image [https://i.imgur.com/ByExej0.jpeg]\
"My dearest friend, Enkidu, though the Id Namtar has run dry, one day, when your descendants are as countless as the stars, the seal shall break. The great river will flow once more, and with it, the promise I made to you will be fulfilled."
JIM’S BAR, SPOKANE WA
----------------------------------------
As Joel sat there, the significance of his words seemed to hang in the air. The bar around him began to unravel, reality fraying like a loose thread. The constant hum of the lights fractured into grating bursts of static, flickering shadows skittering across the walls. With each pulse, the atmosphere grew heavier, pressing uncomfortably against Joel’s skin.
His chest constricted with every shallow breath. This isn’t just in my head. It felt as though gravity itself was pulling him down, pinning him to the floor. Jamie’s eyes locked on his, her hand gripping his arm—firm and unyielding, tethering him to the last traces of normalcy.
“Joel...” Her voice trembled beneath the surface, barely holding onto calm. “You’re not okay. We need to get help.”
Her words drifted toward him, faint and distant, as if battling through the suffocating atmosphere. Joel blinked, trying to grasp onto her voice, but it slipped away, just like everything else. The shadows along the walls stretched, curling as if watching.
Why does she feel so far away? A strange, detached chuckle bubbled up inside him, though it didn’t feel like his own. I’m not okay. Something’s wrong.
The lights sputtered and died, plunging the room into stifling darkness.
In that instant, it appeared.
A figure—no, something far worse—flickered at the edge of Joel’s vision. Its jagged movements resembled a glitch in reality, caught between this world and something else. One moment, its edges were sharp enough to tear through the air; the next, it blurred, bending the room around it. Its presence felt disjointed, out of sync, and out of time.
Joel’s stomach churned with visceral disgust. This wasn’t a hallucination—it was something real, something that shouldn’t exist. It moved in ways that defied reason, its form ripping through the room like a tear in the fabric of space.
The air trembled violently around it, as if reality was struggling to contain it. Joel felt it pressing down on him, suffocating and constrictive. His breaths grew shallow, as though the very air was being stolen from his lungs. The intensity deepened, stretching time until every second felt infinite.
Then, without warning, it vanished.
But the space it left behind wasn’t empty. Joel knew it. The hollow remained, like a scar imprinted in the room. It’s still there. Waiting for me to blink again.
The lights flickered back on, their weak glow casting trembling shadows across the room.
Jamie’s grip on his arm tightened, her fingers rigid with unease. Though she couldn’t see what he had, her body reacted to it. Her posture shifted, the tension unmistakable—she sensed something, even if she didn’t fully understand it.
“Joel...” Her voice cracked, her usual calm faltering, replaced with vulnerability. “Please, let me take you to the hospital.”
Joel’s throat constricted. He wanted to tell her no, that it wasn’t medical help he needed, but the words wouldn’t come. His chest burned as symbols flashed in his mind—searing runes danced along the edges of his vision, fading before returning, more vivid each time.
It’s happening again.
“I just... need to go home,” he rasped, the words barely making it through his labored breaths. “I’ll be fine.”
“You’re not fine.” Jamie’s voice cut through the fog, urgent yet strained, as though grappling with something beyond comprehension. “Something’s happening to you. I don’t know what, but we need to get help.”
Her hand shook now, though she tried to hide it. Her gaze stayed fixed on him, determined to keep him steady, refusing to let him face this alone.
Joel shut his eyes, the weight of her words pressing down on him. Why now? After years of fighting the madness, it was all unraveling. The symbols burned brighter, swirling in his mind, impossible to ignore. Static built along his skin, like a storm rising around him.
His heart raced, pulse pounding in his ears.
The pressure was unbearable as he forced himself to stand, his legs dragging him toward the door. Each step felt sluggish, his body fighting the weight that clung to him. The air itself seemed to crush him.
Jamie followed close behind, silent but resolute. Her presence reassured him, even as the shadows twisted and warped around them. She didn’t speak, but she didn’t leave his side either—her commitment to stay with him was palpable.
Outside, twilight cast the street in muted hues of orange and purple, but the world still felt wrong. The streetlamps flickered weakly, casting distorted shadows that danced unnaturally. The air was too still, silence unnerving, like the world was holding its breath.
Joel’s legs trembled, but Jamie’s calm presence kept him from collapsing under the weight of whatever was happening. The suffocating pressure, the pulsing symbols, remained, but her hand on his arm provided something tangible to cling to.
“Joel, please,” Jamie whispered, her voice firm, filled with concern. “Let me help you. Whatever this is, we’ll get you through it.”
For a moment, Joel resisted, the words I’ll be fine nearly spilling out. But something in Jamie’s voice—her raw, genuine concern—stopped him. He locked eyes with her. Fear and uncertainty flashed, but beneath them, he saw something more powerful: unwavering resolve.
He felt her grip tighten, bracing him, firm yet urgent, as though pulling him back from the edge. How long have I been pushing people away? For years, he had kept everyone at a distance—convinced no one could understand. Depression was one thing, but the voices, the symbols, the shadows? No one could help with that. But now, on the brink of something far beyond my control, I realized I didn’t want to be alone anymore.
The air thickened around them, alive with electric energy, like the tense calm before a storm. Joel’s heart pounded, each beat reverberating through his chest, pressing hard against his ribs, as though the pressure would shatter him.
Joel exhaled shakily, his voice breaking apart under the weight of the admission he was about to make.
“I don’t know what’s happening to me, but I do... I need help.”
The words stumbled out, fragile but filled with a depth Joel had long buried. They broke through the walls he’d spent years building, and once released, the floodgates opened. Emotions surged—years of isolation and fear—spilling over like a dam finally giving way. A tear traced his cheek as he sank to his knees, the pressure crashing into him with unbearable force.
I’ve been so damn alone.
Jamie moved beside him without hesitation, lowering herself to the ground. Her arms wrapped around him, firm and unwavering. The warmth of her touch seeped into his skin, anchoring him in the moment. Her voice was soft, gentle, but carried a steady resolve. “I’m here, Joel. We’ll figure this out, okay? Together.”
Her scent—cinnamon and a summer breeze—mingled with the musty air of the parking lot, keeping him tethered to the present. They stayed there, kneeling in the dimly lit space, the weight of the world pressing down on them. Yet, for the first time in what felt like forever, Joel didn’t feel like he was drowning. The pressure in his chest loosened, just a little, enough to allow him to take a real breath.
After a few minutes, the cold pavement beneath Joel’s knees and the hum of the nearby streetlight pulled him back to reality. “Do you think these symbols mean something?” Jamie asked, her voice soft yet sure. She extended her hand, its warmth reassuring as she helped him up. She stayed close, her hand still holding his as they walked toward his truck together.
Joel nodded, still trembling from everything, but more composed now. “Yeah, I do. They keep showing up, clearer every time.” He paused, the flickering images of the symbols flashing in his mind, sharper now, more defined. “Before, they’d appear and disappear so fast I never had time to make sense of them. But now—” He hesitated, a strange clarity breaking through the fog. “I think I could draw them... if I had a pen and paper.”
The air outside was colder than expected, biting against his skin as they walked. But the chill helped clear his head, sharpening his focus. He glanced at Jamie, who watched him closely, her gaze resolute. She believed him. Maybe she didn’t fully understand what was happening, but she believed him.
And for the first time, Joel realized that might be all he needed to start figuring this out.
----------------------------------------
Arriving at Joel’s truck, Jamie glanced between him and the vehicle, concern etched into her brow. “Joel, I’m driving you home,” she said firmly, though her voice was gentle.
Joel hesitated, staring at the truck as exhaustion seeped into his bones. The fog in his mind wouldn’t clear. Without a word, he nodded, handing her the keys.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Jamie steadied him as they moved toward the passenger side, her arm firm around his waist. Each step dragged more than the last. Joel sank into the seat, the cool leather pressing against his back like a cold compress. The door clicked shut, the sound echoing through the quiet night.
“I’ll be right back,” she whispered, scanning his face for any sign of protest. Joel only nodded weakly, his mind drifting, weighed down by some unseen force.
Jamie spun on her heel, jogging back to the bar, her boots crunching over gravel. The night air bit at her skin, sharp and cold. The bar door groaned as she pulled it shut, the click of the deadbolt sealing the stillness. She took a deep breath, pulse quickening—not from the rush, but from the unsettling feeling that something larger than either of them was stirring.
Returning quickly, she slipped back into the driver’s seat. The truck rumbled to life, its warmth cutting through the chilled air. As the vehicle settled into a steady hum, country music played softly through the speakers. Joel leaned back, eyes heavy, muscles sagging.
But then, beneath the melody, something shifted.
At first, it was faint—like a whisper at the edge of consciousness. A low hiss crawled under Joel’s skin. Static. The hairs on his arms stood on end. As the truck rolled through the dark streets, the static grew louder, threading itself into the song like a parasite.
Joel’s breath hitched as something more emerged from the noise—a voice. Deep, guttural, rhythmic. The syllables twisted through the air, ancient and raw, a language that felt foreign to his ears yet heavy with meaning. It scraped against his mind, reverberating through his chest like a deep vibration.
His pulse quickened. His fingers tightened around the armrest as the voice swelled, each word packed with significance, though its purpose was just out of reach, like trying to catch smoke.
What is this?
The voice wasn’t just a sound—it pulsed with intention, each phrase pulling him further away. Joel’s chest constricted, the sound suffocating his thoughts, smothering everything else.
“Jamie…” His voice was barely a whisper, struggling to cut through the noise. “Do you hear that?”
Jamie glanced over, brow furrowing in confusion. “Hear what?”
“The radio… the voice,” Joel muttered, leaning forward, straining to catch the words. But they slipped away like water through his fingers. The static crackled louder, pressing at the edges of his sanity.
Jamie frowned and turned up the volume. “Joel, it’s just music.”
But it wasn’t just music. I can hear it. Why can’t she? The voice pounded in his skull, pushing the limits of his mind.
The truck rolled softly through the quiet streets, its engine humming in rhythm with the country music. Joel pressed his head against the window, the cool glass grounding him momentarily. But beneath the melody, the static burrowed deeper, digging into his senses. That ancient voice rose again, louder, more insistent.
Each syllable bore a weight Joel couldn’t ignore. His heart pounded in time with it, the meaning just beyond reach, but the urgency was undeniable. Fear crept along his spine as he gripped the armrest tighter, knuckles white as his breathing became shallow. The voice’s intensity grew, and it felt like a storm was about to break.
Jamie, oblivious to the internal battle raging beside her, kept her eyes on the road. Dim street lights cast long, distorted shadows, flickering weakly. Joel glanced into the rearview mirror, half-expecting to see something lurking in the void behind them. But there was nothing—just emptiness, swallowing the world outside.
The voice pressed closer, sharp and guttural, ancient syllables slicing the air. What do you want from me? The thought pulsed in his mind, but he couldn’t force the words out. The pressure inside him built, tightening around his lungs, as though the very air thickened, locking his body in place.
And then—everything stopped.
The world fell into an unnatural silence. Every sound, every hum, disappeared. The engine’s steady rumble vanished. The radio’s soft notes faded. Even Joel’s heartbeat seemed to halt. It was as if the universe had paused, holding its breath. His pulse thudded in his chest, a silent beat that choked his throat with fear. The air felt thick, suffocating, as though reality strained under an unbearable force.
Then, through the stillness, a voice cut through.
"Write them down. Speak life into the runes, and the first seal shall break."
The voice cleaved the emptiness like lightning in the dark—sharp and visceral. No longer the foreign cadence from before, but perfect English, clear and commanding. The words were heavy, etched deep into his soul. Joel’s stomach twisted as the command seared through him. Why me? The thought burned, desperate, but the silence swallowed it whole.
But the voice responded, as if hearing the very thought in his mind.
"Son of Idim, you owe me a life debt, and I will collect."
The words lingered, vibrating through the void, hammering against his mind with chilling finality. Then, just as suddenly, sound returned, slow and tentative. The hum of the engine resumed. The low melody of the country music crept back into the air like water into dry earth, soft and unassuming. But the voice remained imprinted in Joel’s mind—a truth that seized his soul and wouldn’t let go.
Jamie glanced over, her expression calm, unaware of the seismic shift that had just shaken him. The enormity of what Joel had just experienced settled deep within him, leaving his mouth dry, heart racing.
“Joel, are you okay?” Jamie’s voice cut through the spiraling chaos in his mind, pulling him back into the present.
“No… I don’t think I am.” His admission came more easily this time, urgency threading through his voice. “I need to write the symbols.” His voice cracked, but the desperation in his eyes was clear.
“We’ll be there in just a moment,” Jamie reassured him, her voice steady as they turned the corner. The familiar sight of his apartment building loomed ahead.
“Hold on for me, alright?”
----------------------------------------
Jamie’s lungs constricted as she stopped the truck in front of Joel’s apartment. Her heart pounded as he flung the door open and bolted toward the entrance. What’s happening to him? She barely had time to shout after him before scrambling out, her boots crunching against the pavement as she rushed to keep up.
By the time she caught up, Joel was fumbling with his keys, his hands trembling violently, sending a chill down her spine. She had never seen him like this—so frantic, so consumed. The air in the apartment felt dense, making it harder to breathe as anxiety clamped down on her chest.
When the door finally swung open, Joel surged forward, pulled as if by an unseen force. What is going on? Jamie’s pulse raced in her ears. Kip, Joel’s kitten, darted forward to greet him, tiny paws tapping excitedly on the floor. But as soon as Joel crossed the threshold, Kip froze. The small black cat’s sleek fur bristled, and his wide blue eyes locked on something behind Joel. Kip hissed, backing up, his tail puffed in terror. Jamie’s heart skipped a beat. He senses something.
Jamie felt it too. The air inside the apartment grew heavier, more oppressive. The chill from outside clung to them, wrapping around her like icy tendrils. She instinctively hugged her arms around herself, trying to shake off the creeping dread, but she knew this wasn’t just the cold. There’s something here, her mind whispered, even though her eyes saw only empty space.
Kip hissed again, his small body rigid, his eyes darting as if tracking something neither of them could see. His low growls echoed through the eerie silence, sending a shiver down Jamie’s spine. Her breathing grew shallow, cold sweat beading along her skin. Each second felt suffocating, the atmosphere thickening like a storm gathering in the distance.
“Joel?” she managed, her voice trembling. But Joel didn’t respond—his mind seemed far away, beyond her reach. She watched as he grabbed a notepad and a pen from the counter, his hands shaking uncontrollably as he began to scratch symbols onto the page. The runes poured out of him in jagged, frantic lines, as though his hand wasn’t his own but driven by something greater.
The air buzzed with strange energy, vibrating with a low, unsettling hum that Jamie could feel deep in her bones. Every breath grew more difficult, as though the room itself was closing in around her. What the hell is going on? She took a shaky step closer to Joel, her eyes flicking nervously between him and Kip, who continued to growl, his fur standing on end.
Kip’s growl deepened, as though sensing the invisible force growing stronger. The room pulsed with electric tension, thick and tangible, as if something dark and dangerous lurked just out of sight. Jamie’s heart thundered in her chest, fear tightening its grip. The crushing energy was nearly unbearable now.
“Are—are you alright?” she whispered, her voice barely cutting through the suffocating tension. But Joel didn’t even look up. He was lost in the runes, lost in whatever had taken hold of him.
Jamie stood frozen, her eyes locked on Joel as he feverishly scratched out the final symbol. Sweat poured down his face, glistening in the dim light despite the biting chill that clung to the air like a damp shroud. His body slumped into the chair, chest heaving, as though the room itself had collapsed onto him. Jamie could feel it too—the crushing energy that surrounded them, unnatural and suffocating. What is happening?
She took a hesitant step forward, watching as Joel’s trembling hand dropped from the paper. He was drenched in sweat, as though he had run miles, his breathing shallow and ragged. Jamie’s heart pounded violently against her ribs, her throat tightening with fear. “Talk to me, please,” she pleaded, her voice fragile, as though any louder sound might shatter the stillness.
Joel didn’t respond right away. His eyes were unfocused, still caught in the trance that had overtaken him. Sweat dripped into his eyes, making him wince, and he wiped his forehead with a trembling hand. “I… I don’t know,” he whispered, his voice weak and frayed. “I just—had to write them.”
Jamie’s gaze dropped to the notepad in front of him. The runes were like nothing she had ever seen—ancient, jagged symbols that seemed to pulse, alive with a strange energy. Her skin prickled, her throat tightening with apprehension. What are these?
“What do they mean?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“I’m... I’m not sure,” Joel muttered, his wide eyes filled with confusion. The symbols carried a weight that Jamie could feel deep in her bones. Even though Joel had written them, it was clear he didn’t understand what they were. They felt ancient. Powerful.
For a moment, the room fell into suffocating silence. The air weighed on them like a crushing blanket. Just as Jamie opened her mouth to speak, Kip leapt onto Joel’s lap. The kitten’s sleek black fur was puffed up, his blue eyes wide with terror. A low, menacing hiss rumbled from deep within him, directed at the empty space beside Joel.
Jamie’s pulse spiked, her breath catching. The temperature plummeted further, the cold wrapping around her like icy tendrils. He sees something. She could feel it now too—the presence Kip was warning them about. Her heart raced, her breathing shallow and strained, as dread coiled tighter around her spine.
“What’s... what’s happening?” Jamie’s voice cracked as she glanced around the room, her eyes scanning the shadows for anything—anything that could explain the sense of doom creeping over her. But the room remained empty, though the oppressive presence pressed in from every side.
Kip’s growl deepened, vibrating through the room like a warning. Jamie’s skin crawled, her instincts screaming at her to run, but fear rooted her in place. And then, it came.
Laughter. Deep, guttural. It echoed through the apartment, rattling the walls, shaking the air. The sound wasn’t just around her—it was inside her, vibrating through her chest, stealing her breath. Jamie’s legs threatened to buckle beneath her as terror closed in, wrapping her in its icy grip. She looked at Joel, and his expression mirrored her own horror—eyes wide, mouth open, but no words came.
Kip sputtered, his body rigid, his gaze fixed on the darkness where the laughter had come from. Then, cutting through the laughter like a blade, came the final words:
“Speak! Breathe life into them!”