Shadow Wood

Chapter Fifteen

Shaking out the last remnants of sleep, I hardly remembered my feet touching the ground as I headed for the shower to get ready for the day. It could easily be blamed on the weather, since it felt like an eternity since I've felt the sun against my skin. The storm clouds scarcely left and it seemed unnatural that they rarely brought any rain; except for this morning.

After donning my uniform, I descended down the stairs. The pinging of my phone caused me to stop before entering the kitchen. As I was about to check for messages, a light rap on the door caught my attention. I looked over with a sense of foreboding. Great, now I can add excessive paranoia to my list of issues.

Opening the door, an older man stood there, shaking out his umbrella on the porch. He was dressed in period clothing from the 1800s, as if he had just wandered off of a movie set. His suit didn't appear all that expensive, but it was definitely not something you could easily find in a department store. There was something oddly familiar about him. I tilted my head to the side, as if this would slide the right memory into place.

"Why, hello there, young man. I was just wondering if I could please step inside your lovely home for a bit of shelter."

"As you can see, it's raining like cats and dogs behind me here." He had a rich southern accent, perhaps New Orleans or rural Georgia. It was hard to tell, because a sense of unease increasingly grew within me. The stranger, whoever he was, made a half turn from his torso to point at the weather. I wouldn't have phrased it like he did, but the rain would likely cause flooding if it didn't stop soon. I hoped it wouldn't keep this up much longer, because Brandon's bus should be coming any moment now.

The stranger was still talking, but I couldn't focus on his words. I felt as if I had stuck my hand in a can full of worms. I could feel each one wiggling, try to latch onto my skin. I suddenly felt nauseous.

"I was on my way to a funeral. Poor Aunt Pattie died in her sleep, you see. Tragic, but a gentle passing nonetheless. But it just so happens my car has the worst timing at breaking down on me, just over yonder that a way-"

"No." I dreamt this. It wasn't until this exact moment that I realized it. The stranger's eyes darkened at this as he gave me a long, piercing look.

He continued to talk to me, attempting to coerce his way into my home, but it was as if someone had hit the mute button while watching a movie. I was only partially aware of everything that was happening around me, as if I was having an out of body experience. I felt electricity begin to swirl around me as I continued to look at him.

"No. I won't let you in."

We were having a silent argument, and his eyes grew harsher as the seconds passed.

"Who are you talking to?" It was Brandon's voice that brought me out it. Like someone stole the remote and hit the mute button again.

I turned my head back to face the doorway, ready to lie to Brandon, but the porch was empty.

~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~

Petr looked ready to spring out of his seat when I arrived to class, and he didn't waste any time getting to the point. "I'm throwing a bro-over tonight! Do you wanna come? I know you wanna!"

And I almost agreed to commit to it, but, "It's supposed to be family fun night."

Nathaniel must have overheard, because he turned in his seat to ask me what that was. I told him the basics.

"Maybe you should invite us over to be a part of your family fun night!" Though the weather was depressing, that didn't seem to ever bring Petr down. I would have liked to agree, but I think I was still thinking about this morning, and last night's dream. That reminded me . . .