The young man sprinted through the windblown courtyard. A cold autumn wind whipping past his face as he ran. Perpetual rainfall splattering on the aluminum roof overhead. If I don’t hurry, I’ll be late for first period again. A bell echoed throughout the school, signaling the start of the day. His heavy footfalls slowed to a stop. His heart still beating in his ears. He realized he was-
"Late again William?" the familiar, and rather irritating voice said somewhere behind him.
He turned toward his least favorite person on campus, the dean of students, Mr. Farber. A tall man with a sharp nose and angry eyes to match.
The only person who uses my whole first name, and he knows I go by Will. Part of me thinks he calls me that on purpose just to get under my skin.
"It would seem so," Will shrugged, catching his breath.
"Well, you best be on your way. After you stop by the attendance office of course" the dean said, turning on his heel he stalked off, presumably to ruin someone else's morning.
Will let out a sigh and began his trek to the attendance office for a late slip, which would be his 4th one in the last few weeks he looked up at the gloomy sky, again lost in thought.
"Well at least I like the rain" he said to no one in particular.
Nice overcast sky, not a ray of sunshine in sight. Perfect Washington weather. It’s definitely the beginning of Winter. In a few months school will be out, and I’ll be able to spend the break throwing snowballs at Ryan. At least I would if he hadn't up and transferred schools a month ago.
His thoughts, interrupted by his arrival at the office. While there he collected a late slip, and a good talking to from the office staff. Begrudgingly headed to his first class. Settling into his desk. It was hard to focus with the big R carved into the empty desk beside him. His thoughts strayed from the lesson. His brain, trying to unravel the mystery of it all.
We both left school together, walked home just like we do every day. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary to me. Ryan and I have been friends for almost 6 years, and if I were going to transfer all of a sudden, I'd definitely tell him. So why didn't he tell me? At first, I thought he was just sick as that does happen, but no call or text no nothing? After a few days of silence from him. Something was definitely up. Ryan's girlfriend, Staci, hadn’t been able to reach him either. We even went to his house after school last week. All they had to say was that Ryan had transferred to a private school. Without so much as a goodbye. It didn't feel right at the time. It still doesn't, but if that's what his parents said it couldn't be wrong could it?
"It just doesn't make sense," he said aloud, completely oblivious to where he was.
"What was that Will?" his teacher called from the front, interrupted mid-sentence by his outburst.
"Sorry it was nothing" he replied suddenly aware of the stares from his classmates.
Shaking her head the teacher turned and resumed whatever it was she was saying. Maybe it would be best if he paid attention.
Hours later, the final bell for the day rang, startling Will out of his note taking and everyone started packing up to go. He did the same, packing his school supplies into his backpack. Making his way home, the familiar streets that made up his journey home were lined up before him.
"WILL! WILL! WAIT UP!!" a shrieking voice called out from behind him.
Ryan’s girl- well ex-girlfriend now I suppose. Will slowed down his pace allowing her to catch up. "What's up Staci," he said looking her over while she caught her breath. Will noted her puffy red eyes and disheveled hair. Poor girl’s been crying again.
"Will, Ryan’s back!" she almost yelled.
"How do you know?” he said, thoughts racing, confusion at the forefront.
"I’ll show you," she said, not even breaking a sweat from the mad dash.
"He sent this to me this morning," she said, holding open her phone.
Hey Staci, it's me Ryan. I was finally able to get my hands on a phone. We’re not allowed to have them. I'm sorry for leaving like that, without saying anything. I got a few days to myself tonight and this weekend. Bring Will and meet me at the bowling alley.
8:52 AM
Tonight at 6pm I'll be waiting. Don't be late, okay :) 8:53 AM
"See, he's not ignoring me, he just didn't have a phone." She exclaimed, her face beaming.
"Wow... I guess you were right, I wonder what he's been up to?"
"So, are you going to come with me?" she asked, ignoring the question.
"Of course I am, and I'm going to beat the hell out of him for leaving without saying anything."
"Good, I'll see you at 5:30 then." She said ignoring the purposed violence. She turned and sauntered off heading home.
The walk home was pleasant enough, brisk cold air, nothing new for Washington, just happy to not be wet for a change. A quick 15-minute walk from his high school to his house, a walk that after 4 years of doing everyday he was quite familiar with.
Friendly neighbors called out greetings as he walked past. Living in a small town like this, it's normal to know pretty much everyone. Especially when you walk past someone's house at the same time every day. He turned onto his street, his house, baby blue with white trim, nestled in the corner. As usual, his mother’s car was in the driveway.
“Well, that’s odd, Dad’s home.” He said, noticing his father's car parked in the driveway alongside his mothers.
Dad works till 10pm and it's only 3:30pm now. Usually, it's just mom around this time of day.
Stepping up to the fence, Will unlatched the gate and closed it behind him. The wonderful smell of his mother's cooking hit his nose from the open kitchen windows. Skipping the walkway, he cut through the neatly trimmed lawn and went inside.
"I'm home!" he yelled for everyone in the house to hear. "Dinner smell's great Mom. What are we having?" he asked, taking his shoes off by the door.
He set them down, walked through the dining room and into the kitchen. His Mom, Alice White, was wearing her usual jeans and sweatshirt, with her dark brown hair worn in a loose messy bun.
She turned to greet him, "Welcome home sweetheart. I'm making ham. It's been in the oven for an hour now. Smells great, doesn't it?" She opened the oven, and the smell of roasting ham permeated the air and more importantly his nose.
"Hmmmm my favorite, what's the occasion ma" he said, still basking in the wonderful aroma.
"We have company tonight, very important company." she said, closing the oven door, almost catching his nose in the process.
"Who?" he asked, taking a moment to examine the rest of the kitchen. The granite countertops were full of bowls in various stages of use.
"Zack. He's a friend of mine and your fathers from our college days," she said, getting back to what she was doing.
"Ooh college days. You and Dad never talk about those." He said, trying to get a taste of the mashed potatoes. He felt the spoon before he ever saw his mother move. CRACK! The wooden spoon smacked against his head.
"Ouch!" He yelped, rubbing the back of his head sufficiently chastised.
"Even after all of my training, I still can't even see you move," he smiled sheepishly.
"Well, guess that means you have to train harder, doesn't it?" She smiled. "Now go say hello to your father while I finish up here."
Will left the kitchen and went down the hallway into the living room, where his dad, Arthur White, was sitting on the couch relaxing watching TV. His short black hair, and broad shoulders visible well over the top of the couch. People always wondered where Will got his height from, until they saw his dad. Standing at 6'9", built with lean muscle, he made quite the imposing figure. His gargantuan appearance has made for quite a few entertaining parent-teacher conferences over the years.
"Heya," Will said, taking his usual seat on the couch.
"Hey kiddo." His dad said exuding happiness. "You got into dinner a little early huh? Heard the spoon smack ya all the way out here" he said chuckling.
"Yeah," he replied, laughing. "Moms still got the fastest spoon in the west." He said remembering all the times she has demonstrated her considerable spoon wielding abilities.
"Your Mom told you we were having company tonight, right?" he said, pausing his show.
"Yeah, Zack, right? She was telling me he went to school with you guys.”
“He's been a good friend to me and your mom over the years. I hope he'll be a good friend to you as well..." he said scratching his chin contemplatively.
"When is he supposed to be here?" Will asked tentatively.
"He should be here in time for dinner which is supposed to be ready at 5." Arthur said, looking at his phone for the time. "I was actually supposed to hear from him by now, maybe I should give him a call." Arthur said, a concerned look showing on his face.
"Sooooo, I have plans tonight at the bowling alley at 6. I'm figuring we should be done eating around 5:30 which gives me plenty of time to get there. I should be back around 7:30, is that ok?" Will asked tentatively, worried that having company may spoil his chances of finding out what's going on with Ryan.
Arthur's face was contemplative, then he chuckled again, surprising Will and easing the tension that had slowly been building in his chest.
"Well, I suppose putting it off a few hours won't do any harm. Yeah, that's fine son you can go. Just make sure you’re back by 8 okay?" He said all attention focused on Will.
"I won't be late dad." he said with a determined nod. "So, what are we watching?" he said, settling back into the couch.
He noticed his father fidgeting, continuously checking his phone with a worried look on his face. "He should have called by now." Arthur said for what must have been the 4th time.
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"It's already five, I guess he must be running late, maybe you should call him?'' he said, trying to steer the conversation towards dinner.
"Dinners ready!" Alice called from the kitchen. Arthur was the first to get up and Will followed him into the dining room. "Help set up, you two." Alice said sternly pointing at the table.
"Still no word from Zack.'' Arthur said worriedly. Alice's face darkened for a moment, and only a moment. An unspoken message passed between the two of them in a way that only parents seem able to do.
"Why is today so important and why are you guys so worried about Zack, and why do I feel like I'm the only one who doesn't know what's going on?" He asked, angry about being left in the dark.
"Well, son you see-" his father began, interrupted by the sudden ringing of his phone. "Oh, good it's him." He said, answering his phone. "Hey Zack, is everything ok? We were starting to worr-'' he stopped, interrupted once more, this time by the voice on the other end.
Will strained his ears listening to the voice on the phone, but he couldn't make anything out. Instead, he studied his father's face for any information he could glean from it. His worried expression faded as the conversation continued on.
"I'm glad everything is okay. Do you need help, or can you handle it." he finally spoke. Laughter sounded from the other end of the phone followed by garbled words. "of - can - old yet." was all Will could make out.
"Alright, alright just get here in one piece, and call if you need me to come save you." Arthur said, chuckling. He hung up his phone and turned to address his son. "Well, it seems like you're in luck, Zack got caught up in work. He won't be here till 8 at the earliest." he said, glancing at Alice. An unspoken message passed between them again.
"What does he do exactly?" Will asked his parents.
"You can ask him yourself kiddo, we can wait for dinner until he gets here. It would be rude to eat without him." his mother said covering the food and putting the ham back in the oven to keep it warm.
"I'm going to head out for the bowling alley if that's alright." he said, shaking his head.
"Wait what, you're leaving?" his mom asked, distraught. "Arthur, are you sure about him going out today of all days especially with Zack being-" his father cut her off.
"Darling it's fine. He's almost a grown man. He's got to be able to go out and have fun before he's old, like I am according to Zack." he said laughing to himself. "Besides with Zack being..." he said, glancing at Will and then his wife "Around... he's safer than any other night." he said, choosing his words carefully.
"With all the secrecy today, I’d swear Zack was a Gifted or something." Will said accusingly.
Gifted people usually only operate out of big cities like New York, or Seattle. They tend to stay away from small towns with less media presence. No reason for one to come up this way.
"Wait, he's not Gifted, is he?" Will said, with realization dawning on him. Now it makes sense why they were being so secretive about Zack, and why I’ve never met him before. "He totally is, isn't he!" he said excitedly.
“Gifted” refers to some lucky humans who have been born with a genetic mutation, giving them all sorts of powers. Anywhere from telekinesis to the ability to fly. Some choose to fight crime with their gifts, while some use their power to steal and murder. Being from a small town, Will had never seen a Gifted good or bad.
"No, he's not." Arthur said, dashing Will’s hopes of meeting a Gifted.
"Oh." Will replied sadly, "Well if he's not Gifted then what does he do and why are you guys being so secretive about it?'' he asked, growing frustrated.
"Well like he said before, you can ask all the questions you want when he gets here. Besides, aren't you running late?" Alice asked quizzically.
Panic set in as Will realized it was already 5:23pm. "Oh shit I'm gonna be late." He said dashing through the house looking for his shoes. The bowling alley is well over a mile away. He was too distracted by everything with Zack, completely forgetting about meeting Ryan and Staci tonight.
"Hey language!" his mother shouted behind him.
Slipping his shoes back on, Will paused for a brief moment as he opened the door. "Sorry bye mom, bye dad I'll be back soon, I love you!'' he shouted to his parents in the dining room down the hall.
"Be safe, I love you too," his mom called back. "Don't be late, love you too" his dad called after him.
Will Hauled ass down the road in the direction of the bowling alley.
Alice turned to her husband of twenty years. "If Zack is hunting something down, is it safe for him to be out right now?" she said uncertainty filling her voice.
"This is Zack honey. I'm sure everything will be fine. He's almost as strong as I was when I was still in the guard, besides he only got a faint sense of something, whatever it is might not even be around anymore." He said holding his wife reassuringly.
"I hope you're right," she said, burying her head in his chest.
The world around Will blurred as he ran, breathing steady, faster and faster on a road he had walked his whole life. Familiar sights and sounds blurring together and whistling past as he ran. Frank’s bowling alley and arcade came into view ahead of him. A place where he spent a lot of his childhood with his friends, using the allowance his parents gave him from chores around the house.
He slowed his pace. Adrenaline and blood still pumping through his veins. Breathing jaggedly from the mile sprint from his house he pulled out his phone and checked the time, 5:29pm.
"Alright I made it on time." He said while studying the building in front of him. The bowling alley had a yellow roof and thick concrete walls tucked into its spot on the street between two other buildings. It had narrow alleys on either side where trash liked to pile up.
"Home sweet home" Will said, stepping through the sliding doors.
The entryway was carpeted in green and furnished with small benches. A big enough walkway for five people to walk side by side, not that it was ever busy enough for that much space. Will strolled casually up to the counter. He smiled at the sight of a familiar face, John, the manager and a friend of Will’s.
"Hey John, have you seen Ryan or Staci today?" he asked, leaning on the counter.
"Nope sorry Will, didn’t Ryan move though?" His reply half shouted over the noise, coming from the bowling lane closest to them. The Family in lane four, particularly loud.
The bowling alley used to be a nice place when Will was a kid. Boasting 14 lanes for bowling and a full arcade off in another section housing some of his favorite games. Over time, and a lack of customers, four lanes weren’t working, and the arcade only has half the games working.
"Yeah, Ryan’s back in town for a few days. Let me know when they get here, I'll be in the arcade," Will said, turning to walk in that direction. He pulled out his phone and sent a text to Staci.
Hey, I'm at the bowling alley. Where are you guys?
5:32 PM
I'll be in the arcade when you get here.
5:32 PM
Guess I'll just play till they get here. Street fighter it is then I'm pretty good so I can play for a while without spending too much.
6:00pm rolled around without a call or text back from Staci. Calling her phone just went straight to voicemail, no luck there either.
I swear if they ditched me they are both getting an earful.
It was just shy of 7pm when Will decided he was unwilling to spend more money or continue waiting.
"Where the hell are they?" He said to the empty arcade. Stepping out of the arcade he walked back to John's counter where he was busy with another customer.
"I'm heading home John, they never showed up, have a nice night man." Will said to him. John didn't acknowledge that he had spoken nor had the younger woman he was busy helping. "Hello? Earth to John." He said, speaking up and again they ignored him.
John passed the woman her receipt and she walked back to her lane, shoes in hand. "I mean I know you had a customer, but that was rude. You could have said goodbye," again ignored as John went back to cleaning his workstation completely oblivious that Will had said anything. "What the hell dude, I know you can hear me." he said, flustered.
A quick movement from the corner of Will’s eye caught his attention. "Did you see that, John?" He asked, looking for what he saw. Suddenly the light above the farthest lane dimmed and went out. "Uhhh one of your lights went out man."
Will turned and looked back at John who was still working like he wasn't there. Another light went dim then blinked out, this time closer.
More lights started to dim, this time shattering with a pop and a shower of electricity. Darkness moved in rapidly towards them. Four lanes away now, another lane went out, only three left. The customer from just before oblivious to the lights, suddenly engulfed in darkness.
"What the hell is going on?" Will said, taking a step away from the closing darkness. Again, a shadow caught his eye this time within the darkness. Moving back and forth, almost impatiently. Panic began to swell in his chest, all the hairs on the back of his neck started to rise. Suddenly very aware of how far away the exit was.
Hushed laughter emanating from the still encroaching darkness. "Will!" a voice shouted, seemingly from everywhere. As quickly as it had arrived, the darkness vanished leaving the bowling alley as peaceful as it had been only moments ago. All of the previously broken lights, now working perfectly.
"Oh. Hey Will, didn't see you there," John said, causing Will to jump out of his skin and he spun around facing John.
“Holy shit John did you see all that," he said, terrified.
"See what Will?" he asked looking around, "You feeling okay man you look awful. Maybe you should head home," John said, stepping around his counter concern in his voice.
"Yeah, maybe you're right." Will replied, watching every shadow in the room. What the hell was that? Being anywhere other than here sounds like a good idea. He headed towards the door quickly but slow enough to not seem crazy.
The sliding doors opened slowly. He stepped out into the brisk Autumn air, eerily calm compared to inside a bowling alley. Clean cold air is a lot better than whatever the hell that was. Taking a deep breath, he put the crazy events of the bowling alley behind him.
"Will there you are!" A familiar voice shouted from somewhere off behind him. Spinning towards the sound, Will brought his fists up ready to fight shadows. Only to find Staci standing at the entrance to the narrow alley next to the building he just exited from.
"Staci?" he asked, lowering his hands. "Where the hell have you been all night you nearly scared me half to death." He said walking over to her.
"With Ryan of course" she said, dipping back into the narrow side street. "C'mon Will, he’s been waiting for you." her voice called from further down the alley.
"Wait up! Why were you guys outside? I've been waiting for you in the bowling alley forever." he said, starting after her. “You'll never believe what happened inside. There was this weird shadow, and I don’t know, maybe I was imagining it." Will said, not paying attention as he bumped right into Staci. "Oh sorry, I wasn't paying attention." he said, backing away from her.
Staci slowly turned to face Will. Fear once more tightening his chest, he could feel something was wrong here. Now that he was closer, he could see her clearly. Her face was twisted into a grin, mouth spread wide sharp, teeth dripping with saliva, and a red viscous substance that could only be blood. Her skin was a pale orange color that wasn't natural.
"What are you?" Will asked, struggling to speak. "You aren't Staci" he said, backing away involuntarily.
A blood curdling laugh came from her lips. Will winced with sheer terror.
"No, I'm not... I consumed her. Used her form and her memories to get to you." It spoke in a voice that didn't belong to Staci. "Just like I'm going to do to you." Grinning, it took steps towards Will.
Turning to run, his feet felt like lead, almost glued to the ground. Opening his mouth to scream, not a sound escaped his lips. His eyes burned with tears. The creature in Staci's form swung its arm wide, missing Will completely. Still, something heavy slammed into his chest, sending him crashing into one of the alleys walls.
The world went dark for a moment, and all he could feel was pain. Remaining upright, an invisible weight pinned his arms and legs to the wall behind him. All the air was forced out of his lungs, with a jagged cough. Lifting his head, Will saw the creature, still unmoving from where it was with a hand outstretched towards him.
"Still alive huh? Far more durable than this one." It said inspecting its own arm. Laughing, it dropped its arm and with it the force on his body lessened, allowing him to draw a ragged breath. Struggling uselessly against the force still holding him to the wall, Will’s throat raw with muffled screams, glaring at his attacker he spit blood towards it.
Will’s head slammed back against the wall once more with a resounding CRACK! His mind reeling, he saw nothing but stars for a moment. When he was able to open his eyes again it was standing before him.
"What the fuck are you?" his voice came out a raspy whisper.
"It's me Staci, don't you recognize me!" It said twirling in a circle, arms spread wide open laughing. "Well mom always said, polite demons don't play with their food, goodbye Will." The demon said, drawing back a clawed hand pointed at him like a knife.
Its arm blurred, as he felt something impact his stomach. A tearing sound reached his ears and a cold sensation spread from the impact. The worst pain he had ever experienced. A searing pain and unimaginable pressure. Then the demon started twisting its arm inside him.
Still screaming out, only a moan escaped his lips. Sick glee and delight spread across the demon's face. Sharp teeth glinting in the low light. It was enjoying this, laughing as it dug its arm deeper inside him.
Maniacal laughter echoing in the empty alley, the edge of his vision darkened, and he realized he was going to die. Something stirred within his mind pushing back against the encroaching unconsciousness. Locking eyes with the monster before Will, he struggled with everything he had against the weight that pinned him to the wall. An unfamiliar energy began flowing from the core of his being like a dam that was about to burst had finally broken open.
Pushing away from the wall, Will fought to get a hit on the demon taking his life. The pain in his entire body reduced to a dull ache. "Will!" a faint voice shouted seemingly from everywhere. The demon's laughter ended abruptly, replaced with a confused expression.
“Why do you smell so-”
The demon let out an inhuman screech of panic and fear. He followed the monster's gaze down to its arm. No longer inside him and dripping with his blood and viscera, and the gloved hand locked onto it.
The demon's other hand now trying frantically to pry it off. A figure clad in black stepped out from the corner of Will’s failing vision, delivering a lightning-fast punch to the side of the demon's surprised face. Its screeching stopped, as it went sailing down the alley. In that moment, the weight pinning Will to the wall stopped entirely and he fell forward into the stranger's arms.
The darkness closing in, Will saw the newcomer raise a hand glowing with a bright green light. Will could barely feel the hand pressing against him as more of his blood went pouring out all over the alleyway. He looked up into the man’s face. Will took note of his features: tanned skin, light brown hair, and a scar running from his cheek to just below his ear.
He could see the man speaking but he was no longer able to hear him. The ache in his stomach was replaced with an itchy sensation. The stranger layed Will down. His last sight was the man, stepping further into the alley, this time his hand ablaze with fire. Will's vision blacked out as he lost consciousness.