as an icy hand wrapped around his throat, ripping him into the alley before his building. Tears streamed down his face as Tommy was pinned against the wall, a mere feet from safety. Slowly, he was turned around to look into the cold, menacing eyes of the monster who seemed to own the night itself.
Cold, red eyes stared back at Tommy. The moment seemed to stretch as the two stared point blank at each other. Tommy couldn't see an ounce of life in those eyes; happiness, sadness, pity, love, hate, anger; nothing was there but an empty void. To Tommy, it was more unsettling than the scene back at the store. You were supposed to be able to communicate through the eyes, show warmth, sadness, love, hate. To see nothing was just...unnatural. And yet, he couldn't look away. The moment seemed to stretch on endlessly. As he watched the monster, he saw as a hole formed in the area it's mouth would be. Then, the creature leaned forward and...exhaled onto him.
A tremendous force slammed into Tommy as the creature's breath settled over him, engulfing him in a gut-rending, slimy bubble of mucus. The minute his body was completely covered, the monster reversed it's action and inhaled. Pain ripped through Tommy at a level he had never felt before. Pain that hit him in the center of his being. It felt like he was being ripped out of his body, slowly dragged towards the creature's gaping mouth. Looking down, he could see as an ethereal version of himself split off from his body, connected by a thin, golden string that trailed down to where his heart would be. This golden yarn was the only attachment to his body that Tommy had left, and he knew from the depths of his being that if it broke, he would die.
Looking back at the creature, Tommy steeled himself and tried to fight back, but to no avail. As the creature continued to inhale, he slip ever closer to its mouth. His fear and terror boiling over into new heights, he grasped at his body, trying anything he could to pull himself back towards it. As his fingers trailed through that golden string, he felt a resonance from the depths of his soul. Focusing on that, he pulled from the center of his being, straining to fight against the suction from the shadow. It was not easy, but he could feel his forward movement strain and slow down. Taking a glance at the shadow, he felt for the second time that night, a small sense of hope.
Steeling his mental fortitude Tommy raised his shimmering arms and forced a greater effort into resisting this beast, reaching for that power that had flared for just a second earlier. The feeling seemed to resonate and again, he could feel himself creep backwards, away from his attacker. The demon gave off a tremendous howl as it felt it's quarry resisting it. The war stretched on between the two for what seemed an eternity, and by the end of it, Tommy was hardly holding on. But then it happened. He felt it as his ethereal form met his physical. Time crawled to a stop for the two of them as the sky clapped with thunder and lightning streaked throughout the clouds. As his two bodies completed their merging, all the lightning in the sky froze, then reversed direction, converging above the two. A pure torrent of raging lightning poured from the sky and slammed into them, splitting the fabric of reality life a knife through butter.
Tommy's body blew apart, gristle, meat, and bone splattering against the wall of the building, dripping into a pile on the ground around him.
Then, slowly, it stitched together again, the very molecules of his being rearranged and rebuilt in the blackness of the void, the lightning acting as glue as it generated him a new body from the ground up. In his minds eye, he could see his entire body as the cells reknit themselves, slowly making him whole again. Whole, but with something new as well. He could sense that within him rested a seed of power. Whatever had happened between him and the shadow beast tonight had fundamentally changed him. He wasn't sure how exactly, but he knew that much. The moment finally stopped as the lightning dispersed, leaving the alley devoid of all life, save for the rats scrambling at the leftovers of his life.
Tommy's world faded to black.