Prologue of The Cypher

The wind blew hard at the windows, repatedly swinging the pane against its frame, banging loudly, adding symphony to the howling wind. The house was cast in shadows, the chill of the night nothing compared to the chilly emptyness lurking in its dark interiors. Or seemingly dark interiors... A shadow fleeted past the window as the pane swung outwards, pausing against the frame before it jumped over the short ledge and out into the weedy garden, ducking hard, fearful, it appeared, to stop the rhythemic banging of the window at the wall. Clouds were flying past in the stormy sky, thin rays of moonlight stealing through any gaps they could find. A thin wooden gate stood just visible in the dark, a strange light beeping in its arching wake. A stream of glowing pops burst with each beep, running at equal intervals endlessly into the sky above the arch. The shadow stole forward, its head turning cautiously back toward the house as it bent low to pick up a heavy branch on its way. it dragged the branch behind it as it crawled on, its free hand feeling the ground, probing, until suddenly, it dropped the branch down and flattened itself amongst the weeds. Magically, the red beeping on the arched gate ceased, and the shadow rolled towards it. The running stream of glows had died down too, and the shadow sat up at the feet of the gate, its head arching up to watch the progression of the snuffing out. A hood on its head fell back with the movement, and dark hair cascading over the sides emerged, supporting a pale face and dead eyes. Chillier than the emptiness of the house were the eyes. No light danced in them, no smile lingered at the corners. They seemed to watch, and yet, not see. The eyes looked back at the house one final time, then jerked the body into movement, jumping up and over the gate, careful not to brush itself against its arching beam, landing smoothly on all fours on the other side. The wind blew the shadow's dark tresses all over its pale face as it straightened up, staring at the house, the dead eyes shimmering in the slight moonlight. And then, not wasting a moment more, the shadow turned and sprinted away, disappearing into the woods growing undeterred just beyond the house...