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“The body is on the perimeter of the property. This is far different from the other cases we have been working,” Detective Jameson spoke, his tone professional and not at all showing any sign of emotion. I couldn’t help but wonder how he did it. Seeing death daily and working with people who were hurting should cause some sentiment of remorse in a person, but when it came to Detective Jameson, it appeared that he was the most callous of humans.
We made our way outside where the evening sky was just appearing in the distance. It had been weeks since I had been outside of the academy and I hadn’t realized how much I missed fresh air and the open sky until now. My thoughts had been so consumed with deadly Supernaturals and wars that I had forgotten about the simple things in life.
I almost felt like I was breaking a rule when I stepped out onto the damp evening grass. As we trekked across the property, I turned slightly to see Anson, Candi, Stella, and the detectives walking behind us. I should have known my friends wouldn’t stay behind when such a dire time was among us.
After what felt like forever – well half an acre away – we stopped just outside of the iron gates that led inside the academy lines.
“Farrah, I need to prepare you for what you are about to see,” Detective Sparks spoke, her body blocking me from what I knew was about to be a gruesome scene.
“Ok,” I breathed, wishing I could somehow turn and run back inside the building.
Anson moved next to me, his arm around my shoulders. I knew he would be there with me, offering support whenever needed.
“The body was placed here in the early morning hours. We believe the person was killed somewhere else, but brought here for a reAnson,” Detective Jameson added, moving to stand behind Detective Sparks. “There is a message just for you, Farrah,” he finishes.
“What kind of message?” I ask, but just as soon as the words escape my mouth, I instantly regret them.
The Detectives move to the side and I am struck with a wave of nausea as the body of a teenage girl lay before me. Her clothes are torn and her hair is wet and sprawled out all around her face. Black eyes blankly stare back at me as her mouth is open, as though she were crying out for help. In her hand is a paper, crumpled in a tight fist.
“This is the first time a body has been placed this close to the school,” Headmaster Patricia cries out. Gone is the strong leader who I had grown to admire. In her place was a tired, petrified woman who needed answers and saving.
“Did we get security footage of any of this?” Anson growled out. “Who was supposed to be securing the perimeter at that time?”
His scathing words sent chills down my spine. I hated how angry he was becoming. If someone at the school had failed to properly guard the property, I feared Anson may go after them. I didn’t want anyone else subjected to the wrath I knew he was capable of.
“Whoever did this must have cast a spell because all cameras went blank around three this morning. Someone monitored the times that the guards moved around the property and swept in when they must have been moving in another direction. No one here is to blame for this so we mustn't start pointing fingers,” Headmaster Patricia warned.
While they argued and discussed the possibilities of how this happened, I slowly walked over to the girl. She appeared to be around my age and that notion saddened me even more. She was just a teenager and had her entire life left to live. However, someone ripped her future away from her, all to get to me.
A searing rage surged through me as my eyes fell upon the lifeless girl. My vision blurred with fury and my teeth clenched together so tightly, that it felt like they would shatter. Voices seemed to fade away as I kneeled down to inspect the body closer. I felt my fists tremble and a blazing fire raged within me that threatened to consume everything in its path. As my hand moved to the dirty paper in her hands, I could already feel the coldness radiating from her hands. My heart thumped against my chest as searing hatred for whoever had done this coursed through my veins. Trailing my fingers along her hand, I attempted to pull the paper from her fist. Once my skin touched hers, my vision blurred and I could barely make out the lifeless figure in front of me. Hatred had taken its toll on me, consuming me with a desperate hunger to seek justice.
Suddenly, my eyes sprang open. My body began to shake as a vision took over. The girl's face came alive, and she screamed in agony as she was being attacked. Tiny beads of perspiration lined her brow, and her mouth was twisted in a silent scream. "What's happening?" she cried out.
A figure approached her, shrouded in darkness with black tendrils trailing behind it. The girl panicked and backed away, but the shadowed figure moved closer until the dark tentacles surrounded the girl, suffocating her as they wrapped all around her body. I watched as the figure wrapped a tendril around the girl's neck, silencing her screams as it strangled her. Her arms and legs flail wildly until all of life seeped out of her. The figure dropped her limp body and turned to stare at me.
Sucking in a sharp breath of air, I fell back onto my behind as the vision disappeared and I was staring at the terrified faces of my friends.
“What did you see?” Stella asked, not bothering to ask if I was ok.
“Who was it?” Detective Jameson jumped in.
“I don’t know–” I stuttered. “This figure was shrouded in darkness. I couldn’t see a face or body, just a black cloud and tendrils that reached out and strangled the girl.”
A loud gasp from behind me had me jumping up to my feet. Headmaster Patricia’s face had grown pale, and she was shaking her head, as though she couldn’t believe what she was about to say. “A Shadow Demon,” she said, shock radiating from her voice.
“That can’t be right. They were wiped out decades ago, and those that survived, were forbidden from being near humans,” Anson shouted.
“Someone tell me what is going on,” I demanded.
“Farrah, you just described a Shadow Demon,” the Headmaster began. She waved her arms in front of me and an image of the creature I had just seen in my vision appeared in front of me. “A Shadow Demon is pure evil and they attack their victims by paralyzing them with fear and then killing them by stealing their souls. Is this what you saw?” she questions.
All I can do is nod my head, yes. We had been racking our brains and researching all different types of threats. However, I never imagined that the true monster here would literally be the shadows and darkness.
Ansons’ eyes grew large as he looked down, causing me to follow his gaze. In my hands, I clutched the note left on the girl.
“Before I read this note, I need to know who she was,” I said, pointing back to the girl. “We also need to cover her body. This girl died because of me. We owe it to her to show her respect and to let her and her family know her death wasn’t in vain. Whatever happened here stops now. I will not allow another life to be stolen at the hands of evil,” I cried out.
Detective Sparks moved closer to me and for the first time, I saw a softer side of her. “The girl's name was Macy Reed. She lived just outside of Charleston and had just graduated high school. She worked at a small apothecary shop with a fortune teller. She believed in the Supernatural world and had been reported missing about two weeks ago.”
