Shadow Creatures || TIM DRAKE

⥈ chapter three: HIDE N' SEEK ⥈

Tim exited the stairwell on the opposite end of the hallway of where the girls might be staying. Even though the anticipation of finding them was building up inside of him, he continued to search through each apartment before 204 carefully. He didn't want to miss something important. He didn't want to loose any sort of trail he might be on. As Tim came upon the room 204, his heart rate picked up and he took a deep breath before getting ready to pick the lock to the door. Not really to his surprise though, it was unlocked. 

Tim pushed open the door slowly, careful to make sure it did not squeak on it's hinges. The door swung open easily and Tim immediately saw signs that someone had been here recently. He could smell fruit ripening out on the dining room table and see candy wrappers lying on the floor. The furniture was moved aside, all of it looking like it had been semi-cleaned of dust and soot. His eyes scanned the room slowly, looking for a place two girls might hide in this room but he saw none. Walking slowly into the apartment, he decided to move deeper in to look for them. 

Tim walked over the graying and blackened carpet, dust kicking up and settling on his boots. He crept across the worn brown carpet in the hallway and peeked into what could only be Adelaide's room when she was younger. It had very obviously, recently been slept in but Tim couldn't see anyone inside, unless they were hiding in the closet. Tim was about to step into the room when he heard a creak in the master bedroom in front of him. It was the kind of creak that happens when someone shifts their weight. Tim approached the room.

The master bedroom also looked very recently slept in. Covers were neatly pulled over the bed and there were blackened spots on the wooden floor and walls. Tim could tell it wasn't from the fire though. The burned portions of the apartment didn't reach this far. Tim wondered how Adelaide's parents died in the fire. Had they gotten caught trapped by something in a stairwell? Inhaled too much smoke? Tim scanned the room slowly, seeing nothing. He turned slightly, ready to check the master bathroom when an unusual shadow caught his attention. It was a shadow that wasn't attached to anything. 

Time turned back and stared right at the dark corner of the room where the shadow was coming from. It wasn't the shape of a human, more like a wavy blob but it could be a sort of human shape from a certain angle. Tim took a step forward. Was Dabria... Camouflaging herself? Suddenly, two girls appeared in front of him. The first was obviously Dabria. She was breathing heavily, probably from concentrating so hard on staying hidden and she was shielding, almost completely, with her body a smaller girl, Adelaide. 

Adelaide squeaked and clung to Dabria's clothes, burying her face in Dabria's back. Dabria's hands went up. "Wait!" Tim exclaimed. An orange circle swirled around in front of them and Dabria grunted as it fizzled out and died. 

"Leave us alone Batboy! We haven't done anything!"

"I know that Dabria." Tim said, surprising her as she tried to create another portal. Dabria paused.

"How do you know my name?" She demanded. 

"Dabria Tran, ward of the state."

"Not anymore." Dabria barked at him. "I'm eighteen. I belong to no one." Tim pursed his lips. 

"Ran away from several foster homes before disappearing completely from the system with Adelaide Costner." Tim said, nodding to the younger girl behind her. 

"I didn't kidnap her. We left together. You don't know what the Millington Family was like. We couldn't live there anymore and I wasn't going to leave without her." Adelaide didn't pick up her head, just clung tighter  to Dabria.    

"You're wanted for theft Dabria and you're squatting in this building. It's not safe. There's too much ash in here."

"We've been fine for two years. Now leave us alone before..." Tim could feel a threat attached to that sentence and smelled smoke. He glanced over at the wall on his right and saw that a small patch of paint was beginning to burn, a scorch march enlarging slowly.