Running From a Shadow

The Plan

Mark's P.O.V.

"Mark! How could you?" Jack screamed at me. Tears were flowing from his eyes and his veins pulses in his neck.

"Wha-" I was interrupted by a small laugh coming from behind me. I turned around, by there was nothing there. When I turned back to Jack, he had gone pale. His ears were pointed at the ends, and his eyes were glowing a toxic green.

"Anti..." I mumbled, earning a grin from the man in front of me. "Where's Jack?"

"Don't worry, Mark. You'll see him soon."

"Give him back. Now." I was starting to breath heavily, ready to pounce on top of him and strangle him to death.

"Careful, Mark. You're starting to think like him." He walked towards me and put a hand on my shoulder. I felt his breath on my ear as he whispered in his broken Irish voice.

"Everything will be fine."

I woke up to a hand shaking my shoulder.

"Mark! You finally woke up. Are you okay, man?" Felix asked, pulling me to a sitting position.

"No. I'm not okay." I growled. I was still filled with anger from my dream.

"What's going on?" Felix started looking around the clearing we were still sitting in. He was obviously looking for Jack.

"He's gone." He looked at me, tears filling his eyes. "Someone took him last night. We need to find him." I stood and started walking over to the woods. Felix grabbed my wrist and I turned around to face him.

"Mark, where did they go?" I softened, thinking where my look-a-like might have taken Jack. If he looked like me, maybe...he thinks like me?

Then a thought occurred to me.

"I have an idea. Can you lead the way back to the stables?" Felix smiled.

"Sure. But we won't walk. I rode my horse up here and found Charlie wandering around in the woods. Think you can ride back?" I nodded, still unsure of whether I could trust that horse, but if it meant getting to Jack sooner, I was more than willing to take the risk.

We rode all the way back to the stables, making sure the two horses were securely locked in their stalls. Then Felix drove me to my house so that I could get changed since my clothes were covered in grass stains.

"I'll be right out. Just have to change and clean up my face." I told Felix as I got out of the car.

I walked into my house and up to my bedroom. I threw on some black skinny jeans and a red shirt with my channel's logo on it. Then I walked into the bathroom to clean up the dirt from falling and crying the night before.

The cold water calmed my nerves as I looked down into the sink. I thought about my plan to get Jack back. It wasn't fool proof, but it might just get him away from that guy long enough for us to make up an even better plan. I think anyway...I hope...

I suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion enter my body and looked in the mirror to see what was going on.

I jumped back a few feet, seeing my skin a paler shade and my eyes blood red. It seemed to still be me, though, as it moved along with me. I heard a car horn beep outside, signaling I had been in the house for a good amount of time, but I couldn't bring myself to leave the bathroom. I slowly stepped towards the reflection, my nose an inch away from the glass. I set my hands on either side of the sink and just stared at the man in the mirror.

Then my reflection smiled back at me and reached through the mirror. I screamed as it grabbed my shoulder and pulled me through. Once I was completely in the opposite dimension, the figure stepped back through and laughed. I put my hands on the glass and tried to push my way through, but it was once again solid.

"Don't bother. You can only come back when I allow you. And that won't be for a while, so enjoy the show." His deep voice echoed off of the bathroom walls as he exited the bathroom, walking down the stairs. I looked out of my mirror and saw the man get into Felix's car. After a few seconds they drove off and left me standing there, processing what had just happened.

Felix's P.O.V.

Mark walked back to the car and got in. I noticed he was wearing really dark clothes, which wasn't exactly like him. But I brushed it off seeing as he was one of my best friends and I wasn't going to criticize.

"Where are we going, Mark?" I asked in a concerned tone.

He smiled back at me before staring at the road in front of us.

"Head to the woods. There should be a treehouse we might find them at." He said it a bit too cheerfully. Wasn't he out of his mind worried before he went inside? Oh well. It must just be hard on him without Jack.

I started to drive towards the edge of town, exactly where Mark was telling me to go.

Dark's P.O.V.

I could feel Mark trying to escape the bathroom. He couldn't. There was nothing behind the door.

I sensed Felix growing more and more concerned, so I acted a little more like Mark. I sat with my back against the seat of the car, one arm on the arm rest and the other on the car door.

Felix relaxed.

This is going to be fun.