A Dark Message - 6

Without quite knowing why, Jenny chose to follow the advice of the young stranger. Her stomach felt like one giant knot. This was a new sensation; a cross between caution and fear. The girl had seemed nice enough, but something about her was dark... cryptic. But regardless of her feelings, Jenny knew she had to listen to the girl.
She found herself now standing in front of Alex's newly laid headstone. It wasn't a good night to be out here. The air was bitter cold and the wind was picking up, howling through the trees, ripping through her light jacket as if it wasn't even there. Jenny glanced around furtively, feeling a strange sense of unease. The moon cast flickering shadows through the waving tree branches, covering everything in dancing minions.
One shadow wasn't moving; it was blacker than the night and still as stone. When it finally did move, it moved slowly, toward her. Jenny backed up a step, feeling the panic flood through her body. Her limbs felt like jelly. The shadow moved faster now, coming toward her at a swift pace. Running would do her no good; there was nowhere to hide in this miserable graveyard. The only thing she could do was gape in absolute terror as the shadow grew in height, coming swiftly closer. It stopped no less than a foot from her body. The being towered above her. In the dark she could only discern that the shadow had the shape of a man, but the man was too large to be human. Before she knew what was happening, a giant hand snatched hers up, laying something cold and heavy in her palm. "When you're ready, look at what I've given you," a voice whispered. The voice didn't match the body. It was too soft, too quiet. "But don't look unless you know you can handle the truth. For if you can't, this will destroy you, as it destroyed Alex."
Jenny's hand instinctively curled around the object, but her eyes never left the huge bulk in front of her. She nodded briskly, not trusting her voice. The shadow receded, melting back into the dancing minions. Jenny stared after it, rooted to the spot by terror and uncertainty. Her mind was a jumble of a million questions, none of which she knew the answer to. The object in her hand was cold, like steel. Trembling, she finally turned and ran to her car, locking the doors and starting the engine almost simultaneously. One thought shouted in her mind. "Get the hell out of this place. Leave the secrets behind!" Another thought, much smaller but growing in gravity, whispered a different message. "Look at the object, learn the secrets."

Help Comes Unexpectedly - 5

Jenny walked slowly up the street, toward Alicia's home. Since Alex's murder, Jenny had been staying with Alicia; staying in the apartment where Alex had been killed was just too painful. She sighed, glancing up the street. It was painful staying with Alicia too. She knew her friend was trying to be helpful, to comfort her, but Alex, despite all his failures, had loved her. She knew he had. He was always trying to make her laugh, to help her see the good in everything. She felt so alone with him gone.
She sank onto the steps outside the apartment, not caring that the cold of the concrete seeped through her clothing. Alex had been killed a month ago and the police had made no headway on solving his murder. When she asked for updates, the only response she got was a patient "No dear, we don't know anything yet." They treated her like they would a child. The kind cop was the exception to this rule. He always treated her wonderfully, but he could never tell her anything. Sometimes it felt to Jenny like they weren't even trying.
Jenny sighed heavily, "Alex," she cried, "What do I do? I'm scared. I feel so alone." She wrapped her arms around her chest. "You wouldn't just sit here. You would do something. Anything! You were always the strong one. I can't do it," she muttered, "I can't do anything."
"Yes you can."
Jenny looked up, startled. A young woman stood in front of the steps. Wide eyes in a thin face were framed by short, black hair that spiked in every direction. Her eyes darted around nervously before coming to rest on Jenny's face. "There's always something you can do," she said urgently.
Jenny stiffened, "You don't know that," she snapped. "You don't even know what I'm dealing with."
"I know more than you think." The response was cryptic. The girl glanced up and down the street, then took a step closer to Jenny. "Your answer lies with Alex," she said urgently. "Go to him."
Jenny stared at her, wide-eyed. "But Alex... he's dead."
The girl nodded, "Go to him," she whispered again then she darted down the street and was gone.