“the shadow man”

THE SHADOW MAN

One man. Two houses. Three victims.

I was startled awake by the sound of police sirens. I looked outside my window and saw several police cars pulling up at my neighbour’s house. Curious, I quickly grabbed my coat and rushed out of the door to see what was going on.

Something wasn’t right.

As I walked out to the porch, I saw police men standing outside of my neighbour’s house and writing things on their notepads while a few police men used barricade tape to mark off my neighbour’s house.

I walked towards two police men and asked, “ What’s going on here, officer?”

The two police men stopped their conversation short and eyed me, “You live here, young lady?”

“Yes I do. With my mother who is out of town. This is my neighbour’s house. What’s going on?” I asked worriedly.

Seeming to hear my worried tone, the police officer reassured me, “Nothing, really. Something has happened to your neighbour and he has gone missing. Mr Renweed. Have you seen anything strange lately?”

I furrowed my eyebrows, thinking hard. That’s when it snapped to me. That morning. I saw a strange man walking towards my neighbour and started talking. The conversation was stiff and uncomfortable. I walked over to my neighbour and he introduced the man as his nephew. It seemed perfectly normal — a 25 year old man having an 18 year old nephew. So I thought nothing of it and walked off after saying my greetings.

But when I think about it… something seemed off. Mr Renweed’s nephew was clenching his fists tightly while Mr Renweed was sweating, his face, twisted in pain.

I snapped my head up, breaking out of my recollection and hurriedly told the officers what I had just remembered. They nodded answer proceeded to take down what I had said on their notepads. I pray, Mr Renweed, be safe.

A few days later, my mother came back home in a rush after hearing what I had told her on the phone. She decided that we should move to my grandparents temporarily till things get sorted out.

Not longer after, a police officer came knocking on my door.

“Good afternoon, ma’am. Are you Miss Foster’s mother? We need your daughter to come to the police station with us.” The officer said as my mother opened the door.

My mother looked at me worriedly.

I squeezed her hand reassuringly and nodded.

My mother walked me out and said, “Tell them what you saw and be honest. Don’t be worried. It’s going to be okay.”

I nodded and got in to the police car.

When I arrived at the police station, I sat down in one of the chairs. A guy in handcuffs that was being escorted by a police officer walked towards me and sat down.

That man looked oddly familiar.

It was Mr Renweed’s nephew!

I shifted uncomfortably as he sat down next to me.

The police officer cleared his throat and started to ask several questions.

“Miss Foster here says that you guys met one morning with your uncle, is that correct?” The police officer asked, looking at Mr Renweed’s nephew for confirmation.

However, Mr Renweed’s nephew stayed silent.

“Grayson. I need you to work with me over here. Could you at least nod your head or something?” 

The police officer threw his hands upwards as he groaned in frustration.

However, Mr Renweed’s nephew, Grayson, stayed firm. He remained quiet.

After a long string of awkward silence, the police officer sighed as he dragged Grayson away and locked him in one of the cells.

After he came back and sat at his desk, he sighed and said, “That kid can’t stay quiet forever. We cannot charge him guilty because of your statement. But we are currently holding him because he is now the main suspect and he needs to give his statement before he can be released. The kid refuses to budge and I cannot do anything to prove if he is innocent or guilty.

I don’t get paid enough for this.”

I just looked at him in pity.

“Anyways. You better get going less‘ u going to get your mom worried. Be a good kid, kid. I don’t want to see you in one of these cells, you hear me?” He said, using the adult voice on me.

I nodded and stood up.

I was about to see myself out when my sleeve was roughly grabbed and my face came smashing into one of the cell’s doors.

I came face to face with Mr Renweed’s nephew.

I struggled to get out of his death grip when he looked dead in my eye and desperately begged, “Please save my uncle.”

I was freed from his death grip when several officers pulled me away from him.

I observed him. He was panicked and worry was evident in his eyes. His desperate posture and tone was proof that he was not lying or faking. He really wants me to save his uncle.

He wants me to save his uncle from him or from someone else?

Something in my gut told me it was the latter.

If it wasn’t him, then who could it have been?

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[further content below is just me interacting]

I have more things to write to expand this post but I prefer not to. Because well, it’s a cliffhanger-author thing (though, i am not continuing, the rest is all up to your imagination) to do.

I have literally no experience writing thriller/suspense/mystery whatsoever. So please be kind to me in the comments. This is the first time I am answering to a prompt and using this website because this piqued my interest quite a bit.

This is a bit contradicting, but please give me your honest opinions and give me some good feedback for me to work on my writing. I appreciate it so much! 

All in all, thanks for reading my story!