The Reyburn Contracts: Orion

Part 1 - A Shadow in the Mist

"Be careful on your way home," the older woman said.

"You worry too much, Beatrice," the younger woman said.

The younger woman was on her way back home before her fellow waitress had peaked out the back door of the pub to say goodbye. The single light above the door barely illuminated either of their faces, and the young woman could hardly see outside the alley she stood in. The thick mist was the only thing she could see before the light faded to night.

"They say the streets haven't been safe at night, especially at the edge of town," Beatrice said. "So, you listen to me, Emmaline, stick to lit streets, and if you see anyone suspicious, just run."

"Okay, okay, calm down," Emmaline said. "You just better get back before old Amos starts hollering for you."

"Oh, that old coot probably doesn't even realize I've left the kitchen. He's getting to where he doesn't even recognize his left boot from his right." Both women laughed before Emmaline waved goodbye and stepped into the mist.

The fog was especially bad that night. Her route home took her to the less populated area of town near the outskirts. The cobblestone road wasn't lit as much as the middle of town with a streetlamp only showing up enough to be within sight of another. With the mist as bad as it was though, this made the trip rather eerie. If she wasn't under a streetlamp, it would be pitch black, but the mist carried the light farther. She'd eventually see the blurred illumination of the next lamp and the faint image of buildings ahead; she had reached a corner turning to her right.

As she neared the corner, she could hear the prominent footsteps on the cobblestone road. The hard clap of shoe to stone echoed so hard off the buildings around her that she could barely tell where they were coming from, but she figured they must be just around the corner. She wasn't prone to giving in to paranoia, especially after telling Beatrice that she'd be fine, but she couldn't help feeling a little tense. While normally these streets were perfectly safe, Beatrice was right about rumors of a dark shadow skulking the streets at night. No one had been killed yet, but they had been injured and robbed. The footsteps grew louder. They were just around the corner.

Her heart did start racing a bit and she tensed as she neared the corner of the apartment block. "Good evening to you, Ms. Meadows." It was dear Mr. Bradley. Emmaline let out a sigh of relief and gave Mr. Bradley a smile.

"Mr. Bradley, you have no idea how happy I am it was you," she said.

"Good Heavens, Emmaline, what do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, you know, with the rumors going around lately, I was worried you may have been whatever has been hurting folks lately."

"Oh, yes. I just locked up the bookstore for the evening. I stayed a little late otherwise I would've been home a few hours ago. I don't think you have anything to worry about, Ms. Meadows. People just like to talk. Stories of dark figures looming the streets at night are pure hog-wash, I tell you."

"I sure hope so, Mr. Bradly. Now, we better be off, in case there is some truth to them."

They continued on their way, Mr. Bradley whistling a tune which Emmaline could hear echo down the street long after they had parted ways. Thankfully, running into Mr. Bradley helped calm her a bit. He was always a good voice of reason in stressful times for Emmaline. She was more inclined to believe him than the whispers of rumormongers.

She was much more relaxed as she made her way home. She had walked several more blocks when she had reached a stretch of road with stores on one side and the marshy wilderness on the other. There was nothing unnerving at all during the day when the street was teeming with shoppers and folks traveling to and from work. However, at this time of night, with the fog rolled in, and nothing but the sharp sound of her heeled leather boots echoing through the mists with every step, it was certainly less appealing. At one point she passed by the window of a shop and her heart leapt out of her chest when she saw a figure out of the corner of her eye, but when she looked her own pale translucent reflection was staring back at her.

Oh, you're just being sensitive, she told herself. The stories have just made you a bit jumpy. She looked forward down the road, feeling more resolute and determined to not let her nerves get the better of her.

She had just walked past a streetlamp when she sensed another feeling of uneasiness. She paused just past the streetlamp and looked around. At first all she could see was the street ahead, the dark alley to her right, and marsh to her left which was obfuscated by the fog.

Then she did a double take. She took a second look toward the alley. Her heart skipped a beat. A cloaked figure was standing just far enough in the alley to be obscured by the shadow of the store next to them. There was enough light to see them, but not enough to make out any features. They didn't do anything, though. She remembered the advice Beatrice gave her but couldn't bring herself to start running.

The figure reached their hand up towards the streetlamp. Emmaline turned to look at it, and suddenly a dark tendril flashed towards it, the glass from the light shattered, and the light went out. The only light left was the faint glow of the lamp back down the street.

"You're the one, aren't you?" she asked the figure. "You're the one everyone is claiming is the shadow stalking people at night." They began to walk towards her and that's when she could tell it was a man. They stopped about ten feet away, not close enough to make out any features in the new darkness. "What do you want?" she asked as her heart started to race. His lack of any response, any threat, or anything at all only made him that much more unsettling. After she asked, she heard a deep rumble, like a low growl, come from behind her - the opposite side of the man.

She turned and saw nothing. Not even mist. Then she saw red. Four, glowing red eyes in a sea of blackness.