Somewhere, West Virginia, USA.

20 years ago.

Jeb fell to the ground as Dan Mathers and his two friends pushed him.

"Hillbilly! Hillbilly!"

Jeb never had many friends at school, they all avoided him when they found out he was related to the hill folk. But some, like Dan and his friends, seemed to make it their goal of telling him just how little they thought of him and his family.

"What's the matter hillbilly? Gonna cry 'cause we fed your squirrel lunch to the dogs?" Dan jeered. Jeb's lunch wasn't actually squirrel, but Dan probably didn't care. Any way to ding him was good enough for him, no matter the accuracy of the jeers.

Jeb made to get back up, his father always said that it was better to ignore them. Don't give them the satisfaction. His mother on the other hand would, like usual, said the opposite. To show them that he wasn't someone to be messed with!

As he was shoved back to the ground again he was starting to like his mother's advice more than his father's. He promised his father that he would stay out of trouble. But it was hard to do that when trouble kept finding him.

"Where do you think your goin' hillbilly?!" Dan shouted. His friends just chuckled and snickered at Jeb.

Jeb's blood started to boil, maybe his mother was right. Maybe it was time to fight back! He grabbed a nearby rock and made to get back up. But they were all stunned when a cry came out!

"Get off him you bastards!"

It was Morty, and Clive. Morty charged the three goons while Clive came over and checked on Jeb. Morty threw a sucker punch against Dan, sending him to the ground before throwing a haymaker at one of the others. By the time he rounded on the 3rd he had already ran away.

"We won't forget this Duval! You or your hillbilly friend!"

Dan got up and left in the direction his two other friends did. While Morty laughed and taunted them Clive helped Jeb up from the ground.

"What happened Jeb?!"

"The usual." Jeb muttered as he stared in the direction of the fleeing trio.

"Is that why your holding a rock this time?" Morty asked as he got tired of mocking Dan and his friends and came over.

Clive and Jeb both looked at Jeb's hand, which still held the rock he picked up.

"Jeb! You would have gotten in big trouble if you followed through before we got here!"

"The bastards would've deserved it! Anyone that messes with you should get the stuffing kick out of them!" Morty countered as Jeb let the stone fall from his hand. He had gripped it so hard that his hand ached.

"So does that mean he should beat you up every time you tease him too?" Came Clive's rebuttal.

"Well, no. I'm his friend! If anyone gets a pass to tease him its us!" Morty countered as the three began to walk home. Morty departed from them not long after, he had his own ride home.

Jeb and Clive walked home together. There wasn't much talking though. Nothing Jeb hasn't heard a hundred times already. "Keep your anger in check. Don't let them get to you!". At this point he didn't care to listen.

After a time even Clive had to depart for his own home. He said goodbye to Jeb and told him that things would work out. Jeb wasn't listening much though. He said his own goodbye and made for his home by the hills, his mood sour and dark as he walked along the edge of the woods towards his family home.

As he walked however he could feel something on the back of his neck like he was being watched. He looked towards the forest. Nothing there though. While his head was turned he drew his eyes towards the direction he knew the feeling came from, and he saw Dan and his two friends trying, and failing, to be sneaky.

No doubt they followed Jeb, they weren't done bullying him. But Jeb had had enough. He began to walk into the darkness of the woods. He hid in the dark of a tree and watched Dan and his friends. They had stopped at the edge of the woods. As much as they mocked him they were still terrified of his family and the hills and woods they called home.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

But anger and pride won out over fear and the trio marched into the woods after Jeb.

-----

Present.

Jeb awoke with a cold sweat. He was breathing heavy as he looked around his dark room. Ruby was still sleeping soundly next to him. He got out of bed and made for his bathroom, where he splashed some water on his face.

Haven't thought of Dan Mathers in years, Jeb thought. He couldn't remember what happened after Dan and them had followed Jeb into the woods. What he does remember was that Dan and Co. never showed up to school again after that day. Which did just wonders to his piss poor reputation at school. Everyone thought he had something to do with it.

Even the teachers gave him weird looks at school after that. They always did but now they weren't bothering to hide it. Cops had stopped by and asked him and his father questions of course. But nothing came of it. Or at least nothing Jeb was made aware of.

What was worse though was how his father looked at him for a time. Like he was scared, or sad. His mother on the other hand had showed up one day, this was after they had separated, and just beamed and hugged him. She told Jeb that she was so proud of him. He wasn't sure why though, she wouldn't tell him why either. Just that it was something good and that it meant great things for him.

After that things began to die down. Dan and his friends became another tragic tale of why you should avoid the hills. The looks Jeb got were the same but most people's ire were directed at the woods and hills rather than him. Even his father began to return to normal. The fear and sadness had vanished and things returned to normal. Well, normal for Somewhere at least.

But then why was he thinking about that day, Jeb thought as he washed his face. He looked up into the mirror, and his heart stopped as the same bone-white, bestial face peered back at him with those balefire eyes. He stumbled back and into the wall of the bathroom trying to escape the fiend in the mirror.

He stared at the mirror, and at the creature that resided in it. He took a step closer, and the creature did to. He turned his head to the side, and the creature repeated. The more Jeb watched the mirror the less afraid he felt. He brought a hand up to the mirror, and found the creature did the same.

But while his hand was flesh, bone and blood. The creature's was flesh and thorn. Its claw was thick dark thorns that wouldn't be out of place on a briar patch, bramble bush, or even a rose. They were attached to a lean arm of ripcord-like muscle that was covered in slick greenish-grey fur.

That same fur covered its body, which was equally lean muscled. Up until it reached its head. There the flesh and fur ended at the base of the macabre deer skull that was the creature's head. Even the dark pointed antlers appeared to have what looked like slick moss hanging from them.

Jeb shook his head and splashed water on his face. When he looked up the creature was gone.

"Just tired and stressed is all."

While he could rationalize away the creature, the thing with Dan Mathers was something that continued to nag him even at the late hour. He turned towards Ruby, where she still slept soundly. He pulled some clothes on and crept out the door and out his house.

He made his way to his father's home down the road. When he got there the lights were off save for a dull glow from the living room. He knocked on the door and waited. After a time the door opened to his father, who stood in his boxers and a bathrobe.

"Jeb? What the hell are you doin' here this late? What happened?"

"Nothin', just wanted to talk is all." Jeb said.

"Talk? You come here at 3 in the mornin' to 'just talk'?"

Jeb chuckled, a little embarrassed.

"Yeah, guess it can wait."

Jeb made to leave but stopped when his father called him and invited him inside.

"If your here this late it must be somethin' botherin' you good."

"You could say that." Jeb muttered as he took a seat across from his father's recliner. The TV was on and was playing some old late night game show. It was muted when Sam took a seat and looked at his son.

"So, what's eatin' you this late?"

Jeb hesitated for a bit, unsure of how to phrase it or even ask it. But he decided to just settle on getting to the point.

"Do you remember Dan Mathers?"

If Sam had been drinking he would have choked on it as those words came from Jeb. As it stood he just swallowed hard as his mouth became uncomfortably dry.

"That ain't a name I heard in a long time. Yeah, I remember. Lil shit that tormented you at school. What about him?"

"What happened to him?" Jeb asked.

Sam sighed. He knew this would come up eventually, he dreaded it but knew it would come anyway.

"From what we and the police could gather. Dan and two others followed you after school. When you went into the woods they followed."

"Yeah, I remember that much. But what about after?"

"I'm gettin' to that! Anyway, they followed you, or thought they were followin' you. From what police think is they kept goin' in the direction they thought you had. But they went to far and got lost."

"So they never found them?"

Sam sighed heavily.

"Yeah. Yeah they found 'em alright."

"What? They did?!"

"Yup. Didn't tell you this 'cause you were a lil kid and didn't need to hear about this stuff. The three bodies of the kids were found, or what was left of 'em."

"What was left?"

"Yeah. Grisly thing it was, if it wasn't for the pieces of clothes they had on to identify them then we wouldn't have known it was them or just some other poor animal."

Jeb swallowed.

"Did they know what did it?"

Sam looked at Jeb, that same fear and sadness on his face as it was almost 20 years ago.

"They think it was a wolf, or maybe a bear."

"A wolf or bear?"

"Yeah, it would've had to been. Whatever did that wasn't human that much was sure." Sam stated as he tried to look anywhere but at Jeb.

"That was it then? They got lost in the woods and some wolves or a bear got 'em?"

"Yup. That's the sad tale of Dan Mathers."

Jeb was feeling relieved. He thought maybe he had done something to Dan. Jeb, feeling at least a bit better, got up and thanked his father for talking with him this late.

As he went to leave out the door though Sam wrapped his son in a tight, desperate, hug.

"You come on by anytime you feel lost you hear? No matter what time it is I'll be here for you!"

Was he crying, Jeb thought as he returned the hug, though with less force.

"Sure Pa. Anytime."

Sam held his son for a long moment but had to let him go eventually. Jeb said goodbye and left back up the dark road towards his own home. As he vanished into the darkness Sam turned and saw Hilda on the sidewalk outside his home.

"It was you wasn't it?!"

She just smiled at Sam.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Don't lie! 20 years since then and not a word, peep or nightmare. Then suddenly he starts thinkin' about those boys?! It was you that put it in his head weren't it?!"

She chuckled.

"Oh Sam. We don't have to do anything. We didn't then, We don't now."

She smiled wider.

"He's just waking up is all."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"You know what it means Sam. It means that Jeb won't be some weak frail human for much longer! He'll become what he was always meant to be."

"Not if I can help it!" Sam seethed at the Crone.

She cackled darkly.

"It's amusing you think you can stop the inevitable. Jeb's Awakening is coming and there isn't anything you can do to stop it!"

Sam reached into a drawer by the door and pulled a gun out and pointed it at the Crone. Or where she was a moment ago. As he searched frantically for the creature all he could hear was her dark taunting cackle in the darkness.