My 500

The Nightshadow
by Alex Harford

A car rumbled to a stop. Sienna, cross-legged on the abandoned petrol station's forecourt, lifted her head.

"You okay?" The girl had black mohican hair.

"Your hair's cool--" Sienna hesitated. She didn't want friends. Losing family hurt enough. "No petrol here."

"I stopped to check you're okay." The girl smiled. "Abandoned places are cool too?"

Sienna scanned the crumbling roof, the cracks in the concrete floor pointing to the volcano that erupted years ago. Depressing. And the girl's hair was too black. It could be the Nightshadow.

Sienna sprinted, tripping onto the harrowed field, dead apart from patches of pale grass.

"I live in Vogur," the girl shouted. "My name's--"

Sienna didn't hear the name. She slowed. In the sulphur-suffused air, thick steam rose from fumaroles. Groggy, she rubbed her misted pocket mirror and slicked up the rusty blush of hair on her otherwise shaven head. Reflected in the mirror, a black speck of the Nightshadow. Before Kevin disappeared, he showed Sienna his Fear: the Nightshadow behind him, approaching the dark cave.

Sienna first saw the Nightshadow when her parents died. Her parents were distracted, ensuring Sienna had her seatbelt on in the back after complaining it rubbed her stomach -- sore after the operation. Sienna fingered corrugated skin. The crash left no physical scars, but the operation's scar reminds her.

If Sienna ran, she'd breathe sulphur deep into her lungs and be too exhausted to continue. Walking, she'd be exposed for longer, but the Nightshadow might catch her anyway.

She ran. Her feet sank in the soft sick-yellow ground. Steam adding to the hot sweat, eggy air in her chest, she panted for breath, but she kept running, the yellow muck splatting up her jeans.

Sienna fell and wheezed in more toxic air. "Leave me alone."

The Nightshadow creeped over, dark as a black hole, the steam doing nothing to obscure it.

#

Blackness. Something squeezed Sienna's stomach, hurting like it'd explode. She moved her hands towards her face, poking herself in the eyes. She saw nothing. The Nightshadow had enshrouded her.

"Let go." Kevin's whisper swirled around her too. "Let go," it echoed.

In a cold sweat, she shivered. Kevin's telling the Nightshadow to kill her?

Sienna pinched her scar. "Ouch."

She was alive and awake. "I need to let go. The Nightshadow is my Fear."

Sienna wrestled, pushing and pulling. She rolled until she fell, splashing into light near a cave's opening, choking on freshwater as she swam. The water became shallow. She crawled. The low sun blinded her. She took her mirror from her pocket, broken shards falling from the casing. She lined them up to reflect the sun, illuminating the darkness, where beautiful stalactite formations held strong. The sandy crunch of footsteps neared.

"Kevin?"

"I'm sorry." Kevin helped her up. "Your Fear of losing me was so great, my Fear became losing you."

They walked from the cave, the sun glistening off the lake.

"I understand. I think I made a friend."

END


My 250
The Nightshadow
by Alex Harford

Sienna lifted her head as a car stopped at the abandoned petrol station.

"You okay?" The girl had black mohican hair.

Sienna didn't want friends. Losing family hurt enough. "No petrol here."

"But are you okay?" The girl smiled. "And this place is cool."

A crumbling roof and cracked concrete floor? The volcano that ended the place in the background? And the girl's hair was too black. It could be the Nightshadow.

Sienna sprinted, tripping onto the harrowed field.

"I live in Vogur," the girl shouted. "My name's--"

Sienna didn't hear the name. Thick steam rose from fumaroles. Groggy, Sienna took her pocket mirror and slicked up her hair. Reflected behind, a black speck of the Nightshadow. Before Kevin disappeared, he showed Sienna his Fear: the Nightshadow approaching a cave.

Sienna first saw the Nightshadow in the crash that killed her parents. They were distracted by Sienna, the seatbelt hurting her stomach after the operation.

Sienna fingered corrugated skin -- a reminder.

She ran again. Her feet sank in the soft ground and she fell.

The Nightshadow creeped over, dark as a black hole.

#

Blackness and pain like she was about to explode, gripping her.

"Let go." Kevin's voice, echoing.

"I need to let go. The Nightshadow is my Fear." Sienna wrestled and rolled until she fell.

Mirror shards scattered, reflecting the low sun, illuminating the darkness.

"Kevin?"

"I'm sorry." Kevin helped her up. "Your Fear became mine too."

"I understand. I think I made a friend."

END