Shadow Kiss

Prologue

******Zak’s P.O.V.******

“Zak, let’s stop here for a sec,” Aaron piped up pointing out the window. I looked over real quick to see what he was referring to. My eyes immediately went back to the road.
“No. HELL no,” I immediately replied.
Aaron laughed. “Awh, come on, man! It’ll be fun.”
I narrowed my eyes at him before concentrating back on the road. My hands gripped the steering wheel. The exit for the place was coming up soon.
“I have already been to one of those places. I’m not going to another one. Not after what you guys did to me that last time.”
I was referring to the time we had gone to the Clown Hotel and I, for once, had started getting comfortable around the creepy ass things. I mean seriously? How can something so creepy that is constantly smiling considered to be friendly and lovable? I just don’t get it. If you ask me, those painted on smiles were hiding the fact that they were really psychopaths out to murder little children…and grown men. After we had left the hotel, I had been walking out to the car and was speaking to Nick when I looked over and noticed the creepiest fucking clown (something straight out of Poltergeist) sitting in the driver’s seat. It was smiling at me like it wanted to eat my soul. That shit scared me so bad I fell right out of the fucking car. Nick and Aaron were on my case about it for the next couple weeks. Assholes.
“But this one isn’t filled with clowns. And it’s not a hotel. It’s just a little shop. AND it has a palm reader,” Aaron stressed.
“Yeah, c’mon dude, lighten up. Wouldn’t it be interesting to have your future read to you?” Nick chimed in from the backseat.
The exit was steadily approaching. It was now or never on my part to decide. Feeling their burning gazes on me, I gave in and turned off on the exit to head to the little shop.
“Haha! I knew you couldn’t resist!” Aaron laughed.
“I just didn’t want to hear you guys whining about it the rest of the investigation,” I grumbled.
“You know you wanted to check it out,” Nick said nudging me with his elbow.
I smiled. “Maybe a bit.” These guys better pray they don’t pull another stupid stunt like the last time. Otherwise I’m locking them inside Bob Mackey’s by themselves for a week.
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“Welcome to my little shop of wonders,” the old woman smiled as we entered her shop.
“More like little shop of horrors,” Nick whispered in my ear. I smiled.
It was true. This place seemed to be more horrific than full of wonders. Shrunken heads were hanging from the ceiling, random anatomy parts were stored in jars, and skulls were scattered along the few shelves in the tiny store. Although I did see some herbs and spices, but for the most part it was full of stuff I would never think of even wanting to buy.
“So you do palm reading?” I asked gazing down at her. Her silver hair was pulled back into a low ponytail and she was bent over her cane. Her spine was probably curved like that from scoliosis or arthritis. Maybe a bit of both.
“Indeed I do. Would you like to have your future read to you?”
I shrugged. What could it hurt? “Sure. If you don’t mind.”
“Come with me, child,” she coughed. She motioned for me to follow her to the back of the store where she had a small table set up that was covered with a royal purple cloth. Two chairs sat on either side of the small round table.
“Have a seat,” she said waving toward the chair as she sat down in the one opposite of mine. I glanced up at Nick and Aaron as I sat down. They had their cameras up and already filming what was going on. Figures.
“You guys don’t really have to record this,” I pressed.
“Oh, but we do,” Aaron smiled mischievously.
I nodded and looked back at the woman.
“Your hand please my boy,” she politely commanded. I placed my larger hand in hers.
She grabbed my hand in both of hers and began running her fingers along my palm. Her touch was so light, it began to tickle, but I kept my composure lest the guys tape it and air it on television. My gaze slid over to Nick and Aaron. Aaron was behind me recording while Nick was getting up close and personal to what was going on.
“Interesting. Very interesting,” the woman mumbled.
“What?”
“You lead a very strange life. One that has damned your soul.”
I gaped at the woman in shock. “Excuse me?”
“The things you hunt…they are not always as good natured as you hope them to be. Many of them are cunning and filled with a vengeance. Many are demons who have cursed your soul by the marks they put on your body. You do have a long life line though, which is good. That means you have many more healthy, albeit rough, years ahead of you,” she explained.
“Well, we do go to haunted places and hunt down the ghosts. We merely want to prove their existence since there are so many still in doubt even after the proof we show them.”
“There is a woman,” she abruptly replied.
“What? Oh no. You must be mistaken. I’m not seeing anyone right now,” I explained.
“Not now, but there will be. A woman who will be a light in your darkness. She will help you out of your eternal damnation.”
“I don’t feel as though I need to be led out of the darkness. I’m not surrounded by it in the first place.”
The woman’s cloudy blue eyes locked with mine. “She will be able to see the things you are too blind to notice. She will save you from the horrors you are bound to face. Find her quickly and do not let her out of your reach once you find her. Because if you do…you will never be saved.”