All Things in the Shadows

by B. D. Messick

  “Shit!” I shout as I hit the plastic lids, the air forced from my lungs.

  My sword clatters to the ground, just in front of a pile of garbage teeming with cockroaches. I lay there for a second as I catch my breath before rolling off onto the ground. As soon as my feet hit the slime covered cement, I grab my sword and search for Kateri. I spot her a few yards away fighting viciously against a very dangerous looking demon. This one is more like your typical devil-monster from the movies; red skin, horns on its head, and those freaky knees that bend backwards instead of forwards. Both it and Kateri are armed with swords, and they clash noisily against each other.

  I start to move down the alley to help her when I sense something behind me. Spinning on my heel, I'm face-to-face with an enormous fiend, at least six feet tall with massive hands, sporting nasty looking curved claws, a mouthful of extremely sharp looking teeth, and fiery yellow eyes. I raise my sword, but it doesn't seem fazed in the least by my presence, in fact, one second later, it passes right through me, like I'm not even there.

  “What the—” I say out loud as I turn and watch him close on Kateri and her opponent.

  I take a step forward and I feel myself fade into the shadows. Glancing back, I realize I'd been standing in a sunny spot when it first saw me. I charge forward, and swing my sword down and to the right, cutting the beast deeply on the left side. It roars and spins around, immediately locking eyes with me.

  “Guess you can see me now, fucker,” I say as I take a small step back.

  Luckily, this one doesn't seem to be armed, although it looks like it could rip me in half without breaking a sweat. It advances on me, the ground vibrating beneath my feet as it moves. I retreat deeper into the alley until I bump into the dumpster. The creature leans in toward me and bellows, it's mouth open wide, foul smelling spittle hitting me in the face.

  I have no idea what comes over me, but at that moment, my back against the wall, so to speak, I look up at the beast and sneer.

  “That's all you got?” I ask, unsure if the thing can even speak or understand.

  It stares at me for a moment, a slightly confused look on its hideously ugly face, before it lunges forward, grabbing for me with those massive hands. If this had happened four days ago, I would have been terrified, and I'm sure I would have ended up dead, or worse, but not today. I dodge its clumsy attempt to grab me, dipping down and to the left before plunging the sword straight up, piercing its lower jaw and burying the blade deep in its skull. I pull the sword out and step back against the dumpster. For a second or two it stares at me with an expression of complete surprise, before it collapses to the ground like a puppet whose strings have been cut.

  I feel a small smile forming on my face as I look down at the expired monster. There’s a definite feeling of satisfaction surging through me knowing that I killed this beast and that the world is safer for it.

  Maybe this is what I was meant to do.

  I'm thrust back into the here and now when I hear Kateri cry out as the demon she's battling strikes her across the face with its free hand. She stumbles back, slamming into the wall behind her, and collapsing to the ground. Instantly, everything around me melts into the background, and I can see nothing but this animal hitting her. As it moves in for another attack, I run down the narrow alley, slip into a shadow, and a split second later, I appear behind the demon, my sword raised. Before it can even react to my presence, I bring the blade down and deftly separate it from its right arm.

  It howls in agony and quickly turns to face me, thick black blood spraying from its severed limb. I take a small step back, a sneer on my face. Moving the sword back and forth, and spinning the blade with my wrist, I slowly lead the creature away from Kateri.

  “That's right, come on you ugly son-of-a-bitch.”

  The demon lunges at me, and as I try to sidestep its attack, I stumble over a piece of rubbish and fall to the ground, striking my head on the unforgiving concrete. For a few moments, I'm stunned and when my eyes finally focus, the monster is leering down at me, its face only a few inches away from mine. A long string of stinking drool drips onto my cheek. I feel blindly for my sword but find nothing but bits of slimy garbage. The beast stares at me for a few seconds, turning its head left and right, as if its studying me and then it stands and darts off down the alley into the inky darkness.

  I let out a breath and roll onto my side, scrambling to my feet before rushing over to Kateri. She's still slumped against the wall, her head tilted to the side. Other than a tiny trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth, she seems uninjured.

  “Kateri,” I say quietly as I take her hand in mine, squeezing her fingers gently.

  No response. I begin to feel the first slivers of panic starting to form. I touch her face, softly stroking her cheek with the back of my fingers.

  “Kateri, please.”

  And then I hear it. Footsteps behind me. I snatch Kateri's sword off the ground and whirl around, standing as I turn, the weapon at the ready.

  “Fucking stop where you are!” I yell.

  Two figures emerge from the shadows. The first is a young boy, about my height with brown hair tied back in a loose ponytail. The second is a girl, a little taller than me, with short sticky-up purple hair and skin that looks like ivory. They both have the same mesmerizing, rainbow swirl eyes.

  “Who the hell are you?” I ask, my eyes darting from one to the other.

  “Take it easy,” the girl says. “I'm Reeva, and this is Clay. You're Eve, aren't you?”

  “Yeah,” I answer, eyeing both suspiciously.

  I'm not sure if I can trust them, but they can obviously see me, and they're both armed with swords and daggers.

  “We're from the Factory,” Clay says before looking past me at Kateri. “Is that Kateri? What happened?”

  “We were attacked,” I say, looking back at her, slumped on the ground and not moving. I lower the sword as tears threaten to burst forth, but I take a slow deep breath and hold it together.

  “Where are they?” Reeva asks, looking around, suddenly on alert.

  “I killed one. I injured the other, but he got away.”

  They both look at me, frowns intermingled with confusion.

  “You killed a demon?” Reeva asks.

  I nod.

  “That's what I said.” My reply is a bit sharper than I really mean it to be. “She got hit, and I can't get her to wake up.”

  Reeva moves past me, and crouches down next to Kateri. She looks back at me.

  “What the hell were you doing out here fighting demons? What is this, your third day, or something like that?”

  I look at her, my eyes narrowing. I can feel the anger building, but I force it back down. Kateri is the most important thing to me right now, but this girl does seem genuinely concerned about both of us.

  “We were out practicing,” I reply, leaving out the face that it’s actually my first day of training.

  “Kateri…” she says, sighing, shaking her head and growling under her breath.

  “We should get back, before more show up,” Clay says, as he looks nervously around the alley.

  “Calm down, Clay. I think Eve took care of them, but we should get Kateri back before Father wonders where you two are,” she says. “Help me get her up.”

  I move around to Kateri's left side, and Reeva and I lift her up.

  “Can you stream?” she asks me.

  “Yeah.”

  “On your third day?” Clay asks.

  No, on my first day! “Yes, on my third day. Can we just get back to the Factory?”

  Reeva looks at me and nods.

  “Yeah, let's go,” she says, before reaching out and touching my arm. “We're going to be walking into a shit-storm if Father finds out about this. You better be prepared.”

  “Let's go. I'll deal with whatever happens,” I reply.

  “Fine. I'll take Kateri. You two get going,” Reeva says.

  Clay nods and disappears into the shadows
without another word. I look at her and frown.

  “I'll take her, and I'll meet you there.” I move to take control of Kateri's limp form.

  Reeva sighs. “Let's do it together, it'll be safer.”

  “Fine,” I say, frustrated but more concerned about Kateri than myself.

  We move deeper into the alley, in tandem, with Kateri between us. I pick up my sword off the ground as we pass by. We slip into the shadows, we're streaming across the rooftops a second later. I glance over at Reeva as we're linking from one building to another. She's prettier than I first realized, even with her somewhat hard, chiseled features, especially her cheekbones, which remind me of Angelina Jolie. Her skin is pale, but not in a sickly way, more like porcelain. A few seconds later, we arrive just feet from the Factory door. Clay is waiting for us, and he looks worried.

  “How is she?” he asks.

  “The same,” Reeva replies, frowning. “Okay, you go in first and see if you can find Father and keep him busy. Eve and I will take Kateri to her room.”

  Clay nods. “What am I supposed to say to him?”

  “I don't know, make something up. Tell him you're back from the sortie and the demons were gone by the time we got there,” Reeva says.

  “Okay. I'll do my best,” he says before slipping inside.

  “Let's get her to her room, and then we'll see how badly she's injured,” Reeva says. “When we get inside, if we see Father, let me do the talking.”

  I nod in agreement, although I feel like this Reeva girl is being more than a little controlling and condescending, but I bite my tongue. We walk inside, supporting Kateri between us. Luckily there's almost no one in the library, and the few that are, are too involved in their studies, research, or whatever the hell they do in here. We turn left and head for the elevator. Reeva opens the doors and we enter the car. As we're waiting for them to close, I realize how worried I am about Kateri. In this short span of three or four days, she has become immensely important to me.

  “Barracks,” Reeva says to the elevator and I feel us start to move.

  Neither of us says a word for the few seconds it takes to reach our destination. We step out into a long, brightly lit hallway with a myriad of doors on all sides.

  “Come on. Her room is down this way,” Reeva says, turning right.

  We pass several doors before stopping in front of one, although I have no idea how many, since all of my attention is riveted on Kateri. Reeva lifts her limp arm and presses her palm against the non-descript silver door. The muted sounds of locks opening precede the ‘woosh’ of the door as it opens. When we step inside, I'm startled by how colorful and vibrant the interior is. I don't know what I was expecting, but based on the sterile, silver-gray walls and doors of the hallway, I suppose I figured the inside would be much the same. Instead, there are colors everywhere; stunning oil paintings, striking pastel crayon sketches, wonderfully vibrant watercolor landscapes, and a vast collection of achingly beautiful portraits of individuals, including Father, Reeva and dozens of others I don't recognize.

  Besides the artwork, there's a small bed with a bright red comforter, plain white sheet and pillow, a wooden art desk in the corner, complete with a stool, and a tall clothes dresser against the opposite wall. Two doors are set in the wall to our left; I assume one is a bathroom and the other a closet, but I could be wrong.

  “Hey,” Reeva says. “Let's put her on the bed.”

  We lower her slowly onto the mattress. After we have her situated, I sit down and gently brush her hair out of her face. It's a gesture of intimacy, not one of practicality. I know Kateri is trying to keep our relationship a secret, but right now, I don't give a shit.

  “Are you going to get a doctor or something?” I ask, looking up at Reeva.

  She nods and starts for the door, and as soon as it opens, Father's voice startles us both.

  “What happened to her?” he asks as he stands just inside the hall.

  Reeva looks at me and then I look at Father.

  “Clay and I went to investigate the incursion, and we found Kateri and Eve already there.”

  “And what were the two of you doing there? I thought you were training,” he asks, looking at me as he moves toward Kateri.

  “Apparently, K—”

  “I asked Kateri to take me out,” I say, cutting Reeva off.

  Father turns and looks at me, tilting his head to the side.

  “Really? You asked her to take you out?” Father leans over the bed to examine her.

  For a second, I'm afraid he might hear my thoughts, but he gives no sign he can.

  “Is she going to be okay?” I ask, purposely ignoring his question.

  “Yes, she should wake up in a few hours.”

  “I'm going to stay with her,” I say.

  “I would like to talk to you in my office,” he replies, a stern look on his face.

  “I'm going to stay with her,” I repeat, locking eyes with him.

  He stares at me, but I hold my ground, and his expression softens.

  “That'll be fine. After she wakes and is up to it, I would like to see both of you.”

  The door opens again, and Clay walks in. “I couldn't find Father, he—”

  “Clay,” Father says, from his position by the bed.

  “Father,” he replies, looking down at the floor.

  “We'll be there when she wakes up,” I say.

  Father nods before he turns to leave, glancing at Reeva and Clay.

  “Reeva.”

  “Father,” she says, bowing her head, the same way Kateri does when in his presence.

  “Clay,” he says as he exits the room.

  “Father.”

  I notice Clay takes a small step back, not out of fear, but perhaps out of respect. After Father's gone, Reeva looks at me.

  “What was that about?”

  “What?” I ask, feeling bolder than I probably really am.

  “You lied to him.”

  “I protected her,” I say, stone-faced.

  Reeva stares at me for a moment before a small smile slowly appears on her face, and she nods.

  “You must have been really convincing to get Kateri to agree to take you out,” she says with a little wink.

  “I guess I must be,” I reply with a sigh.

  Reeva nods and turns to leave.

  “But she said Kateri took—” Clay says, before Reeva interrupts him.

  “Shut up, Clay. Let's go.” She grabs his arm and pulls him out of the room.

  Chapter Fourteen

  After the door shuts with a quiet hiss, I turn back to Kateri. I sit down on the edge of the bed and look at her. For a moment, I fantasize about a ‘sleeping beauty and princess charming’ moment, as if the touch of my lips might awaken her. Without thinking, I lean down and kiss her gently on her forehead. When I open my eyes, hers are still closed. I chuckle quietly to myself, feeling a little silly about my behavior. A quiet calm settles over us, as I sit and study the room more closely.

  It's not super clean, but it looks like what might be called organized chaos. Art supplies are scattered about in small groupings, clothes are piled here and there, but it seems like everything is in its own disorganized place. Having been around my mother and her artistic attitude toward the cleanliness of her studio, Kateri's room seems spotless in contrast. I sit in silence for a few minutes, my eyes moving slowly around the space, picking out tiny details in the paintings, the way each one is displayed, and how I can see her in each one.

  My eyes focus on a folded leather-bound sketch book on top of her dresser. The uneven edges of dozens of pieces of paper stick out of the side. I stand slowly and walk over, picking up the book and studying the outside for a moment. The leather is soft and well worn. A satin ribbon sewn into the binding is tied into a small bow that holds the album closed. It's about nine by fourteen, three inches thick, and packed with papers. I walk back over to the bed and sit down again, holding the book in my lap. I touch the ribbon, letting i
t run through my fingers, somewhat reluctant to untie the knot. It's probably a violation of her privacy to open this book, but even while I'm debating with myself, I pull the loose end and the knot collapses.

  I open the cover, and everything around me stops. My breath catches in my throat as I stare at an image of myself in pencil. It's so detailed and so precise, that if I didn't know any better, I'd think it was a black and white photograph. I stare at it for a while before slowly turning it over, revealing the next page; another drawing of me. My mother has done hundreds of sketches of me, and I always thought they were wonderful, but these are beyond anything she's ever done. They range from charcoal to watercolors, each image striking in its own way. In some, I'm doing something mundane, like walking in the park or sitting at my desk, while in others it looks like I’m in a dream with mystical mountains or forests in the backgrounds.

  As I slowly flip through them, each one is more achingly beautiful than the last. I can see more than just her talent in these works, I can see how she feels about me. There's more than friendship in these lines and colors, and I can feel tears filling my eyes.

  “I'm not a stalker you know,” she says.

  “Damnit, Kateri!” I shout, quickly covering my mouth.

  As soon as my heart starts beating again, I close the book, holding it in my lap. “Are you okay? I was so worried about you.” I reach over and gently touch her cheek.

  She nods and smiles back, before bringing her hand up to her head and wincing. “Except for my head.”

  I let out a breath. “Thank God, you're okay.”

  “I'm really not a stalker,” she says again, looking at the binder.

  “I know. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snoop.”

  “It's all right. They're all of you, anyway.”

  “They're amazing ... I mean really amazing.”

  She looks at me, a blush coming to her cheeks.

  “It's more the subject than the artist,” she says, quietly.

  Now it's my turn to turn red. For the next few seconds, no one says anything.