Chapter 1: Chapter I: Man and Beast

He couldn't breathe; her grip around his neck was too firm. He tried to pull her arm back, but nothing worked. He gritted his teeth and widened his eyes. In one last act of desperation, he summoned a green flame to his hand and reached into it. He pulled out a dagger and stabbed into her arm. She stopped and flicked the back of his head.

He bit her arm and tore out a chunk of purple flesh, breaking free from her grasp. He sprinted through the dark forest, sweating and bleeding from his arms and lacerated stomach. He didn't know where he was, how deep he was in the woods, and who that person was. All he knew was that he needed to run — he needed to survive — no matter the cost.

He could hear her behind him. The crunching of leaves getting louder and louder. He looked over his shoulder and saw her silhouette. Her red eyes beamed through the darkness, locked onto him as if he were nothing more than prey.

Two pistols manifested in his hands. They floated next to him and shot at her. She ignored the bullets tearing into her skin and sprinted faster. Her dreadlocks stretched forward and wrapped around his arms. She slammed him into a tree and onto the floor. He dug his fingers into the ground as she dragged him back and cried out into the abyss. She kicked him in the stomach and stomped on his leg, fracturing it.

"Fast little fucker aren't ya?"

Before he could aim his weapons, she grabbed his wrist and crushed them. His hands were no longer working, and his leg was broken; he tried to crawl away, but it was pointless. She stomped on his back, making a loud pop echo through the forest.

"Please!" he cried. "I won't bother them again!"

She crouched next to him as he writhed in agony and pulled out the photo of a woman.

"I know you can see it," she stated. "This woman died because of you. Because of you, a family is torn apart; a boy is now forever separated from his mother."

He looked at the picture, covered in sweat, blood, and dirt. A disgusting concoction.

"A human? This is all because of a damn human!"

Her boot slammed into his face, knocking teeth out of his mouth. Some flew far enough to vanish in the darkness.

"Human life is a precious thing. Something that you will never understand."

He spat green blood onto the dirt. "Why the hell do you care? You're not human."

She brandished a black pistol and shot his other knee. Before he could cry out again, she stomped on the back of his head, smothering his face into the ground.

"No. I'm not. But regardless, I choose to be like them."

She dropped to one knee and wrapped her arm around his neck. He felt the cold touch of carbon steel on the side of his head. Large, sharp white teeth appeared as a wicked grin stretched across her face.

"Beg!" She smacked him with her pistol, "I said beg Demon!"

Choking noises were all that came from him. Blood leaked from his mouth and oozed down his lacerated chest. She stared at him, waiting for an answer, squeezing tighter. Suddenly, she stopped. He dropped to the ground and felt confused. Why did her grip ease? Was she letting him go?

"I let it get to me again," she said in a monotone voice.

"What?"

She looked down at him and kicked his head one last time. His head flew across the area, and a faint thud was heard in the distance. She ignored his body and growled.

Dammit. Not again.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She checked it and saw a text from a man named 'V'zul.'

"Progress?"

She tapped the screen, sending a message back. "It's done." A few moments passed, and another message appeared.

"Nice work, Katie. I'll let them know."

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Katie put her phone back and looked down at the body. She summoned a cigarette and dropped it on his body. "Return to hell."

She snapped her claws, and the body erupted in a purple flame. Katie glared at the body for a moment before she turned and walked into the darkness.

On the other end of the line, V'zul sat in a living room with an older man and a young boy. The man was bald, with a large, brown beard. The boy had brown, curly hair, and they both wore blue overalls. Pictures of the family hung on the walls in bronze oval frames, and a cross sat above the living room table. Moonlight pierced through the windows, illuminating the room, and the surrounding air was cold.

V'zul sat on a chair across the room, holding onto a golden cross and a white pistol. He ignored the cold and focused on his cross — he saw the boy staring at him.

"Hey bud," V'zul said softly, giving him a soft smile.

He looked back down without a response and snuggled closer to his father. V'zul looked back down at his cross – ignoring the wave of guilt that passed through him, so he could focus on his quiet prayer.

In the middle of his prayer, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. V'zul drew his phone and checked his messages.

"It's done."

He leaned back and exhaled, placing his cross back in his white suit. He responded to her message, "Nice work, Katie. I'll let them know." V'zul stood to his feet and clapped his hands together, grabbing their attention. "He is gone. Mike, your wife, has been avenged."

Mike looked up and gave him a nod, "It won't bring her back. But, thank you."

He walked over to him and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Your wife will always be with you," he pointed at her frames on the wall, "and you will always be with her."

"Yeah," Mike stood up and wrapped his blanket around his son. He turned to walk into his room, "I'll go get your money."

"That's not necessary."

He turned around, confused. "You don't want money for your work?"

"Keep it. You need it more than we do."

"Are you sure? This took weeks, and you don't want any compensation?"

V'zul approached him and handed him some money. "You need compensation for your loss. All we did was nip the bud."

"I-I don't know what to say," he stared at the money and looked back up at V'zul.

"Focus on your son. He needs you more than anything right now." He gave them a bow and opened the front door. A gust of cold air passed by him, causing his long, dark hair to lift off his shoulders and flow forward.

He tossed a black and white business card onto the chair and closed the door. He was surrounded by a massive land of grass and crops. The scent of corn could be smelt, and cows were heard on the side of the house. As he approached his car, Mike opened the door behind him. "Wait!" he sped-walked to him and held out a note, "this is from my son. He had this written before you guys finished the job." He stepped back and placed his hands on his hips, waiting for him to open it.

V'zul held it inside his suit and gave another bow. "Thank you. I'll read it driving back."

Mike nodded and shook his hand. V'zul turned, opened his car door, sat inside, and turned his keys. Before he left, V'zul grabbed the note and opened it.

Dear, Veezuul. Thank you for helping my dad you are a nice man and I can't wait to see you again when you leave. I hope you stop by again and don't forget about us.

P.S. You have a funny name.

He chuckled and tossed the note above his steering wheel.

V'zul drove away from the house, going towards a group of towers that sat in the distance, illuminated with white lights.

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