A footstep on the stair, soft as moth wings. The glint of an eye, of a smile, in the dark of the stairwell.
There had been more security this time, but physical barriers were little defence against a shadow. It found what it was looking for easily; stolen time in the shape of a woman, eyes burgundy, hair glossy. Sharp nails and sharper teeth. This woman had been there when the shadow's soul had died in a pool of red with one outstretched hand, knotted hair, torn dress. There was nowhere to put that image where it didn't hurt, a black bruise constantly pressed. It remembered every face that been there when she was killed.
Shadows still felt pain, it seemed, even without a soul. It seemed a cruel irony.
Another footstep, the very faintest rustle of fabric. The woman in the attic above looked up from a glowing screen, eyes like holes in her head, dim light through thick wine. Fang pressed into a lower lip.
But the shadow was already behind her.
"You remember," it whispered, pushing the image that had tortured it for years into the woman's mind. It had more time here; one could always count on supernatural complacency, as if a few weak charms had ever been enough to keep it out. "Don't you?"
It felt the woman struggle against its touch on her mind, creeping and oily and forceful, but it was stronger. It had always been stronger.
It just hadn't always been on time.
And that mistake had made this reunion inevitable.
The woman twisted in the chair, her laptop clattering to the floor as she hissed, trying to claw behind her even as she was blinded by the images being forced upon her. The shadow simply held her away, before stepping forward and...
Tearing
Her
Apart.
Movement, in other areas of the building. A question from below, unanswered. But it was already too late.
The shadow was gone.
WC: 314
Total: 8445
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Nocturne | ONC 2024
Fantasy'There was a stain on the floor that used to be a vampire, and Aaron Evans was starting to feel like he really wasn't being paid enough.' ***** Aaron is only in Supernatural Investigations for the pay. It's stressful and dangerous, and he's certain...
