Shadow Seekers

            Daniel was leaning against the wall in the living room, staring at them. They were at it again, doing what they do best, bickering. He wasn't sure about what this time. It happened too often lately for him to care enough to find out. It didn’t matter. Either way Daniel was getting used to the sight of Serena's normally tan skin, turning bright red from her yelling, and her blonde curls bounding with each word she emphasized. Colin, he would just sit there, only chiming in when he thought Serena was done ranting, just so she would start up again. His boyish grin, and dark hair always perfectly in place. Daniel sometimes wondered if there was anything that could wipe that grin off of Colin's face.             Daniel pushed himself off of the wall. He needed to leave before he got pulled into the argument. He walked upstairs, to the second door on the right. His room, his sanctuary. He walked in and immediately closed the door behind him. He let out a sigh of relief as he leaned against the door. He could still hear Serena's yelling, but at least it was muffled now.             He looked at the bed, but decided against it. It was only two in the morning, and too early for him to fall asleep. He also knew the chance of him getting some sleep with those two arguing was slim. Instead he crossed his room to where the window was on the other side. It was his night off, and he needed to find some way to relax and enjoy it. He opened his window and climbed onto the window sill. Sitting on his haunches he was reminded of how he used to do this same thing as a child. Reaching over to the ivy that was connected to the house, he grabbed it and swung himself out of the room, and started climbing down it to the streets below. This is what things had come to, him having to sneak out of his own house like he would when he was a child, just so he wouldn't have to walk through the living room again.             When his feet hit the ground he stood up straight and shook his head. He could still hear them. He really needed to sit them down and have an adult conversation on how not to wake the neighbors. He knew the neighbors appreciated what they did for them, and they were understanding with them being up and about all night, but this was probably pushing it. He would really prefer not to have to apologize to Ms. Simms about the noise. He would like to leave her and her not so subtle hints alone.             Daniel started walking up the street. He knew the perfect place to go. The house was three streets down and had been abandoned by the family years ago, but it was still considered to be on the safer side of town. He never went in, but he would sit in one of the windows on the ground floor. He would lean his head against the windowpane and stare up at the stars. He would talk to them, sometimes asking them questions, never expecting an answer back but it soothed him none the less.             As he was walking to his ledge, he thought about how nice of a night it was. It was still summer, and it was perfect for the gray t-shirt and jean shorts he was wearing. Arriving at his destination, he went ahead and sat down. He laid back against the pane and put his hands behind his head, interlacing his fingers in his short dirty blonde hair. It would curl if he let it grow long enough, just like his mother’s. His green eyes that he got from his father, stared outside at the countless stars in the dark endless sky. Daniel smiled. It definitely was the perfect night.             His thoughts were running off somewhere among the night sky when something out of the corner of his eye wrenched Daniel’s attention away as he searched the darkness. He knew he had seen something; he just wasn't sure what it was. At another sign of movement, Daniel’s eyes fell upon a female figure at the end of the street, her head turning from side to side looking down both dark alley ways.             Daniel quickly got up and started running down the street. It wasn’t safe to be out after dark and it was well past curfew for anyone other than the town seekers. Daniel knew all of them, had worked with most of them on occasion, and he certainly didn’t recognize the woman down the road. Instincts kicked in so that while he ran he continuously searched the shadows, watching for any sign or warning that something was hidden in the darkness.             “Miss, miss.” Daniel yelled, “You shouldn’t be out here." At his warning, the woman turned around and surprised Daniel by grabbing on to his shirt and pulling him into the dark. She pushed him up against the wall and whispered, “Shh,” right next to his ear.             Daniel could not see her face, but he could still feel her hand that held on to his shirt, pressing hard against his chest. For a brief second Daniel wondered about her mental stability and chastised himself for not being more alert to the possibility that she may not be in her right mind and could present a danger herself. His thoughts had only been about protecting her, but most people around here never ventured out this late. He should have known something was not quite right when he saw her.             The woman finally let go of his shirt and moved out into the moon light. Daniel quietly gave a sigh of relief, at least she hadn't immediately attacked him. This was a good sign. He turned his attention back to her and watched as her long black hair swirled around her moving from side to side as she looked up and down the alley again. She stood up straight with her feet slightly apart, and when she reached into her cloak pocket, she pulled out a small handgun. The carvings on the gun were familiar to him, and he knew exactly what she was. He knew she had no need of his protection, and that she most likely meant him no harm although that wasn't completely off of the table.             A quiet sound alerted both of them to its presence, and as the woman turned around the foedus was there, shoving her hard into the ground before taking off down the opposite side of the street it had come from. The foedus's body was covered in sleek tar like fur each hair on it gleaming in the moonlight as it ran down the street. Its round face was hidden by hair that stuck out in all the many directions around it. All you could see on its face were little beady black eyes that contained no light.             Daniel pushed off of the wall and bent down to put his hands under the woman's arms. He was starting to help her up when she shoved his hands away, pushed herself up and took off down the street after the foedus. She was light on her feet, making her quick and silent as she ran.             Daniel was about to follow after her but was brought up short when she commanded, “Stay here.” He wasn't positive why he listened to her, but he found himself just standing there, staring at the two shapes fading away into the darkness.             It was then that he had time to start questioning himself again. Who was she? Where had she come from? Daniel knew there were others like Colin, Serena , and him, but he knew all of the ones from this town and the next two towns over. While they may not be the most friendly group, they still looked out for each other, and stayed in contact. If their was someone new in one of these areas, he should know about it.             Daniel started to feel silly just standing there and thought about returning home. She had told him to stay there, but how long was she expecting him to wait. He didn't owe this stranger anything. Yet he stayed. He wasn't sure how long he stood there before he saw the foedus running towards him. Daniel pulled out his gun. The same familiar shapes etched into.it.             The foedus was running down the alley it had gone up, there was no sight of the girl. “Is she alright?” he thought, “Should I be worried?”  Instead of letting these thoughts pause him, he let his instincts take over. He could worry about her later. His hand lifted up the gun and aimed it at the foedus. Once he had his shot, he pulled the trigger. The familiar sound of the gun shot sang through the street, while the bullet ripped through the air and passed right through the foedus’s chest. Making it fall to the ground.             The first time Daniel had been faced with killing an animal, he couldn’t pull the trigger. At the time the thought of killing another living creature turned his stomach and made him sick. Now it was natural to kill one of their kind. Now it was comfortable.             Daniel lowered the weapon and walked towards the dead body. He made sure to keep his gun out in case the foedus was not alone. His eyes glanced farther up the alley, looking for any sign of the woman. He was startled when her voice came from behind him instead. "That was a good shot." She said to him. He swung around his gun pointed at her chest. A smirk rested on her pale face. Her eyebrow raised.              At that moment Daniel felt a flash of anger. Did she not realize how close he had come to shooting her? And the bullet would have hit her. He had a great aim, and rarely missed his target. Daniel closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he finally opened his eyes, he allowed himself to actually take in her features. Her black hair framed her pale face. She had a small round chin, high cheek bones and a small nose. She had full bright pink lips, that at the moment were pulled up at one side. Her dark blue eyes held amusement in them.  She had a strong stance. Her shoulders pulled back, her feet firmly planted. She was smaller than he was, shorter by a few inches, but he didn't doubt her strength.             Overall she was quite attractive, could be considered beautiful if she would only smile, but he doubted that happened often. To him it was her eyes that were truly remarkable. There was a feralness behind them. Something that dared you to do it, dared him to pull the trigger of the gun he still had pointed at her chest. It dared him to do it but warned of the consequences if he did. Those eyes could freeze you with fear.             For Daniel it was a challenge offered. He wouldn't shoot at her of course, but he found himself moving forward, closing the space between them. They held each other's gazes while he moved. When he was only a few feet in front of her, she tore her eyes from his. In the moment before her face was turned, he thought he saw a glimpse of uncertainty.             Daniel looked away as well. He started asking himself what he was still doing there. He really should be getting home now before Serena started to worry about him.             Daniel was saved from having to come up something to say when she said, "Thank you for your help."             “Anytime.” Daniel responded.             She nodded her head, and they both went silent for a moment. Feeling as though he had to be the one to continue, Daniel took the last couple steps toward her. While he did so, he stuck out his hand, “I’m Daniel.” He said, trying to be friendly. “And you are?”             She hesitated before softening her gaze and taking his hand answering, “Liza, my name is Liza.”             He smiled at her, liking the feel of her handshake, firm, solid. It showed the strength he had seen earlier. One that you did not think one of her size or gender would possess. “Nice to meet you, Liza.” He said, letting go of her hand.             “Nice to meet you too.” Her hand fell back down to her side.             They stood there in silence just looking each other up and down until Liza broke it with, “I should probably get back.”             Daniel just nodded his head.             Liza pointed her chin towards the foedus that lay dead on the street "Thanks again for your help.” and she started to walk away.             Daniel looked over his shoulder to look at the foedus and then at Liza. "Wait!" He yelled at her. When she stopped, and turned to look at him, he continued. "We don't get many visitors here, where are you staying?" She seemed to hesitate before she answered, "There is a widow here that rents out her extra room to travelers. It is my plan to stay with her for the duration of my visit."             "You must be staying with Widow John's then." Liza nodded her head in agreement.             "She is a nice lady that charges a decent price for boarding." Daniel continued, "But I also know that she has several children, and that cannot be convenient for someone like you who stays up at night and sleeps through the day." Daniel paused, waiting for a response. When he didn't get one, he went on to say, "I also have an extra room that I would be willing to offer board to for a traveler, such as yourself."             He saw her hesitate before she asked, "Why are you offering for me to stay with you? You don't know why I am here, or how long I am planning to stay." Daniel realized this was true, and mentally slapped himself. These were probably better questions to ask a stranger, especially before he offered them a room. He also didn't know how Colin and Serena would react to him bringing home a stranger. He just felt it was right to offer, but to be safe he did say, "Then why don't you tell me while we go to pick up your things from Widow John's."             Liza didn't respond, instead she looked him up and down as though trying to determine if he was a threat or not, then she turned around and started heading down the street. Daniel wasn't sure if that was a yes or a no, but he decided to follow anyways. While he took his first few steps, he prayed for two things: That Colin and Serena would be understanding with his decision, and that he wouldn't end up regretting it.