Lori gazed into the inky pool that was no normal shadow. Its slick black surface shimmered with an eerie light like water underneath the glow of the moon. In the depths, forms distinguished only by shades of black and gray moved like schools of mutant fish, always changing shape. Not sure what she was doing or why, she touched her fingertips to the surface of the Shadow. There was a stinging sensation, like it was both very hot and very cold at the same time, enough that she gasped. The Shadow rippled where she touched it, and she slowly moved her hand in a clockwise motion, stirring the glossy surface.
At once there was a deep throbbing inside her, like a bass drum thumping to a slow beat. It shook her slightly and made her vision shake and blur. Her kidneys began to ache, but she
