 Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and is intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised. Welcome Weirdos, I'm Darren Marlar and this is Weird Darkness. Here you'll find stories of the paranormal, supernatural, legends, lore, the strange and bizarre, crime, conspiracy, mysterious, macabre, unsolved and unexplained. Coming up in this episode, it's Thriller Thursday. In this episode, I'm sharing a short story by JC Moore entitled Black Meyer from his Dark Intrigues series of horror anthology books. If you're new here, welcome to the show. While you're listening, be sure to check out WeirdDarkness.com for merchandise, to visit sponsors you hear about during the show, sign up for my newsletter and our contests. Connect with me on social media. Plus, you can visit the Hope in the Darkness page if you're struggling with depression or dark thoughts. You can find all of that and more at WeirdDarkness.com. Now, bolt your doors, lock your windows, turn off your lights, and come with me into the Weird Darkness. The wind howled through the park as David and Graham desperately hurled the baseball around. The indigo sky had darkened to an inky blackness and menacing clouds roiled ominously overhead, threatening to unleash a maelstrom of fury. Thunder rumbled in the distance, taunting them. David swept his midnight hair back quickly and yanked his hood up, urging Graham to do the same. Let's go home before your leather glove gets ruined in the rain, David said. The land quivered beneath the loud rumble of thunder and a remorseless deluge poured from the heavens. Graham's voice rose in desperation as he begged his brother, please just a few more throws, I love the rain. David sighed in frustration, realizing this was another battle he couldn't win with his brother. If we get soaked out here, we're dead and meet with mom. Graham's voice carried over the storm as he tossed the ball to his brother. I heard there was a murder here at Devil's Cliff, is it true? It was a long time ago. I don't think it ever really happened though. But what if it did? What if the killer is still out there? David shook his head. Graham, you watched too many horror movies. It's just an urban legend. We should go back home. Without any warning, Graham abruptly ran away. He yelled, look at this, while flailing his arms. David sloshed through the murky puddles, struggling to keep pace with his brother, who was now barreling towards a colossal willow. Graham came to an abrupt halt and gazed at the twisting dark mass slithering underneath the tree. His face filled with horror as he pointed to it, trembling, what is that thing? It looks like it's alive. An eerie rhythm accompanied its sinuous movements, like a sinister pulse beating inside its shadowy form. David hissed sternly, I'm not sure, keep away from it. Graham bent over and carelessly poked the grotesque form with a stick, ignoring his brother's plea. It quickly slithered away from the intrusion. As David reached out to grab Graham, it suddenly shifted and writhed spasmodically, its movements becoming more violent. With a loud bang, the monstrosity tore apart, covering Graham in a deluge of tar-like sludge. Graham screamed in agony, desperately clawing into his skin to remove the infernal sludge. It moved like a living thing, as if it had a will of its own, sinking into his hair and burrowing deep beneath the surface of his skin. It oozed off him with a sickening pulse, slipping silently into his eyes and mouth. The vile liquid choked him as it slid down his throat like an unholy elixir. It burns, he screamed. David stumbled back and screeched, what the hell? Fear froze Graham, his eyes glittering like stars. His throat emitted a tortured scream that echoed in the park. The rain seemed to come down harder than ever, like an omen of impending doom. Come on, David shouted, yanking Graham away before the sticky black sludge could entirely engulf his brother. He made sure not to get any of it on himself as he did. The black sludge on the ground had split into many tendrils and seemed to seek them out with a relentless hunger. It had made its way into every crevice of Graham's body, covering him completely in its viscous tar-like feel. The faceless horde was coming closer. Graham shook off David's grip, fiercely spinning around. His eyes were black as coal and glassy with fear. Go, go, go! David yelled, launching himself towards their bikes. He glanced back at Graham, who was still standing there with a dumbfounded look on his face and his mouth agape. Run, you idiot! He screamed at his brother. They hopped onto their bikes and began racing away from the park. The leaves of the trees behind them seemed to whisper as if they were mocking their escape. Every twig that snapped or every shadow that loomed had them turning around. Sure, they were being followed. Their fear was palpable on the long journey home and they could no longer see the black ooze that had stained Graham's skin moments before. The boys peddled with intense energy. Their tires were whirring like a swarm of angry bees. With fiery determination, they pushed forward on the last stretch, free from the suffocating grasp of the living black ooze. With every spin, they were one step closer to their home. David's bike stopped abruptly in front of the house, its wheels skidding. He leaped off and with a single bounding stride, he was at the screen door. It crashed back as he forced it open and his mother materialized before him from within the shadows of the hallway. Her eyes were simmering fire beneath her stern expression. Her tight lips, ready to unleash a sharp scolding without a single word. Hi, Mom! His mother seemed to look right through him. Her gaze pointed at something unseen behind him. In a tight voice, she asked, Where is Graham? The door groaned open and Graham shambled in, soaked to the bone. His hair hung limp around his face, droplets cascading down his cheeks. His mother gasped and jumped away, the dish towel slipping from her hands. His gaze was blank and his eyes were glassy, a slimy blackness dribbling between his lips. He stood motionless as a moan escaped past his parched lips, the sound of something unspeakable. Graham, are you okay? Graham's eyes were wild with fear and confusion as he lurched forward. I need to skip dinner and shower, he gasped. I'm not feeling well. Graham, why did you go and get soaked? I've talked to you about this before. I'm fine. He abruptly spun away from his mother and stomped down the hall. What happened, David? His mother's voice rose harshly, almost a shout as she bent down to the floor and snatched up the dish towel. We got caught in the rain while playing catch at the park, Mom. It's nothing. The suspicion in her gaze was palpable, even as the shadows of dusk crept in. After some time, she accepted his explanation with a single nod and snarled, you had better be looking out for your brother, no more stepping outside on days like this. Grabbing a comic book from the living room, David climbed the stairs. As he entered his room, he collapsed onto the bed, consumed by thoughts of the strange black ooze he and Graham had spotted in the park earlier. Was it a toxic waste? It seemed almost alive. A few minutes later, his mother's shout snapped him out of his trance. Boys, dinner time, get down here. He made his way down to the kitchen. At the head of the table, his father had already seated himself in his grubby work uniform. The usual smell of toil and sweat hung heavily in the air. Hi, Dad. Hey, how was your day, son? His mother's yell and shattered glass interrupted them abruptly. Where's Graham? He's not out of the shower yet, Dave muttered. His father's expression turned grim, and he pounded the dinner table. I'll go up and get him, he said, through gritted teeth. His father shoved his chair back with a screech, then charged up the stairs. David couldn't move as his mother's icy stair trapped him at the dinner table. Suddenly a loud shriek came from above that was so piercing it seemed to halt time. Help me! was the anguished plea that followed. David bounded up the stairwell, his mother trailing behind with labored breaths that wheezed like a failing bellow. Together they arrived at the top step, wide-eyed and apprehensive. A blood-red pool was oozing from beneath the bathroom door, its crack letting out hellish growls and guttural snarls. Another faint cry of, Help me! was the anguished plea that followed. David bounded up the stairwell, his mother trailing behind with labored breaths that wheezed like a failing bellow. Together they arrived at the top step, wide-eyed and apprehensive. A blood-red pool was oozing from beneath the bathroom door. Its crack letting out hellish growls and guttural snarls. Another faint cry of, It hurts! Help me! David slowly opened the door and his heart stopped as he peeked inside. A chill ran down his spine like an icy finger touching his soul. What he saw horrified him. Graham was bent over. His father was firm in his grasp. Thick blood streams cascaded down as his hands tightened around the man's opened neck. David felt the bile rise in his throat as he noticed the chunks of raw, quivering tissue between his brother's lips. A coating of blood covered his face. Suddenly his eyes fixated on David and his mother. He let out a guttural growl and flew toward them with uncontrollable rage. Terror coursed through David's veins as his mother screeched in fear and Graham clamped down on her face with his powerful jaws. His mother thrashed wildly trying to break free of his unforgiving grip. Graham's pernicious attack ripped away part of her ear, nose and right cheek. With a primal scream David lunged at Graham. His hands ripped into Graham's arms as he threw him to the floor. They fell together with their mother whose mutilated form created a gruesome puddle on the floor. One eye had popped out, causing the remaining eye to jolt in terror as she frantically tried to cover the ghastly gash in her neck. Her body stopped twitching one last time in a few horrifying moments before it succumbed to death. An unnatural force propelled Graham up the wall. He had a nightmarish look on his face as if he was insatiably hungry, screeching like a wild animal. Ropes of black drool slithered from his gaping maw. He moved quickly and fiercely towards David. With a scream, David stumbled down the stairs. No, Graham, stop! Graham skitted on the hardwood floor as David rushed to the front door and grabbed his parents' secret baseball bat. With snarling and bared teeth, Graham attacked him like an angry beast. David hit his brother's skull with the bat, resulting in a loud crunch. The impact made his brother shudder, and David became furious, swinging wildly. David's tears cascaded down his face as he relentlessly pounded his brother's head. The tar-like ooze, reminiscent of the vile creature they had encountered in the park, poured from Graham's wounds like an unholy oil. David's rage vanished, leaving him in a state of sorrow. He crumpled to the floor, his wails racking his body as he wept uncontrollably. His cries were so intense that it felt like he couldn't breathe. The moon's pale light shone through the windows onto his brother's broken body in a pool of crimson. David's hands released the shattered bat. He stood up and rushed towards the door, driven by fear as the black tendrils below him twisted and tried to trap him. The door flew open and a nightmare greeted him. An oily blackness oozed across everything like an insatiable demon consuming all light and life in its wake. He stood motionless and watched the horrifying sight move closer, emanating an eerie silence that invaded his ears. A deep, sinister chortle then rumbled in his head as the encroaching darkness wrapped around him, dragging him down into a world of nothingness. Thanks for listening. If you like the show, please share it with someone you know who loves the paranormal or strange stories, true crime, monsters or unsolved mysteries like you do. You can email me anytime with your questions or comments at darren at weirddarkness.com. Darren is D-A-R-R-E-N. Weirddarkness.com is also where you can find information on any of the sponsors you heard about during the show. Find all of my social media, listen to audiobooks I've narrated, sign up for the email newsletter, find other podcasts that I host, including Church of the Undead and a retro-style science fiction podcast called Auditory Anthology. You can visit the store for Weirddarkness merchandise and more. Weirddarkness.com is also where you can find The Hope in the Darkness page if you or someone you know is struggling with depression or dark thoughts. Also on the website, if you have a true paranormal or creepy tale to tell of your own, you can click on Tell Your Story. You can find all of that and more at Weirddarkness.com. All stories on Thriller Thursday episodes are works of fiction and you can find links to the stories of the authors in the show notes. Black Meyer was written by J. C. Moore from the book Sourd, a collection of short stories Dark Intrigue's Book One. Again, I have a link to it in the episode description. Weirddarkness is a registered trademark. Copyright Weirddarkness. And now that we're coming out of the dark, I'll leave you with a little light. Proverbs 12, verse 25. Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up. And a final thought. Character may be manifested in the great moments, but it is made in the small ones. Philip Sprooks. I'm Darren Marlar. Thanks for joining me in the Weirddarkness.