Shadow // Narry Storan

prologue

I squeezed my eyes shut really tight as my Grandfather coughed. It sounded so unhealthy. I felt so bad for him.

He had lung cancer, and he has had it for about a year. He's been fighting it off well, but then it spread. It spread all throughout his lungs.

I was the only one here. My family didn't like my Grandfather. That's why I felt even more bad. I wouldn't want to die alone. I wouldn't want to die knowing that most people didn't like me.

"Niall," my Grandfather wheezed out. He reached for me, and I gently grabbed his pale, cold hand.

"Yeah. What is it?" I asked gently. I felt like crying, but I held back. I didn't want him to see me cry.

"I," he paused, widening his eyes as he breathed in deeply. I squeezed his hand, silently telling him to live for just a little bit longer. He breathed out, and so did I. "I have something to tell you."

I nodded my head. "Okay. You can tell me anything."

He closed his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. "I - I killed someone."

His words hit me like a truck. I felt like the wind has been knocked out of me. He killed someone? He always seemed so nice and innocent. No one would ever see him killing someone.

I blinked my eyes, trying to get rid of the shock. "I - okay, okay. I wasn't expecting that. Anything else?"

"I never got caught," he said. He looked a tad bit proud, and that horrified me and almost made me laugh at the same time. "But... but he wants revenge."

Now I was terrified. He wants revenge? The guy he killed was dead!

"R-Revenge?" I stuttered.

He nodded, coughing just a little bit. "He wants to kill my family."

"I'm your family!"

"And so is your mom, and dad, and aunts, and cousins..." he trailed off, thinking he made his point, which he did.

Someone was going to kill me. And my family, all because of my Grandfather. No wonder my family didn't want to come.

"No," I said. "That can't happen! How do I stop it?" I looked at him, my eyes wide. I needed an answer now. What if I get killed as soon as I walk out of the building?

"You can stop him by..." he sucked in a sharp breath. No. He coughed and I knew it was his time. But couldn't have him leave just yet.

"Grandpa!" I exclaimed.

"By..." he strained out. He coughed again. He took a breath out, and then breathed back in. I felt the grip on my hand get loose, and he didn't breath back out again.

"No!"