Particles of Mist

Chapter One

"Yeah, sure, I'll get its autograph."

"Could you?"

Alice shook her head and -- against her better judgment -- started across the street. She couldn't imagine that anyone who lived in a place like this was a team player -- possible chainsaw murdering tendencies aside. But Luke said this was where they should start so this is where she would start. And hopefully he was right.

The gate was only attached to its hinges on the bottom -- the top hinge long since rusted through. It rested slightly crooked in the dirt, and vines had claimed it, so she squeezed past a small gap between it and the fence.

Cursing as one of the vines grabbed the hood of her coat and dragged her back. She fought her way free, tangling her jacket in one of the points of the fence in the process. So she had to free that too before starting across the lawn.

She spat another curse as a bramble snagged on her foot. Making her stagger and get caught on a vine snaking across the path, tripping her and almost sending her on her face.

Movement continued to flash in the corners of her eyes, shadows gliding past in the mist, but whenever she looked there was never anything there. She took a deep breath. Calm down, Alice, she told herself. this is real life, not a horror movie.

The brambles continued to clutch at her, plucking at her jacket and her arms, catching in her hair, but she just pushed through, ignoring them and looking straight ahead.

The porch steps creaked as she walked up them, and she felt the boards sag a little more than she was comfortable with. Giving her the distinct impression they were going to break and send her foot plunging through them.

Finally, she attained the doorstep and knocked firmly on the door. Silence greeted the knock, and she looked around idly as she waited. Nothing that she saw reassured her in any way. "You are sure she lives here?"

"Very sure. What do you take me for?"

Alice waited a few more seconds then raised her hand to knock again. Her hand was an inch away from the door when it was yanked all the way open rather abruptly with a massive creak, and a woman stood outlined by the door frame. The hallway still in pitch darkness behind her, and indeed, the woman's dark form blended almost perfectly with the background so that Alice could only barely make out her outline. The only way Alice knew it was a woman was by the shape of her figure and the previous knowledge of the occupant.

The woman stepped forward a bit more so the dim grey light of the overcast sky illuminated her in sharper relief and Alice could better make out her features. She looked less than happy about the intrusion, her brow lowered over dark brown eyes, strong angular jaw set firmly.

She was wearing black jeans tucked into a pair of black boots and a blue-grey denim vest that looked like it had once had sleeves but they'd been torn off. Of course, with the things you saw in stores these days it was very possible that it'd been bought like that. Her thick, coarse black hair had been tamed into a braid that draped over her shoulder, mirroring Alice's own hair, though hers was much thinner and silkier. 

And she was ripped, Alice could see the muscles rippling as the woman lifted her arm and braced her hand on the door frame. Alice was pretty fit herself but even her biceps were not that toned. The woman wasn't body-builder size, more on the lean sinewy side, but Alice would not want to be on the receiving end of one of her punches. Which did nothing further to reassure her.

"Can I help you?"

"Hi, my name is Alice West. Are you Evelynn Knight?"

"That's what I've been told."