I know, I know, it sounds silly, but he’s real. Maybe you’ve seen the two sentence horror post/s about him that lacked any suspense or actual horror, but he truly is horrifying. He isn’t dark himself, he isn’t anything really. He’s sort of different to everyone, but he’s always a man at least. You guessed it, he lurks in the dark! But he doesn’t prey on terrified children, or paranoid adults. He preys on those who are like her. And no, you are not safe just because you are not a ‘her’. It could be just that you share the same hair colour or have the same laugh. He will see it, he will hear it, and he will find you.
Some of my studies have proved him to have unnaturally wide, bloodshot eyes that never blink and grey, undead skin. His presence causes an aroma of rot, flesh, blood, and fear. People feel a painful, dreadful sense of longing in his presence. They are often driven to end their lives themselves before he can even make his move. Their eyes burn and melt, their teeth turn black and yank themselves from their gums, and their hair falls out so much and so fast that their scalp comes away with it. A death caused by the Dark Man is nothing short of agonising torture that lasts as long as he intends it to.
I would tell you ways to avoid him, what it is he looks for in people, or what to do if you see him, but there isn’t much point. If he has already decided to get you, you can never be safe. ‘What if I just keep all my lights on?’ No, no, no.
He lurks in the dark. He doesn’t only hide in shadows or anything like that. He could be present in your television, the night sky, or even a friend’s pupil. The Dark Man isn’t picky. You may be wondering why he’s after everyone similar to her - and who she is - but it’s not a very interesting story. It’s actually pretty cliché. But if you insist:
The Dark Man was once a normal guy like you or me. He had a wife and a daughter, a 9 to 5 office job, and a three bedroom house of his own. It wasn’t until the day his wife died that it all fell apart. She hung herself in their bedroom and he came home late from work to find her there. Her wrists were slit too. His 5-year-old daughter was sleeping, blissfully unaware of the dead body dangling from the ceiling fan in the next room. That night, the man had a crisis of his own, and was sent to an inpatient mental hospital until he got over his grief and became sane again. His daughter was sent to live with a family member, or in a foster home, or perhaps was adopted by a brand new family altogether. Who knows. The man never got well. He died in that hospital and never saw his daughter again, despite how much he begged and pleaded and imagined she was there with him.
For some reason I’m not entirely sure of, he was insistent that his daughter was missing a night-light; that he needed to get out of there so he could give it to her. Her. Now he hides in dark places, trying to find her so he can give her her night-light and comfort her fears, just like he had done all those times before his wife passed. He will never find her though - she died of an illness aged 8. Whether he refuses to believe it or is simply unaware, I do not know. All I know is he most likely won’t stop until he finds the real her, despite it being impossible for her to still be alive even if she hadn’t passed away so young.
Anyway, you’re probably now questioning what the point of this story even is. Well, I’ve finally discovered how to send him into the afterlife or destroy him or whatever it is you’re supposed to do to rid a ‘ghost’ from the Earth. The only problem is, it’s not something I can do myself.
You see, I have come from a long line of people who studied the Dark Man and his origins, his methods, his language, his ways. Most importantly, I have studied his killings. It’s imperative to know how many are usually killed each day, week, month, year and so on, when finding information on a creature. The Dark Man has always murdered a steady amount on average, but recently his murders have been increasing rapidly. The problem seems to be due to mental illness - in others, not himself.
It’s as if he’s just realised his daughter isn’t the only person he’s missing, his wife is gone too, and there’s a reason for that. His wife had always struggled with her appearance, as she was bullied all her life for naturally being on the bigger side. She developed all kinds of eating disorders, and eventually her self-hatred pushed her to suicide; all because of others’ ignorance and mistreatment. The Dark Man has begun to notice his wife wasn’t (and isn’t) alone in her experience, and has been murdering anyone even distantly related to people who have contributed to others’ mental illness.
I believe there is a way to send the Dark Man away and put an end to his homicidal rage. I do not have much time left myself, so I thought I’d share it wherever I could.
Be kind. It might just save your life.