A loud knock came from The bedroom door. Kevin sat bolt upright from his restless sleep. The rapping came again on the hardwood. He threw off his blankets and stood at the side of his bed. He looked around the room for anything he could use. This wasn't his guardian. The Officer always knocked in the pattern of shave and a haircut. These were dense low thuds against the heavy door.

He reached under his bed and pulled out his childhood bat. It had gathered a thick layer of dust since its last use but this didn't matter. It would swing just fine. The red numbers of his clock radio burned themselves across his vision. Three in the morning. Kevin knew the rules. If you hear something at night. No you didn't. If you see something in the woods at night. No you didn't.

Tales of The Wendigo and native skinwalkers flowed through his adolescent mind. He just had to hold out until sunrise. He held the bat tight as the knocks continued. The pounding grew louder and more impatient as sweat ran down Kevins temple. It was happening again. All sound drained from the world save for the relentless assault on the door.

With a quiet creak the door opened into endless darkness. A complete absence of light and life. Kevin gripped the bat tighter now ready to strike. He inched towards the open door. All he needed to do was close it and then he would barricade it with a chest of draws. Whoever or whatever was out there would stay there.

“Hello there. My my how you’ve grown slugger” a cold pale hand breached the darkness grabbing Kevin by the arm. There was a familiarity to the voices' southern tones. Looking up Kevin saw that same slicked back grey hair, that same waxed moustache and the same exact clothes he saw at the batting cages five years ago.

“I hope you don't begrudge me some hospitality. The old man certainly doesn't seem to mind'' the stranger gestured towards Officer Williams asleep on the sofa with the television playing static. Completely undisturbed by the torrent of knocking that had left the other side of the door battered and splintered. “I thought you gave up baseball years ago? Shame. Mighty magnificent swing”

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Kevin looked over towards Officer Williams. His belt and holster were sat on the small table next to the sofa. He knew that if he could make a dash for it he could grab his firearm. “Yeah thats not a good idea kiddo” this was the same serious tone the man had used before. It struck fear into Kevin and sent shivers down his spine. The man put both of his hands up and opened his palms. Several small nine millimetre rounds clattered onto the wood floor and rolled away.

“I told you I'd check in. so let's talk. The old man got any whiskey here?” the stranger gestured towards the large worn armchair that sat across from Officer williams. He paced quickly to the cabins small kitchen and began rummaging through various cupboards and cabinets. Kevin sat staring into the still face of the Officer begging in his mind for him to wake up. To end this nightmare and for Kevin to feel safe again. He wrung his hands raw whilst he waited for the stranger to return.

Two small glasses slammed onto the table in front of Kevin followed by a large bottle of brown liquid. The stranger laughed and poured. “You know I figured since you never got your first drink with your daddy id step in” he marvelled at the dark liquid in the glass before taking a seat next to Officer Williams and kicking his feet up onto the table. He wore pointed black shoes with a silver metal plating over the tip and heel of each that clanged against the thick glass of the table.

Kevin eyed the glass that he now held in his hand. He had never drank before. The Officer wouldn't allow it. He had seen too many instances of underage drinking gone wrong in his career and steered Kevin far from its vices. So why then did he have this in the cabin's kitchen? “Drink.” The stranger's demanding tone had returned and Kevin was helpless to resist his demand.

The liquid burned in Kevins chest as it went down and the stench hung in the back of his throat. Did adults really enjoy this? He thought to himself as he had to stop himself from coughing. “That's a boy. Now whilst we are on the subject of your daddy. Wanna know who he was?” The proposition presented a temptation that Kevin was unfamiliar with. He had always been teased for being an orphan. Officer Williams had only ever told him that his parents weren't around. He had never said why.

“You knew him?”

The words escaped Kevins lips before he knew he had thought them. The stranger smiled, satisfied that he had the boy on his line. He rocked his head back and with it finished his glass. He frowned as he put the glass down on the table and pushed it away. “Old mans got no taste in whiskey” he put his feet to the floor and reached to his face to take off his sunglasses.

His eyes were a fire of obsession and malice. They stabbed deep into Kevin's heart as they regarded him unpolluted by the darkened glass of the shades. The man sat barely higher than Kevin himself but he towered over him. His gaze a crushing weight on the adolescent boy. “Get comfortable boy. I'm gonna tell you a story.”