Status: Extremely active
The Watchers
IV
Driving gave Riley the chance she needed to completely calm herself. The feeling of her heart rate finally slowing and the slightly cool breeze blowing through her window cheered her slightly, and she found herself singing along to the radio while pushing the man from her mind.
The sun sinking into the horizon sent shockwaves of color across the flat expanse of the sky. Saturated by the day’s sun, the never ending cornfields that surrounded the small gravel road she was driving on blazed with shimmering, undulating gold. For the briefest of moments, the only thing occupying Riley’s mind was sheer fascination at the shimmering sea that encircled her.
The cornfields steadily gave way to heat stunted scrub trees as the tiny town of Wayland shimmered out of the dust. A few minutes later Riley was driving down a deserted road, through a rusted gate, and up the winding path to her home.
The house hovered precariously on the edge of a hill, its black silhouette rolling across the dead, sun scorched grass. Oak and maple trees of differing sizes crowded around the sides and back, dappling the reddish sunlight. The house was old, having been in Riley’s family for generations, and despite her best efforts, it showed. The dark brown paint that covered the exterior was chipping off sporadically. The four rigidly square windows, one on either side of the door, and two on the second story, jutted outward as if the entire building were sickly and starving for nourishment.
It could not be more far from the truth however. The fragile and windblown looking structure was probably the most secure place Riley could hide away in.
Riley pulled the car in the driveway to the side of the house and made it to her door with the sun dying against her back. Rather than using a key from the key ring that contained her car keys, Riley reached into the neck of her shirt and pulled out a long chain at the end of which were two keys and a thick silver disk. The disk was covered in strange symbols, many of which closely resembled Egyptian hieroglyphics. Riley had previously attempted to decipher the strange letters, but even with her knowledge there were many that remained unknown to her.
Selecting the larger of the two keys, Riley opened the door. Before stepping inside, she paused to examine the large runes she had carved into the doorway to make sure all of them were intact. Any indication of smudging or disintegrating would have been an indicator that someone was inside waiting for her, and after the scare at the café, she was not willing to take that chance.
Riley found her strong façade failing her as the sun sank lower and she hurried through the doorway with a shudder. Along with the darkness came beings that, without the protection of the runes on her various doorways and windows, she would not be able to fend off on her own.
Walking quickly through the mudroom, Riley moved through a second, rune covered doorway to a large hallway with a high stepped staircase. She slipped down the hallway with barely a glance at the familiar ancestral pictures that covered the wall or the glaring off color spot where a mirror used to be.
She dropped her heavy bag on the floor next to the small kitchen table and peeled off her damp work shirt before throwing it on the chair next to her bag. The chain around her neck swung free with the motion and she tucked it impatiently under her tank top before flipping on the light. The air conditioner clicked on, causing her to stiffen and immediately look for the dark haired man.
“Maybe I haven’t forgotten after all.” Riley muttered, laughing at herself.
The wards around her doorway should have calmed here, but they weren't. She felt unsettled and highly aware of her own movements. The sound of the silence pressed in on her ears. She hummed a random tune as she bustled around the kitchen; banging around exaggeratedly to cover the lack of noise.
Riley set a pot of water on the stove to boil, studiously avoiding looking out the window into the darkness of the backyard. If she didn't look, she wouldn't see anything out there, which meant there was nothing there, she reasoned.
Riley had just poured noodles into the pot when the slightest of noises broke the tense silence that surrounded her. If she hadn't been so jumpy, she might have missed the slight rushing of something moving over the carpet in the living room. She leapt so suddenly she dropped the plastic spoon with a clatter as the heavy silence descended again.
The sun sinking into the horizon sent shockwaves of color across the flat expanse of the sky. Saturated by the day’s sun, the never ending cornfields that surrounded the small gravel road she was driving on blazed with shimmering, undulating gold. For the briefest of moments, the only thing occupying Riley’s mind was sheer fascination at the shimmering sea that encircled her.
The cornfields steadily gave way to heat stunted scrub trees as the tiny town of Wayland shimmered out of the dust. A few minutes later Riley was driving down a deserted road, through a rusted gate, and up the winding path to her home.
The house hovered precariously on the edge of a hill, its black silhouette rolling across the dead, sun scorched grass. Oak and maple trees of differing sizes crowded around the sides and back, dappling the reddish sunlight. The house was old, having been in Riley’s family for generations, and despite her best efforts, it showed. The dark brown paint that covered the exterior was chipping off sporadically. The four rigidly square windows, one on either side of the door, and two on the second story, jutted outward as if the entire building were sickly and starving for nourishment.
It could not be more far from the truth however. The fragile and windblown looking structure was probably the most secure place Riley could hide away in.
Riley pulled the car in the driveway to the side of the house and made it to her door with the sun dying against her back. Rather than using a key from the key ring that contained her car keys, Riley reached into the neck of her shirt and pulled out a long chain at the end of which were two keys and a thick silver disk. The disk was covered in strange symbols, many of which closely resembled Egyptian hieroglyphics. Riley had previously attempted to decipher the strange letters, but even with her knowledge there were many that remained unknown to her.
Selecting the larger of the two keys, Riley opened the door. Before stepping inside, she paused to examine the large runes she had carved into the doorway to make sure all of them were intact. Any indication of smudging or disintegrating would have been an indicator that someone was inside waiting for her, and after the scare at the café, she was not willing to take that chance.
Riley found her strong façade failing her as the sun sank lower and she hurried through the doorway with a shudder. Along with the darkness came beings that, without the protection of the runes on her various doorways and windows, she would not be able to fend off on her own.
Walking quickly through the mudroom, Riley moved through a second, rune covered doorway to a large hallway with a high stepped staircase. She slipped down the hallway with barely a glance at the familiar ancestral pictures that covered the wall or the glaring off color spot where a mirror used to be.
She dropped her heavy bag on the floor next to the small kitchen table and peeled off her damp work shirt before throwing it on the chair next to her bag. The chain around her neck swung free with the motion and she tucked it impatiently under her tank top before flipping on the light. The air conditioner clicked on, causing her to stiffen and immediately look for the dark haired man.
“Maybe I haven’t forgotten after all.” Riley muttered, laughing at herself.
The wards around her doorway should have calmed here, but they weren't. She felt unsettled and highly aware of her own movements. The sound of the silence pressed in on her ears. She hummed a random tune as she bustled around the kitchen; banging around exaggeratedly to cover the lack of noise.
Riley set a pot of water on the stove to boil, studiously avoiding looking out the window into the darkness of the backyard. If she didn't look, she wouldn't see anything out there, which meant there was nothing there, she reasoned.
Riley had just poured noodles into the pot when the slightest of noises broke the tense silence that surrounded her. If she hadn't been so jumpy, she might have missed the slight rushing of something moving over the carpet in the living room. She leapt so suddenly she dropped the plastic spoon with a clatter as the heavy silence descended again.