Eliza's Shadow (10 page)

Sounds of the swamp rose softly around me, the
deep rhythmic croaking of bullfrogs accompanied by the rapid hum of insects. In
the distance I heard a menacingly large plop and splash. The water rippled in
the moonlight. I bristled with alarm but alligators were not my primary
concern.

I spun around searching my surroundings. I stood
on a dirt path in a clearing near the edge of a large marshy lake. It was pitch
dark but the clearing was just wide enough to allow the moonlight in and it
bounced reflecting off the water. I followed the path with my eyes, my only
real option for escape. It trailed into the woods, which were dark as a crypt
at midnight.

Panic slammed like a fist inside my chest. What
should I do? I glanced back at the lake.

Something was moving near the shore.

I froze like a mouse in hawk’s sight, trying to
quell my panting breath.

The water broke in smooth concentric circles
around a figure rising slowly from its depths. Dread swelled in my belly as the
graceful curving lines of the silhouette unfolded. And from the dark figure
framed by the moonlight, an amber stare glowed.

“Eliza.” The eerily familiar voice came to me like
a feather on the wind.

Within moments other figures were rising from the
water, flanking the first. Their long wet hair glistened like rivulets of blood
in the moonlight. I felt their smoldering eyes on me. What were these
creatures? Why were they after me?

Shaking myself from the grips of terror, I pried
my feet from the ground and stumbled backwards, determined to fight my way to
the trees. I spun on my toes and raced with every ounce of my being into the
darkness.

Despite the deafening sound of my own heartbeat, I
heard a unified hiss from behind. Then there was splashing and an odd whirring
noise.

I pounded heedlessly into the dark.

Only yards away from the tree line, I felt a slick
sting on my shoulder and then something cold and wet like an eel wrapped itself
tightly around the top of my arm. Within seconds my legs were similarly bound.
I fell to the ground and felt the dirt slide beneath me. I was being dragged.

Senseless with fear, I thrashed wildly against my
attacker and screamed an answer to an offer posed long ago,

“I will
not
join you!”

I squeezed my eyes shut and pushed away with all
of my heart and mind.

Suddenly, the dragging ceased. The cords around my
limbs slipped away.

I opened my eyes.

Pete’s face hovered above me. His expression was
unlike any I had ever seen before. The sounds of the concert poured into my
ears. Strangers’ faces peered down at me, hands reached for me. Then a
flashlight was shining in my face from an usher at the end of the row. Confused
and mortified, I found my voice again and fought to settle the commotion
directed at me.

“I’m ok. It’s ok, I must have fainted or
something.” I muttered.

Not knowing what had really happened, it was
difficult to find an appropriate excuse. No one around me looked shocked. We
were at a concert. They could assume I’d been drinking or taking drugs.

Pete looked scared. He leaned close to me, helping
me to my feet. “Are you ok?” His stony expression frightened me.

“I don’t know.” I managed to say. All I knew was
that the terror I’d experienced lingered and the blackness felt close as if it
could return.

“Pete, I need to get out of here. I’m sorry.” I
said truly remorseful. The noise and air around me was saturated with danger
and I felt exposed.

“Let’s go.” Pete held my arm as we shuffled by
bewildered partiers.

He clasped my arm tightly as if steadying himself
as much as me while we made our way out of the dim theatre. Multicolored lights
flashed, sporadically illuminating the floor and my balance wavered. My ankles
tingled where the slimy tendrils had squeezed them.

Seeing us approach, the usher shoved the exit
doors open. A cool breeze sucked us out of the theater. The bright lights of
the lobby hurt my eyes, mercifully thrusting me into reality. My body was weak
and ached all over. I wondered if I was hurt. I reached for my pant leg and
pulled it up to examine my ankles. I expected to see bruises or burns but my
skin was unscathed. Terrified by the illusion and implications it might have, I
clasped Pete’s arm as he rushed us down the stairs and out of the auditorium.
Before we left the building he turned to me,

“Should I take you to the hospital? What do you
want to do, Eliza?” His eyes fixed with concern and uncertainty.

“No! I don’t need to go to the hospital. I just
want to go home. Let’s just get in the car and start driving.” I didn’t feel
like talking and certainly didn’t want to get into a discussion about the
episode with Pete. I needed to get home and most importantly I needed to talk
to Ren.

I was a fool thinking that, even for one night, I
could pretend like nothing had changed. Danger had found me and I needed Ren’s
help.

Pete was obviously anxious but obeyed. He helped
me to the car, started the engine and zoomed out of town. I was grateful for
his naturally reserved demeanor. He didn’t ask questions just focused on the
mission of getting us home. We were well on our way to Port Rune before he
hesitantly broke the silence.

“Eliza, what happened back there? You scared me.”
His voice trailed as if he wasn’t sure he really wanted to hear my answer.

“I don’t know. One minute I was fine and the next…
it’s hard to describe. I don’t really remember. What did it look like happened
to me?” I asked not wanting to divulge more than necessary.

“You just collapsed. You were on the ground
kicking and flailing. Then you screamed. You opened your eyes and looked really
scared. I almost thought you’d had a seizure or something. Do you think you had
a seizure? Has that ever happened to you before?” He asked.

“No… It wasn’t a seizure. ” I didn’t know how to
get around the kicking and flailing issue but thought it best to avoid
implicating Pete any more than he already was, for his own sake.

“I’m exhausted, Pete. Do you mind if I just close
my eyes for a bit? I feel terrible.” I mumbled, hoping he would take the hint.

He nodded, shooting me another concerned look but
didn’t object. I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes.

Who… rather, what, were the creatures of my
nightmares? All these years, they’d been searching and now they’d found me.
What did they want from me? And now, they’d breached my nightmares. What else
could they do?

Had they taken my mother the way they threatened
me? At the thought of it, tears welled hot and full behind my closed eyelids.
What was I going to do?

The terrain changed beneath the wheels and the car
decelerated lurching to the right. I opened my eyes as we exited the highway.
Pete looked solemn behind the wheel. My heart sank with the thought that I had
ruined his night. He navigated carefully through the streets of Port Rune.

“Pete, I’m sorry that I wrecked the night.” I said
as the car pulled up to the curb in front of my building.

“Don’t even say that. I’m just glad you’re ok.”
Pete said, as his eyes dropped to his lap.

“Promise me you’ll tell Jane what happened?” He
asked, his expression grave.

Pete had no idea how impossible his request was
but I had to make sure he wouldn’t call Jane himself, so I lied.

“Promise. I’ll call you tomorrow ok? Thank you…
for everything.” I said weakly. I hobbled out of the car and walked to the
door, then waved before heading in and mounting the stairs. Pete waited until I
was inside and waved down to him. He always insisted on that so he knew I’d
made it inside. He was a good and true friend.

It was late but Jane wasn’t home. Friday nights
were always busy at Viva and she usually didn’t get home until well after
midnight. Sinking onto the couch, I opened my phone and typed out a text
message to Ren. It was too late to call, he could be asleep but this was an
emergency.

Something
happened tonight. Need to talk ASAP.

After sending the message, the sense of urgency
and anxiety continued to brew in the pit of my stomach. I had to find a way to
calm down. I launched myself off the couch and charged for the kitchen to make
a pot of tea. Just as I placed the pot on the stove, my phone beeped. Attacking
the phone, my fingers fumbled on the keys.

Be there
in 15.

He was coming over? My heart pounded against my
rib cage. It had only been hours since I’d last laid eyes on him but in light
of the evening events it felt like weeks. Almost instantly, the anxiety in my
stomach began to ease. I stood very still at the kitchen counter, sipping tea,
focusing on the details of the attack.

The chaos of those moments mixed with the fear and
adrenaline in my system muddled my memory. Now it came back to me in snapshots
rather than fluid action. I carefully pieced the pictures together in my mind.

The sensation originated in my fingertips and
quickly accelerated, coursing through my arms and down my legs. The cicada hum,
Ren’s calling card but he wasn’t here, not in this room at least.

I ran to the window and found his face, angular
and shadowed, beneath the streetlight fixed in a mask of concentration. Seeing
me in the window, a smile cracked his concentration. I motioned for him to come
upstairs.

I unlocked the deadbolt and waited in my doorway.
Ren rounded the corner of the landing, taking two steps at a time. His face
flushed as he reached the top of the stairs, grinning.

“It worked, I take it?” He asked expectantly.

“If you mean that your ability to hijack my
sensory system has now transcended concrete walls. Yes, it worked.” I couldn’t hide
my relief at his nearness.

“Come on in. Jane isn’t home yet so we should be
ok for at least an hour or so. Can I get you a drink? I just made some
chrysanthemum tea or maybe something else? We have soda, coffee…milk?” I
chattered nervously like a waitress on her first day.

Ren wandered around my living room looking at
pictures and other decorations, something I hadn’t given him the opportunity to
do the day he met me before school. His close inspection of my home made me
self-conscious. There were pictures of me at all ages displayed on the
bookshelves and mementoes from Jane and my life together scattered about. I
realized how much Ren could learn about me just from observing these details.

“Tea is perfect. Thanks, Eliza.” He said
distractedly as he studied a picture hanging next to Jane’s desk.

“Have you been to Peru?” He asked.

I had to lean over the counter to see that he was
examining a portrait of a group of children Jane had taken during a hiking
trip. I was surprised he recognized the children’s ethnicity so quickly.

“No, but Jane has been just about everywhere. Have
you been there?” I asked surprised.

“Several times. Jane has quite an eye.” He
gestured to the wall of framed pictures.

“Yeah, she’s talented.” I said proudly. Someday, I
hoped to travel and be as brave as Jane.

Ren sauntered toward the bar and made himself
comfortable on a stool. I handed him his tea. The memory of the evening events
ran through my mind like images on a roll of film. Blinking back fear, I drew
in a breath and launched into my story.

“So… something happened at the concert tonight.” I
stammered, as a shiver ran down my spine.

Ren’s expression remained calm but he cocked his
head slightly signaling me to continue.

“Ren, there are some things about me that I
haven’t told you, yet.” I said hastily my throat tightening.

“After my mother disappeared, Cora cast the
shrouding spell on me. But what I haven’t told you is
why
.” I explained, measuring my words.

Ren nodded, his eyes darkening in concentration.

“Everyone in Moco thought my mother left me on
purpose - everyone except for Cora and me. Cora may have let the sheriff
believe that but she took to casting spells all over our house as soon as she
had a chance. She didn’t tell me that was what she was doing at the time, but now,
I know what it meant. Then, one night, I had a nightmare. I was in the swamp
and I saw my mother there. She was trapped and she was afraid. Something tried
to pull me into the water too but I fought it and… I got away. I didn’t know it
was anything more than just a dream but when I told Cora about it she got
really concerned. That’s when she performed a kind of ceremony that I think was
the shrouding spell. Not long after that she told me I had to leave Moco. She
said she felt my nightmares trying to get to me. That’s when I moved to Port
Rune, to live with Jane. Since I came here, I haven’t had another bad dream,
until now.” I confided.

“But tonight, at the concert, I didn’t just dream.
I was attacked. The women, the creatures from my nightmares, somehow crossed
over… or I did. One minute I was at the concert and the next I was inside my
nightmare. I was in the swamp and they were there, waiting for me. I fought and
I told them I wouldn’t go with them into the water. I got away but, honestly, I
don’t know even know how!” I said frantically. My hands were shaking and
perspiration gathered on the surface of my skin. I felt cold.

Ren’s hand reached across the bar and clasped
mine. Warmth spread up my arms soothing my distress.

When he spoke, his voice was soft and grave.
“Eliza, I don’t know for sure but it sounds like you have a problem with a
Shadow
.” He
enunciated the last word slowly then paused before speaking again.

My eyes grew wide in question. “Not just your
ordinary shadow I take it?” I said wryly.

Ren chuckled sympathetically. “No, definitely not.
There are loads of ways a predator can hunt and reasons for choosing a
particular method. Whatever or whoever is hunting you either chose to send its
Shadow or isn’t able to attack you physically and had to send its Shadow. Let’s
just hope it’s the latter.”