The Devils Game (standard:horror, 26379 words)
Author: Mark Tival	Added: Sep 04 2007	Views/Reads: 2998/2135	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
The Devil hunting down a select few in a twisted game where only he knows the rules

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

houses and shops, their windows dark now. John silently moved out from 
his spot behind the car, something moved with him, following his every 
more. John however was too engrossed in the man to notice. Silently 
with fluid motion brought on by experience John moved into the shadow 
and began to follow the man step-by-step, movement-by-movement. The 
stars shone bright in the night's sky, their twinkling seeming to John 
to be their attempt to warn the man that he was being followed. He had 
wished for cloud this night he thought. However it allowed him to 
practice his craft and get better at it. Slowly he edged closer to the 
running man careful that he shouldn't be seen that would only ruin his 
plan. He giggled quietly to himself, stifling it with his fist. He got 
closer still trailing the unassuming man in the shadows. Closer and 
closer he got until he could hear the mans breathing. Oh god how he 
loved this game, smiling to himself he drew a long wicked knife, the 
type bought by hunters and used to skin dear. The knife glittered dully 
in the light. 

It moved again. Closer this time. 

Quietly John crept closer till he was behind he man, barely a foot away.
Suddenly a blade pressed against the mans throat. Something slimy and 
thin cut into his mind penetrating him in a way he'd never felt before 
making him want to vomit. 'I can feel you fear' a husky voice said 
almost distant through the sound of pleasure in its voice. 'Don't move 
or ill cut your throat. That's good feel it, enjoy the fear, I know I 
am,' the voice giggled to it's self, ‘Go on wet your self  enjoy the 
fear' the voice muttered again. The man felt a rubbing against his back 
a short thick shaft of flesh was rubbing against his back. He twisted 
helplessly against the powerful grip that held him. The knife flashed 
nicking his neck. ‘Move and I'll cut you up' the voice promised in his 
ear. Another jolt of fear flashed through the man, unable to speak the 
fear locking in his words. Something warm sprayed against his shirt and 
the voice murmured in pleasure, the feeling of a razor entering his 
brain not receding for one second. The man stood terrified unable to 
move, one single thought entering his maddened brain. For him the game 
was lost. The memory of what would happened to him now made his bowls 
release what was left with in them the warm liquid flowing past his 
legs trickling out of his trouser leg. One swift move and the deed was 
done. 'I lied' whispered John's husky voice as if he were saying it to 
a lover from behind him as the man slumped down his lifeblood pouring 
from the gash in his neck. His hands grasped it in an attempt to stop 
the flow of blood, instead his hands just grew slick with the thick red 
liquid Terrified the man slumped into a ball to die the last of his 
lifeblood leaving his twitching body. For him the game was over he had 
lost. Something swished past him, in his state of death, however he 
didn't notice it. John glided away from his victim pleased with 
himself. He had won, now the horror that had pursued him would leave 
him forever and he could lead his life as normal. His power had been 
the strongest. His had been triumphant. He had battled and won. He 
remembered the fear, that glorious feeling of fear that thrilled him to 
orgasm. Silently he drifted through the night like a phantom. He was 
safe. He... He felt it in his mind before he saw it, a paralyzing fear 
swept through John's body cutting through his mind as if he had been 
dropped into icy water. John twisted his head around to look at the 
darkness behind him. Thicker than it had been as if it had taken shape 
a black shape slicing through the night behind him of him, stalking 
him, STALKING HIM. But the game was finished he was free. 'I lied' the 
deep voice came as soft and as sharp as ice in his brain. Fear welled 
up in his mind. The same fear that he'd installed in many people in the 
game greeted him. John started to panic and run. His footsteps no 
longer silent but clattering down the alleyway echoing off the walls. 
Fear giving him the energy he needed to run. The soft padding behind 
him however slowly gained till he felt it almost on top of him. Fear 
cutting through him like a knife numbing any thoughts he might have 
had. By blind luck alone he ran across a square, falling over a low 
hedge getting up almost before he hit the ground. It was no good he 
could feel it catching him up. Blindly he ran towards the first 
building. An imposing cathedral built to keep out the evil things of 
the world. John mad a mad dash towards it his mind barely noticing what 
he was running towards. His legs burned with a ferocious pain. The 
cathedral grew closer its dark form looming above him as he looked up 
the rain that had begun to fall hitting his eyes making nearly blind. 
Still he ran the fear turning his bowls to water the warmth giving him 
no comfort. His heart pounded in his chest as if urging him on. His 
footsteps clattered echoing against the houses around him, their 
windows dark, blind to the pursuit. The cathedral grew nearer. In Johns 
mind a thought sprung into his brain it pushed him faster making him 
think he could make it. He was wrong. It caught him, the final 
contestant in a sick game. It caught him just out side the door of the 
cathedral and there it played out its part of the game. Finishing what 
its master had started. John however wasn't aware of this; all he was 
aware of were the claws tearing more than slicing into him, pulling his 
flesh apart. His soul was being ripped from its earthly body trying 
desperately to cling to it.  John tried to scream but found his voice 
box no longer part of his body his throat where it had been filling 
with blood chocking his breath as his lungs filled the fluid pouring 
down his throat. He slumped to the ground clawing, not noticing his 
nails being torn off on the blood soaked flag stones. It landed on top 
of him again going for another attack its claws tearing into him as he 
desperately tried to pull his mangled body towards the safety of the 
cathedral, small mewing sounds coming from his once recognizable 
throat. There a few feet from safety he died, his body torn apart, pain 
searing through him, devoid of sane thought. A chill laugher echoing in 
his mind to send him to his death and greeting him to his prize. The 
game or hunt, as John would have preferred, ended. Another one was just 
about to begin. The beast its hunger sated, slunk back to its hole and 
prepared it's self. 

The Hunt 

They found him hiding in the church, freezing cold barely alive his body
covered with scorch marks. They took him in to their home and cared for 
him. Their worried looks telling him what they though he was. Slowly 
the man started to get better. The hunted look in his eyes, however, 
never left him. It never would. Often he screamed at night in his bed. 
The screams making all in the house hide themselves. They knew. They 
were hearing the scream of a man who has seen. It took them three days 
to make sense out him, his insane babblings making no recognizable 
language. Finally the man began to get better the marks leaving his 
body. Slowly oh so slowly they got the story out of him. They didn't 
keep him any longer. They called for the local priest. An old bent man 
one who had knowledge of the unexplainable. He entered the small house 
looked at the family the looks in their eyes unnerving him momentarily. 
He came to the mans room the windows darkened by thick blankets 
covering the windows. He walked up the man asleep in the bed his face 
no longer drawn and pale but still  not to its normal fullness. He woke 
him up gently nudging his shoulder. He asked the man a question. In the 
quiet dark of the room he answered fully and truthfully as he had done 
his hosts. Many hours later the priest came back down the thin rickety 
stairs to the family his face white a shocked look on his face. He 
crossed the room his shoes barely making any noise on the thin carpet. 
He bent down and whispered some thing in the fathers ear. What colour 
he had drained from the mans face as he listened to what the priest 
said. At the end he sat still looking the priest in the eyes. Finally 
he nodded understanding what had to be done. The next day they took him 
out of the house giving him food and money that he needed. They sent 
him on the way and went back to their lives. By night fall they would 
all be dead. Dead because of what they knew. They knew of the 
game...... 

Brad took another swing of his beer and belched a human belch of one who
had had too many pains in his life. The deep purple bruise on the right 
side of his face hidden under two days bristle told the tale of the 
last he'd experienced earlier that night. That one being the latest in 
a long line of pain that women brought him. Brad tipped the bottle 
bringing it to his lips and took another swig. He hated them. The way 
that they looked at him in the bar, looks full of promises, promises 
that would never be fulfilled. He looked around the dark smoky bar. In 
the corner next to the Juke box two men talked quietly their voices 
inaudible above the music blearing in Brads ears. He turned around back 
so he was facing the bar again staring at the half empty spirits that 
lined the walk in front of him. Life in Brad's opinion was a bitch, a 
dirty bitch that dug in till she was sure she'd drawn blood and then 
left. The empty beers formed a line in front of him, the bitter liquid 
that had once filled them making a week attempt to fill the void in his 
life. He drained his final beer feeling the last of the liquid flow 
down his throat. He stood up wavering for a second as if he had gotten 
up too fast, but knowing it was the alcohol working its way through his 
system, and walked to the toilet and drained his bladder. He left the 
bar full, sick of the taste of the old rancid smoke that seemed to have 
permeated the bar, through decades of the dregs that hung out smoking 
night after night as they discussed their problems as if they mattered, 
making it hang in the air with a taste that stayed in Brads mouth even 
after he left. The night air padded around him soft and cool stroking 
his bare arms, making the hairs on them rise, with a voluptuousness 
that He loved to feel. It taunted him and yet it called to him, 
bringing up memories of his childhood. As he walked over to his rusty 
old car sitting alone as he had done in the bar in the darkest corner 
of the parking lot his eyes misted over lost in memories... He was 
eleven when it had happened, along with his friend's stevie and Dan 
they had gone down to the junkyard to poke the local drunks in the hope 
that one might chase him. They had been planning it all day and at the 
end of the day long hard day with the excitement that came with the 
freedom of the weekend they walked down to the junkyard their voices 
innocent but lower than they were just a year ago. Their talk full of 
what they were going to do that weekend, 'Me an' my dad're goin to 
build that shed mums been bitching about' Dan announced to the delight 
and yes horror of the use of the word bitch, to the group. 'Betcha 
that's bullshit, yo' dad ain't gona do any thing cept' sit on his arse 
an' drink like he normally does' Stevie shot back trying to out do Dan 
in his profanities. The other two boy's eyes opened wide to the 
laughter of Stevie. He was in the year above them and so by the rules 
of children the leader. Not to be out done in the contest Brad decided 
to utter the word that would win it for him, turning around to look a 
this friends walking behind him unaware that in a few months one of 
them would dead he said in a loud voice, 'Ya'll motherfuckers gona move 
your arses or not?' for the rest of the group to hear him. They all 
stopped in amazement that Brad would utter such a word, 'What you say?' 
Stevie proclaimed looking at Brad. Delighted by the look of his friend 
he tried again 'y'all motherfuckers gona hurry your arses up?' the 
reaction he got wasn't one he expected, 'well me thinks Bradie may be 
growing up' Stevie proclaimed half mockingly half in genuine admiration 
as he walked faster his shoes scuffing the ground less as he sped up 
till he was walking along side Brad down the dusty road. The rest of 
the boys walked a bit faster too attempting to catch up with them. 
Finally they did falling forwards walking in a straight line each of 
them lost in thought. The thoughts of children. Innocent children. They 
hadn't gotten much farther along the long road towards the other side 
of town when the youngest Dan began go want to go back, ‘I don't have a 
very good feeling about this you guys, I mean what if there's more than 
just hobos and drunks down there. My mum said that this boy just across 
the street when she was younger got attacked by a pervert and they 
found the pervert but not the boys-‘ ‘-Shut up will yo'' Stevie said 
angrily cutting across Dan's worried whining ‘There ain't no perverts 
‘round here I heard tha' story too off my mum an' she said that they 
found the boy and he was down by the river. Dan that's the other side 
o'town so will yo' quite yaw worrying its gona be fine'. He finished 
looking at Dan with a scowl. Dan opened his mouth to contradict Stevie 
but thought better of it and just kept on walking kicking at the dusty 
road with his shoes bringing up clouds of dust in front of him which he 
walked through as if they weren't there. The rest of the boys continued 
to walk in silence occasionally stealing a worried glance at Stevie who 
was walking ahead of them in silence his head bent down as if looking 
at some thing interesting on his shoes. They couldn't see the worried 
look on his face. Behind them the sun began its slow decent down. 
.......... 

The afternoon was growing late by the time they reached the junkyard.
Their childish chatter had died down a few minutes before so as not to 
give warning to the tramps that lived there. They meant to catch them 
unawares. The joy of seeing their faces as they were woken for their 
sleep with the unending torment of branches coming down upon them was 
something the boys enjoyed inflicting. They all stood in front of the 
junkyard looking at it, the battered fence that lay around it that now 
wouldn't hold any thing out. Ahead of them A little farther in lay cars 
piled up, old washing machines discarded as some thing newer came in. 
Behind them the sun had dived below their heights casting long shadows 
that covered most of the dry sandy ground between them and the fence. 
Radios that had long since ceased to pick up any signal lay scattered 
as if the people who had thrown them away couldn't be bothered to get 
them all the way. The boys however knew different. This was the debris 
from the hobos looking through the heaps of discarded rubbish throwing 
anything that looked to them as if it might be usable out of the 
mountain of broken things. On the heaps them selves shadows darker than 
those which spilled cross the road hid rats, not the big city rats but 
smaller ones. Dangerous non the less if they carried rabies. They 
walked through the junkyard their chattering low and now more serious; 
Brad now walking at the back, however, wasn't listening. He'd noticed 
something, out of the corner of his eye, a patch on the ground. His 
heart stopped for a second as he saw it. A deep purple patch, he'd seen 
it before, knew what it meant and he didn't like it. He walked up to 
the patch and with his foot tried to scratch out that telling mark from 
the ground, that mark that burned deep in his mind telling him things 
he didn't want to know. He pulled his foot off but it was still there 
as if looking at him burning through his mind making his face feel hot 
and the rest of his body icy cold. Another one caught his eye slightly 
ahead of him, this one slightly deeper purple. Another followed till 
they went out of sight. Each stain one just a little bit deeper more 
angry purple than the last. He knew now though that now he had no 
choice, he would have to follow the line to its end. He had to help who 
ever was on the end of the trail. He shuddered when he thought about 
who lived in the rubbish dump. Brad took another step his body working 
independently of his mind. A rush of pictures formed in his mind the 
pain momentarily blinding him as it all came to him. A knife, an 
argument. The brutal hacking and the deed was done. he could hear words 
exchanged, the feelings involved. The anger, the pain of the knife. He 
followed the purple trail, now with some small blood splatters by it 
(Brad remembered vaguely wondering how the other hobo had managed to do 
what he did with spilling much blood but the images told him how) 
walking quicker as the memories and images flowed through his head 
unable to stop them. The trail grew deeper and deeper purple till it 
turned a black so deep his head ached when he looked at it. His steps 
had become shorter, his breath shallower as he anticipated what he was 
going to see around the corner of the pile of rusting cars. It was 
there he knew it was. From where he was standing the smell of decay 
attacked his nose making his stomach groan in protest wanting to bring 
up his last few meals. Brad forced his feet forward and took another 
step towards a rusty Chevy which, at one time had been a vivid blue, 
and looked around the car. His screams cut through the silent evening 
air startling birds and animals. His screaming brought Dan and Stevie 
to him. The smell of their fresh vomit brought the adults running who 
had heard the terrible screams. There he had found the body. It barely 
looked like a man any more its ragged clothes saturated in blood that 
had begun to clot. He lay half out of a black bin liner the hole 
letting out blood which made a small pond around his broken body. He 
had tried to crawl for help, some of his fingernails were torn from his 
fingers one on half a stub remained. They were found back amongst some 
of the blood stains from where he had been dumped still alive half 
drowning in his own blood. His face was slashed hanging in ribbons off 
his face the white skull now a deep red visible underneath the torn 
muscle that hung off the bone. His eyes one a bloody red half hanging 
from its socket started blankly at the velvety sky above it taking none 
of it in. The children had been led off by their parents, still 
distraught at what they had seen crying still as if the tears would 
hide the visions from them. They didn't. five weeks later Dan and Brad 
would learnt that Stevie had committed suicide in his bath. His mother 
found his body only a few hours later when she had knocked on the door 
to make sure he was okay. They attended his funeral the next day 
standing by each other staring blankly at the coffin which housed their 
friends body not as bloated as it should have been the autopsy having 
gotten rid of most of the water, not listening to the words of the 
minister each other them alone in their world where the tramp came back 
to get them his face still cut to ribbons his nail less hands reaching 
out to grab them. The memory had faded over the years but his 
remembrance of the trail that only he had been able to see no matter 
how much he showed the adults had only sharpened over time. After that 
incident nearly ten years ago he had only used that curse (gift he 
tried to tell himself on those long dark nights when sleep yet again 
played just out of his grasp) a few times in the next few years. it had 
to have been five years since he'd last used it he thought to him self. 
'Good riddins to head fuck' he muttered to no one but himself. Suddenly 
a sharp thin voice like ice entered into his head, 'Has it?' it asked 
half mockingly as if it knew some secret that Brad wouldn't like 'Those 
gifts are not easily lost they just lie until they're needed' the voice 
cut in when Brad tried to deny it speech, pushing past his weak 
attempts to block it out. ‘What are you talking about?' He demand in 
his head annoyed at himself thinking he was going crazy. The voice 
however didn't answer. In side, his head all was quiet again. Brad 
shook his head as if trying to get the thoughts out of his head. The 
seed of doubt, however, had entered his mind, maybe it was still there, 
maybe it had just lain dormant all those years. With out making a 
conscious choice Brad found himself staring at a man standing by his 
car trying to get in. there was a deep smooth click from with in the 
dark recesses of his mind. Suddenly the world was flooded with colour 
despite it being late at night. Information for every where entered his 
brain. Deaths, births, even what had happened many years ago. None of 
it forgotten by the land now all of it entering into his head. The mans 
name was Kevin, thirty four years old, worker at the local factory, 
married for fifteen years cheating on his wife with a woman called 
Debbie for three. They met every Wednesday when he was supposed to be 
working late. The knowledge hurt his head, he felt as if it had all 
just fell into place when he'd heard that click, the click that he'd 
learnt to dread. He didn't know how he knew it if even his best friend 
had asked him the best he'd be able to come with would be that it just 
slid into his mind with a click. That deep thick click that made the 
world come alive in his head. He fumbled with his keys trying to get 
into his car his hands suddenly numb. Christ he had a thumping head 
ache just like he'd always get after he'd done something like that for 
the first time in a long time. The cold of the seat revived him a 
little bit but not much. He slid the keys into the ignition, kicked the 
groaning engine into life and started for home the seed of worry 
planted in his mind now sprouting. The drive back to his house took a 
little over three quarters of an hour, darkness followed him all the 
way, his head lights barely lighting up the familiar curves in the 
road. Brad however he wasn't focusing on the road, his mind was firmly 
fixed on that fateful day all those years ago, the purple satin in the 
dirt, the violent images that formed in his mind with the deep 
satisfying click that he had once again felt in his mind, the 
helplessness that he had felt when they hadn't believed him during 
their questioning. How could he have been so stupid to have believed 
that they would just accept his word? He was just a fucking child he 
thought. Yet still no matter how much he tried he still couldn't get 
the images of what he had seen both in his head and from his eyes out 
of his head. How the corpse had obviously been there for a long time, 
his gift hadn't been needed to tell him that, the smell had done that 
it's self. The dark asphalt of the road with out him realising it had 
become darker, more real, in his mind the road was like his life 
leading off into the distances of the future yet there being no 
brightness at the end. Something flashed out of the corner of his eye; 
with out thinking he jerked the car into a right turn. The car 
shuddered violently as its tired lost their grip and Brad and the car 
started to squeal (yes him and the car though later on he wouldn't 
admit it) 'Shit' the words left his mouth with out him realising it 
twisting the wheel trying to get a grip of the wheel and control of the 
car. Finally the car juddered to a halt in the middle of the dark road, 
black tire marks proclaiming him journey across the road. Gathering his 
senses Brad wrenched the car door open in the vain hope of seeing what 
ever it was has streaked next to the car. After a few seconds of 
looking about Brad got back into the car a feeling of discontent 
worming its way up from his stomach, the vividness of the colour was 
unlike anything he had ever seen before, a black of the ilk that he saw 
when he had often looked up at the stars, it was that same blackness he 
decided only with dept. With out having any reason Brad jammed the car 
into first and pushed his foot to the floor eager to get out of there 
as fast as he could, his breathing suddenly becoming shallow coming in 
and out in short, stabbing gasps. Fear started to enter him growing 
like a flow infecting his mind slowly. The acceleration of the car 
seeming to sluggish to him, the felling of being chased going within 
him till it was almost all he could to stop himself from yelling out in 
fear. He could almost feel the eyes of what ever had streaked by him on 
the back of his neck. Finally however the car started to pick up speed 
and the feeling fell behind him disappearing when he left the dark 
confines of the forest he had been traveling in. His fear however just 
crept back to its confines the deep place in his sole where every man 
is a coward. The night was growing Weary when he finally pulled up to 
his house killing the engine as he got into his drive. Tired and 
anxious, yes anxious not fearful he told himself, he pulled himself out 
of his car and across the lawn to his front door. His house a small 
1950's typical suburban house was falling a little into disrepair, the 
paint thinning a little here and there, the windows needing cleaning 
and the tall grass needing cutting. However at this point in time these 
things didn't bother Brad he hauled himself up his stairs where he 
collapsed onto his bed in his clothes where he slept fitfully, his 
dreams haunted by the monsters of dreams. 

An alarm went of him Kate's head penetrating the deep recesses of her
sleep pulling her back from her dream to the reality that her room 
consisted of. Groggily she opened one eye to gaze at the room bathed in 
a pale yellow light let in by the curtains. Kate sat up in bed 
searching for the alarm that had turned into her clock going off 
telling her she was fifteen minutes late for work 'Shit' she murmured 
to her self as she sprang out of bed and into the bath room. Hurriedly 
she showered not bothering to wait till the water turned hot. The 
iciness of the water bringing her fully into the world. Kate pulled 
some clothes on as she attempted to do her make up looking at the 
pretty twenty some thing staring back at her in the mirror. Last night 
had been a real doosey she thought to herself the memories of it all 
flooding back to her like some animal with a vengeance. The thought of 
what the man had asked her to do had made her flesh creep. She however 
needed the extra money that her day job didn't bring in. it was the 
night sessions that gave her the rent she needed to pay for her small 
house. Its paint peeling, its gutters falling apart and its carpets 
thread bare. 'It's a way of earning a living' she thought to her self. 
That one sentence keeping her in it. Allowing her, at least in her 
mind, to keep what little dignity she still had. Kate stepped out of 
the hose having eaten a hurried breakfast of bread and had made coffee 
that was now making her feel sick. Getting into her battered car, a 
1965 Dodge, red with rust inlay, and pulled out of the drive way. The 
journey to work was uneventful. The monotony of it being broken only by 
the radio which played the recent hit 'sunshine of your love' one of 
the few songs Kate liked. Finally after a long journey Kate pulled into 
the car park of the insurance firm for which she worked. Tired and her 
make up smudged in places Kate stepped out of the car, ready for 
another day. She stepped into the building and into havoc. She was 
instantly set upon by Phil Kae the secretary. 'You're late for the 
third time this week, what's the reason this time, your little late 
night whoring's tiring you out too much?' Phil hissed at her a harsh 
cruel smile curling her lips. 'Actually my car refused to start' Kate 
replied lying fluently as she had been doing for the last five years of 
her life since she took the second job. 'It's a son of a bitch y'know 
the cold gets to it' she added as an extra response. Phil gazed at her 
with narrowed eyes believing obviously none of it but she wasn't going 
to go to Mr. Bellini with it. Mr. Bellini understood her position, 
sympathized with it even. They both knew this. He was the only one who 
cared about what Kate got up to in a way other than how it degraded 
her. 'Fine' Came the curt reply 'just make sure it doesn't happen 
again'. With that Phil marched off to go and bully some of the other 
phone operators. Smiling ruefully to her self Kate took her position at 
her desk and called the first number. 'It's going to be a long day' she 
thought as the phone began to ring. 

It was after six and had been dark for a while when Kate finally
finished. She stepped out into the darkness taking in the cool air of 
the night. She walked to her battered car, the stars lighting her way. 
She put her key in the car door turned it and entered placing her self 
in the driver's seat. Kate started the engine its deep coughing 
springing into a deep growl as the engine started. She pulled out of 
the now dark car park her lights shining on the brightest they could 
and made for home, her mind not on the road but thinking about the sins 
of the day and the sins that had yet to be done. It was past seven by 
the time she got home, cutting the engine and coasting into the drive. 
She stepped out of the car shocked by the cutting cold that had 
descended over the world whilst she had been in the warmth of the car. 
She walked up the drive towards the dark and forbidding house that 
unfortunately for the last ten years she had called home, its squalid 
appearance mimicked inside the house. Kate mused on her growing hatred 
for human civilisation.  Her hatred that had been festering with in her 
since her twelfth birthday. The balminess of the day not lost on her 
after all the years that had passed since the day. They had been in the 
shopping center, the warmth making her feel slightly faint, making the 
sweat trickle off her back. Her mother was next to her complaining 
about the heat when she had collapsed on the floor. Kate stood in shock 
as her mother died in front of her. She had no idea what to do, the 
people in the shopping center just past her mother by not giving her 
one glance. She had cried till a shop assistant had finally noticed the 
problem and had rung for an ambulance. Her mother however was already 
dead. A heart attack the coroner had proclaimed to her father. The icy 
wind brought Kate back from the years to the present. She put the key 
in the lock, the key turning smoothly, the one thing in the house that 
worked like it should, and entered. The darkness inside the house 
seemed deeper to Kate than that of the outside world. Slowly however 
her eyes adjusted to the darkness as she searched to find the light 
switch. It clicked and suddenly the hallway was filled with a 
momentarily blinding light. For a second Kate couldn't se anything but 
it didn't last for long. All Kate wanted to do now was to have a shower 
and go to sleep, but she knew there were more sins to be committed 
before the day was done. She crawled up the creaking stairs and into 
her bedroom. Half an hour later, having showered the days dreariness 
away, she stood, naked in front of the mirror. 'I'm getting too old for 
this job' she muttered to herself looking at her battered body. It 
would be time soon to retire from her second job. A voice cut through 
her thoughts 'Just a few more times then you can rest easy with the 
money you've saved form this' it said to her its voice soothing in its 
tone. Kate shook her head and set her thoughts back to what they were 
meant to be on. What she was a going to wear. Kate walked to her 
wardrobe most of its clothes out of date or badly made fakes of much 
more expensive items. She sighed reaching to the back of it and pulling 
out the clothes she needed for her job. She laid them on the bed where 
they lay there their redness imitating the colour she would be when her 
client had finished with her. Kate pushed the thought out of her head 
and pulled on the red PVC dress. After she'd dressed and put on her 
make up she walked down stairs and pulled on a thick over coat, she'd 
decided she'd walk as it wasn't far and it was a beautiful night even 
if it was biting cold. Kate wrapped it around her and walked out of the 
house making sure she'd locked it. Turning around and taking a deep 
breath Kate started down the road and to her client's house. Kate lay 
on the lumpy bed in the dark having completed her business a few 
minutes previous, this 'client' however was a little demanding than the 
rest wishing to lie with her after the deed had been done, he paid 
extra for it of course but what ever pleased her clients, she was there 
to serve. She lay in the smothering dark wondering on the unfairness of 
life. She was pretty she knew it; it was something she'd never denied 
in her life. She'd had many proposals yet in her fit of self confidence 
she'd looked them all down and now there she was reduced to a cheap 
whore, talk about Karma coming and biting you in the ass. Her laugh 
came out in pitch blackness of the room as something that sounded wrong 
coming from her. How long had it been since she'd laughed she wondered. 
It was a way of making a living she told her self, nothing more nothing 
less. Yet after every deed she felt more and more disgusted with her 
self and the rationalisation didn't work any more or at least not as 
much as it had done in the past. Her days were coming to a close she 
knew, her looks fading. She had first noticed it when she looked at the 
clock and realised with the same deep shocking fear that came with the 
realisation that you don't live forever, that it was taking her longer 
and longer to do her make up, each day of very week of every month just 
a little bit more was needed to cover up the blemished on her skin, to 
put more foundation to cover up the wrinkles of age. She had decided 
then that she had to change her life style. Now sitting in the dark 
more than a month after making that promise she remembered that moment 
and was filed, for a moment with bitterness that came up from the deep 
well of a persons mind when they feel that life has been taking them 
for a ride that they have no control over. She shifted up from her 
position in the mans arms. Getting up she took a last look from the 
sleeping man, his small pot belly moving up and down in a steady 
content motion. Dressing swiftly in her clothes (little more than a 
short skirt, a belt her father would have called it after beating her, 
and tight red top) she took what was owed to her by the deeds she had 
done and moved towards the door. She stopped her hand on the handle. 
Turning around she looked at the sleeping profile of the man. Something 
deep in the recesses of her mind clicked a deep rich click, a small 
lamp turned on short circuited and fell over onto the curtains. The 
curtains caught with a small crackling the fire spreading its heat and 
flames swiftly. Grabbing the mans wallet Kate walked back towards the 
door stopping just once to throw a disgusted look at the sleeping 
profile in the bed. She turned the handle and walked out of the house 
and onto the dark street. Three blocks down she found a payphone and 
rang the fire brigade knowing it would already be too late to save the 
man. She continued her walk home enjoying the coolness of the night 
air. As she stepped under a street lamp something caught her eye, a 
streak of black, a flash of movement and then it was gone. Just a dog 
she thought and continues her journey home. Something, her deeply 
rooted human instinct told her this was not the truth, it was no dog. 
It was following her. She could feel its movements behind her. Stalking 
her like some or of prey, keeping its distance yet staying close enough 
so that she fully knew of its presence. With out realising it she had 
started to quicken her pace, her breath shortening coming out in short 
gasps, sending clouds of breath (it was a cool 2c out that night the 
promise of an early snow in the air) into the night air. The soft 
padding followed suit and sped up, just a little to match her pace. 
Flash, out of the corner of her eye she saw it again, that streak of 
black, like some sort of dog only no dog she'd ever seen was that 
colour. Kate's footsteps sped up till she was running as fast as she 
could, her footsteps echoing down the silent street, her breath coming 
out in short gasps. She could feel it gaining on her. Its padding 
becoming swifter and swift till it out matched hers. Louder it grew 
till she could feel its hot breath on the back of her legs. Its soft 
panting matched only by its padding feet. A scream spewed out of Kate's 
stomach but was blocked by her mouth, her spit having dried up. Oh God 
she prayed please don't let me die here, not all alone mauled by a 
rabid creature. Please God, oh God please. The breath grew closer she 
could smell its warm breath now, the smell of raw meat. Her legs burnt 
like fire but still she forced her self onwards, each step becoming 
more and more painful. She rounded the corner onto a brightly lit 
street. And as suddenly as it had started the stalking of the creature 
stopped. Gone as if it hadn't been there, Kate could have believed that 
if she hadn't felt the fear of being hunted still, making her heart 
thud in her chest with a dull throb. She could still feel the warmth of 
its breath, hear the soft inhale of its breath, they were way too real 
for her to have imagined it. Something had been hunting her. Collecting 
herself Kate continued the walk back to her home thankful for the 
bright lights of the street and the sounds and smells of the people. 
She didn't think she'd ever been so happy to be with in the stench of 
human life, something she resented so. The feeling of being suffocated 
that normally came to her when she was in such places only came up for 
a bite but then left her alone. Finally exhausted, her feet moaning in 
protest she reached the flat that she called home. Ramming the key into 
the lock she opened the door and stepped in, the warmth of the room 
reviving her yet making hr sleepy at the same time. Kate slipped off 
her clothes, climbed into the shower and scrubbed the dirt of the deed 
off her skin, scrubbing it till it was raw. Tired like she had never 
been before she crawled into her bed and was asleep with in minutes. 
Her dreams unsullied by the dreams of monsters she normally had. 

Mike stared across the classroom at the people in it. For the last fifty
minutes they had been working silently on the essay he had set them on 
the workings of economic sanctions. Light filtered through the blinds 
from the hot afternoon sun, bathing the room in a warm happy light. 
Only the sound of pens scratching away at the paper disturbed the 
silence of the room. Mike crossed the room picked up his drink and took 
along swig, the coolness of it reviving him a little. The classroom had 
been steadily getting hotter and hotter over the course of the day. 
Soon he knew he'd have to go to the head and ask for a fan, more for 
him than the Kids he thought to himself, smiling slightly at the truth. 
He came back to the classroom with a jolt to see a few of the students 
looking back at him having finished their work. Mike stared at them 
each and every one waiting for the click that he knew like an only 
friend. How many times has this gift helped you he thought to himself, 
five, ten maybe even twenty times he admitted to himself. Click; there 
it was the smooth feeling like entering a new gear came into his head. 
Suddenly all the students feelings thoughts and feelings entered his 
head as he stared at each and every one of them, 'shit this is hard 
I'll be lucky to pass', ' I wonder if Tommy'll ask me to the ball' Mike 
smiled at this one already knowing the answer having Tommy for another 
class. Finally his eyes came to rest a thin pasty child at the back. 
Robinson his name was Dave Robinson, a fairy intelligent boy not overly 
bright but smart al the same. He hadn't revised Mike new. From the 
moment Dave had entered the room he had known and it wasn't any special 
gift just the gift of experience, the way he had looked, his attitude, 
even his voice told him what he confirmed now. He also found something 
more. Dave had had a bit more help than just his brain, Plastered to 
the inside of his now empty coke bottle were notes that would help him 
pass. Ingenious Mike admitted but still cheating. The words cheat 
springing in his mind instantly when every he let his eyes settle on 
the boy. Mike came back to the present thankful that he could now talk 
to Dave and get him to tell the truth. If he didn't, if he kept on 
denying it, most kids did this in Mikes experience, what else could he 
do? He thought the thought annoyed him some what it was one that the 
knew he had to be prepared to face. That bridge however he would cross 
when he came to it. Mike came out of that higher gear, as he had called 
it for years now, and slipped back to the dull reality that every one 
else saw. He watched the rest of the minutes tick by, edging slowly 
closer to the end of the lesson and thank god the end of the day. 
Finally after what had seemed to Mike like an eternity, some things are 
never left a childhood, mike thought to himself, the bell rang. Its 
shrill call accompanied bye the scraping of chairs against floors as 
the Kids put down their pens and made to move. 'Hand me your papers as 
you leave the room please' Mike said to the class his smooth deep voice 
filling the room. Slowly the students picked up their bags and made for 
the door, each careful to give him their paper as they left. Some 
wishing him a good weekend, near the middle Dave walked along and 
placed his paper on the desk, 'Robison can I speak to you for a moment' 
Mike spoke to him almost making Dave make a runner for it out of the 
door. However Dave just took himself out of the line trailing its way 
out of the door and stood to the side, sweat starting to appear on his 
forehead. Finally the rest of the class disappeared out of the door 
which Mike closed. Its soft click seeming to the boy to seal his doom. 
'So how did you find the test?' Mike asked trying to make it seem in 
his voice that he'd only asked the boy for a chat. 'Wasn't too hard but 
I got a bit stuck with the conclusion' came the reply the boys voice 
wavering only slightly. 'And you did it all of your own back?' The 
question came sharply, much more sharp than Mike had intended for it to 
come out. His question being set in the hope that the boy would own up 
on his own, though Mike didn't hold his breath, few did. 'No sir, I did 
it all of my own back' Dave replied trying and very nearly successfully 
putting an injured tone into it. Mike sighed 'Look I'll cut to the 
chase; I know you cheated so there's no point in denying it. If it 
makes it any easier I know your a good kid and this is the first thing 
you've done very wrong since you set of some cherry bombs back in fifth 
grade' The words glided out of mikes mouth before he realised what he 
had just said. Silently he cursed himself for letting it slip, quickly 
he corrected himself when he saw the look of disbelief on the boys face 
'It's all on your personal record, They knew it was you even if you 
didn't know they knew' He stopped for a second before carrying on 
allowing time for it to sink in 'I've got your essay here and I'm going 
to leave it on my desk and go and get a coffee and by the time I get 
back I want it to be gone and your true effort on my desk by Monday. If 
this happens I'll consider it matter closed. However'  Mike paused for 
effect 'If it's still there by the time I get back I'll take it as you 
believe that I'm wrong or you can get away with it believe me you 
won't,' he spoke evenly and with very little emotion, Mike didn't 
believe that a teacher should have to scare a pupil to get them to 
behave. 'And finally I want your coke bottle, don't give me that look' 
he said when the Boys jaw almost dropped open 'It was quite obvious 
that that was where the notes were, so ill take this' He muttered 
taking the bottle out of the boys surprised hand 'And I'll go and get 
my coffee, good day and have a nice weekend' his voice finished the 
sentence with an edge that he'd never given it before. Mike stood up 
off his chair and walked to the door, turned the handle and walked out 
to get his coffee. It was the last time he was to ever see the boy He 
was gona about five minutes and when he came back he was pleased to see 
that the boy had taken his advice, taken the paper and had left. Mike 
sat down in the chair and started to drink his coffee. Slowly a feeling 
of unease came over him. A feeling that he was being watched. He stood 
up this time more stiffly than before as his legs had grown used to 
being sat down. Something flashed out of the corner of his eye. 
Something panther like and deep black. A flash and then it was gone, 
but where Mike asked himself he was in a classroom where would there be 
for an animal like that to go? He sat back own having searched the room 
for half an hour, in each cupboard and under every desk. Finally he sat 
down his fear easing off only slightly. 'I need a break' he muttered 
quietly to himself. Draining the last of his coffee he got out of his 
chair and walked out the classroom into the wide open corridors and 
into his car, all the time enjoying the warmth of the sun on his face. 
He started the engine and made for home. The thing however hadn't 
finished its hunting of him. Off it padded after him, the depths of its 
mind only registering the fact that it had to go after the man. 

Brad awoke the next morning feeling tired like he'd hardly slept at all
the night before. Stiffly he pulled him self up off the bed scratching 
the stubble that had started to grow on his chin. He stared at himself 
in the mirror disgusted at the face staring back at him. Looking to 
those disheveled eyes gave him the creeps, knowing they were his and no 
one else. Reaching for his razor Brad groped for the tap and turned it 
on. Having found the towel he put to his side and dowsed his face with 
cold, painfully cold yet refreshing water. The sudden shock of its cold 
pushing the last of his grogginess out of his brain. Now fully awake he 
started to shave, stopping only once to swear as the razor caught his 
skin and cut it. Grabbing a piece of toilet paper he mopped up the deep 
red blood now oozing out of the wound on the side of his face. Having 
shaved Brad pulled on his shirt and trousers and walked down stairs and 
started to cook breakfast. It was the smell that hit him first, the 
same smell he had smelt when he had found the body. Suddenly Brad 
didn't want to go down stairs anymore fear and instinct telling him he 
didn't want to know what down there in the lower reaches of his house. 
Finally however Brad got control of his legs and forced himself to walk 
down the steps, each steps creak turning suddenly much too loud for his 
liking. After what had seemed like an eternity Brad reached the bottom 
of the stairs, his breath coming out shaky and scared sounding. Slowly 
oh so slowly he made his way past the living room with its cluttered 
floor and colour television. Past his downstairs bathroom (it not 
having been used since his friend, Henry had clogged it up with beer 
bottles a good few months ago) and onto the kitchen. The smell had 
steadily gotten worse and worse till he could almost taste it on his 
tongue. Brad took the final step into the kitchen and vomited, vomited 
again and finally dry retched at what he saw. In front of him was a 
pool of blood and with in it a pile of meat, now more than a pile of 
meat. Meat that had once been a body. However to Brad what it had been 
was now irrelevant. The corpse hadn't so much been cut up as torn 
apart. Something about what was left of the face looked familiar. With 
another dry retch Brad realised it had been the man that he had seen in 
the car park the night before, Kevin, Brad remembered. 'Shit' he 
thought it sure doesn't look like Kevin now. That thought however was 
soon replaced by the next thought 'what the fuck am I gona do with the 
body' he muttered to himself, he could hardly go to the police and say, 
'excuse me but I seem to have found a body in my kitchen I have no idea 
how it got there' he thought. Suddenly that thought seemed hilarious 
and he started to snigger, a snigger which turned into a laugh and 
finally into Hysterics. Brad doubled up and laughed harder than he had 
laughed in a long time. After finally composing himself (it took him a 
good fifteen minutes) Brad thought seriously about what he was going to 
do with the body. Going to the police seemed to him not an option. 
'First' he thought 'I have to mop up the blood'. 'Then' came the voice 
in his head again 'what will you do about this messy body, you know 
they'll find it and then you'll go to jail for something you haven't 
done' it whispered to him half mockingly. 'Shut up' brad said out loud 
the voice in his head, 'Why?' it questioned 'I'm all you've got now, me 
and this dead lump of meat'. 'Get the hell out of my mind' Brad 
shouted. The voiced started to recede 'I'll be back' it said with a 
final promise. With a steady pace Brad set to work, taking out the mop 
(almost new by looks but nearly three years old) and started to mop up 
the blood and vomit that he had expelled from his body. It took him a 
long and tiring hour before the last of the blood was mopped up, the 
corpse having stopped oozing its life blood. It now lay on the table in 
front of Brad. He started to think what he could do with it, ideas, 
each more ridiculous than the last, popping into his head. Suddenly the 
voice whispered in his head 'The freezer, dump the body in the fridge, 
its small enough now and then disappear, disappear with out a trace and 
start a new life' it said provocatively to him, almost whispering as if 
dreaming of the 'new place'. 'It would never work' Brad answered back 
'Why not' came the reply 'the freezer would keep it cold enough for 
long enough for you to make a clean getaway. Think about it, it's the 
only real option you've got' it stated 'I'll be back once you've made 
your mind up and done what I've said'. The voice in his mind switched 
off again. 'This is crazy' Brad muttered over and over to himself. He 
finally however came to the decision that the only way to get out of 
the mess was to do as the voice told him. With sickening ease he lifted 
what was left of Kevin and placed him in the deep freeze unit. He then 
cleaned up the blood on the table and in the where the meet had dripped 
its last few drops of now thick and deepening blood. He then went to 
his room and changed, changing his jeans and putting on a t-shirt, with 
his old leather jacket he walked down the stairs. His plan was now 
clear to him. Get in the car and go as far as his gas would take him. 
Then sell the car and get as far away as he could with the money. As he 
walked out of the kitchen he saw a piece of paper out of the corner of 
his eye on the plastic work surface. Brad walked over to it and picked 
it up and opened it. A deep horror set in the back of his throat almost 
making him throw up. Written in child like writing and in the mans 
blood, 'it has to be the mans blood' he thought were five words 

Because of you he died 

Brad's eyes grew wide as the words turned back into blood and dribbled
off the page, the soft patter of the blood dripping on the floor 
shocking him back to his senses. Pulling the keys to his car Brad made 
for the door, pulling to the solid pine front door closed with a 
satisfying click. He turned towards the road and walked to his car, an 
old pick up truck. The intent of getting out of the town fully formed 
in his mind. Brad looked back for a final look at the still empty house 
that had once been his home. Its shut curtains and slightly peeling 
paint giving the house an ominous look. Turing back to his seat Brad 
put the keys into the ignition, jumped the car into life and pulled out 
of the drive and down the road. A new life awaited him. An old monster 
followed him. 

Kate woke up the next day feeling like death, her face, in the mirror,
showed her she felt like she looked. Her eyes were blood shot and her 
skin looked terrible. She walked into the kitchen having had a shower 
and cleaning the night's deeds off her once again. She pattered around 
the kitchen for a little while making herself breakfast. Then, with the 
clock telling her it was long past the time she should be out to work, 
she made her way to the phone. She dialed a number. 'Hello, Mattersons 
insurance, how may I help you' came the crisp voice on the other end. 
'Hello its Kate I'm just ringing to tell you that I won't be in work to 
day I think I caught something yesterday' Kate answered to the woman's 
voice. 'Okay can I have your last name so I can tell the boss?' came 
the reply. 'Oh yes of course Barleton' Kate responded a slight edge 
coming into her voice. She could feel herself getting annoyed at the 
haughty voice at the other end of the phone. However she was determined 
to keep her cool. 'Thanks Miss Barleton, I'll tell Mr. Bellini that you 
won't be in today, Thank you for ringing'. Beep. The phone was put down 
with out waiting for a response to Kate. Kate slammed the phone down, 
now thoroughly annoyed at the woman. She knew her well. Phil Kae the 
resident bitch of the firm. She was the first to find out about Kate's 
'night' job and had been quick to spread it around till Kate had lost 
any dignity (including almost her job) that she had about the office. 
Now when they greeted her she was Kate many mates. How they laughed at 
that. However what they didn't know is that she'd probably slept with 
most of their sons. How she laughed when she told Pete Chauser that his 
son had a small penis. She went through the kitchen to the living room 
and there it was. A charred mess in her room its teeth the only thing 
not completely burnt smiled a grin at her. The corpse lay there Black 
and crumbling. Kate stifled a scream. 'It has to be the man I burnt 
last night' she thought to her self. 'But how' came another voice with 
in her head. 'How the fuck did a dead man get from his home to your 
living room?' To that Kate had no answer. All she could do was look at 
the grinning body in the middle of her floor. There was nothing to 
suggest that there was a break in. None of the doors were broken nor 
any of the windows. To Kate it made no sense. The mocking voice came to 
her again 'you do know why he came to you don't you?' It asked its 
voice thick and inviting 'Because you killed him, he's the man you 
torched last night, surely you should recognize him.' it purred in her 
head. 'But how the hell did he get into my room?' Kate whispered more 
to her self than the voice, however it answered for her 'Some one must 
have been unhappy about his death, wouldn't you think', 'But why and 
how there are no ways in and who would want to do this to me' 'Not who 
but what' the voice said with oily slickness 'What do you mean what?' 
Kate asked, the words the voice had spoken almost freezing her brain as 
she remembered the night before. 'Something's not  happy with you' the 
voice whispered in Kate's ear. 'It's after you, your using its master's 
power' It mocked, 'Its hunting me?' The words barely left Kate's mouth, 
the terror of them seeping into her. The voice let out a deep terrible 
chuckle as if the whole thing to it were a joke, 'I like to think of it 
as a game than a hunt' it explained 'It's after you because of what you 
did. I give you a head start on it, letting you get where you want. I 
will release it on you in time. You will know when I've released it 
trust me.', 'There are other people who have similar gifts as yours, 
the only way you can stop them from killing you is by helping them' it 
finished in a hiss 'How do I help them?' Kate questioned 'You will know 
when it comes to you' the voice mocked, 'All you have to do is help 
them and then you will be free, the monster will play its games with 
you no more. I go now but don't worry I'll be back' it reassured to 
Kate, sounding as if it were smiling. The voice left Kate's head 
letting her fall to her  knees in her nightie. She had to get out. She 
knew that instantly, knowing it almost before many other thoughts 
formed in her head. 'But what about the corpse in the middle of the 
floor' she asked herself. 'Bollocks to the body' came the thought. 'Get 
the shit outa here' it went for a second go. Kate got to her feet and 
climbed the stairs half expecting the beast to jump out at her. She 
walked into her bedroom, its curtain drawn windows casting a pale 
yellow light in the room that calmed Kate a little. The first thing she 
did was to find the rucksack that she used when she was hitch hiking 
around the world many years back when she was just a girl. Pulling this 
out of her closet and putting it on her bed she franticly set about 
putting clothes and other essentials (to her at least) into the bag. 
Finally she took the mans wallet and took out all the money. four 
hundred dollars plus her own eight hundred and fifty she always hid 
underneath the bed came to one thousand two hundred and fifty dollars 
she worked out in her head. One thousand, two hundred and fifty 
dollars, all the money she had in the world (she didn't trust banks), 
'that should get me fairly far' she thought. Pocketing the money and 
hefting the rucksack onto her back Kate made for the door of her bed 
room. Kate locked the door of her house, having made sure no one could 
get in and hiding or taking the more valuable of her possessions, and 
walked down the bright, sunny road to find a way of getting out of town 
and to some where she hoped the beast would have a had time of 
following her. The sun warmed her face up as she walked along and 
Kate's fear of what had happened and what the voice had said began to 
recede a bit when she caught a flash out of the corner of her eye. Just 
a flash and then it was gone. Telling her what she had just experienced 
was real. Fear began to creep back into her and the world suddenly 
became less sunny and the dark corners of the town began to deepen and 
stretch till to Kate they seemed to take up much of the road and all of 
the buildings. Kate took a breath and continued along the road till she 
reached the main street. There she knew in this little town she could 
find a way out. Kate started to walk up the street not sure what she 
was looking for till she came across a poster proclaiming a bus to 
Canada. One hundred and thirty dollars the poster said, a stop every 
four hours. Three days to reach Canada. To Kate this was what she 
needed, the answer to her soiled prayers. Quickly Kate memorized the 
directions and started out to where she hoped her ticket out lay. Kate 
walked up the main street, barely taking in the wood imitation 
buildings on either side of the road. took a left at the cross roads 
down onto the industrial area of town. The smell of burning fat hit her 
first, then the smell of petrol. The grayness of the factories adding 
to the darkness that Kate saw, their tall characterless faces staring 
down at her. It was before lunch so the only people out were the dregs 
who were smoking. To Kate the whole place had a deep depression and 
aura of horror about it. Despite this however Kate continued on. 
Finally she reached a small square where a small building stood. Like 
the buildings around it, it was grey and depressing yet to Kate it was 
almost bathed in a holy glow. In front of her was the bus depo. She had 
found her way out of her personal hell. She walked in and got a ticket 
one of only four left. Standing on the bus ledge Kate took a look at 
what she thought would be her last look at the town that had brought 
her up and robbed her of her dignity. She took a step onto the bus glad 
her nightmares were over. They were however only beginning. 

The day was going to be shit and Mike knew it from the moment he opened
his eyes. It was a Saturday but he still had to work. There were one 
hundred scripts to mark and the had to have them done by Monday. Mike 
hauled his ass out of bed his eyes red from the drinking he'd done last 
night. 'The last time' He promised himself. However deep in his mind he 
knew that was a lie. He was always telling himself it would be the 
last, each new day he had after he'd binged the night before. Mike 
walked into his bathroom and stood by the toilet relieving himself 
thinking of the evils he'd committed the night before the sound of his 
pee hitting the bowl with its usual high pinging sound. Suddenly 
feeling a little faint Mike opened the bathroom window allowing the air 
to bring him back to his senses. The room came back in to focus the 
warm beige of the tiles reflecting the morning sun's warm glow. The 
light reflected into Mikes eyes making him blink and Squint. After 
shaving (and cutting himself the usual five times) and showering he 
walked into the bedroom. The digital clock by his stand told him he was 
late starting his marking. Pulling on a pair of jeans and a grey 
t-shirt Mike walked out of his bedroom, down the dreary landing and to 
the top of his stairs. There the smell hit him. Something was off. 
Badly off Mikes nose told him, and what ever it was that was off had 
once been meat. Mike took a step down the stairs that had suddenly 
begun to stretch until eternity. Warning bells were going off in his 
mind. Mike forced his feet to take another step down the stairs and 
suddenly they were back to their normal length. The smell grew steadily 
worse and repulsive with each step down the stairs that Mike took, his 
stomach heaving more at each shallow light breath he took. 'Jeeze' He 
thought to himself 'The smell could have its own fucking life its that 
strong'. Finally he reached the bottom step and put his foot on the 
wood floor his senses screaming at him to turn back and to get the hell 
out of the house, 'it doesn't matter where, just get the hell out' 
mikes thoughts quickly forming and reforming as to what could be making 
that terrible smell. However his curiosity drove him on, walking down 
the hall Mike found himself thinking 'curiosity killed the cat didn't 
it, maybe this is your end mate, what ever made that smell is going to 
kill you'. 'Literally' a voice cut through Mikes mind with the 
slickness of ice. 'Who are you?' Mike thought suddenly not wanting an 
answer but knowing he was going to get him 'I'm who I am' came the 
answer surprising him 'It doesn't matter for the moment you'll find out 
in time' The voice said in a tone that mocked him yet chilled him 
through the bone making his knees turn to water. Still however he 
carried on. Walking with each step towards that smell trying at the 
same time to guess what the voice was. 'Close' The voice cut through 
him like ice 'but no dice' it continued its voice slick. Finally Mike 
reached the door to his living room. He froze not suddenly not wanting 
to put his hand on the door handle but knowing he had to. Time slowed 
till it seemed to run to mike like syrup. Slowly he put his hand on the 
handle, it felt like ice to the touch. Shivering from the cold of it 
Mike turned the handle and looked in. 'ain't it a peach' the voice 
laughed after Mike had finished screaming. 'It does like to make it 
quick but the little bastard tried to fight it so it lengthened it. The 
blood flowed like wine' it chuckled to its self. Mike pulled himself up 
of the floor and stood, back pressed against the wall for fear of 
collapsing again. He stood looking at the corpse and the tears came his 
face crumbling. They poured down his face till his eyes turned red and 
swollen. And the voice laughed the laugh of the insane. After what 
seemed like forever to Mike the tears stopped and he turned again, his 
attention to the corpse, its face broken and mangled but still with its 
look of terror on its face. that look of fear absolute. Mike went to it 
and sat beside it on a wooden chair. 'You recognize him don't' you' the 
voice whispered in his mind. 'No I don't I can't its mangled beyond 
anything that I've ever seen' Mike answered his voice sounding horse 
from the crying. 'Yes you do, just look, closely' the voice said again. 
Mike stared into the corpses one remaining eye. Inside his mind there 
was the deep familiar click that told him his mind was shifting up a 
gear into some thing only he had. It hit him like a torrent of water, 
the feeling of fear, the pain. Tears filled his eyes and Mike had to 
cover his mouth with his hand to stop him from screaming. It was Dave, 
the boy he'd caught cheating. The tears flowed more and for longer. It 
was almost dark by the time the stopped the clock showing him he'd 
missed lunch and supper. The voice came back again, its words 
shattering mike like glass. 'Because of you he died' it whispered with 
a soothing calm in his mind. 'Why, what did I do to kill him?' the 
words frightened Mike. 'Your about to enter a game and he was the last 
person you used your power on. what killed him will soon be coming 
after you' the voiced explained. 'This is sort of its warning to you, 
showing you what it will do if you loose the game'. 'What do I do?' 
Mike whispered his words barely leaving his mouth fo the fear that had 
entered him. 'There are other people in the game. You will meet them 
but you won't know who they are till the beast is released. You have to 
help each other to live.' The voice stopped finishing its speech its 
words sending fear through Mike. 'How do I help them?' He stammered. 
'You will know when its released. You will all know' the voice 
finished, chuckling darkly to it's self. With that the voice left Mikes 
head leaving him alone in the darkness, frightened and tired. The smell 
hit him again and this time Mike threw up the vomit coming till there 
was no more. Finished he slumped onto the floor and slept the sleep of 
some one who knows they're dead but not yet, his dreams haunted by 
slicing claws. 

The bus started it's engines, its deep rumbling waking Brad with a jolt.
He opened his eyes and started out the window. The silver bus pulled 
out of the bus station turning right down the main street, passing 
through the small towns main centre and all its shops. Brad sat there 
looking out of the window, memories flooding his mind like a broken dam 
he couldn't plug (not that he wanted to the enjoyed most of them), past 
loves, first kisses and memories of every dirty deed done crossed in 
front of his eyes. Finally the bus left the town passing the last of 
the ramshackle houses in the suburbs and continued out through the 
flourishing countryside. Deep greens of many hues met Brads eyes . The 
leaves in the tall trees just starting to change colour, getting ready 
to drop their leaves on the road. Brad watched the country roll by his 
eyes watching the sights  but his mind not taking them in. The bus 
climbed its way over the steep hills and through the deep thick woods 
its journey barely noticed by the animals that dwelt there in those 
ancient woods. Finally after and hour of the bus driving Brad grew 
tired of staring out of the window at the changing landscape. He closed 
his eyes and allowed his mind to till he fell out of consciousness and 
into the land of dreams. His sleep not worried by the evil that hunted 
him and the others in the devils game. He woke up many hours later. 
Darkness had descended on the world he knew the dark making the world 
outside his window impenetrable. He opened his eyes, momentarily dazed 
by the lights with in the bus. He pulled himself up in his seat and 
looked around. The old bus was nearly half full. People occupied the 
many of the scuffed seats in front of him. Brad craned his neck around 
and looked at the people behind him. There were less seats filled up 
behind him. He turned back round again to look at the people next to 
him. There was an elderly woman with white wispy hair. Here heavily 
bagged eyes asleep in a deep dream that made her mouth twitch every so 
often. Next to her was a young man that Brad had pushed past getting on 
the bus. Memories of their meeting flashed back in his mind. Had he 
felt it too? Brad wondered. He decided to have a closer look at the 
man. No he hadn't mistaken that hunted look in his eyes. Brad took a 
closer look at the young man, he was quite handsome Brad realised, with 
chestnut brown hair and deep brown eyes to match. His complexion was a 
deep olive brown unmarked by worry. His eyes were brown with tones 
going darker as the colour went in closer to the iris. His hands 
twitched with an obvious nervousness and he had the look of a man who 
had had no sleep for a little while. Brad guessed that about three days 
worth of stubble stuck to the mans face. Brad turned back to look at 
the other people on the bus. A few odd looking people, hippies Brad 
concluded. One or two children, sleeping quietly on their parents 
shoulders. The majority of the people however were on their own, 
sitting next to some one they didn't know and who they didn't care to 
know. Only a few people talked, keeping their chatter quiet so as not 
to disturb those who were sleeping, their talk seeming to Brad to be 
only of plotting and scheming. Brad brought his eyes back to the window 
and stared out trying to penetrate the deep darkness that lay beyond 
his window. After finding nothing to look at out of the window and with 
the quiet and deep murmuring of the people wake in his ears Brad lay 
back in his seat and sank back into a deep but this time troubled 
sleep. People talked to him in his head and monsters he couldn't see 
tried to get him to jump through hoops that he couldn't see. Finally 
however he sank deeper and sank into nothingness. 

It was a few hours later and many miles down the road that the bus
pulled into to the side of the road for a toilet stop, its deep 
rummbeling cutting through the silence of the mountains. Brad got out 
awed at the sight of mountains. Behing him the other people pilled off 
the bus their low mummering pulling him out ofhis thoughts and back to 
the moment. He took a few paces forwards enjoying the fresh, cool air 
that seemed to bring life to him through every breath he took. After a 
few minutes of staring at the scenery his bowls reminded him he needed 
to piss like a race horse and he strolled over to a secluded spot away 
from the rest of the group where he could relieve himself in peace. He 
undid his fly and felt the enjoyment of relief as the urine flowed from 
him in a thick steady stream, its heat making steam in the crisp air. 
He stood there peeing for a few more seconds as the stream lessoned and 
finally died away. He zipped up his fly and wandered back to the bus 
content that he could rest now for the next few hours and he could 
think on what he'd felt when his eyes had come in contact with the 
strange mans as they had got onto the bus the previous day. Back on the 
bus in the warmth and the chatter of the people traveling with them 
Brad started to think on what happened the day before, now seeming a 
hundred years before to him now after the fear and worry that he'd 
experienced. The image of the mangled body flashed before his eyes and 
before he could stop himself he shivered, the feeling running down his 
spine and back up again. The coach started its engines, their dull 
thunder barely heard by brad, who was by now so deep in his thoughts 
and memories, and started off back along the twisting winding road. 
Continuing its journey to Canada. 'Hello again Brad' The voice entered 
his head as quickly and as silently as if it had been there all along, 
just waiting, and waiting. 'So who's in the game that's on this bus?' 
Brad asked to the voice 'And whilst we're at it, who the fuck are you?' 
He asked the last question sounding braver than he felt. 'You'll know 
soon enough' the voices reply came swift and smooth, the thoughts 
forming in his brain rather than entering them. 'Don't you just love to 
be with people?' The voice asked its tone almost mocking but not quite 
Brad thought 'Yer I love every one of them' He replied sarcastically 
'He has fire' the voice sounded amused its iciness cutting through Brad 
'I'll enjoy watching you go against it' It finished chuckling to it's 
self. 'Why this game though?' Brad asked the question fearing the 
answer, knowing he wouldn't like it 'Because I get so bored I have to 
amuse my self. And because of what you are it makes it more fun' The 
words came forming in his head freezing Brad to his core. Beads of 
sweat hung to his forehead, he wiped them off not realising he was 
doing it. The voice disappeared from his head leaving him alone with 
his own thoughts. Brad sat in his warm seat wondering who else was in 
the game. A thought suddenly struck him. The memories of the meeting 
with the man struck him. The look of a hunted man in his eyes. Brad sat 
bolt up right in his chair not realising that he'd knocked an old man 
in front of him. The old man turned around to talk angrily to him but 
turned around when he saw the look in Brads eyes. Brad however didn't 
notice this, he was too much in his own thoughts remembering the 
feeling and the connection he'd had with him. Bringing himself back to 
the present Brad turned around to look for the man that he's seen. 
There he is, Brad thought to himself, recognizing the mans looks. 
Unfortunately he'd moved to a different spot when they'd gotten back on 
the bus choosing to sit by a couple. Brad lay back in his seat and back 
into his thoughts. Memories flooded his brain of his life, some good 
some not so. One however played over and over again in his head. It 
stuck there till he fell asleep. 

The moon shone through the thin layer of clouds, in a poor attempt to
imitate sunlight Brad however wasn't bothered by this. He was focused 
on what was infront of him, along the road. He had to keep 
concentration otherwise he'd have a bad accident like his uncle Daniel. 
This trip was one that he knew would change his life yet it was one he 
was unwilling to take till they had pressurized him into it. The roads 
twist and turned almost in attempt to make him turn back it seemed to 
Brad. The darkness of the night pressing close against this window he 
carried on towards his final destination. After what had seemed to Brad 
like an eternity the house honed into view, its deep closed shutters 
frowning at him seeming to Brad to be judging him and what he was about 
to do. The car continued along the winding road, closer and closer to 
him goal it took him. Finally as he took the turning off the road to he 
house Brad cut the engine so as not to be heard. To be heard at this 
stage would lead to his ruin and his not being accepted by the gang. 
The gang that he'd wished to be in for the last two years. The gang 
that he may finally be allowed into if he could only complete this 
night exercise as they had called it. The green (now black in the 
moonlight) corvette coasted up the gently sloping road at he cut the 
engines for fear of being heard. Two minutes later Brad had reached the 
front of the house. From here, in the darkness that lay heavily on it 
the house took in a life of its own its windows seeming to stare down 
in him, its porch at the font sat there ready to swallow him like 
mouth. Brad nervously stepped out of the warmth of the car the coolness 
of the night hitting him and cutting through him like a knife even 
though he was wearing many layers. Brad stood there looking at the old 
house not wanting to take the first step that would lead him into the 
bowls of the monster. Finally after a few minutes he forced his frozen 
foot forward and he made the first step towards the house. The ground 
crunched dryly under his feet as he approached the house. After a few 
paces he stood under the eaves of the porch.  Brad stood looking at it 
wondering at the pain that had been created with in it. However he knew 
what he had to do. Inside lay a small item, probably gold possibly 
silver, he would know what it was when he saw it. All he had to do was 
take it out and give it to them to prove he had been in the house. 
Finally he persuaded his feet to move, taking one shaking step after 
another till he reached the door. Brad felt for the door handle. He 
found it its coldness bringing a shiver to his skin. He turned it but 
found it locked. He would have to find another way in. Mike walked away 
from under the porch walking around the house looking for a window he 
could get in by. After a few minutes of looking he found one. Its 
shutter left open a crack. Brad looked at it. It was an old shutter the 
paint had mostly peeled off. It was just above his head. He leaned up 
and took hold of the windowsill. He pulled himself up slightly testing 
its strength. It held. Suddenly Brads hairs stood up on the back of his 
neck. Some one was watching him. He froze looking around seeing nothing 
in the dark. He cursed himself for having such paranoia. The feeling 
however didn't leave him, as he pulled himself up onto the top of the 
windowsill so he could look in. The window was covered in dust that had 
lain for years Brad guessed. He wiped his sleeve to clear the window 
and looked in. The room was filled with darkness the moon casting an 
eerie glow in the room. There were worn chairs and settees. The floor 
was covered in a layer of dust. Brad however only briefly took it in, 
his mind was filled with the fear of some one watching him waiting for 
a moment when he would be unable to stop them, the feeling of some one 
being there not leaving him making him nervy. He pulled the window up 
wincing at its grinding squeal as it pulled open. He pulled himself in 
his head darting back and forth making sure no one no one came from 
either direction. He landed with a soft thud in the dusty carpet 
sending up plumes of dust almost chocking him. Slowly he moved forward 
making sure none of the floor boards creaked before he put all his 
weight on them. His mind filled with the silence of the house seeming 
to penetrate him making him even more twitchy. Above his head some 
thing moved with a light step, barely making any noise on the roof. 
Brad stopped dead his heart thumping to loud for him. The creaking 
continued for a second then stopped as if aware that Brad had heard it. 
Brad moved forward slowly not wanting to meet what or who ever had made 
the sound above him. He looked around the room but couldn't find the 
item they had requested. He knew with a sinking heart he would have to 
go farther into the house. With a trembling step he moved forwards 
listening for any noises but there came none. The owner had stopped 
moving about. For the minute. Brad walked through the door way into the 
hall. He looked around letting his eyes adjust to the deeper darkness 
of the hall before moving forward. His breathing shallow and 
uncontrolled. Some thing again creaked above him making brad jump and 
look up. Some thing was above him and moving. Fear rose in his throat 
like bile almost making him cry. The creaking continued for a few 
minutes moving then they stopped. Brad started looking around franticly 
hoping in vain that the item was in the hall. His luck wasn't with him. 
He moved on through the hall. Brad looked down and froze. In front of 
him foot prints were left in the dust along with his. Some one else was 
in the house with him. Too late he heard the breathing. A hand came 
down on his shoulder. A scream escaped from his mouth as he turned 
around. Behind him stood a ragged man barely alive his eyes popping out 
of his head. Mouth drooling from the madness that afflicted him. Brad 
turned back round and ran his footsteps no longer quiet but clattering 
along with his heart almost bursting from the terror. He ran through 
the house his mind no longer on the item but on the man who was 
following him his footsteps echoing his own. He could feel him behind 
him. Brad ran through the house looking for another way out. The 
footsteps of the mad man were slowly gaining on him. The vision of his 
face etched in Brad's mind he ran. Through the musty kitchen his mind 
not registering any thing, blind with fear at what was chasing him he 
ran towards the window. He reached it and with strength granted him by 
fear he wrenched it open feeling the coolness of the outside air 
hitting him. The man was catching up anticipating his move. Brad pulled 
himself out of the window just was the man got into the kitchen. He 
made a grab for him getting hold of the edge of Brad's coat as he fell 
through. Brad felt him grab hold and his bowls loosened letting the 
warm urine flow down his legs. He pulled off the jacket in mid fall 
hearing the angry screech of the man as he held only an empty coat. 
Brad however didn't turn back to look he simply ran to the front seeing 
only the car and safety. He pulled the door open and , having left the 
key in the ignition turned the engine on praying like he'd never prayed 
before that the engine would start. Out of the corner of his eye he saw 
the man pull himself out of the window and onto the floor. Getting up 
he made for the car just as the engine kicked into life. Brad drove off 
his heart still pumping in his chest as he drove away seeing the man 
grow ever smaller in his wing mirror. The deed was left undone as Brad 
drove back to town and the mockery of his friends. Brad slipped into 
deeper sleep till the memory fell out of his mind and he slept dreaming 
of nothing, only darkness. 

Mike looked up at the bus, its sliver outer shell winking at him in the
light of the autumn day. In front of him people were pilling on the 
bus, their chatter that of which is happy and innocent. 'Are you 
getting on the bus?' came a sharp voice behind him pulling Mike out of 
his thoughts. He turned around and saw an old lady standing behind her. 
Her hands knotted in front of her, her deep blue eyes penetrating him 
with her gaze. 'Sorry my mind was away for a little while there' Mike 
stuttered an apology to the old woman. He took a step back so that the 
woman could get past. Behind her a tall blond haired man walked behind 
her and pushed his way past him. Their eyes met, suddenly the sun lost 
its heat and the world became crystal clear as if all were made out of 
glass. Time seemed to be moving through syrup, every thing slowing to a 
snails pace. The mans eyes had a hunted look about him and for a moment 
brad thought he saw a glimmer of recognition in the man eyes and he 
thought he did too. The man left Mikes eyes and the world returned to 
normal. Time sped up again to its normal rate. Mike thought he knew the 
man, but he couldn't though. He'd never met the man before, he was sure 
of it. The man continued past him, the same glimmer in his eyes that 
Mike knew he had in his told him that he'd felt it too. However than 
turn around and talk to him the man just turned his back to him and 
continued his walk. He stepped onto the bus and out of Mike's sight. 
Mike shook himself and stepped onto the bus and out of the sun, the 
coolness of the air-conditioning waking him up a bit. He looked up the 
bus hoping to see the man so that he could sit by him and as him the 
question. Had he felt it too? However to his disappointment the old 
woman who had stepped on before him had sat by the man. Mike felt a 
ball of disappointment drop onto his stomach like a lead weight. 
However he sat down a few seats behind the man, putting his bag between 
his legs and got ready for the bus to leave. His mind was whirring with 
the memory of the connection, going over again and again the feeling of 
the memory. Mike bent over and rummaged in his bag and pulled out a 
book and started to read, his mind slowing down and concentrating on 
his book. He was so deeply into it by the time the bus left that he 
didn't notice it leaving the bus station. He woke an hour later with 
the feeling of being watched. The urge to turn around and see who it 
was, was almost too much. However he resisted it. He sat back in his 
chair and concentrated. He spent the rest of the night staring out of 
the window reliving the feeling that he had experienced when he had 
made contact with the man. Finally just as day was starting to creep 
over the horizon mikes head started to drop onto his chest and he fell 
into a deep slumber. He slept and it followed him in its mind intent on 
getting him and showing him hell. 

The music stopped Kate opened her eyes wondering why it had ended. She
pressed play on her tape player to no avail. The batteries were dead. 
She cursed herself for not bringing extra batteries. She sat up in her 
seat wondering where the bus was. She looked out of the window and saw 
in the dim light that they were goin through mountains, their tall 
peaks tipped with pink in the morning song, the sun light just peaking 
over the top of them, winking at her in the coolness of the morning. 
Kate sat for a few minutes taking in the breath taking scenery enjoying 
the sunlight as it warmed her face refreshing her. After a little while 
she turned her attention back into the bus taking he first proper look 
at the people she was traveling with. To her they all looked like they 
were running away from some thing. Suddenly an icy thought crossed her 
brain. Maybe they were all in it and they were all fated to die. Kate's 
eyes met that of a small boy, his face lighting up in a innocent smile, 
and she turned away in disgust that the voice in her head could do to 
the little could what it had done to her client. She surveyed the bus 
quickly and saw that there were more than five children on bored none 
of them looked to her that they might be more than six or seven. 
'They're not in it', the voice cut into her thoughts, 'that's sick even 
for me' it finished. 'However you see that little boy with the blue 
eyes?,' Kate nodded finding the boy and the voice continued 'He can see 
what people are like and can move objects, in fifteen years he'll be 
playing this game. Does he look to you like the kind of person who 
could win?' the voice mocked. 'You know already who's going to play?' 
the thought cut through her like ice. 'Yes' it answered 'Your chosen at 
birth its your fate because of who you are', That's sick and seriously 
fucked up Kate thought to the voice 'No its the way I like to operate, 
Enjoy the game.' With its work done the voice left Kate's head making 
her feel sick. She sat back in her chair and faced forward. Suddenly it 
all made sense. Memories flooded back to her, all those times she 
should have died as a little girl yet some how she'd lived. She was 
being saved for a worse fate. Memories flashed through her mind 
unwished by her. The time she'd fallen off the roof of her house and 
the doctors at the hospital said she would never walk again yet three 
months later she was back on her feet with the doctors declaring her a 
miracle. Shit, she thought to herself wishing she'd died. She sat there 
feeling ill till the bus pulled in to a stop. Then as they all pilled 
off the bus she couldn't keep it in any more, she ran for the woods the 
vomit rising in her and spraying out of her mouth. She bent over 
gagging and spitting up more till she was empty. Standing back up she 
felt a bit better but the knowledge stayed with her refusing to allow 
her rest. 

His breath came out in short breathes his legs pumping as fast as he
could. Running, running from the beast that hunted him. Why him? the 
thoughts formed in his head. 'Because your special' a sneering voice 
cut through his head like ice. 'But I'm not special, I never had more 
at life than the other kids' Mike shouted at the voice, his own 
wavering slightly from his tiredness. 'Ah but you are and you know it. 
Think Mike you know the answer to this, your special because of what 
you can do.' the voice said in its condescending manor 'You know that 
little 'gear', I suppose is the best word for it, you have, that little 
gear that clicks when you want it to and make you know things. Things 
that you can't explain you know yet you do. Its because of this gift, 
Michael, that you are part of this game.' The voice stopped a moment to 
allow the thoughts to enter mike head and then it continued 'Don't feel 
hard done by' It whispered to him in an almost mothering voice 'Many 
people have played this game, however they all lost, though as you 
humans say, life's a bitch.' the voice chuckled to its self as if 
amused by the saying. Mike continued to run through the dark forest, 
branches seeming to claw at him. The darkness making it almost 
impossible to see where he was going. The beast however, mike could 
feel its breath, was getting closer. It was coming up behind him. The 
voice continued undisturbed by Mikes fear 'And you know what?, your 
life's about to finish along with those in the game. However if you can 
figure out what to do to help the other s in the game then, fuck it you 
win. Think about it mike. For now however....game over' the beast leapt 
landing with all fours on Mikes back digging its claws in. Mike felt 
the shearing pain in his back as his spinal chord was torn apart with 
in his body. Suddenly his legs stopped moving and he dropped to the 
ground. The forest floor becoming soaked in his blood, poring form the 
gash torn in his back. The beast's claws tore into him again and again 
making Mike cry out in pain. His lungs were punctured by his broken 
ribs and the animals attack. Finally Mike edged away from conscious but 
not from the dread full pain and the knowledge that his body was being 
ripped apart. Suddenly images flashed with in his mind. The woman, and 
the other man getting, both on his bus, getting killed in the same 
brutal way. Their souls falling down into hell their screams cutting 
through his brain and making himself cry out in agony. He knew what he 
had to do. To help them they had to die by his hand. He jerked awake in 
a cold sweat but more sure of himself than he had been for a long time. 
The memories of the dreams not fading nor with it the screams of the 
people who were in the game with him. 

Mike awoke from the crash his head thumping from the spot where he'd
banged his head on the roof of the bus whilst he was still a sleep. he 
had woken up when the screaming had started wondering at why the lights 
weren't on fear in his heart from the dream he'd been having He knew 
what he had to do to help them. To win the game, to save his soul. 
ignoring the bodies around him he shakily got to his feet and started 
searching through the burnt out wreckage of the bus. The moans had 
started to die down by the time he'd found what he wanted. His knife, 
some food (mainly beef jerky, Mike hated the stuff), water and a light. 
It was coming. He could feel it from all the miles away when he'd 
started. The rain had stopped by the time he'd managed to pull himself 
free of the twisted bus. There were foot prints going off in the 
distance. Mike concentrated on the foot prints. Inside his mind there 
was a smooth click as his brain went into the gear that had gotten him 
into trouble. Many miles away the beast felt the change in the air and 
made for it. Its mind set on the source its body becoming one fluid 
motion as it moved in to a quick gait. The source of the change would 
be the first to die. Suddenly the world seemed brighter to Mike, every 
living thing was instantly in his mind. All they felt what they thought 
written in his mind. The foot prints in the mud shone with a dull red 
telling him they were who he wanted and they were still fresh. He 
wasn't far behind the woman, Kate her name was. the thought slipped 
into his place before he even knew it was the woman. the knowledge not 
there one minute was there the next. mike stumbled off in the direction 
of the foot prints his feet slipping in the mud his brain not focusing 
on the pain in his head only on the feeling of the man getting closer 
and closer, he was gaining on her, he could feel her fear of the 
knowledge that it was hunting her too. They were in it together. A 
thought suddenly entered his head. Maybe they could help each other. 
'Ain't gona happen' the voice cut through his mind almost stopping him 
dead in his tracks, the rain starting up again, 'She's going to want to 
kill you, she's lost it you see, all she feels know is the fear of 
being hunted and you are the one she's got to kill to reach safety and 
if she's got to kill you then she'll do its The voice said its words 
entering his brain with clarity unspoken. so what do I do?' Mike asked 
the voice the words barely forming in his head before the voice came 
again with an answer Kill her It stated as if it were some thing 
normal, take her life and spare her the pain of getting torn to pieces 
by the beast.' The words formed in his mind sending a jolt through his 
body. I've never killed before Mike told the voice. 'I'm gaining on he, 
slowly I'm coming closer' he thought to himself. 'it's easy' came the 
voice chilling him 'One simple slice and its done, she's safe and your 
one step closer to winning the game. Just don't think of her as human' 
the voice told mike simply then it left him to his thoughts as he 
slowly gained on the woman. 

Brads breath came out of his body in short sharp bursts, the pain in his
chest mocking him for smoking so much. His feet were tired and sodden 
from the wet earth that he ran over. She was gaining on him he knew all 
her health against his twenty cigarettes a day. He was going to lose. 
He had no weapon, after the bus had crashed he had pulled himself up 
off the back window, or at least what was left of the back window and 
had stumbled off in search of a holy building, he'd remembered from the 
paper about a man who had Been claiming such games had goner to the 
police he'd been found torn apart the next day just outside a 
cathedral. At the time he'd dismissed it as an elaborate joke made by 
the paper in an attempt to sell more papers but now he believed it. The 
only way to save himself was to get to a holy place. But why he thought 
to himself, the mud squelching in time with his foot falls. Suddenly it 
hit him, the devil or at least some thing evil. The thought turned his 
bowls to water and for the first time childhood Brad wet himself the 
warm urine flowing down his leg and out into the earth. 'Well done' the 
voice emerged in his head as if it had been there all the time. 'You're 
the first in this game to work it out, I must congratulate you, but it 
doesn't help you. Your miles from any where and the nearest town is in 
the opposite direction, back to where 'she' is the one hunting you.' 
The voice said in its calm mocking way. 'Fuck it its worth a try, all I 
have to do is to slip past her in the dark' Brad thought to himself. 
'Go ahead it just makes it more interesting to watch.' The voice said 
as if amused by the idea. 'I'll be watching you' It said as it left 
Brads head. Brads eyes jolted back to the present and to the darkness 
in which he was running. Suddenly the forest seemed alive, its 
personality not wholly benign. The terror started to press down on him. 
The knowledge that she was gaining on him. Click, it came the deep 
feeling almost like a sound as knowledge flooded his head. The beast 
caught another scent most tantalising than the one it'd been following 
and it continued in the same direction heading for a new person. Brad 
however was unaware of this as he stopped to take a breath, panting and 
sweating as if the night were as hot as the hottest day. Kate, a 
prostitute, twenty eight years old. focused on him and killing him. He 
could almost feel the fear that drove the madness. The fear of being 
hunted bye some thing that was more dangerous than anything on the 
earth. She was coming closer. Only about half a mile behind. Her 
tiredness not being felt by her. Brad turned to his left and walked for 
a few minutes focusing on the wet and the mud that had begun to cling 
to his once blue jeans. After he'd gone a few hundred yards to his left 
he turned to his left again and started back on himself, proud that his 
time in the scouts had helped him learn the little trick he'd used. 
Soon however he was focused on the trees ahead going a silently as he 
could through the deep woods, careful to make no sound so that Kate 
wouldn't hear him. After about half an hour of running Brad felt safe 
that he must have passed her. He slowed to a walk and looked around 
him, the morning light just making the woods more visible, the twilight 
however still obscuring most of it. He looked at his watch 5:30. The 
sun would rise in a few hours. Brad took one last look around the woods 
to make sure she'd missed him and then started to run again this time 
making more noise. Suddenly behind he heard a heavy breathing. Brad 
spun around to defend himself but before he could some thing heavy hit 
him on the side of his face crushing his temple slightly. He crumpled 
to the floor blood pouring out of his ear. He looked up as he black out 
and saw a woman bending over him in a way that looked like she was 
studying him. Darkness took him. 

To his surprise brad woke up. There was a dull ache where he had been
hit in the side of the head and his vision was blurred. The blood had 
dried and crusted leaving a deep red stain on his right temple. With a 
grunt of pain Brad pulled himself up into a sitting position finding 
himself bound. Next to him sat the woman Kate her hair and face messy 
from the chase or the bus crash, Brad didn't know which. They stared at 
each other for a few minutes till Kate broke the silence 'I'm going to 
kill you but you have to understand why' the words came crisply in the 
morning air, the light just staring to take hold. 'Because of you don't 
then I'll get ripped apart by what ever it is that's hunting us. I know 
but don't you think maybe we could work together' Brad tried to reason 
with her his voice sounding shaky as she pulled out a broken bottle 
from her Pack that lay in the mud beside her. 'I wish but I don't think 
there's anything you know that I could want' She said her voice calm 
and steady like that of a woman who had accepted her fate. 'Look' Brad 
pleaded 'We can work together we can defeat him' he begged. 'Who's he?' 
Kate sat up suddenly interested. 'Who are we fighting?' she asked 
bringing herself closer to Brad. Brad looked at her noticing for the 
first time her beauty 'The devil' The words came out muttered and quiet 
as if he were afraid to speak them. Kate's eyes widened in fear at the 
words. she slumped back in the mud sinking slightly. 'Shit' the words 
left her mouth. Kate looked at Brad her eyes full off sorrow 'I'm sorry 
I'm doing it to help you. If it caught you then you would be ripped 
apart and I know how much you smoke so I figure I stand a better chance 
of living than you.' She finished close to Brad her hands playing with 
his hair. The smell of her perfume made Brad feel safer. He knew what 
he had to do. 'Look I have to tell you something before you do it then' 
His voice came out shaky and indistinct to him. Kate eyed him 
suspiciously 'What?' She asked 'What do you know that I should?' The 
final words were almost whispered. Brad stared into Kats eyes for a 
minute his mind racing as to whether he should tell her of his 
knowledge. Finally his conscience won. His shoulders sagged 'You have 
to get to a Holy place, when you're in there the Devil won't be able to 
get you and you'll be safe from what ever is hunting us,' He stated his 
voice now calm and collected as if he were telling her directions to 
the post office. 'How did he get your attention to the game?' Brad 
asked turning his eyes to Kate 'I mean did he do to you what he did to 
me?' He finished his sentence in a mutter the images of the blooded 
corpse coming back to him. Kate stared into his eyes for a minutes 
maybe wondering whether it was worth telling him Brad guessed before 
she answered 'He left the body of the man I killed the night before. It 
just lay in my living room grinning its death grin at me' Kate turned 
away blinking the tears that had swollen up in her eyes at the image of 
the burnt body in her living room. She turned back to Brad and looking 
him in his blue eyes she continued 'it was then that he came to me 
talking to me telling me what I had to do' she whispered the words as 
if she were afraid the voice might be listening but no sounds came from 
with in her mind to tell her it had heard. brad nodded telling her it 
had happened to him in much the same way 'Except he came to me in the 
parking lot mocking me goading me to use the power because I had 
decided not to use it' He confided in her, telling Kate things he'd 
told no one before. 'He used to come to me you see, I didn't realise it 
till just recently that the voice was the same but it was. He used to 
talk to me when I was trying to get to sleep' Brad momentarily closed 
his eyes as if in some deep memory of child hood. Kate lent closer to 
Brad curiosity etched in her face 'Why did you stop using it, the power 
I mean?' Kate asked her questioning look telling Brad he could trust 
her. He opened his eyes and continued talking. 'it was nineteen sixty 
four, I was eleven. Some friends and I, we decided to go down to the 
tire yard. To poke some of the bums with sticks. We were bored there 
was nothing to do' he explained when he saw the look on Kate's face 'It 
was early summer, just a few weeks from the summer holiday. we walked 
and had a good time talking about what we were going to do during the 
weekend. The usual childish stuff. We walked the few miles to the yard. 
By that time it was late afternoon but there still wasn't a cloud in 
the sky. we reached the tire yard. the chatter continued but to me 
there was some thing wrong. What it was I didn't know, at that time i 
didn't know how to control the curse. It just came and went as it 
pleased.' Brads eye brows creased as the images of the memory flowed 
through his brain and before his eyes. Kate looked at him with 
sympathy. Brad opened his eyes the dream broken looking at her, his 
blue eyes seeming to her to be clear than any she had seen. He opened 
his mouth and continued 'suddenly I saw a deep purple stain on the 
ground. The rest couldn't see it, but I could. I knew instantly what 
had happened, the raised voices, the argument, the anger, the fight and 
finally the slash. I followed the stain as it got darker till it was 
all but the deepest black I had ever seen. Finally I came to a corner. 
I knew the body was on the other side. Apparently they found me by 
listening to my screams.' Brad stopped as if unwilling to go on. Kate 
however knew not to push him. After a few minutes Brad's eyes focused 
on the present staring at Kate. 'How did you realize you had the 
power?' he asked. It was Kate's turn to lean against a tree. She sat 
looking into Brads eyes for a few minutes. Finally she opened her mouth 
and spoke. 'I was only a little younger than you. I was playing with my 
friends. Just silly kids stuff you know,' she waited for Brad to nod 
then carried on. 'it was a fairly cold day. There were clouds gathering 
on the horizon telling us it was going to be a wet night. Suddenly a 
large thunderclap, slapped the sky. Mary my friend and quite a timid 
person started screaming, 'Make it stop, make it stop' she screamed as 
the thunderclaps got louder and louder. Finally I just looked at her 
and wished she would shut up and stop screaming. Suddenly despite the 
rain starting to fell she burst into flame in front of our eyes. She 
stopped for a second and I wished that she would start screaming the 
silence seeming to be louder as she looked at her self before she 
realised what was happening. The screaming started again only this time 
higher and more piercing. Tinged with pain that showed in her eyes. Oh 
god her eyes. They looked at me full of terror not knowing what was 
happening. She started to collapse her face melting. Finally her eyes 
left me but only when they had popped. the rest of the children just 
stood in their places unable to move for the fear of seeming our friend 
just set on fire in front of us. When she had finally stopped screaming 
and had collapsed to the floor now no more than just a corpse. That was 
when the real screaming began. The girls around me burst into tears.' 
Kate stopped wiping the tears that had started flowing down her face, 
'I will never forget the look she gave me, pleading for her to help me, 
and i just stood there and did nothing, to scared to do anything but 
star at the flame that used to be my friend' Kate slumped back down her 
shoulders sagging. Brad sat looking at her his eyes full of 
understanding. Finally he collected himself and asked the question that 
had been bugging him for the whole duration of the conversation 'I just 
got to ask one thing in return. How did you find me. I Thought I'd out 
smarted you,' He asked. 'The voice told me. I mean the devil. He told 
me you would try and double back and find a church. He even told me how 
many paces to your left you went. That's how I knew,' 'Sorry Brad' Kate 
spoke the last words as she slipped the bottle into Brad's neck. Brad 
felt his mouth fill with his life blood. Felt it running down his neck 
from the gash in his neck, soaking his clothes in it turning them a 
vivid red. He looked up at Kate who was looking down at him her eyes 
tear filled. He moved his hand up and wiped the tear off her face. From 
deep inside his head a voice came, now slurred 'She saved you, she 
saved your life, if you were a man then you would have made it the 
other way around. Boy you've done some shitty things in your life. I'm 
going to enjoy you' the words barely registered in Brads dying brain. 
'What?' Brads voice sounded distant in his mind. 'Bradley, you've been 
fucked all your life. The evil shit that you've done was going to send 
you to hell any way. I just decided to have a little fun getting you 
here.' The voice took on a matter as fact tone. 'But you said that the 
only way to help the others was to kill them. This would save them' 
tears started to well up in Brads eyes The voice sneered and laughed a 
terrible laugh that shook Brads soul 'I lied' It said. The words echoed 
in Brad's head as the last of his life blood drained from his body and 
his heart gave up having nothing to pump. Eventually he felt nothing, 
only darkness. Then it began. For him there would be no salvation. He'd 
had his chance. For him there was only hell and eternity. 

Kate head his blooded head till the life drained from his face, tears
pouring form her eyes. The bottle that performed the deed dropped from 
her hand leaving a bloody trail from where it dropped to where it 
rolled. Kate sat in the mud watching the lifeless body, feeling alone 
almost hoping the beast would find her and rip her apart and she might 
find peace. She sat till the sun had risen high in the sky, she cried 
till the tears wouldn't flow any more, her eyes red raw from the tears. 
When she'd finished the voice came to her again. This time however it 
was filled with malice for she now knew who it was 'Well you've killed 
him you've killed before, your a murderer one more isn't any big deal.' 
the voice said almost shouting the words into her head. Kate just sat 
in the mud making no movement to show that she'd head what the voice 
had said. 'There's one more to kill and then you'll be free, you'll 
have won the game. I'll be gone and you can live your life as you 
wish.' The voice goaded her with its words till Kate could stand it no 
more standing up 'Get the fuck out of my head, you cunt wipe' she 
yelled the words falling dead in the forest. 'That wasn't very nice' 
the voice mocked. Kate flopped back in the mud the power drained out of 
her. Suddenly she felt tired, the days of not sleeping finally getting 
to her. she lay her head in the mud and allowed her eyes to close no 
longer caring if the beast fell upon her whilst she slept. Her eyes 
closed and, next to brads body, she fell into a deep sleep untainted by 
the nightmares she'd experienced before. Whilst she slept it came. 
Closer, each step taking it closer to its prey. It passed towns with 
out a blink only stopping to feed of a person if desire to feed forced 
it. The pull of its pray so strong it only stopped when it needed to. 
Passing through fields with out so much as a blink. Through it all Kate 
slept unaware. Whilst she slept it came closer. 

The next day dawned bright and fresh. Kate was woken up by the sunlight
hitting her face, the brightness of it making her squint. Stiffly she 
rose to her feet feeling the side of her back their dull ache 
proclaiming her sleep on the forest floor. She stared around. The 
forest looked less heavy in the light but it still there was a 
stillness in the air that told her that there was no one in the area. 
The stillness hanging in the air that unnerved her. There was no noise 
expect for the occasional rustling of an unseen animal in the 
undergrowth. Kate spun around her eyes darting in all directions. The 
ground rustled behind her making her jump. It was coming closer. The 
hairs in Kate's neck stood up despite the warmth of the morning. 
Suddenly she was very aware of the fact she was alone in the forest. 
There was still one more person to kill. Another man, Mike. She knew 
his name but she didn't know where he was. Kate sat back down in the 
dirt her weight causing her to sink a little. She put her hands to her 
temples and started to massage them. Deep with in her mind there was a 
smooth click and suddenly the world came a live in her eyes. She could 
see every thing that was happening. Many miles away but coming closer 
the beast reared its head. The change in the air had happened again 
only this time it was stronger. The beast ran on maddened by the new 
smell. The smell of Kate. 

Mike stumbled through the undergrowth, his path chosen not by him but by
Brad and Kate before him. His mind however wasn't on the task ahead. 
his mind was focused on the past. What had happened the last few days. 
The finding of the body, the fear he'd felt when he had found the 
rotting body in his lounge. He continued on not feeling the cold, his 
body devoid of feeling. 'She's coming after you', The voice cut through 
his mind startling him back to the present. he tripped over and fell in 
the dirt his hands going out and bending far the wrong way. Mike yelped 
in pain but got back on his feet. he continued his gentle jogging 
through the forest his mind on the voice 'How do you know?' 'I'm in her 
mind as well, didn't you know that?' the voice asked in its mocking 
tone 'No, I thought i was the only one you spoke to. I thought you were 
just a voice in my head.' 'You were wrong. You don't know who I am do 
you?' The voice suddenly loosing its mocking tone and becoming 
genuinely questioning catching Mike by surprise 'No I've thought about 
it but I can't figure it out' 'I'm the devil boy, I'm the voice in 
every ones head. I'm the one who starts wars.' The voice finished in a 
sneer. Mike continued running trying to take in all the information. To 
him it suddenly all made sense. He started to ask a question but the 
voice stopped him, 'She's coming after you, the other is dead. She 
killed him. She's lost all sense and is now just a killing machine.' 
The voice put on a face tone which Mike missed believing it to a tone 
of genuine worry. Suddenly the words entered his mind. He stopped dead 
in his path staring around to make sure the woman, Kate her name wasn't 
near. He stood panting as the voice continued. 'she knows some thing 
that can help you,' The voice told him severing through his mind 
controlling it completely, 'You need to get it out of her before you 
save her from the beast' Mike continued through the forest now however 
his mind was awake, each sound in the forest making him jump. Carefully 
he picked his way through the undergrowth looking around him. Night was 
beginning to fall, the shadows lengthening. The twilight deepening the 
gloom of the forest. 'You know what you have to do to win' The voice 
said as it left Mikes head leaving him alone in the forest. Mike 
continued walking as the darkness descended. After another hour of 
walking complete darkness descended and mike was unable to see 
anything. Slowly his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he was able to 
continue to walk the crescent moon lighting his way. He continued to 
walk through the darkness till suddenly he stopped. Mike dropped to the 
floor. Ahead of him was a siluette moving nimbly through the 
undergrowth. From the distance Mike couldn't make out who it was. He 
started to concentrate forcing his mind into the higher gear that 
allowed him knowledge kept from other people. There was a deep thick 
click in his mind. Suddenly the forest was brightly lit up. It was Kate 
he knew. she was looking for him going slowly so that she wouldn't miss 
him in the undergrowth. Her mind was over come with fear, Mike could 
feel it from where he was. There was a desperate determination in her 
mind as well that filled Mike with fear. Fear for his life. Mike stood 
on the path frozen with fear as the shape moved steadily closer and 
closer. Stopping every few paces to check the side of the path 'Move' 
The voice in his head hissed with an anxious tone 'Move or she'll see 
you and then you'll be fucked as you humans say. Now' It shouted in his 
head as Kate turned to look behind her. Mike saw his chance and moved. 
He sprinted to his right tripping over roots and falling into puddles, 
cursing silently in the darkness. He fell behind a bush and turned back 
to look. Where he was standing just a few minutes before Kate floated 
by like a ghost. She turned and stared at Mikes hiding place. Mike 
ducked down behind still looking her. She stood just a few meters in 
front of him scanning the area. Her eyes met his and Mike froze scared 
that he had been seen. However her eyes seemed to bee looking through 
him and she soon moved on. Making no noise that Mike could hear. He 
drew in a deep breath having realised he hadn't breather during the 
time she was looking around and allowed himself to relax. 'That was a 
close one' Came the voice cutting through his fear to reach his 
consciousness. 'Shit i thought I had been caught but' Mike started to 
say to the voice, whispering it for fear of being heard but the voice 
cut him off 'I can still hear if you just think it' the voice scolded 
him. 'What do I do now?' Mike thought ideas flowing through his head 
each more stupid than the last, the fear and adrenaline making him more 
awake than he had been for the past few days. 'You go behind her and 
kill her, you have a weapon. Use it' The voice in Mikes mind indicated 
to the knife he had attached to his belt. The knife suddenly seemed to 
weigh Mike down. The thought of having to kill the woman making him 
feel sick. 'I can't' 'Yes you can, I'll be there to help you do it' 
'But there must be another way' Mikes tone took a pleading edge to it. 
He stood up and started to follow Kate not knowing how he knew where 
she was going just knowing by instinct. Like a shadow he followed her, 
tracing her very movement. All the time arguing with the voice on what 
he should do. 

Kate had been walking for a few hours, stopping and checking every few
minutes to make sure the man didn't sneak up behind her and kill her 
and win the game. That was for her. She had been walking for a few 
hours before she became aware of Mikes presence following her. She 
stopped and felt the now familiar click with in her mind. Still walking 
she let her mind probe the forest around her feeling the woodland life 
but ignoring it. Finally her mind found what she was looking for. The 
mind of Mike. Full of fear, what she was hoping for. It would be the 
fear that would make him make mistakes and would allow her to kill him. 
The thought sent thrills through her body. She had felt ashamed of it 
at first but during the time she'd been walking she had come to enjoy 
the thought of killing Brad. It had given her a thrill of power. Power 
that she yearned to taste again. 'That's right feed of it. Allow it to 
give you power' The voice slipped into her mind making room for its 
self. 'It took you long enough to realize the hunter has become the 
hunted. He's coming for you' The voice mocked in its sly way. With out 
realising it Kate rose t the bait 'I'm going to hunt him now. Can you 
feel the fear isn't it gorgeous' She thought feeling the fear and 
enjoying it despite the intensity of the situation. To let her thoughts 
wander would most probably lead to her death. The thought brought her 
mind back to the present. She was back in the dark forest hunting the 
man. The night caressing her skin sending tingles down her spine. She 
turned her heals spinning on the still wet earth and made for the tree 
in front of her. She could her feel the soft foot steps of the man just 
a few hundred feet in front of her. His soft breathing coming to her 
carried by the silence. Kate stood behind the tree feeling its warmth. 
The solidness of the bark soothing her making her ready for the pounce. 


Mike had lost sight of her a few minutes before. His foot steps
crunching softly against the ground. He didn't like the fact that he 
couldn't see her. The hairs stood up on the back of his neck as he 
walked slowly forward checking each side with each few steps he took. A 
horrible feeling told him that he was no longer hunting her but she was 
hunting him. His senses cried out with each sound that was made, 
turning it into her. each shadow to his side becoming her jumping out 
on him to kill him. The night pressed down on him as if to suffocate 
him with its heaviness. He moved forward another step his breath 
shallow and much to loud for him. He stopped sensing another presence 
his instincts shouting to him. The feeling of being watched wouldn't 
leave him. His eyes darted around trying to penetrate the gloom to see 
the woman who now hunted her. The crack of twigs to his left made him 
jump, over his head a bird flew. Mike breathed out slowly relieved that 
it wasn't her, only a bird. A figure jumped out infront of him with a 
primeval yell. Mike ducked instinctively as a branch moved the air 
barely an inch from his skull. He fell back onto the ground and the 
body was on top of him immediately. Nails clawed at him. Fists pounded 
him. The sound of heavy labored breathing was in his ear as Kate bore 
down upon him. Mike kicked with all him might, his feet landing with a 
thick thud on Kate's chest. She flew off him with a screech. She lay on 
the ground panting as Mike picked him self up. She got up before Mike 
could deliver a blow to her. Her hand went down and she grabbed and 
squeezed. Mike let out a howl of pain and fell down clutching himself. 
The woman let out a cry of triumph that turned to a cry of pain as 
Mikes boot connected with her knee. She came down on top of him crying 
out in pain. Her legs kicking and kneeing him but not finding his soft 
spot. Mike Let his mind go up a gear with a smooth click. He turned his 
power on her intent on lifting her up into the air. Nothing however 
happened Mike let out a cry as she brought down a branch on his head. 
he knew he had no other choice. Scrambling to his feet amidst a flurry 
of painful hits with a branch. He clumsily went for his knife that hung 
at his side. The woman saw but all to late she tried to stop it. Mike 
thrust forward with a power he didn't realise he had. The blade bit 
deep into the woman's chest, her cries of attack turning to cries of 
pain as she crumpled to the floor clutching the wound. 

The knife bit into Kate with a ferocity she had never felt before. She
fell to the floor clutching the wound now spilling her life blood onto 
the floor. He eyes dulled as she stopped seeing the world through the 
eyes of the living. The voice came to her one last time 'You hunted and 
you lost. Now endure the pain of your own hell' It hissed Kate fell to 
the depts. of hell her mind not comprehending why she fell the voices 
cruel laughter echoing in her mind. Her last sight that of the man who 
had killed her. Suddenly she perceived the truth. With her last fading 
strength she sent her terrible knowledge to the man. The truth. 

Mike watched the woman's, Kate, eyes dull. suddenly he fell to the floor
screams of agony pouring out of his mouth. The truth hit him. the truth 
of the game he'd been playing. After it had passed and the knowledge 
remained in his mind he sat up, the voice already in his mind. 'It's 
true,' it mocked 'When you die you're going to hell' It finished the 
sentence laughing to its self. Mike got up his head pounding from the 
blows he'd received. However he knew what he had to do. The way he 
could be safe. He had to reach a church. A holy place. Mike got his 
bearings and stared walking. Feeling his way. The world coming alive in 
his mind. Telling him the direction of the nearest town. Belmont thirty 
miles away. A few days running he thought to himself. Mike started 
jogging through the forest, the darkness no longer holding the fear of 
the woman but some ting much darker. Mike knew that the beast would now 
come after him. He was the beasts target. he had to move fast so it 
wouldn't catch him. He started to make his way through the forest. Each 
root and branch seeming to him to be trying it's best to stop him from 
getting to safety. 'You won't make it the beats is making ground as you 
run. It's coming after you' It mocked trying to break Mike. It knew it 
had the other souls of the people but it wanted this one. The soul of 
Mike was a good one, uncorrupted like the other two were. It focused 
all its strength on stopping Mike. 'Why wasn't I able to kill her using 
my power?' The question left Mikes mind, 'You can't use it to defeat 
another person with the power, its the written law' 'You're chosen to 
play from birth if it makes it any easier on you' The voice said 'You 
were fated to die by the beast of it helps' 'No' The word left mikes 
mouth surprising him with its strength 'I wasn't fated because it's not 
going to kill me' He continued to run speeding up a little his foot 
steps no longer quite but Making loud noises that echoed around the 
dead forest. All the animals seemed to have gone, sensing the beast 
that was coming for Mike. His foot falls falling dead in the forest. 
Mike continued on. Lost in his thoughts of childhood. Suddenly tears 
broke from his eyes. He wiped them away with out stopping. 'The first 
showing of failure' the voice mocked him, no longer seeming to Mike to 
be on his side, content now only to kill him and to get him to hell. 
Miles away the beast caught the change in Mike's emotion and sped up 
knowing now his desperate determination to reach a place of safety. 
Mike didn't stop running for many hours. Finally however just as the 
sun set on the day of his running he collapsed in a heap, unable to run 
any more. He gathered himself and searched for the town. Fifteen miles 
away. He was getting closer Mike thought to himself. The voice had left 
him alone for the last few hours seeming to have given up breaking his 
spirit. Some thing big entered his mind filling him with mind numbing 
fear. It was coming closer. He could now feel the beast. Sense its 
hunger for his blood. Its single minded determination. Blindly filled 
with fear, giving his legs new strength Mike pulled himself up and 
continued running. The beast's presence filling his feelings, making 
him turn his head every so often to make sure it wasn't as close as the 
fear and sense of being hunted made it seem. It was a few hundred miles 
away and closing. Mike summoned all his strength and continued on. His 
breath now coming out in short bursts as the last of his energy began 
to be used up. He couldn't last much longer he knew. It was catching up 
on him fast. Suddenly Mike reached a clearing the brightness of the sun 
startling him. 

Mike kept on running to the town the fear echoing around his mind
stopping him feeling the tiredness his body felt. 

20miles 

He kept on running his feet clattering off the tarmac falling dead on
the forest that still surrounded him. Slowly the lights grew closer 
getting bigger till they almost dazzled Mike, making his eyes half 
close form the pain. Finally they adjusted to the new sights. Closer it 
drew it could smell his trail now, going through the forest. it could 
almost feed off the fear. It sped up knowing what its prey was heading 
for, the hurry echoing through its breath as its padding became fast 
for the final run. The speed up in the beast cut Mike making his bowels 
turn to water. they loosened as he ran feeling the warmth running down 
his leg as he ran his legs turning slowly to jelly. The urine trickled 
along the road leaving a dark stain against the darkness that had 
covered the road. 10miles 

The town grew closer but too slowly he knew. Mike could feel its
presence in his mind growing in it pushing out rational thought. He had 
to keep his sanity he knew. Mike focused on the lights reminding 
himself that he had to reach a church his feet echoing off the road as 
he drew closer. Five hundred yards and he would be in the town running 
down the main road. The beasts presence flashed again in his mind 
pushing his sanity back but still unable to break it. Mike pushed 
forwards running ignoring the moan in his legs 

5miles 

Closing in, coming upon him. The hatred that fuelled the beast filled
Mikes mind suddenly making him scream out loud almost turning his mind 
to jelly along with his legs. Final he hit the lights and he was in the 
town but he was not safe he knew. It was late and the streets were 
empty only the light and the wind making any noise. Mike ran down the 
main street his head darting about looking for a church. 

1mile 

'Shit' he muttered to himself running around looking for a church. His
heart sinking as he saw none. His feet hurt but he ignored the pain 
knowing what was hunting him. It was gaining on him, its presence 
filling his mind completely bending its self to him. Mike ran through 
the dark streets. 

500 yards 

Out of the corner of his eye he saw it. The church its lights
proclaiming safety in the lord. Mike turned like a dear to his right 
heading for the church. In his mind he felt the beast turn to, trying 
to cut him off. The church loomed ahead of him coming painfully slowly 
closer. 

300 yards 

He wasn't going to make it, out side the church he was going to get
ripped to pieces. The images of his pain flashed in front of him. He 
pushed faster the church coming slower. 

100yards 

the church was about sixty yards away he guessed. The beast came closer
he could feel its presence out side of his mind, it was coming, he 
could feel it breath on the back of his neck. Mike made a final wild 
dash for the church, the beast leapt jumping to get on top of his back 
its jaws open wide to sink into his neck delivering the blow that would 
stop him. That would stop him from reaching safety. Mike felt the 
creature jump behind him. Feeling its shape, coming down on top of him. 
He screamed out running as fast as he could hoping to make it his voice 
changing pitch from the fear. He regained consciousness feeling the 
coolness of the church floor beneath him. He was a live. The thought 
firing through him like an electric shock making his eyes flick open. 
His mind took in the sights of the church dimly lit in the morning 
light. The soft glow of the sun slowly making its way alone the aisle. 
Mike lifted his head of the cold stone delighting in the coolness of 
the morning. He had made it to safety. However in the back of his mind 
he could feel the presence of the beast outside the church waiting till 
he got out. He could feel its hunger and anger at having being cheated 
out of its game. 'Just wait till you get outside' The voice cut through 
his head like ice making. Mike suddenly realised it wasn't in his head. 
The voice was behind him, its cool mocking edge still in it sounding 
crisp in the air around it. He pulled himself up turning around so he 
could see the owner of the voice that had struck fear in his heart. In 
the light he stood. Dressed in a crisp white suit, his skin a deep 
black the irises of his eyes gleaming with a deep fire that froze mikes 
heart. There was a slight mocking smile twitching at the corners of his 
lips. They looked at each of for a minute the silence only broken by 
the sounds of the out side. Mike broke the silence first 'What are you 
doing? How can you enter a church?' The words left his mouth the fear 
making them shake a little. The Devil stood infront of him seeming to 
size him up before responding. 'Angel, fallen yes but still angel' He 
said pulling his hands up and down his body as if to prove the point. 
'I can still enter just my' He paused momentarily as if looking for the 
right word ‘pet can't' 'Well I win call so it off' Mike said trying to 
look in the Devils eye. He laughed as if amused by the thought 'Why 
would I want to do that? I've got you I can still have you all I have 
to do is wait till you go out.' He drew in close as if divulging a 
great secret, is mouth to the side of Mikes ear, 'Then your mine' He 
pulled back his mocking smile still on his face, 'You see either way I 
win,' 'No I've won the game, you said' Mike backed up to the back of 
the wall of the church 'I lied' The Devil whispered the words echoing 
off the walls as if to emphasize the point 'I have you' He pulled back 
looking into Mikes eyes allowing visions of what he had planed for him 
to enter Mikes mind. Mike dropped to the floor clutching his head in 
his hands tears streaming down his face, his mind filled with his 
blood. Slowly the Devil squatted next to him looking at him cry for a 
while, finally he spoke 'There is a way you can get out of here alive' 
He muttered in his ear. Mikes stared up through the tears at the Devil 
as he pulled his jacket up to wipe away the tears. 'All you have to do 
is give me your soul when you die. In return the beast goes and you get 
out safe. I will make you a billionaire.' He said his voice level 
coming closer to Mike till he was whispering in his ear, ‘Hells not all 
that bad' He whispered as a lover might do ‘they just don't want you 
there. So,' He said pulling back allowing Mike to take in all he had 
told him, ‘You give your soul to me in return for life' The Devil lay 
the terms of his agreement to Mike telling them as if he knew mike had 
already accepted them. Mike lay on the floor feeling its cold chilling 
him, thoughts bounding in his head, thinking bout what he could do. 
Finally he made his mind up; looking at the Devil he gave his answer. 
‘Well done' He said smiling at Mike his voice still cutting through him 
though a slight smile of triumph played on his lips. Suddenly a light 
flashed before his eyes the pain piercing him making him cry out in 
agony as he felt something being ripped out of him, he knew before the 
voice told him, he'd lost part of his soul, insurance it told him. That 
day the game finished. That day mike lost his soul. The Devil had won. 
He would get his due. Crippled by the knowledge of what he had done 
Mike lay in front of the alter its shadow casting around him as if 
knowing what he had done. Finally the doors opened and the people began 
coming in ready for the service. What they saw shocked them. Mike to 
their eyes almost unrecognisable as a man. They took him out and looked 
after him. Eventually he began to speak, stuttering unrecognizable 
words at first (Latin backwards they would learn later) those words 
slowly becoming recognizable. They didn't believe him when he told 
them. The story finished they simply looked at him their eyes filled 
with solemn disbelief. They sent him forth into the world believing him 
to dangerous to be kept with in their small fragile community, the 
memory still fresh in his mind. The Devils pact still echoing in his 
head. 

15 years later 

Mike sat at his desk in his office thinking about his day. The life he
had led since he had won the game had been tiring. There was no doubt 
about it but he enjoyed the life he led. The pack he had made with the 
Devil the fifteen years ago in the back of his mind never left him but 
he chose to ignore it now most days. Amidst his wealth, Mike almost 
forgot about his pact and what he owed to the Devil. The Devil himself 
had kept to his word. He had walked out of the church safe from the 
beast and had walked into the town. There he had walked into a store 
and asked for a lottery ticket. Astonishingly he had won the jackpot. 
All five numbers. Eight million dollars. Mike had never seen so much 
money in one place in his entire life. He'd invested it in a company 
that published books. It had, with the financial backing of Mike become 
one of the most successful publishers in Northern America And fifteen 
years later it was one of the richest companies in America. Making 
billions of dollars a year. Mike sat back in his leather chair enjoying 
its feel enjoying the warmth of the office looking at view out of the 
window at the sky scrapers lined up as if in a police station against 
the clear blue sky. He thought about his power, which had lain dormant 
since that day, safe inside his mind. No one knew about it. 'Hello 
Mickey boy' the icy mocking voice cut through his mind, 

'Lets play a game'. 


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