Present day
Coach Michael Sanders speeds down the gravel road towards Lake Sealoch in his old pick-up truck. He turns his gaze to the shotgun resting on the passenger seat beside him and reaches over to open the box of cartridges. They spill all over the seat.
"Shit. I'll never get there in time."
Just minutes ago, the Seaford County Sheriff called him on his cellphone, telling him that a dangerous Giant White had been spotted in the Sealoch Woods. They had sent a dispatch, however the coach's house was much closer to the lake.
Sanders hadn't fired a weapon in more than ten years, but his instincts kicked in immediately. He was armed, ready, and on the road within three minutes of the call. Seaford hadn't had a sighting of a Giant White in almost fifty years. Some folks even thought they were extinct. Even so, Coach Sanders knew that all wolves were dangerous, especially when hungry. He had heard stories from his grandparents that the Giant Whites used to wander through the pine forests of Seaford and Pallford, hunting for prey. Some even said they would not only feed on small animals but had a taste for human meat, too. There was a legend that some people disappeared after Giant White sightings, leaving nothing behind but crushed bones and torn fabric.
Coach shakes his head, dismissing his thoughts. Stupid local folklore. But his anxiety climbs minutes later as he parks his car behind Daniel Garo's red convertible.
"Just great! There are kids in the area too," he mutters while loading a cartridge into the cylinder and holding the second cartridge between his teeth.
***
About three hundred yards away Mary is holding a rose.
"You still angry at me?" she asks half seriously, half playfully.
Evie is sitting on a flat stone, leaning against a pine tree with her arms hugging her bent knees. She lifts her headphones from her ears. "Hmm?"
"Oh come on, the doctor said it's a mild concussion. Besides, the fresh air will do me good. Lighten up. Live! Enjoy the scenery!"
"I just think you should still be in bed recovering. It's like you're always by my side, like a bodyguard. Even now, when you're hurt! And these guys should just grow up." Evie gestures with her chin in the direction of Brad and Daniel, who are competing to see who can throw rocks furthest into the lake.
Mary smiles dreamily. "Hey. Lighten up Madam Nightingale. You are not a nurse yet! Leave the advice for when you finish high school and then go to nursing school. We needed a lift and Danny offered. He's kind of sweet if you look deep enough."
Evie rolls her eyes. "How deep?"
"Says the girl who has a crush on the weird boy who tried to kill me with a baseball bat."
"I don't have a crush! And that was an accident. I'm just worried about him."
"Like friendly 'awww-worried' or sexy 'take-me-mysterious-nerd-boy' worried?"
Evie smiles. "You are so stupid sometimes."
Mary turns her head towards Brad, who is signaling something to them. "You do know that Brad still has feelings for you? Don't go chasing angels and demons. I don't trust Adam."
"Brad is more like a brother to me. He's changed."
"Oh come on. Not the poem again. That was three years ago!"
"It's not the poem."
"Admit it. That stupid poem Brad slipped in your bag was the only reason you went out with him in the first place."
Evie's hazel eyes wander off for an instant.
"It's weird. That poem touched my heart. The words still do. It's like there was some kind of magic connection. But that connection just disappeared. Actually, it kinda never clicked into place. Anyway, he's never written anything for me ever again. He can't even remember the words. I do love him but, well, like a brother."
"And Adam?"
"I don't know. I mean, I don't really know him."
"Adam won't let anyone know him. That's the problem. Plus his granddad is a loony. You should stay away."
"Hey, that's not a nice thing to say."
"Just sayin'!" Mary raises her arms in mock surrender and then adjusts the bandage on her head.
"I just feel Adam is different," Evie whispers before turning her head sharply towards the nearby bushes.
There is a rattling of leaves. A loud growling noise is fast approaching. Evie stands up as Mary moves closer to her. Brad and Daniel stop throwing rocks and turn towards the noise.
"What the hell is that?"
***
Not far away a flock of sea gulls rises from the pier. Larry Crawford looks up and takes off his baseball cap. He glances at Harry.
"I wonder what scared those birds."
Harry peers at the bushes at the foot of the hill. His eyes seem different, more focused. His lips begin to move.
Larry Crawford lets his fishing rod slip from his hand and kneels next to Harry. "What is it, boy?"
There are tears of joy in his eyes as he stares in amazement at the face of his adopted son.
Harry's first words come out in a shrieking cry. "ADAAAAAAAAAM!"
A howl is almost simultaneously heard deep within the pine trees. Another flock of gulls soars, squawking a protest, up into the sky.
***
Even though it was the first time I had ever heard the scream, I knew it was him.
Harry's voice pierces my Endohuman ears and sends a shockwave of energy through me.
An awakening.
Still clasped in Pappou's fatherly hug on the top of the cliff, I realize that I cannot allow this to happen. I step back from his grip and look into his white eyes.
"I am sorry, Pappou."
He shakes his head. "Don't do it, Adam. If you do, you will open the skies and They will come."
I barely hear him. I am already running at lightning speed through thorns and bushes.
Pappou lets the bow and the leather pouch with his golden arrows drop from his hands. Off the cliff they fall, splashing into the water and sinking into the deep.
Closing his eyes, he whispers into the gulf. "And so I have failed again, Light Mother. And so our destiny turns. And so They will come."
A tear falls from his blind eyes, yet inside he sees it all.
Pappou "sees" Mary and Evie hugging each other, scared and helpless behind Brad and Daniel, who are holding sharp sticks and facing the bushes, waiting for whatever is coming.
Pappou "sees" Coach Sanders step up behind them and kneel next to a fallen log before taking aim at the fast-moving shadow that is closing in.
Pappou "sees" me catch up to the Giant White and hurl myself forward with all my strength. My red cloak flies in the air. My fangs and claws are fully extended, and my eyes are burning fireballs.
First I touch fur. Then I dig my claws in, feeling them slicing through muscles and flesh. I bite hard into leathery skin and feel bones crunching between my teeth as we break out of the cover of the bushes.
The echo of a loud gunshot fills the air.
---------—
To be continued! (press that Vote button 😉)
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Nick x