《Clawster - The Claw Monster》 Prologue A man in a three piece business suit walks into a run down bar, it smells and reeks of garbage. He has scars scattered across his face, and disheveled brown hair. He spots a gray haired old man with tattered clothes sitting down and says, ¡°I¡¯ve heard you¡¯re a former slayer, and you have information. Information about those monsters.¡± The old man chuckles, ¡°I do, I do, what is your offer?¡± The suited man drops two bags. ¡°10 million¡±, the suited man scowls. The old man runs up and inspects the bag, smiling when he finds hundred dollar bills, ¡°Go ahead and ask away.¡± The man inches closer, ¡°What are monsters?¡± The old man smiles, ¡°Monsters are manifestations of human emotion. When humans become overwhelmed by any sort of emotion and under the specific circumstances, they pool and take over an object, usually related to the emotional outburst. The monster takes form around the object and becomes a living, breathing thing, it can be pain, sadness, or even happiness.¡± As the man explains, a boy is in a room drawing away on a paper with markers and crayons. The figure is a humanoid creature with claws and a mask on its head. The boy''s mom calls, ¡°Dear, would you mind coming down? Dinner is ready.¡± ¡°In a second mom!¡± The boy replies. ¡°I just need to finish this drawing, he¡¯s looking so good!¡± The old man continues, ¡°Monsters, shortly after appearing, begin to try to kill humans, the more aggressive and strong the emotion, the more aggressive and strong the monster. A monster made of happiness may not attack unless provoked, but a monster made of anger will begin a rampage.¡± As he says this the boy continues to hum and draw the figure. Outside the door is a towering creature. It has rows of eyes, massive hands, and has a staggering build. ¡°Monsters cause terror to humanity, and always will¡±. The suited man asks another question, ¡°How exactly are monsters created?¡± The old man replies, ¡°Many ways, any sort of emotional outburst. For example, if you win the lottery, your happiness and joy could cause the winning ticket to become a monster. Although most of the time, monsters usually come from hatred, anger, and finally death.¡± As the old man says death, the strange creature bursts through the boy¡¯s door. The boy is surprised and sees the monster walk towards his parents, who begin panicking and duck down beneath the kitchen counter. He watches in fear and quickly hides under a table, he looks and sees the creature approach his parents¡¯ location. The many eyed creature grabs both of them in each massive hand, they scream, struggle, and yell for help, help that won¡¯t arrive. The creature reveals its horrendous and large mouth, calmly devouring the two adults. The old man continues as this happens, ¡°Death causes the most emotions, losing someone forever makes people extremely emotional. Think about funerals, you are sad even if you didn¡¯t know that person well, now imagine if it was someone close, or perhaps your closest.¡± The boy watches in terror as the monster devours his parents, he whimpers, ¡°I could have been with them, I could have protected them, I could have died with them¡­¡± Tears fall onto the paper showing the figure. The boy yells, drawing the monster''s attention, ¡°IT''S BECAUSE OF YOU, YOU DUMB DRAWING. I COULD HAVE DIED WITH MOMMY AND DADDY!¡± The monster slowly approaches with a growl as the boy continues to sob. He suddenly starts to smile as tears run down his cheeks, ¡°I still love you, you¡¯re my friend¡­ clawster.¡± The drawing begins to glow and a humming noise plays. The monster reaches out with its hand, but suddenly slashes are heard. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. The monster¡¯s hands get cut down into slices and all that remains is a humanoid figure the same as the drawing wearing the mask on its head, and an angry monster who starts to regenerate its lost limbs. The boy sits in the corner in shock. The boy then begins smiling as he realizes what happened. ¡°Clawster? I knew it, you were real!¡± The figure puts the mask on his head and looks back at the boy with a smile, revealing its sharp toothed grin. Its hands became claws, gray began to spread across his hand and shone like metal, the tips looking to be extremely sharp. The suited man then asks the old man, ¡°Why isn¡¯t this more well known?¡± The old man chuckles, ¡°If people knew, things would get out of hand. One of the most common ways a monster is formed is through fear, one of the strongest emotions. If people knew that if they were just a bit too scared, a monster could appear and kill them, it would be chaos.¡± As he says this, Clawster attacks the monster before its hands could fully regenerate. He uses his claws to lunge himself forward using the floor, the monster opens its mouth and chomps towards him, but Clawster sidesteps and places his claws on its head. He drags his claws down its skull, creating slash marks and causing it to shriek out in pain. ¡°Monsters would pop up like mushrooms as humans die left and right, creating more monsters.¡± Clawster notices the monster crouching down, clearly winded from the strikes. He jumps up and descends, slashing and cutting the creature into pieces as he falls. Time slows down as Clawster is airborne looking down, moving his claws back and forth as the monster¡¯s flesh tears and rips. Blood splatters as Clawster smiles and sticks out his tongue, the boy grins even wider as he witnesses his parents¡¯ murderer get annihilated. Clawster stands above the corpse, sliced and diced. The boy approaches him and checks the corpse and looks up at Clawster, who has now taken off the mask. Clawster¡¯s hands slowly shift back into normal hands, losing their metallic properties. The boy cried out, ¡°I knew you would protect me!¡±. The two embrace each other in a hug as the scene around them is littered with debris and gore. The old man shows a stern look on his face, ¡°This is very dangerous information, it could kill people. Which is why this knowledge is hidden severely from the pub-¡± The suited man interrupts, ¡°Exactly¡±. The old man looks towards the suited man, ¡°-lic.¡± He sees a gun barrel pointed towards him as the suited man has a cold and distant gaze. Two gunshots are heard in the distance as the suited man whistles as he walks away with two bags of money on his shoulders and blood stains on his suit. ¨CEnd of Prologue¨C Next Chapter: Chapter 1 - The Boy and His Monster Chapter 1: The Boy and His Monster ` ¡°It¡¯s another one of these again¡­¡± Complained a man wearing a police officer¡¯s uniform. He had short black hair and was inspecting the broken front of a house. The hole was shaped in an oddly specific manner, as if a gigantic creature made it. ¡°You know the drill, Joey. You¡¯re bound to run into some monster cases on the force.¡± said his partner, dressed in the same manner but this time he was completely bald. ¡°It¡¯s annoying though! These things cause so much damage.,¡± says Joey. As he said that, he looks to his right and sees another house broken and shattered to pieces. Entire sections are ripped apart, it was as if a powerful tornado arrived and ripped everything apart. ¡°God these things are terrifying¡­¡± Suddenly, a voice is heard coming behind Joey and his partner, ¡°Fortunately you don¡¯t have to deal with them, lucky bastards.¡± The two officers look behind them and see a man in a three piece suit. This was the same man from before, the one who killed the old man. He had his hands in his pockets and walked with purpose. Joey tried to reply, ¡°The hell you say-¡±. The suited man shoved both of them aside and walked towards the house that wasn¡¯t completely demolished. ¡°Buzz off, how about you go and handle the kid to make yourself useful.¡± Joey grumbles and his partner nods, both decide to follow the man¡¯s advice, making their way towards a clearly scared boy with messy blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He was standing, watching as the suited man made his way into the house. ¡°Don¡¯t worry kid, everything¡¯s going to be okay,¡± Joey reassured. ¡°Your parents had plenty of insurance, so you can move somewhere nice and cozy. In fact, you¡¯re pretty lu- OW!¡± Joey was cut short as his partner gave him a jab with his elbow. The officer sighs, ¡°Listen kid, my name¡¯s officer Dave, and I know what you must be going through. It¡¯s going to be hard adjusting to a new life, but the government will help you out. Your parents left behind some money, and you just need to bounce back. We¡¯ll have some nice people relocate you, alright?¡± The boy shook his head, ¡°Nuh uh, I want to live here! I want to live here in my parent¡¯s house, I don¡¯t want to move!¡± Dave and Joey both gave each other a look. ¡°I get it, it¡¯s hard to move on, but you can¡¯t live here. It got pretty destroyed from a nasty monster, it might be dangerous to live here.¡± says Dave. ¡°That won¡¯t be a problem.¡± The two officers turn around again to see the suited guy return. ¡°What do you mean not a problem? This house was clearly ransacked.¡± replied Joey. ¡°I inspected it thoroughly, and the damage is minimal at worst. The only thing destroyed was the front door and the kitchen. The only issue is staining.¡± Dave was confused, ¡°Staining?¡± The suited man lets out a heavy sigh, ¡°Let me explain what I saw¡­¡± The suited man walks through the door and notices the outline. Definitely a medium sized monster attack, didn¡¯t seem too strong. Notably large head and hands. He continued to walk inside the house. He looked around, and to his surprise most of it was unscathed. He walks past the living room, and gets startled when he looks to the right. What the¡­ The monster''s corpse was there, chunks of flesh were flung around. Pieces on the kitchen counter, some on the walls, blood stains all across the house. He looks down and sees claw marks and slashes on the floor and walls. These clearly aren¡¯t an animal of any kind, and these are too small to be the monster¡¯s. He inspects the scene, furniture destroyed, glass shattered, and blood not only near the corpse but also at the dining room. This isn¡¯t normal weaponry, clear signs of a struggle but no bullet holes or normal slashes, these are claws. He touches the monster¡¯s skin, he feels sharp indents and scratches. This has to be the work of a slayer, but how did one get here so quick? He goes over to the corpse and sees a small cellphone in the middle. Here it is, the artifact. Wait, every slayer collects the artifact after the kill, this is interesting. Just as he ponders, he hears a sound upstairs, a small thump noise. Huh? The boy said he was alone in the call. The slayer quickly runs up the stairs and notices an open door leading to the boy¡¯s bedroom. He goes in, and sees things scattered across the floor. Cabinets are open and all sorts of drawing equipment such as markers, pencils, and crayons are littered around. He sees the closet closed and heads over towards it.. The man reaches out towards the handle and¡­ hears a thump from behind him, similar to the one from before. He quickly turns around and sees a book now on the floor. Damn¡­ this place is making me paranoid. ¡°...and that¡¯s the gist of it.¡± explained the suited man. He removed all the parts involving his own thoughts and the artifact when describing it to them. ¡°Hmmm¡­ so the overall house is fine, it¡¯s just the stains of blood on the wall and some broken furniture.¡± answers Dave. ¡°A contractor can handle that, just a paint job and some clean up,¡± says Joey. He turns to the kid, ¡°It¡¯s your lucky day son, looks like you can stay in there after all. Alright let¡¯s head back to HQ and fill out some paperwork.¡± ¡°Just one more thing,¡± says the suited man, crouching at the kid. ¡°Did you see anyone during that night? Anyone with a weapon of some sort? Did they have a badge that said ¡°MRI¡± or ¡°MDF¡± on them at all?¡± ¡°Ummm¡­ no. I was upstairs then heard scary noises and hid in my room. When I went down after a bit I saw the monster corpse.¡± The suited man puts his hand on his chin, So the monster was killed by an unknown slayer, I¡¯ll need to investigate this further. ¡°Alright, I believe you, it must have been terrifying. Listen, if you notice anything unusual, don¡¯t hesitate to contact this number.¡± The suited man hands over an all black card with the words ¡°Todd Wayward, FMO Agent¡± and his cell phone number on it. The suited man and the cops wave the kid goodbye, mentioning some officials will arrive soon to fix the house and bring some food. As the suited man makes his way towards the car, he begins thinking about what he saw while staring at the cellphone. There had to be some sort of confrontation, so why didn¡¯t the slayer pick up the artifact? -Later- Contractors had arrived to clean the house up. Carpenters replaced the front door and furniture, cleaners got rid of the monster¡¯s corpse and blood, and a demolition team was seen demolishing the next-door house that got mostly ravaged by the monster. There were also mysterious men in the same suits as Todd, they didn¡¯t talk to the boy or ask any questions. They just looked at the floor, walls, and the monster¡¯s corpse and left quietly. Ethan Marshall was identified by father¡¯s id and birth records, and was placed under child protection services. They brought groceries and did basic chores around the house every once in a while. The only thing no one has ever touched is Ethan¡¯s closet, he guarded it closely and never allowed anyone to open it. Inside was where Clawster hid whenever another human entered the house. Even as a twelve year old, Ethan eventually signed documents to allow him to live without the supervision of an adult after passing an exam, but child protective services still came every once in a while. One day, a contractor went up to Ethan, ¡°You are¡­ Ethan. Okay, so all the work has been completed and everything has been fixed and filed out. You¡¯ll be left alone for now, but CPS will come biweekly for a checkup and for groceries. You did well on your independence exams, but remember this is a privilege that can be taken away at a moment¡¯s notice.¡± Ethan nods along as the worker asks him to sign one last time. After all the workers cleared out, Ethan ran up the stairs into his bedroom. He opens his closet and sees a towering figure emerge. Blue eyes, pale skin, a mask on its head. Its mouth went agape, revealing the still sharp teeth. The boy smiled and held out his hand, ¡°Hey Clawster, it¡¯s time to learn.¡± ¨Cfour years later¡ª A sharp alarm sound played and filled Ethan¡¯s bedroom with sound. The screeching forced him awake as he looked over to his right and saw his phone vibrating as the alarm played. He grabbed it, closed the alarm, and checked the date. ¡°September 30th, 1976¡± was displayed on it. He got out of bed, gave a big yawn, and went on with his daily routine. He goes downstairs and hears chopping sounds emanating from the kitchen. Slashes and cuts are heard as he sees Clawster with his mask on going nuts on some vegetables. ¡°Hey Clawster, whatcha cooking over there?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a¡­¡± Clawster checks the cookbook, ¡°Omelette.¡± Clawster pronounces the word as ¡°ohm let¡±, which Ethan corrects. ¡°Ah-me-let is how you say that word.¡± Clawster responds with a knowing nod, as if making a mental note. Over the span of the four years, Ethan has slowly taught Clawster English and a basic education. Ethan thought that this would be extremely difficult due to their differences, but it was much easier than expected. Clawster learned at an accelerated rate, much faster than a normal human. With the help of the internet, Ethan has taught Clawster to read, write, and understand English, do basic algebra, and human history and culture. He also taught him how to do chores and skills like cooking. Cooking was something that Clawster was especially good at, his claws and slashing skills make him an excellent chef. This was not one sided though, Ethan also learned from Clawster, asking him all sorts of questions. Some questions included: Where did you come from? How did you come here? Why did you not kill me? And Why are you good at fighting? Clawster didn¡¯t have a lot of answers, he knew nothing about his origin or how he was created, but he did answer some of them. Clawster didn¡¯t want to kill Ethan because he felt the need to protect him, as if his body¡¯s purpose was to do that, and he¡¯s good at using his claws and fighting due to natural instincts. Ethan ate the delicious omelet and packed up his school supplies in his bag. As he was getting ready for school, he gave Clawster some orders, ¡°Okay, study up on religion and do all the chores on the chore list. Go on the computer and watch some videos on religion if you want.¡± ¡°Got it, have a good day at school" (pronouncing it ¡°suh-ch-ool¡±). ¡°It¡¯s ¡°skool¡±, also, if anyone comes here, quickly hide and do not answer the door.¡± Clawster nods, having needed to do that plenty of times in the past. Ethan makes his way to the stop and gets on the bus when it arrives. He finds a seat in the back and stares out the windows. He reflects on what happened with his life. Life is weird sometimes, isn¡¯t it? Both my parents are dead to a monster, I should have been dead too, but Clawster saved me, as if a gift from the heavens. How lucky I am, yet how unlucky. I am independent, I have no father, I have no mother, but I have one great friend. I think Clawster is a monster too, but from what I¡¯ve researched all monsters kill, is he really a monster? He has all the body parts of a human, he has all four limbs, he has two eyes, one nose, and he has a p- he has all male body parts. He even has all the features I gave him, his mask, his claws, a one to one replica. What really is he? As Ethan thinks this, Todd Wayward is also thinking something similar. All the evidence doesn¡¯t make any sense, a slayer that doesn¡¯t pick artifacts, a slayer that doesn¡¯t reveal themselves and shows off their bounty, what exactly killed this monster? A voice is heard suddenly behind Todd, ¡°Hey, we found some new information.¡± ¡°Let me hear it,¡± replied Todd. ¡°This phone was owned by Sterling Williams, a normal office worker. In the phone he has pictures of two women, both identified as Hazel Williams, his wife of 15 years, and another younger woman by the name of Patricia Fitzgerald. From what we analyzed, he was two-timing, setting up plans with Patricia under the guise of ¡®hanging out with friends¡¯. He was caught and Hazel¡¯s emotions of betrayal and hatred of his phone manifested within it, creating the monster. After the autopsy, it was concluded that it was killed with the use of steel claws, the claw marks were put with considerable force as well.¡± You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°Hmmm¡­ what does the phone artifact do?¡± ¡°The phone has multiple apps in it which can track a person¡¯s location at a considerable range, a camera with infrared sight and an ultraviolet flashlight. It has more apps that require testing.¡± ¡°I feel like this boy is lying¡­ he must have something to do with it.¡± ¡°Multiple officials interrogated him, he always told a straight story. He was scared and hid, he heard strange noises from downstairs, and the monster¡¯s corpse was found.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a likely possibility, but there has to be more to this case.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry Todd, but we can¡¯t waste anymore time with this. For now, the higher ups have told us to resolve this case as unsolved.¡± ¡°What if the boy knows the secret of monsters? What if he used an artifact to defeat it? What if he-¡± ¡°TODD, none of that is true. The monster was formed outside the house, there were no signs of artifact use, and he was clearly scared. Go solve another case worth your time.¡± Todd sighs, ¡°Alright¡­ I¡¯ll give it up.¡± ¡°You know¡­ MDF is always recruiting. With your experience you should land a pretty comfortable position.¡± Todd puts his fingers on his chin, ¡°MDF you say¡­¡± Becoming a slayer is interesting, I can use artifacts but I¡¯ll be put in the frontlines, my life will be at stake. But, it¡¯s boring being a monster detective. No action, just what comes after action. ¡°I¡¯ll take you up on that offer.¡± ¡°Alright, I can walk you through the process¡­¡± FSHHHHHH, a loud hissing noise is heard as the bus comes to a stop. Ethan steps off the bus and begins to walk towards the school building. As he walks, some boys notice him. ¡°Ethaaan!¡± says a medium sized boy with curly brown hair. He wears a leather jacket and some torn up jeans. ¡°What¡¯s going on man?¡± shouts a tall boy with short, dirty blonde hair. He has a hoodie and some sweatpants, both saying ¡°Treefall High Football¡± on them. ¡°Nothing much,¡± replies Ethan, he performs a special handshake with the two of them, as if some sort of ritual. ¡°Just been tutoring my little bro.¡± ¡°Always you and your brother, you need to make him more independent,¡± says the guy with the curls. ¡°Otherwise, he¡¯ll never grow up to be a man.¡± But what if he isn¡¯t a man or a human, what then? ¡°Oh, by the way Ethan, how¡¯s it going with Jessica?¡± nudges the tall blonde. ¡°Oh her¡­ Come on guys, you know I can¡¯t ask her out.¡± says Ethan. ¡°Dude, she¡¯s been a part of the squad for years now, she¡¯s practically your wife.¡± Jessica Clipton is a girl in Ethan¡¯s grade with long blonde hair and very¡­ fortunate features. She¡¯s popular with the girls and the guys throughout the school, and has been friends with Ethan ever since middle school. Curls brings up a point, ¡°You¡¯re the star athlete of the soccer team, you can get anyone at this point.¡± Ethan begins to blush with embarrassment. Without the need for chores to be done, Ethan could funnel all his time into sports and school, allowing him to rise above the rest. This excellence in soccer made him pretty popular and well known through Treefall high. ¡°It¡¯s just a bit awkward asking her out¡­¡± ¡°Wuss!¡± replied both of his friends. After some catching up, Ethan made his way into his first class, monster studies and history. He set down his backpack and sat down in a corner with some guys he knew. After the teacher told everyone to settle down, he began the lesson. The teacher discussed the ¡°calamity event¡±, an event foretold by almost all religions in the world. It¡¯s an event in which thousands of monsters appear due to an unknown cause, these monsters terrorize and assault the world and its population, leading to the end of civilization. As the teacher discusses this, Ethan thinks about this class. I¡¯m learning all about religion and monsters, this calamity event seems pretty interesting though. I wonder if Clawster is also learning about this? Would he protect me, or would he suddenly turn on me? What if Clawster betrays me and¡­ I shouldn¡¯t think about this stuff. Clawster was, in fact, learning all about this. He started slowly typing away on the keyboard, having difficulty doing so due to his inexperience with typing. Ethan thought it was more important if Clawster knew how to write rather than type. As he began searching the web about religion in monsters, he made some massive discoveries. He read articles on how religion told stories about monsters even in ancient times, and how monsters are a blessing, not a curse. He learned about God, the ultimate creator of the world, and how he created monsters to kill and ravage humans, as punishment for sins. God, the creator. This means he created me, and Ethan, and everything, even this computer. He knows everything and can destroy everything. Humans get punished eternally or rewarded eternally based on actions, does it work on me? God said all monsters destroy, why do I not destroy? Am I a monster God, or something else? Clawster begins to have an existential crisis, he looks up at the ceiling and ponders¡­ then a video pops up on autoplay. Clawster gets intrigued and watches it, it details the Calamity Event. It¡¯s written in the Bible, Quran, and Torah, and the video talks about the location of it within the books and what it is. People claim that old versions have more pages, talking about the cause, and signs that pages were ripped off. These humans claim there is more to this event, more to monsters. They think the¡­ government¡­ is hiding something, and these other humans say they are insane. I need to learn more! Clawster types away, slightly faster, and starts researching the Calamity Event and monsters in religion. Ethan hears the lunch bell and begins walking towards the cafeteria with the same two guys as before. They discuss sports, practice, and their plans to hangout after school. The blonde guy then brings up Jessica, ¡°Hey, look it¡¯s her.¡± Ethan looks to the right and sees Jessica laughing with her friends through the windows of the cafeteria. He begins smiling without realizing it as his two friends look at each other with a grin. The boy with brown curls catches with the corner of his eye a chubby, nerdy looking boy staring at Jessica. He begins whispering to the tall blondie, and then they nod to each other. The three guys sit down at a table near Jessica¡¯s. The medium sized guy taps Ethan, ¡°Ethan, listen, me and AJ came up with a plan to get Jessica.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± The boy leans in closer and whispers, ¡°You see that boy over there? The one with glasses? He was staring hard at Jessica, probably likes her. We¡¯ll tell Jessica to lure him into a secluded place, then you can mess with him in front of her and impress her. After we get the twerp to confess his love to Jessica, confess to her, she¡¯ll most likely say yes to mess with him and BAM!, girl acquired.¡± Ethan gives him a confused look and then shifts his gaze to the blonde boy, he¡¯s smiling widely and nodding as if coercing Ethan to go along with it. Ethan, without any sort of parental guidance or role model, makes the decision to accept it. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m down. Let¡¯s do it.¡± His two friends pump their fists and give a quick ¡°Booyah¡± and make their way towards Jessica. They whisper some words into her ear and she gives a surprised look. Jessica turns to her friends, ¡°Sorry girls, I need to do something real quick.¡± She walks towards the nerdy boy, sitting alone, his eyes widen and his cheeks turn red as she stands over him. Ethan can¡¯t hear what he¡¯s saying, but he can tell what¡¯s going on. She gestures to the boy to come with her, and Ethan¡¯s friends go up to him and motion him to follow her. She leads the boy into a secluded area of the school, no cameras are found and no one¡¯s there. The nerdy boy has the highest expectations of this encounter, thinking this is the moment she confesses her love to him. He is oblivious to the three boys stalking them, waiting for the moment. Ethan watches as Jessica says something to the boy, and then looks behind her and mouths the words, ¡°Come here¡±. The curly headed boy looks at Ethan, ¡°It¡¯s time, show that nerd how it''s done.¡± The nerdy boy is giddy with excitement, but then he notices three figures behind her. From the shadows emerges Ethan and his friends, all three smiling with narrowed eyes and furrowed brows, clear evil intentions. Ethan may have his grin, but behind that smile lies him thinking. Is this really going to work? This poor kid is going to get a major reality shock. I wonder if this is really the right thing to do¡­ He still searches for the answer, but with the lack of parental figure, he is subject to his environment. The nerdy boy, who was once enthusiastic and hopeful that his dream would come true, realized the true meaning of ¡°too good to be true¡±. When he saw the three towering figures, he recognized them immediately. Ethan Marshall, AJ Goodwind, Derek Woodling. These three boys have tormented him since middle school, yet every time they forget who he was. His name was Elliot Freeman, and he was subject to their bullying, getting sprayed with water, getting hit by thrown paper balls, and getting called names when the teacher wasn¡¯t looking. The worst part was that they always forget who he is after they do it, treating him like some sort of NPC and not a human being. The moment he saw them, chills went down his spine. No, not these three, anything but these three! I knew it, Jessica would never like a loser like me, this isn¡¯t some sort of romcom manga¡­ The three boys cornered Elliot from all sides, there was nowhere to run. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, pipsqueak?¡± said AJ as he shoved him. ¡°Look at this kid, trying to rizz up a girl way out his damn league. ¡°You really think a baddie like her is attracted to your scrawny ass,¡± laughed Derek. ¡°How the hell do you fall for something like this?¡± Elliot¡¯s heart raced, his mind conjured up the worst of possibilities as nothing was at the end of this terrible tunnel. This was the single most uncomfortable situation the trio of bullies have ever put him in, embarrassing him in front of his crush, a girl he very well knew was out of his league. He¡¯s always had a crush on Jessica, and as he looked over Derek¡¯s broad shoulder, he caught a glimpse of her. In his heart, he held a seed of hope that she would have a concerned look, or cry out to end this torment, but no. On her face was an expression of amusement, she was laughing, LAUGHING, while this took place. Derek grabbed Ethan¡¯s shoulder and pushed him towards Jessica. Ethan stumbled but got his footing, staring directly into her blue eyes. Wow¡­ she¡¯s beautiful¡­. Thought Ethan, not caring about the glasses wearing boy getting hoisted up by Derek and AJ. They grabbed both of his arms and forced him to watch Ethan, getting a good hold of his head to make sure he couldn¡¯t turn away. Ethan suddenly spurted something as Jessica and him stared into each other''s eyes, ¡°Hey, wanna go out sometime.¡± Jessica, looking behind him towards Elliot, said with a smile, ¡°Sure! Here¡¯s my number.¡± Elliot tried to turn away, he wanted to close his eyes, desperately wanting to leave this situation, but his body refused. It was as if telling him to accept his fate, to watch his demise. Elliot saw his long time crush just get with someone who bullied him for the same amount of time. Elliot¡¯s eyes watered, and down came tears of defeat, his mouth drooping on each side just like his heart, down at the bottom. Derek and AJ had sadistic smiles and looked at each other, telepathically cheering at their success. After Ethan and Jessica exchanged numbers, Elliot was let go. ¡°Look at that twig shit run!¡± cried out Derek, seeing Elliot scramble away. He lost all coordination, stumbling around. ¡°What a loser, anyway congrats Ethan on getting the bag.¡± congratulated AJ. Ethan looked at Jessica one more time, and his phone which now contained her number. ¡°Thanks man.¡± ¡°Look at that fucking nerd run! You guys are soooo funny.¡± laughed Jessica. Ethan looked at Jessica having a good time and then looked at his hands. Holy shit! I just got a girlfriend, and she¡¯s hot as hell. But¡­ that kid must feel pretty bad. Would my parents be proud? Ethan pondered on his actions, reflecting on if it was worth it. Hell yeah, my parents would be happy I finally got a partner. As the victors relish in their spoils, the defeated gathers his footing. Elliot is seen in a back corner of the school, his backpack on the floor as he sits on the floor, crying with snot dripping out his nose. ¡°Why¡­ Why must you be so cruel God¡­ Please conjure up a monster and just kill me¡­¡± Ellion whimpers. ¡°They always do this to me, yet remain unpunished by the world¡­ it¡¯s not fair. If the school won¡¯t take action, then I will.¡± Elliot stands with newfound resolve, finally for once in his life he will find victory against Ethan and his crew. Elliot opens his backpack. Jessica doesn¡¯t like me and never will, I got humiliated as well, there¡¯s no point in trying to continue this suffering. I¡¯ll take matters into MY HANDS. On Elliot¡¯s face was a newly transformed expression, tears and snot still remained but a fearsome grin of malice appeared. It¡¯s time to end ALL of this. He reaches into the backpack and pulls out¡­ an assault rifle. Ethan goes back into the cafeteria, talking with Jessica about plans. Him and his friends take a seat and eat their lunch. Someone forcefully opens the cafeteria doors, catching everyone¡¯s attention. Ethan looks behind him and sees Elliot. Oh, he¡¯s back. Wait what¡­ Screams are heard as Elliot removes the safety on the gun. Clawster pauses the video he¡¯s watching. ¡°I feel like¡­ something bad¡¯s about to happen¡­¡± ¨CEnd of Chapter 1¨C Next Chapter: Chapter 2 - The End of the Ordinary Chapter 2: End of the Ordinary My life was never ordinary, my childhood littered with violence. My dad never trusted my mom, he was paranoid, scared of death and monsters to the point that he released his pent up anger on my mom. He always listened to conspiracy theories, he believed as if they were a divine message from God himself. He rambled on and on about monsters and how the government is hiding facilities where they create monsters to unleash to humans for entertainment. He bought weapons and set up security cameras, and was suspicious of anything, especially my mother. Any time she did something bad, made a slip-up, made a mistake¡­ She got hit and questioned if she was a doppelganger or government spy. One day, I remember this well, during 3rd grade, my dad picked me up for school. I was confused, usually my mom picked me up, but when I arrived home there was no trace of my mother. There were signs of a struggle, photos were shattered, ceramic shards littering the ground, and a lot of stuff was missing. She left¡­ probably fed up with the pain she¡¯s received and the husband she married. I don¡¯t know where she went, or if she¡¯s even okay, but I do know one thing. I know that this moment was the start of it all. The fear, my antisocial personality, my lack of friends. School was fine at first, I used it as a safe haven away from home, it was where I could escape. It was fine¡­ until it wasn¡¯t. During seventh grade, one day I just started being tormented by Ethan and his crew. He used to be a good kid, I talked to him a couple times, but then he got into soccer and became your normal bully. I never saw him as the bully type, but I guess his parents didn¡¯t raise him right, or even at all. Most days I tried to avoid them, but you can¡¯t avoid the inevitable, I had to run into them eventually. Every time I crossed their paths, they played some sort of prank on me, but that wasn¡¯t the worst part. The worst part was that I wasn¡¯t memorable at all, outside of bullying me, I was nothing, a nobody. A ghost, they didn¡¯t even know my name even though I¡¯ve been in their classes for years! It pissed me off, school pissed me off! But there was one sunray in the darkness, Jessica Clipton. Just like Ethan, I¡¯ve known her for years, and we have even talked a couple times. Sure, it was a project where we randomly got assigned together (I prayed extra that day) but I¡¯ve always had a crush on her. She was cute, but the best part was she was nice! She never picked on ugly girls or spread rumours, she was a normal human being in this world full of psychos. Today, everything came crashing down. Usually, I sit next to Jessica by myself so I can get a good look. Nothing usually happens, but today was different, she actually went up towards me and told me to go with her. I thought today was the day, the day my prayers were answered, but in fact, it was the day I realized there was no God. She led me to a corner, I thought a confession was about to happen, but then Ethan and his posse jumped me. Out of all the times I¡¯ve been harassed, this was the worst of them all. Jessica got with Ethan, right in front of me, and all I could do was watch as my last fruit of happiness got taken away. I can¡¯t go to school, I can¡¯t go home, what could I do? Is there a place for me to go? I wish, I just wish mom was here, so I could run to her, so she could hug me, and I can tell her what happened. She would care for me and tell me everything¡¯s going to be alright¡­ but this is reality. Reality is cruel, reality is harsh, and reality sure ain¡¯t fair. IT¡¯S NOT FAIR. It¡¯s not fair that Ethan gets popular just because he plays a sport, it¡¯s not fair that my childhood sucked because of my parents, it¡¯s not fair that I got dealt a terrible hand while Ethan over there had a royal flush. I never thought I would have to use it, I usually put it in there for self defence. A lightweight rifle, taken from my dad¡¯s armory. I¡¯ve used it before, usually in a forest. Shooting a deer was one thing, but today was the day I shot something malicious. It was as if God himself reached out to me, a sunray shined on my final revenge. Revenge against everything and everyone, against the world itself. My whole life I was a shadow, now I am the light that will cast them. I will purge this world of people like Ethan even if it costs me my own life. The world will call me a villain, but I¡¯ll die a happy man knowing that I am a hero. My entire life has led me to this moment, I¡¯ll see you mom¡­ I¡¯ll see you again. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Elliot had only blood in his head, violence filled his thoughts. Even with such terrible thoughts, the biggest smile grew on his face, the moment he entered the cafeteria again everyone stared. For a singular second, there was a moment of peace. It was just an entire cafeteria of people staring at a weird looking kid, his face covered in tears and snot, yet smiling as he carried a- ¡°AAAAAAAAH!¡± screamed a random girl, the first to notice what he was holding. Every single person recognized the object in his hand, their eyes widened and survival instincts kicked in, causing droves of people to run out the cafeteria. No one looked back, if they did, they would see that Elliot pointed it at one table, one table at the cafeteria. He wasn¡¯t here for innocent people, he wasn¡¯t a villain, rather he would be the unsung hero. The people there, frozen in fear, knew exactly what was going through Elliot¡¯s head the moment they saw what he had. Today was the day they died. From Elliot¡¯s perspective, he felt powerful. For the first time ever, throughout the whole span of his life, he had power. It was such a sweet feeling, he was a baby eating a piece of candy for the first time. I understand it now, why people do so many terrible things for power. It feels¡­ amazing. No hesitation, nothing was stopping him, he pulled the trigger and let death flow through his enemies. He was usually used to shooting, but his accuracy was sometimes off. This time was different, it was as if his body prepared for this exact moment. No shaking or recoil, just cold precision and handling. Blood splattered everywhere, holes appeared on their body turning them into just chunks of flesh. Elliot kept it steady, laughing and laughing and laughing, he looked as if he was high. No remorse was found, not a single shrivel of it, only happiness and malice was present. Their faces of terror, it was worth it all. After a little bit, nothing came out, he was out of bullets. He looked at the corpses, getting a final good look he realized something. One, two, three¡­ Where is he, where is he, WHERE IS HE?! WHERE IS ETHAN? Ethan Marshall was nowhere to be found. Ethan had more toned survival skills, especially after the monster attack. The instant he saw Elliot, he booked it without a look behind him. The rest of the group couldn¡¯t react fast enough and got frozen in fear. At this moment, he was still running away from the school. It was a bit overkill, but you could never be TOO safe. Elliot dropped his weapon on the ground, his once prideful look now covered with confusion. In the euphoria of revenge, he forgot to take a good look around him. Footsteps of boots were heard going towards him, he knew what that meant. He started fidgeting, running his fingers through his hair. This can¡¯t be happening, he¡¯s supposed to be a part of the pile, he¡¯s the ringleader, he should be NOTHING right now. Di-did I fail? Again? It¡¯s always like this, he always wins in the end. There¡¯s no justice in the world, it just isn¡¯t fai- Elliot could never finish that thought, in fact it would be the last thing he would ever think. Warm blood dripped down his forehead, covering his eyes as he collapsed. The harshness of reality penetrated his head, killing him instantly. The cops finally arrived, wasting no time in eliminating the threat. The officer put back his gun and turned on his radio, ¡°Target is down.¡± Elliot¡¯s now dead body stared up at the ceiling, pupils still dilated, the very final emotion he ever felt would be confusion, confusion of it all, confusion of how the world works. Cops swarmed into the area, groaning when they saw the dead bodies of Derek, Jessica, and AJ. Treefall High would never be ordinary after this. Elliot Freeman may have died, but little did he know he would play an important part in changing the lives of Ethan and Clawster forever¡­ Clawster and Elliot¡¯s dad are seen watching the same conspiracy video about monsters. Coincidentally, they both thought of parallel things while watching the video. ¡°I wonder what Ethan¡¯s doing right now.¡± ¡°I wonder what Elliot¡¯s doing right now.¡± -End of Chapter 2- To be continued¡­ Next Chapter: With a BANG Chapter 3: With A Bang! A white van drives down a road, pulling to the left and turning onto Treefall High School. The building is surrounded by yellow tape, with two cop cars parked next to the entrance. The van is marked with the logo of a well-known news station, 6 News. The moment it parks, two people rush out. One is a well-dressed man in formal attire with a tie, and the other is wearing a sweatsuit and holding a camera. The tall man with the camera points it toward the formally dressed man, who pulls out a microphone. "Hello, 6 News, this is John Wanlord reporting live at Treefall High School, where a recent tragedy occurred yesterday. Sixteen-year-old Elliot Freeman brought a firearm in his backpack and used it to kill three victims while injuring several others in the student body. The three casualties have been identified as Derek Rose, Jessica Clipton, and AJ Woodwind¡ªstudents in the same grade as Elliot." The reporter holds the microphone close to his mouth. "This is the first time anything like this has happened in this country, with some online calling this incident a ''school shooting.'' This behavior is highly irrational, with many skeptics citing the cause as a mind-controlling monster. An anonymous user posted a theory that Elliot was an undercover government agent who killed the three teenagers because they knew a secret about the true nature of monsters." At 6 News HQ, the anchors sit at a desk with grim expressions. The woman on the left has a nameplate reading Sarah Rowling, and the man on the right reads Chip Smith. Sarah speaks, reading directly from the teleprompter. "The fact that this is the first ''school shooting'' in America''s history has people worried about the future. John, what are your thoughts on the reason this kid did such a terrible thing?" The camera cuts back to John standing outside Treefall High. "I couldn''t say, Sarah. Something like this just doesn''t make sense. I-I couldn''t even imagine what''s going through that villain''s mind right now, but one thing''s for sure: it wasn''t something pleasant. Back to you, Sarah." The camera returns to the anchors. This time, Chip speaks. "It breaks my heart that three families lost a member so unexpectedly. Some say monsters are bad, but are humans any better? On a brighter note, the mayor has called a meeting to address the incident and discuss future solutions to prevent anything like this from happening again. Coming up next, a panda in a Chinese zoo gave birth to triplets! More on that story after a message from our sponsors." As he finishes, the director signals the production crew and yells, "CUT! Alright, we''re back up in five." Once the cameras stop rolling, the anchors drop their formal tones and speak normally, their voices tinged with irritation. Chip immediately gets up and heads toward the door, but Sarah stops him. "Hey, Chip, will you be attending the meeting?" He turns back with an annoyed look. "Hell no. It wasn''t my kid who died. Why should I care? I have hundreds of more important things to do than give condolences to people I¡¯ll never meet." Sarah is shocked, her jaw dropping and her hand on her chest. What kind of person doesn¡¯t have the empathy to feel bad for those poor families? I have a heart... Wait, it''s 6 o''clock? That''s girl''s time... My presence doesn¡¯t change anything. I guess it isn¡¯t THAT important. Mayor Tristan Henderson of Treefall, New Jersey, sits in his chair, rubbing his bald head repeatedly in an attempt to relieve stress. Behind him, photos of his smiling face contrast sharply with his current frown. Why did three people have to die right now? I have a reelection in three weeks! I swear this job is only worth it for the privileges. Stuff like this just gives me migraines. Suddenly, a girl with a messy bun and a power suit bursts through the door. "Mayor Henderson, are you sure you want to do this meeting? The higher-ups strongly advise against it¡ª" The mayor cuts her off. "I have an election coming up! If I want to get reelected, I need to stabilize my public image!" The assistant hesitates. "Are you sure this will work? Won¡¯t people blame your negligence for the incident?" The mayor responds aggressively, "I know that. I know how stupid the people of this town are. They¡¯ll act as if I¡¯m the one who shot those kids and not some nerdy crotch goblin." "Should we call in the shooter¡¯s father? That could clear¡ª" "CHRIST, no! The last thing I want is a shred of sympathy being thrown toward the shooter!" Tristan yells. He then quickly switches to a smug tone. "Don¡¯t worry, though. I¡¯ve got a plan to shift the blame away." "I really hope so, because the meeting is in 20 minutes." Twenty Minutes Later Ethan sits on the living room couch, staring at the floor. His mind races with thoughts about the events of yesterday. I-I don¡¯t know what to feel. Should I be glad I¡¯m alive? Sad because my crush just got shot? Angry at Elliot? What was I even supposed to do? Memories of the incident replay in his mind, now from his perspective. The instant he saw the barrel of Elliot¡¯s gun, he scurried away, pushing past people without a single thought for his friends. I really am a monster¡­ A massive hand envelops Ethan¡¯s shoulder. He looks up to see Clawster¡¯s face, his lips curling downward to hide his sharp teeth. His expression is grim. "It¡¯s not your fault, Ethan. There was nothing you could do." "You¡¯re right, Clawster. I should move on, just like with Mom and Dad. I want to see what the mayor has to say. The meeting should be starting now. Can you pass me the remote?" Clawster grabs the remote and tosses it to Ethan, who turns on the TV and flips through channels until he lands on 6 News. The same formally dressed man, John Wanlord, stands outside Treefall City Hall, holding a microphone. The building is small, only about one story high, roughly the size of a high school. "Hello, viewers of 6 News. It¡¯s me again, John Wanlord, reporting live in front of City Hall. Tonight at 6, the mayor has called a meeting to address the recent shooting at Treefall High. Let¡¯s head inside."The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The 6 News cameraman and John proceed into City Hall. It¡¯s a quaint building¡ªdusty but distinguished. They head down the hallway until they reach the meeting hall. The moment they open the door, the sound of reporters yelling questions floods the room. Camera flashes cast a permanent glow on the mayor as he calmly walks down the aisle toward the podium. Multiple news channels line up behind red ropes, their reporters barking questions so loudly that not a single one is intelligible. The mayor only smiles and waves. So much publicity. Re-election, here I come. Tristan Henderson finally reaches the podium as dozens of microphones point at him from all directions. Ethan leans forward on his couch, Clawster doing the same. Tristan taps the microphone before speaking. "Thank you all for attending this meeting." The press¡¯s bombardment of questions ceases the moment he speaks. The reporters wait eagerly, their cameramen focused on his face. "Today, I have called you all here to address the incident that occurred yesterday. A high schooler brought a firearm to school and unleashed terror upon the students, killing three innocent children. This marks a dark moment in history¡ªthe first time something like this has happened in our country. Six parents have lost their beloved children. Now, three deaths may not seem like a lot, but I assure you, it is. These three students¡ª" He clicks a remote, and a television screen displays pictures of AJ, Jessica, and Derek. "¡ªmade memories, had many friends, and could have had bright futures. But now, all of that is gone because of one terrible act. This is something that could have been prevented. The first thing that might come to your mind is that it¡¯s the school¡¯s fault, or the government¡¯s fault, or even my fault. You might talk about how school security isn¡¯t good enough, how the shooter might have been mentally ill, or how the school system isn¡¯t secure. But, ladies and gentlemen, I can tell you the true perpetrator¡ªthe real reason why something like this happened." At this, the assistant tries to intervene. "Wait, sir, I don¡¯t think we should do this. There are many warnings against¡ª" She¡¯s cut off by security, two muscular officers carrying her away from the podium. Ethan clenches his fists. The news crews grow alert, and thousands of viewers watch in suspense. "Let me bring a major issue to light," the mayor says, clicking the remote again. The screen now shows images of guns¡ªlots of them. It cycles through pictures of people with racks of guns, purchasing guns, and even clips of kids shooting them at cans. "Guns, people. The problem was always guns!" Cameras flash, boom microphones jostle for position, and the mayor¡¯s grin widens. "This, folks, is what causes these shootings. People can easily buy guns. The restrictions on them are few and far between. Think about it: there are no strict sanctions against them. Even broken families and the mentally deranged can have them, and people barely protect them. Hell, they even show them off to their kids and teach them how to kill! Here¡¯s what happened: some nutcase got his hands on a rifle, and then some psycho teen on hormones took it from his daddy¡¯s drawer while he was napping. He then proceeded to lay waste, ruining the lives of innocent people. Congress doesn¡¯t care. Gun makers make too much money and can just bribe them off. Listen, if there¡¯s one thing to blame for this school shooting, it¡¯s those damn GUNS!" He points dramatically toward a covered object. A guard pulls off the cover, revealing the gun Elliot used. Silence falls over the room. For a moment, everyone is speechless. All they can do is stare at the gun and think about what Tristan said. His smile begins to falter. Did they buy it? Please tell me¡ª "HE¡¯S RIGHT!" shouts a random woman in the crowd. "My daughter was killed because of that gun!" "Yeah! There are no laws against them. These guns need to go!" "Agreed! My kids can¡¯t be safe if those things are around." "My kid died because of some metal. SCREW THOSE DAMN THINGS!" And with that, all hell breaks loose. Shouting erupts across the meeting hall. Reporters hammer questions at the now widely grinning mayor. It worked. It actually worked! I¡¯m so winning this reelection. People begin shouting at the security guards, some even spitting on Elliot¡¯s gun. The mayor, basking in victory, tries to end the meeting with a bang. "Tell you what: if I get reelected, I¡¯m banning the use of guns in this fine city. Say it with me: DOWN WITH GUNS!" A chant begins among the crowd, repeating "Down with guns!" as the news records the chaos. The mayor laughs triumphantly, looking out from the podium at the glorious sight of everyone pumping their fists in the air, chanting, wailing, and screaming angrily. Anger, hatred, and despise pool together, swirling invisibly. These emotions channel themselves toward the object of their hatred¡ªthe gun. Massive amounts of anger begin to coalesce, forming a visible glow around the weapon. The once-invisible emotions become tangible, and the gun begins to emit a bright light. People notice the strange glow as it grows brighter and brighter. The mayor glances at it out of the corner of his eye. "What the hell?" The gun glows an intense white, forcing everyone to look away before a blinding FLASH erupts. The light even penetrates the camera, causing viewers to avert their gaze. When Ethan looks back at the TV, he sees a blue screen with the words: Broadcast ended. Technical difficulties. Clawster tilts his head. "Ethan, what just happened?" "I... don¡¯t have a clue. Maybe the equipment broke?" The two sit there, waiting patiently for the broadcast to resume. Outside the meeting hall, a guard listens to music, bobbing his head to a Kanye West song. He hears noise coming from the hall through his headphones and decides to investigate. When he removes his headphones, everything becomes eerily quiet. Too quiet. He opens the wooden door and freezes in horror at the sight of a massacre. The meeting hall is now littered with blood, debris, and body parts. Not a single intact human remains¡ªonly guts and skin cover the floor. It¡¯s impossible to tell where one person¡¯s remains end and another¡¯s begin. In the center of the room stands the cause of the carnage: a monster. It¡¯s a massive lump of human flesh and skin, with faces visible on various parts of its body. Each face has two pupil-less eyes, a nose, and teeth. Protruding from the lump are limbs resembling gun barrels, holding it upright like a spider. The guard¡¯s survival instincts vanish, he freezes up, the faces of the creature all stare at him creepily. One of the limbs points at him, and he closes his eyes, accepting his fate. Ethan lies on the couch, bored and scrolling on his phone, waiting for the news to return. Clawster sits, staring at the TV as if hypnotized, until he suddenly stands up. "Hey, Ethan, do you feel that?" "Feel what?" "Vibrations. Like something is... coming." Ethan begins to feel the ground shaking, but it stops abruptly. "Oh yeah, I felt it. It stopped, though. Everything¡¯s gonna be fi¡ª" CRASH! The gun monster crashes through the roof, launching Clawster backward into a wall. The wall collapses, rubble surrounding a dazed Clawster. Ethan is also thrown backward but manages to get to his feet. A cloud of dust rises and settles, revealing the monster. Its many faces stare at Ethan, its limbs raised like gun barrels. As Ethan looks at it, he notices something familiar about one of the faces. While this is going on, a pair of claws emerge from a pile of rubble. Clawster bursts through the pile, his mask on his face and metal claws replacing his hands. When he escapes, he finds the monster in front of Ethan. Clawster immediately runs towards Ethan, even using his claws to launch himself forward. He screams, ¡°NO, ETHAN!¡±. Alas, he is too slow and too far away. At this moment, Ethan Marshall doesn¡¯t feel fear, sadness, or the urge to run. Instead, as the monster raises its barrel at him, the emotion he feels is... confusion. "Elliot?" BANG! End of Chapter 3 Next Chapter: Healing the Broken