Episode 1 - Memory Kills, Part I
Dreadfang
Season One, Episode One – D01-0101
Memory Kills, Part I
Please don’t ask how I got here... it just seemed to happen. Almost like destiny, or even... fate.
Somehow, I didn’t seem to age, or even grow. I didn’t seem to change at all over twenty-two years... but I couldn’t even remember what I would have changed from. I couldn’t remember my name or even my friends. I didn’t know anything about the person I once was, or the person I was meant to be. Only who I was, and that wasn’t me.
Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Scott Thompson, I’m only 18 years old, but here’s the kicker; I was born April 14th 1968. I’m still only 5’6†with long brown hair and ocean-blue eyes. I hunch a little when I stand and I breathe heavily. People call me a nuisance... in both lives of mine.
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention; I’m a vampire.
No, not by choice, and I didn’t remember until about a year ago when everything came rushing back to me. Let me tell you my story, but follow closely, because it has a few twists and turns...
October 17th 2008 – 9:39 AM – Chicago, Illinois – Ray’s Coffee House
Now, before we get into how I regained my memory, let’s just talk a bit about what my life was like before I gained my role as the defender of Earth.
As I sat in my friend’s dad’s coffee house, a pen in hand and a notebook sitting open on the table in front of me, I pondered the thought of the thought that I couldn’t remember. A thought that had been plaguing my mind for weeks, pushing months. But this wasn’t something like writer’s block, no, it was a memory pushing its way to the surface. Only, I didn’t realize it.
A black-and-red armor-clad warrior, bright yellow eyes and a chain around his right leg.
It was my inspiration for an untitled project I was writing about just that, an armor-clad warrior who fought against the forces of evil. And those creatures, vampire creatures of the night, I called Blood Devils.
I was juggling a lot of thoughts at that moment. The image wouldn’t get out of my head, and I knew it wasn’t just a vision of my character but I tried to ignore it anyway. Then I was also thinking about how to start the story off. But the thing that was bugging me the most was the next day, the day I kept telling myself would be the day I ask Lillian Taylor out.
I’d liked Lillian since the first time I saw her in High School. She just had this amazing black hair that looked like midnight, and these beautiful green eyes that looked like a meadow in the middle of Spring. She had talked to me a few times but we never really became friends. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that she was dating my best friend Charlie Dunkirk.
I can’t say their romance didn’t have its advantages. I mean, Lillian was head of the drama club so I was allowed to write bits and pieces of some of the school plays, which made me pretty happy. It gave me something to put on the resume for my first job interview, but we’ll talk about that later.
I was happy for Charlie, really, I was. But the romance put strains on our relationship as well. We had been best friends since the first grade and Charlie liked Lillian since Middle School, so he obviously had a better chance with her. But Charlie was the kind of person who liked to brag about things, and I was never one for conflict or violence, but I still remember one day in our Sophomore Year where Charlie decided to keep teasing me about Lillian, and after about ten minutes of back and forth bickering, I punched him square in the nose.
But you know how things work with two men. By the next week, we were hanging out downtown again and laughing about what happened. Was I jealous of Charlie? Sure. He had the girl, the sweet car, and the life I had always wanted.
And what did I have? Well, I had the best friend who had the girl, a cousin who had the car, and a life nothing like the one I wanted. You see, my days as a teenager always went the same way. I woke up, ate my breakfast, and left the house full of pain and sorrow to go to school, my sanctuary. I had six classes filled with all the same boring crap everyone has; talk about the biological differences between us and the frog, talking about how we were much more advanced but everyone, especially me, knew that the frog had it better than us. Then we would talk about the Civil War and how our lives would be different today without it, and I ask myself if it’s significant enough for me to like my life because north beat south.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I had a bad life during High School. I had food to eat, clothes on my back, and a roof over my head. But it doesn’t much help having an alcoholic father, a mom who gets depressed and beaten by said alcoholic father, and a brother that disappeared before you were born, which leads you to wonder if you ever had a brother or if your parents wanted you to focus on where he might be instead of the bruises on your mother’s face.
Except for the aforementioned difficulties, I had a pretty average life. Not that it’s that much different now. I’m still 18 but its fall, and I’m living with Charlie now. We graduated just a mere four months ago and now we’re out on our own, living the life we never wanted.
We’re getting by I suppose, but after breaking up with Lillian, Charlie’s been pretty depressed. He quit his job and he’s stopped showering. What makes matters worse is that I don’t have a full time job right now, so to pay our rent I’ve been doing part-time work at an old friend’s dad’s coffee shop, the same place I mentioned earlier.
This friend’s name was Daniel Whitaker. I met him at the painting station back in Kindergarten, and we immediately hit it off. We were the best of friends until Sophomore Year in High School. It’s a hard subject for me to talk about, but he had just gotten his driver’s license and he asked me if I wanted to go hang out at the mall with him. I said no and told him to go alone, not because I wanted to be mean, but because it was horrible outside; pouring rain and lightning. It just wasn’t driving weather. But this is another part of the story I’ll have to talk about later.
Okay, but back to the story. Where was I, exactly? Coffee shop, writing, thoughts... Oh yeah!
Okay, so I was sitting in the coffee shop, pen in hand and notebook in front of me, thinking about that warrior, the one I thought I made up for my story, wondering why I kept thinking he was real. Did I see him on some TV show before? No, that can’t be it, I told myself. So I had finally figured out how to start off my story, and I looked down at the notebook, touching the pen to the paper, and I began to write, speaking what I wrote as I went along, as if ignoring that anyone else was around.
And so it began...
In a world where the puny humans of Earth live in silent peace, they are unaware of the danger that lies right before them. The creatures they had feared for so long, the ones they thought to be works of fiction, had existed alongside them for centuries, but they had erased this truth from their memories, trying to live in a quiet world where they could trust everyone. But they couldn’t trust everyone... they couldn’t trust anyone. But there was a warrior, a savior, who watched over them from the shadows. Who was he? He was...
No, I said to myself, scratching out that first paragraph. That’s not good. I can’t even think of a name for him!
And then I heard Lillian’s voice from behind me, and I was surprised. I wasn’t sure she’d want to talk to me after she broke up with Charlie. “Don’t be silly, that’s great.†She said, grabbing my pen and pulling it out my hand. She held it above my head and waved it at me, as if teasing me and telling me to try and grab it. “You know Scott; I’ve always thought you were a talented writer. Why don’t you try and submit some stuff to the local newspaper? You did great on our High School paper.â€
I looked up at her and instantly smiled from ear to ear. She was as beautiful that day as she ever was, if not more. I grabbed for my pen but she pulled it away and giggled. I laughed too, but I knew I had to reply to her comment, so I told her about that job interview I mentioned to you earlier. “Lillian, it’s great to see you again.†She set my pen on the table and sat down on the other side of the table to talk to me. “Well, you know, I sent in some of my work to the paper but they said I probably won’t get it, but they’re going to look over my resume and get back to me in about a week.â€
“That’s good, Scott! You’re getting somewhere!†I could tell she was trying to make small talk, but I could also tell that she was in pain because of the breakup, so I decided to get her talking to get her mind off of things.
So I asked her how she had been doing, and I prepared for a long conversation that would eat up my day.
But no, that’s not what I got. All she said was “I’m doing well, a little tired, but well.†After she gave her reply, she looked straight into my eyes and smiled a wide-eye smile. “What about you?†she asked almost immediately, and I knew her well enough to know that when she tries to get you to talk instead of her, something’s wrong.
But I played along anyway.
“I’m living. Still trying to just write my stories. In fact, I just came up with a new idea the other day. I honestly think it’s one of my best.â€
“Oh really?†She was trying to play interested, I could tell. But, she kept right on with her act.â€What’s this one about?â€
It was at this point that I was stuck in a hard situation to get out of. I could fuel her self-pity fire by explaining my story, ruin whatever she was planning by telling her it ‘wasn’t ready for the world yet’, or I could leave her depressed and betrayed by finding some way to get out of the whole conversation and leave the coffee shop.
But I couldn’t tell her it wasn’t ready in case she really did want to hear what it was about. I couldn’t leave because she may be talking to me to really talk to me, and I didn’t want to tell her my story because I thought she would make fun of me. Plus, I was only on break at the time and I had to be back at work within the next three minutes anyway, so any option was a tough one for me.
What was I to do?
June 23rd 1986 – 11:12 AM – Chicago, Illinois – Ray’s Coffee House
A man greatly resembling Scott enters the coffee house, which has not changed a bit in twenty-two years. As the door opens, a bell hanging above it is forced to ring. The man shuts the door gently behind him. In one hand, he carries a large black violin case. In the other hand, he carries a notebook which is torn and tattered. He walks up to the counter at the front of the shop and sets his case on the ground. He is wearing a pair of brown trousers and a long brown cloth jacket that goes down to his knees. His hair is messy, but his face is perfectly clean.
“Ray.†he says calmly. “Ray, I’ve arrived. Bring me my coffee.†He sets the notebook on the counter and pulls out a pencil that is covered in bite marks. He opens the notebook and flips to a blank page. “Ray, I said I have arrived... Where is my coffee?â€
A man of about thirty years of age walks out from the back room, wearing a bright yellow Hawaiian shirt, a geeky pair of framed glasses, and brown khaki shorts. He has a towel wrapped around his hands, drying them off. “Sir...†he begins, removing the towel from his hands and setting it aside on the end of the counter, “...do I know you from somewhere?â€
The man looks up at Ray with a sneer on his face and he drops his pencil on the counter. “Why Ray, how dare you not know my name. I... am Scott Thompson. The great Scott Thompson.â€
Ray squints through his glasses and looks at Scott. He smiles and bears his teeth. “Never heard of you.â€
Scott’s jaw drops as he looks into Ray’s eyes. “No...â€
“So sir, what can I get for you today?†Ray asks, standing back up straight.
“Coffee, I guess?â€
Scott squints his eyes and lets out a long sigh. “Yes, coffee. Decaf...†He lets his head fall limp onto the pages of his notebook, next to his pencil which then is forced to roll away, down to the other side of the counter.
Ray turns and looks the opposite way, standing in front of the coffee machine.
The bell rings once more, indicating that another customer has entered. Scott
ignores the sound and keeps his head down on his notebook, his eyes close and a grin on his face, almost as if he has entered a peaceful dream state. He reaches out and, without looking, grabs his pencil and pulls it back towards him, placing it next to his notebook once again.
The other customer that has entered is a tall muscular man with a shiny bald head and a leather jacket covering his torso. His pants are also made of leather and his boots have spikes on the heels. He sits next to Scott and pushes his notebook, pencil, and Scot himself away from him. He looks down at Scott and sneers. “No sleeping here, pal.â€
Scott’s head jolts up from the notebook and he immediately has an aware look upon his face. He looks at the man and says “...I do not remember asking you...â€
The man stands back up, towering over Scott, looking down at him with an annoyed, angry look on his face. “Listen here, little man...â€
Scott also stands up, but he only reaches up to the man’s chest. He takes a deep breath and shifts his view up to the man’s face and he lets out a small, barely noticeable growl. “No, you listen here. I’ve been coming here for years, and I’ve never even seen you before. Who are you to tell me, the great Scott Thompson, where to sleep?â€
Ray looks over his shoulder while he fills up a white cup with the decaf coffee Scott ordered. “Actually sir, I’ve never seen you in here before. Mr. Knight has been a customer for years now.â€
The larger man, Mr. Knight, tightens his arms at his side, showing his muscles through his leather jacket. He raises his shoulders a bit and takes in a deep breath, holding it in as he takes two steps towards Scott. “No sleeping.â€
Scott takes a step back, but keeps his serious posture and tenses his arms as well, but barely any muscles can be seen through his shirt. He lets his breath out and looks up at Mr. Knight. “Well, I, uh... no sleeping, you say?â€
Mr. Knight continues to hold in his breath.
Scott lets his arms fall loose and he sits back in his seat. He looks down at his notebook and then over at his violin case, but only for a second, as he then looks back at his notebook and pencil. “I guess I’ll just sit here, quietly?â€
“Smart choice.†Says Mr. Knight, turning around and sitting down again. “Ray, I’ll take the usual. You can get this idiot’s coffee first, if you want.â€
Scott, while backing down on the outside, was actually devising a plan to deal with Mr. Knight. Nobody makes a fool out of me... not Scott Thompson. Nobody! Especially not before I get my coffee.
Ray turns around, holding the white cup filled to the top with Scott’s decaf coffee. He sets it on the counter next to Scott’s notebook, and says “Here you go weirdo. That’ll be $4.65.â€
Scott lifts his head up and wafts the coffee fumes to his nose, inhaling them slowly. “Ah, yes. Just like you always make it Ray. It smells exquisite.†He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a gray leather wallet. When he opens the flaps, a small plume of dust puffs out. He looks inside and then looks back up at Ray. “I don’t believe I have any money today. Can I put it on my tab?â€
Ray turns around and grabs another white cup, putting it into the coffee machine. “Sorry buddy, but we don’t do that here. You pay or you don’t drink, unfortunately.â€
“What do you mean unfortunately?†Scott asks, putting his wallet away.
“I make myself pay too.†Ray replies. “This is unfortunate because sometimes I don’t have any money on myself, so I can’t drink anything when I’m thirsty until I get back home.â€
“That’s... odd.†Says Scott. “But there must be some way I can not pay this time, after all, I am...â€
Ray cuts him off. “Yeah yeah, you’re Scott Thompson, we know.â€
Scott grabs his cup and raises it to his lips, ready to take a sip, when suddenly, Mr. Knight grabs the cup as well and pushes it back onto the counter. A small amount of coffee spills over the edge of the cup and falls to the counter. “No drinking unless you pay.†Says Mr. Knight. “Now, clean up the mess you made.â€
Growing tired of this Mr. Knight and his attitude, Scott lets go of the cup and gently pushes his hand away from his area. “Listen, I don’t want any trouble. I’ll gladly clean it up. I’m not completely inconsiderate, you know.â€
Mr. Knight nods his head and shows a small smirk. “Good boy. Now, I’m thinking you should either pay Ray or leave the coffee house.â€
Scott sighs with frustration. He reaches over the counter and grabs a roll of paper towels. He pulls three of them off the roll and sets it down on the counter away from the tiny amount of spilled coffee. He begins to wipe up the water, and as he does so, he responds to Mr. Knight’s order. “Take note, I said I’d clean it up. I’m still drinking my coffee.†With it only being a small spot, Scott cleans up the coffee quickly. He tosses the towels to the floor. “But I never did say I would pick up the towels.â€
Mr. Knight, becoming sick of Scott’s insolence, growls and lunges forward, grabbing Scott by his shirt and wrinkling his jacket. Scott keeps a calm demeanor while being thrust upwards and off his feet. Mr. Knight begins to taunt him as he shakes him around in the air. “Do you really think you can get away with talking to me like that, punk!? Do you know who I am!? Do you know the power I hold!?â€
While being shaken in the air, Scott chuckles and waves his hand in front of his nose in a windshield wiper motion and he coughs. “I know you possess the power of exceedingly atrocious body odor, that’s for sure.â€
Outside Ray’s Coffee House – 15 Seconds Later
Scott is launched out into the small parking lot surrounding Ray’s Coffee House. He lands on his stomach, arms and legs spread out around him. His right arm twitches as he lies as still as possible on the hot black concrete.
Mr. Knight steps into the doorway, holding Scott’s coffee cup up to his face. He throws Scott’s notebook, pen, and violin case to the ground next to him. They all land at once with a loud thud, right next to Scott’s head.
Mr. Knight takes a sip of the coffee and then puts the cup down at his side. He swallows the drink and then exhales. Another smirk comes across his face. “And make sure that if you should ever come back, you come ready. And by ready, I mean money and a cup.†He turns and walks back into the coffee shop.
Scott slowly rises to his feet and shakes his head angrily. He wipes off his trousers and his jacket and then begins to murmur to himself. He bends over and picks up all of his things, and begins to walk out of the parking lot, but he stops dead in his tracks when he spots a woman walking on the sidewalk across the street. “Stunning...†he says.
The woman is walking in high heels, holding a black leather purse at her side. Her polished black hair is hanging down to the middle of her back, waving in the gentle breeze. She is wearing a black and purple polka dotted dress. There is an unsympathetic look on her face, a certainty in her ocean-blue eyes. The sunlight glistens off of her lips, covered in a deep mysterious red lipstick.
Scott becomes aware that, oddly enough, the street has not one single car on it this morning. He takes the opportunity to run across the street, towards the woman, but his notebook falls out of his hand as he takes off. He doesn’t notice, and it falls to the ground, the pages flutter in the wind.
On the other side of the street, now only with his violin case in hand, Scott halts in front of the woman, forcing her to stop walking. “Hello there,†he says slickly, “my name is Scott... and who are you?â€
The woman takes a step backwards and slowly puts her right hand into her purse. “I’m about to teach you a lesson if you don’t leave. I’ve never even met you before, and yet you start talking to me on the street?â€
Scott flips his hair back, or at least attempts to, and laughs at her comment. “Why, fair lady, you can’t possibly say no to me.â€
“I believe I can, and I’m definite that I will.†She replies, pulling a small black can out from her purse. The label has been scratched off.
Scott takes a step back as he spots the can, knowing what it is. “Well, I will leave you be, but before I go... may I at the very least get the name of such a beauty as yourself?â€
She fakes a smile and puts the can back into her purse, and then she turns around and begins to walk away. “RaeLynn.†She says. “I hope we can meet again, Scott.â€
“Ah, so you do like me!†he shouts. “I knew I could get you to like me.â€
She continues walking and laughs, with a snort, at what he has said. “Of course I don’t like you; I just want to find out what’s in that case of yours.â€
He looks down at the case with a newfound nervous look on his face. “It’s... it’s just a violin. It is a violin case after all, what else would I keep in there?â€
“I don’t know,†she replies, “but I could hear something moving around in there. If you had a violin in that case, it would fit well enough to not shake around!â€
He looks back up, only to see that she has vanished from sight. He spins around, looking for her, but can’t find any sign of her, almost as if she was never there. He begins to walk the way she was walking, holding his violin case tight with two hands to make sure that nobody can hear the vibration.
Well, if you want to find out what’s in the case, you’ll have to take me out to dinner first.
Back in the coffee house, Mr. Knight sits at the counter in Scott’s seat, finishing Scott’s coffee. Another glass, Mr. Knight’s coffee, sits to his left on the counter. Mr. Knight takes a final sip of the coffee and sets the empty cup on the counter to his right side. Then, he grabs his coffee and raises it to his lips, tipping it up and swallows it in one sip. He slams the cup so hard on the counter that it smashes into a hundred pieces.
Ray turns around to see the mess Mr. Knight has made. However, he doesn’t seem upset about it. Instead, he makes a comment about how he handled Scott. “So, what did you tell that other guy?†he asks. “Did you tell him anything?â€
Mr. Knight wipes the coffee from his lips and exhales. “All I told him was to be ready if he ever had the guts to come back here. I didn’t tell him anything about the Blood Devils.â€
“Good.†Says Ray. “We don’t need anyone finding out about us, especially someone like him.â€
“You don’t need to tell me that.†He says, turning around to face the other side of the coffee shop.
Back in 2008...
What was I to do?
She looked at me as if I was in another dimension, which is exactly what I felt like at the moment. I shook my head violently and then looked down at my paper. “Do you promise not to laugh at me?†I asked, still unsure of whether or not to tell her what the story was about.
“Of course I promise.†She replies sympathetically. I looked back into her eyes and they looked sincere and honest; I knew I could trust her. I mean, come on, had she ever lied to me before? Not that I’m aware of.
So why was I so reluctant to tell her about my story now? Was it because this one was about a superhero, written by an adult? Was it maybe because she was single now, and I really had to start worrying about talking to her? I mean, every other time I told her about a story of mine, she was with Charlie, he was there to back me up, and they were usually crime dramas or comedies. Maybe it was a lot of different factors that I couldn’t think of?
But for whatever reason, known or unknown, I really didn’t want to tell her about the story. For some reason, this story was already hitting close to home, and I hadn’t even started writing it yet! Why did it seem so important to me if it was just an imaginary legend? I couldn’t figure it out to save my life.
But I knew that if I didn’t tell her, she would just keep asking until I did. So, just to save us all some time (you included), I decided to just tell her what it was about, and then maybe she would appreciate my inventive dexterity. What was the worst that could happen anyway?
“Okay, well then...†this was the moment of truth, folks. I was about to reveal my whole personality to Lilly; what I think about all day, my true writing passion, my whole life in a simple description of one measly fable. But this wasn’t just the moment where I would find out whether or not she was a truly open-minded person, it was a moment where I would find out if she was really my friend, or if she was just hanging around me because she had been dating Charlie and was trying to be nice to me.
“Okay, well, Lilly... in all honesty, I’m kind of reluctant to tell you what it’s about.â€
“Why Scott? You know I’ve always been a fan of your work. Is it because I couldn’t get you a bigger role in drama club in High School? I’ve told you before; I tried and tried, but they just wouldn’t budge on it. I really am sorry for that.â€
I shook my head. “No, it’s not that. You explained that to me before, and I understand. It’s just... it’s a story about a superhero.†And that was that. There was no turning back at that point. All that was left was to wait for her response.
And what a response it was! Her face instantaneously lit up with enthusiasm and a large smile came across her face. “Are you crazy? I love superhero stories! Come on, tell me what it’s about.â€
And there you have it, a true friend was sitting right in front of me, and I finally knew it. I was ecstatic and ready to tell her what it was about, now that I knew she beyond doubt wanted to know. “Well, it’s about this guy who comes across this mystifying weapon, a belt to be more precise, that permits him great power. He decides to use the power of the belt to battle an army of evil creatures that have been attacking his village for a year or so. He becomes the village’s only hope for salvation.â€
“That sounds amazing.†She declares. “So, have you picked a title for it yet?â€
I stroked my chin while I thought about her question. I hadn’t thought of a name yet, but out of the blue, as I pictured that mysterious shape once more, a name popped into my head. “I think... I think I’m gonna go with Dreadfang.â€
As I said the name aloud, her look of joy instantly changed to one of shock and frustration. “Did you say Dreadfang?â€
Of course, at the time, I had no idea what she knew about the real Dreadfang, so I was just as confused as you probably are. “Yeah, why? Do you think it’s bad?â€
This is where things begin to get ugly. Now, don’t get confused about all that’s happening. The beginning of the story wasn’t the real beginning of the story. It’s at this point where the story really began to write itself, where things began to get confusing and exhausting. Her one action, her reply, started everything. Not me.
She looked at her right wrist, staring at her watch, and said “Shoot Scott, looks like it’s time for me to get going. We’ll have to talk later.†She slid off of her seat and ran out of the coffee shop faster than a mouse running from a cat. As I watched her leave, I became dreadfully confused. No pun intended. Why was she so chipper when she heard the story, but upset when she heard the name of the story?
Well, the answers to that wouldn’t come for about... four or five months, I can’t remember exactly. Perhaps you too will learn the answers to all the questions I’m sure you have at this point? Just retelling the story brings back the confusion I experienced through the year all of this took place. Anyway, back to the story.
At that point in time, her leaving meant nothing to me other than what it seemed like; she was probably late for something and forgot to tell me she had to be somewhere. It was a confusing situation, sure, but I accepted it and moved on with my life. I wanted to go back to writing, but I couldn’t. I closed my notebook, stuck my pen into my pocket, and sighed with confusion.
Unknown Location – 13 Minutes Later
Lillian stands outside a rundown rotten wood door inside what appears to be a one-star hotel. Her head hangs low, staring down at the ground. She raises her right arm and knocks four times on the door, then lets her arm fall back to her side.
After a couple seconds of waiting, the door opens to a dark room. A shadowy figure stands in the doorway, holding the door open. “You said there was a problem. What is it?â€
Lilly lifts her head up and pushes her way past the figure and into the dark room. She seems to know her way around the place, as without lights on, she moves quickly through the room and sits down on what appears to be a bed with dirty sheets, plates, and silverware covering it. She takes a deep breath and then answers his question. “I think Scott knows about Dreadfang.â€
“But how?†asks the mysterious figure. “You told me that nobody except for the DreadHunters knew about Dreadfang. You haven’t told anyone have you?â€
“No!†she screams. “Absolutely not! I was told not to tell anyone, and I always follow my orders, you should know that by now, you’re my commander!â€
“You’re right. I apologize. I should know you better by now.†The figure sits down on the bed next to her. “So, what do you plan on doing?â€
“Why are you asking me?†she inquires. “You’re my commander, you’re the leader of the DreadHunters. Why don’t you give me some orders? Can’t you think of something to do?â€
“We put you on this case for a reason. We told you to follow Scott Thompson because your mother knew him. We told you what our goal is.â€
“Right. To figure out how Scott could still be alive and how he may be related to Dreadfang. But the longer I stay on this case, the more I think this isn’t the same Scott Thompson that my mother knew.â€
“Records show that your mother met a man that matched this Scott Thompson’s appearance, voice, and DNA. The only difference I see is personality, and sometimes a personality change is all that’s needed to shirk the people who are chasing you. We’re chasing Scott Thompson, and we will catch him. That is our mission.â€
“What do you mean ‘our mission’?â€
“Silly Lilly, don’t think that I’m the head of DreadHunters. There are a few who are more powerful than I. We should not underestimate their power, they have the ability to destroy us both if they wish. But answer me one question so I can see how much you know about DreadHunters.â€
“I know all there is to know about DreadHunters, my mother was a commander, remember?â€
“Then you should remember this one thing. What is DreadHunters?â€
She replies almost immediately, even before he can get done saying the name. “DreadHunters is an organization created to hunt down and stop the evil Blood Devils of the world. You’ll have to try harder then that to stump me, Commander.â€
“Wrong!†he screams. He reaches under the bed and pulls out a brown folder, dropping it on her lap. “DreadHunters is an organization created to defeat all
Blood Devils, not just the evil ones. But we have special sub-sectors for special missions, and you and I work for the sector that is meant to track down the most dangerous Blood Devil of them all; Dreadfang! Do not look at that folder now. Take it home and read it over. Maybe you’ll learn something about Scott Thompson.â€
She picks up the folder and stands up, walking back out into the hallway. “Yes sir. I understand. I’ll do my homework.â€
“Good.†He replies, standing up. “And don’t come back until you can answer this question; who or what is Dreadfang?â€
Lilly nods her head and walks back down the hallway, leaving the commander behind.
He stands alone in the room, sitting back on the bed. “Time to call in backup...â€
Back at Ray’s Coffee Shop...
Scott stands up and picks up his notebook. He walks over to the counter where Ray stands next to the coffee machine. Scott reaches into his pocket and pulls out a black leather wallet. He sets his notebook on the counter. He opens his wallet up. “Ray, how much do I owe you?â€
Ray keeps facing the wall, scrubbing a cup with a white dish towel. “What’d you get again?â€
“I had a large cappuccino and a scone.†Scott replies.
“Oh yeah. That would come to... $6.70.†says Ray, setting the cup down in a sink to his right side. He throws the towel onto the coffee machine, turning around to face Scott. “Did I ever tell you how much you look like this guy I used to know? In fact, I think he had a name similar to yours too.â€
Scott pulls a ten dollar bill out of his wallet, which he then promptly collapses and puts into his pocket. “Yeah, I hear that I look like another Scott Thompson from a while ago. It must’ve been a common name back then?†He hands Ray the ten dollar bill. “Keep the change.â€
Ray takes the bill and puts it into the register next to him, behind the counter. “Thanks Scott, you’re always a good customer. Where you off to now? Back home to work on that secret project of yours?â€
Scott chuckles and picks up his notebook. “You know me too well, Ray.†He turns around and begins to walk out of the coffee shop. “Listen, I’ll be back tomorrow. Same time as usual. Keep the coffee flowin’, Ray.â€
Ray points at Scott and bears a wide grin. “Will do, Scott. Will do.â€
Scott exits the coffee shop and steps into the parking lot outside, which has gotten slightly larger in the past twenty-two years. The breeze outside whips Scott’s hair around. Clouds hang in the sky, signaling that rain is soon to come. He holds onto his notebook tightly to make sure that it doesn’t get blown away by the wind.
He steps onto the sidewalk and begins to head towards an unknown destination, when he looks on the other side of the abandoned street. There he sees a cute woman, about 5’4†with light brown hair walking down the sidewalk. He stops and turns towards her, shouting at to her in a playful tone. “Hilary! Shouldn’t you be at home!?â€
Hilary stops and turns to Scott, laughing as she puts a face to the voice. “I could ask you the same thing! Where are you headed?â€
Scott looks up and down the street to see if any cars are coming, but he sees nothing, so he rushes across the road and stops next to her, giving her a hug as he arrives.
They both release each other after a few seconds. Scott looks at her with a vivid expression on his face. “I was just heading back home; I have some work to do before I head over to Charlie’s work. I have to pick something up from him because he’s going to be leaving on a flight tonight and he won’t be back for a while. What are you up to lately? I haven’t seen you in about a month or so.â€
She turns around and motions for him to follow her as she walks. He begins to follow, even though his house is the opposite way. “Well, I’m hanging in there. I’ve just been kind of eh since Daniel’s funeral, but my sister finally convinced me to just get out of the house.†She looks up at the clouds in the sky. “But if I can guess anything about the way the weather will turn out, maybe I should have just waited until tomorrow.â€
“So you’re holding up okay then?†Scott asks, in reference to her mentioning Daniel’s funeral. “I know you and Danny were close. You guys were practically brother and sister... but dating.†He shakes his head at what he just said.
Hilary snickers. “I see your jokes still haven’t improved. I guess I am doing okay, but it’s still hard thinking about it. I mean, we were going to get married next summer after he graduated college. But it’s okay because I feel like even though he’s gone, he’s still here with me. Like he’s watching over me or something.â€
“That’s sweet.†Scott says. “But I understand what you mean. I was only three when my brother passed away, but it was still hard for me. He was always there when I was little to cheer me up, and then one day he’s just up and gone. It’s hard, I understand.â€
Hilary decides to change the subject. “Anyway, maybe I shouldn’t have told you to follow. You have to go back to your apartment, right? Shouldn’t you be going the other way?â€
Scott looks behind him and then quickly looks back. “Nah, I can walk and talk for a bit. Charlie’s working until three, and his flight leaves at four, so I have some time to ki... waste. I have some time to waste.â€
“So, do you just wanna...hang out for a little bit or something? I know this great Thai place in town. I haven’t been there in a while, but I’m kinda craving it now that I’m thinking about food. Wanna check it out?â€
“Sure. I’m getting a bit hungry. All I’ve had to eat today was a scone from Ray’s.â€
They turn a corner onto a different street.
“Ah, you still go to Ray’s? How has he been doing lately?â€
“I guess he’s doing well. He’s been kind of quiet lately, though. Hasn’t told me why. It’s really weird, you know? Ray and I are good friends, and he sometimes seems like himself, like this morning, but other times he’s just this completely different person.â€
“Well, people change Scott. That’s just life, and it’s something we have to accept. Nobody remains themselves after so many years, you become a different person.â€
“I understand what you’re saying, but change is just hard for me. I’ve never really been used to it, really.â€
“You make no sense. You’ve gone through enough change in your life for ten people, at least. You should be used to it by now. I think you’re just making excuses.â€
“Could be, but maybe it’s not?â€
“I’m pretty sure it is.â€
“We never could agree on anything, you know.†Scott begins to walk at a slower pace to annoy her.
“Hurry up.†She jokingly demands, pulling him closer in towards her.
Rico’s Body and Fender Auto Shop – 9:42 AM
A man with long flowing black hair, wearing gray overalls, walks out of a medium sized gray building holding a gray rag covered in oil spots. This is Charlie Dunkirk. He throws the rag onto his should and reaches into the one pocket on his uniform and pulls out a pack of Marlboros. Before he gets a chance to pull one out of the pack, he hears a voice with a Mexican accent from over his shoulder.
“Hey, Charlie!†the voice screams. “How many times must I tell you? No smoking around the building! We got running cars around here!â€
Charlie sighs and puts the cigarettes back into his pocket. “Give me a break, Rico!†he shouts back. “In a few hours, I’m out of here for a week.†He turns around to face a bald Mexican man with sunglasses on.
Rico takes another step towards him. “Okay, I’ll tell you what. I’ll let you smoke your cigarette as soon as you punch out, okay? Until then, keep them in your pocket and unlit! Do you understand me? If you want to see more paychecks, you show me less defiance.â€
“Fine!†Charlie shouts again. “Geez... can I at least make a quick call to someone? I am on my break after all.â€
Rico waves his hand at him and turns around, walking back into the building. “I don’t really give a damn. You got five minutes. Make it fast.â€
Charlie scoffs and pulls a Virgin Mobile Super Slice from the pocket the cigarettes were in. He begins to dial a number and then holds the phone to his ear. It begins to ring. Once. Twice. Three times with no answer.
And then, after the fourth ring, the male voice that earlier talked to Lilly picks up and answers with “Charlie. I see you received my text message.â€
“Yeah, what’s going on? Is something wrong?†he asks, sounding a bit apprehensive.
“You’re well aware of your mission at this point, correct?†asks the mysterious voice. “Repeat it to me if you are.â€
Charlie takes a second to think about what to say. “Keep an eye on Scott Thompson and find out how he’s related to Dreadfang. Correct?â€
“Correct.†He replies. “That’s why I’ve called you. You need to cancel your trip; we think Scott does indeed know something about Dreadfang after all.â€
“But you told me I could take the week off.†Charlie says. “You said that it looked like there wasn’t anything suspicious anymore. I was going to visit my family; my cousin is expecting her baby this week!â€
“Oh, how sweet.†The voice replies sardonically. “I don’t care about your personal life, Troop Dunkirk! You follow orders, and your order now is to figure out what exactly your friend knows about Dreadfang! Do you understand me or are you ready to face the consequences of defiance!?â€
Charlie sighs, thinking about what he is being asked to do. “No, I understand. I know what happens if you disobey DreadHunter orders, and I don’t feel like facing that right now. I’ll come up with an excuse, cancel my trip, and figure out what Scott knows.â€
“Good soldier.†Replies the voice. “Now, I want you to call Lilly and tell her what orders I have given you. You two are to work together on the rest of this case, and I want it figured out by tonight!â€
“Sir...†Charlie begins, “there may be a couple of problems there.â€
“Oh really?†asks the voice. “Might it be the fact that you and Lilly used to date, and she dumped you? Or is tonight too soon to figure out a whole case? Perhaps both?â€
Charlie grows angry inside and his face tenses up with aggression, but he tries to keep this fact hidden from the man on the phone. “Sir, those are personal issues. I thought we agreed when we were put on this mission together that we wouldn’t talk about each other’s personal lives.â€
“Quiet!†yells the man. “There were only a few things wrong with that agreement, Troop Dunkirk. First, I’m your commander, so I will involve myself in your personal life at any time I wish two. Second, you have not learned nor will you learn anything about my personal life, so you will never get the chance to talk about it. Now, enough talk, and call Lilly so you can finish this mission once and for all! Have an answer or some sort of lead for me by midnight tonight, or I will cancel the work on your aid. Do you understand?â€
Charlie nods even though the man can’t see him. “Yes sir, I understand. I am the hunter; I will finish my mission or gladly face the consequences.â€
“Good.†Replies the voice. He hangs up his phone. Charlie hears the ringtone and puts his phone down, dialing Lilly’s number. When he is done, he puts the phone back up to his ear. Lilly picks up almost immediately.
“Charlie. Did the commander call you and tell you what was going on?†she asks with a tense tone in her voice.
“Yes.†He says, with more of an aggravated, irate tone in his voice. “And he has new orders for us; he wants us to work together and get Scott to talk... by midnight tonight.â€
“Seriously?†she asks, stunned. “He only told me to figure out whom or what Dreadfang is... so maybe he just told you more than he told me.â€
“Obviously.†He looks at his watch and notices that his five minutes are almost up, so he tries to rush the rest of the conversation. “I don’t have much time to talk, but he told me to cancel my trip too. I get off work at three; we should meet up then to figure out what to do.â€
“That’s what I was thinking.†She agrees. “Where should we meet, though?â€
“I think the best place to meet would be my apartment. Scott would be there, so we could just try and get him to talk then.â€
“Not a good idea, Charlie.†She utters. “We shouldn’t try to approach Scott until we have a plan figured out. Why don’t we meet at my house and come up with a plan first?â€
Charlie, hormones kicking in without delay, goes from angry to horny. “Yeah, that sounds fine. How about I come over around 4? Also, where are you right now?â€
“Sounds fine. I’m heading back to Ray’s to see if Scott is still there, but I’m taking the long way to think about things. I’ll see you later, Charlie.†She replies. Like the man before her, she hangs up her phone without saying goodbye.
Charlie turns his phone off and turns around, walking back into the auto shop. “A whole mission before midnight?†he says to himself. “...Hardass.â€
Back with Scott and Hilary...
As Hilary and I reached her house, I was astonished by what I saw in front of me. A medium sized house, probably one bedroom, that was painted in a lovely pink-and-white scheme. There was a fairly big front lawn with a decently large flower bed sitting below the main window to what I guessed to be the living room. There were daises, roses, and even lilies. My favorite.
“What an amazing house.†I said to her. I looked up to the sky and noticed that, while we were walking, the sky cleared up and all the clouds went away. It was blue skies as far as I could see. By the time I looked back at Hilary, she was already halfway up the cobblestone pathway leading to a set of brick stairs with a bright white door on top of them. “I guess it makes sense. I see the pretty house and the sky clears up? No way that’s a coincidence.â€
She pulled a pink key from her front jean pocket, slid it into the lock on the door, and turned it. Then she opened the door and put the key away. “You want to come in and have something to eat? It would give us a chance to catch up and you could tell me about that writing career of yours. I haven’t read anything of yours in a while.â€
You can’t imagine how flattered I was that, after all these years, I was invited into someone’s house again, and an old friend out of all people. I nodded my head and replied with a sarcastic comment about my own writing ‘career’. “Some career it’s turned out to be, but if you really want to hear about my new story, I’ll tell you.â€
To my surprise, she replied with “Of course I want to here about it.†She motioned for me to follow her into the house. “Come on, let’s catch up.†She gave me kind of an odd smile, and I didn’t know why. But I soon would.
As I stepped onto the walkway, I could hear flapping of wings, but not like a bird. More like... a bat. But I know what you’re thinking. Bats don’t come out in the daytime, especially in Chicago. Well, that’s what I thought too. But then, at the same time, I heard a deep voice call my name. “Scott! Scott, do not follow her!â€
I looked around in the air, and I could see a bat flapping its wings, floating above me. But this wasn’t an ordinary bat. It looked like a machine. It had large red eyes and large silver teeth. But the weirdest thing was... its mouth was moving! It was the one talking to me!
And then it spoke again. “I have finally found you. Listen to me, do not follow her! She is a Blood Devil! She’s trying to kill you!â€
I instantly recognized the name Blood Devils, but I wondered how he could have known the name? In fact, who was he? And why was he calling Hilary a Blood Devil?
But as I was about to ask him to explain... himself? I no longer need too. Because at that moment, a large blue stain glass-patterned monster, with the face of a horse, jumped over my shoulders and attempted to attack the floating bat creature, but he managed to fly out of the way just in time. The creature landed in front of me, drool dripping from his mouth.
I looked back, perplexed and frightened, but say Hilary nowhere around. Maybe it was true, maybe Hilary was a Blood Devil. But that wasn’t possible, right? I just made them up... didn’t I?
Then, all of the sudden, looking past the creature, I could see Lillian turning a corner from an industrial park onto the street. As she looked my way, a worried, not fearful, expression came onto her face as she spotted the creature staring at me.
It was at that point that I made a grave mistake. I shouted at to Lilly. “Lilly, get out of here! Run!â€
But because I pointed her out, the monster looked back and spotted her. It began to growl; more drool dripping from his mouth. I knew it was going to go after her, but I wasn’t sure what it would do to her. So when I saw it start moving slowly towards her, I shouted at it. “Hey! Leave her alone!â€
But he ignored me and continued to move forward, moving towards Lilly, and the only thing I could think he was going to do to her was eat her or kill her. Which, now that I think about it, are really the same things in the end.
But the weird thing was... Lilly wasn’t moving or screaming. She didn’t appear afraid at all. In fact, she had her eyebrows raised in a confident fashion. Like she was up to something.
The bat creature continued to hover over me when, suddenly, he screamed out “DreadHunter blood! I sense DreadHunter blood! Scott, we must run!â€
Lilly heard the creature and looked up at him. She gasped and screamed “Scott, where do you know him from?â€
I just shrugged, trying my best to calm down, but I was still very confused. I looked up at the creature and asked him the same question Lilly asked me. “Where do I know you from?â€
“Look!†he screamed, looking towards Lilly.
I looked, like he told me too, and the monster was running towards her at mach speed. Before I could do anything, he tackled Lilly, who remained calm, only putting her hand into her pocket, and he ran off behind the corner. As I looked on, I could see a blue line streak through the sky.
I was completely confused and pissed off at this point, and I don’t normally get pissed that often. I looked angrily up at the bat and said “You better start explaining yourself.â€
He flapped his wings some more and looked around, then began flying away at a slow pace. “Not here. Follow me and I will answer all your questions.â€
I figured following him and maybe getting answers would be better than being mystified, so I began to run in the direction he was going.
And this, my friends, is where the story begins.
To Be Continued...
