Shadow Warriors

Chapter one

Dusk crept in over the New York skyline, casting long shadows over the street outside Sarah's apartment building. Fear inched its way up her spine as she watched the sun set on the horizon.

She twisted her fingers, wondering if the black smoke would come again tonight. If she would once more be paralyzed with dread at the sight of her bedroom filling with thick plumes that had a life of their own.

Sarah checked the locks on the window one more time, making sure each one was clipped in tightly and shut the curtains.

If not for her having to get up for work the next morning, she would have gone out, spent the night in the city. Maybe stayed by a friend's house, or simply found a club open till dawn, and hid away around other people.

But as fate would have it, she had the meeting of a lifetime in the morning and needed to sleep. Not that her mind would let her rest, knowing that the smoke might be back for her again.

She moved to her front door, checking each of the bolts and heavy-duty locks she had installed when she moved in. The locks served a much greater purpose than just keeping her safe in a large city. It was all she could think to do, to try and stop the living smoke from getting to her.

Once all the bolts were slid into place, she tugged on the door a few times and nodded. That should hold. Please let that hold.

She flicked the light off in the lounge and made her way to the bedroom. Locking that door behind her as well, she dressed in her vest and shorts and climbed into bed.

The light on her bedside table remained on, the way it had done since she was a little girl.

She pulled the blankets up to her chin and stared at the corner of her bedroom with unblinking eyes. That was where the smoke always appeared.

After what felt like hours of staring, when the night outside drew toward its darkest, her eyes began to feel heavy. She closed them, telling herself she needed to sleep, and tried to relax.

It's just smoke, Sarah. It can't hurt you. It hasn't hurt you all these years, so there's no reason to think it will now.

As her body relaxed, and her mind calmed, she thought about the meeting in the morning. About how long she has waited for an opportunity like this, and how lucky she would be to land this contract. All she needed to do was impress Mr. Takamori with her plans, and she would be set for life.

Her thoughts drifted away from the fear and panic that always came with the setting sun, and focused on the architectural plans she had spent more than two years drawing up. As her mind faded into sleep, Sarah rolled onto her side and tucked her hand under her face, only inches away from a set of bright red, glowing eyes watching her from a heavy plume of thick, black smoke.

Dreams of the past made Sarah toss and turn, moaning in her sleep at the sight of her mother and father dying, the windshield exploding into a billion hard points of light as metal screamed and tore. Her lungs felt the pain of the smoke filling them all those years ago, and as phantom aches in her back and legs stabbed afresh she cried out, shooting upright in bed, her body covered in sweat and her heart pounding.

She took long breaths, trying to calm her heart, and scanned the dark room.

No sign of the smoke. Everything looked the way it should, and she eased back onto her pillow, a tear slipping out to track down her cheek. Other people had nightmares about monsters - she relived her past.

She would never forget the look on her mother's face when she realized she was about to die. That the man she loved lay dead beside her in the wreck. That her little baby girl, crushed by the jagged metal of the crumpled car would probably not survive.