Flesh and Blood

Prologue: 2008

From Tisdale, Indiana, ten miles between Indianapolis and Southport, the town of Tisdale has had an alarming amount of disappearances. Any newcomers who came to move to the town of Tisdale was told to leave,but the people refused to heed their warning and stayed. One family who came to live in Tisdale was on business. The leader of the family, Henry Aston, was assigned as detective here to help the Tisdale Police Department solve these disappearances around town, and hope to bring peace to the people living in it. Henry, Cynthia, his wife, and their son, Charlie, lived in a cobblestone house with steps that lead to the porch with hand rails along it, where you can set rocking chairs along the porch and relax there as you watch the neighbors mow, retrieve their newspaper, or check their mailbox. To their luck, the family did not listen to any verbally abusive fights outside.

Charlie, who was nine at the time, was homeschooled by his mother. As the family settled in to their new home, Detective Henry went to work on the case. Cynthia went to the grocery store in Tisdale with her son.The crowds were busy in the store. Customers looked in the aisles of food frantically searching for their fuel they needed that they created on their shopping lists. Charlie and Cynthia were puzzled.

"Mother, why is everybody so afraid?" Charlie asked.

Cynthia turned her head towards her son and told him, "Well, Charlie, they are concerned about us because they think that we are not aware of the terror that surrounds this town. They want us to be welcome but are warning us to be careful. Do you understand?"

Charlie nodded.

At the end of their time at the grocery store, Cynthia and Charlie walked to her Pontiac and popped open the trunk. Cynthia raised her hands as she put two bags at a time into the trunk with the help of her son.When Cynthia put some food in the back right passenger seat, she could see that the tire had been slashed by a knife. Tears of dread plummeled down her face. A pair of hands gagged her and fought with her.

"Charlie!" She cried.

"Mommy?" Charlie replied from the other door, then stood in shock as a tall man, too tall to see his face, grabbed his mother into a chokehold and carried her away. Charlie ran after the man, but when he touched his mother, he was struck down by the assailant. The blow struck Charlie in the face and he fell to the ground and hit his head. He was unconscious. People rushed out to help the little boy heal his wounds.

Detective Henry sat at his desk filing reports about the exponential growth in missing persons reports. The number was thirty nine missing persons,until now. The work phone, a modern landline phone at the time, rang with a screen on the box that read "Wireless Caller." The detective picked up the phone and spoke into it.

"Hello?"

"Daddy?" A young voice wept into the phone.

"Charlie? Is that you?" The detective tried to keep his voice calm as he heard his son weep over the line.

"Yes, Daddy."

"What happened? Where's your mother? Can I speak to her?"

"She was taken away by a scary man."

The detective sat stunned.

"Where are you? I'm coming to get you."
"I'm at Tisdale Mart on 53rd St. Come soon, Dad."

"Okay, son. I'll be right there. I'll see you soon." The detective hung up the phone and covered his face in tears. The surrounding detectives watched as their new detective mourned over his wife, trying to console him. The detective felt a hand on his shoulder as his male companion tugged him on his shoulder.