Darkness Within (The Darkness Series Book 1)

  Darkness Within

  The Darkness Series, Book One

  By Candis Vargo

  Darkness Within

  Copyright © 2015 by Candis Vargo. All rights reserved.

  First Print Edition: March 2015

  Limitless Publishing, LLC

  Kailua, HI 96734

  www.limitlesspublishing.com

  Formatting: Limitless Publishing

  ISBN-13: 978-1-68058-064-8

  ISBN-10: 1-68058-064-7

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.

  Dedication

  To my children, may I teach you to

  never give up on your dreams.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 1

  The force of the impact with the truck thrust the Jeep forward, throwing Mia deep into her seat as they went nose first into a ditch. What was left of the back of the jeep rolled up over the front. It continued to flip over several times before seeming to levitate in the air after rolling off the embankment. It felt like an eternity, the world moving in slow motion, before it smashed against the icy cold river sending shards of glass and ice throughout the vehicle. As it slowly began to sink Mia automatically reached down to unbuckle herself. After struggling to free herself from the seat belt she reached back for her son.

  Her long, dark hair floated through the thickness of the icy water and streams of blood swam around her face. As she turned around everything became hazy and the darkness fought to take away her control. A panic began to set in as her heart raced. She needed to get back to Eli, to unbuckle him…she needed to save her son.

  Being a mother she couldn’t care less if she was hurt, she just needed to save her son. Like a tiger protecting her young, it was a mother’s first priority.

  As she tried to move into the back seat she reached out to Eli again.

  He gently placed his outstretched hand into hers. His eyes, so soft and gentle, stared into his mother’s, whose were full of pain and fear for him. He smiled his sweet innocent smile as if telling her that things were going to be okay.

  It was the end of February, a time the weather was supposed to be warming up as it was readying for spring. Supposed to…but of course it wasn’t.

  Mia had been trying to avoid what happened. Just moments ago she was talking to her husband on the phone through the Bluetooth she managed to con him into installing, stating that she was going to wait for the storm to pass.

  “Hello,” Mikes groggy voice had echoed through the car.

  “Hi, Daddy.” Eli’s enthusiasm rang throughout the vehicle. “Dad…Dad, I’m out of school, Dad. And it’s snowing!”

  “Oh yeah, buddy,” Mike replied. “Well, I guess I will see you soon then.”

  Mia had angled her rear view mirror down to look back at Eli. She placed her index finger in front of her mouth to shush him but smiled underneath it.

  Eli puckered his lips out and grabbed them with one hand to keep himself from talking as he gave her a thumbs up.

  “Yeah, it’s snowing like crazy.” Mia took her time as she drove. She was never a fan of the winter weather and only liked snow on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, any time before or after that she’d prefer it be seventy degrees and sunny. “We’re going to be late for dinner. I think I’m going to pull over when I can manage to even see anything so I don’t slide into a damn ditch.”

  When Mia left to pick Eli up from preschool there were just a few flurries floating in the icy wind. Now it had come to near white out conditions, causing her to curse winter even more.

  “All right, just take your time and watch out for the crazy people out there. And I came up with an awesome idea for big man’s birthday party. Turning the big five soon, eh, buddy.”

  Mia looked in the mirror and saw Eli’s deep brown eyes light up. He hopped up and down in his booster seat with excitement. “Do I get a guitar, Dad? Daddy, I want a guitar!”

  “You’ll have to wait and see, buddy, but I better let you guys go so you can get home. Maybe this snow will be good enough to take you snowmobiling later.”

  Mia rolled her eyes and shook her head in frustration. “See you when we get home.”

  She was still upset with him over what had happened the night before. She could swear that sometimes it seemed like he’d rather be anywhere but where the man of the house should be at night…home. Gender roles were never really her thing, but to her it always seemed like the man did a better job of protecting the family from intruders.

  “Stay safe,” Mike said before he hung up.

  After Mike hung up Mia had slowed down even more, trying to find a place to pull over before she got anywhere near the upcoming bridge that crossed the river. She wanted to be out of the way of any oncoming traffic but with the snow falling as hard as it was, it was nearly impossible to see anything.

  After a few more minutes of driving the snow let up ever so slightly, enough for her to spot a place where she could pull over. Slowing down to a near stop, she started to turn the wheel.

  The distinctive sound of a big rig's horn snapped her attention to the rear view mirror, still angled for her to see Eli. She snapped her head to the right side mirror and saw a tractor trailer turned sideways, sliding towards her. Her heart raced as she pushed the gas pedal, trying to get out of the way as fast as she could. The wheels seemed to turn in pace and the air horn blared again, but was drowned out by the screeching of metal as it collided.

  Everything went black.

  Chapter 2

  Four Months Later

  Mike woke in the morning with his arm wrapped around Mia, her long locks tickling his face and teasing his nose with her apple scented shampoo. He smiled as he traced his fingers down the length of her bare arm. Her perfectly tone, brown skin illuminated underneath the darker tone of his. He could feel her smile as she sighed.

  Patting his hand before she sat up, she said, “Time for me to go make breakfast.”

  Mia rolled out from underneath the comforter and slid her robe on as she stood up. The sun shone through the sheer curtains as it cast the perfect lighting throughout the room, revealing the beauty of her skin.

  Mike had always hated the light airy colors of the walls because it made mornings seem that much brighter but since Mia’s accident, he had grown to appreciate and enjoy more of the little things…even something as simple as the pale gray colors she had painted the walls of their bedroom. He reached over to turn off the alarm on his clock before it went off
, almost knocking over the decorative bamboo that sat next to it on the night stand.

  He sighed as he rolled out of bed, taking a moment before he walked over to the dresser opposite the mattress to gather his clothes. He paused as he glanced at the family picture that sat on top of the dresser and groaned in frustration. Sometimes, he hoped things would go back to the way they were but in his heart he knew that would never—could never—happen. All it takes is a single moment for one's entire world to change.

  He pushed the thought away as he hopped in the shower before heading down the narrow hallway and into the kitchen for breakfast.

  Mia was just setting out the third plate of eggs, sausage, and hash browns as Mike sat down.

  “Eli, breakfast,” she called down the hall as she took her seat.

  Mike looked into her light brown eyes as she stared down the hallway behind him. He could see the smile shine through her eyes when she saw him. A small smirk spread across her lips as she said, “Eli, one of these days you’re going to need to get out of that shirt. If you love it so much, you’ll be able to keep it longer if you actually let me take care of it.”

  Mike kept his head down to his food as he ate. He didn’t mean to completely avoid any conversation, but his mind was rattled with the thoughts of what he was going to do that day. What he needed to do.

  Ever since the accident his sister had been bugging him to see a therapist. He had been pushing it off for as long as he could, trying to do things his own way. He was always a stubborn person like that…always wanting things his way.

  He regretted that now.

  He had become distant with not only his family, but Mia’s as well. It was like they blamed him for the accident somehow. Hell, sometimes he even blamed himself.

  He thought about the last time he had the conversation with his sister, Cammie, about the therapist. “I went and saw someone yesterday.” Cammie hesitated as she tucked her hair behind her ear and Mike finally noticed that she had covered her brown hair with a reddish tint. “Someone who I think you really ought to talk to. I’ve tried to think of ways I could help you through this, only to realize that I couldn’t. I understand everyone needs to grieve but…just, here,” she placed a business card on the coffee table in their small, musky living room. “Her name is Dr. Roseburg. She helps a lot of people in situations like yours.”

  “Shit, Cammie,” Mike said. “I don’t need any psychiatrist!”

  “Listen, just hear me out.” She was trying to stay calm, but Mike could tell that was difficult for her. All of it was, but truthfully…he didn’t care. “Look at it as a way of,” she took a long pause and a deep breath, “of helping Mia. The only way to help yourself, is to help her.”

  “Sounds like some bullshit a psychiatrist would say.”

  “Mike, just think about it. You don’t have to do it right now, but some day you just might need that number.”

  Cammie was his only sibling, even if only by adoption, and all each other had had for a while. They had fought battles together, from defending his baby sister from being the brunt of jokes for being a white girl in a black family to her defending her whole family for being in a mostly white neighborhood. They didn’t see color, they saw love.

  When Mike became a legal adult he took his baby sister in under his care. Their parents had died in a house fire and even though she was three years younger, she always acted like the oldest. He kept her fed, clothed, and never had to force her to do her schoolwork. When she became an adult herself she went off to college.

  She knew him well enough that she was able to tell how he felt.

  She crossed her arms over her petite figure, giving him a stern look. “I’m not leaving until I see you put that card in your wallet.”

  As stubborn as Mike was, Cammie could always be worse when she wanted to be. Dust danced across one of the thin rays of sunshine that entered the room through a crack in the blinds. He leaned forward, grabbing the white business card off of the cherry wood coffee table, doing as she said.

  If he wouldn’t have been so thickheaded, he would have called months ago. He cursed himself for not calling, for the accident, for not being able to help Mia on his own…for everything.

  “Mike…Mike!”

  He blinked several times as if he was clearing his vision. He was snapped back to reality by Mia’s demanding voice. “Will you help me out here?”

  “What,” he looked around their small, eat-in kitchen, thinking maybe she wanted help cleaning up.

  “Your son won’t eat. I’m so sick of him saying he’s not hungry. He’s not listening to a thing I say. Look at him; he’s just sitting there pushing his food around the plate. Eli,” her gaze shifted to the table, “just take a couple of bites.”

  Mike shook his head as he sat up from the table, pushing his chair back with his legs. “I have to go,” he said as he turned and grabbed his keys off of the counter. “I have a doctor’s appointment.”

  “Mike, come on!” Mia protested.

  “Eli, listen to your mother,” Mike said halfheartedly as he walked out the door, trying not to slam it behind him.

  ***

  He cursed himself the whole time he drove the mere ten minutes into town. He hated leaving her like that but he couldn’t handle it. He had been dealing with it for so long, one would think it would become normal…but it never would. The whole situation was hard enough but there were times where she just made it even harder.

  Once his annoyance grew too thin he would lash out and say harsh words that he couldn’t take back. He had never abused her, not physically anyway. Maybe mentally and emotionally with the things he would say and the way he used to act. He found that the best thing for him to do when he grew overly frustrated was to just walk away.

  So caught up in thought, Mike nearly passed the local coffee shop that Dr. Roseburg wanted to meet at. He had no idea why she said to meet there, but he had hoped she knew what she was doing…and that she would be able to help.

  After parking the car, Mike shoved the keys and his hands in the pockets of his blue jeans. Keeping his head down, he crossed the street to the coffee shop. As he opened the door the bell that was attached to it rang. Just great, he thought. For some ungodly reason he felt like everywhere he went now people were always staring at him. He turned to the right and walked up to the counter and ordered a small, black coffee. As he stood and waited for his coffee the comforting aroma of freshly ground coffee beans excited his senses.

  After paying and receiving his coffee he scanned the area and found a table in the far back corner. Perfect, he thought. Away from human interaction.

  He sat down and waited, figuring he’d know the psychiatrist type when she arrived. Dressed up, heels, with some type of cappuccino. He rubbed the bare part of his arms that his gray T-shirt didn’t cover, with the dreaded heat outside people seemed to keep their air conditioning abnormally low.

  Whenever the bell on the door rang he’d look up just enough to make out the figures that walked in, waiting for one that fit his description. He was startled when a petite brunette in jeans and a loose fitted T-shirt that was tucked in on only one side walked up and said his name.

  He stood up to greet the woman. “Yeah. Um, Dr. Roseburg?”

  She smiled as she sat down. “Please, it’s Kristina. Kris, for short.”

  “Sorry, Kris,” Mike sat back down and shifted uncomfortably. “I thought you’d be, it’s just that…I thought I would have been able to spot you when you walked in.” He tried to find the right words as not to insult her.

  “Ah. Hoping you’d be able to escape through the back door before I even got my coffee, eh,” she blew in the lid of the cup of hot coffee.

  “No, ma’am. I just—”

  Kris laughed as she raised her hand. “It’s okay. I get it. I’ve never been one to stick to certain stereotypes. Plus, if I look like your every day average Joe, then people tend to treat me like one.”

  “Yeah,” he agreed as his fingers r
hythmically tapped on the Styrofoam cup. “So why here? Shouldn’t I be laying down in some type of fancy leather lounge chair or something?”

  She waved her hand as she sipped her drink. “Just another stereotype I don’t work well with. I find people open up more when they’re someplace they can feel comfortable. Someplace private, but not too private, you know?”

  She definitely didn't fit his preconceived notion of your run of the mill psychiatrist. He liked that, but it didn’t make the whole thing less uncomfortable for him.

  Anxiety built up in him as he wondered if he should really be doing this at all. He was sure plenty of people in the town knew who she was and he could already imagine the rumors if he was seen by the wrong person talking to her.

  Their town of Brooks Haven, which rested upon the northern New Hampshire border, was hardly a mile long. In that area, everyone within a ten mile radius was still considered to be from Brooks Haven, even if they technically lived in a different town. It was a place where everyone knew someone, who knew someone, who knew you. Small town minds always needed something to gossip about or someone to feel sorry for.

  Mike didn’t even know that there was a psychiatrist in their town. Maybe that was the type of job that was kept on the down low. Lord only knows how many people would walk up to you with their trivial problems if they knew you were a psychiatrist.

  “Listen,” she spoke softly. “We don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to discuss. We will take this slow. You take the first step. You decide what you would like me to try to help with, when you’re ready.”

  After a few more moments of silence, Kris continued speaking. “I understand how hard it is to open up to someone, let alone a stranger,” sincerity swept across her face. “A few years back I found myself lost, too. It seemed like I was at the point of no return when I finally broke down and sought help. I know the pain of losing someone you love, someone you would give your life for, to trade places if God would just let you. But I finally talked to someone, let them in. I tried not to worry about them thinking me crazy or humiliating me in front of everybody. I had to trust, not only in them, but in myself.”