Into The Shadows

Chapter 6

My hair swished around my shoulders as I ran around the bend. This was the last place I had seen him. Surely, if he was still hurting, he hadn't gone far. But then again, I thought to myself, he had been able to heal not only himself, but me as well. And that was in a relatively short amount of time. He was probably better by now.

I took a second to survey my surroundings. Where would I go if I was a mysterious guy who could make inky figures appear out of nowhere, needing to regain my strength, or simply rest for a while? Safe to say I hadn't ever asked myself that question. 

I decided to continue down the road for a few meters, then turn into an alley way on my right. The passage was about the width of a standard car, heavily shadowed and silent. The noise of the occasional passing car was absorbed by the two big garbage bins placed on either side of the entrance. The alley continued for about 50 meters, then turned left.

I ran in a crouch, and was about to turn the corner when I heard voices, talking low and fast. I scuttled back behind the wall, keeping out of sight and listened. Their words were muffled and I found it hard to make them out.

After a while, I realized they were speaking a different language. And by the sounds of their voices, it wasn't a very happy conversation. Well, shit.

I guesses that there were two men taking part in this heated discussion, getting more and more strained by the minute. One of them could have been Ryan, but it was hard to tell. The other man obviously had more power than the first, judging by the tone of his voice.

A sudden exclamation from one of the two men made me jump out of my skin. It sounded something like "karlod!". Fat lot of good that meant to me. Why couldn't they just speak English? I had to put a hand over my heart, and it was an effort to keep my breathing quiet. I shouldn't be here. I needed to get out, run far away, to the safety of my home. I couldn't stand it anymore. But I had to look. 

I poked my head out from behind the wall, and was shocked at what I saw.

It was Ryan. I had found him! My heart raced with satisfaction, I knew I could do it! But, he didn't look the same as before. His clothes were the same, sure. His hair was a bit messier, like he had run his hands through it a few times, but that just added to the attraction. It was his eyes. They were... completely black, and kind of glowing around the edges. My eyes furrowed in confusion. What was going on? He hardly looked human! Was he even human at all? My mind raced around in circles while I scanned the rest of his body. He was standing with his hands held clasped in front of him, like he was praying to some type of god. The second man was standing with his back to me, but I could tell he was taller and stronger than Ryan. 

The unknown man kept talking in a harsh voice, ranting in the way a parent would. Ryan replied with a few simple words that were defensive, but he was cautious not to offend the man too greatly.

The man stepped forward, towards Ryan, in a fast, sharp movement. I waited in anticipation for a grunt of pain to be emitted from Ryan's lips. But instead of striking him, the man lifted up Ryan's shirt, revealing something I couldn't see. He hissed out a few final words, then disappeared in a swirl of the same black ink that came out of both Ryan and Brice. Surely they couldn't be the same creatures.

Ryan collapsed on the ground and lent against the wall. I noticed his eyes start changing back to their normal state. The words delivered to him might as well have been a physical wound, judging by the look of pain and grief crossing his face.

He remained against the wall for some time, never noticing me crouching behind the wall. Now that I had time to look around properly, the walls were damp from the previous nights rain, and the bins were giving off an odour I couldn't ignore any longer.

I didn't know what to do. I couldn't just let him go, the chances see him again were already slim. But I didn't want to walk straight up to him now either, and risk getting caught up in any more trouble.

Ryan made up my mind for me, rising to his full height and stretching out his arms and legs. And boy, what a stretch. He scanned his surroundings, just as I had done minutes before. I realized that he would be able to see me in this position, so I hurried to get back behind the wall. If he saw me, he didn't act on it.  

I could hear him walk away, dragging his legs slightly as he did so. Yup, he was still hurt. I chided myself for not offering to help him more, or insisting on inviting him inside. His footsteps were getting further and further away from me now, so I risked another look. Sure enough, he was almost at the end of the alley way.   

His face was turned up to the sky, and he took one final glance around him. I dodged back, but not in time. I swear I saw him smile before the wall met my vision, but by the time I realized and revealed myself once more, he was gone.

I sighed, knowing that I could simply run down the alley, see his unmistakable figure and have a long, long talk with him about the mysterious aura he surrounded himself with, but I was too worn out for one day. I had reached my limit of what I could take, and enough trouble was already on my plate. Seeing him three times in one day was already unusual. I had the distinct feeling I would be seeing him again soon.

AN: Let me know what you're thinking about it guys!! I'm thinking of ditching it unless I get a wave of good ideas coming at me (and hey, my brain isn't that good) so help me out! ^_^

Much love, Jesse.