Part 1

Beep beep beep beep

I must have finally fallen asleep as the incessant alarm brings me out of a dreamless slumber. I turn off the alarm on my phone, rub my eyes and contemplate the events of last night.

As my eyes focus I notice streaks of dried blood on my white sheets. In a panic, I pull back the covers revealing more of the crimson stains. I remember cutting my thumb last night and realize that in a panicked stupor, I forgot to bandage it before going to sleep.

It looks much worse now. A large chunk of skin is peeled back barely hanging on. There is some white in the middle, which I determine is the bone. I gag and fumble to the bathroom only to find an empty box of bandaids in the medicine cabinet. I wince in pain as I run my thumb under the cold water. The flap of skin peels off and hits the sink with a sickening thwap. I grab an old white washcloth and use some boxing tape to secure it to my thumb.

I’ll have to deal with this later, I think as I ascend the stairs to the shop.

Everything is quiet and dark. I usually like this peaceful time before the sun rises and I have to open the shop. However, today there is weird electricity in the air. I flick on the fluorescent lights, which hum to life. I jump at my own reflection in the windows.

Get a hold of yourself man, I whisper to myself.

The candlestick phone is on the table right where I left it. The box is still on the floor with the note peering up at me. Part of me hoped it would have disappeared and I could have chalked it up to a sleep deprivation hallucination.

I cautiously walk over to it. Tiny red dried blood droplets still adorn the rotary of the phone. This pretty much confirms that last night’s events did take place.

I pick up the receiver and place it to my ear. The silence mocks me. No voice, no growl, no static, no moaning.

I place the receiver back on its stand and realize I forgot my phone downstairs. I head back down into the basement and over to my bedside table where I plugged my phone in last night, but it’s not there.

How is that possible? I heard my alarm go off this morning. It was right there a moment ago.

I grab my laptop to use Find My phone. Nothing is there. The app shows no activity, no tracking, nothing. My phone isn’t even listed as one of my devices anymore. It’s like it just disappeared in the five minutes I was upstairs.

A chime from my laptop alerts me that I have a new message. It’s from alx&dr_b3ll.

The message reads: Have you heard of the term, dark sucker?

I quickly hop back into the chat room while he’s still active.

I reply: That sounds like it would be the title of a cheezy Twilight fan fiction.

It was actually a project by Bell Labs. I couldn’t get that phrase out of my mind last night, “darkness is heavier than light,” so I did some digging.

What did you find, I ask. I suddenly remember the note from the box was signed, “Sincerely, Bell Labs.” Holy shit, this has to mean something. I don’t want to tell alx&dr_b3ll about the connection right away in case all of this leads down a dangerous path.

He sends over a link, with a .onion in the url.

Are you sure this link is safe to click man, I ask. I don’t fuck with the dark web anymore.

I really think you should see this. Where did you even hear that phrase by the way?

It’s a long story. I guess I’ll check it out.

I launch the Tor Browser and paste the link. An old newspaper article loads with the headline, “Bell Telephone Laboratories Prove Dark Suckers Exist!” It’s dated April 23, 1933.

The article presents the dark sucker theory and surmises that Bell Labs was the first research facility to scientifically prove it. The theory explains that light bulbs do not emit light as previously thought, but instead, they suck in darkness.

An anonymous source from the lab is quoted as saying, “Dark is heavier than light.” The source goes on to explain that darkness does in fact move faster than light and possesses a greater mass.

The example of a candle is given. When you light a white wick it turns black displaying all of the dark it has eaten. The larger the light, the larger the capacity it has to eat darkness.

Once a light is full of darkness its purpose is over, it can no longer suck in the dark.

The article ends by hinting at details of the next stage of the project in the works.

“What is next for the dark sucker project? Sources within the laboratories have confirmed they intend to prove that people, like candles and light bulbs, are also dark suckers.”

I sit in stunned silence. I feel like I have all of these puzzle pieces floating around me, but I can’t figure out how they connect. I still don’t know who Earl is or how he relates to any of this. Why did the voice want me to know about this project? How could researchers prove that humans are dark suckers? None of this makes any sense.

Ring ring

Startled, I jump up and send my laptop crashing to the floor where it shatters into pieces. This can’t be happening again.

Ring ring

I slowly climb the stairs and am greeted by the ringing telephone still sitting on the work table. The shop is dark again even though I had just turned on the lights. I try the light switch at the top of the stairs, but nothing happens.

Ring ring

Fearing I have no other choice, I walk over to the phone and pick up the receiver.

Hello? I ask.