Born of Shadow - Book 1 (complete)

Chapter 29

Ready for more pandemonium in the library? Thanks so much for reading! As always, I'd love to hear what you think.

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Liam ran into the exhibition room. He stopped short in surprise. Samuel and Chris had something pinned to the wall. He could barely see the thing because their backs were blocking the view, but he could see it well enough to know what it was. They had cornered a shadow creature.

He wondered what it looked like up close. He edged to the side to get a better view.

This shadow creature was smaller than the eel-like creatures they’d glimpsed at the dig site, only about three feet tall. He could see it clearly. Its face was elongated with sharp teeth, a hideous snout, pointed ears and glowing red eyes. Matted fur covered its back, arms and legs, but its chest was bare. Its ab muscles were well defined and its biceps bulged. It was naked, except for a leather pouch slung over one shoulder. It stood on squatty feet, or at least it would have if it weren’t pinned to the wall. Two large bulbous horns sprouted from each side of its head, tapering and curving in and up.

He recognized it from his Greek mythology books. Half man, half bull, it was a Minotaur, the labyrinth monster, though this was more of a miniature version. He might have laughed at it had the thing not gnashed its jaws, hissing, struggling against his bindings, nostrils flaring, glaring at its captors.

There was something off about this monster. Now, as he looked closer, he realized its snout was smashed on the right side, like it wasn’t fully formed. And shouldn’t it have hooved feet? He’d never seen a picture of a Minotaur with long flat feet like this, almost like human feet with no toes.

The edges of the creature wavered and blurred, as if the shadow was trying to separate.

“There, now hold it,” Chris warned. “They’re slippery little buggers.”

Liam couldn’t see how they were holding it captive. His curiosity finally overcame the fear that rooted his feet to the floor. Cautiously, he stepped sideways until he could see better.

Samuel and Chris were holding the creature hostage with torches!

He rubbed his eyes in disbelief. How could a torch, or flashlight as Chris would probably call it, be pinning it to the wall? Did the light strip it of its power? But then wouldn’t the lights in the building have stopped it?

Then he noticed that the torches were no ordinary ones. Each had little tubes duct taped to the sides in random directions, little tubes that emitted a red light. They looked like laser pointers. Yes, that’s what they were! The laser lights held the shadow creature in place, like stickpins holding a bug flat for a collection. 

Suddenly one of the horns dissolved, and the lasers holding that portion of the creature lost their grip. The creature swung to the left, pulling it free of several of the other lasers.

“Realign the light. Pin it! Pin it!” Samuel screamed.

But it was too late. The creature began to transform, the muscles in its arms and chest shrinking into a skeletal sickly-looking creature. The long snout shrunk, its face squishing into an oval shape. Its pointed ears grew until they doubled in size. It kind of looked like a goblin, or a gremlin.

“It’s a shapeshifter,” Samuel breathed.

Sharp claws sprouted from the tips of its slender fingers. The creature growled, then wrenched itself free from the remaining laser points.

It clambered along the wall, gouging deep scratches into the surface. It scrambled to a shadowy corner, and all was silent for a moment. Liam could see nothing but its beady red eyes glaring at them.

They stood frozen, immobile, transfixed. Somewhere in the recesses of Liam’s mind something was prodding him to move, but disorientation and fear prevented him from fleeing. He could hear loud labored breathing. He realized it was his own.

The red eyes shifted. The creature was on the move again. It slipped out of the corner, then grabbed a handful of—shadow?

“Don’t let it touch you. Whatever it throws at you, don’t let it touch your skin,” Chris hissed. His trembling hands were trying to steady his torch, to pin the shadow creature down again. Liam was impressed. The kid had guts.

Liam thought of the woman with her burning flesh, her screams reverberating through his skull. It was enough to force him out of his stupor. He dove for the ground just as the creature launched the black stuff. It whizzed past his face and slapped against the wall.

“I can’t get him,” Chris said. He was crouched behind one of the display cases, trying to lock his lasers on the creature. But the flickers were back, dark flashes weaving in and out of the shadows in the room. The creature was too fast. It knew what Chris and Samuel could do now, and it wasn’t making the same mistake again.

Another glop of shadow hit the floor just inches from Liam’s hand. He snatched his hand away and stared at the floor where the toxic gunk was eating into the tile. He heard a crash caused by glass splintering and looked up to see the shadow creature had launched itself onto the display case. It was scooping things into its pouch, the map, the dagger, the papyri fragment.

“We have to get out of here while it’s distracted!” Liam said. “Maybe it will leave us alone if it gets what it came for.”

“But I’m so close,” Chris began to say.

“Leave it,” Samuel said. “Practice on an easier one. This one’s too much.”

“But if I just,” Chris tried again, then ducked as a blob of shadow flew over his head. “Okay, okay, let’s go!”

Liam turned and bolted for the doorway, with Chris and Samuel on his heels.

“Where are the girls? Did they ever come down?”

Samuel shook his head.

“They must still be upstairs then. Come on,” Liam said.

They ran up the stairs, past the injured receptionist now surrounded by paramedics.

He stopped abruptly and turned, the others nearly running into him.

It looked like a tornado had ripped through the building. Dimly, through the debris in the air, Liam could see Yasmin bending over someone. His heart lurched as he sprinted the length of the corridor. Kami was lying on the floor.

“Is she all right?” he asked as he knelt by her side. Yasmin looked up at him with a dazed face, a trickle of blood streaming down above her eye. A hulking metal object lay near them. He inspected it closer and realized it was a drinking fountain. It shook him. The shadow creature had to have been incredibly strong to wrench it from the ground. He wondered if it had hit Kami.

“I—I don’t know,” Yasmin said, obviously disoriented. “I pushed her out of the way and she hit her head.”

Liam crouched down by Kami and smoothed her hair from her face. Her necklace was glowing again. She had a nasty bruise on her forehead and her skin was ashy white. His mind raced. She might have internal injuries. He tried not to bump her as he put his cheek next to her lips to check for breathing.

He sighed in relief when he felt a breath. She was breathing, but it was shallow, scary shallow.

“I’m going to get the paramedics,” Liam said.

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea,” Samuel said.

“But she might be bleeding internally,” Liam protested. “We don’t know if she’s injured her spine.”

“Look.”

Samuel pointed down the hall, where the flickers were picking up again. The thing had followed them. Suddenly, everything was in pandemonium as the shadow creature attacked. He could hear the agonized screams, stamping feet, confusion. Books poured from the shelves as they crashed violently against each other and toppled to the ground. He couldn’t tell if the screams were caused by the venomous black stuff or from the people being crushed underfoot as the crowd rushed towards the entrance.

Samuel started to scoop Kami up in his arms, but Liam grabbed his arm.

“Wait,” Liam said.

“We can’t leave her behind for that thing to destroy.”

“I know,” Liam said. “But let me take her. If that thing catches up with us, you and Chris will need to have your hands free to fight it.”

Samuel nodded and Liam picked her up.

“Guys,” Chris’s voice quavered. “I think it's spotted us.”

Liam glanced back. The shadow creature clung to the ceiling. It melted into a pool of black, then slid down the wall where it puddled on the floor like an oil stain. It lay there motionless for a moment, then it formed into a giant scorpion.

“We are so dead,” Samuel moaned.

“Go,” Liam yelled.

They charged the door. The creature ran along the wall, then to the ground, scrabbling at their heels. Chris tripped and went down. The scorpion drove its stinger into the ground, barely missing him as he rolled away. He jumped up and sprinted after the others.

Samuel ripped the door open and they flew out, slamming it shut behind them. Samuel shoved a sturdy stick in the door handles. Liam could hear the creature bash into the door.

“Where’s Haji?” Samuel yelled into his ear.

Liam felt an overwhelmingly sick feeling wash over him. Haji wasn’t due back for over an hour. He gently set Kami on the ground and pulled out his cell phone. His trembling fingers fumbled and he hit the wrong number. He quickly hung up and tried again.

The shadow creature rammed into the door again; it was straining under the pressure. 

“This won't hold it for long!” Samuel said. “My vehicle is too far away.”

Panicked, Liam dialed again. This time he got it right. It rang once, twice, three times, four. After eight rings, he gave up.

“He’s not answering,” Liam said. “We’ve got to run.”

The others nodded.

“I have an idea,” Yasmin said. “Follow me.”

Liam picked up Kami and they took off. He knew he was in pretty good shape, but it wasn’t like his normal workout included carrying an unconscious girl. He felt his side stitch with pain, but he ignored it and kept running down the road. Behind him he could hear the doors rattling as the creature continued to thrash against it. Then he heard a massive crash. He didn’t have to turn around to know the creature had made it out and was coming for them.

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Today's dedication goes out to a wonderful writer and Wattpad friend @WendyHamlet! All you readers of Born of Shadow may be very interested in checking out her Guardian of the Sands, the story of a young slave boy who discovers he may have a connection to the gods. Thoroughly enjoying this story, as well as her other writing. Will include a link below.