Chapter 2. Fifteen Months eARlier.

Frey awoke abruptly only to find her computer screensaver illuminating the basement with a list of landscape pictures she'd found off the internet. 3am already? Blah, I can't do this, I've got work tomorrow. She rose from her desk and ran her fingers through her jet black hair. Ever since the tree fell through the roof from hurricane Ivan, she had been forced to live in the basement until her mom was able to finish renovating her room upstairs. It was actually almost done, short of carpeting, but Frey knew if she went up now her mother would put finishing it at the bottom of her to-do list. Luckily, their house was a split-level home, and the basement below her room was relatively unscathed from the storm. Besides, having the basement all to herself allowed her some more privacy for a change. She stared at the door across from her that led into the laundry room as she internally muttered her bedtime prayer. For her, sleeping wasn't normally an issue-until she moved into the basement. Increased privacy aside, it seemed creepy to her. Ever since she moved downstairs she had trouble going to sleep-she felt as if she was being watched.
That's when it started. Just as she began to drift, the shadows on the wall became animated. She tried to come to, but she couldn't-something was stopping her. She heard a growling then felt a heavy weight slowly come down on top of her and the sensation that her body was sinking down into the bed. No she pleaded but the words could not escape her lips-she had become completely paralyzed. She tried with every ounce of her willpower to move her arms or something-anything to fight this invisible enemy-but it was to no avail. Why? She asked with a sense of angry desperation, what the hell are you and what do you want from me? That's when she felt-more than heard-a low growl in reply.
In that moment, she remembered something her father used to tell her when she was little and scared of the monsters under her bed. "Just say that you are anointed, and nothing can touch you" he had said as he tucked her in. In that brief memory, she found a moment of comfort in the midst of her pain.
I am anointed she said internally.
The entity pressed down on her even harder, and growled in her ear even louder than before.
I am anointed she thought even more forcefully, as she struggled to breath under the invisible weight.
The entity growled even louder, which was followed by a hum in her ear-as if she was near an electrical current.
"I am anointed" she began to mumble, breaking past the barrier of paralysis.
She suddenly began to breathe again and jerked free of the paralysis. The hum dissipated, and she no longer felt like she was being watched. Her eyes darted around the room in a useless attempt to catch a glimpse of her foe. She saw nothing, only the shadows from the pale light that shone through the cracks of the blinds remained, silent and motionless.
She knew that it would obviously be a useless attempt to try and sleep in the basement that evening. Fatigued and drained from the event, she took her blanked and decided to claim the couch in the living room upstairs for the remainder of that evening.

Frey started to turn over as she gave a moan in protest to the early morning rays coming in through the livingroom window. She sat up to the sound of her mother coming down the stairs from her bedroom on the top floor. "What are you doing on the couch?" her mother said in a puzzled yet firm tone. Frey suddenly remembered the incident from the night before. "I...something happened..." she started in her groggy, early morning tone, but her eyes then fell on the VCR clock above the TV that displayed 7:45AM. "What happened?" her mother asked in a slightly softer manner. "Aww HELL! I'm going to be LATE!" Frey snapped as she jerked out of bed. "I'll tell you when I get back this evening." she replied as she dashed downstairs to grab her work shirt and some jeans. "Are you sure?" her mother continued with barely a concern in her voice. "Yeah" Frey replied shortly as she dashed back up the stairs to grab a banana for breakfast, purse & keys at hand. "Ok, see you tonight" her mom replied as the front door slammed shut.
"You're one minute late" Zoe said as Frey burst through the front door of the tanning salon and pressed her finger on the scanner at the computer desk. "I know I know", Frey replied with a full mouth. She typed in her code and the screen displayed Freya A. LeBrinn-8:01:45AM. "You know I'm only harassing you, besides, it's not like Kathryn's going to have your head. You're never late. What happened anyways captain punctuality?"
"Ha-ha." Frey replied sarcastically. "I slept on the couch last night and forgot to bring my alarm."
"Huh, that's a first. I thought you were living in the basement until your mom got your room fixed?"
"Yeah, well, that's a whole other story. I'll tell you at lunch." Frey said in a depressed tone.
"Ok, is everything alright?" Zoe replied with genuine concern. Zoe was Frey's best friend and confidant. They had known each other since kindergarden, and shared everything. Some even said they even looked like sisters.
"I hope so..." she trailed as a customer came in.
At lunch, the two sat out back on the pavement next to the rear entrance eating lunch from the Chinese place next door.
"Ok" Zoe said as she started devouring her lo mein, "tell me what happened". Frey explained to her the events of the previous night in detail, and Zoe listened intently.
"Do you want my opinion?" Zoe asked after Frey had finished her story.
"Yeah, I do" Frey replied in a quiet tone.
"Do you promise to take me seriously?" Zoe pressed as she looked Frey in the eye.
"Do you take what happened to me seriously?"
"Frey. I believe you. Seriously. Now would you like my opinion or not?" Zoe said, with slight agitation in her voice.
"Shoot" Frey replied.
"Ok. I think that was a demon."
"What?"
"Yeah, a demon. I'm being serious Frey. My grandma, before she died, knew a lot about that kind of stuff. She was...new age I guess you could say. But she went to church on Sundays too. She told me a little about what she knows, and that's what it sounds like to me."
Frey became quiet and began pushing her food around with her fork in her to-go box. She was unsure of and surprised about Zoe's answer, but something inside Frey felt it to be the answer. "What would you recommend that I do?" Frey said again, quietly.
"Have you told your mom yet?"
"No, but you know how she is. She'll just brush it off. That's what she always does with stuff she doesn't understand. Not like she would attempt to take me seriously to begin with."
"Has she found a job yet" Zoe asked briskly.
"Pssht" Frey scoffed. "Not unless that would include playing poker and applying for doorprizes online after six months of unemployment while complaining how the child support hasn't come through for this month yet."
"Huh. Go figure." Zoe said with almost an equal amount of frustration in her voice.
"Well, in answer to your question I would suggest to fight fire with fire."
Hmm Frey thought to herself. With that said, they went inside to clock back in from their breaks and resumed running the salon.

As Frey began to drive home that evening she meditated deeply on her conversation earlier with Zoe. Could that honestly be true? she thought to herself, her eyes furrowing slightly.

Chapter 1. Hide

Her legs were on fire, but if she slowed down, she knew it would be over. Just to the creek. Just to the creek. God I hope I can make it, she thought as her warm breath left brief icy puffs behind her. The full moon that peeped from the clouds shone behind her, lighting the snow before her for a split second, making the surrounding woods all the more ominous and foreboding.
It was snowing heavily, which didn't help the fact that she was wearing just a hospital gown with an oversized black coat and men's dress shoes. The barbed wire fence to her left that she was running alongside seemed to house a property that contained a large warehouse with what looked to be camouflaged hummers. I pray to God this snow is covering my trail, she thought as she heard the voices of the men and barking dogs behind her growing louder. She turned her head for a moment to see dark figures with flashlights that bobbed up and down in the distance as they chased after her. Her lungs felt as if they would burst in any second, but the rush of adrenaline and fear helped push her harder. Then she heard probably the most joyous sound in her life. The sound of trickling water.
The creek! She thought as she peered into the darkness before her, searching for the source of the sound. The sound grew louder, and she quickly found herself at the edge of what looked to be a small stream flowing into the property. The voices continued behind her. "We're gaining on her" she heard one of them say. She knew what she had to do if she wanted any chance of getting off the property. Flinging off her shoes, she proceeded to wade as quickly as she could upstream, mustering all of her energy to fight the shock of the cold water as her bare feet protested. The voices were even louder, and she estimated that they were no more than thirty yards away.
I don't think my feet can take much more of this creek, but I'll be damned and burned alive before they catch me...burning alive sounds good right about now though...her thoughts trailed as her feet began to give into numbness and shock. She spotted a tree that had a low-lying limb hanging over the creek and mustered up what little physical strength she had left to climb about six feet up into the tree. From there she could see the black figures panning out to pick up her quickly disappearing trail from the creek. "Can the dogs pick up any scent yet?" one of the men shouted from such a close distance it made hear heart pound in her throat. "Not yet" the second man replied. Concentrate she said internally as she furrowed her brows. She visualized the dogs going after the scent of her shoes, while trying to simultaneously will the energies of the event in her favor. She scanned the area astrally for any elementi that may be near, but none were, so she proceeded to coax the wind to keep her downwind of the dogs.
"Hold up, I think they found it" the second man chimed as the dogs began to tug on their leashes and bark in a different direction. Some of the men followed him but the rest remained and continued searching the woods. God please help me she prayed internally as the first man drew nearer. Hide she willed herself and compressed the energy from her body into a small, internal ball. Invisible, she willed herself with all her might. Although she would have given anything to actually become invisible, nothing physically happened. The man drew nearer, and it was evident that he would see her any second, since her legs and head were not only not concealed, but probably whiter than the snow itself.
A piece of bark close to where her foot was became loose and made a small noise as it detached from the limb and landed in the snow. The man, who was so close the patches on his uniform were almost legible, immediately turned and began investigating the tree as his light remained on the snow in search of any footprints. He looked up and she swore he made eye connection with her for a split second and she feared she was caught, but he continued to scan the other tree briefly and then proceeded to search the floor of the woods for any footprints.
She waited for several agonizing minutes as they re-grouped and continued to follow the fence away from her. Then she slowly stepped out of the tree and began to regroup herself. OK, there must be a road nearby leading into this place. If I can find the road I can find civilization and a freaking phone. She doubled back and proceed to search for a road. Bingo she grinned as she peered at a drive that was close to where she had escaped from a gap in the fence.