Shadow's Turning- Part 3

***Sorry for the delay- was busier than expected.  Got diverted writing paranormal erotic shorts under the pseudonym Dawn Wilder, in case anyone's interested in checking those out.  Hopefully, I can stay on track this time :).***

I woke up a few hours later, feeling only slightly better.

Forcing myself off the bed, I staggered into the bathroom to take a shower.  Feeling somewhat more revived, I squeezed myself into the only clean pair of jeans I had left.  They felt like they were strangling the blood flow to my lower half, which was why I only wore them when nothing else was left.

I pulled on a t-shirt and shoved my feet into sneakers, grabbing my keys and pushing some cash into one of the pockets.

Locking the door behind me, I walked over to the elevator.  I heard a door shut in the hall as I waited, and then the sound of shuffling feet.

Mrs. Hendrix turned the corner, using her walker for support.

“Hello, Sara.  Where were you last night?”

Mrs. Hendrix was a world-class busy body, though she tried to hide it under a sweet old lady façade.  She certainly looked the part.  Her pretty dark skin was only lightly lined, her snowy white hair always perfectly set in the curled cap that was so popular after a certain age.  She liked to dress in velour jogging suits tending toward pastel colors.

Today’s was a pale yellow.

“Out,” I said with a strained smile, urging the elevator to hurry up.  I wish I’d taken the stairs.

She squinted at me suspiciously before smiling at me sweetly.  The smile didn’t match the greedy look in her eyes.  She probably smelled some gossip she could impart to her equally nosy group of friends.

The ding of the elevator’s arrival was a welcome distraction, though now I had to be stuck in an enclosed space with her.

I held the doors open as she slowly inched in next to me.  They closed smoothly behind her.

“Would you mind taking my trash out tonight, dear?”

I was tempted to say no because it was probably just another opportunity for her to pump me for some information, but…

“Sure,” I said resignedly.

Luckily, her daughter was waiting in the lobby so I was able to escape her presence.  I swallowed the urge to ask her why she never took out her mother’s garbage.

I had more important things to worry about at the moment.

I entered the bright light of the day, squinting.  Was the sun brighter?  I fumbled for the sunglasses I habitually slipped into the collar of my shirt.  Better.  At least my eyes didn’t want to water anymore.

The same streets that had seemed so ominous by the fading light of day were welcoming and busy.  Everyone was focused on what they had to get done before sundown, but fear wasn’t really a big issue.

We’d become somewhat desensitized to it.

I didn’t know anything different, though my grandparents’ generation grew up in a time when the biggest threat they feared in the dark was a mugging.

Then things changed.

It happened gradually.  Nobody really knew why.

Missing persons reports began increasing.  At first, the change was subtle, so people thought maybe there was a new serial killer on the loose.  Police warned citizens to keep their doors and windows locked.  To avoid going out at night alone.

But the numbers kept climbing.  And the problem wasn’t localized.  Reports of a spike in unsolved missing person cases started coming in from around the world.

And then people started seeing things.

Eyes in the shadows.  People vanishing in full view of others.  Panic set in.

The police and the military tried to fight back, but whole squadrons would go missing in one night.  Roughly half of the human population was wiped out in a matter of months before it was decided we needed to move to defense.

The streets became deserted at night.  Whatever they were, they were nocturnal.

That’s when people started going missing from their homes.

Every form of religious symbol was used to try to protect ourselves.  None of them worked.

Until some did.

Homemade symbols created by a small segment of the population seemed to actually work.  There was a hereditary aspect to it, judging by the fact that it tended to run in families.  And those few soon figured out that it wasn’t the type of symbol that mattered, just that the intent was there during its creation.

And the wooden ones seemed to work best.

Charms became a booming business.

Everyone had them.  Some of the extremely wealthy even had entire houses armored with massive charms.  The price of quality wood sky-rocketed.

I looked up to see I’d crossed over into the Charm District.

It didn’t seem like much from the outside, the little red awning and crowded windows not exactly high-class.  But Mindy was one of the best.  She would probably be able to move into the higher-end area a couple of blocks down in another year or so.

At which point I probably wouldn’t be able to afford her anymore.

The little bell tinkled merrily as I let the door swing shut behind me.

The interior was dimly lit and crowded, every available shelf and wall covered in merchandize.  The pleasant scent of freshly carved and sanded wood saturated the air.

“Just a minute!”

I wandered over to take a closer look at a charm carved into the shape of what appeared to be a teddy bear.  I caught myself right before I was about to touch that deceptively soft looking belly.

“Sara!  How are you?  Looking for anything in particular?”

Mindy was maybe five feet tall and a hundred pounds soaking wet.  She was an interesting mix of Asian and Nordic ancestry, her hair gleaming white blonde and a distinct Japanese slant to her eyes.  She also had more energy than any one person should.

Just watching her flit around was exhausting.

“Hey, Mindy.  I was actually wondering if I could talk to you in the back,” I asked, looking around nervously.  The store looked empty, but I couldn’t see the whole interior at a glance.  There were dozens of nooks and crannies people could hide in.

“In the back?”  Mindy hesitated, her usually animated face going still as she gave me a long look.

I could see her weighing the possibilities.  I’d never asked for a private meeting before, and I knew I hadn’t disguised my nervousness well.

The fact that I looked like I’d pulled an all-nighter didn’t help either.

“Follow me.”

She turned and led me to the back store room/office space.  She dragged a heavy doorstop away so that she could shut the door behind us.

Gesturing to the beat up chair across from the dented metal desk, she settled into the patched up leather swivel chair on the other side.  Leaning forward, she folded her arms on the dull surface, giving me an expectant look.

“Do you have any charms nearby?” I asked.

She raised an eyebrow, but leaned down to pulled open one of the desk drawers with a grating squeal.  Rummaging around, she sat back up with a small sunburst pendant hanging from a chain.  Setting it down with a light clinking sound, she pushed it over to me.

I took a fortifying breath, feeling her curious gaze focused on me.  Reaching out, I settled my hand palm-down directly on top of the charm.

At first, nothing happened.  I almost breathed a sigh of relief.  Maybe it had been a freak occurrence…

Flash.

The charm lit up under my hand, bright white light shining out between my fingers.

With a startled yelp, I yanked my hand back, waving it around in an attempt to cool it off.  Turning it around, I saw that I now had a little sunburst burn mark next to the star in my palm.

“What the fuck!?”

Mindy leaped up from her chair, sending it rolling back to crash into a filing cabinet with a rattling bang.  She backed up into the corner, her hands held up in front of her.

Awkward.

I held my hands up too, and leaned back in the chair.

“I’m not going to hurt you.  Look, I just need help.  Obviously, I have a…problem.”

When I did nothing else, she slowly lowered her hands, but didn’t sit back down.

“What…how did it…happen?” she asked shakily.

“I didn’t make curfew last night.”

She stared at me dumbly.

“You…were outside…after sunset.”  She seemed to be weighing the words as they were leaving her mouth.  Like even she couldn’t believe what she was saying.

I nodded.

“You should be dead.”

I nodded again.

“Do you remember what happened?”

I had thought about it hard, but could only summon a vague memory of footsteps.

She read the denial on my face.

She reached up to rub her forehead with one of her hands, the other arm folded across her stomach.

“I don’t know anything about this.  You should turn yourself in.  Maybe they could learn something from you.  Maybe help you.”

She lowered her hand and gave me an assessing look that made me feel slightly uncomfortable.  The authorities were a last resort for me.  Once I went to them, I could kiss my life goodbye.

Nobody would fault them for taking me into custody.

Indefinitely.

“But I do know someone who might know a little more.”

She stepped closer to the desk with obvious reluctance.  Flipping open a notepad, she scribbled something on the page before ripping it out and setting it on the desk.

Retreating back to the corner, she watched expectantly.

I slid the paper toward me on the desk, moving slowly so as not to spook her.  She’d written a name and an address.

Simon Birch.

The address was a few blocks from here, near the park.

“Tell him I sent you.”

I nodded.  Standing up, I shoved the scrap of paper into my pocket.  Mindy made no move to come any closer, her wary eyes locked on me.

I didn’t want to do this, but I needed some assurance she wouldn’t run out and report me as soon as I left.

Hell, this Birch guy could be a trap.

“It would be…unfortunate…if I came to the attention of the police when the only person who knows about this is you.  It would be even more unfortunate if they found out about some unregistered property.”

It was an educated guess.  It cost money to register trees, not to mention the property tax that applied to them.  Mindy was always well stocked with charms and pieces of wood, when many others who set up shop at around the same time as her were struggling.

Having a cache of unregistered, untaxed trees would explain the difference.

A quick flash of anger lit her face, confirming my suspicions.  I waited for her to nod stiffly before I turned to leave.

This bridge was definitely burned.  I’d basically doused it in gasoline and lit a match.

Shadow's Turning- Part 2

Chapter 2

I woke in an alley.

The sun was shining on the busy street through the narrow gap between the buildings, but I was lying in shadow, one of my heels in a puddle of some murky fluid.

My head was throbbing, my mouth so dry my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth.  The rough wall behind me scraped against my palms as I used it to help me get to my feet.

My legs felt like they weren’t attached to my body.

And I was alive.

I waited for the dizziness to pass before forcing myself upright and stepping toward the street.  I made sure to move gingerly, not wanting to make the headache any worse.

I stumbled out onto the sidewalk, the glaring sun making me duck my head in self-defense.  Shading my eyes with one hand, I scanned the area.

About two blocks from my apartment building.

Turning left, I walked as quickly as I could, slipping past droves of people determined to get where they were going without making eye contact.  Rounding the corner, I reached out to steady myself.

A searing burst of pain.

I pulled my hand back quickly on a sharp intake of breath.

I looked over to see what I had burned myself on, and found a window with charms still up from the night before.

What…?

With a sinking feeling, I brought my hand up to my face.

A perfect imprint of a star-shaped charm was seared into my skin.

I stared at it dumbly.

People began giving me odd looks and a wide berth as I stood there, staring.

Get a grip, Sara.

Tucking it out of sight, I continued in a half-run, the colors and sounds around me blurring as the burning pain in my hand melded with the pounding in my head and chest.

I had flashes of the night before as I reached the bright door, but it opened smoothly into the lobby.  The door itself was supposed to be charmed, but I touched it without thinking.

A sharp nip on my hand had me jerking back, but it didn’t hurt nearly as much as the burn.

Maybe I should report it to the Super.

Luke, you should really get the door checked.  It only hurt me a little, you see.

Keeping my head down, I rushed up the stairs instead of using the elevator, not wanting to run into anybody.

Reaching my apartment, I slid a hand into my pocket and pulled out my keys with a laugh bordering on hysterical.

Couldn’t forget to keep my keys handy when facing certain death.

Then again, I hadn’t died, had I?

Careful not to touch the strings of little bits and pieces I’d accumulated over the years, I tried to insert the key.  It jumped around, the clicking of metal hitting metal sending a shudder through me.  Using my other hand to help, I tried again.

It slid in.

I closed my eyes in relief.

Shutting the door behind me, I turned the deadbolt with a snick.

I looked around the neat little living room and kitchen area in a daze.  My burst of energy drained from me in a rush and suddenly all I could think of was the bed.

I dragged myself down the short hallway and collapsed on the rumpled comforter.

The original confusion at waking up alive had been replaced with dread.  The charms only worked against...

I’d handled them my whole life with no problems.

Until now.

Something was very wrong.  But my body wasn’t going to let me think about it anymore. 

Closing my gritty eyes, I fell into an exhausted sleep.

Shadow's Turning- Part 1

Chapter 1

I ignored the stitch in my side as I forced my legs to move faster.

Gulping in air as I turned the corner, I almost lost my footing, but righted myself quickly.

The sun was a sliver in the distance and sinking rapidly.

Two more blocks.

The streets were deserted, everyone barricaded in their homes for the night.  Windows were barred, doors bolted shut.  Charms and religious symbols were strung up with abandon, some windows barely visible underneath the tangle.

One block.

The other side of the street was already dark, the edge of shadow almost on the sidewalk my feet were pounding.

I saw something flicker out of the corner of my eye, buried in the deepest shadow.

I refused to look, my already pounding heart threatening to leap out of my chest.

There.  The battered brick front of my apartment building.

I ran as close to the building next to me as I could, my arms scraping against the rough stone periodically.

The shadow of the building opposite was covering half of the sidewalk now.

I fell against the glossy red door that meant safety.  Fumbling in my pocket, I took out my keys, my hands shaking as I tried to get my breathing under control.

I attempted to insert the key into the lock, but finally had to resort to using two hands to steady it enough to work.

Come on.  Come on.

It finally slid in, and my eyes shut in relief.

Turning the key, I shoved at the door.

It didn’t budge.

I shoved it harder, than began beating my fists on the door, even though I knew it was no use.

I’d missed the curfew.

Nobody would let me in.

I rested my forehead against the door, my hands flattening against the slick enamel paint.  Tears threatened, my eyes hot with pressure.  Taking a deep breath, I pulled the keys out and dropped them back into my pocket on autopilot.  Turning around, I leaned my back against the door and sank down to the cement.

Numbness began to settle in, my hands and feet tingling.

I kept my eyes down, the little patch of dingy gray between my legs filling my vision.  My knees were bent, my toes just touching the shadow line.

I watched as the line slowly crept up my boots, past my knees and hips.  I felt the cool touch of it across the bottom of my face.

Up my cheek bones.  Eyebrows.  Forehead.

And then I was engulfed.

The world around me stilled, transitioning.  Even the slight breeze was still, as if holding its breath along with me.

The sound of footsteps.

I shuddered at the sharpness of it, the breaking of silence an almost tangible cracking.  The steady click continued, growing ever louder as it got closer.

Click.  Click.  Click.

My mouth was dry, my clothes sticking as new sweat slicked my skin, combining with the tacky residue of my desperate run.

I was frozen, my nerve failing me.  My eyes wouldn’t budge from the ground.  The rough texture of the concrete blurred in front of my eyes as the ambient like dissipated slowly.

The sound cut off abruptly.

Something next to me.

My breath was a loud rasp in the silence.  I shut my eyes tightly, my hands clenching hard enough for my nails to pierce my palms.

A large hand smoothed over my damp hair.

Shadow's Turning

Wanted to do a serial, so here we go.  Planning on updating at least once a week.  Maybe will sell as a completed work at the end...

Free on Amazon Until October 31st- Let Sleeping Lupes Lie

Let Sleeping Lupes Lie is up on Amazon!

        http://amzn.com/B00G7P09GW

It's free until October 31st.  Enjoy!

In the Lupe- Free

In the Lupe (a short following Going Lupe) is up for free on Smashwords.  Enjoy :).