Chased By Shadows

Chapter Two: Things That Look Back

The morning sunlight didn’t warm anything. It just exposed the mess.

Elise stood at the sink, staring blankly at the coffee mug in her hands. It had a c***k along the handle. She didn’t remember it being there before. She didn’t remember much lately.

Behind her, Kaia sat on the counter, swinging her legs silently, her eyes distant. Neither of them had spoken in hours.

“What time is it?” Elise finally asked. Kaia’s eyes flicked to the clock. “Almost eleven.”

“You didn’t sleep.” Kaia didn’t answer. Elise turned around. “Kaia, you need to rest.” Still nothing. “Kaia.”

“I don’t trust sleep,” she said quietly. “I dream too much.”

Elise knew better than to push.

She glanced out the window, checking the street for the third time. Still no one. Just the rustling of dead leaves on the sidewalk and a crow on the lamppost, watching like it knew something.

“I have to go out today,” Elise said carefully. “Groceries. Supplies. You know.”

Kaia looked up, finally, something sharp behind her expression. “You shouldn’t go alone.”

“I’ll be fine. It’s daylight. He doesn’t show up during the day.”

“That doesn’t mean he’s not there.”

Elise managed a shaky smile. “Then I’ll run.”

Kaia dropped off the counter. “I’ll come with you.”

They took the long way to the corner store. Elise didn’t like walking on the main road. Too many cars. Too many eyes. Kaia stayed close, her hoodie pulled up, eyes scanning the rooftops and alleyways like a soldier.

“Do you ever go to school?” Elise asked, half-joking.

Kaia didn’t smile. “Not anymore.”

“Why?” Elise asked

“They stopped calling. I stopped answering.” Kaia answered leading Elise confused

The store buzzed with fluorescent lights and quiet radio music. Elise pushed a cart; Kaia walked beside her, eyes never leaving the corners of the aisles.

“You know,” Elise said, reaching for a can of soup, “you don’t have to act like a bodyguard. I can handle this.”

Kaia took the soup and checked the label like it might be poisoned.

“You looked scared this morning,” she said. “I don’t think you’d feel the same if I wasn’t here.”

Elise opened her mouth to argue but then closed it again. She was right.

They walked back slower. Elise’s backpack was heavy with supplies, and Kaia’s arms were full. Somewhere near the old fence line, Kaia stopped.

“What is it?” Kaia’s brow furrowed.

“I’ve been here before,” she said.

Elise glanced around. “It’s just an abandoned house.”

“I know this tree.” Kaia reached out and touched the bark, her fingers brushing over a scar in the wood.

Something flashed.

A little girl. Screaming. Blood on leaves.

A pair of hands—tiny, trembling—holding a broken stick. Whispers in her ear. “You did this.” Kaia jerked her hand back.

“Elise.” Kaia called

“Yeah?” Elise answered while looking at her

“Do you ever feel like your memories aren’t yours?” Kaia said

Elise looked at her, concern flickering. “All the time.” she said.

They made it back to the house. Elise went to sort the groceries. Kaia sat at the table, staring at her reflection in a spoon.

It bent her face. Warped it. Like the mirror in her dreams. She turned the spoon over. The face was gone.

“Elise?” she called out. A sound came from the hallway.

Creak. The third step. Elise froze in the kitchen.

Kaia stood up, grabbing the crowbar from the umbrella stand.

Another creak.

Kaia moved fast. She motioned for Elise to stay behind the fridge and stepped slowly toward the hallway.

She didn’t breathe. Didn’t blink. The door was ajar. She pushed it open. Nothing. Empty. Then—

A flash of movement.Kaia spun, crowbar raised—

But no one was there. Just the front door, wide open. The wind whistled through it. Kaia slammed it shut and bolted it, heart thudding.

“Elise,” she said. “He was here.”

Later, they sat in silence. “I want to leave town,” Elise whispered. “Start over.”

Kaia didn’t respond. Elise turned toward her. “Would you come with me?”

Kaia hesitated. “Yes,” she said finally. “But you can’t run from something that’s in your head.”

Elise’s face paled. “You think I’m imagining it?”

“No.” Kaia’s voice was firm. “I think it’s real. But I think some of it might be yours.

That night, Kaia dreamt again. But this time, it wasn’t in flashes. It was a full scene.

She was in the woods. Younger. Maybe twelve. She held a rock. Heavy. Cold. Someone in front of her. Crying. Begging.

She screamed, but not at them.She was screaming at herself. She dropped the rock.

Blood on her shoes. A voice whispered: “Wake up, Kaia.”

She sat bolt upright in Elise’s guest bed, soaked in sweat.And on her arm, fresh bruises she didn’t remember getting.

In the next room, Elise was sitting with a photo album. She flipped through it slowly, fingers shaking. A picture of her in high school. Another at graduation. And then one—with a girl in the background. Short hair. Grey eyes. Watching her.

Elise’s breath caught. She hadn’t met Kaia until last week. But Kaia had been in that photo. Five years ago. Watching her.