Chapter 3: Monster

Caleb rushed back into the house. Rebecca was no longer there. He began to call out, but stopped himself. He could hear a set of muffled voices coming from the front of the house. She must have gone to the front porch to talk to the strangers.

Carefully, Caleb crept towards the front door and opened the curtain just enough to peer through. The visitors were several gruff looking men, all but two on horseback the two on foot were approaching the porch, trying to talk with Rebecca. Based on the amount she was yelling, it wasn’t getting far. Rebecca stood on the porch, her face contorted with anger as she verbally attacked them shotgun in hand.

“Turn around and leave, right now. I promise you, I know how to use this.” She threatened.

“No need to be so hostile.” One of the men said. “We aren’t the ones you have a disagreement with. If you don’t like the terms, you can send a message back with us and perhaps the boss can renegotiate. Just give us what’s due for this quarter and we’ll be on our way.”

“Don’t try to play me.” Rebecca growled. “I’m not going to sit here and let people rob me. This is the home my husband and I built. No one helped us build it and no one is taking any of it away.”

“You really think that you can just say no?” The second replied. “Your property is in our territory. It doesn’t matter how it got here, you can’t just live in someone’s territory for free. Just because we didn’t make you pay last time doesn’t mean you’re scot-free. We don’t appreciate it when people try to take advantage of us.”

The malignant smile on the man’s face made his words far less convincing.

“How is this anyone’s territory but mine? I don’t know who your boss is, but all I see is a bunch of thieves making excuses to rob me! Go back and tell your boss to leave me alone! Times are hard enough with people like you taking half our food!”

The faces of the bandits were getting more sinister. Caleb’s grip on the curtain tightened anxiously as he continued to watch silently.

“What right does the boss have?” The first man repeated. “The boss is the protector of this area. Everyone around here is living safely because he’s keeping raiders from attacking the locals’ settlements. He has every right to requested compensation for his efforts.”

“That’s a load of crap! I’ve lived here nearly twenty years and never had a single attack! You expect me to believe that raiders would appear now? If there are any here, you probably brought them over, if you aren’t them yourselves!”

The smile on the second man’s face became nastier. “Look, lady. We’ve been playing this peacefully. All your twenty years mean is that you’re an old woman living alone in the desert. Our boss is currently the law around here. You think you can go up against that and come out on top? You think you can afford to act tough?”

Rebecca cocked the shotgun in her hands. “I know one person who I won’t need to act with.”

The arguing didn’t stop, but at this point Caleb’s attention was drawn away from the circus in front of him. his ears pick up on faint movement in the gravel to the side of the house. He quietly moved away from the front door, toward the source of the noise. A shadow flashed past the kitchen window, moving toward the front of the house. Caleb tensed up. An ambush! Rebecca didn’t seem to have noticed his movements, as she was still jarring away at the group of horsemen. If this kept going, she wouldn’t stand a chance.

The hidden man came to a halt at the corner. Realizing the danger, Caleb searched frantically for a weapon. He settled on the poker by the fireplace, which he acquired as carefully and quietly as possible. With the poker in hand, he crept upstairs. He crawled through the back window onto the roof. Staying low to the roof’s surface, he crawled forward poker in hand. He couldn’t see what was going on anymore, but it seemed to be coming to an end.

“We’ll give you one last chance. Considering your utter disrespect towards us so far, that’s already generous. Will you pay the tax or not?” The second man threatened.

“You go back and tell your boss anyone who tries to rob me is gonna get themselves shot.” Rebecca threatened, her voice livid. “I’m not giving the likes of you people a cent.”

“Bad call.” The second man replied with a chuckle.

There was a sound of shuffling and a surprised gasp. Immediately, Caleb realized the man at the side of house must have made his move. He’d moved too slowly. He abandoned his concealment and charged forward, brandishing the poker like a heavy club.

Unable to overpower her ambusher, Rebecca was easily disarmed and the shotgun clattered to the ground. Rebecca screamed and struggled, but she lacked the strength to put up any real resistance. The remaining bandits began dismounting their horses, moving in on the house.

With an enraged cry, Caleb jumped from the roof directly over the ambusher. The poker raised above his head swung down, striking the man solidly in the head. With a cry of surprise and pain, the attacker collapsed to the ground holding his head in agony. The remaining bandits all froze for a moment, shocked by the sudden turn of events. Caleb used the opportunity to pick the shotgun off the porch.

“Caleb?!” Rebecca blurted out in surprise.

“She had a kid?”

“There was no mention of one in town or from the other guys.”

“Does it matter? We take him out too, so why should we care?”

The strangers began to unholster their weapons, but the calm man in front stopped them. “Boy, don’t make any stupid mistakes. No one has to get hurt here.”

Caleb brandished the shotgun towards him. The heavy weapon shook in his hands. “You tried to hurt Rebecca! Stay away or I’ll shoot!”

The man gave a small smile. “You sure you’re capable of that? You can barely hold the thing up and you think you’d be able to hit someone? Even if you could handle it, have you thought about what you’re doing? Do you think you have the stomach to kill me?”

Caleb was left speechless. The shotgun’s muzzle fell slightly. Everything the man said seemed to hit the nail on the head. He really hadn’t thought this through. Even as he aimed the weapon at the man, he wasn’t certain he could pull the trigger.

“I can see it in your eyes, kid. You can’t shoot. You’re not capable of killing anyone. So why don’t you just put the gun down. Neither of us want this to end in bloodshed.”

Unconsciously, Caleb began to lower the weapon. The man was right. He couldn’t fight them. He’d been stupid for charging out here like this. Perhaps he should listen. After all, if he was telling the truth then they’d be fine, wouldn’t they? It was the only hope they had left.

However, part of him disagreed.

KILL

Caleb felt a strange feeling of rage building in his chest. It was as if something inside of him had woken up and began rattling its cage. A single, terrifying word echoed through his brain. The thoughts of what had just happened to Rebecca filled the inside of his head, fueling the building rage.

“If you set it down now, I can guarantee we’ll leave you both unharmed, so long as you don’t resist. What do you think?” The man continued.

KILL

The anger invaded his brain as the frightening voice repeated itself. Caleb’s expression began to go dark. The gun in his hand stopped shaking and began to rise. His finger moved towards the trigger. The man’s expression become more serious, sensing Caleb’s sudden change in attitude.

The voice was right. These men were on the brink of killing Rebecca. If he put down the weapon, they’d probably pick up right where they left off. Guided by the rage in his head, his finger tightened around the trigger.

“Caleb!” Rebecca cried out in warning. Caleb saw motion to his left, but failed to react in time. The man he’d hit earlier was back on his feet. His hand grabbed the shotgun in Caleb’s hands and wrenched it away. His foot kicked Caleb to the ground, then followed up by repeatedly kicking his huddled form.

“That hurt, you little bastard!” The bandit yelled angrily as he took out his anger on the boy. Caleb cried out in pain as he was struck mercilessly over and over.

“Stop! Leave him alone! I’ll do whatever you want, so please stop!” Rebecca pleaded.

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“A little late for that, don’t you think?” The second man said. “We came here to pass on a simple message and were attacked without warrant. If punishments aren’t given, what will those nearby think?”

“He’s right. It’s too late to turn back now. Both of you have shown hostility. People like you cannot be allowed to do as they please.” The calm man said. “Men, seize the house. I leave these two to your discretion.”

Caleb groaned and pain coursed through him. His mouth and nose were both leaking blood. He could hardly move a muscle, much less put up any sort of resistance. His vision was blurry and his mind was a mess.

So weak. Why was he so weak?

He could only look on helplessly as the rest of the bandits approached the porch. Rebecca screamed out, unable to fight the invaders. His mind began to give up, ready to be give in to their attackers. If he had strength. He could do something. He’d be able to stop this. But as an eight-year-old kid, what could he do? All he was capable of was watching powerlessly.

No. There had to be something else. Anything. He couldn’t let this happen. He wouldn’t.

A dormant part of Caleb’s psyche cracked open, releasing a storm of bloodthirsty killing intent into his mind.

KILL!

The submissive emotions within him evaporated within the wild storm of anger. The rage that had built up thus far began burning out of control until it resembled an unstoppable wildfire. All pain faded into obscurity, Leaving only a sense of sheer fury.

How dare he. How dare he touch me. How dare he try to hurt me!

Caleb’s agonized expression disappeared, replace by a vicious scowl. Primal instinct took control of him as his eyes opened, revealing a pair of violet irises. He stared up at the ambusher with disgust. Unheard by the attackers, an inhuman growl rumbled in his throat.

Despite this, there was no hate. To the current Caleb, hate was reserved for those who he could not retaliate against. Corpses deserved no such thing.

Mid kick, the ambusher suddenly found his leg stuck. Looking down, he realized Caleb had grabbed it. He tried to pull it away, only to find that it wouldn’t budge.

“Rotten brat, let go!” he raged. Caleb simply stared at him as he pulled harder to no avail.

“My turn.” Caleb stated, his voice uncharacteristically chilly. He squeezed his hand, and the man’s leg snapped like a twig.

The bandit let out an agonizing scream and fell to the ground. his comrades stopped and looked in the direction of the scream. Their hearts froze in shock seeing the mutilated legs in the young boy’s vice grip.

Caleb did not stay down. In less than a second, he was on his feet, his left sole bringing an abrupt end to the man’s scream. Try as he might to speak, only gasps and gurgles could escape. He looked up at Caleb in terror.

Caleb didn’t bother with words. Trash like this was undeserving. He focused all of his weight into his left legs, crushing flesh and bone beneath. The ambusher’s mouth spurted out blood as he gasped in pain one last time before dying.

No one moved. For a moment, none of them could comprehend what they’d witnessed. Caleb turned towards the others, his wild eyes daring them to make a move.

“Ab-Ab-…” One of the men stuttered in fear.

“Aberrant…” A second man finished with a terrified whisper. Their faces went pale.

One of the men drew their gun and tried to fire. Caleb’s eyes targeted him and a loud snarl erupted from his throat. Only a blur could be seen of the boy as he moved, reaching the bandit’s position before his finger could pull the trigger. Two-inch claws at the end of the boy’s hand sliced through his chest, tearing through him with a surprising lack of resistance. Blood spurted everywhere, coating Caleb’s arm.

The other men drew their weapons as well, but their fear had severely dulled their accuracy. Caleb easily evaded their shots before retaking the offensive. Screams echoed across the flatlands as each of the bandits realized the fate about to befall them. One fell to the ground with a broken neck, another had a hole through his chest. The two remaining men ran for the horses, desperately trying to escape.

As if he would allow that.

Before they got far, the closer horse screamed out in pain and fell to the ground. Its stomach had been torn open and both hind legs had nearly been severed by a single blow. Its rider ended up pinned beneath, desperately trying to free his leg. Caleb casually walked up to him, staring at the petrified man with those cruel violet eyes. He placed a foot on top of the man’s head. Sensing what was about to happen the man pled desperately.

“N-no no no no no. Please, I’m sorry. I won’t come back, I won’t. Don’t do this. Please!”

A sinister smile appeared on Caleb’s face. The pressure from his foot magnified exponentially. The man screamed, then went silent as his head caved in.

Caleb stared into the distance at the fleeing horseman. He’d gone overboard with this one it seemed. By now, all that was left was a dusty trail and a dot on the horizon. It didn’t appear he would be able to finish them all. Pity.

The threat passed, Caleb thought back to Rebecca, his eyes flickering back to green. He rushed back towards the house, fear and concern on his face. “Rebecca! Rebecca!” He yelled out.

As he drew closer, he saw her slowly standing up. Relief flooded through him. Thank goodness, she was alright. It didn’t look like they’d done anything to her, outside of a few cuts and bruises. He ran towards her with a smile. It was alright. Everything was alright.

However, as he drew closer that smile faltered. His pace slowed and came to a stop about ten yards away. “Rebecca?” He said with uncertainty.

Rebecca stared at him, eyes full of fear. Her body shook as she stood. In her hands was the shotgun from earlier, shaking as she held it. It’s muzzle was pointed in the relative direction of his chest.

“W-what are you?” she stammered.

“Rebecca, it’s me, Caleb. What’s wrong?” He tried to come closer, but her actions immediately caused him to stop.

“S-stay away! Don’t come closer!” She shrieked, brandishing the firearm at him.

“I… don’t understand.” Caleb said weakly. “Why?”

Like a glass cage shattering around him, the reality of his surroundings occurred to him, tearing away the blinders he’d been wearing moments before. He looked around at the carnage surrounding the house. Blood had sprayed on the ground, walls, and Rebecca, speckling his surroundings red. Mutilated human forms were scattered across the yard. Looking down at himself, he realized his body was dyed red as well.

What… What was this? What had happened? Caleb stared at the bodies blankly before looking back at his hand. The blood drain from his face as it dawned on him.

Caleb shook. Panic overtook his senses. The memories of what had happened a moment ago flooded back. He had done this. These men had died by his hand. He felt sick as he remembered the sensations present with each kill, how easy it had been, how vulnerable they seemed.

“Wha- what? What have I done? What have I done? What have I done?” he muttered under his breath in a frightened voice.

He dropped to his knees and began hyperventilating. He couldn’t stop staring at the crimson liquid on his hands. This wasn’t possible. It had to be a dream. A dream. There was no way he would do something like this.

He wasn’t a killer. He couldn’t be. There was no way.

He looked up at Rebecca, his eyes pleading for some understanding. “Rebecca, I-I…”

Before he could finish, the gun went off. Caleb felt something tear into his right arm. He stared down silently as blood poured from the torn flesh. He looked up at the woman with disbelief, his eyes glazed over from shock.

The pain exploded through the limp arm all at once. Caleb cried out in pain and fell back to the ground. His eyes filled with tears as he tried once more to go to her. He could still explain himself. It was a misunderstanding. As long as he explained it to her, she would understand, right? They were still family, right? He tried to get up and approach, holding the bleeding arm.

“I said get the hell away, freak!” Rebecca screamed. The weapon shot off again, this time center on his chest.

As the shotgun rang out again, time felt as if it had come to a stop. She was really going to kill him. Why? He didn’t do any of this on purpose. He had only wanted to protect her, to drive away the bandits. He had tried to save her, and she was going to kill him?

I don’t understand. Why? It’s me, Rebecca. It’s Caleb. Aren’t we family?” He thought. Tears rolled down his cheek.

His instincts shot into overdrive. His eyes flashed violet as the gun went off. His body was knock back as the shotgun shell unloaded its contents into his chest. He landed heavily on the ground staring up at the clear blue sky He’d been so bored with only an hour ago. Somehow, it seemed more beautiful now. Was it because he was dying?

No, that didn’t seem right.

His body felt like it had been hit by a train. The pain in his chest probably meant his ribs were all broken. He was in a terrible state, but he was still breathing. In fact, it didn’t seem he was bleeding. The metal was unable to pierce his chest.

Caleb didn’t contemplate the reason. His mind had already been driven elsewhere. The wild rage from before exploded into his head.

How dare she. How dare she hurt me. How dare she try to kill me!

Caleb slowly stood up, raising his injured body onto his feet. He stared at Rebecca with a burning rage, causing the woman to drop the shotgun in fear. She scrambled to pick it up, but Caleb’s foot kicked out and knocked her into the wall behind her before she could even bend down. He picked the weapon up and twisted the barrel around, rendering the weapon useless.

Caleb approached Rebecca, his eyes filled with malice. She tried to crawl away, but was immediately pinned and rendered immobile under his foot. Tears streamed out of her eyes as she cried in fear.

“Monster… Monster…” repeated Rebecca over and over again. Her eyes conveyed nothing but terror as she looked at him.

Kill her. The voice in Caleb’s head urged. Caleb raised a clawed hand to oblige, but at the moment before the strike, he stopped.

His eyes flickered between green and violet as he hesitated. The rage in his eyes changed, becoming anger and sadness from her betrayal.

“Why?” He asked again. “You were a mother to me. You were family. I was trying to protect you! Why would you do this to me? Why would you try to kill me?!”

Kill her.

Caleb didn’t get an answer. She kept going like a broken record.

“Monster… Monster…”

Caleb’s hand shook and his face became angrier. He could barely hold back the urge to slice through her neck with his claws.

“Answer me!” He roared.

His aggression didn’t help in the slightest. “Don’t hurt me! Don’t hurt me!” She cried.

KILL HER! The voice in his head seemed to be getting angrier as well.

Caleb’s eyes flickered back to green. Realizing what he was doing, he immediately lowered his hand back to his side. The claws disappeared, returning his human features. Tears streamed down his face and he force a smile. “So that’s what I am now? I’m a monster? Something to be afraid of?”

“Don’t hurt me… don’t hurt me…”

Caleb could tell he wasn’t going to get a real answer. He removed himself, allowing her to crawl away. Sensing pressure had been removed from her back, she crawled away as fast as she could.

“I trusted you. I loved you. I thought you were my friend.” He said quietly.

One thing was clear to him. He couldn’t stay any longer. He wasn’t welcome. He didn’t understand why, but the woman who’d always cared for him now saw him as an irredeemable villain, a threat to her life. He took one last sad look at the woman who’d taken him in before turning and walking away.

His chest hurt as he thought of that kind woman who’d taken him in. To think that kind woman was the same person who was cowering in the porch’s corner. He began walking away, unwilling to see someone he’d loved in such a state for a moment more.

“Aberrants are monsters.” She muttered. “You’re a monster. Stay away from me… Just go away…”

And he did. He limped off into the desert, leaving a trail of blood in the dust behind him.