A dark place. That’s where Jackson McCormick loved to be. It made him feel safe and helped hide his secret.
But it wasn’t a normal secret like kissing a girlfriend in a closet or trying to take sexy pictures of himself.
No, Jack didn’t care for that. What he cared about was smoking a cigarette, which was actually what he was doing.
The closet where he was hiding smelled like cigarette smoke, and he coughed hard because of that smoke.
Jack sighed softly, thinking about why he got to this point. He never wanted to smoke.
But everywhere Jack had been or had gone, he saw people smoking, and one day he figured out he should try it for himself.
And that’s where the problems began. Instead of buying groceries or important stuff, he would buy cigarettes of any kind he could lay his hands on.
Just then, the closet door swung open, and Jack’s mother, a nice blonde-haired lady, stood there with a dark glare on her face and her arms crossed.
“Jackson, what on earth are you doing?” His mother snapped at him.
He looked away from his mother. He didn’t want to tell her, and he knew she already knew.
Jackson’s mom then grabbed him under the arm before taking him out of the closet and marching him into the living room.
Then his mother threw him onto the couch, and she ripped the cigarette from Jack’s hand and blew it out.
“I thought we agreed you wouldn’t do this anymore,” Miss McCormick said, holding up the cigarette.
Jack knew he couldn’t stop because he had been doing his smoking ever since his dad died.
When Jack was eighteen, his dad died in a car crash, and he felt horrible seeing his mother upset and knowing that his dad wouldn’t see him grow up anymore.
“Jack, you are twenty-one years old and you are still freaking smoking. You know, I hate the house smelling like smoke, “Miss McCormick snapped at her son.
“Well, you shouldn’t have let dad drive the car when he was drunk!” Jack shouted at his mother.
Miss McCormick gasped at what Jack had said, and she even seemed shocked.
Jack stood up from the couch and headed out of the room. His mother followed him, explaining that she was sorry.
But he didn’t care. He just shrugged her off, saying he would be home later, and then he walked out the front door, slapping the door behind himself.
” It’s not my fault, none of this is,” Jack mumbled as he walked down the street.
He headed to the park. It had a place in his heart, a dark place because it’s where he had his first cigarette.
The day seemed clear in Jack’s mind. He and a couple of friends were hanging out in the park when a few of them broke out a pack of cigarettes.
When they asked if Jack wanted one, he said no at first, but then, after some peer pressure, he took one and started smoking it.
The first time he sucked in the smoke, it made him cough, and his friends laughed at him.
But after that first one, Jack got used to it, and then all the rest was history.
When Jack sat down on a bench, he pulled out his pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket.
“Shit,” he hissed when he realized the pack was empty.
He then remembered he had used the last one in the closet, so instead he just decided to sit on the bench and let the outdoor noises fill his ears.
Maybe his life would be better if he wasn’t alive.
Maybe his mom would be happier if Jack had died along with his dad.
A few hours later, Jack stood up and decided to head home, but first he wanted to stop by the store and grab another pack.
As he was walking, Jack suddenly stopped and looked up. He noticed he was standing in front of a small grocery store.
Without another word, Jack walked into the store and looked around. It was dusty and old-looking inside.
Jack noticed there were spider webs in the corners, and then Jack thought he saw a rat run past his feet.
When he got to the front counter, he noticed no one was there, but Jack noticed there was a silver bell sitting there.
” Hello?!” Jack shouted out loud.
No one answered, so Jack hit the bell, ringing it. He waited. Then an older man appeared from nowhere.
“Welcome to supernatural stuff I’m your wonderful shopkeeper, Mr. Knight. How may I help you, young man? “ The man asked, grinning.
Jack didn’t say anything; he was just looking at the man. He had black and gray hair, and one eye was completely white, and he was wearing all black.
“Um, do you have any cigarettes?” Jack asked nervously.
“Yes, I do,” Mr. Knight replied with a smile.
A few seconds later, Mr. Knight placed a pack of cigarettes in front of Jack, which the young man picked up.
The box was white and gold, and then Jack noticed in bold black letters the word “pleasure” on the front of the box right in the middle.
“Do you like them?” Mr. Knight asked in a mysterious voice.
Jack just nodded. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, ready to pay the man.
” Oh no, young man, they are free of charge. Just think of it as a gift from me to you,” Mr. Knight said, holding up his hands.
” I don’t have to pay you?” Jack asked, confused.
“No you don’t, young man, but I would wait until you get home to use them,” Mr. Knight said.
Jack nodded before looking down to put the cigarettes in his pocket, and when he looked up, Mr. Knight was gone.
“Huh, where did he go?” Jack mumbled under his breath.
But he didn’t think about it and then headed home thinking about what had happened in that store.
When he got home, he heard talking and laughing, and he growled under his breath.
His mom’s friends were over, and they were probably chatting and drinking tea like they always did.
So he headed to his room, where he shut the door behind himself and sat on the edge of his bed.
Jack pulled out the strange cigarettes, looking at them, wondering what Mr. Knight meant by what he said.
Jack opened the pack and pulled out a cigarette. He noticed it looked like a normal one, which confused him.
He lit the cigarette and started smoking with it. When Jack blew the smoke out of his mouth, he noticed it was black.
“Huh?” Jack mumbled.
Jack coughed hard and rolled his eyes, and then started smoking it, and a minute later, he was done.
Jack sighed softly, thinking about going downstairs to see his mom’s friends, but he didn’t want them to smell smoke on him.
Jack then felt tired. He looked up. His brain felt like it was going numb and he looked at the pack that was sitting next to him on the bed.
” I need another one,” Jack said without emotion in his voice.
When Jack blinked, he jumped off his bed, breathing heavily. The box of cigarettes was lying all over the ground.
He placed a hand on his chest and noticed that he felt like a zombie for a short time, which made him feel worried.
Just then, there was a knock on his bedroom door, and Jack gasped before starting to pick up the cigarettes.
“Honey, are you doing ok?” He heard his mom ask him
Jack didn’t say anything after he picked the box and all the cigarettes up. He hid them in his sock drawer before his mom could come in.
Then he opened his bedroom door and smiled weakly at his mom, who stood there looking worried.
“H-hi Mom, are you ok? “Jack asked, smiling again at her.
“I came to ask you if you were ok. Did you calm down?” Miss McCormick asked.
Jack nodded and yawned. He felt tired and then rubbed his eyes, wanting to fall asleep.
“Honey, are you sure you’re doing well? “You look really tired,” Miss McCormick asked, sounding concerned.
“Mom, chill. I’m fine. Maybe I just need to get some shut eye and I’ll feel better in the morning,” Jack explained to his mom.
Without another word, Jack shut his bedroom door and kicked his shoes off, then fell asleep on his bed with his clothes on.
A few hours later, Jack bolted upright and looked around, confused at first, and then he rubbed his eyes.
It was dark in his room and dark outside. He grabbed his phone that was on his nightstand and looked at the time.
It was three in the morning, and Jack was confused, making the phone fall out of his hand.
“I slept for that long?” Jack mumbled under his breath.
Then he thought about going downstairs to eat something or getting a glass of water to wash it down his throat.
He got out of bed and headed downstairs, noticing that his mom was sleeping in her room too.
Jack then got into the kitchen with the small overhead light on and turned on the sink faucet, getting him a glass of water.
“Jackson,” a voice behind him said.
Jack turned around with the glass in his hand. He was expecting to see his mom standing there, but no one was there
Suddenly, Jack heard something breathing heavily behind him, and he felt confused.
“Don’t you want another one?” A voice whispered in his ear.
Jack jumped out of fear and dropped the glass on the ground, which caused it to shatter.
A few seconds later, Jackson heard footsteps, and his mom ran into the room and stopped when she saw the glass all over the floor.
“Jackson McCormick, what on earth did you do?” His mother shouted.
“I don’t know, I was just getting a glass of water and then something whispered into my ear and then I dropped the glass,” Jack explained, looking around.
The next morning, Jack was sitting on the couch. He had an argument with her about the glass, and when he told her what happened, she didn’t believe him.
“What happened last night?” Jack mumbled under his breath while rubbing the back of his neck.
Jack heard his mom talking on the phone, probably with one of her friends, and he sighed quietly.
Then, without another word, he stood up and headed out of the house and headed to his spot in the park.
He took out one of the pleasure cigarettes and examined it, attempting to figure out how it worked.
Jack started trying to break it or unroll it, but he stopped. He had the same feeling wash over him the first time he smoked one of those cigarettes.
“I can’t hurt the product,” Jack said in a dazed voice.
He looked at his hands, and then he stopped messing with the cigarette. He lit the cigarette up, sticking it in his mouth like he always did.
He was smoking, looking at the ground, wondering what had happened to him last night, and he coughed hard again.
Jack stopped when he heard laughter. He looked up and noticed there was a little girl standing in front of him wearing all black.
“Hello Jackie, do you want to play with me?” She asked, grinning at him.
“I just-“ Jack cut himself off and was staring at the girl.
Suddenly, the little girl started laughing. At first, it was cute. Then it started getting darker and more evil.
Then the girl coughed and she threw up black goo and it was coming out of her mouth and nose.
She then lunged at Jack, which caused him to scream in fear, and he fell off the bench and landed on the ground.
The girl was on top of him. Her eyes were completely black now, and the black liquid was running down her face and out of the corners of her mouth.
The black liquid was dripping onto Jack and some landed on his cheek, which caused him to scream in pain because it was hot.
“Only one a day, remember that!” the girl hissed at him.
More black liquid landed on his face and he cried out in fear, telling the girl to stop and to leave him alone, but she just kept laughing darkly.
More black liquid hit Jack’s face, and he cried out in pain; then the little girl giggled, and when Jack opened his eyes, the girl was gone.
Jack immediately jumped up, dusted himself off, and rubbed his cheek. It hurt and he knew it hurt.
Jack then ran home, and when he got into his house, he leaned against the wall, breathing heavily.
Jack hoped his mom was still at work, but she walked into the front hall and she was wearing an apron, which confused Jack.
“Jackson, where did you go?” Miss McCormick looked confused.
Jack didn’t say anything. He noticed there was flour on his mom’s apron, and he tried to cover the burnt part of his cheek.
” Oh my God, what happened to your cheek?” Miss McCormick cried out, running over to her son.
Jack’s mother grabbed Jack by the face and gently touched the burnt area. Jack groaned under his breath and his mom looked worried.
“Mom,” Jack said, looking at her.
Miss McCormick wasn’t listening; she was trying to fix the accident that had happened on Jack’s cheek.
Jack tried to get his mom’s attention, but it didn’t worry her. She was complaining to him about his accident.
“Mom, leave me alone!” Jack shouted, shoving his mother away from him.
“Jackson, what on earth are you doing?’’ Miss McCormick asked.
” What are you doing? I’m not a baby anymore. Stop treating me like one. I’m fine, and I’ve already told you I’m fine!” Jack shouted at her.
Jack headed for the stairs, and his mom followed behind him, talking without stopping.
“Mom, shut up!” Jack yelled at her so loudly it hurt his throat.
Jack then headed to his room and slammed the door before sitting on his bed, and he growled under his breath.
Just then, the door was thrown open, and Miss McCormick was standing there with a glare on her face.
Before Jack could say anything, she walked over to him and grabbed him by the ear, which caused him to cry out in shock.
“We are going to the doctor, you man, and you aren’t going to argue with me or I’m grounding you until your thirdy.” Miss McCormick shouted.
Then she took Jack outside and shoved him into the car, and Jack noticed his mom somehow didn’t have her apron on.
“Please, Mom—” Jack was cut off when his mom glared at him.
And Jack looked away as they were driving. Jack looked out the window, rubbing his burnt cheek. He was trying to think of who that little girl was.
Both McCormicks were in the main doctor’s office area a few minutes later, and Jack rubbed his aching ear.
Then he was called back into the checkup area, and his mom told him she would stay back here and to listen to the doctor.
When he got there, the assistant told Jack to wait in the room until the doctor came, and he nodded.
But right when the lady left, Jack got up and then ran out of the room and silently walked down the hall, hoping no one would see him.
Jack ran down the hall until he found a door open, and he ran into the room. He went into the empty checkup room, and then he shut the door and sat on the checkup bed.
I can’t take this anymore. “I just can’t,” he said, breathing heavily.
He then stuck his hands in his jacket pocket and then stopped, and then he pulled something out of his pocket.
Jack opened his hand and sitting in his palm was a pleasure cigarette.
“How the heck-I didn’t have one in my pocket,” Jack said in a shocked tone.
Jack reached into his other pocket and pulled out a hidden lighter. He knew it was his because it had a basketball picture on the front.
” Do it,” a voice hissed into his ear.
Jack then remembered what that little girl had said: only one a day.
He figured out that it must have meant only one of these strange cigarettes a day.
But Jack felt weary as he looked at the cigarette. His head started hurting and he felt like passing out.
Suddenly, the door opened and Jack looked up and saw a doctor standing there looking at a clipboard, and when she looked up, she saw Jack standing there.
” Who are you?” The lady asked Jack.
He jumped and the cigarette flew out of his hand and then looked at the lady and didn’t know what to say.
” Get her,” a voice hissed into Jack’s ear.
Jack suddenly jumped at the doctor, and she screamed out in fear and shock.
But Jack covered her mouth and grinned at her. A dark grin crossed his face.
” Be quiet, they won’t care if you die,” Jack said in a dazed voice.
Jack took his hand off the lady’s mouth and then headed for her neck, starting to choke her.
“Please let me go, young man,” the lady said, sounding worried.
Just then, the front door busted open, and a few security guards and a different doctor were in the room.
Jack looked up at them and everyone gasped in shock and surprise because Jack’s eyes were completely black.
” Young man, stop this nonsense right now!” The other doctor shouted.
A few minutes later, Jack was back home in his room laying in his bed. He felt sick and that’s what the doctors had told his mom.
Jack had actually thrown up twice, and his mom had made him hot tea to calm down his throat, but it only made him feel worse.
Miss McCormick came into the room to check her son’s temperature, and she was shocked.
“You are burning up I have no clue what is happening with you. Maybe you are getting a virus and that’s why you are acting so strange. “ Miss McCormick explained.
“M-mom, there’s something I need to tell you,” Jack said, sounding weak.
” What is it, honey? Do you feel better?” Miss McCormick asked him.
” I actually-“ Jack stopped and grabbed his head in pain.
He screamed in pain too, and Ms. McCormick gasped and ran over to the side of the bed, telling her son to calm down.
Then Jack calmed down and he actually fell asleep, and his mother kissed him on the forehead and walked away from the room.
Then Jack suddenly woke up and jumped up, heading into the bathroom. He felt like he needed to throw up.
He got to his toilet and then he let it out. When he was done, he wiped his mouth and when he looked down, he gasped
His mess was pure black, like the goo that had come out of the girl’s mouth and then he let it out again.
And then something else came out of his mouth, and Jack looked down into the toilet, and his eyes went wide in shock.
He pulled a tooth out of the toilet bowl, and he stood up. He felt inside his mouth and felt the missing spot where the tooth had come from.
” What the hell?” Jack said, sounding completely terrified.
He went into his room and then noticed his drawer and then opened his sock drawer and the cigarette box was gone.
Jackson looked around and then noticed the cigarette box was on his bed, and he ran over to it, grabbing the box off the bed.
When he looked inside of it, he noticed there was only one left. He was a bit shocked.
Jack then grabbed his lighter and had an idea. He headed downstairs and out of the house.
He didn’t hear his mother shouting his name, and then he stopped at the corner, and then he grabbed the cigarette.
“One more,” he said, grinning darkly.
Jack then lit it and sucked the good stuff from the cigarette, and then when he took it out of his mouth, he laughed loudly.
But it was a dark laugh coming from Jack’s mouth, but he didn’t care. It felt too good to stop anything.
Then he threw down the cigarette and then stomped it out with his bare foot. He didn’t care that it burnt his foot.
Jack just stood there thinking about something, and he shoved the empty pack into his pocket.
“It’s time,” Jack mumbled under his breath.
Jack then noticed a big eighteen-wheeler was heading down the road near to where he was.
And then, without thinking about it, Jack walked into the middle of the road and stood there with his back to the truck.
“Everyone will be happy,” Jack said, feeling better about his life and everything else.
He heard the horn from the truck but didn’t turn around or do anything else Jack just stood there, ready to die.
Then Jack blacked out, and then he felt his mind and feelings slipping away from him. He felt the ground beneath him, and he was probably dead or bleeding.
Jack groaned under his breath, and when he opened his eyes, he was staring at the ceiling and the lights were blinding him.
“He’s awake!” Jack heard someone shout.
When Jack opened his eyes, he saw his mother and two police officers standing there smiling gently at him.
” What’s going on?” Jack asked as he sat up in the hospital bed.
“You’re lucky to be alive, young man. You apparently walked out into the middle of the street and almost got hit by a truck,” one of the police officers said.
” And then the doctors and EMTs found a box of cigarettes on you called pleasure,” Miss McCormick said, sounding concerned.
Jack told everyone in the room what had happened to him while messing with the pleasure cigarettes.
“Well, we actually found out that those cigarettes had an experimental drug in them and you were the first victim of it,” the other cop explained.
A few days later, Jack was out of the hospital, and he was sitting in the living room of his house when he smiled.
Jackson actually quit smoking for the first time, and he actually felt happy, and then he looked over and saw his mom reading a book.
The doorbell rang, and both McCormick’s looked at each other, puzzled.
Jack got up and headed to the front door, and when he opened the door and looked around, no one was at the door.
He then looked down and noticed something on the ground. It was a bottle of wine and he picked it up.
Glamour, the bottle said.
“Jack, who was at the door?” Miss McCormick asked.
The only sound heard was the sound of a wine bottle being opened.