Their Light

Chapter 36

Hadley

Isaac was such a help with packing my room. We were working like a well-oiled machine when something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. I glanced over, but I saw nothing. I looked around anyway, and Isaac noticed and stopped what he was doing.

"What's up?" he asked, surveying my room as well. I shook my head. Wow, I'd gotten paranoid lately.

"Nothing." I turned my attention back to packing. It was only a few minutes later when it happened again. I looked immediately but again saw nothing. I rubbed my eyes and sighed. Maybe I needed more sleep or something.

Once I had finished with the box in front of me, Isaac swiped it. I wrote what was inside on it. Just as I was starting on the next box, it happened yet again. I froze, not looking right away utilizing my peripheral vision.

There was something there.

Something.

I tilted my head and slowly looked over. My blood froze in my veins. A flash of darkness and then it was gone. I felt nothing, but I knew what I saw. It looked like a dark smudge, out of place in my bright room. But that wasn't what terrified me. What terrified me was that it stood inches away from Isaac before it vanished.

"Hadley?" Isaac's voice drew me out of my terror. I glanced at him with wide eyes before looking back behind him where I had seen it just moments ago. "What's wrong"

His tone was serious, which was rare for him. At that moment, I was very thankful for it. I might have been going crazy, but I wasn't going to take any chances.

"Isaac," I started, my voice high. "Can you come over here?"

I glanced around my room, trying to find any signs of it. If it was Tenebris, why on Earth couldn't I feel it? Immediately, he moved to my side, following my gaze around the room.

"I can't help if I don't know what's going on."

"I saw something. It looked like, honestly, Tenebris, right behind you."

He stepped in front of me, immediately crouching down and reaching his hand out. The lights in my room flickered and then an alarm blared throughout the house. I noticed small sparks coming off of his hand. I gasped in surprise before remembering he said his power was electricity. He had never used it in front of me before.

Footsteps pounded up the stairs, getting closer. Relief flooded my system as the others approached. But before they could make it to us, the door to my bedroom slammed shut, making me jump. Isaac cursed and wrapped his other arm backward, pulling me tight against his back.

"What do you feel?" he asked me. The others banged on the door, but it didn't give at all.

"I didn't feel anything," I admitted. "But I know I saw something."

He nodded, believing me instantly as if that wasn't even a question. The instant trust would really have warmed my heart if my room hadn't just become what felt like a prison.

What do we have here?

The voice made me jump again, but Isaac didn't react. The chilling tone terrified me to the core for more reasons that one. For one, a disembodied voice that only you can hear was never a good thing. For another, it sent me back into the dark nightmares I desperately wanted to erase from my memory. It was the same voice from the first nightmare. The realization made me shiver.

Should have surrendered to me.

The voice droned on. I glanced wildly around the room. Was it getting dimmer? I couldn't tell where it was coming from.