shoe flapped on the concrete as he ran. He half-shuffled/half-ran down the block and then slipped into the next alley between the buildings.
Lorie stood on the sidewalk, her shopping bags down by her Prada high heels, her can of pepper spray clenched in her manicured hand, and a look of astonishment on her face. “You better run, you bum!” she called after the man.
Lorie looked at Tara. “You okay? You want me to call the police?”
Tara shook her head no, still staring down the sidewalk even though the man was gone now. “No. It’s okay.”
“You want this pepper spray?” Lorie asked Tara. “I’ve got more at home. A real estate agent always carries pepper spray with her.”
Tara looked at Lorie and smiled at her, hopefully reassuring her. “It’s okay.”
“Why didn’t you kick his ass?” Lorie asked. “You do all of that martial arts stuff …”
Tara just shrugged and shook her head – she didn’t know. It had happened so fast. And he hadn’t been trying to mug her or hurt her – he’d been delivering a message to her; that was all. He’d been trying to warn her.
A shiver ran its way up and down Tara’s skin on little spider legs.
Lorie sighed again as she picked up her shopping bags.
“God, that was strange,” Lorie said.
“Story of my life,” Tara replied.
CHAPTER FIVE
1.
As the afternoon sun slipped down towards the horizon, the Shadow Man walked through the woods until he came to the abandoned house at the edge of the trees. There had been a trail through these woods once, but the Florida vegetation had nearly overtaken it in a short amount of time. Spikey palmetto plants and vine-like vegetation had grown over the trail and it was nearly unrecognizable now. But the Shadow Man knew where the trail to the house was.
And he knew he wouldn’t need this place much longer.
Nestled among the choking brush and pine trees was the abandoned house. The house had been full of neglected junk left behind by previous owners; it looked like the house had been vacant for years. He had spent a whole day cleaning the place up, hauling junk outside and throwing it among the brush, getting the house ready for the ritual.
Soon it would be time.
Everything had to be perfect for this to work; every piece had to be in its place.
He climbed the chain link fence and hopped down into the knee-high weeds and grasses. He trudged through the vegetation that seemed like it tried to grab at his pants legs. He approached the back of the house and then walked down the side of the house and entered through the front door.
He stood just inside the living room and looked at the rest of the left-behind junk and garbage that he had stacked against one wall on the far side of the living room. Now there was a clear path through the living room to the hall that led back to the three bedrooms.
He walked through the living room and down the hall to the bedroom at the end of the hall, the master bedroom – that’s where the ritual would take place.
He stepped inside the master bedroom. He had already set up a long wooden table with ropes tied to each leg. He had collected candles in the corners of the room, some of them on stands, some of them on plates. There were red candles, white candles, and of course black candles.
Just inside the door to the bedroom, he had installed a strong metal ring in the ceiling; it was bolted to the trusses above the ceiling. There were ropes tied to the metal ring. He pulled on the ropes, testing the strength of the metal ring. This was for the witness to the ritual.
He took another look around the room, and then left. He walked back down the hall to the next empty bedroom. The only thing in this room was a wood chair at the far end, it sat facing the door.
Everything was ready.
It was almost time.
He had waited so long for this. And soon it was finally going to happen.
He entered the nearly empty bedroom, crossed the wood floor and sat down in the plain wooden chair. He
Lorie stood on the sidewalk, her shopping bags down by her Prada high heels, her can of pepper spray clenched in her manicured hand, and a look of astonishment on her face. “You better run, you bum!” she called after the man.
Lorie looked at Tara. “You okay? You want me to call the police?”
Tara shook her head no, still staring down the sidewalk even though the man was gone now. “No. It’s okay.”
“You want this pepper spray?” Lorie asked Tara. “I’ve got more at home. A real estate agent always carries pepper spray with her.”
Tara looked at Lorie and smiled at her, hopefully reassuring her. “It’s okay.”
“Why didn’t you kick his ass?” Lorie asked. “You do all of that martial arts stuff …”
Tara just shrugged and shook her head – she didn’t know. It had happened so fast. And he hadn’t been trying to mug her or hurt her – he’d been delivering a message to her; that was all. He’d been trying to warn her.
A shiver ran its way up and down Tara’s skin on little spider legs.
Lorie sighed again as she picked up her shopping bags.
“God, that was strange,” Lorie said.
“Story of my life,” Tara replied.
CHAPTER FIVE
1.
As the afternoon sun slipped down towards the horizon, the Shadow Man walked through the woods until he came to the abandoned house at the edge of the trees. There had been a trail through these woods once, but the Florida vegetation had nearly overtaken it in a short amount of time. Spikey palmetto plants and vine-like vegetation had grown over the trail and it was nearly unrecognizable now. But the Shadow Man knew where the trail to the house was.
And he knew he wouldn’t need this place much longer.
Nestled among the choking brush and pine trees was the abandoned house. The house had been full of neglected junk left behind by previous owners; it looked like the house had been vacant for years. He had spent a whole day cleaning the place up, hauling junk outside and throwing it among the brush, getting the house ready for the ritual.
Soon it would be time.
Everything had to be perfect for this to work; every piece had to be in its place.
He climbed the chain link fence and hopped down into the knee-high weeds and grasses. He trudged through the vegetation that seemed like it tried to grab at his pants legs. He approached the back of the house and then walked down the side of the house and entered through the front door.
He stood just inside the living room and looked at the rest of the left-behind junk and garbage that he had stacked against one wall on the far side of the living room. Now there was a clear path through the living room to the hall that led back to the three bedrooms.
He walked through the living room and down the hall to the bedroom at the end of the hall, the master bedroom – that’s where the ritual would take place.
He stepped inside the master bedroom. He had already set up a long wooden table with ropes tied to each leg. He had collected candles in the corners of the room, some of them on stands, some of them on plates. There were red candles, white candles, and of course black candles.
Just inside the door to the bedroom, he had installed a strong metal ring in the ceiling; it was bolted to the trusses above the ceiling. There were ropes tied to the metal ring. He pulled on the ropes, testing the strength of the metal ring. This was for the witness to the ritual.
He took another look around the room, and then left. He walked back down the hall to the next empty bedroom. The only thing in this room was a wood chair at the far end, it sat facing the door.
Everything was ready.
It was almost time.
He had waited so long for this. And soon it was finally going to happen.
He entered the nearly empty bedroom, crossed the wood floor and sat down in the plain wooden chair. He
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