The Shadow of Death

My eyes are open, I can feel how wide they are but I can’t see though the darkness. All I know is that I’m cold. Everything is too cold. The icy air swirls around me , lifting my hair and settling along my skin like snow. It hurts as it sinks beneath the surface slowing my blood. My lungs aren’t expanding properly… I can’t breathe. Arctic breath forces its way past my lips and down my throat

Just as I start to choke on my panic, the ice pulls back. Completely. In its wake is warmth moving up and down my arms. Summer thaws and wakes up my blood.

I inhale fully and then my eyes open. I’m not in a black abyss after all, I am still in bed. Warm and safe. I blink up at Aran who is perched on the edge of the bed a clean t-shirt draped over his jean clad knee. He lifts his hand from my arm and tucks a piece of hair behind my ear.

“What are you doing?” I croak.

“Waiting for you to wake up.” His voice is warm and he grins. Dark eyes watch me carefully.

“Weirdo.” I try to smile, shaking off the memory of the chill.

“What’s wrong?”

I give my head a slight shake, “Bad dream. I’m fine.”

Aran?

He lifts the black hood over his hair . I hurry to follow after him as he turns the corner. He doesn’t respond to me, he doesn’t even turn. Unease rises up from my toes, the hairs on the back of my neck rising.

“Micah?!?” The frantic voice is coming from the wrong direction.

I yelp when I feel hands at my waist. They yank me back into the dark alleyway.

“What are you doing?” Aran hisses. His breathing is harsh and his wild eyes fly over my face. “Why are you out here?”

“I- I thought.” I crane my neck around him looking for…. Well, for Aran. “It was you.”

His eyes narrow and he steps away from me, scanning the surrounding. His shoulders tense and I notice his hands curl into fists. Something shifts around him. No not around him but inside of me. Maybe both. All I know is that something is calling me, physically drawing me out of the shadow.

“Don’t.”

Micah.

The sound of my name startles a squeak from me. The voice is foreign but it’s there. In my head. Soft…coaxing.

You can’t hide from me sweet Micah.

Aran steps in front of me blocking my path. He searches my face as if he can hear the voice.

I have been looking for you.

“Aran.” I whimper.

His hand comes around my wrist just as the shadow darts past us. If Aran didn’t pull me to his chest I’d think I was hallucinating.

He swears under his breath, his voice dark.

“I need to get you out of here. Now.”

“Not so fast.” It’s the same voice except it is no longer in my head.

How?

It now comes from the mouth of a young man that looks nothing like Aran. Aside from the dark hair falling into his face over sharp cheekbones. Everything about his face is sharp. Like his eyes tracking me like prey. Even his smile.

More shadows flicker at the edge of my vision. Aran steps in front of me and the man’s smile widens.

“Ah Aran. It look as if her fate has finally caught up to you.”

What?

“Micah.” Aran starts slowly edging backwards “You need to get out of here. Don’t argue with me just move.”

My entire body is trembling but my legs won’t work.

“Micah.” He purrs again

Aran reaches back, his hand presses into my stomach pushing me back. “I’m not letting you near her. Over my dead body.”

The icy chuckle clenches around my heart

Before anyone can respond, Aran is torn away from me. I scream as his body slams into the brick wall and collapses on the ground. I turn to run but my ankle is pulled from under me. I hit the ground chin first and stars burst across my vision. I am yanked through the air.

The man holds me up, examining my face. There is an emptiness in his eyes that spikes my panic.

I have to be dreaming. Just like earlier. No… I never woke up.

He reaches out and rubs his thumb against the gash at my chin. I hiss against the pain and tears spring into my eyes at the realization that I am very much awake. He studies my blood on his finger before tasting it. I throw my hands into his chest thrashing until I stagger back a step. I don’t hear any footsteps nor did I see him rise from the ground but Aran throws himself into the man, knocking him to the concrete. I should run but I can’t look away as he grips the man by his shoulders and slams him into the ground. Once, twice, three times.

He’s still breathing but Aran doesn’t wait, he’s on his feet again and pulling me down the street.

How? I don’t understand.

Aran whips around suddenly halting my trajectory. He pushes my hair away from my face and his eyes briefly land on the wound near my mouth.

“You have to run. Don’t stop. Don’t look back. Don’t worry about me okay? Just run. I’ll find you, I swear.”

“What is happening Aran?”

“There’s no time. I won’t let him hurt you.” His thumbs brush my cheeks

“Micah.” The singsong voice calls to me again.

Aran’s face sharpens and he throws a glance over his shoulder.

“Whatever you do, don’t turn around, okay?” his voice shakes a little, rattling me even further

“What do you-”

He grips my shoulders too tightly. I wince but he doesn’t let up “Do you trust me?”

I nod ”Y-yes.”

For a brief moment I see something like regret pass over his features as if he’s going to say something else something to convince me why I shouldn’t and then he inhales.

“Then GO!” He shoves me away and I start to move.

I have no concept of where I’m going but it doesn’t feel fast enough or far enough. I know I am being pursued. My lungs hurt . How can I just leave Aran? He can’t face this alone.

I hear scuffling and Aran grunts as if in pain. My feet stop in their tracks.

I feel it again. Just like in my dream. The air around me is icy. My skin is freezing and a breeze blows my hair around my face from behind. A strange heaviness fills the air and I hear a foreign whispering.

Don’t turn around. It echoes in my head but I have to.

What I see halts my heart.

Aran is pinning the man to the ground and darkness pours from his mouth. Pure blackness.

I can feel it’s icy grip even from where I’m standing. My entire body is quaking and bile is rising up my throat. I want to scream but a garbled choking noise is all that comes out.

Aran’s head whips toward me and I stumble back when I look into the black pools staring at me.

Run! My legs won’t move, my feet rooted to the ground.

He blinks and his eyes are normal again. Mine. Not mine… and not his. They never have been. The broken figure on the ground gurgles and Aran focuses again. The fingers around his throat twitch and the body stills.

I turn and run my entire world knocked from beneath me. Panicked sweat and tears stream down my face. I can barely see in front of me. My sight is so blurred but my hearing is fine.

I can hear him pursuing me, the distance between us closing. It’s hard to keep up my pace when every breath is a hysterical sob. Between that and the fact that he is moving with supernatural speed dread tightens my chest even more.

He grips my by the waist. Yanking me off my feet. “I told you not to look!”

“NO!’ I scream so loud that I can feel my vocal chords tear . The rest of the plea tumbles out in a rasp. “Please . Please don’t.”

Aran sets me down and I feel his forehead press into the back of my head, “Stop. I’m not going to…If I was going to hurt you, I would have done it a while ago. When I was supposed to.”

Supposed to?

I struggle to get out of his grip, scratching at his forearms. Aran Sighs before letting me go.

My mind is flying in a million different directions. I want to run but I know that it’s pointless. It will take no effort for him to catch me… again. Panic sits in my chest making everything around me feel surreal my vision pulses and my skin prickles.

“Micah.”

I slowly turn to face him and force myself to inhale steadily. I am going to fall over. I look up into his eyes and whimper. They are that warm brown that used to soothe me. He studies my face, concern etched into his features.

It’s not real.

The bottomless black pits flash before my eyes again. I see what can only be described as death pouring from his mouth. That same mouth that was pressed to mine not an hour ago. I’m going to be sick.

“Micah.” He starts again, he begins to move toward me.

“No!” I jump away.

What kind of monster is he? A demon? Oh God! What does he want with me? How do I get out of this alive?

I drop down onto my knees and clasp my hands in front of my heart.

“The Lord is my shepherd…” I fumble through the prayer fear making me forget words long ago engrained in my mind

Aran watches me through narrowed eyes… eyes that have an iris and a pupil, the muscle in his jaw jumping. But he doesn’t retreat. He doesn’t even look uncomfortable. I don’t know what I was expecting but mild irritation wasn’t it. He rolls his eyes before dropping down to a crouch before me

“Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil…” I stress that last part. I ignore the sharp huff that blows out of Aran’s nostrils and the brief hurt that flashes in his eyes.

“Are you done?” he tilts his head

I’m not Catholic but I cross myself for good measure. Aran purses his lips and then deliberately reaches out to take my arm. I flinch away from his touch, scrambling backwards.

“What are you?” His features sharpen “WHAT ARE YOU?!?!” I yell further damaging my throat

“The person that just saved your life! That’s what I am.”

“Person.” I spit.

I need to get away from him. I push to my feet, swaying, but he is too fast and before I can get anywhere, he is yanking me back into his chest again.

“Let me go!” I yell praying that someone will hear me and come help.

I slam my head back against him,

“Micah STOP!” I don’t. My skull cracks against his collarbone again again and again

“Stop!”

Everything goes black.

I feel gentle fingers along my hairline. Aran is awake before me again. I hope he’s gone to get coffee.

Aran!

I jolt upright, yelping when sharp pain cuts through my head making my vision blur. I collapse back into the pillows gasping for air.

Aran sucks in a sharp breath, his fingers slip around to probe at the knot at the back of my skull.

“Slow down.” His voice is careful as is his touch.

The pain draws a string of colorful swears from me. His low chuckle momentarily makes me forget what I witnessed last night at the hands of this… I don’t know what

I push his hand away from me. The blanket carefully tucked around me is the next thing to be thrown away from me. I try to sit up again and then entire room sways. The pain and nausea battle for dominance. Aran takes both arms stilling me.

“Will you please listen to me?” he asks before I can attempt to run.

“Will you kill me if I don’t? Just like you did to…to…”

“Micah Elizabeth.”

“Don’t” my head is so foggy, “You…can’t…don’t”

His eyes shut and he exhales through his nose, “Let me explain. Please.”

“You need to stay away from me.”

“I can’t do that.”

My pulse is dangerously fast which doesn’t help the pain radiating through my skull nor the vertigo.

“Micah please. I…I…refused to take you. “

“Shut up.”

“I was given an ultimatum. If I wouldn’t do it… someone or something would.”

I can feel what little blood is left in my face leach away. Aran reaches out to touch my cheek

“I won’t let that happen.”

I scoff at that. He has to be joking.

“I promise you,” he starts darkly, “You would already be dead if I didn’t feel…something.”

His words slide down my spine like ice and I shudder. The flashes of inhumanity are becoming more frequent

“Is that supposed to be comforting?”

He blows out a sharp breath and then swallows.

Suddenly his posture goes rigid and he looks over his shoulder toward the door. His fists clench and he scrapes his teeth over his lip.

“There is no time. We have to go.”

“I’m not going any-”

“Shut your mouth unless you want me to end your life right now.”

The only sound I utter is the tiniest of whimpers.

“I’m sorry. “ He brushes my hair back over my ears,”I’m panicking… I’m sorry.”

I shriek at the sound of the door and windows rattling. Aran positions his body so that he’s shielding me. He looks at me, chest heaving.

“I’m not going to hurt you.” He says softly, staring into my eyes, “I swear.”

I try to keep a wall up but my fingers are trembling.

“Trust me to get you out of here.” Somehow Aran’s voice is even softer and I’m left cursing the fluttering in my stomach. He slides his arms beneath me and lifts me, holding me against his chest. Ice prickles against my skin just as Aran jumps from the window into the darkness

I gasp as my eyes fly open. I’m drenched in sweat and shivering. Aran sits next to me, stroking my hair

“What are you doing?” My voice is a rasp

“Waiting for you to wake up.” He grins slightly.

“Weirdo.”

His grin widens, “Bad dream?”

“Mm.” I agree but it doesn’t feel true. I feel sore and ragged and there is a sting at my wrist. I glance down frowning at a fresh sickle shaped scar on my wrist… One that looks exactly like the one on Aran’s shoulder.