The Shadow People: A paranormal short story (5 page)

DANIELLE!

Danny jumped up, tried to scramble up and away but hands held her and she almost screamed before she heard David’s voice.  She’d fallen asleep on the couch soon after making love.  And then the voice had come, screaming her name.

She settled down, her eyes still big as she looked around the room.  There was a soft light issuing from the lamp but she kept trying to see into each darkened corner.

“It’s okay.”  David was holding her. 

“Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” 

She gave him a crestfallen look.  He hadn’t heard…

“Someone screamed my name David.  You didn’t hear it?” 

“I was asleep too, honey.  I didn’t hear anything.  Was it them?”

She relaxed into his arms and he hugged her to him tightly.  “I…I don’t know.  It’s not the same.  I always feel them coming.  But this is…”’

“What?”  He asked.

“I don’t know. I don’t think it’s them.”

“Is it male or female?”

“I don’t know.  And I don’t recognize it.”

“Is there malevolence in it?”

“There is definitely anger in it.  It’s like … they are angry at me.”

David gathered her into his arms and nuzzled her face.  And then something occurred to her that suddenly terrified her.

She was falling in love with David.  That meant that there was one person other than her that could die.

The next day, Dani was fortified with what she needed to do.  She’d dropped the ball with Mama and Patricia but she would not lose David just when he had entered her life. 

During breakfast he explained his plan.  That night she would call them--at midnight.  “Midnight is a very powerful time.”  Despite what had happened the night before, Dani had slept soundly in David’s arms. They had moved upstairs to his bed where they’d made love again.

The bacon and eggs that David had prepared for her suddenly lost its appeal and she shivered. David instantly reached out and ran a comforting hand down her arm. 

“Hey, after tonight, this should all be over.  Okay?  So don’t worry.”

“Okay.” 

They spent the day driving around Louisiana.  She had a lot of fun with David and wondered if she could see herself living here.  Some people did indeed give them stares but whether that was because they were an interracial couple, or if it was because he was tatted out was unclear. 

They made a stop at magic shop and David picked up candles.  While he talked to the shopkeeper she roamed around the store, curious about all of the items before her.  Everything had a meaning and a purpose and it was all so mysterious to her.  She could have spent hours there exploring.  She looked over her shoulder at David.  He and the shopkeeper were staring at her. 

She wondered what they were talking about.  Their heads had been together for a long time.  She felt something sweep past her and Dani looked around quickly, expecting to see someone coming or going.  She didn’t see anyone.  Her eyes rested on a white candle that set pushed onto a crowded shelf.  It was big and reminded her of those candles that a Mexican friend of hers burned.  The ones at her friend’s house always had a picture of the Virgin Mary on it.

For some reason she felt compelled to pick it up--strange because for the life of her she hadn’t remembered it being there before.  Danielle picked it up and was just about to bring it to her nose to smell when a searing pain shot through her hand and she screamed and dropped the heavy candle.  It was as if she had touched fire, only more intense then even fire; it felt as if she had been branded!

David and the shopkeeper came running.  Dani was holding her hand against her body.

“What’s wrong?!”  David tried to take her hand but she wouldn’t let him.  “Let me see.  Did you cut yourself?”

“No.”  She grimaced.  “Burned.”

The Shopkeeper gave her a curious look.  “Let me see.”  Reluctantly she handed him her hand.  He had reached out for it, and then suddenly withdrew it before touching her.  “What did you do?!”

David took her wrist.  “Dani…” 

She looked down at her burned palm. 

“Dani!  How did you do this?!” David asked in a voice filled with alarm.

She yanked her hand from his grip and examined the burn feeling panic begin to build inside of her.

“Dani?!”  David was asking.  “How did you get this?”

She was shaking her head in shock and denial.  “I just picked up that candle and it burned me!”

“What candle?”  The shopkeeper had backed away from her but she didn’t think he knew that he was doing it.

“The big white one.”  She pointed to where she’d dropped it but it wasn’t there.  It wasn’t as if it could have rolled under something, the display cases were solidly on the floor.  She just gave them both surprised looks.

“Get her out of here.”  The shopkeeper said in a low, frightened voice.  “Get her out of here, now!”  Dani took a step back at the venom in his voice.  David put his arm around her and quickly led her out of the door, his purchase clutched in his hand.

Once they were outside she spun and faced him. “David, I don’t know how this happened, I swear it!”

“I know.”  He had a frown on his face and quickly led her to his truck.  Once they were inside he turned to her.  “Tell me again, exactly what happened.”  She explained everything in detail, including the feeling that someone had walked past her.

He turned in his seat and stared out of the window.  Dani stared at her palm.  It hurt, but not as bad as it should and already the reddened blisters were less angry.  Still the sight of it terrified her.  Branded in her palm was a five-pointed star with a circle around it.  A pentagram.  Somehow she had been marked with the sign of the devil. 

Back at the house Danielle was near to hysterics.  She held her hand away from her body as if it was cursed.  David ran it under cool water and applied salve to it using a Q-tip.  He hadn’t said much since they had left the shop.

“David!”  She exclaimed.   “What is happening?  Why did I touch that candle; a symbol of good and this thing appeared on my palm?!”

David released her hand and removed his leather biking gloves.  He held up his hands, palms outward.  Embedded in both of them was the brand of a five-sided pentagram.  The circles were different but he had them as well, only on both palms.

“I did not put these on myself.”  He whispered.

The sun had set and Dani was more confused then she had ever been in her life.  Why should she be marked with this horrible thing?  Was she evil, did they own her, would she be dragged down to hell upon her death?!

The pain had stopped and she noticed that David was reluctant to touch that hand.  He kissed her and held her but after cleaning it, he would not touch it again. 

“Can we just do it now?!  I don’t want to wait until midnight.  I want it over with now!”

He nodded.  “It doesn’t matter.  Dani, you’re very powerful.  You don’t need midnight.” 

She was powerful? What did he mean?

He sighed and stood.  “Look, I’ve been preparing the basement for the ceremony.  Let’s do this.”

“Ceremony?” She asked feeling overwhelmed with confusion.

He didn’t answer.  He led her into the kitchen and opened a door that led down into an unfinished basement.  He cut on lights and Dani saw that there was a red pentagram painted into the cement floor.

Chills instantly moved up her spine. “David…”

“It’s the only way to contain a malevolent spirit.  If it’s a demon Dani, then this is how we get rid of it.”  She was afraid.  She didn’t even want to be down in the basement with that thing.  He carried the bag from the shop and withdrew black candles, which he positioned on each point of the pentagram.

“Black candles.  I thought that black candles were evil…” She began,

He paused to look at her.  “Demon magic.  It’s what we need to draw the demon out.  And the pentagram is what we need to hold it.”  He stood and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.  “Sweetheart, this is what we need to do to end this thing once and for all.  I don’t want to lose you just when I found you!  Trust me.  This is something I understand.”

She looked at the pentagram and then nodded reluctantly.  He kissed her.  It was soft but seemed wrong to do that here before something so evil.

He lit the candles and went to a shelf where there were several old books.  He selected one book and brought it to her after turning several pages.  “I want you to read these words.  It’s in Latin, you don’t have to understand them, but-”

“David,” she began slowly. “I don’t-”

“It’s okay.”  He gave her a sweet smile.  But this time she saw something within his smile; annoyance, maybe even anger and then it quickly disappeared.  “I can help you.”

She was shaking her head.  “This isn’t right.”  She took a step back.  “I’ve never needed a ceremony to call them.  They just come.  And these candles; black candles is for black magic; demon magic.  We don’t need demon magic just to ask them what they want David.”  She gave him a look of dawning realization. “What are you really doing?  She gestured to the pentagram.  “What is this?!”

“Dani, it’s okay. Don’t be afraid.” 

She stood her ground, letting him know that she did not accept his words, would not do his bidding.  He sighed and swept back his long hair.  “Dani.  You are very powerful.  You have the power to bring things over and that is your gift.  It’s not anything to be afraid of.  If anything was going to hurt you then it would have happened long before now.”

She gave him a look of disbelief. “But you said you thought they meant to do me harm.  You asked me to come here so that you could help me get rid of them!”

He shook his head.  “The Shadow People are harmless.  They come and go as they please.  But you prayed them away.”  His eyes took on an excited glint.  “It’s not the prayer.  This is what you don’t understand.  It’s the conviction BEHIND the prayer.  You just thought it was those holy words, but it was YOU.  You are the powerful one; your words.”

He held out the book again.  “This is why I want you to read these words.  It won’t take long-”