Revenge and redemption are dishes best served cold...
Even the best of us have a darkness inside, lurking beneath the surface, ready to be exposed like raw nerve endings. Most days, we hide the darkness well. But sometimes, on those dark days, when all that we fear comes for us, the repressed darkness spills into the world, and only revenge will satiate. On those long nights when sleep evades, your mind churns, reminding you of your dirty deeds of the past. We must all make amends on judgement day and hope for redemption. Dark Days is a superb collection of six novellas of revenge and redemption from Steven Pajak that will expose the inner darkness within and the moral choices that may lead to redemption for the damned.
Revenge and redemption are dishes best served cold...
Even the best of us have a darkness inside, lurking beneath the surface, ready to be exposed like raw nerve endings. Most days, we hide the darkness well. But sometimes, on those dark days, when all that we fear comes for us, the repressed darkness spills into the world, and only revenge will satiate. On those long nights when sleep evades, your mind churns, reminding you of your dirty deeds of the past. We must all make amends on judgement day and hope for redemption. Dark Days is a superb collection of six novellas of revenge and redemption from Steven Pajak that will expose the inner darkness within and the moral choices that may lead to redemption for the damned.
The halfway house wasnât what he expected. When he learned he was being released to the home as a condition of his parole, Thomas Donovan expected a run-down, bug-infested flop run by hardened ex-cons who bullied the new fishâscared straight tacticsâand demanded half of their wages for the privilege of staying in a shitty room with a springy cot and bed pan for a toilet. Instead, the aptly named Second Chanceâan old, sprawling Victorian appropriated by the state some twenty years ago after the police raided the brothel and seized the assetâwas clean and charming. The eclectic mix of donated and second hand-purchased furniture and dĂ©cor, kept in surprisingly good condition despite its provenance, added to the sense of charisma.
The director of Second Chance, Donny Bronikowski, was an ex-con, though not the clichĂ© Thomas imagined. In his sixties, slight of build, with white hair receding far back to the top of his head and gold horn-rimmed glasses set low on the bridge of his nose, Donny looked more like a retired accountant than a man whoâd spent nine years behind bars for robbery and assault. In contrast to his diminutive stature, he was a tough old guy who didnât back down to men twice his size and half his age.
Donny was tough, yes. He had to be, given his position and the men who stayed at the Second Chance, but he was also fair and compassionate. He treated everyone with respect and kindness, as he expected to be treatedâŠuntil given a reason not to. Then, he bared his claws. He had a one-and-done policy. If you screwed up even one time, you were out. For some cons, that meant heading back to prison, while for others, that meant sleeping on the streets. Neither option was appealing, so no one dared see how far they could push Donny to see if heâd bend.
The morning Thomas was released, Donny was waiting outside, leaning against the side of a small white bus, âSecond Chance Homeâ painted in cornflower blue with gold piping across the side. Thomas rode up front and stared out the windows, listening to Donny as he explained what Second Chance was about and what he could expect during his time there. Donny explained that employment was an important part of his time at Second Chance, in fact, was a requirement if Thomas planned to remain a resident. Donny would help him find a job, but once found, it was up to Thomas to keep the job.
âMore important than a job, is the rules,â Donny said as he drove, his eyes never leaving the road. âAll residents must always obey the rules, without exception. The rules are what keep order. The rules separate men from animals. I donât tolerate men who donât follow the rules. If you break my rules, even once, youâll find your ass back in the pen.â He stopped at a red light and now he looked at Thomas, fixing him with pale blue eyes. âDo I make myself clear?â
Thomas nodded.
âLet me hear you say it, son. So, I know youâre not just a bobble-head agreeing just for the sake of agreeing.â
âI understand, Sir,â Thomas said.
âI think youâll do just fine,â Donny said, and they drove the rest of the way in silence.
They arrived at Second Chance a half hour later. Donny parked the bus in the circular driveway in front of the porch. He waited for Thomas to grab his personal items, then gave him a brief tour of the lower level before finally taking him to his room on the second floor. The small room was on the southwest corner and overlooked the community garden. Below, he watched two men tending to the various vegetables. It was strange to see muscled, tattooed men watering tomatoes and pulling heads of lettuce from the earth, yet somehow it was also peaceful.
âDinner is at six sharp. We all take dinner together in the mess without exception.â
Donny referred to the dining room as the mess. Your prison is showing, Thomas thought, smiling. He set his bag on the bed. âHow many others live here?â
âSeventeen now, including you. But we can house as many as twenty.â When Thomas didnât respond, Donny said, âGet yourself situated here and then join me in my office. We have one more thing to do before dinner so we can finish getting you processed.â
Thomas started about the task of unpacking his belongings, which took no time at all. As he slid two white T-shirts into the top drawer of an ornate dresser, he considered his situation and wondered if this place was better than prison. Seventeen ex-cons living under one roof, all forced to take their meals at the same time, sounded just like the place from which he was recently released. The only difference was there were no bars on this cell.
Thomas had no interest in befriending any of the men. He didnât plan to be here long. As soon as he saved enough money and convinced the prison psychologist he would not be a danger to others or himself, he would find a small apartment of his own. He believed that was the first step in getting a fresh start. He knew it would be difficult, but he was determined to put the past behind. This was his second chance, and he would do anything to make it work.
Dark Days: Novellas of Revenge and Redemption by Steven Pajak is a collection of 6 novellas that (you guessed it) explore the idea of both revenge and redemption, each novella ranging in various levels of devilry. In Pajak's author bio at the end of this collection, readers are let in on inspirations behind Pajak's writing, Stephen Kind and Dean Koontz, which can be inherently seen throughout his work. I myself am a fan of both King and Koontz's work, so it was really cool to read a collection of novellas that I believe are right up there with the works of both well-known horror authors. A trigger warning for domestic abuse and violence should be recognized with this collection, though I would say that it was neither extreme or overly gory, which was admirable. To write a collection of stories focused on revenge and redemption yet removing the need to be too graphic shows Pajak's talent as a horror writer.
Out of the 6 novellas within this collection, two honorable mentions that I enjoyed most were: "At the Core Lies Darkness" and "Murder Inc." What I liked about these particular novellas was how captivating the storylines were. Although I definitely could read more about these characters and their stories, the length of which they were written was satisfactory.
âAt the Core Lies Darknessâ is about a 26-year-old man named Nick who finds himself receiving a death sentence when he learns at a doctorâs appointment that he has stage 4 cancer. Believing nothing can be done, Nick begins to pray, returning to his Catholic faith and hoping against all odds for a miracle. Pajak explored both redemption and revenge simultaneously, creating an interesting question for readers to consider: Would you give your suffering to someone else if it meant you would be free from it?
âMurder, Inc." is about a gutsy femme fatale who helps abused females escape from their abusers. Murder Inc., created by 3 women who helped free each other from pain and violence, is the foundation that made Davina into the strong-willed woman she needed to be to free herself. But her own vigilante deeds have made her the blood-thirsty rebel she became after her release. Filled with unlawful revenge sought after sweet redemption, âMurder Inc.â is a raw novella, one that kept me hooked.
I would definitely recommend Dark Days to readers of thrillers and horror!