Book One First encounter

Part 6

Perhaps in the village I could wipe away the many layers of mystery surrounding him, and Shanarah, discover what connection if any there was between them. There might be a library where I could do some research on the subject...I thought as I waited for my taxi to arrive. Half an hour later it pulled up to the kerb across the road from me, thick rubber tires sending small jets of rainwater shooting upwards, in my direction; missing me by a few inches as I made my way over to it.

My hair matted to my forehead, rainwater dripping from my hair, and into my eyes, making it difficult to see, I Opened the car's rear door, and seated myself in the back. Scraping my wet, still dripping hair back off my face, as I called out my address to the driver

"128 Mayfair cottage, Cragston hill please."

Sinking into the soft cushioned upholstery, I reached over awkwardly to fasten my seatbelt, turning my face to the window to watch as the harbour disappeared from sight; the scenery gradually changing to empty side streets, and brightly illuminated residential buildings, to flowers, and grassy fields.

The grassy rise of Cragston hill slowly emerging, as we made our way toward my lonely cottage at the top. The rain finally dying down, as we pulled up outside the front door,

"That'll be two pounds, seventy Miss," said the driver, turning round briefly to look at me. His face blanketed in shadows, the only visible feature that I could make out were his eyes, which I figured to be a sort of jade colour. Squinting in the dim light inside the car, I reached into my jeans pocket, and pulled out what loose change I had. Sorting through the collection of coins that were there, I handed him the exact fare, and stepped out of the taxi door, turning to thank him, before I shut it behind me, and made my way to my front door.

My thoughts drifting back again to Bella, as I put my key in the lock, and pushed the heavy door inwards, pausing for a moment before I stepped inside; an image of Bella's face appearing in my mind. Hovering between the front door and the hallway...I found myself wondering, what she was doing, and hoping that she was somewhere safe. Did she have a place of her own...I never did find out where she lived...Or was she still out in this god awful weather, alone, with not a single soul to turn to.

Pushing the thought to the back of my mind, I walked over to the coat rack, closing the front door behind me, and hung my sodden coat up on last empty hook that was there, and made my way into the living room; across the wooden floorboards, and over to the stairs. The darkness around me, making my mind dwell on less pleasant memories...Hager's face swimming to the front of my mind. Taking the stairs a tiny step at a time, I swallowed back the fear that his face invoked, and stepped onto the landing, the small stretch of corridor spread out in front of me.

Cloaked in shadow, the bathroom just a few feet away from me, the patterned paper on the wall shifted into shapes, which spread slowly across the walls. Transforming, changing into huge hideous phantoms, each one bearing Hager's face, those terrible eyes burning into mine.

Rushing past them I went on towards the bathroom, pushing the door inward, and taking a hesitant step inside, reaching inside I stretched out my arms in front of me like a blind man, the darkness of the room interrupted briefly by random flashes of lightning from the bathroom window, adding to the already eerie feeling there. Running my hand along the wall, I pushed back the irrational sensation of fear rising up inside of me, a sick horrible feeling, that I wasn't alone, and that someone or something was watching me from the shadows.

My fingers closing over the light switch, I breathed a sigh of relief as the room was immediately immersed in light, my eyes going over every inch of the room, just to be sure. Walking over to the radiator, I picked up one of the towels that were hung over it to dry, and quickly made my way back out into the hall, flicking on each light switch as I went past. I then made my way back down the stairs, and into the living room, drying my face, and hair on the way down.