#hm jeff

Elli had always thought life a certain kind of hell, a struggle that seemed unending and painful. And yet it was in death - undeath? - that she was scarred all the more. Nothing could have prepared her for the purgatory that was Adonis Valley.

The never-ending feeling of being watched paired with those shadowy beasts outside was bad enough, but Elli had seem someone actually try to take on the shadows. They failed. They died. Ripped apart piece by piece right before her eyes as Shane covered her mouth, muffling her scream so as not to draw the monsters’ attention.

That was earlier that day. By the time Elli dropped into the bed in the abandoned house she’d been staying out, she had drifted off to sleep. She had hoped it was dreamless. She hoped it would ease her heartache of seeing Jeff ripped apart in front of her eyes. At first, it seemed peaceful dreams awaited her. But as it always seemed to go in this fog-filled town, pain and suffering were quick to follow. So were the nightmares.

She dreamt it was her body ripped apart by the maws and sharp dagger-like claws of the shadows prowling town. She dreamt she was the one screaming, the one in pain. She swore she could feel it, every drip of blood, every drop of sweat, every tear, bite, swipe - without the peace of death to end her pain.

She woke from her nightmare with a scream, holding her nightgown-covered body close as if to confirm she was really still there. She was. Fully whole. Safe. Unharmed. 

She gasped for air. Her lungs burned. Her eyes stung. Tears dripped down her face.

And then footsteps. She braced herself for whatever shadow must have heard her, must have come to tear her apart. But when the door opened, it was only Shane. His dark brows creased with worry. He chewed at his lip, chapped and resting above an unshaved face.

“Elli,” he said softly.

Hearing her name helped ground her. That’s right. She’d never seen a shadow inside a building, only people. Thank the Harvest Goddess.

“Shane, thank goodness,” she breathed, her voice coming out in no more than a whisper.

He stood in the doorframe, leaning against the white wood with a worried look on his face.

“I heard you scream. Nightmares again?”

Seemed she wasn’t the only one to suffer through these nightmares every night. Even though she’d only met him the other day, he understood. Nightmares followed you here. They haunted your sleep.

She nodded. “It was… about earlier. About Jeff.”

He glanced away, unable to hold the weight of her brown eyes staring at him, as if he actually had the power to ease his pain. As if. They were all powerless here.

“I know. That was… brutal.”

“That’s one word for it. And… and now he’s gone.”

She held her head in her hands, eyes shut tight to prevent any more tears from slipping out. Jeff… Poor, sweet Jeff… The bakery owner who had trained her, flirted with her, almost swept her off her feet. And he was gone.

A choked sob caught in her throat.

“He’s gone…” 

Shane cleared his throat with a ‘harumph’, but Elli didn’t look at him. She didn’t look up as she heard his mud-caked tennis shoes make their way across the room. She didn’t look at him as he took a seat on her pale blue covers.

She only looked up when he reached a hand out and cupped her cheek in his hand.

“Elli, I’ve got some… news for you.”

“Good or bad?” she asked, already dreading his answer.

“That’s up for you to decide.” He hesitated, before breaking the news to the baker as gently as he could. “Jeff… isn’t dead.”

“What?” the word barely squeaked out of her throat. A look of hope lit up her hazel eyes. “Where is he? Is he safe?”

“Debatable. If he’s not careful, he’ll become a shadow. But for now… For now he’s alive.”

Elli’s mouth fell open, but no sound followed. There were no words for this, for anything in Adonis Valley.