none were large enough to hide a person. Maybe it had been an animal or maybe an echo from somewhere else.
Or maybe I’m finally losing it! she thought, hysteria returning like an old friend. Part of her wanted to scream for help and the other part simply wanted to curl up in a little ball and just live out the remainder of her life here in the alley!
Thud!
A wooden crate at the bend of the alley fell to the ground, the subtle sound filling the small alley. Anne jumped and this time did let out a small scream. The shadows around her seemed to be getting deeper and more sinister. Her whole body felt chilled and the blood was pounding in her ears so loudly that she was having difficulty forming a coherent thought.
I’ve got to get out of here, she finally managed and forced herself to take a step back out of the alley.
Then she heard the laughter.
It sounded as if it was coming from just around the outbuilding, a maniacal laugh that would be considered a giggle, if it hadn’t been so deep and throaty. Fear struck her, not the jumping at noises fright she had felt before, but something deeper, more primal. A feeling she had never felt before, that most people—if they’re lucky—go their whole lives never feeling: abject terror! A requiem for hope and the lament for the life she was certain was about to end.
Her life.
The laughter came again, impossibly this time, from behind her, near the bend of the alley. Anne was too horror-stuck to deny that it was the same, even if it had come from fifteen feet away. The fact that nothing could move that fast didn’t matter: she was going to die here in this alley, nothing else mattered! Complete hopelessness descended on her, fear making it almost impossible to breathe.
Again the laugher sounded, as if pleased by her despair, although this time it seemed to completely surround her. I wonder, pondered the tiny rational, albeit hysterical part of her mind, if cats could laugh, would this be the sound they made before pouncing on a mouse? For she knew instinctively that she was prey, helpless and defenseless and whatever was with her in this alley was about to pounce; was going to kill her.
I can’t believe that I spent the last hours of my life working on a stupid research paper! What a waste! That thought seemed to cut through the paralyzing terror in a surreal way. She had her whole life ahead of her, there was still so much she wanted to see and do: not the least was getting an A on this stupid paper. How could she just roll over like a frightened animal? Maybe she was going to die, but whatever was here with her wasn’t going to get her without a fight.
Pushing herself off the wall she stood, feet wide apart in the middle of the alley. Terror still assailed her, but was being kept just at bay by a combination of stubbornness, indignation, and caffeine! With her right hand Anne brandished the pepper spray and with her left she shined the measly light of her cell phone.
“Come on!” she shouted at the darkness. “Show yourself!”
The laughter changed to a low growl, a predatory sound that conveyed deep displeasure at being challenged. The shadows near the mouth of the alley shifted and Anne turned her meager light toward them.
All she saw were more shadows and they seemed to be deepening in the pale light, not lessening! Unbelievably, the shadows grew, as if a curtain was slowly being raised at the mouth of the alley. As they elongated, the shadows began to writhe together, to coil like a column of smoke. The darkness folded in on itself, seeming to grow more substantial, thickening with raw tangible strength. As if forged by her hysterical thoughts, the cloud of shadows began to coalesce into the form of a gigantic cat! Like a tiger suddenly casting its shadow into the alley, clearly outlined, but distorted in hideous ways that only shadows can.
Of course, she had never seen a shadow move of its own volition! Her mind spun at the thought. This thing was impossible! Shadows are nothing more than obstructions of light. They were not solid. They were not three dimensional.
They did not growl!
But, as if prompted by the thought, the shadow cat let out another low snarl.
Then it opened it eyes.
The body of the cat remained the deepest black, but two slits suddenly appeared, blazing with a dark red glow; as if two live coals had been placed inside its head. The shadow beast took a step toward her, its inky muscles rippling as it moved.
“No!” Anne screamed in utter disbelief, aiming the pepper spray at those gleaming eyes. She fiercely pressed down on the trigger button. The cloud of pepper propelled right toward the things head and then passed right through as if it were any normal silhouette. The thing let out another cruel chuckle, this time there was no mistaking the derisiveness of its tone. She threw the useless can at the thing and it also passed harmlessly through it.
Wait a minute, Anne thought desperately, if it’s insubstantial, it can’t actually hurt me!
As if in answer to this thought, the shadow cat suddenly lunged at her, a cold heavy weight slamming into her, sending her flying. She lost hold of her backpack as she hit one of the walls and slid down to settle in a heap on a pile of cardboard. Her left arm felt broken from the impact with the wall, but she was more concerned with the baleful cold spreading from where the thing had come in contact with her. Her chest and right side felt as if they had been blasted with an arctic wind. Worse yet, her right arm, which had still been outstretched in front of her, was completely numb, like a bad case of frostbite.
Anne couldn’t hear the thing, since the shadow made no noise moving, but she could almost sense it stalking towards her. This feeling was confirmed when it let out another laugh, a giggle for certain this time, the gleeful cruelty reminding Anne of a hyena. The cold seemed to be spreading: she was unable to move her legs or raise her head. She was going to die and she wasn’t even going to be able to look her killer in the face!
Click!
She felt, rather than saw, the shadow thing reel towards the mouth of the alley. With its attention off her, Anne felt the numbing cold subside. Her whole body still ached, but she was no longer paralyzed. She forced herself up into a crouch and looked past the creature filling the alley.
Clack.
The stranger was standing there, his left hand resting casually in the pocket of his jacket while absently fingering the silver lighter with his other. The alley was too dark to make out his features, but his stance conveyed an almost bored confidence, like he was simply hanging out at some uptown club, not staring down something out of a nightmare. The silver lighter flashed in the darkness, as if catching a stray beam of light, even though Anne saw no light source. The beast, in turn, had made no move towards the party-crasher, but was crouching low, warily, letting out another warning growl at the strange flash of light.
Click.
With a flick the lighter flared, the tiny orange light filling the alleyway with an impossible amount of light. In the sudden illumination Anne could see the man’s face clearly and his features did not show any of the terror she felt. In fact, he was grinning—not manically, but in a predatory way—teeth bared showing the beast before him that he was most certainly not prey! She noticed, however, that his dark eyes held no laughter, but were hard and serious.
“Tsk, tsk,” he said with a mocking tone. “When are you types going to learn that when a girl says ‘no’ she means no!”
The shadow had recoiled from the sudden flame, flinching slightly as if the light hurt it. In the glow of the flame the beast was, if possible, even more terrifying. It was unnerving enough to have seen a solid, moving shadow in the darkness, but to see it now, unwavering despite the light, it was almost too much. The thing moved like a living piece of blackest velvet was stalking the alley. Her mind screamed for her to run or possibly to wake up from what must certainly be a nightmare! Anne wished that she was dreaming, but knew that she hurt too much to be asleep. As for running, well the numbing cold may have receded, but that didn’t mean that her terror stricken limbs would respond at the moment. She seemed unable to make herself move as the surreal scene acted itself out before her.
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The creature let out another warning growl in response to the man’s mocking tone and then—as if the night couldn’t get more horrifying—spoke in a low gravely voice.
“My prey, this one is,” it said in a grating voice like nails on a chalkboard. Anne shivered as she realized the ‘voice’ wasn’t emanating from the creature itself, but seemed to come from all around her, as if the darkness itself was speaking. “Leave now or you I also hunt!” The beast crouched low, obviously preparing to pounce should the man fail to heed its warning.
“Generous offer,” the man said, his smile never wavering, “but I am not prey and neither is she.” He took a slight step into the alley, the shadow instinctively creeping back as well. “Thou dost not belong here,” the man said, his voice filled with cold conviction, his words like an invocation. “Depart to whence thou came or suffer my wrath!” The flame of his lighter flared up at these words, illuminating his eyes with a startling gleam.
The creature let out a defiant roar and pounced toward the man with preternatural speed. Although he was apparently ready for such an action, he was either unprepared or unaware of the thing’s strength. He threw up his hand, interposing the lighter’s flame between himself and the shadow, but the impact still sent him flying back, in the same fashion as Anne