This is my very first entry into Tell A Story To Me held within the 
Despite the title of this story, it isn't that gruesome. Some mild violence, that's all.
I do hope you enjoy this one. 8-)
Terrors from the Subconscious
Trembling, Wulþuz was unable to fight the urge to hold up his cellphone to his ear. He pressed the phone's plastic against his sweat-drenched ear, which made a squishing sound. He wanted to hear his son's voice. Instead, what emanated from the receiver was akin to an animal devouring its food and a blender turned on at full-blast.
He feared the worst.
Coming through the phone, a black tongue licked at the sweat that had pooled in his ear from the long sprint down the cities sidewalk toward the cave, even tickling the tips of his ear hairs.
Jerking, he flung the phone from his hand, following up with sticking his finger into his ear like a jackhammer to concrete.
Before the phone crashed against a steel pole holding up a stop sign, a sound wave came out of the receiver, sending him flying backward in the air.
He cradled the glass jar wrapped in a protective leather case with his hands, pressing it up against his stomach as he landed on his back, bounced a few times, and skidded to a halt. The air within him escaped his lungs like a dam breaking through small holes. He wheezed trying to find his breath. Then he coughed, finding his breath once more.
After checking to see what he carried was unbroken, he rolled over, pushed himself up to his knees, and took a breath, taking note of the dusty morning air coaxing his lungs. The back of his tongue stuck to the rough of his dry mouth.
The smell of fresh bread being baked lingered its way into his nostrils, turning his head like Little Bo-Peep guiding her sheep to a dim light that shown in a baker's shop. Catching sight of the baker, he watched as the shadow ripped the man apart, blood splattering on the window. A veal of thick red fluid darkened the only electric light on at this hour. Then, the light went out completely.
Wulþuz knew the shadow would rake the moon into its depth, into its abysmal center, into its eternal darkness if only it could extend that far.
Pressing himself up by the knees, he began at a slow hobble, picking up speed every couple of feet until he was running. Hollow's Ground was another 5 miles out. He needed to reach the cave in the middle of the city before his son would be lost to him.
"Stop running," said a voice that came from behind him.
The words only made Wulþuz sprint harder.
"I gave you what you wanted; I took what I wanted. Our trade is final; there is no return policy." The voice, distant yet close, unreal yet terrifying, boomed from behind him. Until then, he hadn't noticed his bare, broken, torn bits of flesh exposed to the elements through a torn shirt. He briefly cringed as the air stuck his open wounds like porcupine needle being used for surgery by the Joker.
Up ahead, a truck pulled out, coming to a halt when it spotted Wulþuz. The man, who had eyes that shined a deep blue, flung his door open, got out with a crowbar, and came full force at him.
Wulþuz ducked below the swing, countering with an uppercut to the jaw that sent the man flying back several feet and knocking him unconscious.
Wulþuz jumped into the truck, stuck it into gear, and peeled out down the street. The signal lights started jumping around in a rapid motion from a bright yellow to a dim green, to emphasizing the color red, starting the process over when it finished.
The shadow twisted itself within the cushions of the truck's passenger seat, mangling the thread that held it together. The shadow hissed like a viper after having repeatedly struck at the glass it was encased in.
Wulþuz kissed the emblem around his neck, a gift from his dying son, the protection that would get him through, a remembrance of the light within.
"Fine. Come into my lair."
Wulþuz's eyes relaxed a little and so did his speed. He felt a coaxing coldness deep within him stir. It was the darkness creeping in saying that it will be there to protect him, there to comfort him, there to con... -
"NO!" he shrieked, reinforcing his will. His eyes regained intensity as he pressed down on the gas, nearly avoiding trash cans and the homeless who slept behind them.
A man who had deep blue glowing eyes stepped out from behind a building with a gun, fired a few shots, and hit the cab's window a couple of feet away from Wulþuz head.
He reminded himself that love and hate are two poles of the same thing; they only differ in degree. The opposite of fear is courage, two poles of the same thing differing only in degree.
The day's light began to brighten as he broke through the barriers that closed off the entrance to Hollow's Ground. The shadow's power weakened starting at this hour.
He drove 100 miles down into the hollow earth straight to the entrance where the dark elves were found. There were none more sinister than them who could control the shadow for long periods of time.
Arriving at the door, he saw his son's body laid out on a concrete slab outside of the door. A dark elf strolls out from behind the door to meet him.
"You didn't think I'd find it?" Wulþuz asked.
The dark elf sneared. "For every effect, there is a cause. Our kind will not forget. You'll always belong to us, as well as your offspring, as well as their offspring, ad infinitum. No one gets out." The dark elf's voice was weak and weary from controlling the shadow for the last few hours.
"True, but I don't have to live by your rules." Wulþuz takes the glass jar wrapped in leather and smashes it against the boy's concrete bed. A bright white light immediately fills the room, allowing him to see for miles around. He saw that he was on a round ledge with one large door blocking his way to the many other ledges bridged together by stone, dirt, and the roots of trees.
The dark elf vanished.
The father picked up his son, carried him to the truck, set him down, got behind the wheel, and headed back to the surface where the light of the sun is ever-present.
THE END
I think it works better if I write the story early and not wait until the last minute as that tends to put to much pressure me. I also had to focus on one story and not get distracted with the other things I think I should be doing.
Because I'm no longer calling myself white nor causation, due to not being from that region of the world and recognizing that my ancestory is Nordic, I thought this to be a perfect time to write a fiction story about the dark elves that live beneath the earth.
Upvote my posts through steem auto and add the other people and groups you would like to support.
Support me and others through steembasicincome shares. (This also helps you because you will also get a share for sponsoring somebody.)
Affiliation links
A project with me and the bananafish knights is yours to quest in.
[created by @ brisby]
Ongoing Contests
twenty-four-hour short story - You gotta be quick to get this one posted in time. He posts the contest on Sunday (usually) and ends it about 48 hours later. This contest has a 2000 word limit.
Finish the Story Contest - The contest begins on Wednesday (usually) and ends 5 days later. This contest will test your write skills with something a little different each week. Plenty of time to write something around the 500 word mark.
Steem Monsters Common Card Fantasy Story Contest! - Coming out roughly every week. If you enjoy card games like Magic, Yugio, and others like it, you might like this game. Write a fictional tale about the card they present in the contest and your entry just might be the one they choose to showcase.
Tell A Story To Me, And Win 5 SBD! Writing Contest - Kind of random when it comes out but don't worry. You will have two weeks to complete your work of art from the given prompt. Have fun!
Haiku - These are coming out every couple days or so. If you struggle with rhymes, no worries. Haikus don't have to rhyme. All you need to make a haiku is five syllables on the first, seven syllables in the second line, and again back to five syllables for the last line. So easy it makes me think I'm being super productive. LOL
Mizu No Oto - Every Image Has Its Haiku Contest - By reading the title, you should be able to guess how this haiku contest works. You're given an image and you write. I've really enjoyed this contest because there are people here who've actually gone to classes to learn how to write haiku's; so if you want, you also can learn how to write quality haikus from reading the comments and critiques they and others give.
Micro-Fiction Writing Contest - This is a fun challenge. You get two-hundred and fifty words to tell a story or vignettes. Here is a great post that will explain the difference between the two concepts. Here is another post explanation of what a story is. Good luck, Brave Story Writer!
Vocab-Ability 1x1 - What happens is you are given a list of roots and the words they can be found in. You create a sentence using those words and post in the comment section of the post. Your upvote for your creative work will come soon. One of the best ways to increase your vocabulary is by doing these 10-15 minute exercises almost daily. What craziness will you create?
