Bound shadows

Chapter seven : betrayal and loss

Chapter Seven – Betrayal and Loss

Annie slowly opened her eyes to a strange, sterile smell like a medicine room. She blinked against the bright lights and found herself lying in a hospital bed. Beside her stood Daniel and a gentle-looking woman she recognized as Mrs. Abbie, Daniel’s mother.

“Annie… can you hear me?” Daniel’s voice was tense, filled with concern.

She tried to speak but could barely find her voice. “W-where… where’s my dad? Mrs. Kalie? Clara?” Her words trembled, her heart racing.

Daniel looked down, swallowing hard. “Mrs. Kalie… she’s been admitted. Clara… she didn’t make it,” he said softly.

Annie’s eyes widened in shock. Tears welled up immediately. Mrs. Abbie stepped closer, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Calm down, Annie. Your father… he is nowhere to be found yet. We’re still searching.”

Annie’s chest tightened, her throat dry. She whispered, “And Joshua?”

Daniel shook his head. “He’s admitted as well… but he’ll recover.”

She tried to process the information, her mind spinning. “How long… how long have I been here?”

“Three days,” Daniel replied gently.

Slowly, Annie sat up. A sharp sting across her abdomen made her gasp. She noticed blood streaks running down her side.

Daniel immediately moved closer. “You were stabbed by a wooden beam when the house collapsed… I wasn’t affected because I flew out of the window,” he explained.

Her vision blurred, tears spilling freely. Pain and grief mingled, her body aching, her mind struggling to comprehend the sheer devastation.

Memories of the last few days flashed through her mind the shadows, the bottle, the collapse, the strange earthly entity. And now, the unbearable truth: those she trusted had failed her, and even the familiar world of her family had been torn apart.

Mrs. Abbie knelt beside her bed, her tone firm but gentle. “Annie… you are stronger than you think. Whatever happens, you must hold on. There are things you don’t yet understand… forces working against you that you will need to face. But you are not alone.”

Annie wiped her tears, her voice trembling. “You… you know about the shadows? How?”

Mrs. Abbie’s eyes darkened, reflecting years of hidden knowledge. “There’s a group… people who have been called Shadow Hunters for generations. They dedicate their lives to tracking, confronting, and restraining entities like the one that has awakened in your home. What happened to your family… it’s not new. It has been waiting, always waiting for the right moment to rise again.”

Daniel blinked in surprise, disbelief on his face. “Wait… you knew all this? And you never told me?”

Abbie’s gaze softened, but remained serious. “You weren’t ready. The truth is dangerous, and I wanted to protect you until the time was right. But now… it cannot be hidden any longer.”

Annie listened, horrified and fascinated. “What… what entity?”

Mrs. Abbie’s voice lowered. “It is centuries old, born of evil. It awakens once every twenty years, seeking a virgin to help it regain full strength. Once it does, it seeks to dominate the world. Someone in your family made a deal with this entity twenty years ago, when it first came for your mother, Lucy. That deal… unleashed the cycle you are living now. Your mother, too, fought against it… but the entity always finds a way back.”

Daniel’s jaw tightened. “Your mom went through this too?”

“Yes,” Mrs. Abbie said. “Lucy and I went to the same school and became close friends. She confided in me about the whispers, the shadows, the bottles, the visions. She faced the darkness with me and a friend named John. The three of us confronted the entity countless times, risking our lives to weaken it each cycle. But it always returned, stronger, hungrier.”

Annie shivered. “So… all this the house collapsing, the shadows, the bottle it’s because of what happened thirty years ago?”

Abbie nodded. “Yes. The entity seeks a virgin of pure lineage to regain its full power. That is why you, Annie, have been marked. And now… it is awake, hungrier than ever.”

Annie’s tears fell freely. Daniel gently wiped them away.

Mrs. Abbie’s eyes darkened further. “You should know… our friend John didn’t survive the battles untouched. In one confrontation, he lost his face to the entity. His body was twisted, and he became… half demon, half human. He survives, but his life was forever changed. That is the cost of fighting this darkness.”

Annie felt a chill run down her spine. “Half demon…?”

“Yes,” Mrs. Abbie said, her voice firm. “And that is why you must be careful. The entity is clever, patient, and relentless. What you are facing is far greater than you can imagine. But there are ways to fight it. Ways your mother and I tried to survive it each time. And now… it is your turn.”

The room fell silent, the weight of history settling over them. Annie held Daniel’s hand tightly, feeling fear, determination, and the heavy burden of a legacy she had never asked for but could no longer ignore.

“I will survive. I will uncover the truth… and I will fight back,” she silently vowed.