Inky Black

 

Inky Black is a character my dad created to keep me and my sister in line as kids. With a solemn expression he’d warn us that if we didn’t do as we were told, Inky Black would get us. 

If we stayed up past bedtime, Inky Black would be angry. If we forgot to do our homework, guess who’d be paying us a visit later that night?  

To be fair to Dad, it worked. We obediently followed his demands lest we be captured by the creature of the night.  

With my mum no longer in the picture, the three of us lived in a small two-bedroom house on the outskirts of town. It wasn’t a luxurious home by any means, but it was home, nonetheless. The only thing I didn’t like about our living situation was that we backed onto the woods.  

“It’s where Inky Black lives.” Dad had told us. “So never go in there past dark, especially on your own, otherwise he might gobble you up!”  

But I already knew that. Because I'd seen him. Several times. 

The first time occurred late one night; I woke from a disturbed sleep with a wicked thirst. I grabbed the glass from my bedside table and filled it up under the bathroom sink. As I groggily trudged back into the bedroom, something compelled me to look out the window.   

There, hidden amongst the tall, dark trees, I saw a figure. As black as the night, it was hard to make out, but the glowing white eyes and ravenous smile were impossible to deny. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, wondering if I was still dreaming. When I looked again, the thing was gone. 

The second sighting was also at night. Again, I’d woken up, only this time for a snack. I made my way down to the kitchen to raid the fridge, but stopped dead in my tracks when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the same shadowy figure peering in at me through the kitchen window. I pretended not to notice and scurried back up the stairs. 

“Dad,” I whispered, shaking him a little. “Dad, wake up!” 

“What is it, kiddo?” he murmured.  

“I saw him! I saw Inky Black!” 

I expected him to jump into action, arming himself with any object that could double as a weapon. Instead, Dad pulled back the duvet and motioned for me to get into bed next to him. I cuddled up to him, still shaking from the horrible sight of the thing at the window. 

Every time Inky Black paid me a visit it was dark out, and every time he was outside the house, seemingly looking for a way in.  

“You must have been naughty!” Dad teased me when I told him. “Is there something you’re not telling me?” 

“I haven’t done anything!” I exclaimed. It was weird to me how reluctant Dad was to believe me, seeing as he was the one who had told me about Inky Black in the first place. 

I decided to keep it a secret from Willow. After all, she was only eight. Two years her senior, I felt it was my duty to protect her from the truth. Protect her from ever finding out that things really did go bump in the night.  

One evening, the phone rang. It was Aunt Sarah calling to inform us she was going into labour. She and her boyfriend didn’t drive, so they had no way of getting to the hospital. To make matters worse, no ambulances were available; a common occurrence in our tiny, underfunded town.  

“Kids,” Dad said to us, as he raced around the living room in search of his car keys. “I need you to listen to me really carefully, okay?” 

“Okay.” we said. 

“I have to take Aunt Sarah to hospital, and it’s too late for me to call a babysitter. I won’t be long. I’m just going to pick her and Uncle Barry up, drop them off, and come straight home. I’ll only be gone for an hour, tops.” 

Willow and I shot each other a look. 

“Can’t we come with?” I pleaded, knowing what lurked outside in the darkness. 

Dad stopped his search and bent down to our level, looking directly at me. 

“No, honey. I’m sorry. There isn’t enough room in the car.”  

I hung my head, feeling sick with nerves. 

“Hey. Look at me, Abbie.” He said, lifting my chin. He smiled. “I won’t be long, I promise. I’ll be back before you know it.” 

“Ok, Daddy.” I said, in a small voice. 

“There’s my girl.” he said. “Look after each other, okay? And don’t open the door for any strangers.” 

“Or else Inky Black will get us!” Willow yelled. 

Dad chuckled.  

“That’s right.” He said. He looked back at me. “You’ll be fine, I swear. Ah, there they are.” 

He snatched his keys from the sofa cushion and blew us a kiss before running out the door. 

Willow and I stood in silence for a few seconds. 

“So, what do you want to do?” I asked her. 

“Can we watch Frozen?” 

I rolled my eyes. 

“We watched it yesterday!” I moaned. 

“Well, what do you want to do, then?” 

“Maybe we should just get ready for bed.” 

“No!” screamed Willow, jumping up and down on the sofa. “We’re home alone! Let’s do something fun!” 

She threw a pillow at me, and I giggled, throwing it back at her.  

“Okay fine. How about a game?” 

“Ooh,” she squealed. “Can it be Hide and Seek?” 

I quickly covered my eyes with my hands and began counting as fast as I could. 

Willow laughed as she scampered off in search of a place to hide. She was too young to know that the sound of her footsteps always gave her away. I listened carefully to the pitter patter of her feet as they skipped up the stairs, down the hall, and into our bedroom.  

I bet she’s hiding under her bed, I thought to myself. 

“Ready or not, here I come!” I shouted when I reached one hundred. 

I feigned ignorance, searching every room I knew she wasn’t in. 

“Are you in here?” I yelled as I searched the bathroom. 

I heard a small giggle from down the hall. 

“No, not in here. You must be in Dad’s room.”  

I looked in Dad’s wardrobe and behind his door. 

“Hmm... that only leaves our room, then.” 

I crept towards Willow’s bed, trying not to make a sound. I suppressed a laugh when I spotted her shadow. I crouched down on my knees, ready to catch her.  

“GOTCHA!” I yelled, peeking underneath the bed. 

Two glowing eyes stared back at me. 

I screamed, falling backwards.  

It wasn’t my sister. It was Inky Black. 

He raised a bony finger to his chapped lips and shushed me. The same girly giggle I'd thought was Willow’s escaped his mouth. 

I screamed again, scrambling backwards on my hands and feet. Willow jumped out from the cupboard in the hallway. 

“What’s wrong?” she asked.  

Inky Black clawed his way out from under the bed, his smile not faltering for a second. 

Willow shrieked and began to wail. I jumped up from the floor and rushed over to her, pulling her into my arms.  

The creature stood up, his lanky body unfolding until completely upright. He towered over us, cackling loudly. 

Taking hold of Willow’s hand, we fled the house, rushing over to our neighbour's. Heavy footsteps charged after us, but we didn’t dare look back. I banged on the door, screaming for help. 

After what felt like forever, Amy answered. Willow shot past her and hid behind her legs, trembling.  

Knowing we were safe, I finally mustered up the courage to glance back at our house, just in time to see Inky Black flee into the forest. 

Amy called the police right away, as well as Dad who was already on his way back from the hospital. The moment he arrived he held us tightly, apologising repeatedly for ever leaving us alone. 

“It was Inky Black!” Willow sobbed, burying her face in his chest. “We saw him!” 

Dad looked at me, and I nodded. 

They made us stay at Amy’s while the officers searched our house, then the woods.  

Willow and I watched from the window, but all we could see was the beams of torches, dancing around in the darkness. A little while later, the police emerged. 

“They’ve got him!” Willow cried. 

She was right.  

With his hands cuffed behind his back, the officers led Inky Black to the police car, guiding him into the back seat. He looked up at us and smiled. We ducked down, instinctively. After a couple of hours, we were allowed to go home.  

Dad sat me and Willow down on the sofa and told us we had nothing to worry about. We were safe now. No more Inky Black. It wasn’t until we were quite a bit older that Dad explained what really happened.  

Inky Black was no more than a man. A very sick, twisted man named Chester Barlow, who had been living in the woods, spying on us, waiting for the opportunity to break in. Under Willow’s bed, the police found a black bag containing an old, frayed rope, a knife, and duct tape.  

“I still don’t know what his plan was.” Dad said. “All I know is it wouldn’t have been good. I thank God every day that you girls got out of there in time.” 

So, as it turns out, Dad had been right all along. Inky Black was out to get us. The creature of the night was real, but he wasn’t a ghost or ghoul or anything like that. He was a human. A strange, demented, creepy human, lurking in the shadows, stalking his prey, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. 

And, if you ask me, that makes him all the more terrifying.