If you like it mail me saying so, if you dislike it then don't... .Nr.

CHAPTER 1.

The forest was unusually silent for a winter's night here in Evervale, a bitter breeze blew down the valley, through the assembled spectators. The last logs were being piled onto the pyre before the ancient ceremony could begin. Today was the time that the soul of greywolf would be offered back to the forest, he was one of the oldest men in the reservation and some say he was the last of the ancient and feared Apache. The elders motioned to the townsfolk to quieten down as the old shamen walked to the base of the pyre. He bowed down chanting in the native tongue of the west county indians. The elders one by one joined him in the chant as slowly they stepped forward to light the wood with their burning torches. The townsfolk many of which were native indians, watched in awe as the flames licked at the white shroud and engulfed the body, crackling as they danced up into the frosty night air.
From the forest lodge michel watched his eyes mesmirised by the flames, those fool's don't even realise what they have done. By partaking of this little ritual they have destroyed the last evidence that would connect him with the death of the old man. Michel smiled, it was now his for the taking, the land rites and oh yes lets not forget the property deals. Oh yes the old man's untimely death would be very profitable indeed for him. But one thing was still unsettling him they were the word's that Greywolf whisperd as he lay there on the road side. He could not understand all of them as he crouched over the old man, as he spoke only apache a rare thing in this the white mans age. He felt a chill down his spine as he remembered those last dying words.

... the shadow people live only as long as there legend .....

Ever since a small boy, michel had been scared by stories of the shadow people. 'Go to bed or the shadow people will come and get you',said his mother when he had misbehaved. His grandfather would not talk about them whenever he asked, avoiding the subject or say 'mike, somethings are better left hidden that only time can heal'.To hell with it he thought, just another old wives tale, like the boogy man goddamn superstitious hogwash. But he couln't help but wonder what was in those stories, Some of the other indian kids back in school said that they were a seperate tribe from the apache who lived up in the mountains and forests in the area. They were notorious for there savage nature and stealth in battle, so much so that the white man avoided stettling in what is now Evervale for years. The apache chief was hunting in the forest one winters day with his braves ... the stories say that the shadows slaughtered his people and took his daughter from the reservation. On returning he was filled with rage and vengence, the chief gathered together a group of his finest warriors and set out to find his stolen daughter. They never returned and with that so died the story of the shadows. What happened to the braves is a mystery, some say they were slaughted and there bodies offered up to the vile forest god that the shadow people worshipped. Later that winter the chief's daughter came back from the forest with child, unaware of where she had been all those harsh winter months. With the childs birth so came the mothers death. The child was named Greywolf after the symbol of power and tranquility and brought up with the elders to take the place of his grandfather as chief of the Apache.

Hell none of that mattered now this was no wilderness anymore Evervale was a thriving community with oppotunities around every corner. Those revered elders all worked in plush offices in the city now and only saw there duties as tradition. That suited Michel just fine having no relatves it would all come to him as son of one of the ancient elders, it was he who was named as succesor to Greywolf, that ment land and lots of it. Thanks to the handing over of the governments land rites to the original indian owners last year he now owned half the valley and would have the shopping malls and motel contracters falling over themselves to get to him first.

Michal walked out onto the porch to see the last of the onlookers walking down the forest trail and out of sight. He stepped out into the clearing feeling the breeze brush against his face, pulling up his jacket |collor| and blowing into his hands he walked up to the now smoldering pyre. Looking about he saw the raven's had started to gather in the tree tops around the lodge. 'Damn birds' he cursed pitching a stone into the foilage. How fitting that the raven the spirit of life and death should come to pick over the ashes. Michel kicked some of the embers aside and noticed something half buried beneath the ashes. He knelt down to pick up a object that lay by his feet. Turing it over in his hands he could see it was a carved wooden figure of what looked like a tall black man. But what got his attention was that all the preportions were strange. His body was long and thin with his narrow shoulders supporting arms that hung down low around its ankles and ended in sharp points of wood , as if the creator had not finished his scultpture. He had noticed the shamen with dolls like this on his arrival at the lodge, I guess it must help with the souls passing or something like that michel thought.

Crack...a branch snapped in the dark forest up ahead, his eyes desperatly tried to pierce the gloom. 'Who's there' michel shouted. The shadows seemed to shift in the moonlight which spilt onto the clearing. bet its that damn ranger always creeping around up here, thought michel. The breeze picked up into a soft hiss about him as he backed up to the porch. 'Goddamn it I know your out there'. No reply just the soft wind...then he saw them, tiny red eyes dancing around in the forest shadows. After living his entire life in these mountains he new that they were no night critter. Then they moved ..one at a time in parallel darting from tree to tree disappearing then re-appearing closer and closer towards the lodge. His heart was pounding as he backed up the porch steps, the warm light inside shone welcomingly through the shutters. He flailed around in the darkness and his hand settled on a torch, thank god he thought. Swinging round he shone the wide beam into the dense undergrowth, the light only managing to penetrate a couple of meters. Those darting eyes had vanished, breathing a sigh of relief he he turned to grab the door handle...his blood ran cold as he stared into the faceless shadows before him, there blood red eyes watching his every move. He let out a scream and stumbled back into the clearing. The shadows watched as he ran blindly into the forest...faster and faster running, running then he caught his ankle and fell headlong on the forest floor..grabbing franticlly at the lose earth he pulled himself upright and froze. There they were surrounding him in a tight circle...a low chanting filled his mind. His face distorted in pain as they struck there kife like hands tore at his chest. Then he dropped... looking down to see his ripcage split and his heart clasped in the arms of the shadow above him. As his vision faded he could just make out the shadow people drifting off back into the forest as the darkness set in.

CHAPTER 2.

The early morning sun beams penetrated through the dark forests canopy, as the sunlight slowly rose up the valley drenching the sleepy town's shop fronts and streets. The peaceful scene was only disturbed by the cry of a fish eagle as it glided magesticly down the valley's ridge. The highway shimmered in the morning heat as a red convertable appeared on the horizon moving towards the Evervale turn off. The driver seemed oblivious to the tranquility of the area as he slowed to a halt at the crossways. Pulling out a map from the glovebox he studied it for a moment before seeming to come to a decision, making a sharp u-turn he started to headed up the steep forest road. After a few hundred meters in, the forest seemed to enclose around the road as it started to dwindle out into a narrow trail. Cursing his luck the driver shifted gear and coughing and spluttering the car continued its relentless climb of the slope.

Josh Munroe was a middle aged man who traded goods in both the reservation to the north and in the valley town of Evervale, he was one of the few people the indians trusted to sell their 'traditional' jewelry and garments. This and the occasional trips to Boston for some of the Evervale residents ensured he could keep up with the rent. It was one such task that brought him all the way up here, to deliver some legal papers he had picked up from michel's lawyers in Boston. He'd known michel since he was a classmate in school, probably the reason he'd trusted him with this important erand. But in all the years he'd known him he'd never once visited the lodge he was now destined for.

With a defiant hiss the car came to a rest just over the ridge as steam poured out of the overheating radiator. 'Damn it mike why do you have to live all the goddamn ways up here?' josh muttered, gently kicking the door open. The air conditioning had packed in a mile back and it was hotter than hell up on the exposed ledge overlooking the valley. Climbing out of the car Josh yawned, streched his back and painfully arched his shoulders. Rubbing his bloodshot eyes he looked up into the cloudless sky hoping to see even a single raincloud lurking somewhere. But still the insesent heat beat down, with his wrist he wiped his brow and reached into the car. Taking a manila envolpe out of the open glovebox, with sigh he started truging wearily up the forest track.

Pausing for a moment to get his breath he looked up into the trees above him to see the side of the lodge, taking a moment to free a pebble from his shoe he headed into the clearing before him. The lodge rose above him as he approached the porch from the side, seeing no activity in the clearing Josh stepped up to the door and rapped on it twice...no answer. 'Mike you in there?' shouted Josh through the letter box..silence. Where the hell could he be, walking around the back he peered in throught the window, half expecting to see him sprawled on the couch sleeping it off after that weird indian cerimony at the lodge last night. 'Okay thats fine',... 'i've done your little erand and you don't even show', he shouted angrily. I don't give a damn either way just as long as i get my money by friday night, Josh thought. Arr to hell with him, he'll be really mad about this but thats his problem....as he bent down and shoved the envelope through the door onto the mat. Turning to leave he noticed a water barrel resting against what looked like a wood shed on the other side of the clearing. Remembering the situation with the radiator back at the car, and didn't fancy waiting around for Mike to finally show, so he walked over to the rusty barrel. Scooping his hands into the cool dark water he splashed it over his face, refreshed he looked down for an old petrol can or something to carry the water in...Thats when he noticed the footprints spaced out and uneven, he turned and followed them with his eyes from the porch disappearing into the forest. Curiosity got the better of him as he followed the footprints deeper into the trees.

The stench of death hung all around in the air as he ventured further from the clearing. He watched as a raven flew through the trees up ahead, followed by another. Must be squabaling over some dead animal Josh guessed as he parted the branches in front of his face. 'MY GOD!!',he cried his eyes widened in terror as he glimpsed the sight before him, what looked like a person was lying face down in the brush covered in blood, he steadied himself against a tree trunk as nausia filled his stomach. The carrion eaters had begun to settle on the body and were fighting over it, but even through the tears and bites he could see the body had been skinned. Turning round he raced headlong off into the trees back to the daylight. Breaking through the undergrowth and towards the car he ran, as if the very devil was behind him. Grabbing the car door he jumped in slamming it shut behind him and turned the key. The engine strained then died... he tried again nothing. Outside the dark edge of the forest shifted casting the car into the shade.. Franticly he kept turning the key to no avail as the shadows lengthened. he looked up out of the car window into the forest as the shadows left the trees and started to merge and seperate. The soft chanting began filling his mind emptying his every thought, Josh Stared into the gloom and a thousand tiny red eyes stared back.

'Start damn it!!' he yelled as the key finally bit and the engine roared into life. His eyes rested on the rear view mirror to see those creatures had now surrounded the car, the hissing chant reaching a new creshendo as suddenly the windows all smashed out showering him in glass. Slamming his foot hard on the gas the car lurched forward, scraped aqainst a tree trunk and as he fought for control it raced off down the trail.

His hands were shaking when he hit the highway. Unaware of the small black wooden statue lying beside him on the passenger seat, as he sped into Evervale.

CHAPTER 3.

The reeds gently rustled back and forth as the surf washed against them as the ageing motorboat sailed by, a flash of green against the backdrop of the dark, shimmering blue lake. The bow cut through the waves sending spray flying into the air. The wind had picked up now in the valley causing waves to form on the waters surface sending them buffeting against the boats hull. This Paul thought had to be one of the quietest morning's he could remember, usually the tourists would have come pileing into the lake by now with their jet ski's and powerboats...but not today and he was going to make the most of it. Paul worked at his uncles bait shop in town, and as such was allowed to use his boat on a saturday morning before he started work. The freedom of the open water was a stark contrast to the hectic hussle and bussle that was the life he lead back in the city. Colledge was fine but he always enjoyed staying at his uncle's place in Everdale for the long summer months, plus he got his uncles boat. Most of his friends thought he was crazy, dissapearing into the wilderness to stay at some crazy uncles...to them it probably sounded like hell, but to Paul he saw it as the ultimate escapeism.

Reaching down he cut the engine and let the boat slowly drift into the centre of the lake the gentle ebb of the water rocked the boat too and frow as he sat back and looked up at the snow covered mountains. A screech from behind got his attention as he turned round in time to see a red car dangerously swerving from side to side on the highway. Approaching the bend it braked hard and momenterily left the road leaving a trail of dust hanging in the air behind it. shielding his eyes from the sun he watched as it raced along the waterfront past the wooden peir and onto the mainstreet, dissapearing from sight behind some buildings. Damn manic, Paul thought as he leaned back into the boat and listened as the engine roar faded in a low humm in the distance, to be replaced by the sound of the water as it washed against the shore. his uncle wasn't expecting him for a good three hours yet, plenty of time for before he needed to head back for shore. Paul, feeling the warm sun on his face stared upwards at the clouds watching as one by one they rolled slowly by ....and gradualy drifted off to sleep.

.... And that's all for the moment, oh and don't consider emulating this anyone because I'll hunt you down and tear the veins from out of your maggot ridden corpse..

That last part was a threat.