How Darkness Lies: Book 3 : The Darkness Series

For

My crazy cousins and their crazy spouses

You are so my family

Justin, Jody, Tabitha, Mark, and Michael

‘til we drink again!

Introduction

When putting this series together I revisited my old poems and lyrics as that was how I always started my short stories, with one of them. But that particular writing skill has been in hiatus for quite a while now. So to open up that chapter of my writing has been a thrill for me personally. Oh, they are very dark alright. And no guessing required to realize most were written at a low point in my life (some back as far as 2005 and before I met my Vickie) but … everything is for a reason and now they bring me joy and I see the hope and the want to heal, as the black humor within. I did write one new poem especially for this book and will let you guess which one.

This book # 3 of the series has 2 sequels to previous stories I wrote many, many full moons ago - ‘Devil’s daughter’ is a sequel to - ‘Shattered Mirrors’ (originally titled - Broken) and both are in this book so the original story will be fresh in your mind (hopefully). The other is ‘Under a Black Sun 2’ from the story ‘Black Sun’ in Book 2 and is very different from the first story but very familiar.

So welcome to Book # 3 of – The DARKNESS Series

How DARKNESS Lies

I hope you are still enjoying this series and there will be more added to this series at a later date.

Please review from the place of purchase and tell all your friends, social media, or simply down the pub drinking or having a meal, if you liked what you read (or most) as that is the best form of publicity – word of mouth.

‘til we meet again with the lights out and beware! As the DARKNESS awaits when you’re not looking and will invade your nightmares!

Jonny

*

Contents

Dedication

Introduction

Other books

About the author

1 - Trolley Man

2 - Shattered Mirrors

3 - The Dog Whisperer

4 - Under a Black Sun 2

5 - Devil’s Daughter

Poetry & Lyrics

1 – Alcohol and Razor Blades

2 - Broken Toy or Broken Heart

4 - Talk to Me

5 - Black

6 - Going Down

7 - Little Hell

All new and revised stories, lyrics & poetry  Copyright 2019 Newell

How

Darkness

Lies

Darkness Awakes

The series – Book 3

Jonny Newell

 Copyright 2019 Newell

Published by Jonny Newell at Smashwords

Alcohol and Razor Blades

Lesson to be learnt when you’re lying on the floor

Tears won’t go back in time or open up new doors

Consequences gone are where you tripped and fell

Get used to this aftermath and we like to call it hell

If only you could rectify all that was very wrong

But now it’s all too late and so sing it in this song

Alcohol and razor blades

Don’t go hand in hand

Alcohol and razor blades

Can cut you where you stand

Pain has no feeling when you’ve drunken up your scorn

Not satisfied until you’re tattered, ripped and torn

Revenge is sweet they say, until you wake alone

Good luck Prince Valium you’ve given up the throne

If only we could rectify all that we see is wrong

But now it’s all too late and it’s here in this song

Alcohol and razor blades

Don’t go hand in hand

Alcohol and razor blades

Can cut the strongest plans

Damage lies deep within these tears take time to heel

Bitterness and loneliness remind you of the kill

Sorry is the word but you know it’s all too late

Only your better side can see the price of fate

If only we could rectify all that we know is wrong

But surely it’s not too late to write another song

Alcohol and razor blades

Don’t go hand in hand

Alcohol and razor blades

Can cut the biggest man

~

 Copyright 2019 Newell

Story 1

Trolley Man

Introduction

Real heroes come in all shapes and sizes, which we have seen so many times on television reports and current affairs shows, such as - 60 minutes. The ‘good will’ stories that make us tear up and sit in our lounge rooms with a glimpse of hope that the world is still worth living in. But for Wild Billy Hiccup, a homeless man who’d never watched TV in 20 years it would become something completely different. His world was about to be changed forever for good … and bad.

*

A good day

The streets were Wild Billy’s home; he had friends too! Oh, the looks and comments from passer-bys never really bothered him as he got over that years ago, just as bathing. Winters were always hard but he did know on really cold nights there was always the shelter if needed but being a burden meant you suffered for the most. He stopped drinking years ago too, he had to when his friend Scragger, died from alcoholic poisoning from his increasing mix of too much metho with the orange. So life was normal for him anyway, he had friends and now he even had a scruffy dog he named – Minge.

Minge just turned up one day, staring at him, and the leftover scraps that he was eating. Billy Hiccup shooed him away but the dog refused to leave and kept coming back to simply stare at him and what he was eating.

Bugger off you ugly mutt! Billy tried to get rid of him but he ended up giving into the hungry dog that wouldn’t go away and shared the little of what was left of his food. Shit, you are one ugly looking bugger, like me. The dog only had one good eye as the other was blind and fully white. He was all out of proportion too! His legs were way too long for his stumpy body and what color was he? Billy couldn’t exactly tell from the baked on dirt and the mange on his lower back that had removed a lot of hair. I suppose I need to give you a name, don’t I? Billy patted the dog who now had circled and sat beside him. I gonna call you … Minge! The dog looked up, laid down and then dropped his head on his paws and closed his eyes. Old Sally walked by dragging her tattered granny pusher full of a good day’s collectives.

You got a dog now? She stopped, turned and squinted leaning over at Minge, before stating, Not much of a dog, is he? Wild Billy smiled and answered,

He wouldn’t go away, so I’m gonna keep him.

Has he gotta name? Old Sally’s face was still screwed up and revealing her gums.

Yeh, I called him Minge … seemed right. Billy nodded at his decision-making skills.

Minge! More like shit if you ask me. Yeh, I’m calling him … Shit, coz he looks just like a piece of shit! See ya, Wild Billy. Sally waved and continued her old lady pace to her cardboard quarters in Florence Street.

Wild Billy leaned against the bricks at the back of Wintersville Imperial and looked out into the street and couldn’t believe his eyes, for today, was definitely his lucky day! Not only had he adopted a dog but there she was gleaming in the sunlight.

‘Out here? I don’t believe it!’ Billy thought to himself and questioned as there were no shopping centers around here for miles. She was shiny and new and someone had left her there and now she would be his – the shopping trolley! Wild Billy ran to it as Minge awoke and was by his new master’s side. He stood in the sunlight with one hand on the handle and his other rummaging his overgrown beard. He turned it this way and that and the wheels were beauties, he thought. He looked at the trolley then at his dog, scratched his overgrown nit-ridden head and shrugged his shoulders. So like a king, he pushed her back to his area and checked her out properly. If only he could read then he could’ve known which supermarket chain it had come from, but being a red plastic flap he believed it was a Coles one; he was pretty sure!

Wild Billy Hiccup, Minge and the trolley set off on their very first treasure hunt. The day was sunny and the world was wonderful. Their first stop was a usual one at the bin of Everson’s Lawyers; you were guaranteed a decent lunch at the very least! The only time this stop became an issue was when Rotten Rodney found out about Billy’s little lunchtime pick up and beat him there. The two bums were moved on by the police for fighting and the lawyers wouldn’t have a bar of it! So all scavenging was banned and they padlocked it daily. Billy took a chance a year ago and the locks were back off. He kept quiet about it and it became his. Not once had they ever stopped him on his lunchtime hunt after that. Rodney died that winter, oh well life goes on.

Billy climbed the small dumpster and got inside and today was turning out so good, half a coffee in a travel mug, one whole sandwich still in the plastic molded case (it was a little wet but a bit of water never affected the flavor), half a hot dog and two half-eaten black bananas. He sat in there in the heat and started eating but Minge had started whimpering,

Bugger, bloody dog! He scrunched up his face stood up and threw over the remains of the hot dog, instantly Minge silenced as he spoke to himself, Good! He resumed his lunch which was more than satisfying for his hunger pains. After lunch, he rummaged through the dumpster to see if there was anything worth finding. And there they were amongst what he assumed was the remains of an office party. There were streamers, confetti but what he found was what he always had wanted, ever since being a young kid. But being always poor you accepted wishes never came true and stayed as wishes. But today he owned it - a black mask and a purple plastic cape. And finally, after 45 years of life, Wild Billy Hiccup could be - Batman. He scrummaged through the party stuff and found some purple and white streamers so grabbed them. He was climbing out the bin with the mask and cape on when he heard the laughter, he paused and looked. And it was lady lawyer having a smoke break.

Well, there’s something you don’t see every day. The blonde lady was bent over chuckling as Billy climbed fully out and jumped to the ground, legs spread hands on hip. She asked,

So what’s your name superhero? A name? Shit, he didn’t have a superhero name as Minge stood up beside him, just as he grabbed his trolley with both hands after placing his streamers inside it. She asked again, Seriously, all superheroes have a name … so what’s yours? The lady was genuinely interested so he looked down at the dog and then at his trolley and it hit him like a sixer. He had a sidekick and a new vehicle just like Batman did from all those comics he attempted to read when he was a boy when the pictures told him the story and being his only words. He answered,

My name is … Trolley Man! The lady lost it again as she stamped out her cigarette with her stiletto shoe.

Well Trolley Man, I see you have a trusty companion, does he have a name too? Billy thought hard,

Yes, his name is - The Mighty Minge. He patted his brand new friend and he could tell the lady thought he was the ugliest dog she’d ever laid eyes on as she controlled her laughter. Before she left to return to work she stopped and asked one more question,

So Trolley Man and - The Mighty Minge, are you good or evil? With hesitation, Billy answered,

Superheroes are always good! She smiled and simply nodded and added,

Of course they are. Well, best of luck to you and your conquests. She waved farewell and was shaking her head in disbelief and what she had just witnessed, then she was gone.

Billy stood there wondering now. Wondering why this day had become the one to be his life-changer? Conquests, he had never even thought of that but as a hobo living amongst the elements of nothing, something was finally here. He still didn’t understand yet, so he took off his outfit and resumed his day as simple Wild Billy Hiccup to keep his secret identity safe.

His well-known Monica - ‘Wild Bill’ had come way before the ‘Hiccup’ one was tagged behind, from being an on-the-rise fighter back in his youth – ‘Wild Bill Huccip - the Irish Whirlwind’. Boxing was his love and was definitely being chosen as his budding successful career undefeated, until he broke his wrist drunk, during a bar fight, So intoxicated that he fell over, hitting the bricked courtyard hard (too many beers to feel it) before his bar opponent who wasn’t as smashed, crushed his right wrist breaking it in four places; his career was over! And that was when his last name was soon known as Hiccup, as it was his big hiccup in life. The name stuck and he had no choice in the matter. An uneducated broken boxer wasn’t the best way to start adult life and so he headed towards the road of life, alone and broken to end up in the paths of now. His temper never helped either and various labor jobs came and went, before he ended up on the streets alone, 20 odd years ago (not that he could be sure, time meant nothing). But whinging about life choices and shitty cards dealt doesn’t change a thing. Billy accepted that when life beats you down with the temper of time, it takes yours and flogs it to the point, where the angriness that you carried on your shoulders for years, disappears into the abyss.

Billy grabbed his trolley and started pushing it towards their next designated stop, Ollie’s Barber Shop. But he couldn’t focus on anything but what the lady had placed within his mind – conquests!

*

Dream about it

Wild Billy couldn’t sleep that night, yet he dreamed and dreamed. Unusual dreams too! One was of him being rich with Minge by his side and looking a million dollars, all clean with a glass bionic eye replacing his blind one. They were standing looking out over the city from a highrise. Then he could see a lone gunman aiming his rifle at the people down below and then like magic he himself, was dressed at Trolley Man but his suit was like that armor one of the new Batman movie posters he saw outside his Hoyts regular bin stop. The windows opened automatically as the wind gust in and within seconds he was flying like Superman with The Mighty Minge flying beside him, wearing a mask as well. That was where he awoke to the dog scratching his fleas. Billy questioned himself as to what this all meant. He sat up and leaned against his wall thinking. Destiny had chosen him, he knew that and accepted it. For tomorrow would be a brand new day. The day of reckoning for the world (or the city at least) was about to become a little safer as Trolley Man and The Mighty Minge would be on the job!

*

Pink rewards

Billy decided a green garbage bag over his smelly clothes helped keep his identity safe, so he poked holes for his arms to go through, then tied his purple cape around his neck and spread it out; it felt hot but good! He placed his mask on and felt strong. He looked down at Minge and wondered if there was anything he could do for him so he tied a purple streamer around his neck as the dog sat down and scratched it straight off.

Shit, Minge you’re a bastard, aren’t ya? Trolley Man shook his head and smiled, shrugged his shoulders, Oh well that was pointless! Just then Old Sally was plonking on out for daily collection and saw them and pulled up to halt,

Going to a fancy dress Billy? cracking up and added, Who are you supposed to be … Captain Garbage Bag? Billy’s eyes bugged and he shushed her.

Sal, he summoned her over to come close so he could whisper, Destiny’s calling me to do good. I’m Trolley Man now … you have to keep it secret, promise, no one is to know! Sally laughed and showed her toothless gums again.

Secrets safe with me … Trolley Man … but Shit’s a dead giveaway isn’t he! He looked down at the mutt and nodded, frowning. Old Sally reached into her 2-wheeled shopping trolley and pulled out a can of bright pink spray on hair color. Didn’t have the faintest what I was gonna do with this! She handed it to the new superhero as his bemused look told her he had no bloody idea why she gave him a can of paint. It washes out with water … spray him, it’s safe, won’t hurt the shit. He looked at her and she stopped smiling, so she took it back, Seriously Wild Billy … I mean Trolley Man … spray Shit! Sally took control and sprayed the dog’s coat and it went a patchy bright pink as Minge complained and shuffled. There you go Shit. Billy smiled as his offsider looked a million dollars all hot pink and blotchy in his new secret identity.

Wow! Trolley Man smiled at Old Sally as she handed him the can. Sally spied his new trolley with its purple and white streamers threaded through the wiring complete with tassels.

Nice trolley Billy … I mean Trolley Man. Sally then limped back to her own and waved farewell off to do her collecting, before yelling, Have a great day Trolley Man and Super Shit!

Their first day was about to begin and apprehension was beginning to enter the bum’s mind.

‘Bugger it!’ Wild Bill thought as he grabbed his new decorated trolley and headed towards Main Street Central. Minge just sat there panting until Billy stopped and called him and the painted dog was up on his gangly legs, walking alongside him.

It was the looks they both got from every which way that surprised him the most. He could feel them being eye-balled by everyone. But the eyes that were upon them weren’t frowning or grimacing but smiling, and this was a first. Kids were pointing at them and seemed genuinely excited at seeing a real superhero in the flesh. It was time for his first conquest so he saw a little old lady (much older than Sally) at the zebra crossing. No cars even acknowledged her as she waited and waited for a break in the very busy South Central Road traffic that was never coming. He patted his companion and announced, "Here we go, Mighty Minge, time to step