My Family

Let's talk about my family.

They're not actually my family. My actual family disowned me. They weren't to keen on my ability to see the past in my dreams... Considered me a freak.

Probably didn't help that my first dream ended up unearthing a secret my mom had been hiding from my father about the day before their wedding.

Anyway so they kicked me out of the house at the age of 17. I immediately knew where to go though. I'd had a dream before about a group of people. All of them outcasts, hiding from the ones they used to love and the world. At the time I hadn't had any dreams yet about The Darkness so, didn't know why they all ran away from their families and friends, I just knew that they seemed like people who would take me in.

I spent some time finding my way to them, but I eventually made it to their base. They let me in, but seemed really confused. Apparently everyone else who comes to them is contacted first and invited. The fact I found out about them on my own and didn't know what they were talking about when they made references to The Darkness worried them. They initially thought I worked for The Darkness. They kept a careful watch on me at all times. It was while I was staying with them that I had my first dream about The Darkness.

In the dream I saw a creature. It appeared to be a human at first glance with an emotionless face, but it's face kept changing, morphing rapidly through different faces. Faces from other dreams. Faces I had seen die in other dreams. The more I looked the more I noticed, until I saw it. Invisible wires of flesh were wrapped around the creature connecting it to the monster. Emerging from it's back was a monster made of meat and flesh. It was featureless and embraced the human form it was connected to. White angel wings of molded bone extended from it's back and dripped blood in a trail behind it. As I watched it's featureless face began to change, gore dripping from it until two eyeholes appeared which stared into my mind. It's face began to tear open forming a mouth that shaped itself into a mutilated grin. The human form turned to face me too and the emotionless faces it wore before were replaced with the same faces, but screaming in terror and agony. The human form's head exploded then with the sound of a gunshot and it fell over. The monster left the corpse behind as it vanished.

That was the end of that dream. I told my family about it and about my dreams in general. It was through them I learned all about the darkness and as I told them about the other dreams I had, I learned that my dreams were not only of past events, but occasionally of other universes. They told me that those who dealt with The Darkness occasionally found strange references and inconsistencies in otherwise completely verifiable accounts of The Darkness. It was eventually decided that these accounts must be from other universes. Likewise some of my dreams, like those about an Earth devoid of life, likely come from another universe. The idea that such a place like the ones from my dreams actually exist is a little depressing considering some of the scenarios I've seen in my dreams.

I stayed there for some time with my new family. Until I had my first run in with The Darkness in the waking world. Before I talk about that though let me talk about my family as I was supposed to be doing this entire time. Oops... Anyway. As I learned more about The Darkness I also learned more about my family. They call themselves The Ordeal. They fight against The Darkness. Mostly via information. They work to inform others about the monsters that make up The Darkness. They also seek out those targeted by The Darkness and invite them to join them giving strength in numbers and community. Those chosen are of course allowed to refuse and if they do The Ordeal still offer them any help they can, usually in the form of money, food, information on The Darkness or information about known safe places and dangerous places.

They told me that they used to be a much less effective force. They were once known by a different name and opposed only a small portion of The Darkness. The creature I saw in my dream. Apparently back then they were unwitting pawns of The Darkness. Created to be a source of amusement. Something harmless to oppose it so it could enjoy a slight challenge to it's complete domination. That changed with their second leader. He led them for all of a month, learning and then teaching them about the other Creatures in The Darkness. He made sure they were prepared to face all the creatures and then he exposed the lie of what they truly were. After that he simply left and disappeared. Most people believe he was killed shortly after by the creature, which they refer to as The Archangel, but no one really knows where he went. They left then. Left the old compound, left their old name and left their old goals. They reformed into The Ordeal and dedicated themselves to helping others, which they say is the best way to oppose The Darkness.

I found them in their new base of operations, which is not the one we're in currently. It was a simple abandoned building. They used it without permission as opposed to actually owning the one they're in now. It was while I lived with them there that I had my first run in with The Darkness.

I was asleep, having a dream, when I was awoken by a sound. Something gently tapping on the window. I woke and turned to look at the window. There was a white, faceless figure staring in the window. It was just a blank, smooth face devoid of any features. Gunfire began to erupt from somewhere else in the building and then the window exploded. Shards of glass and pieces of cement launched into the room followed quickly by thick black branch like tendrils that immediately moved towards me. I screamed and an Ordeal member burst into the room, a gun in one hand and a spherical device, similar in appearance to a grenade in the other. He tossed the device just as I felt the branches begin to grab hold of me and then there was a flash of light and the branches recoiled from me. The Faceless creature withdrew as well and the member grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the bed, seconds before more branches fired in impaling the bed and dragging it out the window.

The Ordeal member, who's name was Theo, and I fled the room and headed to the stairwell. He informed me that the building was  being attacked by The Darkness, specifically a creature called The Slender Man and an army of it's servants called Proxies. The Ordeal was abandoning base. Luckily they had a contingency plan in place. The Ordeal was split into several groups each one going to a different back up safe house. When one group managed to establish a new permanent group they would contact the rest and they'd regroup at the new base.

Just like that The Ordeal fought it's way out of the building and fled into the night. Undoubtedly some groups didn't make it out or were taken out later, but The Ordeal survived the attack and so did I. I stayed with Theo's group in a makeshift safe house I'm not allowed to disclose any information about.

The search for a new permanent safe house was slow going and most of the time was spent looking and hoping we'd be contacted soon with a new place. It was during this time someone came forth with the idea that now defines my role in The Ordeal. By now the Ordeal didn't necessarily trust me, but they believed me about the dreams and so I was taken to meet another group called The Archive.

The Archive were one of the few other groups that knew about The Darkness. The Ordeal tended to have little involvement with them because, and I was only told this after meeting them, they sort of worship one of the creatures that make up The Darkness. Specifically one called The Blind Man, or The Grandfather by the Archive. The Archive are however apparently not hostile to those who fight against The Darkness and are very interested in knowledge. This was why I was brought to meet them.

The Archive were told about my ability and through some tests I didn't understand apparently confirmed my ability to be genuine and that I could see the past of both this and other universes as theorized. I don't know how they figured this, but they seemed to be sure so, whatever. The Ordeal and The Archive made a deal. I'd tell them about the events I witnessed in my dreams and in return they would provide financing for The Ordeal.

It was through this deal that we managed to buy and modify our current home. Theo made contact with the rest of the groups and The Ordeal regrouped and resettled in our new home.

Next up my friends...