He closed the door behind him with a groan and a thump and flicked on the lights. The single bulb illuminated his sparse apartment and he hung his keys on the push pin by the door. A stained couch that had come with the apartment was nearly his only piece of furniture and also served as his bed. A rickety end table that had been repainted too many times he’d found by the dumpster sat at one end and a rusty lawn chair served as a footrest.

Happy humming came from over his shoulder as he turned the lock to the door.

“That was just perfect.” She said with a sigh, her now well defined form walked out of the darkened bathroom door and flopped onto the couch with her legs resting over the armrest, nearly pulling the folded blanket from the back of the couch.

The walk home had been tense, more and more emergency vehicles had screamed down the road with their sirens wailing into the night air. He’d ducked off the road each time they’d passed, not wanting his face seen by any of them or their dashcams.

Now in the privacy of his own home he took stock of himself and tried to ignore her as she stretched languidly on the couch with another happy sigh.

His sweatshirt seemed to be blood free and the previously soaked sleeves were likewise clean and dry. His knuckles felt sore but considering the abuse he’d put them through he was expecting them to be at least torn and bruised if not broken outright. Instead they were unblemished and clean.

He stared at his knuckles, lost in thought.

Superhuman strength aside, I just killed a man, shouldn’t I feel bad about that?

“Aw come on! You know you don’t feel bad, why second guess it? In fact I know you liked it, don’t even bother denying it.” She said, swinging her legs back and forth.

He snapped his mouth shut, his denial dying on his lips.

Conrad frowned deeply as he took off his waterlogged shoes and entered his kitchen.

The problem was, she was right. He had enjoyed it.

The sounds, the smells, the feeling of power coursing through him as he pulled the man’s legs from his squirming body. All of it.

He pulled his phone out and flicked on the flashlight as he opened the fridge. The light had gone out months ago but he couldn’t bring himself to buy a new lightbulb when he could barely make rent.

His fridge was about as bare as his apartment. He grumbled and turned his flashlight off, leaving his kitchen empty handed. He was hungrier than he felt he should be, especially having just eaten.

She was still kicking her legs happily on the couch as she put her arms under her head.

“That was just. It was just really really great, I feel like I need a cigarette or something.” She said with a smile in her voice.

“Your aftercare needs work though, I could use a cuddle or a snack or whatever.” She pointed a delicate finger at him threateningly.

Despite her admonishing tone, Conrad could almost see a smile on her face. Just a hint of exposed teeth and the barest impression of lips curving upwards on her otherwise featureless face.

“Alright, what the hell is going on?” He said out loud, facing her squarely and crossing his arms.

“I haven't the slightest idea what you’re talking about.” She replied innocently, staring at the ceiling and stretching her hands above her head. Arching her back as she did so.

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

“I pulled his legs off-” He began pacing on the stained carpet. “-I pulled him apart with just my hands and it was easy. I punched the asphalt and instead of my hand breaking I left a dent in the parking lot. My hand should be a broken mess.” He looked at his knuckles.

When Nick was still squirming and thrashing he had missed with a punch, his fist had squarely struck the surface of the parking lot and while the blow had hurt he had ignored it at the time. Something like that should have left him reeling in pain but instead he was just mad that Nick had been so squirmy.

Rationally he knew he should be freaking out, losing his mind that he apparently had super powers and that the first thing he had used them to do was kill another person. But he just didn’t have it in him. Maybe it was the fact that he had grown up listening to the shadow telling him to do horrible things, like what he had just done, every single day of his life, desensitizing him to violence or maybe it was because he did it to save someone else.

But I didn’t need to kill him to do that.

“Oh poo, you’re no fun.” She said as she sat up and put her feet on the ground, facing him with her elbows on her knees while he paced.

“Well? I didn’t, I could’ve just called the cops and given them the license plate. They could’ve tracked it down from the rental company and then the bnb place.” He said, halting his walking. The thought had occurred to him on the walk home.

“You liked it though! Why question it?” She countered, leaning her elbows on her knees.

“Because! I just killed someone!” He hissed. “Shouldn’t I feel something? Anything?” He threw his hands up in frustration and began pacing once more.

“Don’t you?” She said simply.

His face pulled into a frown again.

“I think you do feel something but it’s not regret. I think you feel satisfaction.You’re not sad he died and you don’t feel guilty that you were the one to end him, otherwise you’d have stayed in that parking lot and let the cops collect you.” She leaned back into the center of the grubby couch, sinking into the cushions slightly.

“No no no, you liked killing him and let's be real. Sure, you could've just called the cops and whatever but it would’ve taken them a lot longer than you think to track him down and get warrants and all that. They wouldn’t have even sent the officer that was so close.” He halted his pacing by the couch and flopped down next to them. Giving up the argument and suddenly feeling worn out.

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” He said with a defeated sigh, looking at his watch. It was late and he had early morning classes.

“Ooo, you know just what a girl wants to hear, Conny. Tell me I’m right again.” She said from disturbingly close to his ear. Her voice practically oozing with desire.

He pushed her suddenly too close body away and to his surprise her form was warm and decidedly more firm than it was only hours earlier. It was still less firm than flesh but now instead of a dead jellyfish she was more…Warm Jello?

“Well now you’ve gone and ruined it. Asshole.” She said, dissipating into the air with a puff.

He couldn’t help but laugh at that. It started as a chuckle and escalated until he was belly laughing. Only halting when his nextdoor neighbor pounded on the thin wall and yelled incomprehensibly at him.

He stifled his laughter and relaxed further into the couch. Letting the stress of the evening roll off him.

“Should I be worried the police will somehow track me down? Like with hair or something?” He asked the empty apartment.

“Not that you deserve it but I took care of that for you. There shouldn't be a trace of you left at the pizza place.” She said from her familiar spot over his shoulder.

“I guess Kelly might remember your face and that you're studying to be an EMT but that's a pretty broad category, she didn’t even get your name.” She said thoughtfully.

He nodded along. “Thanks for that, would really suck to go to jail.” He said before yawning, feeling very tired all of the sudden and barely able to keep his eyes open.

He pulled the blanket from the backrest and feebly debated getting up, brushing his teeth and changing into more comfortable and dry clothes. In the end his heavy eyes won and he drifted off.

>>>>>>>>>>>

His phone buzzing in his pocket woke him up with a jolt. He mindlessly struggled with the buzzing device as it refused to come out of his pocket.

Finally freeing it he checked the number.

Mom? Why would mom be calling me, it’s the middle of the- He checked the time.- Oh, I missed my class.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

Mashing the accept button he put the phone to his ear.

“Hell-” He coughed and cleared his throat. “Hello?”

“Conrad! Are you okay? I saw the news and I looked it up, it’s so close to your house and I just was so worried!” His mom said, nearly in tears.

“What? What are you talking about? Of course I’m okay.” He said, still trying to wake his brain up.

“The news! Someone was killed at a restaurant, right down the road from your house! They say it might’ve been an animal attack or something!” She said, calming herself down. “They wouldn’t say who died, only that they were male and well I guess I let my imagination run away with me.” She said, somewhat sheepishly.

Animal atta- Last night came back to him in a rush.The blood, the violence, the satisfying feeling of Nick’s skull finally cracking. “Huh, I hadn’t heard, I’m fine though.” He said with a smile.

His mom had always been a worrier.

“They weren’t letting the news crews close but they did get a shot of the tree behind the place, there was blood up in the tree! Higher than the building! At first they thought it was the Rootwell murderer but I don’t think it was. He’s in a different state for crying out loud, just an hour away but still, he hasn’t ever left the state.” She exclaimed excitedly, obviously caught up in the drama of it.

He sat up and held the phone to his ear with his shoulder as he listened to his mom go on about what the news was saying about it and offering her own speculations.

The police were apparently being tight lipped about it but the news crews had gotten some long distance photos of part of the parking lot that showed police and crime scene crews taking pictures and doing crime scene things. His mother was vague on what she thought they were doing but he imagined they were collecting evidence and whatever else they did at murder scenes. There was no mention of Kelly and he found himself increasingly worried about her. She had been fine when he left her and the officer had been very close so he tried not to worry much.

She continued to talk and speculate, offering her opinions on everything, from the likely perpetrator- a rabid bear- to why they weren’t releasing names- said bear probably escaped the zoo and the zoo was paying the police department to keep quiet.

Since she showed no sign of stopping Conrad went about getting ready for his day.

I should really visit more, she’s lonely I think. He thought as he pulled his pants on.

“You should, she doesn’t get many visitors.”

“What was that honey?” His mother said, stopping her tirade about how the police weren’t doing enough about rabid bears.

Conrad scrambled to pick the phone up from the couch and turn off the speaker phone.

“Nothing mom, I didn’t say anything.” He said, trying to keep his voice even.

“Oh! Do you have a girl over? I can go! It sounded like a girl. Conrad! Who is she? Are you dating? Why didn’t you tell me you had a girlfriend! How long have you been seeing her?” She rattled off the questions excitedly.

“No no, no mom. It’s just me here, I think maybe it was the neighbors or something.” He said lamely. The apparition was suddenly there, lounging on the couch, she shrugged her shoulders.

He couldn’t even blame a TV because his mom knew he didn’t have one.

“Oh okay, I see. Sure sure, keep stuff from your own mother!” His mom said knowingly. “Well I’d better go in any case, tell her I said hi!” She said with a laugh before the line went dead.

“Well that was unexpected, I didn’t think she’d be able to hear me. My bad.” The apparition said.

“Yeah, we're gonna have to test that. You can’t just go showing up and freaking people out.” He said, searching his phone for the voice memo app.

Finding it and pushing the record button he held it up to her and said. “Alright, say something.”

“Oh er, put a girl on the spot why don’t you. Uh, Oh hmmm. Yeah I got nothing.” She said with a shrug.

He paused the recording and played it back. A muffled but feminine voice came from his phone's speakers, he wasn’t quite able to make out what she was saying but it was definitely audible. He opened the camera and raised his arm to frame their lounging form.

She arched her back and stuck her chest out, posing for the camera.

“Oh my, aren’t you forward today.” She said as he took several photos and she slightly altered her poses to be more and more sexual with each photo.

He ignored her and pulled up the pictures.

Thankfully they were all empty. There was a strange shadowy distortion where she was laying but it mostly just looked unfocused and blurry.

Like his camera lens was dirty or something.

“Well darn, guess we’ll have to restock your spankbank later then.” She said, having reappeared over his shoulder to look at his phone with him. He tried to ignore the goosebumps her breath gave him but it was harder than it should have been,

Several tests later they had determined that she could barely affect the physical world, she could move things if they were especially light, like papers, napkins and things like that but anything heavier she had almost no effect on. Unless she put her full weight into it, like sitting on the couch.

She couldn’t really be seen but she could be heard and if she whispered it was pretty much nonexistent.

She seemed delighted by the results, blowing on his head just to see his hair move seemed to bring her genuine joy and by the end of the tests she was smiling and laughing. It was an oddly lighthearted experience considering they were soaked in blood and running from the law not that long ago.

He kicked a pinecone down the sidewalk as he walked to work. The same sidewalk he had been feverishly hustling home on the night before.

He worked at a big box grocery store that was about a half hour walk away, not too far from the pizza place.

He avoided the scene and ignored the strong urge to go and see it for himself.

That’s how you get caught, doing stupid things like revisiting the scene not twenty four hours after.

“I agree, the smart play is to lay low and be normal for the next couple weeks. Then, when we do it again, we’ll make sure it’s not someone people will miss. Like a drug dealer or pimp or something.” She whispered into his ear.

Yeah, we could go downtown. That’s where all the riff raff is these days, probably could find a drug dealer real quick and then- He stumbled on an uneven sidewalk joint as he realized how easily he was agreeing to kill again.

No, no. We’re not doing that again. We-I can’t just go killing people. It’s not right, it’s wrong. He argued, not really feeling the conviction he was injecting into his words.

“Denial is not a good look for you Conrad.” She said, clearly frustrated. “I’m trying to meet you in the middle here, you want to be a hero and I get that! You want to save the world or whatever and I need the delicious violence you can dish out. I actually can’t believe it took me this long to figure it out.” She said loudly from over his shoulder, making Conrad look around to make sure there wasn’t anyone close enough to hear. Not many people walked to work these days so the sidewalk was mostly empty.

“I’ve grown so much since yesterday, I feel like my thoughts are clearer and I’m smarter than I was yesterday. I think I really do need it, Conny. I need it and only you can give it to me. Please give me what I need?” She begged with a faux breathlessness that tickled his ear and gave him goosebumps again.

Knock it off. He grumbled halfheartedly, swiping at the air where her voice was coming from like he was shooing away a flying bug.

“You want it too. I know you do, why fight me on it? We can clean up the city and I can keep growing! Win win.” She said, dropping the breathless act as he walked along. In the distance and over some of the buildings he could see a familiar bloodstained tree, standing above the roofline. A fire truck ladder was slowly raising up until it was close to the where the bloodstains were the thickest where it started spraying the blood from the tree.

Conrad was conflicted, he did enjoy it and the idea of doing it again appealed to him greatly.

We’ll talk about it later. He finally said.

The apparition just hummed happily in response.

He ignored thebloody scene and made it to work without much more conversation and his work day restocking shelves started without any more fuss.

He didn’t particularly like his job but the manager would often let employees buy damaged goods at a very steep discount and the pay was enough for him to live indoors as well as pay for school without going into debt.

Pulling cans from the cart and placing them on the shelf he tried to feel out his thoughts on everything that had happened.

He felt no guilt for having killed the man and when he thought back on his actions from the night before there wasn’t much he’d do differently. His only regret was that he’d had to leave Kelly laying there but there wasn’t much he could’ve done about that.

Hopefully the officer got there before she woke up and got her away from the scene, otherwise I imagine she’d have some pretty serious trauma from that.

He pushed the stocking cart down the aisle and around a mom with a couple kids in the basket.

“Hey mom, h-how-how come he’s got dark eyes?” The youngest of the three said, pointing at Conrad as he walked by.

“Thomas! We don’t say things like that! And don’t point.” The mom said, clearly embarrassed, pushing her son's finger away from Conrad.

Conrad just continued walking without looking back, he didn’t want to hear the things the shadow would have to say about them if he interacted with them and what the boy had said didn’t bother him in the least. He did have dark eyes.

He pulled more cans from his cart and placed them on the shelf and let his mind wander as he pushed the cart to the next aisle.

The satisfying snap as I pulled Nick’s leg off, the crunch his chest made when I hit him. The coppery smell of blood in the cold night air- “I’m so sorry, he didn’t mean anything by it. He says all kinds of things.”

Conrad looked up from where he had been putting boxes of noodles on the bottom shelf. The woman and her children were apparently shopping for noodles as well.

“No no, it’s alright. No offense taken Ma’am.” He said easily with a smile while mentally bracing for the deluge of horrible things the shadow usually told him to do in these situations. She oddly remained silent.

“Well thank you, some people get so offended by it and it’s like, he’s just three. He even tells me stuff like that and I’m his mom.” She said, smiling at her child.

“Well like I said, no offense taken.” He repeated himself. He looked at the boy in question who was watching the interaction with interest.

“I do have dark eyes though, but I was just born with them. When I was your age I had to go to the doctors a lot because of them but, turns out they’re just dark.” He said, addressing the boy.

“I want dark eyes mom! But no doctors.” The older boy exclaimed suddenly.

“Me too!” Said the youngest boy. The girl, the oldest apparently, stayed silent.

“Well, I don’t think we can change your eye color, boys.” Her words were met by groans.

“Alright kids, say goodbye to the nice man. We gotta go.” Various statements of farewell were spoken as she pushed the cart onward and Conrad waved.

Huh, I thought for sure they were gonna show up.

He pushed more macaroni onto the shelf, expecting a witty reply at the least but only the sounds of the store greeted his ears.

It was oddly lonely.