Legacy of Shadows
Well now that im officially settled into my new home, I thought I would start with one of my old film script ideas which I never ended up using. However, I still think it has a reasonably good basis for a story and hence why I kept it around. For the purpose of this article, I’ve adapted the script to more of a short story form. To give you a some what better understanding of where I had originally intended to go with this project–the idea being to leave the viewer with a slightly ambiguous ending, although I’m sure some folks will come up with their own perceptions.I hope you enjoy reading.
Legacy of Shadows A short story by Mark J. McClinton
Jade Taylor, a star reporter for the evening news, lies slumped upon a couch in a seemingly endless sleep. Locks of her generously sleek blonde hair gently sways across her beautiful face from the cold night air, which blows in from the open window nearby. The darkened apartment room is filled with strange trinkets and are positioned in a deliberate fashion all around her. With the scene appearing almost sacrificial or ritualistic by design. A violet-blue emanates from a display clock indicating that the time is now a quarter past four in the AM, with nothing but the sounds of faint street noises to break the room’s deafening silence. However, this deathly calm is abruptly interrupted by the telephone ringing. Jade awakens to blindly reach for the phone, eventually finding the receiver. She slowly places it over her ear…
“err… hello!” Her slurred speech is only matched by her distinct irritation. “Do you know what frikken time it is?”
On the other end of the line is her station manager ringing about a breaking story. “Jade, I need you to get down to sector six to cover the story,” he exclaims.
“What story?” she says.
The station manager seems surprised. “Huh, what do you mean what story? What the hell have you been doing for the last two days?” Jade barely begins to answer just as the voice quickly replies, “Never mind! Just get your ass down there asap! Valerie will fill you in on the details. We need a crew down there pronto and I want my best reporter on it.”
Jade begrudgingly accepts the assignment. “Ok but you’re gonna owe me big time for this one! I’m sick of chasing your god damned shadows!”
She slams the phone down as her eyes slowly search the room. It’s just now that she realizes that there is a cold chill which fills the air; a shudder creeps up her spine as she notices the open lounge room window. “Funny, I don’t remember leaving that open.” she mutters.
Jade curses as she cuts her leg on the corner of the glass top coffee table. “arrrgh… Bastard!” She kneels down to wipe the trickle of blood from her leg. She pauses for a moment, gazing at the small drop of blood which now rests upon the tip of her index finger. Her mind suddenly focuses on fragmented memories from the past, which also seem strangely unfamiliar to her. Visions of bodies scattered through the streets and random unconfirmed news reports of a shadowy figure apparently linked to unexplained deaths.
Now frustrated by the task that was given to her; she thinks that this latest news story will lead to nothing more than just another dead-end. Although complaining about it never did anyone much good, especially considering the fact that there is still all those unpaid bills which are piling up on the kitchen counter…
Finally she decides to get up and heads over to the bathroom and as the light is turned on, it reveals some more of the scattered trinkets in the apartment. The room is a mess with obscure hieroglyphics painted on the walls–some similar markings are also adjoining on the floor. Jade seems completely oblivious to her surroundings and walks over to the sink to run the hot water. Steam rises while she stares intensely at the bathroom mirror.
“This is the last time I put myself on the line for you,” she says.
Before Jade has even finished the sentence, a shapely image materializes in the mirror before her, an image which is no longer her own, a dark and menacing figure with no shape or distinguishing features. As it begins speaking, a resonating sound can be heard with ear-piercing clarity.
“You can not escape your destiny! It was always preordained.”
“NO… This can’t be! That’s impossible!” Jade screams.
She slams her fists on the mirror and it cracks across the figures face, as if by some cruel twist of fate drawing a crooked smile. The image all but begins to fade before parting a final message.
“I will always be with you Jade. I am you and you are me!”
“We are immortal…”
No Copying, Editing in Whole or in Part.
Copyright © North Star Genesis
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