Darkness - beckoning, taunting --- falling --- screaming --- burning --- Falling for an eternity --- screaming inside, can't cry out --- fire, still the flames lapped at my flesh --- Black - darkness again, this time inside my head --- landing --- more pain --- can't move --- agony --- death looming... Wait... Perhaps I should start at the beginning, help you understand, might even stop you making the same mistakes. Yes... The beginning. It all started a few years ago... It started, funnily enough, in my old school. Built up over the top of some famous ruins, I can not remember the name, but built upon them it was. The local people were furious at the time, the ruins being their only source of tourism. But the tourists still came, to see the school. Good old Green Land College. It wasn't really a college but that is what it was called, mainly due to the older kids late-night parties there, every night. Until the night I joined them. No-one survived the massacre that night, no-one but me... Everyone knew I had gone to the party, celebrating the 20 year anniversary of the school, but no-one linked me to the 'blood-bath'. More of a blood-shower, really. By no-one, I mean no-one who lived long enough to tell of their accusations. Still, I was not linked. I mean, yeah I'd been questioned, but lying is so easy when you know how... One of the officers, well he did not believe my story. He returned, every day. Same old routine, same old questions. Hoping I would slip up, make a foolish mistake. But the patience of ..... my kind ..... is extremely long. I found his constant attempts at making me slip . . . well, humorous. Failing attempts to make me look like a fool, just turned round on him. Might have been more effective if there were two of them - the whole good cop bad cop routine - I would have more likely messed up my story. But no-one else believed him. Odd really, I was questioned once, lasting a few days, and that was the end of it. I was the only one who survived and they believed my story about me leaving to go home early, before the mass slaughter. But this lone officer did not... A week after he started questioning me he went missing. No-one could find him. At least not for a couple of weeks. He was found in an old abandonded sewer pipe. The same markings on him as those at the party. The same scratchings, in the same places. Shallow cuts on the insides of his legs, a deep slash cutting into his chest. And the same bite, on the right side of his neck. Drained of his blood. And again no-one linked it to me. No-one even considered me. A foolish mistake... It was all in the news, the party's mass slaughter, the officer's death, the arrangement of the bodies... Yes, something I left out. The bodies were arranged into odd shapes and symbols. Or, at least, the ones at the party were. The cop's body was twisted into the shape of a letter. My first initial. But no identification, no fingerprints, no nothing. I've always been careful about this kind of thing. Normally there is no body either, but I got bored of the usual killings. Those that I usually take on are un-noticed. People like the homeless. Those that people don't usually care about, or notice at all. They are satisfying, but not for very long. Many die every week. Those at the party deserved everything they got. The officer was too inquisitive. That is not appreciated. Ever. The next few weeks went by quickly. The fresh blood kept me going for ages. It enhanced my senses, too. For the first time I actually felt alive. I found out the cop was not the only one who did not believe my story. Someone else was after me. Hunting me. I only noticed because of the pure blood flowing through my veins. He was very good at his job. It seemed he was paid to take me out. Permanently. The reward was not collected. He was. Once again with the strange markings on his body. My killing pattern. The shape of him? My second initial. I have always followed a pattern with my killings. And picked my victims carefully. Always planning ahead. Working out every little detail, every problem, until the plan was flawless. No way to avoid it. All little snags were taken care of, in advance. There would be no escaping me, once you had been selected. No Escape. The humans began to panic, all these deaths and no-one to blame. No-one to protect them. Pitiful really, but true nonetheless. They knew of the fate that awaited them. But, I did the one thing I told myself I'd never do, I messed up. I got cocky, and, on my fifth victim after the cop, I was spotted. Not recognised, but seen, feeding. The person screamed, and ran. Easy chase, but stealth was a problem. This attack was not planned, I knew nothing about the person.Who she was? What did she do? Would anyone miss her when she was gone? Problem was, she was the daughter of an old veteran, from the war, Adolphus Praga. I didn't find this out until he came after me. She got away, and the whole town was put on alert. They knew what I was. They knew I was a Lycan. With the secret out, you'd think I'd flee, it's what most would do in my situation. But I was smarter then that. First, the girl had to go, as the only witness to what I really look like, well the only one alive. The rest of the town had only her description to follow. So, once I had her out of the way, no-one would know my exact form. Problem is, she wouldn't go anywhere alone. So I befriended her, as a human, to gain her trust, and get her alone, before draining her blood. I succeeded, eventually. Slaughtered, in the dark, without being sighted. But her father knew she was going, and followed her. Didn't see me, but saw her, when I was finished with her. Then I was hunted again. It seemed that Adolphus knew more about my kind then he let on, and he had been following her ever since he saw the early signs of attack, the patterns that had been on the other bodies, like tags, on her. My identification marks. It'd been planned out, and I fell for his trap. What happened next? I fled. I had to. He was chasing me. The hunter had become the hunted. I ran to a hide-away house out of town, to lay low. Only to find the whole town outside the next day. They came for me while the sun was up, so I could not turn. I ran out through a secret passage in the basement, into an open field further away, and saw the house burn down. Unfortunately, it seemed the Lycan Gods were against me. I got seen, again. And they knew, as everyone else from the town was burning the house, that I was the Lycan. I ran as fast as possible, but they were catching up quickly. I had to lose them somehow. I had to think, quickly. A few seconds left, and I'd be a captured... They caught me. And I had to face trial after trial until I am dead. Shameful, letting me face death, instead of killing me themselves. Cowards. If I pass 9, then the tenth will include a chance for me to escape. No problem. My first few trials went by easily. Take out a few targets with a short amount of time, first as Lycan, then as human. Easy. And third was just stealthily taking out an unsuspecting villager. Nothin' too difficult for someone with my skills. Fourth went by easily too. Re-creating the School Slaughter, only without the people being real. Fifth was the first one that caused problems. Fire. Surviving half an hour in a small room with jets of fire coming in through the floor and walls. Nowhere to breath. Choking. Sudden jets of fire directly under me. Burned out the nerve endings in my feet. The pain, unbearable. I woke to find myself in an empty room. Not certain of where I was. Took me a few minutes, but I eventually remembered my tests. A week had passed since the fire. Feet stinging like crazy. Adolphus entered, and kicked me to the ground. Dragging me out, his hands placed firmly on my skull, into a round chamber. The location of my sixth test. The simplest of them all. Testing my knowledge. Quick questions, expecting quick answers. Not only was I extremely accurate, but also the fastest to respond. Quicker then anyone who had ever taken their tests before. Every answer correct. Back to my room. Shut away where they could watch my every move. Pacing, all day. And all night. 7. Another speed test. Assault course style. A few people firing over a small space, that I was expected to crawl under. Jumping over the firing ranges was quicker, and less expected. They couldn't react in time to stop me. The barbed wire halting me for only a second, before I finished the section. Then, obstacle course. Again, nothin' difficult. Darting through the tracks, avoiding the following gunmen, who had undergone the most basic of training. Straight forward exam. Number eight. Again with the fire. Longer this time, hour of burning, pain, and torment. Scalding my flesh. My skin, the colour of ash, soot, and smoke. Choking, breathing in the smoke, no oxygen left. Can't breath. Then black. Nothing. I'd passed out. Waking back in my room. Skin blackened. Hair singed off. Coughing, smoke in lungs wont escape. Dragged out, by Adolphus, again. New trial. Number nine. Almost free. Must complete task. Tunnel. Vertical. Must get to bottom, without dying, to pass. Struck down by Adolphus, beaten back to unconsciencness. Task #9. Going well. Climbing through the darkness. Not using legs. Too much pain. Clawing my way down the wall of the narrow passageway. Bats. Flying around. Clawing at my face. Blinding me. Slipping from rock surface. Falling through the air, through the thin wisps of light. Darkness - beckoning, taunting --- falling --- screaming --- burning --- Falling for an eternity --- screaming inside, can't cry out --- fire, still the flames lapped at my flesh --- Black - darkness again, this time inside my head --- landing --- more pain --- can't move --- agony --- death looming... Still alive. Barely. Beaten again by Adolphus, after being dragged back to the small prison-like cell. Breathing hard, heavy. Choking. Coughing. Pain, suffering, agony. Final test. Two weeks have passed since my last. Feet still sore. Lungs clear. Coughing fits have passed. Free to roam the town, finding... someone. Shot rings out. Dust flys up next to me, at my feet. Adolphus. Revenge at last. Hiding, out of sight of him. Can still see him.He aint goin anywhere, anytime soon. Big gun in front of him. The PSG1 sniper rifle. Scoped and deadly. Gonna have to go round him. Behind him. Sneaking. Grabbed him. Scaring him. Pinned him to the ground. Hand on his throat. Squeezing his neck. Compressing it within my paw. Choking him. Then... Suddenly... "Thomas, bed-time. Save the game, and turn the Playstation off" "In a minute, mum, I've almost completed it." "No, now!" To Be Continued...?