Strangers (Fighting the Darkness series)

A Silent Sinner in Blue

“I think it’s gonna be a really nice day you guys,” said Teddy as she, Louise, Crystal and I were heading out to explore as we left the hotel.

It has been nearly four weeks since ‘that day’ when mysterious things happened. Everyone blacking out had been named as a ‘freak, electromagnetic pulse from the earth’s magnetic field’, and it was caused by ‘space debris hitting certain areas of ground, causing immense seismic activity deep under the earths’ crust,’ which was all caught on CCTV, but I knew that was a load of bull. I knew the horrors and I knew the truth. Not only that, but I found out that this was a worldwide phenomenon, not just in England, so nobody except bored scientists and bored politicians investigated any further. All that had to be repaired were a few telephone lines. After the unexplained accident, mum had rung the car recovery service and everyone got a taxi back to my house. Apparently, there had been numerous phone calls to the emergency car service all day.

We left the morning before to get to the airport. My friends and I were going on a three week holiday to New York. Crystal had won plane tickets and an all-expenses paid trip to New York in a story competition and because of the late August holiday rush, everyone would be going abroad, so we all decided to go too. Crystals’ story was about a stranger who attacked a group of friends on holiday. One of the friends’ defeats him in an epic battle at a five star hotel and they live happily ever after. Or at least, I suspect, until they got back home.

When Crystal had won the tickets, strange things started to happen to all of us in weird ways and places, except at Teddy’s house. First, things started breaking, like plates and ornaments without anyone touching them. Then things started going missing, like personal belongings and jewellery. In the blink of an eye, they were gone. We didn’t think anything of it, though, because we realised that it must have been that stupid cat from next door; that thing is always in my house steeling things. Everybody usually ‘stays’ at my house anyways treating it like a Bed & Breakfast, so it’s their fault if they lose anything.

We had everything packed and we all decided to stay at Teddy’s because it was closer to the airport and it felt safer if we stayed with her. For some reason, it was only affecting Teddy if she was at my house. Come to think of it, it was only mostly happening at my house. Whether it was something or someone in her family or that she was just blessed, I’d have to ask to find out and she probably wouldn’t even know.

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“I cannot believe we’re actually here!” squealed Crystal in a way that everybody recognised as pure anticipation at the thought of buying anything and everything that they may set their sights on.

Just as she was saying this, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a blurred, blue figure in what looked like a long coat and hat, shimmering like water. I spun round to view the person clearly, the hairs on my neck standing to attention. But it had disappeared with a sickening feeling left playing hell in my stomach. It must have been a trick of the light mixed with no breakfast.

“Are you gonna stand there like a moron, Reed?” shouted Louise, snapping me back to reality. “We have lots to see and do you know”.

“Sorry…I thought I saw something.” I answered, stepping back and rushing over to my comrades before I got separated.

We went all over the place, probably already covering half of New York City by now. First, we went to all the clothes stores like Louis Vuitton and Calvin Cline and bought loads of clothes; probably more than could fit in my wardrobe. Then Teddy and Crystal dragged me and Louise to China Town, dumped us with their bags and went in all manner of herbal stores to acupuncture and ink tattoo parlours and snapping pictures of anything they liked. Then Louise and I decided to drag them to the Statue of Liberty, letting them carry our bags this time.