Shadows Crossing
726 Words
Amara woke with a start, heart hammering, sweat slick on her skin. The city outside her window was bright and alive, oblivious to the storm that had raged in her dreams. But something felt… wrong.
Her bedside table, still bearing the faint crack from the last dream, trembled slightly. She froze.
A shadow flickered at the edge of the room—a ripple of darkness that shouldn’t exist here.
Her chest tightened. It’s happening.
Before she could react, her phone buzzed. Tunde.
“Amara? I… something weird just happened. I think… I think someone was in my room. Or maybe—”
She snatched up the phone, her voice shaking. “Tunde, stay calm. Just stay where you are, don’t move.”
The line went silent. Then:
“Amara… I’m seeing something. It’s… dark… moving. I don’t—”
A crash echoed through his room. The call cut off.
Amara’s stomach dropped. The shadows weren’t waiting for her to fall asleep anymore. They were crossing over.
Her apartment felt smaller, suffocating. Every corner seemed alive, ready to twist against her. She grabbed the nearest object—a book—and concentrated, pushing the energy from her training into it. The book levitated, spinning slowly in the air, casting a soft glow that kept the darkness at bay.
“I… I have to go to him,” she whispered, voice trembling. “I have to save him.”
Eli appeared behind her suddenly, silent as ever. His expression was grave.
“You can’t fight them recklessly,” he said. “Not out there. They’re strong in your world. You’ll need more control—or you’ll both—”
“I don’t care!” Amara snapped. “He’s in danger. I can’t just wait!”
Eli’s jaw tightened. “Then I’ll go with you. But remember—every shadow you encounter now can hurt more than just your dreams. They can cross over fully. This world is… fragile.”
Together, they stepped out into the city streets. Everything seemed normal at first—cars honking, vendors calling—but Amara’s trained eyes noticed the ripples, the subtle distortions: shadows lingering too long in reflections, the air thickening unnaturally near alleyways.
“Over there,” Eli said, pointing toward a familiar apartment block. A faint ripple of darkness shimmered in a window on the third floor.
Amara’s heart pounded. She ran, focusing her energy into a shield that pulsed with every step. The shadows twisted around her, reaching for her, but she held firm.
Inside Tunde’s apartment, the shadow was tangible now—dark tendrils curling around the furniture, whispering his name. Tunde huddled in the corner, frozen with fear.
“Stay back!” Amara shouted, extending her hands. A wave of energy radiated outward, hitting the shadow with force. It recoiled, hissing, but didn’t retreat entirely.
Eli stepped beside her, his hands glowing faintly. Together, they formed a wall of light, holding the shadow at bay.
“You’re stronger than before,” Eli said quietly. “But you need to focus. Fear will destroy you faster than them.”
Amara gritted her teeth. I can do this. I won’t let it take him.
She pictured the shadow as a reflection of her fear, not a real threat, not in her control. Slowly, deliberately, she forced the tendrils away, containing the darkness in a sphere of glowing energy.
The shadow screeched, twisting and writhing, before finally vanishing into nothingness.
Tunde stared at her, eyes wide. “Amara… what… what was that?”
She exhaled shakily. “Something that shouldn’t have been here. And something that will keep coming unless I learn to control it… completely.”
Eli nodded silently. “This is just the beginning. They are learning—watching, probing, testing. And now, they know fear works in both worlds.”
Amara looked at Tunde, who was trembling, and felt the weight of responsibility settle on her shoulders.
“I have to protect both worlds,” she whispered. “Even if it kills me.”
Eli’s gaze softened. “And you won’t be alone. But you’ll have to move faster than ever before. Every moment you hesitate, they grow stronger.”
The city hummed around them, unaware. But Amara knew—the battle had spilled into the waking world.
And this time, there would be no safe zones.
- Writer
