Fan Fiction ❯ ShadowBaby ❯ Journey To A New Home ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Eight months later.
Anna curled up underneath her mother’s tight embrace as she was trying to shield herself from the harsh rain that poured down on them.
Dena huffed and panted as she ran as fast as she could from the wretched house that she was thrown out of.
Tears streamed down her face as she remembered what happened earlier.

All was calm and quiet as she studied for a final exam that she had to take in order to pass her English III honors class. It seemed natural and peaceful as she listened to her new Simple Plan CD and hummed along with it.
Then her father slammed the door open.
Dena was use to this kind of sudden intrusion so she paid it no mind.
That is until he marched over to her baby and yanked her out of her small basanet.
Dena noticed his aggresivness when her baby started to cry. She ran over to him and started to yell, “What the hell is wrong with you? Put her down right now. Where the hell are you going?”
Hugh didn’t respond. His eyes glared at her and then he shoved her unto the bed. He then ran out of the room. Shortly after he ran out of the house.
Dena ran after him. She passed by her mother on the way out and yelled, “Why didn’t you stop him? Where is he taking my baby?”
Mrs. Lowe didn’t respond. Her eyes were blood shot and Dena noticed a joint laying next to her on the counter.
Dena wasn’t shocked to see this either. She had found out her mom was a drug addict a month after she brought her baby home. Dena continued to run out of the house and followed her dad.
Anna screamed at the top of her lungs for her mother.
Dena ran faster as she saw him lay her on top of an old oak stump. She watched in horror as he went out into his shed and returned with a garbage bag.
“What are you doing?” Dena screamed as she grabed her baby off of the stump.
“I’m sending this bastard child to hell where it belongs.” he snarled as he threw the garbage bag on the ground and pointed a finger at Anna.
“No,” Dena screamed, “I won’t let you touch my baby.”
Hugh smacked Dena across the face.
Dena lost her footing and went crashing down onto the fallen autum leaves. Her eyes widoned as her baby rolled next to her. She reached out for her, but her father grabbed her by her right hand and yanked her up.
“You have disgraced this family long enough. As far as I am consurned we don’t have a daughter, only a whore.” her father spat as he threw her back down, “If you wish to keep this bastard child be my guest, but you will not raise it in my house. I don’t ever want to see you or that wretched child of yours again.”
Dena wept tears as she grabbed her crying infant and ran away from her house.
The cold night air stung her face and she held her baby closer.
A pair of glowing eyes watched from the shed window as the young girl and the infant disappeared into the night’s abyss grasp. His head hung low and he whispered, “Forgive me.”

Dena’s head shook away the memory and she concentrated on finding shelter for the night. She noticed a highway bridge and sought refuge under it.
“Shhhh,” she whispered lovingly to her infant, “it will be alright.”
Anna stopped crying and reached out to her mother. A sneaze escaped her small parted lips as she closed her eyes and went to sleep.
‘You sure do sleep a lot,’ Dena thought as she wrapped her jacket around Anna.
Dena, on better judgement, decided not to sleep and watched her baby squirm at the cold breeze that would sometimes pass by. She decided her baby deserved better then this.
Two weeks passed. Dena and Anna lived under every bridge the crossed toward’s Dena’s destination. Anna ate mostly breast milk, and Dena would steal food for herself. She also stole food for Anna when she had the chance. Their clothes were tattered and torn. Dena stole some clothes every now and then. They never stayed in one place for to long, in case the law was after them.
When they finally reached her destination Dena sighed with relief. She stared down at her dirty infant and smiled lovingly at her. Tears formed at her eyes as she laid her down next to the door and raised her fist to the big oak wooden doors. ‘This is for the best,’ she thought as her hand knocked loudly on the door. Then she quickly placed a note beside her infant and ran off behind the large green shrubs that were right next to the building.
A few minutes passed before a scrawny looking woman opened the door and peered down at the small infant. Her face smiled as she read the note and looked down at young Anna with a loving smile. Then she took the basket with her as she reentered the giant building.
Dena cried silently behind the large shrubs as the door finally closed. ‘It is for the best,’ she thought as she ran away from the building and into the crowd of people.
Three months later.
Dena never forgave herself for denying her child. ‘I never wanted her anyways…right,’ she thought as she stuck a needle into her arm and injected a clear green liquid into her veins. She winced at first but soon relaxed.
‘Never wanted her…’ she thought as she drifted of into a peaceful slumber.
The next morning a bunch of skater skids came across the ragged homeless teenager. One of them recognized her as the missing teen they saw on the news from Corryton. The instantly tried to wake her, but she wouldn’t moved. They felt her skin and it felt as cold as ice. She didn’t have a pulse either. The boy who recognized her freaked and called the 911.
When they arrived the pronounced her dead and carried her body away. Later the papers declared the missing teen was dead from a drug overdose. Her location was under the Memorial Green Bridge located in Clinton, Tennessee. The news grew old though and they soon forgot about her after her burial took place. All her friends showed up for the funeral. Even her parents came and wept. Her father cursed himself for kicking her out and wished he could take it back. Truth be told he was upset the next day. He thought she would be back by morning and they could go on with their lives, but when she didn’t return he filed a missing person report and pleaded for them to find her. Now she was dead, and he only had himself to blame. Soon he couldn’t live with the guilt and shot himself in the head. A funeral was made for him a week later. The next to go was Mrs. Lowe. She also had a drug overdose on crack and died the following morning. Cory was the last of the Lowe’s left, beside his grandmother. Soon he disappeared off the face of the earth. Rumors said he killed himself too and the police just hadn’t found the body yet. Some say he just couldn’t handle the death of everyone he loved and moved away to escape the pain. No one really knows though, and everyone still questions what happened to him.
What happened to the baby though was the biggest mystery off all. The Lowes, before they killed themselves, believed she died from the harsh autum winds. Some say she was drowned by her mother. Other’s knew better though. Others believed she had survived and was being raised by a caring loving family. What they didn’t expect though that she was at an orphanage located in the Knoxville area. Soon the news died as well and they all declared the baby was a lost case and that she was dead. So life returned to normal until a new killing took place. Then the small town would be a buzz with the gossip on the streets. Everyone soon new about it, and soon everyone forgot. This was a never ending event and seemed to never halter.
Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months, months turned to years. Nine years have passed and young Anna still resided at the loving orphanage. She had grown into a caring young girl. She was a kind, sweet little soul that loved animals and loved to draw.
The nuns at the orphanage took a shinning to her. She seemed different form the rest. She was a shy flower bud, awaiting to bloom one day.
Anna felt at peace there and never asked questions about her mother or how she came to be in this place. Then the day came when she was finally adopted.
The whole staff showed up and showered her with praises and farewells. The other kids also wished her luck in the outside world. Anna cried happy tears as she strolled out into her new family’s car. It all seemed so right to the idiotic girl. She clutched her mother’s coat to her though. The very same coat she was left in. Somehow she felt connected to her when she held it. Anna would secretly pray into it, hoping her mother was alright and well. Inside that piece of cloth though lived a being of supernatural powers. Anna didn’t know this though. He didn’t want her to know.
He muffled with unshed tears as he watched her from afar. Knowing that his daughter’s mother was dead and was watching over her too. He hadn’t told her about him yet either, he was afraid of the questions that would follow.
Anna clutched the tattered jacket and stared helplessly out the window.
“Are you scared?” the young fat woman asked as she reached out to her.
Anna flinched and nodded her head.
“Don’t be,” she whispered, “you’re going to like it at your new home. We have a pool, a room all made out for you, and plenty of kids in our neighborhood for you to play with if you ever get bored. We also have cable TV, the nuns told me you love to watch TV.”
The man driving grunted with annoyance.
Anna smiled and said, “I do, thank you.”
When they finally reached their home Anna starred at it with awe and horror at the same time. It was a simple colonial wooden house. It had two stories and a raggedy fence that surrounded it. There was dead flowers and weeds everywhere; rusty pikes sticking out of the ground were seen from the back. It looked really old, but homey none the less. There was some dense woods behind it too.
Anna carried her bags inside and the grumpy old man that always wore a frown showed her where her room was.
“This is where you will be staying,” he grunted.
“Thank you,” Anna whimpered as she began to unpack. Her room was decorated with plain stuff, nothing fancy. She had a small twin size bed that even an adult could sleep on. Her dressers were plain old wooden ones. Her closet was small and all the toys they had bought for her were either cracked or broken.
The young buldgy woman came in and said, “Now we have rules in this house young lady.”
Anna listened carefully.
“The rules are…you do everything we tell you to do, got it?”
Anna nodded and agreed.
The fat woman who was going to be her new mom placed a fake loving smile on her face and said, “Good, because I would hate to have to kick you out into the dirty streets.”
Anna gulped in fear. The nuns always told her how dangerous it is living on the streets. She did not want to become a homeless person.
“Now first thing tomorrow morning you will start your chores,” the woman said as she glared at the jacket, “and that jacket gets thrown out too.”
Anna gasped and clutched the jacket tighter.
“First thing tomorrow morning I’m throwing that nasty thing out.”
Anna watched with fright as she left. When the woman left she frantically searched for a place to hide her mother’s jacket.
‘I won’t let her take this,’ she thought as she ran to the closet. There was nothing there to hide it behind.
The shadow man noticed her frantic behavior and he too began to worry. He leapt off the jacket when Anna wasn’t looking and searched around in the closet. Finally he found a lose piece of wood and smirked to himself. He carefully made his way back to Dena’s old jacket and thought, ‘In the still of the night I will hide it for you.’
Anna wept that night. Her minds raised about at the image of her new mother taking away the only thing she held dear to her heart. She cried herself to sleep and still she clutched to the old tattered cloth.
When she was fast asleep the shadow man risked his presence. He new Dena was watching Anna as she slept, he could even see her ghostly presence sitting right next to Anna. She sung a lullabye that she new Anna would hear. For humans, when they sleep, are tuned into the spiritual world. He slithered down form the jacket and crept about.
Dena slightly gasped as she saw the black ooze slither down from her jacket. Her eyes widoned as it took on the form of a handsome young man.
The shadow man didn’t pay any attention to her though and grabed the jacket away from Anna’s tight grasp, being careful not to rip it though.
“Who are you and what are you doing here?” she hissed.
“Hey put that back, that’s my daughter’s jacket, it’s the only thing she has left to remember me by.” she snareled as she chased after the young shadow man.
The shadow man opened up the closet door and peered around for the loose board. When he found it he smirked and quietly yanked it from it’s nesting place.
Dena watched the man place her tattered jacket behind the board and looked at him with concern. ’He’s hiding the jacket,’ she thought as she took a step back.
The young shadow man then placed the board back and quietly hammered it back into place. “There,” he stated as he studied his workmanship, “that fat old bitch will never find it now.”
Dena ran and sat next to him. “Who are you,” she asked in a monotone voice, “answer me.”
The shadow man sighed and started to walk back over towards Anna.
“Stay away from her.” Dena hissed as she ran past him and took a protective stance in front of her child. She then charged at him.
The shadow creature easily averted her and turned back into ooze.
Dena tripped and fell towards the floor.
The shadow man gallantly caught her and looked lovingly into her eyes. “Now is that anyway to treat the father of your child?” he asked as he kissed her hard on the lips.
Dena gasped and her eyes literally buldged out of their sockets.
The shadow man snickered and said, “It’s true, I’m your babies daddy.”
Dena began to cry, “It can’t be. I don’t even know you.”
The shadow man scowled and said, “Believe what you want, but I am your baby’s daddy. I was the one who knocked you up at that party. I was the one feeding your baby when you woke up that one time. Believe it Dena, I am Anna’s father.”
“Tell me your name,” she stuttered.
“I don’t have a name,” he answered.
“Well of course you have a name,” Dena hissed.
“You can’t have a name if you are a shadow,” he stated.
“A shadow,” Dena questioned.
“Yes a shadow, I’m a protégé of my master. He created me to be nothing more then a shadow creature. Truth be told I’m more dead then alive. That’s how come I can see you.” he explained.
“But how did you…” she stuttered.
“I may be a shadow, but even shadow’s can overcome people. I can take on a human form at will and possess anyone I chose. I chose to take on my shadow human form to….well you know…and boom two months later you found out you were pregnant.”
Dena glared at him.
“Sorry if I haven’t been around, well truth be told I was always around. I only appeared at night though and only around Anna. I would always whisper to you before I returned into my shadow state form though.”
Dena glanced over at Anna and asked, “If you are basically an apparition, and I’m or was a human, then what is Anna?”
“Don’t worry, Anna is human. She just has more pshycic abilities then others. She’s not going to ooze into a shadow or anything like that. She will become a powerful spiritual guide though.”
Dena snorted, “What the hell. Why the hell did you get me knocked up? Why not some slut? Do you know how much trouble you cause me?”
The shadow man snorted back, “hey it wasn’t my idea to have a kid. My master sent me, and believe me I have to obey her fat ass.” He soon covered his mouth though and said, “Shit.”
“Master, who the hell is your master?” Dena shot back at him.
The shadow man dropped her and muttered, “She’s going to kill me.”
“Tell me who the hell SHE is.” Dena shouted.
“SHE is the bitch that pulled me out of hell and sent me to do her bidding. SHE plans on doing something with OUR daughter.”
Dena gasped, “What, what did you say….YOUR FROM HELL?”
The shadow man slapped his hands over his ears.
“ANNA IS A SPAWN OF EVIL, WHAT THE HELL.” Dena screamed as she paced around the room.
“Anna isn’t evil,” the shadow man muttered, “trust me the girl isn’t evil.”
Dena glared at him and said, “Anna is tainted by you. I always knew something was wrong with her. Now I know why.”
“Shut up,” the shadow man snarled, “granted I didn’t want this I still love her. I’ll be damned if you say I tainted her. I made sure she wasn’t tainted. Hell I suppressed my powers so they wouldn’t be transferred into her. You think I want a child born in the human world to melt into shadows? Do you even know how difficult it is hiding all the time? I can never experience any emotions or any kind of warmth. I have to always hide amongst the shadows and watch my baby girl grow up without knowing who her mother or father is. You think I planned for all of this?”
Dena cried and asked, “What does your master want with my child?”
“I don’t know,” the shadow man snapped, “she just told me to get you knocked up. Oh and boy did I knock you up.” A perverted grin formed on his face.
Dena blushed and muttered, “Asshole.”
“Yep did it there too,” he muttered as he sat down next to Anna’s bed.
Dena glared and yelled, “Shut up.”
The shadow man smirked with victory and said, “On a side note though you were great.”
Dena blushed even more and said, “Fuck you.”
“Don’t mind if I do,” he muttered as grabbed Dena and slammed her onto his lap.
Dena squirmed and then finally gave up.
“I only wish I could have made you scream like that more often.” he whispered into her ear.
Dena, although she was a ghost, shivered.
“Dick,” she snarled.
“I believed you screamed that too. Something like Harder, harder, faster, faster.” he chuckled as pinned her down onto the ground.
Dena nervously laughed and spat, “Yeah right like I would say that to a limp thing like that.”
The shadow man frowned and said, “Well I guess you need a little memory adjustment. “ He smiled evilly as he carried the dead teen outside and away from the house.
The next morning Anna awoke to a nervous beating sound. It sounded like footsteps trudging back and forth. She looked around but saw no one inside her room.
Dena paced back in forth. ‘Crap,’ she thought, ‘crap, crap, crap.’
A low chuckle emerged from under Anna’s bed and this made Anna jump with fright.
Dena glared under the bed. She knew her daughter couldn’t see her, but she could still hear her, and her father too for that matter. She floated over to the bed and peared under it.
The shadow man, her baby’s father, was smiling as wide as he could.
She glared at him and whispered in his ear, low enough so Anna wouldn’t hear, “Be quiet you fool, she can hear us.”
The shadow man whispered back, “I know, you’re just trying to use that as an excuse so I won’t pesture you about how much you screamed last night.”
Dena blushed and whispered, “Shut up.”
The shadow man smiled in victory and pretended to zip his mouth.
A loud knock came upon Anna’s new door.
“Wake up you maggot,” snarled the old cranky man, “you need to do your chores before you eat!”
Dena glared up and so did the shadow man.
Anna quickly got out of bed and raced towards the door. When she answered it the grumpy old man pulled her outside and down into the woods.
“I want you to rake up all these leaves, then I want you to feed all the critters we have here. Then I expect you to clean up the living room. Maybe after that you can eat.” he laughed as he walked back inside.
Anna began her chores and soon she was done raking the leaves. Next she went on to feed the animals they had. This was a hard task, seeing that they had three dogs, three cats, ten birds, and she had to refill the hummingbird feeder and refill the birdbath. Her next chore was to clean the living room. Since it was a small living room it didn’t take long to clean up all the empty beer cans. When she entered the kitchen though there was no food on the counter ands she looked around with a growling stomach.
Her new mother came out and smirked as she said, “Sorry kid, you were to slow on your chores and all the food got eaten. If your hungry though there some stale bread in the cuboard and peanut butter in the fridge.”
Anna tightly clutched her stomach as she fixed herself a peanut butter sandwich. The bread tasted like chalk as she scarfed it down. She looked around for something to drink and found some juice. She didn’t think her new parents would get mad if she had a glass of it. When she was pouring it out into a plastic cup though she heard the old grumpy man yell at her.
“Put that down right now,” he yelled, “that juice is for me only! If you’re thirsty there’s a faucet next to you!”
Anna was frightened by his sudden outburst and dropped the juice onto the floor. She quickly tried to catch it, but not without half the jug spilled onto the floor.
The old man’s eyes filled with anger and he smacked Anna clear across the face. “Stupid girl,” he shouted, “look what you’ve done.
Anna’s eyes filled with tears as she ran back to her bedroom and she locked the door. Anna’s back slumped against the hard panel as she sobbed into her hands. The sting of the slap still hurt.