The previous days training haunted Caine's nightmares that night and she slept restlessly. She awoke with a scream and sat there in the darkness, hugging her duvet for comfort. Tears streamed down her face as her nightmares came back to her. She had seen him. His face, old and gnarled like the cracked bark of a tree. He was tall and slender and his clothes hung off his thin body. His eyes had been removed and where they had once been were deep bloody hollows. His mouth was permanently contorted in a malicious sneer that sent shivers down Caine's spine.
She remembered him now.
December 18th, he had killed them. Brutally, he had wiped Caine's family clean off the face off the earth like you would chalk from a slate.
Caine pressed the light button on her alarm clock and it showed 7:13 AM. Late. Again. Caine dried her eyes and changed hurriedly into a biker jacket and a pair of jeans. She slung her training bag over her shoulder and left. She stepped on the bus at the station and got off at the vacant lot. When she arrived in the lobby of The Base Mr Bleak wasn't there, nor was the administrator who usually sat quietly twiddling his thumbs at the front desk. She headed to the kit room herself and changed for training. As she stepped out into the training hall, she realised why it was so quiet. Every trainee lay dead on the floor, their blood staining the walls. She couldn't see Mr Bleak or any of the other trainers and she hoped that meant they were OK. Suddenly she snapped her attention to the corner of the room. Something moved and she spun to see it hunched over facing away from her. The thing was unnaturally tall and thin. It turned slowly, its mouth locked in that permanent sneer of his.
Caine screamed and darted for the kit room doors but it was too late. He was already there blocking her exit. She ran for the back doors where they kept the creatures but again, he was too quick for her.
"Caine", he hissed," what a pleasure it is to finally meet you again".
His mouth contorted further into what appeared to be a smile and he lunged. His fingernails snatched at Caine's leg but she twisted and lashed out. Her foot connected with his jaw and he laughed. His hand lashed out and hit Caine's face in a slap that sent her stumbling backwards. Caine grimaced and spun, her knee colliding with his face. His burst lip sprayed with blood but he didn't seem in the least phased. He ran at Caine and his shoulder connected with her chest, driving her backwards. Caine fell to the floor with a thud and the world went blurry. She felt a searing pain up her lower arm and she realised her wrist was broken. Darkness began to seep into the corners of her vision as the man loomed over Caine. A crack resounded through the hall and he fell to his knees. The last thing that Caine saw was a blurry figure raining punches down on the man before the darkness consumed her vision entirely.
