Monster

I had spent a long time pacing the shadows of the factory, where silence wrapped around me like a shroud. It wasn’t just peaceful, it was an escape, a reprieve from the gnawing tension that clung to me. Neither Martin nor Alex had found me there, and that only fed the calm that had settled into my bones. I felt totally unattached from the world… and it felt nice.

But beneath that calm, something darker simmered, something I tried not to acknowledge. My anger, once seething and chaotic, had cooled into something far more dangerous. A deep, controlled fury. The things Abel had said… the things I realized about the entity.

The beast inside me had quieted, no longer excitedly thrashing as it had at Abel’s, but that didn’t mean it was gone. No, it lingered, patient and waiting for the moment it happened. The moment Abel had spoken about; wanting me to lose control and tear down the pits beneath the city. When he said it, something had clicked in my mind. His words dug deep, awakening something in me. Something in the monster that felt like it had been locked away until now. The monster had reveled in it, drinking in the thought of carnage like it was its lifeblood. It thrived on the idea, every nerve alight with anticipation.

The urge to unleash it was overwhelming in certain moments. It didn’t care about reason or consequence, only the thrill of destruction. It ached to tear into the heart of that abyss, to drag itself into the deepest shadows of the pits. It didn’t matter what hid below; Ancients, supernatural elders, it didn’t matter how powerful, how old; the beast wanted them dead. It wanted their blood on its hands, to crush their bones beneath its rage. That dark hunger burned inside me; deeper than any fury I’d ever known. At that moment, nothing else mattered but the raw, brutal need to destroy, to let the beast loose, and never look back. It wanted to be there the moment the creatures of the pits faded from this life and into the next.

I was walking around the crevices of the buildings when I couldn’t keep myself up anymore. I felt tiredness come over me. It was unusual… foreign to me after so much time as the monster where I never felt tired; not in the way I was now. It wasn’t alarming, especially since I was looking for a way to hide from the world.

I sprawled out in a small room that had rusted machinery inside. Their positions locked in place by corrosion from years of being forgotten, weathering the element and time. I’d join them for a while. The scents of the oxidized material filled my nose as I lay on the hard cement ground. Then, I slipped away into darkness as my eyes closed. It felt… good.

Dreams… or memories played in my head. One minute it was Autumn, the next Vicky. I saw my brother, Mom, Dad, Caydee, all of my family and friends. I was with them all, and I was happy. It was literally a dream come true; everything I had ever wanted since becoming this creature. Nothing specific, I was just with them. I wasn’t sure if it was dreams, or if I was just imagining my hopes; but… I didn’t want to leave… ever.

I felt a fog settle over my body, even through sleep as I lingered within the factory’s cold walls. I wasn’t worried, I just welcomed the dreams as they shifted and changed to pure bliss. The rest of the world could worry about itself for a while. It was like I was in deep hibernation, unaware of the concept of time, worries, or fears.

Something changed. I can’t say what was made different, but suddenly, I felt a sense of clarity return. The fog was washed from me, and my conscious thought returned. My eyes creaked open, but my body lay still. The moon hung high in the sky, its pale light spilling through the cracks in the bricks, casting soft shadows across the floor and rusty machinery around me.

I pushed myself up from the hard floor, my bones cracked and popped, protesting movement after so long settling in place. Each stretch felt foreign yet necessary, awakening muscles that had grown stiff. I made my way toward the exit, rubbing my eyes and shaking off the remnants of sleep. I saw dust and a few small leaves fall from where they settled on the surface of my body as I stood and moved.

In the cool night air, I took a deep breath, savoring the fresh air that bled into the cracks of the musty, condemned building. The factory loomed over me, dark and silent, like a tomb. It was time to go. Without ceremony, I made my way to an exit.

I headed out, unsure what day it was, or how much time had truly passed since I faded away in the factory. Stranger even, I knew something wasn’t right, but I still didn’t feel worried about it. Honestly, I felt good.

I guess my mom was right. When I was young, being a little asshole, and throwing a tantrum, she used to say, “A nap’ll do you good!” She was right, I felt like a whole new me.

The glazed-over feeling I still had in my mind made me numb to worries or fears. All I was thinking about was the dreams I was having, wishing I was still in them. They seemed so real. I didn’t want them to end; a part of me wanted to go back to sleep. But I had to get out. I knew I needed to clear my head and return to the fucked-up reality of what had been going on. I really thought I should be more worried about Peter potentially still on the loose… but I wasn’t.

I did a lot of walking and a lot of thinking. I had a lot to go over in my head after my night out with Martin, and Alex. Martin’s words played over in my head, as well as my experiences with Alex. Then there was Abel. The old man’s strange knowledge and advice got my mind buzzing again. Things he said… things that I connected to his words... it altered my perception of things. Of what I might be…

He wanted me to go down into the pits and destroy everything. Anyone and anything down there needed to be wiped out. Abel didn’t inform me on how to get down there though, nor what exactly I would face if I did make it. That was the first step to his request that stopped me in my tracks if I even wanted to do it.

That’s the kind of shit that really annoyed me. If people could just be straight with me, no bullshit, no mysteriousness, and just tell me what they wanted, I’d probably do it. If there was a big door down there in the caves that said ‘The Pits’ I’d probably walk through it; and, nine times out of ten, if I ran into some fucked up creatures… I’d probably kill them too. But I guess life just isn’t that easy.

The more I walked the outskirts of the city, running the possibility through my mind, the more curious I became about the “elders” below and the “ancient” beings Abel spoke of. From all the things I had heard, the pits were like a whole other world for the supernatural. It was where the evil rested and hid from greater society. They could remain a shadow in the civilized world, giving them the edge… the power to be the unknown. The pits were also a haven for creatures of the night to escape from any potential dangers that lurked above; those being few and far between.

There was a vampire that escaped me in the early days of my time with the Chasses. He got away that night Autumn and I were attacked, and I never saw him again. Martin had a run-in with the guy, but after that, he disappeared. He probably still hid down there… worried he might run into the dark-eyed creature that slayed his friends. Unless he believed the lie that was told to the elders; that I had been killed by the silver-haired vampire, Charles.

I was very close to Martin’s safe house. I hopped over a slow-moving train that blocked my path on a railroad, lazily making its way to wherever it was going. The screeching metal and mechanical rumble of the train slowly distanced itself from me as I began walking towards the safehouse. I'd need to clean up and get some new clothes. I just hoped nobody else would be there. I still didn’t want to deal with anyone while I felt such uncertainty about what I had inside me, and what I was tied to. I wanted the carelessness that had crept over me to last a while longer, but I knew if I had visitors, that it would be swept away quickly.

I stepped through a thick patch of trees where no people or structures were in sight. Lights lingered in the distance, but I was still far from any other souls as I moved between the trees.

“Sam…” a voice called behind me in the middle of the night.

I spun on my heels quickly to see who the fuck was trying to sneak up on me. No one got the drop on me.

I felt a thick shroud blanket the area, descending upon me like an unseen veil. It rushed in all at once, coiling around me and hanging in the air in a rough circle about fifty yards in diameter. This dense sheen felt alive, pulsating with an unsettling energy that distorted the things in the distance. The world beyond this hazy sheen faded into a distant memory, creating a barrier that isolated me from the rest of the world.

Inside this strange pocket of existence, the air was heavy, thick enough to taste, and it wrapped around me like a suffocating embrace. The silence deepened, amplifying the eerie stillness as if the universe itself held its breath, waiting for something to unfold. I could feel a low hum vibrating through the ground beneath my feet, a warning of the otherworldly power stirring in the shadows.

At that moment, it was as though I had stepped into another realm… just outside of the real world. It seemed almost like… I was still in the physical world… but not. A sense of foreboding gripped me, as if unseen eyes were watching, lurking just beyond the fog, ready to pounce. The isolation was suffocating. The weight of the unknown pressed down on me, and I could feel forces at play, pulling at the edges of my senses as this new place settled. Even stranger, I felt the monster inside its cage… it was eager. It welcomed whatever this was.

Then, at the border across from me, stood a familiar figure.

I met the gaze of a familiar black-eyed face; it was in the form of Jon, but I knew who it really was. The terrifyingly ominous aura told me all I needed to know. This form, the one he started showing himself to me with, was only a fraction of his immense power, but equally as identifiable. From what I could tell, this guy had no equal; none that I had met so far. When he decided to let me feel his power, I felt like an ant beneath a giant’s heel. But… I didn’t feel that at the moment. This was different.

"This is new," I said slowly, looking around the perimeter.

"I need to speak with you.” His voice was cold and emotionless.

"About," I asked, unsure if I should pretend like I cared.

"Something has come to my attention. The one who was agitating the beast before, I sensed his presence again. He only appears when he slips out from behind the veil he is cloaked in. Only when he is careless. He's back, and he’s here in this city… with your friends.”

“What… my friends? No,” I replied. “They aren’t even here. They left town.”

“They are back, and they are going up against him.”

“What?” I shook my head. It didn’t make sense; they had just left.

“You have been under his power again. He knows now that he cannot kill you, so he is trying to tranquilize you… keep you away while he works to become stronger. You’ve been asleep.”

“Peter Grimwood?” I was shocked. It couldn't be right. “I killed him."

“You have been asleep for eight days,” Jon said. “This person has been throwing off the balance for years. He has been taught how to stay hidden from me, only showing glimpses of themselves through the acts of others. He has been told of the rules. He has a… benefactor.”

“I don’t get it,” I growled, holding back the urge to snap. “How can you see everyone else you send me after, but not him? I killed Peter. That’s not in question. The only way he’s still here is if he crawled back from the dead.” I stared Jon down, the words heavy with suspicion. “Wouldn’t that tip your fucking balance?”

Jon's expression remained cold, emotionless. “I can only grant the vision when the balance has shifted far enough,” he said, his gaze distant, fixed on the hazy outline of St. Louis like he was seeing something buried deep within its shadows. “Peter Grimwood… he’s entangled in threads you’ve already touched, intertwined with the deaths of those we needed removed. But he’s cloaked, hidden by a force beyond your comprehension… and it shields him from my sight.”

I cut him off, my voice hard. “An Ancient, then?” The words felt sharp on my tongue, spit out with the venom of realization. I wanted to see how he’d react, wanted to prove I was onto him.

Jon smiled, a slow, unnerving curl of his lips. “You’ve learned something… good. You're edging closer to the truth. Keep digging.”

My gut twisted. “So, what are you, then? Another Ancient? You and whatever Peter’s tied to… is this some kind of power struggle I’ve been dragged into? I’m just a pawn, right? This balance you talk about… what is it? Balance between you and the other ancient assholes that hide around the world.” The sick feeling rose, knowing I was trapped in a game too big for me to even see the board.

Jon’s eyes darkened, his voice dropping into something more chilling. “When the time comes, Sam… you won’t need to ask. You’ll feel the truth in your very bones.” His stare was empty, black as if the humanity in him had drained away. “But you’re still not ready yet. You cannot comprehend what they are… let alone my purpose… or yours; not until you come to terms with things on your own. You need to open your eyes…”

My fists clenched, every nerve bristling with resistance. I wished I could reach out and smack this guy. It was always lingering around the unanswered questions. I wanted answers.

“Peter’s hiding. Using people to do his dirty work without drawing too much from his patron’s power,” Jon continued. “But now… he disobeyed… he’s stepped out of the shadows… and I saw him.”

I spoke up, interrupting him, but I think he knew it was coming, “If you saw him then send me! Give me his name… the vision. Let me kill him so I can protect my friends!” My words were laced with power and will from my soul. He had to listen.

“I cannot.”

I shook my head in anger, “Why? You can’t… or you won't?”

Jon looked me dead in the eyes and corrected himself with his same monotone voice, “I will not.”

A moment passed between us, and I gritted my teeth as he decided to just blow me off. He just stared at me, waiting to see what I’d say.

“The crows led you to a boy, then to a man. That man was nothing more than a tool; Peter’s puppet. And Peter himself? Just a piece in a larger game, guided by an ancient entity shifting the balance in its favor.” Jon’s voice was too calm, too knowing. “He’s stolen power from those he’s killed, used it to fuel his own. He’s done this across your world, countless times. By all rights he should be killed, met by my beast’s vengeful hand. But in the grand scheme of things… Peter’s insignificant. A mere speck in a long history of souls who crave power at any cost. Everything he’s done is just another ripple in a greater pond. He is following the will of something much greater. However,” Jon’s smile twisted into something darker, “we can use him.”

My skin crawled at the grin spreading across his face. “How? And for what?”

“I’ve set events into motion, actions that have taken centuries to unfold. Ancients grow influence and make moves slowly, over the course of decades… centuries. Peter’s death will be swift when the time comes, but the death of the one who sent Peter is what I am truly after.”

Jon was very honest about this part, trying to make me understand. It was a rare light of knowledge in this dark and twisted world of unknowns.

“Why are you telling me all this now?” I asked.

“Because… when the time comes, I need for you to stop resisting. Use the power I have given you. All of it.” Jon’s eyes were cold black spheres, boring into me with unshakable resolve.

I felt anger and resentment surge towards him quickly. My human side hated him for tasking me with his will. Why couldn’t he just fucking do it?

“Fuck you,” I snapped, the words cutting like a blade. “I’m not your damn puppet. I’m not some murderer. This… thing inside me… this monster, it’s making me do things I would have never done. That man in the alley? I could feel it forcing my hand, taking my body over completely. It felt like I was some rabid animal… chasing him down for the pleasure of it. I knew nothing about him… he could have been innocent, someone's father… brother… I didn’t know anything about him, and I just killed him.” I shook my head in disgust. “I’ll fight you to the end of time before I just give up and let you control me.”

Jon’s expression shifted; weariness mixed with the frustration of dealing with a stubborn child. “Lyle Holt, the man you killed… he walked in the same circles as Peter. Not under the shadow of the same Ancient, but another. My power… the ‘monster’ inside you sensed it. Urged you to act. You denied it. But when I call, you answer. That was the deal you made for Eleanor to return. It will be upheld.”

His words were iron; cold, unyielding. A strange relief settled over me, knowing that man wasn’t some innocent victim. He was involved in something dark, twisted. It hit me all at once, leaving me breathless, but I still had a storm of questions swirling in my mind. I felt a sigh of relief exhale from my body unexpectedly like I had let out the breath that I had been holding onto since that night I killed him. I was taking Jon’s word for it… but I didn’t question it. For some reason… it felt true. The monster agreed from down in its cage.

“Another Ancient? I asked. “How many are there?” I shuddered at the thought of the immensity, feeling too big for me to do anything about. I had never seen one, but I felt a weight to them as we spoke.

“One is too many for this age. They all need to meet their end.”

I started to realize my emotions and thoughts had run wild for a while. I assumed things and got way off track with the entity… Jon, whatever the fuck I was supposed to call him. I was here now, and I needed to learn as much as I could.

“What exactly are the Ancients?” I wanted to know. I was ready to learn.

Jon was silent, measuring his words to not give away too much. I still didn’t understand why he couldn’t just tell me… but I’d take what he could give.

“What they are is unimportant. What you should know is that their purpose came to an end a long time ago. However, after only a few fell and breathed their last, the rest went into hiding. Some buried themselves beneath the earth. Others found an escape into other worlds; other planes of existence. As humanity grew and evolved, they stayed away, fearing that if they returned… they too would die. Now they poke and prod from afar, trying to tip the balance in their favor to one day return.”

“Peter’s… is trying to return?” I asked, worried what that would mean for my friends and family.

“He has for a long time… they all do… in their own ways,” Jon seemed done explaining things.

“If Peter survived what I did to him, what else can I do?”

John nodded his head like he knew I was going to ask this question. “When the time comes, I will show you what to do," John spoke like it was pure fact and fact alone. "Until then, you may want to reach your friends. They are experiencing something right now… deaths that were not meant to be…”

My mind went into overdrive, "What! Who?” I begged for the information.

“Peter is there, attempting to complete his ritual before you awaken. However, his focus on the task seems to have loosened his hold over you.”

“How can he affect me like that?” I asked, still shaken by the thought of losing so much time. What had happened while I was asleep?

“He has many abilities granted by the one he serves, but they will soon fail against you. You continue to grow in strength, while he will not be able to keep up forever.”

I asked bluntly, “Can’t you see him now? Can't you do something?”

“Yes, I can see him. But I won’t stop what he is doing,” John told me.

“What, you have to!" I urged. “If you come with me, we can kill him tonight, for good. We can help them!” I felt a hint of hope like we could end this now and no one would have to die.

"I cannot enter the city with you." Jon's voice was cold, calculating, as if this was all part of some larger, unseen equation. "Even in this form, if I approached your friends or crossed the city’s boundaries... the deaths would spiral out of control." His expression was stone, eyes reflecting nothing but dark purpose. "I can only manifest a fraction of myself here in this veil, and even that has limits."

He paused, gaze hardening as if weighing more than just the present moment. "But there's something more you need to grasp. A lesson that will serve you the longer you live in this role. You don't get to save everyone. The balance must be maintained. People die, not just because of chance, but because the world demands equilibrium. Every choice you make tilts that balance into something’s direction, and there are always consequences. I’m not here to tip the scales in your favor whenever it suits you. That’s not how this works."

His stare was unflinching, colder than before. I gritted my teeth, wanting to punch him in his fucking face. Angry that he thought he could teach me some kind of lesson like this when my friend's lives could be on the line.

"We are bound to a path now. The Ancient will fall, and nothing else changes until then. The balance remains intact, no matter who it costs. You need to learn to live within it. I’ve set this course, and it will stay that way!" His black, lifeless eyes bore into me, a silent warning that this wasn't just about power, it was about maintaining things the way he set them, regardless of who else paid the price. His final words actually felt like they had an emotion behind them, but I couldn’t place what it was.

I looked toward the city again, my heart hammering in my chest. Was he done talking? I didn’t care. Every instinct screamed at me to run, to make it in time. What if it was Autumn? What if she was the one about to die? I couldn’t let that happen. No matter what this cold bastard said, I had to get to her.

The shimmering haze around me vanished, and my body took over before I even realized it. My feet slammed into the ground, muscles surging as I pushed off with everything I had, gouging deep marks into the earth where I stood. I whipped my head back, just for a second, ready to scream one last thing at Jon… to tell him to go fuck himself, but he was already gone. Whatever that place had been, it was gone too. I was back in the real world.

So I ran. I ran like hell, like the wind was on fire beneath my heels, every breath a desperate drag of air. My senses flared, straining, clawing for any hint of my friends’ location, any sign of where Autumn might be. I couldn’t lose her. Not today. Not ever.