Shadows (Guardian Of The realms Book 1)

by David Gallie

  I lay awake most of the night, watching the tiny little spider in the far corner work its way across the ceiling, navigating the cracks while it searched for food.

  My thoughts drifted to Steven and his handsome face. I could still feel the pressure of his lips against the soft skin of my cheek as if my body was determined to cherish it for as long as possible.

  Turning my gaze towards the small window, my sense of excitement rises as I notice the night sky was starting to brighten. It won’t be much longer until the sound of footsteps were heard out in the hallway as Melina and Roland patrolled the dungeon and its insane guests.

  CHAPTER 6

  Whenever I have to go to the hospital for a physical examination the nurses would normally make sure I was showered and wearing a fresh nightdress. As Roland leads me past the bathrooms and towards the elevator I realize that’s not going to happen.

  Roland shoves me as the elevator doors slide open and I stagger into the waiting inside.

  ‘This is your first and only warning princess. If you try anything stupid while your outside I will personally drag you back to the shock room and put enough electricity through your brain to turn it into a fine soup,’ growled the big nurse as he hit the button for the top floor.

  Standing next to him in the elevator made me realize just how small I was. He easily stood a foot and a half taller than me.

  ‘I won’t,’ I say, feeling a little nervous. Steven never explained how he planned to deal with Roland who always accompanied me to the hospital.

  ‘Good, I would hate to have to destroy something beautiful,’ says Roland and then there is silence as the lift makes its way upwards.

  I stand in the middle of the foyer while Roland approaches the reception desk. I’ve never seen the rest of the asylum but it looks modern and comfortable, unlike the dungeon. The floor I’m standing on has mosaic tiles which depict a scene from the bible, or at least I think that’s what it’s meant to be. I can see an angel battling with the devil and it looks like the angel is winning.

  When I look up again Roland is chatting to the obese woman with thick glasses behind the reception desk.

  ‘You be careful out there with her Roland,’ I hear her say and the big nurse chuckles as he glances over at me briefly.

  I can tell she doesn’t like me by the way she stares at me.

  ‘Don’t worry about it, I could snap her in two if I had to,’ says Roland and I don’t doubt him.

  The receptionist slides forward a form for him to sign and once he’s done she growls at me again before he returns to lead me outside. Inside my body feels like mush thanks to the mixture of fear and excitement.

  The cold morning air hits my skin like a slap on the face and I smile, reveling in the sensation. I can see the white mini-van parked at the crest of the driveway, two other men are in the front. Both dressed in white.

  ‘Remember what I said princess, you make a run for it and I’ll be zapping you for the rest of the day,’ warns Roland as he pulls open the rear door and motions for me to get inside.

  I do as I’m told, unsure what to expect. Steven said I wouldn’t make it as far as the hospital but I don’t see anything or anyone who looks like they want to help a crazy girl like me.

  ‘Hey fellas, you know the drill,’ says Roland as he hefts his big frame onto the seat next to me.

  ‘Sure thing,’ says the driver. k`1`2

  ‘Grabbed you a coffee buddy,’ says the passenger leaning over with a Styrofoam cup. He might have been talking to the nurse but he was looking at me as he did so. And just before he turns back round I see him wink at me and smile.

  ‘Ah yes, thanks man. I need something to keep me sane working with these lunatics.’

  I listen to the big man slurp his coffee but I don’t look at him. Instead, I turn my attention to the countryside as the mini-van slips out onto the highway.

  ‘Apparently, there is a storm coming today,’ says the passenger and I wonder if the driver ever speaks.

  ‘Ah, they’ve been threatening a storm for weeks now, I bet we’ll be lucky to see a droplet of rain,’ Roland laughs and slurps more of his coffee.

  He must have been halfway through his drink when he starts to yawn. When I find the courage to turn and look at him, I see his eyes getting heavier.

  ‘You got to love those sedatives,’ the passengers’ eyes are alight with mischief as he watches Roland slump forward. The Styrofoam cup slips from his hand and hits the floor. A part of me is glad that there isn’t much coffee to spill and I don’t know why. ‘How you feelin’ Lynk?’

  The passenger is now staring at me.

  ‘I’m fine thank you,’ I say, realizing that I’m staring at the man and saying nothing.

  ‘Glad to hear it. My name is Joe and this is Bill, we’ll be rescuing you from the nuthouse today,’ he chuckles while the driver simply salutes me and keeps his eyes on the road.

  ‘How long will he be out for?’ I ask, noticing that even in sleep Roland looks angry as if even his dreams annoy him.

  ‘Long enough for us to get you to safety, don’t worry we’ll make sure no harm comes to him,’ says Joe.

  I feel better inside knowing that no harm will come to the nurse. He might be a cruel person, but that was on his head.

  ‘Where are we going?’ I don’t expect an answer and return my attention to the countryside once again. A sign welcoming us to Orange speeds past at an alarming rate.

  ‘We have a safe house nearby. We’ve been told to take you there,’ says Joe, sounding excited and I can’t understand why.

  ‘Thank you for helping me get out of the dungeon,’ I say.

  ‘Oh, you don’t need to thank us. We’ve been looking for you for a long time now,’ this time, it’s Bill who decides to speak and I find his voice surprisingly soothing.

  ‘I don’t understand.’

  ‘There is a lot you don’t understand yet, but you will in time. For now, just know that you’re in safe hands,’ says Joe.

  I look out the window and watch the rain drops splatter against the glass. Maybe there is a storm coming after all.

  CHAPTER 7

  I have no idea how long we’ve been on the road, but eventually, the fields give way to the Town of Orange County. Bill makes a sharp left turn and then I’m bouncing in my seat as we make our way along a dirt track.

  The track eventually opens out to reveal an old farmhouse. As we draw closer to the front porch I notice a sleek and powerful black car parked near the side of the house.

  My spirits lift when I see Steven standing on the porch, watching with a smile as the mini-van is brought to a stop. The rain is coming down harder now, and in the distance, I can hear the rumbling of thunder.

  Joe is the first out of the van. He rushes to the door next to Roland and starts searching his pockets for something. He finds a small key which he uses to unlock my handcuffs. It feels strange yet liberating as I watch the lump of metal being freed from my wrists.

  I was about to thank him when Bill pulls the door closest to me open, making me jump with fright.

  ‘This is where we leave you for now,’ he says, and I notice that he too has strange tattoos on his arms.

  By the time I slide out of the van, Steven is already there with an umbrella. He holds it above my head as he thanks the two men who freed me. Then he motions for me to walk with him towards the house.

  As I glance over my shoulder, I notice that Joe and Bill are getting back in the mini-van. By the time I reach the rickety porch of the old farmhouse the van is peeling away back down the dirt track.

  ‘Where are they going?’ I ask, watching the van disappear and I worry that they will do something horrible to Roland.

  ‘They’re taking our friend back to the asylum. Well, I should say they’ll take him most of the way to the asylum and leave him where he will easily be discovered,’ says Steven, his smile returning.

  ‘They won’t hurt him will they?’

  ‘No, that’s no
t our thing. He’s a nasty piece of work but Karma will get him in the end,’ he says and I wonder what Karma is. I vaguely remember my aunt using the word but I was either too hyper or too childish to understand it’s meaning.

  ‘Do you live here?’ I ask, glancing up at the forbidding looking building. It doesn’t look like anyone has stayed in the house for quite some time.

  ‘No no, this is just a half-way house until we can move on,’ he says and beckons me to follow him inside.

  My excitement is quickly replaced by anticipation as I follow after him. Despite the umbrella, the rain has managed to soak my nightdress and I can hear my teeth chatter as the cold reaches my body.

  Once inside the house, Steven closes the front door and motions for me to continue into what I assume is the living room. There is no furniture, but I can see Slendy standing next to another man near the center of the room.

  The man has a bald head and a gray beard. He wears a fine black suit much like Slendy, but somehow he doesn’t look as good and he’s the one who is alive.

  ‘Lynk, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you,’ says the older man, offering me his hand which trembles a little, ‘my name is Derek Ranch.’

  I can feel the knots in my stomach again as I shake his hand. Even as I do so I look up at Slendy and mentally ask him where he has been.

  ‘I thought I would meet you here,’ he says.

  Steven and Derek are looking at me when I return my attention to them. My cheeks flush red with embarrassment.

  ‘Sorry,’ I say.

  ‘It’s okay, we know he’s there too, but you’re the only one who can see him. In fact, you’re the only one who can see anything from the other side,’ says Derek, and he offers me a smile, but it’s weak and tired as if he’s been awake for too many nights in a row.

  ‘I know you probably have a lot of questions, and we will answer as many as we can, but before we get to that you should go and make yourself more comfortable. There is some clean clothes for you upstairs,’ says Steve, motioning for me to follow after him.

  I don’t move until I know Slendy is going to come with me. It’s strange that for the best part of a year I resented having the broken mind that allowed me to see him, and now I felt uncomfortable without him.

  Derek smiles as I stare in the direction of the tall figure who eventually decides to come with me. Steven leads the way upstairs and despite being a guest of the dungeon I feel uneasy with the house. It’s clear that it has a lot of history and from the vibes I get I can’t honestly say it’s good history.

  At the top of the stairs, Steven points to a small bedroom. When I look inside I can see the walls are adorned with paper covered in teddy bears wearing pink bow ties. I’m surprised to see that there is a bed inside the room with a tattered mattress.

  On top of the bed, clothes have been neatly folded along with a pair of plain white sneakers.

  ‘Those are for you. I can’t imagine it’s been a comfortable experience wearing a nightdress all day long,’ says Steven.

  ‘No, it’s not,’ I try to say what I really feel but the words escape me.

  ‘I understand, once you’re ready come and meet us downstairs. I’m sure you have a lot of questions and we’ll do our best to answer them, but we can’t stay here for long,’ he says, moving to the doorway.

  ‘How come?’

  ‘Because in a few hours Roland is going to wake up and you can imagine what’s going to happen from that point onwards.’

  I can easily imagine what will happen once he wakes up.

  The asylum will be informed that I have escaped and then there will be a manhunt to catch the crazy girl who killed all her classmates.

  ‘Yeah, the police,’ I say and turn my attention to the clothes on the bed. I can see a black hoodie and pair of jeans. They look brand new.

  ‘Exactly, meet me downstairs once you’re ready,’ he says and heads for the stairs.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Asks Slendy, as I strip out of the nightdress and set about putting my new clothes on. I smile to myself at the feel of clean fabric against my skin.

  ‘These people seem very eager to help me,’ I say, pulling on the hooded top.

  ‘Well yes, they should be, they’re your followers,’ says Slendy.

  Followers? Since when does a teenage girl have followers unless she’s on YouTube or Instagram. I certainly had none of those things.

  ‘Why are they following me?’

  ‘Because you are the missing link, hence the name your parents chose for you.’

  ‘The missing link?’ I sit down on the edge of the bed and slip on the sneakers.

  ‘The missing link between humans and the other world, the one beyond death.’

  ‘And they follow me because of that?’

  I get to my feet and admire the feel of my new shoes. After spending a year barefoot they felt like heaven.

  ‘Oh yes, these people will follow you to the ends of hell if you ask them too,’ Slendy sounds sincere.

  ‘Well, I guess I better go and meet up with them,’ I say and head for the stairs.

  Derek and Steven are still in the living room when I finally make my way back down with Slendy in toe.

  ‘I bet you feel better now,’ Derek bristles, flashing that tired smile at me again.

  ‘I do, thank you for the clothes,’ I say.

  ‘As Steven has already said, we can’t linger here for much longer for obvious reasons. So I should tell you that I am the high priest of a group called the Ascendite’s and we worship…’

  ‘Me, I know Slendy already told me,’ I but in without intending to.

  ‘Yes, of course, he would tell you, sorry,’ says the older man.

  ‘It’s okay, I know you guys think I’m some sort of missing link between worlds,’ I still have a hard time accepting this is what I’m supposed to be.

  ‘What else has he told you about us?’ This time, it’s Steven who steps in and I can’t help but smile at him. There’s something about him that makes me feel comfortable.

  ‘Not much else, but I haven’t really asked,’ I say, adjusting my top.

  ‘Well, let’s just say that we’ve been looking for you for the last five years. We knew you were in America but we didn’t know the exact location. It was only on our last ritual when Death appeared to us and told us your location,’ says Steven and I’m beginning to feel better knowing I’m not the only lunatic in the building.

  ‘Death came to you?’ I ask, raising my eyebrows in surprise.

  ‘Yes, Death, your friend,’ chimes in Derek, nodding in Slendy’s general direction and I turn to face him.

  ‘You never told me you were Death,’ I demanded.

  ‘I didn’t want to frighten you,’ says Slendy, there’s no head tilting this time.

  ‘Frighten me? You’ve made me look like a crazy person,’ I say.

  ‘There was no other way for me to show myself to you, and I had little time to prepare. You were already starting to see the others before my arrival, at least when I’m around you are relaxed enough to focus on me and not them,’ my slender friend says and I try not to be angry with him, after all, he is Death and could probably drop me like a hot stone if he needs to.

  ‘Well, in future can you please just be upfront with me?’

  ‘I will.’ He says and I turn to face the other two who look at me like I’ve just appeared out of thin air.

  It takes a second for me to realize that they basically saw me having a conversation with an empty space.

  ‘So, what’s the purpose of your group? Is it just to find me or do you have a higher goal?’ I ask, turning my attention to the older man.

  ‘The Ascendite’s are an ancient order formed long before the knights Templar or any other religious group. Our sole purpose is to keep the gates of hell and the creatures it contains, from being opened. We worship you because you can be our eyes to help rid the world of these demonic creatures,’ explains Derek.

  ‘So, I’m just a s
mall piece of a larger puzzle?’

  Steven chuckles at this and the older man shoots him an annoyed look as if he shouldn’t dare find anything funny in his presence.

  ‘You’re the most important piece of the puzzle. We have the magic and the spells to get rid of the creatures but we don’t have the eyes to see them. And without that ability nine times out of ten, we find ourselves shooting into the darkness. Sometimes we land a direct hit, and others we miss completely,’ as I listened to Steven speak I find myself wondering how old he really is. I guess that he must be at least twenty, maybe even twenty-one at a stretch.

  ‘Do you mean like the shadows?’ I ask, wondering if they too have seen them. I can sense Slendy shaking his head behind me as if I just asked a dumb question.

  ‘What shadows?’ Asks Derek, concern clouding his face.

  ‘They’re like smoke. One stabbed me in the heart in my dream, but I’ve seen them in the mirrors and across the walls, they have arms and legs but they’re not human,’ I feel insane explaining what I see but these two guys in front of me seem to be taking me seriously.

  ‘We are not aware of the shadows, but remember we can only sense sometimes, most other times it’s a lucky guess,’ says Derek.

  ‘Yeah, they started appearing just over a year ago back at my school. Slendy, I mean Death, has told me it was something to do with a cult that used to worship on the land before the school was built. Then the fire happened and I ended up in an asylum for trying to save my classmates,’ My heart sinks to my stomach as I remember their screams filling the air.

  ‘Unfortunately, we don’t have the power or the connections to have your conviction overturned. If we did then we wouldn’t have had to steal you from the asylum. But we do believe you are innocent. We do believe that there were other forces at play that day,’ Derek avoids my gaze even though he’s speaking to me and I wonder why until I feel the tears trickle down my face.

  Where had they come from?

  I didn’t feel like crying yet the tears flowed freely.