CHAPTER 12: SHADOWS THAT LURK WITHIN

“You sure you’ll be okay walking back alone?” Sean asked as they stepped out of the pub into the crisp, cold night.

Ellen nodded. “Yeah. There’s still plenty of people on the streets plus I want to take in some fresh air too.”

“Mmm...” he seemed to hesitate. “I’d feel better if I walked you back to the hotel, really.”

“I told you. It’s okay. I can walk back alone. Stop being such a grandmother,” she playfully pushed him away.

Sean frowned. Ellen was so stubborn sometimes. But when she had made up her mind, nobody could changed it. He decided not to argue any further. “Well, all right. Give me a call when you get back, okay?”

“Yes, mummy!” Ellen brought her hand up to her forehead and saluted him before hopping off towards the direction of her hotel.

Ellen meandered in and out of the sea of people. The sights and sounds of Hong Kong invigorated her. It was just so different from Melbourne. Chinatown was nothing compared to this. People, people, people everywhere. A man swept pass her, walking a hurried pace, a mobile phone glued to his ear. Some sort of emergency or probably one of those LLBs, Ellen chuckled to herself. LLB - that was such a funny word. She had heard it once from a friend and had drawn a blank. Her friend had explained it to her then.”LLB, my dear Ellen, haven’t you heard of it before?” Ellen remembered shaking her head. “LLB - Look Like Busy.” Ellen burst out laughing. What an ironic acronym!

She strolled pass the still bustling shops of TST and entered a much quieter street. Walking slowly, she played with her footsteps, listening to the sound her heels made on the cobbled sidewalks. CLOP, CLOP, CLOP. Suddenly she stopped. That didn’t seem right, she frowned. Cautiously she took a few more steps forward. CLOP (clop), CLOP (clop). She spun around. The street behind her was empty. There was no one in sight. Ellen breathed a sigh of relief and turned back round again. It’s probably just an echo, she tried to convince herself. Nevertheless, she quickened her pace a little. Shit, why is this street so deserted? Where is everybody?

The night seemed darker and more menacing here. The shadows casted by the street lamps looked like lurking figures ready to pounce. Ellen shuddered a little as thoughts of rape, murder, assault and robbery came to mind. Her anxiety grew with each step. She was sure there was someone following her. But each time she stopped, they too would stop. And when she turned around to face her would be stalker, there was no one there. %@ this, Ellen cursed as she broke out into a little run. There they were again. The footsteps. They were now chasing after her, getting louder and louder, closer and closer...Ellen sneaked back for another glance. Still there was no one there. The night seemed bent on playing this cat and mouse game with her.

Suddenly two strong arms grabbed her from the front. Ellen froze and screamed with all her might, eyes shut tightly from fear. I’m going to die, I’m going to die, I’m going to die. Oh please God, don’t let me die.

“Ellen! Ellen!” The arms shook her. “It’s me. Stop screaming.”

Huh? That voice sounds familiar, Ellen thought. Still screaming, she slowly and cautiously opened an eyelid to peep at the figure standing in front of her. Okay, he’s got tightly cropped hair, he’s tall, he’s dark. Oh, he’s dark. He’s Michael!

“Oh Michael!” Ellen finally stopped her screaming and cried in relief as she threw her arms around him. “It’s you, it’s you. it’s you,” she exclaimed in a mixture of joy and consolation.

After Michael had dropped Natasha off at her home, all he wanted to do was see Ellen. He wanted to tell her the news. He wanted to tell her that he was now a free man. He wanted to tell her that Natasha was now totally out of the picture. But what he wanted most was to take her in his arms and kiss her. He had called her hotel room but there was no answer. It was then that he remembered that she could be out with Sean. He had called his friend immediately whereby Sean had told him that she had gone back to the hotel. He had rushed over there at once and had seen her running along the street. He stopped his car and had gone over to call her. Little did he expect that her first reaction would be to scream at the top of her lungs right in his face!

Michael couldn’t help but laugh at her reaction. “Yes, yes, you silly girl. It’s me.” Then he frowned and his tone of voice changed. “Is everything all right? Why were you running? Why were you screaming?” he asked worriedly.

Ellen wiped the tears from her face. She was crying and laughing at the same time. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Scaring myself unnecessarily. She shook her head at Michael’s question. “Nothing, nothing. I was just scaring myself silly, that’s all. I thought there was someone following me behind there,” Ellen gestured towards the street behind her.

Michael pulled her behind him protectively and peered down the street, his eyes sweeping the alleys that lined it. Nothing.

“It’s just my overactive imagination playing havoc on me. There’s nothing there,” Ellen said as she tugged at Michael’s arm. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

Michael reluctantly let himself be dragged away. Still doubtful, he took one last glance behind his shoulder at the street again. Oh well, it probably is her overactive imagination, he shrugged.

As soon as the couple had gone, a car drove pass, its headlights briefly illuminating a lone figure lurking in one of the alleys. Slowly a figure stepped out from the shadows. It was none other than Natasha Yang. She glared after the disappearing forms of Ellen and Michael, her eyes full of psychotic rage. “Ellen Hsuan...” she hissed as she clenched her fist.

Natasha’s calm facade had shattered the moment she stepped back into her apartment after Michael had left her. Shrieking and yelling like a mad woman at everything and nothing in particular, she had practically destroyed her living room. Broken photo frames, wine bottles and flower pots laid a scattered on the now, terribly stained-with-wine-soil-and-glass carpet.

The sofa set was in shreds - the result of endless stabbings and carvings with a kitchen knife. Natasha gripped the knife in her hands and screamed bloody murder yet again as she slumped down next to the sofa. Her eyes glistened with anger and madness. “Ellen Hsuan...” she gnarled. “No one takes Michael from me. No one. NO ONE!” she laughed derangedly as she buried the knife once more into the sofa.

“It has begun,” Spyda remarked matter-of-factly.

Reaper nodded uninterestedly. “Uh huh.”

“The threads have begun to sort themselves out...”