Chapter II
The night was
unusually cold for September but it was a welcome cold it hadn't
gotten below 75 in over a week now. I had found a tree on the eastern
side of the pasture. It was an old oak tree that had to be a hundred
years old the trunk was so big around that it would take three of me
hand in hand to get all the way around it. I was sitting on the
ground with my back against the tree and my spelling book in my back
pocket watching the cows most of which were starting to lay down for
the night. I laid the rifle across my legs and reached into my back
pocket and pulled out the book. I had read this book probably 20
times but had never really understood it because I really didn't even
know how to read. I didn't understand some of the bigger words in it
but I could spell every single word in that book.
When I heard a
cow make a God awful noise I opened my eyes and realized I had fallen
asleep. I jumped to my feet and ran towards the noise while trying to
load the rifle.
“Damn why
didn't I have the rifle already loaded.” I thought to myself.
The noise had
stopped but I had locked onto where it came from and saw the cow
about 30 yards ahead of me. There was a figure beside it but there
was not enough moon light to tell what it was because it had clouded
up. I started yelling and making noise of my own to scare whatever it
was. But it never moved a muscle. When I was about 15 yards away I
could see what looked like a man bent beside the cow with it's face
in the cows neck. This startled me and I slipped on some cow shit and
fell face first to the ground hitting my head on a rock. I rolled
over and jumped straight back up with the rifle up to my shoulder
point at the man who was now standing over the cow looking straight
at me. He had a long trench coat that looked to be black or at least
a dark color of some kind. I felt something hot and wet on my
forehead I wiped it away thinking only it was sweat, but when I
looked at my hand I saw that it was blood from the fall. It felt like
hours but I'm sure it was only minutes I stood there a steady stream
of blood now coming down my face and dripping from my chin.
“Who are
you?” I screamed
The man said
nothing and never moved, he just stood there staring at me.
“This is
your last warning start explaining yourself or I will shoot!” I
exclaimed.
Still nothing,
no movement and not a sound came from him. This is also when I
noticed the blood that was on the front of his chin.
“OK you give
me no choice.” I said.
I pointed the
rifle at his heart and put my finger on the trigger and started to
squeeze. I heard the gun go off and when the smoked cleared I saw the
man right in my face with the barrel of the rifle in one hand
pointing it up into the sky. He pulled the rifle from my hands and
threw it so far it didn't see or hear it hit the ground. I stumbled
backwards slipping again and fell onto my back.
Looking up at
him I cried “What are you? What do you want with me?”
The man then
reached his hand out and offered it to me.
“Believe me
if I meant you harm you would be dead by now.” the man said .
After a few
minutes I reached up and took his hand. He pulled me to my feet with
what looked like no effort at all. The blood from the cow that was on
his chin was gone now and I could see his coat was indeed black.
“Who are you
and what did you do to my cow?” I asked.
“Who I am ,I
would say, is not as important as what I am.” he laughingly said
“As far as what I did to your cow would you prefer I did it to
you?”
I was shocked
by what he said. What did he mean “what I am”?
“My name is
Alexander and as for your cow well I was hungry so I fed” said the
man.
“I do not
understand you have only killed the cow you have taken no meat from
it” I said as I pushed myself to my feet, “how could you say you
have fed?”
“Haha”
Alex laughed, “Oh how much of the world you do not understand boy.
I bid you farewell here is some money for you livestock.” Alex
reached into his pocket and threw some bills to the ground at my
feet. Then he turned and started off towards the woods.
“Wait I
demand to know why you have done this!” I yelled rushing towards
him.
Suddenly
before I could even blind he had me in his hand by my throat holding
me above him.
“How dare
you demand anything from me boy.! I could snap your neck like a twig
before you knew I had you in my grip.” said Alex angrily.
Alex dropped
me to the ground, I landed on my back and I was struggling to catch
my breath.
As I regained
my senses Alex was still standing over me with a strange and worrying
look on his face. He looked as if he was listening to something but
what it was I could not tell. Then he looked at me and said the words
that changed my life forever.
“Do you
really want to know what I am?” Alex asked with worry in his eyes.
“Yes I do”
I said slowly in a trembling girlish voice.
“Very well
but you will have to leave you family and life behind and never look
back. We will leave immediately.” said Alex.
Before I could
answer he had me in his arms and I could feel a sharp pain in my
neck. I realized Alex's face was buried in my neck and I was feeling
more and more tired I could not keep my eyes open. I tried pushing
him off, but to no use I was growing weaker by the moment. Finally I
knew my time in this world was over and I began praying for my soul
then...........I felt nothing!