Supreme: Man of Destiny One-Shot

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Supreme: Man of Destiny One-Shot

Written by Matt Laaksonen (Themanagement)
Edited by Daniel Dyer (Spider-Man Beyond)

Stop! Don’t read this until you have read Supreme: Man of Majesty #4

Damien Dax sits quietly, helplessly, on the stiff backed bench, waiting for the ruling to come in. The courtroom is well air-conditioned, but to him, the air still feels stifling and hot. He looks over his shoulder to see the tension on the face of his beautiful wife. She’s just as scared as he is.

This is so wrong... Karen and Darius don’t deserve this.

When the envelope opens, his heart sinks. “Damien Dax, on the charges of illegal funding, and embezzlement, the people find you guilty on both counts.”

Damien’s shoulders drop, he hangs his head. Thinking of his wife and son, the despair wells up immediately.

The judge speaks, “Damien, we have known each other for a long time. As councilman, you have done a great deal for this city. You are a well respected member of the community. I don’t understand why you chose to betray all of that. You embezzled money from the city coffers in an attempt to live a more lavish life. Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

Meekly, he chokes out the words, “I just wanted to provide for my family...”

“And your salary wasn’t enough? Look, Damien, I’ve made arrangements that will allow you to return the money and you can avoid jail time. Though you will never again be able to hold public office.”

Damien attempts to speak, but then stops himself. He is utterly broken and defeated. He doesn’t understand how everything led up to this.

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Littlehaven, Indiana, 2 years later

Eben Crane sits at his kitchen table, reading the morning paper. Looking across the kitchen, he smiles as he watches his wife fixing breakfast.

“Sarah, you were sleeping when I got in from the fields last night, so I figured I’d tell you this morning. Yesterday I hired a man to help with the work around the farm.”

“That’s good news. You won’t have to kill yourself to keep up anymore. What’s his name?”

“His name is Damien. He and his wife and son just moved in a mile down the road. Guess he got into some trouble a while back, has had a hard time finding work, and is looking for a place to start over.”

Sarah looks suspiciously at her husband, “Trouble? What kind of trouble?”

“He didn’t say for sure, but we needs the extra hand. Ethan isn’t old enough to run the heavier equipment yet, and like you said, I’ve been damn-near killing myself to keep up with all the extra work since Cletus quit. He starts this weekend, but I invited him and his wife over for lunch this afternoon while the kids are at school.”

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Ethan Crane walks down the hallway at school, excitedly giving Darius the tour.

“Man, it’s so cool that we’re neighbors.”

“Yeah...”

“Really! Since we already met on the bus, I get to have some time out of class to show you around.”

“Yeah...”

“Is something wrong, Darius?”

“Look, no offense, but it’s not like we’re going to be friends or anything, okay?! My dad is going to fuck up like he does everywhere else, and we’re just going to move again.”

“Sorry...”

“Well, I just want to get things straight between us right now.”

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Eben meets Damien on the porch, “Hello, Damien, come on in. This must be Karen.”

She smiles and shakes his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

He leads them into the house and introduces them to Sarah. “Damien, Karen, this is my wife, Sarah. Our son Ethan is at school right now. He probably met your boy on the bus. Darius, right? How old is he again?”

“He’s thirteen.”

Sarah smiles at Karen, “How ‘bout we let the boys get down to business and you help me finish lunch?”

Eben laughs, “Sounds like a plan, hon. Alright, Damien, how ‘bout I give you the tour of the place and you can get an idea of what you’ll be working on?”

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Damien sits in his recliner, staring out the window. He lifts the bottle to his lips, with the intent of taking another swig, his hand sways and he slops most of it on his chest. “DAMMIT”

“Damien... would you please lay off that a bit? The Cranes seem pretty nice. This is a good town. Lets just settle in, maybe we can stay here.”

“Why try? I’m a loser anyway!”

“Look! I’m not the one that gave up a great life just to have some extra cash, alright?! That’s all you! We’ve been bouncing around from town to town for two years... maybe you can lay off the damn booze for once, and actually hold a job!”

Damien drops the bottle on the floor and forces himself to his feet. He stumbles a bit, but gains his balance and storms across the living room toward Karen.

“What the hell did you just say to me?”

“Please, Damien don’t! The baby...”

“What about the baby?” He shoves her against the wall and rears his open hand back to slap her. “You think I give a rat’s ass? You’ll probably just squeeze out another worthless punk like Darius!”

She tries to push away, but is overpowered. Pleading, she cries out, “Please...”

Darius sits outside on the porch. He can’t help but feel helpless listening to his mom’s cries. Tears well up in his eyes, he drops his backpack and runs down the dirt driveway toward the street.

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Watching the basketball bounce off the backboard and through the hoop, Ethan smiles at his jump shot. He’s a bench player on the team now, but it’s only a matter of time before he is the star... at least, that’s what he imagines. Dribbling the ball back and forth, he jumps around. His dog Radar lets out a bark as he chases the ball.

Laughing, Ethan mimics a commentator’s voice, “It’s a pass outside to Crane, he stutter-steps, what a great move!” He pulls up and drains another shot. “Amazing! Crane nails the fade-away, what a way to end the game!” He throws his hands up in celebration.

He hears a laugh behind him, and is startled to see Darius watching him. Trying not to act embarrassed, he asks, “Wat’cha doin’?”

“My parents got in a fight. I was walking down the road and saw you out here.”

“Yeah, I was taking a break from algebra. Why don’t you take a shot?” He passes the ball to Darius, who clumsily catches it. He awkwardly throws the ball at the hoop, and it misses entirely.

He laughs at himself sheepishly, “Sorry, I’ve never played before.”

“Man, have you been missing out? Okay, here’s what you do... This hand steadies the ball, you bring it up in a smooth motion, jump a bit to help with the momentum, and push off with your other hand.” To demonstrate, he throws up a jump shot, and it drops perfectly into the hoop. “Here, give it another try.”

Darius does, and this time, the shot is a lot closer. “Wow, that’s pretty cool.”

“I’m always out here playing, come over any time you like. Earlier today you said you were really good at math. So you can help me out with my homework, and I’ll teach you how to play.”

Laughing as he terribly misses a shot, Darius says, “Yeah, that’d be alright.”

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Over the rest of the school year, and throughout the summer, Darius and Ethan become best friends. Ethan’s grades have increased, and Darius is good enough at basketball that he plans on trying out for the team the following year.

On a night just like any other, the boys play basketball until it gets dark out, and Darius has to go home. Ethan runs inside, shouting “Hey, Darius, I’ll see you tomorrow!”

“Cool, I’ll come in the morning with my dad. We can get your chores done early and play all day!”

Just as Darius is about to take off across the fields, Eben stops him. “Darius, come here for a second.” He pulls out a cigarette and lights it. “It’s good to see that you and Ethan have become such good friends. You know, his grades have increased all across the board since you boys started hanging out together. I just wanted to thank you. It means a lot to Sarah and I.”

“Hey, that’s no problem, Mr Crane. To tell you the truth, I’ve never really had a friend before. My parents moved too much, and I never got a chance to know anybody for too long.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear it. Here’s some money for all the help you do with Ethan’s chores.”

“I can’t accept that from you, Sir. This farm is the first real home I’ve ever had. I’m glad to help out.”

“Well, Darius, you have yourself a good night. Oh, by the way, let your dad know I’ll be out on the back property line tomorrow morning. The fencing out there needs some work, and I want to get started early.”

“I’ll do that, Sir.”

Eben smiles as he watches Darius run off across the field towards his house. “Darius, make sure you get home before this storm settles in. Looks like it’s going to be a good one!”

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Darius wishes that the Crane’s farm actually was his home. Sarah and Eben are so loving and accepting, he wonders what cruel twist of fate caused him to be the son of Damien Dax. Hearing thunder in the distance, he picks up his speed.

The storm moves in quickly. Darius barely makes it home before the downpour begins. Quickly jumping through the door, he kicks his shoes off. He notices seven empty beer cans laying on the floor next to his father’s recliner.

He walks over to his dad. “Mom... Dad, I’m home.”

His dad sneers at him. “Aren’t you supposed to be home before dark?”

“I was just over at Ethan’s. I ran straight here.”

Lifting himself out of his recliner, Damien snaps at him, “What ya’ doin’ over there so late? He your boyfriend now, boy, that it?”

It’s not the first time he’s heard the insult from Damien. “Oh yeah, Dad, that’s exactly what’s going on.”

“You think you’re funny now, do ya’?” He takes a step towards Darius, shoving him down onto the couch.

Karen runs into the room. “Damien! Don’t shove him around like that!”

“Shut up, this is none of your business, woman! If he gave a damn about us, he wouldn’t be over at the Crane’s all day long, every day!”

Darius can here his brother John start crying in the background. Lightning lights up the room, followed by a loud thunderclap. The power flickers momentarily. Damien grabs the remote control and throws it at Karen, hitting her on the chin. Seeing enough, Darius does the unthinkable; he doubles up his fist and punches his father. His dad turns and shoves him down again.

Looking into Damien’s eyes, he sees a look of pure rage; a rage that won’t simply drown itself in alcohol like normal. “Please, Dad! I’m sorry!” Scrambling to his feet, Darius turns and runs outside into the rain.

“Boy, if you want to throw a punch like a man, you take your asskicking like a man too!” Damien stumbles out the door after his son.

Darius runs across the yard, planning on running to the Crane’s house for help. His guilt stops him though. If he leaves now, he’ll be leaving his mother and little brother with that inebriated monster. He turns with the intent of standing his ground. Damien walks heavily across the yard through the torrent. When a flash of lightning breaks the darkness, he looks more like a zombie from a bad horror movie than an actual human being. The closely following rumble of thunder temporarily drowns out the line of obscenities Darius can here emanating from his father’s mouth.

“Dad, please, why are you doing this?!”

“You are an ungrateful little bastard! I make one fucking mistake in my life, and you and your bitch of a mother punish me for it forever!”

Darius sees his mother run out onto the porch. In another flash, he sees that her chin is split open, and she is bleeding down the front of her shirt. “Damien, please, just come back inside! I’m sorry! This is all my fault! This has nothing to do with Darius! I had it coming, but he was just trying to defend me!”

“Go back inside, Karen! He’s made it clear he doesn’t want to be a part of OUR family anymore!”

Suddenly, Darius notices something burning through the clouds in the distance. A massive white fireball plummets downward with unimaginable speed. Above the sound of the rain, he can hear the whistle of the object tearing through the sky. It slams into the side of the house with such force that Darius and his father are thrown from their feet.

Stunned by the impact, Darius painfully lifts his head. There is a strange burning sensation in his skin, and he is racked by a bought of nausea. He sees the ruins of his house, consumed by flames. In slow motion, he sees his father force himself to his feet and stumble towards the destroyed home.

“Karen?! Karen! Johnny! Oh... oh God!!” Suddenly, Damien falls to his knees, letting out a cry of anguish and extreme pain.

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Sitting on the porch with his father, Ethan watches the storm roll in. It’s one of his favorite things to do. It’s a rare treat to get a really good storm this late in the summer. Scratching Radar’s ears, he looks over and sees his dad smiling. “What?”

Eben takes a long drag off a cigarette and laughs. “It’s hard to explain, son. I guess I’m just proud you and I get to enjoy moments like this.”

“Dad, does anyone ever tell you that you’re pretty sentimental for a ‘simple farmer’?”

“Ha... there’s nothing simple ‘bout farming, son. But your mother tells me that I’m too sentimental every day. You do too for that matter.”

“Yeah, guess I just figure it bears repeating.”

Letting out a laugh, Eben pats his son on the back. “I didn’t have a good relationship with my dad. He was always too stuffy, and I was too rebellious. Neither one of us were the affectionate type. After he drank himself into an early grave, I was left with a lot of guilt over all the things we never did together that a father and son should do. My mom didn’t last very long after he was gone, and I was left with this farm as the only thing to remember them by. I swore to God that when I had a family, it would be different.”

Stopping for a moment, Eben looks out across the yard, watching the rain beat against the barn roof. “I was bitter for a long time. Then I met your mother, she’s a beautiful woman as I’m sure you know, but you should have seen her then. All that bitterness melted away the second I looked into her eyes. Didn’t take long, and we were married. When the doctor told us that we’d never have children, it was a blow, believe me. I felt that I would never get the chance to know what a real family was like. When the adoption agency told us about you, it was like God was giving us a second chance.”

“I know the story, but you never told it like this.”

“Well, you’re growing into quite the good young man, and I want you to know your mother and I are really proud. The Lord works in mysterious ways, son, but he always helps those that help themselves.”

They drift into silence, mesmerized by the rain and lightning. A loud sound explodes out of the serenity of the storm. It doesn’t sound like thunder. Radar lifts his head and lets out a low growl.

“What’s wrong, Radar? There’s nothing out there! It was just some kine of weird thunder.” Ethan is pretty sure it wasn’t thunder, but he has no other answer for it. Listening for a few more minutes, he doesn’t hear another sound like it.

Suddenly, and without warning, an explosion rocks the forest at the edge of the property. Radar lets out a yelp and plunges through the screen out into the yard, racing toward the direction of the explosion. Without thought, Ethan scrambles to his feet and chases Radar into the trees.

“Ethan wait!” Eben’s cry is too late, as he sees his son run into the forest.

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

“Radar! Come back, what are you doing?!”

Listening to Radar’s howls, Ethan stumbles blindly between the trees. Tripping over roots and vines, he makes it into the deeper woods, and the ground clears a bit, making it easier to walk. At night, under the thick canopy of pines, it’s nearly impossible to see. The trees have grown together so thick, that in the middle of the storm, there is barely a light sprinkle making it to the forest floor. A small amount of light from the lightning filters through.

“Radar, come on, boy, lets go back home!” He hears Radar howl again and runs in the direction of the sound. Tumbling into a small ravine, Ethan stops for a moment. He’s twisted his ankle hard, and now that he’s stopped moving, the cold begins to set in. Forcing himself back to his feet, he climbs the other side of the ravine. His climb is made difficult by the loose mud and his sore ankle. Radar lets out another howl, and it sounds much closer. But this time, the howl sounds pained. Forcing himself to a run, Ethan grits his teeth against the pain.

Running into a small clearing, Ethan is both astonished and frightened by what he sees. He sees a furrow cut into the ground where something impacted with tremendous force. At the deepest part of the furrow, the ground is mounded around a strange glowing rock. It is roughly the size of a basketball. Laying at the base of the mound, Radar lays in the mud. Frothing at the mouth, the dog is suffering from terrible convulsions, his feet kicking wildly.

“Radar!” In sheer terror, Ethan rushes to Radar’s side. Immediately, his skin begins to burn. The pain is excruciating. Forced to his knees by the pain, he throws out his hands to keep himself from falling face first into the mud. He didn’t notice it before, but he hears a low humming sound emanating from the rock. The sound penetrates his body, through his pain, he imagines that he can feel the molecules of his body matching the exact vibration of the sound. Not just his body, the Earth itself reverberates until the sound drowns out the storm and wind. Every memory of his life suddenly floods his mind. The synapse in his brain fires wildly until conscious thought becomes impossible, his entire body is wracked by searing agony, burning its way into his bone marrow. His eyes see nothing but a blinding white light, and then, everything goes black...

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Listening to his father howl, Darius knows something is horribly wrong. Replacing the agonized scream, his father begins to emanate an unearthly roar. His brain feels like it is vibrating inside his skull. The nausea overwhelms him and he vomits violently into the soaked grass. The roar coming from his father increases in depth and volume, overpowering the sound of the storm and the raging fire of his home. Suddenly, he gets a strange intuition that he needs to move to safety.

Scrambling quickly to a nearby bush, he dives underneath it, into the mud. Looking back at his father, he can not believe what he sees. His father is laying on the ground near the remains of the porch, wracked by horrible convulsions. In the light of the fire, he can see a terrible change overcoming Damien.

His skin peels away from the bones of his fingers. His flesh pulls back and stretches thin across his face, revealing bone and blood. In between the sound of his father’s agonized roars, he can actually hear the bones popping and the skin tearing. His jawbone reshapes to resemble that of an ape. Bony protrusions begin to grow from his spine, as his arms and shoulders grow heavier and more powerful. Watching this transmutation in horror, Darius crawls further into the deep grass of the field. The last thing he sees before he passes out, is a monster rising to its feet, exactly where his father was only moments ago.

With utter insanity in its voice the monster screams, “...KAREN!!”

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Knowing how easily Ethan could get lost in the woods in this weather, Eben races into the house. Calling to his sleeping wife, “Sarah get up! Something’s going on out in the storm! Ethan chased Radar into the woods. I’m going to look for him.” Scrambling through the dark, he finds his raincoat and a flashlight. “If he comes back, tell him to stay here!”

Never hearing that tone of fear in her husband’s voice, she cries, “What do you mean something’s going on out in the storm?!”

“I don’t know. It sounds like explosions. Radar ran off into the woods, and Ethan chased after him.”

“Eben, do you want my help?”

“No, I grew up in those woods. I’ll be able to find my way around just fine. I need you here if he comes back. I don’t know what’s going on, but I have a feeling that it’s really bad. If things start going south, you run for the storm cellar, you lock that door, and don’t open it for anything!” Not sure why, but he gets the feeling that he should bring his gun. Rushing to the cabinet, he grabs his .357 out of case and loads it. Without further hesitation, Eben races out the door and into the woods. Locking the door behind him, Sarah runs upstairs to change out of her robe and into some clothes.

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

After getting dressed, Sarah finds her raincoat and a flashlight. The lightning has intensified to the point that there is a near-strobe effect being caused by the flashes. Punctuating the sounds of the thunder are low rumbles that, deep down, she knows are not from the storm.

“Please Lord, let Eben and Ethan be okay...”

Suddenly she hears a loud cry out in the yard. Running to the window, she looks to see if it’s her husband or son. Not seeing anything, she thinks it’s the fear in her mind playing tricks on her. Then, she hears a loud crash on the door downstairs. Running to the staircase, she stops, mortified at the sight before her. Through the rain-streaked window on the door at the foot of the stairs, she sees the silhouette of some inhuman form out on the porch. It lets out a bloodcurdling roar as it slams against the door again. Caving in under the pressure, the door splinters inward, spraying shards of glass through the foyer. Immediately, overpowering wind gusts batter the stairwell, throwing family photos to the floor.

Draped in tattered and burned clothes, it is soaked from the rain. Bones protrude at sharp angles from its cheeks, brow, and chin. It has no lips, and in the place of its mouth, is a massive maw of sharp teeth. Its fingers look like bone. The monster’s skin is leathery and in some places, cracked and peeling. Hunched forward, its knuckles almost touch the floor. The shape of its body more closely resembles an ape than a human.

The monster looks up at her, confused, “Karen... Karen!?” The words are slurred, being forced through the badly malformed mouth. The creature rushes up the stairs towards her with blinding speed. Letting out a scream, she turns to run down the hall, but it grabs her ankle and yanks her to the floor. “Karen... no...” The monster stops for a moment, seemingly thinking. It forces itself on top of her. With unbelievable strength, it forces her wrists to the floor, and comes face to face with her. “...Sa... Sarah... you tried to... steal my son!”

With a terrifying realization of the monster’s identity, she mumbles, “Damien...?”

At the sound of his name, the monster is driven into a rage. Throwing her over the railing of the steps, she slams into the hardwood floor. Her breath forced out by the impact, she gasps, feeling small shards of glass stab into the palms of her hands. Damien leaps over the railing, landing on all fours next to her. She tries to climb to her feet, but the monster slams her back down. Grabbing her by her elbow and the back of her jeans, he lifts her and tosses her across the foyer and into the kitchen. Scrambling for a weapon, she finds a large knife. She looks back to see Damien moving on all fours towards her. In the flashes of lightning, he seems to be moving in slow motion. Thrusting upward with all of her might, she drives the knife into his thigh. As she twists it free, he lets out an agonized scream so loud it makes her ears ring. The inhuman sound actually makes the windows of the kitchen rattle.

Stumbling backward from the pain, Damien leans against the counter for a second. Sarah drags herself to her feet, seeing a possible opening. She drives toward him, stabbing again, driving the blade deep into Damien’s shoulder. She twists the knife, hoping to do more damage. Screaming in agony, Damien swats her arm away, forcing the knife from her grasp. She can feel her wrist break under the impact as she falls to the floor.

Letting out a cry of pain, she feels herself lifted into the air. Damien spins her around and throws her against the kitchen door with so much force that it is smashed from its hinges and she tumbles outside into the cold rain. Trying to crawl to her hands and knees, she finds that she can’t. Knowing that she is suffering from massive injuries, she begins to feel shock setting in as she lays in the muddy driveway, watching Damien move slowly towards her.

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

“Ethan! Where are you?!” Even with the flashlight, it’s hard for Eben to find his way in the thick woods. He isn’t very far into the trees when, through the sound of reverberating thunder, and the rain driving against the pines above him, he hears a strange howl in the distance. Pulling back the hood of his raincoat, he waits a moment to see if he can hear it again.

Waiting, he hears an unearthly howl. It’s coming from the direction of the house. He runs back through the trees, heedless of the limbs hitting him. Driven by adrenaline, he leaps over the vines and roots with an agility that he hasn’t possessed since he was a child. Fighting his way through the bushes at the edge of the trees, he rushes into the side yard of his home. From this vantage, he can see the front door smashed inward. He hears another pained cry, followed by a loud smash in the back of the house. Running as fast as he can, his heart stops as he reaches the back yard. He sees Sarah laying in the mud, unsuccessfully attempting to crawl to her feet. Stepping out onto the rear porch is a literal monster. Drawing his gun, Eben fires a shot. He hits the railing of the porch near the creature.

Turning, it looks at him. In a flash of lightning, Eben can see the terrible monster. This time, planting his feet, he fires another shot. The thing stumbles and falls to one knee, but immediately, it stands again.

It lets out a terrible howl, and as it charges him, it shouts his name. “Eben!”

Terrified at the thought, he fires another shot. Running on all fours, the monster stumbles, but stays on its feet. Trembling, he squeezes off another round, grazing its arm. With terrific force, the monster collides with him, knocking him from his feet. Worse, the gun is knocked from his hand. Breathing painfully, he knows he’s broken a rib. He rolls out of the way as the monster slams its fists into the ground directly where he was a second ago. Scrambling for the gun, it grabs his ankle, squeezing with enough force, he can feel bones break.

“Eben... smash you... tear you!”

Agonizingly, Eben twists in the monster’s grasp and kicks it in the groin. Howling, it lets go of his leg. Once again, he grabs for the gun. Finding it, he rolls over and fires another shot, hitting the monster square in the chest. The creature rears up and slams both fists downward, hitting Eben hard in his mid-section with a horrible popping sound. Adrenaline burns through the pain, and he focuses to shoot once more. The bullet hits home, driving straight through the monster’s throat. Attempting to roar, the only thing that escapes is a ragged gurgle. It swings its fists at Eben again, wildly missing.

Firing the last shot from the revolver, he shoots the monster in the face. Watching it fall backward, Eben knows it’s dead. Painfully, he rolls onto his stomach, attempting to crawl towards his wife. He can’t gets his legs to move; worse, he can’t feel them.

Dragging himself through the soaked grass, he feels himself losing consciousness. Weakly, he calls to his wife, “Sarah...”

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Feeling water dripping on his face, Ethan opens his eyes. The storm has passed and it’s morning. In the air, he can smell a hint of smoke. Blinking, he tries to make his eyes focus. Lifting himself to his feet, he stumbles sideways, catching himself against a tree. Under his grip, the bark of the tree splinters into tiny fragments.

“What...?”

Looking around, everything is strange, glowing with a weird iridescence. Blinking again, it doesn’t go away. Confused as to where he is, he tries to look for some recognizable landmark. Everything comes back to him the second he sees the large rock laying in the ground. It looks more like rust covered mettle than stone. Burn marks and pitting from rust cover its surface. Then he sees Radar laying on the ground and rushes toward him. Just as he lays his hand on him, the dog jumps up with blinding speed.

“Ruff!”

“Oh my God! I’m glad you’re okay!”

“Ruff, ruff!”

Startled, Ethan thinks that he almost understood Radar. I must be losing my mind!

“Grrrr!” Letting out a growl, Radar rushes through the trees with speed like Ethan has never seen. Running after the dog, Ethan is amazed with his own speed. He’s keeping pace with Radar. Suddenly, he feels all the strength snap out of his legs, he’s moving too fast to keep his footing, and tumbles head long into the ground.

Sitting there for a moment, he realizes that he can hear sirens coming from the direction of his house. Pushing his way through the bushes, he stumbles into the yard. That’s when he sees the horror. Two bodies lay in body bags in the yard, a third lays in the driveway. Police and rescue workers comb the scene.

“Mom! Dad!” Rushing toward the bodies, a police officer grabs him. With a solid heave, he sends the officer sprawling across the yard. Two more men grab him and lift him from his feet, barely holding on.

“Jesus Christ! We need help over here!!”

Another officer grabs his feet and they try to pin him down. The three are nearly overpowered.

“Ethan! Ethan! Calm down!” Ethan calms a little bit when he hears the familiar voice. He’s know Sheriff Hill since he was a child. Hill has been a friend of his dad’s for years. When Ethan relaxes a bit, the men let him go, and help him to his feet.

“Where are my mom and dad?”

Embracing Ethan, the Sheriff replies, “Oh, Ethan, I’m so sorry. Last night in the storm, your mother and father were killed. We’re trying to figure out what happened.” Ethan begins to sob. “It’s gonna be alright Ethan, you’ll be okay.”

“I ran into the woods in the storm. I wasn’t here...”

“Ethan, it wasn’t your fault. There is absolutely nothing that you could have done here to help them, believe me.”

Another officer comes running across the yard. “Sheriff, you’re gonna wanna hear this. Kid up the road at the Dax residence was just found laying out in the field. Said his dad got turned into a monster. Could be the thing that we found here.”

Tensing at the mention of a monster, Sheriff Hill shakes his head in a way to tell the officer to stop with the details. “Come on, Ethan, I bet you’re hungry. Lets get you out of those wet clothes, and get you some food.”

***