Unnatural

By Luke Fitzpatrick

To the Unnatural mind, what appears natural, is your unnatural. So how can you be sure, which is which?

Leo is a young teenager tormented by the roaming voices of others. Despite the attempts of therapy, the voices still remain, creeping in the corners of his mind. But he is not the only one cursed with a gift, across the ocean a young girl discovers that she shares her body with a monstrous beast. As they slowly learn to control these new powers, it isn't long before they find others like them and their worlds begin to change forever.

As the sick and twisted horrors that endlessly pursue them begin to catch up with their innocent lives, it is only a matter of time before they uncover the full extent of their new-found abilities.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Mar 23, 2021
• ISBN: 9781665587297

Luke Fitzpatrick

Honestly there is nothing special about me, I'm just an ordinary student at college, I have always loved writing but never really done much with it, I wrote one short story when I was younger that got published within my school and then I started writing this as a hobby, until a few people began reading it as well and told me I should do something with it, so I did. If you love writing, just do it! Even as a hobby, enjoy it.

Book preview

UNNATURAL

SERIES ONE

Luke Fitzpatrick

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AuthorHouse™ UK

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403 USA

www.authorhouse.co.uk

Phone: UK TFN: 0800 0148641 (Toll Free inside the UK)

UK Local: 02036 956322 ([phone] from outside the UK)

© 2021 Luke Fitzpatrick. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 03/22/2021

ISBN: 978-1-6655-8730-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-8731-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-8729-7 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Interval One

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Interval Two

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Interval Three

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Interval Four

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Three

Chapter Thirty-Four

Chapter Thirty-Five

Interval Five

Chapter Thirty-Six

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Chapter Forty

Interval Six

Chapter Forty-One

Unnatural!

To the unnatural mind,

What seems natural, is your unnatural.

So, how can you be sure…

which is which?

Date: December 22nd, 1902

Unnatural Case Files:

Case Number #72417

Case: OPEN

Name: White

Ability: CANNOT DIE!

Status: Injured, pursued in Iceland

Case Number #37942

Case: CLOSED

Name: Hannah Mills

Ability: VIOLENCE FROM A KISS

Status: Deceased

Case Number #29381

Case: OPEN

Name: Timothy Fredricks

Ability: FANGS LIKE A VAMPIRE

Status: In Hiding, somewhere in Western Poland

Case Number #20319

Case: OPEN

Name: UNKNOWN

Ability: UNKNOWN

Status: UNKNOWN

Case Number #30281

Case: CLOSED

Name: Susan Taylor

Ability: BIRTHS CREATURES, CANNOT EXPLAIN

Status: Deceased (Eaten by, them)

Case Number #38161

Case: CLOSED

Name: Dimitri Turgenev/Тургенев

Ability: A NAME SPOKEN, A MEMORY WIPED

Status: Deceased

END OF UPDATE

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CHAPTER ONE

‘B lack, size 12, three partial prints found. We managed to identify the boots as a pair of nineteen one’s, aviator breakers. We know they were black because the shoes were only sold for two months and only in one colour, black. So, we have a shoe that could have only been purchased within a two-month window from a handful of locations. What else do we know? Despite the rural location there were no tyre tracks either at the scene or in the surrounding areas. This means that the killer had to have walked to and from the area. How did someone manage to convince two women to walk miles in the cold, in the deep of night, to a remote location in the middle of nowhere? Simple, he didn’t. The women were last seen at a gas station, twenty-six miles away, four hours before the coroner’s time of death, which meant that in four hours they met our mysterious stranger, walked twenty-six miles into the night and never came back. So, I’m asking you? What doesn’t add up? The journey, twenty-six miles, in the cold, in the dark, in four hours. That means from the moment the girls were seen leaving the store, they would have met our walking stranger and agreed to go with them on a midnight hike, trusting them that much as to follow them into the shrubbery without question for hours of walking. Why would they do this? Two possible reasons.

The first, they knew him, right, they knew this person and trusted whatever they said to lure them into wilderness. What’s the second?

The second, they didn’t know the person, our stranger didn’t come into the picture until the very last minute, meaning what? Meaning that they were always going to that hill, they had always planned on walking that direction for that long into that area and it was just bad luck that this person happened to stumble across the two drunk teens wandering in the countryside. So, what do we have so far? What do we need to look for? Do you know? We need to look for a reason, a reason for why the girls may have decided to go on a late-night hike, we also know that as they were drunk, twenty-six miles would have been a hell of a walk to do, especially in their choice of shoes, so, maybe they got a lift somewhere else? This gives us three starting points. The killer, we have the shoes, we check the date of release, the stores and how many pairs were sold in that specific size. After we get a list of suspects from that we then check location, who’s a local to this area? Next, we cross check the list with our usual suspect, male, tall, twenty to forty years of age, possibly a loner, living at home with his parents. Next, did the girls know the killer? We can check and interview anyone who may have had a motive to hurt the girls, an ex, angry teacher, or jealous friend. Or, did they not know the killer? If they didn’t then we need to understand where the girls were going, because if the killer didn’t lure them out there then they went out there for another reason, a party maybe? And our killer, he followed them. Start with the boots, I’ll go and have a chat with some of our victim’s friends and see if we can shine a light on why they may have wanted to take a late-night stroll to nowhere.

One important fact we need to remember, this wasn’t a one off lash out, this person had a motive, they had a plan, these sick thoughts had been swirling around their disturbed mind for a while now. When we look for our killer, our suspect will have all the traits of your typical psychopath. They knew exactly what they were doing whether they knew the victims or not, this could be the tip of the undiscovered iceberg.’

A loud click rang out as the officer placed the phone back on its hinges and opened the door next to it, stepping through with a deep breath as he re-found his composure. He sat down at the table and leant back, gathering his thoughts, clearing his mind.

What?

The young boy before him spoke.

What? The man’s eyes locked with the teens.

Didn’t you just say something?

I’m sorry?

The officer questioned, confused.

About your wife… and… Randy?

I didn’t say anything about my wife

What about Randy? Did you say something about…?

Shut the fuck up

The officer exhaled loudly as he stood up from the interrogation table, shoulders raised and tensed in anger as he stormed out of the room. The metal door opened and shut with a loud thud, air rushing in as if a window had been opened for a brief moment.

Leo, a young boy, no older than 17, sat quietly in his cold, steel chair handcuffed to the table. He had medium length, dark hair that brushed past his equally chestnut brown eyes. He came across as your typical American teenager from a small town just outside of L.A. His grey hoodie was slightly too big for him, hanging from his body like a warm blanket, hiding the shine of the handcuffs underneath the thick sleeves, the jeans he was wearing were worn and ripped in places, not much of a skater despite what his look suggested.

The door swung open, grabbing the attention of young Leo instantly. A woman walked in, she was in her early forties, dark brown hair in curls and a petite figure, she wore a denim skirt and black top, for her age she looked rather attractive to most men, her piercing blue eyes were often debated to be her best feature, among other assets she seemed to have. Leo, despite his mother’s blue eyes, got his brown ones, from his father.

Leo! Now!

She snapped at him, her hand signalling towards the now open door.

Without a word being spoken, Leo slowly began to stand as the officer walked back into the room and unlocked his handcuffs.

Your mother is a good egg, if it wasn’t for her you’d be spending the night in a cell

The officer barked in a harsh tone that made the young boy shiver slightly. Leo’s mother grasped his hand firmly, practically dragging him from the room, it was clear from her actions that she was not happy.

They both exited the building after the long process of filling out the appropriate forms and papers was completed, stressed and exhausted from the day’s endeavours.

What were you thinking?

The lecture began.

You know better than to steal

Leo didn’t speak, no sound fell from his lips, just a shrug from his deflated shoulders.

Leo’s mother grabbed his arm and stopped them both in their fast-pacing tracks.

Look at me Leo!

His eyes rolled upwards towards her.

I know you’re upset, I know you’ve been upset, but you have to understand that I am trying my best to give us both a good life, you have just got to help me, we need to be teammates on this

It happened again mum

The voices, I…

His voice broke as he found his words finally.

It’s O.K Leo, it’s O.K

Long had she wondered about Leo, she was always concerned when he mentioned the voices, it wasn’t difficult to tell, her voice quivered and lightened with genuine worry. Maybe it was time she wondered, maybe it was time to seek professional help for her son. The last time she tried the doctor for some reason refused to see him again and accused Leo of spying on him out of their private sessions, he stated that, that was the only way Leo could know some of the things he did.

My little boy, you should have just said

She began to cuddle him, squeezing tight as tears filled both of their eyes. Something wasn’t right with Leo and they both knew it. It wasn’t a long drive home, the time passed quickly as Leo’s mind wandered. He gazed into the dark sky from the car window, watching as the street lights flickered into view for a second, vanishing past the window frame. There was something calming about the way street lights illuminated the inside of their car, like a spotlight shining down on them. He felt relaxed, secured behind his seatbelt with his mother taking them both, safely home.

Both Leo and his mother had decided to relax at home together for the evening, they were not a very wealthy family, as was quite evident by the fact that Leo was arrested for stealing, but this did not mean in any way that they weren’t a happy family. Or at least they had been. No matter what happened most days, whether it was an action-filled day or just simple one, it was rare, extremely rare that a day went by where young Leo or his mother didn’t think of Henry, Leo’s father. Four years and eight months later and it still cut like a knife deepening a fresh wound, whenever he thought of his dad. He and his mum had been quietly sitting in their old lounge, watching the TV together as they so often did when they got the phone call, the sinister ring of a late-night call. The sound filled the room with tension the moment it started ringing, like a sixth sense that the voice on the other end would not be one of good news and joy. Just another business trip, just another normal day, just another plane crash and another fatherless boy in America.

Leo

Are you hungry?

Leo was nearly asleep at this point, it had been a very stress filled long day for both him and his mother. As his eyelids batted and fluttered he brought his hands up to rub them, letting out a large yawn at the same time.

What time is it mum?

He grunted.

A little after ten

She explained, glancing at her phone on the table beside her head. Leo looked over towards her and let out a little smile, he hasn’t eaten anything all day, he’d actually forgotten that he even needed to eat, his mind had been otherwise occupied. Leo’s mother instantly knew that he was hungry, standing up and walking into the kitchen she glanced over to him.

I’ll fix you up something

Thank you mum

A small gust of cold air came from the kitchen as the fridge was opened. The house wasn’t exactly big, or a house for that matter, it was a two-bedroom apartment on the second floor, nothing special but it was still a cosy home for them both. After what had happened to Leo’s father, Leo and his mother did not want to stay in their old place anymore, it felt to empty and quiet, just like a jigsaw puzzle with a constant missing piece, they needed to start fresh and that was what this little two-bedroom flat was, a fresh start.

Pizza?

Can’t say no to pizza

Impossible.

Pepperoni?

As long as it doesn’t have the fungus of death, I’m not fussed

One fungus pizza coming up!

Very funny

He chuckled, recoiling at the thought of mushrooms on his delicious cheese covered awesomeness ‘Say no to pizza… who could?’ He thought to himself as his mother took the frozen pizza out of the freezer and placed it into the oven. Ten O’clock was a bit late to be eating dinner, but it was a Saturday and it seemed as though that they would both be staying up for quite a while longer to watch some more old horror movies on the TV, attempting to take both their minds away from today’s endeavours, a late feast felt appropriate.

God, he really does look so much like his father

What mum?

Sorry hon? She asked, mishearing him.

Did you say something?

No dear

Oh O.K

They both shared an awkward smile and turned their heads back round. He must be going crazy, he thought to himself, hearing things again. Who knows, maybe this doctor would be able to fix whatever was broken inside his head.

So, Leo, tell me about yourself

Leo was sitting in a long brown chair directly in front of Doctor Walsh, his newly appointed Psychiatrist. He was an older gentleman, dark grey hair, round glasses and a very nice brown suit, he couldn’t have looked more like a stereotypical psychiatrist if he tried.

Urm, well I’m 17 years old, I live with my mum in South California, as do you I’m guessing, well, not my mum, or your mum, or maybe you do, I don’t judge. Anyway, I also like video games, the older and more retro the better, long walks on the beach and having my hair brushed and belly rubbed

Looking at the doctor he let out a small cheeky smile, obviously he didn’t want to be here even though part of him was very curious about what it was exactly that was wrong with him, if anything was at all, or perhaps he was just losing what little left he had of his mind.

Funny, a sense of humour, that’s good, good

His words rolled into the air as his hand rolled across the notepad cradled in his palm.

O.K so why are you here Leo?

I’m here because my mum, my friends, hell everyone in my life right now, thinks I’m crazy

And why Leo, do they think you’re crazy?

Because I hear things, voices, echoes, usually of the people I’m with or talking too

Doctor Walsh took another pad from his desk and began to write again, the scribbles of his thoughts and diagnostics filled the empty white sheets, his eyes darting across from side to side of the little note-pad, like an artist painting a picture with words.

These voices, do you hear them now?

Leo paused, his eyes were glancing around the small office he was sitting in, staring at the many doctrines this man had framed and plastered on his wall sort of like his own hunting trophies that he had collected and mounted for all to see. He had a desk, oak wood and very large but he did not sit behind it, instead he sat on his desk chair, black leather, right in front of Leo and in front of his desk. Leo presumed that he must do this with everyone in order to make the meetings feel less formal. Although up until this point he had not been taking it seriously, his attention had now been brought back to the smartly dressed man before him.

I never stop hearing them

The word artist stopped painting his picture of Leo to look up at him, a look of concern and seriousness tattooed on his face.

And… what… what are they saying right now Leo?

The silence was deafening, hours, days or weeks, no, it lasted no longer than a few seconds, just these two-people looking at each other, Doctor Walsh’s eager eyes awaiting Leo’s reply.

They are saying that this could be a simple case of split personality disorder, or perhaps an emotionally damaged psyche based on the death of my father due to it being unexpected and sudden, maybe that in itself caused me to receive traumatic stress and this is my way of coping with it, creating voices in my own mind to ease my anxiety

Dry mouth, open as if impersonating a type of fish, drips of sweat pouring down his head, wide eyes and dilated pupils this was the face of a confused, flabbergasted Doctor Walsh.

You got all that from reading my expressions?

It had been an awfully long time since this happened, since his muscles contracted in this way, tightening and turning to let out a small, straight smile across Leo’s face.

You think I’m reading you?

I may be young, I may be shy, but I’m not stupid, I thought that, hell that was the first thing I thought, maybe I could just read people… maybe, but please, Mr Doctor, if that’s true, then explain this

With that, Leo took a deep breath, gripped the arms of the leather chair he was currently sitting in and closed his tired eyes. Doctor Walsh did the same, gripped his chair and held his breath with anticipation. You could walk in and chew on the air in the room because the tension was so thick.

What is he doing? What’s he thinking? … wait… what… how… blue… blue… GREEN!… how… how are you doing this? Leo… Leo! LEO ENOUGH!

Doctor Walsh kicked his chair back as he leapt out of it, placing his hands on the desk behind him, leaning as far back away from Leo as he possibly could. His body shivered and coiled at the thought, the thought of not being able to answer a question, a question on the tip of his tongue.

HOW DID YOU DO THAT?

Lifting his hand and pointing his finger at Leo, his expression, confused, angry, he felt like he was being played, fucked with. Was this kid, this stupid kid playing him? He was a respected Psychiatrist, he had a masters, no one got inside his head, he got inside theirs! What was going on here? Was he? … no… he couldn’t be… that’s impossible.

Doctor Walsh. Aren’t you supposed to tell me?

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CHAPTER TWO

"W oooooooooooo YEAH!!"

The wind whipped young Jonathan’s ginger hair, his jacket flapped and pulled, barely staying on with the already damaged zip shaking as it struggled to keep it fastened. This was becoming a regular pass time for Jonathan, every morning now and afternoon, before and after High School like clockwork. It was a secret he had managed to keep from everyone in his life for a month now, at first it was something as simple as moving a pin, then a glass, tables and now in the space of just one month he had realised that if he could lift a cup, he could lift himself. Now, here he was, six hundred metres above his small Alaskan town.

The ground met Jonathan with a controlled thud as he cascaded down onto it, the air briefly moving in force, blowing all the leaves and snow off the ground and into the air around him, like a small tornado they shot up into the sky and danced slowly and delicately back to earth. Jonathan had the same cheeky, smug grin he seemed to always be wearing these days, ever since he discovered his new-found ability he couldn’t help but walk around wearing it. All his life he had wanted the power to fly, who hadn’t for that matter? What young boy doesn’t dream of being able to take to the skies, glide through the air and see as only birds or gods do? Now, he knew he could, he didn’t know exactly why he had these powers, but he was not one for questioning a good thing, a great thing, a fucking amazing thing.

Jonathan was quite a tall boy for his age, when he wasn’t flying through the air he enjoyed playing football with his two best friends, Harry and Ash and when he wasn’t doing that he would no doubt, be getting up to no good with them instead. He chuckled at the memory of all three of them sneaking into Mrs Hoovers garden and changing the sprinkler tap water to a mixture of Salmon guts and very, very watered-down cat food, she was not even half as happy as the birds and other wildlife that inhabited her garden for months after that. It was her fault really, he thought to himself, who has a sprinkler system in Alaska?

Shit!

He mumbled looking down at his watch, he had been up in the sky too long again and for the fourth day in a row, he would undoubtedly be walking into class late. He did find it hard to find the motivation for school these days, being able to fly and all, but he knew that he would need an education in this life and therefore, regardless of his inner mind begging him to once again kick up his feet and soar upwards, he would drag his butt to school. As he began to jog his mop like hair began bouncing up and down on his head, his green rucksack smacking his back with each bounding step. He wasn’t as pale as most ginger kids his age seemed to be, he actually had quite a healthy colour to his skin and not that many freckles either, he did indeed however have those famous blue eyes that seemed to accompany most redheads.

Late again Mr Jeffries

Sorry Mr Walker

Be seated Mr Jeffries

No one stopped to stare at the once again late Jonathan other than Mr Walker, but that was nothing out of the ordinary. Everyone else in the class had become quite accustomed to his tardiness and found it rather boring and predictable. Just another normal day being late and entering the filled classroom to take the same seat he always took. Without a doubt he would be stopped on his way out after the bell rang to explain his actions and why it was he was late again. But for now, he would open his bag, take out his books and listen to the lecture, being able to fly and move things with his mind didn’t change the fact that he was a normal teenage boy living a normal, well kind of normal, teenage life.

No way dude, you have to come Ash turned to Jonathan, angry with his friend.

If you don’t then I’m not going Harry interjected.

Don’t be such a pussy Harry for fuck sake

Fuck off Ash, why would I want to go if it’s just us and you’ll be drinking again dumbass and I don’t like the taste of that piss water flavoured shit so suck a dick, I’m not going to just be your taxi again!

Guys I don’t even know if I can make it, we have that history essay due in tomorrow and I’d like the night free to go over it one more time before I hand it in

Jonathan broke the argument.

Look you dicks, this is Courtney Winkles party, you know what that means? They’re crazy! Drinks, awesome music and maybe even sex… for me… not you two, not with a girl anyway

We live in a tiny, boring town and we finally get invited to a party that doesn’t involve a relative and you bitches don’t want to go? We are going, it’ll be awesome! End of! Pick us up between 8 and 9! Peace

Ash pleaded.

He walked off, leaving his two friends standing there angrily watching him swagger away.

He’s a dick, but he’s not wrong I guess, we don’t exactly do much Harry started.

Do much? We’re together all the time

I mean do much with others

I guess, well fuck it then, looks like we are going to Courtney Winkles party

Looks like

Both boys let out a small grin at each other, more nervous than happy, neither really wanted to go but that didn’t mean that they did not have that animalistic instinct to be with the beautiful Courtney or any of her friends for that matter. Sometimes nature has a way of making decisions that our brains wouldn’t usually make… of course, nature meaning the boys were thinking with… other parts, not including the brain.

Jonathan walked home, he did think about pointing his palms towards the ground and setting off into the sky above, rendering his legs useless as his mind took over. But he didn’t, he loved flying, more than anything, but no one knew he could move things with his mind, not his family, Ash, Harry or anyone in his life. He often thought about telling them, but, what exactly is there to tell? That he had these new abilities? How would they take it? Considering he, himself had a million and one questions that he would like answered, he just felt like having multiple people asking the same questions, panicking and getting involved in something he knew nothing about was not only a bad idea but a dangerous one. So, for now, it would remain his secret and his alone.

Cutting through his neighbour’s garden he came out on his street, the snow from the hedges covering his lanky shoulders. His street was like something taken from a Steven Spielberg movie, snow covered houses, all rather large three-story ones, cars and jeeps all buried in white as much as the homes they sat in front of. He lived about half way down his road with his family, little sister Julie and his mother and father, they were quite an ordinary family, nothing special about them, his dad was a salesman and did quite well for himself and his mother was just a full time mum and sat on the chairs of the local council and school, you couldn’t find a more normal family if you tried. That used to be how Jonathan liked it. But now he could fly, amongst other things, which seemed pretty damn far from normal.

No! You have school tomorrow!

Mum I never go out, I never ask to go out and I finished my essay weeks ago, please!

Jonathan stood in his lounge now arguing with his mother, she too had red wild hair, kissed by fire. She was wearing one of her many jumpers that she loved to knit with an apron still wrapped round her little waist from where she had been preparing dinner only moments before.

I said no!

She meant it.

If you can give me one good reason then I’ll drop it, just one and don’t say because I have school tomorrow because all my work is done, don’t say I’ll be out late because I’ll be back before twelve and you also know Harry and Ash well, and, Harry is driving so I’ll be safe!

Sometimes, well maybe more than sometimes, Jonathan was called too smart for his own good. This most definitely felt like one of those moments and he was sure that his mum would agree.

If your dad says yes then fine, you can go!

She snapped at him, looking towards Jonathan’s dad sitting in his usual chair reading his paper, doing his absolute best to be invisible, but unfortunately for him, only Jonathan had powers in this house and the noose had now been tightly wrapped around his neck and the chair shook beneath him.

Well I think he should go

And with one breath, the chair was kicked.

Both Jonathan and his mum looked at him with sheer shock, it was very rare, like the way an ice age is rare, for his dad to go against his mum in anything. He had been married for thirty-two years, he was a professional husband and never made a slip up, so why now?

Come on Jennifer, he works his butt off, gets straight A’s in school and hasn’t been to one single party this year, he’s earned one, don’t you think?

With smiling eyes Jonathan now looked back from his dad to his mum, he couldn’t believe it, he couldn’t believe he was fighting to go to a party he didn’t even want to go too, but if Harry was being dragged along to it by Ash then he couldn’t just leave him. More than that though he was shocked that his dad actually just gave him permission, against his mum, on a school night, to go to a girl’s party!

YEY BOY!! We are going to get hammered!

Ash happily yelled from the window of the car as all three boys drove through the forest surrounding their small town.

Will you shut up! Don’t shout out the window of the car, I’m driving you dick!

Harry moaned at his crazy friend.

I can see your driving you dick, driving to this kick ass PARTY!

Jonathan just sat in the back in silence, the trees flashed past the window as the snow bounced off the glass of the car. It was very dark now, in Alaska nine in the evening might as well be midnight. Every now and then the back seats of the car lit up as an approaching vehicle darted pass. All the while Jonathan just sat there, listening to his two friends bicker and bitch in the front, his mind wandering off, thinking about his powers, thinking about Courtney, maybe he’d get to talk to her a bit more than usual tonight, maybe… maybe more than talk. A small smile crossed his face at the thought, he quickly banished that thought from his head focusing on less mature things.

So, Mr Long Jon, you thinking about Courtney again?

Jonathan looked back from the window towards his friend in front of him. Ash was smiling, staring at Jonathan, a cheeky, self-satisfied grin across his face. Ash had a very narrow face and distinct features, he was small for his age and always wore a leather jacket, whether it was hot or cold, his hair medium length and most of the time either styled up or slicked back, he wasn’t a bad looking guy, just an odd looking one. Still he was one of Jonathan’s best friends, despite his peculiarities.

Nah… well maybe… that obvious?

Haha yeah dude, it might as well be tattooed on your forehead

Both of them laughed, even Harry sniggered at the remark.

Well maybe tonight she’ll see you as a real boy and not just Casper the friendly stalker

Or maybe we will all get there and sit in the corner or play games all night like last time, well until you threw up Ash

Both Harry and Jonathan laughed, Ash sneered at both of them before joining in laughing with them. Harry was a nerdy looking boy to put it bluntly, glasses, skinny like the other two, light short blonde hair and pale features, again not an ugly boy, given the right makeover he could look rather handsome, but that wasn’t him, he didn’t care much for how he looked he cared more about his mind then his body. All three boys were now fully laughing, Ash even holding his gut with pain, the memory of the last party flooding their minds. Ash tried to drink an entire bottle of gin to show off for one of the girls, he got through about a quarter off it before dropping the bottle, glass and gin going everywhere and throwing up all over the floor and even a little on the girl he was doing it to impress. It’s probably because of that display that they got invited to Courtney’s. Who doesn’t love a few clowns at their party to lighten the mood?

Courtney’s wasn’t far now, they were just coming to her house, it was a very large home, in the middle of the forest, massive heated swimming pool and all the party extras to go with it, the perfect house for teenagers to blow off steam, that was why Courtney’s parties were so famous. Two more bends and they would… CRUNCH!

The impact was sudden, a car came from around the corner and straight into the side of Harry’s little ford, sending it straight down the hill beside the road into the forest. The sound of metal colliding filled the air, glass shattered and blasted everywhere, cutting all three boys and the driver of the jeep that hit them. Up onto its side and then it’s back, the car had begun to roll, crunching and smashing as it did, the boys were flung around like rag dolls in their seat belts, their heads flying forward and back into their chairs, their arms waving through the air as the G-forces lifted and moved them. With each turn, each collision, each tree the car broke a bit more, the doors buckled and began to shake, all of the windows had now blown out with the immense pressure cracking them like ice. The boys wouldn’t survive much longer.

Jonathan’s head whacked the headrest, a small cut formed as blood started to trickle out, he could see his two friends in the front being tossed around like salad, he had to do something. Closing his eyes, he tried to focus, forgetting about the car spinning, the world turning, his head shaking and rattling and just focused. He thought about the car, thought about it slowing down, thought about the metal holding a bit longer, not caving in and crushing them all like pulp. He had never tried so hard to think, his head hurt not only from the various scratches and bruises he was receiving from his rough tumble, but also just from the sheer determination and concentration. Through the twists he managed to gain control of his hand, blood covering it where a shard of glass had cut into his palm, he raised it and held it in the air as best he could, focusing with all his might now, focusing on the car holding, the car slowing.

As he did he noticed something, a blue light had begun to form around his hand, light blue, almost white. It was pulsating, getting bigger as it did, he first noticed it through his tightly shut eyelids. But the light was so bright he opened them just to see what was happening, he could see his friends glance back as their heads rolled around, swinging from side to side as the car still rolled, it only lasted seconds but for the boys it felt like hours. Jonathan screamed now, as loud as he could, putting all his strength into forcing the vehicle to stop, the blue light grew and grew before it engulfed the entire car, his friends and all.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

With one final roar, echoing from Jonathan’s lungs into the air, the blue light exploded, rushing off in every direction, a fire ball of pale blue erupting from the hand of young Jonathan, pushing out through the car and vanishing off into the surrounding dark, woods and then, just before the car struck yet another pine tree… it stopped, stopped completely dead. Now tilted on its side, slightly risen off the ground, the car was as still as the night sky above. All three boys sat there for a moment battered and beaten by the very vehicle they had only moments before, been laughing and joking in, happy and safe. Now quiet and still, half in shock from the crash, and half in shock from what they had just witnessed their seemingly normal friend do. As Jonathan dropped his hand from exhaustion the car too dropped to the ground, a loud ‘clank’ as it did. Jonathan and his friends all sat there, bloody and in pain, panting heavily. Only moments passed before Ash and Harry turned their beaten heads to the back seat. Both now gazing at Jonathan, still panting.

Harry had to ask…

Urm Jonathan… did you just stop a car from moving with your mind?

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CHAPTER THREE

T he forest was beautiful, lush and green, it was rare to see the green of the woods in these early days of spring in Northern Sweden but on the days you could Sarah would always watch the life explode from each dark corner of the sprawling woodland, as if the green of the earth awoke the sleeping nature hidden around. Animals filled the air with their mating calls and quarrels, birds sung and darted from tree to tree like trained fighter pilots navigating a cityscape, and, if you were very lucky, you’d hear or perhaps see one of the more shy creatures like the breath-taking, famous Arctic Fox, or the more infamous Wolverines maybe even a placid Moose. Of course, Sweden wasn’t shy on the wildlife, although most animals kept to themselves there were still stories of Wild Bear attacks every now and then. The Arctic Fox was a particular favourite of Sarah’s, she used to love going into the forest, climbing trees and waiting to see if she could spot one, she was yet to accomplish this goal, but this didn’t stop her from trying. At just sixteen she was full of imagination and curiosity for the world beyond her classroom walls and due to her shyness at school, friends were a hard thing to come by, but animals, there was no shortage of those.

Sarah, pay attention!

Sarah jumped in her chair and her eyes quickly shot back to the angry Mrs Gustavsson at the front of the class, now tapping her feet and shaking her head ever so slightly. Mrs Gustavsson was an older woman, long silver hair and strange round glasses, they did seem to suit her however despite their peculiar appearance. Sarah on the other hand was very pretty, long blonde hair, pale blue eyes and fair skin, she had a smile that complemented all her features and could warm even the iciest of hearts, unless of course your name was Mrs Gustavsson.

The bell rang, causing every student to jump out of their seats as if a fire had been lit under it, without a moment’s hesitation they threw their bags over their backs and thundered towards the door, a stampede of young minds and bored eyes. Children, although in need of school, seemed to have no strong love for it. Gone the days where Mrs Gustavsson would argue with them to remain seated, she had even started handing out the days homework as soon as the children’s butts had planted themselves in the hard-plastic seats just to avoid the desperate struggle of handing it to them as they rushed out the door. Sarah was no different in this case, the bell rang, and as far as she was concerned, this was when her true learning started with her daily long walk home through the forest.

The memory of her father holding her shoulders, looking her firmly in the eyes and telling her, ‘if you ever walk through the forest after school, always take the paths’, his voice sung through her brain like a chart’s tune she couldn’t get out of her head. It did every day, even as she stepped out of the school front doors and started walking towards the forest over the other side of the playground, but that didn’t stop her, not this little explorer, it hadn’t every day before and it wouldn’t today. Curiosity killed the cat, she would be told, ‘well, how did the cat die?’ She would ask with a smug smile. Questions needed answers and she loved finding them. Her unusual mind of wonder carried her into the woods every day, unusual, even her name, having the letter H in Sarah was strange in Sweden, but strange summed her up pretty well and she loved it.

Dark, loud and quiet at the same time, the forest was really something magical, even though the weather was surprisingly mild for Sweden this time of year, there was still plenty of snow on the trees and a soft powder blanket covered the ground. Not that the summers were very warm, well not as warm as everywhere else anyway. The rest of the world knew Sweden as one of the lands of Vikings and ice, they weren’t wrong, but every coin has two sides and the lighter side to Sweden was the endless days of summer, where the sun never set and the sky stayed light while your eyes shut longing for the morning, dark and cold, light and warm, both extremes were common here but for now, it was the side of the coin cast in shadow for this part of the world. The jacket Sarah was wearing kept her warm enough and if it got to the point where she was particularly cold then her woolly hat would shortly change that. It was amazing how the light shifted between the green branches and reflected off the snow, bouncing the sunny rays from tree to tree. Sarah could only stare in awe at the beauty of it all, how mystical something so simple as wood and shrubbery could be. One of her favourite things was the crunch of the snow as she walked between the Norway Spruce and Scots Pine of the woodland, the smell alone was something she loved, flowers all seemed to have the same underlining smell but trees, trees all have completely unique smells and Sarah knew them all.

Crap

She whispered under her breath as a twig snapped behind her, dropping to the floor and turning around as quickly and quietly as she could. What was it? A Wolverine perhaps, or something bigger. A smile grew across her face and her eyes lit up at the sight of one of her most favourite animals in these woods, not her ice white Arctic Fox but a big, lanky, Swedish Moose. Just standing there chewing on something yummy, for a Moose at least. Sarah cringed at the thought of trying whatever he seemed so comfortable munching on. These small moments were the reason she walked through the forest home, it added an extra twenty minutes to her journey but that didn’t bother her, seeing this majestic creature standing here, in its own home, was reward enough for her.

Lying on the ground was cold work, her arms got stiff, her back ached at the awkward angle she had placed herself in and now, she could feel the cold on her head, she wanted to put her hat on but didn’t reach for it just in case it spooked the Moose that was still relaxed, oblivious in front of her. It must have been quite a while that she was lying there because the sun was already setting, little Sarah didn’t even notice as the light slowly faded behind the trees. In the later months of winter daylight wasn’t long, compared to the rest of the world, but it was still much better than the endless nights of mid-winter or the never setting sun of summer. Sweden is a very big country and her tiny slice of it wasn’t like the rest of it in her own eyes and many of the towns folk who lived there, they shared more in common with Finland than they did the southern parts of Sweden, not only in their language but their standard of living.

*SNAP*

Huh

Quietly muttering she turned her head towards her back to see what had caused the second noticeable crack of a twig, but there was nothing there, no birds flying away from the random noise, no creature walking through the woods, nothing at all, just the quiet rustle of gently swaying trees. She brought her attention back to the Moose in front of her, ignoring her anxiousness… but… something was off… the Moose was still there, but it was now staring right at her, not moving an inch, just staring. She felt startled and a slight spike of fear hit her body at the shock of the sudden change of the Moose, but she knew that it was rare to non-existent for an animal like this to harm a human, so as she lay there for a moment her nerves began to vanish and the calm she felt before slowly came back. She had been as still as a rock, but even that seemed to be movement enough to draw the attention of the placid creature.

The longer she looked at the Moose the stranger she felt, and, as she stared back, she began to notice something, the Moose didn’t seem to be looking at her, no, it seemed to be looking behind her. Once again Sarah picked up her head and slowly turned to gaze behind her and once again nothing was…

Oh

Her voice jumped, a bit too loud for comfort and she could hear the Moose reacting to it and darting off, it’s feet thumping the snow and grass as it slapped the ground running away into the woods, kicking leaves off the ground and powder into the air. Sarah too tried scrambling to her feet, picking her bag up and pushing her hands on the cold ground as hard as she could, pushing herself up and forward. Her legs found their stance as she started to run, as fast as she could, but she knew it wouldn’t be fast enough, a little girl couldn’t out run a bear.

Branches snapped and fell on the snowy ground below, thicker, stronger ones pinged off her coat and arms as she ducked and dived between the different pine trees. She panted and sputtered screams between breaths as her feet slammed into the ground crunching the snow.

HELLLLLP!! SOMEONE! PLEASE!!

Roars echoed from behind her and loud thumps gradually increased in pace and sound as the ferocious bear hungrily charged towards her. She knew that you were never supposed to run from a brown bear, there were many techniques that often succeed in escaping a bear or just stopping it from ripping your body limb from limb, none of which were running, running did not work. But fighting that initial instinct was next to impossible for a small frightened girl, even one as well versed and educated in Swedish wildlife as Sarah.

A vine whipped out at her sprinting legs instantly taking her straight off her feet, sending her face first into the snow, she quickly tried to put her hands out in front of her to shield from the impact of the ground below, sacrificing her hands to the pain the sudden fall caused, luckily her face remained practically unharmed. Panicking now having lost her lead from the bear she clambered to her feet as quickly as she could, pulling on the nearby tree for leverage, she quickly glanced back to see how close the beast was to her now. Terrified at what she might see, in a situation like this even a few seconds would be the difference between life and death and the odds of someone stumbling across her in time to help save her were next to none in these vast, sprawling woods.

Her eyes darted around the woods as her hand tugged on the tree, before slowly pushing against it, using the hard surface to help gain her velocity back quicker. Just as she looked through the forest she spotted it… WHACK!

The bear had caught up much faster than she anticipated. It was right next to her now, she could feel the warmth from its body and the saliva clinging to each tooth in its mouth, spitting across her face as it roared and struck her. Her legs came straight off the ground, she was only a petite girl and didn’t weigh much, this did not help her and helped the bear to send her body flying ten feet through the cold air and slamming into the snow, sending mud and snow everywhere, creating a small puff of icy white cloud as if a small grenade had just gone off underneath the dirt.

As she fell into the snow she could feel her body aching from the impact almost instantly, it burned as she felt the bruises slowly form under her clothing. There was nothing more she could do, the hit from the bear had knocked all the wind out of her stomach, gasping for air she painfully moved her hands up towards her head. Placing them palm down, in front of her, she tried with all her strength to push herself off the ground, but the energy and adrenaline had fizzled and faded away from her, replaced by a feeling of numbness and fear. The only thing now driving her forward was the pure instinct of survival, forcing her forward, forcing her to try and escape this brown, snarling creature of the forest.

At least she could try one more time to face the bear, maybe if she could get to her feet and raise her arms above her head she could scare it away, she had seen it done before and read about it many times. There was no guarantee that it would work but she had to try, she didn’t want to die cold and alone and especially not from an attack by this beast, one she had studied and grown to respect and love, if she wasn’t in so much pain she may had even seen the irony in it all. Wow… the pain, as she started standing she noticed that it was increasing rapidly, getting worse and worse, the small sensation of burning that she had felt had fiercely grown, now drastically more painful. It had engulfed her entire body, head to toe, even her skull now felt as if it was on fire, literally, burning. Steam had begun to rise from her scalp as the heat met with the icy winds around her, her skin reddened as she squeezed her eyes tight, frowning her forehead in pain.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH

She let out a terrifying scream of agony, her whole body now raw and cooking from the inside out, at least that’s how it felt, could the bear really have done that much damage? With one blow? She turned to see the brown monster staring at her, close but still not close enough to strike her again. Now resting on her knees, she tried to raise her hands, but the pain was to great, looking straight at the bear now gazing back at her with curious and panicked eyes she let out on final blood curdling scream, echoing from her stomach like the howl of a wolf in a cave, the immense pain carrying it into the air.

AGGGGGHHHHHHHHGHHH!!!

The bear reacted almost instantly, turning and running from the teenager, clipping multiple trees as it dashed into the wilderness, snow flying into the air with each step it made and falling from the trees surrounding the area with each accidental bump, slamming into them. It seemed terrified. It didn’t run away like a normal startled bear, it ran with pure terror, clumsily hitting everything as it did, the one thing on this bears mind being, run and run fast. But from what? This little girl? Was her scream that loud? That scary? These were all questions for another time, the only thing Sarah cared about now, was how to stop this horrible pain that she was still feeling, the bear was gone, she was safe… at least, from it.

The forest was dense, endless, dark and full of all sorts of terrors it seemed. Sarah was in the midst of all of the dark, cold and haunting things the woods had to offer. She was scared and alone, in so much pain and injured, although she could no longer feel the injury she had received from the bear attack, there was still this lingering, tingling, burning sensation, like a thousand needles piercing her pale skin, each one heated nearly to the point of shattering. It hurt, like nothing she had ever felt before. More than all of that, she felt weird, not just the burning, she felt… taller. Brushing it off as a simple hallucination from the immense pain she was in, she soldiered on, dragging her heavy legs through the thick snow, each one felt as if an anchor was being pulled along behind them. But despite all of that she powered through the woods. Doing everything she could to find help or just get home.

Amongst the wilderness there were signs of civilisation, huts, bird houses or nature watching structures set up by curious folk looking for something rare and exotic hidden in the sea of green and white, but more treasurable than all off that, paths, little dirt footpaths. The snow had a made them difficult to find as it so often did, but they were still there, if you knew where to look and Sarah, knew where to look. These woods were a second home to the young explorer and even through the mist of pain descending over her eyes, she knew she could find one if she just tried.

I’m not saying she was wrong, but she could have at least told me before she did it

I thought she did?

Well she did but that’s not the point

What was that? Voices? People? She must have managed to find one of the paths hidden beneath the snow. Panting and sweating she slowly struggled through the ice white bed below her feet towards the voices. If she could only make it to the wanderers passing-by, these hikers, then she could get the help she needed, she was only little, they could carry her maybe, to the nearest hospital or home to her father.

Come on Ann, you know that’s not true

The conversation seemed to be getting louder, she was heading in the right direction. Just a little further. Through the thickness of the trees and brush she could see one green and one pink backpack bouncing up and down with the couple’s steps as they slushed through the snow. A warm relief of safety flooded over her, she was nearly out of harm’s way, what a walk home this had been for little Sarah. Just an ordinary day at school, spoiled by one furry, four-legged, giant teddy. One thing was for sure, it would be a while before she walked this way home again, maybe her dad was right.

The closer she got the safer and happier she felt, she barely noticed the pain anymore, it was overwhelmed with the feeling of happiness as she approached the walking couple. The strangest thing was, the closer she got, the smaller they seemed to get, wasn’t it supposed to be the other way around?

Hey!

She called out at the people who now appeared to be within earshot of her, as the sound of her voice reached them, both began to turn around and look back at her.

Can you please help me?

Mumbling at them through her tired voice she called out to them again, her voice, a weak plea, almost begging for help.

AHHHHHHH

Run honey, RUNNN!!!

AGGGHHH!!

Both people instantly, upon one quick gaze in her general direction, turned back around and began running as fast as they could into the woods before them. Still screaming as they passed trees and slowly faded, stumbling and falling as they vanished in the wilderness.

Wait! Please! Wait! I need help!

Yelling at them, her voiced bounced and echoed through the surrounding area, repeating itself as it did.

Please

She sputtered, falling to her knees with exhaustion as she let out one last cry for help. What was happening to her? First the bear and now this, surely the bear was just startled by her cry out in pain and ran, why would these people be scared of her? She was a tiny little, cute Swedish girl, nothing more. Confused and frustrated she began to let out cries, her voice now quivering, her nose running and arms shaking. She placed her hands on the cold ground in front of her…her… wait… what?!

What… the… heck!

Her hands, her little, pale hands… they were covered in pitch black, thick hair! Her gloves were completely torn and ripped, only shredded remnants remained, scattered across her wrists. Where her nails previously sat at the end of her fingers, there was now sharp, long claws to replace them. Her hands overall also appeared to have tripled in size, maybe more, they were massive! Panicking now she slowly raised her… paw… towards her face, the heat from her skin and fur seemed to have melted some of the snow from under her palms, creating a small puddle of water.

Now gazing back at her, through the warm puddle of melted snow, was her own eyes, that she was sure of, but the rest of what was returning her gaze… that was not her. She had a long nose and mouth, stretched out in front of her. Dark hair covered it completely. Once again, like her hands, her head in general appeared to have grown drastically in size, her ears too, they now sat tall upon the top of her head instead of the sides, pointed and sharp like black daggers buried in her skull. Her mouth was, much, much larger, so were the teeth that comfortably rested inside her jaw, each one sharpened and glistening. Opening her mouth slightly she could see that they had not only grown, but she now had multiple layers of teeth instead of just one. Nothing on Sarah’s once beautiful face, apart from those familiar eyes, was the same, each feature altered and different, all of which were covered in something that could only be described as black… fur. Thick and matted, it covered every inch of her once pale skin. Like a dark carpet glued to her body. Black… black fur.

What… the… HELLLLLLLLL!!!!

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CHAPTER FOUR

"M r Cunning, your 5’Oclock is waiting, Mr Takinawa is ready for you. I have all the paper work and files on the merger for you here"

A woman dressed in a dark black