Shadow Taking Over

10- To meet you

The landing was successful, but there was no time to relax. The shadow dragged her in like the pull of the ocean. Wind whipped overhead, and for some reason, she felt it tearing at her skin. She assumed that this was because she was unlike other shadows. She had two forms, shadow and human, and the latter could still be inflicted regardless. Eve ducked her head further into the shadows. The tips of her 'fingers' slipped from grasping the back of the car. The current took her, threatening to thrust her back up into the world. At this speed, that would surely kill her.

Five bony, black arms coiled around Eve. Senka opposed the tidal force, pulling Eve out of the storm. They then plastered them on the surface of the car. Silently, she thanked her shadow for their help.

Stops later, Eve peeled off the side, falling flat in between the tracks. Specks of toxic dust flew. Unintentionally, she sucked in a breath and took in the chemicals. She squeezed her eyes shut and wheezed. The previous car zipped away, whipping the dust and other such objects into her back. Dirt and grime polished her cheeks. Senka snapped back onto the skin of Eve's wrist to guide her hand to the ledge. Her fingers curled around the lip of the concrete. Distant honking from an approaching tram alerted her fight or flight response. Eve scurried to her feet and off the tracks.

She dropped to her knees and spat black goo mixed with pebbles onto the floor. If her stomach had had contents within it, she would have puked every last ounce. Her sudden appearance caught the eye of the crowd. People gathered around her, some crouching to lift her to her feet. Senka, or whatever shadow occupied the back of her neck, bit down hard on the bone. Eve snapped her head upward at the infliction.

"Fuc--" her voice cut in a gasp.

Ace.

Ace scaled the stairway into the busy street. Within seconds, he vanished. Senka zipped down the length of a vein and leapt from Eve's skin. They hopped from shadow to shadow until it latched onto Ace undetected. Eve witnessed this and realized what they were up to. She shoved aside a man that held her with one hand, and dialed 911 on his Blackberry in the other. A handprint scorched the fabric of his suit jacket. He fell back in surprise and dropped his cellphone. Before anyone could realize what had happened, Eve was already halfway up the stairs. Through Senka's eyes, Eve could picture where Ace was. It was almost as though there was a big red line leading right to him.

I can track people with Senka. Noted.

Sirens blared from the main street. An ambulance and a single police car sped past the other cars and drove onto the curb beside her. Three EMTs and two cops dressed in uniform exited their vehicles and raced toward the subway. Crowds of onlookers momentarily blocked their path. Eve took the opening to escape. She shouldered through the horde and sprinted madly in the opposite direction. A side street caught her eye. A short cut. Small, erratic bursts of flame followed her footsteps. The excitement was overwhelming her, and she physically felt steam rise from her in an attempt to calm. That didn't stop her from running faster. She closed the distance between her target and Senka in a brief six minutes by abusing every side street she came across. Ultimately, she was led to the not-so clean border of the city.

Ruffians of every background lined the streets, minding their own. Eve peered out behind a dumpster when she saw him. Ace casually strolled into a nearby apartment complex. Senka nestled in his shadow, keeping the trace active. He fumbled for a keycard in his breast pocket. With one swipe, he was in. When the coast cleared, Eve darted across the street. She reached out before the door shut--

Another misty hand lashed out through the gap just in time. Eve skidded on the concrete. The door whipped open, impacting the wall with enough force to cause the door handle to stick in the drywall. Senka, in the shape of a young adolescent body, floated in the way of the hall. Two beady, red blinking eyes watched her. They turned their back to Eve, drifting ominously down the length of the hall. Eve checked behind her shoulder, then promptly followed the shadow.

The entire complex wasn't lit too well. Several fixtures either blinked on and off, or were dead altogether. Exposed pipe and wire lined the ceiling. Droplets of water rolled down the beige wallpaper, leaving noticeable stains. The carpet tore in places, revealing near brown flooring. To top it all off, the walls were paper thin. The occupants of this fine establishment could be heard from a mile away. She imagined that no one filed noise complaints, given that every room had equally loud activities going on. A door to her left was left cracked open. Curiosity struck her. Eve tiptoed over to the door, peeking inside. Three individuals were seated in an uneven circle of smoke, muttering amongst themselves with wide grins. One of the three, a male, noticed her. He sneered and waddled over to the door.

"What're you lookin' at?"

"Uh.."

Senka loomed over Eve's shoulder. They slid a translucent arm down her chest and tilted their head 180 degrees. The stoner stared, mesmerized by what he thought to be an illusion. Senka's 'hand' suddenly shaped into six piercing claws. An ear splitting screech omitted from the shadow. That seemed to alert the male that Senka was in fact, very real. Terrified, he slammed the door shut in their faces, promptly locking all four locks. Eve glanced at Senka.

"Now why'd you go and do that?" she asked with a small grin.

Silence was the only response.

Damn, that was really cool.

A few doors down was their next stop. Senka glided on the surface of the wall, slipping through the cracks of Ace's apartment door. Not everyone can do that, Eve groaned internally. She noticed a pair of hair pins laying on the carpet. Back in the day, Eve recalled picking the locks of rooms that Alice had left her in whenever she and Lance would get into a heated argument. Alice usually forgot about her sister after awhile, so Eve had to get herself out. Hence the skill she picked up.

Without thinking, Eve grabbed for the two pins with a bare hand. She inserted the pins into the keyhole and started working at it. It had started to work. Seconds later, metallic liquid was the only thing in her hand.

"Dammit," she muttered, wiping off her hands on the wall. The paper sizzled.

Eve took hold of the doorknob and twisted it left and right. It wouldn't budge. She shut her eyes in frustration and pressed her forehead to the door. The door swung open, nearly catching her off balance. Her hands felt slippery. She looked at her palms, then at the door handle. Just like the pins, the only thing left of the handle was a dripping mess of liquid.