The shadow watched. Its eyes followed Matt where ever Matt went, gaining knowledge of his behavior. The shadow hid as a black stain on the wall, the same shape as Matt was; just on the wall. It pretended to do what Matt did, just like shadows do.
Matt didn't he was being spied on.
Matt's feet came up from the grey pavement and went back down. He walked to school with the shadow lurking behind. Matt went to class. The shadow followed.
Somewhere else, an evil presence she waited. An evil presence waited for his spy to return with new information of the victim.
Matt's bright, happy soul attracted evil. The dark things around him, the ones his eyes detected not a trace of, wanted that soul. Their hearts reached out with long hands to snatch it up and drag it down into the great dark cave where the evil things live.
The shadow returned after a week's time.
Matt. He played basketball, had a girlfriend named Trixie. That girl pumped fluttery, whimsy springs all through his system. A fire stole his father's life. A picture of that figure lays propped on a nightstand in the boy's room.
The darkness hungered for that soul.
They could get it.
They just needed to push it out of him.
