The Shadow Meeting | BBRae Short story

┌┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┐

I long for the safety of your arms..

└┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┘

:bulb: Genre :flashlight:

This story will involve horror elements, along with romance.

:flashlight: Plot :bulb:

Two lost lovers try to find their way back to each other, while unexplainable monsters are watching them from the shadows. This is their last chance to be safe together.

:bulb: Status :flashlight:

Completed, but a second part is possible. I'd also love to use this as the base of an RP!

:flashlight: Picture credit :bulb:

The art I added is made by Gabriel Picolo. I just slightly edited the colors, focus and shadows, to give it a darker feel for the story.

:bulb: The Story :flashlight:

Enjoy! I'd love to know what you think about it and if you'd like to read a possible part two.

All streets around town had been abandoned for weeks now. It was better that way. The sky was dark, streetlights were dim and the silence was deafening. No one attempted to do anything about it, not after the death of most heroes that had tried. Those that still stood a chance, decided to lie low until there wasn’t another option.

The cause of this all? No one knew exactly what it was. It had been described to be a dark figure, almost like a shadow. One that glides, not walks. Much further description couldn’t be given. Those that knew, had died. Rumors said that one single look into this monster's eyes was enough to take a life. No one dared to risk it after that.

The state of the world was almost apocalyptic, but what other choice was there? Even during the day, the darkness didn’t subside. It only grew darker every day. While at first, only the nights were dangerous, the days were soon taken too. The sunlight was no longer bright enough to shine through the everlasting darkness. If that was the end of it, maybe none of this would be as big of a problem. But slowly, light in general got dimmer. The streetlights showed the first signs of this after a week, maybe two. It was troubling for sure, but at least you were safe while inside. But how about food? Would that just run out..? Was this going to have an end? No one knew.

Rachel only decided enough was enough once her bedroom light started to lose its flair. She noticed it one night, all of a sudden, as if it hadn’t been a gradual change. It just stood out to her when reading her book wasn’t as easy anymore. That took her breath away, did that mean it was no longer safe to be inside..? Could the shadows now roam free..?

Within seconds, the book in her hands was replaced by her phone. She had to discuss this and have that important conversation right away, so she texted the one that was important to her.

‘My night light got dimmer.. How are your lights?’

‘This isn’t looking good, Rae.. but there’s no way to fight them. Not without the others.’

‘I don’t know what to do either.. I just don’t want to stay here anymore.’

‘What are you saying?’

‘I want to see you. Will you meet me halfway..?’

‘It’s way too dangerous. We cannot leave the safety of our apartments.’

‘What safety? They are coming in, Gar, this’ll be our last chance. I’d rather risk it.’

‘I’ll be on my way, then. Please get your earpiece so we can stay in touch. Meet you at the subway?’

‘See you there in 10.’

‘Please don’t leave before we hear each other.’

‘Okay.’

Rachel had been alone in her apartment for these past weeks, ever since it started. Gar had done the same, just for good measure. The twenty minutes between them had been enough for them to decide to wait this one out. But they had been walking on that fine line of ‘we can wait another day’ and ‘we are too late.’ Today, they had decided which one was true. Now, they just had to hope their judgement was right. Waiting wasn’t an option anymore. The rest of their team had tried to fight the shadows. They hadn’t heard a word from them since.

The two had no way of knowing how long electricity would still last, so they agreed to use their phones and leave the earpieces be, but keep them charged at all times. If, at some point, their phones were dead and wouldn’t charge again, they still had these earpieces, just in case, to each other safely. But today, they would use them, because whatever the outcome for their trip would be, they weren’t going to need them again.

Rachel was prepared. A backpack with the necessities had already been sitting in her room, just in case an escape was the only way out. Everything she might need was in there. The nature of her abilities, scared her though. How would these monsters react? Because of the fear that they might be able to feed off of her, she decided to not use them. Instead, she had a knife ready. There was no way she would leave without it, even if it was just for a feeling of safety. Of course a knife wouldn’t be able to hurt a shadow. But no one ever said there were no other dangers lurking within those same shadows.

The girl put on her black coat. It was long, warm and had a hood to cover her face. The deep pockets could help to conceal her knife. Once the backpack was on her back, she took the earpiece and turned it on. After one, last, deep breath, she put it in her ear and waited.

“Rachel..?”

“I can hear you, are you ready?”

“I’m ready, but please be careful.”

“You too. What will we do once we meet..?”

“You’re welcome to stay at mine?”

“That works. I’ll see you in 10 minutes, okay? Don’t stop for any reason.”

“I won’t, see you then. Talk to me when you can.”

And with that, Rachel walked down the stairs. She did lock her apartment door and took the keys, just in case something went wrong and she’d need to come back home. But as far as she knew, this was goodbye.

Once she stepped foot into the open air, the darkness hit her. She had to remind herself that it was only around 5 P.M., but it was dark as the night. Being able to see where she was going, was a privilege at that point.

The earpiece revealed that Gar, too, had closed the door behind him. A quiet gasp followed and she knew he saw the same thing; the world they’d always known, wasn’t there anymore. No time to waste, they had to hurry.

It was crystal clear to Rachel that she hadn’t paid much attention to what was going on outside, because she wasn’t the only one there. She met people along the way. Most of them were cautious, afraid of what was spying on them from the shadows. More people than not were armed with some kind of creative weapon, none had left without a backpack. Were they scavenging? Did they even have a home? Or were they also meeting a loved one? She didn’t dare ask and sped up walking, because something about them seemed.. off. Rachel could see how these people felt, they had an obvious facial expression. But her empathic abilities told her nothing. She didn’t feel how they felt. Luckily, the familiar voice she loved pulled her thoughts back to reality and out of her head.

“Rach, are there people around you? This is weird.”

“Yes, but I cannot tell how they feel. Ignore them, okay? We gotta hurry.”

Rachel's tone was hushed. The subway was only about a block away at this point. They could make it, if they ignored all with these people. She hoped Gar could do it, too, he was often way too friendly, too helpful. All she could do was hope none of them would ask for help, or she might never be able to meet up with her lover.

“Gar? I can see the subway. Where are you?”

“I’m almost there, too. Meet me downstairs, where we always meet. I’m hoping there’s some lights there.”

Rachel could sense the fear in his voice. It was scary to think that, maybe, these monsters were empaths, too. That thought alone made her fear for his life. They had to control their emotions soon if they wanted a true shot at survival. She breathed a sigh of relief when the stairs descending downwards into the subway came into view. It seemed like he had been right, since a yellow-ish light welcomed her. But, just before she had the chance to go down, she felt something brush against her shoulder. It wasn’t the wind and nobody was there. She quickly turned, but saw nothing behind her. It had spiked her heartbeat, and soon, she heard the wind behind her, almost as if it went right past her ear, but she never felt it. That made her freeze. These things really fed off of emotions, she knew to instantly control hers.

“Gar. You need to control your emotions, they fe-”

“I know. I’m trying. We gotta hurry, we don’t have time.”

In sync with Gar's words, her body forcefully shivered. She couldn’t place it, but she felt violated, intruded. Almost like something went right through her. Something cold, something empty, something lifeless. That thought alone was enough for her to get out of her head and step forward, down the stairs, before picking up speed and making her way to the spot where they were supposed to meet. The quicker she walked, though, the more the lights flickered. Risking it was a bad idea, so she slowed down somewhat while frantically checking her surroundings. Maybe their location would be easier to figure out because of the lights. While Rachel was good at controlling her emotions, she felt the worry come back to her once Gar's breathing echoed through the ear piece.

“I’m here, Gar, where are you? Should I come your way?”

“N-No! No.. stay there. I’ve got it, please.”

Something was up. But he was always honest, even if it meant endangering her. They knew they were stronger together. He must be able to pull this off, she had to wait. But listening to him only grew her nerves, which made that terrible sound of the raging winds return. She couldn’t help but turn around, just to once again be met with nothing. These monsters knew they were there. They knew how to freak out the both of them, tick them off. Why did they not make their move yet..?

With a pounding heart, Rachel stared behind her to try and find anything out of the ordinary. It was hard to spot something at first, until she saw something move. It was almost like the dirty stains on the subway walls shifted, like something manipulated it. She couldn’t understand what this entity was, but it surely wasn’t like anything they’ve fought before. Just when she tried to speak up again, her heart sank to her stomach upon hearing footsteps, though she instantly realized it could mean two things. Either Gar had made it, or she was in trouble. She turned around quickly.

A sense of relief washed over her when she saw the boy walking towards her, her emotions instantly controlled again. She made her way over to him, opening her arms to hug him once they were meters apart. Their embrace gave such hope, like the world wouldn’t end and they were safe. His scent now finally came back to her to calm her down, while his arms made sure nothing could hit her from behind. And finally, after those long weeks, she could protect him too. There was no doubt on her mind about these monsters creating an illusion for them; this was her lover. They both knew it was true, their connection was instantly there. They had nothing to fear, because they could look after each other again now. They were whole again, and it felt amazing. All of those overwhelming feelings around them seemed to disappear, even when they both leaned back to look each other in the eye. All of it took mere seconds, they knew they had no time to waste.

“We should go now, Rach. We can’t risk staying out here”

Rachel barely nodded, she just took his hand and started continuing their walk, back the way he had come. Her pace was sturdy but he copied it with ease, his grip on her hand being tight. These two were determined to make it back home, and if not that, they at least would not lose each other in their last moments.

It didn’t come that far, because Garfield pushed the key into his locked front door only minutes later. Rachel was let in, before he walked after her and locked the door behind her. What those things were, they both didn’t know. But for good measure, Rachel quickly took off her coat, before receiving a needed embrace from her boyfriend. One that almost pushed the both of them to the floor, but they regained their balance quickly. It was time for them both to allow the emotions back in and Gar took it hard.

“What happened out there? I can’t even put it into words, I-”

Gar felt silent, before his words were followed by sobs, he was shaking too. Mostly knowing home might not be safe anymore, the two had a tough few weeks coming. Rachel's hand traveled up the boys' back, before it ended up in his green locks.

“Whatever it was, Gar, is cold. It had no emotions, I couldn’t find it out there. Not even the shadow form. I don’t understand.”

“I saw the shadow form, and if it wasn’t for me freezing instantly, I’d have figured out the trick too late. Your voice is the only thing that got me through in the end, the only things that calmed me down enough.. If it wasn’t for you, I…”

“We are safe together, please don’t cry. I know I can get you through this and I know you can do the same for me. Let’s do this together, okay? We’ve never been stronger.”

His grip on her tightened while he burst into tears. Luckily, the environment was safe for now, while the two of them held each other tightly, mentally preparing for what’s to come.