Haunteds

Chapter 17

Anticipating where and when the Shade might strike next made my heart pound faster than actually seeing it chasing us. My situation right now is no different than being tied to a chair, blindfolded and hearing the whirring of machines getting close and closer. It's making my brain imagine the most gruesome way the Shade can kill us.

A problem I wouldn't be having right now if the Shade was standing in front of my face. At least that way, I know what's going to happen. If it lifted its arm up and brought it down, I can jump to the side. If it swings horizontally, I can duck below it. If I got cornered, at least I know which direction I'm going to point my light at.

Waiting was driving me nuts so I was almost tempted to get up and look outside when I heard screams behind me. I twist my body to their direction. Over our heads, the tarpaulin sunk into a bowl. Something landed on top of the truck. Something heavy.

It started moving, making wrinkles on the cloth ceiling. A ripping sound, and then there were three holes on the tarpaulin but our flashlights were on, so when the black fingers claw its way through, it disappeared immediately.

The Shade bellowed. It kept on poking holes on the truck. On top, on the sides, looking for a blind spot. But our defense was absolute. Every time it tears open a hole on the tarpaulin, our lights seared off its fingers. It couldn't even get an entire inch inside before it pulls back its arm, howling in pain.

This attempt of the Shade led to its own undoing. The truck was like a porous sponge now, violet lights seeping through every hole that it can no longer hide from our lights. A streak of violet beam must have pierced the Shade in the head because, through the holes it made, I saw the Shade roll off the side of the truck. We watched its honeycombed, dismembered body hit the dirt, shrinking in size as our truck left it behind.

We all started asking questions to each other.

"Did we do it?"

"We did it, right?"

"Please someone tell me it's over."

As I was the closest to the rear, I crouched forward till I was closed enough to grab the tailgate and pulled myself to it. From the distance, I saw its black figure lying on its back on the dirt. Lifeless. But then it twitched. Its parts must have grown again or fused together because it rolled to its side and planted one arm on the ground and pushed itself up. I don't know if it's the distance but the holes on its body looked smaller. Then it hunched down and ran. One foot after the other, charging at us at full speed.

"It-It's coming!" I warned. The Shade was gaining on us, growing larger and larger as it sprints after the truck; closing half the gap in just a matter of seconds. "Mr. Samson, faster!" I yelled. Just a minute ago, its body was still riddled with holes but now, not a single one remained.

"Come on, you guys!" Eris said as she crawled her way to my position. "We just dropped the Shade. We'll do it again!" The rest rallied to the rear and together we fixed our lights at the direction of the Shade. We were prepared. The Shade couldn't get any closer. It tried to jump off the road, into the bushes and the trees, but we managed to slice off its leg. Then it disappeared from our sights. We let out a triumphant cheer. And a round of high-fives and slaps on the back, mostly of Eris', went around.

"Yeah! That's what you get for messing with us!" Eris said.

"And please stay away!" Caprice begged.

This is nice and all but I just remembered that no one knows where we were going and no one told us. I crouched towards the square opening on the tarpaulin.

"Where are you taking us?" I asked Private Samson.

He glanced back at me in the rear-view mirror. Then he kept his eyes on the road, keeping both hands on the steering wheel. We were coming up the checkpoint, the gates already open.

"We're going through the city? I thought no one was supposed to know about this."

"We have no choice. The plan was to kill the Shade. You saw what happened. Just sit down and buckle up. I'll get you kids to Base Camp," he said. That doesn't sound very convincing at all but what choice do we have but to shut up and hope for the best.

I didn't feel the need to get back to my seat. Not that it was safer there. Instead, I locked my fingers around the metal partition in front of me and held on tight. Rain and the cold wind were now coming through the holes the Shade made, chilling me to the bone. But this also gave us the advantage of being able to see the Shade, to know where it's going to strike next.

Our eyes peeled on the road and through the punctured holes on the tarp. But we never saw the Shade. I think it's still down, hidden in the forest, regenerating back the leg we cut off.

Hope was growing inside of me. I was feeling pretty good of our chances of surviving this night when through the windshield I saw a lamp post crash-landed right in front of the truck. Private Samson swerved, going around the long, downed object.

The truck turned so suddenly, so violently, that everyone on the truck was thrown off of their seats, hitting the aisle with a short scream. Private Samson must have lost control of the vehicle because the tires were still producing that painful screeching.

The truck bumped to a stop. I hit my head on the hard, metal partition I was holding on to. Good thing we had slowed down a lot otherwise I would have been knocked out cold.

"Everyone okay?" Private Samson asked. We all moaned in response. "You'll be okay, now get up. No time to be in pain," he grabbed me by the back of my shirt and yanked me up. "Go!" he said, with a shove forward; before he unbuckled his seat belt and kicked his door open.

When I took a step forward, a guy shouted in pain. A hand grabbed my ankle. "Get off! Get off!" My mind was a bit fuzzy from the impact that I didn't realize that I stepped on Darius' leg. "Sorry," I said. I hold out my hand to him and he reached for it. Maintaining my own balance was hard enough but I pushed on my feet and managed to pull him up to a seating position.

I shook my head and blinked a lot. When my mind cleared somewhat, I saw that everyone was helping everyone while Private Samson called from outside, yelling at us to get out fast. The rear exit was swamped with everyone trying to get off the truck so I wormed my way through the square hole, into the cab and went out through the driver's seat instead.

I stepped outside, down onto the wet concrete. My eyes followed the concrete steps to my right, leading up to a great stone arch. Chiseled into opposite sides of the top corners of its frame were two little angels holding some sort of ribbon. A set of enormous, wooden doors looms over us, witha smaller pedestrian door built into each.

"Anyone lost their lights?" We waved ours in response. Everyone's seemed to be working just fine.

Then, at the landing on top of the stairs, a man who can only be the night guard based on what he was wearing–white long sleeves and black pants and shoes—appeared. He looks shaken up. His eyes were bloodshot. Must be sleeping on his job before we came crashing by the stairs. For a moment he just stood there in silence, his eyes wide open. Then his body jerked up straight like he just remembered what to do and scurry down to us.

"Is anyone hurt?" The man said, addressing Private Samson. "I'll get some..."

His body was turned halfway up the stairs when he trailed off. His gaze went over our heads, fixed on something behind us. Whatever he saw drained the blood from his face. He whirled back and bolted up the stairs. He disappeared. I turned around, looking down the road where we came from. Lightning flashed over the quiet street. Under the stoplight blinking a permanent red, the Shade stood.