For as long as I could remember, I'd heard whispers in
the shadows. Black, twisting shapes that chilled my blood.
Slithering through night, the images flickered, green skin,
crimson eyes, sharp claws illuminated even in the dark.
Sunlight meant the difference between life and death.
During the day I normally felt safe with the heat of
the sun brushing my skin, so that morning when the shadows
showed up in my bedroom, I barely recognized their eerie
whispering. The desk lamp flickered, startling me. I stared
at the last line I'd typed on my essay for English class,
my hand hovering over the keyboard. Homework can wait.
I raised my head and closed the laptop. A supernatural
hush came over the room. My heart hammered. A hint of
chilling menace climbed up my spine. Finishing my homework
was the last thing on my mind.
I uncrossed my legs and jumped off the bed, nearly
tripping over my long nightgown. I scanned the dark bends
and edges of the room. The swirling azure colors of the
witch ball suspended over my bed rotated in a slow circle.
I got down on my hands and knees to check under the bed.
Nothing. The closet door stood open a crack. I stood up and
wavered, shoulders hitching.
My gut clenched. My skin prickled. I dragged my feet
over to the closet. I pushed the door wider with my bare
foot. On tiptoes, I leaned over the threshold, stretching
to grasp the brass chain, then gave it a yank. Light bled
across dirty laundry, illuminating metal hangers scattered
on the floor. Dusty board games littered the shelf, and
haphazardly hanging clothes swayed on the bar. My fuzzy,
pink bunny slippers stared at me with glassy button eyes.
Nothing unusual.
So why am I so freaked?
The feeling, indistinct but ominous, lingered like the
remnants of a bad dream. I couldn't isolate the source. But
something felt wrong.
The closet light and lamp suddenly went out. As I
turned around, my peripheral vision caught a maelstrom of
shadows. I saw things in it. Something snaked past my leg.
Writhed.
Stupid, stupid, stupid! Forgot to keep my telepathic
shield up. Again.
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