This Changes Everything {Book 1-S1}

Lorem Tempus Pro Vobis {S1-Epi 6-Pt 1}

{Latin ^ meaning Training time for you} Tuesday, February 1st 2011 {Day 24}

{Words: 5036}

Late at night in a garage, Scott lugs plastic grocery bags into a dimly lit parking garage. But after a brief stroll through the rows, he comes to a halt. His bewildered expression makes it clear that he can't recall where he parked.

"Shit," Scott exhales softly. He rushes forward, scanning from automobile to car. Finally, he spots his vehicle, still in the dark. As he turns to head back the other way, he comes to another abrupt stop. He sets the bags down and retrieves his mother's car keys. Holding them up, he presses the alarm button. While waiting for the beep, a plastic bottle of milk rolls out of one of the bags. Scott attempts to catch it, but it slides beneath a vehicle.

"Dammit," Scott mutters. He kneels down, reaching blindly beneath the car to retrieve the bottle. Then something strange happens—the bottle recoils. Punctured holes in its side spew milk onto the sidewalk. Scott watches as the bottle comes to a halt. Slowly, he climbs to a standing posture, turns, and runs for it, visibly terrified. Pounding the pavement, he steals a horrifying glimpse back to see a dark shape hurtling out from behind a parked car. It's coming right for him, moving on all fours. Scott bursts around the next bend and remains still as he dives into the darkness between the columns. When he looks out the window, all he sees are parked cars.

Except for his own pounding heart, the garage is deafeningly quiet. He looks down at his chest, aware of the thumping. He attempts to control his breathing by closing his eyes, but his heart just won't stop racing. Then he hears something different—a low growl, like that of a wild animal, a foreboding rumbling that prevents him from breathing. As Scott dashes out of the shadows ahead, the source of the sound draws closer, sliding between cars and speeding forward. He turns another corner and looks around, an idea formulating. He hops onto the hood of a car and bounces up and off it.

The alarm begins to sound, colliding with another car, ricocheting off it, and crashing into an SUV, which now blares its alarm. Scott continues to smash into automobiles, creating a cacophony of beeps and wailing alarms that fill the parking lot, masking the sound of his racing heart. He pulls up between two cars and listens. All he can hear now are horns and sirens. It's effective until he notices a ringing in his jacket. Scott takes out his phone just as something yanks him up into the air, twists him, and slams him against the concrete. It's Derek calling, disappointment evident on his face as he scowls at Scott.

Derek let out a sigh. "You're dead," he said, his tone filled with resignation. An enraged Scott pursued Derek into the garage.

"What the hell was that?" Scott scoffed.

Derek smirked. "I said I'd teach you. I didn't say when."

Scott's brows narrowed in response. "You scared the heck out of me." Derek turned to face him and sniffed the air.

Derek shook his head. "Not yet."

Scott nodded and moved closer to him. "Well... I was quick, right?"

Derek sighed. "Not quick enough."

"But the car alarms..." Scott said. "That was clever, wasn't it?"

Derek sighed and shook his head. "Until your phone rang."

Scott nodded, trying to make sense of the situation. "But... I mean... Would you just stop? Please?"

Derek paused for a moment, his expression softening. "I understand you're scared, but there are things you need to learn."