Watch Over You

by Sabre, Mason

  Chapter Sixteen

  Devan’s hand closed around hers and that was all she could feel - him and only him. She was numb inside and outside her body. She stared with nothing more than disbelief at the spot where her house had once stood. It wasn’t that it had been demolished or destroyed in some way, or even that they were in the wrong place. The house was simply not there. The field that ran alongside her house now ran over where the house had been. It was overgrown and unkempt. Clearly no one had tended to it in a very long time.

  “I don’t understand,” she croaked, her voice not her own. It came out shaky and weak. Nothing felt real in that moment. Her head grew fuzzy and she was having difficulty forming thoughts.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Devan said softly. He gently tugged on her hand as he tried to lead her away. “We need to leave before we lose even more time.” Sinister black clouds moved overhead, darkness sweeping in rapidly. Tara watched how they moved together, an invisible hand pushing them like cushions. The clouds touched and the first splatters of rain fell. As the clouds melded into one another, the rain got heavier. Large dollops of water plunged down, soaking them instantaneously. Devan gripped her hand tight and headed back towards the hedges once again. The downpour shook Tara out of her trance-like state, and this time she followed him without a fight.

  “It’s all a bad dream, isn’t it?” she murmured. It took a very short time to make their way back through the hedge this time. . Before she knew it, they had come out into the family’s garden once more. “None of it is real? You? The Shadows? My house? In a moment, I am going to wake up, aren’t I?”

  “It’s not a dream.”

  “Then how? Explain it to me, Devan, because I don’t understand what is going on.” She stopped abruptly, forcing him to turn and look at her. Nothing was making any sense to her and everything was going too fast. Her mind didn’t have time to process one abnormality before another came along and threw her even more. Her mind jumped back to their conversation at the centre earlier. “What did you mean before, at the centre, when you yelled at me? What were you saying about listening this time?”

  Devan put his head down. For a moment, pity tugged at her heartstrings. She didn’t want him ashamed of his words although they did still sting. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “I don’t want an apology. I want to know what you meant.”

  He fidgeted as she waited for him to answer her. The rain eased up, but it was too late. They were both soaking wet again. He wiped the water from his face. “You wished you hadn’t insisted on getting into the car that day. Eric had wanted to stay in a hotel and you wanted to get back for work the next day. You told him you would drive.” He paused, studying her face carefully. “You wanted to go back and change that decision. That’s what I meant. That seeing your house had vanished would upset you, and you’d wish you hadn’t.”

  “I never told you about that,” she whispered in shock. “No one knows. How is it that you do?”

  He paused a moment as if he was thinking. “You must have told me. How else would I know?”

  “When?”

  “I don’t know. Sometime when we were talking. Does it matter?”

  “Yes, it does.” She would have remembered telling him about that. And she wouldn’t have slipped up with it either. It was too important.

  “We’ve got to keep moving,” he said, conveniently changing the subject. He didn’t take her hand this time, but thrust his hands into his pockets instead. “I can't make you come with me, but I hope you’ll follow.” With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Tara to stand there without a clue as to what to do. She felt like crying and screaming and yelling all at the same time. She had suddenly found herself, with no explanation, in another world – one that could not be real. One that she didn’t want.

  She watched Devan walk away. Part of her wondered if she should just let him go. Maybe the craziness would stop. But with each step he took farther away from her, her insides wound up and twisted. She wanted to cry out for him. There was a hole in her chest and it grew bigger as the distance between them increased.

  Behind her was nothing - empty streets. Streets from a long time ago. Houses that weren’t filled with people she knew anymore. There was nothing left here for her. Devan turned to look at her as he walked, and she suspected that he was walking slowly on purpose. An invisible force drew her to him, a connection between them that was so powerful it both shocked her and left her breathless. What was this hold he had over her? No one but Eric had ever reached her so deeply or so intensely.

  Was this what she wanted? Her mind told her it was crazy. Her heart told her it was going to bleed forever if she didn’t pick up her feet and run after him. Her chest tightened as he disappeared out of sight. Her breathing grew heavy and everything inside her screamed for her to run after him. She shot forward, running as fast as her legs could carry her. “Devan,” she shouted. But there was no sign of him. She pushed herself harder, but she didn’t seem to be moving at all. She was still in the exact same place. Her heart rate spiked as panic and dread spread through her. Pain streaked up her legs and her lungs burnt from the effort. She cried his name over and over. “Please wait,” she yelled desperately.

  As she finally reached the end of the road, where the promenade stretched out to the sea, she saw him disappear down some steps. He was heading to the beach. No! Not there. Please no. Tara couldn’t go down there. Frantic, she shouted for Devan to come back - but he didn’t.

  She hadn’t been to the beach since Eric was alive. She didn’t like to go; it pulled her memories in so many directions. And she hated the way it made her feel as she watched everyone there. She didn’t like to see families playing and laughing. It made her heart hurt. She didn’t want to see couples lying together with no cares in the world. They had everything that she was missing. She remembered the days she and Eric had spent just walking along the water’s edge, or when Eric would paint while she sat by him and read. She didn’t like the memories that filled her mind. They were like knives that twisted and pierced through her heart.

  She had no choice now, though. She had to get to Devan. With trembling legs, she slowly descended the steps and came out onto the path on the lower level. There were three levels in total before anyone could reach the sand. She raced down, following Devan’s shadow, but not quite reaching him. When she stepped out onto the sand, all Tara could do in that moment was stare. Not at Devan or the sea. Not at the wonderful view of the waves and the sand or the pier. Not even at the handful of people who were there walking dogs or the way the sun glistened off the water. What caught her eye was the figure. The one sitting cross-legged with his back to her. The one who was painting. The one who was Eric.

  Her heart thundered inside her chest. She stumbled forward, her head in a haze. The sand swallowed her feet up, its grainy hands clutching at her ankles. She fell to her knees, but she didn’t take her eyes off Eric.

  The wind stole her voice as she called out his name, the echo dissolving into nothing louder than the sound of the waves. “Eric,” she shouted over and over until her voice was hoarse - but he didn’t even flinch. She pushed herself back up onto wobbly legs. Pulling her feet from the sandy clutches of the shore, she half-ran, half-dragged herself along, but she never to get any closer to Eric. He always seemed just as far away. She sobbed as she kept moving towards him, pleading with him in her head to turn around and see her. “Please look at me,” she wailed.

  She crumpled to the ground once more, but someone caught her before her knees could touch the sand. Devan pulled her tight into his arms, rocking her small frame consolingly as she sobbed against him. “He’s right there,” she wept. She twisted in his embrace, trying to show him, but Eric was gone. “He was there. He was. I saw him.” She looked up at Devan, desperation etched on her features. “He was. I promise. He was there.”

  Her bottom lip trembled, and the tears ran in an endless flow down her cheeks. Dev
an wrapped his arms tightly around her once more and let her cry against his chest. “He was there.”

  “Tell me what you saw,” Devan murmured in her hair. “Tell me what this place is.”

  There were no other sounds around, other than her and Devan and the waves crashing against the shore. She listened as the tide sucked the water back, before sending it hurtling again towards the sand. She let the sounds creep in and calm her mind.

  “Tell me Tara,” Devan whispered. He didn’t let her go.

  “It’s our beach,” she said, her sobs waning a little. He rested his face against her hair, pressing a hand to the back of her head to press her closer. She clung to him as if he was going to vanish. Her arms snaked around his waist; she gripped fistfuls of the jacket he wore, desperate to keep him there. “What’s happening?” she sobbed.

  She was losing control, or her mind, or both. Only Devan felt right in her arms. His warmth seeped into her, slowly filling her soul with calm and peace. She turned her face up to his so that she could look into his eyes.

  “Tell me what this place is.”

  She swallowed hard and nodded. All of her memories were there. Like tiny clips of the best moments of their life together. It wasn’t hard to pull this one forward. It had been the day she thought she could never be happier. “Eric proposed here,” she said quietly. “This was where we decided we’d move away and make a fresh start.” She couldn’t help but smile. “He didn’t do it like normal people, though. He was painting, and he wouldn’t let me see it. He told me this was special and I had to wait.”

  In her mind, she could see it all. She could see him sitting there, facing the water. She had thought he was painting the sea. She could still feel of the sun on her face, the way the sand had felt under her feet. She could feel the warmth of him in her memory. Just being close to him had given her a sense of calm even if he wasn’t talking. As long as she could see him or feel him there, then she was content. There were no words that would ever replace that feeling.

  “How did he do it?” Devan asked.

  “He painted me a story,” she said and grinned. “There were these paintings he had done. One was his old room that he had rented before he met me. Then there was another of his room with me sitting at his table. He’d also painted a picture the day we met. I didn’t know he was painting it. It was in class, and he had painted me while I sat there painting the objects on the table. The one he painted at the beach was one of his hand holding a ring. He asked me if he could paint pictures of our life together. I said yes. I was crying like an idiot. God knows why he didn’t run a mile right then.

  She closed her eyes. She could feel Eric there. She could feel how she had held him afterwards, just as she was doing with Devan now. How she had kissed him and how he had kissed her right back. She remembered lying in his arms later and realising he had just given her the sun. She was going to keep it safe forever.

  Just as she was losing herself to her memory, Devan tensed. A tremor of foreboding ran up Tara’s spine.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Devan was staring behind her, focused on where Eric had just been. She whirled around - except, it wasn’t Eric who was there. It was a shadow. And it was moving towards them.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Devan’s gaze raked the beach, examining the natural shadows for any signs of movement. He knew more shadows would be lurking, but he couldn’t feel them - not yet anyway. He had no doubt that they would come soon. Squinting, he scrutinized every inch until something inside him calmed enough with temporary satisfaction that they could move.

  The tide was coming in fast, each wave reaching closer than the last. It came in around them, devouring the sand with every new wave that lapped at the shore. Soon it would reach them. It would enclose them and leave them stranded. They had to leave right now. The sea was sneaking up from behind, covering the sand and leaving only limited space for them to run. Still, Devan checked one more time. He had to. He had to be sure. He couldn’t make a mistake. He scanned every crevice, every possible place where one of the walkers could hide, but he saw nothing. He wasn’t a fool. He knew they would come. Any time. If they could get in, they would be there.

  He kept his eye on the shadow ahead of them all the while. One slip and it would come to them; but everything was still. The familiar trickle of blood began between his fingers. It dripped down onto the wet sand, creating dark red splodges. He would be glad when the swallow was removed. It was like an hour glass, pouring out his life each time it woke up. And he was weaker with each occurrence. He was fading.

  “We should go,” he said, yanking on Tara’s hand. She nodded but almost fell at the sudden pull on her hand. Within a few steps, they sped up to a run. The sand was wet but firm underfoot.

  He clenched his fist as the irritating bird began to throb in his palm, breaking his focus. He fell, his foot sinking through the surface and into liquid sand. Tara toppled over, crashing into him and embedding his leg deeper into the sand. He cried out as her weight twisted his leg into an awkward angle. She scrambled back but the sand had already started to suck her down too. Arms flailing to the sides, she fell further back and Devan lunged for her.

  “Help me,” she begged, her eyes wide with fear.

  “Stop fighting,” he urged. “It just makes it worse.”

  Devan gripped her arms, but rather than try to pull her free, he closed his eyes and went completely still. Pushing all other thoughts and pain from his mind, he tried to focus on the weight of the sand against his legs. He breathed in deeply and centred on the feelings within himself. He focused on the cold sand against his skin. He tried to visualise it forming a solid ground on which they could walk. He willed it to be.

  “Devan,” Tara screamed his name and pulled at his arms. He kept his eyes closed and blocked out her panicked voice. It would not steal his attention, and he would not lose her because of this. He shoved the outside world and all its distractions from his head with a mental thump. He could not ease Tara’s fears, not until he had control. He let her voice fade into nothing more than a distant echo and sank further into his mind and his body, allowing the sensations to register in his mind. Only when they were clear enough did he meld them in the way he wanted so that the sand was solid once more. He allowed himself to come back to consciousness, but slowly, so that part of his mind could still hold onto the world he needed to be real and they could make their escape.

  Tara’s face was fraught with fear when he opened his eyes, making his heart squeeze painfully in his chest. She had stopped yelling at least. With his control and energy replenished, he stood up and then stepped up out of the sand as if he were climbing from a pit. He offered his hand out to a very shocked and bewildered-looking Tara.

  “You can stand now,” he said to her. Confusion drawn all over her features, she grabbed his outstretched hand and, with no effort at all, he pulled her to her feet, freeing her from the grasps of the hungry sand. “We need to run. Now,” he said, giving her no time to ask questions. The shadow had slunk closer while they had been in mother nature’s sandy clutches. It floated only a metre away now. Devan shook off thoughts and images of what if. What if they had remained stuck there? What if the shadow had taken Tara while he was centring his mind? The thought brought bile to his throat. He would not fail her.

  “It’s coming,” Tara screamed as they ran. Devan glanced over his shoulder, his heart racing. It was close. It glided along at a slow speed. He didn’t know why it didn’t just launch itself at them, but he was glad it didn’t. He wouldn’t let it get her. She had to trust that part.

  “Take my hand,” he yelled back to her. The moment she did, they were connected. His heart beat as fast as hers - she was scared. He focused on calming it down and giving her speed as they ran.

  The shadow was closer behind them now. He felt the caress of cold mist on his back. He surged forwards, dragging Tara with him. They ran across the sand and the pebbles at a full tilt. When they reached the st
eps, he dared to stop and check for the shadow walker.

  Tara clung to his side. “I can't see it,” she panted. “It’s not there. Where did it go?”

  “I don’t know,” he replied. “But it won’t be far; we have to keep moving. Come on.”

  Devan turned and raced up the steps with Tara close behind. They were breathless when they reached the top step. His back and legs ached from exertion, and he struggled for a minute to catch his breath. It was cold and bitter, but it wasn’t raining. Tara’s tears had stopped as well.

  There were normal shadows everywhere. In shop doorways. In gaps between. In shelters. Every spot had the potential to become one of them.

  “Devan,” Tara cried and clutched his arm. He spun around just in time to see a shadow rise up from the steps. It glided closer, its movement languid and fluid.

  “This way,” Devan said. He steered her down a high street that led away from the beach. A street that had once been bursting with life was now empty. No cars on the road; no people on the pavement. The shops were all in darkness. There was not a soul to be seen. He felt eyes on him, watching and waiting, ready to pounce - and they would if they got the chance. The shadow had vanished once again. They would be okay if they just kept to the light.

  As they passed the fire station and turned left down one of the smaller roads, a shadow stepped out in front of them. They both stumbled back and Tara yelped. This wasn’t the one from the beach. It was lighter in colour, not quite as solid, but it was still coming for them.

  His heart hammered in his chest, but it was not him who had sped it up, it was Tara. Her panic was rising as the shadow loomed closer. It made him feel dizzy and his focus slipped.

  “It’s okay.” He tried to calm her down. “It’ll be okay. Stay with me, okay?”