Shadow Mark (Beast)

Chapter 2

Joshua: (Opening the front door) What do you want, Isaiah?

Isaiah: Dude, you need to see this. (In a mocking voice) Grab your girlfriend and let's get to the park.

Joshua: (Scoffs) alright... Cat! Come on, we are going out to the park!

(Running from the dining room to the front door, Cat slips on her converse and pulls a petticoat over her)

They reach the park grounds to see nothing out of the ordinary. Isaiah is panting from running three blocks from the house to the park. Joshua looks around confused on why Isaiah had just made them run across the neighborhood just to see nothing. Cat has the same reaction, very winded and very confused.

Cat: What? Isaiah, nothing's here! Don't tell me you made us run three blocks just to see nothing!

Isaiah:(panting) It's behind the tree line... By the creek... (uttering under his voice, still out of breath) sheesh.

Joshua: I really hope this isn't another one of isaia- (He looks towards the creek to see a sun and moon sigil) I swear to god... Am I the only one seeing this? (He looks to Cat, confused and scared)

Cat:(Turning around to Isaiah) Are you kidding me right now?! (Angered) You need to stop with these dumb gags, Isaiah!

Isaiah: I am not joking this time! (Walking over to the two of his friends) This was here this morning when I saw it. I was hoping you two would know what is going on.

Joshua: I don't know what it is, but it has been in my dream last night, on my wall this morning and now on the floor at the park now. There has to be a reason for this thing.

Cat: This looks like with was burned into the ground. Signs of a living creature has been in this spot recently. Paw prints, bones, coarse hair and signs that it slept in the area of the sigil. By the looks of the paws and hair, I would assume that it is just a really big coyote.

Joshua: Coyotes don't even get that big.(He step into the area of the sigil) This spot is really warm still, recently made. (He puts on his gloves and picks up the hair) This is way too thick to be the hair of a coyote, maybe we have a bigger animal at hand. (putting the hair into a plastic container and putting it into his coat, he kneels down and examines the print) This doesn't even look like a canine print. It has... human like fingers, it even has a thumb.

Isaiah: I would maybe suggest that we wait until dark and see if thing returns?

Joshua: Will you bring the camp gear over here?

Cat:(Laughing in disbelief) That's funny! (Her face drops) We are actually doing this are we?

Isaiah and Josh:(In sync) Yes!

The day goes by, and the three of them have been setting up where they will stay and planned their activities and duties. Cat has smartly planned out all the times they will have for snacks and a meal. Isaiah used his time to set up all the tables, chairs, tents and the campfire. The only thing Joshua did was examine the hair that he had collected through his travel size microscope.

Joshua:(Mumbling to himself) This isn't even bear hair, the strands are too thin. It resembles human- (He stops to think what human hair was doing in that area and why it was so coarse) There were bones there, but those resembled a smaller animal.(He has an idea and hurries out of his tent and down to the creek)

Cat: What are you in a rush for?

Joshua: I'll be right back, just let me think!

He rushes down to the creek, and picks up the animal bone and hurries back into his tent. Cat and isaiah look at him confused, but not surprised. He examines the bones and makes the deductive conclusion that the bone belongs to a big dog.

Joshua: This is a neighborhood dog, a Mastiff possibly. It is the biggest a dog can get without being bigger in mass to an adult human. That means this thing is carnivorous or an omnivore that just found itself a nice feast. (Walks out of tent and sits down at the dinner table.) I wonder what creature would be roaming around these parts that has the confidence to eat a dog that is almost as big as a human-

Cat: Maybe the animal is bigger than the human, Joshua. (She looks at him with that caring yet disappointed stare.) Sometimes I wonder if you save room for common sense in your head. (She laughs.)

Isaiah: I still don't know what either of you are doing. I wasn't expecting to be here ALL night. ( He lets out a sigh that transitions into a yawn) I am going to bed. You two have fun with your blood and bones and all that weird science stuff. Peace! (He walks off into his tent and turns off the lantern and his tent goes silent.)

Both Cat and Joshua go to bed over time. Joshua wakes up and remembers where he is. Oddly, he is back in his house, it is empty and there is an anonymous breathing coming from the walls of the house. He looks out the sun-lit window and observes an empty street, he is in this pocket-dimension of a dream. The breathing intensifies and he can't help but feel anxious about what is about to approach him. The breathing is raspy and gurgly. Joshua's legs are paralyzed as a demonic creature phases through the walls as everything around it decays. It's gnarled fingers go to grab for Joshua as it lets out a half-human, half-elk scream. Joshua jolts out of his sleeping roll and looks out of his tent window. The smell of coffee and a fire calms his shocked mind.