Beneath the whispers

Chapter 11

The cool evening breeze dispel my gold strands all over my face forcing me to tug them behind my ears every single minute, Tony and Olivia were a few feet behind me. We had stopped fast-walking when we got tired and after hours of trying to get us to talk to each other, Tony had found Olivia to be a very good ‘conversationist’ – his words not mine.

Much to my displeasure, their giggles are growing loud in the silent atmosphere, and the houses a finger count some 50 plots around us, most of which were presumably empty.

The breeze grew even colder making me squeeze her arms, shivering a little and some distant whispering grow in my ears like someone was talking into my ears and yet it felt distant at the same time. The words are indistinct and difficult to make out.

“Did you hear that?” I turn towards them. Olivia’s face glowing from laughter and Tony's amused face managing a chuckle, I frown and turn away. This was the very reason I had not looked at them since I asked Tony to give me space – Hearing them giggle was enough torture. The whisper grew louder and the air around flung violently at me making my hair go thrilling in a bunch of messy strands.

“Bella! Run! It's the Shadows!” I heard Tony yell from behind me. From the breath in his voice he was already running, before I could so much as move he catches up with me and drags me along with him. Olivia panted loudly beside us, our shoes pounding on the thick soil below us.

The whispers grew even louder and now like a piercing squeak, my ears is starting to hurt and my legs getting all the more heavy. I forced air into my aching chest but my lungs couldn’t get enough. Fighting the urge to slap my ears shut as it could reduce my running speed I squeezed my lids against each other.

The whispers uttered some words repeatedly which I couldn’t make out – well if I was in a calmer situation and I have my ears plunged in maybe I would know what gibberish it is saying. but these words grew distorted as they grew louder and then the voices grew deeper and deeper.

My heart sinks within me when I noticed my hands had slipped off Tony’s. I couldn’t breathe until I had fallen to the ground, now panting profusely

“Bella!” His voice railed from the dark cloud that swayed violently around me, the force of the air lifts me up, and then I notice the clouds starts to form human figures that made rounds around me, this time the whispers sounded like they were being whispered directly into my ears and that was when I realize what all these meant – I was being taken!

“Tony! Help!” I yelled, brushing the doubts from my head but yet again – he could not have heard me anyway because I could barely hear myself. A palm stretches out from the dark cloud which I grab but the chills from the cold stiff fingers make me jerk and I release it immediately

The shadows suddenly disappeared making me fall again on my hands panting heavily as sweat drops to the dry soil from my face, I sniff the liquid oozing from my nose and wiping my mouth with the back of my hand not caring that my lipstick had smeared all over my cheek.

Looking up, the flames oozing from the burning coal in a frying pan lit the old woman's face above me. I cringed the moment my gaze rested on her face – As if the shadows were not scary enough. The woman has a mean look that squeezed her wrinkles all the more. gathering enough breath I mutter “my friends .."

“you were the one they wanted to take” she interrupts me. Tony and Olivia raced towards me, the force from the dark clouds wind had knocked them out somewhere a few feet from where I was panting. Which only meant the hand I grabbed was not Tony's. My eyes were wide with fear looking from them to my right palm and then back to them.

“Oh my God Bella, are you okay?” Olivia says, inspecting me like the shadows might have narrowed out some flesh from a hidden part of my body while Tony pulled me in for a tight hug instead.

This had been a long day for me, in fact, a long weekend, from catching my cheating boyfriend whom I loved to finding my best friend in this weird ass town and finding out she still holds a grudge against me and now I was almost kidnapped by the very own shadows that I spent hours convincing myself did not virtually exist and in all this I held back my tears, forcing them down to clog my throat, carrying each burden after me and for what exactly? I finally break down in loud sobs fisting on Tony’s shirt.

“Enough of this pity party, the Shadows will come back the moment this coal burns out” The woman's stern voice interrupted Olivia's attempt to join the hug.

“I am okay” I whisper but Tony doesn't let go, he lifts me up so my head rests on his chest with my hands wrapped around his neck

“I am here " The breath from his voice rests on my neck, shutting my teary eyes as the last drops make their way down my cheeks.