How The Allies of Old began: (Novella) BORN Chapter Twenty-Three "Chased By Shadows"

Painting in Acrylic by @therealpaul

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3

Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6

Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9

Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12

Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15

Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18

Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21

Chapter 21

For those of you who missed the post of the release, I briefly explained how the series began as an idea for a Young Adult novel, and that I had in fact written what amounts to a novella taking place the summer before REBORN begins, and I decided to release it here on steemit.

BORN

Chapter Twenty-Three

And of course the moment he disappeared from view several shadow men showed up, as if they’d been waiting for her to be alone. “What are you,” she whispered, “why can I see you?” She froze as one seemed to turn towards her but the guy it was dogging suddenly shouted at someone and took off at a run, and the figure went with it.

Her heart was drumming in her chest as she made her way back towards the campsite, praying that there would be people there, lots of people, and no shadows, dear god, no shadows please….

When she reached the gate she peered out onto the dirt road, straining to see but it was full dark and there wasn’t a moon. She couldn’t hear anything either and she wavered between running back the way she’d come or racing up the path to their combined campsites, finally settling on the latter. She sprinted up the road and her heart sank when she reached the dark and silent camp. Fear slithered up her spine as she imagined a crowd of shadowy figures closing in around her and she turned to run back, her heart thundering in her chest.

The sound of guitars warming up penetrated the seemingly unnatural silence arresting her in her tracks and she strained to figure out where it was coming from. When she pinpointed it she ran up the dirt road toward the music and as she rounded the bend she saw the flickering light of a campfire. Oh thank god, she breathed. She walked up to the edge of the site where over a dozen people were seated in a circle around the fire, three of them strumming guitars and one lightly patting a drum. The rest of the group was chatting and laughing and there was a vibe to them that made her feel safe and warm. A cute blonde girl wearing glasses swiveled in her seat to reach into a cooler and noticed her standing there.

“Hi! You can pull up a chair and join us if you want.”

Anna smiled widely, “Thank you!” She grabbed a chair and the girl moved her own chair enough to let her in the circle.

“I’m Dori,” she said holding out a hand.

She took it, “Anna. Thanks, my camp is around the bend and no one’s back yet, I was a little creeped out then I heard the guitars so…”

Dori giggled, “No problem.” She turned towards the group,
“This is Anna everyone.”

“Hey Anna, welcome!” One of the guys with guitars held a glass to her in salute and the rest of the people mimicked him.

“Thanks everyone!”

“Do you need a beer?” Dori asked.

She grimaced, “Thanks but I overdid it earlier.”

Dori nodded, “Well if you change your mind the cooler’s behind me.”

For the next hour Anna chatted with Dori and another girl named Mary while the musicians played-excellently she thought, better than most of the bands inside-and her earlier fear dissipated. When the guys took a break from their playing she was introduced to everyone and she could have happily stayed there the rest of the night but she knew she’d better check in at camp before a search party commenced…oh who was she kidding, there probably already was one. She steeled herself against the small dark stretch between this camp and hers, thanked everyone and told them she’d be seeing them, then set off down the road.

“Oh my God Anna! Where the hell have you been!” Jess exclaimed, hurrying up to her as she walked into camp.

She sighed, “I came here but no one else had come back yet so I walked around the circle and found a campfire with some people playing guitars.”

“And you didn’t think to call anyone and let them know?” Jenna demanded, walking up next to her sister, a hand on her hip.

She grimaced, “I’ve had a hard night, please don’t yell at me.”

“Anna,” Jess huffed, “people are still looking for you…”
Anna watched as her friend sent out a text-FOUND HER, AT CAMP, and sighed again. “I got in a fight with Austin.”

The girls exchanged a look, “We know,” Jenna stated.

“He thinks I have a thing for Leo.”

Jess’s brow arched, “Do you?”

“NO! Damn it! I don’t even really like the guy. Even when he was apologizing to me for the other night he was blaming his friends and I didn’t believe him. But I had consumed way too much alcohol and I was fighting just to stay coherent…and okay the guy is physically attractive…” she saw Jess glance past her and wince and she trailed off knowing with absolute certainty Austin was somewhere behind her. And that he had heard what she’d just said. Fucking perfect.

She turned in time to see him striding away...again.

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