• Chapter 1

    YEARS AGO, IN THE STATE OF VIRGINIA, THERE LIVED A YOUNG WOMAN NAMED EMILY SUTPHIN. EMILY WAS JUST A SEEMINGLY NORMAL 15 YEAR OLD HIGH SCHOOL GIRL. LITTLE DID ANYONE KNOW THAT EMILY . . . POSSESSED SPECIAL POWERS, SHE COULD CONTROL THE POWERS OF HEAVEN’S LIGHT, AND SOME MIGHT EVEN SAY SHE WAS . . . AN ANGLE. SHE WAS ONLY 6 YEARS OLD WHEN SHE DISCOVERED SHE HAD THESE POWERS, AND SHE’S NEVER HAD ANY REAL REASON TO USE THEM. THAT IS . . . UNTIL NOW ANYWAY. IT WAS FEBRUARY 13TH, 2011, WHEN IN THE MIDDLE OF HER HOME TOWN, RUSTBURG, THERE WAS AN EXPLOSION ABOUT THE SIZE OF A SMALL BUILDING.
    “OH MY GOD, THAT WAS RIGHT NEXT TO THE SCHOOL!” EMILY BLURTED A LITTLE IRRITATED. “WHY COULDN’T IT HAVE BEEN THE SCHOOL INSTEAD!?”
    WHILE SHE WAS ON HER WAY TO SCHOOL THAT DAY, ANOTHER EXPLOSION OCCURRED, ONLY THIS ONE WAS ONLY 10FEET AWAY FROM HER MOTHER’S CAR. STARTLED BY THIS ONE, SHE GOT OUT THE CAR TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED. FEAR FLASHED IN HER EYES AT WHAT SHE WAS LOOKING AT. IT LOOKED LIKE A HUGE LIZARD, WITH 5FEET LONG CLAWS, TWO, 2FOOT LONG FANGS POKING OUT ITS MOUTH, SPIKES RUNNING ALONG ITS BACK FROM HEAD TO TAIL. ONCE IT SPOTTED HER, ITS EYES FLASHED RED WITH ANGER.
    “W-WHAT IS THAT THING?!” EMILY SAID.
    AS A RESULT OF THIS FEAR, AND THE SHEER PRESENCE OF PURE EVIL, HER ANGELIC POWERS SPRANG TO LIFE. A PAIR OF BEAUTIFUL FEATHERED WINGS SHOT FROM HER BACK, AND HER EYES TURNED INTO A GOLDEN COLOR. OUT OF INSTINCT SHE FLEW FAST AT THE BEAST, AND ONCE SHE GOT CLOSE ENOUGH, ROUNDHOUSE KICKED IT IN THE JAW, SENDING IT FLYING 15FEET IN THE AIR. IT CRASHED INTO A NEARBY DRUG STORE. BUT, WHEN IT GOT UP, IT CAME AT HER FAST, AND KNOCKED HER 20FEET BACKWARDS. SHE CRASHED INTO THE BACK OF A LARGE SEMI-TRUCK.
    “AGH!” SHE SCREAMED AS SHE HIT THE TRUCK.
    SHE SAT UP AND RUBBED HER HEAD WITH A PAIN FILLED GRUNT. THE BEAST SNARLED AT HER AND RAN AT HER FAST. EMILY-UNABLE TO MOVE FROM THE PAIN SHE HAD JUST ENDURED-TRIED UNSUCCESSFULLY TO MOVE OUT OF THE WAY. THE BEAST RAISED ITS ARM FOR AN ATTACK. EMILY’S EYES WENT WIDE WITH FEAR AND HOPELESSNESS. THE BEAST SWUNG ITS CLAWED HAND DOWN, TIME SLOWED TO A CRAWL, EMILY WAITED FOR THE BEAST’S HAND TO MAKE CONTACT AND SEND HER INTO THE AFTERLIFE, BUT IT NEVER DID. SURPRISED, EMILY LOOKED UP, AND WAS AMAZED TO A FIGURE BLOCKING THE BEAST’S HAND WITH ONE ARM. THE FIGURE LOOKED MERELY LIKE A BOY, MAYBE 13 OR 14 YEARS OLD, DARK BROWN HAIR, HAZEL EYES, PALE SKIN, AND ROUGHLY 5’7 IN HEIGHT. HE LOOKED AT HER FOR ABOUT 6 OR 7 SECONDS BEFORE RETURNING HIS ATTENTION TO THE BEAST IN FRONT OF HIM.
    WHO IS HE . . . WHERE DID HE EVEN COME FROM? IT’S LIKE HE APPEARED OUT OF THIN AIR. SHE THOUGHT TO HERSELF. THE BOY LOOKED INTO THE BEAST’S EYES FOR A MOMENT, DREW HIS OTHER HAND BACK FOR A PUNCH, AND THREW HIS FIST FORWARD, CONNECTING WITH BEAST’S JAW. EMILY SWORE SHE HEARD THE BEAST’S JAW SHATTER. IT FLEW BACK MORE THAN 50FEET BACK, AND CRASHED INTO AN ABANDONED SUPER MARKET. AMAZED, EMILY STOOD UP AND TRIED TO GET THE BOYS ATTENTION.
    “H-HEY, WHO ARE YOU?” SHE ASKED HOPING HE WOULD ANSWER. THE BOY TURNED AND LOOKED AT HER.
    “YOU’LL FIND OUT SOON ENOUGH YOUNG GIRL.” HE ANSWERED. A LOUD, AND ANGER FILLED ROAR ECHOED OUT THE SUPER MARKET WHERE THE BEAST HAD LANDED. IT STOOD SLOWLY, AND-WITH UNREAL SPEED-RAN AT THE BOY, WHO-WITH A SPEED THAT WAS EVEN FASTER THAN THE BEAST’S-SENT A HARD, BONE CRUSHING PUNCH INTO ITS TORSO. THE BEAST, HOWEVER, DIDN’T MOVE, BECAUSE THE BOY DIDN’T WANT IT TO. BEFORE HE THREW HIS PUNCH AT THE BEAST, HE PLACED ONE HAND ON ITS BACK, TO KEEP IT FROM MOVING. THE BOY LET A WICKED GRIN SPREAD ON HIS FACE, HE PULLED HIS HAND BACK 20 OR SO INCHES, OPENED HIS HAND, AND SLOWLY, 3INCH CLAWS UNSHEATHED THEMSELVES FROM THE BOYS FINGER TIPS. EMILY GASPED, AMAZED AT WHAT SHE WAS SEEING.
    THIS . . . BOY, HE ISN’T . . . ISN’T NORMAL, WHAT IS HE? SHE THOUGHT TO HERSELF. THE BOYS SWUNG HIS CLAWED HAND FORWARD SO FAST IT LOOKED LIKE A BLUR TO EMILY, AND DROVE HIS HAND HALF WAY THROUGH BEAST’S CHEST. WHEN HE PULLED HIS HAND BACK OUT, EMILY GAGGED AT WHAT SHE SAW IN HIS HAND, THE BEAST’S STILL SLIGHTLY BEATING HEART. HE SQUEEZED IT UNTIL IT BURST IN HIS HAND, HE THEN THREW IT ON THE GROUND. HE LOOKED BACK UP AT THE BEAST, THE SAME SOMBER LOOK ON HIS FACE HE HAD WHEN HE SHOWED UP. HE SNAPPED HIS FINGERS AND THE BEAST FELL TO GROUND WITH A LOUD THUD.
    “MAY YOUR DEMONIC SOUL BURN IN THE UNDERWORLD WHERE YOU BELONG.” HE SAID FLICKING OPEN A BLACK, CROSS SHAPED LIGHTER. HE TOUCHED THE LIGHTER’S FLAME TO THE BEAST’S FOOT, AND THE REST OF THE BODY CAUGHT FIRE. AND WITH THAT, THE BOY LOOKED AT EMILY, THEN DISAPPEARED WITHOUT ANOTHER WORD.