5 THE SHADOW
That night was filled with silence, the sound of the wind blowing the fallen leaves outside their house can be heard from shio's room. Karen fell asleep early but Shio can't find her peace and sleep... Shio was lost in silence as she tries to understand what happen....as she thinks deeper she gave up and she just decided to go to sleep...
But she can't find her peace to sleep, she cant even calm her head. She keeps on thinking and thinking, she starts to sweat and shake again...
"If something happens... call me as soon as you can, ok?"
After remembering what Sam said, she immediately went up to grab her phone. She immediately called Sam as she tries to calm herself.
"Please sam pick up...." Shio said as she waits for sam to pick up
"Hello?" Sam answered in a sleepy tone
"Sam! Hey, it is me--- did I wake you up or something?" Shio said with a friendly but nervous tone
"Uhmm what!? Who is this?" Sam replied still with a sleepy tone
"Its Shio..." Shio replied
"Shio? Wait...What happen, are you okay?" Sam said as he immediately got slightly energetic and worried
"Yes, I'm fine but..." Shio replied but she was immediately interrupted by a creaking noise.
"Mom? Dad?..." Shio immediately shouted
She waits for someone to answer but no one answered
"Shio tell me what happen..." Sam asked in a serious tone
"I am fine but Mikaela and Michelle are not... they tried to imitate what happens to you in the accident to figure what really happened that night--- then they suddenly..." Shio replied in a worried and slightly panicked tone
"got to an accident... one of them is left behind, and one is gone..." Sam continued
"Have you watch the news?" Shio asked
"No... I just know." Sam replied
Shio heard another creaking noise downstairs.
"There might be someone in here... I'm hearing some weird creaking noise, just wait for a second I gotta..." Shio said but she was immediately interrupted by Sam
"NO! DONT! TURN ON THE LIGHT AND STAY WHERE YOU ARE!" Sam immediately shouted
"What why!?" Shio calmly replied
"Just do it.." Sam said
Shio did whar sam said, she turn on the light and stayed on her room. The creaking noise gets closer, it was like it is walking in their staircase
"Sam... it is getting closer" Shio said
"It is fine...as long as you got some light it won't be able to reach you" Sam replied
"What? What is it?" Shio asked in a curious tone
"I'll explain tomorrow, are you alone right now?" Sam replied in a worried tone
"No, I'm with my sister.." Shio calmly said
"Is she with you?" Sam asked
"No, she currently sleeping in her room.." Shio calmly replied
"With the lights off?" Sam asked in a soft tone
Shio instantly realizes that sam is right...
"Oh on.." Shio said as she rushed to go to Karen room
"SHIO, NO!" Sam shouted but Shio couldn't hear it
Shio ran to Karen's room and as she rushed to Karen's room the creaking noise gets closer and faster. It sounded like something is rushing to her, shio reached Karen's door as the sound reaches the Second floor, Shio immediately went inside Karen's room while looking at the hallway, the sound suddenly flew to her direction. As the sound gets closer and almost reach her she was able to turn on the light of the Karen room. Shio was pushed to the wall that created a huge banging noise that woke up Karen.
"Wha----what was that!?" Karen asked as she woke up
"Ka--- Karen... it is me..." Shio replied trying to hide the pain she felt from hitting the wall
"What? What happen?" Karen asked calmly
"Nothing, I just slipped---that's all.. go back to sleep Karen" Shio replied as she looks at the door
"Careful sis, you might break your bone if you keep hitting the walls," Karen said as she went back to sleep.
Shio slowly put the phone to her ear and talk
"Wha---- what the fuck is that...." Shio whispered while trembling in fear...
"Its a shadow... relax yourself shio, it can't hurt you as long as you stay in the light. Okay? " Sam replied
"I can't go back to my room... it is right there, waiting..." Shio whispered as she sat down trembling in fear
"It won't go until 2 am. Just stay there for a while, relax and it will lose your trace. It is a shadow following someone who is afraid..." Sam replied as he tried to calm shio
"But why me... why me Sam, there's a lot of person out there who is afraid, but why me..." Shio asked
"Its because your thinking of it, you are connected to it, people who are connected to it will be followed by it. Once you felt too much fear, like you cant no longer sleep nor do anything right, that is the time it will take you. So please Shio, calm yourself" Sam calmly said as he tried to calm shio
"I cant...I ca----- I can't..." Shio said as she starts to cry
"Shio... remember in your first day in school, I saw you with your friends in the garden and my first impression to you is that your weird for some reason, like I don't think that we will get along once we met...." Sam calmly said
"Why are you telling me this now?" Shio asked
"Because you might learn something from this..." Sam replied
"Ok.. I'm listening" Shio said as she starts to control her tears
"I always see you in the hallway, I also sometimes get a glimpse of you staring at me. At first, I think its because I'm assisting your sister... but then one of my friends told me that you kinda like me, I told him that there's no way I will be in a relationship with that girl." Sam calmly
"What! Why do you think I'm weird? I didn't walk around wearing funny clothes right?" Shio asked with a calm tone
"You took a big bite of sandwich in the middle, you hop in stairs like you're a kid, you even yell at the hallway to talk to your friends 4 rooms away from you. For me that's not appropriate for your age.." Sam replied in a jaunty tone
"Yeah Yeah, Mr. Mature Guy... I can understand the hopping and the yelling, but what's wrong with eating my sandwich in the middle?" Shio asked in a taunting tone
"Nothing, I just found it funny...." Sam replied with a taunty tone
"Oh really huh, how about you, you and your oversize bag? You're going to a school, not in a camping area.." Shio replied in a taunty tone
"Oh now you're teasing me huh?" Sam asked in a teasing tone
"You started it.." Shio replied with confidence
"That's why I kinda like you.." Sam replied calmly
"And also---- what?" Shio replied with a shy surprised tone
"I observe you like a stalker, I saw teasing with your friends when suddenly you saw a kid being bullied by another kid, you stood up for the weak kid and defended him. That's not a big deal buy what you did is good. If other people saw it they will initiate a fight rather than separating them." Sam explained
"So you are my stalker?" Shio asked calmly
"After a few days, yes I became your stalker" Sam replied
"How did I missed that?" Shio said in a wondering tone
"Because if I do it secretly not like you, also I limit myself on the things I can look up with, I only observe you when you are in the school ground, I only look the things you wanted us to see, so technically I'm not a stalker, but a very far friend" Sam replied with confidence
"Oh how sweet... after teasing me you are going to get sweet huh? Is that how boys do their moves" Shio asked with a teasing tone
"This is the way how they do it. I have my own way, you might be able to see it once you look observe wisely" Sam replied in a taunty tone
"What a jerk..." Shio calmly said
"You can go back to your room now" Sam calmly said
"What..." Shio replied as she looks at the time
"The lesson for this day is that sometimes a person is helpful to calm your mind and took your attention for a minute. Once you find a person who you can talk to, you will be able to make another subject where your brain will focus, and as you focus on that subject your brain will start forgetting the first one. Yes, you will still feel the same emotions once the previous topic was open up, but in this case, you are safe because it is already 2 am" Sam explained calmly
Shio saw that it was 2 am
"So can I go back now?" Shio asked with a worried tone
"You can go back now" Sam replied calmly
Shio slowly went to the door and took a peek in the hallway. The creaking noise can no longer be heard from the hallway nor the lower floor. Shio immediately went back to her room and rush to her bed.
"Ok.... I'm in my bed" Shio said as her heart pumped quickly
"Take a nap, you need it... come and see me at the burger shop in front of the school at 12, ok?" Sam calmly said
"Yes..." Shio replied
"Ok..." Sam said
"Thank you Sam" Shio said with a calm tone
"Anytime..." Sam replied in a friendly tone
"Umm... is that it? Like is that the reason why you like me? Why you noticed me?" Shio asked in a friendly tone
"Not really, there's more to it. But I think its good story for another time" Sam replied
"Okay...bye.." Shio calmly said
"Bye." Sam replied
Shio ended the call and went to sleep, after a few minutes shio was able to sleep.
The next day Shio went out to see Sam.
As Shio arrives at the burger shop, she saw Sam outside waiting for her
"Hey..." Shio said as she approaches Sam "...aren't we going to eat?"
"No, we need to go somewhere.." Sam replied while looking worried at shio "are you alright?"
"Yah.. I'm fine, I just got hit a little but I'm fine.."Shio replied
"Ok, follow me... let me show you something" Sam replied in a friendly tone
Shio followed Sam as they leave the Burger Shop. Shio noticed that Sam looks very serious as they walk, she felt slightly awkward so she tries to start a conversation but she can't continue speaking it out...
"Are you okay?" Sam asked as she noticed Shio
"Oh, yeah I'm fine..." Shio replied, "how about you?" She asked
"I'm worried" Sam replied with a soft tone
"Why?" Shio asked calmly as she tries to catch up to Sam
"I'm worried that you have to experience what I experience.." Sam answered calmly
"I'll be fine, if you survive then I'll be able to the same. Just stick with me so that ill know what do I need to do" Shio replied in a friendly tone
"It is not that simple, but ill do my best..." Sam replied in a friendly tone "We're here.." He said as they reach an abandoned house
"So----why do we have to go here?" Shio asked curiously
"In order for you to understand what is happening, and in order for you to know what you are about to face." Sam said in a serious tone
"Okay--- lead the way" Shio replied
"Shio... I just want to tell you something before we go in" Sam said as he looks to Shio
"The one who was found in the car was Michelle. Mikaela is the one that went to the other side" Sam said in a soft tone
"Wha---what? How do you know that? Do they release a report or something?" Shio asked as she starts to shiver in fear
"It is fine, it's not your fault" Sam said in a calm tone
"Mikaela is keeping something from you, she is afraid of something we didn't know, and one of it is leaving your friend behind, I was able to prove it because Michelle is found in the car, and that is one the rules in the other side. In order for you to survive, you must face your fear, and in her case, she's afraid of leaving a friend a behind--- maybe because she thinks your friend can't survive on her own or something." Sam explained as he tries to calm Shio
"So why does she stab her?" Shio asked as she gets confused about what Sam is talking about
"She didn't stab her, the shadow did, it was a test. The shadow didn't leave until Mikaela left, that's why Michelle got multiple stabs--- maybe that's how the shadow count the times Mikaela resist" Sam explained as she holds Shio's hand
"Ho---how did you know that?" Shio asked as she starts to get a little teary-eyed
"Because I have seen it before.." Sam replied in a soft tone
From being scared, Shio suddenly felt pity to Sam as she starts to wonder what else did he experience while he suffers in this incident.
"Shio... all of us has our set problems to worry about, for now, you have to focus on your own. Maybe, just maybe it is possible for you to help her or the others while you fix your problem. But for now---- you need to focus on your own" Sam said in a serious tone
Shio saw the desperation in Sam expression, she knew that maybe she can also help sam feel better--- or maybe this is the way for sam to feel comfortable, by helping other people. Shio still doesn't understand what or why is this happening and why sam is helping her. But because of what Sam is showing her, she felt a little inspired to give it a try and face whatever she needed to face.
"Okay..." Shio said in a straight tone as she smiles to Sam, Sam also smiles back
Both of them went inside the abandoned house.
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