(The vampire duology pt 1) The undead romance

Chapter 7:- Shadows within

The ride back with Sam and Erick was steeped in a heavy silence. Sam, lost in his own thoughts, barely spoke a word, while Erick sat fuming, hands clenched white-knuckled on the steering wheel, the frustration of not having David in chains gnawing at him. As for me, I stared out the window, the events of the past few days replaying on a loop in my mind. Maybe it was time to schedule another appointment with my therapist.

Finally, Friday arrived like a breath of stale air. You know those 'everything showers,' where you emerge scrubbed raw, dehydrated, and somehow sweating? That was me, standing in the bathroom, trying to wash away a week's worth of anxiety and sleepless nights. When I felt human enough, I grabbed a homemade cake and headed to Danny's. It was an unspoken apology for the hysteria that had taken hold of me, though I couldn't quite remember what had triggered it. Danny greeted me with a warm smile, pulling me into a tight hug and mumbling something indecipherable before pressing a mug of hot cocoa—extra marshmallows—into my hands. The world felt peaceful for a fleeting moment as I watched the empty street from his window. A stray cat stretched and yawned in the early morning light, its presence oddly comforting.

But then, out of the corner of my eye, something shifted. A shadow, distinct and sharp, slid across the pavement—a man's shadow. But there was no man.

"Great," I muttered to myself. "You've finally lost it, Anne." But as I stared at the empty spot where a body should have cast that shadow, it froze. Then, slowly, it turned toward me, an arrow pointing straight at my heart.

Panic gripped me, and I locked my gaze on the steaming mug in my hands. Don't look, don't look, don't look, I chanted internally, as if that would somehow ward off the madness I feared was creeping in. But curiosity—damn it—got the better of me. I shifted my eyes just slightly, just enough to see that the shadow hadn't plastered itself to the diner window like some nightmare specter. Instead, it was moving south, gliding smoothly away from me.

"Wait a minute," I whispered. "So, I haven't lost it?"

But the reassurance didn't stick. What was I doing, contemplating chasing shadows? Who in their right mind follows a phantom down an empty street? Apparently, I did. Because I grabbed my coat and bolted out the door, cursing myself with every step. Of all the foolish things I'd done this week, this was shaping up to be the crowning jewel.

I kept my distance, blending into the shadows of the buildings, as the few early morning wanderers glanced at me with curious eyes. I didn't care. My focus was on that damn shadow, waiting for it to put some distance between us before I dared to move again. It turned a corner, and a cold lump settled in my throat as I realized where it was heading—the cemetery. Oh, fantastic. Peaceful mornings? Not for me. No, I was about to star in a cut-rate psychological horror movie, where the twist is that the real killer has been running from the killer all along.

My legs, traitorous things, followed the shadow through the empty streets, past the last few houses until the woods loomed ahead, and there, lurking just beyond, the vast, desolate expanse of the cemetery. No one in their right mind would be here this early. Then again, no one in their right mind would be chasing a shadow, either.

The shadow quickened its pace, gliding faster now, like it knew exactly where it was going. It darted down a narrow path, disappearing around the corner of one of the old, decrepit houses that lined the cemetery's edge. I cursed my curiosity even as I crept closer, sticking to the cover of trees and bushes. The shadow slipped under the weathered wooden door, and as I drew nearer, I heard it—a muffled shout, distant but growing louder, more frantic. My heart pounded as I crouched by the window, half-grinning at my own stupidity. The curtains were open, the living room visible, and for a moment, I felt a sick sort of triumph. But it vanished the second I saw what was happening inside.