Becoming Grimm (Sean Renard) {1}

1. Pilot

"The wolf thought to himself what a tender young creature. What a plump mouthful..."
-The Brothers Grimm, 1812
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Hank and I wait by Hank's car as my twin brother, Nick, is shopping in a nearby jewelry store. Nick comes walking out with a ring box clutched in his hand. Nick raises the box to show as he shakes it. Hank snaps a photo of Nick holding up the ring box, as Nick approaches the car.
"Hank, what are you doing?" Nick asks and Hank lowers the camera.
"Testing out the new equipment and getting a picture of you while you're still young and innocent." Hanks responds.
"I'm getting married once, not four times." Nick tells Hank, as Hank opens Nick's door. Hank steps back and opens my door as well, before turning to face my brother again.
"Ah, so you're a happily ever after kinda guy." Hank says while he sees two women walking together and laughing.
"Nick, you know that it's not a good sign when you look at other women while you plan on asking your girlfriend to marry you." I say as I see Nick look over at the women.
"Yeah, Nick, you already got a girl to stop looking at other women." Hank jokes.
"I'm not looking at her like that, she's having an affair with a senior partner at her law firm." Nick tells us.
"Oh man, why can't you just stare at her ass like the rest of us." Hank complains as he walks around the car to get to the driver's door.
"Ew, Hank what's wrong with you?" I call out, I glance over at Nick to see him looking at the blonde. Nick suddenly looks startled by something. I turn my head to look at what has him startled. I see the blonde lawyer has transformed into some rotten corpse-like creature.
The blonde stares at Nick not even glancing my way, Nick looks away and slides into the passenger seat. I watch the blonde walk quickly away with wide eyes and a frown stretched across her face.
"Come on, Angela we got a call to get to." Hank calls out to me.
"Alright, I'm getting in." I mumble climbing into the back seat of Hank's car.
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Nick, Hank and I pull up to the crime scene, I step out of the back seat while glancing around the area. I notice a sign that reads 'Talon Creek' which is a walking path. Nick and Hank walk straight over to the park ranger as they get out of the car, not even glancing around the area.
"A hiker flagged me down." The ranger begins as he walks towards me with Nick and Hank on either side of him.
"He came through the ravine, said he saw something pretty bad. I didn't know what he was talking about, until he showed me this." The ranger tells us, leading us along the path. The three of us follow behind the ranger, the ranger stops and points at the base of a nearby tree. I watch as Nick approaches the tree and bends down to move some ferns out of the way to see a bloody limb. I step forward a little to see and hear flies swarming around the torn bloody limb.
"The rest of her is off trail." The ranger tells us while moving forward to lead us to another part of the area.
"How do you know it's female?" I ask gently before watching my brother and Hank approach the rest of the body.
"Because of this." He states stepping forward a bit to push aside some fern leaves, revealing that a pink tennis shoe lies underneath the ferns.
"Womens Nike." Hank states.
"What kind of animal could do this?" Nick asks, crossing his arms across his chest.
"Normally, we'd be able to tell by the tracks if it was a bear, cougar or a wolf..." The ranger begins.
"Well which one is it?" Hank asks cutting off the ranger.
"That's where this gets interesting." The ranger says walking over to another fern pushing it's leaves aside to reveal a boot print.
"This is the only print we found." He finishes motioning to the boot print.
"Hey we got a boot print down here. We're going to need a cast." Nick calls out to the nearby officers. Nick and Hank start walking away, I carefully step over to the ranger who is still looking at the boot print.
"DNA will tell us if this is your case or ours." I say to the ranger. He looks over at me and nods. I rush over to Nick and Hank who are waiting for me near the caution tape.
"This sounds like what happened a month ago at Munson Creek Falls." Nick tells us walking along the path to the car.
"Same deal. Hiker and a bobcat." Hank adds the following to Nick.
"But the Bobcat wasn't wearing boots." I add carefully following them both. Nick stops walking and puts his hands on his waist.
"Do you hear something?" Nick asks us.
"What?" Hank asks, glancing over at me. I shrug my shoulders at him not answering him.
"Music." Nick answers, stepping towards the sound. Hank and I follow Nick as we duck underneath some crime scene tape. We see a pink iPod laying amongst the moss and leaves.
"Hank, Angela we got an iPod over here." Nick calls over to us, Hank and I join Nick.
"What's the song?" Hank asks as they bend down to look at the iPod. I stay standing a few steps behind the both of them.
"Sweet Dreams." Nick responds tilting his head to read the iPod screen.
"Eurythmics. One of their better." Hank says.
Sweet dreams are made of these who am I to disagree." Hank sings the song off key.
"I didn't know you couldn't sing." I joke, stepping up and patting Hank on the back. Nick stands up smiling gently at me. Hank turns and softly smiles at me. Nick starts walking away as Hank stands up.
"Come on Hank, there's work to do." I say, following after Nick.
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The three of us walk into the Portland Police Department.
"Until we get the DNA results, I'll run a database on violent predators in the area." Nick says as we are walking up to the second floor of the station.
"We better search beyond the metro." Hank adds.
"Absolutely." Nick responds back.
"We should also take another look at the Munson Creek Falls attack." I tell them.
"You'll both be busy. I'll take the iPod down for prints, and be back in a minute." Hank tells us, while turning and walking down a nearby staircase. Nick walks towards his desk while I head over to my desk to search for violent predators in the area. I glance over at a suspect handcuffed and sitting in a chair.
He transforms into a snake-like creature and snarls. I look over at Nick who slams into Sergeant Wu.
"Whoa, sorry Nick, guess I should have worn my airbag today." Sgt. Wu says while walking past the man who at one point was a snake-like person. I look between Nick and the man wondering if he's seeing the same things I am.
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I watch as Nick walks over to Hank and I with a file in his hands.
"I grabbed the printouts of your search for violent predators, Angela. And we got 23 known predators within five square miles of the crime scene. None of them rise to the kind of violence we saw out there this morning." Nick tells us slapping the file between my desk and Hank's desk. I look over at Hank who is just hanging up the phone as Nick finishes talking.
"Just got a hit on a missing person. University student went out jogging this morning and never came back." Hank tells Nick and I, leaning back in his chair.
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I watch as a group of 3 college students jog past us laughing. I turn back to the conversation as the girl's roommate talks to us.
"She left at 7:30 this morning and I'm a little freaked out because she's always back by 8:30." Her roommate tells us.
"Do you have a photo of her?" I ask the girl gently.
"On my iPhone." She says looking for a picture of her roommate.
"Do you know what kinda running shoes she was wearing?" Hanks asks the girl as she hands Nick her phone, I look over Nick's shoulder to see the girl's picture.
"Uh, pink Nikes." She responds as the three of us look down at the photo.
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Nick looks up the DMV record of one Sylvie Oster.
"Hard to believe that's the girl we saw this morning." Nick says as Hank and I look at the DMV record.
"Sylvie Oster. Positive ID." Hank adds.
"Well at least we know who she is." I say softly.
"Man, what a way to go." Nick adds.
"Just hope it happened fast. Man, let's get the hell out of here." Hank says.
"Yeah, it's been a long day."Nick says, grabbing his coat while dropping the ring.
"Big night. Don't blow it, Romeo." Hank says tossing the ring at Nick. Nick barely catches the ring as Hank laughs.
"Are you going to join Juliette and I for dinner, Angela?" Nick asks, turning his head to look at me.
"Do you really want me there as you propose to Juliette?" I ask, glancing over at Nick while gathering my coat and purse from my desk.
"Yeah, you're my sister and Juliette would have my head if I didn't invite you to dinner seeing as it's late and you usually don't cook anything after a long day of work." Nick tells me, giving me a side hug before stepping towards the door.
"Yeah, alright I guess I'll come over." I say as I follow Hank and Nick out the door.
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Nick drives us to his house in his brownish tan jeep. We walk up to his front door as Nick stops to look around as a dogs whimpers somewhere nearby.
"Come on, Nick I can't go into your house unless you go first and unlock your door." I call over to my brother at the bottom of the first staircase. I stand at the bottom of the wooden stairs up to his front door, as he slowly nods and continues his way up the stairs. He walks past me as I look around wondering what has him distracted, shaking myself out of my thoughts. I follow Nick up the stairs as Nick unlocks his front door.
"Juliette?" Nick calls out, walking further into the dark living room. I gently close the door as Nick walks further into the darkened house.
Nick steps into the dining room, while I slowly follow him.
"Aunt Marie, when did you get here?" I hear Nick ask someone.
"Aunt Marie's here?" I ask as I step up beside Nick.
"Hey, you two. She was here when I got home." Juliette says as I step further into the dining room and smile at our aunt.
"Sorry for the short notice." Aunt Marie tells Nick.
"What, you didn't know she was coming?" Juliette asks the both of us.
"I meant to call. Sometimes I mean to do something and I assume I usually have." Aunt Marie says, smiling at us.
"Well, how are you doing? Is everything okay?" Nick asks Marie while occasionally glancing over at me.
"Not as OK as I used to be."
"She was telling me some pretty funny stories about you, when you were little." Juliette tells Nick.
"Dead frog in the microwave?" Nick questions.
"Among others."
"Come give me a hug you two." Marie tells us, standing up. Nick and I both embrace Marie in a group hug.
"We need to talk." Marie whispers to Nick and I.
"Juliette; Marie, Angela and I are going to go for a small walk outside." Nick tells Juliette before leading Marie and I outside.
We step outside and walk down the stairs to the street before turning and walking along the sidewalk.
"How bad is it?" Nick asks Marie as we walk closer to his jeep.
"Two weeks, two months, two days nobody knows. But there are so many things I have to tell you both."
"Why didn't you come here sooner?" I ask glancing at Marie who is walking between Nick and I.
"I couldn't."
"Why?" Nick asks stopping to look at Marie. I stop and stand next to Nick as Marie turns to look at us both.
"Just listen to me, there are things you don't know, things about our family?"
"Things about our family? You're our family." Nick tells Marie, I nod at Marie in agreement with Nick.
"Have either of you been seeing strange things? Things that you can't explain?" Marie asks us. Nick glances over at me, I look away as Marie looks between Nick and I.
"Oh, I knew it. This is all happening so much faster than I thought it would. When it happened to me, it knocked me on my ass. I couldn't move for a week." Marie says.
"What are you talking about?" Nick asks as I look up at Marie.
"The misfortune of our family is already passing to the two of you. I'm so sorry. I know you love Juliette, Nick. But you have to end it and never see her again. It's just too dangerous. The same goes for any male you date, Angela." Marie says, looking at us both.
"What?" Nick says face crunching up. Marie looks behind us, I turn my head to see what caught Marie's attention. I see her staring at a green car on the corner.
"Oh, my god, he's here." Marie whispers as I look back at her.
"Who?" I ask looking at Nick as I see him turn to look at the car. Marie turns swiftly dragging a dagger hidden in her cane out.
"Hulda." Marie says, holding the dagger out in front of her.
A figure jumps out of the nearby bushes. Marie shoves Nick and I to the ground as the man growls. The man lunges for Marie, she twirls underneath the weapon he holds. She stops his next swing with her cane. He kicks Marie back as he turns toward us. Nick gets up to attack him. The creature knocks Nick back, as Marie tries to sneak up behind him. He swings the weapon back toward her, Marie barely dodges his swing. Falling onto the pavement on her back, she looks up as he raises his weapon to strike down.
Nick tackles the man away from Marie and I, the man backhands Nick. Marie stabs the man in the back with her dagger. He growls in pain and swiftly turns back and smacks Marie to the ground. I rush towards the man and dodge the scythe he swings towards me. He kicks me in the abdomen, I fall backwards hitting my head along the curb before landing on my back next to Marie. Gasping for air, the man I see walking towards us is a strange creature. He raises his scythe to strike Marie and I as Nick shoots him in the shoulder. Through blurry vision I see the man turn towards my brother, the man stalks towards Nick, scythe raised above his head.
Nick shoots the man again and again until he falls to the ground dead. I slowly sit up to see Nick nearly laying on the ground near us. I look over at an attacker to see the creature's face morph into a human one. I slowly lay down as my vision starts to darken, I hear Nick get up to rush over to Marie and I. I can hear Marie panting heavily next to me.
"Did you kill him?" Marie asks.
"Yes." Nick pants out tiredly.
"I thought I lost him. They're after me." I hear a necklace chain snap as Marie continues to talk.
"Never lose this." Marie tells Nick.
Guard it with your life. They'll be looking for it Nick, Angela, your parents didn't die in a crash. They were killed." I hear Marie say.
"What?" Nick whispers.
"Nick." I whisper.
"Angela." Nick says, moving over to me.
"I hit my head, kinda dizzy. I can't open my eyes." I tell Nick quietly. I see police lights flashing through my eyelids. Paramedics load me onto a stretcher and into a nearby ambulance. Nick climbs into the ambulance with me.
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A Doctor walks into my room.
"Well, Miss Burkhardt, you have a slight concussion, and some bruised ribs. We are going to keep you overnight for observation, but you should be able to leave in the morning."
"Thanks Doctor. Can I ask you how my aunt is doing?" I ask softly as she smiles at me softly.
"She's conscious and your brother is visiting her now." She says.
"Thank you."
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A soft knocking on my hospital room door rouses me from my sleep.
"Angela." Nick calls softly.
"Hey Nick." I call as Nick steps into my room.
"How are you?" Nick asks, stepping over to my bed.
"I have a slight concussion and some bruised ribs, other than that I'm okay."
"Did you see anything strange about that man?" Nick asks, staring at me.
"His face changed." I tell Nick.
"Something like this?" Nick asks softly, showing me a drawn picture.
"Have you seen this too?" I question grabbing the photo.
"Yeah, after he died he changed back. Marie gave me this as well." Nick says, showing me a key that folds into a pendant. Nick walks away from my bed before turning to gaze at me softly.
"Get better soon, okay?"
Yeah, I'll try Nick. Where are you heading off to?" I ask before he can leave.
"I'm going to the station, I'm going to see what I can figure out."
"Be safe, Nick." I tell him softly.
"I will." He answers before walking out of my room.
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The Doctor gently wakes me up to check on me. She gently smiles at me as she walks away. My cell phone dings on my bedside table, I open my text messages to see Nick texted me.