The Shadow Side (Chapter Three)

For proper context and to understand what's going on, read chapter one and chapter two.

Chapter Three - Helena

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“Well, what did you find?”

“Remember that old warehouse? The one where the old group breached the barrier for a moment? We found those books there.”

“Yes”

“Well, I was going through them once more, just in case we missed anything. And this folded page fell out, it was tucked in the back of the one that looked like a school textbook.”

The man laid the page out on the table in front of them. “It’s a recipe! It mentions a few things, including this weird kind of stone. I’ve never heard of it, but apparently, it has a certain energy that is key to gaining access.”

My pulse quickened as I leaned closer to the page. It was cryptic, sure, but it was something tangible at last. “Finally, a real lead! You’re a genius.”

——

Haven jolted awake, a strong and familiar sense of anxiety nestled deep in her chest. Her heart hammered as though she’d been running. She glanced at the clock - 3:00 am, of course. She’d had a recurring dream for the last several years, always the same people and the same events. It only lasted for what felt like five minutes.

Tonight, the dream featured the same people but a different scene. Haven shook her head and ran her fingers through her messy hair, unable to make sense of it. It took a few moments, but the unwarranted feeling of panic that often accompanied bad dreams subsided. Rolling over, she attempted to fall back asleep but found her efforts fruitless.

It seemed like every time she dreamed about these people, the longer it took her to forget about it, the characters lingering in her mind like smoke that wouldn’t dissipate. This dream felt especially unsettling since it had changed for the first time in years. She always saw the man clearly, but she experienced the dream from the perspective of the mystery woman. The thoughts and feelings that went through her mind during the dreams were certainly not her own, but she’d never seen her face.

After about an hour and a half of trying to get some more sleep, Haven finally gave up and hopped out of bed. Ralph stirred from the bottom corner of the bed.

“Sorry, little man, it’s an early start today.”

She went through the motions of making coffee, tapping her foot quickly as she waited. She poured the finished brew into a travel mug and slipped out the door for a sunrise walk, hoping it would help.

Not quite 5 am, the sun wasn’t set to rise for a little while yet, though the sky was clear and filled with beautiful stars. Haven admired the many constellations, not that she could pick any out specifically.

With several street lamps assisting the stars, the sidewalk stretched out into the quiet morning and Haven felt her mind calm as she took a breath in. She felt surrounded by community and simultaneously alone as she took in the rows of dark doorsteps and blackened windows.

That is, until she noticed a strange shimmer out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head but saw nothing of note. The shimmer returned, this time in the opposite peripheral. She whipped her head the other way, catching a streak of silver above the only street lamp that flickered on and off. Focusing on it, she started crossing the road for a closer look when it slowly faded away.

Haven stood there for a few moments as she shook her head back and forth and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

“Of course, as soon as I start feeling better, I go crazy instead.” She mumbled to herself, opting to head back home before she started seeing proper apparitions.

Only a few houses away from her own, she stopped as a chill suddenly crept over her, cutting through the summer warmth like a knife. She took off at a brisker walk than before as the cold seeped beneath her light jacket. She broke into a trot, despite feeling silly, as the cold air seemed to surround and follow her.

Her hands trembled as she fumbled with the key, the cold still pressing against her. Finally, the lock clicked, and she burst through the door, slamming it shut behind her as though it could keep out whatever had followed. After double checking it was locked behind her, she flopped onto the couch and tried to catch her breath. She clicked on the TV and set an old, familiar show to stream, hoping this would return a semblance of normalcy to the bizarre morning. As the sun started seeping through the corner of her blinds, she felt reality set back in.