The Shadow People: A paranormal short story (4 page)

THE SHADOW PEOPLE; Good or Evil?

There seems to be more talk about these unknown creatures.  Could it be that there appearance is happening with more and more frequency, or perhaps due to the use of the internet more information is being made available about the activities of these beings.

Dani continued to read, her eyes voraciously drinking in the information.  It seemed that these Shadow People or Shadow Beings came in different types and different sizes.  Some wore hats, others hoods.  The things that seemed constant is that they were dark figures, hard to see, and they wore objects that obscured their faces like hats or hoods.

When Dani got to the end of the article she began to scan for the name David.  Sure enough, he was a frequent commenter.  His last comment was just a week before.  Dani decided to leave her own comment.  It sounded desperate.

I think they are coming to tell me that I’m going to die.  If someone can please help me!  ~DS~

And then Dani began to cry.  She sobbed, relieved that she wasn’t crazy, that this had happened to enough people that there was information on the internet about it.  Afterwards, she felt better and wished that she had done this when Patricia had been alive; that she hadn’t been so afraid.

She showered and changed and went out for something to eat.  She hadn’t taken care of herself and had grown thin over the last few months; especially once the … shadow people had stopped appearing, because then started the countdown.

She had barely left her apartment, had dropped out of school months ago and hadn’t done much more than to write in notebook after notebook and drink coffee. Now her stomach was begging for sustenance.  It was still early, not even noon and since she had no car, breakfast would be an easy decision; The Waffle House.  It was in walking distance and it was inexpensive.

She was shoveling grits, waffles and eggs into her mouth and eyeing the sausage when she heard someone speaking from behind her.

“Where’s your notebook?”  Dani almost choked as she spun in her stool where she was seated at the bar.  Tyler was standing there, and at the sight of her choking he became alarmed.

“Are you okay?  I’m sorry!  I didn’t mean to scare you!”

She took a drink of milk and wiped her watering eyes in embarrassment.  “It’s okay.  I’m just jumpy.”

He pointed at the big picture window.  “I was on my way to work and saw you sitting here.  I thought it was you but it was hard to tell without the notebook.”

“I know, the whole notebook thing is probably very strange.  Would you like to…?”  She gestured to the empty stool.

He shook his head quickly.  “No, I was on my way to work.”  He hesitated and seemed to plunge onward.  “You haven’t been into the store in a few weeks.  I was…” she noted that two red spots appeared on his cheeks and she found them to be very curious.  It made her heartbeat speed up.  “Are you okay?”  He asked softly.

She had stopped going when she no longer needed to fight off sleep. “I’m better.”  She whispered the lie.  And because what he asked had touched her so deeply she offered him a shaky smile.  Tyler stood frozen to the spot, not removing his eyes from the thin black girl with the dark circles under her eyes; the girl that looked so lost and sad that it seemed as if she had no one left in the world.

He nodded and turned back to the door.  Before stepping through he gave her a long look.  “Dani, don’t be a stranger at the store, ok?”

“I won’t.”  She watched him as he left and disappeared up the street.  He had remembered her name.

She paid her check and quickly left.  She wished that she hadn’t lied to him. There would probably never be any more stops at STARBUCKS for her.  How would it end? Car accident? Murdered? She pushed the unpleasant thoughts away and hurried home. She wanted to check her message and do more research.

Once in her apartment, she threw her things on the floor and hurried to the computer.  She had never powered down and just refreshed the page.  There was a new comment right after hers.

DS, why do you think you are going to die? ~David~

David.  That was the same man that had posted on the other site! She quickly typed out a response.

Because every time they come someone I love dies. 

She kept refreshing the page and after half an hour there were three responses.  The first was from someone names Xinrata, who wrote that by giving into fear of them they become mischievous.  The next was from David who responded to her by stating,

If you are honest about wanting my help then feel free to meet me at the Paranormal Chatroom where I am logged in under the name DWise.

The last message was from David addressing Xinrata.  He wrote;

I’m no authority but existing in a dimension other than our own may have created simple curiosity.   My suggestion would be to not fear them.

Dani thought about those words as she navigated to the link that David had left.  She quickly created an account and then located DWise.  She sent him a private message.

Hi, I’m Dani.  I’m the one that sent you the messages on the other website.

Hi Dani.  I’m sorry to hear that your experience with the Shadows have been unpleasant.  If there’s something that I can do, I’ll certainly try.

Can you tell me more about them?

Sure, it’s one of my favorite topics!

David was so easy to talk to, and so nice that she felt instantly at ease with discussing the events that had happened to her.  He told her that he’d been visited many times but they spoke to him.  He believed there were many different types of Shadow People and that they each had different personalities just as humans had.

David began telling her everything he knew about these Shadow People, which was pretty substantial.  They talked well into the early evening until David said he was hungry and needed to stop for a while in order to eat. 

We can talk again, if you want.  I’ll be back on later tonight after I take care of some things.  Also, feel free to check me out on my blog.  It’s not a paranormal blog or anything, but I have a discussion thread on this topic.  Add yourself as a friend if you like.  Talk to you later!

Danielle navigated to the link.  The homepage had bright vibrant colors and there was a picture of an Emo guy.

“Oh my God…” Dani literally stopped breathing.

David had long black hair with bangs that fell into his vibrant blue eyes.  He was thin, seemed tall with very pale skin; so pale that his shock of black hair and the blue of his eyes seemed almost unreal.  He had evidently taken a selfie shot with a cell phone.  He was very attractive in that Emo/Goth way, but what captured her attention and made her feel fait were the bright colorful tattoos that covered his forearms.

This is the boy that she would love!

She read every word that he wrote.  It took hours because he was a frequent poster.  She gathered that he was very intelligent, kind, though he seemed to be very forceful when it came to his opinions; no one would sway him and generally he tended to cause people to rethink their own ideas. 

His bio said that he was twenty and lived in Louisiana.  He was single and a student.  Dani wrung her hands as she wondered if she should tell him about her vision of them together.  So much had happened to him that he surely would not think she was a nut.  But fate had brought them together and perhaps if his theory was correct, the both of them were sensitive to the unknown.

No! She couldn’t take the risk that she’d scare him off. Not when she’d finally found someone that she could talk openly about this.

She fell asleep at the computer.  It was after one am and her body shut down when it knew that she would continue to deprive it of rest. Her body now took matters into its own hands.  And that is why Dani had no time to prepare for the unknown arrival that screamed her name.

Her cheek was pressed against the keyboard when she felt prickling along the back of her neck.

DANIELLE!

She jolted awake with the loudness of the voice that had shouted her name, yet, there was no person present; no one or no
thing
.  But she knew that she had heard it, although she was unable to determine the gender or age.  The only thing that was clear is that someone had been standing next to her and had shouted her name.

She stared at the computer screen, blinking.  She shook off the feeling of being watched because there was a line of messages asking if she was there.  Quickly Dani typed out a response, apologizing for falling asleep.

Not a problem.  Thought my stories might have scared you off,
David typed
.

No, they are helping me. 

I’m convinced that the key for you is to communicate with them.  Look Dan, I know this is scary shit but have they ever hurt you?

No.  But anything that scares you this bad has to be evil.  And prayers … why do prayers make them go away?

There was a long pause before David responded. 

Dan, you said prayers keep them away?

Yes?  Why?  And I’m not a guy, I’m a girl; Danielle, Dani for short.

A girl.  I didn’t realize … I don’t think you should call them alone.  No.  I know you shouldn’t call them alone!  Dani … I do think that you might be in danger.  I’m going to give you my phone number.  I want you to call me now.  Call me now!

Dani was so afraid now that her hands shook, and when the phone number appeared she wasted no time calling it.  David answered on the first ring.

“Hello, Dani?”  He spoke quickly. He had a curious southern accent that seemed to be at odds with his Emo-Goth appearance.

“Yes, David.  It’s me,” she said, terror causing her voice to sound small.

“God, you
are
a girl.  Sorry I didn’t put that together.  Look, I’m not afraid of the Shadows that I’ve seen.  I’ve talked to them.  If you want, Dani, I’ll talk to yours for you.”

Dear God, she  had was actually talking to someone not afraid of them, not afraid to be haunted by them, someone that has spoken to them before and was willing to communicate to them.  “Yes!”  She almost yelled.  “Yes, please, David.  Please!”  Relieved tears wet her eyes. 

“It’s okay.  It’s okay now.”  His words were soothing.  “Sweetie, when … how much longer?” She knew what he was asking, how much longer before time was up.  She tried to stop her tears but they weren’t going anywhere. 

“About two more weeks. They stopped coming about 4 weeks ago.” 

“Dani, look, I can speak to your Shadows but if I call them, only mine will come.  You’ll have to call them-”

“I can’t!”

“I can be there if you want.  Don’t worry. If you want I’ll be right there with you and you won’t have to do it alone.”

“But … won’t they paralyze you?”

“No.”  He seemed surprised. 

“Well, they always paralyze me, I can’t even call out.”

He didn’t speak for a few moments.  “I don’t really need words to speak to them.  Look, I know you don’t know me from Adam, but I’ll scan my driver’s license and send it to you, you can give it to the police or whoever.  Okay?  But I want you to come down to Louisiana.”

She was wiping her eyes.  The least of her worries is that David would turn out to be a mass murderer.  “I want to come down.  If you can help me then I’ll do what it takes.”

“I just don’t want you to do this by yourself.”

“David, what is it that has you suddenly scared?”

“That they respond to your prayers.”

It took Dani two days to get the money together and to complete the arrangements for her trip to Louisiana.  She sold some jewelry and pawned other stuff. She would leave on Thursday and arrive in Baton Rouge Friday, which would give them the weekend to resolve this.

Dani and David talked over the net or by phone each day as she prepared for the trip. Even though their friendship had developed because of the Shadow People, it was not the only topic of conversation that they engaged in.  They had a lot in common despite the fact that she was a Midwestern black girl and he was a southern white guy, and despite the fact that she didn’t have one tattoo and he was covered in them.  She asked him about them and he explained that art was his life and he didn’t mind using his body as the canvas.

Dani began to learn that David was both smart, and a little shy.  He didn’t mind sharing his knowledge but never wanted to come off as a know-it-all.  They were becoming friends and David explained that he believed that people who attract the unknown were drawn to each other.  He didn’t make it seem sexual in the least, but his words came out a little embarrassed … and perhaps even hopeful.  Hearing them made her feel safe and secure. 

She believed his words, too. She and Patricia were a perfect example; they had been drawn together by some mysterious connection and their friendship had been deeper than any she’d ever had. But it was beginning to feel the same way with David. She found herself putting all of her hope in his hands.

“Hey.  Are you sure you’re okay about coming down?” He asked one evening.

“I’m okay with it as long as you are,” she replied shyly.

He blew out a relieved breath.  “Good, because I have to admit that I’m anxious to meet you.”

She smiled.  “I am too.”  She hadn’t shared a picture of herself and he hadn’t asked for one.  “You do know that I’m black, right?”

“Yep.”  He responded.  “And this is still the south.  I’m ashamed to say that there are still places that remain clueless.” 

“A bunch of rednecks won’t scare me after all that I’ve seen.”

“Good to know.  And I’ll be at the bus station waiting for you so you won’t be alone even for one minute.  Okay?”

“Okay.”  She felt safe; truly safe for the first time in many years.

Thursday night she hopped on the bus with fear tinged anticipation.  It would be a long ride and she didn’t want anything to appear; whether it be the screaming voice or the Shadows.  So she brought plenty of NO-DOZ and planned to drink coffee at each rest stop.

David had offered to allow her to stay with him.  He’d offered with great embarrassment, but explained that it was really the most reasonable arrangement.  He needed to be present when she slept.  And besides, he lived in a big old rambling house, alone since his father’s death, which happened when he was seventeen.  Dani accepted with no qualms.  She hadn’t spoken of her dream as a teenager about him. But Dani already knew that he was beginning to feel something for her that was equal to what she was feeling for him.

The bus ride was long and tedious. She couldn’t risk talking to him on her cell phone and killing her battery while she rode the bus. The long hours without talking to him truly caused her to realize that she was rapidly developing feelings for David.  At the rest stop she called him just to hear his country voice, coming from that Emo face.

“Hello?!”  He said anxiously. 

She chuckled.  “Okay, are you alright?”

He seemed to relax.  “Just getting anxious.  I can’t wait to see you Dani.  I mean, I hope—I guess I shouldn’t have said that-”

“I can’t wait to see you either.  I’m excited about that.” 

“Okay.  You should arrive in three and a half hours.  Do you want me to bring you something; food-?”

“Coffee.  That’s all I’m going to need.”

“Ahhh.  You didn’t sleep on the bus, I gather?”

“Right, I don’t want them coming while I’m trapped on the bus.”

“Good idea.”

It was bright and sunshiny when she finally stepped off the bus and set foot in Baton Rouge.  She paused to look around.  She’d never been to Louisiana before.  It was hot; the type of hot that felt like a coat of steam had encased her body.  She headed for the bus terminal and saw David standing at a distance, expectantly watching each passenger.  And then his eyes rested on her and settled there.  Yes, he’d found her on his own.

They walked to each other.  “Hey.”  He said with a hint of a smile on his face.  “Welcome to Louisiana.”

She couldn’t help it, she put her arms around him and hugged him.  He accepted it happily, his own arms enclosing her securely against his thin body.  Several people began to look at them and she remembered his words;
this is the South and some people are clueless.
  Well they could just go to hell because this is the man that she would love and today he was saving her life!

She was the first to step back and he was indeed tall and thin.  He was so handsome that at first she had to wonder how it was that he had no girlfriend.  But if Louisiana was truly a different world than the one that she lived in up in Ohio, then his many tattoos and the spacers in his ears and bars piercing his brow would probably seem freakish; not to mention his leather riding gloves in the dead of summer. 

Other than this, he appeared just like any other guy wearing jeans, a t-shirt and sneakers.  He looked her up and down and didn’t seem disappointed.

“Hi.”  She responded to his earlier greeting.

“Hi.”  He said again.  “Let’s get you some coffee and some food.  I hope you like southern cooking.  There’s a place up the road that has the best soul food.”  Her stomach began to grumble after her steady diet of fast food over the last few weeks. 

The food was indeed good and she probably embarrassed herself by having seconds and then a big slice of cake for desert.  But David kept up a steady stream of conversation and didn’t seem to think anything of it.  He was telling her about the recent rains and how he’d been unable to go out into his back yard because he was afraid he’d get bit by an alligator.

She had been overwhelmed with stress relieving laughter.  She could not imagine having to worry about getting bit by an alligator in your own backyard.  The most she had to worry about was a field mouse getting into the house or the random possum that found its way into the yard.  She thought fondly of her mother and for the first time in ages she wasn’t sad remembering her.

David picked up the check and she felt bad that she’d ordered seconds. He drove an old Ford pick-up.  It had seen better days but he didn’t apologize about how beat-up it was.  At least he had one and she didn’t.  They reached a house that sat back off the road.  It was wood and brick and could use a paint job.  But again it was his house and at least he had one.

“I’ll show you to your room.”  He said.  “The house is kind of old, but I did clean it up.”  He gave her a sheepish smile.  It was indeed old but Dani could clearly see David’s touches despite some of the out dated furnishings.  It felt comfortable. 

The bedroom he showed her to wasn’t large and it was sparsely decorated.  But it was clean and the bedding lay freshly folded at the foot of the twin bed waiting for her to make up herself. 

David helped her make the bed and he made to leave her to relax but the idea of him leaving her alone made her feel slightly nervous. 

“Um, do you care if I tag along with you?”

“Not at all.”  He gestured to the adjoining door.  “I gave you this room because it has a private bathroom.  I use the bathroom that’s at the end of the hall.  My bedroom is right there.”  He pointed to one of four closed doors that flanked the corridor.

She nodded and then excused herself to use the bathroom. A few moments later they reconvened in the hallway.

David led Danielle down to the TV room.  It was a room that had a comfortable couch sheathed in a worn blanket.  The television was a hulking big screen but Danielle froze when she saw the couch.  Her eyes scanned the room quickly.  She’d seen this room before.  It was always strange when Dejavu and reality collided.  And it was happening now.

David saw the strange look on her face.

“Are you okay?”  He asked.  He reached out and took her hand, mistaking her look for reluctance or dislike.  In fact it was the opposite.  Dani wanted to fall into his arms and be engulfed in his protective aura.

She squeezed his hand.  “I’m okay.”  Then he understood her look instantly and closed the space between them, reaching up to cup her face.

“You are so beautiful, Dani.  I’m so happy that you came in to my life.”  He leaned forward and kissed her very gently, his leather gloved hand cupping her face lightly.

He led her to the couch and kissed her again.  This time he groaned out her name.  “Dani … if you want me to stop-”

“I want you David…” he groaned again and his tongue slipped between her lips. 

“I didn’t … I wasn’t expecting this.”  He paused to give her a sincere look.  “You understand that this isn’t the reason that I asked you to come.  I didn’t even know you were a girl.  I just want to help.”

“That’s why I want you.”  She slipped her hands beneath his shirt as she caressed his chest.  Her fingers met his pierced nipples.  She wanted to see his chest.  She knew that he would be covered in beautiful tattoos.  He ran his hand lightly over her breasts.

“Dani…” he groaned.  His words, his groans, all of it caused her to burn with desire that was uncharacteristic of her.  Dani gripped the back of his neck and kissed him wildly, her tongue forcing its way into his mouth.  David gripped her tightly, pulling her to him, his hands moving between them to explore the crotch of her jeans, rubbing her gently through them.

“Am I moving too fast?  I can stop-?” He asked. She responded by reaching down and unzipping him. She her hand into his pants, discovering that he wore no underwear and that he was already erect.  He shuddered and groaned and then his mouth smashed against hers and his hands moved under her shirt where he gripped her breasts, kneading them insistently.  She tugged at his clothes and he paused long enough to sweep off his shirt and to kick out of his shoes.

Dani quickly followed suit, standing long enough to shimmy out of her jeans and kick out of her shoes.  She quickly pulled off her shirt and bra and David watched her with large lust hooded eyes with his hair falling into his face in an unruly manner and his dick hard and pointing straight up.

She climbed back onto the couch and then leaned forward to kiss him, her hand finding his cock and wrapping around it.  She began to work him and David’s back arched and he cried out before placing his hand over hers and slowing down her stroke.  He reached out, once her speed slowed, and stroked her pussy finding that she was wet and ready. 

When he entered her, Dani’s eyes fluttered close and she thought; ZERO.  This was the moment…the countdown that had begun when she was just a child had finally become reality.