Shadow of Death (SOD)

Chapter 2

"Ugh... this is taking so long. How many more days do we have to spend on the road before we get to the city?" Jesse complained from the backseat.

Asher turned to look at her with a raised brow.

"It’s only been three hours."

He thought for a few seconds before adding,

"Besides, we’re only two kilometres away."

Jesse turned toward him, one eyebrow cocked.

"How do you know that?"

"I saw the sign a few minutes ago. We’re almost there," Asher replied before turning back toward the window.

Outside, trees blurred past as the car continued along the highway.

The world looked peaceful.

The sky was clear, painted with beautiful white clouds that drifted lazily across the blue expanse. The gentle scenery made the journey feel almost uneventful.

"Hmph. I’m hungry too," Jesse muttered.

"You’re always hungry," Asher chuckled.

The atmosphere inside the car suddenly changed.

Asher slowly turned around.

His sister was glaring daggers at him.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

Asher cleared his throat and offered an awkward smile.

"Er... I meant to say that—"

"That?"

Before Asher could finish, Jack adjusted the rear-view mirror to get a better look at the kids.

His eyes narrowed.

"No more arguments or fights. You two aren’t kids anymore, so stop behaving like them."

"Dad, it’s Asher," Jesse immediately complained.

"I think you should probably focus on the road now," Asher quickly replied.

He turned his head away.

Then—

Screeeech!

The car jerked violently before coming to an abrupt halt, jolting everyone inside.

"What—what happened?" Jesse asked, her face filled with surprise.

Jack remained silent for a few seconds before frowning.

"The truck ahead suddenly stopped. Let me go see what’s going on."

He opened the car door and stepped outside.

Jack walked toward the moving truck, leaving the rest of the family waiting inside.

Several minutes passed before he finally returned with a heavy sigh.

"One of the tires is punctured for some weird reason."

Clara raised an eyebrow.

"Huh? Didn’t the driver check it before we left?"

"That’s the weird part. The truck and all the tires were perfectly fine before we left. He says it’ll only take a few minutes to fix, so we just have to wait."

Jesse’s expression immediately brightened.

She reached for her bag and pulled out a box of cookies.

Without wasting another second, she opened it and happily began munching away.

"Can I have some?" Asher asked, reaching toward the box.

Jesse immediately shifted away from him, hugging the cookies closer to herself.

"Nope. That’s your punishment for teasing me earlier."

Asher blinked.

He clicked his tongue and turned his head toward the window.

’We’re almost at the city. Should be about one and a half kilometres awa—’

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted.

Something flashed past their car.

It moved with such absurd speed that Asher barely had time to register it.

’Huh?’

His brows furrowed.

He quickly wiped the window with his palm, trying to get a clearer view of whatever he had just seen.

There was nothing.

Asher stared outside.

Only trees stood along the roadside.

The highway stretched ahead, surprisingly empty with barely any cars in sight.

He slowly leaned closer to the window.

Nothing.

Then he turned his gaze away for a split second.

Something flashed again at the very edge of his vision.

Asher jolted.

His heart skipped.

Quickly winding the window down, he stuck his head outside and looked around.

Nothing.

The trees stood motionless.

The highway remained strangely quiet.

Up ahead, Jayden and the truck driver were still working on the damaged tire, and from the looks of things, they would be finished soon.

Asher slowly pulled his head back inside.

’Maybe it was just my imagination?’

He sat back down and wound the window up.

For a few seconds, he remained completely still.

Then he released a quiet breath and leaned back into his seat.

Soon enough, the truck was fixed and began rolling forward again, with the family car steadily following behind.

As they drove ahead, leaving the position they had been stuck in earlier, the wind suddenly rustled loudly.

A pair of almost invisible crimson eyes stared intently at the car.

Then, they vanished.

.....

"Dad. This trip is boring. Kindly turn on some music," Jesse requested as she happily munched on her cookie.

"Sure, princess."

Jack reached out for the stereo and quickly tuned it to a station known for playing good music.

Soon, Jesse was happily shaking her head to the sound of the music blaring from the car’s speakers.

Asher reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

A text message immediately popped up from his best friend in their previous city.

{Yo. Where are you at now?}

He quickly replied:

"Almost there."

{Great. Do text me when you get there, okay?}

Before he could reply, he lifted his head and saw a signboard informing them that they were only a kilometre away.

He smiled before turning his attention back to his phone.

"Sure, mum."

He proceeded to send a laughing emoji.

A furious emoji immediately popped up on his phone, followed by a short text.

{I will skin you.}

"Then you die."

{And I will haunt you.}

"You know ghosts aren’t real, right? Besides, I don’t get scared easily."

{Oh, you will. I know that one day you will find something that will scare your ass off. Don’t say I didn’t warn you then.}

"Yeah. Like that could happen. Lol."

The moment he sent the text, the stereo began fluctuating.

The music repeatedly cut in and out, causing the sound to come and go from the car’s speakers.

"Weird," Jack muttered as he tapped the stereo a few times, but it continued misbehaving.

"What happened to it?" Clara asked with a raised brow.

"I don’t know. Lemme change the station."

He twisted the knob, but the same thing continued happening.

He changed stations several times, yet the music kept cutting in and out.

Meanwhile, up ahead stood a large signboard.

**WELCOME TO VESPERS CITY: A CITY WHERE ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE.**

Jack continued battling with the malfunctioning stereo for a few moments before finally giving up.

He turned it off completely.

Soon after, they passed the signboard.

A short distance ahead, the truck moved farther into the distance.

For a brief second, it seemed to vanish.

Then, just as suddenly, it appeared back in their vision.

Asher quickly rubbed his hair, then his face.

Finally, he shuddered.

’Wha—What was that just now? It felt like all my hairs were raised. I-I-I feel kind of uncomfortable all of a sudden. Wh-What’s going on?’

Unknown to their human eyes, their truck and car had just passed through an invisible obsidian barrier while moving into Vespers City.

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