It appeared suddenly. One moment Mira was enjoying a beautiful sunny day hiking, the next she was ensconced in thick fog. She reached out to touch it, then drew back. She could no longer see the lake or the tree tops; only the rocks at her feet and the twisted roots that threatened to do the same to her ankles. She walked slowly, gingerly, hoping she could feel her way back to the main path without ending up falling off a cliff, tumbling in the lake, or wandering aimlessly in the dark with the bears.

The warmth of the day was gone. She felt a chill so deep she began to shiver. She could hear her heart beating in her ears. She stood motionless, trying to calm herself so she could listen, hear. Something. Someone. The air was so still. All life in the forest seemed to have ceased its happy song with the onset of the fog.

She continued her trek. She couldn’t see any of the markers on the trees so she had to hope she was following the path to the parking lot. She kicked herself for seeking the solace of the silent woods rather than staying in the main areas, but she had wanted to avoid the loud, joy-filled chatter of rowdy kids and barking dogs.

Minutes passed. There were more rocks and the path was climbing, not turning as she thought it should, but she was afraid to change direction. So she climbed. Then she saw some movement in the cottony air in front of her. She couldn’t breathe. She thought, what are you supposed to do when you see a bear? Climb a tree? No, they can climb trees. Run? No, they’ll chase you, and when they catch you, they’ll rip your throat out with bear claws so sharp your head will hang listless and bloody from your shoulders. Oh God! What to do? Lay down! That’s it! She lay down on the cold, hard ground and the shape came closer, bigger, louder. She could hear its ragged breath. She was terrified. She closed her eyes and thought, no one knows I’mhere. I will die and no one will know where to look.

It stopped. She waited. She felt its warm breath on her face. And then it licked her. And someone said, “Hey, boy, wait up. What the hell?”

She opened her eyes and the biggest dog she’d ever seen was standing over her.

“Miss, are you okay?”

“Oh my god! A dog!” She started laughing uncontrollably as she sat up. “Yes, I’m fine. I thought your dog was a bear. I was playing dead.”

“Well, you’re probably lucky it was Mr. Bojangles here. Not sure a bear would have stopped at sniffing and licking.”

“Yeah, stupid I guess. I didn’t know what to do.” She dusted herself off. “Am I near the main road yet? I feel like I’ve been walking for hours in this fog.”

“It did come in quickly, didn’t it?”

“Yes, I was really surprised. One second it was all sun and blue skies, the next it was a bad horror flick.”

“Ha, yeah, well you’re going the wrong way. We have to head back toward the lake. Mr. Bojangles and I are heading that way. You’re welcome to tag along.”

“Thanks so much,” she said, glad for the company of the man and the dog.

Of course, not all beasts have paws and sharp teeth. Some rescue lost woman in lonely woods immersed in fog that hides blood and muffles screams as well as the splash of a lifeless body thrown in a secluded lake.

“Fifty years ago demons infiltrated the world… and people cowered. Here were the destroyers, the beginning of the end. They would wipe out the human race as we knew it. Death would reign eternally. But then, out of the darkness, the fear, and the desperation, the Vengeance was born. A force of elite warriors who sealed the demon portals, eradicating their filthy race once and for all, and provided us with the lifestyle we live today. So, on behalf of Junebug High school, we thank our Vengeance members.”

The intercom cut out with a screech as a deafening cheer overcame the auditorium, the Vengeance members assembled beaming like the angels they were. Emmi slammed her hands together, again and again, until they were sore, cheeks aching from smiling. Eventually, the cheers faded, the bell rang, and the high schoolers stumbled home. Another day, another closing assembly. But today was different. Emmi’s head buzzed as she flew past the turn to her house, driving until at last the recruitment center sparkled in the distance, a paradise wrought of steel and glass, all angles and cool confidence. Fifteen. The magic number. Emmi could finally join the Vengeance. Once the central invasion had been thwarted, the Vengeance had dedicated themselves to hunting down the tears between worlds that allowed demons to enter Earth, protecting the innocent civilians. Emmi’s mother had been killed by a demon when she was a member of Vengeance. Now, it was Emmi’s turn to be the hero. A wave of air conditioning slapped her in the face as Emmi stepped inside, marveling at the uniformed officers, a silver victory emblem across their breast pocket. Once, she may have hesitated to sign up for the most dangerous line of work in the country, but those days were long gone. This is what she was meant to do. Emmi smiled, signing the paperwork with an exaggerated flourish. She walked to the interview room, not for a moment second-guessing herself.

Three years passed in a blur of back-breaking training and field missions. By now, Emmi’s soft child fingers had thick calluses, her innocent mind filled with the blood and death cries of demons… and humans, lost to a never-ending battle. But, every death, she repeated to herself, a constant mantra, was worth it. It was worth it. It was worth it. She was strong. The monsters would not slay her, their needle-sharp fangs and twisted horns would not be her fate. Her lip rolled in disgust just thinking about them. Cruel, selfish brutes. They would die, and at the end of the sword that cut them down would be her grinning face, immortalized in the flickering eyes of death.

Emmi walked into the training room, bouncing on the balls of her feet. She felt the comfortable thrill of adrenaline as she stepped into her familiar battle sequence. The room was silent, minus the sound of her fists hitting the punching bag, so when the door slammed into the wall across from her it was all she could do to not flinch. She knew better, though. Flinch, and you were one of the weak ones, and everyone knows that the weak ones die.

“X47,” Captain barked, his suit coat a disturbing blood red. Emmi knew he had memorized her name, but for the sake of his ego, he called all of the Vengeance associates by their numeral codes.

“Sir,” Emmi addressed, giving the commander a sharp salute. Her stomach rolled as she felt his eyes rake over her body, shining with a wild hunger. He seemed a bit dejected as he tossed a manila folder containing a case assignment to her, absently running a hand through his greasy hair.

“X47, the administration has been pleased with your recent demon eradication efforts.” Emmi nods at him, but wishes she could scream. “Eradication” is such a pretty word. Nothing like the reality. A reality wrought of snapping bones and pools of black blood, soulless eyes going glassy under the bitter chill of moonlight. Emmi didn’t doubt for a moment that the creatures deserved it, but it was not a pleasant fate. “You have been assigned to a duo mission.” Emmi grinned. A duo mission proved that management trusted you with an operation the rest of the program couldn’t know about. “Anywho,” Captain continued, checking his watch with an exasperated flourish. “Debrief is in twenty minutes. Room 643.” He ambled out of the room, shooting a longing glance behind him before disappearing down the corridor. Emmi let out the breath she had been holding, closing her eyes for a moment as she pressed her fear into the bottom of her gut. She turned into the hallway, case assignment clutched between white knuckles.

When each seat in the conference room had been filled, the Presence took her place at the head of the room. The woman was old, but not the kind of old that gives someone soft edges and smile lines. She was sharp, her wrinkles indistinguishable from the hundreds of scars that streaked her face. In her three years of receiving almost weekly addresses from the Presence, never once had Emmi seen her smile. Regardless, the Presence remained the most important officer within the Vengeance ranks.

“X47,” she drawled, her voice like sandpaper. “You will join X28 on this assignment.” Emmi froze, scarcely believing her ears. X28 was the most accomplished field operative in the program. To work with him would be the biggest break she had ever received. The Presence began droning on about gear assignments and weaponry, but Emmi couldn't concentrate. Here it was, her big break. She would finally be able to climb the Vengeance ranks… but only if she aced this mission. The thought snapped her back into reality.

“Operatives, you will be taking down the most recent threat to our organization. A threat no one can know about. Do I make myself clear?” The Presence didn't wait for a response. “Lovely. You will be eradicating a unit of demon-spawn. These will be your targets,” The Presence scowled, pushing the button on her slideshow remote as if it had personally wronged her. Emmi froze. She had heard of demon spawn, of course. The children of demons and humans, the result of a Vengeance operative failing to take out their target. She just hadn’t expected them to look so very human. A little girl sat on the swings, pigtails bouncing behind her. A little boy grinned at the camera, hands covered with mud. The slideshow progressed, and a sick feeling seized Emmi’s stomach. She glanced over at X28, but he was glaring at the kids, an expression of pure hatred on his face.

Emmi shook herself. How could she be so stupid? These kids may not look it, but they still had the blood of demons running in their veins. By noon tomorrow they would just be another tick mark on an ever-growing chart, a few more lives closer to ridding the world of demonic influence. As night fell, Emmi grabbed her twin pistols and the simple black gear all operatives wore on missions. Black was the best color, after all, to hide the blood. Emmi squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the kid's faces. The monsters faces, she reminded herself sternly, loading her pistols with a practiced flick of her wrist. X28 waited for her at the entrance, glaring. He didn’t say a word as they climbed into the battered sedan, but the car was filled with the whine of metal as he slowly sharpened his daggers, the look of hate on his face never fading. Emmi remembered her past missions, the ones where she was excited to wipe out a unit of demons, but this time was different. This time she just wanted the operation to be over. Four targets. That was all, she reminded herself. Only four.

They pulled up to the house at dawn, kneeling just outside the white picket fence. For three hours they sat there, the only interruptions to the silence an occasional birdsong or shriek of delight from the monsters within the house. Then, the monsters came out, smiling as they sat on the swings. Smiling as they played in the dirt. X28 cocked his gun, and Emmi followed suit. The metal kissed her cheek as she took aim, watching the monsters play as if nothing in the world could harm them. She watched as X28 eased his finger onto the trigger as if time itself had slowed.

A gunshot ripped apart the fragments of laughter, scattering them to the wind like ghosts. Screaming took their place. Emmi stood from her place behind the fence, lowering her pistol with a shaking hand. Blood had been spilled…

But it was not the monsters. No. Not monsters. Children. X28’s body slumped to the ground, the bullet hole in the back of his head glaring up at Emmi. The only monster here was the one lying at her feet.

“Who’s a good puppyyyyyy?”

Doggie found a treasure in the park!

A tennis ball, she holds onto it,

She’s ecstatic until Boy takes it away.

Doggie sees another dog! She’s excited to meet a new dog,

Boy pulls hard on Doggie’s leash,

Gotta control her, ya know?

At home, Doggie keeps barking,

Her stomach is in pain,

Boy yells at Doggie.

Doggie whimpers.

Boy yells again.

Doggie sits in pain silently.

Doggie has been upset for too long,

Doggie whimpers,

Doggie moans,

Doggie growls,

Doggie barks.

The boy takes out the leash,

They aren’t going outside...

Doggie never barks again.

Doggie walks with her head down.

Doggie growls when he comes near,

Boy doesn’t know why,

He tries to give her more food,

He’s angry that she still isn’t happy.

Boy decides to feed her less.

Doggie misses how her owner used to be,

She walked all over Boy, literally,

Licking him all over, jumping around,

Ran happily.

She got affection, just for being cute.

Got treats for no reason,

Massages for no reason,

Got called by her owner, just because he missed her,

Wanted her.

Doggie used to spend a ton of time with her owner.

Doggie used to love her owner.

Doggie is now destroyed by her owner.

Owner wants to get rid of Doggie.

I am the doggie.

Woof woof :(

As the sunset, Lake Charles was eloped in darkness. Children and familes began to get dressed to go trick or treating in the nasty weather outside. Mackenzie on the other hand was not getting ready quite yet. She stood in her bathroom, mumbling to herself if she was making a good choice to go to her friends birthday party tonight. The brown haired girl knew if she wanted to she could just stay home. The soccer team invited her to go on a haunted trail as well, so it wasn't like she would have nothing to do.

Mackenzie paced around the bathroom. She wiped her sweaty hands on her jeans and grabbed her costume off the toilet. "Maybe Tallulah's friends will like me." She said to herself. The girl pulled out a pirate costume and smiled. It was the first time she had actually gotten to wear the boys version of anything and to say she was excited was an understatement. She quickly got dressed into her dark red costume, taking a minute to check herself out in the mirror. Mackenzie smiled into her reflection. "Not too bad Kenz, not too bad."

The night had just begun for the high school freshman. She wasn't a very social person and prefered staying home and working on her biology homework way more than trick or treating. The girl was a nervous wreak. Her palms were always sweaty and she was constantly checking the time on her phone. The ride over to Tallulah's house was no better. Mackenzie ranted to her mother, trying to contain herself as they searched for the house. Many time the short haired girl found herself clutching the warm container in her lap till her fingers started to turn white. She had to bring a dish to the party and wanted to make an impression. You can understand her mother's suprise when the girl created spagetti tacos.

As they arrived at the small house, Mackenzie felt her heart race. She took a deep breath and opened the door. "Are you excited?" Her mother asked. It was obvious her mom was excited the girl was hanging out with friends for once. The girl stood there for a moment and nodded. "Y-Yeah." She paused. "I think I will have fun." Mackenzie's mother nodded. The woman made her way to the front door, her daughter not far behind her. Mackenzie stopped in front of the large wooden door. There was a large "M" on the front of the window. The mother gave her a look. "Are you going to knock?" Mackenzie's eyes widened. She turned towards the door, staring at it. This door is the only thing between the teen's social life and private life. Mackenzie had no clue where this door would take them. They raised up a shaky fist and knocked softly. There was a moment of silence before the door knob began to open.

Mackenzie heart started to race as she made eye contact with beautiful blue green ones. The red haired girl smiled at Mackenzie and her mother and waved. The shy girl felt like she had melted in her spot. "Hey you're Mackenzie, right?" She asked. Her voice was music in the air. "Y-Yeah thats me." She giggled and continued to smile at the pair. It was at that moment Mackenzie was positive she wanted to know every detail about this girl. She was enchanted by the sound of the beautiful girl's voice. Its too bad Mackenzie didn't reconize she would be the wrong person to fall in love with.

A year from now all hell would break loose and Mackenzie would be broken back into the privacy of her room.

Darkness falls inside my soul,

The pain is never ending.

Inside my heart, a massive hole,

No hope of ever mending.

To you, my life was just a game,

No thought of how it hurt.

You no longer know my name,

Grind me into dirt.

I am not the only one,

You eagerly devoured.

Your tricks and lies to you were fun,

Made you feel empowered.

You will never truly know,

Just what you have destroyed.

Another heart will come and go,

Nothing fills your void.

The destruction that you left behind,

Proves that I can feel.

You'll be lost inside your mind,

That will never heal.

Your life is Karma's final plan,

You'll never know the joy.

How a woman loves a man,

You'll always be a boy.

The greatest gift God has provided,

To you was never shown.

He sees the way that you treat others,

So you will die alone.

No one there to hold your hand, 

Or cry because you're leaving.

Before his feet is where you'll be,

To answer for your deceiving.

When the gates of hell swing wide,

To welcome you with glee.

My hope for all eternity,

Is that you'll think of me.

The guy looked sufficiently vulnerable to Jasper, so he pulled his car over on the lonely stretch of two lane highway, and stopped on the shoulder with his hazard lights on. He could see the guy in his rear view mirror, picking up his stuff and running toward the car, so he unlocked the doors. He wondered how the guy had ended up out here, so far from any houses or farms but was not inclined to look a gift horse in the mouth. The door opened, admitting the chill night air as well as the man who eased himself into the passenger seat, throwing a knapsack onto the floor near his feet.

"Thank you so much!" The man exclaimed. "I thought I was going to be out there forever!" He closed the door and sat back against the seat, leaning his head back and sighing in apparent relief. Jasper nodded, pulling out.

"Mmhmm." He responded, a man of few words. The guy squinted curiously at the side of his face and thrust out his hand in Jasper's direction.

"Name's Gus." He said shortly. Jasper glanced at him before looking back at the road. He was already regretting the stop. Some people had no instincts at all.

"Jasper." He said, ignoring the hand. The guy shrugged and they drove on in silence for a few minutes. Jasper thought he would wait for a turn off, and then he would pull over and do it. It had been so long, he was shaking with need. They passed two women walking and Jasper slowed the car, passing them slowly. They were women, easier probably, but he already had this guy in the car. He drove on. The guy was gonna suspicious if he didn’t say something.

“So where you headed?” He asked.