The Hidden Prophecy Trilogy

2. Nightmares of Light-2

As she pulled away, though, a shadow flitted across the street.

She pulled the blinds wider, trying to see. After a few more moments, eyes roving, she saw nothing more and decided all was clear and hopped into bed. Piling her hair on top of her head, she stuck a silk bonnet on and pulled the blankets clear up to her chin as she settled into her mound of pillows, hoping to get some well-needed rest.

* * *

Kinza dragged her feet forward, unable to stop. She walked through a dense jungle full of tall, twisting trees and ferns larger than she was. Yellow sunlight speckled through the treetops and almost reached the ground. Mist gathered low on the jungle floor, creeping around roots and grass.

Kinza dragged her feet forward, unable to stop. She walked through a dense jungle full of tall, twisting trees and ferns larger than she was. Yellow sunlight speckled through the treetops and almost reached the ground. Mist gathered low on the jungle floor, creeping around roots and grass.She knew she had found it when she came upon it.

She knew she had found it when she came upon it.A totem pole staked into the ground in between two trees, well away from any path. The pole was a long branch, worn down, wrapped in beads, and topped by a skull with bright feathers surrounding the bone. Walking past it, she found the shimmering barrier rippling in the air. She pushed through, feeling only a slight pressure over her skin before it gave way.

A totem pole staked into the ground in between two trees, well away from any path. The pole was a long branch, worn down, wrapped in beads, and topped by a skull with bright feathers surrounding the bone. Walking past it, she found the shimmering barrier rippling in the air. She pushed through, feeling only a slight pressure over her skin before it gave way.Instead of being transported like she usually was, she continued to follow the path, her feet knowing the way. Vines and foliage dripped water onto her skin as she pushed past them until the jungle suddenly gave way and opened up to a large boulevard of shining silver stone. It was pristine and empty. She followed the road, looking up at the baobab trees that lined each side with perfect uniformity. They were smaller than normal, but still majestic and imposing. She couldn’t see past the baobab trees as everything beyond was veiled in mist, but knew the boulevard bisected a great city. Her destination was in the center.

Instead of being transported like she usually was, she continued to follow the path, her feet knowing the way. Vines and foliage dripped water onto her skin as she pushed past them until the jungle suddenly gave way and opened up to a large boulevard of shining silver stone. It was pristine and empty. She followed the road, looking up at the baobab trees that lined each side with perfect uniformity. They were smaller than normal, but still majestic and imposing. She couldn’t see past the baobab trees as everything beyond was veiled in mist, but knew the boulevard bisected a great city. Her destination was in the center.After walking for years and at the same time only moments, she reached the plaza in the middle. She was struck by the sheer size of the buildings immediately surrounding it. Tall, rectangular structures of glowing limestone encircled the plaza, palm trees placed at regular intervals, and a towering statue in the middle sat within a fountain. She couldn’t get her eyes to focus on it, though.

After walking for years and at the same time only moments, she reached the plaza in the middle. She was struck by the sheer size of the buildings immediately surrounding it. Tall, rectangular structures of glowing limestone encircled the plaza, palm trees placed at regular intervals, and a towering statue in the middle sat within a fountain. She couldn’t get her eyes to focus on it, though.Before she could take another step, warriors emerged from between the buildings. Every one of them was tall, with deep, glowing skin covered in white markings. The markings almost looked like tattoos, but older, more ancient. They all carried variations of obsidian weapons; swords, spears, scimitars, and daggers, each as beautiful as the night sky and wicked sharp. They moved, some of them quicker than she could see, with weapons raised and vengeful expressions. Terror suddenly exploded through Kinza, and one of the warriors stretched out an arm toward her, dark blade pointed right at her. Her abdomen burned lightening-hot as a white light erupted around her, throwing her attackers away like ragdolls to land on the silvery stone.

Before she could take another step, warriors emerged from between the buildings. Every one of them was tall, with deep, glowing skin covered in white markings. The markings almost looked like tattoos, but older, more ancient. They all carried variations of obsidian weapons; swords, spears, scimitars, and daggers, each as beautiful as the night sky and wicked sharp. They moved, some of them quicker than she could see, with weapons raised and vengeful expressions. Terror suddenly exploded through Kinza, and one of the warriors stretched out an arm toward her, dark blade pointed right at her. Her abdomen burned lightening-hot as a white light erupted around her, throwing her attackers away like ragdolls to land on the silvery stone.She screamed.

She screamed.* * *

Kinza jolted awake, gasping for breath, sweat pouring down her face.

Something was wrong.

Her ears were ringing, so loud she could hardly focus on what was around her. Her eyes adjusted and looked upon her destroyed bedroom. Blinds ripped from the window, glass having shattered, papers and books scattered throughout the room, dust and debris floating in the air. But what she found beyond the end of her bed made her half-believe she was still dreaming. Her entire bedroom door, and the wall, was gone. The plaster, wood, and sheetrock were obliterated, and the remnants littered the living room floor across the hall. The house was still dark, so she could barely make anything out with just the moonlight to go by.

A pained groan came from beneath the rubble.

Grams! Kinza flew out of bed, blankets flying and bonnet falling off her head. She ran through her decimated bedroom, hopping over shards of glass to the sound.

“Kinza!” Grams’ voice yelled in alarm. The sound was muffled but came from Grams’ bedroom to the left down the hall. Then who was…

A too-large figure shifted under a section of wall, groaning again. Only then did she realize the voice was way too deep to be Grams’. Panic flooded her veins as she backed, panting, out of the room, down the hall to Grams’ side. Kinza could see lights from the neighbor’s house come on through the window.

Grams was struggling through a pile of blankets, eyes wide and lips moving. Kinza’s ears were still ringing, making it hard to comprehend what Grams was saying as she grabbed Kinza’s arm. Thankfully she didn’t look hurt, just alarmed.

“What?!” Kinza yelled. She tried to pull Grams to her feet, “We have to go! Someone is in the living room!”

Grams yanked her arm away from Kinza and gripped Kinza’s face. The ringing was starting to subside. “Baby, you have to go!” Grams yelled in her face.

“I know, let’s go!”

“No, sweetheart. They’re here for you! You need to run.” She started pushing Kinza away and scrambled to her nightstand, pulling something out of the top drawer.

“What? No! What are you talking about? There’s a man in our living room, Grams!” She must not have realized what was happening. Kinza just had to get her out.

man living room, Grams had pulled out a small bit of cloudy stone, tied at the end of a cord, a c***k running down the middle from inside a black velvet pouch. Kinza’s head immediately started pounding, and she gripped her ears in pain. Grams covered the stone and held it to her breast, seemingly unaffected as Kinza was. As she covered the stone, the pain momentarily subsided. “Kinza, you listen to me right now, you hear me? You leave here immediately and run as far as you can. I’ll hold him as long as I can, but baby, you’ve got to go. I’m so sorry. I thought they would never come back.”

right now“Grams, what?!” Kinza truly felt she was still in a nightmare now. She reached for Grams’ arm again, but the old lady shoved her away, eyes frantically pleading.

In the living room, pieces of the wall fell to the floor, and the figure struggled to get to their feet. A pounding knock came from the front door. Presumably, the neighbors checking out what the explosion was. She didn’t dare run that way, though, as she would need to pass the man in the living room.

“Kinza, GO NOW!” Grams all but shrieked.

GO NOW!Kinza backed away, terrified by Grams’ reaction, and stumbled to the hall and out the back door into the night. Running into the backyard, she looked around, unsure of where to go. It looked like the middle of the night. She could still see the moon high in the sky. She needed to hide and would come back later for Grams. She wouldn’t go far. The neighbors to their right were standing in the backyard in bathrobes, yelling at her. She was too frantic to pay attention to what they were saying. She prayed they had already called the police.

She ran and hopped the back fence, the metal links digging into her thigh, and turned right to go down the alleyway that ran through the neighborhood. Her feet were pounding on the concrete, but she ignored the stinging for now. She sprinted to the end of the alley and crossed the street, and bolted through someone’s yard, leaping over a bicycle and some children’s toys. A dog was barking viciously from the yard next door.

A series of shouts came from behind her, and fear gripped her chest at the thought of Grams. She was too afraid of what the man would do to turn around and go back, though. So she kept running, hoping that she would lose him. She had gotten a pretty good head start.

Five minutes later, at the edge of her neighborhood, she paused, air wheezing in and out of her chest. I am so not physically prepared for this, she thought. She could see the outline of downtown in the distance but knew she couldn’t run the whole way. There was another strip mall, a little larger than the other one, just a block away. She could hide in the alleyway until morning and then use one of the store’s phones to call the police. She mentally cursed at herself for not grabbing her cellphone right away.

I am so not physically prepared for this, She started to run across the street and heard a fence clang a few houses behind her, much too loud to be a dog. Turning to look, icy fingers of terror seized her as she saw the large figure bounding over fences like a drunken hurdler at the Olympics. They were clearly injured, but the sheer size and ferocity of his movements horrified her. Kinza let out a little shriek and took off as fast as her feet would carry her. Tears started forming at the corners of her eyes, and she ran down the road, tipping over garbage cans behind her and scrambling over fences and across driveways. She could see the strip mall now, just across the next street, but the lights were still off. She hoped someone was in the parking lot, someone who could help her, but that hope was a dying thing.

Grunting came from behind her as the figure tripped over one of the garbage cans. Kinza wanted to cry, but the choking terror sent her feet into overdrive, slapping against the ground as she crossed the street, the building looming up in front of her.

A quick wind ruffled the ends of her hair as a shadow materialized before her, too fast to comprehend. Kinza didn’t have time to scream as hands were on her and the world went dark.