Free Shadow Hunters (Portal Jumpers) by Yezall Strongheart

 
    Chapter One
    As far as anyone knew, she had locked herself in her room and was studying.  However, as soon as she reached the bottom of the tree outside her window, she would be on her way.  Callie figured if she was going to interact with the opposite sex, she would have to be creative.
    W hen you live in a college town, don’t even think about going away to college.  If your dad is a professor, then you can forget about a life as well.  Callie was nineteen years old, pretty hot; so every guy who was brave enough to tell her said.  With her long, wavy, red hair and cool, blue eyes, she was the whole package…and she lived at home.  Guys were hesitant to approach her.  Even if they did, her dad would scare them away.  So that’s what made her “rebellious.”
    She didn’t have to change her looks; where she was going they wouldn’t know her.  Little Callie Halston never wore short skirts, low-cut blouses or false eyelashes, but she looked very different that night.  In the mirror, before she left, she gave herself a thumbs up and a long drawn out “Sluuuuttttty.”
    Darkness conceal ed her as she walked right out of the little cookie cutter collection of mid-to-expensive homes to the part of town, across the lake, where the undesirables lived.  Guess that depended on what you were lookin’ for.  Same as any town, Glenville Heights had a dividing line between the low-income, smaller houses and those found on her side. The population on that side of the lake wasn’t as secretive about their drinking habits, they weren’t as discreet with their affairs, and the boys were a lot more fun.  The best part was they didn’t know who her dad was, nor did they care. 
    In order to get to the other side of the lake , she had to go through a wooded area.  There was a cave there; and ever since she was a child, it scared her to pass it.  It was just really dark in there, even in the daytime as if it were a black hole or something.  Evil seemed to ooze from it. 
    Callie entered the dense woods.  Thankfully, the moon was full; it kept her from falling several times.  The cave was near, and she felt her guts tighten, bile rising in her throat.  Slowing down a little, as if she was sneaking around it and it wouldn’t see her, Callie tried to be quiet.  She heard a noise and froze; did it come from the cave?   It sounded like someone striking a match.  Looking towards the sound, she was quick enough to see a flash of light.  As silently as she could, Callie inched forward trying to see where the light came from.
    In a small clearing near the opening of the cave, stood a tall man.  He was dressed in all black; black pants and shirt along with a long leather-looking coat.  All of this was topped off with a black cowboy hat, his long dark hair flowing from underneath it.  He was leaning against a tree looking down, one leg bent behind him, his foot on the trunk.  He had a cigarette hanging out of his mouth and a rifle in his hand.
    Not wanting to mess with anyone who was armed, she moved to leave .  She was on a mission, just wanting to have casual sex.  She couldn’t keep those boys from the other side of the lake waiting!  They were probably several beers ahead of her already! He looked peculiar, verging on abnormal.  No one around there dressed like that.  Dying wasn’t part of her plans—no guns.  Stepping backwards, she tripped over a branch and landed on her ass.  Cowboy Bob was on her in a hot minute.
    “Who the fuck are you?” he yelled at her.
    “M-My name’s Callie ,” she squeaked out, looking up at him.  His face was shadowed; she was unable see his features.
    “What are you doin’ here? What do you want?” he asked, poking her with his rifle.
    “I was on my way to the other side of the lake, that’s all!”  Callie brought her legs up and tried to get away from the gun, even though she knew her legs were spread wide open and her panties were probably glowing in the