Chapter One

I walked slowly, watching my feet and yet not seeing them. I was too busy concentrating on not touching anyone passing me on the sidewalk to focus on anything else. I didn’t venture out from my home too often due to my condition, but I was trying to get used to it. I didn’t have a choice in the matter anymore. Not since my dad had passed away last month.

   I relaxed a little when the sound of footfalls faded behind me, and as no sound of any others echoed ahead of me I allowed myself to drop my defenses some. There was no way to really block out my “curse”. At least, I hadn’t been able to discover a way yet. But as the only sound was that of my own two feet, I took a moment to adjust the bag of groceries into a better position on my hip, moving the bag so that the corner of the milk carton was no longer digging into my side.

   Perhaps the silence had made me relax a little too much, made me careless, because I wasn’t expecting my arm to bump into anything solid. I hadn’t even registered that it was a person before the vision took me.

   Colors swept the world away; black, darkness and a sense of evil. It was followed by red, blood. It felt like death, like murder.

   The world came crashing back with such a force that it was like getting punched in the chest and having the wind knocked out of me, my eyesight coming back in splotches. Only two people in this city were currently aware of my condition. But if I were to judge by the look of the man’s face before me, I would have said he knew.

   In the darkness he looked like a skeleton with the skin sunken into his face. He towered above my five foot and eight inches, giving the illusion that he was looming over me though he was now standing several feet away. Eyes far bluer than my cold grey stared at me with that sense of evil, reminding me of what I had just seen.

   If he hadn’t killed someone yet, than the step he took towards me spoke volumes and my head was screaming that he could be about to. He reached his hand towards me, a sneer painting his face as his fingers curled like bony claws. I silently screamed at my feet to run but it was like I was paralyzed in place, watching death come towards me but unable to do anything to avoid it.

   In the next moment I was blinded by a white light. I thought perhaps it was over. That the man had hit me and my mind had just spared me of remembering it, but as my eyes adjusted to the light I realized that I was far luckier. The man was completely gone, leaving me standing alone in the wash of headlights.

   “You alright, girl?” came a deep voice.

   I relaxed at the sound although I couldn’t see beyond the front of the silver F-150. I knew it was Mike Thortan in the driver’s seat, his head leaning out the window as he called to me. Everything beyond the headlights was shadowed but I could feel his eyes on me as he called out. I nodded, heading for the passenger side door as Mike leaned across the front seat to pull the handle from the inside. It was a dependable truck, but it wasn’t in the greatest condition. The passenger door handle was just one of the many things that needed fixing. I opened the door and placed the grocery bag on the floor before climbing in.

   “Thanks, Uncle Mike,” I said quietly, trying to give him a steady smile despite the tremor starting to build now that the fear and adrenalin was fading. I called him Uncle Mike, but we weren’t really related. Rather, he had been my father’s best friend and had always treated me like family. He had even offered for me to move in with him and his daughter Natalie, who was four years younger than my twenty-three, after my father had died. But when I told him that I wouldn’t leave the duplex that dad had owned, Natalie had been more than happy to move in with me instead. She said that she had been mooching off of Mike for far too long and that it was time to get out on her own. In truth, I knew that she was really doing it because she was worried about me too.

   We had both bonded fairly quickly after I moved to Edmond Georgia, both going through our awkward phases while being raised only by our fathers, though where my mom had passed away hers had simply up and left when she was very young. In a way we both felt like we had found a friend that understood the heartache of not having a mom there. 

   “I thought I saw a ruff looking guy standing with you. I was worried that you were in trouble.” He eyed me for a moment before turning back to watch the road. I didn’t say anything, just keeping my eyes down as I played with the hem of my shirt like a kid who had just gotten caught sneaking into the cookie jar. “What are you doing out anyway?”

   “I needed to get some groceries,” I said. I looked up at him but he wasn’t looking at me. Mike was in his mid-forties but is hair was already a solid silver-grey. He had a face that was warn from years of stress from raising Natalie on his own and he was built thick from years of hard labor.

   “You had to go after dark?” he asked, sounding scrutinizing.  

   “It’s only seven,” I replied in a child like voice.

   He gave me a look that said that wasn’t good enough.

   “I forgot last night was daylight savings time.” I quickly averted my eyes out the window. I knew he was just worried about me, though he wouldn’t admit that he was happy I was finally venturing out on my own.

   “You should have waited until Natalie got home from work or at least let me teach you to drive the Accord,” he had been making the offer for a few weeks now. Although, he had quit pushing so hard when I told him that it wasn’t driving a stick shift that I was avoiding, but rather getting into my father’s car. My dad and I had sat talking in the front seat for a while before he dropped me off at Mikes to have dinner before he headed to work on the night he died. It was the last conversation that we would ever have. He was jumped on his way back to the car when he got off. The cops said that it was a robbery gone wrong, but I wasn’t yet ready to relive those last moments with him by sitting in that car again.

   I didn’t say anything else and so we rode the rest of the way in silence. The duplex wasn’t but about ten minutes from Mike’s house, but he must have been on his way home from work to have seen me. Mike had even offered to rent the empty half from me, saying it would save him a little extra time to get to work every day, but I knew that he really wanted to in order to keep an eye on us and to provide some extra money until I could find a job without making it look like a handout.

   I wasn’t surprised to find that Natalie’s Camry wasn’t in her usual parking space yet. She was supposed to get off at six-thirty, but seeing as she was an assistant manager of a seasonal retail store a ways down the road, it was her job to make sure that everything was in proper order and that the registers were correct for the first shift the next day. It was usual for her to have to stay up to an extra hour to finish things up.

   I waited for Mike to pull up next to the curb and I hopped out as he cut the engine, grabbing the grocery bag and walking as quickly as possible to the front door. A moment later I had my key in the lock and was inside the living room, making my way to the kitchen beyond. Mike had followed me inside, but when he spoke his voice told me that he was still in the living room. He was probably exhausted and ready to get to bed, although I knew he wouldn’t leave until he was sure I was okay.

   He called to me as if on cue, “Do you want me to stick around until Natalie get’s home?”

   “Nah, you go on ahead. I’m just going to cook dinner and probably go to bed. I’ll be fine.” I poked my head out into the living room to give him what I hoped was a convincing smile before going back to putting the perishables in the fridge.

   “Well, if you’re sure—“ his words sounded skeptical but by the time he got off work he was normally more than ready to catch an early night’s sleep.

   “I know you’re exhausted. I promise I’ll be fine,” I said as I tried to sound like I believed it. I knew he still wasn’t convinced, but a moment later I heard the door shut and after a few heartbeats came the sound of the truck cranking up and pulling away. Mike never was one for goodbyes.

   I busied myself with cooking as I waited for Natalie to get home, trying not to think of the man from earlier. If it wouldn’t have meant having Mike breathing down my neck all night than I would have taken him up on his offer to hang around. As it was, I had to fight not to jump at every little sound outside the large kitchen window.

   The tension slowly eased when I heard the familiar sound of Natalie’s Civic pulling into her parking space. Moments later, the front door opened and she came bouncing into the kitchen; chin length blond hair like a halo around her fare, brown eyes wide when she saw what I was doing.

   “Sydney, cooking? Who are you and what did you do with my friend’s body?” She grinned at me as she opened the cabinet to grab us each a plate.

   “Oh ha,” I said as I lifted a large scoop of spaghetti and dumped it on her dish. “Just go sit down. I’ll be in there once I fix our drinks.”

   I watched her as she walked into the dining room, wondering how such total opposites had ever ended up being such good friends. Thanks to my condition, I had always been quiet and reserved where as Natalie was always the center of attention. She had a bubbly personality that just drew people to her. We were even opposites in our appearances. I had shoulder length brown hair that was as dark as her hair was a bright gold. She was shorter than me at five-two, and plump with full curves where as I was lean and my curves were smaller though they proved to be just enough in the right places.

   We talked about our days while we ate, Natalie telling me about the scene that a customer had made when she couldn’t fit into a coat and didn’t want to hear that she needed a bigger size. I didn’t even think about the skeletal man again as we washed the dishes and watched some TV before saying goodnight and heading to bed.

   I pulled on my night clothes and settled under the covers, allowing myself to be swallowed in the warmth. I hadn’t even realized how tired I was until I let myself relax, and no sooner had my eyes closed before I fell asleep.

 

* * * * *

 

   The grass of the field was soft against the palms of my hands as I brushed them back and forth, enjoying the coolness of the dew that clung to my skin. I opened my eyes to a sky sprinkled with stars, twinkling like glitter in the light of the sun that hadn’t yet breached the horizon. I smiled to myself as I turned to look at the sprigs of flowers that were growing up through the grass like their growth was set on fast-forward, many already opening yellow petals to the lightening sky to drink up the sun.

   “Sydney?” Natalie’s voice was soft, almost sad as it floated from the other side of me.

   “What is it, Nat?”

   This place made me feel like I was floating. But something about her tone felt like it didn’t quite fit here. It was almost sad. And sadness didn’t belong in such a beautiful place.

   “Why did you kill me?” She asked. Her voice sounded so innocent that it took a moment for the words to sink in.

   “What do you mean? You’re fine.” I turned my head to face her, but any words I would have said next choked in my throat.

   She laid in the grass on her side, facing me with her arm stretched out above her head, hands pawing the damp earth. She appeared completely normal except for her face. She looked at me from eyes lost to crimson, fangs curling from her mouth that were so long she couldn’t close her lips around them.

   I rolled over and started scurrying away from her as quickly as I could, her voice now a shriek behind me, “You killed me, Sydney! Why did you kill me?!”

   Hands as cold as ice encircled my ankle, yanking me to a halt in my attempt to escape. Grabbing my shoulders she lifted me, twisting me in the air as if I were a sack of feathers and slammed me on my back so hard that fireworks exploded behind my eyelids.

   “Look at me! Look at what you did to me!” Her hands were as heavy as concrete bricks upon my chest as I opened my eyes to her.

   Her face was swallowed by shadows as the sun lifted behind her, making her hair glow like a golden halo around the darkness surrounding those blood stained eyes. She shuddered as the sunlight consumed her, bathing her in the rays of warmth.

   Her voice came out in a choking, gurgling sound, “Look at what I am!”

   She heaved as something dark poured out of her mouth to bathe my chest, a coppery scent filling the morning air. The hatred in her eyes froze the scream in my throat as the blood painted me, her giving a final shudder before collapsing on top of me. I laid there motionless, my breath rising in a cool fog on the air. Natalie laid so lifeless that I knew she was dead. I knew I had killed her although I had no idea how.  

 

* * * * *

   I bolted upright in my bed, gasping for air as the nightmare threatened to pull me under again. I felt as if it had been repeating itself over and over since I had fallen asleep. I stayed up for hours after that, laying in the darkness but afraid to go back to sleep. Every time I closed my eyes I would see Natalie’s face, those red eyes glaring at me as her hands pushed against my chest. It was close to dawn when sleep consumed me again, but to my relief I didn’t dream. It was as if with the light of morning went the darkness of my nightmare.

 

* * * * *

 

   Upon waking, I felt surprisingly refreshed. I shrugged off the memory of my nightmare before I thought too hard about it and the images could return. Swinging my feet over the edge of the bed, I gasped when I saw my alarm clock. I had slept until one in the afternoon. I rarely slept past ten.

   I showered and dressed quickly. Today was Natalie’s day off and I had promised to help her clean the house. She was too nice of a person to wake me and would have more than likely already cleaned at least half of the house by herself.

   I walked out into the living room surprised to find it still in its disorderly state. I went into the kitchen to see if maybe she was cleaning in there but the neon yellow of a post-it on the fridge caught my eye.

               

Syd, got called into work. One of the assistant managers quit and they need me to work her shift. I’ll be off around eight. Sorry.

                                 Natalie

 

   The guilt of Natalie having to clean the house on her own eased and I busied myself by spending the afternoon doing the cleaning instead. It would help me keep my mind off of the events of the last twenty four hours, though I couldn’t help but wonder if the nightmare was sparked by the incident with the man the night before even though I couldn’t figure out what the link would have been.

   I finished vacuuming the living room and glanced around to make sure that everything was finished while I put the Dirt Devil up in the hall closet. After confirming that everything was finished, I stepped outside to retrieve the Sunday paper. Darkness had already shadowed everything. This was my favorite time of year; right after the time changes and Georgia nights were cool enough for a sweater but not cold enough to warrant a jacket. And then with the evening coming earlier it allowed me to enjoy the night, my favorite part of the day. It was the time when everything relaxed and peace settled in the air.

   I closed my eyes for a moment to enjoy the quiet before going back inside. I had just settled on the couch with the paper turned to the Help Wanted adds when the phone rang. I jumped up and managed to grab it from the kitchen wall on the fifth ring.

   “Hello,” I said after picking it up.

   “Is Natalie Daniels there?” The voice was young, male.

   I leaned against the wall, wondering who was calling for Natalie as I responded to his question, “No, she’s not home right now. Could I take a message?”

   “Is this Natalie’s roommate?” I gave a quick conformation before he continued, “This is Jordan Hatcher, the owner of Jacket Depot. Natalie forgot her purse when she left. I’m going to lock the door in about half an hour but I wanted to make sure she got it. I hate to bother you, but would you mind picking it up for her?”

   Natalie had told me that Mondays the store was closed, and even though I knew she would need her purse, and more importantly her wallet with her driver’s license inside, I was hesitant to want to leave the house after the previous night.

   “Um, sure. It will take me around a half hour to get there though. But I should get” despite my obvious hesitation to agree, he said he would wait for me and I hung up the phone.

   Moments later I had my keys and hoodie and was starting down the street. Part of me debated about letting Mike teach me to drive the accord as I walked down the sidewalk, though luckily I didn’t pass anyone on my way to the strip mall that housed the store. I didn’t even pass so much as a car.

   If Natalie’s boss was calling than he must have given her enough time to get home. Anyone who knew Natalie also knew that she didn’t have a cell phone. If she wasn’t at work than she was usually at the house or at Mikes. As I had seen no sign of her while I walked, I assumed that was where she was now, although I could have slapped myself for not thinking to call there first.

   I walked across the parking lot as a tall guy that looked a little older than myself was locking the doors of the store. “Jordan Hatcher?” I called, causing him to turn. He waved as he started towards me.

   “You must be the roommate,” he handed me the purse when he reached me and I hung it over my shoulder so I could better hug the hoodie around myself.

   “Call me Sydney,” I said as the cool air started to sink in, causing me to shiver.

   Apparently genetics hadn’t been too kind to Jordan. Despite his being short and heavy around the middle, he wouldn’t have looked as bad if it weren’t for the acne that speckled his face. Natalie had told me that her boss liked her, and that he had the heart of a teddy bear. But seeing him for the first time I quickly realized why she kept turning him down. Natalie could be rather shallow when it came to guys.

   “I didn’t know you would have to walk. Would you like me to give you a ride home?” he asked.

   Despite the temptation to take him up on it, I shook my head. I wasn’t sure how Natalie would feel if I showed the guy who was so relentless in his pursuit of her where we lived.

   “I’ll be fine. I’m used to walking,” I called back to him, giving him a reassuring smile. He looked like he wanted to pursue it further but let it go.

   “Alright Miss Sydney, you have a nice night and stay safe.” His smile was genuine as he started to head off down the parking lot towards the only car left in the yellow of the street lights.

   After giving a quick thank you, I turned to make the trek back to the house. I watched as Jordan waved before pulling out of the parking lot and headed in the other direction.

   I was almost home when a car raced past, blue lights flashing on top. The neighborhood was probably one of the safest in town, last night’s incident being the first I ever known of. So I was surprised to see the car vanishing over the hill further down the road. I sped up my walk, not being able to fight my curiosity as to if something was going on near the house.

   I was jogging when I saw the blue lights flashing along the treetops of a street further ahead, my street. I broke into a run as I rounded the corner and saw several police cruisers parked outside of my duplex. I was almost to the walkway when an officer blocked my way.

   “I’m sorry, ma’am. I can’t let you pass. There’s nothing to see here so how’s about you just go on home.” He didn’t even seem to focus on me. It sounded like a line he was used to repeating.

   “This is my home. I need to check on my roommate.” I snapped my mouth shut as I fought the panic trying to consume me. Screaming would get me nowhere and I needed to get inside. I could see Natalie’s car parked in her usual spot and I wanted to make sure she was alright.

   Despite my wanting to hit the officer in front of me and make him move, I knew that would do more harm than good and miraculously managed to refrain myself. I fought not to glare at the cop as I looked up at him. His appearance surprised me. He looked as if he just graduated high school. Of course he was probably closer to my age, but even his hair cut in a close cropped military style couldn’t make him look professional enough to distract from his doe shaped eyes. They were almost feminine and gave him a sense of innocence. I assumed it was because of this that he stood with a demeanor that practically screamed ‘eager to please’. I wondered if I could use that to my advantage.

   I looked down at my feet, not really having to feign the worry in my voice, “Please, Officer. I live here. I just want to know what happened."

   “Are you the owner,” he looked down at a paper in his hand, “a Miss Sydney McEllis?”

  “I am,” I looked up at him to see compassion in his brown eyes.

   His voice became apologetic, “I’m sorry to tell you this, ma’am. We believe you’re friend has been abducted.”

   My mouth fell open and the wind rushed out of my lungs.

   “What happened?” I asked, panic filling my voice.

   “Well, ma’am, we received a call about forty-five minutes ago that a neighbor heard glass breaking. They didn’t think anything of it until you’re roommate came home a few minutes later, and after Miss Natalie Thortan entered the residence the neighbor heard a scream. We came here immediately but Miss Thortan was gone,” he said quietly, probably trying to break the news gently.

   The world swam before me as what he'd said sank in. Natalie was gone.

   His next words sounded like they were coming from miles away and I had to tell myself to focus, “What did you say?” I asked, trying to concentrate.

   “I said we need you to come inside and tell us if anything is missing.” He was holding his hand out to me to give me assistance, but I didn’t take the offer.

   Instead I shook my head before walking past him, being careful not to touch anyone in passing. I wasn’t sure I could handle anyone else’s emotional baggage at the moment. And it didn’t help that I could hear the neighbor’s whispers as many had come outside to gawk at the spectacle.

   “Poor thing, first her father and now this…”

   “I heard she’s mental, and that’s why she rarely leaves the house.”

   “I bet she has something to do with this.”

   “That Thortan girl was so sweet.”

   I zoned it out as I walked inside, having to strain to pass all the people without brushing them. It seemed most of the attention was in the kitchen. I stepped in to see people dusting everything, presumably for fingerprints. The window was completely shattered, the glass crunching under my feet.

   “Do you see anything gone?” I jumped when I heard the young cop’s voice behind me. I didn’t even think he might follow me inside. I shook my head as I looked around the kitchen. “We’re pretty much done here. There’s no evidence to show that the perp went any further than the kitchen. You’re free to wait in your bedroom. We’re going to need to ask you a few questions.”

   “Alright,” I said as I turned and walked past him, skin numb as I moved on auto pilot down the hall and shut my bedroom door behind me. Blue lights flashed through the curtains, throwing strange patterns in the glass as they filtered through the large bushes just outside. It made me regret having the bedroom at the front of the house. I flipped the light switch on and walked like a zombie towards the bed. I wasn’t expecting the crinkle of paper when I sat down on the edge.

   Lifting my leg, I pulled a note from underneath me. As I read it my veins turned to ice.

 

   I have your friend. If you leave town or tell the police about this note I will kill her.

 

 

Author's Note

Still under revision. Any thoughts or opinions are greatly appreciated.

Reviews

[Sara]

Oh my gosh I want more!! This story is very unique and definitly keeps you guessing and I love stories like that!

I do have some suggestions, what is the significance of the cop? You went into a lot of detail about the cop so I'm wondering if he'll be important later on; if not I don't think you need such detail. Also, I would have liked to have known where she was from and what her last name was a little closer to the beginning of the story. I like to have the character and the backdrop in mind before th story takes off so that I can see the story in my mind better.

I look forward to reading more!!

[Eagle Cruagh]

An exciting, edge of the seat story.

This writing is so good that an ordinary review
seems inadequate. I find an aritcle comparitively
free of errors. It is remarkably well done, demonstrating
an interesting talent coupled with keen intelligence and
a wonderful imagination.

I wait impatiently for more of this story.

------ Eagle Cruagh

[Wildecat]

This is quite the story, kept me on the edge of my seat right to the very end. A very good write.