Shades - Episode 6

Shades – episode 6
It's a cold, spring morning and leaves blow across the playground. Grisky and Shamus are leaning against the wall. "Hey Shamus. I'd like to tell you something and I don't want you talking to Joe about this. He has enough to worry about with Bridget in a coma."
"What is it pal."
"Strange shadows are following me. It's been happening since the catacombs. I'm afraid."
"Don't worry. You're an explosive wielding, once-dead giant!"
"These things are too shifty. Too ethereal. They scare the crap out of me. It's all too unreal."
"Hey chill. You'll never guess who is coming to town!"
"Who?" All joy has left Grisky's face.
"Monster hunter Kaluga! He'll help!"
"Shit. That's all we need. Haven't you noticed that you're not human? I can envision him blowing your face off with a shotgun."
"Way to piss on my parade."
"You're a year five! You shouldn't use that language!"
"You sound like my mum." The bell goes.
"Just...meet me in the park after school okay."

Night time. Wind whistles through the trees and the fountain gurgles and trickles. Grisky is stranding under a streetlamp and Shamus walks towards him. "See look there!" Grisky points to the tree line and the shadows there seem to flow. "You're right Grisky. That is scary." A jet black hand shoots out and waves around Shamus and Grisky. They nearly pass out from fright but manage to stay on they're feet. It touches the space between Grisky's eyes and disappears into the night. Grisky and Shamus run as fast as they can back home." That is not natural!"

Shamus and Grisky are playing Halo: Reach on the Xbox they have. Joe walks into the room, Dishevelled. "Hey, it's not looking good. The docs say she'll make it but the is still a chance of...chance of." He trails off and slowly drags his finger across his neck. He walks upstairs with a look on his face that screams depressed. Soft sobbing comes from his room. "Poor Joe. It's my entire fault. We went down there for me." Shamus stands up and slaps Grisky.
"Pull yourself together. You weren't selfish and if you didn't go down I'd have DIED! Now...Joe is in his room crying. Let him cry himself out. Now let's get back to this wholesale carnage. I think we should check out that Kaluga guy tomorrow."
"Fine...but you did die..." Grisky says quietly.

The wind has died down to a gentle breeze. "You knock first. You're human." Shamus says. Grisky knocks three times on the door of the RV. A tall muscled man comes out holding a silver sword. "What do you want kids!" He says angrily. His voice is scarred and gravelly. "We have a scary monster problem. We normally handle these things ourselves but I have no clue what it is."
"You must be Joe. I've heard about you from the other townsfolk come in."
"Actually he's Grisky."
"Oh I've heard about him too come in and ma-"He stops suddenly and glares at Shamus. "YOU!" He says with a voice like a landslide. "You're not human!" He plunges the sword into Shamus's forehead." A. Please take the sword out of my head B. I was human and C. How'd you know?"
"I can smell your inhumanity." He takes the sword out of Shamus's head and it flows back together. "Oh? You're a nymph?" Shamus turns red. Literally.
"I'M NOT A NYMPH!"
"Yeesh." Kaluga says. "Come in." Grisky and Shamus step into the RV. Its basic decor is normal but there are sets of silver swords on the wall, bunches of herbs and bottles of holy water dotted all over the place. "What is it?" Kaluga says as he sits in a large puffy armchair. "Shadows are following me and a large shadow hand assaulted me and Shamus in the park."
"Hmm...Come back tomorrow and I'll tell you what's after you."
"Fine by us." Shamus says.
"And I got my eye on you, you little Scottish hydro." Grisky and Shamus leave the RV. "He is really annoying." Shamus says.
"Nymph...ahhahahha. Classic. He is a few drops short of a potion though."
"Exactly."

Joe is sitting on the couch, watching TV. He looks at Grisky as he walks in. He is beaming like a lunatic. "Are you okay?" Grisky asks slowly.
"Yes! The doctors said Bridget will be fine and they gave me these green pills they said were anti-depressants. I'm fine!"
"Good. Listen...Do you think you could take some more bad news..."
"Sure!" Joe says, still smiling.
"I'm being hunted by shadows."
"Oh. Listen...will you come to the hospital with me?"
"Fine...Now-What are you watching?" Grisky sits down and watches TV with Joe for the rest of the night.

Grisky and Joe stand by Bridget's bed. She is hooked up to a drip and her heart rate is slow. Bip...Bip...Bip...Bip. "Sad isn't it." Joe says. He swallows some more pills. "Guess so..." Grisky replies. As soon as he finishes Bridget convulse wildly and her heart rate triples. It suddenly slows and she sits bolt upright-Her eyes glowing purple and purple light shines out of her mouth. She says in a creepy echoic voice "Fear the shadows changed one, they will come for you, your friends and the flowing one! Run away from them or fight with the power of light but they will not rest until you're dead! Fight or run, fight or run..." Her eyes close and she slips back into her coma. "What the-!?" Joe yells.
"She was talking to me, Joe. Something bad is happening.

Three weeks have passed without much incident but today is the day Bridget wakes up. "Uggh...Damn hospital food." Grisky complains. They have been staying in the hospital, waiting. "Where...am I? Joe explodes out of his chair and leaps to Bridget's bed."Are you okay!"
"A bit thirsty" She replies. "How long have I been out?" Joe kisses Bridget and says "Four weeks." Grisky walks into the room.
"Eww. Awake for three minutes and already grossing me out."
"Heh. Grisky, always ruining the moment." Bridget coughs.
"Don't worry just rest." Joe says. The light suddenly cut out.
"Don't worry we'll all be fine!" One of the doctors says, worry thick in his voice.
Screams fill the dark. Not human. Twisted, monstrous screams. "Grr...Get off me!" Grisky voice pierces the screams. The dark lifts and Grisky is gone. Completely and without a trace. "Where did Grisky go!" Joe runs around the hospital looking. Several hours later Grisky is still not found. Days pass and still no trace and Joe, Bridget, Shamus and Mr sol are all sick with worry but hat is the way it is.

Grisky is chained to a pillar of solid dark in a dimly lit room. "Where is this! Who's there! What is going on?" Wispy, quiet voices echo all around him.
"We will break you. We will shatter you. We will bend you to our will. And there is nothing you can do to stop us. We will watch as you cause your friends blood to pour away and we will laugh."

The shadow is solidifying. It recently got its face back. It's smiling at its new achievement - he has caught the changed one. He will use and break him to achieve his ends. He leaves the room and flies across the night.