The Shadow Chaser (The Sheynan Trilogy Book 1)

by Dylan Birtolo

  Up close, the shadows emanated a coldness that pierced through the jacket and his skin underneath. Darien reached a hand forward, aware that it trembled as he moved to touch the darkness under the leafy branches. He fully extended his arm, pushing it into the shadows up to his elbow. He held it there for a moment, but nothing happened. Letting out all the air in his lungs, he relaxed his arm and stepped between the massive trunks.

  Two steps in, Darien was ready for something to leap out of the darkness and grab him. Every muscle in his legs was stretched taut, ready to burst into movement. A tree cracked in response to the wind, and Darien jumped and turned to the sound, but there was nothing there.

  He took another step, and then another. Soon he was walking at a steady pace in what he hoped was a straight line. With each step, a bit of the tension ran out of his legs. He tried to pick his way over the ground without making too much noise. His feet eased to the ground with each step, crunching the leaves underneath. The birds in the trees watched him pass, but none of them fled from him. He even passed close enough to a rabbit to reach out and touch it. The animal looked at him, but then went back to foraging as if he wasn’t there.

  A crack sounded from behind him, and the birds in the trees took wing with a loud flapping. Darien whipped around, but saw nothing. It sounded like a large beast was crashing through the woods, barreling through and carving a path. Darien turned back and ran as fast as he could. He weaved through the trees, but the sounds of pursuit grew closer with each moment.

  Up ahead, Darien saw a break in the tree line. The creature was close enough that he heard heavy panting. He hurdled a fallen log and landed with a slight stumble. His feet continued to scramble as he staggered towards the exit. His pursuer crunched into the leaves behind him after clearing the fallen trunk. Darien took a diving leap and rolled as he hit the grass on the other side of the tree line.

  He got up and ran forward but skidded to a stop after a few steps. Somehow, he was standing at the edge of the clearing he had left. The only difference was now there were several shadow creatures standing around him. They were a mix of wild creatures and human forms. All were hazy around the edges and seemed indistinct. It looked like Darien could pass his hand through their bodies.

  Darien turned back, ready to flee back into the forest. Before he was able to take a step, a large black cat stepped out. Her tongue hung out of her mouth as she panted. She had a few scratches on her face and shoulders, but her eyes were very much aware. Her sheer presence stopped Darien from moving any further.

  “Sasha,” he tensed, not sure whether to run or fight but feeling the rush of adrenaline. “Where’s Inky?”

  He became aware of the coldness in his chest growing and spreading throughout his body. The woman materialized out of the darkness from between the trunks.

  “Hello, Darien. We were so rudely interrupted last time, and then we couldn’t find you. It’s good to have you back.” She gestured to the middle of the clearing and a familiar stone table appeared.

  Darien looked for an opening in the Shadows around him, but they closed and formed a tight circle. If they weren’t going to let him run, he could fight his way out, like he did at the cabin. He closed his eyes and tried to tell his body to change into a bear. He pictured his body becoming larger, sprouting fur, and his hands ending in sharp claws. When he opened his eyes, he brought his arms up. They grew indistinct and for a moment it looked like two images were overlapping each other—one of a human and one of a bear. He closed his eyes again and furrowed his brow as he tried to force the change to take place.

  “It won’t work.” Sasha’s voice whispered on the wind, caressing his ears. “You’re still too young. You’re ours to deal with. If you give in, it’ll be easier and less painful.”

  Sasha advanced and Darien could feel her getting closer. He opened his eyes and once again locked stares with Sasha. He tried to hold his ground, but when she was close enough to nudge him, he felt himself taking a step back. Step by step, they maneuvered him to the altar, only giving him enough room to move backwards. A low growl echoed from the bowels of her chest. In it, Darien could make out words.

  “Move, foolish youngling.”

  Darien turned his head to the side, the hypnotic spell broken. He refused to stare into Sasha’s eyes and instead focused on the tip of her forehead. His spine stiffened and he looked down at her as he rose to his full height.

  “No.”

  Sasha shimmered in front of him, taking on the form of a human. She rose up from the ground with her long slender arms hanging loose at her sides. She had straight raven black hair that came down to the small of her back. Her eyes maintained the fierce golden shade from her panther form. She was skinny and wore a gown made of the shimmering darkness that coated the others.

  She stood less than a yard away from Darien and spoke in a clear voice heavy with authority and ice. “You will get on that table.”

  Her companion walked up beside her and placed a hand on Sasha’s arm. “Sasha. Down girl.”

  Sasha bowed her head and looked at the ground as she took a step back. When she was standing behind Inky, she lifted her head just enough to be able to glare at Darien.

  “She can be a little hasty. But let me explain something to you. You will get on that table. It’s your choice if you go willingly or we force you. You can’t defy us. We’re everywhere.”

  Darien turned towards the table, dropping his head and trying to look defeated while his rage continued to boil inside of him. He embraced it, letting it flood through his entire body. As he took a step forward, he saw the Shadows taking up their positions around the altar. Some had their backs turned to him as they walked around the structure.

  He jumped up on the altar, using it to spring off of and fly through the air at one of the human Shadows. He collided with the other body and found it was solid despite its appearance. They rolled across the ground and Darien wrapped one arm around the Shadow’s throat. When they stopped, he was on the bottom and had the Shadow in a chokehold. His captive tried to reach up and pull Darien’s arm off, but his grip was too strong. Darien glared at the others who stood frozen, watching the scene unfold.

  “Get out of here, now.”

  The other Shadows looked at each other, but didn’t advance or flee. Darien growled and tightened his arm. His captive gave up on trying to loosen Darien’s arms and flailed wildly. But Darien continued to hold his lock. The other Shadows looked at Inky, and she nodded once. They all backed away, inching to the trees. Once they were under the cover, they faded into nothingness. Soon the entire clearing was empty except for Darien, his captive and the stone table.

  “And take your damned altar with you!” he shouted at the sky.

  Thunder rolled, and lightning struck the stones in the center. When his vision cleared after the flash of light, the altar was gone. The only sign that anything had been there was the blackened grass where the legs used to rest.

  “Now you get out of here too.” Darien snarled in the ear of his hostage. He let the Shadow go with a shove. Darien didn’t wait to see what happened, he turned and walked away from the clearing. He could hear the Shadow coughing and gasping for breath. Soon, that sound was gone and Darien was walking under the trees in silence. He kept walking until he left the dream.

  Darien squirmed in the truck and opened his eyes. They were still driving on the highway, and everything looked the same. A small bag of fast food sat next to him. It was cold, but it made the entire cabin smell like cheap burgers and fried food. He stretched as best as he could in the cab, extending his legs and pressing them against the bottom of the truck. A loud rumbling echoed from his stomach.

  “I got you some food, kid.” Richard said without taking his eyes off the road.

  Darien opened up the bag next to him and saw a couple of cheeseburgers. He took the wrapping off the first and devoured it in two bites, gulping it down. He took a little more time with the second, but not by much. His stomach still felt
like a giant hole, but he no longer felt like it was trying to eat him from the inside out.

  “You feeling any better?”

  Darien nodded, and then swallowed the last bite of burger. He washed it down with half a bottle of water. “A little. I was starving.”

  “That’s to be expected. When you first start changing, your body isn’t used to it. If you do it too often too soon, you can make yourself sick or worse.”

  “Worse?”

  “I’ve heard stories of people getting stuck, in between forms. Every time I’ve heard of it, it’s been fatal. Either that, or they shift into an animal and never come back. Eventually, they stop being human and just become another animal. That’s also what happens if you get told about your powers too soon. That’s the reason for the big conspiracy and tight lips.”

  Darien shuddered, thinking of what it could be like to be stuck in a state that was neither animal nor human. “Where’re we going?”

  “To another place I set aside for emergencies. It should be safe. Now that you know about your powers, I can start to teach you how to use them.”

  Darien’s pocket vibrated. He fished out his phone and saw Jay was calling. “Hello?”

  “D, is that you?”

  The connection wasn’t strong, and Darien had trouble making out his friend’s words.

  “Yeah. Sorry for not calling earlier. Coverage isn’t the best out here.”

  “Right. I just wanted to check in on you and see if the goons got you since I hadn’t heard anything. Should‘ve figured that mister wild man brought you into the middle of nowhere. You still need to keep me in the loop.”

  “Sorry ‘bout that. I’m good and still running free. Goons haven’t got me yet.”

  “Sounds good. Oh, by the way, you remember that cat you thought jumped out the window?”

  “What about it?”

  “Well, turns out she was hiding or something. When I opened my door to go get the mail, she bolted out of the bedroom, ran between my legs and down the stairs. I almost kicked her on my way out. That’s the absolute last time I ever let you even think of bringing a disgusting animal into my apartment. She probably had fleas.”

  “You probably already had fleas. You’re the only person I spend time with who’s messier than I am.”

  “What can I say? I learned from you and am an excellent student. And on that note, I’ll let you go. Connection sucks. I just wanted to make sure you’re okay. As cool as it might be, I don’t want you to wind up getting abducted or something.”

  “You got it. Thanks, Jay.”

  Darien hung up the phone and held it against his lips. The news about the cat was troubling. Now he knew why Richard freaked out about it. It was watching him, keeping tabs on him and listening to what he talked about. Darien tried to recall what they talked about in front of the cat, but he couldn’t remember. It wasn’t like he could change anything about it now anyways.

  He needed to call Susan and check in with her as well. He gave her a call. The phone rang three times before it was answered.

  “Hello?” Susan’s voice was weak and sounded off.

  “Susan? Are you okay? What’s wrong?

  “Darien!” she shouted and then yelped. He heard a thump and some muffled shouting. There was a crash, and Darien shouted into the phone but there was no response. Everything was quiet for a couple of seconds and then he heard heavy breathing as if someone had just finished working out.

  “We have your friends. Come to the girl’s apartment alone, or we’ll kill them. You have three hours.” The stranger hung up the phone.

  “Susan!” Darien shouted. He grabbed Richard’s arm. “Take me back! It’s Susan, and probably Erik. They’ve been kidnapped and are being held hostage in her apartment. They said I have three hours to get there or they’ll kill them.”

  Richard cursed and took the next exit so he could turn around and get back on the highway in the opposite direction. “Is it the Shadows?”

  “Does it matter? We’ve got to get back there, or else they could die. I’m not going to leave them.”

  “I’ll go with you.”

  “They said I have to go alone.”

  “Darien, that’s suicide. You aren’t skilled enough to stand a chance on your own.”

  “I don’t care. They’re my friends, and they need me. You said you let me make my own choices, so take me back.”

  “I’ve already turned the truck around, kid.”

  Chapter 16

  The city was busy as the truck rolled back into the metropolis. Richard weaved around the traffic to get to Susan’s apartment complex. Darien noticed that Richard didn’t need directions to get to the place. That confirmed his suspicions. Richard had been there before. He still had many questions for the man, but they’d have to wait. Richard pulled to a stop in front of the entrance to Susan’s building.

  “You sure you want do this? There’s no way of knowing how many of them are up there.”

  Darien looked up at Richard with green eyes that were fiercely intense and clear. His face was chiseled. “I have to.”

  “I’ll see if I can get an eye on you from the roof across the street. If you need it, I’ll pick you and your friends up.”

  “Thanks.”

  Darien climbed out of the truck and watched as Richard turned down a side street. Then he walked up to the front door and rang Susan’s apartment. The voice on the other end was male, and one Darien didn’t recognize.

  “Who is it?”

  “It’s Darien. I came like you wanted. And I’m alone.”

  The speaker buzzed and Darien heard the latch on the door unlock. He nodded to Mark on his way to the elevators. Mark was engrossed in some television program and gave Darien a brief wave before returning to it. When Darien got to Susan’s floor, he crept up to the edge of her door so that he could put his ear against it without being seen.

  The voices inside the apartment were muffled, and Darien couldn’t make out any words. He heard at least two different voices, neither one of which sounded like Susan or Erik. He took a deep breath and stood upright in front of the apartment door. His fist pounded against it hard enough to make it shake in the frame. A voice from inside ordered him to open the door.

  Darien pushed the door open and walked into the apartment. It was dim inside. The shades were pulled shut and the only bright light came from the kitchen window around the corner. The coffee table was overturned and lying on its side. Broken glass from the television scattered across the carpet. The hanging light that used to be attached to the ceiling was shattered and resting against one of the walls. In a couple of places, holes were punched through the white walls. Trails of insulation draped to the ground.

  Susan and Erik sat on the couch. Susan was pale and her hair was in shambles. She had a large bruise on the side of her cheek. Erik was sitting next to her, holding a blood soaked washcloth against his nose and mouth. His left eye was swollen, and it looked like he could barely see out of it. A large python slithered around their shoulders, its eyes bright with a vile intelligence. Two other men stood in the center of the room and they made no attempt to hide their appraisal of Darien. They were both dressed in heavy clothes but carried no visible weapons. Darien assumed they did not need any, especially with the python where it was.

  “You Darien?” one of the men asked.

  Darien nodded. “Who are you?”

  The man’s mouth split into a feral grin. “I’m Joshua. This is Shawn. And the one getting along with your friends is Melanie.” The snake flicked out her tongue at the mention of her name, then slithered down to rest across the laps of Darien’s friends. “Now, prove you’re who you claim to be. Take off your shirt.”

  Darien’s jaw locked and he had to resist the urge to curl his lip back in a snarl. Without saying a word, he lifted the shirt up over his head and tossed it to the ground. The Shadows let out a communal sigh of delight when they saw the blackened mark on Darien’s chest. Shawn reached forward, as if t
o touch the mark with his fingertip. Darien tensed, but Joshua’s arm shot forward and twisted Shawn’s wrist. Shawn fell to one knee and yelped in pain as his fingers pointed in an odd direction.

  “Don’t touch him, brood!” Joshua snapped. He tossed Shawn’s arm away and Shawn stood up, cradling his wrist but staying silent. Joshua turned his attention back to Darien. “He’s still young. Forgive his insolence. Or don’t. It makes no difference to me.”

  The snake opened her mouth and hissed audibly. Darien strained to understand the words. “We need to finish the ritual. Let’s bring them all home.”

  “No.” Darien put as much strength as he could manage into his voice. “Let them go, or I won’t go with you. Once they’re safe, I’ll do what you want.”

  Joshua chuckled. He managed to make Darien’s skin crawl with every action. “We’re supposed to believe you? I don’t think so. They’ll come with us and be safe as long as you do what you’re told.”

  “Darien,” Susan started, but the python curled a loop around her neck before she could say more. Her words were choked off as the corded muscles rippled under the dark brown and black scales. Erik bit his lip and a small trickle of blood trailed from it.

  “Let her go!” Darien shouted and took a step forward.

  Joshua pressed his palm against Darien’s chest, bringing him to a stop. Darien’s eyes flashed as he turned his attention to the obstacle in his way. With a wave of his other hand, Joshua instructed Melanie to relax. She released her chokehold and rested across Susan’s shoulders. Susan reached up to rub her throat with her hands and coughed.

  “What do you want?” Darien asked, smacking Joshua’s hand away.

  Joshua took a step back and matched Darien’s stare. He took his time as he explained to Darien. “You’ll come with us and allow the ritual to be completed. If you fight us, they die. If you try to run, they die.”

  “What’s to stop me from killing you?” Darien asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

  Shawn stepped forward and tried to maneuver around Joshua. “I’ll kill you first, you ungrateful bastard.”