UNSEEN SHADOWS

Samantha's POV 'Marcus." The name hung there, weighty and threatening. I glanced at Alex, trying to make sense of everything, and my heart hammered. Though there was always someone larger, someone dragging strings from the shadows, this was different. This felt personally, quite dangerously intimate. Alex's face had become white, his typically assured manner faltering as he at last mentioned the name. Clearly, he was afraid, and that alone made me more afraid than anything Jared had ever done. If Alex was terrified, we were dealing with something far worse than we had thought. "Who is he?" My voice just above a whisper, I asked. "What wants Marcus?" Frustrated, Alex ran a hand through his hair and saw every line of his face reflected. Unlike Jared, he is not like Marcus... he is incredibly strong in ways you cannot fathom. From the shadows, he commands everything, dragging strings even invisible to us. His comments seemed weighty, crushing down on me. Jared had been terrible enough; but, this? This represented a whole fresh degree of risk. "Why hadn't you before mentioned him?" Alex's voice was tight with regret, "Because I didn't know how deep he was involved," he said. "I assumed we were dealing with Jared and his troops. I felt we could manage it. But Marcus, he is unique. Jared was given the tools he needed to pursue us by him. He has been observing and waited for the perfect opportunity. I shook my head attempting to put things together. So what then? If Marcus is as strong as you suggest, how do we combat him? "We don't," Alex replied softly, his jaw tightened. "Not exactly." Head-on opposition to Marcus is suicide. We really have to be clever. My annoyance erupted, the terror making it difficult to reason rationally. What then is the strategy, Alex? Are we expected to run indefinitely? Since I'm bored running. I'm bored of always trailing while they pull all the strings! Alex extended his hand lightly on my arm. His touch grounded me even as the panic tried to swallow me. Sam, we will not run indefinitely. Still, we have to know what we are working with. Before we do anything, we have to know what Marcus wants. And how are we to accomplish that? With a tight voice, I asked. "How do we even get near enough to figure out his plans without getting killed in the process?" Alex paused for a time then turned away, the quiet between us heavy with conflict. I could see he was hiding something. More than he was revealing here was involved. I pushed, getting closer to Alex. "What aren't you sharing with me? His eyes returned to mine, his face clearly marked with strife. I briefly considered him not responding. Then he sighed, the weight of whatever secret he was carrying dragging his shoulders down. "There is someone," he murmured softly. "Someone Marcus used to know really closely. She might have the solutions we need. "Who?" Curious despite the anxiety still biting at me, I inquired. Alex's mouth grew tighter. She is Lila. Before she vanished, Marcus included her within his inner circle. Though risky, she understands Marcus's perspective. She can help us if anyone else is able. "Where is she?," I wondered. My heart was hammering with the weight of this fresh insight. Alex said, raking a hand through his hair once again, a nervous habit I had only recently observed: "I've been trying to track her down." But she has spent years concealing. Finding her will not be simple whether she is still alive. An icy shudder slid down my back. Lilah. a woman who had been close to Marcus now on the run. It sounded so much like something else. But this was our only clue; if Alex trusted her, we were forced to do so. "What then should we do??" I questioned, my voice firm among the whirl of feelings inside me. Alex continued, her voice steady: "We found her." We find her and persuade her to assist us. But we have to exercise caution. Marcus sees everywhere. Should he learn that we are searching for Lila, he will kill her as well as us before we have time to stop him. Knowing the seriousness of the matter, I nodded. This was no more about running from Jared. This was about revealing something far darker and far more expansive. And we seemed to be sprinting against time. As we traversed the city, Alex and myself could clearly be tense. We had left the alley behind and fled any residual hazards under cover of darkness. The usual buzz and bustle of the city was subdued amid the eerily quiet streets, as though the planet was holding its breath waiting for whatever came next. "Do you suppose Lila would assist us?" I broke the stillness by asking. Alex did not respond straight away. His eyes were fixed on the road ahead; his ideas clearly turned elsewhere. At last, he said his voice low. "I am not sure. But should she fail, we have little choices. I swallowed hard, his words laying over me like a weighted blanket. There were no assurances; we were headed into the unknown. Though it was all we had, it was a risky gamble. Alex stopped the car in front of a run-down structure that appeared to have been deserted for years as we neared the outside of the city. The paint was flaking off the walls, the windows boarded. It looked not like the kind of place someone would voluntarily conceal. Alex murmured, his voice tight: "This is it." "This is where she is??" I asked, incredulity tinting my voice. "How did you find it?" Alex looked at me, his face incomprehensible. "I had been trailing her for some time. She will be here if she is still living in the city. As I looked at the edifice, a pit developed in my gut. It seemed like the sort of place where secrets grew, where the shadows murmured of things better left forgotten. Still, we had traveled too far to turn around now. Alex unlocked his door without more comment, then emerged into the chilly night air. My nerves on tight as we neared the door, I trailed him. The door creaked open with a disturbing groan to expose a dark, narrow corridor smelling of mildew and rot. Following Alex inside, I could feel my palms sweating and my heart pounding. Every stride seemed to be our last. It became difficult to see more than a few feet ahead as the gloom closed in all around us. Alex, though, moved deliberately, his body tight but under control. He recognized this spot, at least he knew how to negotiate the risk hiding within it. We arrived at the end of the corridor, where a single door hung somewhat ajar, what felt like an eternity. Alex looked at me, his eyes darting across mine for any trace of doubt. I nodded, sharpening myself for whatever we were about to encounter. He opened the door, and the chamber beyond was just barely illuminated, producing lengthy shadows over the floor. A woman with a half-hidden face in the shadows sat in the middle of the room. Her stance was laid back, yet her presence had a sharpness that set my nerves on fire. "Alex," she replied, her voice cool and silky. "I was wondering when you would find me. She entered the light and unveiled a gorgeous woman with sharp features and eyes that appeared to cut through the shadows. She clearly was not to be discounted; there was something sinister about her. "You have been following me," Lila said, her eyes straying between Alex and me. And today you have at last caught up. What do you desire? Alex moved forward, his face insunable. "We need your assistance.". Lila raised an eyebrow and started a slow smile over her face. Naturally, you do. But tell me, Alex—why should I care? The room's air grew colder, and the suspense thick enough to cut. Lila's eyes sparkled with something unpleasant, and I felt as though whatever assistance we required from her would cost something. One price we might not be ready to pay.