The Vagrant Shadow

Chapter 1

There are many things in life that can kill a man: war, parasites, disease, weather, you name it; but the biggest predator to man is man himself. what drives a man to kill is beyond me, but what drives a man to use animals for their own sadistic bidding is more than words can describe. its enough to make a person both physically and emotionally sick. there is no excuse why I am hiding in a cavern; only reason...my reason is because I am a prisoner of the forest. its dark and I dare not venture any farther due to dropping temperatures. stalked and cornered I have no where to flee, the only thing that is stopping me is the fear of the unknown. Foolish of me to think night life as "monsters" but the lupine that patrol these woods with their powerful noses and keen sense of instinct is what makes them deadly. contrary to popular belief wolves do not prey on humans in any case, I wish that was true. No, these lupines are not "monsters" they are 'mansters' while monsters are created in legends and lore, Mansters are created everyday. Mansters are any entity that has been corrupted b human thought or action put into practice driven by pure evil with the intent to harm another person or populace. My demon is waiting for me, and it was only a matter of time before I had to face the one they call "Ember"

night the darkness enveloped me like a cobra envelopes its prey. With each passing minuet, the night grew colder, and cobra grew hungrier. Calculating the predicament I was in, I would assume that the dampness made the air seem fifty degrees if not cooler. As I lay on the cold, hard ground my body begins to shiver; the cobra has begun its feast. They say that we fear what we do not understand, which I believe is true. My fear of the unknown grew in me, and the longer I stayed, the more fear enveloped my being. I couldn't go outside-not during the night at least....but I had to, the cave was becoming gloomier, and hazier just like my memory of how I got here. The night air draped around me like it was nurturing me with by its blanket of death. As I huddled my knees together, I could feel the goose bumps on my skin creep as a violent shiver went down my spine: A eerie and ominous howl of the wolfs lament has caught up to me, as the howl echoed through the night, it shattered the only peace of mind I had left, leaving me vulnerable for the cobra to digest.

We left that bitter state of Wisconsin behind in the middle of February for my Aunt Flora's wedding ceremony. As mom and I boarded the plane, we were reluctant to find that we were separated so instead of sitting next to my mom, I got to sit next to some sleazebag with excessive body odor some sort of respiratory condition. He looked like he was in the thirties, but judging by his poor hygiene, I would assume he was unemployed and lived in the basement with his parents. I pulled out the Sky Mall magazine from the pouch and flipped through it lazily while the flight attendant gave safety precaution instructions. The man next to me wouldn't stop coughing and it seemed like his asthma as acting up. I rolled my eyes as I looked back at my mom who waved to me with an innocent wave. Help me, my eyes pleaded. My mother sighed and shook her head. Her actions spoke "Sorry," I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes. The man's disruptive breathing kept me from getting proper rest, so I put in my head phones and fell asleep; the wave of music soothed my nervous acrophobia as we sailed smoothly into the clouded atmosphere.

I was quickly awakened by the sudden jerk of a forward motion as my stomach lurched into my tightened seat belt. My weary eyes adjusted to the cabins lighted atmosphere as the captain came on the intercom.

"Good evening passengers and welcome to Elkton Oregon, this is your captain speaking. I would thank you for flying with us today; it's a little breezy with the high of sixty degrees. Please put your tray away and your seat in the upright position as we will be coming around to collect your garbage, please remained seated until the seatbelt light has been turned off, and we hope that you have enjoyed your flight. Thanks again for flying Frontier Airlines and have a great evening," I sat in my seat and waited for the cabin to become clear. Just as I was about to leave, the man next to me began to talk to me I rolled my eyes and sighed silently answering minimal questions as possible.