Shadow

Chapter One

The soft blue light of her alarm clock radiated like a beacon on an airfield, except the only thing taking flight was her imagination. For the second time in the last half hour, she could have sworn she had seen something thicker, and more solid than a shadow peek from behind the bathroom door. The first time she blamed it on the unfamiliar cast of shadows that streaked across the motel room whenever a car passed, now she wasn’t so sure.

 

 

As a clairaudient she was use to hearing disembodied voices whispering in the background of her mind like a radio, but seeing something, now that was why she became a paranormal investigator.

 

 

“Possible shadow movement...” Lori whispered into the high-tech walkie-talkie clipped to her collar.

 

 

“Stamped,” William beeped back from the “command post” in the adjacent room to let her know that he date and time stamped the audio and digital recording devices that were carefully mounted at opposite corners of her assigned room.

 

Lori sat up from the neatly made bed, shifting the digital camera in her hand so it was trained on the bathroom door. “Do you have something to say?” she asked. “You can talk to me, if you want. Who are you?” Her question trailed in the darkness, followed by the old complaining creaks of the aged building

 

 

Tensing her hand around the camera strap, she willed whatever it was to show itself. Her eyes straining and itching to see the curve of a shoulder, the length of a forearm, maybe even a full silhouette, but as the minutes silently melted away, so did her patience.

 

“We have been here for two nights. If you have something to say, you better say it now.” Although having investigated hundreds of cases with her team, she always had an intuition, a premeditating flood of adrenaline right before an entity tried to connect with her. That same anticipation energized her body now.

 

 

Lori carefully scooted across the bed from where she had been comfortably reclining against the headboard, and walked silently to the bathroom door which was held ajar with one of her sneakers. Her first night here she realized that the door frame had warped over the years and the door would neither latch when closed, nor stay opened against the wall without help.

 

Before she could over think the movement, Lori raised her unencumbered hand and gently pushed the door with her fingertips but it didn’t budge. She pushed a little harder, laying the palm of her hand against the door. In small intervals she increased the pressure until she was using the full strength of her arm.

 

 

“The door seems to be stuck...” she whispered into the walki-talkie. Despite all the natural explanations buzzing through her head, she just knew that something was on the other side of the door, pushing back.

 

That confirmation came when she suddenly pulled her arm back and the bathroom door slammed shut. The sound echoed through the small motel room like a shot, followed by Lori’s startled gasp as she jump back clutching the camera between both hands.

 

 

Fueled by the moment, Lori barely heard William’s concerned prodding through the walkie-talkie. In the seconds it took her to close the gap between her and the door, she mustered her strength both physical and mentally.

 

Shoulder first, she pushed with her body. The bathroom door swung wide and she stumbled forward into the small dark room.  A shard of panic twisted in her chest as her hip caught the hard edge of the sink, spinning her sideways. Lori braced knowing she was going to fall onto tiled floor.

 

 

Firm hands caught her by the shoulders.

 

As if the dark room was its own ocean, her equilibrium had vanished. Hands out, camera forgotten somewhere in the blackness, she wouldn’t have been able to tell up from down except for the steadying hands on her shoulders anchoring her to the floor.

 

 

Her heart was beating so hard, it felt as if her ribs were splintering. She couldn’t see the doorway or the glow of the alarm clock. The hands on her shoulders slid to either side of her neck, gently, before tilting her head to one side.

 

“Stubborn, aren’t you?” a raspy, male voice said against her neck. She swallowed, feeling his fingers trail behind her ear.

 

“Persistent,” Lori whispered, fighting to stretch her senses beyond the darkness and reveal who he was.

 

 

He laughed, and she felt as if the darkness got thinner and thicker with the vibration.

 

“If you keep chasing the dark, you will eventually find yourself swallowed whole in it, Lori,” he said and she thought she felt loose strands of her blonde hair being pushed behind that same ear.  

 

 

Maybe it was her adrenaline dropping, or perhaps she was just getting used to the darkness but the blackness seemed to be fading. Before where it felt as if a blanket where held in front of her eyes, now it only felt like gauze. That small change reminded her that the entity wasn’t the one in control, she was. Having spent her entire life listening to voices, what was one more? Why was she letting this one get the best of her?

 

“Not if I bite back,” she said, as she instinctively reached outward towards the wall.  She could feel the dark slide across her skin like soft fur, raising the hair on her arms until her fingertips felt the light switch.

 

 

On the side of his neck, she felt more then heard him whisper, “Perhaps.”

 

The lights flickered on flooding the bathroom. She was alone.

Author's Note

This was more of an experimental piece for me. Generally I write from the 1st person pt-of-view. Not sure where the story is leading, but I'm a sucker for romances.

Open to any tips, suggestions, advice no matter how big or small. TY

;)

Reviews

[Mel Lisa]

This was well written and very chilling, felt like I was in the room myself! Lori is brave one! Guess one would have to be with her gift. She seem so at ease and comfortable with the darkness. she is searching for something but there is a familiar presence there with her, but she does not announce it to her partners. So there is a history there between her and him/it. so far so good!