Whispers in the Light

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Are you afraid of the dark? Can you explain what it is you are afraid of? Is it the inability to see what is in front of you? Is it the idea that something may be lurking inside of it?
As a child, I was irrationally afraid of the dark, to the point where I (embarrassingly) had to sleep with a night light until I was 15, at which point I was allowed to just leave the light on in the bathroom connected to my room. 
Never had I ever thought the day would come that I would seek out dark places, and feel the safest in them than the brightest of rooms. That would be my reality after hearing about  my daughter, Katie, who had been living in her own apartment at the time. 
She had turned 18 right before her High School graduation and was attending college as a theater major. It was her second year there that she had managed to get a campus apartment with a friend from High School. Not long after she moved in, things changed drastically.
My irrational fear of the dark had gone to my children. Katie had grown out of it by the time she had turned 13, but my son Joseph was still absolutely terrified of it at age 12. Having dealt with this myself, I was very understanding and worked with them on trying to overcome that fear, even if at the time I hadn't really gotten over it myself.
About a month after Katie moved into her apartment, I had gotten a phone call from the college. This was where my heart had broken, as I was informed of Katie's sudden death. I dropped the phone as I heard the words and the entire world became muffled. Faintly could I hear the sounds of my son trying to get my attention, wanting to know what was wrong.
After an investigation, the original speculation of suicide was ruled out. The cause of death was asphyxiation, even though there were no markings on her neck indicating she had been strangled. It was as if the life was simply snuffed out of her. 
What was most odd was the fact that she was found in the corner of her closet. The door was only slightly opened, letting in the tiniest crack of light that allowed her roommate to spot her at the time of discovery. She was found in the fetal position, the most ghastly look of terror frozen on her face. 
After a couple of months, doing my best to not fall into a depression that would result in the neglect of my son, I decided to visit Katie's old roommate, Jenny. Knowing that she had bee the one to discover her body, coupled with the fact that they had been best friends since Freshman year, I knew that she had taken Katie's passing nearly as hard as I had. She had changed apartments, of course, but it didn't take long for me to contact her and find her new residency.
I had brought some old photos of them to have for memories, as well as an attempt to give some words of encouragement. The odd thing however was that she had asked me to come after sunset. I didn't quite understand this, but I eventually brushed it off to her simply being busy during the day. Later that night I showed up and gasped when I saw her, as she opened the door only slightly.
It was extremely dark in her apartment, which made me incredibly nervous. I could barely see her, but what I could see was the face of a girl that had gone through Hell. She was paler than a ghost, and the bags on under her eyes were so dark that, coupled with her now bald head, she looked like a skeleton. 
"Help me," she whispered. Her voice was raspy as though her throat was dry and parched. 
"Jenny, what  happened?" I asked, concerned. I had attempted to open the door to get a better look at her, to which she quickly pulled me in and slammed it shut. "What are you doing?" I asked, not understanding what was happening. 
"It won't get me in the dark," she whispered again. She began pacing back and forth and I noticed that she was incredibly skinny, making her look even more like a skeleton. I began looking for the light switch and when I found it she slapped my hand. "NO!" she screamed, a voice full of fear and rage.
"Okay! Okay!" I exclaimed, holding my hands up. Jenny, you need to tell me what's going on."
"It... it won't get me in the dark," she said once more. She just kept repeating it over and over again. I took out my phone in an attempt to call someone, but she stopped me again. "NO!" she screamed at me, as I shakily put my phone back in my pocket, already anxious from being in such a dark place. 
"What won't get you in the dark, Jenny?" I asked, trying to get some answers. She just kept pacing back and forth. 
"It... it got Katie but it won't get me," she then said, at which point she got my full attention. I grabbed her by the shoulders, holding her in place.
"What got Katie?" I asked, trying my best to remain calm. I could faintly see the quivering of Jenny's lip as she began to sob. 
"It... I don't know where it came from," she began, her whisper slightly elevating to simply a low tone. "It came about a month after we moved in. I didn't believe her at first when she told me about the angel." I became instantly confused.
"Angel?" I asked. She nodded her head.
"Yeah, that's what she called it because it lived in the light. She had locked herself in the closet and refused to open the door. She said it wouldn't get her in the dark, and I thought she was just pulling some prank or trying to scare me."
I was trying to wrap my head around what Jenny was saying to me. "So... you knew she was in the closet? I thought you just happened to find her there?" 
"That's what I told everyone," she said, looking down, "but that's not entirely the truth. She began to sob again. "It's my fault! It's my fault she opened the door! I had convinced her to let me in to see her, she said only a crack... but I... but I swung the door open!"
She fell to her knees, sobbing even louder. "Jenny, " I began, exhaling and trying to gather my thoughts. "I don't understand. What are you saying?" 
"It... it got her... as soon as I opened the door I saw it. I mean... I couldn't really see it, not completely. I could barely make out its outline, but it was there on top of her, in the light that was hitting her. She had tried to scream but her breathing had already been cut off at that point.
Finally, she stopped crying and looked up at me. I could see her eyes, glossy and red from the crying, and surely from the fear. She swallowed as if trying to get more words out. 
"The only sound there was... was the whispering," she finally said. "There was whispering in the light. After that, I called 911 and told them the story that I had simply found her. I knew nobody would believe that she had been killed by an angel... or whatever that thing was. After that I moved, thinking it would leave me alone but... it just  followed me here."
I tried my best to wrap around all of the information I had just received. Surely, she had some sort of mental breakdown. The stress of losing her best friend in such a horrible way.. it must have broken her mentally... or was there something else.
"Jenny," I said to her, not yet believing what she had told me, instead, believing a new theory. I clenched my hold on her shoulders. "What did you do?"
"No!" she cried. "I know how it sounds, Mr. Witherspoon, but it's not like that!" I began to hear the sounds of rain and thunder. Growing impatient, I released her and began to leave, fully intending to go to the police. I opened the door, to a dark and rainy outside. "Please!" she begged as she grabbed my arm. 
As I turned to face to her tell her off, there was a flash of lightning that illuminated her. I saw so much more at that moment than I cared to. Not only could I see the withered vision of a troubled girl, but I also saw... it.
I was brief but it was long enough. In the flash of the light, I saw a barely visible face next to her. I also saw the look of absolute terror on Jenny's face as this happened. She slammed the door and I haven't seen her again to this day. 
I drove home, completely baffled by what I saw. Everyone flash of lightning, however, I could see the outline of a face in the sky, looking down at me. I didn't know what to do. I considered contacting the police, but would that result in her death? I don't understand what is happening.
What happened to my daughter? What happened to Jenny? What is happening to me? 
Whatever that thing was it's, following me now, it or at least another one of whatever it is. I'm sitting in my room right now. Joesph is with his mother this week, so he's safe at least. 
I'm all out of options beyond sitting in this room, with blackout curtains nailed over the windows and only my phone, the brightness turned down to the lowest possible setting to reach out to somebody.. anybody that knows what these things are and how to beat them. 
Category:Beings