Learning the Shadows
Kyle awoke to the sounds of someone calling for help.
"Anybody," called a familiar voice. "Are there any more survivors?"
Kyle looked over to see Eliza asleep on his shoulder and Joe passed out in front of him. They had survived the night. The sun was just starting to rise and the shadows of the night were retreating back to where they came. Broken glass littered the floor from the window just above Joe and there were multiple deep holes in the ceiling from the creature that had attached itself to the house.
He stood up and looked out the window to see Gavin, the pilot staring toward the house. His eyes seemed to light up when he saw Kyle looking out at him.
"Kyle," he shouted in relief. "How many made it in there?"
Kyle turned and looked around the house to see if anybody had returned after the madness ended. There were a few people lying around on the floor and a blond woman lying on the couch asleep. He turned back to the window and gestured for Gaven to wait. He opened the front door and gently closed it back before walking down to the middle of the dirt path.
"Looks like around six people including me," Kyle stated as he looked over to see that the house Gaven stayed in had a busted window and long angled scratches all across the outside of his house as well. "How'd you fare?"
"Ten," he answered with a saddened expression. "Including me."
"Sixteen accounted for then," Kyle said just as much to himself as to Gaven while nodding. "How'd you survive the night?"
"I didn't have to do anything," he admitted with a shrug. "They came after everybody except for Holly and me. It was like they couldn't see us."
"That's strange," Kyle said as he turned to look at the house he had stayed in overnight. "The same thing happened to Joe in there."
"What about you?" Gaven asked.
Kyle turned back to him and felt his face burning with embarrassment. "Apparently sex has a similar effect on them."
"You had sex while you were being attacked?" Gaven asked incredulously.
"It's a long story," Kyle said, hoping Gaven would drop the subject for now. "And it was more foreplay than actual sex."
"Well, any information is more helpful than what we started with," Gavin admitted with a shrug. "It seems that the ones who stayed in the houses with their names on the signs were invisible to those things."
"It does seem that way," Kyle admitted. Guilt started to wash over him. Most were planning on staying in their houses last night and he talked them out of it. If he hadn't done that then they may all be alive and counted for this morning.
"We didn't know," Gavin stated as he placed his hand on Kyle's shoulder. "We can't look back on things like this."
"Kyle," a voice called from the house behind him. Kyle turned to see Eliza through the window looking at him. She ran out the door toward him and stopped by the two men. "Who all made it?"
"Sixteen by our count," Kyle answered soberly.
"My god," she said in a shocked whisper. "How many died last night?"
"We never took count of our starting members," Gavin admitted with his head low. "We didn't know what was ahead of us."
"Where are the bodies?" She asked as she looked around.
It was strange. Kyle didn't think of that until Eliza mentioned it. There were no bodies. There were plenty of darkened spots on the ground where bodies had been, but they were not there. Did the creatures take them?
"This is so weird," she stated as she started walking around the small village. Kyle let her go as he looked around as more of the survivors began making their way out of the two houses.
"We have to keep these people alive," Gavin said to Kyle as he looked around.
"We need to figure something out before night falls again," Kyle stated in agreement just before Eliza's scream caused both men to start sprinting toward her.
She was standing in front of one of the houses and staring at the sign. As Kyle got closer, he could see what had her so worked up.
One of the names on the sign had been scratched out with blood seeping out.
"What the hell is going on here?" Eliza asked as she looked over to Kyle and Gavin as they stepped up on the porch.
Kyle couldn't quite make out what the name once said, but he assumed it was someone who had been taken away during the night. More screams from people caused him to look around to see that some of the survivors had found more signs with similar scratches on the signs.
"It's like a scavenger hunt for these monsters," Kyle said as he looked around. "We need to stay in the houses with our names on them tonight if we don't figure something else out."
"What?!" Eliza exclaimed. "I'd much rather stay with you, Kyle!"
"I'd rather you stay with me too, but I'd much rather you live through the night." Kyle turned to look Eliza in the face again. She looked scared. Her dark brown eyes shifted from one place to another as she seemed to look for a reason to discard his request. She finally gave in and a nod.
"Every house has two names on the signs right?" Gavin broke the awkward silence.
"I believe so," Kyle said as he looked back at the sign they were in front of. There was one other name that wasn't scratched out on the sign. "Carolyn Garnett."
The three walked toward the middle of the path and called for everyone to approach them for a meeting. The survivors all met in front of them and Kyle waited until the last one approached before speaking.
"I was wrong last night to suggest we packed in two houses," he started. "You have no idea how sorry I am for that, but how could any of us know what was going to happen? Look, I think we should stay inside our named houses tonight. That might be the only thing that stops us from being attacked again. Those that were in their named houses last night weren't attacked. We think it's linked."
"The scratches," one person called out with a quiver in their voice.
"We're thinking that those things are hunting us," he started. "When they get us, they scratch our name off the sign. Look for the sign with your own name on it and find your partner. Some of you won't have a partner because of last night. For that, I'm truly sorry."
Everyone silently agreed to follow along with his plan and split up again. He looked around as people were being paired off with each other. He walked up to each house as he searched for his own name, but hadn't had any luck yet. As he walked toward the house on the opposite side of the village than the one he had stayed in the previous night, he noticed the blond woman that had been sleeping on the couch across next to it. She held her hand up to a scratch mark as she cried.
He looked away feeling sorrow for her. She would end up having to spend the night alone with those things screaming outside. She had to be terrified knowing that they didn't even know if it was going to work.
There was a woman standing at the last cabin waiting for anyone to approach. He made it to the porch steps before she spoke.
"Kyle Sanders?" She asked as he stepped up next to her and seen his name on the sign.
"That's me," he stated. "And you must be," he read the name on the sign. "Krystal Shonda."
"Yes," she said with a shy smile. She was a woman of average height with a dark Hispanic skin tone and facial features. In any normal circumstance he would be trying to flirt with her, but in the moment of fight or flight like they were in at the moment, sex was the furthest thing on his mind.
"Looks like we're roomies," he said in a light tone, trying to brighten the situation with a little smile.
"Looks like it," she said as she fidgeted around nervously. She was wearing some kind of sports shirt with the number 11 on it. Her body was muscular like she played some kind of sport, with thick thighs and broader shoulders than Eliza's.
"What sport do you play?" He asked, trying to get her mind off the situation.
"Soccer," she answered as she stopped her fidgeting for a moment. "I use to play soccer. I just graduated from college and was taking a vacation before starting my new career."
"And what career is that?" He asked as he opened the door to the house and looked inside.
"PE Coach," she answered as he stepped into the house and looked around. The layout was exactly the same as the other house. The front door opened into a large living room with an open kitchen to the left and a hallway leading to two doors which would inevitably lead to a bedroom and a bathroom.
"That's great," he stated as he walked down the hallway.
"What about you?" She asked as she desperately tried to keep the conversation going.
"I'm a fighter," he answered as he opened one door that sure enough led to a bathroom. "I'm one of those fools that steps into a ring with other fools and we beat each other down until one of us either tap out or just doesn't get back up."
"Wow," she said in an impressed tone. "You know, I thought you looked familiar."
"You've seen me?" He asked as he opened the other door to see a bedroom complete with bed and everything.
"I believe so," she said as she followed him into the bedroom and walked past him toward the large dresser. "I think I watched one of your fights at a party once."
"Well, it's a small world after all," he laughed as he looked out the bedroom window to see the forest line. He studied it to see if he could spot any of those creatures peeking out toward the village. There was nothing to see through.
"Can I ask you something?" She asked as she opened one of the drawers.
"Sure," he answered, not taking his eyes off the tree line.
"I saw you and that woman last night," she started. "I saw what she was doing to do."
"That's not a question," he stated as he turned to look at her.
"Sorry," she said, looking embarrassed. "Are you and that woman, like, together?"
Kyle stared at her for a minute. She refused to look into his eyes. She was more embarrassed by the public events than he was.
"No," he finally answered. "We are not."
"Okay," she said with a quick sigh. "Good."
