Softest Shadow

by Tiffany Allen

  After picking up her car, Natalie had driven to the store and bought groceries. After that, she stopped by an animal shelter before finally driving home. The animal shelter visit confused me. I assumed she was looking for a pet but when she got home, she was greeted by a black cat. I suppose she could be looking for another one. She’d stayed home the rest of the day. She picked up her house, made dinner, and watched a movie about some family overcoming some tragedy and living happily ever after. Now she lay in bed; reading one of the books she bought today. I just had to wait until she fell asleep.

  I was contemplating taking my chances when her bedroom light went off. Finally. I adjust my eyes for the darkness and heighten my other senses. I can hear her steady breathing. She falls asleep fast. I scan the street before leaping out from my place in the tree and landing lightly on the ground. I make my way to the side of her house and into the backyard. I already figured out this was the best place to break in. It is fairly hidden and away from her bedroom which is in the front of the house. I go up to the window and let myself be consumed by the shadows. Then I wait. He doesn’t leave me waiting long.

  I hear his footsteps all the way down the block. He makes his way carefully into Natalie’s backyard, going the same way I did. He rounds the corner and his face shines in the moonlight. There he is, the snake from the market.

  Ever since Natalie had left the market he had been following her. I knew there was a good chance he would come after her after she burned his paper. He was notorious for crime and retaliation. He’d done a good job of tailing her. He kept out of sight and showed extreme dedication by waiting while we talked in the diner, while she went to the bookstore, the store, the shelter, and then finally home. I even figured he’d leave and come back at night but no, he stayed in his car down the street the whole time. I’d be impressed if I wasn’t so irritated at having to spend the majority of my day sitting in a tree like a squirrel.

  He made his way towards the window and towards me. His human eyes couldn’t see me and I watched the evil gleam in his eyes, a gleam I knew well, as he reached for the window, thinking he’d won his prey. Before his fingers touch the window sill I emerge from the shadows and press my hand against his mouth, silencing his shout of terror. He instantly starts fighting and I shoot shadows towards his limbs, making him immobile. The shadows and I drag him further into the backyard. I let the shadows take the place of my hand and move away as they pin him to the earth. Panic shines in his eyes and the shadows slither over his face, making him struggle uselessly like bait in a trap. I move to crouch above him, part shadow, part man; all monster.

  I hiss my words next to his ear, “What are you doing here?”

  His terrified whimper is the only response he could give and the only one I want.

  “You came to seek revenge, didn’t you?”

  Another whimper.

  “There’s nothing wrong with that.”

  This time there is no whimper.

  “Are you surprised?”

  He nervously shakes his head yes.

  “Will you scream if I uncover your mouth?”

  A nervous no. I retract the shadows from his face and he smartly stays silent. Good boy.

  “I’m here to help you. Guide you with advice and wisdom if you will. Do you want to know what it is?”

  Another nod.

  “It’s to leave. Scurry back to your little hole and forget about the girl in this house.”

  The evil gleam in his eyes flares back to life.

  “That bitch-” he starts to say. I close my hands around his throat, cutting off his words and his air supply.

  “Ah you see, I’m not asking, I’m telling.”

  I let the fires of hell shine in my eyes as I choke him and his evil gleam dies in the heat of my gaze.

  “You see, normally, I’m all for the bad deeds but today I decided, against my better judgement, to help someone. Maybe it’s fate trying to even out my karma or maybe I just like to shake it up a bit but either way that girl is off limits. So you will leave, and if you come back, I will find you. There will be no place you can hide. I will show you true pain and torment. Every second of your short life will be spent wishing for death and when I finally decide to grant you your wish, I will drag you down to hell where you will feel eternal suffering and you will wish you could taste my brand of pain again instead.”

  The smell of urine fills the air as he wets himself. Filthy human. I move my shadows away so they aren’t tainted.

  “Do you understand?”

  He manages to nod yes. I release him and he scrambles to his feet and jets out of the backyard, fast as a mouse, running to his car and speeding away. I step back into the shadows and leave through them. If a human were to look at me right now all they would see is a pitch black shadow. The more in tuned ones might sense something and a shiver might run down their spine as goosebumps pebble their arms but their mind would tell them they were just being sill, it is just a shadow after all. I take one more look at Natalie’s house before going home, teleporting from shadow to shadow. Finally I can get some sleep.

  That human wouldn’t bother her again. Humans like to think they are the top of the food chain, that they have nothing to fear, that they’re no one’s prey. Naïve little things that piss themselves in the presence of a true predator; because if they were mice and snakes, then we demons, were the birds of prey.

  Chapter 2

  A week later I was back in the diner, working. I sit, pretending to listen as the man in front of me explains what he wants. I always tune them out after the first few minutes. After thousands of years, you hear every wish, problem, want, and desire out there and the job gets boring. I wish someone would want something unique for a change, like a flying unicorn car, that’d be one I haven’t heard yet.

  I sense he is getting to the end of his story when a head of brown hair passes by the window and catches my eye. I turn and see Natalie enter the bookstore.

  “Excuse me, are you listening to me?” The man in front of me snaps his fingers to get my attention. I slowly turn my gaze towards him, fixing him with a hard stare. Very few people have ever shown me that level of disrespect and even fewer have lived afterwards. I stand and grab my jacket, slinging it on.

  “I’m afraid this deal is one I cannot make. Goodbye.”

  “But I was told you could do anything for the right price!” He’s red in the face, must not be used to being told no.

  “Just because I can doesn’t mean I will, good day Mr. Connor.”

  I leave him sputtering at the table and make my way next door. I didn’t expect to see Natalie again. Admittedly a part of me had wanted to see her again. Something about her intrigued me. I tell myself it is pure curiosity as I open the door to the bookstore and walk down the main aisle. I find her near the back where the plays are. She already has three books tucked between her body and her arm and is reading the back of another. Has she already read the books she bought a week ago? I don’t mask my approach and her keen sense of awareness picks me up immediately even though she is reading.

  “Jack,” she says in surprise. “What are you doing here?” I take the books from under her arm and read the titles.

  “Would it surprise you if I said I liked to read?”

  She considers me a moment before answering.

  “No but I would say that’s not why you are here.”

  She really is smarter than I initially thought.

  “I saw you come in here and wanted to see how city life was treating you.”

  “Well I’m getting lost less and less if that’s any indication,” she laughs.

  “Victory is in winning the small battles,” I say, giving her back her books.

  “How’s your job going?” she asks.

  “Boring,” I answer truthfully.

  “Same here.” She puts the fourth book with the others and adjusts the strap of her bag on her shoulder. “I’d love to stay and talk but I need t
o be somewhere in half an hour.

  “Someplace better than with me?” I smile at her and she smiles back.

  “I guess you could come with me if you wanted.” She shrugs.

  “Are you asking me out again?” I tease her and her cheeks blush slightly. Glad I can still do that.

  “I wouldn’t say the first time was a date and this wouldn’t really be one either.”

  “Why is that?”

  She looks at me and I see a glint in her eye.

  “You’ll have to wait and see.”

  ______________

  “The animal shelter?” I ask in confusion.

  “Yep. Come on.”

  She hops out of the car and I follow her into the building. As soon as we walk through the doors, I can hear dogs barking. Why is that always a constant sound in places like this? There’s an older woman sitting behind the main desk and she waves at Natalie.

  “Hey Carla, I brought a helper.” Natalie walks up and Carla hands her a piece of paper.

  “Fantastic,” she says. “Show him the drill.”

  “What drill?” I ask suspiciously.

  Natalie just hands me the paper and I read the top line.

  “Volunteer form?”

  I look up and she’s smiling.

  “Yep. Fill it out and we can get started.”

  “What if I was allergic to animals?”

  “Then you’d just have to suffer through it. Come on, hurry up and fill it out!”

  She excitedly hands me a pen. Few people have ever told me to do something but this time I don’t really mind. As I fill out the paperwork she writes her name on a volunteer badge and does the same for me. My name flows in her curvy handwriting. Paperwork done and sporting my sticker badge, I follow her into the back area of the shelter.

  “I normally start with the dogs because they take a lot more energy than the cats, is that okay?” she asks over her shoulder.

  “You’re the expert here, I’ll listen to you.”

  She smiles and stops next to a supply room. She grabs a bucket of toys and a bag of treats before continuing down the hallway. She opens a door and we exit the building. A tall fence encloses the back lawn; besides one tree, it’s a clear area. She places the bucket in the grass and hands me the bag of treats.

  “Wait here,” she commands before running off. I watch as she runs backs into the building, her hair flying behind her. I heighten my senses and listen to her footsteps pad back up the hall and into another room. I hear her talking to and greeting a number of dogs, then I hear a button and the dogs flood the yard. When they get within ten feet of me, they stop and start growling. Great.

  Natalie comes through the door, a big smile on her face that vanishes when she sees the dogs. She runs over, slowing as she gets closer.

  “Woah guys it’s okay, he’s a friend.”

  Friend huh?

  She slowly walks around them and to my side. She takes the treats and places a few in my hand.

  “It’s okay you guys,” she coos. The dogs relax a little bit. She takes one of the treats from my hand and presents it to one of the dogs. It sniffs cautiously at it before taking it from her.

  “Good boy,” she says, rubbing his head.

  She repeats the process with the other dogs and soon they are running happily around the yard.

  “How’d you do that?” I ask as she starts tossing out toys for the dogs.

  “Well since they trust me they just needed to know that I trust you. With the treats they saw you hold them and when I gave them the treat it helped them make a connection with the scent of you, me, and food, taking two positive things with an unknown and they decided you were a positive too.”

  “Where did you learn that?” I ask in awe.

  “Uh nowhere, I just kind of know.”

  She looks embarrassed.

  “Teach me.”

  “What?” she asks, shocked.

  “Teach me how to connect with them. Dogs have never liked me. You’re the first person to even get them to come near me.”

  “I am?” She looks incredulous. I nod. “Okay.” She looks around. “Heather! Come here girl!” A lab comes bounding over to her. “Good girl.” She gestures to me. “Okay, slowly walk over with that duck toy, it’s her favorite.”

  I follow her instructions but Heather whines when I get close.

  “Try sitting down and placing it in front of you.”

  Again, I obey her instructions but Heather won’t come near me.

  “Hmm,” Natalie bites her lip as she looks between me and the dog. “Let me try something.”

  She sits down between Heather and me. Slowly, talking to Heather the whole time she takes the toy from in front of me and brings it in front of her. Heather immediately comes and gets it.

  “Good girl!” she says excitedly. Slowly and patiently she brings the toy from me to her to the dog. Eventually she shortens the distance between us. She continues to do this until she’s sitting right next to me. When she has Heather in front of her with the toy, she slowly passes it to me. Heather follows the toy and takes it from my hands.

  “Good girl,” I say and she wags her tail. Natalie is smiling proudly at us.

  “I’d call that a victory,” she proclaims. I’d have to agree with her.

  ______________

  After we got the dogs back in their cages, or more accurately when I got Heather in her cage and Natalie got the rest of them, I carried the bucket of toys and treats back to the room. When we get there, Carla is arranging the supplies. She sees us and smiles.

  “You have him trained well,” she says, giving Natalie a wink. Natalie blushes and hurries me out of the room.

  “How are you with cats?” she asks when we reach the cat room.

  “They love me.”

  ______________

  Socializing the cats is a lot mellower just like Natalie said. We sit on the floor, each with a cat on our laps. Sometimes we play with them but it depends on the cat. I wasn’t lying when I said cats love me. For some reason cats have never been bothered by my presence. More than once a cat has even followed me home. During cat time, Natalie and I had more time to talk.

  “Do the dogs ever get into fights?” I ask.

  “They’re pretty careful to make sure they all get along before letting them out. If there’s some that don’t then we socialize them separately. We haven’t had any of those since I’ve been here though.”

  “How long have you been doing this?”

  “I’ve volunteered since I was a teenager but this is only my third week here.”

  “How many days do you do it?”

  “Two, sometimes three, depending on my schedule and their needs. Sometimes they will get in special cases that need extra time then I might come in just for that one or spend time with all of them depending on how much time I have.”

  “Sounds like a lot of work.”

  “Sometimes but I really enjoy doing it and I love animals so it’s worth it.”

  Our cats decide they’ve had enough and Natalie puts mine and hers back in their cages.

  “I hope you enjoyed helping today,” she says quietly as she locks the cages. “I enjoyed your company.”

  I’m tempted to make another teasing flirtatious joke but her sincerity stops me. She deserves a serious response.

  “I did enjoy helping. Thank you for inviting me.”

  She smiles and I’m glad I didn’t tease her.

  Carla says goodbye to us and I follow Natalie back to her car.

  “Where can I take you?” she asks.

  I give her directions to my apartment and too soon we are driving up in front of my building.

  “This is where you live?” she asks in awe. Her shock is understandable. It is the most sought after apartments in the entire city with a price tag that would blow your socks off. I nod and she whistles.

  “Business must be good,” she jokes. You have no idea.

  I ge
t out of the car and tap on the window, she rolls it down and I lean in.

  “When is your next day at the animal shelter?” I ask.

  “Wednesday, why?”

  “No reason.”

  Chapter 3

  On Wednesday I find myself leaning against the animal shelter, waiting for Natalie. I told myself I wasn’t going to come but work was boring and all I could think about was spending time with Natalie and the animals. If there’s one perk to being a demon, it’s being able to do what you want and what I wanted was to volunteer at an animal shelter.

  When Natalie pulls up I see a surprised grin spread across her face. She gets out of the car and I meet her halfway so we can walk in together.

  “Couldn’t stay away huh?” she teases.

  “Just trying to fill my good guy meter for the week,” I joke back. Good is the last word I’d use to describe myself.

  She laughs and enters the building while I hold the door. While I chat with Carla, Natalie writes our names on our badges and sticks mine to my shirt. I can feel the warmth of her hand through the material. We walk side by side to the supply closet where I grab the bucket of toys and bag of treats to take them outside while she gets the dogs.

  This time when the dogs come out, there’s no growling. They don’t seem particularly eager to see me but they also don’t avoid me. Heather is the only one that runs up to me and I give her her duck toy and a pat on the head.

  We play with the dogs for an hour before moving to the cats. After we are done with the cats we say goodbye to Carla and walk outside.

  “How’d you get here?” Natalie asks, looking around for a car.

  The shadows.

  “I took a cab,” I answer.

  “Want me to drive you home?”

  “Does Heather love her duck toy?”

  She laughs and we get in the car. While she drives she asks me if she is going the right way, constantly checking with me on where she’s going.

  “It’s a left here, right?”