The Way Shadows Move

Chapter Four: Busted Knees

The next morning was a struggle. I had overslept, over eight hours and honestly I never slept more than six. At least now I knew I wouldn't fall asleep anywhere.

He crossed my mind as soon as I opened my eyes, Zachariah. Processing what had happened was still hard, I was believing that our meeting actually happened now. People had started to go missing around the neighborhood. I couldn't deny what I had seen all those weeks ago either.

My grandmother was having her morning coffee at the dining room table. She was reading her newspaper with a bottle of peroxide and bandages laid out in front of her.

"Come sit Elizabeth, I want to check your knees."

With a sigh I made my own cup of coffee and sat next to her.

"So what happened to your knees hun? And don't give me silence as an answer."

Putting her news paper down, she grabbed my right leg and laid it across her lap. Pulling up my pajama pants and getting to work.

"I just slipped on my way home, nothing too crazy."

I know I couldn't lie to her forever but for right now I wanted to make sure she would be safe. Watching her pour the peroxide onto a towel I prepared myself for the sting."

"Just a slip huh? You know I don't like you out when it's dark out. I've been having dreams again..."

My eyes widened in disbelief, she knew something was up. She pat my knee with the towel and I sucked in a quick breath. I wasn't a big fan of pain.

"Oh yeah and what have your dreams been about grandmother?"

She started to bandage my leg now before grabbing the other.

"The shadow men, they're coming back. I can't tell what they want though. It's very peculiar, I keep seeing shiny chains too."

Her dreams used to be very detailed but the past couple of years they have gone vague. It was easy to know who was haunting her dreams because it was the same shadow haunting mine.

"That is weird grandmother, I will try to be home before dark from now on. No excuses."

I wanted to at least try to do right by her, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to keep my word with how the past couple of weeks had been going. At least she wouldn't be involved more than her dreams.

"Honey don't make me any promises, you're an adult. Just promise you'll do everything you can to stay safe alright?"

She finished my other knee and pat my leg. Taking my leg off of her, I sipped my coffee before responding.

"Of course grandmother, I promise."

Giving her a light smile before finishing my cup, and getting ready for the day.

———

I went to the library again, this time making sure I would fall asleep. I took my headphones off and grabbed my bag. When I arrived and got off the bus I noticed the red and blue flashing lights out front of Mabel's.

Running over to the car, big blue letters read 'POLICE' on the side of the white vehicle. No one was allowed in the shop. The glass windows had been shattered and it looked like a wild animal tan through the whole place. Coffee was scattered everywhere, even on the concrete in front of the shop. My boots crunching the dark beans into a powder.

I still hadn't seen Larry, my heart racing. Feeling each beat in my ears, it felt like I was going to swallow my heart while. That's when I saw him, he was in the shop behind the counter talking to a officer.

"Larry!"

I yelled from outside, my heart finally settling. It was so good to see him, heathy and alive.

He looked over at me with saddened eyes and gave me a nod while holding a finger up. I wonder if someone broke in, if they did than they left one hell of a mess.

I waited for another ten minutes before Larry exited the shop and came over to me. Giving him a huge hug I asked him what happened.

"I'm not sure, the cameras I had set up were completely dark. The library didn't pick up anything on their cameras either."

That was weird, usually Larry never had issues. Both with the shop and with his tech.

"What that's crazy, I'm glad you're alright though. I just about had a heart attack getting off the bus. Did they take anything?"

He could tell I was worried by the way my eyes watered and how out of breath I was.

"You worry too much Lizzy, nothing was stolen. They just trashed the hell out of the place."

We both turned to look at the once cute little shop. Larry was breathing deeply now, he was trying to hold himself together.

"Hey Larry, it's going to be okay. It might've been some homeless people just needing food or something. I could help you clean up a bit if you'd like?"

He shook his head no.

"Lizzy the cops don't want anyone else in the shop besides me for now. I also-"

Larry begin to whisper instead of using his regular voice.

"Found this, it was on the counter and I wanted to give it to you. It wouldn't be smart to give it to the police, I don't want them to involve you."

He handed me a small piece of paper, a little bigger than the size of a receipt. There was a drawing on it though. It was a portrait of me in the window of Mabel's with a cup of coffee in my hand. A shadow figure standing behind me in the portrait.

I took it and shoved it in my bag before anyone noticed.

"Thanks for giving this to me Larry, I'm going to find out who left this and make them pay back whatever they've damaged."

Pissed would've been an understatement for how I felt right now. Larry gave me a concerned look and shook his head no, his worry now aimed towards me.

"You just need to stay safe Lizzy, I gave it to you because it felt like a warning alright? Don't go out doing anything stupid."

With that, he walked back inside.

———

The library was eerily quiet. There was a lady at the front desk but other than that I hadn't seen anyone in sight. I made my way to the second floor and began browsing the nonfiction section of books.

I was looking for anything creature related. Maybe I could try and make sense of where these shadows originated from.

There was a couple of books that looked promising so I grabbed them and made my way to a desk by one of the huge stained glass windows.

Before I sat down I hit my busted knee on the desk,

"Fuck."

I let out a little louder than I would have liked. Now I'd have a bruise on top of the stinging scrape, just my luck.

Busted knees is the last thing I need right now.

•
ANOTHER CHAPTER OVER 1k WORDS!!! THIS BOOK HAS BEEN SO MUCH FUN TO WRITE AND IM TRYING TO AT LEAST UPDATE IT EVERY OTHER DAY WITH A NEW CHAPTER

WHO DO YOU THINK LEFT THE DRAWING?

IS LARRY LYING ABOUT THE CAMERAS/ WORKING WITH THE POLICE?

WHAT ELSE HAS GRANDMOTHER ROSEMARIE SEEN IN HER DREAMS THAT SHE MAY NOT BE TELLING??

WHAT ARE YOUR GUYS THOUGHTS SO FAR??

Much love, see you next chapter. ~Haylie