Roaming Shadows

 “What do you mean Mom attacked you?!”

“I don’t know, it looked like her but it w-wasn’t her!”

“S-Shh, it might be coming back!”

---

The sound of feet dragging across the wooden floor is prominent outside her bedroom. The footsteps are loud, as they pace back and forth up and down the hall. Raine can hear the jingling of the lock where she’s hiding, probably the worst places she could ever be. The closet was one of the places people got killed if they were found in horror movies. Where did she even go wrong? She holds the receiver close to her mouth. Her service dog downstairs asleep – and Ren and Ran could only do so much to help her. 

“Hold on, Raine–– I’m almost home…..!” She hears her brother Lars say, and she firmly closes her eyelids shut. The lines goes dead and she bites her lip. 

She didn’t have supernatural powers like the rest of her family did. She was the only normal one, with the exception where either of her friends would utilize her body when she allowed them but she was still one hundred percent human. 

She wasn’t a super hero, like her brother promoted himself to be. She wasn’t an illusionist like her older sibling was, she was just Raine. A human detective to be. A scared thirteen year old that didn’t want any of these fancy powers to see the dead.

That thing that posed as her mother was horrifying. It was like the shadowy formless ghosts who sucked life energy out of the living. It had her mother’s face, her smile, her dark locks of hair that usually cascaded a little underneath her shoulders. She mistaken her for it at first, but that was her own naïvety. It was an unexpected turn of events – the thing didn’t have a reflection. When she looked again, the face was largely disproportioned, with dislocated jaw and no eyes. It’s form became shadowy once she noticed past the illusion it presented itself with. Hugging her knees, she holds her breath when hearing the door being forcibly opened.

Oh god, oh god, oh god–

The dragging of feet is heard outside of the closet, and she hears it rummaging throughout her room. Her stuffed animals pound against the wall, and she hears her bed’s mattress being moved and tossed across the room. It falls with a loud thump which causes Raine to cover her mouth immediately. She watches as her friends look at her helplessly then fade into darkness when hearing something else topple over.

It’s when the room grows silent Raine’s anxiety spikes up.

The only thing Raine does is close her eyes. She can’t think rationally now, if she panicked she’d out herself to the monster and the last thing she wanted to do.

All she had to do was wait for Lars to get home. 

And she waits, and waits and waits some more, she doesn’t know for how long but it’s a long time. She’s tempted to pull out her cellphone but the light of her smartphone may even alert the monster that she’s inside the closet. The silence is disrupted by something that goes on outside and down the hallway. She hears the squeaking of sneakers that pound across their wooden stair case.

“Raine! Raine! Where the hell are you?” It’s Lars, she’s saved–– but she doesn’t dare leave from the closet just yet.

But god damn him and his reckless nature, because at that moment she hears the hissing of the creature in the room. The pounding of shoes across carpet and she hears a crash. It never had left? Was it anticipating her to leave the closet the entire time? She hears Lars yelling from down the hall and she’s tempted to go out toward him. Something tells her not too. Seeing that the monster was distracted, she tries to squint in the darkness.

It’s then Ran and Ren emerge again and they huddle close to her. “Ren, go help Lars…”

The flaxen haired ghost boy nods then disappears from sight. She looks toward Ran and frowns deeply.

“W…we gotta go out there.”

“But what if you get hurt too?”

“We have t-to-take risks…if I don’t, Lars could get…hurt…”

Seeing her friend’s conviction, Ran nods back toward her friend in understanding and Raine slowly opens the closet door. They leave the closet side by side, and she looks back into the darkness to make sure nothing else is lurking. Seeing nothing, she closes it while Ran looks on ahead. Once looking forward, Raine sees the mess in her room; everything is in disarray. She hears Lars yelling down the hallway and she rushes toward the hall where everything had fallen from the wall. 

“Lars!” She cries and she hears his voice further down the hall near their mother’s room. She sees her brother combating the creature alongside Ren who summons water from the nearby bathroom to try to subdue it. It lets out a ugly laugh and attempts to pounce on her brother who side steps and slices through it with his ghostly blade.

It falls back to the ground, but it makes eye contact with her again with a crooked smile on it’s lips.

“F̐͛ͮ͋͌e̍̓ͨ͒̓̅̓̅̚a͐ͪ̀͂rͨͥ̑ ̃͆͆̀̄ͫ̊̚t̽͆ͫ̈́̐̓̀ͧ̎hͯe̎̾ͫ̈ ̐̆͊s̑̾̀ḧ́ͫ͌̇̊̽͂̚aͪ̏̾̀̔ͦͩ́dͤͥ̀̈ͬ́̉͊o͆̿̾ͥ͗̊wͣ̉͒͆́̑ͭ̎̂sͯ,̽̽̒ͥͬͭͧͦ̊ ͭ͌̆́ͧf̔̏͊ͬoͮ̀̓̅͛r̆̏̈́̚ ̓͛͗̎ͥ͑ṫ̽h͋̔̎ͣͮ̋̋͋ė̅̅ͭ͂̇ͮyͭ͂ͦͤ ͂̔̋͊̓ͭ̾̐ẇ̍́ͯͪ̿ͨ̎h͛̆ͬͪͮ̑ͯi͆͗ͪͪ̃s̏̀͆̀͂́̈́̆̇ṕͥ̄̃ͥeͯ̽̔ͮ̀r̍̽ ̽̈́͋̈̆̊a͐ͬͩ̉͋̌̈́̂̐mͮ̂̾̿̂̿oͧ͆̐͗ͦ̍n̉ͤg̿̍̌́̀̄ͭͬs̃̾̌̋ͤ̏̒t͐ͩ ͭ͐t́͌̒̒̀͂̍hͬ͋ͯ̇̋̉͂e̔͗̓̆̽̿ͯ̄̌ḿ̓ͭsͥͮͤͨ͌͆ͦͯeͯ͗͒ͬ͛͂̀̚lͥͩͪ̃̾ͫ̽v̉ͤě̈̿ͮ̑̊͒̓̈s͛.̀̍́ͥ̽̏̏̅̆
̏̆̐͆͗̄̾̏Ďͬi̒̂̽̐͋ͭͬͩ̚s͒͛tͤ̀ͩ̚r̈ͤ̅̋ͨuͣ̚s͂̓̄ͬ͋͂̎̚t̃̋ͪ ͬ̆̽ỳ͛̊o͆͒̊͗̈̅uͫ̒rͦ̿ͭ̃ͦ̔̌ͤ ͒͛ͧ̔̋̎mͧ̄̇̑̓o͐̉ͤ̀ͦ̀͂̓̚tͯͩ͛ḧ̄̌̐ͥͥ̊ėͧ̓̈ͨ̎r͐̂,ͣ ͛͑fͩ͗ȯ̈́ͫ͌̈ͫ̎r͒ͮ ͊̂̂ͪ̇̌s̔ͩ̅͛h͑̈eͣͯͦ̈ͯͯ ̽ͧͤͨh͆ͥͭa͂͑s̍̒̓̑̐ͧ̽͋͒ ͯ͑̚c̊̑͑ͫͭ̏̑͗u̒ͭ̔͆r̾͆̂ͬͬͮšͫ́e͑͆d̿͊̊̽ ͮeͩͬ̓͑̋ͣvͥ̉́̃̇͒ẻ̈́̐͛̑̍̚r̀́͒̌̀ͩẏ̊̀ͧͪ̉͒̚ ̀͆͊ͧ͆͊sͫ̾î͛n̿̚gͦ̎ͫ͗ͩͬ̉͒l̊̿e̋͌̏ͨ̒̈́ͭ̉ͣ ͧo̊̿́n͑ͬ́̊͐̂̿ͤͤe̓̋̂̀ͪ́̾ ͥ̚ö͑͑̒̀̅f͑͂͐ ̔̊ͬ̿ͯͦ̓ỳͦo͐ͣͭ͂ͨ͒̓ͩ̑ů̇!̀̈́ͩ
͊̚L̐͗a̐ͭ͗̌͒ͧm̓̈́͊ë́̉̾͋͛̐͛̚ńͫ̈̊ťͪ͌ͥ ̐ͯoͣͤͯ̐ͪṽeͨͭ̒̂r̉̎͋ͤ̐ ͫͬͨ͑yͩͣ͒o̿̏̋͒ͩ̌û̐̄̃̈ͨͥrͦ̌ͭͮͨ́̚ ͒̓͑͋͑͛͌̌̆b̋̍ͮ̐̉͐ͤ̎ï̀̿ͥŕ̍̉̈̓̂̉t̓̇̈̈́̂͊ͦ͐̑h̊̂͆̔,̊͗͊ ͤ͐̔͗̓ͬ͒ͪf̏ͯ̃͊̚oͫ̓ͩr͋̋ͪ ̅̔͆̉yͨ̑o̾̓ͪu̿ͯͤ̈́͑ ͣͪ̌̉ͩ̽wͣ̿ͫͦ̏͆͆̽eͭ̉̅rͬ͋͂͊̊̉͐̍eͧ̽̌̑̈̓̃ ̊̾̑̊̓̚̚m̒̓̉̔̈ͪĩ̌s͛ͬ̾ͫ̏͛͗ͩ̐t̿ͯ̚ä́ͨͯ̐̎ͪ̿̓k͊̂̈́́͗̒̆̀ͮeͪ̂̓n̽̉̀ͥ̀̆̚lͦ̏y̒ͧ͛̀̽ ͒̀ͭ̿̆̆b̎̆r̃͂̎̍ͦo͌u̇ͣ̓̈́̾̏g͛h̐̅͑̍̈́ͫͬ͑ͮt̓̊̽̃͂͛ ͫ̄h̋̏e͌̅̊̇̾̂̓̿͌r̈̆̊e͋ͣͯ̽̐̃̄̾.͒
́̾ͪ̐̂͋Y̏oͯ̒́ͩ̎uͥͬ̓͐ ̓̿̇͊̐ͮ͌͑bͫͧeͨ̊lͪ͐̔ô̈́ͦn̂̔g̏̾̿̆͗̎̏ ͊ͤ́ͥ̂ͮtͮo̓̓̋ͨ͑ͩ̈́ͪ.̏̿́̎ͬͮͬ.͐̂̈ͯ̐͛͛.͋ͥ͛͑ͦ.ͤ͛̀̌͊̉̆.̾ͮ̓̏ͨ̈́̐.ͭ͊ͣ̓̃ͦͯ͒.̍͗ͫ̅̄ͣ͊!ͬ̅͗ͪͦ̓̀̚̚”

And it bleeds into the floor, with a wicked laugh echoing through the hall. They all stand a moment waiting for something else to occur, then she watches Lars put away his sword and rush over to her and embracing her into his arms.

“Are ya okay, it didn’t hurt ya did it?!?” She watches her brother’s hazel eyes looking down at her concerned.

“I-I’m fine now that you’re here,” Raine mutters into his chest, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks. “But…bu-but are you okay? You dumbass ! You should’ve been more careful with coming upstairs. Letting yourself be known immediately put you into danger!”

“Yeah, and it saved me the trouble of looking for it, y’see? I’m a big boy, no spooky ghost got nothin’ on me!”

“Says Mr. Careless!”

“Is that what you say to the guy who just saved you!?”

“Um, guys––”

“Y-Yeah! Why didn’t you get here sooner!?”

“LARS. RAINE.”

The siblings turn back to Ren and Ran who look at them with concern. “….Sorry for yelling, but…Ran went downstairs to look at those things fake Auntie Marissa had with her and they’re still there.”

“W-What?!”

“I hacked into her phone,” Ran admits and summons it forth. It floats in her hands as she presents it to the siblings. “But there are a bunch of missed calls from a couple of days ago.”

“When?”

“The last text message she sent out were to someone she works with and…to big sis Laurent.”

Furrowing his eyebrows, Lars then snatches the phone that floats midair. “What’s the code?”

“8754.” Raine watches as her brother inputs the number and she watches him open it up. He goes through it, to the messages in particular. She watches as his face fall and grow intense for a moment. 

“Well?”

“Ma would never leave her phone left alone.” Lars says, “these are … all from last weekend.”

“Do you think the scary ghost had something to do with it?” Ren asks with a frown.

“Could be,” Lars says while scrolling through more, “But we should talk with Laurent first, when she gets home––”

“Talk to me about what? And why’s the house trashed?” Their sibling Laurent stood at the end of the hallway.

“It’s about Mom!” Raine cries out, “she–– her phone has a bunch of unanswered––!!”

“What about me?” Another voice rings out which leaves Raine and Lars frozen solid. A woman appears from behind their eldest sibling, who gives them both a pointed look. “Why does the wall have dents in it? I told you before Lars not to play basketball inside….”

“B-But Ma, y’see–– Raine got attacked by a lookalike ghost!” Lars makes an attempt to ease the situation now, but it didn’t look like their mother believed it.

“Yeah! And she looked just like you, Auntie!” Ran cries out now approaching her ‘Aunt’ now who looks down to her. “She turned into a spooky ghost!”

“Spooky ghost? Is that why the house looks wrecked?” Their mother asks with a frown, “you better not be lying to me.”

“Ma, I wouldn’t lie ‘bout somethin’ like this!”

“And we found your phone with a bunch of unanswer––”

“Oh my god, I can’t believe you found it!” Their mother says now moving past Laurent and grabbing onto the phone Lars holds onto. “I lost it a couple days ago for some reason. I had left it out to charge during the weekend but it disappeared before I left for work.”

“I can swear to it,” Laurent pipes up from the back, now advancing forward to the rest of the family. “We kinda looked Monday morning before I left for University, but couldn’t find the damn thing.”

Raine frowns to herself now while the rest of her family chatters about. There were too many pieces of this puzzle unanswered. And what did that ghost mean that their mother was distrustful? What was there to distrust? No, no she didn’t–– she couldn’t think of her mother in bad light. 

The situation put an awfully bad taste in her mouth. There was this foreboding, insidious feeling that clawed at her back and she was too afraid to turn around. Little did she know that the past was going to unravel in front of her eyes.