Philip’s eyes glowed with a madness that barely teetered on the edge of sanity. It was like he’d fully given his soul to this “Great Darkness,” clinging to the twisted belief that he was on some righteous path. Even now, beaten to the brink of death, with his dick and balls crushed beyond repair, he held on to that insane faith, like it was the only thing keeping him breathing.
My jaw clenched so tight I could feel the tension in my skull. If this was the real Philip now, I could snap his neck without a second thought. Grace’s pleas were the only thing keeping my hands off him, but even that was hanging by a thread. The man was clearly hypnotized, brainwashed by that damned cult. Grace had said he used to be kind, loving, before the Eclipse sank its claws into him. If I wasn’t holding onto that small sliver of hope for her sake, his neck would’ve already been snapped like a twig.
“You can’t stop it,” Philip rasped, his voice dripping with venom. His eyes gleamed with a twisted sense of triumph. “The Great Darkness is coming. We’re preparing for His return, and when He rises, nothing—not even you—can stop Him.” His laugh was a sickening mix of arrogance and insanity, like he was daring me to challenge his delusions.
Grace stood beside me, her body trembling uncontrollably. She looked at Philip, her eyes wide, uncomprehending. This man, this deranged shell, was no longer her husband. I could see the heartbreak and disbelief etched across her face, like the man she’d once loved had completely vanished, replaced by this fanatic. She didn’t even recognize him anymore—and how could she? The man she married was long gone, devoured by the Eclipse.
“In the shadows, we find truth,” Philip’s voice grew louder, swelling with fervor, his eyes wild with zeal. “And in the darkness, we are reborn. The world will bow to our will, for we are the harbingers of the Eclipse, where light meets its end and our power begins!”
Philip’s eyes blazed with unhinged fervor, like a man possessed, the madness bubbling just beneath his skin. His twisted grin widened as the other five bodies around him began to stir, their limbs twitching unnaturally, like marionettes jerked by unseen strings. Then came their voices—low at first, guttural—before rising into an unsettling chant, dripping with fervor that clung to every word like venom. The room seemed to vibrate with the weight of their twisted belief.
“In the shadows, we find truth, and in the darkness, we are reborn. The world will bow to our will, for we are the harbingers of the Eclipse, where light meets its end and our power begins!”
“In the shadows, we find truth, and in the darkness, we are reborn. The world will bow to our will, for we are the harbingers of the Eclipse, where light meets its end and our power begins!”
“In the shadows, we find truth, and in the darkness, we are reborn. The world will bow to our will, for we are the harbingers of the Eclipse, where light meets its end and our power begins!”
Again. Louder. More forceful. As if each repetition gave life to the madness swirling in the air. Their eyes, wide and glassy, locked onto me like I was the key to some twisted prophecy. Grace took a shaky step back, her skin pale, her body trembling in fear. To her, this wasn’t just a chant—it was a death sentence. The man she once loved was long gone. In his place stood a stranger, one who had been consumed by something far darker.
I stood still, my fists clenched at my sides, trying to make sense of the chaos. The deeper I dug, the worse it got. What the fuck was the Eclipse? What was their goal? And who the hell was the mastermind behind this insanity?
My jaw tightened as the questions piled up, each more maddening than the last. It was like diving headfirst into an abyss with no bottom. No answers. Just an endless descent into the unknown.
Before I could process it, the chanting stopped. Abruptly. Their mouths fell open, heads snapping back, and they started gasping for air—like drowning men surfacing from the depths. But the sound that came out was unnatural—deep, ragged croaks, like they were being strangled by an unseen force. Then, without warning, their eyes began to bleed, dark, thick blood spilling down their cheeks like rivers.
And then—crack.
Their heads burst, one by one, like grotesque balloons. Blood sprayed everywhere, painting the room in viscera. The slick warmth of it hit me full force, soaking me from head to toe. The walls dripped crimson, the air thick with the coppery scent of death.
“Aaaaaaaaaaah!” Grace’s scream pierced the chaos, raw and primal. She was paralyzed in terror, her eyes locked onto the headless bodies that littered the floor, blood still spurting from the gory stumps of their necks. One of them was her husband—his body now nothing more than a lifeless husk.
I didn’t waste a second. I grabbed her, pulling her out of the room as fast as I could. She stumbled after me, still screaming, her mind shattered by what she had witnessed. It wasn’t just death. It was something far worse—something vile, unnatural. She wasn’t just seeing people die. No, these fuckers had been executed, brutally, right in front of her eyes.
Grace had finally fallen asleep, her body completely drained after everything that had happened. Before putting her to bed, I’d made sure to clean her up, wiping away the blood and sweat that clung to her skin. Her breathing was shallow, her face still contorted in the remnants of fear, but at least she was resting now. Over in the crib, her daughter, Hana, was crying, the sound piercing through the dimly lit room. She must’ve heard Grace screaming—or maybe it was the eerie chant from those lunatics, still ringing in the air before their heads exploded. Whatever it was, it left a mark on the poor kid.
I scooped Hana up, cradling her in my arms, trying to soothe her while my mind raced with thoughts. Once she settled down, I set her back in the crib and finally took a moment for myself. The blood still clung to my skin, sticky and warm. I stripped down and sank into the bath, letting the water wash over me. The heat didn’t just cleanse my body; it gave me space to think.
This wasn’t just some small-time thing. No. There was something far bigger going on here. Something dark—something deeply connected to whatever the hell those freaks had been chanting about. The Eclipse. Their cryptic bullshit wasn’t just some fringe cult nonsense. It felt like the tip of something massive, something that could consume everything in its path.
I bit down on my lip, my teeth sinking into the skin, frustration boiling up inside me. There was a name… a name Grace had mentioned. The one person who might have answers.
“James Moriarty…” The name slipped past my lips. “Just who the hell… is that man?”
