by H. J. Lawson
The parents are still unsure of what to do. They stand there, looking at us, then at each other.
Without anything more to add, we run until we find another bedroom. We don’t have time to wait for them to think about it and to make a decision.
Screams come from inside the building. The Shadows have made their entrance.
In what looks like the parent’s room, we find an old wardrobe, just like the one I grew up to fear. This wardrobe looks tall and strong enough to withstand a storm.
AJ opens the doors to find it filled with clothing and shoes. There is hardly any space for both of us, so I start to throw the shoes out in panic. AJ stops me.
“Paige, what are you doing?!” he asks, putting them back hurriedly.
“I’m trying to make some room for us to get inside.”
“Do you think they won’t understand what the shoes on the floor mean? They will probably wonder where they came from. And then?”
I look at him. He’s right.
I push the shoes to one side of the wardrobe to make space for both of us on the floor.
Trembling, I climb inside. I squeeze against the inside wall, so AJ can get in too. He climbs in after me and closes the door, touching me with his entire body. There is no room for personal space.
It’s so dark, I can’t see anything. I fumble with the key as I try to lock the door from the inside. My heart is racing and my hands are shaking. It seems like I will never find the keyhole. Each second I become shakier, as panic rises in my throat. Will I ever lock this damn door?
AJ places his hand on top of mine, trying to relax me. Much to my surprise, my hand stops trembling. Now less shaky, I manage to lock the door.
“AJ… how did you do it? You made me relax.”
“That’s my magic touch,” he says softly. As my eyes adjust to the darkness, I make out his grinning smile. It feels wonderful to be with him the dark, surrounded by silence.
I lower myself to the bottom of the wardrobe. Our bodies are crushed together, as close as I’ve always wanted to be to him. The feeling is so pleasant that for one brief moment, I’m glad we are locked in here together. I’m sure I’ve blushed, and I’m grateful it’s dark and he can’t see it.
We are closer than I ever imagined we would be in my life. The heat of his breath feels warm on my neck. I can smell his scent, and it’s hypnotizing. I start to tremble again, but I’m not sure if it’s because of the darkness or AJ. He starts to gently brush his hand over my hair, which has the most calming effect on me. I close my eyes and have a desire to get even closer to him, as if we’re not already too close to each other.
I feel the wardrobe slightly rocking, as the waves of the Shadows stir outside in the bedroom. They are here. I hold my breath. AJ places his arm around me, pulling me even closer to him. In his warm embrace, I feel like I’m in a nest of love and warmth.
A scream of terror comes from the living room.
It’s the family. They didn’t hide.
I get up, trying to get out of the wardrobe. I want to help them, but AJ holds me tightly, not letting me go.
“Please don’t go. They will get you, too,” he whispers in my ear.
“But the child …”
“Stay close with me,” he whispers again, touching my cheek. “You must not reveal yourself.”
His soft voice and caring tone make me stay. I bury my head in his chest, trying to block out the horrifying screams that eventually die down as the raging waves fill the apartment. Our wardrobe rattles as the wave swirls around it. AJ tightens his embrace, as if knowing I need it right now. I am afraid to breathe, afraid it will be audible for the Shadows. We don’t move.
Then, after what seems like eternity, the wave flows away as fast as it arrived. There is silence in the apartment. The screams of horror start to come from other floors of the building, as the wave collects people as it goes.
Chapter Twenty-One
AJ puts his arms around me, and I’m in his embrace. I hate being in this building, in this apartment, in this wardrobe, but AJ’s presence and his calmness put me at ease. Sometimes it seems like he is some kind of magician, who has cast a spell on me. I am grateful for it, really. What would I do if I was all alone in this scary place? I shake my head slightly, not wanting to think about it.
Then I think about Willow. I should have been with her, but I know Mom will keep her safe.
The screams that could be heard throughout the building slowly die down. I strain my ears; the soft and eerily calming waves cannot be heard anymore. The black mass must have left the building.
“AJ,” I say, still whispering. “Do you think we can leave the wardrobe?” I’m eager to go find my mom and sister.
He pauses for a second, thinking.
“I guess it’s better if we stay here. They don’t like the sunlight, do they?”
“How do you know that?”
“Your mom said.”
I nod. It’s dark, but I am sure he can feel me nodding – we’re so close to each other. I also think it’s better to wait. I know that’s what my mom would want me to do. I am happy to stay in his arms.
“AJ,” I say again, “what do you think they’re going to do with the people they have captured?”
“They may be putting them to work on their planet, or here to prepare our planet for them. In other words, turning the people into slaves.”
That sounds horrible. Becoming an alien’s slave. I imagine myself and my loved ones becoming slaves. The thought brings a tear to my eye. I reach to wipe it, not wanting to cry here in the wardrobe, especially in front of AJ.
AJ stops my hand and wipes my tear away.
“Hey,” he says half-whispering, “you’re safe here with me. I will never let anything happen to you.”
Then he gently cups my chin and kisses my lips, pleasantly taking me by surprise.
Finally, I get to make out with AJ. It’s something I’ve been dreaming about for such a long time, ever since I first saw him at school. And now we’re hiding in a wardrobe, like little kids playing hide-and-seek. It almost makes me laugh. When we pull away from the kiss, I’m smiling happily. It was so unexpected, yet so exciting. I’m in AJ’s arms, which is the best feeling.
“Maybe this end of world crap has some good points,” I say, chuckling.
“I agree.” He grins. “Paige, you really should get some rest. You’ve been on your feet since morning. You must be very tired now. Try to sleep a little.” He’s right. I’m so tired I don’t have the strength to walk anymore. I close my eyes as he gently strokes my hair.
~ ~ ~ ~
I wake up stiff and with a full bladder. I’ve slept for a few hours. AJ is fast asleep, half-sitting, half-lying by my side. I can’t believe I fell asleep in his arms! It makes me smile. Unfortunately, I have to leave him go to the bathroom. I don’t want to wet my pants right here with him sleeping next to me.
I remember how I once wet my pants when I was a kid while spending the night in the wardrobe with Willow. Having been hidden by my mom, I hadn’t been able to hold it anymore. I won’t let that happen again, and it certainly won’t happen in the company of AJ.
I gently fiddle with the key to unlock the wardrobe door. I try to be as silent as possible. It’s not morning yet, as I can’t see any sunlight in the bedroom. I look around, trying to see if everything is normal.
The bedroom looks clear of the creepy black wave. I breathe a sigh of relief as I step out of the wardrobe. I try to be careful not to wake AJ and tip-toe across the bedroom. I don’t know where the bathroom is, but I guess and I am correct. I enter the bathroom silently. My bladder is so full, it seems to take eternity to empty it. Subconsciously my hand goes to flush the toilet, and it’s rather noisy.
“Oh, darn!” I whisper. I curse myself. How could I be so foolish? Maybe I’m tired and hungry. That’s why my brain won’t operate normally.
I wonder what life will be like on Earth now that aliens have arrived. I have no idea, though,
as it’s pretty hard to imagine. The poor people, who have survived the virus, now have aliens to deal with.
They must have sent the virus down to reduce the population so we'd be easy to take over, I think, shaking my head. Well, I’m glad we’re going to leave Earth. At least that’s what Dad said. I wonder if there are other aliens out there. What do they look like? What do they do?
I listen and can’t hear any sound of the wave, so I decide to go to the kitchen and find something to eat before returning to the wardrobe. If AJ wasn’t sleeping in there, I probably wouldn’t go back.
I reach the kitchen, pretty sure I’ll faint from hunger soon. Opening the cupboards, I try to find something to eat and drink. I find a pack of cookies and a few bottles of water. I grab them and start to walk back towards the wardrobe.
Suddenly, I hear a mild rushing sound and I freeze. Is it the wave or is my mind playing tricks on me? I have to think fast. I strain my ears, and I’m pretty sure I hear the calm swishing movement sound, typical of the black wave.
I’m now sure the wave is moving towards me. Panic takes over as I realize I have no weapons other than a package of cookies and some water. Desperately, I throw one of the bottles at the fast approaching black mass, but it doesn’t help me a bit. The black mass keeps moving and the water bottle bobs on the top of the wave, carried with the current, like empty plastic floating on the ocean.
I don’t know what else to do. I throw the other bottle towards the black mass, as well as the box of the cookies, even though I know it won’t do me any good. There doesn’t seem to be anything I can do about the wave.
Then I remember I’m in the kitchen and try to find a knife in one of the drawers. But before I can get to anything, I feel the wave gripping tightly around my feet, surrounding my ankles and my body, coming up towards my throat, almost drowning me. I feel my feet lifting from the ground, and the wave starts to drag me slowly out of the kitchen.
“AJ!” I cry out as the wave pulls me towards the hallway with one movement. I fight frantically, trying to get free, but the wave slowly takes me towards the exit of the apartment.
My struggling does no good as the wave grips me like sinking sand. The more I fight, the less control I have of myself, and I start to become weaker by each second. The wave takes a better, firmer grip of my body. The wave, even though it seems to be cloud-like, turns out to be very powerful and mighty.
“AJ!” He’s my only hope. My last hope. If only he wasn’t asleep deep down inside the wardrobe with the doors tightly closed.
Over the roaring wave, I hear the wardrobe open.
“AJ! I’m here! The wave has got me! I’m here, AJ!” I yell in the top of my lungs, hoping he will be able to hear me.
“Paige! I’m coming!”
The wave drags me forward, and I can’t do anything except keep yelling.
In a few seconds which seem like hours, AJ appears by my side, making me both panic for him and hopeful for myself. I start to fear the black wave will embrace him as well, but it doesn’t, startling me. The black mass makes way for AJ, parting to sides. It doesn’t drown him like it does me; instead, it quickly moves away from him in front of my surprised eyes.
“AJ, why is it moving away from you?” He seems to have a negative effect on the wave, as if it’s afraid of him. I wonder how he does it. I consider him magical. I know magic isn’t supposed to exist in the real world, but as the black wave and the aliens have shown me, I have to believe it exists now. After all, it is a new world full of strange things. I can believe anything.
As AJ gets closer to me, the black mass weakens its grip more and more, eventually freeing me enough to run towards AJ. He embraces me at once. There is a circle forming around us like a secret protection sphere. I can’t believe what I’m seeing. I hug AJ and kiss him, smiling.
“Paige, don’t move or they will come,” he whispers on my face.
“Who will come?” I ask, loosening my grip on him and turning to look into his eyes. “And how do you know about this? How come you know what will happen next?” For some reason my heartbeat is fast and I can’t breathe freely. Anxiety rises inside of me. I am afraid to hear what he’s going to say.
“The Shadow Men will come, Paige. The ones we saw on the street. I know because I’m one of them.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
My heart stops beating for a second. Did I hear AJ right?
Swiftly I back away from AJ, my eyes wide with unexpected information. The kid I once thought I knew, the boy who was my school crush, someone I just made out with, the same boy I trusted and refused to listen to my mother about – he’s one of them? One of the Shadow Men I’ve been scared of all my life? How can it possibly be? My mind is racing a thousand miles per second, trying to figure out what’s happening.
Terror fills me as I look at AJ standing in front of me.
It can’t be true.
It’s unbelievable. He doesn’t look like the Shadow Men I saw on the street – the ones with black holes instead of eyes and a big black gaping hole as a mouth. He’s AJ, the kid who makes me blush every time I see him.
Can my mom be right? She’s been right about everything else. She warned me to stay away from him. I should have listened to her.
I move slightly away from him, still staring at him with wide-open eyes. I have no idea what to do. He hasn’t hurt me all this time while we were running away from the Shadow Men. He’s even helped me escape them. He hid with me in the wardrobe for the night.
As I move away, the black wave engulfs my legs, capturing me again, trapping me.
“Paige, you need to stay close and come with me,” AJ says hurriedly, walking forward. “Please don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you. I’m the only one who can keep you safe.”
As the black mass tightens around my feet, I fear he’s right. If I stay away from him, the black mass will embrace me and take me away. It’s already pulling me back slowly. I need to forget the fact he’s a Shadow Man and stay close to him until I can get away.
“AJ, who are you?” I ask frantically. I know I don’t have much time for conversation, but I need to feel safe with him, so the questions are important to me.
“I’m just a kid from your school. I’m also your friend.” He doesn’t look like he’s lying. “Paige, we don’t have time to talk now. Just believe me! Come with me. You’re wasting precious time.”
I know I’m wasting time. But I can’t help it. I need to understand what’s happening and what will happen to me.
“If you’re just a kid from school, even one of my friends, then how can you be a Shadow Man? Please tell me!”
“I will explain everything when we’re safe. Now please trust me. The black mass will take you away soon if you waste more time asking questions.” He looks into my eyes, trying to convince me. He’s in a hurry and I understand why – the black mass pushes me towards the front door of the apartment, which is already so close I can almost touch it.
I want to know more about him and the entire thing, but the wave is already pushing me towards the exit. I can hear the roar of more waves coming. Soon the entire apartment will be filled with the mass, and even standing close to AJ will not help me.
Without any other choice, I surrender to AJ, wishing to escape the black mass. I stand closer to him.
“Don’t touch me,” I say stiffly. I’m still scared of him, as I imagine him being one of the Shadow Men with holes in their faces.
He steps closer, careful not to take my hand. I look around, trying to see what’s happening with the black mass.
The safety sphere around us falls away. My heartbeat starts to return to normal. Keeping close to me, AJ leads me towards the window we came in through.
“Paige, we need to use the fire escape again and leave the building. It’s not safe to stay here any longer, okay?”
“All right. Let’s go. But I’m not sure what’s down there.” I look out of the window. The streets below us are empty of people and light. The bla
ck wave could be on the ground, invisible because of the dark. I try to see if there’s anything there.
“AJ, are the Shadow Men on the streets?”
“I don’t know, Paige, I can't see anything either. I have no idea. We’ll just have to find out when we get down there.”
“Oh, you don’t know anything about your friends? Shouldn’t you know where your weird alien buddies are?”
“Please stop teasing me. They aren’t my friends. Please don’t say that again.”
He gingerly steps onto the fire ladder, looking around, trying to see if it’s safe.
“It’s all clear,” he says. “You can come out. Try to be careful.” He’s holding out his hand to help me through the window. I brush it away and silently climb onto the fire escape ladder beside him.
“I don’t need your help.”
We make our way down to the street without a word. It doesn’t take long before we reach the ground and look around.
The street is empty. There are neither people nor Shadow Men on the street. It’s as if everyone has evacuated by the spaceships.
We start to walk along the street and turn into a side alley. I keep my distance from AJ. I just can’t believe he’s one of them.
Soon, we get to the edge of the building. I stop walking and peek my head around the corner. I need to be extra cautious, as I don’t want to encounter the black wave again. As I look, I spot people moving away from the city. The black mass has surrounded them and is pushing them forward. There are hundreds of people in a big crowd. Even though they seem to protest and try to get away, the black mass is all around them, not letting them move out of it. They are trapped.
Bright lights beam down from a spaceship above them, and people start to be lifted into the sky through the beams. They are being pulled towards the spaceship. Those who are still on the ground scatter and try to move away, scared they will be carried up into the spaceship, too. But it doesn’t help.
