Coming From the Shadows Series
Coming From the Shadows: Lydia
The Growing Shadows of Uncertainty
Related Stories:
- Eliza Wright – Youth Empowerment in Martial Arts: Eliza’s Tae-Kwon Do Match
- A Friend in Need – Silent Screams for Help: A Friend in Need
- Eliza and Tyler 1 – A Playful Romance: Eliza and Tyler’s Journey
- Eliza and Tyler 2 – Eliza and Tyler: A Tale of Love and Vulnerability
Introduction:
The city of Los Angeles, a beacon of hope amidst the encroaching darkness of the second World War; the streets pulsed with nervous energy, a hurried symphony of clattering trams, honking automobiles and the hurried footsteps of men and women caught in the relentless tide of wartime demands.
The sun beat down on the sprawling metropolis – it cast long, dramatic shadows that seemed to mirror an uncertainty within the air.
High above all this frenzy though, nestled in the hills of Hollywood; a mansion of opulent grandeur stood; here, a different battle raged – Victor, a man who’s silver hair and impeccably tailored suit couldn’t hide the venom that was within his eyes; he laid sprawled out on the Persian rug, his face was a mask of fury.
Stood over him, holding a sword pointed directly towards his throat was Lydia; her features etched with a determination, the years of training, fighting and sacrifice she had endured; at 52 Years of age, she was a master in the art of death; a warrior who had sworn to destroy the insidious machinations of the Imperium and its grand design upon the world “It’s over” Lydia stated
“No” Victor growled, taking in a deep breath; his chest was heaving from the fierce fight they had just concluded
“Without you; it will crumble, never in your organisations history have you been leaderless” she said, her tone cold and firm
Before Lydia could deliver the final blow though; the heavy oak doors burst open; a man, face a picture of indifference eyed her with Victor on the ground; this was Stanley; ‘Lucky’ he thought, he hadn’t expected the scene before him – in truth his reasons for even being there was to do exactly as Lydia was just about too, to end Victor’s reign over the Imperium, he had discovered the prison, unleashed the monstrosity that the Imperium had been seeking for so long, and it had been him; Stanley, that had accomplished it – now, right at the moment power needed to change, he’d timed his arrival as Lydia held Victor at her mercy.
As Lydia gazed upon Stanley, she recognised him; he had been a soldier she saw before her son had left to join the war effort – his presence confused her, then she sensed it; there was something behind him, a darkness that shrouded the entire hallway – it’s presence was profound…, dark…, evil.
Shadows writhed and deepened, coalescing into a vortex of pure dread; the temperature plummeted; frosting the air with an unnatural chill, the vibrant colours of the room seemed to drain away leaving only a monochrome landscape of fear.
From the heart of the darkness; two crimson eyes burned like embers, piercing the veil of shadow – a realisation dawned on Lydia; the prison had been found, ‘he’ had been freed, a being of primordial chaos, a creature that defied understanding.
A voice, alien and commanding; echoed in Lydia’s mind – a voice not her own “Escape” it hissed “You must flee, now!”
Driven by an instinct she could quite understand; she darted away, spinning the sword to shove it forcefully into its scabbard as it bounced about along her side; she lunged for the nearest window; as she leapt through the glass – shattering it as she crashed through, she heard an enraged voice screaming out “She has the box!; get her, do not let her escape with the box!”
Lydia crashed down to the manicured lawn below, forcing herself into a harsh roll before springing back up to her feet, a quick glance back; she could see Stanley stood at the window she had just leapt from high above her, he raised a pistol before a loud bang rung out; she glared towards Stanley before setting off into a run as more gunshot echoed out – she disappeared from Stanley’s view – but the chilling presence had been burned into her memory, things would never be the same, Victor was no longer the threat.
Chapter 1
Blackpool, 2016
The jarring sound of Eliza’s sudden and violet retching ripped through the pre-dawn silence of the Wright household; Tyler, sprawled beside her on the bed jolted awake, his mind still thick with sleep – he watched, disorientated as Eliza shot from the bed and towards the bedroom door, she swung it open without regard as it slammed before she raced out – soon a second door slammed, the entire time, she had her left hand clamped over her mouth.
“Eliza?” he mumbled, pushing himself up onto his elbows; he heard the sound of a fresh wave of wretched sound; he sighed, pushing the duvet back and getting out of the bed.
As Tyler made his way from the bedroom, rather clumsily, he heard another door open; glancing over, he saw Raven; Eliza’s younger sister her face creased with concern “What’s going on?” she asked, her voice hushed “I heard banging”
“I’m not sure” Tyler admitted as he rubbed sleep from his eyes “Eliza just ran to the bathroom; sounds like she isn’t feeling to clever”
Tyler continued towards the bathroom; gently pushing the door open, he found Eliza slumped against the cold tiled floor; her face pale and clammy – he closed the door behind him, offering her some privacy “Eliza; are you okay?” he asked, kneeling down beside her
She shook her head weakly – her eyes were filled with utter confusion “Not really” she answered him, she shifted her positioning a moment, her eyes landing on him as she took deep breaths in, she felt really bad.
He looked at Eliza carefully; gently Tyler pulled her into his arms, holding her close – Eliza felt small and vulnerable, a stark contrast to the fierce Tae-Kwon Do fighter Tyler knew so well; after a moment, he lifted her up into his arms, carrying her back to the bedroom before gently placing her down on the bed, covering her back up in the duvet, as he joined her; she cuddled up against him quite readily before she fell back to sleep – he thought for a moment before he too fell asleep.
Chapter 2:
The morning sun streamed through the kitchen window illuminating the scene within – Eliza, looking somewhat improved but still rather pale, sat at the table, picking at her toast while Tyler was sat beside her, arms crossed and his brow furrowed with concern.
Raven, now up and about, entered the kitchen, she noticed her sister and immediately made her way towards her “Hey” she said as she slid into the chair opposite “How are you feeling?”
Eliza managed a weak smile “A little better; still not sure what it was all about though”
Their mother; Jenna, joined them alongside the youngest of the house; Dylan – Eliza and Raven’s little brother, Jenna’s own expression was etched with a wariness, she had been juggling a lot since Philip was no longer around, her gaze fell on her eldest and she looked at her with a strange expression “You look awful love” Jenna said, her tone hinting at her concern “Are you coming down with something?”
Eliza shrugged “Not sure; I just woke up with a really desperate need to be sick, don’t know what it is”
The atmosphere of the kitchen was thick with unease; Eliza, usually a strong and resilient athlete, was now uncharacteristically vulnerable.
Later into the morning; Eliza, Tyler and Raven walked from the carpark of the college campus towards the main building – Raven, a newcomer to the institution peeled away from her sister and Tyler to go and explore her surroundings, she knew full well that she more than likely end up getting lost before the end of the day.
Eliza and Tyler continued on as well, stopping briefly to share a brief kiss before continuing to their own respective classes.
As Eliza entered the lecture hall, she spotted her best friend; Sarah, she was waving over to her – Eliza smiled and went over “Eliza; Hey” Sarah greeted, but she then formed a concerned expression “You look rough; late night?”
Eliza forced a smile “Something like that” she answered “I woke up feeling really bad this morning; not sure why”
Sarah frowned, her brow furrowed with concern “Maybe you should go see a doctor; you don’t want to risk getting really sick; especially with a competition coming up soon”
Eliza nodded her head slowly – though internally, she had thousands of things running through her head, and she couldn’t quite shake the feeling that this was more than just a simple bug; a strange, unsettling feeling lingered, a feeling of unease that she couldn’t quite place.
Written By: Westley H.
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