The Damned

Chapter 1

There is only a finite number of human souls on the Earth, and yet the human population is constantly growing. It really makes you wonder what else if filling those bodies, doesn't it?

We are. The damned, the dark, the cursed, those who come from hell, purgatory and everything in between. We are the ones you heard about in the ghost stories your friends told at 2:30 in the morning, huddled around a campfire, every little pop from the flames making you jump a foot into the brisk night air.

But you can't really tell us apart from you. We could be the person who runs your horribly overpriced vegetables through the till at the grocery store, or the person to finish behind you in the marathon you ran last month, maybe even the person who taught you 3rd grade, so many years ago. We really could be anywhere, and we blend in seamlessly.

Chapter 1

Alison June swept up her long, tangled red hair into a towel, making it into a hat on her head. Wrapping the second towel around her wet, freshly showered body, she stepped out and glanced at the clock. 8:04 pm. She still had time to throw a salad together for dinner. Her stomach growled, and she realized that she hadn't eaten anything since the chocolate cupcake almost four hours ago. She walked out of the bathroom, flicking the fan on as she left, and closed the door so she didn't have to hear the constant whirrrrrr of the machine. She walked into her bedroom, slipped on her robe, and her favorite slippers (they were green with little pink flowers on them and extremely comfortable) and walked into her small kitchen. You see, Alison was a college student, so making her month's rent was sometimes hard, and her house wasn't exactly fancy, but she made due, with the two minimum wage part time jobs she was working. She didn't have many luxuries, but she had enough. She was studying education, her dream was to one day become a teacher, and to help put through the next generations through school. She always had a way with children, mostly younger children, but she still had a way. You could give her the most problematic child and she would somehow find a way to make learning enjoyable and fun. Alison Jane was special that way, without knowing her people wouldn't believe, but she was special.

Alison June was the kind of special that kids loved. She definitely wasn't special in the way that her brain doesn't work like ours, it was almost a step ahead, and she could read people almost too well.

Alison June grabbed an old, chipped, white bowl from her cupboard. She set it down gently on her counter, and walked to the fridge, looking for something to throw in it, a mish mash of this and that, for dinner. She had been hoping for a salad, but maybe she would have to settle for some Mr.Noodles instead, as she didn't seem to have any veggies in her fridge. Just some old condiment bottles. She closed her fridge door a little hard, annoyed about having to settle for something else. She opened the cupboard and pulled a Mr. Noodles package out (spicey chicken), pulled the pot that was big enough to hold the water and the noodles. Alison June started the simple process of cooking it. She let her mind wander aimlessly, thinking about that project she probably should work on after dinner. It was then she heard someone pounding on the door. She rolled her dark blue eyes and padded to the door, opening it to see the blonde haired, brown eyed Tera. Tera had a small tan this year, an old tan, still left over from so many hours of suntanning in the summer, but through her tan you could still see the little dusting of freckles across the bridge of her nose, and across her cheekbones, just like someone had dipped a paintbrush in an earthy brown paint, and flicked it at her. Tera was the kind of pretty that you glanced at on the street, and would have to do a double take. She carried herself like a goddess, and a heart of gold. She was warm, and welcoming. Yet also had a bad habit of forgetting her keys when she was on dates. Her eyes crinkled up into a smile, "Thanks, AJ. I forgot my keys..."