The Ghosts that Linger

Chapter 1 -

Feeding was an immense burden, a shackle on my new found abilities. I had the power almost akin to that of Neo from the Matrix yet it was bounded by my forever-thirst for replenishing blood. And so I found myself once again in the middle of the sodden forest on the hunt for some food but this time I was alone: Samara normally accompanied me on such outings as I was still "overly sensitive" to the recent changes my body had underwent. Even though I pleaded with her that I had a grip on my hyper senses, she knew better, after all it took her such a long time to get hers under control half a century ago.

But I had convinced her that this night was different... You see, a massive front had approached us from the west over the sea, I saw it the moment the curvature of the earth gave me line of sight of the swirling dark mass, but long before that I heard it, felt its rolling thunder compressing the air around it - it was an incredible sensation, almost intimate like curling up in a blanket in front of the fire on a stormy night. Knowing the storm that approached us could never hurt me, and in fact would bring the calmness of the rain, a thought arose: I could hunt alone under the soothing blanket of rain. Samara of course didn't understand why I wanted to hunt without her and I understood her reasoning, she after all had hunted alone for so long. But I needed to harness my abilities, it was what was holding us back from leaving this desolate forest and pursuing this murderer who currently terrorized Atlanta.

Standing in between two huge tree trunks, a raindrop rested on my eye diffracting my vision of the grey canopy above. I could feel it, but it didn't bother me in the slightest. Another raindrop landed on the back of my hand. I felt it land, could feel its ripple as it tried to break its own tension, but it was as though I felt these things through a thin layer of plastic; the heightened feeling was there, but it was numb. The rain brought along another problem, one I didn't anticipate: By focusing on the rain I felt in control of myself, I felt human, but my senses dulled steeply to the point where my abilities were rendered near-useless.

Samara suggested that I should bring a gun with me, but I dismissed her idea out of proud ignorance, however I see now that she was right, but I would impress her and Mr. Henry by taking down a bear with my bare hands - a feat I was easily capable of. The bear's tracks that had filled with rain were easy to spot and I had followed them now closely for some time. They had tracked alongside a stream and up a river bank to where I stood now, at the mouth of a small cave. My kill was inside and I could hear the rapid pounding flesh of her heart - she knew I was here. A loud growl erupted from the back corner of the cave but it muted momentarily a couple of times, a sign that my power was wavering out of kilter and I knew I had to act soon. The bear's vile breath soon followed - a sick stench of stomach acid churning a recently eaten fish. The vomit-worthy smell lingered in the confined as I entered swiftly with no particular plan.

Taking the corner quickly, I spotted the bear as it started to react to my presence. It appeared to move slowly, but I knew it was me who was moving extraordinarily fast. Suddenly the bear appeared to break out of my advantage of time, and its paw raised up quickly baring long, sharp claws, only to slow down again - my power was wavering worse than before and I knew in the moment that I needed to kill quickly. The bear appeared to speed up once more and this time I was too slow to react - the bear's sharp claws ripped into my coat, tearing a huge piece off as though it was tissue paper. I was in trouble but the bear was simply fighting for its life. Advancing on its hind legs as I struggled to roll out of the way, the bear launched another attacked and with my power seemingly stripped away, I curled over and raised up my arm in order to protect my head. I waited for the impact but all I felt was a rush of wind that brushed my exposed torso where my coat had been torn away.

An eerie silence followed as I wearily stood up and stumbled out of the cave and back into the forest rain. What the hell happened? I checked my exposed side and expected to feel blood and torn skin, but there was nothing. A sigh of relief escaped my lips, but it was only short lived as I felt the bear's presence beyond the wall of trees ahead. Frozen in fear, I tried to focus, tried to get my powers back, but any effort only made my knees feel weak. I was hungry, my powers had left me, and I was miles from home with a bear stalking me. The hunter had turned prey. A shadow emerged from behind the trees and I collected a stick off the ground nearby - anything was better than nothing.

"Get away!" I yelled shakily, "or I'll..."

"Or you'll do what, exactly?" A familiar voice challenged as the figure came into clear view.