Those Who Live in the Shadows

Chapter 2

I was now taking the fear of a teenage girl. She was afraid to be alone, so I created a nightmare where she was stuck in a house with a killer, and all her loved ones died, leaving her alone. I liked creating nightmares for teenagers and young adults. They were easily impressed and scared, and their fears are the most creative. It is quite fun sometimes to invent the most complicated stories, putting all their fears together. The younger ones were too easy to scare, it wasn't any fun. And the adults, well they were just boring. Boring fears. Always the same. And old people had seen too much to be really afraid by a nightmare.

I ended the nightmare of the girl when I felt sated. She woke up and sat up, gasping. Humans usually woke up like that from their nightmares.

I stepped away from the bed.

"Ah, that felt good!" I said. Fights were always tiring. The girl stopped breathing. I glanced back. Was she already asleep?

No, she was staring right in front of her, silent.

"Who's there?" she asked softly, scared. I looked around the room. Had another human entered when I wasn't watching? No.

"Well, she's probably half-asleep," I continued for myself.

"MOM! DAD! HEEELP! THERE'S SOMEONE IN MY ROOM!" screamed the girl at the top of her lung. I grimaced and plugged my ears with my fingers. What the hell was wrong with her? She kept yelling till her parents got in. Her mom went to comfort her, and she fell in tears. Her father inspected all of her room, passing right through me, without finding anyone. Humans could not sense, feel, hear or see Nightmares. To them, we did not exist. They couldn't know we existed, if their senses can't detect us. Humans passed right through us, like we were ghosts. But Nightmares could, in their human form, touch and interact with objects as anyone would. But living beings? More complicated. We could touch them, even if they won't feel it, but if we're not careful, we go through them.

"It was just a nightmare," whispered softly her mother. Well, yes, she did have a nightmare, but that wasn't what happened in her dream. Well, maybe. Was she thinking she saw the killer of her dream? I think I use the word "well" too often. Oh well.

"No, there was somebody in my room, mom! I heard him!" she argued, still panicked.

"Shhh... You are half-asleep, dear," continued her mother. "Try to get to sleep, okay?"

"......Okay..."

Her parents left, leaving the teenager alone in her room. I was very interested to know if somebody was hidden in her room. I mean, he must be a ninja for having such hiding skills! I would like to be a ninja. I guess I am already one, kind of. I am always in black. My shadows are ink black, and in my human form, I have black clothes of different tones. It matches my hair and eyes. Step 1 to become a ninja: wear black: completed! But I don't really know the other steps. Hm. Where could I find that... I looked at the girl. No ninja had assaulted her, yet. I know! When the ninja will come out, I'll steal him his ninja guide!

"You're still there, aren't you?" asked the girl, still staring in front of her, immobile.

"I certainly hope so! It's not every day you see a ninja, girl," I exclaimed. I liked talking out loud. It cleared my mind.

"Please don't hurt me," she pleaded. She started crying. Suddenly something clicked in my mind.

"You can see me?" I asked, curious to know if my intuition was right.

"Is this some kind of sick joke? Are you from school? It's not funny! Being blind is not funny!"

Wait. I now noticed a dark shadow covering her eyes. So she was blind, huh. So she could not see me. But she still heard me? How was that possible?! No human could sense us! But then how could she answer me if she didn't hear...

I didn't know how it was possible, or if it was only a coincidence. But the girl was irradiating fear like crazy. I guess I could use more energy. I came close to the girl and put my hand on her forehead. It was the best place to collect human's feelings, and to create nightmares. Only, this time, I only stole her fear.

But something that I hadn't expected happened. She pushed me back.

"Don't touch me, you creep!" she screamed, going as far away from me as she could, while staying in bed. I stared at my hand.

She had touched me. She could sense me. Hear me.

And no human was supposed to be able to do that.

"How... how... did you touch me...?" I asked, in shock, not really expecting an answer.

"Please leave," she cried, "Leave me alone!" I glanced at this intriguing human. Yes, I would leave... But I would stay close.

I went into shadow form and floated to the girl's roof. I transformed back to human form and laid down, on my back, watching the night's darkness slowly evaporating, evading the sunlight, as the sun set.

This was going to be interesting.