Sharp Like Shadow: Book 1 of A Wrath Unseen

Chapter 5

Jacob took Alice to the shadiest motel in town.

As he'd promised, it wasn't far, just a few blocks. But there was a definite transition from the small tidy houses of Alice's comfortable working-class neighborhood to large industrial buildings, many of them abandoned. The streets grew dirtier and the sidewalks were stained with rust. Streetlights were few, bathing their path in deep shadow and causing Alice to walk with nervous steps, head jerking from left to right as she searched for threats in the dark.

Jacob didn't seem to mind the darkness. He marched straight ahead, feet hitting the concrete like a challenge, daring the night to rise up against him. Alice trailed behind, watching the mysterious young man and wondering who he really was. How had he created that light that drove the shadow monster away? And how had he found Alice? Did he know about her death-visions?

All of this must have something to do with her visions. Everything started going wrong the minute they'd returned and shown her the thing inside the dead man. But why had they come back? And how did the shadow inside dead man know she'd seen it? Were all of her visions monsters like the shadow thing? So many questions. Alice really hoped Jacob had some answers for her, but she was also fairly certain she wouldn't like any of them. That was just the kind of luck she was having tonight.

The rundown motel slid into view, its wavering light carving out a faint clearing between pools of shadow. Long and low, with only a single row of rooms, it sagged in the gloom like a crumbling testament to mildew and decay. The flickering sign out front was missing a few letters, but the unfortunate name was still far too legible despite their absence: The Quick Trick. Alice had heard the name around her school. It was the kind of place that any respectable person would drive away from without even considering a possible stay. Jacob headed straight toward it and Alice sighed inwardly. Of course they were going there.

Jacob kept a steady stride towards the motel room on the end, closest to them and farthest away from the small office on the opposite side of the long building. The room door opened on its own before they reached it and another young man stepped through. His features were obscured, his face made hazy by the sickly light that filtered through the windows, but even in the dark Alice could see his resemblance to Jacob. This must be the family Jacob had mentioned. The boy moved to one side, his head swiveling slowly as he scanned the surroundings from the shadows gathered beside the door. As they approached the door, he nodded at Jacob without taking his eyes off the darkness, and they stepped quietly past him and into the room. The moment Alice cleared the doorway, the young man stepped back into the room behind them, his movement smooth and confident, entering the room and closing the door in a single soundless motion.

"Anything following?" the young man said.

"Nothing," Jacob said. "I know how to cover my tracks."

The boy grunted in response but made no move to abandon his post in front of the door. Alice took a closer look at the young man. His features were similar to Jacob's, but sharper and less solid. His face showed the early bristling signs of facial hair to come, and his skin was pale and severe in the artificial light inside the room. His dark brown hair cut close to his head, he stood upright, his posture stiff, almost as tall as Jacob but with a thinner frame. He looked like a young soldier in training, all intensity and stone-cold veracity, over-invested in a cause he couldn't fully understand. It made Alice wonder what could have inspired the young man to such devotion. Then she noticed the boy's eyes as they followed Jacob and she had her answer: family. The boy turned suddenly, meeting her eyes and Alice looked away, pretending she'd just been examining her surroundings.

The tiny motel room splayed itself across the small space it contained, lounging in its own worn-out filth. A single full-sized bed consumed most of the floor space, while a sagging dresser near the bathroom door, and a small round table completed the room's sparse furnishings. The table had been crammed into the space between the bed and the front window. In the table's only chair sat a young girl with midnight-black hair.