The Shard

The Shard

The awakening came with a scream:

- What the hell was that!?

I looked around and calmed down.

- Great, I'm in my room... What about time?

23:61:01 20.06.2020

- Still the same at the first second... What are those shadows following me...

I got out of bed, sat down at the table, found the past drawing of shadows and began to examine them.

- This shadow has the same blank eyes... Is this the real me? What do I look like now? I need to find reflections, hopefully I won't see a shadow here...

I took my cell phone in my hand and examined myself on the screen.

- My eyes were still there, so was my hair and face. I do not look foggy...

Putting the cell phone on the table, I looked again at the drawing of shadows.

- Could this be my real gut? Or is it one of those three? Hmm, you can't dismiss that option either...

Taking a pencil, I began to pound the table with it.

- What should I do with it... Past shadows just disappeared, and maybe they were the ones who teleported me back and forth.... Frightening creatures...

I looked back at my hands.

- They are definitely not the same as in the reflection, and I'm more than sure that I have skin in my dreams too, it's either not my reflection, or the reflections in that place are always like that...

Rising from my chair, I began to wander around the room.

- I have to figure it out... Nothing is clear about that place right now. Until I get there again, I won't know anything.

An umbrella caught my attention.

- That's right, my umbrella in that place is not simple, it's worth trying it out!

I immediately laid down on the bed.

- Now - need to go to sleep. I hope that everything will be all right.

I calmed down, pondered my plan of action, and fell asleep.

The shadow and the eyes of the abyss looked directly at me. Taking my eyes away from the shadow and pulling out my umbrella, I broke the window. When I turned back to the window, the shadow was gone. Behind the broken frame was an empty white room.

- Was it a reflection? Or had he just run away? I guess I shouldn't go into that room.

I looked down the road and saw crowds of hunched over wandering shadows staring into the ground.

- I changed my mind!

As I ran into the room, I looked back through the broken window to the street-it was filled with shadows that roamed the city.

- I had to hide now!

I went through the only door, where a narrow corridor opened up with several doors on each side. There wandered four shadows, also with their heads down. Three of them were walking in the opposite direction from me, and one was walking toward me.

- And here?! How many were there?

I looked back again, there were dozens of shadows wandering around the city. I had only to close the door and, being in the room, open my umbrella and hide behind it in the corner...

- Just so they wouldn't see me...

The room was quiet, as if nothing had happened. Some time later, I looked out from under the umbrella to check the situation in the room. I saw the door open silently and a shadow come in through it.

I hid behind the umbrella again, my backpack getting in the way a little bit, but the umbrella was big enough to cover me completely. All I could hear in the room was the wind coming from the broken window.

After some more time, I looked out from under the umbrella again: there was a shadow wandering around the room that was completely oblivious to me.

"Am I what? Have I become invisible? Why doesn't she notice me?"

I watched the shadow cautiously. She was looking out the broken window.

"Maybe she was the one looking at me then?"

The shadow looked as if she didn't really care about the integrity of the window, then she turned around and walked out into the hallway.

After she was gone, I leisurely got up from my hiding place and continued to observe the room.

- Just left? This room appears to have just been renovated: the walls are white and there's nothing in it, like someone's moving in soon. As for the city...

There were still shadows wandering in the city, about the same amount.

- No, don't go into town now! I should check the corridor...

I quietly closed the umbrella, went to the door leading to the corridor and examined it through the ajar door - there was no one in it.

"And they are gone? Better get in before the ones in town see me..."

There were six doors along the corridor, three on each side. At the end of the corridor was another corridor, going across from the current one.

"I'd better check ahead first, I'll run through one of those doors if I have to..."

I approached the next corridor and just around the bend was a shadow that almost pushed me over.

- Yikes!

I quickly pressed myself against the wall, hoping the shadow would pass on. And so it did.

- What?

Staring after the departing shadow, I was in a daze. It was followed by the others. I continued to stand with my backpack pressed against the wall, and they passed, paying no attention to me and dispersed to their rooms.

- What the hell had just happened?

I started to move along the wall holding the umbrella in one hand.

- This backpack just makes things hotter, but I didn't think I'd be in this situation! Okay, we need to get out of this hallway and go to the other one. Maybe it's better to go through the door. Hell knows what could be behind the doors, and those shadows haven't come back yet.

I looked around the next corridor. It was a dead end on the left, and there were windows along the corridor on the right and a door at the end, overlooking the city.

- What the hell was I doing coming to this town? I was in such a good mood. It didn't take me long to rejoice...

From the end of the corridor came another shadow, staring at the floor. I froze again, and it passed me, just the same, not paying any attention.

- They don't react to me at all... Shouldn't they be afraid? Or do they only see moving objects? No, when I pressed against the wall, I was clearly moving in front of them... So why don't they notice me?

I walked along the wall. Behind me came 4 shadows from the previous corridor, which made me pause slightly, but with less apprehension - they, as expected, passed by.

- Really don't notice... They didn't go into those two rooms. would be my hiding place in case of trouble. We must go to the end of the room before they are here. It's worth the risk, though.

One of the shadows was heading for the exit, and then I put my head down and followed it. She obviously didn't care for a different companion than her fellows. I, on the other hand, followed it to the exit to the city, where the main horde of these creatures roamed.

- There are so many of them here...

I stopped. Meanwhile, the shadow I had been following went around me and back to the previous building. It was as if it didn't care about anything at all, and as it continued to stare at the ground, it walked on.

- From the looks of it, they were not hostile at all. But their aimless stares into the ground... It was kind of sad.

I thought again, and sat down quietly on the bench at the entrance.

- They didn't look like anything to be afraid of, but their eyes... They were very frightening... Maybe they were staring into the ground so they wouldn't scare each other with them? I'd be willing to believe that.

Despite the gloominess of the shadows, it was a clear summer day in the city, the clouds were gone, and the sun was shining on the gray apartment buildings that littered the city.

- This place is strange... I have seen such shadows after the dogs, they are just like them, but they heard me, and these do not react at all... Though, these are darker, maybe there is a reason for that?

I put the umbrella on the bench and continued:

- The shadows don't scare me anymore, they just ignore me, like I'm not even here.

I looked at my own shadow that was casting the sun.

- And how often in life do we look at our own shadow? Strange things popped into my head. Maybe I should try wandering with those shadows. Well, as long as they are not hostile.

I looked around at the crowd of shadows ahead of me.

- It's unrealistically big... When I walked from afar, there weren't any, only after I broke the window... But still, wandering around like zombies. "Shadow apocalypse?"

I looked more closely at the shadows, and there was someone else in the middle of them.

- Something else seemed to be wandering around...

I got up from the bench, hid my umbrella behind my backpack, and walked into the crowd. No one was paying attention to me, but at the same time they diverged - making way for me.

"I think that's how I picture the 'great American depression.'"

I approached the empty fountain. Meanwhile, clouds were thickening in the sky.

- No? I thought that's where it was... The weather was starting to turn bad... Oh, I have a bad feeling about this...

I looked at the crossroads, in the center of which someone was standing. The shadows were just going around it, like a column in the subway.

When I looked closely, I saw a girl in jeans and a blue jacket, and she had long black hair that completely covered her face. She had her hands in her pockets.

She was following the shadows with some very constricting movements.

- What? Is that a person?

I tried to follow the long-haired woman. She continued to hold her head in the same way as all the shadows around her. Her hair was hanging down, covering her face.

Her movements grew stiffer and her gait slowed. She squatted down, rested her face in her lap, and wrapped her arms around her head.

"Maybe she's a resident of this place, too? But what is she doing? Perhaps she will ignore me as much as those shadows..."

I walked over to the girl and began to stare at her, she mumbled something and didn't raise her head. I, meanwhile, was in the front.

"This could be a big mistake, well I need to try to call her out..."

- Young lady, are you all right?

The long-haired girl lifted her head up in fright and fell backwards.

For a moment you could see her eyes as green as a clearing; she looked about sixteen, a young, frightened girl. Her hair fell over her face, and only her mouth was visible.

She wanted to say something, but it was like she didn't have enough air. With her mouth open, she took one hand to her throat and the other to her lips. The girl looked away and froze.

I looked after her...

All the shadows of the city stared at us with their empty, abyss-like eyes.

- Run! - I cried out at once, grabbed her hand and began to run to the nearest building, but the girl's legs shook, and the shadows were closing in on us.

Quickly putting the umbrella behind my bag, I took the girl in my arms, and for some reason she was completely light. Holding her legs and back, I rushed to the building where I had broken the glass earlier.

The wind blew through her hair, and I could see her eyes closed. From the looks of it, she was much more terrified. The shadows, on the other hand, had gathered in one crowd and were moving behind us. I swung the door open with my foot.

There were shadows ahead of us, too, and they turned around at the noise that had arisen. The four continued to stare at us, and I jogged past and mechanically burst into the nearest room to the right, which the shadows did not enter.

The open room was empty and just as white, but with a large window that, like a greenhouse roof, looked up into the sky. I set the girl on her feet, but she fell. I immediately picked her up with one hand and closed the door with the other. We sat down with her in the corner. I opened the umbrella, and we hid in it. I listened in silence and was tense, but it got quiet and I calmed down.

- We seemed to be safe. Are you okay?

The girl opened her eyes and looked around apprehensively.

- Don't worry, there are no shadows here, and you are safe behind my umbrella.

The girl calmed down a little and pressed down harder.

"I hope my umbrella will really save me from those shadows, oh shit, she's scared out of her wits, so scared of them? The backpack is in the way, but still need to sit in that position for a while..."

The girl continued to hold on to me tightly.

- Do you understand me? You're human, right?

She didn't answer.

"Looks like she needs some time..."

After about six minutes, the girl calmed down a little.

- What's your name? How did you get into this town?

The girl let me go, but was still tense.

- My name is Victor, I came to this city by chance... Until then I had only met evil spirits. Don't worry, you're safe with me.

- Vic... Vic...

The girl tried to pronounce my name, but it was very difficult for her. She grabbed her lips and throat with surprise.

- You can't speak?

She shook her head from side to side.

- I see... Do you know anything about this place?

She nodded her head in denial.

- Have you seen these shadows before?

After a little while, the answer was a positive, but very doubtful nod.

- Doubting means... Did you happen to find a clock with three whales that stop time?

The answer was bewilderment and wide-eyed, followed by a shake of the head.

- So no... That's good, but how did you get here?

She hesitated a little and tried to speak, but there were only separate wheezing sounds.

- Wait, I've thought of something. Hold the umbrella.

I began gently removing the pink backpack from my shoulders. The girl tried to hold back a smile.

The backpack was stuffed full of sugar. To which the girl was trying to laugh and slapping her hand on the floor.

"I guess it does look ridiculous..."

- Okay, look, I have a mountain of sugar...

In response, the girl started pounding on the floor even harder. Then she sighed and calmed down, already smiling modestly, looking at me.

- So, can you write your name on the sugar?

I opened my backpack and opened a bag of sugar. The girl was a little surprised, but immediately wrote her name: "Masha.

- Nice to meet you, I'll introduce myself again, my name is Victor. How do you feel?

Masha hesitated for a moment and then wrote: "Fine".

- That's good, I'm glad you feel better already.

Masha wrote: "Thank you.

- I haven't seen people for a long time, it's good that in the middle of these monsters I finally met a person.

Masha began to run her fingers over her hands, a little worried.

- How did you get here?

Wiping off the inscription, Masha thought for a while and wrote: "Sleep.

- So you're asleep now, too?

Masha was surprised, after which she wrote, "Are you real?

- Well, yes, at first I thought you were one of those shadows, but goodness, you're human too.

Masha kept writing, "Are we sleeping?"

- Yes, you could say that, only my dream is completely different.

Masha listened to me attentively, in that corner, covered by an umbrella and with a whole backpack of sugar.

- To make a long story short, I fell out of normal time and got stuck in my room, where I became immortal...

The conversation was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Masha and I froze. The door closed again, no one was there.

- Look, this is not the best place to tell long stories, we need to get out of this town...

Masha nodded her head.

- Are you okay? Can you walk?

Raising her umbrella, Masha tried to get up and somehow, she stood, losing her balance a little.

- It's going to be difficult, but hold on to my hand, I'm going to pack and we'll go out of town. Most importantly, don't look in the reflections. Okay?

Masha nodded her head, squeezed my hand and lowered her eyes.

- I'm going to get ready now, let go of my hand.

The girl got a little embarrassed and let go of my hand.

Meanwhile, after tying the bag with sugar and closing my backpack, I held an umbrella in one hand and Masha took the other.

-Now let's go, most importantly, do not be afraid. I'm right beside you.

We opened the door into the corridor and we saw the shadows coming toward the exit.

- Great, let's go, they are just going in the opposite direction. We need to go to the broken window. That's the closest to the exit from the city.

Masha's eyes were downcast; she only squeezed her hand harder.

"It is necessary to get out of the city, this is the first time I have met a person here, we need to get her out of this nightmare..."

Stumbling, Masha almost fell, but I caught her.

- How are you? Are you okay?

In response a soothing shake of the head.

- It's good, let's not rush.

Holding Masha, I walked with her to the right door.

- Look, don't look ahead until I tell you, okay?

She nodded her head.

Through the broken window I could see shadows continuing to walk outside.

The girl's gaze was fixed on the floor, and it was clear by the strength of her clenched hand that she was afraid. A shadow, which was usually walking this route, appeared from behind.

- Hide!

Sitting down with Masha in a corner and opening my umbrella, I tried to keep an eye on this shadow.

The dark figure was gone.

- Great, we can get up.

I helped Masha up.

"Yes, it makes me happy that now I can not be alone, and the girl is pleasant to look at. We just need to get her out of this place."

- We'll be right out. Don't look ahead...

There was a crunch of glass under her feet. Masha squeezed her hand very hard, after which... the touch disappeared, as did the shadows ahead.

"What? The shadows are gone?"

I turned back. But the girl wasn't there.

- Masha? Where are you?!

There was another crack of glass. I lowered my head, and in the broken shard was the reflection of the very first shadow...

- So Masha ... No! Not that! No!

The awakening...

23:61:05 20.06.2020