Author Note:
Thank you so much for taking the time to read the Legend of the Firewalker on Wattpad! Also, thank you so much for your support and for voting! :)
More information about the series is available at www.legendofthefirewalker.com.
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Chapter 1
It was the end of the spring semester. Leah had never been a fan of staying at Lawrence Hall, the all-girls dormitory on campus, but she had promised her mom she would the year before. It was evening and the Illinois University at Cahokia Falls (IUCF) campus was buzzing with students celebrating the end of the school year and the end of finals.
Leah, on the other hand, didn't have celebration on her mind. This semester had been a difficult one and she was looking forward to going home. "Oh my God, Amanda!" she shouted. "You didn't!"
"What?" asked Amanda sheepishly.
Leah rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I can't believe you kept your date with Hector last night after you made up with Steve," she said.
Amanda had a glowing smile across her face. "Of course," she shrugged. "Steve and I-well, you know."
Leah shook her head in disbelief again. "Know what?" she asked, through squinted eyes. "The other day you were just complaining how you and Steve belonged together." She paused to adjust her leg more comfortably on the bed. "How there was no one in the world you would rather be with and how you two were destined to get married."
"We are, we are," repeated Amanda, while flipping her long, straight, blond hair as she teased it in the mirror. "Hector is too much of a townie, anyway."
Leah drew a deep breath and sighed heavily as Amanda spun around the tiny-sized dorm room in her new sundress. The red and gold dress fit snugly against her small frame and complemented her slightly tanned skin. Amanda reached down to slide on a pair of shoes she had purchased earlier in the day with Steve at a summer shoe sale at the mall near campus. After staring intently in the mirror again, she repeated teasing her hair.
Impatiently, Leah glanced at the clock. "You know you're going to be late," she said.
"I won't be late," said Amanda, confidently turning to face her. Amanda's green eyes sparkled and she had a huge grin on her face. "So, how do I look?"
"Late," uttered Leah, while glancing at the clock again. "Steve said he would meet you downstairs like seven minutes ago."
Amanda frowned and then picked up her cell phone. "See," she said, holding it up. "No calls, no text - so he must not be here yet."
"That was his point in asking you to meet him downstairs." Leah glowered.
Amanda smiled and then enthusiastically sat down next to her on the bed. "Okay - what's wrong?" she asked.
"Nothing, really." Leah shrugged. Amanda raised her eyebrows and continued to stare at her. Leah sighed. "It's just - it's just that last night, I asked Lafonda to come hang out with me when you didn't answer your cell phone."
There was a brief silence and then Amanda pursed her lips. "I'm sorry," she said, offering her a quick hug. "I was ... busy."
"Oh, okay," nodded Leah. "I wonder if Steve knows what you mean when you say you're busy."
"Oh, he does," winked Amanda. "Trust me, but he probably thinks it only applies when we're together." She paused and then shrugged happily. "Oh, well."
Leah rolled her eyes and sighed again. "Okay, Amanda," she said softly.
Amanda dropped her eyes and then abruptly looked more concerned. "But seriously," she said. "Are you okay? Are you still having bad dreams?"
"Night terrors are more like it," Leah blurted, in a half-joking way. "That's why I asked Lafonda to come over." She paused. "I thought it would help me sleep better if I had someone else in the room. But all she did was talk me to death about getting an A in her fencing class."
"Is she still going on about that?" Amanda asked. "I wish she would just get a boyfriend." She grinned. "I wish you both would just get a boyfriend."
"Amanda, I think you've got that covered for all of us," chuckled Leah, while eyeing Amanda's cell phone. "And speaking of boyfriends, Lafonda has Jim, remember? And are you sure Steve's not waiting for you downstairs?"
"Ugh!" she moaned. "Stop trying to get rid of me. And besides, Steve is fine."
Leah shook her head and Amanda reached out to give her a quick hug.
"Look," Amanda said, "I'll be back tonight in time to tuck you in."
Slowly, Leah nodded and then forced a smile. "Well, when you come back, please leave Steve at home." She pointed to the half-packed boxes stacked in front of her closet door. "I still have to finish packing up the rest of my things tonight, and you know my parents, they'll be here right on time tomorrow to pick me up."
"Okay," said Amanda halfheartedly.
"Amanda!" Leah ranted. "I barely got any sleep last night and I've hardly slept at all over the past two weeks, studying for finals. The last thing I need is to be up late again while you and Steve play house."
"Okay, okay, I got it!" retorted Amanda. "Don't go having an emotional dump on me." She paused for a moment and then grinned. "Look, you and me, we survived freshman year. You know, all the midterms and finals, the late-night cram sessions. And let's not forget the parties!"
"Yeah," said Leah impatiently. "And let's not forget about all the late-night phone calls from all of your ex-boyfriends, begging you to come back."
Amanda grinned. "You know that I appreciate . . ."
Amanda was interrupted by a quick knock to their dorm room door. The knocking was to the tune of "Shave and a Haircut."
"That could only be Steve," said Leah, as she and Amanda stood up.
Leah headed over to her small wooden desk, which was adjacent to the foot of her bed. It was identical to its twin across the way, which was Amanda's desk. Leah's side of the room was reminiscent of her first week at school. The wall to the side of her bed, which once displayed pictures of friends taken throughout the year and an academic calendar, was now bare.
Amanda's side of the room, however, still displayed various posters and pictures of celebrities and perfect male models. Leah was glad she soon wouldn't have to wake up to teen heartthrob Justin Bloomer's face every day. She thought it was bad enough to have to see his posters, but Amanda also loved to blare his music.
"I'm coming!" said Amanda enthusiastically, as she headed towards the door.
She looked in the mirror one last time, stopping to fix her dress. Amanda opened the door and Steve immediately scooped her up, giving her a huge hug. His broad shoulders and muscular arms looked enormous compared to her small frame.
"Hello, gorgeous!" he said enthusiastically, putting an extra emphasis on the word hello. "I know that I just saw you this afternoon, but I've missed you already."
"Steve!" she blurted, sounding annoyed. "You'll wrinkle my dress."
"Aw! You look great, honey!"
Amanda frowned, but after she noticed Leah was staring at her, she gave Steve a quick kiss and then maneuvered out of his grip. "How did you get up here?" she asked.
Steve stepped into the room, leaving the door open behind him. He reached out to embrace her in another hug, but this time she was quick enough to get away. "The lobby doors to Lawrence Hall aren't locked until after nine," he sighed. "And it's only a little after seven. Besides, you're late missy. I've called you like several times!"
"Oops!" said Amanda, pausing to look at her cell phone and then placing it back on her desk. "But wait a minute. Don't change the subject; I asked how you got up here. Guys aren't allowed on the floor or in the elevator without a female escort."
"He probably used his baby blues and flirted with some girl to get up here," sighed Leah, chiming in.
Steve took his attention off of Amanda and looked at Leah for the first time since he entered the room. "And you know it!" he said with confidence. "And I asked her out on a date for later tonight. So, let's wrap this up early."
"Ha!" said Amanda, stepping away to smooth out her dress in the mirror. "You had better not."
"Let's just stay here!" he chuckled, while stumbling over towards the bed. "We can have a party here with Leah."
Leah quickly snatched a blue IUCF T-shirt off the edge of the bed before Steve sat down. "Must you sit on my bed?" she moaned. "Don't you guys have some packing to do?"
"Yes, but I doubt we would spend our time packing," he grinned, reaching for Amanda as she walked past the bed. "Besides, we have all day tomorrow." Amanda smiled and then happily sat on his lap. "Let's have some fun Leah. It's our last night before summer!"
Reluctantly, Leah looked up at Steve as she folded the blue IUCF T-shirt and placed it into the now open box on top of her desk. The last thing she wanted to do was waste time hanging out with Steve and Amanda. She was exhausted because of finals and lack of sleep. She wanted nothing more than to move back home to St. Louis for the summer with her parents, no matter how eerie that sounded to her. The room itself just seemed to drain her and no matter how tired she was, the fear of the nightmares kept her awake. She was already embarrassed by the middle-of-the-night screams that she was sure awoke her neighbors on the floor. It was about the only time Leah was glad that Amanda was away at night as much as she was.
"You guys!" Leah whined, in a half-annoyed way. "I really need to get to stuff." Suddenly, the sound of a door opening and closing filled the room from the hallway. "Great. Here comes Lafonda."
"Hey, guys!" said Lafonda, in a cheery voice. She took one look at Steve and then suddenly looked confused. "Uh - hey, Steve?"
He smiled. "Don't look so surprised, Lafonda," he chuckled. "We officially got back together this morning."
Lafonda took a seat on Amanda's bed and allowed her long, shiny black hair to drift off to one side. "I don't know why I am surprised," she said with a smile.
"Me neither!" said Amanda enthusiastically, while clasping her hands into her lap.
Lafonda slightly chuckled and then rolled her eyes quickly, in an attempt to go unnoticed. "Are you guys done packing?" she asked. "I'm almost done. I promised my grandmother that I would be all packed and ready to go early tomorrow morning."
"Great," said Steve. "Then let's all do something!"
"Ugh!" exhaled Leah, sounding clearly annoyed. "I thought you guys had plans. And look around you; does she look packed?"
Lafonda looked puzzled as she scanned Amanda's side of the room. "Why haven't you started packing?" she asked. "What time are your parents coming tomorrow?"
"They're not," Amanda answered with a smile. Lafonda looked confused. "I convinced my parents to let Steve drive me home - all the way from Illinois to Louisiana."
"Oh," said Lafonda, while nodding. "But wait - when do you plan to pack?" Her eyes were wide as she looked around Amanda's side of the room again. "Everyone must turn in their dorm key and be out by 4:30."
Amanda laughed. "Oh, Lafonda," she said, rolling her eyes. "We will have plenty of time tomorrow." Steve smiled big while Amanda stroked his cheek. "Isn't that right?"
"Yes, ma'am!" he said enthusiastically.
"Well, on that note," said Leah abruptly, "it's time for everyone to go because I have tons to do."
Amanda and Steve were still into each other and hadn't acknowledged Leah. She glared at them and frowned.
"Okay, you two," said Lafonda, standing up. "Let's go."
Steve and Amanda still didn't move.
"Now!" she demanded more forcibly.
"Ugh - come on, Steve!" said Amanda with a grin, as she stood up from his lap. She stroked his cheek again. "It's time."
Slowly, Lafonda headed over to Leah as Amanda led Steve out of the room.
"How are you doing, kiddo?" she asked.
"Good, I suppose," said Leah, shrugging her shoulders. She took a deep breath. "The nightmares aren't so bad."
Lafonda suddenly looked concerned. "Is it because you're not sleeping?"
"Hmm - that's a possibility," said Leah, as she released a slight chuckle.
Lafonda pursed her lips. "Leah," she said, "I hope you don't mind, but - what have you been dreaming about?"
Leah's eyes blinked a few times and she began to fidget as she continued to fold more shirts. "I ... I," she stumbled. "I feel so tired and down all the time." She paused as she reluctantly looked around the room. "I feel fine when I'm in class or at the gym. I feel like it's this ..."
"No offense to you, Lafonda!" yelled Steve from the hallway. "But why do women have to be so bossy?"
Lafonda shook her head and then smirked. "I know he didn't say what I think I just heard," she said with a laugh.
Leah took a deep breath and then continued speaking. "I just think it's the stress of school and, and ..."
"And Jamie?" Lafonda asked, sounding more concerned.
Leah took another deep breath and then proceeded to fold a pair of sweatpants. "I really need to get packing," she said offhandedly. She forced a smile. "But I do appreciate you asking how I'm doing."
"It's okay," said Lafonda, reaching out to give her a hug. "If you need anything, just know I'm next door."
Carefully, Leah placed the sweatpants in the box and turned around to say goodbye to Lafonda as she began to close the door. "Will you ... stop by tomorrow?" Leah asked.
"Of course," Lafonda smiled, poking her head around the door. "I still need your address. I plan to visit you in St. Louis this summer."
Leah smiled as Lafonda closed the door. A little time passed and she no longer heard Lafonda scolding Steve for the comment he'd made earlier; just faint laughter and the chatter of voices from other girls on the floor could be heard. Leah wiped the sweat that was beading on her forehead as she continued to pack. She reached up to the built-in shelf above her desk and grabbed a rubber band to pull back her hair.
It sure is warm in here, she thought to herself. She leaned over to stretch out her hand over the air conditioning and heating unit that was underneath the double-paned windows to check to see if it was on. Well, that would explain it - the air conditioning isn't on.
She opened the panel to the controls and messed with the knobs, but nothing worked. Frustrated, she slammed the panel shut and opened the window.
Leah continued packing and started humming to herself to pass the time. She thought of turning on the radio but remembered that she had already packed it. She entertained the thought of turning on the TV, but unplugged it instead. No distractions!
As she worked, Leah used the bottom of her white shirt and the corner of her sleeve to stop the sweat from running down her face. Now and then, a drop or two would fall on a box. After drawing up her shirt again to pat her forehead, she noticed that it was completely soaked. "Ugh!" she uttered. "This is so disgusting!"
Irritated, she headed towards the door and caught a glimpse of herself in the large door mirror that had been a must-have for Amanda. She frowned as she reluctantly examined herself in the mirror. Her pulled-back, shoulder-length brown hair was fuzzy, and loose strands of it stuck out arbitrarily. Her fair skin, now covered with sweat lines, was also red from all the wiping.
Leah shook her head and glanced down in defeat but immediately noticed that her once white shirt was covered in dust and the bottom half was wet and misshapen. "Ugh!" she groaned. "I look like crap!" Quickly, she turned her gaze from the mirror. "I must look like a homeless person standing next to Amanda. No wonder I can't find a date!"
She made a quick assessment of her side of the room and pretty much decided that everything was packed. I guess it's time for a shower, she thought sarcastically.
Leah opened her closet door and pulled out the clean clothing and hand and body towels she had put aside for herself while packing. Stepping out into the hallway, she immediately noticed the lights at her end of the floor were off. It was incredibly quiet, being that it was the end of the semester and the last day before move-out. "Someone on the floor must be playing a joke," she murmured.
She headed over to try the hallway light switch located on the opposite wall, but nothing happened. Gosh, she thought. The circuit breaker must be tripped or something - and on our last day here.
Paying careful attention not to bump into the round tables in the common room, she slowly headed towards the bathroom. "Well, at least the bathroom lights are still working," she said aloud.
She froze as soon as she entered the bathroom because it was equally quiet. "This is definitely weird," she mumbled, while shaking her head.
Leah placed the items she was holding on one of the sinks lined against an enormous wall mirror. She looked down to wet her toothbrush under the cool water as the shadow of what looked like a person entered the shower area. She jerked up. "Hello?" she called out.
Her stomach twisted in knots as she waited, and her hand trembled slightly as she shut off the water. The silence was deafening, and she cringed at a muffled creaking noise. "Relax, Leah," she sighed, composing herself. "It's probably just the water pipes in the shower."
Leah bent over again to rinse her mouth out with water, when a soft, high-pitched wail reverberated from the shower area. "Hello?" she cried out.
Instinctively, she looked into the large mirror and immediately turned around to scan the room. The sound continued to screech like grinding metal. "What is that?" she mumbled.
Leah looked intently around the room for anything that could have made the noise. Surely, the person in the shower must have heard that, she thought. Taking a deep breath, she shook her head.
"These nightmares have me so paranoid. I need to get a grip on myself!"
She turned back around to begin brushing her teeth, but another high-pitched sound pierced the air. "Leeah!" a voice shrieked out.
Leah froze instantly. Goose bumps shot down her back. "I know that voice," she stuttered, her hands trembling in fear. "It's that woman's from my dreams!"
Panic rippled throughout Leah's body and her heart throbbed forcibly against her chest. She struggled to move. "Leeeahh!" the metallic voice rang out again - this time louder, echoing and bouncing off the walls.
Frantically, Leah's eyes raced around the room for the source of the sound. "This can't be real," she said, her voice trembling. "It's - it's just a dream." As Leah spun around, her mind flooded with images of the shadowy figure that hunted her in her nightmares. "This just can't be!"
Suddenly, a loud bang came from one of the shower stalls, followed by the sound of quick footsteps. "Move Leah, move," Leah whispered.
Quickly, she scanned the room and against one of the walls, shoved in a corner, was an old broom. With broom in hand, Leah crept over to where she heard the noise to defend herself from what she thought was her mysterious attacker. After all the terror-filled nights, she didn't want to run anymore. She didn't want to live in fear. She wanted to face her pursuer.
"Aaaah!"
The sound of two different screams echoed throughout the hallway and the bathroom. "Oh, my God, Leah!" said Lafonda, stepping out of the shower stall. "You scared me."
Still a little shaken, Leah stood there with broom in hand. She took a couple of deep breaths to try to relieve the tightness she still felt in her chest. What will people think about this one? she thought, as her cheeks and ears reddened. She could only imagine what people were saying about her and her middle-of-the-night screaming. "Lafonda, I - I ..."
"I forgot my body wash," Lafonda grinned, but it quickly faded into a look of concern. "Wait - Leah, are you okay?"
Leah tried to force a smile. "I'm fine," she said, trying to sound convincing.
Lafonda secured the towel wrapped around her and frowned as she scrutinized Leah's face. "But you don't look okay," she said.
"I'm fine," Leah said again, now more convincingly than before. "Really, I was just frightened by the noises."
Two girls from the floor entered the bathroom. It looked as if they were unaware of what had just transpired, but they looked on suspiciously.
"Frightened?" asked Lafonda, in a low whisper. She quickly took the broom out of Leah's hand and placed it back in the corner. "And what noises?"
"You didn't hear the noises?" asked Leah. A worried and tired look washed over her face. "But you were ... in the shower, right?"
"Yes," said Lafonda, still puzzled. "But I didn't hear any noises." She paused. "Wait, I did bump the shower wall with my elbow; and I did yell out from the pain."
"No, that wasn't it!" interrupted Leah. "And you didn't call my name?"
"No," Lafonda said, while shaking her head. "I didn't call your name."
"I must be just rattled because the stupid hallway lights aren't working, and the heat," Leah stammered.
"What do you mean?" asked Lafonda, as she peeked out into the hallway. "The hallway lights are working." She paused. "I know that there is a storm -"
The sound of someone fast approaching could be heard from the hallway and they both turned their attention towards the bathroom entrance. A tall and slender girl who lived on the floor stood in front of them. She was trying to catch her breath. "Lafonda!" she let out. "I thought I heard your voice. I just walked past your room and I think your phone was ringing."
"Oh, shoot!" said Lafonda, pausing to secure her towel again. "That must be my grandmother calling about tomorrow." She started to take off running, but noticed that Leah was following behind her. "Wait - aren't you going to get your shower?"
"Oh," said Leah, while staring at the towels in her hands. "I guess I forgot my body wash too."
Lafonda smiled and Leah trailed behind her as Lafonda darted off towards her room. The hallway lights were on just like Lafonda had said and the air was cooler. Several girls from the floor were laughing as Leah walked past them. I wouldn't be surprised if they were laughing at me with all the craziness going on in my life. And Jamie's death hasn't made things any easier, she thought.
She was pretty sure everyone knew about her nightmares due to her frequent middle-of-the-night screaming, but she had started to feel proud of herself. It was the end of the school year, and even with everything, she had managed to finish the semester without withdrawing from school like her mom and Amanda had wanted her to.
Leah took a deep breath and relaxed her shoulders. She was determined not to let anything get to her. The following day she would be home in St. Louis, and she could put the whole nightmare behind her.
The narrow hallway from the bathroom to her dorm room opened up to the common area that was frequently used by the girls on the floor to hang out. On most nights, you could find people playing cards or studying at the round tables. "Hey, Leah!" one of the girls from the card game called out. "You think we'll have a chance to get a good night's sleep with this storm?"
Another girl at the table let out a stifled chuckle. "I mean, it would be nice to sleep through the night for once without your screaming." Sounds of laughter suddenly filled the room. "Maybe you should sleep with the lights on!" the girl laughed.
Leah could feel her cheeks turn red as the blood rushed to her head. "Sure!" she let out, her voice shaking with anger.
She walked quickly to her room; trying to beat the laughter before it ended. Forcibly, she closed the door behind her and sighed heavily as she pressed her back against it. "Can this be over any faster?" she yelled. In frustration, she tossed her toothbrush and her towels on the floor. "Ugh!"
At that moment, a gust of wind rushed violently through the open window, knocking the lamp on her desk onto the floor. The room was suddenly in complete darkness. "Grrreat!" she said, in a drawn-out huff.
She bent over to pick up the lamp but felt a little uneasy as lightning from the approaching storm created strange shadows around the room. As the sound of thunder filled the room, she stumbled to find the socket to plug in the power cord. Duh, she thought. I should just turn on Amanda's lamp. As she reached out to turn on the lamp, she paused. She had an eerie feeling that someone was standing behind her. No one is behind me, she thought, as she extended her arm to turn on the lamp.
"Aaah!"
There was a burst of light in the room followed by a loud crack as the lightbulb from Amanda's lamp shattered into many pieces, landing across the table and the floor. Startled, Leah jumped back, withdrawing her hand. At the same time, the door to her closet slammed shut, causing her to let out a stifled scream. Quickly, she spun around, her heart pounding against her chest.
Leah stood in the dark frozen with fear. Through the darkness, she could see that a strange mist had begun to fill the room, and when lightning struck, there was no thunder to follow.
Leah dared to take a step forward. She felt the glass from the lightbulb crunch beneath her tennis shoes, but there was no sound from the crunching glass. Leah waved her hand through the air, and the air seemed to ripple like water. Nervously, she looked around the room. She noticed the light underneath the door from the hallway was gone, and she could no longer hear laughter. The posters of male models on Amanda's side of the room, which once were vibrant with color, now appeared to be in black and white. "It's like my dreams!" she stuttered, in a panic. "Everything is washed in gray!"
Suddenly, there were shuffling noises all around her, and goose bumps formed on her arms and legs. She took a deep breath in, and when she let it out, she saw it take form in the air. Her heart was racing fast now. Leah bolted towards the door. "Help!" she yelled.
Spontaneously, the closet doors from both sides of the room flung open, stopping her in her tracks. Several small shadows darted in and out of the closets. Leah screamed in horror because she had seen them before, surrounding her, chasing her, in her dreams.
She took several steps back. Now, her back was against Amanda's desk. Frantically, her hand searched the table. She was desperate to find something to protect herself with, but little stabs of sharp pain suddenly shot up her arm. Leah looked down and shards of glass from the lightbulb had sliced into her palms and fingers. Among the tossed paper and glass, she could make out a small shape in the darkness. Instantly, Leah recognized Amanda's cell phone. She plunged for it, causing a wave of ripples in the air.
The phone, closer now, was no longer washed in gray, and the light from the LED display illuminated the apple-red color in the darkness. Without hesitating, she dialed 911, but there was no dial tone, just silence.
Abruptly, a high-pitched wail filled the air, and goose bumps rushed down her back.
"Leeah!"
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More information about the series is available at www.legendofthefirewalker.com or through Facebook at facebook.com/stevebevilwriting.