Hiding from the Shadows

Chapter 6

I'm sitting on my couch, shoes on and my bag sitting next to me, all ready to leave and "hang out" with the coven, waiting for Layla's text. They said they would text me to tell me where to go but they haven't yet. I figure it's going to be around this time, so I'm ready to leave at a moment's notice. I might not want to go, but the sooner I get there the sooner I can leave.

I texted Layla a few hours ago with no response, but might as well try again.

Me: When are we getting together? I still don't have Logan's address

Setting my phone down, I sit there, leg bouncing up and down with impatience. Saar is staring at my phone impatiently, as if that will make any difference.

"Why didn't they contact you earlier?" he asks, obviously annoyed.

"I don't know, Saar," I sigh. "Maybe their phone died?" It's not impossible, but it doesn't take forever for a phone to charge enough to turn it on.

Finally, finally, ten minutes later, my phone dings. I pick it up and yell to Saar, who moved into my room to take a nap, "C'mon! Time to go!"

Unknown: Room 78, Garner St.

I guess Layla gave one of the others my number. Seems kinda pointless to do that if she could just text me. Or maybe she did it before her phone (possibly) died? I don't know. I'm overthinking this.

Saar walks into the room, announcing, "It's about time. You would think that giving someone the where and when would be first priority."

"Saar, be nice. We aren't their first priority." Saar just struts to the door, ignoring me and the fact that he isn't at the top of everybody's list. I shake my head in exasperation. He really is something.

We walk to the apartment. It's not too far from mine, only a couple of blocks away, so we get there in about 10 minutes.

The apartment building isn't very big, and has an almost hotel-like look to it. It only has two floors, but is fairly long. It seems to be kinda falling apart, but what home doesn't have it's pitfalls?

Room 78 is all the way in the back of the first floor, and I follow the directions the staff give me. I'm going to need somebody to lead me back because there is no way I'm remembering.

I knock on the door. Nothing happens. I wait a little bit before knocking again, harder this time. I look down at Saar, a silent question aimed at him. He sighs.

"I'll go around back and look through the window, try and see if anyone's home." I nod, and he trots off back the way he came. At least he knows his way around.

It's kind of creepy, standing in an unknown darkish hallway by yourself. And the door to 78 opening by itself really doesn't help.

Despite every atom in my body screaming at me not to, I peek my head in, nudging it back a bit in the process and jumping back when the door creaks. This place is getting on my nerves. I creep back towards the door and push it fully open this time. It's dark inside, lit only by the occasional candle.

"Hello?" I call out, really hoping that Logan and the others will pop out and say it was all a joke. Or that they were just casting a spell, or something else that will banish the sense of dread that's creeping up my spine.

I take a tentative step forward, trying to see through the dark. Even with the candles, the darkness in the room is thick. As soon as I step fully into the room, the door slams shut behind me, and I'm stuck in the cold, syrupy darkness.

I rush to the door and try the handle. I don't expect it to work, but I'm freaking out and it's the only thing my panicked mind can think to do. Of course, it doesn't budge.

I spin around and come face to face with a wrinkly old man. I let out a small scream and take a step backwards. My back is against the door. The hard wood is pressing into me. A gargled sound comes out of the man's mouth and a flame flickers to life out of nowhere in front of him, illuminating his face. Before I can say anything, do anything, he's walking backwards and chanting in that same gargled tongue. Voices start joining him in his chanting. Other candles flick alive around the room in a circle, brightening the faces of about a dozen more people. All their eyes are boring into me and chaining my feet to the ground. I can also sense the shadows leaking off of them.

Unchaining my feet, I turn around and start banging on the door, ignoring the pain that shoots up my arm as my pounding gets more and more frantic.

The chanting is getting louder. Magnified. There's a pounding somewhere, accompanying the chanting. The shadows are latching on to me. I can feel them sticking to my skin and draining me. My head is pounding along with the voices of the shadows. I can't feel my arm now. The shadows are digging deeper into it, attaching themselves more firmly to me. It feels like molten lava is being poured along it where the shadows have hooked into me.

I heat the glass shattering somewhere and screaming. The chanting is cut off in one last garbling and horrible screech. The shadows are loosening their grip on me, but the burning in my arm only intensifies. The floor spins closer and the world is fading.

"Dae!" someone yells. Then I black out.