Love Is Doom

It all started in the charity shop that was at the end of the lane, run by an eccentric old man who had something hidden behind his eyes. Sarah Hudson had come to the shop in search of a golden heart shaped locket that was placed in the window a week prior. For her and Mark’s annsivary was coming up. It was a quiet dimly lit shop, to a point where Sarah could hardly make out anything that was housed on the shelves. Through what she did see made her shiver, for there were jars which appeared to have heads in, and artifacts like golden goblets and diamond jewels which seemed twisted. She decided against looking for the locket herself, instead she turned to the old man who was standing behind the desk.

‘Excuse me, ummm.’

‘Just call me the trinket man.’ laughed the old man, as he moved from the counter and towards Sarah. ‘Tell me what you need, I am sure I will have something that will please.’

‘There was a heart shaped locket a few days ago, I wondered if it was still here.’

There was a flicker of glee and fear on the man’s face, before he gave a toothless grin and pulled the golden locket from his top pocket.

‘Here is what you seek,’ he placed it in her palm and closed her fingers around it. ‘But I warn you, if you wish to take it then you must be careful, for nothing good comes from that locket. Nothing good at all.’ There was now a glimmer of mad satisfaction on the trinket man's face, before he burst into laughter. ‘I joke of course.’ .

Sarah felt the man was lying in a sense, but she blamed it upon her own paranoir. She felt her hands shake violently as she held the locket and felt like throwing it upon the ground. She did not as there was something pulling her back towards it and she did not wish to let it go, this would be the perfect anniversary gift, the perfect gift to the world. ‘H...how much.’ she stuttered.

‘Free, I have been needing to get rid of it for some time now. I thank you for taking it.’ and with that he left to the back of the store, where Sarah could hear him mutter words she did not understand. Once he did not return Sarah left the shop and began her journey home, with a slight spring in her step but also a great fear that was made to lay dormant in the back of her mind.

Later that evening when Mark and Sarah were back in the house they exchanged gifts. Mark had gotten Sarah a bath set and fifty-two roses. Which she had told him that she loved before giving him his gift.

‘I love it honey.’ he said with a smile, as he placed it around his neck.

‘I knew you would,’ she said with a smirk, although a little jealous that he was the one who got to wear such a thing. ‘Although I was worried you wouldn’t wear it.’

‘Of course I will. I love you honey.’ he leaned over and kissed her affectionately, and for a second the locket seemed to glow, a deep crimson colour and a chill came into the air that carried a whisper.

‘Then all other love shall die.’ it snarled but the lovers were to intertwined to hear.

The next day they woke up like every other morning, to the sound of their alarms blaring. Mark had work to go to and Sarah had the day off but her mother was coming up to see her. Mark had gone to the kitchen already and brought back to the room some buttered toast and freshly squeezed orange juice.

‘Here you are honey, you can rest awhile before your mother gets here.’

‘If I don’t answer that door as soon as she knocks I'm the one who has to listen to another one of her lectures,’ she laughed, as she took a bite of her toast. ‘But thank you.’

‘Very well.’ laughed Mark as he pulled open the curtains, only to recoil in horror.

‘What's wrong?’ asked Sarah, as she gulped down the juice before turning to the window. The couple had been lucky in life and lived in a nice house that was in a quaint village. Their house usually looked over a field of green which stretched all the way down to a beautiful lake. However today, the greenness of the grass had died and turned to a dull grey and crimson. As blood seemed to pour from the tips of the blades. And the lakes clear water had turned completely black, and held something below the surface. Something old, ancient.. Even the birds song had changed to screams, as they flew from one dead tree to another, with four wings and three heads, but no eyes. The brightness of their feathers had also been dulled by the blood that had been pouring from their eye sockets.

‘What has happened?’ they both gasped, as fear hit them as powerful as an arrow which strikes it’s target.

‘We should leave, get out of here before whatever this is reaches us,’ murmured Mark, as he raced to the bedside table and picked up the car keys. ‘Sarah come on.’ He grabbed her by the hand and made for the door.

‘What if there is something out there?’ she said, her eyes not peeling away from the window. Instead they moved to the now black lake, with the creature that moved underneath it.

‘Then we shall run, we shall get away.’ he tried to make his voice reassuring but it shook.

‘Ok’ she agreed, and they both raced down the steps to the front door, but just as Mark went to open it they heard a new scream. One that did not sound like the new bird song, for instead it was just of pure pain and torture.

Mark slowly opened the front door, to see before their house a creature that was moving like a snail. It horrified them both as its skin was melted like candle wax and its mouth where the screaming was coming from was nothing but a gaping hole. It seemed to wear clothes which were melted into its very skin.

It was Sarah who recognized it first, and knew that the creature was once human. It was her mother. She managed to tell this from the two diamonds that had also melted into the skin of the creature.

‘Mother.’ she wailed, as she made for her now twisted and mutated mother.

‘Sarah, I'm sorry but you can’t.’ Said Mark as he pulled her away and back towards the car. ‘We will find someone who can help, I promise.’ Then the locket once more beamed a crimson colour and Sarah was fine and unbothered by what she had seen. This did not go by unnoticed as Mark ripped the locket off and threw it from the car's window.

With that they were off their driveway and speeding out of the village. Where they had come to find the place destroyed. The homes and shops looked as if a great battle had happened, for the windows were mostly smashed. There were gaping holes in the brick walls, and some had even become nothing more than simply rumble, with the new people now standing before them screaming in pain. Through some screams were becoming clearer, as Sarah believed she heard a few asking for release from the torture and just as they were leaving the village one bellowed louder then all of the others.,

‘Kill me! Kill me!’

‘Don’t listen to them honey.’ said Mark as he pushed the pedal down further. they were the only ones spending down the country land, hoping in vain that they would find a place that still held normality. Sarah knew they would not, for the grass had remained grey and crimson, even the sky was an endless void of darkness apart from the burning redness of a dying sun.

‘Stop the car.’ she said, quite calmly. More calm then she had felt a few moments ago as she knew what needed to be done.

‘A price, a price, a price,’ sang an old man that stood near the tip of the cliff. ‘A price must be paid. Now that price is fulfilled.’ and with that the man bowed to her, then jumped off the cliff with a mad laughter escaping his mouth.

Sarah walked to wear the trinket man had stood, and looked below to find the ocean had also become nothing more than a deep blackness with the same creatures as the one that was in the lake. There were the three headed blind birds flying just above the water's surface, as if waiting for something to eat.

‘Sarah be careful.’ yelled Mark, as he hurried from the car.

‘Oh Mark i’m sorry, that locket. It's my fault. The world is cursed because of love. And we cannot keep it like this.’

‘And we will find a way to fix it honey, trust me.’ he said, as an argument against her decision.

‘Darling we took vows that death do us part. And if one of us dies then that vow is fulfilled and no longer will we be able to love each together. That should undo it surely, that's the only way, our only chance.’ she smiled slightly, as she felt her tears tickle her face. ‘Just so you know I do love you Mark and always have. I thank you for everything.’ and with that she stepped back just before Mark could grab her. She began to plummet towards her death, hoping that this would work and the curse be undone. Then her eyes began to roll back and everything began to fade. The last thing she heard was the trinket man’s laugh.