The shadows were still snatching people. Nearly twenty had been taken already, and none had returned.
Ryan watched the shadows swirl underneath a streetlight. They flattened onto the sidewalk. A car drove past and the shadow rippled away from its headlights.
He took another step back into the driveway, narrowly avoiding a trash can. He readied his disperser, lining up the shot.
Voices sounded from around the corner. Familiar ones. The shadows swirled again.
“I’m so late, my mom’s going to kill me,” a girl said. “But I have so much to tell you tomorrow.”
“Great, now I have something to look forward to in history class,” another girl said. Her voice was the familiar one. Camille, who he had known since middle school. “Bye!”
Footsteps walked his way. No. She would be heading straight into the shadow. It was swirling ominously, forming itself into a whirlpool the way they did when they were about to —
Camille turned the corner. Ryan fired the disperser.
“Aaaahhh!” she screamed. The shadow was ripped apart, its ashes floating away as though caught in a breeze. “Oh my God!”
“Not so loud!” Ryan hissed from behind the trash can. “More of them will come!”
“Ryan? Is that you? What are you doing?”
“I’ll explain once you be quiet. Please be quiet.”
“No, explain first.” Camille seemed to steady herself. “Why are you running around with a scarf tied around your face firing guns at people?”
“Why are you running around with a scarf tied around your chest walking into evil kidnapping whirlpools?”
“It’s not a scarf,” she snapped. “It’s a top.”
“And it’s not a gun,” Ryan said, holstering it. “It’s a disperser. I made it myself. Besides, it can’t hurt you.”
“Oh, and I was supposed to know that?” Camille crossed her arms. “Okay, what are you doing? Are you trying to be a superhero and save people from whatever dark dimension the whirlpools are sucking them into?”
“Yes,” Ryan admitted. “Well, almost. I don’t know how to save them, but I’m trying to stop the disappearances.” His voice got quieter. “There were three this weekend.”
“I’m pretty sure vigilantism is illegal.”
“And I’m pretty sure being out at 10:30 with half a shirt with all these crazy dimensional portals out here kidnapping people is a bad idea.”
“Fine, it is,” Camille said, uncrossing her arms. “But I was invited to a party and I figured it would be good to get away from all the stress these stupid shadows have been causing.”
“A party? On a Tuesday night?”
“That reminds me, did you do the homework for chem? Because I didn’t.”
Ryan sighed and took off the scarf tied around his face. Camille made a face as she saw him better under the streetlight.
“What are you wearing? You look like a military reject.”
“These pants just have a lot of pockets.”
“That’s a pretty terrible superhero costume,” she said, and started walking down the street. He walked with her. “And what’s the point of wearing a mask if you’ll just wear the same jacket you do at school?”
“I wear other things at school!” Ryan protested.
“Yeah, but who else owns a leather jacket with racing stripes?”
“Other people with good taste.”
“Right.”
Camille led them through their suburban neighborhood. Ryan was realizing her house was in the opposite direction of his.
“If you’re such a superhero, then why aren’t you wearing tights?” Camille asked.
“The whole point is not to attract attention.”
“Or . . . what is it they wear? Latex?”
Ryan laughed. “No. It’s definitely not latex.”
“No, I think it is!”
“It’s not.”
“Or Spanx! I think you’d look good in Spanx.”
“Camille, it’s spandex.”
“Oh, right.” She pressed the button to cross. There were no cars on the street, but Ryan still waited with her. “You should get some of that, then.”
“No, thank you.” They walked several blocks together in silence. Ryan kept his hand on his disperser.
“This is me.” Camille put her hand on a gate. “Thanks for walking me home.” Her voice got quieter. “And for saving me from the shadow.” She paused, frowning. “That was really close.”
“Yeah.” Ryan’s voice got a little raspy. He wasn’t close with Camille, but he knew what those things could do. He didn’t want that to happen to anyone.
“I expect homework answers from you tomorrow,” she said, the serious mood immediately evaporating. “And I know you did them, too. You’re smart and responsible. And I know you weren’t invited to Natalie’s party.”
“I was, actually,” Ryan said, rolling his eyes. “I just, you know, had chemistry homework to do.”
“Riiight,” Camille said, rolling her eyes, too.
There was no use arguing. He had been invited, but he would sound desperate if he tried to convince her. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”
“Yeah.”
Ryan watched Camille go up the steps to her house, then waited for her to wave at him through the window, before turning around and starting his walk back.
One whirlpool down was good for one night. He walked quietly enough to not attract any shadows, and avoided what few streets were busy at this time of night. Ryan kept one hand on his disperser the whole way home.
Ryan watched the shadows swirl underneath a streetlight. They flattened onto the sidewalk. A car drove past and the shadow rippled away from its headlights.
He took another step back into the driveway, narrowly avoiding a trash can. He readied his disperser, lining up the shot.
Voices sounded from around the corner. Familiar ones. The shadows swirled again.
“I’m so late, my mom’s going to kill me,” a girl said. “But I have so much to tell you tomorrow.”
“Great, now I have something to look forward to in history class,” another girl said. Her voice was the familiar one. Camille, who he had known since middle school. “Bye!”
Footsteps walked his way. No. She would be heading straight into the shadow. It was swirling ominously, forming itself into a whirlpool the way they did when they were about to —
Camille turned the corner. Ryan fired the disperser.
“Aaaahhh!” she screamed. The shadow was ripped apart, its ashes floating away as though caught in a breeze. “Oh my God!”
“Not so loud!” Ryan hissed from behind the trash can. “More of them will come!”
“Ryan? Is that you? What are you doing?”
“I’ll explain once you be quiet. Please be quiet.”
“No, explain first.” Camille seemed to steady herself. “Why are you running around with a scarf tied around your face firing guns at people?”
“Why are you running around with a scarf tied around your chest walking into evil kidnapping whirlpools?”
“It’s not a scarf,” she snapped. “It’s a top.”
“And it’s not a gun,” Ryan said, holstering it. “It’s a disperser. I made it myself. Besides, it can’t hurt you.”
“Oh, and I was supposed to know that?” Camille crossed her arms. “Okay, what are you doing? Are you trying to be a superhero and save people from whatever dark dimension the whirlpools are sucking them into?”
“Yes,” Ryan admitted. “Well, almost. I don’t know how to save them, but I’m trying to stop the disappearances.” His voice got quieter. “There were three this weekend.”
“I’m pretty sure vigilantism is illegal.”
“And I’m pretty sure being out at 10:30 with half a shirt with all these crazy dimensional portals out here kidnapping people is a bad idea.”
“Fine, it is,” Camille said, uncrossing her arms. “But I was invited to a party and I figured it would be good to get away from all the stress these stupid shadows have been causing.”
“A party? On a Tuesday night?”
“That reminds me, did you do the homework for chem? Because I didn’t.”
Ryan sighed and took off the scarf tied around his face. Camille made a face as she saw him better under the streetlight.
“What are you wearing? You look like a military reject.”
“These pants just have a lot of pockets.”
“That’s a pretty terrible superhero costume,” she said, and started walking down the street. He walked with her. “And what’s the point of wearing a mask if you’ll just wear the same jacket you do at school?”
“I wear other things at school!” Ryan protested.
“Yeah, but who else owns a leather jacket with racing stripes?”
“Other people with good taste.”
“Right.”
Camille led them through their suburban neighborhood. Ryan was realizing her house was in the opposite direction of his.
“If you’re such a superhero, then why aren’t you wearing tights?” Camille asked.
“The whole point is not to attract attention.”
“Or . . . what is it they wear? Latex?”
Ryan laughed. “No. It’s definitely not latex.”
“No, I think it is!”
“It’s not.”
“Or Spanx! I think you’d look good in Spanx.”
“Camille, it’s spandex.”
“Oh, right.” She pressed the button to cross. There were no cars on the street, but Ryan still waited with her. “You should get some of that, then.”
“No, thank you.” They walked several blocks together in silence. Ryan kept his hand on his disperser.
“This is me.” Camille put her hand on a gate. “Thanks for walking me home.” Her voice got quieter. “And for saving me from the shadow.” She paused, frowning. “That was really close.”
“Yeah.” Ryan’s voice got a little raspy. He wasn’t close with Camille, but he knew what those things could do. He didn’t want that to happen to anyone.
“I expect homework answers from you tomorrow,” she said, the serious mood immediately evaporating. “And I know you did them, too. You’re smart and responsible. And I know you weren’t invited to Natalie’s party.”
“I was, actually,” Ryan said, rolling his eyes. “I just, you know, had chemistry homework to do.”
“Riiight,” Camille said, rolling her eyes, too.
There was no use arguing. He had been invited, but he would sound desperate if he tried to convince her. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”
“Yeah.”
Ryan watched Camille go up the steps to her house, then waited for her to wave at him through the window, before turning around and starting his walk back.
One whirlpool down was good for one night. He walked quietly enough to not attract any shadows, and avoided what few streets were busy at this time of night. Ryan kept one hand on his disperser the whole way home.