August 20th, 2004
I have decided to start writing a journal about my life. Not so I can reminisce about my past life, but so I can hopefully avert the fate of a select few others. But first, let me tell you something about myself. My name is Parker. I grew up (and still live) in a small town in Ohio. The name isn’t important. I’ve always loved the paranormal. It started when I was a child… but that isn’t important. What is important is my predicament. But… I can’t bring myself to write about it. I just can’t. Maybe tomorrow.
August 21st, 2004
Another day of fear. I really hate this, I really do… I think I have to write it down.
What you are about to read may be difficult to believe. I am being tormented by… something. I hear a voice in my head. It doesn’t sound too attractive to me. It’s been coming to me for about two months. It seems like a… separate being, almost. At first it started small, but it’s growing. I can’t disregard it, so I carry on conversations with it. These are rather… er… moody discussions. Recently, it’s been absorbing all of my attention, and I just don’t know what to do.
August 23rd, 2004
Sorry I didn’t write yesterday. I was a bit busy. I was investigating what this thing is doing to me. So far… it’s been absorbing my everyday thoughts. I can’t take my mind off of it. I have noticed a few things about it, though. First of all, it can’t be with me when I sleep – or so I think. Secondly, it seems to leave me for a short time every day. I have a feeling that I’ll need this time more and more…
August 24th, 2004
Something incredibly odd happened today… I was sitting around (pretty much the only thing I do these days) and suddenly felt sick. I doubled over, then lost all control of my actions… but still moved. I, as in my own consciousness, was just sitting there, and my body was a puppet to the thing… It was horrible. It ran me around the house, heedless of walls, tables, and the like. I almost killed my cat, Felix. Now I have too many bruises to count (I’m up to thirteen) and am sore all over, not to mention seven cuts. But there is something worse… something it “said.”
“That was just a demonstration.”
August 25th, 2004
This is just beginning to get out of hand. I haven’t been to work in days, haven’t talked to anyone except the thing, and I barely have any time at all to myself now. The thing took control of me again, while I was making lunch earlier. I now have mustard on my white shirt.
You know how I told you about my interests a few days ago? One was the paranormal? I’ve tried to figure out what this thing is. I’ve had some luck. It seems to be a malevolent spirit of sorts. These usually have some sort of ultimate motive behind their deeds. Have I found one? No. Is what little knowledge I have useful? Oh yes. I am trying to stop its advance into my mind with various methods. These are long and boring, but the overall gist is to try to lure it out of me… I think. I have no idea how I’ll be able to do this, though. It’s in my head, literally.
August 27th, 2004
Didn’t write yesterday… this is getting to be too much… I had an actual conversation with it yesterday… it went like this, if I can recall:
“What are you?” I asked.
“Well, why should I tell you, mortal?” it replied. There was a bit of bite in that comment, hidden under the usual malevolence. Did I press a button?
“…Well, you have a point.”
“Thank you… see, we share something. A goal. Not a mutual one though. Yours, obviously, is to get rid of me. That’s happened before. Many have tried, few have succeeded. I have a goal as well,” it said.
“What kind of goal?”
“Why would I tell you that… weakling?” This hurt. A lot. He (I’m sure it’s a he now) had used some sort of power – not like a superpower or whatever, but a normal ability, like a really, really good public speaker. Or the evil villain stereotype. I personally think it’s the latter. Public speakers normally don’t invade people’s minds and drive them mad. Hitler and the Nazis were an exception, because they brainwashed people, basically. Long story… wait, did I just go THAT off topic? Oh no, this is in pen… If I scratch it out, it’ll look conspicuous, and I can’t use white-out because this is yellow paper. Oh, by the way, that’s my thought process. Now then, back to the conversation… where was I? Oh, yes:
“…If I tell you, I end up losing this little battle. That isn’t something I can do.” His voice was growing in volume in my head. “I am Ahriman, lord of the… wait, I said too much now, didn’t I?” Score. I have his name. It’s a pretty typical one, as far as evil spirits go. It literally means “evil spirit.” Anyway, I laughed. He said a few choice words that I will not disclose for decency, and then shut up for the moment. I had to inquire further.
“So you can’t tell me your name?” I asked. Then it hit me. It was like a wave, no, a tsunami, of pain. I fell out of my seat, writhing on the ground. Ahriman took control once again, and went to the kitchen. He picked up a knife and brought it to my other arm.
Needless to say, I need to wash that knife off and make sure my arm isn’t infected.
August 28th, 2004
Hello, mortals. I am Ahriman, as this foolish host revealed among other secrets. He has become problematic. It is my duty now to prevent further “mishaps.” On my part, anyways. I will not inscribe my messages here, as he is doing it adequately enough. -Ahriman
August 31st, 2004
…He took me over again. AGAIN. I am getting tired of this. I now have five scars from his blade-happy moments. It hurts, to say the least. I can barely take this anymore. I’m deteriorating. I can barely keep this journal.
Somehow, my cat’s still alive and well. Either there’s a connection between Ahriman and my Felix, or I will never again have a mouse problem. What this really means, I don’t know.
September 2nd, 2004
Ahriman is trying to kill me. I am sure of it. But I won’t let him win. He can’t break me, no matter how hard he tries. NO MATTER HOW. I will be the victor… I hope.
September 5th, 2004
I can’t take it anymore. He won’t go away. I haven’t left my house in two weeks or so. I can barely remember the date. I’m slowly dying. I can’t keep going. I’m going to kill myself. It’s all I can do. Goodbye, everyone, and remember that it’s never too early or late to do that thing you wanted to do. Watch out for evil spirits. Goodbye, world. Goodbye.
September 6th, 2004
…Wow. Last night was a night I will never, ever forget. You know how I said - er, wrote - I was going to kill myself? Well, I was. Let me explain.
All the lights were off in my room except a candle. It set a really eerie mood, believe me. Looking back, it was incredibly clichéd (I mean, seriously? Candles? What am I, a sacrifice?) It was a little tough to actually do it. It took me a while to bring the knife to my throat. But that’s nothing. What happened next will haunt me for a very long time. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move. It was Ahriman. He wasn’t exactly human. He had long, dark blue hair that trailed behind him like he was underwater. He was also dark blue, with splotches of black. Not like a cow, like a pool of energy. I’m sure that’s what he was. He had eyes – two ovals of white light. His mouth was really, really big – almost comically so, in hindsight. I didn’t think that then, though – I was terrified. He opened his mouth. He had huge teeth. They probably couldn’t have fit in his mouth, were he mortal. Sort of like a saber-tooth tiger. Anyway, Ahriman lunged at me. I was scared (hey, you would be too, of a psychotic shadow beast was after you!) and didn’t know what to do. I did the only thing I could – I stabbed him. The knife did nothing, but what did was something else. I had cut my arm earlier, and it was still bleeding. My blood turned him red. It burned a hole through his left lung… area… thing. Anyway, it seemed to help. He put a shadowy hand on the hole – a bad idea. Next thing I knew, his hand was gone. He seemed to boil… and then he fell over. I felt like the world had been lifted off of my shoulders. It was great… but I held it in. I kicked the dead… frame of the spirit. It instantly vanished.
Behind the door, my cat meowed. I opened it and heard Ahriman.
“You have defeated me once, but I will return! …Well, maybe not to you, but someone else!” I said the magical two words that gets everyone mad. He screamed, probably in anger, and I never heard from him again. Felix meowed again and gave me the “cute eyes.” It was time to eat.
September 7th, 2004
I have pretty much everything worked out now. I’ll have to explain a few things and pay some fines, but otherwise I’m in the clear. My injuries are minor, and I’m sleeping better.
I have the feeling there is a moral to this story. It there is, please let me know. I don’t have a chance of finding it.
Bye.