The Shadow Creature

Chapter 7 - Cryptic Fog

Droplets collided against the window of a old house. The door of a room opened up and a small boy ran into the room, being chased by someone. He looked behind him and his hair flipped to the motion of his head. The small boy didn't see anyone insight, but heard footsteps from a distance becoming louder. The small boy then closed the door in a panic and looked around for a place to hide. He spotted the open door of the closet from the corner of his eye and ran toward it. The small boy entered the closet, closing the door behind him quietly. He then went on his knees and put his ear against the door to hear. 

The small boy waited for a noise to erupt from the other side. His eyes widened as he realized that he didn't lock the door. At that moment of realization, the door creaked open, filling the room with noise. The small boy backed away from the door as he heard footsteps coming near the closet. He noticed the shadow of shoes on the other side of the door. The small boy then covered his mouth with his hand to hide his loud breathing. His eyes moved from the shadow to the motion of the door knob. The door knob twisted from left to right, but somehow couldn't be opened. 

The small boy made a confused face as he remembered the closet door not having a lock. The door knob fully twisted and the door flung open, revealing no one on the other side. The small boy's heart skipped a beat as the door got smashed against the wall. He then got up and slowly walked out of the closet. The small boy looked side to side, but found no one in sight. He started to walk toward the exit of the room until a struck of lightning stopped him in his tracks. The small boy jumped to the sound of thunder and looked over at the window with the color on his face draining. 

Out of the boy's eyesight, the closet door started to move, revealing someone behind the door. A flash of lightning struck again, filling the room with white light for a split second, revealing a tall shadow figure behind the boy. The figure wrapped it's arms around the small boy and lifted him in the air. The boy let out a scream as he got lifted off from the ground. "Gotcha", the dad of the boy exclaimed as he held the boy in his arms. The small boy laughed innocently as he laid his head against his father's. "You really need to find better hiding places, William", the dad said to a six-year old William. 

"Well, you need to stop finding me then", William said. "That's kind of the point of hide and seek, buddy", William's dad said confused. "Don't think about what he says too much, dear", William's mom said as she walked into the room with a smile on her face. "No kidding, you can get a nosebleed from thinking about kid's logic", William's dad told her, putting William down on the ground. "What's a nosebleed?", William asked curiously. William's dad squinted his eyes and started to think. "It's when your nose decides to have a party", William's dad concluded. The mother's eyes widened as she heard that sentence. 

"Oh, is it like when we went to the beach and mom-", William started to say. "William, Ivan is downstairs", the mother interrupted. William's face lit up with joy at the mention of Ivan's name. William then ran past his parents and downstairs. His parents followed after him. William saw Ivan standing in the living room, waiting patiently. He then ran toward him. "Hey Ivan", William said while punching him on the arm. Ivan manifested a smile on his face as he faced William. "Hey Will", Ivan said while rubbing William's hair. Ivan took his hand off his hair and saw the smile on William's face. Both of them connected eyes and Ivan noticed a small sparkle in William's eyes.

"So, I brought this super cool game, can we ask your parents if we can play it in your room?", Ivan asked, revealing a game in his hand. "Yes, you can play it", William's dad said, walking into the living room with the mom beside him. "Wow, you're not even gonna ask what type of game it is", William's mom told the father as William and Ivan went upstairs to William's room. "I don't think that matters too much", William's dad said, putting his arms around the mom. "What if the game is about shooting people and blood? I don't think that's the greatest thing to introduce to kids their age", William's mom explained.