In Shadow

Megan@Midnight

Dark sunglasses reflect the ocean waves as a man walks down the shore. He wears boots and shorts and a plain white T-shirt. He dodges fishing lines and screaming children deftly but ignores the waves that run up the beach and over his tan leather boots. As the light fades, the beaches empty and Sheldon Sands walks on in the dark. Searching.

It's nearly midnight before he finds the caves. He can hear the change in the water, changes in air movement. Sands puts on his gloves and picks his way carefully over rocks he can't see and has to navigate by feel. After a few minutes or hours, Sands can't tell anyway, the cave dries out and under his feet the ground begins to slope up hill. Sands keeps one hands lightly touching the wall to navigate. More time and a good long walk upwards before the slope evens out, flattens and Sheldon feels the edge of a doorway. He's been here before, when he was younger and he remembers the cavern, full of flickering crystal and burning lights. It's very dark now. He means to change that. He doesn't want to remember this place. He wants to see. He steps through the doorway and walks five steps to center of the room and waits.

But not long. A voice comes out of the air.

Are you lost?

"Yes." The same question as before. The only change is his answer.

Why?

"I can't see." Trying to do my work, bring some balance to place that desperately needed it, make a little money. Get royally fucked over.

Why?

"I trusted." That won't happen again. I fucking swear it. On the bitch's dead body.

Who?

"The wrong person." Understatement of the century.

Why?

"I don't know. I just did."

What do you want?

"The world. Again."

Did you lose it?

"No. It was taken from me." I'm taking it back.

Why?

… Not thinking about it, not thinking about.

Why?

"I saw too much." Can't think about, won't fucking remember that my last bit of the world was that fucker Barillo, and his nutcase doctor. And her. So fucking glad I shot her.

What do you need?

"My EYES!" Why the fuck do you think I'm here?!

Are lost.

"I want them back." Can't stand all this darkness. Can't, can't, can't take this any longer.

They are gone.

"I need them." I need, I need, I must.

They are gone. Move on.

"I can't." Please, I can't

You must. What do you need?

"My sight, my eyes, my fucking life!"

What will you give?

"Everything." Anything! Please, please make this stop!

Done.

Sheldon Sands blinks. It's shock. It's been four months since Mexico. Four long dark months of pain and, though he is loathe to admit it, fear. He can see. He can see! The light from the crystals is blindly bright, beautifully blindingly bright, and it makes him almost weep at the sheer miracle of light.

"Thanks."

Do you know who I am? The voice is soft and androgynous, but it echoes in this place.

"No." Sands says and he doesn't. He never had any idea, though he searched through books on the history of this place, this city, after the first time.

Do you want to know?

"No. To be completely honest, I don't fucking care." Sheldon continues staring around the cavern, but he doesn't move from the center of the room.

You've changed. The voice sounds almost disappointed.

"No, I haven't." He know it's true.

No, you haven't. The voice agrees. Have you learned?

"Yes."

What?

"That Agent Ajedrez was a fucking psychotic bitch!"

Beyond that. The voice sounds amused.

"I was dead." Sheldon can't repress a shudder at the thought of the last four months. "She killed me. She fucking killed me!"

Yes.

"I was so lost." Sands know this is true. No lies here. No manipulation. Only the truth here.

I found you.