Within the Shadows by J.D MCG (book recommendations .TXT) 📗

going through his head? She had no idea and he was beginning to scare her. She peered out of the window to see her husband walking down the street. Where would he be going at this time of night?

Jack needed to go on a walk to clear his head. He hated himself for shouting at his wife like that, but he was scared of what he saw that night. He watched his back as he walked down the street, and turned his head in every direction.

Nothing had ever frightened him so much before that night. The person he saw stood in front of him still scared him, even though his memory was blurry when he tried to remember their face. The whispers that surrounded him still haunted him, during the day and in his dreams.

Jack came towards the end of his street and turned left on to Russell Road. He just kept walking, not realising how far he was going. All that was going through his mind was that night.

'Jack,' a voice whispered down a cold, dark alleyway. 'Jack, come here.'

Jack glared down the alleyway, uncertain of who was calling him into the dark. Tears of fear filled his eyes. He was terrified. Is this that guy again? he wondered, but not remembering what their face looked like. He wiped the tears from his eyes, put the fear to the back of his mind and followed the sound of whispers into the dark alleyway. The moonlight revealed a shadowy figure in front of him. His hand began to tremble, but he tried to forget about it, wanting to move forward.

The whispers kept calling to him as he continued to walk forward. The voice sounded familiar. It was the same voice from that night. The same voice he'd been hearing in his dreams.

'You're almost there, Jack,' the whispers continued. 'A few more steps.'

As he got closer, he was able to see the person's face. Maybe the reason I can't remember their face is because it's disfigured, he thought. As he glared at their face, his vision became blurry, and he began to slowly lose feeling in his legs.

'What do you want?' he asked before dropping to the floor.

But he didn't get an answer. He passed out before the person could speak. Laying on the floor in front of his stalker, who he’d been scared of for weeks, Jack was now in a vulnerable position.

An hour had passed and Jack came back around. The floor was cold and wet. His body ached as he pulled himself onto his feet. What happened? he asked himself. He was all alone in the alleyway. Only the sound of passing cars could be heard. No whispers, and nobody stalking him. The fear crept back into his mind. Jack stared down towards his hands, which were shaking viciously from fear. He started to sprint home, though he couldn't run for long as his legs ached.

As he reached the end of Russell Road he turned back into The Russells and continued down the street until he reached his house. He stood at his front door for a moment, turned his head to stare back down the street before entering his home.

Before he could shut the door behind him, Charlotte came rushing towards him with a face full of anger.

'Where have you been?' she shouted at him. 'I've been sat up, worried sick about you.'

'I just went out to clear my head,' he responded with sadness in his voice.

'Why did you just walk out like that? What's going on in your head?'

'I don't know,' he cried, placing his face in his hands and sitting on the floor.

'I just want you to talk to me,' she pleaded, changing her tone with her husband. She sat on the floor beside her husband and held him tight within a hug, caressing and comforting him.

Back at the CID, Jacob and Ally were still on the hunt for Barnes. It was late, but Jacob remained focused on the task at hand. They were awaiting the results from the blood found in the cemetery, even though they already knew who it belonged to.

Officers were still patrolling the streets, looking out for Barnes' car. Jacob wondered if he'd ever see Barnes again. He saw him as a father, especially since his own father had been murdered by his fiancee. The fiancee who had become their number one suspect for Barnes' disappearance, let alone for the brutal murders that took place before that. Lily deceived Jacob and his entire family. She crushed his heart the day she decided to kill his father and step-mother and he learnt the truth about who she really was.

Ally patted him on the shoulder. 'I think I'm going to go home,' she informed him. 'Good night, Jacob.'

'Good night, Ally,' he replied.

She swiftly stepped out for the night, leaving Jacob all alone in the office. The lights were off and he was working in the dark. The only light he had was from the computer monitors. But Jacob didn't mind. He quite liked the dark lately. His life had become very much the same since the beginning of the last case. Darkness seemed to follow him wherever he went.

He moved his eyes away from the monitor and onto the clock. Oh my, look at the time. Jacob shot up off his chair and logged off the computer, before exiting the station for the night.

He entered his car and drove home. He couldn't bear to think he used to share his home with that monster. His entire life with her had become a lie just so she could get close to his father and seek her revenge. Now his home and life felt empty, even though it was far from it. He had his family, his friends. But the feeling was always there,