Free Between Light and Dark by Elissa Wilds

front of the convenience store,
where the attendant and one customer-probably the guy
whose tire iron had been so helpful a moment earliercrept out of the door and glanced furtively around. Behind
them the other half of the Baseball Cap couple scurried
out the door, wailing "Chuckie!" when she saw her husband lying on the ground. The police would not be far
behind.
    He closed his eyes and silently willed each of the innocents to forget what had occurred. They would not remember Axiom, Wayne, or Laurell. Their memories would start
with finding Baseball Cap lying on the ground. Baseball
Cap would not recall a thing either, but Axiom needed to
play no part in his amnesia. Humans never remembered what occurred during the time the Umbrae controlled them
as Finders.

    "We must retrieve Laurell," Axiom murmured.
    Damn him. Laurell thought as many nasty things about Axiom as she could, once the yearning left her body and she
could finally breathe again. She let go of the tree she'd
been clutching and brushed bark from her hands.
    Axiom had lied to her about the warding. Perhaps her
ward was useful against the Umbrae, but it proved defenseless against Axiom. He could, and clearly would, break
through it anytime he wished. What else has he lied about?
    Laurell clenched her teeth and trudged forward, pushing
branches out of her way. Up ahead, moonlight shone
through the trees and lit a clearing. A bird hopped from
limb to limb above her. She could make out its silhouette
against the moon. She squinted, and a tiny stream of light
flickered off the bird's blue-black wings.
    "Hey there," she murmured to the bird. "Can you show
me how to get back to a road?" The bird bent its head and
moved closer to her as though it would answer, but of
course it simply sat. And stared.
    It was so dark. She wished she had a flashlight. Her limbs
were still shaky, but she forced herself to keep walking. As
she moved, the trees rustled. She glanced up and saw the
bird flitting from tree branch to tree branch as though it
were following her. Must be lonely.
    Laurell had only moved a few more feet when her skin
prickled and the hair on her arms stood up. She froze. The
blood in her veins seemed to slow. She sucked in a breath
and glanced quickly around. No one there. But I'm not alone.
The air was heavy with a presence, something ... not nice.
    Her stomach clenched. Her skin crawled with the kind
of sick dread she'd only experienced during her brief astral meetings with the Umbrae. Oh my god. The air in front of
her shimmered and shifted. An outline began to form.

    Her breath came out in quick little bursts, leaving white
trails in the chill air and creating an eerie spotlight for the
thing that was emerging out of nowhere. The creature was
so black that despite the dark of the woods, she could see it.
It appeared solid; there was an impenetrability to the thing
that made the night air seem thin and bright in comparison. The creature hung in the air, just in front of her. The
smell of sulfur filled her nostrils. Long, crooked fingers
reached out toward her, and she backed slowly away.
    Shit. I can't outrun the Umbrae. She turned to try anyway,
but something bitter and frigid filled her lungs, stopping
her. She couldn't breathe. She gasped for air and her vision
filled with all-consuming blackness. I take it back. I'd rather
stay with Axiom. Live. These thoughts, fractured and frantic,
raced through her mind. She clawed at the air in front of
her but the thing had no form to grab on to. Her awareness
narrowed to the burning in her chest and her body's struggle
for oxygen. She closed her eyes, willing the pain to stop.
    Her eyes popped open again at a movement to her side,
and she registered the burst of heat accompanying it. The
Umbra released its hold on her and she tumbled to the
ground, gasping for air. She could see again.
    A flash of silver. A man standing in front of her. Axiom.
    His hands were raised