Shadow Vision

Shadow Vision Samantha Storm

Shadow Vision Free read By Samantha Storm

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm

© copyright July 2007, Samantha Storm

This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and places are of the author’s imagination and not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or events is merely coincidence.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Prologue

My name is Friday Maxwell and I am a Demon Killer. There, I’ve said it out loud.

You can now break into

hysterical laughter or turn and walk from the room. Who would blame you? And up until two months ago I would have joined you.

I would have pointed and laughed at

the tall redheaded woman dressed all in black, who proclaimed herself a Demon Killer. I would have guffawed at the former atheist now decked out in crosses from head to toe. Screw it. I don’t care if anyone believes me. Honestly, most days I question my own sanity. But no sooner have I convinced myself it was all a bad dream than the phone rings. A masculine voice on the other end barks out a time and location and the line goes dead. The time--just after midnight. The location--a deserted warehouse or dark alley in a forgotten part of the city. Every night I pack up my gear and head out, driving into neighborhoods I would have never considered visiting under normal conditions.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Enough with this cloak and dagger crap. So everyone thinks I’m a nut job--who cares. Dear Mom, I know it’s been a while since we talked, but I wanted to tell you about my new career. I’m now a member of an elite squad. After five months of intense training I’m a fully qualified DK.

That’s right mom and

dad, I now stalk the night looking for demons to destroy. Doesn’t that make you proud? Don’t you want to boast about me to all your friends? I can imagine the conversation that would shortly follow such a letter. For months I have successfully kept my night job hidden from friends, family and associates. By day, I’m a mild-mannered computer programmer. By night I am action figure Barbie.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Chapter 1 “Move your ass!!” My partner for the night seemed to think that because he was a big, strong man that he was in charge. At some point I was going to have a serious discussion with him about it. But not tonight. Not during a training session. From the sound of things meathead had gotten himself into trouble. I was stuck in the corner behind a wall of boxes. But the urgency in his voice set my body in motion. I started forward, staying low. The hairs on my neck stood up--a warning system I’d learned not to second-guess. I threw myself across the floor, and slid into the wall as a fireball whizzed over my head. That was entirely too close for comfort. “Maxwell, how many times have I told you to make a quick scan as you’re working your away across the room?” Commander Olson demanded. I tried to ignore the throb in my elbow as I pushed myself slowly to my feet. I knew the Commander didn’t expect an answer. My mouth would stay firmly clamped shut until he repeated the question. He stood at the end of the room, buzzed blonde hair, all six feet nine-inches dressed

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm entirely in black. Commander Olson looked every inch the ex-soldier he was. His foot was currently in the middle of the back of the muscle-brain I was stuck with for a training partner. Smoke rose from the rod the Commander held loosely in his hand and drifting ash filled the room. I glanced back to see the black circle his fire ball had made on one of the metal chairs that populated the training room. A close call like that one could still have left me badly burned. Not for the first time, I repressed a shudder at the thought of facing the full destructive power of a demon. When I turned back the Commander had stepped back to allow meathead to stand up. “Jennings, I’m beginning to doubt you’re ever going to get this. Not only did you walk into an obvious trap, you called your partner out of cover to share your fate.” When Jennings didn’t make a move, the Commander knelt down. “You’re a danger to yourself, son, and you’re going to get whoever works with your sorry ass killed.” The Commander poked him on the forehead a few times to emphasize his words, then shook his head in disgust and straightened up. Jennings finally got to his feet, but kept his mouth shut.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm And I didn’t blame him, smart ass is not a skill appreciated by those with military backgrounds. A lesson I was still trying to learn. The Commander began to move across the room, the wooden rod in his hand twirling fast in an intricate pattern, left, right, up and then down. He lunged back towards us, the black polished tip suddenly stopped inches from my head. Instead of reacting to the Commander’s movements, I had just watched like an idiot. It was the third time in an hour I had been tagged. In training you were just tagged. Demons, however, have never grasped the concept of “do-over” so tags were taken very seriously here. The Commander lowered the fire stick and moved in front of us, the expression on his face now one of mild tolerance. “That’s enough for tonight. Get cleaned up and make damn sure you stop by the medics before you leave, Maxwell. I want that elbow checked out.” It meant I was dismissed and finally free. “Yes, Sir.” I limped out of the dingy training room toward the front entrance of the warehouse. The sound of other DK’s and trainees suffering their own humiliations echoed in the huge space. The smell of dust and ash clung to my clothes

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm and even in the clean air every breath tasted like licking a piece of charcoal. Tonight, the medics were stationed in the building next to the live fire drills. “Hey, Friday!” “Go away, Harry.” Harry Smith, a man determined to get into my pants. My eyes scanned his muscle bound body. Short, curly, brown hair and a square chin covered in what, I suspected, was a well maintained five o’clock shadow, for that tough guy effect. Harry, like myself and everyone involved in the drills that night, was clad in black, but somehow Harry had managed to look expensive and tailored. I’d bet a month’s salary his t-shirt was pure cashmere. The man was more vain than most women I knew. Harry grabbed my arm, and the pain shot straight up my shoulder. “Son of a bitch.” I turned without thinking and pushed, not physically, but mentally, and Harry flew across the floor and crashed into a row of chairs. It was a rookie mistake and one I would never hear the end of if witnessed by someone in Command. I quickly scanned the area. No witnesses. But one very pissed off Harry.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm “What the hell did you do that for?” He rubbed the back of his neck and shot me looks that were, for the first time in weeks, not full of lust. “Are you alright?” I walked over and offered him my good arm. “Yeah, I’ll live.”

He took my hand and I pulled him

to his feet. “Blame it on lack of sleep and too much training.” “No sweat. I shouldn’t have grabbed you.” He leaned in and addressed my chest. “On the other hand, you could make it up to me by going out with me this Saturday.” Controlling my inclination to throw him across the room again, I calmly took a step back. “Thanks for the offer Harry, but Saturdays I do my laundry.” Harry grabbed his chest over his heart. “Ouch! Okay, no date. I heard your car is in the shop. How about I give you a ride home?” “Thanks, but I can catch a cab.” “In this part of town at 2:30 am? Dream on, Friday. I promise I won’t try to molest you.” Harry wasn’t a bad guy, just verbally lecherous towards all women. I wasn’t scared he would try to jump my bones, honestly, I was more worried during a fight he would

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm try to cop a feel. And if he did, quite unintentionally I might fry his ass. My arm throbbed and I was exhausted. It had been hours since I last ate.

Home sounded like nirvana. “I’ve got to

get my arm checked out. If you don’t mind waiting around, sure, I could use a ride.” The grin that spread across his face almost made me regret my decision. He suddenly looked entirely too pleased with himself. “Great. No problem waiting. Did I mention I own a Porsche?” * * * * Since the warehouse was in an old, depressed commercial district the only source of light came from a few scattered lampposts and the reflection off the clouds from brighter, more prosperous, neighborhoods.

Most of the

sidewalks and streets before us were dark, but at this hour the only people stirring preferred the shadows. We walked the empty streets. Leave it to Harry to arrange a midnight stroll down one of the roughest parts of the city. The idiot probably thought he was being romantic.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm “Jesus Harry, did you have to park in butt fuckin Egypt?” Harry cleared his throat and moved his body closer. “The parking garage is only a few more blocks. No way I’d park my baby on the street. How long did the medics say you have to wear that thing?” I sidestepped, putting distance between us. “Only a couple of days. They said it’s an inflamed tendon.” “Does it hurt?” He asked. I adjusted the green sling. “Like a son of a bitch. Are you sure you know where we’re going?” “Yeah, left at the next corner.” My instincts suddenly screamed at me to duck. I threw my body to the ground as fire singed the top of my head. My elbow made contact with the pavement and pain pulsed through me. My natural instinct was to lay still until the throbbing stopped, but my training kicked in and I forced myself into action. I began to roll, my free hand pushing awkwardly against the ground. I struggled to get back on my feet, but the minute I did I broke into a sprint. I needed cover. The pain in my elbow was forgotten as I slide behind the nearest parked car.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm A high pitched scream ripped through the silence and forced my mind into overdrive. I sucked in deep rasping breaths and tried to focus. What the hell was going on? I raised my head above the hood of the car and watched in horror as two large, dark figures circled Harry. Shit. This was no simulation. Demons were taking Harry down. For a moment, I was frozen. I had killed a few demons, but always under the supervision of my Instructors. I had never been in combat on my own. Everything I had been taught, all my training flashed through my head. And still I didn’t move. A blood-curdling scream finally jerked me into action. I pulled the sling over my head and threw it to the ground. A large cross appeared in one hand while the other reached down and slid a silver dagger from my boot. I took a deep breath and tried to calm my pounding heart. Must save Harry. The words buzzed around my head. I got to my feet and vaulted across the hood of the car. I focused my mind on the dark body closest to me. I raised the cross and mentally shoved, and watched in satisfaction as it flew through the air. It slammed into a lamppost and crumpled onto the ground.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm His companion turned and raised its arms. And at the site of it, staring straight at me, I became motionless. The creature’s eyes glowed a vivid red, and the coloring of the oddly shaped face kept changing from red, to orange, to purple. I realized its face was ranging through the many shades of clotting blood. And at the thought my stomach lurched. This was not a mere soldier demon, a creature of limited thought that only existed to kill, but a high order demon, rarely seen on the surface. A very powerful demon. Too powerful to be killed by one DK. Let alone one newly trained DK. I had no idea what to do. I wasn’t strong enough to take down a high order demon mentally. Every cell in my body screamed at me to make a run for it. But Harry was now on the ground, his body twisted in an odd angle. I had to help him. I raised the cross and took a step forward. “Get away from him you fucken monster.” At my words an evil, fanged smile spread across its face and its arm rose in seemingly slow motion. A sudden sweeping gesture and a wall of purplish orange fire rushed towards me.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm I dove sideways. I didn’t have time to aim, but I threw the dagger anyway. It sliced through the advancing flames and struck the demon between the eyes hilt first. The dagger clattered onto the ground. The demon stood unharmed. I had failed. The thing was still alive and kicking, and heading towards me while I lay helpless on the pavement. It laughed and raised its arms again. Another wall of fire swooshed towards me. Flames surrounded me, licking my skin, consuming the oxygen around me. If you aren’t prepared or pay attention you’re going to get yourself and your partner killed. The Commander uttered those words a dozen times every training period. The words echoed over and over in my mind while I gasped for air.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Chapter 2 I tried to open my eyes, but nothing happened. The world around me had gone pitch black. And with that realization panic set in. “You’ve been burned. Here, sit up and take a sip of this.” A strong arm lifted my upper body and cradled my head as cool liquid spilt onto my lips. I drank deeply. “Where am I?” I asked between gulps of water. “The basement of an apartment building on 42nd and Winston. My apartment to be exact.” “Basement! Where the hell is Harry!” “Keep your voice down. It’s still hunting for you outside. “Where’s Harry?” I asked again suddenly afraid to hear the answer. “Your friend is dead.” I was lowered back onto the ground and something warm, but slightly scratchy, was pulled over my body. Gentle hands tucked the material around my feet and up under my chin. The shock of Harry transitioning from a live pain in the ass to a dead brother in arms was almost too much for me. I didn’t want to think of the family that would mourn

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm him, or the man he could have been, if he had lived long enough to grow into himself. I cleared my throat trying unsuccessfully to swallow the fear that was rising from the pit of my stomach. “The demon is still out there?” “Is that what that is? A demon?” “What did you think it was?” “No idea. Just knew I didn’t want to be around when it came to its senses.” It was a little surprising that he could see a demon at all, most people just saw a dark shadow that they didn’t want to focus on. It was extremely rare to find someone who could see a demon without training, and unheard of to see it as more than an evil looking human. And even stranger, he didn’t even seem to be that surprised that it was a demon. “But I missed.” “With the knife? Yeah, but when all its attention was focused on you I picked it up and stabbed it in the back. I didn’t stay around to see if I killed it, but it seemed dazed and confused.” Suddenly something was in my hand. My fingers slid down the cool, smooth surface of the blade and across the

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm slightly raised protection symbols that had been carefully forged into the metal. It was comforting to have it back in my hands. For a moment I felt less vulnerable. But what good was a dagger when you couldn’t see? “Who are you?” “A good Samaritan.” As my body warmed under the blanket my mind started slowly functioning again. “Do you normally go around saving damsels in distress?” “Only the attractive ones.” A sudden noise set him in motion. His steps echoed as he moved across the room. “What’s wrong?” “Do you want the good news or bad news?” “Good news.” His body was beside mine again. Warm fingers brushed hair from my forehead. “You don’t look like death warmed over anymore. There’s some color in your cheeks and those burns around your eyes, don’t look as bad as they did at first.” “And the bad news?” I asked trying to ignore the little shocks of tingling pain where his skin touched mine. “Reinforcements just showed up.”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm “How many?” “I count three, maybe four. Two heading in the direction of this building. It’s time we made a graceful exit.” I forced my body up and every muscle screamed in protest. “How are your legs?” He asked. “Better than my eyes.” Hands steadied me as I got to my feet. “Where are we heading?” He began guiding me forward. “There are two ways out of the building, the front and back door. The back has been chained shut.” “Isn’t that a fire code violation?” “You can send the landlord a letter of complaint later.” “So where to?” “The roof.” “You’re joking!” His hand placed mine against a smooth wood surface. “Afraid not. Use the banister. Come on, get a move on. It’s seven stories straight up.”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm We walked in silence until a hand on my shoulder motioned me to stop. A body pushed past and the sound of male grunting and swearing filled the space around me. Metal screeched against metal. A cool breeze suddenly caressed my skin. Strong fingers wrapped around my arm pulling me slowly forward. I stumbled along using my other hand to balance against his. He suddenly stopped. “Wow!” “Wow what?” “A couple of blocks away there is a huge building on fire, it’s really going, the flames must be fifty feet in the air.” I had a sinking feeling in my stomach. “Which direction?” “South. It looks like some kind of a warehouse.” I knew what building was on fire. A training night was one of the few times you could find the entire cell for my part of the city in one place. If the demons torched the warehouse and setup a perimeter to catch anyone who escaped, they would in one stroke cripple our defenses. I had never heard of any demon attacks with that level of planning or organization. Something was dreadfully wrong, and there wasn’t much one blind and inexperienced DK could

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm do about it. For now I just had to get out of the snare, keep my ass alive, and see if there was anyone left to report to. “Now what?” I demanded. “Across to the other building.” I couldn’t keep the amusement from my voice. “How? Fly?” “I don’t know. Can you? I saw you slam that thing into a lamp post.” “No, I can’t fly.” “But you did something to it?” “Yeah.” “How?” “With my mind.” “Are there many like you walking around?” “A few.” “And how many are there of those creatures?” “You don’t want to know.” His hands left my body. I tried not to panic at the suddenly loss of human contact. Blinded, standing on the roof of an unknown building, I was suddenly filled with an overwhelming feeling of helplessness. I took a deep breath

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm and tried to calm myself. It didn’t help. My heart was pounding frantically inside my chest. I almost cried out with joy when he spoke again. “Okay, I found some boards. I can stretch a couple across to the roof of the next building.” “If you hadn’t noticed, I can’t see.” “I’m open to other suggestions. Have any?” “No.” The man was insane. There was no way I was going to try a balancing act across rooftops. Not even with my sight and a net. Two hands came to rest on either side of my shoulders. “One foot in front of the other. Take it slow. I’ll guide you from behind. And whatever you do don’t look down.” “Very funny.” It wasn’t like he was giving me much choice. His body was forcing me forward. I took one step and then another. I tried to relax, but every part of my body was screaming to retreat, to go back. I could feel his warm breath on the back of my neck. Another step and then another. I slowly made my way across the makeshift bridge. With each step I could feel the boards flex and bounce.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm And then it happened. I stepped down and felt nothing. Missed the board. The words screamed in my head as my arms reached out desperate for something to steady myself. He might have been able to keep me from falling if I hadn’t panicked. My body lurched forward. I was suddenly completely off the board and free falling to my death. Fingers dug into my wrist. The weight of my body coming to a sudden halt forced my shoulder out of its socket. The immense pain stilled the scream on my lips. My mind was filled with nothing but pain. A hot, white pain that shot up my arm and through my head, forcing the air from my lungs. “Shit… Stop struggling...,” His voice came out in gasps. “Don’t let go,” someone begged. I realized it was me. “Come on, help me out! Reach up with your other hand.” “I can’t.” “Try. I don’t know how much longer I can hold you.” I was going to die. Die, the word echoed in my mind. His voice sliced through my fogged thoughts. “Damn it! Try!” Try. I focused my whole being on the word and attempted to function again. I strained, reaching up,

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm grasping for something, anything. And then my fingers brushed against material. I grabbed a handful and started to hoist myself up. “You’re pulling me over!” he yelled. “I’m slipping.” “I can’t pull you up without losing my balance!” “Don’t drop me!” The pain in my arm had turned into a dull ache. My arm was going numb and my brain wasn’t too far behind. “I’m going to swing you." “What!” I screamed loudly and my voice bounced and echoed between the buildings. So much for keeping our whereabouts secret. It didn’t really matter if they found us now. Any minute my body would be splattered all over the pavement below. “Swing your body. I think I can get you to the fire escape,” he said as he started moving his arm slowly back and forth. My body began to sway. “Stop it! You’re insane!” “Look, I can’t hold on much longer. The fire escape. I can swing you over towards it. When I let go you’ll fall onto that landing.” “What landing? I can’t see.”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm “There’s no other choice.

Hopefully you’ll land dead

center. If not you’re going to have to make a wild grab and hope you catch hold of something.” “I‘m blind you moron!” “We’re out of choices! You’re going have to help me. Start swinging your legs.” This had to be a bad dream, a nightmare I needed desperately to wake myself from. Seconds ticked by. I hung far above the earth, suspended by a man I didn’t know, swinging ever so slightly in the night wind. My head pounded. It took me a moment to realize the thunder in my temples matched the pounding of my heart. Sheer terror. It was the first time in my life I had felt this kind of fear. True standing against the demons I felt panicked and scared, but now I was on the edge of hysteria. I could feel an insane laughter bubbling in my throat. Harry was dead. The image of his body lying on the ground, surrounded by evil, flashed across my mind. I had hesitated and because of it Harry was dead. If I had been brave, utterly fearless he might still be alive. Harry was dead, but I was still breathing. I had a chance to live. One in a million chance a little voice whispered in my ear,

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm but I forced the voice and the fear back into a corner of my mind. I concentrated on pumping my knees and legs back and forth. A chance to live. I wasn’t about to waste it. I refused to be held immobile by my fear again. The momentum started to build--causing my arm, with each twitch of motion, to throb with renewed pain. But the pain didn’t register this time. Nothing did. I was an autumn leaf on a tree preparing to fall gently to the ground. I held the image of the leaf in my mind and tried to relax. When he yelled the word “Go” my body was propelled forward.

I had no idea how far I was from the fire escape.

I had one shot at catching hold of something. My good arm reached out, hand flapping back and forth in the air prepared to connect any moment with metal. I hit the landing and rolled forward in an ungraceful jumble of limbs. My head slammed against something hard and the breath was knocked from my lungs. Gasping for air I realized someone was shouting at me from above. “Move woman. Get moving!” I rolled onto my knees and reached out. My knuckles knocked against metal. I ignored the pain in my shoulder

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm and wrapped my fingers around the railing, slowly pulling myself upright. “They’re coming!” I could hear loud noises below me. Using the railing as a guide I started climbing the stairs, pulling myself up one step at a time. I was in agony. The landing had jarred my right knee. “Faster! There are two of them heading up. They are only…” His voice was suddenly cut off. I picked up my pace, trying to ignore the shooting pain running down my arm and the new pain radiating from my knee. How many stairs were there? How long until I reached the top? And an even worse thought crept into my head, how far behind were the demons? I stopped and listened, trying to hear over the pounding of my heart. Just barely I could make out footsteps. But I wasn’t used to judging distances with my ears. I had no idea how far behind me they were. All I could do was keep going. I forced myself upwards. And then, when I thought I could go no further, I fell forward coming down hard on my hands and knees against a gravelly surface. I had made it onto the roof.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Where was my companion? If he had abandoned me, I was a goner. Blinded there was no way I could get off the roof on my own. It took me a moment to realize the gurgling noises drifting towards me were not being made by a machine. “Run…” I recognized the voice, although the words were now strangled. My companion hadn’t left after all. I unconsciously reached for the dagger and gripped it tightly in my good hand. It would be useless unless a Demon stumbled directly into me. I couldn’t stand by and let another person die, especially when I was, in theory, trained to do something about it. The world was silent again. I strained to hear which direction the noise had come. Crawling slowly forward, I realized by the time I stumbled over my companion’s body he would be dead. “Where are you?” I shouted. A grunt of pain followed by the sharp command, “Look out!” I began to roll, but it was too late. Flames scorched my body.

I kept rolling, once twice, three times. Enough I

hoped to extinguish any demon fire clinging to my clothing.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm I was hoisted suddenly into the air. Large hands squeezed my shoulders as I was lifted higher. A demon had me and every place his skin touched mine I burned in agony. Demon Fire. When it hit you risked more than just physical damage. The shit could fuck with your very soul. How much fire did it take to mess with a person and damn them for eternity? Know one knew. The Academic branch in our organization had been debating the question since the groups’ inception. Some DK’s had been on the hunt for years and never seemed affected. Other’s had been hit a few times only to see their personalities and souls altered forever. After every mission a DK was tested, probed and prodded to make sure they came back intact body and soul. What happened to the ones that didn’t pass the test? According to the rumor mill they were transferred to less sensitive areas of the organization. There were certain things about the group you were not encouraged to discuss. It wasn’t an official off-limits command, more a lack of answers, a dozen frowns and general shrugs until you got tired of asking the questions. I had heard once or twice from comrades far into their drinks rumors about an elite fighting force made up

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm entirely of altered or shadowed DK. But I had a hard time believing it. At the rate I had been pelted today who knew the current state of my soul. Damned was not something I aspired towards so my only option was to keep fighting. My arms where pinned, but my legs where free. I kicked, hard and wild and had the satisfaction of hearing a loud grunt. I twisted back and forth until finally one arm was free. I wasn’t unarmed, I still had the blade in a death grip between my fingers. I swung and heard the beast scream as it cut deep inside its body. But this was no lowly demon bursting into ash at the touch of blessed silver, this thing was far more powerful. The blade was causing it pain, but it didn’t die. I pushed the blade deeper. My hand burned as it made contact with its body, but I ignored the pain and kept driving the blade down. It was like trying to kill an elephant with a butter knife. The fire now raged down my arm and radiated through my whole body. I couldn’t keep contact much longer, soon my mind would shut down against the pain and I would lose consciousness. If I was lucky the bloody bastard would just kill me outright. But the way my luck had been running

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm it would probably drag my body back to its nest and use my sorry ass for some demonic ritual. It was then I realized I was a fucken moron. True any mental power I had was restricted to things I could see, but I was now in physical contact with this bad boy which meant I had more power over him than either of us realized. My entire body was now in agony, but I forced the pain away and began to pray. Over and over I said the words, trying to focus my thoughts on not the darkness in front of me, but instead on a wall of white light. The words floated out of my mouth until finally I felt the demon’s body tremble ever so slightly. It was working. Now it would come down to a battle of wills. Could I kill him before the demon fire killed me? And if I made it out in one piece would it be too late? Would my soul be altered forever? I felt the balance slowly shift in my favor, the burning pain began to recede and I could feel the demon weakening, but still it would not die. Hard hands grabbed me from behind and for an instant despair overcame me, my mysterious rescuer was dead and now all hope was gone. With a jerk my new assailant pulled me from the demons hands and I tumbled across the roof with no vision to tell me where I fell.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm There were brief sounds of struggle followed by silence. I had no idea what the silent roof still held to threaten me, but my body was no longer following my commands to get up, keep fighting, or get away. Instead it rebelliously decided that it needed to take a much need break, and consciousness slipped away from me yet again.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Chapter 3 “It’s an ancient order. Even its members don’t know where it started. It has been destroyed and reborn many times through the eons and yet no one really knows its origins.” “Yeah, I know Uncle David. You told me a dozen times. The central principle of the group--when man became aware and self determinate he became faced with a choice between good and evil. I’ve heard it so many times I can almost recite the thing from heart. Did anyone say when dinner will be ready?” “That’s right. Before that point there was no good and evil--it was just nature. Nature is sometimes powerful sometimes indiscriminate, but never evil. Man created the capacity for good and for evil and occasionally that good and evil walk the earth.

Somewhere back in lost history a

group formed to protect and guide man away from evil and towards good.” “So it’s a religion?” I asked truly more interested in turkey and mashed potatoes than the conversation. Uncle David spent thirty years as a professor. Most conversations with him turned into some type of academic lecture.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm “No, you aren’t paying attention, Friday. I have told you before the group is not a religion. It has no doctrine. But it accepts all religions and all doctrines that fight evil.

Members bring the rituals and symbols of their

native lands and beliefs.

But the important factor is not

the symbol, it’s the power that comes from within. Every human being is born with the innate understanding of good and evil and they choose which path to take. No book can tell you what’s good or evil--that knowledge comes from within. In the modern age the dark old powers created by man’s twisted ravings are called demons. The embodiment of their will to act for good are called angels. But those are just words and the actual creatures can take any form.” “So these demons can actually be walking around looking like you and me.” He patted my shoulder in approval. “Exactly.” My brother suddenly appeared in the doorway. “Food’s ready.” When I started to follow him into the dining room my Uncle put his hand on my arm. “Friday, remember this is just between us.” “Yeah, yeah, not something that Mom and Dad would understand.”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm “Exactly. One day when you are old enough you will be contacted.” “Contacted?” I asked. If we didn’t get to the table soon all drumsticks would be taken. “My girl, I suspect somewhere in that head of yours is a decent brain--if you could just learn to concentrate and apply yourself. Haven’t you been paying attention?” “Sure, demons walking around looking like us. No book can tell you what’s good or evil.” He let go of my arm and pushed me forward. “Exactly, that knowledge always comes from within. It doesn’t sound like much now, but understanding human nature, learning to read people, to dig into the human psyche. Well, one day it may save your life.” He whispered into my ear, “People my dear. Study people. It may be your greatest strength. The top DK all have an innate understand of the human race.” “Huh?” “Never mind. One day it will all make sense.”

My Uncle had done his best over the years to prepare me for the time when I would be asked to join up. Honestly a part of me always thought the man was a bit touched in the head. I loved him to death, but the stories he weaved

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm about hunting down evil in the dark streets of the city just seemed surreal. Maybe that’s why the dream was recurring. I had it often especially when I was under a lot of stress. It was as though some part of my mind was trying to reassure itself that this wasn’t all some made up fantasy of an insane woman. As I grew older I realized only certain people in our family were a part of the group, and keeping the secret from the rest of the family was an imperative. Evil not only doesn’t like it when you come after them, they tend to be a tad vindictive. Once you realized just how vindictive, your inclination was to separate yourself from everyone you loved, which explained why I hadn’t seen my parents in months. I had unconsciously started isolating myself from them. I had stayed in touch with a few cousins and one Aunt who were part of cells in other areas of the city. What made me different from others in my family? According to my Uncle it was something within my very soul-a power and determination that set me apart and allowed me to fight against evil. Not exactly something you could put down on a job application. But this time when I woke from the dream I realized something was seriously wrong. The normal sounds I taken

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm for granted in my apartment weren’t there. In its place odd voices in a language I didn’t understand. Even stranger aromas assaulted my nose. Last I remembered I was on a roof fighting demons. Or had that all been some awful dream? I rolled over and tried to open my eyes. Any hopes of it all being a dream left in the reality of the darkness surrounding me. Unless it was the wee hours or all windows had been covered, I was still blind and royally screwed. The rumbling of a garbage truck somewhere outside brought home my worst nightmare. It had to be morning, which meant that somewhere out there was sunlight shining that I was no longer able to see. I was blind. And the thought that it could be a permanent situation sent small trickles of sweat down my forehead. Blind or not I was a sitting duck at the moment and incapable of protecting myself. My hands frantically searched for my dagger. And found in its place smooth, cool sheets. I was in a bed. Where? I had no fucken idea. I had heard a lot of demon horror stories over the years, but never one where they drag you back to a nice comfy bed and let you recoup while they decided your fate.

Which meant

that the chances were I was no longer in danger. Good news

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm since I was too damn weak to fight anymore. Every muscle in my body trembled as I tried the simple task of sitting up. A hand gently pushed me back onto the bed and a woman’s voice whispered something I didn’t understand. I resisted the urge to swing out and instead took a deep breath before I asked, “Where am I?” Something slimy and cold was rubbed around my eyes. “Hush child. You’re safe.” The words this time were in English, but laced with a thick accent I couldn’t place. My hands went to my eyes and were slapped away. “Don’t touch. Let the salve do its work.” Something was placed in my palm and warm hands wrapped mine around a cup. “Drink this all up.” The woman’s voice demanded. “You have a fever. Drink and then sleep.” I had little choice but to obey, the cup was pushed up and the hot liquid started down my throat. It was either drink or drown. The last thing I wanted to do was sleep. Twice so far in the last twenty-four hours I had slipped into unconsciousness. And I was getting damn tired of it. I had little choice but to gulp down the last of the horrid tasting concoction. And with the last drop my thoughts began to get fuzzy.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm I had been blinded by demon fire and I had no idea where I was or what the hell was going on. And some stranger had just poisoned me. What I needed was to get my ass up. It was the last thought I had before my head hit the pillow. * * * * A fever. It could only mean the demon fire was now raging through my blood like a poison. The thought floated across my mind and then spun into a whirlwind of golden smoke. Smoke and fire suddenly surrounded my body. Flames danced across my skin and for a moment I panicked, my hands swatting at them trying to put them out before I was burned. But there was no heat, the flames were cool and soothing across my heated flesh. Instead of pain other sensations played across every inch of my skin, sinking into secret places uninvited and giving un-requested pleasures. My body relished the consuming pleasure of the flames even as my mind screamed at its brutality. I was powerless in the grasp of a force that sought to subdue me with pleasure. I thought that I would go mad with desire and fear. Terror melted into pleasure and the pleasure consumed my body and mind. And with this unexpected surrender the

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm character of the flames changed subtly. Instead of the caress of flames, the smooth flesh of many hands traveled up the curves of my thighs, stroked my buttocks, the center of my back, the tight peaks of my breasts and then moved tantalizingly down to the dark folds of my sexual center. Everywhere at once and nowhere at all the invasive seduction continued until any thought of rebellion fell away from my mind. My body suffered quakes and tremors of pleasure as I gave myself over to sensation. I saw now the rewards that came with surrender. With this though the many hands became two, and the flames took on shape. The length of my body was now pressed against a solid and very obviously male form. A hard and erect male form. My eyes fluttered open and stared into a harshly beautiful face just as its dick pierced me to my core. I could feel its pulsating length plunge into the deepest part of me. Ecstasy and pain collided and I screamed out as my body found release. With the release my mind collapsed into a spasm of horrible pleasure and the fire consumed me.

* * * *

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm I woke to the smell of food cooking. My hands immediately went to my pounding temples. Good news, I was alive. Bad news, I had the worst hangover of my life. An odd lethargy clung to my body and my brain seemed to be working at half speed. Normally in this state the last thing I would consider was food, but the wonderful aromas filling the room had woken my empty stomach and instead of making me nauseous I realized I was starving and would have to risk returning to the land of the living if I wanted the chance at a meal. Dear god, I felt like I had been hit by a semi. I sat up and took a moment to survey the damage. My shoulder and elbow only offered a slight twinge when moved, not the sharp pain I was expecting. I stretched and felt much better than I should. It should have taken days, if not weeks for all the sprains, strains, abrasions, and contusions to heal. I had seen DK’s who had been assaulted by low-order demons that had spent weeks in bed putting their tattered spirits back together. I had taken the best shots from two high-order demons and I was not only up and about, but felt downright good! Sleep could not account for it.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm I sorted that mystery onto the ever-growing pile with the rest. The one thing I hadn’t tried yet--my eyes. I had to admit to myself I was a damn chicken. My mind still rebelled against the thought of being permanently blinded. I realized waiting wasn’t going to make the answer any better, or easier to take. I paused a moment to gather my courage, and then, ever so slowly, opened them. I blinked a few times and I could see something. Now instead of pitch black there was fuzzy, undefined light. Okay, my vision was far from 20/20, but dammit anything was an improvement over eternal darkness. As I blinked furiously the haze cleared from my eyes and shapes and colors slowly came into focus. It felt as if invisible fists were pounding into my brain, but I could see! I threw back the covers and realized I was butt naked. Swell, I had been kidnapped by some sex-craved group. At this point anything was an improvement on becoming demon bait. I felt a tug at the corner of my mind. The image of a male face, the feeling of extreme bliss, but the more I tried to focus on the images and feelings the faster they

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm slipped away. I had heard rumors of people having bizarre hallucinations when demon fire coursed through their body. I spotted a folded pair of blue jeans and a white tshirt on the chair next to the bed. I had no qualms about petty larceny. The jeans were too big. There was a brown leather belt hanging from a doorknob. I wrapped the belt around my body. Also too big. I used a letter opener I found on the dresser to create a new hole--it was the only way to keep the jeans from falling to the floor. I hoped the owner of the belt was the understanding type. I slipped into a pair of white tennis shoes I found under the bed. Now fully clothed I had my first chance to take in my surroundings. The room I found myself in was awash in rich colors that were somehow warm and inviting. The walls were covered with draping hangings of deep red, green and blue that billowed and moved in the light breeze coming through the open door. A baffling variety of knickknacks covered the mismatched furniture. An expensive looking brass figurine sat on a shelf next to a cracked crystal vase and an oddly shaped blue rock. The entire room had the look of a church rummage sale, but it felt warm and sensual.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm I looked over at a clock on the wall. Nine AM. Time to be sitting in my cubicle at the office, sipping coffee and working away on some blown up piece of computer code. Crap. The office. At this point I was probably fired. I doubted very much my boss would accept, fighting against the agents of evil as an acceptable reason for not showing up to work. I had no idea how long I had been unconscious. How many days had I been MIA? So much for a company car or a raise anytime soon. Dammit to hell. No way I could talk my way out of this one. Sure Clark Kent seemed to have no problem juggling his reporter by day job and saving the world on his coffee break. Me, I sucked at the whole juggling thing. Since I had started training as a DK I had been late to my day job way too many times, and before heading off to the latest training session I had been reprimanded for using far too many sick days. Could I help it if the demands of computer programming didn’t quite compare to my night gig of fighting evil? It wasn’t like I was spending my nights, drinking and living it up. Though my coworkers and current manager, if asked, would tell you I was a party diva. What other excuse could I use when I dragged my tired ass in every morning

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm with huge bags under my eyes? When I got myself out of this current predicament I really needed to ask around to see just how people in the organization handle the whole secret identity crap. I walked down a blue hallway. No humans or demons in sight. I followed the sounds and smells of cooking into the other room, but I had to stop at the door while my tortured eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness. When the pain finally eased off I found myself looking into the gently smiling face of an old woman. “Good morning, my dear. Sit, sit. I’ll get you some breakfast” I recognized the strange accent from the night before. She was a small woman with long white hair braided into a crown that circled her head. Dressed in a colorful skirt and green bohemian shirt, the wrinkles on her face marked her age, I would have guessed somewhere in her seventies, but her eyes sparkled and made me forget for a moment she was old. And when she stared at me I found it disconcerting, as though she was seeing through me. I suddenly felt five years old. I dropped my gaze and dutifully followed orders sitting and watching her while she moved quickly and efficiently around the kitchen.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm She worked until every conceivable surface on the table was filled with plates heaping with pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, and a pile of toast. I looked around and wondered when the army she was planning to feed was arriving. “Help yourself.” She poured dark liquid into a mug sitting at my elbow. It was coffee, hot, strong and just what I needed. I drank two cups before I started in on the food. I buttered a piece of toast and asked. “And you are?” “Claire, Van’s grandmother?” “Van?” “Van Spencer. My grandson. He brought you here last night.” So my savior finally had a name. Which immediately brought two questions to mind. Why had he not been forthcoming about who he was? And who was he that he could not only see demons, but kill by my count, one, maybe two of them? I should have been grateful. If it hadn’t been for his help, I would be dead by now, or converted to the soulless. But I couldn’t help wondering who Van was. And whether or not it was pure coincidence that brought him to my rescue.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm The coffee was hot, the food was good and for the first time in a long while I felt myself relax. “Where is your grandson?” I asked between mouthfuls of bacon. “He went out to run some errands. Don’t worry, he’ll be back soon.” I wasn’t worried, I was more curious to see what my companion looked like. Okay, I admit it, a part of me was hoping he was hot. Why bother getting saved if your knight in shining armor doesn’t turn out to be some total hunk. It had been my experience they seldom were, knight’s in shining armor and, or hot, but a girl can keep hoping. I imagined asking grandma if sonny boy had a nice ass, as I took another forkful of eggs. She watched me in silence while I ate my fill. It felt like days since I had last eaten. I was debating whether or not to try stuffing down another piece of sausage and finally decided against it. I had no idea what the immediate future held. If I ate too much and was forced into a battle, I may honestly loose my breakfast. I wiped my mouth with a colorful stripped napkin and took one last sip of coffee, before letting out a content sigh. I leaned back in my chair. “Where am I?” “You’re safe.”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm “Great. I’m safe. Thanks, I appreciate it. But I am safe here… which is where?” “Does it matter?” “I guess not.” I leaned back in my chair and surveyed the room. The kitchen was large, with a wooden table and benches in place of chairs. There was only a small window over the sink and I resisted the urge to jump out of my chair and peer out. I watched Grandma, looking for any signs of I don’t know what. A clue to who she was and what the hell was going on? But Grandma was the epitome of a cool, totally laid-back chick. A role I normally kept for myself. I’d be damned if I’d let the old dame rattle me. She suddenly smiled at me as if reading my thoughts. I smiled back. “So what’s next?” “The future, like a river, is always flowing, forever changing.” The answer was not as helpful as I’d hoped. “Good to know.” She reached behind her and opened a drawer, pulling out a small wooden box. “Would you like me to read for you?” She opened the box and pulled out a deck of cards.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm “Sure, why not,” I answered, pushing dishes aside and clearing a space in the center of the table. I had played this game before. There were a few DK with Wiccan backgrounds in my cell. One in particular who was determined to give me advice on my love life any chance she got. And since I enjoyed living on my own, I gave her as little chance as possible. But, even so, I had been cornered into a few readings. I had no idea where this conversation was heading. What choice did I have but to play along? Grandma shuffled the cards and then began laying them out in a pattern I’d never seen before. A circle with a cross in the middle. The cards were also a surprise. I was used to seeing decorative covers with suites of rods, swords, cups and pentacles. This was a regular deck of playing cards. Not any different than I used on weekends when I played poker with my friends. Grandma concentrated on the cards and I concentrated on Grandma. Her eyes were an incredible blue-gray, the color of the sky just a moment before a storm explodes. “He seeks you.”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm I almost jumped out of my skin when she finally spoke. The way she said it in hushed tones sent a shiver down my spine and had me whispering back. “Who?” “The dark one.” She pointed to an ace of spades. ”There is danger all around.” I bit back my response of ‘No shit, Sherlock’ and tried to remember to be respectful of others beliefs. There are a lot of people who used Tarot to help them maneuver through their lives. Tarot was just too damn vague for me. When I asked the question who, the response I expected and wanted was an actual first name and last name, and hopefully a full mailing address. The cards seldom seemed to give direct information, more general impressions not unlike the weatherman looking up at a cloudy day and proclaiming it was going to rain. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t dismiss tarot out of hand. I had seen others use it effectively in a way that they found helpful. I was just the type of person who asked a question and liked a quick, straight answer. “Danger. Got it. Anything else?” I tried to keep from sounding bored. But I don’t think I pulled it off.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Those blue eyes suddenly were filled with anger. “You must above all not lose your faith again. If you do, you’ll be lost.” That got my attention. Not many people knew I had thrown aside my childhood religion and had for many years lived life without any faith in my fellow creatures or myself. Those years had been pretty bleak. It was only when I had been forced to reevaluate my beliefs that I had come to the conclusion there was more on this earth than we measly mortals can appreciate. Well, more than most mortals can sense anyway. Those of us given this gift, sometimes curse, of seeing the world with all its layers had no choice but to deal with the issue of good and evil on a daily basis. Those years of not caring had been bleak, but in a way much more simple. I sometimes looked fondly back at the days when the biggest problem in my life was figuring how I was going to pay both my rent and the phone bill. “You don’t believe in destiny?” She asked, not bothering to look at me as she studied the cards again. “No.” “But there is one out there. Yours alone.”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm “Cool. Does it include winning American Idol? I’ve been thinking about trying out next year. I’m really a shower singer, but you never know…” It was true I was now baiting her. I had to give the old girl credit, she didn’t fall for it, instead she chuckled while her hands swept across the table gathering the cards together. “I was only trying to warn you, Child.” “And I appreciate it, really I do.” Her right hand suddenly reached out and snatched mine. “You aren’t the type to believe in fate.” She said, studying my face. “Fate? No. I believe in hard work and lots and lots of weapons.“ She turned my hand over and slowly traced the lines of my palm. Her lips pursed. “It’s hard to make out.” I sat patiently while she glared at my palm. Finally she hissed out the words, “Water and fire. Strange...,” Before I could get out the next smart ass comment that immediately came to mind, the doorbell rang.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Chapter 4 He was nothing like I had envisioned. He was young, compact and dark, in a very sexy Antonio Banderas way. His black hair reached down past his shoulders and his eyes were the color of caramels. I felt myself caught in their hypnotic gaze while he studied me. My type had always run along the lines of blonde, blue-eyed surfer dudes, but I suddenly found my blood rise to a silent challenge that seemed to form in the air between us. People often talked about a room being electrically charged with sexual attraction. I now knew what they meant. I matched him look for look, slowly taking in the strong hands and muscular forearms. He was dressed in a brown t-shirt, blue jeans and black cowboy boots. I waited for him to say something. He didn’t. I wasn’t about to be the first to break the silence. I don’t know how long we would have stood there staring at each other if his grandmother hadn’t broken the spell. “Good, you’re back. Did you get everything on the list?”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm He reached down and picked up a bag next to his feet and handed it to her. “I found everything but the nightshade.” I recognized the name of the herb. “Nightshade, that’s poisonous isn’t it? Claire turned towards me and smiled. “It can be deadly yes, especially in the wrong hands, but it’s something I have found over the years helps with the burning.” My hands automatically went to my eyes. “No Child, for your eyes I used a healing salve.” “Are you Wiccan?” “My religion is much older--though some call my kind witch.” She turned and left the room. She didn’t offer anything more and I felt asking would some how be offensive. It was barely in my nature to be social, let alone nosey. But there were some puzzles swimming around in my head I needed to find the pieces for. It was time for straight answers to what I considered to be fairly simple questions. But as I considered the man only a few feet from me I decided maybe there was a bit more time–-a moment or two to

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm salivate over the hunky man standing now in front of me. I mean life can’t be all work and no play. My Mother would have been so proud. Her years of social training finally kicked in. I stepped forward and reached out my hand, introducing myself. “I’m Friday Maxwell.” My hand was engulfed in his. “Van.” I waited for him to add his last name. Waited for him to comment on the fact I could now see. I would have even been happy with a general weather statement. Instead we were back to staring and silence. Only this time I realized he hadn’t released my hand. People have complained in the past about my lack of small talk skills, but compared to this man I was a chatterbox. The silence was really starting to get on my nerves. I caved and asked, “So, Van. How’s tricks?” The question brought a smile to his lips. And I found myself smiling in return. He took a step forward and brushed the hair from my eyes. “The burns look much better.” Up close those dark eyes were sprinkled with streaks of gold.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm “I have something of yours.” He held out a silver cross necklace and my dagger. I took them and waited for him to step back. He didn’t. So I did. I took two steps backwards and tilted my head, considering him thru narrowed eyes. I normally don’t like people in my personal space. Especially not the mysterious, silent type–-even if the touch of his hand had made my pulse beat a little faster than normal. Something had been bugging me since I woke up. “How did you kill the demon?” I asked, my gaze now back on those caramel eyes. My tone was a little more accusatory than I had intended and I felt a little guilty. After all, he had saved my life. But it was a fair question. He took his time answering. “With your knife.” “No, I mean the one on the roof. I tried my dagger. Silver wasn’t enough to kill it.” Then I realized what had been really bothering me. “On the roof you were unarmed, so how’d you do it?” He didn’t answer.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm I wanted straight answers, but it didn’t look like I was going to get them. I was really fucken tired of playing games. “Who are you? And none of that good Samaritan crap.” “I’m no one important.” “What kind of answer is that?” “The only kind you are going to get.” We stared at each other in silence again, but this time instead of feeling all warm and fuzzy about those caramel eyes boring into me, I suddenly had the inclination to smack dark and hunky upside the head. “You killed the demon on the roof?” I demanded. “Yes.” Now we were getting somewhere. “How?” He looked away. I could see the family resemblance in his answers. Apparently the evasion of questions was genetic. My eyes scanned his body. No burn marks visible around his neck or arms. I lifted my shirt and exposed my stomach. Angry red welts crisscrossed my skin. “I have burn marks all over me, everywhere those things touched me. Why aren’t you burned?”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm When he still didn’t answer I went on, my voice getting louder with anger. “It wouldn’t burn one of its own.” “What the hell does that mean? You think I’m some evil bastard, with a kinship to those things?” He was now angry. “Do you have a better explanation?” “I think you better go.” He didn’t owe me anything. He had saved my butt, but I didn’t know him from Adam. He was a stranger--amend that, a very hot stranger, but it still didn’t mean I had a right to stand there and interrogate him. I slipped the necklace around my neck, tucked the dagger into the waist of the jeans, and headed towards the door. At the door I paused. I didn’t want to believe this man who had risked so much was one of my sworn enemies, but it was the only thing that made sense. I turned and watched him standing like a statue, arms folded in front of him. He was not looking at me, but everything about his body language shouted he was he was beyond pissed. “Thanks, for saving my life.” “Sure, anytime,” He answered, not bothering to look in my direction.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm “Tell your grandmother thanks for breakfast.” There was really nothing else to say, so I took my beat up, burned and tattered ass, and headed out the door. * * * * Headquarters was always an older house in some run down part of the city. The constant late night stream of people in and out would be nothing new to neighbors used to streets full of crime and drug trafficking. It was the type of place where people didn’t stick their nose into your business. A far cry from Mayberry. The sad thing was I could use a little Mayberry in my life right now. I took the time to check out the neighborhood before I risked heading in. Most of the traffic was on foot, with the occasional bike. The few cars that were on the streets cruised slowly by with rumbling music causing sympathetic vibrations all the way to my hiding spot between a dumpster and a broken fence. The normal dirt and trash populated the streets. Groups of young men loitered on the corner by the liquor store heckling an obviously drunk older man. Everything seemed completely normal. I closed my eyes and muttered an invocation against evil, and the effects of my prayer echoed out from me. Like

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm throwing a rock into a pond, the ripples expanded out away from me until they met resistance and bounced back towards me. What bounced back was full of a thoughtless cruelty that seemed to characterize neighborhoods such as this one, but none of the pure devotion to evil that meant there was a demon presence. Gathering courage, I stepped out from behind my cover and casually approached the run-down white and green trimmed house which sat in the middle of the block. The youths on the corner turned towards me and shouted half-heard japes, but when they saw where I was headed they turned their attention back to the hapless drunk. The neighborhood residents had, long ago, learned to leave the visitors to that house alone. I knocked on the door and was, in an instant, ushered into the safety of our chapter headquarters. “Maxwell, where the hell have you been? You look like hell.” “Thanks, Brant.” Brant, one of my DK compatriots, had been killing demons for ten years and it showed--from his premature salt and pepper hair to his tanned and lined face. For a man of thirty he looked fifty. His hazel eyes had a haunted quality to them. It was as though facing down

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm evil too many times had sucked all joy and optimism from his soul. Brant motioned to the left with his hand. “Coffee’s that–a-way.” My addiction for caffeine was well known amongst my peers. I hadn’t bothered to go home and change. I had made a beeline for the one place I knew I would feel safe. I limped across the room and poured myself a cup of java. It would be my third cup for the morning, but honestly I could have used a pot of the stuff. I still felt like shit. For a moment I just closed my eyes and took in the aroma, it didn’t matter it had probably been brewing for hours. I took a sip and smiled. Brant had made it, which meant it was strong enough to kill a horse, but it was exactly what I needed at the moment. My body had been running on adrenalin too long and I felt weak and disoriented. “No rude comments about drinking battery acid?” A puzzled expression appeared on Brant’s face as he took in my appearance. The t-shirt was several sizes too big and I had rolled up the jeans and cinched them tightly around my waist. He suddenly demanded, “What have you been doing?”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm “Not much Brant. Just spent the night evading and killing demons.” His mouth dropped open and when he didn’t say anything I continued. “How about your night? Watch any good shows on TV? Hey, do we have a paper? Me thinks I need to scope out the help wanted section.” I didn’t wait for his response. I pushed past him and headed into the office. “Hey, Aunt Bea, how’s goes it?” “Did you just call me Aunt Bea?” Lacey asked, a frown forming between her perfectly shaped eyebrows. She had always reminded me of a china doll with her golden hair, flawless skin and tailored clothes. But I had seen this doll take down a man twice her size with no more than a flick of her hand. Lacey motioned towards the kitchen. “We are out of supplies. It’s Harry’s turn to go shopping.

Next time

you’re talking to the ape can you remind him to get his butt to the store?” The name stopped me in my tracks. Harry. I closed my eyes and finished off my coffee, but as I placed the cup down on the table I realized my hands were trembling. “Do you have a cigarette?” I asked trying to keep the tremble from moving its way up my hands and into my voice.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Lacey gave me an odd look. “You don’t smoke.” “I do occasionally. Come on, I know you have a secret stash. I’ve seen you light up.” She reached inside her pocket and handed me a cigarette and a sterling silver lighter. It’s true I had technically given up smoking years ago, but I still smoked when I found myself under crushing levels of stress. I studied the pentagram engraved on the lighter and took a deep draw of tobacco. Did the Wiccan have a spell to ward off lung cancer? Cancer was the least of my worries at the moment. “He’s dead. “Who?” “Harry.” “Why, did he try to feel you up? He did that to me last drills and I swore if he touched me again I would kick his ass from here to Timbuktu.” “Lacey, he’s dead. He crossed the river.” In our line of work ‘crossed the river’ was an old term for the afterlife. I wondered if Harry had scored enough brownie points in this life to make it to the pearly gates. My mind shied away from any other possibility. “We were jumped by demons leaving the drills.”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Lacey shook her head in disbelief. “That’s impossible. We have safety measures.” I slammed my hand against the table. “Safety measures my ass. They didn’t work for shit!” Since I started training I had occasional nightmares of being attacked when I least expected it. Now here was my worst nightmare come true. “Was anyone hurt in the fire?” “What fire?” Lacey demanded. “After we were attacked they torched the place.” “We don’t know anything about a fire.” Brant walked into the room and sat down. Really it was more as though his legs collapsed from under him. “Why didn’t anyone get word to you?” It all didn’t make sense. “Were Harry and I the only ones attacked? Why didn’t someone call? Unless they couldn’t get word out.” Lacey dove towards the phone and started punching in numbers. “No answer.” Fifteen minutes of phoning and no success. There were forty-five members in our cell. “Try Phil.” Brant suggested. She shook her head. “Voice mail.” “How many people went to drills last night?” Brant demanded.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm I honestly had no idea. I closed my eyes and tried to envision myself back at practice. “Twenty, maybe twentyfive.” Lacey was now pacing the room, her hands at her temples. “If somehow they found out about the drills and they took out people on their way home, okay, but we just tried most of the list and no one is answering.” Brant exploded out of his chair. “Which means they somehow breached the whole cell!” Lacey let out a breath. “Impossible.” Brant looked around. “So why are we alive?” I answered with the only thought that came to mind. “Maybe, they didn’t have time to get here yet.” Brant turned and picked up a pile of papers off the desk. He suddenly threw them across the room. “What the hell!” I demanded. “Protocol. Scatter and destroy. We torch the place and go underground.” Lacey walked over to the window and picked up the black cat lounging on the sill. She cradled the animal in her arms, her eyes suddenly wide and if possible, her porcelain skin even paler than normal. “Brant, you can’t set the place on fire, there are people next door.”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm I watched Brant get a can of gasoline out of the closet. He started to splash gasoline against the walls. “We’ll bang on some doors on our way out. Our cell has been breached. We need to take immediate action.” In short order everything that would give any hint what really went on here and the parties involved was in a gas-drenched pile on the floor. The computer had been scrambled and torn apart, the pieces added to the ominous pile in the middle of the room. Brant herded Lacey towards the door and onto the stoop. I followed feeling like I had gotten out of one nightmare only to enter another. I was tired, exhausted. All I wanted to do was find a safe hole to crawl into. Brant went back into the house. A few minutes later he came rushing out, followed by a billowing cloud of smoke. He raised a hand to his forehead, “Do I have any eyebrows left?” “Barely.” I answered. I turned and scanned the street. It was completely deserted. No pedestrians, no young thugs at the corner, no thumping cars. Nobody but the old drunk sitting on the curb across the street grinning at us. Something was definitely wrong. Every instinct inside me screamed to take cover. “I think we had better get the

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm hell out of here.” My eyes scanned the alleys looking for any movement. There was none. “The wildlife has gone to ground.” Lacey began to walk quickly down the sidewalk, “She’s right Brant, something is very wrong here.” Suddenly the hair on the cat’s back raised and the animal began to growl. The old drunk rose from the curb and started heading towards us. He began to shout at us as he walked. His dry and rasping voice rattled across my nerves. “If you give yourselves over to us now we will allow you to live to serve our dark lord. You are the last, no help will be coming for you. The only path left to you is to bow to him.” Out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash and I turned to see two figures in dark coats and hats appear from behind the dumpster where I had been hiding earlier. “It’s an ambush!” The drunk laughed and raised his arms, “That’s right bitch, and you took long enough to fall into it. Kill them!”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Brant’s blast took the drunk in the center of his chest. His smoldering body fell with a hollow thump to the pavement. “That guy seemed rather chatty, we could’ve asked him what the hell was going on–-no wait, that’s right he’s dead. Brant, did you ever hear of taking prisoners?” Lacey pulled out a black polished stick with a curved blue crystal at the top. A wand. A powerful weapon in the hands of a capable witch. “Ideas?” “Someone better come up with something quick. Two more evil bastards three O’clock.” One look at the oncoming army of darkness and I had to remind myself to breathe. Four more soulless had joined the hunt. They were circling us like a bunch of lions herding deer. “Get to my …” Before the words were out of Brant’s mouth a shot of demon fire slammed into Brant’s car parked just down the street. “You were saying?” Lacey suddenly twirled, waved the wand, and threw her cat towards the closest demon. “Scatter!” The cat made contact with the monster’s right shoulder and dug his claws in. Both cat and demon howled as it

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm swatted desperately trying to dislodge the feline. Nothing demons hated more than cats. We were all in the open. The closest car was at least fifteen feet away. I could stay where I was and try to survive the raining fire coming down on our heads, wait for the demons to completely block us in, or I could get the hell out of there. And preferably get behind something big enough to cover my ass while I tried to fight back. I turned and ran at full speed down the street. If nothing else it would force the pack to separate. I was so intent on moving as fast as possible towards the nearest cover, a big blue mailbox, that I ran into one of the demons. I was too close to do anything but tuck my shoulder in and charge. I don’t know who was more surprised me or the creature. The move was completely unexpected and sent him reeling in the opposite direction. Two more steps and I cleared the corner of the mailbox, slid to a stop, lifted my cross necklace and instinctually pushed at the demon barreling down on Brant’s blind spot. The demon flew into the street and fell flat onto its face. Its partner turned towards me. The only thing visible beneath its dark hood was the odd reflective glitter of its

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm black eyes. I raised the cross hanging again from around my neck and mentally fired. It went down. Three more were crowding in on Lacey. She was fighting off the closest one, sparks flying from her wand while her clear voice sang out a lyrical phrase. I recognized it as one of her spells to ward off evil. The creature stopped and suddenly shimmered falling into a pool of ash at her feet. Lacey turned to take on the next demon and I realized she was going to need help with its friend. Whatever I was going to do, it was time to get my ass moving. I stood and started towards her. I got three steps when the shockwave thumped into my chest like a punch. I watched bits of glass and flaming wood rain down on the street. The house had exploded. Now between me and the others was a large chunk of the living room, complete with a burning couch. Through the flames I could see Lacey and Brant. No way I could make it back to their side without completely exposing myself. Whatever happened now I was on my own. In the distance I could hear the fire trucks. I watched the creatures near me start to move towards the shadows, slinking back into the alleyways. The monsters

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm began to scurry away. I figured it was a good time to get the hell out of dodge.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Chapter 5 I stood in front of the door, staring at the dark wood, for at least ten minutes without knocking. The logic that had brought me back to Van and his grandmother seemed to fade whenever my hand got anywhere near a knock. I had been thrown out, and with good cause. I had called a man who had risked his life to save me an agent of evil. I didn’t know what they were hiding, but I felt horrible for my accusations. Oh well, not the first time I got pissed off and said something rude. I had wandered for hours before I had finally decided where to go. I knew that I could not follow my orders. Brant and Lacey would have separated and headed for whatever cover they could find until reinforcements from another cell showed up. I couldn’t just run and hide when my instincts were all crying out that this was not just a regular incursion. The demons had a plan, and they’d been studying our cell long enough to know where to find all of our members. It stood to reason that they knew we would run and hide and wait for the neighboring cells to mount a counter offensive. This might give them enough time to do–what?

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm My thoughts kept coming back to Claire and Van. I was woefully short of allies and there was something about them that spoke of strength. They would probably throw me out on my ass, but I had to try. Steeling myself to a cool reception, I rapped my knuckles firmly against the door. It swung in almost immediately and Claire’s smile greeted me with unexpected warmth. “Come in my dear, I was wondering how long you were going to stand out in the hallway.” I glanced in surprise at the door but, as I thought, there was no peephole. “No, I didn’t see you, but nothing happens under this roof that I don’t know about. Besides, I’ve been expecting you.” I followed her into the room. “I don’t think Van will be thrilled to see me.” “Don’t worry, all that youthful energy needs an outlet. Young people are always fast to jump into an argument or into bed. That’s what makes being young so much fun.” I paused a moment to catch my breath and think, the conversation was not going at all the way I had planned.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Instead of stony-faced indifference I was met with a smile and a sly wink. I made one last effort to return to the script I had been working on for the last hour. “I came to ask for your…” I stopped as Van walked into the room. His presence dominated the space and derailed my train of thought. His face carried an expression of exasperation, but I didn’t sense any open hostility. Maybe he’d enough time to cool off. I started forming an apology in my head, but before I could try it out, Claire spoke up. “Never mind dear, I know who you are and why you’ve come.” The absurdity of the declaration brought my attention entirely back to Claire. “Really? Who am I?” “You’re what we call a ‘Guardian Angel’ though we don’t mean it as the compliment it might seem. We generally feel that anyone who sets himself as an angel is due for a huge fall.” For a moment I just sat and stared at her. I had been called a lot of things in the past, most of them far from stellar, but angel? What kind of bullshit was she trying to lay on me? A dozens questions leapt to mind, almost all of them started with the phrase, “Old lady did you forget to take your medication today?” But I curbed my tongue and

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm came out with the least smart ass question I could think of. “Who is ‘we’?” I demanded. Claire tilted her head and smiled. “The Romany, of course.” “Gypsies?” “If you like.” The Gypsies were not unknown to us. They were always on the fringes of our efforts to keep the demons from spreading. They were never directly involved in the conflict, but they seemed to frequent the same dark places where the battles always occurred. Gypsies just dissolved out of the way whenever there was any fighting. For some reason, neither side ever attacked them. DK’s were taught in our earliest training that there was no evil in the Gypsies, but they would never fight on our side. They considered themselves neutral. Why did the demons let them come and go in their territory with impunity? No one knew. Killing two demons to save me, and then nursing me back to health, would completely rewrite the book. I turned to Van and demanded. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Claire answered before he could speak. “Van is rather ashamed of his heritage, though I think he is about find it’s more a part of him than he thinks.” “Grandmother, can we stick to the subject. If I have to go through with this I’d rather just get it over with.” “Patience youngster, I was just answering the girl’s question. She needs to know what’s going on if she is to do what we ask of her.” “What could I possibly do for you? I came here to ask for your help.” I said looking from one to the other. Claire seemed to be waiting for Van to say something. And when he didn’t, she shook her head and answered. “Maybe we can help each other.” Claire smiled. “And that’s going to take some explanation.” Van walked to an overstuffed chair and plopped into it with dramatic impatience. He glared at me as if to say come on, sit down, let’s get this over with. I couldn’t resist taking my time to select a chair and meander over with, I hoped, studied nonchalance. I turned back to his grandmother to be greeted with a grin. “That’s right deery, never let’em think they run things.”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm I thought it best not to reply, so I spent a moment examining my tattered and much gnawed upon fingernails. Claire moved into the center of the room and stood with her hands clasped in front of her. She cleared her throat and began to speak. “Long ago our people were driven out of our homeland. It is a sad and painful thing for a race to be without a home. For a while we drifted, never welcome, but occasionally tolerated, across the face of the world. Persecution and hardship followed us wherever we went and some of our people began to hunger for a place where we could be ourselves without fear. We began to wander into the dark places where the rest of humanity feared to go. Space and freedom to grow were there aplenty for our entire people, but there were also new dangers. Dark things, evil things dwelt in the place we wanted for our home. We forced them out. Over the generations we learned the real secret to fighting evil.” I didn’t mean to interrupt, but I couldn’t help myself. “Secret?” “Yes, yes, I’m getting to it. Don’t be so impatient child. It’s not really some grand secret, rather I would call it a truth that we discovered. Answer this for me–-if

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm you stand in a completely pitch black room are you a creature of the dark?” “No.” “Why not?” she asked. I tried to consider my answer carefully, though I was sure if there really was a secret the higher ups would have told me about it by now. “I may be in the dark, but I am a creature of the light.” “Exactly.” I was getting tired of people talking in riddles. “Exactly what? I don’t understand.” Claire sighed and explained very slowly, as if I was a rather stupid child, “Everyone, well most everyone, has within them the knowledge of the light. It’s their birthright and cannot be taken away. When we’re cast into the darkness we’re shown a different way, one that tempts and seduces all of the wants and desires we’ve forgone because it was wrong. At this point both paths are open before us, we can still choose. Evil isn’t the path, it’s the choice that takes us down the path.” “So you are saying that when a demon has me in his grasp and is tearing my soul to shreds, all I have to do is choose not to let him?” My tone was sarcastic.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm She gave me a hard stare. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.” If she really could read minds than she must know part of me believed this fairy tale she was spouting, it did make sense with all the things I had heard about the way the gypsies lived. But another part, the more cynical side, wondered if granny had finally gone around the bend. Her voice took on a more urgent tone. “Over the centuries we learned and grew and changed. Eventually the forces of darkness decided to stop challenging us for dominance of our chosen homes and moved to deeper and even darker places. We became masters of the space in between-between the darkness and the light. We’ve learned all of the secrets of these places and made them home. We occasionally make a foray into the light to find, earn or steal what we needed. Both sides generally leave us alone, if they see us at all.” “Then why have you helped me, and why are you telling me this? What has changed?” I asked wondering if I really wanted to hear more. I had more trouble than I could handle at the moment. I needed help. I wasn’t exactly in the position to give any.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Claire took a deep breath and moved across the room settling down into the wooden rocking chair. She began to slowly rock and suddenly her age seemed to fall back onto her shoulders. “I’ll get to it my dear, but my people have never had an easy time giving up our secrets. Our secrets are what have kept us alive. I’ll have to tell you the whole story in my own way. Now where was I, oh yes, the protectors. Every generation there are a few special people born. These few have the gift of light. Their merest touch undoes the beings of the dark, just as the touch of a demon undoes your kind. What stories do your kind tell of the origins of the demons?” “We’re taught that the demons are creatures that have escaped from their prisons on the other side of the river, or from hell, if you prefer.” “That is partly true, but is not the whole story. There are some who, when they die, refuse to cross over. Some have pressing tasks undone, some refuse to believe that they have died, others are just too damaged to move on. Some fear what the judgment on their souls will be. The worst of those who stay are those who know what waits for them. These last have given themselves entirely over to evil. All that drives them is the desire for more power to

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm work ever more evil works on their enemies, the creatures of the light. These dark souls search the world for places of power, or steal power from others, both good and evil, until they are strong enough to once again manifest in this world and continue their evil works. These are what you call demons and you hunt them to give them the final death and force them into hell. Some few do manage to make the return journey, stronger and even more evil than his fellows, but they are rare. The special ones among us have the ability to bring light to the darkest of places. Their touch burns the demons the way a demon’s touch burns your kind and that is not the only weapon they can bring to bear. They are a powerful defense against the demons and were so feared that we were left alone. For more than a hundred years the demons have not dared to move against us. Until now. A week ago a child of our tribe was stolen. She is a beautiful child, just two years old and the darling of her family. Her father and uncle were found burned by demon fire, fallen trying to protect their family. Outrage ran through the tribe and a force was immediately put together to rescue her.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm We’ve grown arrogant in our strength, our young men no longer train in the skills that have protected us for so long. Instead they have depended on our mighty defenders. Those who are born with the gift have always been few and they are not all-powerful, a mundane weapon can kill one with the gift as easily as one without any gifts. Our tribe had a dozen who had the gift, and in our anger we sent them all headlong into the dark. They were gone three days, and in that time two more children were taken and nine more tribesmen died. When they returned twelve had become four, and those four were none without wounds. They told stories of a vast nest of demons, all working together on some work of great evil. The tribe has now withdrawn to the most defendable of its strong places, but as weak as they are, they’ll not be able hold out for long. They’ve sent to the neighboring tribes for help, but it could be weeks before anyone comes. None of them are any more ready to fight than we are, and their first instinct will be to protect their own children. The situation is dire, but there is hope. There is one of our tribe who is most powerful. One who has turned away from his gift and his heritage.” Her eyes turned to look at Van, and mine followed as if of their own volition.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Van sat ramrod straight in his chair, his obvious discomfort at odds with the chair meant for lounging ease. Defiance and anger radiated from him in waves, but he seemed to relax a bit under his grandmother’s firm gaze. My mind made a mad rush to add this new information to what had happened over the last twenty-four hours. Some things became suddenly clear, while whole new mysteries leapt up in their place. How had the demons killed the powerful gypsies? Why would Van turn his back on his family and his gifts? And what about him, made him different from the others, protectors, that had been sent in to destroy the demons? The questions were half way to my lips when Claire broke the silence. “His reasons are his own and not my story to tell, but suffice to say that the situation has forced him to come back and face his demons, perhaps more literally than he would like.” The obvious love for her wayward grandson took some of the sting out of her harsh words. “I was trying to convince him to seek out the Guardian Angels to make them an offer. We would guide them to the center of the nest if they would agree to try to bring back our lost little ones. It seemed the best solution to our problem, and I thought that they would welcome our help in their never-ending war.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Unfortunately he refused to go. And you know the rest. We were too late. Your group is dead or scattered, and any hope of help from that quarter is gone.” I turned and looked at Van. “But he saved me.” “Yes, and in doing so he changed everything.” Van’s voice was low and his face suddenly full of anger. “It’s not what you think old woman. It was happenstance that I wandered into her battle when I did.” “Boy, you know better than that. There are no coincidences. It was your destiny to be there. And when the time came you couldn’t stand back and let the girl be killed. Why are you still denying what you’ve done?” When Van spoke his voice seemed void of emotion. “They didn’t know I was Romany. They don’t have to know we were involved. This can all still go away.” Claire suddenly leaned forward and clapped her hands. “Enough! You wouldn’t follow your destiny so it came looking for you. Stop sulking like a child who spilt his milk. The stones have been cast.” I wondered what his reaction would be to his grandmother’s outburst, but he shifted in his chair, his face and his expression was no longer in my line of vision. Claire ignored him and turned back to me. “I’ve given

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm my grandson a new task. One he has no choice now but to accept, despite the fact that its chances of success are small, and the risk of death is substantial. He is going into the heart of the nest along hidden ways that only we can use. Ways that are closed for all but the smallest group. He is going to retrieve the children. He has taken this task on reluctantly.” “And this has what to do with me?” I asked. “You’re going with him of course.” Claire answered. Her voice was so calm and matter of fact for a moment I thought I had misunderstood her. “Into a nest of demons? You understand that until yesterday I’d never actually been in combat before.” She reached out and patted my hand. “You have proven yourself as a true warrior.” “Like hell I have! Your grandson had to save my ass!” Claire smiled and patted my hand again. “In the cards I’ve seen things. I knew that you would return here without any other hope. I know that if you agree to take on this task with my grandson, there is a chance he will return. Without your help there is no hope.” Van’s turned back to us, his voice was soft, his expression now guarded. “She’s a crazy old woman. You’ve

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm nothing to do with this. If you’re smart get up now and get the hell out while you can.” I honestly don’t know what my answer would have been if Van hadn’t spoken up. My parents had always told me I was a very contrary child. Prone to do the exact opposite of what people demanded of me. It’s true that when I heard him tell me to leave, my natural reaction was to tell him to fuck off. Really, who was he to tell me what I could or couldn’t do? But I would like to think that it was more than that. Children were in danger. I couldn’t save Harry, but maybe this time I could make a difference. Redeem myself for my earlier inaction. “Okay, count me in.” Van slammed his fist against the arm of the chair. “You’re as crazy as she is.” He didn’t look at either of us as he got up and stormed out of the room.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Chapter 6 It took three hours for the bastard to come back. I had heard of walking off your anger, but three hours was bordering on the ridiculous. I had been forced to pass the time, which in Claire’s eyes meant make myself useful, dusting the high places her old bones could no longer reach. Though from the way she moved, fluid, like a dancer, I knew I was being conned. I helped her fold laundry, make a few beds, but I drew the line when she announced it was time to bake bread. Staying out of the kitchen had always been a choice, one I had never second guessed and never would. I had heard, in my youth, someone declare a women’s place was barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen. I liked wearing shoes, always used condoms and knew the Chinese restaurant’s take out number by heart. Claire was advancing on me, a can of flour in one hand and a rolling pin in the other when Vance made his entrance. About damn time, and in the nick of time, I thought, trying to judge his mood by his expression and body language. The only word that came to mind watching him standing in the doorway was resigned.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm If I was about to go into the bowels of hell on a mission that was completely insane, I preferred to do it with a comrade rather than an enemy. I plastered a smile on my face and refused to take it off until we were out the door and enroute. Enroute to where I had no idea, but as we rounded a corner I spotted a stained glass window. “We need to go in there.” I pointed to the old gray stone church straddling two city blocks. “Why?” “Trust me. I need to go shopping.” “In a church? I doubt it’s open. In this part of town, everything locks down as soon as the sun sets.” “Getting in is not a problem.” We were now both dressed in dark clothes. I had switched out the blue jeans for a pair of black ones. They were still too big. The belt stayed, but the white t-shirt had been replaced with a gray buttoned down top and an over it I now wore a dark gray hooded sweat shirt. Gray and black the colors of my trade. You never knew when you would have to blend in with the shadows. Van’s outfit matched mine, except he wore a dark tshirt and his clothes fit. More like hugged every muscle

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm and curve. I took more than a few glances at that rounded ass as I followed him down the street. We walked up the steps and stopped in front of a massive door. It was actually two large pieces of wood that stood over ten feet tall. Each piece had elaborate carvings down the sides and a massive iron ring hanging from its center. On closer examination I realized the carvings were of angelic images and phrases in Latin. I pointed to one phrase. “Impavidus deambulabo. I will not walk in fear.” “You know Latin?” Van asked, running his hands across a carving of an angel playing a harp. “Some. Tools of my trade.” “And picking locks. Is that also part of your training?” I laughed. “In a way. But not the way you mean.” I moved forward and placed both palms against the massive doors. Closing my eyes, I began to chant, “Aut viam inveniam aut faciam.” The doors began to tremble ever so lightly beneath my finger tips. I pulled my hands back and smiled. Reaching out I grabbed a large metal ring in the center of the right panel and pulled. The door swung open. “Nice trick. Was that Latin?”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm “Yes, it means roughly, I will either find a way or make one.” “A skill like that could really come in handy.” “Only problem is, it works only on sacred ground, or sacred buildings.” “A holy skeleton key.” Vance looked around. “What are we doing in here again?” The church was empty. Moonlight shone through the stained glass windows, peppering the room with odd shadows, and minimum light. Just enough light to make out the massive room with pews lined on either side of a wide center aisle. I started down the aisle and headed towards the alter. What I needed was not in the main part of the church. To the right of the alter was a doorway. I opened it and made my way into a pitch black room. My hands ran down the walls looking for the light. “Help me find the light switch.” Van’s voice floated towards me in the dark from my right. “And how do you plan to explain what we are doing in here in the middle of the night?”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm “That’s why we need to be quick. Ah, here it is…“ The light suddenly came on over head. The room was empty except for a bench and some gray metal cabinets. I opened the closest cabinet. “What exactly are you looking for?” Van asked. He was leaning casually against the wall. He looked very comfortable breaking and entering. “Holy water, holy oil, and if I’m lucky a Medal of St. Benedict. It’s the only medal in the Roman Catholic Church that has an exorcism prayer on it.” The first cabinet was full of bibles. But I hit pay dirt in the second. A box of medallions and a shelf full of candles. I sorted through the medallions until I found the one I was looking for. “There’s a bunch of amber colored glasses bottles in this one.” Van spoke up from across the room. I went over and checked it out. I opened a bottle and poured some of its contents on my fingers. Oil. Blessed oil. And in another bottle a clear liquid. I lifted my fingers to my nose. It had no scent and when I put my tongue to it, I realized no real taste. It was water. I assumed Blessed water. Holy water. No way to know until I sprinkled some on something evil. But I was betting it was

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm holy water. Exactly what I had been looking for. What I needed now was a knapsack. “Look to see if you can find something I can carry this in.” Van opened a few cabinets and pulled out a duffle bag. I carefully loaded a dozen bottles into the bag. I put the Medallion around my neck. Van had watched me in silence, but as I started out the door he spoke up. “Isn’t stealing a sin?” “It’s only called stealing if you don’t bring it back, or pay for it.” My hands automatically went to my jean pockets before I realized I had no idea where my wallet was which meant I didn’t have any identification or money. “I need money. Got any?” “How much?” Van asked. I gave him a wide smile. “Now is not the time to be stingy.” His eyebrows raised and he lifted out his wallet and handed over a stack of bills. I headed out the door with my bounty and stopped at the pauper box. I said a silent prayer asking for forgiveness, and stuffed the money into the slot on the front of the box.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm I was now armed. I didn’t know how much good it would do since we were about to go on a suicide mission. I looked over my shoulder at Van and wondered what skills he possessed and whether or not he was the type of man I could count on to watch my back. True he had saved my ass once all ready, but I didn’t know him well enough to truly trust him. But honestly what other choice did I have. I moved the bag to my right shoulder and headed down the aisle, wondering what the rest of the night would bring. And worrying I wouldn’t be up to the tasks at hand. * * * * When I had agreed to go on this mission Van had called me crazy. Yeah, I was crazy. I wasn’t the one who decided the best way to begin a journey to the lion’s den was to hop the subway. I had been on the subway many times, and seen many things, but I had yet to see a nest of demons hanging out catching a ride downtown. I was beginning to understand Van better. If the boy had questions he asked, but if I started asking too many questions he clammed up. And too many seemed to mean anything over one or two depending on his mood.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm I had tried, ‘so where are we going?’ and got, ‘down’ as my answer. Next out of my mouth, ‘Down the Block, Street, into the bowels of hell?’ It’s true I was pushing my luck. No answer, but one very amused look. And since we had gotten on the subway he ignored all of my questions and spent his time staring out the window while the tunnel’s dark walls flash by. Van was not the most revealing traveling companion, and I could keep railing against it or start to learn to live with it. Surprise, surprise we rode in silence for a while, and then we switched trains. But almost immediately after we got on the second train, we got off again. This was going to be a rip roaring journey. I started to ask another question, but forced my lips together. If he wanted to give me the silent treatment, fine, I would do the same. I turned my head, to the left and then to the right. This station was different--no passengers. The peeling advertisements that dotted the walls were decades out of date. Garbage, dirt and god knows what, were piled against the walls. Only a few dim bulbs lit the entire platform. This was an abandoned station. The train should not have stopped here.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Quite the tour of the city I was getting. The humor of the situation, roaming around in the dregs of the subway system, having some powerful, pissed off gypsy as my tour guide, tugged at my sense of humor and try as I could I might I couldn’t keep my mouth shut any longer. “You know somebody at the transit authority?” I asked, not hiding the humor in my tone. Gee, what a surprise, he ignored my question completely. I watched him start to walk into the shadows at the back of the platform. I had no choice but to scramble to catch up, and as I did I almost fell down a flight of stairs hidden in the dark. It was slow going try to feel for each step. Did Van stop to help my ass? No, but when I finally reached the bottom I found him waiting for me. He was glowing. Well, not glowing exactly. It was as if he was lit by a soft light that had no discernable source. In fact, everything within twenty feet of Van was lit with a soft directionless light. “Great parlor trick.” I said, scanning his body. There was no external light source. Whatever he was doing, it was definitely unnatural.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm He held out his hand and I took it. I suddenly felt warm all over. I told myself it probably had something to do with whatever magic he used to turn himself into a human flashlight and not the fact, the more I was with him, the more parts of my body hummed whenever our skin made contact. He dropped my hand and started forward. What choice did I have at this point but to follow him? I had gotten myself into some sticky situations in the past, but this one was about to make the top of the list. We were now down at track level and I couldn’t help but look over my shoulder ever few minutes to assure myself an oncoming train wasn’t barreling down on us. I tried to remember all the movies I had watched where cops followed mole people into the underground maze of subway tunnels. Something about third rails and high voltage of electricity tugged at the corner of my mind. For the life if me I had no idea what a third rail was. Van had obviously made this journey before and I did my best to walk directly behind him. I kept my head down and put one foot in front of the other and tried not to stumble on the uneven footing. I have no idea how long we walked. The scenery was never changing. Dark walls, the light coming from Van only

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm illuminated a foot or so around him. Which meant I could see the glimmer of the rail and an occasional flash from what I assumed was a mangled beer can or tin. It took a few seconds to register that I was walking up stairs. I looked around to find my self on another, even more neglected, platform. “Every Journey begins with a turn. Are you ready to take that turn?” Van smiled a boyish grin at me and my annoyance with him suddenly melted away. The question felt like ritual, but not knowing the proper response I just said, “Sure. Whatever, can we just get on with this?” He nodded as if this was the very answer he had been looking for. He turned and began to walk toward the edge of the platform. “Most people think the straightest path between two points is a straight line.” “You’re saying it’s not?” “My people learned long ago that the quickest way to get anywhere is to always turn in the direction you want to go, and that by definition will be the shortest path.” “So you turn once onto your path and then follow it to the destination?” I was starting to wonder if the Romany took some sort of class in cryptic speech.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm “No, it would take forever to get anywhere that way.” He reached the other side of the platform and dropped to the rails below. “Here is our first path.” He pointed down the rails to where they disappeared into darkness.

“It

goes basically where we want to go, and if we follow it we will eventually get to our destination. But doesn’t it make more sense that if we cross a path that is shorter to our destination, we should take it?” “Okay, I’ll bite, yes.” “There is always a shorter path. The turns may be trickier, not always being up or down, left or right–-but there is always a shorter path. The journey is not defined by the distance--it is defined by the turns.” With that he stopped in front of what looked like a storm drain in the side of the tunnel. “Are you trying to dazzle me with bull shit?” “I assure you, I am being quite literal.” He kneeled down and stuck his head through an opening barely wide enough for his shoulders. In a few seconds he disappeared from sight, taking the light with him. I scrambled after him. It was dive headfirst down a sewer pipe, or be left on my own in an empty subway station miles underground. I had

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm agreed to go on this kamikaze mission. Maybe it was time to get my head examined. The walls of the pipe were covered with what god knows what. I did my best not to think about my surroundings as I closed my eyes and pushed my body after him. The drain slanted down for about twenty feet. It ended with a drop of a couple feet into another, larger, pipe. It seemed to be heading in slightly different direction than the tunnel above. I scrambled to stay in the retreating circle of light Van carried with him as he strode confidently down the pipe’s curved floor. The pipe led to a large room that had eight or nine other pipes dumping into it. Only a small trickle of water poured into the large basin beneath us, and the small puddles of water at the bottom were black and stagnant. A dim light filtered in from a storm grate maybe fifty feet above. “What do you do if it rains, bring scuba gear?” I asked, trying to catch my breath. Damn the man was in great shape. I was having a hard time keeping up with him. Though I would die before admitting it. Suck it up Maxwell. I took another breath and tried to look relaxed.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Van took a leather band from his pocket and pulled his hair back into a ponytail. “I just take a different path. There are many paths available if you know where to look.” I realized I had completely lost track of which pipe had got us here. “If something happens to you, how do I get out of here?” “All of these places are made by those who live on the surface, and they are notoriously nervous about having a way back. I’m sure you could find one.” He smiled, pulled out a curved leather bag from his jacket and handed it to me. “When we get deeper you should be extra careful to keep me alive, because without me you could wander for years without finding your way back up to the light.” Did Van just make a joke? God, the world really was topsey turvey down in the bowels of the city. The man was certainly a puzzle. I watched him for a moment trying to get a gauge on his mood. My only clue as usually was his body language. He seemed incredibly relaxed at the moment. I stared at him and realized the farther we got into the tunnels the more relaxed he seemed. What kind of man enjoys spelunking through sewage pipes? I wasn’t sure how to make the water thingy work. After watching me wrestle with it unsuccessfully he took it back.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm He lifted it above his head and squeezed the leather center, a stream of water jetted out of the plastic small spout at the front of the bag and into his mouth. He passed it back to me. I squeezed the bag and almost choked as stream of water barreled down my throat. Apparently it took some practice. I handed him back the bag. “So your ass gets fried I spend my days wondering around down here until I die of old age. That’s incredibly reassuring. So glad I asked.” We climbed a long row of stairs up the side of the cistern to a rusty steel doorway. Beyond the door a service tunnel stretched into the darkness. We walked along it for a while, passing more side tunnels, doors and ladders than I could count. Pipes and wires ran along with us, turning at seemingly random intervals to disappear into one of the side branches only to be replaced by more from different directions. Van made a sudden turn into a side tunnel. It deadended almost immediately in a tumbled down brick wall, which had one time I guessed completely blocked the tunnel. Now it was just a matter of stepping over a pile of bricks to be in the basement of some building that was obviously

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm long dead. Doors on either side opened to empty rooms with scattered pieces of abandoned junk. We turned again at a stairway choked with ruble and through a door into another service tunnel. On and on we went, dodging through the forgotten roots and arteries of the city above. If I were to guess, I would say we stayed pretty much at the same depth, but I had no way to prove it, other than the fact that we never seemed to run out of man made trails to follow. We were walking down an old-fashioned, brick and mortar sewer tunnel when a bright flash of light sent me diving for cover. There wasn’t any cover, so I just ended up laying in the dirt in the sudden, bright as day, light filling the tunnel to capacity. Van just kept walking towards the light at the end of the tunnel. “Very dramatic, James, but I can light my own way.” The light at the end of the tunnel dimmed to the point that I could make out the silhouettes of two men leaning against a barricade.

A warm laugh echoed off the walls.

“Van, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. When you left the last time I thought you swore you were never coming back.”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm “My Grandmother had other ideas.” James stood up to embrace Van as he reached the barricade. He looked a lot like Van, except he was a little bit shorter and more compact, and his coloring was darker. As he stepped back he turned towards where I was picking myself off the ground. “You pick up a tunnel rat somewhere?” “This is Friday, she’s a Guardian Angel. My grandmother seems to think she can help somehow.” “Doesn’t look like superwoman, but she doesn’t look like a religious fanatic either.” Nothing pisses me off more than people talking as if I wasn’t there, but I tried to keep any annoyance from showing in my voice when I answered. “I’ve always been partial to Wonder Woman myself.” I raised my wrists. “You know, a woman that not only knows how to accessorize, but makes herself bullet proof at the same time.” James scanned my body and there was an appreciative gleam in his dark eyes. “You certainly have her figure.” I ran my hands down the sides of my body and gave a dramatic wink. “Fighting the dark side helps a girl stay trim.”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm James grin was slow and wide. “If you’re going to be around for a while, maybe we can get together.” Van stepped between us and gave his friend a hard slap on the back. “Down boy, the girl has standards.” “Not very high ones if she’s traveling with you.” James turned to Van. “How long are you staying?” “I’m not sure.” “Tonight, come by my tent. I have a bottle of brandy I have been saving for a special occasion.” James laughed and patted Van heartily on the shoulder. “It’s good to see you again my friend.” He gave me a wink. “And don’t forget to bring along wonder woman.” * * * * We left James and David to their guard duty and continued down the tunnel. The signs of recent skirmishes marked the walls of the tunnel and it appeared as if numerous barricades, other than the one James had been manning, had been built and torn down. The defense of this tunnel had been hard fought and costly. In a few hundred feet it broke through the tiled wall of a tunnel that looked well traveled and even like someone had tried to clean it within the last decade. A natural looking light shown from one end of the tunnel and the

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm other disappeared into darkness. It wasn’t much of a choice to pick a direction. The light radiating from Van slowly faded as we stepped out into the light. The encampment that greeted us was not what I had been expecting. They had taken over what appeared to be a large station of the old subway system. I had heard that they abandoned the old system when they built the new one around the middle of the last century. It had been too shallow and the foundations of the new skyscrapers needed the room. The Gypsies seem to have made it their home. It was an ideal location for a race of nomads and opportunists. If they became adept at navigating around the blocked tunnels they could appear and disappear almost anywhere in the city. The station had been built in an age when aesthetics mattered. Rather than the lifeless concrete construction of the new stations, this one was built to impress with swooping arches and a large domed ceiling. Tile mosaics covered the walls and reflected the light to give the entire scene a bright and airy feeling I would not have expected so deep in the earth. The light came from ornate fixtures built into the wall. How they managed to steal enough electricity to power this many lights was a mystery, but I guess they could get

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm at the underground transmission lines easily enough. Every light in the place seemed to be on, and the resulting glow rivaled surface daylight. Into every nook and cranny of the station were crammed loose flowing structures made of brightly colored cloth that served to partition off private space for families, but it appeared as if there was not enough room to go around. The pavilions spilled into the walkways and common areas, turning the station into a maze of humanity. Through the mass of fabric I could see what looked like a cross between old-fashioned rail cars and carnival wagons lined up beside the rail platform. Each one was a unique combination of rolling artwork and motor home. They ranged in construction from beautifully worked wood painted with dazzling patterns of bright colors, and haphazardly refurbished subway cars with storage of every description strapped to the sides, and everything in between. I stopped counting at twenty, and more were barely visible behind the first row. Van let out a low whistle. “What?” “I have never seen this many caravans gathered in one place. It looks like the entire tribe is here.”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm “I guess your grandmother wasn’t exaggerating.” Van shot a glare in my direction and began weaving through the massed humanity. The boy didn’t seem to be thawing much. If he didn’t start developing some civility I was going to have to teach him a lesson. I followed in Van’s glowering shadow as he weaved between the overlapping camps. It was occasional necessary to step over baggage or even a sleeping body. The people we passed showed no trace of fear or anxiety about their reportedly dire situation. Groups of men gathered in the common areas to drink and laugh, and small groups of women gossiped and giggled as they went about the tasks necessary to keep their impromptu households going. Men and women seemed to have much more traditional roles than I was used to or was comfortable with. I would be sure to look for opportunities to spread the seeds of rebellion. But both men and women all seemed to know Van and a variety of emotions tumbled in his wake. Some seemed pleased to see him, and immediately turned to their neighbors to whisper excitedly. Just as many men and women seemed annoyed, exasperated, or downright angry. The most extreme reactions seemed to come from the young women. Van seemed to be a hot commodity down here,

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm but whether he was a player or just the most available bachelor was yet to be determined. I was greeted by uniform curiosity and interest. I was an unknown oddity, a dirty, poorly dressed, but (let’s face it) hot, woman in the company of the prodigal son. Again, the young women gave me the most extreme reaction. No matter what they thought about Van, they hated me. Van continued, oblivious to the reactions of those around him, towards a small, but exquisitely decorated, caravan. Bright lights inside shown through patterned stained glass, giving the space around the caravan a festive air. A small group of children danced to upbeat violin music played by a pimply face adolescent in the open space beside the caravan. Van marched through without a glance. The door of the caravan swung open and a woman step out to meet him. The woman was beautiful, small and delicate, but with a subtle strength that belied her small stature. Wavy black hair framed a pale, golden skinned face and dark eyes. She moved with a lithe grace that made me feel gangly and awkward. “Hello Van.” Her voice was fluid and musical. “Hello Mother.”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm She stood for a moment staring at her son, as if she could read his soul if she just looked hard enough. Maybe she could. God knew what kind of powers the gypsies possessed. And I was certainly not going to be learning them anytime soon from my taciturn traveling companion. The man needed to learn to loosen up. I wondered what he would be like after a few tequila shots. Make that a few bottles of tequila. I could picture him, bottle in each hand, drunk as a skunk, scowling in a corner, not talking to anyone. The visual brought a smile to my face and like radar suddenly those x-ray eyes were on me. I lost the smile and empty my head of any catty thoughts. What if they could read minds? As she watched me the hairs on the back of my neck rose and I had to quench a desire to squirm. I’d be damn if I would let the queen of the gypsies make me skittish. By the time this adventure was over I would be totally immune to the effects of silent, scowling strangers. Okay, so I didn’t quench all catty thoughts and as that one floated across my mind a smile tugged at the corners of her majesties mouth. Damn she was a mind reader. “And who have you brought to see me?” She asked.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm “The old witch is sending us on a mission to save the world. She decided it wasn’t something I could do by myself. So she sent along a body guard.” Her hand flashed out with startling speed. Its aim, Van’s cheek, but he moved faster, if that was possible, and caught her hand in his own before it could hit its mark. They stood staring at each other, anger filling their eyes and face, the expression on each face a mirror image of the other. I stood like a bump on a log, wishing I was anywhere else. This was worse than a family squabble over a thanksgiving table. And I wondered how long the battle of wills was going to go on when a grin suddenly appeared on Van’s face. “Good to see you, Mother.” He said as he dropped her hand. “Do not say such things about your grandmother in my presence. Ever,” she said with deceptive calm, but I could tell that she was still angry, the emotion blazed from her eyes. Without missing a beat she turned towards me and smiled. “It’s nice to meet you. My name is Theresa. I hope my son has not made the trip too unpleasant.”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm It was then, when I was face to face with the woman, that I realized I recognized those caramel eyes. Van had his Mother’s eyes. But hers somehow seemed harder, colder. She was waiting patiently for a reply and I was standing there staring at her like an idiot. I gave myself a mental shake. Speak up all ready. Preferably with something not smart ass. “We’re having a swell time. It’s an honor to be allowed to visit your home.” “Well, I don’t think is much of an honor these days, but you’re welcome anyway.” Her eyes scanned up and down taking in our appearances. “I see my son took you on one of his detours.” “We took the shortest path.” “Maybe the shortest, but not the cleanest.” She motioned to a group of young girls huddled close by. “We don’t have all the amenities down here, but I think we can supply you a hot bath.” It took only the smallest wave of her hand and the girls were suddenly in motion. This woman has power. This woman is not one to be toyed with, a small voice whispered in the corner of my mind. And by the way she is eyeing me she thinks I am making a play for her son. And the idea does not make her royalness happy. Make friends, I reminded myself. I

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm plastered a smile on my face and purred. “Thanks, a bath sounds heavenly.”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Chapter 7 I sat in the wooden tub, my knees right up under my chin. From the size of the tub I realized there were not a lot of amazons amongst the Romany. The tub was surrounded by panels of silk, which dangled from rope and draped down to the ground. It should have made me feel as though I had privacy, but there were huge gaps where the material met and every few minutes flaps were pushed aside by young girls carrying in pots of hot water. Van was having the same treatment only a few feet away. The ever-moving material gave me distracting flashes of smooth skin. He was angled away from me and if he knew I was there he gave no sign. But he didn’t have a cluster of girls attending his every need. Just one. The gypsy girl was young and beautiful. Her long dark curly hair was wrapped in a dark green scarf. She was currently soaping off Van’s back. And watching I realized I didn’t like it one bit. I had the sudden urge to cross the distance between us and slap gypsy girl upside the head. It was a totally irrational emotion, especially given the fact that Van and I were not involved. Forget

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm involved, Van and I seldom spoke. And yet there it was again, the urge to slap girlfriend upside the head. I uncurled my fist and took a deep breath. * * * * My clothes had been confiscated and in their place I was given a dark blue skirt and white bohemian blouse. My long red hair was now a pile of intricate braids intertwined with colorful ribbons, done by a young girl of no more than twelve, who ignored numerous protests and slapping of hands. I finally just let her have her way. And when she showed me my reflection in a hand held mirror I had to admit it looked festive and I looked pretty damn good. The party was in full swing. Music filled the air and the wine poured freely. I have never been much of a drinker, but after the last few days of hell, and at the prospect of my upcoming, and possibly suicidal, mission, I found myself drinking one glass of wine after the next. It was dark and red and sweet on my tongue. Van was suddenly next to me. “Enjoying the party?” he asked.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm I smiled widely and raised my glass. “The Romany really know how to have a good time.” I watched him in profile. He looked tense. “How does it feel to be home?” The words came out through clenched teeth. “This is not my home.” “I thought…” “My mom is Romany, but my father is not. I was raised above.” His answer surprised me. I would have thought that one of the chosen, someone so powerful would be of full gypsy blood. “You seem to know your way around and the people…” “My father died when I was a teenager and my grandmother took over raising me. She is the one that brought me here for visits. And the one who has tried to teach me the ways of her people.” “It must have been hard.” He didn’t answer, which I was getting used to. When your companion hardly speaks what choice do you have but to keep asking questions? “Theresa, your mom seems like an interesting woman.” “We don’t always see eye to eye.” “What was your father like?” “He wasn’t around much, even when he was alive.”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm We watched the crowd enjoying themselves for a while in silence. When he spoke again is voice was somber. “The partying, the merriment is all their way of showing they aren’t afraid of the dark.” Couples danced and laughed only a few feet from us. These days there seemed to be a lot to be afraid of. A swarm of dark haired, dark eyed children ran by, laughing and chasing each other. “Another child went missing a few days ago.” Van said quietly. Another child gone. Taken by those monsters. They had to be stopped. But not for the first time I wondered how the hell we expected to stop them. We needed an army and, if at all possible, a truck load of bazookas. Unfortunately we had neither. I took a deep sip of wine. After another long stretch of silence Van spoke again. “You know this is not your problem. You don’t have to do this.” “I thought we covered this already. Claire says you need my help. So here I am.” Those caramel eyes watched me. “Have you always been so stubborn?”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm I smiled. “I’m told it’s one of my finest qualities.” “Why do you do it?” he asked. “What’s not to like.” I looked around the encampment. “You get to travel to exotic places.” He raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything. I looked down into my glass, swirling the dark red liquid. I cleared my throat a few times before I finally got it out. “My brother was a DK. He was killed.” My brother. The image of his broken, bleeding body filled my mind. And with the image, pain and heartache as fresh and powerful as the day he died filled my body until I felt as though I could no longer breathe. What do they say, time heals all wounds? They were liars. It had been two years since Robert’s heart stopped beating. And in that time the hole in my own had grown, not healed. With long practice I pushed back the very thought of him to the dark recesses of my mind. I could do it now, push his memory away. And as the memory faded so did the pain and I could breathe again. Van’s hand suddenly covered mine. I looked up into those golden eyes and was surprised to see them full of compassion. He started to say something, but he stopped and looked behind me.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm I turned and realized we were no longer alone. The gypsy girl who had been so keen on bathing Van was smiling down at us. “Van. I’m sorry to interrupt, but I really need to talk to you.” * * * * The beautiful gypsy girl was beside Van. She was talking to him, her head close to his. I had retreated under the guise of getting more wine and was now on the other side of the encampment. Theresa walked up and stood next to me. Her gaze followed mine. “That’s Kara. Don’t they make a lovely couple?” At the word couple I choked my wine. She smiled at me and continued. “It’s important for our people that the bloodline continues. Kara is a very powerful woman, and Van one day will take his proper place as leader. And when he does he will need such a woman at his side.” “Leader? Your son doesn’t seem to have much enthusiasm for the job.” I murmured before taking another sip of wine. Her eyes flashed with anger, and for a moment I thought that she would take a swing at me. She quickly covered her anger with a smile that didn’t quite make it to

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm her eyes. “My son will do what he has to when the time comes. I have always known that he would come back to us one day, and now that he is here I intend to educate him to his duty to the tribe. This time he will stay.” I raised my eyebrows at that one. I wasn’t sure what she had planned, but the look she was giving me left no doubt of my fate if I got in the way of her plans for her son. “Yes, this time he will stay.” She said again, but with more force. And just like that she turned and walked away. * * * * My body swayed in time to the notes of the violin. I had drifted for a time on the fringes of the party, watching the tight bonds that linked every member of the community together. As I watched Van move through the merriment it became obvious that he was just as much of an outsider as I was. Laughing faces turned to him as he approached and offered to include him, but he seemed to show these people, his kin, the same distance he showed me. I watched him, and in so doing, caught him watching me. I do not know what my face showed, but he turned and weaved through the throng until he stood in front of me.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm “Want to dance?” Van held out his hand. I nodded and put down my glass. I went into his arms and for the first time since we started this adventure I truly relaxed. He guided us both to the beat of the music as we glided amongst the other couples dancing. “Kara’s a pretty girl.” “Yes, quite beautiful.” I grumbled. “I think the word I used was pretty.” “Porcelain skin. Stunning green eyes.” I pulled back and looked into his face. “The woman has olive skin and brown eyes.” He had an odd expression on his face. “Are you drunk?” I asked. “A little.” He spun me and we moved across the floor. “Why are you obsessed with Kara?” he whispered in my ear. “I wouldn’t call it obsessed. I just noticed you seem to spend an awful lot of time with the woman.” “Her sister is one of the missing kids.” “Oh, I didn’t realize.” “I’ve known Kara a long time.” “Your mom has quite a high opinion of her.” “Really?”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm “She seems to think she would be the perfect companion for you when you take over as leader.” He stopped dancing and just stared at me. “Her words not mine.” “Like I said, my mother and I don’t always see eye to eye.” He leaned in and wrapped his finger around one of my braids. “Sparkling green eyes, hair the color of sunset.” He let loose of my hair and ran his finger down the side of my neck. “And skin as smooth as silk.” I cocked my head and narrowed my eyes. “Just how much did you have to drink?” I realized James was standing next to us, a big grin on his face. “My turn.” James smiled and opened his arms. What choice did I have but to oblige. Over James’ shoulder I watched Van make his way to a group of people. And to the side of Kara. She smiled as he approached and held out her hand. He took it. I closed my eyes at the sight and, with a shock, realized that jealousy was gnawing at my stomach. The music began to slow and James voice whispered in my ear. “I requested a slow one.”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Great, just what I needed, a slow dance with a man whose hands were becoming like an octopus. I calmly moved his left hand from my butt to my waist, only to have it appear again against my lower back. I was just about to deck dear James, when Van showed up beside us. “Your turn’s over, buddy.” James stepped back and gave Van a big smile, “Can’t blame a guy for trying.” Van pulled me close and we danced slowly to the beat. The man knew how to move. I could feel the heat of his body through my clothes. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the sensation. “Van.” “Hmm…” “You were saying something about my eyes.” His laugh was low and seductive against my hair. “Was I?” “Are you always this amiable when drunk?” “Who said I was drunk?” “You did.” “I said I had a bit to drink.” “It must have been quite a bit.”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm “Amiable. Interesting word.” He twirled me out and then pulled me back against him. Our faces were now inches apart. “If I’m amicable when I had a drink or two what does that make me when I’m sober?” I gave him a slow smile. “The word that pops into mind is scowling. And let us know forget taciturn.” And I laughed when my answer produced a scowl. “Okay, maybe not quit enough to drink.” My hand, of its own volition, rose and smoothed the frown from his brow. He had such a strong face. Chiseled nose, determined chin, sensual lips. It took me a moment to realize the music had stopped and the musicians where taking a break. A bottle was being passed amongst them as they stood on the edge of the encampment. Van and I were now standing in the shadows. The music stopped, but Van had not let go of me, my body was still pressed firmly against his. I realized my fingers were still gently pressed against his lips and I quickly pulled them back. I opened my mouth, I am not sure to say what, but I never got a chance to say anything. His mouth was suddenly on mine.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm The kiss was hard and deep, and when he finally pulled away we were both more than a bit breathless. I had been kissed before. But it had never been like that. And whatever that just was, I wanted another taste. Our bodies came together again as did our lips. His hands skimmed the back of my neck and I shivered. The sensation of his hands on my skin. Honestly there were no words for it. Whatever he was doing, I was all for it and wanted more. He suddenly pulled away. Strong fingers gently moved down and then across my throat. Those dark caramel eyes watched me, waiting, for what? Me to pull away and say no thanks? I pulled him close and brought my lips against his. My hands moved around his neck as his right hand moved down my throat and across my breast. The heat of his hand against the flimsy material of the blouse caused my nipple to grow hard and taunt beneath his fingers. At the contact I gasped, but any sound I would have made was captured against his lips. We stood locked together, our mouths devouring each other. I was no longer aware of my surroundings. No longer cared about anything, but feeling his body against mine.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm I could blame it on the wine. But honestly I wasn’t that drunk. The feel of his lips on mine had suddenly sobered every fiber in my body. When he broke contact again, I cried out in protest. My hands reached out to bring him against me again. His hand took mine and he led me to a blue tent on the far side of the encampment. I didn’t want to think about what I was about to do. I didn’t know this man well, and it was never a good idea to get involved with a comrade in arms. The last thing you needed to worry about during a fight was the safety of someone you cared deeply about. During a fight you had to stay focused and trust your partners would be there to watch your back. Deep emotional connections only brought distractions. Distractions would and could get you killed and worse it could kill the people fighting along side you. A dozen reasons ran through my head why I should stop this right now. Before it got out of hand. I could just laugh the whole thing off as too much wine. But the problem was a deeper part of me wanted this to happen. I desperately wanted to run my fingers over all the naked parts of this man’s body. The desire to bring our bodies together was so strong it made my mouth go dry.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm I didn’t have to worry about what to say next, the moment we were through the entrance flap to the tent Van pulled me hard into his arms. His lips made their way down my neck. Deft fingers worked the strings at the front of my blouse and suddenly my shoulder was exposed. And then my naked breast. He lowered his head and warm lips surrounded a nipple. Magic lips licked and then suckled. A moan escaped from deep within my throat. I threw back my head at the glorious feelings running the length of my body. I was a great fan of sex. But this was something different. I felt like a man dying of thirst in the Sahara that had just been offered a jug of water. A chocoholic that had just been giving keys to the candy store. His hands on my body, the feel of his naked skin against mine. The only word that came to mind was sublime. A moan escaped my mouth and at the sound suddenly we were both tearing each other’s clothes off as fast as humanly possible. We fell into a tangle of limbs against a mound of silk pillows strewn across the floor of the tent. The pillows weren’t meant for such vigorous action and as our bodies fell, feathers burst forth and filled the air around us.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm I laughed out loud as I was assaulted by a cloud of feathers. One moment I was on top, the next he rolled and pinned me beneath his body. His face was inches from mine. His caramel eyes were now the color of dark honey. I raised my hand and caressed his cheek. “I want to please you.” He said as his hands moved across my naked flesh. Without another word he ran his hands down my skin and where his hands roamed his mouth followed. Each part of my body was devoured. I arched and withered until I thought I would go mad. I could now feel his hot, throbbing erection against my stomach. I wanted to ride him. I wanted to taste him. I wanted . . . God I just wanted. And then those soft lips found my inner thigh. Sensual kisses worked their way up and then down my thigh. Up and down they went causing electric shocks through the very core of me. Up and down again and again until finally I felt their warm touch at the very entrance of my pussy. His tongue suddenly plunged into me and my eyes popped opened, my body arched, and my hands reached out desperately for something to steady myself.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm His mouth was relentless. It engulfed me, first with feathery kisses, then more intense probing, until he was savagely sucking and licking the very depths of me. My hands now circled his rock-hard biceps. His face was buried deep within my pussy. My bottom raised violently from the floor. I knew there were dozens of people out there mingling not more than ten feet away. One hard suck and I could take no more. I turned my head and pushed my face into the nearest pillow as I cried out and shuddered uncontrollably. Small explosions of pleasure still vibrated within me when he began to move again. Suddenly he was over me and as our eyes locked, ever so slowly he guided himself inch by incredible inch inside me. The sensation of his hard shaft, sliding against the wetness of my flesh, made the breath catch in the back of my throat. He watched me, his eyes never leaving my face as his movements were slow at first, then harder. Slow again and then harder he plunged into me. He drove in again and again, until he pulled himself back, leaning all his weight onto one arm. A finger slid into the deeper heat within me.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Fingers searched, explored, until they hit upon a spot that made me gasp out loud. It was too much. I felt another orgasm building inside me. My breath was now quick and shallow. The movement of his hand, of his hard penis both thrusting into me, forced my body into a frenzy. I was tortured over and over until finally I found release in a sudden violent shudder. My body rocked and I cried out his name. As his name left my lips he convulsed against me and his body became dead weight against mine. We lay against each other breathing hard, covered in sweat. I looked up at the ceiling of the tent and raised a hand to my chest. I could feel my heart still pounding. For the first time in a long time, I found myself speechless. * * * * I sat sipping coffee watching them argue. It was the meeting of the elders and Teresa had made damn sure I knew it was a gypsies only meeting. But that didn’t stop me from finding a good vantage point to watch the fireworks. Van stood in the middle of a dozen people. I didn’t need to read his body language to gauge his emotions. He was currently yelling at the top of his lungs. The group was yelling back and I wondered not for the first time since

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm the meeting started at what point the whole thing going to explode into a massive fist fight. I took another sip of coffee and watched as Theresa took charge. The group suddenly took a collective breath and calmed down. Which made me wonder, not for the first time, exactly what powers the queen of the gypsies possessed. More screaming and shouting. More calming on Theresa’s part. The meeting went on and I watched. They had started the shouting match bright and early and had been at it for about two hours. I was wondering how much longer it could last when Van suddenly broke away from the group and stormed across the encampment. He settled himself down next to me. I offered him a cup of coffee. He took it. “They won’t help.” “You can’t be serious.” “The fools are worried by going after the children again they will be declaring open warfare on the demons.” “Open warfare sounds good.” “They refuse to risk it. They think the only thing saving them now is their neutrality.” He shook his head in

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm disgust. “There was a time my people were so strong the demons feared us. Now look at us.” I raised my eyebrows at the “us” comment. Usually when Van talked about his people he made it clear he was on the outside. “We are on our own. I told them we would be leaving soon. They won’t stop us, but they refuse to help. We can change our clothes and be off in the next couple hours. One thing, Mother wants to do an official send off.” “Swell, another party.” “Not exactly. We’ll drink some wine and the elders of the tribe will do a few blessings.” “One last hurrah?” “Something like that.”

* * * * “Friday.” My name was accompanied by a violent shake. I tried to open my eyes, but realized they felt very heavy. “Drink this.” A cup was pushed against my lips and I drank deeply. “Am I sick?”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm “Drugged. I knew there was resistance to our plan, but I never believed she was capable of doing something like this.” I pried my eyes open. Van was sitting next to me. He pushed a cup towards me. “This will counteract the effects. You should be feeling better in a few minutes.” The last thing I remembered was standing around the camp drinking some wine and listening to an old woman singing along to violin music while young girls threw sea salt in the air. I gulped down the mixture which tasted like battery acid. I sat up and started to ask a question when Van motioned with his fingers to his lips. He leaned forward. “They think we are both out cold.” I leaned against him and whispered in his ear, “But how did you…” “I only took a sip of the wine when I realized they spiked our drinks. I just pretended to finish it off.” Handing me my duffle, he moved forward and gently pulled back the curtain. “Most of the camp is asleep, but no doubt they have guards posted at both ends. We have to get out of here.” “How?”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm “If it comes down to it, fight our way out.” I couldn’t help the gasp that left my lips. “Van these are your people.” His curled his fist, “You think that’s easy for me say. Fight my people. We have to go after the children. And if they can’t see it’s the right thing to do…” My hand covered his fist. “What type of weapons do they have?” “Axes, and knifes. It’s been along time since they trained in the use of weapons. Any powers they have, has been muted over the years from lack of use.” “They went after a nest of demons with axes?” I asked incredulously. “An axe is a very effective weapon for use in close combat. If you can hack off a significant enough chunk the they go down eventually. Even a demon can’t function for long if you chop off its head.” “Duly noted.” None of this was really new information, but DKs had an entirely different vocabulary. I tried unsuccessfully to visualize a group of DKs making the rounds around town with axes. DKs had to blend into the environment. We stalked the world above, where law enforcement and concerned citizens dwelled.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm We had learned long ago that guns were of little use against the demons. Firing a hundred bullets into a demon didn’t get you far. The things were already dead. Fire sticks were just as useless since fire seemed to be an intricate part of them. The sticks were used for practice, not as defensive weapons. Some DKs used swords, but to conceal them you had to wear long coats. And every time I saw someone stalking the night in a black leather coat I got the urge to giggle and ask them if they watched too many reruns of the matrix and underworld. Besides how in the hell do you wear a long black coat in the middle of summer. DKs usually relied on a different arsenal of weapons. The metaphysical powers each DK used were usually unique to them alone, and much of our training focused on finding our own power. The symbols of religion provided a framework, but in the end the ability to fight evil came from within. For some it never came together. I had some abilities, but I had yet to find my own personal arsenal. Now knifes were a weapon I could get behind. Easy to conceal, easier to use. Give me a nice blade with blessed silver and I was a happy girl.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm This time his fist hit the ground. “I don’t know what she thinks she is doing.” He turned to me. “If your life is in danger and you have to-–defend yourself. Kill if you must. Otherwise whenever possible…” “I won’t kill anyone unless I have to.” He nodded his head. “Are you ready? We are going to have to make our way around the camp to the far tunnel. If we can get past the guards, there will be another set further down the tunnel. Maybe a hundred yards. After that, if we get that far, we’ll be clear.” “Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked, trying to focus my thoughts. I could feel the effects of the drug still pumping through my body. “What choice do I have? Stand by while innocent children are slaughtered?” “Then let’s get on with it.” It was very slow going. The massed humanity made slipping by unseen almost impossible, yet somehow Van did it. We never seemed to be moving in the direction of the tunnel, but every time it came into sight from behind whatever pile of boxes or group of tents we happened to duck behind, it was closer. Even if I could have risked the noise to ask how he was doing it, I figured why bother, he

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm would either have answered with a riddle or ignored me completely. By the time we reached the tunnel the lethargy caused by the drugs had fallen away. If anything I was shaky with adrenaline. Any moment someone could call out in alarm and we would be in a desperate struggle with people who should be our allies. We reached the guard post without incident and received a stroke of luck. The guards who were supposed to be watching the tunnel where sitting a good twenty feet away talking to a pretty young girl. Her flirtatious giggle carried clearly to us in the quiet camp. We slipped past easily. The tunnel was eerily dark and Van couldn’t do his normal human flashlight trick until we were out of sight of the camp, so we paused a few minutes to let our eyes adjust. When darker forms became visible against the general gray, we moved forward. When we reached the next checkpoint we would be lit from behind, so the chances of slipping by were nil. I made sure that my knife was in my hand and prayed I wouldn’t have to use it.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Like the flipping of a switch, the tunnel was suffused with light. I didn’t dive for cover this time, but I came close. Twenty feet ahead stood three glowing beings. Light sloughed of them like fog, pooling around their feet and lapping at the sides of the tunnel. I could just make out James’ features through the glare. On either side stood a man and a woman that I didn’t recognize. “Hello Van, Can I help you?” “Well, you could get out of my way.” “I’m sorry, I can’t do that.” “James, you have to trust me. I know that I can bring them back, Claire has seen it.” A look of doubt crossed James’ glowing features, and then quickly extinguished. “I’m sorry, I have my orders.” “Whose orders would hold a member of the tribe against his will?” Van demanded. Van’s mother’s voice rose from behind us, and I knew that we were trapped. “My orders.” I turned to see a large group of gypsies enter the tunnel. With Van’s mother stood another of the glowing gypsies, the protectors of their tribe, and along side them, five stern looking men with various weapons.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm I doubt they intended to use them on Van, but I would probably be fair game. To Theresa’s right Kara stood, staring fixedly at Van. “I am not yours to command, Mother.” “I’m merely saving you from yourself. If you go into the nest you will be killed and your people will suffer the consequences of your actions. You will break the truce that has kept us in peace for so long.” “There is no truce mother, they feared to attack us because we were strong. But we have grown weak and they no longer have cause to fear us. I must go into the nest so that they know the cost of attacking us is too great.” “You will bring them down on us in force!” “It is going to happen anyway mother, they will come and destroy our people to the last man, taking forever the middle places back for their own. Because we are not strong enough to stop it.” “I will not allow you to go,” she turned to look at me with undisguised hatred, “I will not let an outsider steal you away from us again. Your place is here.” A feeling of dread suddenly washed over me and I turned to look down the tunnel to find its source. Darker shadows slowly resolved out of the darkness and paused just

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm outside of the circle of light. The shadows paced on the edge of the light in disturbingly unnatural ways and the odd shapes and sizes left no doubt of the nature of the invaders. One hundred feet behind James an army of the minions of darkness filled the tunnel from wall to wall. They waited, perhaps surprised to see the gypsies out in force or confused by the argument, but in a few seconds they began to move. They slowly advanced into the circle of light. A gasp rose from the gathered gypsies at the end of the tunnel and all eyes turned to the advancing menace. “Looks like you have a choice, Mother.” Van grabbed my arm and started leading me to the left. “Try to stop us, or protect the tribe.” “You would leave us here. To fight them?” “No, I intend to take the fight to them.” When Van’s energy flashed to life I didn’t flinch. My eyes had had time to adjust, so that my blindness lasted only a moment. When my eyes cleared it was obvious that Van was special. The other Protectors seemed to dim in comparison as Van brought the noon day sun to places that had forever lain in shadow. He turned and walked with

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm nonchalance towards a force of demons that only a madman could hope to fight and survive. He didn’t look back to see if I was following, perhaps giving me a chance to back out. Part of me wanted to turn and run away from this insanity, run all the way back to the surface. For an awful second I considered it. But only for a second. I muttered “fuck it,” and ran to catch up with Van’s slow advance. He turned and smiled at me as I caught up, and the warmth I saw there melted away my doubts. “What’s the plan?” I asked, trying to keep panic from my voice. “I’m going to cut a path down the right side and try to do as much damage as I can without slowing down. Your job will be to keep them off of my back. If I have to cover my own flank I loose my momentum and it will turn into a bloody slugfest. Can you handle it?” My left hand went to my neck, fingers circling the silver cross. “I guess we’ll see.” “A little ways down, the tunnel starts to divide and we should be able to lead them on a merry little chase. We should be able to draw away enough of them to give the rest a chance.”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm As Van drew closer to the waiting demons they seemed to change. Their dark cloaks started to shred into tatters and red bloody skin turned to the sickening gray shades of festering rot. Gaps showed white bone or just black nothingness. The shadows and illusion which normally hid their true nature were ripped away by Van’s presence. “Are you ready?” he asked not taking his eyes from the demons. “Ready.” I answered, but he was already moving, charging towards the demons at a speed nearly too fast to follow. He swung a hand as he came into range and a ball of light gathered around his fist. The demon raised a forearm to block the blow, but the arm and half of its head dissolved in a flash of light. It fell to the floor with a hollow thump. Van rolled and dodged a club swung by a huge demon. He ducked under the blow and plunged his now glowing hand into the demon’s putrid stomach. The touch was enough to stop the demon in its tracks. The monster’s top half continued the swing, but without the support of its legs, it soon stumbled to the ground. Fire began to rain on Van from the enemies’ ranks, but none of it seemed to reach Van or slow his progress. Balls

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm of orange and purple flame suddenly shredded to tatters in mid air, becoming nothing but smoke. What little demon fire reached Van seemed to slide off without effect. And when a wall of fire sprang up before him, he didn’t even pause, he walked straight through. As he passed through the flames guttered and died, becoming harmless coals and blowing ash. Van killed one and then another. Yet a third, fourth and fifth fell. The fire attack slowed and then stopped completely as more and more demons fell beneath Van’s vicious assault. Me, I was just trying to keep my ass in one piece. I rolled, stumbled and threw myself from one corner of the tunnel to the other just trying to keep from getting smacked upside the head by demon fire. And while I kept my ass intact, one eye was on Van and his whereabouts. The boy put me in charge of covering his back and I was damned if I wouldn’t do my best to comply. Out of the corner or my eye I caught movement and turned to see two demons, running on all fours like some dogs from hell, bearing down on Van’s side. I raised the cross and focused my will on the closest, releasing my anger. The last few days had given me more than enough of that particular emotion. The demon bearing down on Van with

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm murder in its eyes became my first opportunity in days to get some of my own back. I smashed my will into it and it flew back down the tunnel. The other turned to me just as I threw a bottle of holy water in its face. It fell forward and slid to a stop at me feet. I gave it a vicious kick, but the damnable thing didn’t have any fight left in it. I scrambled to catch back up with Van. I had just killed two demons. During my mini battle gypsy boy had returned a dozen demons back hell and I was now forced to scramble over their rotting remains to keep up. As I watched Van demonstrated a new trick. He threw the ball of light he had built up around his hand into the densest concentration of demons and it exploded. Liquid light clung to the creatures and dissolved them like acid. The second ball he threw did less damage. The demons were smarting up and quickly scrambled back out of the weapons path. In response Van pulled more light to his hands, this time forming long blades that extended several feet from his hands. Okay, now I was jealous. Holy shit he could create his own weapons, out of thin air no less. Not something I had ever seen before. I wondered if it was something only a

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm gypsy could do. And if not, I wanted a private lesson. That was one hell of a trick. Van rushed across the gap he had created and neatly sliced a demon that had fled too slowly in half. I tried to stay with him as more and more demons tried to work their way into his blind spots. Thankfully the tunnel was not very wide and if I kept mentally shoving the creatures in front of Van, where he made sure they quickly met their fate. Van was beginning to slow down and it seemed like the light he was creating was beginning to dim. Perhaps a third of the demon force now lay in pieces, and if Van was weakening it was only a matter of time before the remaining group overwhelmed us. I looked back towards the barricade realized with a sinking heart that there would be no help from that quarter. There was a flurry of activity readying defenses, but no one was coming past the barricade to join our fight. We were alone in the tunnel with an army of minions from hell. Van finally came to a stop. A gap had appeared in the side of the tunnel, another tunnel that might lead to safety. The light fell from Van’s hands, the shadows seem to wrap around him and, poof, he was gone. Van had

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm disappeared. I was now alone in the tunnel. There I stood in the darkness, as a group of creatures turned and started towards me. Any minute demon hands would seize me and with so many there was no way I could survive such a battle. Not on my own. I despaired in the darkness, waiting for demon hands to seize me, loudly cursing gypsy boy for making a run for it and leaving me behind. Then Van was suddenly there again, this time at my side. “Son of a bitch, okay, but I draw the line at conniving bastard.” He gave me a smile and I watched as the shadows slowly swirled around us both. The dark engulfed us and as it did Van grabbed my hand and pulled me along with him down the side tunnel.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Chapter 8 We had been running for some time, leading the demons ever farther from the camp, until Van finally felt we had gone far enough and we slipped away into the dark. Then came the long slow slog retracing our steps back to, and then past, where we started. We finally reached the area that we had been told the demons had been seen, and now we were finding ever more traces of demon activity. We crept along the fringes of the nest, trying to find our way in without bringing the wrath of hell down on our heads. We stole a short rest in a small, disused, cavern while we tried to figure out the right path. There was an underground stream to the left of the cave. What had Claire said about fire and water? “We should go this way.” I pointed towards the cavern to the right. “Any particular reason?” “Just a hunch. Something your grandmother said.” He gave me a hard stare. “I’ll take a hunch at this point. If we don’t find them soon…” I put my hand on his arm. “We’ll find them.” “I’ve never been down this far. I don’t think any of my people have.”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm We followed the stream and our surroundings began to change. The manmade tunnels were slowly morphing into actually caverns. In the place of brick and mortar, natural stone and above our heads stalagmites “How far down are we?” “No idea.” Wherever we were going, others had been recently. Every ten feet lit torches sprang from the wall. I was starting to wonder if this was a good idea. Any minute we could be walking into a nest of demons. How many I had no clue. Hundreds, thousands? Whatever force we were facing was powerful enough to take down the protectors from Van’s tribe. Nine men trained, I assumed, in the art of killing demons had not come back. What hope did just two of us have? I was so lost in my own thoughts I didn’t realize Van had stopped until I ran into him. “What’s wrong?” He put his finger to his lips and pointed ahead. Across the cave large panels of red and black silk had been strung from one side of the cave to the other, forming a door that fluttered every so gently.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Before I could blink the silk began to blow, as though a great wind suddenly entered the cave. Soft material parted and there stood a figure of a man. He had long blonde hair, and his body was thin. He was dressed entirely in black. It was the eyes that captured my attention--ice blue eyes, so pale as almost to be drained of color. I stared into his face and had a sudden shock of recognition. Those eyes, that face, they were from my dream, the dream I had when demon fire raged through my system. And with the memory against my will, my body began to betrayed me and hum with sexual energy. “It took you long enough to get here.” He said. “Come in. I’ve been waiting for you.” “Oh, look, a den of inequity.” I turned to Van. “You know how to take a girl to the nicest places.” “It won’t work.” The stranger said. “Hmmm, what?” “The Holy water you’re about to splash me with. I’m not a demon.” “What kind of pay does an evil minion get now-a-days?” I was trying to make conversation to buy some time. I expected any moment Van to do his thing, but when I turned back, I realized he had a strange expression on his face.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm I didn’t recognize her at first. Her raven hair now hung free, curling down her bare shoulders. It was Kara, the gypsy girl from back at the camp. But she looked so different now. There wasn’t much to her dress and what there was to it hugged every curve. One arm was draped across Van’s body. Her head was close to his, as though she was whispering sweet nothings into his ear. It was his expression that stopped me cold. His eyes were not looking at me, but past me. There was a dreamy, ethereal quality to them. “He can’t hear you.” “What did you do to him?” I started forward, but cold fingers clamped down on my arm stopping me. “He’s been enchanted.” The stranger smiled. “Think of it as something like a love spell. She’s very good at it. One of the best I’ve seen.” I suddenly realized my arms were frozen. I couldn’t move the hand I had begun to slide slowly down my back in search of my dagger. “Come. You’ve had such a long journey. You must be famished.”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm I found myself following him through a maze of people. Everywhere I looked people were laughing, dancing and, I realized in shock, fucking. Naked people seemed to be strewn everywhere. And they were really going at it. Not just men and women, but women and women. And multiples of both groups.

It was one big

orgy party. A party I wanted to get the hell out of. In one corner a group gathered around a naked woman who had been tied, spread-eagle to a kind of frame. Her hands were restrained above her head and at an angle to her body and her feet were bound to the side of the frame. She was on display, with no protection or dignity, to the men and women gathered around her. A small dark man stood in front of the woman and made slow deliberate passes with a small, many tailed whip. Her skin turned pink with each lash, until the man smoothed the injury with a soft hand. Her pain and pleasure combined into, from the look on her face, an exquisite mix. Suddenly a tall, beautiful blonde woman moved away from the group. She stepped out of her dress and walked towards the strapped woman pressing pressed her naked body against the bound woman’s back. Delicate hands played across milky white skin.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm On a soft pile of cushions three men paid call on a voluptuous redhead. Hands seemed to roam over every inch of her, lips and tongues following behind. On man paid court to her pussy licking nipping and sucking until it looked like she would explode. Draped cubicles to the sides gaped swayed enough to get hints of other, darker pleasures. Everywhere around lay the trappings of comfort and pleasure. Huge couches hosted both those engaging in pleasure and those who were content to watch. Every conceivable trapping of sex was present, and most were in use. What was the saying, out of the frying pan and into the fire. I was smack into the flames at the moment and was desperately trying to figure a way out. I needed to stay calm, more importantly I needed to sound calm and composed. There was no use letting the evil bastard know how unnerved I was.

“Nice crowd. You could get a camera in here and

sell this show on the internet. I bet you could make some decent coin.” He suddenly leaned in and took a long inhale. I forgot how good your kind smells.” His hand reached out and grazed my cheek. “I am going to enjoy you.” His touch was cold, and clammy and just freaking wrong.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm I tried to push myself away, but I found my body was not following the orders my mind was shouting at it. Orders like get the hell out of here. Run, fight. Do something, anything besides follow his most evilness. But I was following him. And no matter how much I struggled I couldn’t seem to help myself. I just meekly went with him. He suddenly pushed back a billowing purple drape and we entered another smaller chamber. He said, “Sit” and I found myself moving across the room and lowering myself onto a large red cushion. Somehow he had turned me into a damn stepford wife. There had been no mention of this type of crap in training. “You’re quite beautiful.” He didn’t move his lips, yet his voice was suddenly all around me, caressing my mind. His words sent shivers down my spine. Not of horror but something more primitive. I felt a heat begin to grown in my stomach. “I never introduced myself. You can call me Lucas.” He sat down at a table and reached for a bowl of grapes in the center. “You have done really well for yourself. Making it down here without getting killed. I’m impressed. Not bad for a human.”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm “How can you do it? How can you turn on your own species?” I asked, trying to keep the panic from my voice. “Humanity hasn’t been my species for a long time.” He finished a grape then reached for a glass and slowly drank the contents. “I wanted power. Look around you. I have everything I could ever want.” “Like eternal damnation?” “That’s just a technicality.” “So you don’t care of your soul rots in hell.” He laughed. “Naïve and Beautiful. I may decide to keep you. It all depends how much you entertain me.” I changed my tact. “You could let me go. The first step on the path to redemption.” “You really are priceless. You realize I can’t physically touch you. Too dangerous with all the blessed metal you have draped across your body. I guess I’ll just have to find another way. Hmm, now what would be fun?” He poured himself more to drink and raised the glass to his lips. As he did his other hand waved in the air and I found myself suddenly sprawled out across the colorful silk pillows.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm This time I couldn’t keep the panic from my voice. “What ever twisted game you have in mind, you won’t get away with it.” “I already have. If you are waiting for your knight in shining armor, I am afraid he is otherwise detained.” He lowered the glass and blew a kiss in my direction. I threw my head back as small little shivers of pleasure ran across my skin. A fire burst to life in my belly, consuming me from the inside out. It spread slowly over my entire body and in its wake nerve endings twitched, releasing waves of pleasure and pain. “That’s right. Give into the sensation.” His voice whispered. His voice. It some how carried across the room and caressed my skin. And I realized in horror I was still not in control of my own body. The pain slowly receded, leaving only the tingling sensation of caressing flames. My skin felt flushed and tender, and the subtle friction of my clothes against my skin was almost too much to bear. “Relax, surrender.” All I could do was stare into those pale blue, almost white eyes while my hands, which

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm had taken on a life of their own, began unbuttoning the front of my shirt. A cool chill breathed across my exposed stomach, cooling my fevered skin. “Yes, that’s right. Don’t be shy.” I mentally struggled to regain control of my fingers as they worked the hooks at the front of my bra. But my struggle was in vain, the clasps gave way and my breasts were suddenly completely exposed. “Don’t be afraid. It’s what you desire most. I am not forcing you to do anything. I am merely allowing your own passions and desires to be released.” Get out of my head, you sick bastard, a part of my mind screamed, but another part cried out in pleasure as my own hands began to slide across my hot naked flesh. With the contact my nipples became swollen and taunt and each brush of my fingers brought my body arching up with pleasure. My eyes were now locked into his. I was beyond reason as pleasure and sensation took over my mind and body. Cries escaped my lips while I caressed myself “That’s right. Find release.” His voice echoed in my head.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm My right hand moved slowly down until I felt the material of my jeans. I needed release. I needed more. Van voice floated out of the shadows. “Get away from her!” “Still alive?” Lucas walked over and picked a grape from a bowl, examining it between his fingers. “I would have thought Kara would have devoured you by now.” “Let her go.” “I am just showing her how it could be between us.” He popped the grape in his mouth, watching us both with half closed lids. A lazy smile crossed his face. “Looks like she’s enjoying herself.” I tried to focus my thoughts on what was going on and for a moment my hands stilled and my mind cleared. The two men now stood on opposite sides of the room, like two old time cowboys preparing for a shoot out. “I’m curious how did you break Kara’s spell?” Lucas asked. “You think a spell from my own kind could keep me enchanted forever?” Lucas waved a hand in Van’s direction. Van’s body suddenly lurched forward, but then he stopped and righted himself.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Lucas eyebrows raised. “Powerful. A chosen one?” He smiled. “How fun. I haven’t killed one of your kind in a century. Unless…” He stopped and picked up another grape. “You want to come over to our side. You could you know. Kara did. She is a beautiful woman. Imagine the two of you here, together. You have no idea what it’s like to just let go. To give yourself over to something bigger. And what you get in return, it’s beyond imagination. Unless you would rather have her.” Lucas eyes bored into mine again and as they did my hands began to move and my mind again filled only with the desire. I unzipped my jeans and moaned out loud as anxious fingers pushed down the material and found their way to the soft folds of my pussy. I moaned again as the fingers of my right hand began to slide and explored the dampness between my legs. I couldn’t stop. I should have been mortified two men were watching me pleasure myself, instead all I could think about was finding release. Lucas smiled. “She could be yours. After I’m done with her.” Van face turned to a mask of rage, and his power flashed into the room. Shadows and illusions faded in the face of cleansing light, and the truth of Lucas’s lair

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm resolved harshly. The rich colors and textures which had surrounded me stuttered and failed, leaving the harsh angles and rough furnishings of the natural cave. Lucas also seemed to fade in the unforgiving light. He was painfully thin, like a recent escapee from a concentration camp, and gray skin surrounded his deep-set eyes. The eyes, however, had lost none of their power and the rage of an ancient and evil being shone out from them. Van advanced slowly, gathering light to himself as he came. Lucas stood, unmoving. Lucas seemed utterly unconcerned by the threat. Van came within ten feet of his opponent and with lightening speed he lunged forward, swinging an orb of pure light. Suddenly Lucas’s hand rose up and a flash of purple orange fire flared to meet Van’s light. Fire and light splashed in all directions and when the air cleared Lucas stood unharmed. Flames licked around Lucas’s casually raised hand and shadows licked at his legs like rising fog. Van paused a moment in surprise and in that moment the shadows folded around Lucas and he was gone. A hand wreathed in purple flame shot out of nowhere struck out, Van stumbled back. A burn mark with blacked edges was visible on Van’s shirt and where the skin was

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm exposed it was pink and singed. Gypsies were not the only ones who played in the shadows. Van recovered and, with a determined look on his face, followed Lucas into shadow. The fight was almost impossible to follow as bursts of light and fire cannonaded in the darkness, but if any of them struck to effect I couldn’t tell. The drifting shadows would occasional part, but it was never enough to tell if anyone was winning. Van and Lucas danced a deadly dance through shadow and light. And I lay unable to move or help. Strange changes were coming and going throughout the room. Wisp of shadow drifted across grim corners of the cavern, and when it moved on the illusion of its opulence would return, only to slowly fade again. The room fazed between luxury and austerity so many times that it seemed reality itself was coming unhinged. With a percussive smash, the shadows final shattered to reveal Lucas stumbling back with one hand held to the smoking side of his head. The entire side of Lucas’s face was a charred ruin. Lucas dropped his hand and launched himself at Van, both of his arms now an inferno from hand to shoulder. Van spun under his attack and struck Lucas solidly, and with no hope of defense, in the gut. Lucas

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm fell forward and his flames went out. I could hear his gapping breaths from where I still lay. Van looked horrible. Another smoking hole was visible in the back of his shirt, and his right sleeve had burned completely off. His forearm was red to the elbow, and the hair was burned off almost to his shoulder. He struggled for breath as he made his hunched way over to me. “Can you understand me?” I nodded my head. I was barely following what he was saying. My body still hummed and my mind still felt the grasping influence of Lucas’s dark seduction. Van walked over, bent down, and put his face inches next to mine. He placed his hand on my arm. His grip was tight. His face filled with concern. Suddenly his hands pushed under my body and he scooped me into his arms. In one fluid motion he lifted me. My head now rested against his shoulder. I closed my eyes and tried to clear the fog still weaving among my thoughts. A sound brought my eyes wide open. A drape fluttered towards the back of the room and a woman walked in carrying a tray full of food. Her expression was one of shock as she took in Lucas’s body, sprawled on the floor.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Van started towards her. The woman took a step back, offering no resistance as we moved past her and out of the room. The tunnel was lit with torches every few feet. Van moved determinedly down the tunnel, carrying me. He moved quick and steady, twisting and turning down endless tunnels. I should have been concerned about the army of hell that was hunting us. Instead all I could think about was getting laid. Finding release to the hum of sexual energy that pounded in my ears and drummed across my body. We stopped and he lowered me against the rock wall. “Van, I can’t…” I moan escaped my lips. My shirt still hung open, my nipples exposed. The cold made them hard as rock and every time material grazed across them it sent shivers of pleasure down my spine. Van face was suddenly only inches from mine. “Are you okay?” “No, I need…” My lips crushed against his. My hands ran down his chest. He tore himself away from me. “We can’t, not here…” “Please…” I begged. I grabbed. I needed. I wanted. The want filled my mind pushing any other thoughts away. I pulled his shirt up and ran my fingers across his naked

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm chest. His dark skin was like silk. God, I wanted to taste it. My lips lowered against his skin, licking every so slightly. He tasted of salt. Suddenly Van pushed me violently against the wall. His hands ran down my body, grazing across my breasts. “More.” I begged. He raised his head and his fingers caressed my neck. “Did I hurt you?” “No. But, I need you to…” More shudders of desire ran through me. I needed him to fuck me. To take me hard against the wall right now. I didn’t care if we got caught. I didn’t care about anything but feeling him inside me. My hands went to his pants desperate to unleash what I wanted most. I could feel his erection against my leg. I knew he wanted me. I needed to be filled with pleasure. Have the pleasure build up into a crescendo, until the force of it exploded thru me, and left me panting, emotionless, completely drained, but finally free. The slap rocked the side of my face. It took me am moment to realize where I was. “What happened?”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Van pulled me into his body. His arms wrapped around me and my head rested again against his shoulder. “You were under some kind of mind control.” He pushed me back and gentle hands began to button my shirt. I looked around feeling dazed and confused. “We have to keep moving. I have no idea where we are.” His voice was soft. “Do you understand what I am saying?” “Yes.” I was for the first time in what seemed like hours I starting to feel myself. But something was tugging at the corner of my mind. I turned my head to the left. It was as though I could hear voices calling to me. “What’s wrong?” Van asked. His arms were around me again. “Don’t you hear it?” He lifted his head and concentrated in the direction I was pointing. “I don’t hear anything.” “You can’t hear the screams?” * * * * The bodies were stacked like cord wood in a circle. The site of them, familiar faces, limbs twisted at impossible angles and stacked one on top of the other, made me puke my guts out. They had been dead for a long while.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm What had I heard? The screams of their souls twisting and writhing, trapped in this damned place?

I leaned against

the wall, being sick for the third time, when I felt a hand on my shoulder. “Are you all right?” Van passed me his leather canteen. “Fuck no.” I took a sip and forced myself vertical. This time I averted my eyes. The last thing I needed to do was look in familiar faces again. Amongst the dead I had recognized both Harry and Jennings. Though I am not sure how. Their expressions were of terror, the pallor of their chalky skin and their eyes were beyond description. I knew those eyes would be haunting my dreams–-vacant and void of all life. The worst part was their color. White. It was a peculiar effect of demon fire. It you got enough of it coursing through you body, enough to kill your ass, you were burned, fried from the inside out. And victims of this horrendous death, their eyes seemed to be scorched of all color. We called it dying the White Death. It was something every DK feared and only talked about late at night in hushed tones. I forced the words out of my mouth, “How many bodies?”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm “Too many.” Van answered. Spitting in the direction of the bodies. He wasn’t being disrespectful I knew in his culture spitting was a way of warding off evil spirits. “We need to get out of here.” He put his hand on my arm and starting leading me towards the closest tunnel. “Like hell I’m leaving!” I threw his arm off and headed back towards the bodies. “We can’t stay here.” “I am not leaving…” I couldn’t get the words out. There were people I respected and, even some that I had come to call friends, lying only a few feet from me and I wasn’t about to leave them to be used in some fucked up demon ceremony. But what could I do? “Isn’t there some gypsy thing you can do?” I asked, trying to keep from throwing up again. “My people generally ignore the dead.” His hand went to silver cross necklace hanging around my neck. “Your kind on the other hand. Isn’t it always the catholic priest with holy water and a cross chasing after the vampires.” “Actually any idiot with wooden stake, who’s crazy enough to hang around in spooky castles, can kill vampires. Man you are not up on your paranormal movie lore. It’s the priest sprinkling holy water on young girls whose heads

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm spin around while spewing vomit and floating two feet above their beds.” I thought for a moment, the only sure way to be sure to purify the demon influence from these poor souls was fire, but even if I could get a fire started there was nowhere for the smoke to go in this closed in cave, we would be dead in a matter of minutes. I answered slowly, trying to keep my emotions in check as my eyes wandered again to my dead comrades. “I could try an exorcism. If it expels the demon influence their souls will be free to cross the river. I don’t know if it will work, but I have to do something.” Van pulled me into his arms. “Whatever you are going to try, get on with it. There is no telling how long it will be before they catch wind of our trail again.” This was not the time to lose it. I had to keep it together and do whatever it took to help my brother in arms find their peace. I would not let the evil bastards torture my friends’ souls for eternity. This time when I spoke my voice sounded strong and clear. “Alright, keep an eye out while I give it a try.” Van moved a ways back down the tunnel while I began preparations. I carefully poured holy oil across both

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm entrances to the cave. On each walls of the cave I made a cross in oil, saying a silent prayer as I went. And then I made my way to the pile of bodies. With a determined set to my shoulders I started to walk in a circle around them, sprinkling holy water on each body as I went. And then everything went to shit. Like a scene from hell, a huge man burst from the center of the pile, raining bodies in every direction. He roared out in pain and anger, his voice broken and harsh, as drops of holy water smoked on his white skin. With A jolt I recognized Commander Olson. For one charged moment I thought he had survived the attack and had been just feigning death, waiting his opportunity to escape, but then I saw the gaping wounds in his chest. Broken edges of bone and tissue had turned the same ash white inside obviously mortal wounds. A demon had taken possession of the Commander. I yelled back down the tunnel for Van’s help and, before the demon could find its balance, I did my best flying tackle. The Commander toppled to his back and I struggled to hold him down. This maneuver would never have worked on the real Commander--he would have tossed me away and had a good laugh at my expense. But the demon, for all

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm its strength, didn’t seem to have full control over the body. I struggled with the flailing corpse for what seemed an eternity, but it was only a few seconds before Van appeared. With Van’s help I was able kneel on the creature’s chest. It was time to begin the rite. Or a quick and dirty form of it. I made a cross on the demon’s forehead and began the prayer. “I command you, unclean spirit, whoever you are, along with all your minions now attacking this servant of God, by the mysteries of the incarnation, passion, resurrection, and ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ, by the descent of the Holy Spirit, by the coming of our Lord for judgment, that you tell me by some sign your name, and the day and hour of your departure. I command you, moreover, to obey me to the letter, nor shall you be emboldened to harm in any way this creature of God, or the bystanders, or any of their possessions.” The demon writhed in pain, and a string of incomprehensible curses burst from its lips in a croaking voice. Even after I stopped talking, the volume of his epitaphs increased. The fight for the Commander’s body raged full bore, and I did not seem to be involved.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Like a fever breaking, the struggle suddenly eased and the voice went quiet. The Commander was deathly still and for a moment I thought that death had finally taken him, but then he began to speak again. This time the voice was different--like the Commander’s own, but distant and without inflection. His eyes did not open and his lips barely moved, but it felt like him. “Well done, Maxwell, you’ve hurt the demon enough for me take control. At least for a little while. There are things you need to know and we may not have much time.” “How do we drive out the demon?” I demanded. “You don’t, not yet. When the demon goes I will die and you need to know what I have learned from it. Leave this cavern from the opposite tunnel you entered. About quarter mile down a tunnel branches to the right and you will be able to hear running water. Follow this tunnel, always turning toward the sound, until you reach the river. Follow it downstream until you find the bridge that crosses to the other side. Take the tunnel you find there and you will soon come upon them.” “What about the rest of the cell?” “They are beyond your help, concentrate on the living and let God see to the dead. I must…”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Once again the body began to writhe and voice changed to a damaged croak. The demon was fighting his way back to the surface. I restarted the ritual, because there was nothing else to do. “We drive you from us, whoever you may be, unclean spirits, all satanic powers, all infernal invaders, all wicked legions, assemblies and sects. In the Name and by the power of Our Lord Jesus Christ, may you be snatched away and driven from the Church of God and from the souls made to the image and likeness of God and redeemed by the Precious Blood of the Divine Lamb. I cast you out, unclean spirit, along with every Satanic power of the enemy, every spectre from hell, and all your fell companions.” “This is taking to long.” I could feel Van’s impatience. “He told you what to do, let’s do it.” “I’m not leaving him like this. Maybe he had more he can tell us.” I ignored Van’s look of disproval and continued this time with more force. “We drive you from us, whoever you may be, unclean spirits, all satanic powers, all infernal invaders, all wicked legions, assemblies and sects…” “Screw this!” Van reached out and laid his hand on the Commander’s head.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm “What are you doing?” “I’m not sure, but maybe I can…” his voice trailed off as his eyes closed. The light around him was dim, but there and as I watched a burst of light shown through the Commander’s colorless eyes. The Commander’s body relaxed. The demon was gone. I sat for a moment stunned. Van had said he could do nothing. But he had managed to set the commander free when I had just been prolonging the Commander’s pain. I looked up to see Van moving from body to body, touching each with a flash of light. In a moment he was done and the dread that had permeated the room was gone. The bodies were no longer prisons, just the empty shells of those who had passed on. Van looked exhausted. I walked over and leaned my body against his. We both stood for a moment, side my side, not saying a word. And then Van moved forward towards the tunnel the Commander had told us to take. I followed, walking away from this place and the huge amount of loss it contained. My friends and comrades were dead. But Van was still alive and strong at my side, and there was still hope.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Chapter 9 We followed the Commander’s instructions and found unexpected beauty in the darkness. At each turn the sound of rushing water became louder, until the tunnel finally opened onto a ledge over a rushing underground river about fifty feet across. The sound of tumbling boulders thumping each other as they moved reverberated through the ground at our feet. The light Van always carried with him made the white limestone stalactites over our heads glow in a way that was breathtaking. I looked down at the light as it shone off the churning water twenty feet below us. The river stretched into the darkness in either direction, and I enjoyed the sense of open space I did not realize I had been desperately missing. It was a momentary break from the oppressive claustrophobia of the tunnels. The smell in the tunnels was cleaner. I took deep breaths to rid the smell of dust, smoke and death from my nose. The ledge continued in both directions, but we turned downstream and followed the path as it wound around the stalagmites and boulders that blocked the way. Shortly we came on a natural bridge of rock. Once across the bridge we headed again into the tunnel system. Sadly, we turned out backs on the river, and trod on into the darkness. The

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm sound of water slowly faded and with it went our brief moment of tranquility. The tunnel ended in a huge cavern. Wide path circled its boundary and steps sloped down, like an old Roman amphitheater, to a platform in the center. On the platform stood an alter that was brown with old blood. Numerous tunnels opened around the rim of the cavern with no sign which we should follow. A child’s voice screamed in terror, and Van and I both turned quickly to find its source. I started towards a tunnel to my right. The child’s cry was sharp against the silence. As the noise intensified so did my speed. I ran towards the sound and found myself suddenly face to face with a demon. Over its shoulder I could make out a small cavern stuffed full of metal cages and in each cage, children--their faces streaked with dirt, cheeks hollowed and eyes round with fear. I only saw the image for a second, but the impact of what the monsters had been doing. Keeping children like animals, waiting to use them in their sick ceremonies, fueled my anger. My blood burned and with it I could feel a power cursing through my body.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm The Demon grabbed me, but I didn’t feel the cursed fire I knew must be now running down arm. I spun and my free hand grabbed the dagger from my belt. As I came around I sank the dagger deep into the demon’s forehead. I stepped back as it shrieked out in pain, its hands frantically reaching for the blade. Blessed metal wasn’t going to be enough to kill it. If one blessed metal wouldn’t work, maybe another one would. I grabbed the medal from around my neck and scrambled to get it around the demon’s. The medal settled against its body and I sang out the words that turned the medal into a powerful weapon. “In the name of God the Father and Almighty, who made heaven and earth, the seas and all that is in them, I exorcise these medals against the power and attacks of the evil one.” Where it made contact, bluish white sparks flew out and the creature’s shrieks increased until it fell to its knees. And then it slowly collapsed onto the floor. I tried to make my voice soft, “It’s okay. You’re safe now.” I wondered how true that was. We were currently hundreds of feet from the surface and every route from here to freedom was crawling with demons hunting us.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Van was suddenly beside me. My hands gripped the door of a cage and I pulled as hard as I could, but it didn’t budge. Hanging from each cage door was a large lock. He lifted the lock. “Your holy skeleton key?” he asked. “Only works on sacred ground. And this cave is far from it.” I turned and started looking around for anything to break open the locks. A picked up a fist sized rock and started smashing it against the lock. Nothing, I didn’t even dent the thing. “How are we going to get them out?” “You could use my key.” The voice came from behind us and sent chills down my back. “Lucas. Don’t you have better things to do? Like corrupt the masses?” I asked, honestly too tired and shocked to see him to sound afraid. “Gypsy, you could come over to our side. We have no grudge with your people. Think about it. Kara is with us now. You could join her. The power you have now is nothing compared to what you could become.”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Van moved away from the cages. His body seemed relaxed, as did his expression. But I knew him well enough now to read the tell tale signs that he was anything but casual. The way the fingers on his left hand curled, the cold edge that came suddenly into his eyes. “Kara. By joining you, she tilted the balance.” Lucas laughed. “Gypsy, you really are naive. It wouldn’t have mattered if she was with us or not. But I have to admit it was a sweet victory to watch her hand over her own flesh. Can you imagine? Turning over her own sister? I honestly didn’t know if she had it in her.” “Why start this war?” He turned his head and looked at the children. “Why not? We wanted something, so we went after it. Isn’t that the way of the world?” I was so intent on watching the two of them stand off against each other, I didn’t realize what was happening. My dagger was in my hands. The blade turned inwards. I stared down at it and watched in horror as it began advancing towards me. My hands were suddenly not my own. Like alien beings they pulled the dagger towards the center of my body. And as hard as I struggled I could not seem to stop their progress. Four inches, three inches, two inches.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Any second the steel would slide into my flesh. I tried to call out, by my voice was silenced. The words frozen on my lips. The bastard was doing some kind of mind control on me again. I had to fight against it. Sweat poured down my face as I struggled to call out for help, or stop the blade that was now against my shirt. Lucas turned towards me. “What’s wrong, cat got you’re tongue?” Van took a step forward and Lucas raised his hand. “Careful. It would take but a thought for me to plunge the blade through her body. A blade in her own hands. And you know how the Catholics feel about suicide. Do you really want to be responsible for her damnation?” Van moved with that scary speed of his, but not in the direction I expected him to. Instead of attacking Lucas, he kicked me firmly on the shoulder. My entire arm went numb and the knife flew to clatter against the wall. I stumbled and collapsed next to it. Man that bastard hit hard. My arm felt like it was on fire and my hand was not currently responding to my commands. Van looked at me with concern in his eyes. He should have been concerned, the boy knocked me on my ass.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm Lucas charged at Van’s unprotected back, a dark dagger in his hand. I grabbed my dagger with my left hand and flipped it awkwardly at Lucas. It stuck in his thigh, but I had not been able to put much force behind it and it only went in an inch or so. Van Spun out of the way of the descending blade, but not quite fast enough. The dark blade struck him a glancing blow to the side of the head. Van spun away from the knife and did a complete turn. When he completed the turn one of those light blades extended from his hands. The blade sliced Lucas right arm off at the elbow and left a long crease along his side. Van’s hand darted out and snatched the keys from Lucas’s belt. Lucas staggered a few feet and fell flat on his face. The fall drove my dagger the rest of the way in, but Lucas didn’t react. He lay still for a long count of ten and I began to hope that he was dead. Lucas moved. The bastard was moving. So far I had been powerless against him. Blessed silver didn’t work and I wasn’t a match for him mentally. I looked over at Van who was now on the ground, the key in one hand, blood pouring from a jagged cut across the side of his head.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm If Lucas got to his feet it would be all over. Then I realized what I had been missing. This was not a demon. This was a minion of evil. For all the dark power Lucas held and all the years he had been transformed by it, Lucas was still somewhere deep inside human. Which meant he breathed in and out just like I did. And blood pumped through his veins, just like mine. The thought was barely formed in my mind when I sprang. In an explosion of movement, I twirled and lunged and grabbed a wooden torch from the wall. My left arm swung it to the ground and the full weight of my foot came crashing down on it. The wood splintered. All I needed was a sharp edge and I now had it. I heard him behind me. He was on his feet. The torch was in two pieces, one in each hand. My right arm was working, barely. The one in my left hand was still ablaze with flame. I pushed up and spun around. Using all strength I had left in me I brought both pieces of wood down towards his heart. The force of my lunge sent us both sprawling on the floor. I felt him squirm beneath me, but I just pushed the torch in farther. “Nice move.” Van called out as he pulled himself to his feet.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm I rolled off Lucas’s body. He wasn’t moving anymore. His face was frozen into an expression of surprise. And by the glazed look of his eyes, he wouldn’t be moving ever again. I rubbed my blood soaked hands against my jeans and raised them slowly, still shaking, to push the hair from my face. “Thanks, just a little something I learned from watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” * * * * Van stopped in front of me. “The children need a break.” “How far are we from the surface?” I asked. Van pointed down a long tunnel. “About twenty feet and then we take a drainage pipe straight up.” I put down the young child I had been carrying and collapsed against the wall of the tunnel. I looked over my shoulder. I couldn’t get the sensation out of my head that we were being followed. But the tunnel behind me was dark and vacant. “The sooner we are out of here the better.” Van took out a piece of scorched parchment. “What is it?” “Something I found by one of the cages.”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm He handed me the paper and I began to read it. The sensation hit me like a freight train. My stomach knotted up and I felt physically ill. I dropped the paper. Van reached down and picked it up holding it up. “What’s wrong?” “It’s demon speak.” My voice trembled. I realized I was unconsciously wiping my fingers against my jeans. I glanced towards the symbols and scratches made from charcoal and just as quickly looked away as nausea swept over me. Van had no idea how to read the script. I started to reach for it, but could not force my fingers to actually touch the paper. “How can I help?” Van asked. “Describe what you see on the paper.” He studied it for a few minutes before speaking. “Four straight lines in a row. A half circle with two lines thru it. A circle now more like a snake. Wait I think it’s that sign for eternity. Does this make any sense to you?” I nodded my head and he kept reading. “This time three lines horizontal. A full circle with six lines thru it. And some kind of bird.” A felt a chill run down my neck. “Show me the bird.”

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm He held up the parchment and I forced myself to ignore the nausea. It was there-–a roughly drawn phoenix. Horrified I realized my worst fears had now been confirmed. How they imagined they could try to open the portal here on the edge of the city was unfathomable. But then again they had taken out the nearest cells of DKs, so who was around to stop them? It also meant we weren’t dealing with one nest but possibly dozens. No way they’d try such a thing without gathering a shit load of power and reinforcements. The sons of bitches were going to try and open a portal. There hadn’t been one in a hundred years and the last time the whole thing had been thwarted not long after it’s conception. I looked at the faces of the children now settled around us. That explained why they needed the children. For a human sacrifice. It was part of the spell. Which meant that the demons would be looking for more children. I had a sudden strong urge to be in the light. To feel the sunshine on my face. My only concern at the moment was getting these children to safety.

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Shadow Vision Samantha Storm I stood up and reached down to pick up the toddler next to me. He stared at me round eyed, his thumb in his mouth. “Come on kids, let’s get moving. We have to get you back to your parents before they start worrying.” I looked over at Van. He held the hand of a child and another clung to his back. The older children huddle around him as if afraid to step out of the light that shone from his body. I didn’t blame them. After what they had been through. Van’s presence was one of strength and light. And just having him with me made me feel strong and content. Van smiled at me. And I smiled back. I wasn’t alone. Once we made it to the surface we would have to figure out a way to get the DKs and gypsies together. The only way the demons would be stopped is if we came together and fought as a united front. But getting them to trust and work together after so much time of suspicion would be a battle in itself. A battle I would worry about fighting another day. As I followed Van down the tunnels I was thankful we were together and alive. And for the moment it was enough.

The End Check out more free reads at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SamanthaStorm/

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