Shadow Heights

by E. N. Goeking

  “That house is fucked.”

  “Really? In what way?” I was astonished and leaned forward in my chair, hoping for any answer he was willing to give. Jaden glared at him with defiance, begging him with his eyes not to say another word.

  “I went into that house once when we were kids and that was enough for me. You couldn’t get me to go in there again and you live there.” He shook his body nervously as if he got a chill. “You’ve got guts girl or maybe you're just plain crazy.”

  In a wave of panic, I turned to confront Jaden but he was still avoiding us both. “I thought you said there was nothing to worry about.” He refused to acknowledge my glare and irritated tone, and this annoyed me further. “I knew you were lying to me.”

  “I’m sorry.” He finally broke his silence but he was clearly agitated. “I didn’t want to scare you when it wasn’t necessary.”

  “When were you going to tell me?” I demanded.

  “I was hoping I’d never have to.” He took a drink of his beer and swallowed it hard.

  “I knew it. So something is in the house. Does anyone know what it is?” I asked, looking over at both of them—neither of them anxious to answer my question.

  “Something? Try someone,” Jaden huffed quietly.

  “Well, there are plenty of theories out there,” Eric said while staring back at me, positioning himself for proper story telling. “People say it’s always been that way, dating back to the founding of our town when Aleister Laenzar first broke ground.”

  I got a chill as the wind gushed past and Jaden’s body stiffened upright. “That house made this town famous many a times though most people try to forget it.” Eric shot a not-so-subtle glance over to Jaden, who was busy staring him down with the evil eye.

  “It would be best to keep your mouth quiet on those,” he was harsh, his words built up enough tension to clear a room.

  “So is that why your family moved out?” I inquired.

  “One of the reasons.”

  “How is it that I know none of this?”

  “Everyone's real hush hush about it,” Eric admitted. “You haven’t heard any of the stories?” I shook my head. “A lot of things happened there, a lot of people have died in there. I hate to say it but that house is cursed.” I felt my heart sink lower as I remembered every moment of my dreams, every moment of fright that couldn’t be shaken from my memory. It was all real.

  “That's enough Eric!” Jaden spoke boldly, seeing the spark of clarity in my eye.

  Ignoring his plea for silence, Eric continued to defend his side of the story and while I tried my best to listen, my attention was drawn toward a dark fog rolling in across the field ahead of us. At first I thought it was only my imagination but Jaden’s quick move to his feet made me think otherwise. As if responding to our thoughts, the black haze quickened its trek toward us with a growing dust cloud following closely behind. What the hell is that? Is it a tornado?

  Without slowing, it expanded outward as it reached him, pouring onto the porch like a vapor trail of smog, encasing us inside of its world with a chill creeping in that felt like winter. Jaden's eyes danced around us while he stood firm, ready for an attack from anywhere in the encircling black cloud. His color faded to a stone ivory and sweat curled the edges of his hair.

  Eric’s rambling voice continued, although faint within the haze, but he didn’t seem to be affected by what Jaden and I were witnessing. He didn't flinch, didn't even bat an eye.

  “Stop talking!” Jaden demanded and Eric quickly obeyed his request, silencing himself without question and enduring the blow to his ego. He casually sipped on his beer while the others wrestled a few yards away, still unaware of the misty void holding us hostage.

  “I should take you back Mina.” I stood up from my seat as he took my hand.

  “That’s probably a good idea.” I agreed, trying to distract myself from this entity that was wrapping us into its invisible web. “My car’s still at home and I’m sure my parents are worried.”

  I was paralyzed in fear that something else was amongst this fog, something more real than I could imagine. Why was it bothering us? Had we done something wrong?

  Without looking over, I heard the footsteps of Chad and Ryan as they approached us, and the black fog that was cloaking us seemed to disappear with the wind as if it had all been an illusion. Jaden’s hand gripped me tighter, begging me not to make a move.

  “I’m doing a shot,” Chad shouted as he walked inside, the others following a close step behind but we were uncertain of our safety and neither of us was willing to budge. The relief in my heart was quickly stomped upon by the tiny sensors of my arms, feeling the touch of another who was nowhere to be seen.

  Even though the murky cloud had disappeared, I could still sense its dark mist upon my skin, the same chill that was like early morning frost. My eyes began to water as this being invaded me. Jaden clutched me tightly to his body, shielding me like a brick wall, when a bitter force enclosed us. There was a strong pull upon our bodies like a black hole was floating nearby and I tried my best to ignore the panic that was enlivening every cell in my body.

  I didn't speak a word for fear of what could happen but I could feel it standing behind me, breathing down my neck—watching me. Jaden's eyes shifted in a new direction, his pupils expanding out with only a small ring of blue left to see and for a moment, I began to see a glow emanating from his body while his mind wandered. He caught my raised eyebrow of assertion and yanked me off the porch, not wanting to take another second of this.

  Jaden was riled as he stomped to the driveway, his hand sweating heavily within mine. It was as if he saw something that I could not and as scary as that thought was, I didn't need eyes to see. I knew it was there and that was scary enough.

  Chapter Twelve

  Without a second of delay, Jaden was dragging me away to safety in his sports car. He didn't show any signs of hysteria like I was experiencing but was more concerned about my safety and holding in his anger. He sped off in a hurry without looking back.

  “What the hell was that?” I glanced behind the seat to make sure it hadn't followed us but I could still feel its residue on my skin. It stuck to me liked dried glue.

  “It had to be some anomaly with the weather,” he urged.

  “Then how come we were the only ones to see it?” His jaw tightened as his eyes flickered quickly to mine. I had caught him in a lie and there was no denying it now.

  “Can we agree to disagree?” he offered in an effort to silence me.

  “No. First you lie to me about the house and now you're trying to make believe that what we experienced was just the weather. I've never read about a vaporized black haze in any of my earth science books.” I lit up a cigarette and cracked my window, chewing at the end of my nail.

  By the time we made it to my house, he still hadn't offered another suitable explanation and I was beginning to lose my patience with him. In a rush of frustration, I hopped out of his car without even saying goodbye. Overwrought by guilt, Jaden hurried after me and grabbed onto my arm before I reached the stairs.

  “I apologize for being silent but I'm scared for you.”

  “And why is that Jaden?”

  “I don’t know how you were able to see that tonight. I've never met another person who can see the things I see and I’m confused about what this means for me, for us. I've been seeing strange things like that my whole life, things that no one ever noticed, and I thought it was all my imagination, my fear getting the best of me but if you were able to see that tonight—it changes everything. There must be something very different about you.” I shrugged with uncertainty.

  “I doubt it. I'm not gifted in the paranormal. I can't predict the future.”

  “Will you at least be careful and watch out for yourself until I know more?” he pleaded. I nodded to give him peace of mind but how could I be watchful for something I couldn't even see. His eyes drifted upward to the attic and for a moment, something p
assed by the window. Jaden took a few steps back, releasing my hand. “I should get out of here. We'll talk about this later.”

  “Do you promise?”

  “I promise.” He waited by his car until I made it safely inside and I heard his car squeal down the driveway as he made his getaway. I flipped on the light switch above the stairs and sighed heavily as my eyes began moving around the room. It was of little comfort to me with the new knowledge I had just acquired about this still unfamiliar place and the strange occurrences that had happened since that first night I heard footsteps in the attic.

  While my journey up the stairs was a slow cautious one, I made it to my bedroom without anything distressing happening or spontaneous run-ins with my parents. Luckily, they were both sound asleep. I took off my clothes and slipped into more comfortable ones for sleeping.

  I made a final bathroom stop before heading for bed. While I brushed my teeth, I stared at my reflection in the mirror. I couldn't believe how much I had aged in the last three months since graduation. I had finally lost the youthful exuberance of my features and was turning into an adult with all of its perks. My eyes scanned lower to my neck and that's when I saw them. Dark purple marks all over me, like I had been strangled by an invisible mugger. Surely these weren't from Jaden's affection—he wasn't that powerful. They were too deep and formed into my skin to be love marks. I cringed, wondering how I would go about covering them up but I didn't have a single scarf to wear. I guess wearing my hair down will have to work. Maybe no one will notice.

  I leaned down to spit in the sink and wiped away the toothpaste residue from my lips. I double-checked myself one last time in the mirror and a dark shadow overtook its space, sending a shockwave of panic into my heart. I flipped my head around without my feet willing to follow and the form of a man materialized in the corner of the room with hollow voids for eyes. I could feel them probing me from every angle, violating me like a body scanner.

  At first, my initial reaction was to scream bloody murder but the effect of my voice was stifled by something else. The toothbrush I had been holding tightly within my hand for protection suddenly fell from my stiff fingers and bounced off the sink onto the floor.

  I feared any movement by him or myself would send me into cardiac arrest but as if he could read my mind, he stalked me from afar while moving at lightning speed. A trail of energy seemed to follow the apparition but disappeared as quickly as it appeared. I clutched my hand to the sink while frozen in fear as it toyed with me, feeding off my emerging fear.

  It’s just my imagination. I’ve had a little too much to drink.

  I slammed my eyelids shut and counted to three but when I reopened them, he stood a few inches closer than before and for a moment, I forgot how to breathe. Oh God. The appearance of this spirit was forcing me to question my very belief system. I didn't believe in an afterlife and even if there was one, why would this being still choose to be here, on earth when there was so much out there to see? Leave me alone! I wanted to scream. Please go away!

  While my securities of the world were being shattered, I prayed he wouldn't come any closer as he loosely glided across the white tiles at my feet. I tried to remember to breathe but I could hardly bat my eyes. He was curious to study me, testing the limits I would set for him in my environment and how far I was willing to let him go. Every muscle in my body tightened and I closed my eyes to calm myself in what little way I could.

  A gust of wind blew near me that raised the hair on my arms and made me shiver under my oversized t-shirt. A loud suction popped a few feet away and as my eyes opened, he vanished. My heart beat a mile a minute and my legs felt like gelatin underneath me, barely being able to support my weight any longer but I was glad it was gone.

  I walked backwards to the door and when my back hit the wall, I stifled a scream and hurried out of the room. I ran to my bedroom and slammed the door shut. I kept the light on as I crawled under the covers of my bed, my eyes shifting around the room like a security camera. My body stayed tense for the next hour and I could not relax. My arms were rigid, my hands clenched into fists on my blanket, unsure of how to defend myself against something that wasn't human. There were no weapons I could use to harm it; no blade had ever been forged to deal with the undead. Oh, God. The undead. The word alone is creepy enough. Is this even possible?

  I couldn't stop picturing the face from the bathroom. It was blurred but I was pretty sure it was a person, a man to be exact or at least it used to be. He was tall but not in the sense of a giant but the transparency of his form didn't leave good markings to determine where he ended and where he began. I could see through the visual blurs that he was wearing clothes—a coat and tie for sure—but a fancy type, nothing ragged or torn.

  I laid in bed for yet another hour, trying everything to fall asleep, but still found myself unsuccessful. Any noise that sounded made me jump in my skin and I was fearful just to shut my eyelids. After starting to enjoy this place, what little comfort I had in my surroundings was taken from me and I couldn't see any sign on the horizon of it returning. I looked over at my clock and it said 11:30. I was never going to fall asleep at this rate. I reached for my phone and stared at it for a while in contemplation. Should I call him or not? Maybe I'm overreacting.

  His beautifully intense face appeared in my mind and that was decision enough for me. I sent him a text message asking, “Are you awake?” I sat up in bed for a few minutes waiting for a return. I saw the light turn on in my phone and it began to vibrate.

  His returned message said, “Yeah. What’s up?” I decided to call him. Screw this pushing in numbers until I get the right letter nonsense. It annoyed me greatly. I took a deep breath and dialed. He answered after only one ring.

  “Hey,” he said. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, well no. I saw something tonight in the house.” He stayed silent. “I think it was a ghost.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure. I wouldn’t make up something like that. I saw him behind me—”

  “Him?” Jaden interrupted.

  “I’m pretty sure it was. I could see him reasonably clear but yet he was blurred.”

  “So what happened?”

  “Nothing really. I saw him and I freaked out. After the incident earlier, I thought it was my mind playing tricks on me but I know it was real.”

  “Do you want me to come over?” he asked, suddenly concerned.

  I chuckled. “No. I don’t think I’m in any danger. You don’t need to protect me Jaden. I’m plenty capable of taking care of myself.”

  “I didn’t mean to insinuate anything—” he started to say but I soon interrupted.

  “I think he was just studying me and my movements. It appeared that way to me, at least. He didn’t come at me or try to hurt me. Thank God.” He stayed silent on his end and didn’t seem to be alarmed about anything I had just described which seemed suspicious to me.

  My tone changed and my voice grew louder. “Why are you so calm? Does everything I’m saying sound familiar to you?” He exhaled deeply.

  “I’ll be honest with you Mina. I wished I didn't have to be. There is something in the house. Why do you think I moved out of there?” He didn’t speak for a moment but neither could I. “That house does something to people and I know this better than anyone. Somehow, it manages to get inside of your head and take control of your mind.”

  “I have no idea what you're talking about. I wish you would tell me what happened here.”

  “No Mina! I won’t bring back those memories. It was hard enough to hide them in the far reaches of my brain. I don’t talk about it to anyone.”

  “So, what do you suggest I do in the meantime?”

  He paused to think of the appropriate response. “Try to ignore it. That’s the best advice I can give you. If that doesn’t work, you might have to try different measures...” His voice drifted off. I could tell he was uncomfortable speaking about this so I changed the subject.

  �
��What are you doing right now?” I asked curiously.

  “Lying in bed,” he said.

  “You were asleep. You liar.” He laughed.

  “So what if I was? I’d much rather be talking to you.” His words soothed me.

  “Good answer.”

  “I’m just being honest.” We talked for a while longer and he helped me forget about the mysterious man wandering around my house at least long enough for me to fall asleep.

  I woke up the next morning feeling drained even though the last nine hours of sleep should've revived me. I could hear my parents moving around downstairs and I figured I’d make an appearance, even though I was uneager to do so.

  “Well, hi there.” My mom was sitting on the couch knitting something. I raised an eyebrow. Since when does she knit?

  I waved back at her suspiciously and headed for the kitchen. I opened the fridge and grabbed a Coke, chugging down a few gulps. It was refreshing and felt ice cold going down my throat. I looked through the cabinets for something to eat and I decided on Lucky Charms. Nothing like a sugar rush to start out your day with. It's bizarre what passes for breakfast food in this country—greasy meats or sugary sweets—and they wonder why there's a weight epidemic among children. I poured myself a bowl and ate it quietly while I read the morning paper.

  I opened it to the entertainment section and saw an ad for a carnival that was coming to town the next weekend. I hadn’t been to a carnival since I was a kid and had always enjoyed the ambiance. That might be cool. Maybe Jaden will take me.

  I saw that Shadow Heights had some bands playing at the local bars but I couldn’t go because I wasn’t 21 yet. Your age can be so limiting at times. I inspected the rest of the section for something interesting and came across the area cinemas. I looked at the movie titles and nothing sounded good even though I hadn’t seen their trailers. The titles gave them away and I abruptly grew bored. Corporations and incompetent consumers have drained the creativity out of modern cinema and its writers. I threw the paper on the counter and cleaned up my dishes.