Etienne

Last Encounter

 Harken looked around the room he had rented. He was jumpy at best and utterly terrified at worst. He had gone home after the fire, but he had quickly left haunted by the memories of the past and the guilt that ravaged his mind.

It didn't help the howl that he heard that night. He heard it every night since the fire too. This is what kept him running. It sent chills down his spine every time he heard it. Something eerie and unnatural about it.

In spite of the uneasy feeling, something that was becoming part of his personality he was so perpetually afflicted by the emotion, he got ready for sleep. The usual routine of washing, packing what little things he had kept after leaving the house: the two pairs of pants and one shirt he had packed, and his bible. He had also managed to grab Etienne's journal. He wasn't sure how but in the haste of leaving he had accidentally picked it up with his other things. He stared at the journal. He hadn't discarded it yet, but he had been tempted each time he stopped somewhere new. He also didn't read it. He didn't know if it was the guilt that stopped him or something else entirely but the catch 22 prompted him to pack the journal with his other things.

Once he was finished packing, he laid down next to the gun that he had also packed. After several hours he fell into a restless sleep. He hadn't slept well since that night and Etienne haunted his dreams mocking him like he felt she had in life.

He awoke a chill sweeping over him. He shivered, sudden panic set in. He knew he hadn't left the window open, yet a breeze sent another chill down his body. He closed his eyes tightly terror set in on him. Nothing happened though. He slowly opened his eyes expecting the worse, a dark shadowy figure standing over him, but none was there to greet him. And somehow, however slowly it may have taken, he managed to relax enough to fall back asleep.

Harken awoke in the morning. He took in a deep breathe and instantly had the same terror fall over him. He slowly sat up and still jumped as he spotted Milo sitting in a chair pulled up beside his bed.

"Good morning, Harken. Did you sleep well?" Milo asked. He had his legs crossed a cane in hand. He was well dressed in all black.

Harken reached for where the gun had been the night before, but it was no longer in the same spot as when he fell asleep.

"It's not safe to sleep with guns in your bed," Milo stated as if reading Harken's mind.  

"Come here to kill me?" He asked after a long pause.

"No," Milo responded simply. "Believe me if I had wanted to kill you would have already been dead. I'm here because I wanted to have a chat."

Harken's heart sped up anyway and despite the reassurance, he tried to scramble out of the bed. Milo was by him in an instance his hand on his shoulder pushing him right back into place.

"I'm offended. You try and kill me and you don't even want to hear me out? Well, you're going to whether you want to or not."

Harken visibly shook the true horror of Milo coming across him more so than he had ever felt before.

"What do you want to talk about?" he finally managed to ask when Milo remained silent.

"Oh well, I just wanted to clarify that you were right."

Harken made a face at the statement not expecting it.

"I was not a monster to Etienne, but that does not mean I am not a monster. Etienne, on the other hand, was quite literally the opposite. You know she had the power to heal. I believe things like that are often called the divine. Wouldn't you say?"

Harken remained silent.

"And yet you took her life and here the monster stands. Not to mention Marisol. What kind of animal kills their offspring with no regard?"

"We searched the house and could not..."

"I don't care about your excuses or lies," Milo stated not raising his voice but silencing Harken nonetheless. "You never deserved someone as remarkable as Etienne. And the only reason I haven't made your worst fear come true is because she wouldn't want me to."

He stood up placing the black hat on and walked toward the front entrance.

A cry of relief managed to escape Harken's lips.

Milo turned back around at the door.

"Etienne's heart was always focused on the positive. She was a true light in this dark world. As I said, I know she wouldn't want me to snatch your life away. Marisol, on the other hand, may not feel the same."

"Marisol is still alive?" Harken questioned in disbelief.

"Not quite," Milo responded swinging the door open to reveal Marisol on the other side.

He stood slightly hunched over his legs at a wide stance. He was taking in deep breathes and baring his teeth.

Harken recognized his son, but he looked so alien even in his familiarities. His skin now matched the complexion of Milo. His hair that had always resisted all attempts to be tamed seemed to lay down now in a perfect manner and glow in the early twilight. Drool pooled as his mouth which didn't bother Marisol in the least. His hands were contorted into what Harken would have described as claws and his limbs too stuck out in the most grotesque manner.

"Marisol here was why we took a few extra days getting to you. When the change occurs to children it's pretty savage at first. He'll grow out of it but for now the wild runs through him."

Harken looked horrified at Marisol like it had taken time to process the information and it still wasn't fully formed in his mind yet.  

 "Well, I'll leave you two to hash things out. This is a new suit after all."

Milo smiled down at Marisol and reached out patting his head affectionally. "I'll be right outside if you need me," He stated and walked out of the room shutting the door behind him.

The sun was rising slowly in the sky, Milo enjoying every moment of it. It was so familiar and yet so foreign to him. He never dreamed he'd be experiencing it in his life ever again.

As the sun warmed his face, he listened to the agonizing screams of Harken as they slowly faded away until Marisol stepped back out of the house.

"I'm finished," He replied blood still on his lips.

He held Etienne's journal in his arms holding it up to show Milo. "Look what I found. It belonged to Mamma."

He smiled down at him and this gesture.

"Her journal. I'm sure she would want you to have it. A great piece to remember her by."

Milo held out his hand which Marisol took, tucking the journal under his arm.

"Now that we've gotten that settled, let's go see the world together. I'm sure we'll meet some interesting characters and if nothing else some tasty ones."

Marisol giggled at the statement.