A sea of people flooded through the mall. Loud voices filled the air, and laughter bounced off the walls. A million footsteps slid past each other, and a dozen eyes caught several glances. The stores were calling out to them, and they were itching to buy. And it was just another regular weekend until she crashed through the storefront window.

Shards of glass smashed down around her. A line of blood crisscrossed together. Footsteps thundered against the floor, but one crunched down against broken pieces of the window. And a body struggled to move against the fall, but her strength was gone. And all she could do was look at the one, who was coming for her.

The man leaned down and brushed a strand of hair away from her face. His eyes were dark, menacing, but his face held no expression. His hand was cold, and his footsteps echoed heavily against the tiled floor. And a small laugh escaped his lips.

“What’s so funny?”

“I’ll tell you what’s so funny.” He leaned closer to her. “You’ll never be able to escape me.”

“We’ll see.” She struggled to sit up. “You might be stronger than me now, but one day, I’m going to kick your ass.” His hand snapped against her face. “One day.” She licked her bloody lip. “You’ll see.”

“I will, won’t I?” His breath smelled of death. “When are you going to learn, Rina? I own you.” He grabbed her by the arms and forced her to stand. “One day, you’ll realize that. One day.”

“We’ll see, now won’t we?” He snarled at her words. “So, are you going to kill me, or are you going to let me go?”

“Until we meet again.” He threw her away from him. “Whether asleep or awake, I will find you.” He took a step toward her. “And one day, I will kill you.”

“Maybe, or maybe, one day, I will kill you.”

Rina’s eyes snapped open. Her body ached as if she had been sliced to pieces, and then she remembered her fall. But she was safe and sound in her bed, and the alarm clock was screaming to be silenced. And she had to wake up for school.

As she hurried through her morning routine, her mind kept returning to that dream. He was getting stronger, and fighting him was becoming harder. But who was he, and why was he fixated on her? And would there come a day when she would never awake again?

Her days at school were usually hectic, and there were always the same bullies to avoid. But today promised to be an easy day, and she needed that after the dream that she had. Her class was going on a field trip to a local radio station, and she was secretly thrilled to see what the life of a disc jockey was like. And afterward, rumor had it that they would go to the mall to do some shopping, and that would have made her happy. But after her dream, the last place that she would want to go today would be there.

The trip to the local radio station didn’t last as long as she would have liked. They got a tour of the whole building, and then they got to sit in on a live radio show for about twenty minutes. And then it was back to the bus, and her stomach turned at the thought of going to the mall. But it wasn’t like he would be there. He was just a figment of her imagination, but why couldn’t she shake him? And why was she allowing him to hurt her like he did?

Rina trailed behind her classmates, lost in thought. The teacher stayed beside her, and she knew that he was watching her. She was never the one to fit in, get along with her classmates, and it seemed to be a bad sign for kids these days to remain alone. But nobody understood her not even her parents, and she was tired of trying to fit in. And then he came, making things worse.

She stepped through the corridor and into the stairwell. The door slammed a little too hard behind her, but she shrugged it off. And she walked toward the EXIT door before her, but it refused to open. And she sighed loudly as her teacher even tried to give the door a shove.

“Rina.” She recognized his voice. “Over here.” She sensed him standing nearby in the stairwell. “I found you again.”

“Good for you.”

“What was that?” The teacher glanced at her. “Did you say something?” He still struggled with the door.

“No.” Rina tried not to look behind her. “I said nothing.” She closed her eyes. “Open the door.”

“I’m trying, but it’s stuck.” The teacher twisted the doorknob.

“You can’t escape me.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see something dark leaning against the stairs. Its eyes were cold, red, and its focus was on her. And invisible claws stretched out toward her, but as they hung close to her back, they dared not touch her. He was playing with her, and obviously he was not a figment of her imagination. And this was not a dream.

“Open the door.” The teacher glared at her. “I need to get out of here.”

“Don’t worry, Rina. I’ll get you out of here.” She could hear his laughter echo throughout the stairwell. “Did you hear something?”

She did not respond. Instead, she focused on her anger. She could feel her strength growing, and he suddenly stopped laughing. If she had to, she would fight him. She would end this dance, and he sensed her thoughts.

“Got it.” The teacher threw open the door. “Something really jammed this door.” He looked at the lock, but it seemed fine. “Come on. I’m sure the bus is still waiting for us.” He started to step outside. “Come on, Rina.”

She slowly moved toward him, but she still sensed his presence. He remained in the stairwell, watching her. She could sense his own anger, his hate, but she would not be his puppet anymore. If he was looking for someone to torment, it would not be her, and if he dared to harm her again in her dreams, she would fight. She would take his life.

“You can’t defeat me.” A shadow clung to the stairwell. “I won’t let you go.”

“You can do whatever you want to do.” She turned around to face him. “I’m not afraid of you anymore.” She picked up on his fear. “I’m stronger than you, and you know it. Now, go back to wherever you came from.”

“Rina.” She sensed the teacher standing behind her. “Who are you talking to?”

“Nobody.” She looked at him. “Nobody at all.” She stormed past him and walked outside. “Come on. We’re going to be late.”

For the rest of that school year, her teacher never looked at her the same way, but she didn’t care. She would just pass his class and move on to the next grade, and her peers would continue to treat her as the same, an outcast. But at least, when she put her head down on the pillow and closed her eyes, she would not fall into any more dark dreams, and her mind would not be left in turmoil. And whoever or whatever he was had left, returning to wherever he had come from, and if he were to return again, she would be ready for him. She was stronger than him, and she never realized it until that day in the stairwell. And she discovered that he was afraid of her, and if they ever met again, she would not surrender so easily. She would fight until her last breath, and deep in her heart, she knew she would win.

Shadows in the Stairwell

by, Melissa Rachel