Shadow Bound

He Learns

I looked up, the panic rising in my throat. It was Damien! I was speechless, stuttering likes some idiot. He looked at me, instantly recognizing who had run into him. "Hey! Erin, right? What's up?"
"Can't- sor- got to- bye!" I choked out, my face burning with embarrassment. I continued to run, not caring whether the Shadows were following me or not. I just needed to get out and get away from people again. I ran down this empty road- never stopped to see the name, didn't seem important-- and instantly regretted it when I realized there was no outlet. It stopped in a small neighborhood. The Shadows caught up, pinning me in a corner. I was a goner. I didn't have anything to fight them, had no clue what to kill them with, I was screwed. I closed my eyes, taking a deep, shaky breath, and waiting for them to take me down. They closed in. I remembered Matt, hoping he was alive out there somewhere, safe. They approached slowly. I remembered my brother, hoping that now I might be able to see him. They never came. I heard a crash right next to me, saw them turn in the direction that it had come from, then a streak of green lit up my eyesight. Instantly, the shadows disintegrated, and an unknown individual rushed into the woods in front of him, keeping me from seeing his face. Who? what? What just happened?
I heard Damien coming up, puffing wildly, out of shape apparently. He looked worried, confused, and even a little intrigued. His blue eyes looked over me. "You okay? What happened back there?" He asked between struggling for air.
"Yeah, I'm fine, no need to worry. Just go back. It's better now," I instinctively shot back. He couldn't get involved.
"Does this have to do with what you were talking about last night?" Wonder overwhelmed his voice.
"It's fine," I replied. I couldn't tell him what was going on, he couldn't know what was happening, he needed to lead a normal life. Not this type of life.
"No, please tell me! It's been killing me all day! Saying 'it's fine' doesn't answer my question!" He hopped on his toes, clearly excited.
"Please, I don't want you involved. It's not safe. Just go back home, I'll be fine. Just go home," I begged. He stood his ground.
"No, you're telling me. If it's dangerous, and you're in trouble, I'm helping." He crossed his arms, pouting. Cute.
"Why? You just met me, and this wouldn't just be getting you into trouble, your entire family would be in trouble. Trust me, I would know." He stumbled back a little at the comment, confusion blurring his thoughts. He didn't say anything on that subject though.
"I highly doubt it, it'll be fine. Please, I want to help. Obviously you have that little speed demon as an ally, I would like to help as well,"
"Man, you're a stubborn one," I remarked.
"I saw those things back there. I saw them disintegrate. What were they, and why were they after you?"
"Oh no, you saw them? Did they see you? How much did you see?" No, no, no, no, this couldn't have happened. It means he's in danger already. He saw them, he knows about them.
"We made eye contact, or whatever it was. I don't know if I was looking back at two eyes, or mine were just tricking me."
"No, that's not good. You need to stay with me, you're in danger. You're in a lot of trouble. I can't believe you did that, you shouldn't have followed me, why did you have to follow me?" I ranted, raising my voice, beginning to pace. He shook his head, totally confused.
"What happened? What are those things?"
"They're called The Troubled. Their shadows that suck everything out of you until there's nothing left. They're the hidden darkness. When you know about them, they attack you, either killing you, or turning you into one of them. These are horrible creatures, you're lucky if you don't know about them. They suck the happiness, joy, and everything good out of you. They replace it with everything miserable. They bring back all of your worst memories, they fill your head with thoughts you wouldn't think of beforehand. They cause the random sinks in your mood, slowly feeding off of you little by little. Now that you've seen them once, you'll see them everywhere. They're going to try to kill you and your family. They're going to hunt you down and make sure that you never spread the word of their existence. They aren't very happy with me right now, that's why I didn't tell you before. But you saw them, which means you're in some serious trouble. So welcome aboard the crazy train, my friend. It's a bumpy ride." I explained everything to him, leaving out the part of my past. He didn't need to have that on his mind.
"Thanks, glad to tag along. How'd you find out what these things were?" He asked, not phased by the idea of death at all. Yet again, he seemed so familiar. I couldn't put my finger on it though.
"My best friend was running from them, he was paranoid for months before he disappeared. He's been gone for several years now. It wasn't until about two years ago when I started actively looking for him because of The Troubled. They found me, and asked me where he was. I need to find him before they do. If I do that, maybe we can find a way to destroy them. If they don't destroy us first, of course."
"Oh, okay." He kind of became silent, his eyes flicking back and forth between thoughts.
"Let's go back to the house. Maybe we can think of something there. Besides, we should get out of sight, they don't know about my hiding spot yet," I suggested, my heart sinking at the sight of the poor boy. He seemed to be completely fine, but how much of it was real? Was he worrying at all? I shouldn't have told him, he shouldn't have followed me. I started walking, knowing that he would be following close behind. If something happens to him, I will never forgive myself. Ever. It would be all my fault if he died. If anything happened to him or his family, it would be on my hands. I need to keep him safe.