Chapter Five

Darkness has settled, stars twinkling in an otherwise black blanket. The air is calm and breeze soft, the heat of the day reduced to a temperature much cooler. Inside her darkened room, a hot and sticky Jenny stirs, shifting onto her side, sleepily kicking at the loose sheet with her feet. She briefly settles after pulling the pillow down to fit snugly under her head. She whimpers slightly, then moans and turns back the other way.

Her mind taunts her with a distressing vision of a shadowy man. She is sprinting down a long corridor, running from a slow walking menace. No matter how fast she flees, his echoing footsteps come closer and closer. Shadowy fingers reach out, closing in on her shoulders, inches away from claiming her.

She jolts frantically, taunted by her dreams. Behind her, in the corner alongside the window, there is no light. There it is pitch black and infested with deep, dark shadows. There is a slight creaking noise from that corner, as if someone has shifted their weight on a floorboard. She turns over again, away from that corner, and moans. “Get away...” she mumbles. She rolls back over to where she was. A shadow floats out from the darkness, unnaturally tall and spindly. It is far enough into the dark to not have any discernible features.

Suddenly, Jenny wakes with a start, uttering a veiled shriek, sweat pouring from her face. She catches sight of something to her left. Panicking, she scrambles over to the other side of her bed and flicks the lamp switch. Hastily turning back, she is faced with the same plain corner that is always there.

She rubs her eyes and slides off the bed, stepping out onto the landing and slowly making her way towards the toilet, eyes half open. She doesn’t even peer into Erica’s room, instead hearing her light snoring resonate in the dark.

She sits on the hard wooden seat, the sound of her stream in contrast with the stark silence of the house. Grabbing some paper and flushing, she stands up and has a brief look at her pale expression in the mirror, silhouetted by the white moonlight peering through the window. At first she squints, unsure of the blemish just to her left. Then her eyesight sharply adjusts and she screams in horror at the faceless shadow languishing directly over her shoulder.

It vanishes the instant her wail thunders throughout the house, shaking Erica from her slumber.

***

“Sasquatch!” Stu calls, hurling a chilled can of lager in Mike’s direction. It’s a little high, but he catches it cleanly just above his head. As Stu takes his seat, he chuckles to himself.

“What’s so funny?” Mike asks, cracking open the can and taking a quick swig.

“I’ve been calling you that for what, fifteen years now?” Stu asks, looking over at him.

“How long was it before you could actually pronounce my surname?” Mike retorts, taking another sip.

“You mean that’s not your surname?” Stu feigns shock. Mike chortles at him, sinking back into the armchair. He places the can and his wrist on the chunky arm rest, now suitably comfortable. Rested on his thigh is a pack of caramel flapjacks - he duly prises a crumbling one from its housing and devours it whole.

The interior to Stu’s lounge within his one bedroom flat isn’t particularly tidy, with crumpled sheets of paper tossed everywhere and worn clothes strewn about the carpet. Empty wrappers pile on the table, parched cans and lidless bottles tumbled onto their sides. The bookcases are crammed with unopened DVDs and dog-eared books, everything fronted by thick dust bearing the mild embosses of faded fingerprints. The walls are painted softly but bear the scars of many an item having scraped against them. A lone door in the room is locked by an absent key and barricaded by a small bookcase.

“What’s this film called again?” Mike requests, noticing that the opening credits have just finished. Stu sighs.

“El Zombi Muerto Carne. It’s an obscure 1980 zombie exploitation film that rode on the success of Romero’s Dawn of the Dead and Fulci’s Zombi 2. I haven’t seen it for a while, but I understand the zombies are the more jumpy-smashy-hitty type. Interesting take on them, for sure...” Stu realises Mike is staring blankly at him. “What?”

“How about a brainless Hollywood blockbuster with insanely over-the-top explosions and a predictable plot instead?” he asks, grinning ironically.

“Fine.” Stu sighs, slouching into his seat and wondering where the remote is. “If I remember rightly it was a bit shit...” Stu silences himself as he notices the bright light overhead flickering once then twice. Mike ignores it, tipping an oversized handful of peanuts into his mouth. Stu keeps still, arching his eyes upwards. He waits patiently for a repeat. Keeping his eyes fixed on the light, he primes himself.

The CRT pops and the picture dies, tightening into a circle. Dust crackles as the black screen takes over, glowing power light fading into obscurity. The DVD player also blanks out, the disc whirring to a stop. Stu leans forward in his seat, peering into the kitchen as his freezer clunks repeatedly. He looks over at Mike, who is already braced for the worst.

Immediately the lights extinguish and the room is plunged into shadows, the glowing amber streetlamp outside becoming their only light source. Stu gets up to open the curtains but, as he stands, even that light flickers furiously and then blackens. He stands there, enshrouded in the darkness.

He spins round amidst the sound of movement from the far side of the room. Although he can see nothing at all, he can make out the brief shuffle of dragged feet on the carpet. It sounds slow and monotonous, like something dull and heavy.

“Mate, what...”

“Shh.” Stu hushes. He can hear Mike’s grip tighten around the arms of the chair, his sweaty palms squeezing the leather. The slow shuffling continues, but suddenly from the far left side, getting closer to the seat Mike is firmly rooted to. A crackling noise emanates from Stu, and his fingers twitch.

Stu launches a fizzing blue bolt of lightning from his palm. It slams into a humanoid shadow towering over Mike, making him jump in shock as the bolt rockets past him. The shape frazzles and judders into spasms, propelled backwards into the top corner of the room. From here the electrical charge outlines a lean, genderless shape, the contours of its face glowing blue in the darkness. Stu relaxes, realising it’s the same entity he encountered earlier with Jenny. The angry face screams at the highest pitch, deafening Stu and forcing him to drop to his knees and clench his fists as tightly as possible around his ears. The electrical surge pops and flickers out of view, just as the tall shape melts back into the darkness.

The lights inside immediately switch back on, instantly followed by the big TV and DVD player whirring back to life. Stu lifts his head up, his eyes bloodshot, cheeks blotchy. His palms are blood red from contracting them so tightly, wiping his hot hands down the back of his jeans as he returns to his feet. Mike’s face is white, eyes locked on Stu like a rabbit in headlights. He doesn’t seem to have been affected by the loud scream the thing emitted.

“Another one of your friends, I see!”

“Sorry, mate, I didn’t invite that one.” Stu nonchalantly replies. He hears his phone vibrating on the dresser, and, quickly checking the message, realises it’s from Jenny. “Fancy some company on your way home?” Stu asks Mike. “I presume you don’t want to stay here now.”

“Too bloody right!” Mike squeals, jumping to his feet and scrambling around for his trainers. “Is it taunting you?” he worriedly asks.

“No, Jenny can’t sleep, something seems to have spooked her. I’ll meet her for a walk.”

“Lucky girl. What time is it?” Mike asks, tugging his trainers on and tightening the laces in record time.

“Midnight.”

***

Stars peeking out from behind the cloud cover wink at the moon, the half obscured globe casting a shimmering gaze over the rippling canal water. Stu towers over a hunched Jenny, arms folded across her chest, hands tucked firmly under her elbows. Their feet crunch through the grit, footsteps out of sync as the noise seems so loud at this time of night. He looks over at the calm water to their right, gazing at the glistening reflection of the white crest. Overhead, lurching trees rustle in the cool breeze, tossing a handful of leaves at them.

He turns back upon noticing Jenny tail off, parking herself on the edge of a wooden bench that overlooks this desolate stretch of the Silenti.

“How are you?” Stu asks softly, perching himself right beside her. Jenny begins to sob, quickly ceasing and scooping up the stray tears.

“The last twenty-four hours have been tough. I had such a lovely time with you last night but, since I heard about Janet, it’s just all gone crazy...” she weeps, soaking up another set of tears. “I saw something tonight. Something I can’t explain... I’m surprised I didn’t let Erica walk me down here. I must be made of strong stuff!”

Stu turns to her, waiting for more. Jenny leans back, tears tumbling down her cheeks. She wipes them again with the sleeve of her jumper, sniffing a couple of times. She looks up at the moon, basking in its pale glow. Stu leans back into the bench with her, keeping an eye on her first before following her gaze.

“I used to stare at the moon when I was young for inspiration,” she says. “I always thought there was a man there; I always saw a kind face smiling back at me. My dad used to play along with me - he once told me he’d met the man in the moon, and he was a kindly soul.” She sniffs again. “I was four at the time, I think.”

Stu smirks in response. “Where are your parents now?” he asks.

Jenny turns to him, wiping her left eye. “They live up north with pretty much the rest of my family. I moved down for university.” Stu smiles at her. “I haven’t seen them since Easter, but I spoke to my mum in the week.”

As Stu looks back up at the moon, Jenny turns to him. “What about your folks?” Stu purses his lips and goes to speak, before stopping himself. A few seconds later he has his reply.

“They died a long time ago.” he sighs.

“Oh, I’m so sorry...”

“That’s okay - it’s strange how accustomed you get to not having them around. It’s been a number of years though. Strangely it doesn’t hurt quite as much now.”

“I had no idea.”

“It’s fine, not something that I shout about.” he replies, smiling back at her. “So what did you see earlier, that left you so unnerved?”

Jenny wipes the last of the tears from her eyes. “I’ve been having awful nightmares recently, and they’ve gotten a lot worse in the last few days. It’s always about the accident that killed my ex - but tonight it...” she pauses, leaving an uncomfortable silence. “Sorry, it sounds ridiculous to blurt this out, seeing how little I know about you.”

“Please, go on.” he gently urges.

“Thanks. It was some sort of entity, not quite human, just a faceless shadow. It was terrifying.” She composes herself again, licking her dry lips. “I swear I remember Jimmy’s father talking about a shadow days before his heart attack. It sounded ridiculous then, but not now.” she admits.

“Of course not, stranger things happen.” Stu replies reassuringly.

“Suddenly being beset by this recurring nightmare, and hearing about Jimmy’s mum at the same time is just one thing after another. I don’t understand why they’ve suffered from such horrendous bad luck, and I just wish I could get some news that would lift me.”

“I hope I might fit that bill.” Stu adds, surprised at such a bold move. Jenny doesn’t seem to register it. Sitting in their familiar cumbersome silence once more, Stu tilts forward in his seat. He’s secretly assessing all that he’s heard.

“Are you okay?” she questions, stirred by his movement.

“Yes, just thinking” he answers, recomposing himself. “Were you there when Jimmy died?”

Jenny ponders as she forms her answer. “I think I saw his soul depart from him. I watched as his eyes fell lifeless, as I held him in my arms. There was so much blood - so much that it took me days to get it all off.” She pauses to examine the cuticles on her fingers as a large tear trickles down her cheek.

“What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Jenny takes her time. “Drunk driver - we’d just come from a restaurant, it was at lunch but I can’t remember why we all went out. There was a group of us, and we were heading to a pub afterwards. Jimmy... he was such a comedian, but I still can’t believe he did this, it was such a heroic thing to do. A little girl was crossing the road unsupervised, and he saw a car veering straight for her. He ran out to try and save her, and this guy just mowed them both down. Didn’t even stop - just kept going. I can’t even remember what car it was, or the colour. We still don’t know who did it.” Stu grips her hand.

“What’s happened to the other people that were there?” he asks softly.

“You ask quite a few questions don’t you!” she smiles, edging over to snuggle up to him. He smells faintly of sweet alcohol.

“Just put it down to a curious habit. I’m sorry if I’m asking too much.”

“It’s okay - I don’t mind. I suppose it’s good to talk about these things sometimes.” she replies, getting more comfortable. She leans into him more to rest her head against his chest. Stu ponders on the gravity of the situation, trying to piece together everything he has learned. “Strange...”

Stu quickly shifts in expectation of her next question, itching his side.

Jenny looks at him oddly, wondering if he had actually moved on purpose. “I feel that I can talk to you.” she starts. “I don’t know what it is but you’re warm and kind, and I feel that I can just open up to you. It’s like we’ve been friends for years.” She wipes the tears away once more.

Stu strokes her hair and lets her bury her head back into his chest.

“Thank you.”

“What were you going to ask?”

“Oh.” Jenny replies, nuzzling closer to him. “I can’t hear your heartbeat.”

Stu nods; he was right. “You need a keen ear for it. Some medical condition I was diagnosed with as a kid.” he retorts, realising this is the first time he’s properly been asked about it. “It’s a real bugger when someone needs to check my pulse.”

Jenny listens for a short while.

“It has some complex name that I never bothered to try and remember.”

“So strange, not hearing it. That’s really freaky.”

Stu relaxes.

“What is it about you?” she asks, pressing her hand against his chest.

“In what sense?” he asks, confused.

“I’ve never come across a guy that... well, I’m so grateful that you’ve been there for me tonight. I’ve not been easy to be around lately, and I’ve just needed something to take my mind off things. Thanks, again.” She nestles, warming to the feel of his hand lightly squeezing her shoulder.

“We’ll see where this goes then...” he returns, closing his eyes in fear. This is exactly how it went with Sam.

Unbeknownst to them both, the black shape is lurking in nearby shadows, watching them.