Monster

I had been in the basement of the Chasse house all afternoon. Autumn and I were doing some hand-to-hand training down on the mats. At least, that’s how it started out. While no one else was down there with us, Autumn and I wrestled with each other playfully. Some of the moments we spent rolling through the mats were… easily enticing. There were times we weren’t doing as much training as we were trying not to tear each other’s clothes off. Eleanor would come to check on us every now and then, and that kept us honest.

We had been trying to sneak in as much physical contact as we could when no one was near us in the house; kissing, touching, grabbing. It felt like some kind of wild attraction drew us to one another. It only fueled my suspicions that it was something about the monster, its power maybe. It felt more potent than a typical attraction, but it was hard to explain. She was drawn in, but so was I.

Autumn had left me down there for a little while to run an errand with Eleanor. I stayed down in the sub-level, cleaning guns and other weaponry that we had been using for training and the few times we had gone out on possible hunts that turned out to be nothing.

My mind kept replaying the events surrounding the vision; the name, the surge of power, and everything that followed. It had been a moment of pure, unrestrained connection with the monster within me, a harmony so complete that it felt like we were moving as one. There were no doubts, no second-guessing, no internal battles to resist its influence. For the first time, it felt right. The power, the control all seemed to fit perfectly in that moment. But now, in the aftermath, the clarity had faded, and all that was left were worries gnawing at the edges of my thoughts.

I couldn’t shake the sense that something fundamental had shifted, not just within me, but in how I viewed the world and my place in it. Before the vision came that night, I had been on the brink of telling them everything. The truth, in all its raw, painful detail. I wanted to spill every secret, to expose the darkness inside me and lay bare the struggle I had faced over the past few years. I craved honesty, a release from the burden of secrecy, and the hope that someone could understand the weight I carried. I had been ready to trust them with it all… to finally talk to someone about what I’d done, what I’d become.

But now, that resolve had crumbled. The vision had brought with it a torrent of new fears and uncertainties. The questions it raised about the person sending me these visions, about their identity, their intentions, and the power that had surged through me afterward left me paralyzed with doubt. Were they a threat? Was this some form of manipulation, or something even darker? The answers eluded me, but the fear they inspired was all too real.

I found myself retreating into secrecy again, walls of silence and half-truths rising between me and the Chasse family. I wanted to protect them, but I couldn’t help but wonder if I was really protecting myself. Shielding the truth of what I had become, of the monster that lived within me. The thought of their reactions, their fear, or worse, their rejection, tightened the knot of anxiety in my chest. I felt that I had taken a step backwards in my mind. I had retreated to how I felt before the night of the cookout.

But deeper than that, there was a haunting realization. For the first time, I wasn’t sure if I could trust myself. The synchronicity I’d felt with the monster during the vision was as exhilarating as it was terrifying. What if that was the true me? What if the monster wasn’t just a curse, but a part of who I really was? The fear of what that might mean, of what I could become if I allowed it to take over completely, gnawed at me, leaving me uncertain and adrift.

So, I kept my distance, held my tongue, and let the silence grow. The truth, once so close to being revealed, was now buried deeper than ever, hidden beneath layers of fear, doubt, and unanswered questions. The burden of it weighed heavily on me, but I wasn’t sure I was ready to face what would happen if I let it go. Not now, not after everything that had happened. And so, I waited, hoping that somehow, the answers would come before the darkness consumed me completely. It wasn’t right… I knew that. But I would keep on lying to my friends.

I sat and continued to clean the weapons and put them away as I weighed my options and thought about my new variables. That’s when I heard the door open, feet scatter about the stairs as someone came down to meet me. I could smell her before I saw her, and I was thrilled to have her back. I wanted to continue our “training”. However, when Autumn returned, she was different. I noticed it immediately after she sat down at the work bench. They had been gone for almost an hour, and I had begun to worry. I was the only one in the house when they were gone. Carter and Frank had been there earlier but had been called off to deal with something at a worksite. I offered to help, but they said it was nothing they couldn’t handle. Everyone was wheeling and dealing, but nobody was really talking to me about what was going on. I figured it might just be family or company stuff.

“Are you okay?” I asked Autumn.

“Yeah…” she answered quickly, giving me nothing else. She barely shot a glance at me when she answered. She just went straight back to putting some of our gear away.

Something was wrong, something she couldn’t tell me about. I could read everything on her face. I could see that the look she wore was a mask, and it was barely holding on. She was scared, angry, and alone. I wondered what Eleanor had said, or where they went. Something serious had happened, but I couldn’t figure anything out. I hadn’t overheard anything when they were near.

Suddenly, my phone rang. I pulled it from my pocket and saw Carter’s name.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“Sam, I need your help. Are you guys still at the house?”

“Yeah, what’s up,” I asked.

“Don’t say anything out loud, I don’t want to scare El and Autumn for no reason, but I need you to meet me. Do you think you can get away from the house without them suspecting anything?”

I knew I could, but I didn’t want to have to lie to her, “Yeah, I can.” She didn’t even look up as I answered Carter. Maybe whatever was distracting her would help me get out and spare her from whatever it was that Carter wanted to avoid.

“I’ll text you the address,” Carter said before he hung up.

Before I could say anything, Autumn beat me to it. “Was that my dad?” Her voice was steady, but there was a sharp edge to it that I couldn’t ignore.

I hesitated, caught between wanting to keep Carter’s trust and not wanting to distance myself from Autumn. The weight of that choice pressed down on me as I met her gaze, trying to keep my expression neutral.

“It’s okay, you can go,” she said, forcing a casual tone. “I know he’s just trying to protect me…” But even as she spoke, I could hear the rapid thud of her heartbeat, betraying the anger simmering beneath the surface.

What could be so serious that Carter felt the need to shut out his own family? The thought gnawed at me, but I pushed it aside, focusing on the present.

“Are you sure?” I asked, reluctant to leave her like this.

She nodded, a tight, strained smile on her lips. “Yeah, it’s fine. Mom and I just found out what’s going on, but he wants to keep it under wraps until he’s got all the facts straight. He won’t bring us in yet…”

Everything about the situation felt off, like I was leaving something unfinished. But Carter had already sent the address, and the urgency of “A.S.A.P” was hard to ignore.

I gave Autumn one last look, but she just waved me off, her smile never reaching her eyes. With a heavy heart, I turned and headed out, the unease lingering long after I’d left her behind.

I leaned down to kiss her, but the moment didn’t feel right. There was a tension in the air, a heaviness that made the simple gesture feel loaded with unspoken fears. I could sense the unease radiating from her, like an invisible barrier between us. My mind kept circling back to the situation at hand, the way her eyes flickered with a worry she couldn’t quite hide. Whatever Carter had called me for, it seemed to be weighing on her more than she was letting on. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something serious was brewing… something that might involve a family member, or maybe even a Wicklow.

The thought gnawed at me as I made my way outside, the cool air doing little to calm my nerves. I mounted my bike, the engine growling to life beneath me, and sped off down the curved drive. The wind whipped against my face as I headed towards the location Carter had sent, my thoughts racing even faster.

The destination was familiar. It was their main administrative building, a looming four-story structure that housed a labyrinth of offices, with a modest warehouse tucked away in the back. I’d been there a few times before, but tonight, the building seemed to take on a different aura, as if the very walls were bracing for something ominous. The sleek exterior, usually so imposing, now seemed almost foreboding in the fading light. As I approached, the anxiety that had been simmering beneath the surface flared up, the unknown pressing down on me with every mile that brought me closer to whatever awaited inside. This was the first time they showed any kind of internal familial strife. It was odd being caught in it as an outsider, no matter how close I felt to them.

When I pulled up, I saw a few vehicles; Carter’s suburban, Frank’s truck, and another one I thought I recognized but couldn’t remember the driver. I parked next to them and made my way in. I came through a side door that had been left open to the back warehouse. I rushed in, trying to get to Carter and help him with whatever was going on.

I thought I heard people around a corner of the massive shelves packed with timber, but it looked completely black. I rounded the corner and, to my surprise, saw no one. What had I heard?

I spotted a stairwell leading up to the higher levels of the sprawling storage facility. The door was ajar, a clear sign that someone had recently passed through. Driven by urgency, I sprinted up the stairs, taking them two at a time, my footsteps echoing in the otherwise oppressive silence. Reaching the top floor, I was met by an unsettling stillness. The scent of recent activity lingered, guiding me towards the main offices.

As I followed the scent through the labyrinth of corridors, a creeping unease settled over me. When I finally reached Carter’s office, the room was a stark contrast to the usual bustling energy I had witnessed before. It was eerily empty… no sign of life, no indication of recent presence. The absence of people felt almost palpable, a void that seemed to swallow the room whole.

But it was not just the emptiness that unsettled me. There was something else, an intangible weight that pressed down on me, like a dense fog clouding my thoughts. It was so subtle I almost dismissed it, yet it clung to the edges of my awareness. The feeling was almost suffocating, a creeping sensation of claustrophobia despite the vastness of the space. The air felt thick, as if something oppressive was closing in around me, shrouding my mind in a heavy, disorienting mist.

The room seemed to close in on me, the silence growing thicker, the shadows more oppressive. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something unseen was lurking just beyond my perception, tightening its grip with every passing second. The usual clarity of thought was obscured, leaving me in a disorienting state where even the slightest sound or movement felt amplified and menacing.

Whatever had happened, there was no sign of anyone. I descended the stairwell to the bottom level and pushed through the warehouse door I had originally entered. When I stepped into the parking lot, I was met with an unsettling emptiness. All the cars were gone. My motorcycle was the only vehicle left, standing solitary amidst the vacant expanse. It was as if the other cars had evaporated into thin air.

“What the hell?” I muttered, my voice echoing with disbelief.

My mind raced, struggling to make sense of the situation. Where had all the cars gone? How had I missed hearing or seeing them leave? The absence of movement was disorienting, amplifying my confusion. Adding to the strangeness was the abrupt shift in time; dusk had turned into full night while I was inside. The sky was now an inky black, and the city lights flickered in the distance. The rapid transition from daylight to night only heightened the disquieting sense that something was profoundly wrong. The only thing I knew was that I had to make sure Carter was okay.

I pulled my phone out to text him. I noticed that the time was 10:27, about two and a half hours since I got off the phone with Carter. I typed out the text as fast as I could.

‘Where are you? I’m at the office and saw your cars, but no one is here.’

I paced the parking lot, trying to figure out what to do next as I waited for a response. It was only a few moments until my phone chirped up. I quickly read the message.

‘Sam, what’s going on? We waited for you, but you never showed, so we had to leave. Martin found something big! If you can make it to us, we could still use your help. We’re gearing up inside a garage on the corner of Olive and 9th Street.’

I responded immediately, ‘Sorry, I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m coming.’

I never heard my phone chirp or felt it buzz in my pocket as I rocketed down the streets and alleyways. I never let the bike catch a break. I had it topped out on the straights and only slowed down enough to slide around the turns. It only took a few short minutes to make it to the corner of Olive and 9th Street. It was a parking garage. I pulsed my senses as the bike roared inside the first level. I could hear the clink of metal and hardware as they geared up. The scents descended on me, revealing the full Chasse family was there, and they were not alone. Martin’s blood wafted through the air as well. This had to be big.

I parked on the bottom since I didn’t know what I’d be coming into. I didn’t want to give away their position, so I bounded into the stairwell and ripped up to the top. I exited the staircase at the top level. This time I saw my friends. Every one of the hunters of the Chasse family was there, armed to the teeth.

I began jogging towards them, but before I could take more than a few steps, an explosive force slammed into me. The impact was like being hit by a freight train, propelling me backwards into the concrete barricade that stood between me and the long drop to the street below. The collision was brutal, and I smashed into the cement with bone-jarring force, sending a spray of shattered concrete into the air. I crumpled to the ground, actually surprised as the fragments of the barricade scattering around me.

It all unfolded in a dizzying blur, a culmination of mounting tension that hit with such force it left me reeling. I hadn’t been vigilant enough, and now, the gravity of my mistake crashed down on me… and the Chasse family. How had I allowed danger to creep so close to my friends? The realization struck like a punch to the gut.

Before I could process it fully, Martin was looming in front of me, poised to strike. The hunters, their faces hard and unwavering, had their weapons trained… on me. Every single one, including Autumn. The weight of their collective gaze bore down on me, an unspoken judgment that pierced through the chaos.

That’s when I realized what was happening.

I collapsed to my hands and knees, the cold concrete biting into my skin as I looked up. Their eyes, usually so controlled, now betrayed a flicker of fear and recognition. They knew. Somehow, they had unearthed the truth I had fought so hard to keep hidden.

My gaze locked onto Martin’s, my voice barely a whisper but laced with desperation and confusion. “What is this?” I demanded, the words heavy with the weight of the final, crushing revelation.

“It seems you haven’t been entirely honest with them, have you?” Martin’s voice was laden with a chilling, somber gravity. “Before you respond, you should understand something. If you were human, the force of that impact would have killed you before you even hit the ground. But you’re not human… are you, Sam?”

His words pierced through the distance between us in the night. Each one a heavy blow to my already shattered world. I locked my gaze on him, my eyes reflecting a profound sadness that mirrored the turmoil inside. The anger that had been simmering now receded to a deep, weary resignation. But the anger wasn’t far behind.

The secret I had so desperately guarded had been laid bare, and with it, my fragile new life was slipping away. Carter, Eleanor, Frank, everyone who had become my second family were suddenly lost to me. And Autumn… Autumn, whose presence had been a miracle to my soul in this second life, was now beyond my reach. The weight of their knowledge felt like a suffocating shroud, enveloping me in a deep and irreversible sorrow.

“Don’t move, Sam,” Carter said with a chilling certainty as he advanced toward the standoff, his presence imposing and unyielding.

“We know the truth…” Martin’s voice was cold, a statement laden with accusation.

“The truth? About what?” I demanded, forcing myself to confront the inevitable. I needed to hear them spell it out.

“The massacre at the Gunderson residence, for starters,” Martin replied tersely, his words slicing through the tension.

“How could you kill all those people?” Eleanor’s voice cut through the air, distant but clear. Her tone wasn’t just accusatory; it was a mix of genuine disbelief and deep sorrow. She struggled to reconcile the person she knew with the horrific reality before her.

Autumn stood like a statue, her emotions concealed behind a steely facade. She held a compound bow drawn tight, the silver-tipped broadhead aimed unwaveringly at me. Her expression was a mask of detachment, revealing nothing.

Carter closed the distance, now almost shoulder to shoulder with Martin. He glared at the knife strapped to my belt, a fierce curiosity in his eyes. “What are you? How can you handle that silver blade?”

I stayed silent, my mind racing through potential scenarios. I needed to figure out the best way to leave them behind. How could I provide some semblance of closure after all the damage I’d caused? The realization was crushing, but unavoidable. There was no coming back from this. Even though I struggled to accept it, I knew the only option left was to leave… forever.

“How about I lay it all out for you?” Martin's voice was cold, carrying an inescapable finality. “I was watching over Carter’s house the other night. I’d heard Jane was coming, and I needed to make sure she the family was safe. Intervene if necessary. I stayed hidden in the woods, keeping watch all night, even after she and Frank left.” His tone was unsettlingly casual, as though he reveled in the details. “I’ve been on edge lately, with the three immortals in the city, one of whom is my maker. Maybe that’s why it took me so long to piece it together.” He pondered out loud.

Every possible escape route cycled through my mind as I weighed my next move, each option fraught with the risk of causing irreparable harm to my friends. I had to act quickly, but the thought of hurting them was unbearable. My gaze drifted to Frank, standing there with a massive pump-action shotgun, his face etched with an unmistakable sadness. Unlike the others, he couldn't mask his emotions, and his sorrow was palpable. The sight of his dejected expression made me look away, a sharp pang of guilt twisting in my chest. It was as if I had betrayed him personally, letting him down in a way that cut deeper than any physical confrontation.

“I followed you that morning,” Martin continued, his voice growing colder. “You left in a rush, and I had to ensure you were okay. Your stress was palpable. Your heart was racing so violently I could hear it clearly, which was odd because I’d never heard it race like that before. I was worried about you. So, I followed you. To my surprise I traced you all the way to that condemned factory. You live there, don’t you?” His words were deliberate, meant for everyone to hear.

I met his gaze but chose silence.

“Then came the truly unsettling part,” Martin said, his voice dripping with an ominous edge. “I observed you navigating the tunnels beneath the city. I had trouble keeping pace with you. You were impossibly swift, moving with a precision that felt supernatural. I kept my distance from you but lost you for a moment. The caves down there are treacherous on the senses sometimes, even for me. When I latched onto you scent again, I emerged from the tunnels… but found only devastation. That room was a slaughterhouse, and your scent was everywhere, mingled with something else. I followed that scent into the woods, hoping to find whoever had managed to escape… to stop you. Instead, I discovered another mutilated body, destroyed just like the others.”

His words hung heavy in the air, an inescapable truth of the destruction that had unfolded.

“What are you, Sam?” Carter asked. “Why have you been getting in so close with us, fooling us into trusting you with our family… with my daughter?” There was hatred in his eyes as he thought about our relationship. “You’ve betrayed us, Sam. So, what is it that you thought you’d get from us?”

I looked down at the cement shards beneath me for a second. I could only think of one thing to say.

“Nothing,” I said. “I don’t want anything.”

I stood up for the first time since Martin hit me with his surprise attack. It was time to move.

“Stay down, Sam,” Wayland warned as he raised his silver loaded pistol.

I stood tall as I readied myself to bound off to the next rooftop.

“Sam, stop,” Martin barked as he bared his fangs and twisted into his vampiric visage, that only a few rarely saw. His rage-filled bloodshot eyes stared wildly into mine.

He rushed me, hoping to put me on my ass again. But this time, I was aware and ready. I sidestepped and clobbered him with a fast right cross. It sent a clap across the parking garage that no one expected. It sent him skidding across the empty parking spaces. The sheer force of the blow rag dolling him in a way he probably hadn’t been handled in decades.

They were all taken by surprise at my quick and powerful response to the old vampire. That’s when it happened. I wasn’t sure if it was meant for me, or an accident out of the intensity of the moment. However, as soon as I struck Martin, Autumn’s arrow was released. It soared silently across the space between us and found its mark. It entered my chest cavity, slicing through bone, cartilage, and tissues until it planted itself directly in my heart. It wasn’t the silver, just the solid metal arrowhead that sliced its way into my major organs that hurt like a mother fucker!

I stumbled back towards the edge of the garage just from the shock of what she had done. Everyone stopped moving and fell silent, unsure of what had just happened. Was this really how she felt about me? Was this what she wanted, me dead? I looked at all their faces, including Martin’s on the ground. They were unsure in those few seconds of silence.

It was over. The weight of the moment pressed down on me, making it clear that there was no redemption, no return from this dark precipice. I leaned back, my body teetering on the edge of the rooftop, and let myself fall into the void. I knew the fall wouldn’t be fatal, but I yearned for the impact to be so devastating that it would end everything.

As I plummeted, the world blurred into a dizzying rush of wind and distant sounds. I felt the sharp bite of the cold night air, the impending collision with the street below rushing toward me. It felt like an eternity, suspended between the sky and the concrete, until I finally hit the ground. The force of the impact jarred every bone in my body, the asphalt slamming into me with a sickening thud.

In the split-second before my head met the pavement, I heard Eleanor's voice. A frantic cry of my name piercing through the chaos. Her scream was abruptly drowned out by a deafening ring that filled my ears with a harsh, insistent noise that only grew louder as my head cracked against the hard surface. For only a second, the world faded into a blur of pain and disorientation, leaving only the relentless pounding of my heartbeat and the eerie silence that followed.

Not dead.

I narrowly evaded the hunters and Martin, their footsteps and shouts fading behind me as I sprinted toward the river. It was close, less than a mile to the east. Desperation fueled my every movement, but I staggered and stumbled deliberately, making it seem as though I was on the brink of collapse. I could feel the cold metal arrowhead still lodged in my chest, but with a grimace of pain, I yanked it out and tossed it aside, letting it clatter to the sidewalk where I had landed.

The pain was sharp, but I had no choice. I raked my talons over my own flesh, tearing new, jagged gashes into my body. Blood flowed freely from the fresh wounds, pooling around my feet and painting a gruesome trail behind me. My intention was misdirection. I needed them to believe I was critically injured, to create the illusion that the river was my final resting place. I would submerge and never return.

The river’s edge was close, but the strategy had to be flawless. When they reached the ground level and discovered the pool of blood with no body to match, I hoped they would surmise that I had survived the fall but succumbed elsewhere. The blood trail would guide Martin’s acute vampiric senses, leading him to the edge of the river, where the tracks would vanish into the swirling water.

My escape was almost over. I had crafted a precarious illusion of death that I hoped would buy me the time I needed to vanish into the night. I left a trail of crimson along the streets and sidewalks in a very liberal fashion. If anyone saw me running and slinging blood everywhere I wasn’t sure. But if they did, I would have loved to see the look on their face.

As I approached the river, I could almost hear the frantic calls of my pursuers, their desperation mirroring my own.

I reached the edge of the wintry Mississippi, the water churning with a relentless current. I stepped into the river, the cold bite of the water hitting me immediately. With a deep breath, I submerged myself, sinking into the darkness beneath the surface. The river's current enveloped me, its icy grasp pulling me away from the world above, erasing any trace of my presence. Blood swirled on the surface and then vanished just moments after I did.

As I drifted deeper into the inky depths, I let my mind wander, replaying the chaos and decisions of the past moments. The hunters, I knew, would lay low to avoid detection by the three immortals: Mercy, Phineas, and Charles. Their presence was a significant threat, but not one that worried me. The beast would soon become a distant memory to those who had witnessed its wrath. It would fade from their thoughts, as fleeting as a nightmare at dawn.

It broke my heart in those few moments I let the pain in beneath the surface of the river. I had to let them go. I had to be the monster in the dark. I couldn't have friends... or family, no matter how much I wanted them. Autumn, and even Frank's faces burned in my mind's eye. It was a twist of the knife in my gut. Deep down, I still wanted to stay. I knew it was a hope that would never come to fruition again.

The reality of my situation settled in. This was a new beginning, a harsh return to the fundamentals of my existence. The cycle of survival and violence, of moving and killing, would start anew. Back to basics. I had to move, cage the beast, kill, move, cage the beast, and kill. I couldn’t have attachments like I had thought. It would only end in betrayal and sadness.