Shadow Bound

New Progress

I lost my breath, walking away from him slowly, half hoping that he would stop me while I left him. I can't leave him, not now. Obviously he didn't want anything to do with me, though. It's all my fault his parents are dead. If I didn't tell him what was going on, they'd still be alive. He'd still be playing lacrosse and soccer, he'd still be in school with all of his friends. It's all my fault. I ruined his life. I could hear sirens, so that was my queue to leave. He didn't make any move to come along, so I figured that he had abandoned me, refusing to even come near me. I trudged back to Forest Park, hoping that my house was still intact. I knew that I shouldn't have told him. I shouldn't have bumped into him, I shouldn't have met him, I shouldn't have been here. Matt's obviously not here. He's long gone. Even if he wasn't, when he hears about the fire, he'd be gone within ten minutes of listening to it. He was too smart to stay after this. It was time to move on to the next town over, maybe Oregon City.
I got to the house, my heart dropped down the street, my thoughts dead. I just needed to go to bed, I just needed to forget about this. I collapsed onto the broken, molded bed, and my eyes shut, my mind shut down.

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Heat kissed my skin, reached for my shirt, pulling the seams. I was lost. This house was an endless maze. It looked like I was in an attic of some sort, airless and windowless. That really helped the situation. A small flame gathered on the ground, threatening to grow. I trampled on it, hoping that it would go down without a fight. It extinguished, leaving a little ash on the hardwood floor. I let out a sigh of relief, trying to find the door to escape. Then that flame grew, and grew, and grew until it took over the room, surrounding me in a perfect circle. The heat caressed my skin, threatening to burn, but didn't quite reach my arms. I stood in the center of the circle, calling out for help. My voice was hoarse from the heat and lack of oxygen, every word pained my throat. I couldn't see where I was, and had no clue why I was there. I just knew that I needed to get out of there. I couldn't jump, the flames were too high. I could rush out, but I didn't know how far the flames would reach. I could hear something. Calling, someone was saying my name! I attempted to yell, but my voice was gone, sucked out by the roar of the fire. I guessed that if someone could be in here, the flames wouldn't be going very far out. So I made a rash decision, and jumped.
I was underwater now, being pulled under by an unseen current. There was a light somewhere within the murky depths, so I explored my surroundings. Kelp drifted around from rocky cave walls. Fish looked at me curiously, coming closer in an attempt to nibble at the unknown predator or prey. The water was disgusting, years of pollution corrupting what used to have been beautiful liquid. I touched the slimy walls, hoping to find a break to escape. It was solid, so I peered up. I started running low on air, but I continued up. I reached the ceiling, hoping there was air to be found at the very top. This cave was filled to the brim with water. I wasn't going to be able to breathe unless I found the exit. I remained calm, trying as hard as I can not to panic. I gazed around, my eyes catching a small glare in the corner of the left wall. I swam over to it slowly, preserving my energy for when I actually needed it. I grasped the rock with my right hand, pulling slowly, feeling a tug on the other side. I yanked harder, and the rock came loose, revealing a small hole. The water pooled around it, and I heard it escaping to the other side. My heart jumped, and I yanked at rock after rock, feeling the water decrease in depth, and the wall broke, propelling me forwards.
I was surrounded by shadows, all of which we staring into my soul, hoping for a little bite of happiness. Unfortunately for them, I don't think there's any to take. They didn't make a move for the kill, just gawked at my body, confused as to why I wasn't being torn to shreds.
"What? Disappointed you couldn't snake anything away from me? I hate to tell you this, I'm nothing on the inside, you've already taken all I had," I scoffed, standing up. I was surprised they didn't jump me right then. Instead, they made a path for me to leave. I stood up straight, confidence radiating off of me, and strut out of the circle. I started walking down a dark and dusty path when I felt something tap lightly on my shoulder. I turned around, and a face with bright blue eyes stared back at me. Dalton.
"Didn't think you could get away that quickly, could you?"

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My eyes flashed open, my body completely still. I laid on the broken bed, processing this nightmare, always ending with my brother finding me and killing me. Was I scared of my brother? For all I knew, he was either one of the Troubled, or simply dead. I couldn't be scared of him, he was my best friend when we were younger. And why was I underwater? I love the water, why was it in a nightmare? I brushed away all of my worries and memories from the dream, and planned out the day, holding the old wool blanket close to my body. It was nothing like the one I had at home, but it had to do. I started thinking that maybe I should go back to my old house, see if that wool blanket was still there, see who was living in a place with such a disturbing past. I figured it wouldn't be a bad idea. Did I even remember where it was? Right... it was in Vancouver, Washington. Great. I didn't want to travel that far, but it was a really good idea. Maybe one of these days I'll hijack a car and drive over there.
I sat up, groaning at the thought of dealing with all of this alone for yet another day, aching to see my brother again, aching to see Damien again. They both had this certain quality to them that allowed me to sort of relax. I hated myself for saying anything to Damien, I wished that he could be at home, drinking soda and hanging out with his parents. Instead, he was alone somewhere, paranoid that they would come for him next. Finding him was my next task. If I found him and was able to keep him safe, all would be fine. I wouldn't hate myself as much. I would be able to keep him alive, if he still was. The Troubled are persistent creatures, never taking a break. They didn't need sleep, or food, or water. They just needed a plan, and their plan was to find Damien and I, and kill us before we told anyone about their existence.
I gathered the little stuff I carried with me: a compass, the wool blanket that the last owner of this house generously left, and a water bottle that I stole a couple years ago from a Fred Meyers in Bend. I sighed, my only desire being to crawl back into that bed and fall asleep, to feel nothing for just a bit longer. Since the dreams started though, I don't escape my issues anymore. They come to me in horrible, cruel forms of my brother and family. I didn't have a panic route now, I just needed to continue on until I found Matt. I was just about to leave when I heard a slight crash in the wall to my right, and a pained gasp. I ducked off under the desk, waiting for the intruder to reveal themselves. Then, a familiar voice called out.
"Erin, are you here?" Damien's voice cracked, raspy from last night's episode. I rushed out as fast as I could, racing into his arms. He graciously accepted the hug, embracing me tighter than ever. I cherished the quick warmth that I received, and was upset to let go.
"Are you okay? What happened? You don't hate me, do you? Please tell me you're alright. Please tell me you didn't get hurt by them, they didn't try to attack you, did they?" I freaked out, spouting question after question. He started laughing, trying to calm me down.
"I'm fine. No, I don't hate you. I just needed space. They didn't get to me, I think they gave up. I'm alright, don't worry. Are you okay though? I didn't make you hate me, right? They didn't try to find you after you left, right?" He embraced me in another hug, his head hovering way above mine. He had to be 6'1, 6'2 easily. It felt good to be hugged again. I backed up, answering his questions.
"You didn't make me hate you, I was just about to go out and look for you. Thanks for coming by. And no, they didn't try to find me after we separated. I think losing that many of their comrades caused a scene, so they're probably going back to make a better plan." I sighed, offering a simple smile.
"Great, what's our next move?" His shoulders jumped up, eager to get moving. I chuckled.
"I don't know, I have no clue why they're attacking so frequently. Before a week ago, I hadn't been attacked in two years. I'm still relatively new to this. So just take it as we go, I guess." I replied, feeling useless.
"Wait! Describe the guy you're looking for again." His entire body shifted forward, leaning his hands on his knees.
"Bright blue eyes, bleach blonde hair, he's going to be tall. I'm not sure how tall, though." I listed off what little I knew.
"I think I might know who you're talking about. He hangs out by Forest Park Elementary. There's this little area that's concealed from everyone, I saw him just the other day while I picked up my neighbor from school." My heart skipped a beat.
"Can you take me there? Please? Like, right now?" I yelled, jumping up and down around him. He let out a small cackle while nodding his head vigorously.
"Of course I can. It'll take about twenty minutes though, is that fine?"
"I have all day, please take me there!" I screamed as I ran out the door, bounding backwards to see if he was following me. I tied up my hair into a tight bun, smiling furiously at him. He was delighted to see this new girl excited with the world around her, not hating it. I sang "Sugar, we're goin down" by Fallout Boy as loud as I could, feeling the melody as it poured out of my lungs. I could hear Damien humming to it behind me, so I stopped, waited for him to catch up, placed my hand on his shoulder, and marched to the beat as we both belted the uplifting tune. I didn't notice anything that was around me, I just enjoyed what was in front of me. Time seemed to pass my in a second before we reached the school.