Protector Of The Grimms

The Dead Boy In The Forest

"I will not forsake him... And I will serve him faithfully even if it costs me my life"

***

The boy stumbled as he ran through the dense forest, his heart beating loud in his own ears, his breath fast. Twigs and branches snagged at his pale skin, ripping it open, causing trickles of blood to run down his flesh. He could hear them advancing on him, the Hässlich. He was a Kehrseite-Schlich-Kennen, he knew about Wesen, and what they were capable of. He cursed his sister as he tripped over a log, his dark hair fell into his face, he blew his fringe from his eyes as he scrambled to his feet, but it was too late, he could hear their snarls. He stumbled and began to run again, but a dark shape landed before him and slowly grew in stature. The boy's blue eyes widened as they lighted on the Wesen's white, curved fangs, as they glinted in the light, he never even had time to process the thought before the teeth ripped out his throat, spraying drops of ruby across nearby tree.

***

Nick and Hank ducked under the yellow police tape as they made their way to the crime scene, Wu walked up to meet them.

"What we got?" Hank asked Wu handed him a report.

"Two hikers found the body hanging from a tree just through here. Got a pretty nasty shock when they found him." Wu gestured to the bloodstained trees, a rope swinging in the gentle breeze, the body now been cut down and on a blue mat.

"Him?" Nick asked, nodding to the body as they approached the crime scene crawling with forensics.

"Yup, that was easy enough to tell. His face is almost unharmed... It's just the rest of him..." Wu trailed off as they reached the remains. Nick and Hank exchanged worried glances as they saw the body. A scythe had been carved into the boy's chest.

"There's more over there." Wu nodded to a tree. Crudely engraved into the blood stained tree, were the words, 'Erntemaschinen von den Grimm's,' Nick sighed as he read it.

"Do we have an ID?" Hank asked, staring down at the body.

"He still had his wallet on him. Drivers license belongs to a Thomas Engel. Twenty. British too, we're running some background checks back at the station."

"Do we have any links to any other killings?" Hank asked, looking up at Wu.

"Not as far as we know..." Wu shrugged, "But we're hanging in there." He chuckled lightly at his own joke, before seeing Nick glaring at him. He coughed awkwardly and walked away. Hank turned to Nick and spoke in a very low voice.

"You think it's Wesen?"

"The boy?... I can't see him being one, though we cant rule it out... But the ones who killed him must be Hässlich... But why him? Why some random kid I don't even know?..." Nick frowned down at the dead body.

"Why can't anything just be straight forward around here?" Hank sighed, rolling his eyes to the sky.

"It's Portland, Hank... Nothing's normal..." Nick hunkered down next to the body, his eyes scanning over him. He pulled on a latex glove and pulled the boys phone free from the bloodied jeans, he held it up for the forensics.

"Go through this, look at the last called numbers, texts, find out anything that could help us. See if he had any enemies, any arguments, ex-girlfriends or boyfriends. Anything." He threw it to a new female forensic who caught it, flustered. Nick couldn't hide the half smile that tugged at his lips.

"Report's just come in, we have an address for the him." Wu came over, waving a piece of paper, he handed to Hank who nodded at Nick.

"Let's go."