19

19
Chapter 19

Zedd sat on his chair as he smoked his pipe. He was staring at the black file once again, trying to put two pieces together. He was feeling frustrated as he hadn't yet caught Murphy. He wanted to bring him to justice. He had no clue as to where Murphy was hiding.

He stared at the television and bit his lips in anger. The shadow had done another murder in town again. This time, it was the press leader. She had once tried to find a clue concerning who the shadow might be. Maybe that was why he targeted her.

Mrs. Zedd walked into the room and sat across from her husband. Zedd's full attention was on the TV that he didn't notice when his wife entered. She stared at him for a moment before sighing. She couldn't quite understand why her husband did what he did. She couldn't understand why he would risk his life just to find the shadow. In her opinion, there were other people fit for the job. There will be someone out there who is hell-bent on finding the shadow. But her husband had made it his mandate for years to find who this shadow was.

“Zedd,” she called.

Zedd's attention was diverted from the TV to his wife. “Yes, dear?”

“Any luck on finding this Murphy of a guy?” she asked.

Zedd shook his head in the negative. “I am still on the quest,”

“Don't you find it odd that Murphy is the shadow?” she asked

Zedd stared at his wife with interest. “Share your thoughts with me dear,”

“I mean, his powers aren't that strong and he might be relying on his system too,” she explained.

Zedd smiled weakly. “That's exactly what he would want the world to think. If this guy is the shadow, then he is hiding it well,”

“Well, it just doesn't seem right,” she mumbled.

“Don't bother yourself with things like this. You just have to take care of the kids and the household. Leave dangerous matters and stay out of all these,” he said.

Mrs. Zedd nodded and walked out.

“Now how do I find you, Murphy?” Zedd whispered and turned to the next page of the file.

Murphy stared into the blank space as he as he walked down the desolate alley. He couldn't believe he was in such a mess.

Just then, he felt a presence following him. It was night already. He felt the cold steel pressing against his waist as he walked. He wanted to take all protective measures since his system left him unarmed. He sensed he was being followed and hastened his pace. He had gone to great extents by making sure he wore his hat and fit in with the crowd wherever he went out. And he tries not to stay out too late. His powers are limited and he doesn't have the help of the system now till he has vindicated himself.

As the presence got closer, he slowly turned to attack and pointed his gun.

“Woah. Take it easy kid,” the sherrif laughed.

Murphy sighed and brought down the gun.

“Have you been waiting long?” he asked

Murphy scoffed and they walked into the nearest bar. Murphy looked at his watch and saw he had less than 12 hours to complete his task. He needed to find out about Jeremy as soon as possible, and this sheriff was the ticket to accomplishing that task.

“Want a whiskey?” the sheriff asked and Murphy declined. He couldn't afford to be drunk.

“Just a bottle of water would do,” he replied and the sheriff scowled at him.

“What are you? A baby?” the sheriff teased.

Murphy warmly smiled. The bartender brought the drink to the table, paying little or no attention to them as he had other customers to serve.

“What do you know about Jeremy?” Murphy impatiently asked

The sheriff laughed. “Patience is a virtue kid,”

“That's the problem. I don't have patience,” Murphy said.

“Grumpy I see,” the sheriff replied and took his first big gulp.

He remained silent for a few moments while Murphy shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Time was running out and he needed to complete his task to gain more points. Murphy looked around the bar. He stared at people inside. No one seemed to recall he was the one that fought in here. He needed to get this information out of this sheriff's mouth. Just as he was about to snap, the sheriff cleared his throat.

“Jeremy is an excellent person,” he began. “He is trained to fight the shadow slave demon. So far, he had defeated many of them,”

Murphy knew all these and felt like a waste of time.

“I bet you know all these,” the sheriff said.

Murphy shrugged his shoulders.

“He is working for Mr. Sam. They are threatened by you,” the sheriff continued.

Murphy felt confused. They had treated him like family. Why should they be threatened by him? He didn't have half the skill Jeremy possessed. Neither could he slay more shadow slave demons than John. He stared at the sheriff and smiled sadly.

“Well, that was quite unexpected,” Murphy stated, sighing.

“Yes. As it is, Zedd is looking for you and Jeremy would do anything to help him find you,” the sheriff continued.

Murphy felt shivers run down his spine. He imagined what it would be like to be caught by the shadow hunter.

“And being caught by Zedd is something you wouldn't want to experience,” the sheriff said. “Unless...”

“Unless what?” Murphy asked in anticipation.

“Unless you get Zedd first,” the sheriff continued.

Murphy weighed the thought of going to the shadow hunter. That would mean absolute death if he doesn't plan well.

“Jeremy would do anything Mr. Sam tells him to do. Although he acts strong, he is always seeking approval for the prettiest thing,” the sheriff explained, scrunching his nose.

Murphy felt like punching the wall. He has taken Jeremy as a brother he never had. What could have happened for Jeremy and Mr. Sam to frame him up like this? Was John in on this too?

“Is there anything else you would like to know about Jeremy?” the sheriff asked, obviously trying to end the conversation.

“I don't think so,” Murphy replied

“Kid. No matter what you do, stay hidden and don't come out till the culprit is found,” the sheriff advised and winked, giving Murphy a hidden meaning to his word.

Murphy stood up in front of the seat and made his way out of the bar. He heard his system in his head again

Task completed

Points earned +150 points

Total points 170 points

Murphy cursed under his breath.

“Seriously? 150 points? I did all the damn thing I was assigned,” he fumed.

“The bartender suspected you,” was the response he got.

He decided to take the closest route to get to his destination. He didn't want to get a cab as he wanted to receive some fresh air.

Once he arrived at the door, he knocked and waited for a response. Amelia was sitting down on her bed, scared as usual when she heard a knock at the door. Her heart skipped a beat as she thought the shadow had come for her. Or was it Murphy who had come for her?

She decided not to answer. She heard the knock again and stood up to look out through the window. There, she saw Murphy, who was standing at the door with one hand in his pocket. She contemplated whether she should open the door for him or not.

Murphy raised his head and both their eyes locked. He saw a hint of fear in Amelia's eyes. He felt a stabbing pain jolt past his heart. He couldn't believe a day would come when Amelia would be scared for her life. Worst of all, she thinks he would be the one to kill her. Seeing Amelia like this, he knew he needed to get her out of the house. He couldn't take any risk of losing her.

“What are you doing here? Come to kill me faster than the date?” she teased.

Murphy sighed. “Amelia please open the door. It's not safe for me here,” he pleaded.

“And it's not safe for me to open the door for a man who might be the one to kill me. How absurd would that be,” she replied coldly.

“Amelia please listen to me. Just open the door, and I'll explain everything to you,” he tried reasoning with her.

Despite the tug in her heart telling her not to open the door for him, Amelia found herself walking toward the door. She found herself wanting to hear what he had to say. She wanted to hear it from his mouth that it wasn't true. That he wasn't the shadow and he wouldn't try to kill her even if he was the shadow. She opened the door a little.

“Get in,” she ordered coldly.

Murphy rushed in and Amelia shut the door. Amelia walks behind him slowly and sits on the couch opposite him. She knew it was a stupid idea to let him into her home. She knew he might be the shadow. And if he was indeed the shadow, it was a very big mistake allowing someone who had given her a letter stating her date of death into her home.

“Speak. Are you finally here to kill me?” she asked, avoiding eye contact.

Murphy's mouth parted in surprise. How bad has she believed him as the shadow?

“Amelia?” he called.

“What? Aren't you here to kill me?” she asked.

“First off, I am not the shadow, and second of all, why would I kill you?” he asked.

“I broke up with you. The next minute, I'm getting a letter. Tell me how you deny it makes sense, Murphy. Tell me,” she almost yelled.

Murphy felt his heart about to explode.

“Yes. I am hurt that you broke up with me. But this isn't the time to talk about this. Your life is in danger and you know it,” he started.

Amelia stared at him indifferently. She didn't look like someone who cared anymore. She was scared of dying just a moment ago, but seeing Murphy and believing he was the shadow, had made her feel indifferent.

“You are going to end it soon anyways,” she blurted out.

“For Christ's sake Amelia. I am not eh shadow. I would never hurt you. Why can't you see my sincerity?” he yelled.

“And why would I believe you?” she questioned.

“Because I love you, Amelia. I love you so much that it hurts,” Murphy said, feeling like his head was about to come off.

Amelia stared at him for a moment, trying to see if he was lying. But the more she looked into his eyes, the more she saw sincerity in it. She only saw love and honesty. She had known Murphy and he wasn't the type of man to do something like that. Although people change. She wasn't sure if what she was seeing in his eyes was real or if he was just faking it.

“I don't want to die,” she found herself saying.

Murphy hugged her. Amelia felt vulnerable at that moment. All the pent-up tears she had held came gushing down at that moment. She felt safe in the hands of Murphy. Even though she still didn't trust him, she was determined to fight for her life. If he wasn't the shadow as he had claimed, he might be the only person she could run to.

“I won't let anything happen to you,” he promised as he tried to calm her down.

At that moment, Murphy felt a strange presence lurking in the air.

A slave shadow demon.