Author's Note

This story is based upon the Haunted Hotel Roleplay thread in my forum, "Writers Of Smudge United", and all the characters mentioned are used with the permission of the participants of the forum. I have tried to stay as close to each personality as possible in the hopes that I keep each character's singular personality and unique quirks.

This story was originally a three-person project but due to the facts of life, I have undertaken this and wouldn't have even gotten this far had it not been for the ton of feedback from my fellow authors. (Chris 'SG-17, Terra Booma, you guys are awesome! This is for you two!)

Also originally from three different points of view- Tasha, Tal, and Josh's outlook- I have taken it out of first person narrative to avoid confusion on the part of the reader and to avoid plaugerism. I'll try to keep the most important parts of the forum topic role play in the story, I beg forgiveness if I have failed to do so.

And now, please enjoy "Behind the Shadows". Let me know what you think in a review, or go to the forum to chat with me and my fellow nerds and/or take part in a roleplay.

OK, I'm talking too much. I'll stop.^^

Ink out.

Chapter 1
Things that go "BUMP" in the night

Natasha Frost was your average eighteen year old at first glance. Brown hair kept in a pony tail, brown eyes that were a little bit too big, wearing a gray hoodie and jeans, as she walked down the street with her hood up and her hands in her pockets.

If you noticed her, you'd also notice that she seemed a little dirty and smelled of trouble. Then again, if you noticed her and she noticed you then you probably were about to have an encounter that you wouldn't forget.

Natasha, or Tasha to those who knew her, was hunting. Hunting for the things of nightares, ghost tales, and horror stories in the big cities. Why not hunt in the rural areas where ghosts and spooks were most often reported to have been spotted? Simply because the odd monster in the country wasn't worth chasing, it was probably already old and had gotten bored with anonymity and wanted to die quick in a flash of glory.

But the ones in the city; they were different. They were the younger monsters that were dangerous, ones that didn't care for other life- be it human or monster- outside of themselves, and enjoyed being evil. And Tasha had a score to settle with a monster.

Hence the reason she went walking in the rain at ten in the evening. But tonight was different. Tonight would change her forever, making the course of her life shift down a road that was impossible to imagine.

But she's not the only one we'll be following.

Come over here, to the other side of town. You see the guy with blue eyes, shaggy brown hair, hiding from the rain in the shelter of a doorway? The one that looks like a homeless person in need of help? He's anything but helpless. This is Talik Yeder. Keep your eye on him, he's important. He's not exactly human either.

You see, Talik Yeder's not your average runaway or juvenille delinquint. He can smell a person over ten yards away, hear them from a distance further than that, yet prefers the solitary life. It's easier than trying to avoid killing any acquaintances he might make and also makes it easier for him to keep a clean conscience.

And over here, sitting in a bar between the other two, is our third- but not the least- person of extreme interest. Note the black haired crewcut, the black sharp eyes, hands that look like they've seen better years, a slight bulge in the shape of a gun underneath the left sleeve of the leather jacket, and the casual posture that belies the swift and powerful agility this man possesses. This is Joshua.

The guy walking up to him is a contact, probably telling him about a target. Joshua's an assassin, a paid killer that lives from paycheck to paycheck on his own.

In fact, all three persons of interest have no ties to anyone alive in the world.

Which makes them perfect candidates for one individual who's been waiting for such a group of dangerous miscreants for some time.

Natasha had been on the trail of an imp for some time, the information she'd received from her last target had led her to this imp and now she was watching the waist-height creature rummage through a trash bin for something that he'd probably stashed away earlier.

Hello there, Tasha thought triumphantly, I've been looking for you.

As if it could understand her thoughts, the imp turned and looked over in Tasha's direction before bounding away. She'd been seen and now her target was on the move.

Drat it, Tasha took chase after the little beast, reaching for her hidden silver dagger as she ran. She'd been waiting for the imp for days now and she'd blown it.

She came to a cul de sac, halting as she looked around for the imp. It was gone. Disappeared. Grunting in frustration, she was putting away her knife when something moved in the shadows. There you are, she hesitated only a moment before she headed towards the creature.

A blinding flash of light caught her by surprise and throwing up her arm to protect her eyes, she fell back and dropped her knife. As quickly as it'd come, the light dimmed and faded.

Allowing her eyes to adjust to the darkness again, Tasha bent and felt for her weapon. Fingers wrapping around it, she wiped at her eyes and looked back into the shadows. A flyer lay there, dry and untouched by the rain.

Where had it come from?

She bent down and picked up the flyer gingerly. A gaudy gold script stared back at her, the old-looking paper looked more like parchment but it was obviously intended for her. Who else was hunting at night in a city in that particular alley?

Are you lonely? Tired of being chased around cities?

Well come on over to the Haunted Hotel and relax. Meet other terrors of the night, enjoy our complimentary suites for the scary, and enjoy yourself.

We are waiting.

Well that was creepy. "We are waiting"? Who was 'we' exactly?

Tasha folded the paper but stopped when she saw an address on the paper. She'd been at the same place before but it had always seemed dead and empty to her. Had she been wrong?

Making up her mind, she put the flyer into her back pocket and put away her knife. She had to find out what this was. If someone could find her then who else knew she was hunting monsters? If they weren't friendly she'd make sure that they didn't bother anyone else.