If this is too long, please tell me. And I'm also not familiar with the rating system, so forgive me if this chapter doesn't seem to be right for the rating
It was a chilly December afternoon in the small town of Kingston, New York. The snow came down in light flurries, piling onto the ten inches the town received the other day. A young man, around the age of 17, was helping his young neighbor build a snow fort. Usually, Erick Dereks found himself locked in his bedroom, playing video games and playing on the Internet. He was a grade C student at the local high school, which was only a mile away from his house. An amateur writer, but a good one at that (his stories ‘somehow’ found themselves in the city’s newspaper.); he kept looking for a publishing house close-by to ask for publication. So far, none have gotten back to him with an answer.
The sky was getting darker. It was nearly seven ‘o clock. Erick and his neighbor said goodbye and went inside their separate houses.
“How is Mrs. Hemmings, Erick?” Erick’s mother, Alincia, asked, “Is she over her head cold?”
“Yeah,” Erick said, laying his coat over the small wood heater. The jacket steamed, seeming to be happy to return to the warmth of the home. Erick’s family was a bit wealthy. His father, Marcus, was the successful manager of a clothing store in Manhattan. He always left early in the morning to open and ready the store with the employees. If there was anyone that would want to work for someone, Erick’s father was the best person to do it for.
He went upstairs to change into some drier clothes, and sat down by his computer. He ordered one from Dell with the money he ‘made’ from the city newspaper. It had the best things that any of his friends have seen. He logged on to Yahoo and started role-playing in one of the medieval fantasy boards. It was one hour when his mother called him down to dinner. He looked in the mirror hanging from his bedroom door. His bright brown hair was sticking out in so many different directions, he had to put on a hat to try to keep it down.
“Honey, your father is going to be a little late tonight.” His mother said, setting a pot of clam chowder on the table, “The blizzard is getting worse around New York City. He should be home before ten.” All Erick did was nod. Erick loved clam chowder, even more than being on the computer or playing video games.
Once Erick was done eating, he rinsed out his bowl and cup and set them in the dishwasher underneath the sink. His house had the look of a log cabin, but inside there were paintings on the wall and a fireplace in the living room. The house was pretty large, and had a second story where he had a room. He stared out of his west window, out to the forest and mountains. He thought he saw a wolf standing on two legs, talking with another, normal, wolf, before he started to doze off.
He was breathing hard. There were women and children crying and screaming for help. His sword lay just to his side, but he couldn’t move any part of his body. He saw a tall figure, garbed in black armor and a bright blue cape.
“Your time has come, boy,” it said, a slight presence of a giggle in his voice, “It is time you find out what death is like.” He laughed maniacally, then thrust his sword into Erick, breaking through his armor, through his body, and into the wall behind him. Two people shouted, raising their weapons, but they suffered the same fate that he would soon have to face: Death.
Erick sat up instantly in his chair, gazing out into the trees. The wolf that stood on two legs was watching him with an interest. Erick shut his blinds quickly, trying to keep the beast from seeing him. What was going on? Something was starting to freak him out about that being down there. It wasn’t a fur-suitor, no. The suit would have been a lot bigger and floppy. He looked at watch and saw it was only eight-thirty. He heard his father’s voice from down the stairs. He was talking about how he stopped a shoplifter.
“…he told me that he had been living on the streets for a year already, and I just had to give him a fresh set of clothes and some money to help him get on his feet again.” He said, smiling with pity in his eyes, “I can’t believe we live in a world where poverty is still present, and no one will do anything about it.”
“Don’t worry, dear,” his wife said, “I’m going to get that bill passed, and just you wait.” Erick’s mother was a Senator for the New York Congress.
The next day was as dreary as ever, and even worse: Erick had to go to school in it. He was combing his hair in the mirror, his green eyes watching if any hair stayed up straight. Wind was blowing softly outside his window. He put on a white and black camouflage long sleeve and a black t-shirt that said ‘3vil l33t’ on it. He received the shirt a few days ago after ordering ten days before from a site called MegaGear.
He decided to drive to school that day. The temperature was reaching 20 below, and he didn’t want to walk in the cold. He ate some breakfast, brushed his teeth and went out to his car. There were scratch marks along the side. He looked closer and saw that they were too perfect to be key scratches. They had to be from an animal. He started the car and backed out into the street. When he reached school, he had a feeling of impending doom. He saw the school bullies and decided to take one of the side entrances. Erick wasn’t really unpopular, but he wasn’t completely ‘cool’, either.
When the bell rang for his lunch period, Erick met up with his friends Adam Lee and Bill Waites, who was an exchange student from England. They grabbed their trays and grabbed their bowls of chili.
“I find it rather ironic that we’re having chili in winter.” Adam said, “Get it? Chili?”
“Yes, we get it,” Erick said, stirring the slice of cheese he took from the condiment counter. They ate then talked about an upcoming game release.
“How was school today, dear?” Alincia asked, taking off her jacket when she entered the house. Erick and Adam were studying at the kitchen table.
“It was okay,” Erick said, “other than one of the school jock jerks ‘accidentally’ spilled chocolate milk on my head. I had to use the school showers while the janitors cleaned my shirts.”
“Did you talk to the principal?” she asked, shocked that this happened.
“Yeah, but they’ll just do it again.” Adam said, laughing at something in his math book.
“What is it?” Erick asked, starting to giggle. Adam showed him the page, and they both burst out in laughter.
He walked through a dark wood, his sword at hand. He could hear dark beings above and ahead of him, but he couldn’t see anything. He felt a presence behind him. It was the same man from the first time they met. His sword was soaked in blood. He summoned an army of dark riders, seated upon black-draped skeletal horses. The riders themselves wore masks of different makes.
“Boy, it is time you learn your lesson,” The man said, pointing his blade at Erick. “Time to learn that I am the master of the Areain. Not four little children such as yourselves.” Erick couldn’t move his body again, and he started to feel sick. He saw a light from the bottom of his vision float out from his chest. He felt sleepy, but knew he was dying. Something fell from the dark sky and struck the man on the head. Erick’s soul returned to his body. He could move again.
Erick woke up in the middle of the night, finding himself in the living room in front of the fireplace. He felt a draft coming from the overhead window. He looked around for tracks of snow on the carpet. There were wet marks on the carpet. Large wet marks. They were bigger than his foot, which wore a size 12 shoe. The kitchen light was on, and the water revealed a large paw print on the tile floor.
“Who’s there?” Erick asked, grabbing one of his father’s collectible swords from the wall. He wondered if the ‘fur-suitor’ would run. He heard a ring of metal, and saw the wolf standing right in front of him. He fell backward, keeping the sword up to guard himself.
“I won’t harm you, young pup,” it said, sheathing its weapon, “You will come with me, and without argument.”
“Why?” Erick asked, but heard several shouts coming from outside.
“The time has come again,” the wolf-man said, looking up into the hole he made in the ceiling, “We must leave quickly. Grab whatever light things you must and meet me back here. I’ll fend off any that try to get to you.”
Erick ran back up the stairs to his room, the sword still in hand. He grabbed the necklace his girlfriend had given him last year: A small Celtic cross necklace. He grabbed a picture of his parents, and thought about them.
“What about my parents?” Erick asked, returning to the living room.
“They cannot come with us.” The wolf said, grabbing Erick by the back of his shirt.
“I’m not leaving without them.” Erick said, and tried getting out of his shirt. The Wolf grabbed him by the arm.
“Fool!” He shouted, “The enemy approaches, and you’re only concerned about your pack? Such is unlike a Wethren.”
“Wethren?” Erick asked.
A flaming arrow dropped into the living room. An inhuman shriek filled the house. Erick’s parents ran into the living room, and stopped by the staircase. Erick’s father nodded to the wolf and grabbed the last sword on the wall.
“What the hell is going on?” Erick shouted, with beast-creatures falling through the ceiling. They had the heads of birds, the wings of a bat, the body of a human and the tail of a serpent.
“We need to go now, Master Wethren!” the wolf said, pulling out a crystal from a small bag hanging from his neck. A bright aquamarine portal, as Erick thought it was, opened and the two entered. The last thing Erick saw of his home was his father being hit over the head with a small hammer from one of the beings and his mother’s head beat against the wall.
)
