Author Archives: Vanessa

The Shadow rose above most of the treetops and glared at the fleeing vehicle with a tangible malice that sent chills along his skin. Its body was alight with swirling hues behind the black smog again, and the air around it was still as distorted as it had been in the town. A terrible screech ripped through the forest. With a fierce wave of its arm, the Shadow let loose a massive wave of miasma and rushing darkness. The force tore across the mountainside without slowing. Trees were stripped of branches and thrown from their place, toppling over one another. Rock exploded from the ground, uprooted by the overwhelming force, and dirt evaporated in mid-air. As the wave of destruction closed in, the air around the jeep seemed to freeze over. Black wind swept over them, picking the jeep up from the road.

Shapes glided along endless shadows at the base of trees lining the path to the cabin. Where one appeared, hundreds seemed to follow. For each shape, a new series of indistinct whispers and hisses broke against the deadly silence, but the forest remained quiet. A wail made of undulating, genderless tones filled the air, drowning even the myriad of hushed whispers. The moan distorted itself, creating sounds akin to an echo of a recording being played in reverse. It faded in and out, rising when the hiss of the slithering shapes receded, falling when they bolstered. Distinct, hollow voices emerged through the chaos.