I Will

“Are you alright, Tyler? You’re sweating and out of breath again.”

It was a cold day, supposedly near -5 degrees and here I am, sweating and short of breath. Again. That’s what I first took note of as I take a moment to look around, remember where I was while I tried to get my breathing under control.

Our home. The home me and my fiancé, Cassie, who works as a nurse at the local clinic, had bought some months prior when we first got engaged. It was a decent house, with a large tree in the back that Cassie said would be great if we turned into a treehouse for our future kid. The smell of her campfire-scented candles filled the room, the TV playing in front of us, and her looking worriedly at me as she sat in her usual spot on our living room couch, book in hand. As I finally get my breathing under control, I lean into my hands, rubbing my face as Cassie moves closer, hugging me closer as she rubs my back gently in a circular motion.

“Shhh, it’s okay. It was just another dream, that’s all. You’re okay.”

A dream. The same one I’ve had for the past few nights. I had taken my medication for my sleeping problems earlier, but I still have that same dream. A cold, dark night, similar to tonight. The wind gusts and rushes, pulling and whisking the snow off the ground as they flow past. I look below. Below? I feel my head cock quickly, as I lock onto something that’s in the distance. It’s blurry, and I can only make out a shadow from where I am. I jump down, wind rushing past my ears as everything plunges to black. Then all I hear in the darkness…are the faint echo of screams.

“Maybe, you should take some time off from your work as a security guard. I know that you’ve been trying to earn enough to pay off the house, but I’m a bit worried sometimes, Ty.”, Cassie says concerningly.

“I’m fine, don’t worry about it.”, I say, quickly dismissing it.

“You’ve lost weight the last few weeks. Tyler-“, the concern in her voice grows.

“Cassie, j-just- please.”, I respond, now a bit agitated.

“Please, Ty-“

“I said I’m fine, damn it! Now lay off!”, I shoot up and shout, cutting her off and startling her. She recoils back, which immediately makes me feel like complete shit, as regret over raising my voice washes over. I crouch next to her, looking into her eyes as I take her hands into mine.

“Hey, hey. I’m sorry, Cas. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”, I say as I slowly embrace her, “I didn’t mean to raise my voice like that. I’m sorry.”

“Ty.”, Cassie starts, pulling away and caressing me as she always did to reassure me, “You don’t need to do too much. I’m here, too. You know that, right?”

“I know, Cassie. I didn’t mean to worry you or anything. A lot of things have been getting to me as of late.”, I say, nuzzling into her caressing hand, “But how about this? It’s been a while since we last took a trip together. It’s a bit out, but on my next pay period, let’s take a trip, just you and me.”

“Like old times?”, Cassie smiles softly.

“Yeah, just get away from all this hecticness. Relax, drive around, eat good food. Maybe have some good sex along the way.”, I teased.

“You animal.”, She laughed, playfully smacking my arm.

“Admit it: you like it when I get in that mood.”, I say, smugly.

“Oh my gosh.”, she giggled.

“So? You up for it?”, I ask, a bit more serious. A beat of silence passes as she exhales, looking into my eyes before giving me her answer.

“Okay. I’m game.”, she says.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I’ll hold it to you on the sex, though. I’ll be grading it, and, if you fail, I’ll be giving you some ‘strict guidance’ as punishment.”, she says, playfully.

“Ooh. I’ll be sure to get an A+, then.”, I responded, before being pulled into a kiss. My mind focused and our breathing hitching, we sought our solace in each other’s bodies as the news report played in the background.

“You’re looking a bit better today.”

“I guess so, huh?”, I responded.

“Yeah, you were looking a bit worse for wear the last few weeks, Ty. You been resting properly? Caught you blacking out on a couple occasions.”, Eli said.

Eli had been in the security business a little over a decade now, after he retired from being a police officer due to an injury he got from a case he worked on when he used to be stationed in Texas. Being in the business for only 2 years, he was pretty much the one who showed me the ropes when I first started out, along with another guy, Jinno, who we also worked with.

Well, his name was actually Gus, but he preferred being called Jinno. The museum we worked at did things a bit differently as they preferred 3-4 people groups as opposed to the usual 2-people pairings, as it was to cover more ground. Usually, it was two groups of 3 or 4 but having just one group of 3 or 4 guards wasn’t uncommon either. Tonight was one of those nights.

“Yeah, man. You look like you were constipated as fuck these past few weeks, dude. Sure you can keep up today?”, Jinno joked.

“Shut up, Jinno. I’ll admit that I haven’t really been taking care of myself. But, I was able to get a bit more rest recently so I’m feeling fine today.”, I say, “How’s your leg today, Eli?”

“Doing a lot better since I decided to switch to that new UniCom Co. stuff. How’s it working for you, their sleep medication?”, Eli asked.

“It’s been working fine, in most cases.”, I responded. Though, if they helped with stopping the horrible dreams I’ve been having, it would’ve been a load off of me.

“Well, wouldn’t want anything happening to you on the job, now.”, Eli responded as he was flipping through the daily newspaper.

“What makes you say that?”, I asked, intrigued by his words.

“You haven’t seen the news reports?”, Jinno asked me.

“Not really, why?”

“Apparently, some crazy ass-hat’s been busting people up, ripping them open and slashin’ their throats, the like. Nasty stuff, mind you.”, Eli said, still flipping through the newspaper.

“Holy shit.”, I said.

“Yep. Police can’t really pin a motive or anything else from any of the cases except that they happened at night and when the poor folks was alone.”

“How many have there been so far? Victims, that is.”, I asked.

“Boy, you really don’t watch the news often, don’t cha?”, Eli glanced up, folding his paper and handing it to me before continuing, ”Heard it’s been ‘round 7 people in the last few weeks.”

“Yep, scary-ass shit going down and none of the cops can do anything since there wasn’t much left at the crime scene from what I heard.”, Jinno said, as I opened to the page that covered the story. ‘Possible Serial Murder?’ was written on the front page, along with details of the cases, interviews with law enforcement, speculations and so on.

“Wanna know what else is crazy?”, Eli said, pulling out and lighting a cigarette.

“And what’s that?”, asked Jinno.

“Ain’t written in there, but some people are saying that they saw some kind of animal near the scenes.”

“An animal? Like a stray dog or something?”, I asked.

“Yeah, not quite sure either, but they say that it was some sort of animal, creature even. That it stared at them for a bit, cocked its head and just fled or something or other.”

“You really believe in that boogeyman shit, Eli?”, Jinno asked skeptically.

“Yeah, sounds far-fetched as heck, I know. But, you never know what goes bump at night, after all.”, Eli said, smoking his cigarette.

“Never took you for being superstitious.”, I said.

“Kid, with the weird stuff I’ve seen, the improbable ain’t impossible, and the impossible ain’t improbable.”, Eli said, exhaling the smoke from his cigarette before popping his pill bottle open to take his daily medication.

“And what the hell does that mean now?”, Jinno asked incredulously.

“It means that we best get on up off our asses before we get them chewed out and served to us on a silver platter. Let’s go, boys.”, Eli responded, taking one last huff of his cigarette before putting it out and heading out the door.

It's late, as usual when I come back home, around 2 AM in the morning. Everything in the house was dark, moonlight creeping through the partially covered windows, illuminating and exaggerating the shadows of the furniture the light was cast upon. Quietly, I took off my shoes, before making my way to the kitchen, opening the fridge to eat the sandwiches that Cassie usually makes for me whenever she was off and I worked late nights. Usually, she’d wait up for me, but since it was a bit late, I couldn't really fault her for going to bed early.

While doing so, the conversation with Eli and Jinno played throughout my head. “Some kind of animal”, “flew off or something or other”. An animal. One that wasn’t a dog unless there was one that was able to fly. As I bit into the sandwich, something about it was a bit…off. Was it the meat? The cheese? Lettuce? Or was it the dressing? A bit curious now, I checked the ingredients that Cassie had used. They all seemed fresh; their expiration dates were a good way away from expiring. Biting into the sandwich again, the off-putting taste was there again. The taste of acridness, of something like…rotten ash.

Maybe, it was just the fatigue that was making the sandwich taste like so. But I’d probably have to ask Cassie about it tomorrow. Taking another bite and forcing it down, something from outside the window caught my attention: an owl.

On the lowest branch of the tree in our backyard. Its white and golden feathers, now a bit faded with the dimness of the moonlight, its folded wings, jet black eyes and head, still and motionless, perched on the branch it had landed, staring at me, as if it were a gargoyle.

I never really liked owls. Amazing creatures, they were, but something about them made me feel…uneasy. Off. As if those eyes of theirs bore and saw into the deepest depths of my soul. It was unnerving. With my now newfound cautious curiosity, I stood slowly, walking to the kitchen window while maintaining eye contact with the nocturnal avian.

After a while, it cocks its head in one direction. Unknowingly, I do the same, as if something compelled me to also do the same. Then, it cocks in the other direction. I do the same. It cocks slight in the other direction again. I do the same. Then, the other way. I, too, again. Then, it straightens itself, stiffening while facing me. I follow suit and we stare at each other, with only a wall between us, in the silence of the dead of night.

Then, cocking its head, now seemingly pulsating, to both sides, garbled and distorted, it hoots.

“Hoo Hoo-Hoo.”

Everything then fades to black.

I hear something, as well as feel myself being shaken. As my darkened vision clears up, I was able to make out the blurry form of Cassie, horror, and fear painted on her face as it became clearer and more visible. Morning; how long had I been asleep? Groaning and sore, I groggily prop myself up to recollect myself.

“Cas…sie? W-What’s going on?”, I ask, still trying to regain my senses.

“Oh, Ty, you had me so scared! Are you okay?! Are you alright?!”, Cassie asks frantically, checking my head for any injuries.

“Y-Yeah, I think so. Seriously, w-what’s going on?”, I ask again as she finishes checking my head.

“W-We need to get you to the hospital to get checked out right now.”

“Cassie, I-I’m fine, really.”

“Please, Ty. I, we, need to make sure that you’re completely okay. We’re going to the hospital right now.”

“Cas…”

“Ty. Please.”, she pleaded with me, feeling the weight of her words.

At Cassie’s pleading, I agreed and we drove to the hospital, where they did the usual to check and see if I was bleeding anywhere else. Routine check-ups, X-rays, scans, the arduous process which they concluded that I had some bruising, cuts, a nasty gash on my forehead, and a concussion, which they said I should stay in order to monitor my condition. While I was being admitted, a man in a suit, Asian who looked around his late 20s to early 30s, who I had not seen before entered the room that I had been admitted to.

“Excuse me, but can we help you?”

“My apologies. I’m an Investigator the Police Department had brought in to help with the case. My name is Washio.”, He said, handing a business card to Cassie. I take note of the accent in his voice. Japanese? “I don’t mean to bother you at such a time, but I’m here to ask about your reported breaking and entering.”

“Y-Yes, thank you for coming, Mr. Washio.”, Cassie said, easing up a little.

“As you know, recent murders have been happening near here and we want to cover as many bases as we can. If we could get your cooperation with our investigation, it’d be most appreciated.”

“O-Oh, o-of course.”

“Thank you. Getting into it,”, he said, while pulling out a notepad, “it was reported that your fiancé had found you on the floor where you laid, clothes torn and covered in blood, with your back door broken open around 7:34 AM today, correct?”, the investigator asked.

“Y-Yes. Yes, that’s correct.”, I responded, which he took note of.

“Can you recall anything specific on what happened last night before you lost consciousness?”, the Investigator asked.

“W-Well,”, I started, “I got back late last night from my shift as a security guard at the local museum. It was a little after 2 AM and I was having a late-night dinner when I got back, when…”

“’When’?”

“…When I saw an owl.”

“’An owl’?”, the Investigator repeated, interested.

“Yeah. Yeah, I was watching it for a little bit and then…”

“That’s when you lost consciousness?”

“Yeah…”, I responded, trailing off again.

“D-Does that have anything to do with the any of the recent murders, Detective?”

“We’re not entirely sure, but rest assured, we’ll get to the bottom of this.”, the Investigator reassured before continuing, “Do you take any prescriptions at all? For fever, nausea, dietary. Anything?”

“Well, I do take some sleep medication. I haven’t really been getting much rest so my fiancé, Cassie, recommended some sleep medication from a new pharmaceutical company that’s said to have had good results.”

“And what’s the name of this new company that makes your medication?”, the investigator asks.

“UniCom. Co. Why?”

“I…see.”, he says, making note of what I had told him.

“I-Is something wrong?”, Cassie asks, a bit worried now.

“It’s still a bit early to tell,” he said, now putting away his notepad, “But, I should get going now. Thank you for your time and, if you have any questions or remember anything else, please be sure to contact me directly. Take care.”

“Thank you, Sir.”, Cassie said, as the Investigator pulls out a cell phone and exited the room.

“Hey. How’re you feeling now?”

“Alright, for the most part, I guess. Feeling a bit bummed out that we might not get to go on our trip.”, I responded, a bit dejected.

“The trip can wait. Just focus on getting better, okay?”, Cassie moves in to give my hand a reassuring squeeze.

“Okay.”, I smiled back, which helps in reassuring her.

“Get some rest, okay? Love you.”, she says, leaning in to kiss my forehead.

“Yeah, love you, too, Cas.”, I say back to her, before she heads out the door. As Cassie exits, I slowly drift off with the sound of the hospital monitors fading in the background.

It’s dark. I can feel it, that same eerie feeling, the cold wind rushing through me. The scent of frozen trees and dirt. The feel of the faint moonlight casted upon me. The same dream, the one that’s been recurring the last few weeks. But something about the dream this time. Something wrong. More wrong than usual. I hear something, garbled. Distorted. I’ve heard this before. Where? Where have I heard this before? This sound…a voice.

H…Ho…

What is that? What’s with that voice?

W…ho…wh…o…

‘Who’? ‘Hoo’? The word? The sound? The ones owl make?

W…ho…ar…e…y…

It’s still slurred, garbled. What is it saying? A question? Is it asking me something?

…Yo…u…wh…o…

I know this. It sounds like something so simple. Why is it so difficult to make out? What is it? What is it asking me?

Wh…o…Who…are…yo…u…

It’s becoming more clearer. Louder. A growl? What is it saying? Who-?

WHO ARE YOU?!

Startled, I shoot up, rustling the cold leaves below me. Leaves? Why are there leaves below me? Cold? Snow. I’m outside. Why am I outside? I look around to see where I am, register my surroundings. I blacked out. It’s happened, again. The woods. Woods. These woods, they’re familiar. Why? Why do they seem familiar? Wait. The dream. It’s similar to the scene from my dreams. But, why? Why am I here?

“AAHHHHHH!!!!”

A scream. Off into the distance. Is someone in trouble? I need to leave, get away from here. I have to get away. Away. I should be getting away. They’re getting louder, closer, the screams. Louder? Why are they getting louder? Does that mean I’m going to the source, the source of the screams? No. No! I need to get away.

The screams are dying now, getting quieter. It’s quiet now, save for the sound of something ripping. Ripping? And a different sound. The sound of something wet. Wet? Like water. A liquid? I get closer, the moonlight illuminating the scene faintly, the dimness casting faint shadows. And that dimness…was all that was needed for me to see. The scene. The scene of someone, something, ripping, tearing something open. What was that? An animal? Roadkill? Wait. No. The moonlight…is that…a hand. A human hand. That hand…Jinno? Was that torn up, bloody corpse…Jinno? No. No, it couldn’t have been. Yet, the sound of cracking, liquid splattering, squelching, the smell of iron. Bones, organs…blood. The sweet smell of blood. What? Why? Why did I think that?

The sound of twigs snapping immediately catches my attention, and that’s when it hits me. My breathing. My breathing was too loud. I look up and whatever, whatever that thing was, was now gone. Shit, I lost sight of it. Shit. Shit! Where? Where?! Where did it go?!

Suddenly, something grabs me. I’m flying now. Flying? No. Was I tossed? Immediately, I finally come to a stop by crashing a tree. The pain of the crash course through me, forcing me to tense and curl into myself. I need to bear it. Bear it. What was that? Who threw me? No. What has the strength to throw me? The same animal? No. It couldn’t be. That wasn’t an animal paw or a jaw. That was a hand. Like a human hand. I look up, scan the area, search for it and, after a while, there it is. The animal, the creature, a canine, wolf or coyote-like humanoid, with bones protruding, its claws glistening, its blood-like eyes ghastly illuminated, that threw me.

“Yetttt againnnn…you…found meee…”, it growls. ‘Again’? What does it mean by that, ‘again’?

“Wh-What…the hell…”, I groaned, trying to get up. As if, instantaneously, it flashes in front of me, grabbing me by the throat, choking me up into the air.

“Ain’ttt want to…dooo all this, but…you’ve been…pisssin’ me offff…tryinnn’ to takeee...myyy gameee...from meee…”, it growls again. That way of talking. It couldn’t have been. Again, it threw me, crashing again into another tree. Strange. It should hurt, but…I

“That way of…talking…Eli?”, I asked, choking me as I’m pinned against the tree.

“Thisss…iss…the…thirrrddd timmmeeee…youuu havvveee…interruptteeddd…myy…meaalll…Tyyy…”, it growls, finally revealing its identity. It strides towards me again, grabbing me, yet again, by the throat, slamming me against a tree.

“W-Why? H-How? H-How the hell…did this happen?”, I choked out, "W-What...What did you...do?!"

“I’mmm…sorry…Tyyyy…I justttt…felttt sooo…huuung…gryyyy…”, he growled yet again, forcing my head to one side, exposing my neck and opening his canine-like mouth. His burning, heated breath hits the side of my neck, drawing closer as the tips of his fangs brush against my throat as I wait for them to sink in. They don’t. Only a loud howl is heard as I hear a familiar voice in the distance. Voice? That voice. Cassie.

“Ty! Ty!”, she cried out, running amongst the other footsteps following her. I glance over to where she was, followed by an armed group of officers and other people who I’ve never seen before. No, there was another who I recognized. The Asian Investigator from before. What was his name again?

“Ma’am, please stay back!”, yells the Investigator, readying his rifle into position.

“No! Cassie! S-Stay…Stay away!”, I choked loudly, trying to regain my breath.

Another loud howl which quickly becomes a roar of anger. My attention, as well as the attention of the already arrived group, immediately shift to the now grotesque, animalistic form of Eli. With a growling exhale, the creature that was once Eli rushes towards the armed officers, swiping his claws, grabbing and throwing them around whilst evading the barrage of gunfire and bullets. Finally, he tosses the Asian Investigator to the side before making his way towards...Cassie. Cassie. No.

“Meaattt…Youuu…willll…dooo…just…fineeee…”, Eli growled, stalking towards Cassie, frozen in fear as the distance closes. She loses her balance and falls, moving back uncontrollably, trying to do as much as she could to gain distance but ultimately failing as he now towers over her. He goes in to grab her. No. No. Cassie.

Suddenly, I rush in, forcing him away from Cassie. Strange. He should’ve been heavier, stronger, faster, than me. But, now, even with my breathing heavy, my chest heaving, I feel…stronger. Wrong. Faster. No. As if I can do greater things. Something’s wrong. But, for some reason…I’m…No…Hungry. I…Something’s wrong…need…Can’t…to…control myself…eat. Fight. Don’t look. Tear. Please. Rip. Run. Rend asunder. Run away.

“Cassie…”, I say lowly, feeling Cassie’s fearful eyes on me, “Run away.”

My muscles tense, contort. I can feel them shifting unnaturally, doubling, tightening, rearranging themselves. Some muscles, unknown to me, forming. My blood, rapidly coursing, rushing. My senses becoming more acute, sensitive. I can feel it, my skeleton. It’s also changing. New limbs, appendages, forming. Features that weren’t there before. Feathers. A beak. Claws. The sound of flapping. Flapping? The rushing of wind. And then, a howl. A roar. One from me.

“HOOOO!”, my body tenses as a screeching roar escapes from what was my mouth. What used to be my hands, now claws…no…talons, flex, glistening in the now bright moonlight, unobscured. Ah, I see. This has happened before. I’ve taken this form before. I’ve become something like him before. A monster.

He snarls, rushing towards me. I leap, what was now my wings rushing through the air as my taloned feet clip his shoulder, the feeling of blood trickling to my feet as I landed, rolling to recover my posture, and readying myself for another attack. He snarls again, lunging his claws at me, which I catch. However, slowly, he overpowers me, breaking my stance and forcing me to one knee.

“Youuu…should understandddd as welll, Tyyyy…Foooddd hasss…neverrr beeennn…the sammmeee…”, Eli growled, forcing me down all the more, “The taste offff…asshhh…rottennn…expirreeddd…Notttthingggg…hasss beeennn…the sameee…Buuttt…”

Gradually, he forces me back down again, bending me back, barely holding myself upright. His strength, no matter how I try to counter it, is more than what I have right now. I can feel it. I may lose…I may die.

“…IIII…can feeeellll myseelllfff…fassstteerrr…stronggerrr…”, he growled, now cackling, “…Onccceee…IIII kiilll…youuu…I’llll…makkeee suurrreee…toooo…seennnddd…heeerrr…wiittthhh yoouu…assss wellll…”

A rush of adrenaline. Anger. Coursing through me, as if a raging sea of fire. Cassie. He was going to go after her. After he kills me. Her. Cassie. No. No. This newfound rage, this course of anger, rush through me as I channel it as strength into my legs. He may be stronger…but, I’m faster. With it, I jump, flipping over him whilst twisting his wrists, breaking them. He lets out a howl of pain, crashing onto his back as I land over and atop him, pinning his shoulders with my taloned feet and knee. As if by instinct, I ready my claws, plunging repeatedly into his chest and abdomen, blood splashing across my face, chest, and hands. A sound, coming from the canine-like Eli, stops me as he musters enough strength to speak.

“It’sss…too laatteee…foorr usss…Tyyyy…”, Eli choked out, coughing blood from his wounds, “Weee…cann’tt…goooo…bacckk…annyyy…moorree…Yooou…cannn’ttt…goo…back…annyyy…moorrree…”

Silence, followed by the heavy breathing coming out the both of us. My bloodied talons hover over his still pinned, bleeding body. My head cocking, quivering, as I try in deciding my next course of action, fighting whatever baser instincts that are overtaking me. Finally, I growled out. Growled?

“Yes…You’re...right…”, I respond, flexing my index talon. With that, I swiftly slash his throat, blood rushing profusely rushing out, “I…can’t…go…back…”

His body, Eli’s monstrous form, tenses, seizing, convulsing as it now ceases, dying down, still and...lifeless. As I see this, I let out the breath that I didn’t know I was holding, inhaling deeply. Then, a scent. A scent I can’t describe. Was this…fear? Do emotions have scents? I cock my head, trying to locate the source. And then, from behind me, I find it. The source. Cassie.

Fear, horror, terror, and…heartbreak? All those emotions, painted on her face and, somehow, visible in the darkness of the night. Slowly, I make my way towards her. She recoils, instinctively, from me. This action, her recoiling from me, yet again…my chest, my…heart…it feels as if it may break, even at her glance. Still, I make my way towards her, slowly, bending down to her. With what used to be my hand, now bloodied, I raise it to her face.

“Cass…sie…”, I croak out, trying to caress her cheek, “I-I…I’m…I’m…scared…”

“T-Ty…”, Cassie reached out, her hand hovering over my now avian face. Before she could touch it, the sound of gunfire rang close, catching our attention to find the source, which we quickly found. The Asian investigator.

“Ma’am, get out of here, now!”, the Investigator said, now standing and pointing his gun at me. The other armed officers were starting to regain their bearings as well. Fear now rose within me, panic overtaking me. I look one last time at Cassie, her face now painted with heartache and grief. But I have to get away. Away from here. For her sake.

With my new, strong, hideous, monstrous body, I rush away from the scene, the muscles in my leg tensing as they carry me, the new wings on my back pushing wind, and taking flight as the bullets from the Investigator and armed officers flew near and past me. Flying away, it echoes, the weight of my words that I said to Eli earlier now hitting me. I can’t go back. Not to Cassie, not anymore. Not like…this. With my body now like… this…will I have to spend the rest of my life like…this? A monster, like Eli? Killing…eating people? I need to get away. Away from all this. From the danger I could put her through. No. I have to protect her from that. I need to protect her from that. I may be a monster, but…as long as Cassie is safe…I don’t care. I’ll make sure she’s safe. Yes. I may be a monster, but...I will protect her.

I will.

“It seems that we were able to obtain a rather interesting specimen. What do you think…”, an older man, African-American, mid to late-40’s, and dressed in a black priest’s attire said, lowering a pair of binoculars, “…Tsukasa?”

“Yes, that is true. He’ll prove to be quite a needed asset…”, Tsukasa, a young pale-haired Asian man, late-20’s, replied, closing a book, No Longer Human, “…against ‘The Crow’.”

“The intervention of the Special Operations Bureau was to be expected, but for them to send Washio…They caught on sooner than we thought.”, A young woman said, beautiful, late-20’s with short, distinct red hair.

“It should be expected that a plan won’t always go as intended. But Washio coming in personally was a surprise. As expected of the Special Operations Bureau.”, The pale-haired man replied.

“So…”, The woman said, smiling, “What now?”

“Let’s reel him in. Sam, Rose.”, the pale-haired Asian man said, signaling to the older African-American man and red-haired woman, respectively. The forms of them both, shifting, transforming into animalistic, inhuman forms. With the monstrous older man’s goat-like and younger woman’s rose-like form, they lock onto the soaring, owl-like form of Ty. Launching a spear-like projectile and vine-like whips, they wound his wing and ensnare the owl-like humanoid, causing him to crash down, landing a good distance from the mysterious trio.

“’A stranger, an incomprehensible stranger, a stranger full of secrets.’ Osamu Dazai’s No Longer Human, Third Notebook, Part One, page 117.”, the pale-haired man recited.

Walking towards the struggling form of Ty’s now owl-like form, the apparent leader of the group, the pale-haired Asian man named Tsukasa, stops directly atop him, their eyes now meeting.

“Welcome, brother.”, The pale-haired man, Tsukasa, said, smiling softly, "To 'our' revolution."

[I Will] – End –