The day was warm and, though the sun was no longer at its peak, the heat had not yet dissipated from the building. It was an old vintage building with sun bleached dull yellow paint cracking and chipping along most of the outside. While the outside had suffered from the seasons of many years past, the inside shined with newness. The building, in whatever its previous form was, had been completely gutted on the inside. Walls had been removed, carpet torn up, and new floor set in place to fit its new purpose. Hardwood lacquered flooring had been installed stretching from wall to wall in the old house and were just beginning to show wear and tear from recent years of hard use. Few walls had been rebuilt in the newly crafted interior leaving only three separated locations. One room took up the majority of the buildings floor space while two smaller rooms were separated further back with words painted next to them; ‘Mens’ and ‘Womens’. Locker rooms. The lack of any true air conditioning or wall insulation only served to make the building a sweat factory during the summer and frigid in the winter. That combined with its new purpose turned the interior into an unintended sauna once the summer months struck.

The largest of the rooms was the only one that was currently in use. Kneeling around the edge of the room were a half-dozen men and women all dressed in kendo protective gear, their bogu, for their class. None of them needed it at the moment as class was over, yet none of them removed a piece or even moved from their spot. No, they were staying to watch a friendly spar that had been set up by their teacher. Centered in the room were two figures also fully clad in their bogu. The gear looked to be well used by both parties and had taken their beatings in the past, yet each continued to hold up well thanks to proper care. Such gear was made to take a long, thorough beating all around from the helmet, to the chest piece, all the way down to the shin guards. But as with all things used often they needed to be repaired or replaced from time to time no matter how well you cared for them.

Of the two competitors one was a full head shorter than the other. Of the two the shorter one also had some oddly mismatched gear. While most of his equipment was a dull dark blue and had small dents and scratches, his shoulder guards were a shiny bright yellow, brand new. His opponents gear was all dark green, matching completely from head to toe and, while there was the occasional scratch or dent as well, his gear still somehow seemed to shine pristinely. It was painfully obvious which of the two took better care of their equipment. It was obvious which one was more skilled by their stance. It even seemed obvious which way this was going to end. The only thing not obvious was the relationship of the pair as they stood facing each other. Any other time they were the best of friends and everyone in the room knew it. But when the time called for it, such as the current situation, there was no hint of that friendship. The tension between the pair had become so thick that some of the other students were looking nervous.

“Begin!” The call came from the sensei who stood back from the combatants but remained close enough to judge the two in their combat. The instructor was surprisingly young for what most would consider a teacher. The man was only a few years older than the two sparring and yet had shown his knowledge and abilities time and time again. Not only was the sensei playing judge and scorekeeper, he would also be taking mental notes on the slightest of mistakes either of the two made and would make sure that in the next class they learned from those mistakes. Those after-sparring lessons tended to leave bruises.

The shorter student moved first, stepping forward and testing the defenses of the taller student with a thrust. It was parried aside and countered with a vertical slash. The two continued in such vain for a short time before the taller student finally got through and smacked the side of the others head gear. The sensei held up a red flag, indicating a point to the tall student. There was no time to think over the error however as the call to start came again. After another volley of attacks, blocks, and parries, the shorter student ducked a high blow and was able to get in a hard jab to the padded stomach area. This time the white flag came up and meant, with a point a piece, the next hit would win.

Both took their time, being more cautious now as they circled each other widely, each of their feet stepping carefully to keep proper balance. With a shout the short student attacked again, stepping forward quickly to thrust towards the center mass. He felt triumphant before the blow landed, thinking there was no way the tall student could move in time. He was wrong. A parry later and his head was wringing inside his gear from the violent thrashing it just took. The red flag was held up once again and the match was over.

Seth bowed in tandem with his competitor, both as a sign of respect and to signal the end of the match, before removing his head gear. The shorter man stuck his pinky in his ear, grimacing as he tried to make the ringing go away. Unfortunately, it didn’t help and the ringing continued, slowly subsiding on its own. He looked up to see his competitor take off his head gear revealing the taller man to be grinning like an idiot. Derrick had not only been Seth’s competition, he was also his best friend. It didn’t take the sting out of the defeat however. “That was a lucky shot.”

“I’m pretty sure it was just a good shot.”

Derrick was right, and Seth knew it, but he wouldn’t give him the satisfaction by admitting to it. That’s what friends were for after all. “Lucky,” he repeated as the two of them headed to the men’s locker room. Seth began unlacing the rest of his gear on the way to his locker, leaning his bamboo shinai against the wall. “I didn’t want you to feel bad and I knew you would if I won,” Seth stated as he shrugged off the hard-plastic chest armor, “so I figured I’d better let you win. I wouldn’t want you to cry all night.” His words sounded sincere but they both knew better. Derricks response was simply a snort of indignation, causing Seth to grin as he opened his locker and started getting dressed.

The two friends were practically brothers, yet they couldn’t look more different. Where Seth was of an average height and build, Derrick was a little over six feet with broad shoulders. Where Seth had brown hair and eyes, Derrick had blonde hair and blue eyes. Seth was not in bad shape but he had a bit of a belly, especially as compared to Derrick who was muscled and toned. Since they were little Derrick had always been better looking and Seth had simply gotten used to it over time. Although how his friend, an auto mechanic, stayed in such good shape he’d never figure out.

“You alright?” Derrick’s voice broke into Seth’s thoughts.

“Of course I’m alright,” Seth replied with feigned indignation. “Just thinking about how badly I’m going to beat you tomorrow.” Tomorrow, a Saturday, was the day they set aside for archery practice which was more interesting to Seth, and not just because he was better than Derrick at it. Seth was an ace shot when it came to archery and Derrick missed the target completely more often than not. Both of them enjoyed swordplay and archery and had since they were young, something that had confounded the orphanage and their foster parents. It was overlooked however as it kept them out of the trouble other kids at the orphanage tended to get into. “I hope you’re ready.”

“Bring it on.”

***

Seth passed through the old wooden door from the vintage building to the street, enjoying the feel of the slight breeze on his otherwise overheated face. It was like night and day compared to the heat inside. Hitching his backpack further up on his back Seth took the steps two at a time down to the street, stopping at the bottom to wait for his friend. His eyes roamed the edge of the forest that resided on the other side of the street, pausing as he saw a squirrel sprint from the trunk of a tree over to some nearby bushes. There was definitely no lack of small critters in the town, but then when the town itself is surrounded by forest that should be expected. It certainly added to the so-called small-town charm.

Like most small towns there was only one main road and the rest branched off from there, most of them reaching dead ends for as far as the houses went. The main road was lined with small town shops to try and attract the few visitors that passed through to stop and spend their money. The store fronts were well stocked and the town folk were friendly enough that a decent profit was made, at least enough that most of the shops had been in business for one or two generations. The general store and a few restaurants joined the small shops and together they made up the entire business portion of the town.

It was off the main road, however, that the houses showed the real town. While not what would be considered worn down, the houses were far from new in a town that hadn’t seen any construction in decades. Despite the aged look the townsfolk were proud of their little town and Seth was amazed at how well managed homes and grounds alike were kept. To Seth the rustic, almost natural feeling of the town and houses made him feel more at ease than when he ever lived in any larger urban area. This was more his home in the short months he’d lived here than anywhere else.

“I still can’t believe you talked me into moving out here,” Derrick spoke from directly behind Seth, startling him enough to make him jump slightly and spin around. “Besides work and kendo there’s nothing to do.” Derrick loved sneaking up on Seth when he was distracted or just flat out not paying attention. He’d done it since they were kids and Seth was closer to punching him in the nose every time. Until he saw Derrick grinning like an idiot that is, at which point he had to keep himself from laughing. It wasn’t so much an infectious grin as it was just so stupid looking that it was comical.

“I didn’t exactly talk you into it,” Seth somehow forced a frown and subdued his laughter, giving his best attempt at looking stern. “I said I was going to move out here and asked if you wanted to come.” Seth turned his back on his friend then, walking up the street before commenting loudly without turning around. “You’re the idiot that agreed to it.”

“Idiot?” Derrick said it softly, sounding dumbfounded, and Seth grinned. He heard footsteps as Derrick jogged a few steps to catch up to him. “Well then you’re the friend of an idiot. I guess that’s why you went to college and got your fancy job here while I work at a garage. I just didn’t want to get left behind.”

Seth rolled his eyes as he looked over at his friend. “Yes, because we’ve always left each other behind.” In truth they hadn’t been separated more than a week for as long as Seth could remember. It was strange, but then again they were practically brothers, as much as someone not blood related could be.

They were both orphans and had grown up together in an orphanage in New York. Oddly enough they’d both been taken to the orphanage a day apart and were the same age. From what Seth had found out they had both been left at little over a month old, each of their mothers having died under unknown circumstances and no father claiming to either child. Perhaps because of their age and similar circumstances they had become best of friends for as long as either recalled. Even after they were old enough to be fostered out, they had been fostered to the same family as if fate had decided they should grow up together.

Seth had turned eighteen first and though he was grateful to the foster home and foster parents for allowing him to live there, he was ready to put his childhood behind him. They had allowed Seth to remain until Derrick had turned eighteen less than a month later. They had lived within the city for nearly five years after that birthday with Seth having a very dull job at a convenience store while going to school and Derrick bouncing from job to job almost monthly. Somehow they managed to hold down rent on an apartment the entire time. It hadn’t been the most spacious and wasn’t in the best of areas, but it had allowed Seth to walk to school and work, foregoing the need for a vehicle. Seth had lost track of the different jobs Derrick had done, yet his friend had always managed to find something and some way to get there. It wasn’t until Seth graduated and was offered a consultant job that they had moved out of the big city to this small town. At first Seth had thought he’d be going alone which was a strange and somewhat eerie feeling after spending his entire life with the other man. Yet after talking it over with Derrick, his friend decided to move as well, promising he would find a job as he always managed to. True to his word he now worked at the lone auto repair shop which saw a surprising amount of business considering the population. Derrick had said most of the work was on vacationers cars which broke down in the long strip of road between this town and the next one over.

Seth was lost in his thoughts as they walked and missed out on whatever Derrick had continued on talking about. Likely he was just telling a story about something at the shop, or maybe some piece of gossip he’d heard, none of which Seth really cared about. It was simply another part of their long friendship that he would let Derrick talk away while he remained silent. Everyone has their own personality after all, and the two were different even there. Seth was about to fall back into his thoughts again but something was nagging at him. It wasn’t the talking as he was well used to that. Something else was off but he couldn’t quite put a finger on it. He slowed down and finally stopped at the corner where the side road they were on met the main road through town.

Derick didn’t seem to take any notice at first and kept moving right along before finally turning around and stopping. “You alright?”

Seth wanted to say ‘no’ but it felt foolish with just an uneasy feeling to go off of. “Yeah I’m fine. Was just trying to decide if I needed to pick up anything else for dinner.”

“Well make sure you have everything, I don’t want you skimping out on the meal you owe me from your beating.” Derrick grinned at his own joke as Seth rolled his eyes.

“Just make sure you get there before the game starts or I’m not letting you in.”

Derrick laughed as he held up his keys and jingled them, “I have a key, remember?” He turned without waiting for Seth’s response and jogged across the main strip and down another side road, going towards the towns small complex where he rented his condo. Seth could only chuckle and shake his head, amused. He started walking down the main road towards the center of town and the area with his house. As he passed store fronts he waved to some of the people he knew inside without stopping, wanting to get home quickly so he could get clean and start cooking. One thing about a small town is everyone knew everyone, and he knew if he stopped to talk he would be stuck for ages.

It wasn’t until he got to his street that a sudden chill ran down his spine, causing him to stop again and look around quickly, his heart suddenly thundering in his chest. Nothing was out of the ordinary from what he was able to see. Cars passed slowly down the main road while residents and visitors alike walked down either side, dipping into and out of shops as they explored. Everything was normal. Hitching his backpack up again he turned and went down the road towards his house.

His house. That was still a foreign thought after only owning it for a few months. The company had helped him find the house and he considered himself lucky that they had not only found him one in the town he’d be working in, but they’d found him such a nice place that fit his new budget. Like the rest of the town it was rustic but well-kept by the previous owners and he had picked up where they’d left off in that regard. He had almost an acre of land surrounding the house, giving him some distance between him and his neighbor. Even better, he only had a neighbor on one side as his house was the last on the road with the other side next to the forest. At first it had been almost frightening being alone after a life of living with others, but it didn’t take long before Seth began to enjoy the tranquility. As it was he didn’t often have much time alone except for sleeping whether it was from being at work, Derrick visiting, or for the other companion that had adopted him since he’d moved into the house.

A large dog as black as night had come to his house on only the second day after he’d moved in. At first he’d thought perhaps it was a pet of the former owner, but the canine didn’t seem surprised by his presence. It also didn’t have any type of collar or way to say who he belonged to. And so Seth had started caring for it, leaving out food and water and spending time with the dog when he got home. He felt the animal may be partially feral as it never had tried to come into the house, not even when Seth had tried to force him in on some colder nights.

As he reached his house the dog was there, laying on a pile of old blankets Seth had bought at a thrift store in the closest city to give him a comfortable place to sleep. Once Seth started up the steps to the porch the dog’s eyes opened, shining golden in the fading sunlight. “Hey Midnight,” Seth stopped and crouched down to pet the big black dog, scratching his head and behind his ears. The canine seemed to enjoy the attention as it’s perfectly golden eyes half-closed in contentment. Seth had spent some time trying to figure out just what type of breed Midnight was but as yet hadn’t been able to pin it down to more than a hybrid of about three different kinds. The name was its own mystery. It had come to him as soon as he’d seen the dog, before he’d even known he would be feeding and caring for the animal. It matched the dogs jet black fur and the canine itself hadn’t seemed to mind the name, so it had stuck.

A few moments passed by where Seth allowed the silence of a small forest town envelop him while continuing to scratch the dog. Natures sounds surrounded him and passed through him, bringing a feeling of peace he only felt in moments like these. He closed his eyes to enjoy it for a few moments more before giving the dog a few last pats and standing. Pulling his backpack off his shoulder Seth reached into the pocket to pull out his keys and, as he turned to unlock the door, was surprised to see that Midnight had moved to the door. There hadn’t been a sound or even the feeling of movement to give Seth any indicator that the dog had gotten up and passed by him. “You’re actually coming in? That’s a new one.” Seth chuckled as he shook his head, then reached past the large dog to unlock the door. “What’s gotten into to you, hmm?”

Seth had spoken in a joking manner, yet almost as if in response to the question Midnight looked back over his shoulder at the street. In fact he was looking at the intersection between his road and the main one. Seth glanced back himself and froze. Where he’d been only moments before now stood a cloaked and hooded figure staring directly at Seth and Midnight. Another chill ran down his spine and he found himself frozen in place. Seth could see faint outline of a face under the shadowed hood, but couldn’t make out any details. Who was it and why were they wearing such an odd looking cloak in the middle of the summer? It wasn’t even cold enough for a jacket let alone something so large.

A nudge at his waist broke Seth free of the chilling trance the person had over him. “Yeah…lets go inside boy.” The key turned in the lock and he pushed the door open, Midnight going in first with Seth close behind. It wasn’t until the door was closed and locked that Seth could breathe again. Midnight didn’t seem nearly as phased as Seth had been, the dog walking into the house as if he’d always come inside and called it home. Human followed dog into the house, the four-legged creature walking through the building before finally returning to the living room and lying down. The house wasn’t large but it was plenty for the orphan boy who’d never had a room to himself, let alone a building. The living room was directly through the entrance and beyond that was the kitchen. Directly to the right after entering was the hallway leading down to two bedrooms and a bathroom. Furnishings were sparse as were decorations. A three-seat sofa sat in front of decent sized television. Derricks favorite seat, a bean bag chair, was next to the sofa. The walls were that standard white of all newly bought places and freshly painted before Seth had moved in. A trio of swords was in a special wall mount, all of which Derrick had gifted him as a house warming present. A pair of landscape pictures dotted the walls as well as another single picture of Seth and Derrick when they were younger, when their foster parents took them on vacation.

Seth went down the hallway to his room, dropping his backpack next to the bed before pulling fresh clothes from his dresser. Besides the two pieces of furniture the only other items in the room were a small rarely used laptop and a bow case next to a quiver of arrows. There were no decorations in his room and the only illumination was from a combination ceiling fan and light. Seth flicked off the switch as he went to the bathroom to shower.

***

By the time Derrick arrived Seth had managed to push the stranger to the back of his mind, though when the familiar knock came on the door he still checked before opening it. Midnight hadn’t moved from where he’d initially laid down, barely even opening his eyes when the knock came.

“Hey,” Seth said with an internal sigh of relief, opening the door to allow his friend to enter.

“Hey,” Derrick responded cheerfully as he stepped in though he regarded Seth with a curious look after a moment. “You okay? You look a little pale.”

“Oh yeah, I’m fine,” Seth responded, deciding he didn’t want to admit to his friend the odd feeling he’d had just because a stranger had stared at him. “Come on in. Dinner’s ready and the game is about to come on.” One of the few vices Seth had was watching certain sports and hockey season had just begun.

Derrick seemed to take him at his word as he walked past Seth. Seth closed and locked the door again after glancing out towards the crossroads. Empty. Maybe he’d just been tired and hot and hadn’t seen anything after all. Maybe it was just a trick of his mind. And maybe the sun will explode tomorrow, Seth thought to himself, remembering the feeling he’d had at seeing the person.

Once the door was securely closed and locked Seth turned around to see Derrick crouched down next to Midnight, scratching the lazy dog behind the ears. “So he finally came inside, hmm?” His friend commented, grinning as Midnight started to roll over so his stomach was scratch-able. Derrick just gave his head a shake as he scratched at Midnights belly while Seth walked past the pair to the kitchen to bring out the food he’d made. There was stir fry with noodles and vegetables as well as some freshly mashed potatoes. Most of the ingredients had come from the land behind Seth’s house where a large garden had been planted before he’d moved in. He continued to tend it from where the previous tenant stopped and it was now bearing the fruits of his labor. Caring for the garden was surprisingly calming and easy for Seth and so much grew so easily that he often shared with his friends and co-workers. His only need for purchasing food stuffs generally came at spices and other necessities such as beer.

“Come and eat, stop spoiling ‘Night or I’ll never be able to get him to go back outside again.” Seth called as he set the food on TV trays next to the couch. The pregame show was on but had been muted while Seth was cooking. The house was surprisingly silent as he looked up from setting down the platters. Derrick and Midnight were gone and Seth felt himself tense up as that same unease from earlier came back. “Where’d you go?” Seth called off down towards the rest of the house, barely managing to keep that feeling from his voice.

At first there was no response and Seth felt the unease spike. He walked slowly towards the hallway leading down to the rest of the house and it wasn’t until he reached the hallway he heard a voice from further down, “Be out in a second.” Derrick was in the bathroom. He should’ve known. But that didn’t explain where Midnight had gone.

“Is Midnight with you?”

“No.”

It was a simple reply but it made Seth curious. There was something off about the response that made him question it. He was about to say more when another knock came at the door. Seth froze. He wasn’t expecting any other company. A cold chill ran down his spine just as it had earlier. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears as his eyes focused on the door. Seth didn’t move, not wanting to open the door, not even wanting to go near it. Time seemed to freeze as Seth remained where he was, breathing shallowly, waiting, hoping that whoever it was would go away or at least that Derrick or Midnight would show up. Another loud knock caused Seth to jump and let out a gasp of air, breaking the hold his worry had over him. Whoever it was they apparently weren’t interested in leaving until someone answered. He stepped towards the door slowly and once he was near enough he leaned forward to look through the peep hole to see who was outside.

Seth didn’t realize he was holding his breath as he got close enough to see out. All he had time to see was a pale white face beneath a hood before something heavy knocked into him from the side that sent him sprawling to the ground. At the same time he was bowled over he heard a loud, splintering explosion. He wasn’t sure at first whether the sound had come from his head hitting the ground or something else and he blinked his eyes quickly to try and clear the spots that had formed from hitting his head on the carpet. Things came into focus after what seemed like an eternity.

Standing over his prone body in a protective stance was Midnight. Or was it? He seemed bigger then normal but that could just be his mind playing tricks on him, and the dog hadn’t been in the living room before, so where had he come from? Midnight was growling in the direction of the front door, teeth bared and hackles raised. Seth’s eyes moved towards the front door…or at least what remained of it. The door had been the sound of the loud explosion he realized, as all that was left was a few scraps of wood hanging off of broken hinges. The rest of the door had exploded inward and shards of wood were scattered everywhere; some of them had even embedded into the wall and furniture. If Midnight hadn’t knocked him out of the way he’d be dead, Seth realized. How could someone have done so much damage?

As if in answer to his silent question the cloaked figure he’d seen before walked through the doorway. Walked was the wrong term as the figure moved fluidly across the threshold. Seth stared from where he lay, a violent shiver going through his body as he stared, frozen in place. When he’d seen the figure from afar he’d though that it was no more than a strange man. Now, however, he noticed that he couldn’t have been more wrong. The hooded cloak was of no material he’d ever seen. It had a faint sheen shining off of it and wasn’t of any type of fabric he’d ever seen. It flowed with the figure almost as if it were a part of it.

Seth watched as the figure stopped, turning its head from the living room where Seth had been to the hallway where Seth now was. Its face was narrow and porcelain white, resembling a doll more than an actual person. The eyes and mouth looked as if they were painted on, as did the nose. Under the hood there was no visible hair but there was thing that stood out more than anything else. There were no ears, nor holes where ears might have been. Instead the head was smooth along the sides adding more to the dollish look and looking like something straight out of a nightmare.

Once the figure saw Seth it turned its whole body to face him. Time seemed to stop when, for a few heartbeats, nothing happened. Then it moved. The cloak flew out to either side and from underneath it the creature unfolded. The face had been for sure and now was at the center of this monstrosity, while the cloak was a part of its body and folded back as the monster continued to grow. In only a few more heartbeats where had once stood a person was now a monstrous creature, lanky with long multiple jointed arms that ended clawed hands. In the center opposite of where the ‘face’ had been was unmasked a fang filled mouth that opened wide as Seth stared. There was little time to stare as the creature took a swipe at him with a clawed hand. Seth reflexively raised his hands to block the blow, knowing the entire time that whatever this thing was would tear his hands to shreds along with the rest of him.

The expected blow didn’t come and instead a loud screeching filling the air. Seth opened his fingers to look beyond them and stared in surprise as he saw Midnight fighting the creature. Blood oozed from the things arm where Midnight had bitten it and Seth only then realized it was this creature that had let out the screech. Despite its bleeding the creature stopped only a brief moment before it went after Midnight instead of Seth. The dog was nimble however and was able to avoid the attacks but it was obvious Midnight was now on the defensive. It didn’t last long as the creature finally got in a backhanded attack that sent the dog flying sideways into the living room with more force than should’ve been possible. A moment of pained shock went through Seth and it was that which finally unfroze his body.

With the dog out of the way the creature already had its fanged gaze back on him and had started his way. Seth didn’t even have time to stand as he had to crawl backwards when the creature swiped at him again. He backed into the hall, then quickly kept backing up as the creature followed him and went into the first open door he found. The bathroom. Likely the worst place he could’ve ended up as there were no windows or other doors. As he backed in he looked around quickly for something, anything to defend himself with. All he could see was a toilet plunger. Seth thought about how stupid that would be when the creature turned into the bathroom and lunged at him with its wicked teeth. Rational thought gave way to reaction and he grabbed the plunger, shoving it into the open maw of the creature.

The creature stopped for a moment as its jaws could not close with the business end of the plunger stuck in it. It became enraged, trying to fit its thin arms through the bathroom door but, because of their length and the small size of the doorway it wasn’t able to slip them inside. Seth’s eyes widened as he saw the outside skin of the creature start to come back forward again and without knowing why, he simply knew that whatever the creature had planned would kill him. He backed into the bathroom as far as he could, then turned his head to the side as the creepy cloak skin touched, expecting the worst.

Instead of the expected attack Seth heard another pained shriek, louder and more shrill then when Midnight had bitten the creature. He looked back quickly just in time to see a sword sticking through the monstrous fanged face. As he watched a small red hole appeared in the stab wound around the sword without explanation. As suddenly as it appeared the creature was pulled into the small hole by some invisible force, making the thing appear as if it had turned to liquid as it was absorbed and then disappeared without a trace. Seth could only stare in stunned silence, unable to move or even say anything. Derrick held the other end of the sword and withdrew it only after the thing was gone.

“Come on, we have to leave before more show up,” Derrick seemed unphased by what had just happened as he extended a hand to Seth to help him up.

“More?” Seth said, his voice breaking slightly when he at last found it. “What was that thing? Are there really more?” He asked, staring at his friend the entire time, trying to put everything together.

“Yes, there’s more. A lot more. I’ll explain it all later but right now we have to go.” When Seth remained unmoving Derrick reached forward and grabbed Seth by the arm with a grip that was strong and firm, nothing like he’d ever felt from his friend before. Derrick pulled Seth to his feet and gave him a look over as if to confirm that he was okay. “Are you hurt?”

“No.” Seth said as he unconsciously dusted himself off. Dust from the door exploding. He looked past Derrick. “Midnight.”

“He’s fine, he’s waiting for us outside. Come on, we don’t have time to dawdle right now, we have to go.” Derrick shoved Seth out of the bathroom door and towards the living room. “Wait here.” He said as he went back down the hallway.

While he waited he had time to look around at the damage, and there was a lot of it. “Holy shit.” Seth said under his breath. The door had exploded with enough force to create flying wooden shrapnel that had embedded itself into every piece of furniture, the wall, and even through the glass of his pictures and into the wall behind. He walked over some chunks of the door on the ground as he looked around, trying to comprehend what had happened as his heart beat rapidly in his chest.

“Come on.” A voice said behind Seth just about causing him to jump out of his skin. He recognized the voice immediately and turned quickly to see Derrick holding onto another sword as well as Seth’s bow case and quiver of arrows. It was like seeing some strange type of Robin Hood. The thought made Seth smile slightly. Was he going insane? After what just happened he’s laughing about how his friend looks? “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” Seth responded, though he was still smiling. “Well, you look like some kind of medieval soldier or something.” He admitted.

Derrick gave him a strange look, likely wondering as well if Seth was going insane or had perhaps bumped his head too hard. But after a moment he did allow himself to offer a snort of humor, shaking his head slightly, “I can see that I suppose, if you’re not used to it. But come on we have to get moving.” With those words he held out the bow case and quiver to Seth. “Here, hold on to these. And this.” As Seth slung both across his back Derrick held out the other sword. Seth recognized it as one that Derrick had bought him and had been hanging on the wall with the others. Everything just added to the weirdness of whatever was going on and Seth found himself just doing as instructed. He took the sheathed sword in hand and looked at it a moment before glancing to the wall rack. One sword was indeed missing though the others were still there.

Once Derrick handed over the sword he turned and went out the destroyed front door, pushing a piece of wood aside that was still barely attached to the frame by a barely holding hinge. Seth followed him out and was met with another surprise. Midnight, his dog, was no longer the large dog sized creature he knew. It had somehow grown to roughly the size of a large horse and when it felt Seth’s eyes on him it turned its head from watching the outside to look at him. Golden eyes stared into his brown ones and he stopped for a moment, uncertain. But a calming feeling came over him from one moment to the next and he instantly knew he wouldn’t come to harm by the giant dogs paws.

Derrick had continued on despite the size of Midnight and only stopped after he’d gone halfway down the steps. “Come on, what are you waiting for?” He sounded exasperated, as if he was babysitting a child that wouldn’t listen. “You too Midnight, we don’t have all day.” Midnight turned his eyes to Derrick and started following the man. As the dog walked smoke seemed to surround him in an instant before the breeze took it away and left a normal sized dog in its place.

Seth watched, stunned. I’m going crazy, he thought, this is all some dream or I’m just insane. All of this was too much. It was unreal. There was no way any of it could be real. He rubbed his eyes with his palms and blinked a few times to look again. They were still there, both now looking at him and waiting, Derrick looking as anxious as he had been and also a little angry. Well if this was a dream it’d be interesting to see it through to the end. Or till he woke up. He went down the stairs to meet the pair and together they walked down the sidewalk leading to the main road.

“I have a car,” Derrick said as his eyes jumped around in a watchful manner, “We’ll take it and get out of here to the nearest Haven.”

A strange way to use the word haven, Seth thought but all he did was nod in response.

They didn’t make more than a few yards from his driveway before Midnight and Derrick both stopped. The dog creature growled and Derrick was on edge. Seth stopped after another step and turned to look at them both. His mouth opened to ask them why they stopped when he saw movement beyond the pair. His eyes opened wide and he froze. There were three of the creatures that had destroyed his door heading towards them from the tree line past his house. When Seth turned around he saw another two coming from the other direction. They were boxed in with the creatures coming from either side, a row of houses on one and more forest across the street.

Midnight grew to his large size just as quickly as he’d shrunk down, trails of what looked like dark smoke forming into the large form before he was simply there. Derrick had drawn his sword, keeping his sheath in the other hand. “Midnight, take him into the forest, get him to safety. Go to the Haven.” The dog creature didn’t hesitate as it crouched down in front of Seth.

It took Seth a moment to realize what was going on, but then he realized what was happening and he climbed onto the giant dogs back. “Wait, what are you going to do?” Seth asked as Midnight stood again, leaving Derrick below.

“I’ll hold them off while you get to safety,” Derrick said while positioning himself between the three approaching creatures and Seth. “It’s my duty to protect you. His too.” Derrick was so serious and solemn that it sent a shiver through Seth as Derrick nodded to indicate the dog as well. “They will explain it to you when you get there. Go.”

“Wai-” Seth started to say but he had no chance as Midnight took off with an easy yet quick stride. All Seth had time to do was grab a handful of fur to keep from falling as he tried to keep his balance while holding the sword in his other hand. Despite the pace, which seemed no more than a fast walk to the large creature, they covered the distance to the tree line quickly and before he knew it they were into the forest and moving faster than Seth would have thought possible for such a large creature. By the time he looked back the trees already blocked the view of the street.

It didn’t make any sense to Seth, none of it. What was going on? Why was Derrick protecting him? How did he know what those creatures were? How did he know what Midnight was? If this was a dream why weren’t they both getting away? Seth could tell that it wasn’t truly a dream but instead an odd reality. But it still didn’t make any sense. None of this could be true. There weren’t monsters and giant dogs and more monsters. Those were all only stories. Right?

No, this was no story Seth knew. He’d known from the moment the attack happened but he’d tried not to believe it. And now he’d left his friend, his brother, back there to die protecting him. “Turn around.” His tone was harsh and Midnight slowed down, though he didn’t stop or turn around. “I’m not going to leave him to fight those things by himself. Either turn around or I’ll go back myself.”

***

They had gone farther than Seth thought they’d gone. While he’d been in his own thoughts and filled with fear he hadn’t notice how fast Midnight was moving. Now as they neared the tree line it hit him that they’d likely been away for almost five minutes. In reality it wasn’t that long but when it was a life or death situation, everything seemed longer.

He wasn’t sure how he’d convinced Midnight to turn around, or even how he’d had the courage to speak so harshly to such a large creature. He wasn’t sure of a lot of things. The whole world was a mass of confusion at this point. But he was focused on the most important thing and that was helping his friend. Everything else could wait. Midnight stopped just short of exiting the trees keeping them both hidden behind foliage. The street beyond was silent with no sign of the creatures or Derrick. Worry and guilt swept over Seth in waves. It was his fault, he’d left Derrick behind, and now he was dead. Midnight, however, didn’t seem to see what Seth saw, as he focused on the house, knowing what was inside. Seth followed the dog’s gaze, holding his breath as he waited in the silence. A silence that was broken by the sound of glass shattering. Seth exhaled a sigh of relief as he saw Derrick jump through the window. A weird time to be relieved, but he was just happy the other man was alive.

Derrick was not alone however. From out of the house came four of the creatures. Some came out the front door, others through the window Derrick had broken. Seth started to climb off of Midnight to go join his friend but the giant dog looked back at him, giving him a golden-eyed glare. Its eyes moved from Seth to a thick tree branch just above. Seth knew what Midnight wanted him to do then, and without hesitating he grabbed the branch and pulled himself up. It wasn’t until he was up that he wondered how he was able to read the strange dog so easily, and why did the animal seem to be so intelligent? Just more mysteries to be solved later.

Seth pulled the bow case off his back and opened the top, pulling out the bow and stringing it with practiced ease despite his precarious position. He opened the quiver case then and leaned it against the trunk of the tree before reaching down to pull out the first arrow and nock it. Sure, between them Derrick was a better swordsman, and from what Seth was seeing he was even better than he ever let on, but Seth had him beat by leaps and bounds when it came to archery. It was as easy to Seth as breathing, and he was beginning to suspect that it wasn’t just by chance.

When Seth was ready he looked out at the street in front of him. The spot he was in was covered with foliage so he’d be hard to see, but it gave him a perfect view. Derrick was still fighting four of the monsters with an enviable skill and agility. Seth could tell that Derrick was bleeding, but it didn’t seem to slow him down any. Derrick had managed to kill one of the creatures already, or whatever it was that he’d done when he stabbed the first one and it had disappeared. That thought caused him to idly wonder if his arrows would even work against the creatures.

There was only one way to test it and it appeared now was the time as Derrick had been surrounded and was barely keeping the creatures at bay. As Seth raised his bow and drew back the string Midnight burst from the trees and charged the creatures. The giant dog let out a howl as he ran taking the monsters by surprise and crashing headlong into one, knocking it aside, and then picking up another in his mouth and shaking his head violently which caused an audible bone snapping sound. Seth had picked another of the creatures before he released the arrow, which sailed through a patch in the leaves and sunk into the things open and menacing maw. A small red hole appeared around the wound much as it had around Derricks sword when he’d stabbed the demon attacking Seth. The creature was drawn into the sphere and disappeared. As it did the arrow that had been stuck in its fanged mouth clattered to the ground, the head black and charred.

By the time Seth had another arrow nocked the other three creatures were gone. The one that Midnight had been chewing on had started bleeding and eventually stopped moving from Midnights thrashing. As the giant dog dropped it to the ground another hole opened around it and it too disappeared. Derrick had seen to the other two using the distraction of Midnight to slay the first before it knew what hit it. The last he took down after Midnight had run it over. The fight was over within moments and Seth lowered his bow. He exhaled slowly, having been holding his breath without realizing it.

Seth was shaking as he unstrung the bow and put everything away, strapping the cases across his back before carefully lowering himself under the branch as far as he could, hanging by his fingertips, before dropping the last few feet. He landed heavily and started to trip over his feet but managed to catch himself against the tree trunk. He almost made a fool of himself stumbling into the street. A few moments passed while he regained his composure and then, straightening, he went out of the trees into the street.

Midnight was back to his smaller size, the creature's blood no longer dripping from his jaws. Derrick was back up by the door to the house, crouched and looking at something. When he saw Seth coming towards him Derrick stood and grinned at him as he usually did when he tried to play off a problem as no big deal. And indeed Derrick was acting like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. “Hey. So, uh, thanks for coming back. It got a little tight there for a second.”

“What the hell is going on?” Seth wasn’t in a mood to play around, not after everything that happened. He still didn’t know what any of it was.

“Well, we were attacked-“

“No, really? I must’ve missed that part.” Seth said it flatly, with no humor in his voice. “What were those things? What happened to them? What is Midnight?” And the last were the most important, “What are you? And if you knew about this why didn’t you tell me?”

“Look, I know it all seems a little weird right now but trust me I’ll explain everything to you. But first we should get going. Their Chaotic already knows we’ve sent those demons back and there’s going to be more of them, or maybe worse, coming soon. I’ll tell you everything when we get on the road.”

**