SHADOWS
I was sitting on the steps to my apartment, waiting for my best friend, Ashley, to pick me up in her Corvette. She was running late, which was typical for her. However, today she was taking longer than normal.
Usually, I would have driven, but my car was gone with my boyfriend, Mike. He had to dazzle some clients in the city and, as a result, Ashley talked me into going out tonight. It was always hard to get her to understand that I enjoyed the peacefulness of a quiet house. Nevertheless, she had her plans set and I was a part of them.
What bothered me most about her being late, was the fact that I had been waiting twenty minutes for her to arrive looking the way I did. This had been her idea. She reminded me that it had been far too long since we had a girls night out. She wouldn’t take no for an answer. She proceeded to spend too much time making sure that I understood I was to do my part and dress like a woman - a hot, sexy woman.
It was for those reasons I was now sitting here feeling foolish in my black satin pants and barely there t-shirt. I had even taken the time to put on eye shadow and mascara. The only part of my outfit that I was actually comfortable with were the strappy, high heeled shoes.
I looked impatiently down the street again, I despised waiting. There was just too much time to wonder if the decision I had made was a good idea. I wasn’t entirely certain that I was ready for the adventure that always occurred when Ashley decided it was time to remind me that Carpe Diem was more than just an over-used phrase. My apprehension was probably due to the reality that my life had very little excitement in it.
***
We were walking up to The Asylum, a popular dance club on the edge of town. As we neared the doors, I noticed a 1970 sapphire blue Mustang backed into a parking spot. I loved everything about the Mustang. The way it roared to life, the sound of the engine while it idled, the smell of the tires when you gave it too much gas, and the intensity that poured out when you floored it. In my opinion, it was totally flawless. The fact that it was both muscular and sexy was just a bonus.
Staring at that car reminded me of my Mustang. Suddenly, I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. How many sapphire blue Mustangs from that era could there possibly be? I had mine customized for that exact color… It looked an awful lot like…
“Come on, Ava. You already have one,” Ashley laughed as I took a step closer towards the car. She grabbed my arm, and quickly pulled me towards the entrance of the club.
With one last glance behind me, I shook my head at the ridiculous thought. It must have been the lighting. Mike had taken it to some boring place to impress an uptight city guy. All the same, looking at that car made my night complete. I was out with my best friend, and we were going to live life to the fullest.
We walked in the door, and the bouncer took my ID. He looked at the picture, then at me – twice. He then looked intently at me, and I put on my best poker face. I was no longer annoyed by the disbelief that I was actually as old as my ID said I was. It was actually kind of nice. He returned my ID, waving me through and I smiled a big smile of thanks.
Ashley was standing under the archway entrance to the bar with her arms folded, looking irritable and bored, but I knew better.
“He was just doing his job,” I said as I walked over to her. “At least I didn’t have to sign my name three times for him to compare,” I smiled.
Her irritated face cracked into a smile and we both laughed. This routine had become very entertaining. I hadn’t been able to walk into a bar yet and not get scrutinized for how young I looked. It was a great compliment these days.
We stepped up to the overcrowded bar and waited for the bartender to notice. It didn’t take long. Ashley was just too beautiful for any man to ignore. She had long, wavy auburn hair that she loved to leave down. Her bright blue eyes sparkled when she smiled, and if that wasn’t attraction enough, she had a beautiful figure.
As she bought the first two rounds, I stepped away from the bar and listened to the music that was thumping through the oversized speakers. I looked out to the empty dance floor as the rhythm moved my body to its beat. I glanced back towards the bar as Ashley turned and handed me two shots of Cuervo - no fruit. We raised the first shot, toasting to the good old days, promptly raising the other shot and toasting to being young. After we put the empty glasses on the bar, we turned and smiled at each other knowingly - this was tradition, from here on out the night was an adventure.
We turned towards the empty wooden square and danced our way out onto the dance floor without pause. There were only a handful of people dancing, and I was amazed that Ashley decided to come with me. However, once the song ended, she tapped me on the shoulder.
“I see Greg sitting over there,” she yelled over the music, pointing in the direction of the couches and chairs. “I’m going to get a drink and join him.”
I laughed, and waved her on her way. This was my comfort zone - sober or not. The dance floor hadn’t intimidated me since I was twenty-three, not much did anymore. I could care less what anyone else thought about me, but this was not Ashley’s comfort zone for another three drinks or so.
I didn’t mind being left alone out here, I usually preferred it. I watched Ashley walk towards the bar as the music transitioned into a new song. I looked down at the dance floor and closed my eyes so that I could feel the music better. I loved dancing - I could feel the music flowing through every part of my body. I didn’t ever have to think about it. What an amazing feeling, not having to think or listen.
I would have to remember to thank Ashley. It was great to be out. Of course, I’d have to endure her lecture about how she knew me better than I did and all the usual blah blah blah. However, she was my best friend for a million reasons and as a result I could always endure her speeches.
After several songs, I glanced up to see where Ashley was, when my eyes fell upon him. Our eyes didn’t meet across the crowded room because his eyes were shut, and his lips were locked with someone else’s. Everything froze.
No. It couldn’t be.
At first I was in denial, and then I remembered the car… the Mustang outside was mine. I should have known it was mine, but I never would have dreamt that it would be here. This man, who pledged his love to me for two years, borrowed my car to pick up another girl! A wave of nausea hit my stomach.
As my brain began to process the information, I had the overwhelming urge to walk over there and punch the girl in the face. After all, he used to be the man of my dreams, not hers. As I became aware of more than just my rising anger, I realized I was only a couple of steps away now. I didn’t actually remember walking over to them.
She saw me first and quickly looked away. I had met her before at a few of his office parties. She was the flirty type, always wearing shirts the boys could look down and skirts that they would try to see up.
At the moment, her fake blonde hair was all messed up from the man sitting before her. She glanced up again, smiling like a kid who got caught with her hand in the cookie jar. The adrenaline rose along with my anger. Mike’s hands continued to slide over her skin as his lips moved over her neck and shoulder, totally oblivious to the fact that she was no longer enjoying the moment.
Her eyes left mine as she leaned her lips to his ear and then quickly looked back over at me. The smile that was on his lips as he slowly looked in my direction disappeared when recognition of the trouble he was in began to seep in. There was bright red lipstick smeared around his normally pale lips and his usually perfect, tidy brown hair was a mess. His chocolate brown eyes stared at me in disbelief, creating rage in my heart.
“Hi… Ava, I…” he started sputtering, quickly pushing the woman off his lap.
“Don’t,” I spat at him before he could utter another word. He quickly stood up, moving closer to me with the girl following him.
The pain in my chest was excruciating. Tears were brimming my eyes, but I refused to let these two see how hurt I was. My heart was pounding loudly in my ears, drowning out all other sounds. I wasn’t even sure why I was still standing there. I should have already left, but I forced myself to take another step closer.
How could he be here with her?!
I focused in on her and I knew she feared what was going through my mind. She didn’t move and her eyes never looked away, until the words how long found their way out of my mouth. I almost didn’t recognize the calm voice that escaped my lips. She flinched, looked at him and then back to me. I watched her agonize, I assumed, over whether the truth or a lie would be safer for her. As if that really mattered to me. I clenched my fist as she began to open her lips in answer.
Suddenly an important reality forced itself into my mind. How could this be her fault?
I swung my fist with more power than I thought I had ever been capable of. The force knocked his head into the wall behind him and blood gushed from his face. The woman whose name escaped me at the moment, turned and was trying to hold him up as he slowly began to sink to the floor. She was focused on him and his hands were holding his nose.
I wasn’t a violent person. It just wasn’t in my nature, or so I thought. The release of my fury into his face had felt really good. Unfortunately, that feeling was short lived. Tears began streaming down my cheeks and I looked away from them.
I knew my face now showed the torment that I felt inside and I focused on the door on the other side of the club. I did not care about the blood that flowed onto his white shirt. I didn’t care if I had broken his perfect nose or his face. At the moment, I didn’t care about him at all.
Ashley put her hand softly onto my shoulder, reminding me she was there. I glanced at her and saw that her eyes were full of sympathy. I rested my cheek on Ashley’s hand, so she knew I was going to be okay. I looked back at the door - I had to get out of here. I turned abruptly, and walked out of the club as fast as I could.
The cool night air enveloped me and I wiped the tears off my cheeks, quickly scanning the area to get my bearings. As soon as I saw the woods, I took off running toward the trees. I didn’t want anyone’s sympathy. I didn’t want to hear anyone’s voice. I just focused on my destination, leaving the world behind me.
“All I have to do is make it to the woods,” I assured myself.
The woods have always been my safe haven. I spent much of my childhood in the trees that surrounded my grandparents’ home. The comfort of being curled against the base of a strong entity, and being caressed by the breath of nature never failed to relax me. There was always peacefulness in nature. I was so close to my sanctuary that a smile came across my lips.
A familiar sound caught my attention, causing my smile to vanish. I halted and looked back incredulously towards the area I knew my Mustang had been parked. The idea hadn’t even registered that he was going to follow after me. If it weren’t for my Mustang roaring to life, I’d have never heard him coming. He was the last person I wanted see. I looked towards the woods and began running again. I knew that I needed to make it to the trees before he caught up, he did not like the woods. He wouldn’t catch me if I was in there.
I’ve always been fast, but I knew I had to be faster. I glanced down at my strappy shoes. My dancing shoes had become a hindrance to my speed, if only I were barefoot.
“Oh no,” I breathed out anxiously as the path lit up all around me. My car was headed in my direction.
“Come on girl!” I yelled at myself as I searched for the energy to run even quicker.
I heard the car slowing, he was close. So was I.
Faster, must be faster.
Almost there.
The sidewalk ended just a few more feet away, and I pushed myself as hard as I could. I heard the car skid to a stop and the car door open as the ground became soft under my shoes. I knew he wasn’t going to catch me and relief flowed through me. I dodged around a few trees and slowed to a quick walk.
“Ava!” he yelled from the edge of the trees.
The sound of his voice repulsed me, but I smiled knowing that he wouldn’t ever come in here by himself at night.
“Ava!” he continued to yell.
He was coming to find me? Disbelief ran through my mind at the realization that he had entered into the woods.
“Ava!”
He was closer than I wanted him to be. He must have realized my disadvantage of being in heels and figured he could catch me.
Stupid! I yelled at myself. I quickly looked around and ducked behind a maple tree that was just wide enough to hide me. I unbuckled my favorite shoes and slid them off. The fatigue was burning in my legs.
He needed to go away, but he wasn’t. He was looking for me. Why? My anger increased with his tenacity.
“Ava, please…” he continued to yell for me, begging for a chance to explain, as if his heart had broken too.
I was enraged, this was all his fault! I had to get more distance between us. I took a deep calming breath and found the strength I needed. I waited until his back was to me and then sprinted in the opposite direction he was searching.
There was moonlight breaking through the branches, giving just enough light for me to maneuver my way deeper into the woods. I was grateful the moon was full and bright because he wouldn’t catch me now.
As soon as I was confident that he wasn’t behind me anymore I stopped running, but continued to walk quickly. I refused to stop until I was deep enough into the woods that there was no way he would come near me. Almost immediately, I began to calm down and I slowed my walk to a normal pace, looking for a tree that I could rest on.
I soon found an old oak tree and collapsed down by its roots. I loved the oak trees. I loved that they could withstand just about anything. To me they were a symbol of strength and patience, and right now, I did not feel at all like an oak tree. I curled up against the column of fortitude, hoping that it would lend me its strength and resilience. Images of Mike kissing her entered my mind causing tears to once again run down my cheeks, and I angrily wiped them away.
“No boy is worth tears,” I quietly reminded myself.
I had quoted this to Ashley often… as if I knew better. Mike and I had been together for two years, and I had trusted him so completely. I started to get mad at myself for the time I had wasted on him. How could I have been so naïve?
I cried uncontrollably for several minutes. I leaned my head against the tree and breathed in the cool, night air. I closed my eyes to think, slowly reigning in my emotions.
“This will make you stronger,” I assured myself in hopes of regaining control.
A smile crept to my lips as an amusing thought flitted in and out of my mind. The idea of Mike being lost in here long after I went home was a welcomed reprieve from the hurt and betrayal that was coursing through me right now.
I had a great sense of direction, and it was going to take a lot more than a run through these woods on a moonlit night to get me lost. I continued to smile as I thought about the story I would tell Ashley that would have us both rolling with laughter.
I suddenly had the feeling that I was being watched and I looked around. I carefully looked around the tree, but it was still and very quiet. I looked off to my right as I slid back to where I had been sitting.
Nothing. Of course, there was nothing, it was well past midnight. No one would be out here, I told myself confidently. I sat back down, breathing in the cool night air. I exhaled with a smile - I really did love being in the woods.
I have always believed that overconfidence was a weakness. It was the downfall of many great leaders, and I tried to keep that in mind with everything I did. However, I didn’t realize that it would apply to this situation, until I thought I heard soft footfalls.
“He should be lost somewhere near the outskirts,” I whispered in confusion. I couldn’t ever get him this far in the woods, even when the sun was out. My anger ignited again. Maybe I should have hit him more than once.
I shook my head, there was no way he would be in this far this late at night. It must have just been my imagination. As I listened to the silence around me, I calmed my breathing, until I heard the steps again. Only this time I realized there was a rhythm to them. A shiver went down my back and my heart rate increased. It definitely was not Mike.
Who would be out so deep in the woods this late at night?
The rhythm kept coming like a hunter on the trail of its prey. Keeping my back to the tree, I crept very slowly around it, trying to catch a glimpse of who else was out here. I couldn’t make out details of anything. The moon that gave me enough light earlier was now obscured by the clouds.
Panic started to set in. I knew I should run, but where? I started to ease my way back around the tree so that I could focus on getting away stealthily. I glanced back to the other side of the tree and my breath caught.
RUN, my body was yelling as I saw them. I didn’t see someone - I saw several large shadows that were darker than the night. That was why there was a rhythm. I had only heard one person walking through the woods. How is that possible? They had perfected a way to keep their numbers a secret?!
RUN! I yelled at myself as though I was watching a horror movie, and the shock of what I was seeing sank in.
RUN! My body finally listened and I sprinted away from them. I barely felt the branches clawing at my arms and face in the dark. My bare feet made little noise on the hard ground.
I had made it about a hundred yards when I slammed into a tree. I heard a sharp intake of air. No, it definitely was not a tree. Trees didn’t make that noise. How many were out here? My mind was racing in the chaos of panic.
I started to back away so I could run in another direction, but something had my arm. I looked to see what had me, and was startled to see a gloved hand around my elbow. My eyes followed up the strong arm, to see the shadowed face that my brain said could only be human, but I couldn’t make out any facial features.
What else could it be? I mean, obviously it was not an animal, but it couldn’t be human… how could it be human?! It was as solid as a tree, moved in a rhythm, and looked like a shadow that was taller than the average man. My head at five foot six came only to its chest. How could it not be human?
I would have screamed, but my fear kept me quiet. I jerked and pulled at the hold, believing that my life depended on me getting free. It must not have expected me to try so hard, because I actually freed myself from its grip. I ran as fast as my exhausted body would let me. There was no way that I was going to slow down.
The need to flee was so overwhelming that I was only paying attention to my surroundings. I almost didn’t hear the quick rhythm behind me. It…they were close by and I knew I had to keep up this speed. I thought I was staying ahead of them, until out of the corner of my eye I saw one. It startled me and I tripped, tumbling horribly. I didn’t get my hands in front of me quick enough and my head slammed onto the hard ground.
I willed myself to get up. I attempted to run forward again, but the world was spinning way too fast. This time I stumbled into a larger being than the one before. He was wider than the tree I had hid behind and at least a foot taller than the average man.
I looked around as I turned to get away from him, but there was nowhere for me to run. They had encircled me like wolves. Large hands grabbed my biceps, forcing me to look in the direction where two of them began approaching. I could only see the outline of their bodies, as the thinning clouds allowed a minimal amount of light. One was significantly bigger than the other and their eyes, blue and red, seemed to be glowing from their shadowy forms. I could barely keep my thoughts together.
As they approached, everything took a weird slant. The hands that were holding me let go, and my knees hit the cool ground beneath me a second later. I fought for the balance to keep myself from falling to the ground as I watched the two shadows stop in front of me, their glowing eyes staring at me.
“Come on, get up!” I tried to yell at myself, but it came out as a breathless mumble.
“This one is strong,” I heard a bass voice say from behind me. I was surprised that I understood him.
Who were they? Were they human? Of course they were, they had to be. This was real life, not a movie. I tried harder to see the faces of the shadows that were now standing a couple of feet away, but my vision began blurring instead of getting clearer.
“Not anymore,” a very similar voice said.
I couldn’t see anything anymore. I needed my head to quit spinning. My thoughts were no longer coherent to me. All I could do was listen to their voices.
“Should we take her?” inquired the voice from behind me.
“We should just leave her.” This voice was not as deep as the other two.
“We should destroy her?” The voice behind me sounded surprised.
“No. I mean just leave her.”
“You know that isn’t going to happen,” said the deep voice from in front of me. He almost sounded amused.
“Fine, lets…”
“Just make it quick,” I heard myself whisper. My body fell to the ground, hitting the Earth without restraint. The ground was cold and damp from the night air. The darkness seeped into my mind, and all else faded away.
