Accidental Shifter

Music blared out of Jenna’s I- pod. The earphones drowned out any other noise. She crossed the road and turned into an industrial estate. A part of town that was home to factories and warehouses, at that time of night it was void of any life. In the darkness, the grey tin buildings gave off an eerie feeling, barley illuminated by the random streetlights. But Jenna was unaffected. She was still on a high from her night out and hummed along with the tunes she was playing.

If her mother or father knew that she was still out at that hour, then she would be grounded until she left for college. That would be a long time as she had only just turned sweet sixteen.

However, it was date night, and she knew that her parents were at the movies and her sister was out with her so called new boyfriend. It had just gone past eleven P.M. She had an hour to get home before anyone was expected back.

She had plenty of time.

The party she had just exited was exactly what her best friend Donna said it would be. Amazing. The music was so loud it had made Jenna’s skin tingle. Plus, she was pretty sure that the school’s new hunk Josh was hitting on her. He was new to town. Why anyone would wish to move to Dem’Say Woods was beyond Jenna. She dreamed of getting out of the small town. It had a measly population of six thousand people and was located in the middle of nowhere. The next town was over twenty-five miles away. Everyone knew everyone else’s business and gossiping was more of a hobby than sports.

Dem’Say Woods was surrounded by a large forest which made the town feel lost to the rest of the world.

However, she couldn’t deny that Josh had made her heart flutter. He was one of them guys that drew people to him, but there was something about him. Jenna wasn’t sure what. There was wisdom to his eyes. His smile had made her weak at the knees.

An invisible hand clasped over her mouth. A hypodermic of adrenaline pierced her heart, unloading in an instant. Her ribs heaved as if bound by ropes, straining to inflate her lungs. Jenna’s head felt like a carousel of fears spinning out of control, each one pushing her mind into blackness. She tried to focus and survey her surroundings. The streets were deserted. She was alone with her unknown attacker.

Panic fueled her adrenaline which ran through her system. It is fight or die; her mind screamed at her.

Thrusting her head back and digging the heel of her boot into her attacker, Jenna wiggled free while a loud gasp and curse came from behind her. It was a sound only a man could make. Deep and hallow.

She was pulled backwards by her long red hair and dropped her I-pod in the process. Struggling, she pulled forward which sent an acute pain searing through her skull and her eyes momentarily flashed with lights as dizziness made her stagger forward.

Wasting no time, Jenna set off into a sprint, her head burned, and her heart raced. Don’t look, don’t look. She chanted to herself. The fear of not being able to outrun whoever it was began eating away at her already somersaulting stomach.

She looked behind her. A man, or what she thought looked like a man, wearing black clothes with a hood concealing his face was closing in.

He was tall with long legs which enabled him to cover more ground quicker. Bang. Jenna had run into a streetlight and fell to the ground with a thump. Scrambling to her feet she ran with every ounce of strength she had, pumping her body like she had never before.

Her heartbeat picked up its tempo and drummed hard against her chest.

The lab where Jenna’s Dad worked came into sight and she picked up speed, rounding the corner and skidding to a stop on the tarmac. She had only just seen a small gap in the iron fence.

She dashed through the gap catching her jumper on a jagged piece of metal.

The man came around the corner. She knew the instant he spotted her, as he moved faster. With one hard yank Jenna’s jumper ripped, freeing her from the tangled mess she had found herself in. The main door was locked. Why wouldn’t it be it at this time? She pulled on the handle a second time, with no luck. In a panic she ran around the building until she noticed a pile of rocks stacked up on the ground.

Picking up a rock, she smashed the window. The glass shattered and littered the floor, reflecting the full moons light.

It was ironic really. Her grandmother had told her often, all bad things happen on a full moon. The moon gives power to those that hold darkness in their hearts, allowing the evil within them to shine through.

Big shards perturbed from the window ledge and Jenna repeatedly hit them with another rock making a gap big enough for her to climb through. The noise would have defiantly alerted her attacker, so she moved quickly. Squeezing herself through the window. The glass sliced her leg, and the pain rendered her breathless as it assaulted her skin. There was no time to assess any injures. She moved further into the building and was swallowed by the darkness. Running her hands along the wall, she let her sense of touch guide her. “Remember child, you have more than one sense. Learn to use, touch, and smell one day they may come in handy. You never know what the future holds.” Her grandmother’s soft voice echoed inside her mind. Her once cryptic and strange words had now become her savior in her time of need.

Cold metal let her know she had reached a door, the smooth surface against her palm shot a bolt of triumph through her.

She twisted the handle slowly and gently pushed the door open, which let out a high-pitched groan, she entered, turning the lock on the inside.

Leaning against the locked door she took in deep breaths. The glass in the door was cool against her cheek. The glass, she had to move away. In the darkness, Jenna took slow steps, moving out of sight from the glass panel. Even though it was dark she didn’t want to take any chances.

Heavy footsteps drew closer. She froze.

The handle on the door rattled and made her jump backwards, knocking over some jars that crashed to the floor. Liquid soaked her clothes and seeped into her skin. Searing hot pains ran down her body and she clenched her jaw together, to stop herself from crying out. Her breathe came in small gasps and the pain intensified.