I tilted my head at the sight of the shadow man who had helped me to my feet. “W—who are you?”
The shadow man pressed a pointer finger to his lips, shushing me. Silently, he grabbed my wrist and began dragging me toward the stairwell.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
The shadow man didn't answer, and I wondered if he even had the ability to talk.
I yanked my hand away, deciding that I didn’t like being dragged around by a stranger. "Tell me who you are… Tell me where we are.”
The shadow man frantically shook his head. He pointed at the barred windows and attempted to drag me again.
My eyes widened.
Light was coming in through the windows—light that had not graced my face in ages. I stayed firmly where I stood, refusing to be dragged, as I became enchanted with it.
My eyes lit up. “Light…”
I wrested my wrist from the shadow and approached the window.
The light grew in its brilliance and blazed through the window, blinding me. I covered my eyes with a yell.
The shadow man swept me up in his arms and carried me away from the light.
I uncovered my eyes. The shadow man was speeding me down the giant, spiral staircase. I looked behind us; creatures made of light were pursuing us.
“What are those things…?” I whispered fearfully.
I looked down; my savior’s feet had become two-dimensional shadows pasted to the ground; he dragged them through the cement, looking for all-the-world like an elegant figure skater.
He was going extremely fast.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and tucked my eyes into his shoulder with a terrified whimper.
I couldn’t trust any of these people. I could only continue to hope that the shadow man was a friend.
Howling wind brushed my face as the shadow man carried me downward.
I dared to open my eyes for a moment.
The light creature reached out its spindly hand, grabbing the shadow man’s shoulder.
The light burned my eyes with its brilliance.
The shadow man pushed himself to run harder, yanking his shoulder away from the light creature’s hand. I held on for dear life. I kept my eyes open for as long as I could, but the light scorched them until they turned red. I pinched them closed.
There was a change in the direction the air was blowing and... menacing echoes sounding behind us. I figured that the shadow man must have made it to the bottom of the stairwell. I refused to open my eyes.
Time passed. Still, the shadow man ran.
The sound of the footsteps behind us began to fade. The light which previously shone so brightly that it pierced my lids and painted the inside of them a bright red, had now faded. All I saw was blackness.
The shadow man slowed down.
He put me down. I opened my eyes.
We were in front of a moth-eaten, wooden door with an intricate design carved into it. The shadow man opened it for me and motioned for me to enter with an elegant bow.
I smiled at him and obeyed.
The room was dark. It was covered in dust; cobwebs lurked in every corner of it. The shadow man grabbed my hand again, attempting to drag me.
“I can walk, you know.” I told him.
The shadow man let my wrist go and walked over to a wardrobe, waving me over.
“Y-you want me to get in there?” I stuttered.
He nodded.
I rubbed my ethereal arm. “I don’t like the dark…”
The shadow man tapped his foot and stroked his chin thoughtfully. He held up a finger, like he had an idea. He opened the wardrobe and stepped in, himself.
I cocked my head to the side.
He opened it after a moment, stepping out and doing a spin. Afterward, he took a bow.
“Are you trying to tell me that it’s safe?” I wondered.
He nodded.
I rubbed my arm. “How can I possibly trust you?”
The shadow man knelt and traced a word in the dust by his feet. I nervously strode to his side.
He had traced the word, ‘friend’ in the dust. I looked up. Tears came unbidden to my eyes; my chin wobbled. “Promise?”
He nodded.
“Tell me your name.”
He drew it in the dust. He had written, Noir.
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