Born of Shadow - Book 1 (complete)

Chapter 17

 “Liam!” Kami screamed. He looked in her direction, but it was almost as if he was looking through her. She felt a chill up her spine. Something was wrong with Liam. He wasn't himself. She remembered back to the plane ride, to his fascination with the necklace, and the darkness that wrapped around the plane. Could the darkness have been one of these creatures? Could Liam draw the shadows to him?

 “Guys,” she said in a shaky voice. “What do we do? He's not coming. Do you think he attracted these creatures?”

“He would never do that!” Haji said firmly, picking up a rock and throwing it over Liam's head at the shadowy shapes. They hissed, but continued to circle Liam.

“If he's not working with these things, why don't they attack him?” Kami asked. “Why do they just circle about him?”

She remembered the plane, how the light of the necklace glowed, and how the thing wrapping the plane melted away. She looked down. Her necklace glowed more brightly than ever.

Kami didn't know if Liam was somehow in league with these shadowy shapes. Even if he had been responsible for them surrounding the plane, he hadn't been able to maintain it once the necklace glowed. So that should mean even if he had drawn them here, even if he was working with them, they shouldn't be able to affect her. There was a chance she might be wrong. She hoped so. She had to save him, had to try anyway.

“Stay here,” she told Haji and Yasmin. “I'm going after him.”

“Wait,” she heard Yasmin say, but she was too far away to hear the rest. She ran over to Liam. The creatures hissed menacingly, but didn't move closer. She grabbed Liam's hand and held fast, pulling him toward the SUV. He stumbled after her blindly. She looked back at the creatures, which were uncurling now and moving in their direction.

Haji and Yasmin sat in the front of the SUV, and Kami pushed Liam in the back and climbed in after him.

“Go, go, go!” Yasmin urged Haji.

Haji needed no encouraging, and the engine roared to life.

The shadowy eels surrounded the car now—two to the right, one to the left.

“Can they get through the doors?” Yasmin asked in a tremulous voice.

“I don't know,” Haji said.

The tires kicked up a cloud of dust as he punched the gas. The dirt road was not made for fast speeds, but that didn't stop them from racing down it anyway. Haji skillfully missed most of the potholes and ruts, but there were still many unavoidable bumps and jolts that rattled the entire vehicle.

Kami studied the road behind them, trying to catch a glimpse of the black shapes through the mountain of dust kicked up by the SUV. They turned a sharp corner and she was finally able to see a clear view of the road.

For a few tense moments no one said anything.

“I’m pretty sure we lost whatever was following us,” Yasmin said. “I would have seen something by now.”

Haji slowed to a manageable speed, but his eyes were constantly scanning the rearview mirror for any sign of pursuit. After twenty minutes or so they finally reached the paved road and the driving instantly became smoother.

Kami pressed her face to the glass as her pounding heart began to slow. She breathed deeply. The icy grip of the shadows had faded. The glow in her necklace had diminished too.

 She didn’t want to touch it at first, afraid the necklace would grab hold of her again and she wouldn’t be able to pull away. But then she remembered how she’d relaxed her hand and been able to remove it, so she drew courage from that and touched the scarab. She let go easily. She’d worried for nothing. The magnetic pull was gone.

Kami looked over at Liam. His eyes had returned to normal, and he was staring at her in a daze.

“What was that all about?” Kami exploded.

“What?” he asked in a bewildered tone.

“You were just standing there!”

Liam looked confused.

“She thinks you drew the shadows to us,” Haji said.

 “Why would I do that?” Liam asked. He seemed to be gaining focus now.

“Then why didn't the creatures attack you?” Kami asked. “If you weren't working with them, why did they surround you but leave you alone?”

“I don't know. I don't remember,” Liam's response was icy. “You really think I'm working with those things out there?”

She saw the hurt in his eyes.

“Is that what you've been thinking all along? That I was luring you along so I could send those shadow things after you? Let me guess. Now it's my fault that the plane was attacked? You think I'm a terrorist?”

He must have seen the truth in Kami's eyes, because he winced.

“You did think it, didn't you? Even after I spent all night in one of those stupid plastic chairs at the airport! That was no bloody picnic, I'll tell you! If I was trying to kill you, why would I have taken you to your grandparents? Why not just kidnap you and take you straight to those things? You will recall it was Yasmin who directed us here, not me.”

Liam had some valid points, and Kami acknowledged them quietly.

“You try to help someone and look, never mind. I don't even want to talk about it.” 

He moved his face toward the window. His shoulders were rigid and unyielding. 

A heavy silence settled in the car. It was unbearable.

____________

If you liked this chapter, please hit that little star!

So what do you think of Liam now? Did you change your mind? Innocent or guilty?

This dedication goes out to a dedicated reader and dear Wattpad friend @1137xyz. She has patiently answered many questions about the Muslim religion and Arabic phrases for some of my characters. She recently put up her writing in a moving piece called Moments of Pain. If you get a moment, check out her work and my lovely Muslim sistas and  international friends. Special additional shoutouts for @meromada, @modestmuslimah, @huzairas, @aneclarice, @Skittles2109 @shirsha & @Arinico - check out their brilliant work!