Chereads / Shadows Before Dark / Chapter 1 - Arrival

Shadows Before Dark

🇺🇸DaoistIuCLwG
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Synopsis

Chapter 1 - Arrival

Liam was on the hunt for celestial mixed breed, Nyx. Even though he is powerful enough to destroy and help, he is not powerful enough to destroy an army headed straight to the portal to heaven. The vampires, demons, and some evil witches were plotting to find the celestial mixed breed. They had the power of both good and evil, which was the perfect power to detect.

He traveled to a small town where God had sent him. He was hooded, hiding his symbol on his forehead, meaning death. Yes, he was death, the Grim Reaper, the soul taker. God had made him in charge of taking souls to what they needed to be. He was also one of his greatest knights and protectors, besides Gabriel, obviously.

Riding on his horse, into the small town, the people began to stare. He kept his hood up as his blue eyes scanned through the crowd. Suddenly, he caught the scent. He followed it to a bakery, he looked inside and he saw an older woman. She had long grey hair, glasses, and wore an apron covered in flour. Not too far from the old lady, across the counter was a young woman. She had what looked like bandages wrapped around her eyes. her hair was black and long, falling out of the chair, her skin soft and fair. She held her head up, talking to the old woman across the room, laughing.

The man rode up to the baker, getting down from his horse, tying him to the hitch post next to the bakery. He walked in, the bell ringing, alerting the old woman.

"Hello there son, what can I do for ya?" She asked, wiping her hands on a rag, meeting him at the counter.

"Well, I think I'll have a pie." He said.

"What kind sugar, we have cherry, apple, blueberry, pinapple." She asked.

"Apple, please." He said gently.

She grabbed a plate, putting a slice of apple pie on it. She handed it to him along with a fork.

"There you go darling, anything else?" She asked.

He looked at her, thinking for a moment. He looked over to the side, looking at the woman with the bandages around her eyes. She had her head turned facing the wall and her head facing slightly down. He approached her.

"You okay, Miss?" Her head shot up facing him.

She smiled. "I'm fine, sir, just enjoying the company of my mother."

He nodded his head, looking back towards the old woman.

"May I have some water, please?" He asked.

As the old woman went to the other counter, filling a water. The man asked a question.

"Anything strange been happening around town ma'am?" He asked, the woman not flinching. Turned, giving him his water.

"Well, we have been having strange folks coming into the town. They committed a crime one night and were murdered the next."She said, handing the man a napkin and showing him to a table.

"You don't look like them, but you are a stranger. The people get nervous with strangers because of everything that has happened in the past." She said.

The man sat. "Past?" He asked.

Before the old woman answered, the young woman got up, pushing the chair back. Walking next to the pasty glass, running her hand across the top.

"Wicthes, demons, vampires." She said the end, stopping, turning her head to wear the man was sitting.

"They all come searching for something, never finding it." She said. Turning her head towards the hallways, then walking towards it.

"Goodnight, Mama." She said, stopping before she entered the dark hallway.

"Goodnight, stranger." She said, turning he her head slightly before walking into the hallway, disappearing into the darkness.

He could see a gold tint of light seep through the the blind folds.

'Found her.' He thought to himself.

He looked at the old woman. "What's your name, ma'am?"

"Celia." She said, wiping the counters. "And yours, stranger." She asked.

He looked for a moment at the pie, then looked at the woman. "Liam."

The old woman smiled. "Now we aren't strangers anymore."

Liam let out a slight smile. "Is there an inn I can stay at?" He asked.

Celia's smile faded. "No, Liam, they have been all burt down." She said, waiting for his reaction.

Liam simply sighed and stood up, placing the glass plate gently on the counter next to the woman. As he was about to put his hood on, Celia stopped him.

"I have an extra room." She said, waiting for him to respond.

The door was partially open as it began to rain. He took his hand off the door as inclosed, turning his head towards Celia, his piercing blue eyes glowing underneath his hood.

"You sure you don't mind a stranger staying in your home?" He asked.

She walked up to him with a towel in hand.

"Lots of strangers come in and destroy, and never say their name." She said. "But you, you came in and had respect." She said.

She smiled and started walking down the dark hallway, waving her hand for him to follow. She led him to a room at the end of the hallway showing him a room that was very well put together, as if there were another person staying. There were some posters and an oil lamp on a table with men jewelry and hair products next to it, but it was dusty.

"It used to be my son's room before he passed." She said, giving Liam a slight smile.

He nodded his head as the kind woman left the room, leaving him alone. He took a moment to take in everything, then leave the room to shelter his horse and grab his bag. He walked out of the room, stopping at the beginning of the hallway, sensing, the young woman watching. He walked out of the building, untying his horse taking him to the side with the other sheltered horses tying him there, taking his bag off with him back inside. He walked back down the hallway, now sensing the young woman's presence resting. He went inside the room, placing his bag in a chair by the table where the oil lamp was. He began to get comfortable, taking off his hooded armored jacket off, along with his sword, which was blessed by God and given to him for his job. He took off his metal armored boots, setting them by the chair, unbuttoned part of his shirt, and layed in the bed. Praying and drifting off the sleep. Only to be awoken by realizing someone was in the room watching him.

With a jolt, he woke up grabbing his blessed sword, aiming it at the woman whose blindfold was now off, showing off purple glowing eyes. Lighting flashed, and in that instant, she was gone. Liam quickly went to the door, opening it, finding no body but seeing the young woman's door open. He went and looked inside to see her laying peacefully at rest. Confussed he went and layed down, placing his sword on his chest and again praying and falling asleep.