"Everyone, pay attention," Harding's voice transmitted through the portable communication device to each person's ear, "The Shadow Thief may appear at any time. Stay vigilant, do not act alone, and constantly monitor the changes of your shadow."
Silence.
The factory was left with only the buzzing of the lights and the low echo of waves crashing on the distant shore.
Soon enough, Deke saw it first.
From the northwest corner of the factory, beneath a pile of abandoned steel, a translucent shadow slipped out.
Its form was just like the drawing Harding had brought: a flattened human-shaped outline, without facial features, no details of limbs, like a human paper-cut made from translucent black plastic, silently gliding across the floor.
Its movement was bizarre.
As if someone had smeared a layer of oil under its "body," allowing it to glide in a way unaffected by friction.
