Shadow Breeds

Chapter 1

Third Person

20 years earlier

Within the vacant cabin, shadows moved and jerked violently, as if trying to free themselves from the things that had created them. That is, until October 12, 1995, at three o'clock a.m. when everything fell quiet and dark. Even the insects and harsh waters surrounding Gateway Island had settled into a silent calm.

At three-thirty in the morning, only two cries were heard echoing throughout the island's silent forest, coming from opposite ends. One belonged to a child born to inflict chaos upon the human and shadow realms, while the other belonged to a child who was born to stop it. A sacrifice must be made to ensure the safety of the one who would end the shadow's suffering and bring peace to all of the existing realms, and they were prepared to die for her.

***

Five years later in the forests of Wolf Creek, Gateway Island's closest on-shore neighboring town, Jericho and Ember look at each other with tearful eyes. "I'm sorry sweetheart," Jericho choked as he pulled his wife into his arms for one last embrace before their short journey. Ember placed a hand on his cheek and shook her head, "this isn't your fault dear." They spare a second to lightly kiss before lying their sleeping child below a large oak tree.

Ember brushed the stray hairs out of her little girl's face before hovering her hand above it, whispering a small chant. With a weak smile, she stood and turned to her husband, "it's time, she'll be okay for now but, we have to go immediately. They'll be expecting us soon." He nodded and they turned down the mossy trail hand-in-hand, towards the far end of the forest.

They wanted to get as far away from their daughter as they could, as much as it broke their hearts they knew it was necessary. They knew she'd probably resent them in the future but, they had hope that she would also understand one day and hopefully, she'd forgive them.

"I just wish we could be there to explain it to her ourselves," Ember spoke through tears as they arrived at their destination. "She'll still hear it from us, when the time is right," Jericho tried to comfort her, she only nodded in response.

They looked around after a few minutes of nothing happening. Who they were expecting should've been there already, something was off. "Jericho?" Ember questioned hesitantly. "I don't know what's going on Em, there's no way they would throw away this opportunity." He spoke quietly, still checking their surroundings for anything or anyone.

Nothing, but there should definitely be something. Ember jerked around in their daughter's direction, "you don't think-." Before she could finish, he was already running back. She took off after him, easily keeping up. This still didn't seem right to either of them.

"Fuck!" Ember screamed as she fell around fourty feet into a hole that had been hidden with long twigs, brush and leaves. A trap.

Jericho skidded to a stop, nearly tripping over himself as he tried to get turned around and quickly made his way to the holes entrance. "Em? Ember! Are you okay?" He called down, it was too dark to see anything and he couldn't sense her as much as he should. It wasn't supposed to happen like this.

A quiet chuckle was heard behind him but, before he could turn to see who it had come from, a sharp pain shot through his spine. He grunted and fell forward as he lost his balance. Jericho hit the bottom of the hole with a crunch, only it wasn't his bones that had broken.