Shielding You ("The Shadows" Series: Book II)

1.

The chirping of crickets was disturbed by the heavy footsteps speeding towards a cozy house that had yet to encounter the darkness of the world. The man hastened as his intuition kicked in and a feeling of foreboding started clouding his thoughts. He had no other choice but to uproot his whole life and flee as quickly as possible from his hometown. He was a part of the group that had heard whispers of evil; proud even in the broad daylight. He had been a spectator all his life.

But now he had crossed paths with these lurking shadows and realised his fading hope for the future he had planned for him and his son.

The moment his footsteps touched the stairs of the front porch, he refrained himself from leaping towards the door with the keys dangling in his left hand. Inserting the key became a mammoth task because of his slippery hands but his will to survive won over.

'Daddy!!! You're home!!!' His heart slowed a bit in adoration for his smaller version as the six-year old hurried down the stairs to unite with his father he had seen only a few hours ago.

'Did you bring me anything?' asked the kid before noticing the sudden paling of his father's skin as the man started running his eyes around the house.

'Daddy?' The boy wasn't answered as his father ascended the steps two at a time and disappeared down the hallway of the first floor. The sound of rummaging greeted the ears of the curious kid as he joined his father in his bedroom.

He was packing a small bag with every necessity his eyes fell upon and then started filling another bag with the kid's stuff that were in the kid's room. It was getting harder for the child to comprehend such actions and his questions were falling on deaf ears.

As soon as the man felt that he had enough, he stood up and turned towards the kid who looked about ready to cry. He was startled back to reality, and he knelt down to console his child.

'Why are you crying? Are you okay?' He asked to which the kid rubbed his eyes as a sob escaped his cherry mouth.

'I'm scared. Daddy? What are you doing? Are you going...Are you leaving me just like Mommy?'

He pulled his son in a loving embrace to calm him down as he rubbed his small back. He immediately felt regret for behaving in a way that made it seem as such by his son. Pulling away from the hug, he tidied his son's hair while slowly taking possession of their belongings.

'Of course not!! I would never do that to you. And your mother is also here with us. Right here.' He pointed towards the kid's heart and his own heart simultaneously.

'Then...why these?' He pointed his chubby finger at the bags his father was now carrying. His father caressed his head before picking him up and going down the stairs.

'We are going on a vacation.' He answered and felt better seeing his son's eyes shining at the thought of such surprise. A pang of guilt burnt through him before he snuffed that flame out. Now was not the time to dwell in rights or wrongs. They had to survive and for that, they had to leave as soon as possible. Morals be damned.

His father started counting what the two would do once they reach their destination as the man stealthily left the house from the backdoor and strapped his son in the front seat of the car, without alerting a single soul in the neighborhood. The kid too kept planning and this distraction served as an advantage to the man to concentrate on starting and driving the car swiftly out the back.

His anxiety of being followed wasn't decreasing, knowing the consequences of getting caught by the wrong people. He tried not to break the traffic rules as he directed his car towards a city far away. He had to thank his own father for making him memorize the maps of his town and and the cities that he could go to, following the roads. The kid kept chattering about his school friends and how excited they would be when he will tell them about this trip, but got cut off when a yellow light flashed inside the car.