I can't believe this.
The headlines jump at me, one after the other.
Drama hits young detective's family
Mysterious murder leaves police stumped
Daniel Trevor case runs cold
At first, they didn't suspect him. Then they did. Then they realized they had nothing and let him come back to work. All in the span of six months. Everything happened exactly one year ago, and according to him, he never let it go.
Of course he wouldn't, these were his wife a kids. And when something similar happened, of course he would jump on it.
Unless...
Breathing becomes hard as I scan the reports and news articles. The case was dismissed for lack of evidence. There is no clear conclusion that he didn't do it. The police just couldn't prove that he did. It's the same as what he told me. They're job was to prove he was guilty beyond any reasonable doubt.
What if... What if he did do it? And now that one whole year had passed and his own case went cold, he was ready to strike again? It would be poetic for it to be exactly one year apart. Serial killers liked poetic, didn't they? He went for family again. My family. Well, and my boss, but then again, seeing as I spent more time with Anika than my actual husband, maybe he considered her family as well. Three bodies. Just like last time.
My own body begins to tremble even as I do my best to control it.
But why me? He didn't even know me.
I scan the papers again, searching for further clues, for any link between me and him. I finally find it. One of the partners from my firm, Joffrey Dunn, made a statement regarding the case and the evidence against Daniel. It's along the lines of 'the husband is always the guilty one in the end.'
My eyes widen. I know the guy. He is the head of the litigation department, specialized in white collar crime. He would also do anything for some attention since his departament doesn't bring any money in, so he has to appear important in a different manner.
Why would he say something like that, though? And about someone who could very well be innocent and the grieving party. Anger bubbles inside me at this petty little man running his mouth and marking me as a victim.
But it still makes no sense. I wasn't part of this. I'm not on Joffrey's team. We don't even work on the same floor. I'm a corporate lawyer. I have nothing to do with any of this. And if he had to attack my work and make me look guilty, why not go to Joffrey directly? Why kill Anika?
"What are you doing?"
I jump and the anger inside me morphs into sheer terror. Daniel is in the doorway, wearing only a pair of sweats. His hair is tousled and he still looks sleepy, but the frown on his face shows he's not happy to find me here.
"I was hungry," I squeak.
"So you decided to eat my desk, or what?"
I have no answer for the obvious sarcasm. I can tell that he's pissed, his eyes clouded with anger. He takes a step inside, but still blocks the doorway as if to make sure I can't escape. This is it. This is how I die.
He nods towards the papers. "That's part of my investigation."
I blink. Does he think I'm an idiot? I don't see any way out of this, so as long as I'm dead, might as well go out with a bang. The terror slips out of me, replaced by anger.
"So what? You're investigating yourself?"
"I'm investigating the incident."
"Is that what you call killing your wife and kids? An incident?"
He seems to grow in size as he takes another step inside. "So you think I did it?"
"You've insisted that I'm innocent because you think that makes you innocent. It's not the same thing! I didn't--"
"You didn't what? Kill anyone? And why do you think I did?"
"I don't know." I take a step back as he approaches. "Maybe you like it."
He doesn't dignify my affirmation with an answer, but I can see the anger rising inside him. He's not denying it. He just steps closer to me, his large frame blocking any means of escape. I may be many things, but I'm not dumb enough to think I have a chance of escaping him.
"It was you all along, wasn't it?" I ask. "You targeted me and made all of this happen just to get petty revenge on--"
"I thought you'd understand," he says between his teeth. "Since it happened to you too, I thought you'd be able to see beyond all... that." He waves his hand at the papers. "That you would see the truth."
"What truth?" I clench my fists and take a step towards him as well. "You've been talking me in circles, making me feel insane."
He narrows his eyes. "What, so now you think you imagined the shadows?"
What if I did? What if he drugged me? "What did you do to me?"
"Me? What did you do to those people? To your husband, your boss? Your own mother?"
His words are like poisoned darts, sticking into me and sending waves of agony to my heart. Anger to my head.
"At least I didn't kill my children."
This makes him snap. The snarl on his face is terrifying and he heads for me. I would normally cower back, but I don't. It doesn't matter anymore. I'm alone and I'm going to make him pay for what he did to me.
"You monster! You set this all up. It's some sort of sick game to you and--"
He reaches me and clamps his hand over my mouth, holding the back of my head with the other. Shadows swirl behind his pupils, and the room temperature seems to drop.
"Shut your mouth," he hisses. "If I'm a monster, then so are you. That's what you fail to understand."
I don't care. I'm done being scared and confused. So instead, I snake my hands between us and push him away as hard as I can.
It's like an explosion.
The rage slips out of me in an instant, leaving me exhausted and breathless. He lets out a groan as well and steps back... Except he doesn't.
A scream tears through my throat and I scurry away, except I don't.
The sound of ragged breaths fills the room, but this time it no longer comes from shadows, but from two people left facing each other. Two people who look exactly like us.
I can't see my own face, but Daniel's is sharp and twisted. His eyes are no longer blue, but completely black and the edges of his face are blurred. When he grins, his teeth are sharp.
The other Daniel, the real one, hits his back against the wall and is staring, his face devoid of any of his former anger. "Oh, fuck," he breathes.
I perfectly understand. My avatar probably looks the same as his. As my heart thumps and I fight not to scream and draw attention to myself, I secretly pray that the two monstrous versions of ourselves will engage and kill each other.
Instead, Monster-Daniel's soulless eyes run past my monster version and land on me. The sickening grin on its face widens and I know what's about to happen. I let out the scream I've been holding in and drop to the floor. On all fours, I scurry around the desk.
The apparition rushes to the desk and flips it. It hits the window behind it, smashing it into pieces. Glass rains upon me and digs into my palms as I move away. A trail of blood is left in my wake.
My demonic projection is no longer there. It rushed at Daniel just as his rushed at me. I can feel its hands on my shoulders, pulling me back. They're cold as death. My back hits the floor, the glass, and I find myself staring into the soulless black eyes, into its grinning face.
How shall you die?
Its mouth doesn't move, but I hear the whispers inside my head. I scream again and flail my hands. It beats them away with ease. Then the claw-like hands are around my neck. It's like the coldest ice and they brun. The grip tightens and tears stream down my face.
Choking... No, chocking won't do. You act all prim and proper, but you like to fuck. You like it so much...
I shut my eyes, trying to will the hateful words out of my head. The more I try, the worse the hissing becomes.
You depraved whore. You saw a fine piece of ass and you took it. Your husband wasn't even cold when you fucked me.
I shake my head and try beating the thing off me again. My breath comes out in strangled hiccups.
Yes... Impaling might do.
"No!" I throw my hand out and slap the thing across the face. It's so cold, I think my hand will shatter, but it's enough to shock it away.
I crawl out from underneath it and bolt towards the door. In the corner of my eye I can see Daniel trying to fight off my own evil projection.
"Eva!" he calls after me.
I don't care. My hearing is fuzzy, my head hurts and all I can do is run. As fast as I can, across the hall and towards the front door. Something coils around my knees and I fall forward and hit my chin against the hardwood floor. My mouth fills with blood.
With a scream, I kick out behind me and catch something. Then I'm back on my knees, on my feet. My hand reaches for the door and I throw it open. I run out into the night. I can hear the thing wheezing behind me. I detour around the house, hoping it will lose my trace. Does it even rely on sight?
I can hear your heartbeat. I can smell your fear.
The whisper comes directly into my ear, as if the monster is next to me. I whimper and pick up speed.
I will never grow tired. I will never stop.
I turn again and I'm back in front of the house. Daniel's car is parked there, but I don't have the keys or the time to safely get inside. I turn and head down the street. All the houses are dark. There's no one there to help me. And even if there was, I'm sure the thing would slaughter them. The streetlights throw orange circles on the sidewalk and every time I reach light, I can't believe what is happening.
A sharp whistle pierces the night, ringing inside my head. It's a merry tune, so sick and twisted. When I reach the next circle of light, my legs tangle against something hard and I plummet to the ground. My hands barely have time to catch the asphalt and protect my face from impact. The rest of me hits the street hard and the air whooshes out of my lungs.
Before I can catch my breath, I feel the cold of the monster's touch as it turns me on my back. It straddles me, the twisted, sharp grin deforming Daniel's handsome features. The depth of the whiteless eyes seems even darker now, the light casting on top of it making the apparition even more frightening. Its features twist and shake, as if I'm watching a computer glitch.
Maybe if I'd gotten far away enough from Daniel, it would have lost its strength.
It grins wider, as if it can read my mind.
No, no, no. I go wherever I want.
It pulls out a long, thick iron bar, the thing it most likely used to trip me.
Skewer, skewer, skewer. Now where shall I stick this to make a point?
I whimper and try to buck it off. The pressure on me increases, and one of its hands moves to my throat and tightens. I let out a scream of pain.
I know, I know, I know where to stick this.
The thing is singing and all I want to do is throw up, or at least pass out. My heart beats so fast, I can hardly see straight.
Where you like it, where you like it, where you like it rough.
The thing leans over me, sharp teeth bared. It hardly looks like Daniel anymore.
This is what I did to her, too. She liked it rough, just like you.
"Shut up," I whisper. I don't want to know how this thing killed Daniel's wife. This thing that is a part of him.
You whores. You filthy, whimpering whores.
I flail harder, trying to wiggle myself out from beneath it. I can feel the iron bar against my crotch. I'm a second away from fainting with fear and yet, I don't. By some cruel twist of fate, I am forced to witness as that thing thrusts an iron bar inside me. My vision blurs with tears and I let out the sobs.
The iron bar clatters to the ground. In the blink of an eye, the thing disappears from on top of me, and I'm left alone on the street. I hug myself and curl into a fetal position, letting the tears fall.
"Eva!"
The real Daniel is there. I open my eyes and glance at him. His cheeks are marred by multiple scratches and his face is swollen, but there's no mistaking the fear in his eyes.
"Eva, you have to make it stop!"
With a screeching yell, I can see my form making its way towards him. It's limping and erratic.
"I can't kill it."
The words are like a shock through my battered body, and I sit up.
He rushes over and kneels next to me. "You have to make it go away."
"How?"
"Use your will."
That's extremely nondescript and I panic. But then the thing wobbles into the circle of light and I'm disgusted by it. Disgusted by myself and my weakness and the fact that I let that thing form inside me. I don't need it. I can accept my wrongs without shoving them out.
"Get the fuck away from us," I hiss.
It doesn't. It continues to move forward. Even if my body is in agony, and I'm bleeding, I force myself to my feet and step towards it. The thing is coming straight at me, but I've had it with this.
"I said get away!" The moment it comes within reach, I shove it as hard as I can.
It stumbles and falls backwards. Right before it hits the ground, it dissolves into nothingness with one final ragged breath. The light overhead flickers and dies.
The silence is so loud.
I ease myself back on the sidewalk, everything inside me pulsating. Daniel takes a seat next to me, obviously trying to keep his breathing as quiet as possible. We both just sit there for what feels like the longest time.
"I guess we have our answers," I finally say.
"I guess we have." He picks up the iron bar from the ground and glances at the bloody end for one second before tossing it away into the night.
I'm glad he did. I can't stand looking at it. I feel both cursed and extremely lucky that the creature didn't manage to do more damage.
"How did you stop it?" I ask.
Daniel doesn't answer right away, and I think he's trying to rationalize it. "I knew it would hurt you. I heard you scream. I wished I could stop it. And when I wished it hard enough, it apparently happened. Just like you willed yours away."
I nod. It makes sense, but then again, it doesn't. Are the things gone for good? Did we banish the shadows?
We sit in silence for another few minutes before Daniel eases himself up and reaches out his hand.
"I think we've had enough. Let's go home."
👥
Chapter WC: 2,603
Total WC: 31,958
And there you have it. All the evil in the world has seeped out of our people and tried to kill them. But, apparently, they could will it away. But are the shadows truly gone? And can Eva and Daniel forgive each other and themselves?
Stick around for the finale of this horrid novella!
I really hope you enjoyed the ride and are ready for it to end.