Life Curse: Taber Blood I

Chapter 8

The shadow wasn't of a person or animal. Better to say, it was like the sun had risen and fallen, casting lightness and darkness across walls and floors in a matter of seconds. For a brief moment, Macey tried to imagine what could create such an illumination throughout the hall. What did it matter? Whatever caused the phenomenon threatened their security. She jumped up and carried Jared to the bathroom. Swore as she shut the door and locked it. They huddled between the toilet and tub. Moisture soaked through Jared's shirt as if he had a high fever that broke. He snatched his mother's shirt and covered his face. His one solace a flower-scented sweatshirt, and his mother's arm wrapped tight around his shoulders. He squeezed his eyes tight blocking any intruder from entering his safe world. Then, protected by his mother, he whispered, "I love you, mommy." 

"I love you too, Jared."

The door vibrated, scaring both mother and son. They squeezed each other tight and watched as the handle rotated, left then right, sweat drizzled down the side of Macey's temple. Finally, she pulled her shirt from Jared's face and placed her finger to her lips, signaling him to stay quiet. There was nothing in sight to use as a weapon, besides what use is a weapon against an unseen enemy? So, Macey did what most helpless mothers would do; she hugged her son and whispered everything would be ok, and after a long wait, they fell asleep.

Macey stirred from a deep sleep and reached for her blanket to fend off the cool breeze.  Cool breeze? Wait, there shouldn't be a breeze unless, of course, it came from a vent. She opened her eyes.  No way this is happening. How did she get here? Macey rose from the chair that faced the hand-painted family tree. Is it the morning? She stumbled toward the door, fuzzy-headed, with at least one question that required an immediate answer.  Where is Jared? 

As she rushed to the door looking back over her shoulder, the tree shimmered like it always does, but this time it resembled wicked arms with long fingers. Macey rotated the doorknob, vowing to remove all doors in the house; she flung the door open. Aiming her sights on the staircase, determined to find Jared, she took two steps at a time to reach the top. Her knee crashed with a stair sending a jolt of pain up her leg. Macey navigated the last five steps on all four limbs and sprinted to her destination. 

Crashing through Jared's bedroom door, she said, "Jared." But he wasn't there. The bed was untouched, indicating Jared had not slept in it during the night. Did she leave him in Sarah's bathroom? Macey spun around, spying the entire room. She checked his bathroom. Empty. The drapes were open after she had closed them yesterday. Didn't she? Instinct screamed; something was wrong with the window.  Drawn to it by an unexplained force, she gazed out into the night. The sky began to light up as the sun rose from the east. Over at the tree line, she saw a figure. A closer look revealed that the shadow figure was Jared, and another person lurked in the tree line just a few feet from him. Her heart stopped, then raced. She pounded her fist on the pane. Of all the horrors she's experienced since moving back to the mansion, the inability to save her son was the most devastating part. 

"Jared!" Macey tried to lift the window, but it was stuck or locked. She didn't know which and had no time to investigate. Macey rushed from the room and ran down the stairs, and flew past Daniel at the bottom. He watched as she burst out the front door. Outside, the ground was moist from the overnight dew, and the sun was above the tree line. A surreal finding considering it was a half-hour from peeking over the tree line a moment ago. She cleared the corner of the building where Jared sat at the patio table. A plate of pancakes and blueberries in front of him. 

"Jared!" 

"Good morning, Mom." 

Daniel came up from the rear out of breath, "Ma'am, may I assist you?" He had chased her from the bottom of the stairs.