667 Issue 4

667
Children of the Beast

Issue #4
“Good vs. Evil”
E.M. Moon
Copyright © 2016 E.M. Moon
All Rights Reserved
ISBN: 1533659923
ISBN-13: 978-1533659927
It is better to conquer yourself than to win a
thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It
cannot be taken from you, not by Angels or
by Demons, Heaven or Hell.
Buddha
Contents
1. June 5th 2016: Salome Vexx 1
2. June 5th 2016: Khaine Wolfe 10
3. June 6th 2016: Adam Baudin 18
4. June 6th 2016: Violet Eve 24
6. Adam Baudin 41
7. Violet Eve 46
8. Khaine Wolfe 56
9. Adam Baudin 70
10. Violet Eve 80
11. Khaine Wolfe 86
12. Adam Baudin 91
13. Violet Eve 95
14. Khaine Wolfe 100
15. Adam Baudin 105
16. Violet Eve 110
17. Salome Vexx 115
18. Khaine Wolfe 120
19. Adam Baudin 126
20. Violet Eve 131
Issue #4
June 5th, 2016
Salome Vexx
It was just like any other night. I had gotten

off of work early and was packing a small overnight
bag. It may have been our birthdays, but we weren’t
doing anything different than we had the years
before.
We were going to take a little road trip
upstate and spend the rest of the week in the
countryside with lots of cows and fields of
wildflowers.
I knew that I needed the break, and I am sure
Khaine did as well. Work had been stressful and we
both just wanted to get away for a bit.
“You haven’t packed already?” The door to

our studio apartment popped open and Khaine’s
hulking frame took up almost the whole doorway.
“I didn’t have time, but I’m doing it now,
aren’t I?” I threw up a sculpted brow in his direction.
1
667: Children of the Beast
“Always last minute.” Khaine breezed past

me and grabbed his already packed duffle bag and
slung it over his shoulder.
“You act like this is something different than
we normally do every year on this day.” I rolled my
eyes as I stuffed two pairs of black shorts into my
bag.
“I know, but I want to get out of here soon—
the weather is getting bad,” Khaine responded,
changing out of his polished work shoes and into his
steel toed boots.
“I thought the forecast said there was a
hundred percent chance of nothing,” I responded.
Khaine seemed a bit weird as he anxiously waited
for me by the front door.
“The weather changes at the drop of a hat,
Salome.” He was curt in his response; he never
called me by my full name like that unless something
was wrong.
“I’m ready; let’s go.” I wasn’t going to argue
with him. He held the door open for me as we locked
up our tiny apartment and got our annual journey
under way.
2
Issue #4
“Quit fiddling with the radio.” Khaine gently

slapped at my hand as I cycled through the stations.
“There’s nothing good on and you know I
don’t want to sit in silence.” I grabbed the aux chord
plugged into the front of the radio and attached it to
my phone.
“A playlist sounds like a good idea.” Khaine
agreed that the best way for us both to be happy with
the music choice was for us to use one of our
“Approved Road Trip Playlists.”
I hit the shuffle button as the bass bumped
through the speakers.
“What’s the ETA?” I settled into the front
seat and cuddled up to my plush cat that Khaine had
given to me as an early birthday present.
“We should get there sometime after
midnight, just in time for the birthday celebrations to
begin.” Khaine flexed his hands on the wheel. I had
noticed that he was sweating; it was hot out, but not
that hot.
“Are—are you ok, Dr. Frankenstein? You
look like something is bothering you.” I casually
asked him. He was just staring straight down the
road, gripping the wheel so hard I thought it would
snap.
“I’m ok. Just really needed to get away.”
Khaine responded, glancing at me from the corner of
his eye.
No, you’re not. You’re not ok…
3
What wasn’t he telling me? We told each

other everything—been best friends for years.
I lounged back in my seat and just stared out
the window. Darkened fields breezed past us as we
drove North of Las Vegas. By the time we turned
thirty, we would be at the ranch.
It was Khaine’s technically, even though it
wasn’t exactly his yet. His grandfather had
bequeathed it to him in his will, but he was still
alive. He was ill, laying in a hospital bed as he
waited out his final days.
Khaine made sure to see him as often as he
could, and this last visit had given him the keys to
the house…permanently.
“This place is finally going to be yours.” I

tried to steer the conversation towards something
more light-hearted…but that was a failure.
“No, it isn’t, Sal. It isn’t going to be mine.”
Khaine sped the car up as our headlights pierced
through the night.
“I don’t think I quite understand.” It was
already his, even though they wouldn’t sign over the
deed till his grandfather passed.
“I lost it, Salome. It isn’t mine anymore.”
Khaine’s voice was sullen as he finally turned his
face towards me.
“You didn’t.” I was stunned; all I could do
was shake my head in disbelief.
4
Issue #4
“I did. I had to. They were going to take

away the nightclub…I’m in so much debt, Sal.”
Khaine looked like he was trying to keep it together
as he revved the engine and drove even faster down
the long winding road.
“You gambled with your money too much,
making too many investments in the wrong
things…” I wasn’t trying to rain on his parade even
more, but I had warned him.
“Thanks—thanks, Sal. That makes me feel so
much better.” Khaine almost broke the steering
wheel with the grip he had on it.
“I just wanted to help you, Khaine. But you
won’t let anyone help you.” I turned to face my
window in silence as I thought about what was just
said to me: This would be our last year at the
farmhouse…
I let myself quietly slip into a cat nap as
Khaine sped on into the night.
I awoke when I felt the car decrease in speed.

The steady sixty miles-per-hour that Khaine had
been going at was like a gentle lullaby, but now it
had slowed to a crawl.
5
“What’s going on?” I was groggy as I rolled

away from the window and rubbed the sleep from
my eyes.
“There’s a heavy fog up ahead.” Khaine
pointed his thick finger at the windshield.
There was indeed a low-lying fog that
seemed to be creeping at us down the road. Where
could it possibly be coming from? It was an
exceptionally dry night and there wasn’t an open
water source for miles.
“What time is it?” I squinted at the dash
clock; it was just about midnight.
“Happy birthday to us, huh?” Khaine
sounded forlorn when he spoke. He sped up despite
the thickening fog; he knew the roads better than
most.
“Yeah. Happy birthday, Khaine.” I unhooked
my seatbelt and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek,
right as we entered the fog bank.
Khaine thought he could just drive right
through it, but it had proven to be a not so easy task.
“I seriously can’t see a thing.” Despite being
blind in the fog, Khaine kept driving rather fast.
“Maybe you should slow down,” I suggested.
We had begun to weave a little, but Khaine insisted
that he had the vehicle under control.
“I’ve got it, Sal. Don’t want us crawling at a
snail’s pace all the way to the house; I want us to
have as much time up there as we can.” Khaine was
a little emotional, that much was clear. In our
6
Issue #4
friendship, he was the one with the feelings; I was

just cold and emotionless…or so I’d been told.
Khaine turned off his high beams and rolled
the window down, sticking his head outside like a
puppy, assuming it was easier to view the road that
way.
He took one gulp of the fog filled air and
began to cough violently, pulling his head back in
the car. His eyes were watering as he slipped the
glasses from his face and blindly tossed them at me.
I opted for grabbing the wheel instead, as the car
jerked violently into the oncoming lane.
“Jesus, Khaine! Put your foot on the brake!” I
yelped as I directed the car back into its lane.
He took a deep breath and I watched his foot
lift to hit the brake when his whole body went rigid
in the driver’s seat.
Instead of the car stopping, the engine revved
even higher. Khaine’s clunky booted foot had
stomped down on the gas pedal when his body
seized up.
If I didn’t get him to move it, we would both
die.
“Khaine…Khaine!” My voice screeched as I
shook him.
Then he started to scream. A sound like
nothing I had ever heard before escaped his lips,
ringing out inside the car. I wanted to cover my ears,
but I had to keep my hands on the wheel as the car
sky-rocketed to almost a hundred miles per hour.
7
Khaine’s hands were tearing at his hair as he

writhed in his seat, finally pulling his foot free from
the gas pedal. The car began to wobble violently as it
decelerated and I strained to keep my grip on the
wheel.
Khaine was still having one of the most
terrifying seizures I had ever witnessed and I
struggled with the idea of quickly letting go of the
wheel and pulling the emergency brake.
The car was still going far faster than it
should have as it came up over a hill and slid down
the other side.
We were picking up speed again and Khaine
had finally stopped seizing, but the problem now was
that he was out cold.
The fog had seeped into the car and was now
filling up the interior, blinding me from seeing which
lane we were in. I had to pull the e-brake; it was our
best bet with Khaine’s massive frame in the front
seat.
In slow motion, I turned the wheel to the left
and wrenched up on the emergency brake. The car
immediately began to fishtail as I felt every bone in
my body go on lockdown. The trees were flashing as
the headlights spun in circles with the car.
I could finally move as the muscles in my
body relaxed, but then the shredding pain started.
First, it was in my gut, then my chest, and
then my arms and legs before it finally settled in my
head.
8
Issue #4
Screams began to echo as I raked my nails all

over my body, hoping that the pain and the spinning
would stop.
I got my wish as the car came out on the
other side of the fog, careened off the road, and
struck a giant tree.
June 5th, 2016
Khaine Wolfe
I didn’t mean to piss her off; she just wasn’t

helping the situation right now.
I couldn’t just tell her that I had made another
bad financial decision…one that almost cost us our
life. If it hadn’t been for my quick thinking with
letting them take possession of the ranch, Sal and I
could have been six feet under in the Nevada dessert.
She was sleeping peacefully, or so it seemed;
maybe it was better that way for right now. It was
9
almost midnight, almost the hour where Salome and

I would cross over from our twenties and down the
slippery slope of thirty-something. Thirty would be
the last birthday we would ever spend together at the
ranch; it had been a tradition since we were young.
I tried to shake my head of the fog it was in,
only to see it outwardly manifested on the road. A
thick mist was rolling in our way and no telling how
far north it went; we were either going to have to
park for a bit, or burst right through it to the other
side. I knew the roads well enough anyway…
I slowed the car down to assess the visibility
—the sensation must have jarred Salome awake.
“What’s going on?” She asked groggily as

she rolled away from the window and rubbed the
sleep from her eyes.
“There’s a heavy fog up ahead.” I pointed my
finger at the windshield. She watched it billow
closer, probably trying to figure out where the hell it
was coming from.
“What time is it?” Salome squinted at the
dash clock; it was just about midnight.
“Happy birthday to us, huh?” I tried to sound
chipper, but my tone fell flat. The fog in my head
had returned, and I couldn’t help but let it get the
best of me.
I sped up despite the thickening cloud, trying
to breeze right past my problems.
10
Issue #4
“Yeah. Happy birthday, Khaine.” Salome

unhooked her seatbelt and leaned over to kiss me on
the cheek, right as we entered the fog bank.
She had no idea what her touch even did to
me.
I thought I could just drive right through it,
but it had proven to be a not so easy task. Slowing
down should have been an option, but I didn’t want
to spend any more time on this road; I wanted to be
at the ranch with Salome.
“I seriously can’t see a thing.” Despite being
blind in the fog, I kept driving at high speed.
No time to stop.
“Maybe you should slow down,” Salome
suggested. We had begun to weave out of the lane a
bit, but I assured her I had the vehicle under control.
“I’ve got it, Sal. Don’t want us crawling at a
snail’s pace all the way to the cabin; I want us to
have as much time up there as we can.” I was a little
emotional, I’ll admit. In our relationship, I was the
one with the feelings while Salome was a little out of
touch with her sensitive side, despite people saying
she was just cold.
I turned off my high beams and rolled the
window down. I figured if I stuck my head outside
like a dog going for a good ride, I might be able to
see better.
But I took one gulp of the fog filled air and
began coughing violently, pulling my head back
inside the car. My eyes were watering as I slipped
11
my glasses off my face and blindly tossed them at

Salome.
I let go of the wheel in a blind panic as the
car jerked violently into the oncoming lane.
“Jesus, Khaine! Put your foot on the brake!”
Salome yelped as she held on to the wheel and tried
to direct the car back into its proper lane.
I took a deep breath and lifted my foot to
punch the brake when my whole body went stiff.
Instead of the car stopping, the engine revved
even higher. My foot had stomped down on the gas
pedal when I seized up, but I had no control over my
body. If I couldn’t get myself to move, we would
both be in a world of hurt.
“Khaine…Khaine!” I could hear Salome
screaming as she shook me aggressively, but I
couldn’t respond.
Then I felt every muscle in my body soften as
it prepared itself for a blow that I hadn’t anticipated.
It felt like every fiber of my being was on fire
as they vibrated inside my body. I began to scream in
agony, not able to stop the destruction that was
wreaking havoc inside me.
I began blindly tearing at my hair as I writhed
in my seat, finally pulling my foot free from the gas
pedal.
The car began to wobble violently as it
decelerated, but it somehow stayed straight; Salome
must have been holding the wheel.
12
Issue #4
I was seizing aggressively with no control

over my body and I knew that Salome was probably
freaking out, but I couldn’t hear a thing; my ears
were ringing something terrible.
The car was still going far faster than it
should have as it came up over a hill and slid down
the other side.
We were going to crash, that much I knew.
There was no way that Salome could shove me from
my seat in time to stop the car and I knew she
wouldn’t; she’d have to open the door and push me
out going almost ninety miles-per-hour…easily.
I felt myself begin to slip away as the pain
coursing through my body took me over the edge.
She didn’t have a chance…and I couldn’t
help her if I was unconscious.
I woke up to the sound of the horn blaring.

My face was smashed against the wheel; it was me
making that awful noise.
I pulled myself upright in my seat and shut
my eyes hard before opening them again. My vision
was hazy, as it always was when I was without my
glasses, but it slowly began to clear and I could see
much farther than I ever had before. I was absolutely
13
amazed that I could perfectly see the detail in the

bark of the tree we hit.
We had wrecked the car.
We.
Salome.
My body twisted in the seat as I attempted to

check on her, but I hadn’t been expecting what I
saw. Salome hadn’t had her seatbelt on; she had
taken it off when she went to kiss me at midnight.
Her body had gone through the windshield and was
crumpled up against the trunk of the tree. Glass was
shattered everywhere and I could see blood dripping
from the broken visor.
I screamed—no, howled—when I saw her
lifeless form slumped on the hood, her head facing
away from me. I struggled to pull myself free and go
to her, but the seatbelt had locked tight up against
my chest and was digging into my sternum as I tried
to break free.
Maybe she was alive. Maybe she was…
Don’t kid yourself, Khaine; she couldn’t have
survived that.
I fumbled around for my boot knife and cut
myself free from the belt before trying to push out of
the car. The metal of the door had crunched up like
an accordion on impact; there was no way it was
opening now.
“Fuuuuuuck.” I cursed with every ounce of
air in my lungs. I threw my shoulder into the door
14
Issue #4
and, surprisingly, the whole thing came off and

crashed to the ground.
I barreled out of the opening and onto the
hood of the car, careful not to move Salome in case
she was still…
“Salome…Sal, baby.” I reached out to touch
her face; it was cold.
I didn’t want to look at her; I knew that it
would only haunt me for the rest of my lonely life
without her.
This wasn’t supposed to fucking happen. The
circumstances surrounding the house may have been
shitty, but I wasn’t going to let it stop me from
having a great weekend…and finally telling Salome
how I really felt about her.
We had been friends since grade school; we
grew up together…I was supposed to protect her.
I’m a rather large, scary man when I have to
be, but in that moment I just cried. Long and loud, I
howled into the night out of despair…
And then something howled back.
15
June 6th, 2016
Adam Baudin
16
Issue #4
“What is going on in here?” Josiah burst

through the dining room door with everyone else in
tow. They must have heard the Diviner shatter.
“We were—we were—” Henri stuttered,
scratching the back of his head as he fumbled for a
really good explanation.
“We were using the Diviner and I broke it,”
Violet replied, saving Henri the trouble.
“You used it without our supervision?”
Josiah spoke directly to Henri and ignored Violet
altogether.
“It’s his invention!” Violet roared. She was
not taking Josiah’s ill-directed anger very well.
“Yes…invention! That is all it is! That
glorified paperweight basically told us nothing.”
Josiah turned his rage onto Violet.
I wanted to sock him in the face. Sock him so
hard that his nose audibly snapped.
“It hasn’t? Assumptions like that make an
arse out of people…you haven’t asked me what I
saw yet.” Violet’s feet almost hovered over the
ground as she floated closer to Josiah.
She was about five seconds away from going
totally crazy on him.
Josiah looked sheepish, but tried to hold his

arrogant air as he spoke, “Then what did you see?”
“A lot. More than I ever expected. I think that
I may have found a common denominator between
17
Adam and myself, as well as who my attacker was.”

Violet settled in front of Josiah.
We all waited for her reply on bated breath.
Henri and I knew about the—Angel— but she hadn’t
mentioned anything else.
“That man, Leather Trousers,” Violet
sniggered at herself, “He was an Angel of Death.”
She spoke and waited for the information to sink in.
“Excuse me? Did you say an Angel of
Death? Like the one that took the first born in
Egypt?” Medusa threw her eyebrow up in question.
“I guess so. I saw it—I watched him
transform from a beautiful man with feathered wings
to a cloaked skeleton. I could just feel it in my
bones.” Violet closed all three of her eyes as she
clenched the fist that was still stained with blood.
“We were right then; Angels and Demons.”
Leo scrutinized Violet before turning his attention on
me.
“Let’s not jump to conclusions, Leonard.
Don’t go assuming that these kids are Demons.”
Jackie defended us outright.
“I don’t know what we are, but I think that
we were created by someone. Apparently, I’m a test
tube baby.” Violet’s words were bitter as they seeped
from her teeth.
She had been an IVF baby after all. How had
she not known?
“But Adam isn’t.” Henri pointed at me.
18
Issue #4
The cat was out of the bag now…I would

have to tell him what I knew.
“I—actually am too.” I started off slow,
facing the small group of people that was now
listening intently. “I’ve been doing some digging in
to my past and found out that my mother was part of
a fertility research group that resulted in her
pregnancy with me. They were originally just
supposed to be harvesting eggs, but a second round
of paperwork that she didn’t read thoroughly before
signing allowed them to essentially impregnate her.
Part of the contract was her relinquishing custody of
me to the fertility clinic.” I was uncomfortable
relaying this information to such a large group.
“How—how is that even legal?” Cassandra
looked disgusted at the thought of someone taking
another woman’s child.
“Because she signed the paperwork; she gave
up her rights to the clinic and they legally took
custody of me before sending me into foster care. I
don’t know all the details—” I shrugged. I didn’t
want to talk about it anymore.
“And what about you, Violet?” Josiah turned
back to the three-eyed wonder in front of me.
“My mother had always told me that my
father had left before I was born—clearly, that was
not the case. From what I saw, she was a willing
participant for the implantation.” Violet turned her
one seeing eye towards me as she spoke.
19
“What are the odds, though? You were born

in Belfast, Adam in New Orleans; there was an
ocean between you.” Henri didn’t want to accept that
there was an association.
I had no idea why.
“Maybe it was the same medical
organization,” I suggested. That was a pretty good
possibility.
“The same organization…possibly. What was
the name of the clinic?” Josiah wanted to finally
finish this mystery.
“I don’t know; the clinic is closed now. All
the information I got was second hand and through
locals…I found her death certificate before
anything.” That made two moms dead for me.
Josiah didn’t even have to ask Violet, “My
mother worked for a medical facility, the name of
which she was not permitted to tell anyone. I have a
feeling that the medical facility and fertility clinic
are one in the same.” Violet seemed very sure of
herself.
“Alright then. Let’s just get some rest for the
night, shall we? We plan on going to the cemetery
tomorrow.” Josiah clasped his hands as he prepared
to exit.
“The one where we—” I started to ask, but he
didn’t let me finish.
“Transformed; yes. We are hoping to figure
out what that fog actually was. Rooms are ready for
you upstairs: Violet on the left of the hall and the
20
Issue #4
two of you on the right.” Josiah pointed at the

brothers before exiting the dining room without
another word.
Violet didn’t budge as everyone filed out of
the room. She still had her hand clutched at her side,
completely motionless.
“Let’s get some sleep, Vi.” I placed my hand
on the small of her back and she jerked away from
me.
“That sounds like a good idea.” She
mumbled, following me and Henri to the second
floor.
“Do you need anything?” I asked Violet as

we stood in front of her bedroom for the night. Henri
had gone on to his own room; he didn’t have any
strength left in him after the twenty-four hours we
had.
“Just sleep.” Violet brushed a lock of virgin
white hair out of her third eye.
“If you need me, I’ll be in the other room.” I
pointed at the door across the hall.
“Thanks, Adam. I’ll be ok.” Violet shuffled
her feet closer to the door. She was subtly telling me
she wanted to be alone.
21
“Ok. Goodnight, Violet.” I had this sudden

urge to hug her, but I knew she would not be very
fond of that.
So, I settled with just a nod and a hasty
retreat to my bedroom.
Maybe Violet needed the space right now; I
know that I needed to do some thinking myself.
June 6th, 2016
Violet Eve
I know that he was just trying to be nice, but

I didn’t want any reassurance right now. I was
already going over what tomorrow was going to be
like.
I wasn’t sure if I was ready to go back to
ground zero, but I knew that I needed to. It would be
different in the daylight too; would I be able to
handle the sight of everything?
I just pushed the thoughts to the back of my
mind and piled my frosted hair high atop my head
22
Issue #4
before securing it with a bone comb I found on the

dresser.
The mirror on the vanity held a reflection that
I wasn’t entirely used to. The dusty lilac of my flesh,
the visage of eyes blinded by my own body, the third
one that stared back at me with violet intensity. I was
literally staring at a character from one of my own
books.
Not one that was published, however. The
reflection was almost identical to a character I had
been working on for a story that hadn’t even been
written yet. It was just a face I had seen, a body that
showed up in a dream one night…
Dreams.
It seemed that they had been telling me
something all along…
Then a thought struck me: the dream I had
had on the plane.
I let myself fall deep into the memory as I
crawled atop the four poster bed and clicked off the
bedside lamp.
Had it been a dream? Maybe I just slept
through the whole flight like the man had said…
Or maybe it had been something else
entirely. Maybe it had really happened and that
businessman was trying to…make me go down with
the ship.
As I drifted off to sleep, my mind had made
its way to my first night in New Orleans, the night I
23
was attacked on my way back to Missy’s. Was that

man wrapped up in this too?
I never got to answer my own questions
because sleep overtook me and I drifted off into
another one of those questionable dreams.
I had no idea who these people were; two

faces that were unrecognizable to me. Just one man,
a very large man, and one woman; driving on a dark
road that I also had never seen before.
They looked like they were arguing and then
the woman fell asleep.
For some reason I couldn’t hear anything; it
all played out in front of me like a silent film.
It felt like hours before the woman finally
woke up from her nap, he gestured at the clock, and
she unhooked her seatbelt before giving him a kiss
on the cheek.
But then my vision narrowed on the road; a
thick fog was rolling at them through the high
beams.
The man pointed this out to her and they
stared on for a bit before he rolled down the window
and stuck his head out.
24
Issue #4
Everything after this point seemed to speed

up: he began coughing, stomping on the gas as he
flung his glasses over into her seat. She reached out
and grabbed the wheel to steady the vehicle when he
went rigid, his foot now permanently mashed on the
gas.
The woman was clearly freaking out as my
dream changed positions and I was looking in from
the front of the car.
The fog was speeding past us as the woman
deliberated with herself on whether or not to pull the
e-brake as they came up and over a hill. The man
was now seizing violently in the front seat, ripping at
the hair on his head before finally passing out.
She made her choice and yanked up on the
emergency brake, but no sooner had she flexed her
arm when the same affliction as the man came over
her.
The car careened off the road and struck a
tree, flinging my perspective out behind the vehicle
and ejecting the woman into the tree on impact.
Screeching metal and shattering glass broke the
silence of the movie and almost jolted me awake. A
honk sounded into the night; someone was laying on
the horn.
If there hadn’t been any noise, I would have
thought I had paused everything, but the horn
ceased its incessant blaring and I could see the
man’s shadow in horror as he discovered his
companion dead on the hood of the car.
25
The driver’s door blasted from its hinges and

the hulking man lumbered out, his sobs ringing out
through the deserted field beyond the wreck.
He came over to the hood and climbed on
top. I couldn’t see what he was doing, just that his
howls had gotten louder.
And something returned those howling sobs.
Wolves.
Or it sounded like wolves…
As if those animalistic cries were a cue, a
dark SUV pulled up behind my line of sight; its
headlights blinding me from seeing the wreckage.
Dogs were barking, wolves were howling,
men I couldn’t see piled out of the other vehicle and
began surrounding the accident.
“Put your hands up and come with us. Step
away from the woman and put your hands up!”
Someone was yelling at the man that now seemed
like he had nothing to live for. Dark figures, four-
legged figures, began appearing from the field. I
couldn’t gauge perspective in my dream, but
something was telling me that these were far too
large to be wolves.
“Call an ambulance.” The man called out,
holding his giant forearm up to shield his eyes from
the blinding light. He hadn’t heard a word they said.
“Come on now, Khaine. She’s clearly dead.”
A different voice responded and a man came into my
view.
26
Issue #4
“Merrick.” I could hear a rumbling coming

from the hood of the wreck like someone had kindled
the engine.
“Hands up now, Khaine. You’re coming with
us. There were some issues with the deed you signed
over to me; that house isn’t even yours yet. We were
going to just kidnap your girl, but you fucked all that
up. Now we will just take you instead.” Merrick
pointed a large caliber handgun at Khaine.
Everything shifted.
Khaine vaulted over the back of the car as a
shot rang out and the shadows that had been
prowling the perimeter howled before leaping in to
fight.
Men were screaming, bullets were bouncing
everywhere, yelps and furious growls snarled in the
background.
The headlights blew as something was slung
into the front of the SUV. The battle ceased
immediately, as everyone was left blinded by the
total darkness of the desert.
I wasn’t sure I could handle any more; I was
ready to wake up, but the glowing green figure now
hovering above the hood of the car drew my
attention back in.
“Salome.” I heard Khaine whisper as the
figure floated out above the war zone. But her light
was extinguished shortly after.
Another shot rang out, and Salome fell to the
ground. Khaine cried out again and went to protect
27
her when another fire from the gun took him down
too.
Men were now scrambling about and I could
barely make out Merrick scooping up the woman
named Salome and dumping her in the back of their
vehicle. They somehow got the headlights working
again, started the engine, and sped off down the dirt
highway.
Khaine was left alone, bleeding in the desert
sand, not able to help the woman he so desperately
tried to protect.
I woke up in the middle of a field of

browning grass. It was dark and nothing but the
waxing moon shone over my head.
“What the fuck?” I cursed, sitting up as I
looked wildly about me in the darkness.
I was in the field; the desert from my dream.
Strings of curse words and slang phrases
began spewing from my mouth as I stomped over to
a tree I now recognized. There was still broken glass
and shards of plastic that littered the dirt, but the car
wasn’t there anymore. The plush cat that I saw the
woman clutching had been left behind, however.
I picked it and held it close as I walked
towards the curb of a road.
28
Issue #4
Where was I? What fucking state was I in? I

was still in nothing but that white dress and no
shoes…in the middle of nowhere USA, I suspected.
I needed a telephone booth, but those didn’t
exist here in the states anymore—except for the one
that was right next to me. It was a red box of course
because that was the only thing I knew.
There was now a phone to call for help, but I
still hadn’t the foggiest idea of where I was. The
light had started to come up on the horizon, so
wherever I was, it would be morning just about
everywhere.
I stepped into the booth and picked up the
receiver—and then stood there like a dummy
because I didn’t know anyone’s phone number. But
that third eye had a better memory than I did and my
finger flew to the buttons as I punched in someone’s
number.
After three rings a man answered,
“O’Neil’s. It’s way too early. How can I help
you?”
“Nate?” I hissed into the receiver. Not quite
sure why I was whispering.
“Violet?” Nate seemed surprised to hear my
voice on the other end.
“I need Adam’s phone number.” I bit at my
lower lip, hoping that he wouldn’t ask me why.
“I thought you were with Adam.” Nate
wasn’t going to let me go that easily.
29
“I am—I was. Nate, just please…give me his

phone number. It’s incredibly important.” I was
going to need a pen and paper, but I noticed a pad
and ink pen dangling from the phone.
“Um, yeah. It’s 555-555-0002. Everything
alright?” Nate reluctantly gave in but was rather
concerned about my well-being.
“I’m fine. Talk to you later.” And I hung up
the phone before he could say anything else. I waited
impatiently for a second to make sure the call had
ended before picking the phone up again, trying not
to fumble as I punched in the new number.
It rang and rang, but no one answered on the
other end. I hung up and tried again…and again.
Finally, on the fourth call, someone picked
up, “I swear to God, if you don’t stop calling my
phone I’m going to strangle the livin—”
“Adam.” I interrupted him before he finished
threatening to kill me.
“Who is this?” Adam still sounded rather
angry; I must have woken him up.
“It’s Violet.” I breathed before going on to
say more, but it was Adam’s turn to interrupt.
“Why are you calling me? Couldn’t you
knock on the door?” I could hear Adam shuffling
about as he got dressed.
“I would if I was there.” I just wanted to
explain to him what was going on.
30
Issue #4
“Wait—you’re not here? Josiah is not going

to like that.” I could practically hear Adam shaking
his head.
“I don’t give a damn what Josiah is going to
like, just listen to me!” I was getting frustrated, “I
just woke up in a field somewhere. I have no idea
where I am and I need you to come get me.”
“You wha—wait. Rewind. You woke up in a
field? Were you sleep walking or something?”
Adam’s breath was broken as he paced around.
“No.” I was focused on the road now; a car
was coming over the hill, “Hold that thought.” I
dropped the phone and ran out of the booth, waving
my arms at the little yellow sedan.
The car slowed when it got to me and a
woman in her early fifties gasped.
“Sweetheart, I don’t know where you’ve
been, but you look like you’ve had a rough night.
You need a ride?” She smiled at me, despite the
purple everything. She had to be on some sort of
psychedelic to not be afraid of me.
“No, ma’am. I was just wondering where I
was; I—I’m new around here.” I tried to keep my
third eye from wandering about.
“You’re in Eureka.” The woman continued to
smile at me.
“And that would be in which state?” I didn’t
know the geography of the US all that well.
31
“Nevada, sweetheart.” The woman winked at

me before I waved her off, and shot back into the
phone booth to finish my call.
“Adam?” I picked the receiver back up and
held it to my ear.
“Where the hell did you go?” He sounded
aggravated now.
“I had to ask somebody where I was. Adam
—I’m in Nevada.” I waited for the inevitable “What
the Fuck?” to follow.
“What the—Violet! You’re on the other side
of the country. What in the ever loving fuck are you
doing all the way out there?”
“I don’t know, but I think I may have brought
myself here somehow. I had a really weird dream
last night and whatever I saw—must have taken me
to Nevada.” That was the best way I could explain it.
“Then bring yourself home.” Adam now
sounded worried.
“I don’t know how. I have no idea how to fix
this—how am I going to get back to you?” The
words just slipped out of my mouth. I meant to say
home, but that wasn’t right. I should have said New
Orleans…but Adam was the only thing I sort of
cared about right now.
“We will figure it out. Whose phone are you
calling me from?” I could tell that Adam was now
bounding down the stairs.
32
Issue #4
“It’s a payphone…that I made. I think.” I

squished myself up inside the booth and pushed my
foot against the door.
“Stay where you are. I’ll call you back in ten
minutes.”
“Ok. Hurry.” I urged as the line clicked.
It wasn’t like I was going anywhere anytime
soon.
June 7th, 2016
Khaine Wolfe
The bullet went clean through my thigh; it

was painful, but I managed to walk the two miles to
the cabin. There had been no time for me to stop
them; even though I was alive, the bullet wound was
extremely painful none the less.
33
They had Salome. Merrick had Salome and

she was alive…or maybe we all imagined what
happened. All I know is that when I came to after my
second unconscious episode, all bodies were gone.
When I got to the cabin, I let myself in and

just collapsed on the master bed as I started to cry
again; I had never cried so much in my life.
I fell into a very shallow sleep for the rest of
the day, our birthday, before getting up well after
dark.
There was still plenty of canned food in the
cellar and I was able to eat a little something before
dragging myself to the bathroom for a shower.
It was then that I saw what I really looked
like after the worst night of my entire life.
I broke the mirror; one punch shattered the
whole thing.
Saying that I scared myself would have been
an understatement. I thought I was just delirious until
I realized it was my own reflection.
My eyes were the first thing I noticed. They
were usually a deep brown, almost black, but now
they were red. The whole eyeball was blood red. The
teeth in my mouth were insanely large; I don’t know
how I didn’t feel them before now. Everything else
seemed normal, save for the talons I had for fingers.
This all had to be a bad dream. There was no
way that any of this could have been real.
34
Issue #4
I washed my face a few times, hoping that it

would correct what I saw, but there was still a
monster looking back at me in the mirror.
What in the fuck had happened to me? To
Salome for that matter…she had floated over me as a
glowing green spectre. Oh, after she came back from
the dead.
Now my monstrous good looks weren’t the
most incredible thing that happened. But Merrick
had her, just like he had wanted in the first place.
I had hoped that he wouldn’t have questioned
the authenticity of the paperwork I had given him for
the ranch. I had photocopied the original deed,
whited out some pertinent parts, re-penned it, and
copied the whole thing again. Apparently, Merrick
had taken the time to look into it, thus knowing that I
had lied to him about ownership of the property.
So, he took Salome from me.
I hoped that if she was half as scary as I was
that she would put them in the dirt and get away, but
she had been shot also. I was lucky with the
placement of my wound, though she may not have
been.
A cigarette sounded really good right about

then…but I didn’t have any. I left everything back at
the wreck save for my wallet in my back pocket and
the keys I had managed to pull from the ignition.
I was miles away from any convenience store
and walking wasn’t an option. Now was not the time
35
to go without one of the two things that could help

me get it together.
But I did have my wallet and I did have the
car keys: the keys to my now wrecked KIA and the
keys to my grandfather’s old work truck.
The sun was just coming over the horizon as
I flipped the tarp off the rusty blue truck and climbed
in the driver’s seat. I was worried that the engine
wouldn’t turn, but a miracle made it happen.
I could be at a convenience store in half an
hour, get myself some smokes, a drink, and chain
smoke half the pack before buying a whole carton.
The ride was going to be longer than I liked,
but it would at least afford me the time to stop and
look at the wreckage…maybe it would give me some
answers.
I saw the hill only a few yards away; that

meant I was close. I slowed the truck down and
prepared myself to pull over when I almost nailed a
British phone booth that was propped up behind
some unruly shrubbery.
The brakes screeched as I put my foot to the
floor and yanked the wheel back, stopping just in
front of the door to the booth.
36
Issue #4
Someone screamed.
There was someone inside the phone booth.
I backed my truck up and attempted to keep it
close to the curb before throwing it into park and
hopping out to see who I had possibly hurt.
The door to the phone booth opened and a
woman stepped out.
A purple woman, dressed in a nightgown and
holding the cat I had given Salome.
Blind rage suddenly filled my field of vision
with red. I had this distinct feeling that whoever this
bitch was, she was working for Merrick—and came
back to see what had been left behind and if they
could salvage it…just like he always did when he
robbed anyone.
I didn’t give her any time to speak before I
lunged with a snarl, straight at her tiny throat.
37
June 7th, 2016
Adam Baudin
“We have a big problem.” I burst into the

kitchen where Cassandra and Jackie were making
lunch. I knew it would be better if I talked to her
over Josiah.
“Good afternoon, sunshine. We thought you
and Violet were going to sleep all day.” Cassandra
smiled, handing me a plate with a sandwich and
some chips.
“Violet’s not here.” I just got right to it.
“Say what now?” Jackie cocked an eyebrow
at me and leaned against the counter.
“Something happened. She just called me
from a payphone in Nevada.” I didn’t have a lot of
time to explain; I had to call her back in ten minutes.
Cassandra dropped the plate of sandwiches
that she had been holding and just turned to Jackie
for some sort of response.
“How the fuck did she get to Nevada? Did
she hop a plane out of here in the middle of the
night?” Jackie laughed at me.
“Your guess is as good as mine, but she said
Nevada and I think I heard someone in the
38
Issue #4
background mention Eureka,” I assured Jackie that

this was no joke.
“That’s like a six-hour flight. Where in
Eureka is she?” Jackie was finally taking me
seriously.
“I don’t even know. I told her I’d call her
back in ten with some sort of idea on how to get her
back here.” I was getting antsy; I needed to make
that phone call.
“I’ll call and arrange tickets for Las Vegas.
Take Henri with you and don’t mention this to
anyone else.” Jackie narrowed his eyes at me while
Cassandra stood by silently. “I’ll talk to Henri while
you go call the girl back; Cassandra and I will run
defense for you.”
Jackie slid a sleek cell phone from his pocket
and scrolled through his contacts for a number where
he could book a flight.
“Be careful, Adam. Keep us updated along
the way and make sure you get Violet back safely.
Things out there won’t be forgiving with the way
you two look.” Cassandra warned me. She was right
too…I looked like a dragon on two legs with a beard.
“I’ll put on my secret disguise and no one
will be any the wiser.” I winked and let myself out of
the kitchen.
I flew up the stairs to my bedroom and hit
redial on the number Violet had called me from.
39
“Hello?” Her voice sounded muffled on the

other end.
“You ok?” I had to check on her before I told
her the plan.
“Just dandy. Thirsty, hungry, wanting a
smoke. I’ve closed myself in the booth, but I am
quickly regretting that as it is blasted hot in this
state.” I just let Violet unload.
“You are out west…in the desert. But at least
you’re safe. Jackie is buying two plane tickets to fly
us out to you.” I let her know that we were coming to
get her immediately.
“How are you going to find me though? I
don’t even know where in Eureka I am!” I could
hear Violet tapping her nails on the metal frame of
the booth.
“You need to go—” I paused as I scrolled
through a map of Nevada on my phone, “South. Just
keep going south and find someone who can point
you in the right direction. I’d tell you to be careful,
but I think you can handle yourself.” I directed her.
“It’s not whether or not I can handle myself,
but if people can handle me.” Violet didn’t seem like
she approved of this plan.
“It’s either this, or you figure out a way to
teleport your ass back here.” She had to know it was
either one or the other.
“Fine. I’ll just—is that a car?” Violet’s voice
was muffled as she pulled the phone away from her
mouth.
40
Issue #4
“Fuck.” Her last word was almost inaudible.

The phone was dropped just before a loud
screeching sound cut through the call. Violet
screamed and I could hear the phone slapping the
walls of the booth as it swung around like a lasso.
“Adam…Adam! You still there?” Violet
sounded pained when she finally picked the phone
up, “Somebody almost ran their truck into the phone
booth.”
“Are you ok?” I was thoroughly panicked at
this point. She was so far away and there was
nothing I could do for her. She had just been rammed
by a truck too; hopefully, the other person was kind
enough to help her.
“I’m fine. A little banged up, but ok. He’s
backing the truck up now; let me call you back.”
Violet sounded a little shaky.
“Hopefully we will be out of here sooner
than later; it’s a six-hour flight. Please, be safe.” I
wanted to say more, but I knew she needed to talk to
whoever it was that almost ran her over.
“Of course. Bye, Adam.” Violet hung up the
phone.
I had given Jackie enough time to talk to
Henri; I was ready to go. I had been packing my bag
the whole conversation with Violet and all I needed
now was a ticket in my hand.
We couldn’t get to Violet soon enough.
41
Violet Eve
I came out of the booth, even though the door

gave me hell, and stepped outside still holding the
stuffed cat.
42
Issue #4
The man that had practically hit me with his

truck was already outside of it, but he wasn’t trying
to see if I was ok.
His face was bright red, as red as his eyes, as
he stared me down. The shoulders on his broad
frame were heaving up and down as he growled like
some disgruntled animal.
I was looking at the man I had seen in my
dreams last night; the one who had tried to save his
girlfriend. Except he didn’t look like he was happy
to see me.
In a blur of movement, the man was on me.
My hands flew into the air and I lost my grip on the
stuffed animal as I went crashing to the ground.
Khaine was gnashing at my throat with wolf-
like teeth as I shoved at his face to get him off of me.
I was yelling at him to stop, screaming that I
wasn’t a threat as he blindly tore at my skin with his
claws. He slung me across the ground when he
couldn’t tear my throat out and I scrambled to get up
before he came at me again.
He was incredibly quick for a man his size; I
hadn’t noticed that he was even taller than Adam
until just now.
Khaine came barreling at me like a freight
train; I didn’t want to have to hurt him. I tried to step
out of the way, but he tackled me to the ground like a
rugby player and went back to trying to bite me.
I was going to have to defend myself;
evasion was doing nothing for me.
43
I kicked him back from me before cracking

him one good time in the temple with the side of my
fist.
The blow made him yowl, but he went right
back to trying to tear me apart.
Khaine was just going in for the killing blow
when I finally screamed.
“Khaine! Stop!”
And he did. His eyes widened from their

glare, the lips that were peeled back over his teeth
settled, and his claws slacked at his side. Despite
this, he was still breathing heavily, ready to pounce.
“Give her back to me.” He rumbled, flexing
the razor-like claws of each hand.
“I don’t have her, Khaine. I don’t even know
who you and Salome are.” I had no idea how I was
going to explain any of this to him so that he
believed me.
“Then how do you know our names?” He
roared, ready to charge at me like a bull again.
“Because I dreamed about her! I dreamed
about you both…I can’t explain it. Something
brought me here for a reason.” I begged for him to
understand.
“Prove it to me then—prove that you’re not
one of—”
“One of Merrick’s associates? I’m not. I’m
not even from around here. My name is Violet and I
had a dream about you and Salome driving to the
44
Issue #4
cabin you go to every year on your birthday, which

was yesterday; same as mine. And you gave her
this.” I picked up the stuffed cat and held it close
again, “I don’t even know how I know any of this.”
I slowly walked towards Khaine, the stuffed
animal outstretched in front of me.
Khaine eyed me cautiously, “It was an early
birthday present.” He seemed almost embarrassed as
he spoke.
“And you can give it back to her.” I
swallowed hard as I pressed the stuffed cat into his
chest.
Khaine hung his head low and just shook it
slowly, “I don’t see how.”
“Have you seen yourself? You don’t think
you could take a couple of thugs with a busted
SUV?” I arched a white brow.
“You really did dream about all of this, didn’t
you?” Khaine finally released a breath that sounded
like he had been holding it in since he nearly ran me
over.
“Hand to God,” I swore.
“Why are you purple?” Khaine switched
gears on the conversation.
“Why do you look like a dog?” I suddenly
felt defensive. But I knew why he looked the way he
did.
“I have no idea.” He snuffled, “Do you?”
“It was the fog. The same one that you drove
through found me at a party in New Orleans. This is
45
the result.” I ushered down at myself, blinking my

third eye.
“What did it do to us?” Khaine was now
balling up the stuffed animal in his fist out of sheer
apprehension.
“Turned us into mutants.” I shrugged, “But
seriously…we don’t really know.”
“We? There’s more of you?” Khaine hadn’t
apparently thought that far ahead.
“Five that we know of: You, me, Salome, and
my friends Adam and Missy. They all have the same
birthday too.” I was starting to get tired as I
explained myself to Khaine.
“June sixth…how old are you?” He leaned in
closer to me, those red eyes almost as difficult to
behold as my third.
“Thirty; as I suspect both you and Salome are
as well.” I was starting to get dizzy and Khaine could
tell.
“Do you need a ride?” Khaine reached out
and helped steady me.
“South, if you’ll take me.” Khaine led me to
the truck and popped the passenger side door for me.
“South is where I’m headed.” He smiled as
we both hopped into the truck and sped down the
road.
46
Issue #4
“Is this as far as you’re going?” I questioned

Khaine as we pulled into a gas station.
“Do you need to go further?” He arched an
eyebrow at me in query.
“I technically need to get as close to Vegas as
I can.” I stayed put in the truck as he unbuckled
himself and climbed out.
“That’s almost a five-hour drive.” Khaine
scoffed at me.
“Of course it is.” I huffed. Almost twelve
hours till Adam would be here to get me if I couldn’t
hitch a ride to Sin City.
“What do you want to go to Las Vegas for?”
Khaine paused in the doorway.
“My friend Adam I mentioned…he’s coming
to get me,” I explained, hiding my face as a man
pulled up in a work truck and parked his car by the
pump.
“You can’t leave now. You have to help me
find Salome.” Khaine ducked when another car
pulled in.
“Khaine—I wouldn’t even know where to
begin.” I just shook my head.
“You saw us in your dream; you’re
connected to us somehow.” Khaine climbed back in
the truck and shut the door.
“But I can’t control that connection. I don’t
know how to consciously do any of this.” I needed
47
him to understand that I wasn’t some divining rod

that pointed people in the right direction.
“You said there were more of us; Adam is
one of us. What about your friend Missy?” The
question from Khaine made me cringe. What about
Missy…
“Missy won’t be any help; Adam—maybe.
I’ll make a deal with you…go get whatever it is that
you need and take me as far down to Las Vegas as
you can. The closer to them we are, the quicker we
can find Salome.” I struck up a deal.
“Done. Let me go in and grab some smokes
and we can go.” Khaine seemed eager to leave; I
didn’t blame him.
“Do you have a phone I could use?” I asked
as he got out of the car. Khaine tossed a mobile at
me before jogging into the convenience store.
Hopefully, no one lost their mind over the way he
looked.
I assumed Adam would already be on the

plane, so I wasn’t prepared when he answered the
phone.
“Hello?” My answer was more of a question.
“Violet. Where are you?” Adam seemed
almost breathless when he spoke.
“I’m with a man named Khaine—another one
of us.” I waited to see if Adam would freak out.
48
Issue #4
“Another mutant? Is that why you ended up

there?” He was quick; I didn’t have to explain
anything.
“Yes. He’s going to take me down to Las
Vegas.” I paused in my sentence; my deal involved
Adam without his prior consent.
“Perfect. We’ve already booked a flight back
to New Orleans for the three of us.” Adam sounded
relieved. I knew that would be short-lived.
“But—” I drew the word out.
“But what?”
“But I promised him that we would help him
find Salome first.” I flinched in preparation for an
argument.
“And that would be who?” I could hear
someone in the background on Adam’s end calling
for boarding; his question was almost drowned out.
“Salome is Khaine’s girlfriend or something.
She’s—”
“Don’t tell me…another one of us. We don’t
have time to hang out in Vegas, Violet. Our flight is
for tomorrow morning.” Adam had voted no on my
promise.
“Then you have to come find me in Eureka.
Pick an option.” I was a little sassier with my
response than I meant to be.
“We’re already going to be in deep shit for
being gone this long. Cassandra and Jackie are trying
to hide this little recon mission from Josiah until we
49
can prove to him that you didn’t run off.” Adam was
a lot calmer than I expected.
“Yeah, I just hopped a plane with no money
in the middle of the night to jet out to Vegas in a
country I don’t know a whole lot about. But anyway
—what if I can assure you that we will find her
before our flight out of here tomorrow? Will you
help me then?” I was being terrible, trying to get him
to agree with me without letting him know that a
very dangerous, very armed group of men were
holding her hostage.
“Violet…”
“Please? I came here for a reason, Adam.” I
stooped to an even lower level: manipulation.
“You better have her pinned before we touch
down around five o’ clock. We grab her and we go;
there’s no time to fool around.” Adam was serious
and I thanked him.
“I’ll call you when I get down that way; I
think I’m just going to have Khaine take me to the
airport.” I could see Khaine coming out the door
rather quickly.
“Alright. Just sit tight. I’ll see you in a few
hours.” Adam hung up just as Khaine was jumping
in the truck with an arm full of cigarette packs.
“We should go. I tried to calm the dude

down, but he just freaked when he saw my face and
started throwing cigarettes at me,” Khaine emptied
50
Issue #4
his armful at my feet, threw the car in reverse, and

peeled out of the parking lot.
“Mind if I have a pack?” I picked one up off
the floorboard.
“Be my guest. Where to now?” Khaine sped
down the vacant road towards Sin City; I knew a
little about Vegas thanks to the tele.
“To the airport in Vegas. Adam will meet us
there and then we can go rescue Salome.” I was
playing a game here. I didn’t tell Adam about the
gangsters, and I hadn’t told Khaine that I had to have
Salome’s location figured out before their flight
landed.
I had a lot betting on this, but I knew that I
needed to help them. They were probably bastard
children just like Adam and me.
Khaine sped on down the road as I settled
into my seat and focused on Salome. I had a lot of
work to do in a few short hours.
51
Khaine Wolfe
“You ok over there?” I asked Violet in

between puffs of my cigarette.
“I’m trying to focus.” She replied. I could see
the reflection of her face in the window; the eye in
the middle of her forehead panning about.
“Are you trying to find Salome?” I flicked
my cigarette out the window and lit another.
“Yes, but I’m failing.” Violet sighed audibly
and closed all three of her eyes.
I was going to try and say something
encouraging when my phone rang; who could have
been calling me right now…
“Hello?” The number was restricted, but I
answered it anyway.
“You survived! This couldn’t have gone any
better.” Merrick’s slimy voice laughed in my ear.
“Is she alive?” I had to know that first before
I started making any negotiations.
“She is, surprisingly. And quite the
scrapper.” Merrick’s voice had a sickening quality to
it.
“What are the terms?” I dove right in,
glancing over at Violet. All eyes were still closed,
but I swore I saw the third one squinting in my
direction.
52
Issue #4
“I want the ranch and everything that comes

with it. Matter of fact, I want everything that your
grandfather owns.” I could hear the sheer malice in
his voice as he spoke.
“How am I supposed to do that?” I feigned
ignorance. Merrick must have found out that my
grandfather owned a lot more than just the ranch.
“I don’t know, Khaine; you’re the smart
one.” Merrick hissed. Violet turned her head to me,
her brow knit; she was focusing on the phone.
“Keep him talking.” She whispered as her
eyes closed again.
“I’m glad you at least recognize that. Before I
go making any deals, I want to talk to Salome.” I
insisted, eyeing Violet as she tried to hone in on
Merrick’s location.
“As you wish.” I heard Merrick pass the
phone off and then a grunt before her voice came
over the line.
“Khaine?” Sal’s question was weak, “What’s
going on? They keep drugging me…” She was high;
I could hear it in her voice.
“I don’t know, Sal. I’m going to come get
you; just hold tight.” I fought back tears as I
struggled to hold it together for her.
“I heard them say that I—that I—” Salome
couldn’t finish her sentence because the phone had
been snatched from her.
“Khaine—I’m giving you enough time to get
to Las Vegas and go visit that poor ailing grandfather
53
of yours so we can officially close the deal this time.

I’ll call you after you leave the hospital.” Merrick’s
words weren’t quite making sense.
“How are you going to know when I leave
the hospital?” I saw Violet’s eyes pop open and she
smiled; she knew where they were.
“How did I know where you were the other
night? That’s my little secret, Dr. Frankenstein.
Don’t try to come find her either; I’ll know that you
aren’t where you’re supposed to be and you’ll be
picking up pieces of your pretty little girlfriend all
over Las Vegas. Do I make myself clear?” Merrick
wasn’t fooling around. I frowned at Violet before
responding.
“Yes. To the hospital and then I wait for your
instructions once I leave.” I agreed, but I had no idea
how I was going to pull any of this off.
“Remember Khaine; play by my rules, and
no one has to die. Again.” Merrick hung up the
phone and I lobbed my own behind me.
“We can’t just go to her…Merrick must have
my phone bugged or something; he knows exactly
where we are.” I hammered my fist into the steering
wheel and the car jerked into the other lane before I
was able to pull it back.
Well, there went the truck’s alignment.
“Maybe I can get myself to her somehow,
like I got here.” Violet looked just as restless as I
was.
54
Issue #4
“You can always try, but then who is going

to meet your friends at the airport?” I couldn’t have
her getting into even more trouble on my account.
“Just keep heading where he told you to for
now and I will figure something out.” Violet curled
up in her seat and went back to her meditation.
I was just going to head towards the hospital
and hope that Violet could get us out of this ordeal
before I had to meet with Merrick.
“We’re here.” I parked in the visitor’s lot for

the hospital and shook Violet awake.
“Where’s here?” Violet rubbed at her eyes; it
made me think of Salome’s nap the other night.
“The hospital where my grandfather is
staying. Merrick wants me to basically take
everything from my Grandad and give it to him,
even though that isn’t up to me.” I got out of the car
and waited for Violet to follow.
“I don’t have any shoes.” Violet’s toes were
dangling out the open door.
“I think your bare feet are the least of your
worries,” I replied, pointing to my forehead.
55
“Because you look much better…you’re

more terrifying than I am.” Violet was instantly
defensive.
She was right; I was terrifying. I may not
have stood out like Violet did with all the purple and
white, but I definitely looked like some sort of
monster.
“Sunglasses and I’ll just keep my mouth
shut.” I pulled a pair of old aviators down from the
visor.
“Good disguise.” Violet’s lips were pursed.
“Take this.” I tossed my grandfather’s old
worn flannel jacket at Violet.
She slid it on, but it practically swallowed her
whole.
“I look like bloody E.T.” Violet pulled the
deep hood over her head.
“But at least you’re—not an actual alien.”
My words of encouragement were lacking.
“That’s something then. I need to call Adam
and let him now that I made it here much quicker
than I thought.” Violet held her hand out gingerly for
my cell.
“I drive like a bat out of hell.” I handed her
my phone and she dialed the number.
Violet followed me as I took back entrances

and the stairwell to get up to my grandfather’s room.
It was between med times, so I hoped that he would
56
Issue #4
be alone. There was a slight fear in the pit of my

stomach that just the sight of me might kill him.
I knocked on the hospital room door while
Violet hung out in an alcove with the phone.
“Come in.” I heard my grandfather cough,

wheezing as he tried to catch his breath.
“Hey, Grandad.” I slowly entered the room;
thank God the blinds were closed.
“Khaine? What are you doing here, boy?
You’re supposed to be at the cabin.” My grandfather
tried to sit up in his hospital bed, but he was having a
hard time.
“I was, but I wanted to come see you.” I
pulled a chair out and sat next to the bed.
“Where’s Salome? Did she like her present?”
He smiled at me, the tubes in his nose moving
slightly with the wrinkles on his face.
“She’s out shopping,” I hated lying to him,
“But she loved the cat.”
I forced a weak smile but kept my mouth
closed.
“What’s wrong, boy? I can feel the negativity
rolling off of you.” My grandfather narrowed his
brown eyes right at me.
I wanted to tell him, but I didn’t think he
could handle it. Grandad was a shamanic
practitioner, but a practitioner who hadn’t done
much spirit work in years. He gave it all up when my
grandmother died.
57
“I can’t give you details, Grandad. I just—I

need—” I couldn’t get the words out. I couldn’t tell
him that I needed him to give me everything he had,
that I needed to basically rob him of all his worldly
possessions for my own selfish reasons.
“Khaine…you’re in money trouble again.”
But my Grandad knew. My mother had had the same
problem; it was genetic apparently.
“It’s bigger than that. We were losing the
nightclub and I had to take money out to pay for all
this stuff so I could get it back up to code. But it’s
taking longer than I anticipated and all the money I
make goes into keeping the apartment…I didn’t get
the loan paid back in time.” I just word vomited all
over my sick and dying grandfather.
“What were the consequences?” I could tell
my grandfather was disappointed, but he wanted to
help…just like he always had.
“I tried—I tried to sign the deed for the ranch
over to Merrick, but he found out that it wasn’t
exactly mine yet. He came after me and he—he—” I
could feel the tears coming; now was not the time.
“He took Salome.” My grandfather finished
my sentence and laid his IV punctured hand on my
knee.
“It’s far more complicated than that,” The
details weren’t important right now, though.
“He kidnapped her and is now holding her
hostage until I give him what he wants.”
58
Issue #4
My grandfather waited quietly for the details.

I could hear the steady beeping of his heart monitor
and the hissing sound of his oxygen tank.
“Merrick wants everything, Grandad. He
wants everything you own before he will give
Salome back.” I hid my face out of shame.
“Khaine,” My grandfather took a deep,
ragged breath, “The only thing left is the ranch and
all that is tied to it. I donated the rest of my assets
already.”
Merrick wouldn’t just settle for the ranch; he
had to have it all. He wanted all his “old” money too;
he wanted every dime that my grandfather had
racked up while living in Vegas during the 60’s.
“I don’t think Merrick is going to be ok with
just the ranch…he was very explicit.” Not thinking, I
took my sunglasses off and wiped at my eyes.
“My poor boy,” My grandfather’s eyes
widened as he saw the red of my own, “What did
Merrick do to you?”
I hurriedly put my sunglasses back on and
straightened myself up.
“He shot me, amongst other things.
Something happened on our way to the cabin…there
was this fog that rolled in and it caused me to wreck
the car. I killed Salome—but somehow she is still
alive. Merrick found us after the wreck and
kidnapped her…but not before shooting me.” I
couldn’t hold it in any longer. Besides Violet, my
59
grandfather was the first one I had confessed

anything to.
“Are you on something?” My grandfather
immediately looked angry as he scowled at me.
“No, nothing. Only thing in my system is
cigarettes and energy drinks. I don’t expect you to
believe me, but I figured you’d at least give me some
credit.” My feelings were hurt like a scolded puppy.
“None of that makes any sense, boy. Prove it
to me…prove to me that this isn’t some story to
cover up more trouble.” My grandfather waited for
me to give him at least one good reason why he
should believe me.
I took my glasses off again and rolled up my
sleeves before going over to the window to open the
blinds.
“What happened to you, my boy?” My
grandfather’s face softened as he took in my
bloodied eyes and fanged mouth.
“Just what I said. The fog changed us; me
and Salome both. And there are more who were
affected; thousands of miles away from here.”
As if that were a cue, Violet entered the
room.
“Sorry to interrupt, but I was getting some
really weird looks out in the hall.” Violet tried to
keep her voice low as she stepped into the room and
clicked the door shut.
60
Issue #4
My grandfather leaned out of his bed to see

Violet better as she came and covered her tiny self
behind me.
“You’re telling me the truth—you’re telling
me the damn truth.” My grandfather coughed out of
surprise.
“I have to find a way to save Salome. When I
leave here, Merrick is going to call me and direct me
to where she is; he has my phone tapped.” I could
feel Violet trying to hide her face from my
grandfather’s gaze.
“I don’t know what to do for you except—
there’s a safe at the farmhouse. It’s buried under the
floorboards in the kitchen and is full of old bonds
and expensive things that I won. Take him that.” My
grandfather’s brow was furrowed as he spoke.
“I don’t want to—”
“It’s yours. I can’t take it with me, Khaine.”
My grandfather cut me off mid-sentence.
“Thank you, but I don’t know how I can get
to it in time; Merrick is expecting immediate
payment when I leave here.” I didn’t have time to
drive back to Eureka and down to Vegas again;
Merrick wouldn’t give me another chance.
“Then don’t. I just got off the phone with
Adam; their flight landed about twenty minutes ago
and I told him to meet us here. I’ll go back to the
house and find the money.” Violet interjected, trying
to steady my nerves.
61
“How are you going to get back there?” I

threw my hands up. It was nice of her to offer, but
she was worse off than I was in some ways.
“Don’t worry about it; you’re Grandad can
show me.” She pointed at a photo sitting on the
bedside table. It had the farmhouse in the
background with me and Grandad standing on the
front porch.
“Are you going to just—” I waved my hands
in front of my face, poorly pantomiming someone
disappearing.
“I still don’t know how to control what I do,
but it has a tendency to just do it for me in times of
need. I’ll make it there somehow. Can I?” Violet
asked as she reached out a purple hand to take the
photograph.
My grandfather insisted and she held it,
studying it.
“Adam is going to come here looking for me;
I gave him the room number and everything. If there
is a phone at the house I can call before heading
back.” Violet closed her eyes, but the third one
stayed open.
“How are you going to carry everything in
that safe?” My grandfather was writing a number
down on a piece of paper before he folded it up and
passed it off to Violet.
“If I have to shift the whole safe, I will.” She
nodded, stuffing the piece of paper into a front
pocket on her dress.
62
Issue #4
“Do you need anything else?” I was beside

myself with anticipation at this point. If Violet could
make it to the house, find and retrieve the contents of
the safe, and then make it back here…it would be a
miracle.
“Just…ask Adam if he can get me something
else to wear besides this damn dress. I really want to
wear some pants.” Violet winked at me before
backing herself into the corner and slumping down
to the floor.
“I don’t understand what she is trying to
do…” My grandfather leaned in and whispered to
me.
“She has special powers or something. She
somehow dreamed about me and Salome and then
woke up in the field we crashed in.” I tried to explain
it the best way I knew how.
“Then if she has special powers, you must
also. You need to figure out what they are and hold
on to them. Life is going to be different for you from
now on.” He croaked, beating his chest with his fist
as he started to cough again.
I had heard him, but a part of me had zoned
out.
There had been no movement; no sound of
the door opening and closing…but Violet was gone.
63
Adam Baudin
64
Issue #4
“Turn in here.” I pointed at the Emergency

entrance of the Sunrise Hospital and Henri pulled in,
parking just on the other side of the Emergency
entrance.
I hopped out before he had even thrown the
car into park and raced inside to the front desk.
“Can you tell me where room 324 is?” I
asked the older nurse sitting behind the counter.
“Take the elevator to the third floor and go to
your left.” She peered at me over large spectacles. I
was wearing my sunglasses with my hood up, so I’m
sure I looked like a safe person to be roaming around
the hospital.
“There you are, Adam. Can’t go wandering
around like that.” Henri came in behind me and took
me by the arm, “He just had his eyes dilated and he
can’t see very well.”
Henri steered me past the sign for the
elevators and pushed me inside once we found them.
“You’re going to draw too much attention to
yourself if you don’t calm down.” Henri scolded me
as we took the elevator to the third floor.
“I just want to see Violet and make sure that
she’s ok.” I huffed, tapping my foot impatiently to
the Muzak version of Stairway to Heaven.
“You’ve gotten really attached to her,” Henri
spoke to me without making eye contact.
65
“I saved her life the first night she was here.”

I hadn’t told Henri about any of that.
“What do you mean, ‘saved her life’. You
said that you just saved her from getting hustled on
Bourbon Street, not her life.” He now eyed me with
a sidelong glance.
“It’s technically how I met her. She was
down by Canal Street when I was walking home that
night…some man was trying to—you know—either
way, I stopped him. I killed him.” I hadn’t mentioned
that part to another living soul either.
“Adam, you didn’t…” Henri’s nostrils flared
as he spoke.
“I didn’t mean to, but when we went back the
next morning the body was gone, there was no police
tape, no sign of any police presence. I’m starting to
think that whoever he was; he wasn’t…human.” It
felt right to finally say it. I have no idea what it was
that I killed, but it had to be done to save Violet.
“Two people already have come for this
woman, Adam; we definitely need to keep our eye
on her.” Henri put his hand on my shoulder as the
elevator dinged and the doors opened up on the third
floor.
We stepped out and asked for directions to
room 324, but found the door closed. I knocked and
waited for someone to answer.
The door cracked and a blood red eye peered
out at me.
66
Issue #4
“Adam?” A very western voice questioned

me.
“Khaine?” I questioned back; it had to be
him.
The door opened enough to allow me and
Henri to squeeze through and Khaine shut the door
behind me.
I felt like it was safe to take my sunglasses
off and let my hood down, all the while Khaine
watching me. He took his own hood down and we
just stared at each other for a moment.
He wasn’t as obvious as I was: his eyeballs
were pure red, no pupil whatsoever, and the teeth
that were tucked under his lips looked like they
belonged to a wolf. The fingers of his hands were
wildly sharp as he curled them into fists to hide
them.
Our heights were almost a match, but Khaine
was easily twice my size with long tidy locks that
hung just past his shoulders.
I wondered what his special mutant abilities
were…
“I’m Khaine,” He held his hand out for me to
shake, but I pulled my own from my pockets. They
were cloaked in Cassandra’s fancy oven mitts and
wrapped with layers of tinfoil underneath.
“You don’t want to shake these.” I slipped a
mitt off and tore away the aluminum foil.
The metal smoked as I peeled it back and
balled up the remnants.
67
“Holy—wow. Wow.” Khaine just breathed as

he stared in awe at my molten hands.
“Yeah. It’s taking some getting used to.” I
clasped my hands together to keep them from setting
anything on fire.
“The fog did this to you?” Khaine gestured at
me as he sat down next to his grandfather who was
peacefully sleeping.
“Yeah.” I nodded as Henri hung back to
watch the conversation. I could tell by the look on
his face that he was completely fascinated with
Khaine.
“Changed me and my best friend, Salome.”
Khaine’s voice was shaky when he spoke her name.
Salome…it reminded me of Violet. Where
was she?
“Where is Violet?” I finally asked,
wondering if maybe she was in the bathroom.
“She went back to my grandfather’s
farmhouse to get what Merrick wants. She also asked
me to have you get her something else to wear since
she’s tired of the dress.” Khaine was looking
forlornly at his grandfather as he absentmindedly
answered my question.
“I’ll get to that in a minute…why don’t you
explain to me what happened.” I could tell he really
needed to take his mind of things.
I let Khaine give me the run down on how he
had borrowed money from these loan sharks,
couldn’t pay it back in time, and gave over the rights
68
Issue #4
to his grandfather’s ranch, but they hadn’t been his

to give away. Merrick took Salome as collateral and
wanted even more than before for her safe return.
“And how did Salome change?” I was
curious about what she was like.
“I’m not even sure. I killed her in the wreck
—and then she came back from the dead. There was
this whole fight when Merrick showed up and—and
—” Khaine paused thoughtfully, “And then the
wolves came.”
“Wolves? What?” No one had mentioned any
wolves to me before now.
“They were howling right after we had the
wreck and when Merrick showed up, a ton of them
came down through the pasture and just attacked him
and the rest of his goons.” Khaine looked like he
didn’t even believe his own words.
“They fought with you?” I was a little
skeptical myself.
“I know it sounds crazy, but I think they did.
And then in the middle of it, Salome just floated out
over the car, like the Green Fairy, before someone
shot her out of the sky. I don’t understand any of
this.” Khaine held his head in his hands; I wished I
could do that. The things you take for granted…
“From what we can gather it has something
to do with our birthdays and how we were
conceived.” I gave Khaine what little information I
had.
69
“I get the birthday part, but not the part about

how I was conceived.” It was Khaine’s turn to be
skeptical.
“Both Violet and I—we don’t know who our
fathers are. We were both conceived through in vitro
fertilization using donor sperm, I suspect. I’m
starting to think we were genetically engineered.” It
all just really clicked for me.
“I mean, I never knew my father either, but
my mother never mentioned anything about in
vitro.” Khaine thought my explanation was
questionable.
“That’s because she didn’t like to talk about
it.” Khaine’s grandfather was awake and having a
time of trying to sit himself up. His grandson helped
him and waited patiently to hear what he had to say.
“Your mother had been married before you
came and had tried her damnedest to get pregnant.
The man she was with was convinced that it had
something to do with her and made her go see a
specialist.
They urged them both to get tested and it
came back that her husband was the culprit: low
motility.
He just couldn’t accept this and left your
mother, blaming her for everything. She wanted to
desperately have a child and she was getting up there
in age, so she decided to look into in vitro with
donor sperm. She ended up getting pregnant with
you.” His grandfather patted Khaine’s hand.
70
Issue #4
“This is unreal.” Khaine sighed, leaning back

in his chair.
“My name is Walter by the way.” Khaine’s
grandfather tried to shake my hand, but I showed
him what I was working with. He just nodded
knowingly.
“I’m Adam. And this is my brother Henri.” I
pointed over at Henri who was standing nervously
by the door.
“This makes me feel like I’m on the X-Files
or something.” Khaine whistled, flexing and relaxing
his claws.
“Violet keeps calling us mutants.” I
chuckled. I hoped she was ok wherever she was.
“X-men. Even better.” Khaine laughed with
me.
I decided to keep the atmosphere light and
ask a few personal questions to loosen him up.
“So, is Salome your girlfriend?” I asked,
scooting a chair up next to him.
“Psh, I wish. I’ve been trying to get up the
nerve to ask her, but stuff always gets in the way. I
was going to do it when we got to the ranch, though;
I was going to ask her to be mine.” Khaine knit his
brow, those blood red eyes flashing with something I
couldn’t quite place.
“We’ve known each other since grade school.
She would spend time with me out on the ranch, help
me with school work, have dinner with my family;
we were inseparable. I think I’ve been in love with
71
her since the day we met, but Salome just has this
bad habit of dating guys that will never be good
enough for her. I watched every minute of every
painful relationship she has gone through, and it just
killed me. She’s been single for months now and I
just knew I had to finally do something.” I could tell
he was really hurting over her.
“We’ll get her back. Violet will get whatever
you need and then we’ll find her.” I assured him.
“I know,” Khaine responded, but I don’t
think he really believed what I said.
“There’s something I need to tell you,
Khaine.” I heard Walter whisper as he leaned into
his grandson.
Before he could get another word out,
someone knocked and the door cracked open.
Khaine and I hastily threw our sunglasses on
and flipped our hoods up as a nurse wearing all
white scrubs entered the room.
Khaine and I got up as the tall woman
brushed past us and straight over to Walter.
“How are you doing this evening, Walter?
My name’s Heaven and I am going to be your night
nurse.” She reached back and fluffed his pillow.
“I’m going to slip out for a smoke, is that
ok?” Khaine whispered to me as the nurse chit
chatted with his grandfather.
“Go for it. I think I may send Henri to get
Violet some clothes and go with you.” I whispered
back, casually strolling to the door.
72
Issue #4
“I’m going to give you your meds, Walter,

and then the doctor wants to draw some more blood
to check your platelets.” The nurse spoke sweetly to
Walter as she handed him a paper cup full of pills
and a small bottle of juice.
“I’ll be back in a minute, Grandad,” Khaine
called out, immediately turning his back to the nurse.
“Go smoke, boy. I’ll be fine. I’m seeing
Heaven right now.” The old man chuckled as I
leaned into Henri.
“Can you go down to the gift shop and see if
you can find something for Violet to wear that
involves pants. I’m going to go have a smoke with
Khaine.” I asked my brother. Henri just rolled his
eyes as he opened the door and the three of us filed
out.
I hoped a cigarette would take the edge off
while I waited for Violet to get back. Hopefully, she
wouldn’t just teleport herself into the hospital room
unannounced…
73
Violet Eve
I just remembered clutching that photo tight,

watching Khaine talk to his grandfather when I was
suddenly somewhere else.
It was an old farmhouse, more like a cabin,
with the trees swaying in the breeze of the front yard.
The sun was starting to turn orange, but I still had
plenty of light to see.
Before I even tried to enter the house I
headed off to an old shed around back. I rifled
around for some sort of tool I could use to pry up the
floorboards before finally finding a crowbar and a
rusty axe.
I hadn’t even thought about the front door
being locked when I went to reach for the doorknob,
but it twisted effortlessly and the door creaked open.
The light was on in the living room,
bedroom, and bathroom, but the kitchen was still
dark. I panned around for something that might stick
out to me when I could see the discoloration in the
floorboards: there were at least eight planks that
were lighter than the rest.
I quickly got down on my hands and knees
and jammed the crowbar between the cracks in the
floorboards. They groaned in protest as I tried to
rock them back, but they just wouldn’t budge. I
knew I was stronger than this, but the floor had
74
Issue #4
swelled up from the heat and they just weren’t going

anywhere.
“Come on, come on!” I practically pulled the
crowbar all the way back to the floor, but the wood
still wouldn’t budge.
“Fuck! I just need to get under the floor,
dammit!” I pulled back on the crowbar one last time,
but it flipped back over my head and nailed the front
of the sink, chipping the porcelain.
There were no oddly colored floorboards
now, just a space in the floor where they had once
been. I could see the safe, an old one, nestled snugly
amidst cobwebs and a lot of dust. I really wished I
knew how I was doing all of this.
I wasn’t sure I could lift it from the hole, so I
wished for it to move itself from the space beneath
the floorboards.
The hole was now vacant and the meter tall
safe was sitting next to me in the kitchen.
“Now to get into it.” I pulled the slip of paper
from my pocket and dialed the knob to the correct
combination of numbers. The metal door clicked as I
heard it unlock and the door swung open to reveal a
metal safety deposit box, a large manila envelope,
and at least twenty stacks of high denomination bills.
“He wasn’t kidding.” I whistled, standing up
to find something to put everything in.
I quickly spotted an old rucksack hung up in
the hallway and began stuffing it with the contents of
the safe.
75
When everything was safely nestled inside, I

wished the safe back in its hole and the floor patched
up.
Now all I had to do was get myself back to
the hospital, but that wasn’t so easy.
I felt a twinge in the back of my head, urging
me to walk over to the mantle in the living room. It
was lined with all sorts of frames, filled with family
members and friends alike.
There was one picture that stood out, though,
and it was of Khaine and Salome.
Khaine had explained to me on the ride to the
hospital that he and Salome were nothing but friends,
but I could tell he felt differently about her…he was
in love with her.
They looked so happy in the picture too.
Salome was wearing an all-black dress with a black
rose in her hair and Khaine had on a purple button up
shirt to match my third eye and a tie with little
machetes on it.
I picked up the photo and opened the back of
the frame to see if there was a date: 6-6-14. This
must have been taken on one of their birthday trips.
This photo got me thinking about Salome:
alone and scared being held hostage by some
ruthless thugs. She didn’t understand her
transformation; I heard her say so on the phone to
Khaine. She just wanted to come home.
The room started to shake as I set the photo
back down and watched as the cabin crumbled
76
Issue #4
around me, the wood planked walls peeling back as

the shingles on the roof caved in and the room
transformed itself into a different location.
I was now standing inside a nightclub. It

wasn’t open yet, but I could hear talking coming
from the back room. I wasn’t supposed to be here so
I had to make myself scarce as I quickly padded over
to where the conversation was coming from.
“Do you think he will actually come through

with anything?” A thickly accented voice spoke.
“He will if he thinks he’s going to get Salome
back. I need to have it all; the money and the star-
crossed lovers. It’s important that I make this
exchange and everything else will just be a bonus.”
Merrick was the one who responded.
I was wherever they were holding Salome
hostage. I listened in closely to see if I could gain
any more intel.
“How many more are around here?” The
other voice asked another question.
“Just the two of them that I know of. I’ve
been watching Khaine for years.” Merrick
responded.
How many more of what? How many more
like us?
“Do you want me to feed the girl?” Chatty
Kathy over there just had all sorts of questions, but
this one was important.
77
“No need. Her hunger will just fuel her

anger. I think I’ve convinced her in her delirious
state that he won’t come to rescue her; he doesn’t
have the money and she knows how he’s gambled
with his money before. I’ll have her wrapped around
my little finger by the time he gets here.” Merrick
chuckled maliciously.
These men were more than just criminals,
they were something else entirely.
“I’m going to go relieve Lorn then.” The
other voice notified his boss and started to head for
the open doorway I was standing near. I slunk back
into the shadows and waited for him to pass before
willing myself back to the hospital.
I had to let the men know that Merrick had
other plans for us.
78
Issue #4
Khaine Wolfe
Adam and I had just gotten back to the third

floor when we heard the flat-lining sound of a heart
monitor. At least half a dozen hospital staff was
rushing down the hallway, straight for my
grandfather’s hospital room.
“No.” I breathed, charging past Adam as I
skittered towards the commotion.
A doctor was performing CPR on my
grandfather, while someone prepared the
defibrillator.
It was all in slow motion as I heard the word
Clear! echo in my head. The paddles were brought
79
to his chest and I watched it lurch as the electricity

coursed through his body.
He seemed fine when I had left the room, as
fine as he could be, but here he was…practically
dying in front of me.
“Sir, we need you to step back.” A woman

snapped me from the slow motion movie I was
watching and I stepped back a few paces until I
bumped into Adam.
He may not have known me, but he placed
his hand on my shoulder for comfort.
“He’s over-dosing!” A nurse yelled as I
watched the heart monitor begin to leap again, but
my grandfather was foaming at the mouth.
Amidst the flurry of people running about,
trying to bring my grandfather back, I saw a blur of
purple to my right in the corner of the room.
Violet was crouched down; my old high
school backpack clutched in her hands.
“We need to go, but I have to tell you that it’s
a trap. Merrick isn’t planning on releasing Salome.”
Violet was breathing heavily as she pushed me
towards the door.
“But my grandfather,” I protested, but Violet
chimed in.
“He gave you a way out of this, Khaine.
He’d want you to try and save her.”
80
Issue #4
She was right. As much as I didn’t want to

leave his side, me being here wasn’t going to change
the outcome.
I had to get to Salome and I had to find a way
to save her.
We managed to get out of the hospital room
as more nurses piled in to help my grandfather. I
glanced over my shoulder one last time to see him
seizing in his bed, just like I had done the night of
my 30th birthday.
“You bought me maternity clothes?” Violet

was arguing with Henri as we piled into my truck.
“It’s a hospital! It was either that or a shirt
that said Proud New Mommy.” Henri defended
himself as Violet climbed into the front seat next to
me while Henri and Adam got in the bed of the
truck.
“I know where they are, but it’s probably best
if you wait for his call.” Violet enlightened me as she
shimmied into a pair of maternity yoga pants.
“He’ll probably call as soon as I pull out of
here.” I started the engine and backed out of my
parking space.
81
Violet had slipped a gaudy floral blouse over

her head and wiggled out of the white dress as she
spoke, “He’s at a nightclub, but it didn’t look like it
was open.” She answered me, finally buckling
herself in.
Then the phone rang. It was another blocked
number, but I knew who it would be.
“Khaine, my boy. Did you get me what I

wanted?” Merrick’s surly voice hissed through the
receiver.
“I got what I could. My grandfather donated
most of his assets, but we got what little he had
hidden away.” I told him, hoping it would be
enough.
“And the deed to the ranch?” Merrick waited
impatiently for an answer.
I looked over at Violet who was rifling
through my backpack till she found a yellowed
envelope that had the words Ranch Deed on the front
of it.
Thank God.
“I do; I have that too.” I was anxious as hell;
I just wanted to know where he was so I could get
Salome back.
“Let’s hope the rest is just as good. You can
find me at that rat-hole you call a nightclub. We’ll be
waiting.” Merrick finally gave me the details I had
been waiting for. They had been at my nightclub this
whole time…
82
Issue #4
“I’ll be there in twenty.” I barked and hung

up the phone.
“He’s at your nightclub?” Violet leaned in to
get my attention.
“Yes. What is he planning, Violet?” I wanted
to know how she knew that he wasn’t going to let me
get out of this alive.
“I was there—at the nightclub. Don’t ask
how, but I overheard him talking to someone. He
knows about us, what we are. He said that he’s been
watching you for years. He made it sound like he
was exchanging you and Salome for something…
payment most likely. Merrick thinks he’s convinced
Salome that you aren’t coming for her; he’s going to
use you two against each other.” Violet’s words
almost made me choke.
We had already had that issue. Before
Salome had even known that Merrick was a loan
shark, amongst other things, she had shown an
interest in him. He had sadly returned that interest,
but I had convinced her to stay away from him. If he
had her all doped up and starving…there was a
possibility he could convince her of anything.
“We have to be prepared to fight. I’m not
going to let him turn her against me and I won’t let
him take her away from me again.” I growled,
punching on the gas.
“Then we have to be smart about how we
approach this.” Violet had a good head on her
shoulders.
83
I nodded reluctantly, “Well, we have about

fifteen minutes to come up with a good plan.”
Adam Baudin
Khaine pulled the truck up in front of a fancy

nightclub. It looked as if it was going to be horror
themed, with towering Tesla coils for the archway in
and silhouettes of movie monsters painted on the
façade.
I made Henri duck when I saw someone
outside the door smoking a cigarette and followed
suit.
It was getting dark now, thankfully, and I
didn’t think anyone saw us as Khaine backed into a
parking space, far away from the club itself.
Violet crawled through the sliding window in
the bed of the truck and hunkered down while she
whispered.
84
Issue #4
“You and Henri are going to go around back

and try to keep the exit clear; that’s how we’re going
to make our way out of here. I’m going to try and get
to Salome with whatever it is that I do; Khaine
thinks that Merrick is holding her in the basement.
He called a second time right before we pulled in
and said to meet him at the front door.” Violet gave
us the run down.
“Sounds like a good plan.” I had no qualms
with it.
“Good. I’m going to go scout around and
make sure the coast is clear and then you both get in
position.” Violet hopped out of the truck and crept to
the side of the club.
I poked my head in the cab, “She looks like a
little purple yoga ninja.”
Khaine laughed at me nervously, gripping the
dented wheel so tightly, I thought he’d rip it off.
After a few minutes, Violet came back to the
truck and whispered through the front window,
“There was one bloke, but he went back inside. I’m
going to try and get in the basement while you two
go around back.”
She disappeared from the window and I
watched her slink up to the front door and walk right
in.
I cued Henri to hop out of the bed with me as
Khaine lumbered out of his seat and followed in
Violet’s footsteps.
85
The back of the club was vacant, but we tried

to find a fairly hidden spot to wait. There was a huge
dumpster left out back, piled high with chunks of the
old bar, busted chairs, and crumbling sheet rock.
“Why do I have a feeling that this situation

isn’t going to end well?” Henri slid down the side of
the dumpster and prepared himself for a wait.
“I know; it worries me too. Violet is banking
on her ability to do whatever it is that she does, but
she doesn’t know how to properly use it.” I squatted
down next to him and kept my eye on the back door.
“I think I know what she’s doing,” Henri
responded, waiting for my reaction.
“Spit it out then!” I was eager to hear his
theory; it just might have been correct.
“I think that she is somehow altering reality,
like a giant acid trip. She’s not summoning things
out of thin air or teleporting necessarily; she’s
molding her surroundings to her. It can be a
conscious thing, but she’s having a hard time
focusing. Although, she did just go from New
Orleans, to Eureka, to Vegas, to Eureka, and back
again in well under a day’s time. If she could figure
out exactly how she does these things, I think she’d
be virtually unstoppable.” Henri’s response had me
slack-jawed.
“Well, shit. Maybe you should have told
Violet that before she went in there blindly.” That
86
Issue #4
was a poor choice of words, but I wasn’t exactly

wrong.
“I wasn’t thinking. Let’s just hope that she
has enough sense in her head to keep herself
invisible. It sounds like these men aren’t fooling
around.” Henri took a deep breath.
“She’s driven by emotion, but she seems to
be pretty focused on helping these people.” I hoped
that I was right as Henri and I settled in and waited.
87
Violet Eve
I was somehow able to slip through the front

door undetected and used Khaine’s entrance as a bit
of a distraction to get to my destination. I was small
and quick enough to slide by the few men that were
in the hall near the entrance of the basement. I
listened closely at the door, pressing me ear against
the aluminum, but I didn’t hear anyone.
I thought about being in the basement when
the lights went out and all I could see was a sliver of
light from the streetlights shining through a dusty
window.
No one was down here, no one except
Salome. She was nothing but a glowing green form
in the middle of the room, balled up on the floor. I
was going to initially alert her to my presence, but
then I thought back to what Merrick had said.
I argued with myself back and forth, when
the basement door opened and a bulb clicked on
overhead. I ducked behind a stack of kegs and
waited to see who was there.
88
Issue #4
“Salome.” I heard someone utter her name

and peered out over one of the kegs.
A short, stocky man was crouched down in
front of Salome’s still body when she flinched at the
sound of her name.
“Where’s Merrick?” She asked, sitting
herself up.
I could finally see what she looked like now.
She had pointy ears like some faery, tinged in
green like the contours of her face. Tiny twig-like
antlers stuck from the top of her head and her eyes
were as black as pitch. She reminded me very much
of some sort of wood nymph, her hair like swampy
tentacles of lichen.
“Merrick is meeting with your friend,
Khaine. Of course, he showed up with nothing.” The
man spoke, clearly telling lies.
“I knew that he’d come empty handed; we
wouldn’t be in this predicament if he had the money
in the first place.” Salome almost hissed as she
coiled away into the shadows. Merrick had really
been working her emotions.
“You’re right, Salome. Merrick understands
that too. You know that he never wanted to hurt you;
he just saw the trouble Khaine was always getting
you into and had to teach him a lesson.” The man
dropped a half-empty water bottle on the ground in
front of her and headed back up the stairs, this time
leaving the light on.
89
It seemed as if Merrick had already had her

convinced, but I was going to try and make her see
reason anyway.
I crept out from behind the kegs and quietly
tip-toed over to the woman.
“Salome?” I tried to speak softly, but she still
reacted rather noisily. She clanged back into a stack
of trays and tried to steady herself.
“It’s ok, it’s ok. I’m here to help you.” I knelt
down in front of her as she eyed me warily.
“Who the hell are you?” She glared at me
with those inky black eyes and craned her neck like
some snake to get a better look at me.
“My name is Violet; we’ve come here to
rescue you.” I tried to make my voice sound
soothing, but I’m sure my accent fucked it all up.
“I don’t want to be rescued. I’m tired of
Khaine dragging me down with him.” Salome turned
away from me like a pouting child.
“Merrick is brainwashing you. Khaine is not
dragging you down; he cares too much about you to
let anything bad happen. Everyone makes
mistakes… we are only human, after all.” I tried to
make her see reason.
“Human? HUMAN? Do you think this looks
human?” Salome put her full face in the light and I
could see clearly that she was just as strange looking
as I was.
“Whatever we became, we are still human at
our core.” I put my hand to my heart.
90
Issue #4
“Khaine doesn’t care—it took him this long

to come for me!” Salome was getting emotional.
“You’ve only been down here a little over
twenty-four hours; he just found out today that you
were still alive. You talked to him earlier! Merrick is
messing with your head, Salome. I don’t know how
he’s doing it, but he’s trying to turn you against
Khaine and it’s working. Don’t let him think for
you.” I warned her.
“But he came empty handed. What does he
expect…that Merrick will just let him waltz out of
here with me?” Salome was still questioning
Khaine’s loyalty.
“That was a lie; he brought everything he
could. The deed to the ranch, old bonds, stacks of
money. He came here with everything that his
grandfather owns just to save you. We even had to
leave the hospital while Walter was trying to be
resuscitated to save your life!” If this didn’t make
her see that Khaine loved her, I don’t know what
would.
“Walter?” Salome’s eyes started to well up
with a thick black liquid before it trailed down her
cheeks.
“You have to fight and not let Merrick make
your decisions for you. When they come down here
to get you, don’t let him take control. You have to
own this.” I coached her as I heard someone turning
the knob to the basement door.
91
Salome’s mouth was drawn as she breathed

heavily. She gave me one good nod as the door
opened and I disappeared from the room.
Khaine Wolfe
“Khaine…right on time.” Merrick greeted me

on the dance floor, flanked by two burly men armed
with semi-automatic rifles.
92
Issue #4
“Here.” I tossed the backpack at him and

waited while he checked its contents.
Merrick made eye contact with me but said
nothing.
“There’s at least $10,000,000 worth of stuff
in there. That should be plenty to pay you back. Now
go get Salome and leave us in peace.” I tried the
tough guy approach. I could be the bad guy when I
needed to be, but I was usually just a big teddy bear.
“Ok.” Merrick snapped his fingers and two
more men appeared from the back room with Salome
slung between them.
She was clearly doped up, and freshly so. Her
toes drug across the ground as the men brought her
before Merrick and tossed her to the ground.
I felt a deep rumble begin in the pit of my
stomach and I fought the urge to shred everything in
sight.
“There you go. But there’s a catch…Salome
has to want to go with you.” Merrick grinned at me;
a nasty grin full of pure spite.
I waited with bated breath; had Violet got a
chance to talk to her? Had she convinced her that
Merrick was playing mind games?
Salome weakly pulled herself up from the
floor and stared up at me. Her normally copper
colored eyes were gone; only a void where their
beautiful color had once been.
She just stared at me, her brow furrowed as
her eyes settled on mine.
93
I wanted to tell her that I loved her, but I

didn’t know if it would make everything worse.
“What’s it going to be Salome? Do you want

to go with Khaine or stay with me? He’s lied to you
before and he’ll just do it again. I’ve always been
straight with you, never sugar coated a thing. Tell
him how angry you are!” Merrick barked at her.
“Just shut up!” I screamed, my chest heaving
with every angered breath. I had had enough of his
bullshit and was ready to put him down.
I could feel the ground around us begin to
shake as growls echoed from the corners of the
room. Merrick scanned his surroundings with
confusion, looking for the sound, but he couldn’t see
anything.
“Oh, is the big bad wolf getting angry? Woo!
I’d like to see you try.” Merrick winked at me.
“Salome,” I ignored Merrick’s manipulation
tactics and focused on the woman I loved, “No
matter what decision you make, just know that I
never meant to hurt you. I did what I did because I
wanted a better life for us. I needed to keep this club
so that we could have something to fall back on. It
was a stupid decision, yes…and I regret it so much.
But everything I did, I did it out of love.” I poured
my heart out to her as she knelt near my feet.
Her inky black eyes were filled with oil-like
tears as she focused her attention on me. She glanced
94
Issue #4
at Merrick and then back to me again; I could see the

wheels in her head were turning.
“What are you trying to say, Khaine?” She
finally spoke to me, her eyes glistening with
anticipation.
“I love you, Sal. I loved you from the very
first day I met you and I knew that I had to be with
you forever, even if it meant just as friends. I was
going to tell you how I felt when we got to the cabin,
but I never got the cha—”
My words were muffled by Salome’s lips
pressed against mine. She held me close and cried as
she touched my face, her lips still on my mouth.
This was the most emotional I had ever seen
her. Maybe it was the drugs they had her on, or
maybe it was her transformation…or maybe she
really loved me back.
“I love you too, Khaine,” Salome whispered,
pressing her face to mine.
Merrick started clapping his hands and it
pulled us back to reality.
“Well, this sure puts a damper on my fun! I
was hoping there would be an all-out war between
you two and you’d just kill each other off, but that
human side of you is really clingy, isn’t it?” I swore
I saw Merrick’s face change as he spoke.
“We made a deal, Merrick. She chose to
come with me, now you need to take your shit and
go.” I ordered him, pulling Salome into my body to
keep her safe.
95
“That isn’t how it works, Khaine. When you

make a deal with a Demon, you have to keep your
end of the bargain, but I don’t have to keep mine. I
crossed my fingers, anyway.” Merrick winked at me.
A Demon. Merrick was a Demon…
“Hey, at least you got to tell her you loved
her before I kill you both.” Merrick smiled and I saw
his face warp again. It was hideous; indescribable.
Then I saw Violet. She was standing in the
hallway that led to the back door, silently trying to
get my attention from the shadows.
I nodded once; the signal for her to go get
Adam and Henri.
We were preparing for a fight.
More men filed in from the back room and I
knew that we were going to need all the help we
could get.
96
Issue #4
Adam Baudin
The back door flung open and Violet waved

her hand for us to come inside.
“Khaine’s going to kill them; we need to get
in there now.” Violet shoved me by her and yanked
Henri through the door before shutting it quietly.
“Listen to me carefully: I need you to come
with me while Henri gets the truck and brings it
around front. We’re going to have to make a run for
it.” Violet grabbed my hand and pulled me close to
her.
Henri just nodded as she tossed him a key
ring and he quietly disappeared out the rear door.
“Salome chose Khaine, but now Merrick
wants a fight.” Violet led me past the basement door
and down a hallway where I could hear Merrick
droning on and on.
97
“We can do this one of two ways: you can

both line up and we can take care of this quickly,
execution style—or you can try and put up a fight,
but that will only prolong the inevitable.” I could see
the back of Merrick’s shaved head as he paced in
front of Khaine and Salome.
At least a dozen men were surrounding them
and even more were piling in from a door on the
other side of the dance floor.
Salome looked terrified as she clung to
Khaine, but he showed no fear.
“I won’t let you reduce us to this, Merrick. I
will fight you.” Khaine’s sharp fangs were exposed
as he snarled.
I could hear the faint rumbling of what
sounded like a bunch of wolves, growling from
behind the bar.
“Wait for it. I have an idea.” Violet slunk
away from me and pressed herself low to the ground.
She stood straight up at the end of the
hallway and I watched as her form dissolved and
appeared in front of Merrick.
What the fuck was she doing?!
Clap!
Violet startled the hell out of everyone
around her, but the smacking of her hands together
gave them no time to react.
The ceiling caved in and buried Merrick and
half a dozen others in heavy can lights and a cloud of
sheet rock.
98
Issue #4
The element of surprise caused all of

Merrick’s men to scramble, coughing as a dense
cloud of plaster billowed into the air.
I brushed by the commotion and snagged
Violet by the waist, skidding to a stop in front of
Khaine and Salome.
“We need to go.” I bellowed, trying to hurry
them to the door, but a cracking sound rang out and
stopped us all in our tracks.
I felt Violet go limp in my grip as she
collapsed on the floor beside me.
“Did you think it was going to be that easy?”

Merrick began to laugh, a deep echoing laugh that
seemed to reverberate through the floor.
Merrick had the face of a stork, but so briefly
that when I blinked, he was back to normal.
I dropped to my knees to scoop Violet up
when I noticed there was a gunshot wound in her
chest. She was limp as I pulled her close to me,
picking her up off the ground.
Dogs had begun to bark—in the room—as
Merrick came forward to stop us.
“Hellhounds? Really?” Merrick paused and
turned to face the corner where the growls were
echoing from.
This creature, somewhere between an
oversized wolf and a Pitbull on steroids, bounded
from the darkness and landed right on top of
99
Merrick. It began tearing at his arm as he shook it,

trying to fend the animal off.
“Get them outside!” Khaine barked at me; his
eyes swirling with pure wrath.
I went to lift Violet up when a few more of
these hounds leapt from nowhere and began tearing
men to pieces.
Except Violet didn’t need my help. There
was no more wound in her chest, no sign of blood;
she was completely unscathed.
Merrick had shoved the hound off of him and
was tearing his way towards Khaine when the big
man lashed out, clawing the flesh from the Demon’s
face. Merrick howled as the chaos continued around
us. Bullets were now flying, spittle and blood were
splattering the walls, and screams rang out; it
sounded like a pack of wolves had found their finest
meal.
One of the men came barreling for me, but I
grabbed his face with my hand and heard the skin
sizzle like bacon as he screamed.
Violet was just flinging men left and right
with her mind, as Khaine and Merrick were now
mid-battle.
Salome was huddled up on the floor near the
front door, trying to pull herself from the drug
induced fog that was clouding her brain.
I heard Henri pull up with the truck as two
more men came at me and I easily tossed them to the
side.
100
Issue #4
More men were now piling out of the back

hallway as Violet choked someone out with a piece
of rebar.
Everyone was doing something different;
none of us were really working together. Men would
just keep pouring in and eventually we would all be
taken over.
That’s when I heard Merrick let out a hoarse
wail, and the whole club began to shake violently.
A monster now towered where Merrick had
been, long and tall like a stork with razor sharp teeth
and six wings. It would have been comical had it not
been so terrifying.
I then watched as he swooped down on
Khaine…
I didn’t know if we were going to get out of
this alive.
101
Violet Eve
Merrick’s screeching caused me to take my

attention off of a man who was trying to beat my
face in.
I ducked as he soared over my head and
turned to see this monstrous bird pecking at Khaine,
who held his arm up to shield his face. Chunks of
meat were being torn from his flesh as the stork
continued to peck, hoping to whittle Khaine down to
nothing.
I wanted that bird to explode; I wanted
feathers to fly and bits of beaky shrapnel to take out
a few arseholes with it.
But that didn’t happen.
The stork continued to hammer down on
Khaine as I saw him try to swipe at the bird’s legs,
but his arms weren’t long enough.
I turned to see if Adam was alright; he was
now setting men ablaze with his molten hot touch.
Salome was trying to stand by the door, but she still
hadn’t quite pulled herself together.
The Hounds of Hell that had appeared out of
nowhere were easily shredding and devouring any
man that stood in their way, but I needed them to go
and help Khaine.
102
Issue #4
I barreled through two men that were trying

to defend themselves from the hounds and stood in
front of one of the dogs, making sure it saw me with
those glowing red eyes.
Listen to me. You need to go help Khaine. I
thought at the creature, hoping that it would hear me
somehow.
The hound threw his head back and began to
howl, the rest of the canines yowling with him. In
formation, they all spun around and immediately
began to attack Merrick as he continued to squawk
and peck at Khaine.
The hounds leapt up on the bird’s back,
feathers spraying all around as they gorged
themselves on its rib meat.
Merrick began to screech angrily as the
Hellhounds threatened to bring him to the ground.
Khaine was able to get his bearings and
lunged out at the stork’s beak, bear hugging it
around the middle as he pulled the beast to the
ground.
Everything shook again. Men fell over, stray
bullets flew about, and a hound even lost its balance
and crushed a man that had been standing nearby.
“Stand back.” Adam was at my side, pulling
me away from the flailing bird.
But Merrick was staying down for the time
being. He flopped around for a moment before
tossing the hounds from his body. Merrick jerked his
103
beak from Khaine’s grip and squalled into the air

like some ancient dinosaur.
He thrust out one of his wings and knocked
Khaine clear off his feet. It sounded like he had
downed a tree, as the wolfman came crashing into
the hard dancefloor.
Merrick was just about to strike again when a
green blur broke his blow.
The bird was propelled back into the far wall,
cracking the plaster from ceiling to floor.
Salome was now standing in front of Khaine,
her eyes wide with frustration as she was finally
fully coherent.
“Fuck off, Merrick!” She hollered, stomping
her booted foot on the floor.
Merrick had pulled himself out of the bird
shape indentation that he had made in the wall and
lumbered closer to Salome.
“The name…is…SHAX!!!!” An
otherworldly voice bellowed from the bird’s beak as
it screamed in Salome’s face.
“Fuck off… Shax.” Salome lunged out and
shoved the bird.
It staggered a bit, but before it had a chance
to attack, it began to molt.
Black and white feathers began to fall from
Merrick’s body like the petals of a wilted flower. He
stumbled a bit, choking, as the meat began to peel
from the bone and the ridged texture of its tall legs
sloughed off like dead skin. As the particles of its
104
Issue #4
body touched the ground, it putrefied into a goopy

green mess—Salome’s touch had caused Shax to rot.
The beak had fallen from his face as he
quacked about; his brain must have been rotting just
like the rest of him. Teeth fell like sharpened drops
of rain as the bird reeled about; his mind slowly
being eaten away by Salome’s gift.
Men stood by in horror as their leader fought
to survive, but the damage had already been done.
Salome had basically given him the kiss of death and
he was now suffering for it.
Khaine came to scoop her up as another riot
broke out.
Shax’s men were in a blind panic as their
superior now lay in a gloppy heap of demonic jelly
in the middle of the club.
They began firing their guns again as Khaine
carried Salome through the front door and I turned to
focus a few bullets back on their gunmen.
“Burn the place to the ground!” Khaine

screamed as he slipped through the door; there was
no other way to end this.
Adam gave me a very upsetting look before
holding his hands to the kindling I had created when
I collapsed the ceiling.
The room was quickly set ablaze when the
fire had reached the bar, but I couldn’t run out yet.
105
I saw the strap to Khaine’s backpack peeking

out of the rubble and slid over to it, tugging it free
from the debris.
“Let’s go!” Adam grabbed me by the back of
the shirt as a chunk of the roof collapsed inward and
landed with a splintering crash in the spot I had just
been standing in.
The two of us rushed out the door and
hopped into the bed of the truck as Henri sped away
from the fire that was now swallowing the nightclub
whole.
The fire department would be there soon and
we didn’t need to be anywhere nearby.
I spied Khaine cuddled up with Salome in the
front seat as Henri skidded out of the parking lot and
towards the highway.
We had actually made it out this alive.
Salome Vexx
106
Issue #4
The few days prior were still a blur in my

mind. What should have been us celebrating our 30th
birthday together, had turned into extortion,
bloodshed, and kidnapping.
I cuddled myself up as close to Khaine as I
could; I couldn’t possibly get any closer to him than
this. It felt right to finally be wrapped up in his arms.
That woman, Violet, she was right; Khaine
did love me. I hated that I had let Merrick’s
manipulation tactics convince me otherwise. But
Khaine knew deep down that I would choose him
over anybody.
We pulled into the Sunrise Hospital after

what seemed like only a few minutes of driving; I
had almost forgotten that Walter’s life had been in
limbo when Khaine had left to come find me.
“Just park here.” Khaine pointed at an empty
space and the man in the driver’s seat pulled in.
“Stay in the truck.” Khaine tried to slide
around me, but I went to block him.
“I need to see him too.” I wasn’t going to let
him go in there alone.
Khaine looked at me for the longest time; I’m
sure he was deliberating on whether or not to let me
come with him.
“If anyone asks, we were at a costume
party…a costume party.” Khaine leaned around the
bed of the truck to make sure Violet and the other
107
man, whose name I didn’t know, had heard him

clearly.
“A monster bash apparently,” Violet
mumbled; that elicited a smile from me.
“Just try to be discreet—I don’t know what
we will find when we go back in there.” I watched
Khaine wince as he reached for his left arm that he
had used to shield himself from Merrick…Shax…
whatever.
“That looks bad, Khaine.” I reached out to
touch it, but he pulled his arm back. That’s right—I
had the touch of death.
“I don’t think her touch will have any effect
on you.” Violet pointed out to Khaine, as the other
man jumped out of the bed of the truck and offered
his hand to her.
Khaine’s eyes sheepishly darted to me before
he spoke, “What makes you say that?”
“This.” Violet reached out to take the other
man’s hand; a hand that I had seen set a whole
nightclub on fire. Surely Violet would burn when his
hand met hers.
But there was no scorching, no burning or
screaming in pain on Violet’s part, just a gentleman
helping a friend get out of a truck.
“Adam’s fire doesn’t affect me.” Violet
walked up to Khaine to look at the gouges on his
arm.
108
Issue #4
“So, does that mean that we are immune to

one another’s abilities?” Khaine wasn’t a hundred
percent convinced.
“No, I think it’s because he doesn’t want it to
hurt me.” Violet cast Adam a knowing look. Based
on his expression, she must have been right.
“And I would never intentionally hurt you,” I
added for reassurance as I held my hand out to
Khaine.
Khaine exhaled and held his arm out to me so
I could look at it. I didn’t touch, merely observed,
because I didn’t want to give him a panic attack
before he went in to check on his grandfather.
“We can just find some bandages when we
get in the hospital; I’m sure there’s no shortage.”
Khaine wrangled everyone up and led us all towards
the front entrance.
“Excuse me, can you tell me where the

patient in room 324 is?” Khaine was pushed up
against the nurse’s desk in triage, waiting to find out
what had happened to Walter.
“They’ve taken him down to the ICU. He’s
stable, but somehow overdosed on his intravenous
109
pain medication.” The nurse looked almost scared as

she relayed the information.
“We were at a costume party.” Adam threw
the nurse a close-lipped smile.
“How was he able to overdose like that?”
Khaine was shaking as he now gripped the corners of
the desk.
“We’re not sure, but we’re looking into it. It
may have just been an accident.” She replied
nervously. Adam’s reassurance that we had been at a
costume party didn’t make the nurse any less
intimidated by Khaine’s massive frame.
I thought he was going to call the hounds in
again, but Violet stepped in front of him to speak to
the nurse instead.
“Can you just give us that room number,
please? It’s his grandfather.” Violet’s voice came out
velvety smooth which seemed to have calmed down
the increasingly terrified nurse.
The woman scribbled something down on a
sticky note and Violet thanked her before beckoning
us to follow her down to the ICU.
“Remember the part about you wanting us to

be discreet?” Violet lightly joked with Khaine,
clapping him on the back.
“I don’t understand why all of this is
happening.” Khaine hung his head and I stepped up
to handle the inevitable breakdown.
110
Issue #4
“Don’t lose it yet; we have to go see your

Grandad first.” I grabbed his hand and laced my
fingers with his.
“And I saved the rucksack.” Violet smirked,
holding up the old school bag. None of us had even
noticed that she was toting it around.
Khaine just nodded at me and let us steer him
towards his grandfather’s new hospital room.
Khaine Wolfe
I had to get it together before I walked into

the Intensive Care Unit; I wasn’t prepared to see my
Grandad like this.
He was hooked up to all these tubes with an
oxygen mask and plenty of blips and beeps from the
machines he was tethered to, but at least he was
alive.
We had to sneak our way in since it was after
visiting hours, but Henri promised that he would
111
stand guard outside while we checked on my

grandfather.
Big fat tears plopped onto the rail of the
hospital bed as I hung my head over his sleeping
form. The charts said that he had slipped into a coma
shortly after they resuscitated and stabilized him, but
they weren’t sure if he’d ever come out of it.
I felt Salome’s hand on mine as she silently
cried with me. There had been something he wanted
to tell me earlier, something that he had never gotten
the chance to say before all of this happened.
“What am I supposed to do with all of this?”

It was finally time for me to officially break down,
“We can’t go back to work looking this way, we
can’t open up the club because it’s burnt to the
ground, and now I’m going to lose my grandfather
because some dumbass nurse messed up his pain
med dosage…I don’t know where to go from here.”
I just bawled; like a big six and a half foot
baby.
Salome pulled me close to her and cried with
me; the two of us sharing a moment of grief together.
“But he’s still alive.”
I turned, wiping my puffy eyes on my sleeve.
Violet was standing next to my grandfather, intently
locked onto him with that eye. She and Adam must
have snuck in while I was lamenting over my life.
“But the nurse said that the chances of him
coming out of this are pretty slim; his body is barely
112
Issue #4
holding on.” I knew Violet was trying to give me

hope, but I had nothing left at this point.
“But what if I could fix that even if it’s just
for a moment?” Even though her eyes were void of
all color and visible emotion, I could tell that she
really thought she could.
“Violet…” Adam warned her, but she
ignored him.
“I can’t promise that I can heal him; I can’t
really promise much of anything, but…maybe you
can at least talk to him one last time?” Violet’s third
eye was shimmering with what appeared to be tears.
“I—I would love that, but—” Violet stopped
me finishing my sentence; she didn’t want to hear
the excuses.
She took my grandfather’s hand in hers and
leaned down over his face so that her third eye was
centered on the middle of his forehead.
Her eyes were closed, but the all-seeing one
opened as wide as it could while Violet whispered
something to my grandfather.
The beeping of his heart monitor skipped and
then the blips picked up as his heartbeat quickened.
My grandfather drew in a huge breath and his
eyes popped open as he gasped for air. Violet was
there to calm him, coaching him as he tried to
breathe on his own.
“Grandad.” A smile had swept across my

face amidst the tears that stained it.
113
“Kh—khaine. What—what happened?” My

grandfather coughed and it made my heart ache. He
didn’t know that he had been in a coma and he had
no idea that he wasn’t going to be ok…
“Someone accidentally gave you too much
pain medication and—and you overdosed. They
were able to bring you back, but—” I took a deep
breath and held it, “But you’re not strong enough to
recover.”
“But I’m awake.” My grandfather replied;
clearly, he wasn’t entirely lucid.
“You are…but it won’t last forever.” Violet
took over, seeing that it was hard for me to continue
talking about it. “I was able to make you conscious
long enough for you and Khaine to say goodbye.”
“You’re a very sweet girl with a strong soul;
thank you.” Grandad squeezed Violet’s hand before
she stepped away from the hospital bed and took
Adam with her as she exited the room.
“Hey, Walter.” Salome smiled, leaning over
my grandfather for a gentle hug.
“Salome,” He smiled back at her, “I’m so
glad Khaine was able to rescue you. He’s such a
good boy.” Grandad took a shaky breath and tried
not to cough.
“He really is.” Salome squeezed my
grandfather’s hand before letting me scoot my chair
in to talk to him.
“I’m so sorry, Grandad.” I started to
apologize like I always did, but he stopped me.
114
Issue #4
“Stop apologizing for things that are out of

your control, Khaine. I’ve been sick for a long time,
but it’s just now catching up to me. I lived a wild life
at times, but I also made myself a family with a wife,
kids, and grandkids that I love more than life itself.
This cancer was going to take me eventually, it’s just
happening sooner than we like.” My grandfather
patted my hand as he spoke his usual wisdom.
“I know. I’m just glad that I get to talk to you
one last time.” The tears were starting to come again,
but I swallowed them down.
“I need to tell you something—I started
before, but I never got to finish. I need to say this
before it’s too late…
Your mother foresaw this; I saw it too. That
fertility clinic did something to her. They implanted
her with some sort of special seed—a special seed
that would bring about a change in this world. We
knew there was something different about you from
the moment you were born: so smart from day one,
creative, driven. You had a path that you walked the
minute your little feet would let you.
I never expected it to be this, but that doesn’t
matter; it just means that you will have to work
harder to make a difference in the world. But I have
confidence in you, Khaine; in both of you.” My
grandfather was beginning to look a bit sallow as he
finished his speech, but he was still holding on.
115
“I will make you proud.” I nodded, mustering

my strength to continue speaking, “But I need to
know who did this to us.”
My grandfather’s expression was blank as he
focused his attention on me. He looked as if he
didn’t want to say, but he was compelled to,
knowing that he was on his deathbed.
“A medical clinic called L. Cipher
Laboratories. They specialized in fertility and
reproductive biology and came highly recommended
by your mother’s gynecologist. There wasn’t much
information on them, but every doctor she talked to
greatly endorsed their work.” My grandfather winced
and closed his eyes tight.
“Thank you. You need to rest now.” I
insisted, fluffing his pillow for him so he could lay
back.
“I love you, boy. Always remember that.” He
just nodded at me, a big grin on his face as he settled
into his pillow.
“I—I love you too.” I squeaked, closing my
eyes as the tears came again.
And then my grandfather was back in a
coma; the beeping of the heart monitor steady as he
slipped back into unconsciousness.
116
Issue #4
Adam Baudin
“I can’t believe you did that.” I was walking

side by side with Henri and Violet as we paced up
and down the halls of the ICU. There were
surprisingly not a lot of medical staff around and we
felt that it was safe to be out in the open.
“Neither can I, but it happened,” Violet
responded, shoving her hands into the deep pockets
of a worn flannel jacket.
“But you didn’t heal him…” It was half a
question and more of me needing clarity on what she
did.
“I can’t do that—I don’t think. I mean, I sort
of healed myself from that gunshot wound…but I’m
beginning to think that maybe we can’t die; at least
not that easily.” Violet had really been thinking
about things since she had taken her vacation to Las
Vegas.
“Maybe not without Holy Water and a
cross.” I joked, but I wasn’t sure it was even that
funny.
“I just wish I knew what it is that I’m doing.
Am I just super psychic or something? Telekinetic?”
It was clearly driving Violet nuts that she couldn’t
117
pin down her abilities, “Khaine summons

Hellhounds like some giant wolf overlord, Salome
literally makes things rot from the inside out, and
you—you’re a bloody dragon.” Violet got a little
excited as she talked about everyone’s new talents.
“I think I know what your power is.” Henri
chimed in, sipping from a Styrofoam coffee cup.
“You do?” Violet cocked her head to the
side, “I think that if I can put a name to what it is I
am doing, I can control it better.” Violet was more
than eager to discover what it was she had been
doing since we hit the big 3-0.
“You’re doing a rather fine job of that
already...I think that you’re altering reality.” Henri
worded it to her the same way he had with me.
“Elaborate.” Violet looked as if she
understood, but she needed more clarification.
“Ok, think of it this way—have you ever
heard of the Multiverse Theory?”
“The belief that there are countless other
worlds; parallel universes that exist at the same time
with our own?” I was going to be surprised by
Violet’s answer, but I remembered—she’s a writer.
“Exactly. Take this for example, to put it
simply— imagine that in this world, the present now,
you were asleep in your bed all the way in New
Orleans, but in a parallel world…you were out in a
field in Nevada. There are multiple paths one could
walk down in life to get them somewhere, multiple
options that you could take in any reality to be where
118
Issue #4
you are…or where you are not. I think that you can
consciously choose what world you need at that
point, what instance in time and space that would
benefit you. You make the atoms around you move
in such a way that you can make anything that you
want, happen.” Henri’s elaborated response
completely blew my mind: Violet could essentially
control everything in the known universe and then
some if she really wanted to.
“Well, that’s quite the responsibility. But I
could literally make my books come to life.” Violet
was awestruck. What a responsibility this actually
was.
“You could, but we have bigger fish to fry.”
Henri lightly berated her.
“Of course.” Violet was tight-lipped as we
continued to walk.
“Not that I wouldn’t do the same—but why
were you so stuck on staying here and helping these
people?” It was a question I had been meaning to ask
her all day.
“Because they’re like us; they deserve the
right to exist just as much as we do. I couldn’t stand
seeing them lose their lives, even more clueless than
we are about what happened to them. I saw the
opportunity to help, and I did.” Violet’s explanation
was succinct.
“But you did more than that—you went out
of your way to test a power you can’t quite control
yet to make sure that a man you don’t know got to
119
talk to his grandfather one last time. That’s a big step

out for someone you’d never even met before
today.” My statement was slightly convoluted, but I
think she got it.
“Because—because I know what it’s like to
not be able to say goodbye.” Violet was blunt again.
I wanted to ask her to go on, to tell me who
she never got to tell goodbye…but I already knew
she was talking about her mother.
“You’re a good person, Violet; you know
that?” I slung my arm around her shoulders and
surprisingly, she let me.
“That means a lot; thank you.” I could hear
the emotion in her voice as she walked just a little
closer to me.
“I wonder if Khaine got to ask his
grandfather about what he wanted to say earlier.
Before all the chaos he told Khaine that he needed to
tell him something.” I thought back to the hospital
room earlier before we had even gone to rescue
Salome.
“He should have enough time to tell him.
What happened exactly while I was gone at the
farmhouse?” Violet hadn’t been filled in on that little
part of our adventure.
“We talked with his grandfather a bit when
the nurse came in to administer his medication and
take his vitals. Khaine and I went out for a smoke
and when we came back, his grandfather was flat-
120
Issue #4
lining.” Khaine and I were just as much in the dark

as everyone else.
“Where was the nurse? The one that came to
take his vitals?” I could tell that the wheels in
Violet’s head were turning.
“I don’t think I saw her in the room when we
got back.” I hadn’t, at least not to my recollection.
“Did you get a name at least?” I could see
that Violet was hoping for something to go off of.
“Heaven. Her name was Heaven.” That much
I did remember.
Violet began to speed up down the hall,
“Then let’s see if we can find Heaven.”
Violet Eve
“Excuse me…excuse me!” I was trying to get

the attention of a nurse whose back was to me as he
jammed out with his headphones on.
121
I ran my hand down my face out of

impatience and then just willed him to be attentive.
“Can I help you?” He smiled at me, looking a

tad confused as we came face to face.
“Yes, do you have the ability to check and
see who administers medication to which patients?” I
tapped my nails on the desk. I’m sure my purple
complexion was clouding his ability to think, but he
responded after a few seconds.
“We can. Nurses have to mark all of that
down when they do their rounds so we can be sure
that everyone gets what they need.” He raised an
eyebrow, knowing that another question was
coming.
“Could you tell me what nurse was handling
room 324 on the night shift?” I leaped with that
question. I didn’t think that he would tell me, so I
altered his perception.
He took one look at my very unofficial FBI
badge I just happened to be holding and quickly
responded.
“Yes, just hold on one second while I pull it
up.” He sat down in front of the computer and began
to type.
Adam was trying as hard as he could not to
laugh as he and Henri hung back by some waiting
chairs.
“What was the patient’s name?” He asked,
poised to type.
122
Issue #4
“Uh, Walter—Walter—” I didn’t know

Khaine’s last name.
“Wolfe. His last name is Wolfe.” Henri
hissed at me. He mouthed that he had seen it on the
chart at the door.
“Wolfe. Walter Wolfe.” I felt like an idiot.
“Oh, he’s here in the ICU now. It says that
his last round of medication was right before an—
apparent overdose—and it says that the nurse on call
was a Josephine Davidson.” The man turned the
screen so I could see. Adam and Henri now
approached the desk to read what the roster said.
“I see. Has anyone approached her about the
overdose to see why she administered too much pain
medication?” I bit the inside of my cheek; I knew the
nurse was lying about her name.
“That’s the problem we ran into; we can’t
seem to find her.” The nurse looked worried that I
was going to arrest him for obstruction of justice or
something.
“As in she must have left the building?” How
could they let her just slip away like that?
“No, as in she doesn’t seem to exist. There is
no record of her being hired on here, or anywhere
that the police could find…I don’t know how anyone
ever let her take a shift.” The nurse puckered his lips
in worry.
“Thank you very much for your help.” I
nodded at him and led Adam and Henri back down
the hallway towards Walter’s hospital room.
123
“Josephine Davidson? Why would she give

Walter a fake name like Heaven?” Adam was trying
to unravel the mystery, but I had already done that.
“Because neither of those are her actual
name,” I marched down the hall, quickly
approaching the hospital room, “Josephine
Davidson? Know anything about Catholicism?”
“Henri does; I tend to steer clear of organized
religion.” Adam threw his hands up.
“Go on.” Henri butted in between Adam and
me.
“St. Joseph: the foster father of Jesus, the son
of David, the patron Saint of the dying?” I broke it
down simply for all parties.
“Holy fuck.” Henri stopped in the middle of
the hallway and Adam almost collided with him.
“I think she was another Angel of Death.” I
dropped a big bomb on the company around me and
it did indeed blow their minds.
“Why though? Why are these Angels coming
after us?” Adam was starting to look a little unsettled
with my mystery solving.
“A better question is why she tried to kill
Khaine’s grandfather but didn’t attack Khaine or
you,” I suggested that if one had come to kill us
before, you’d think they’d try again, given the right
opportunity.
“I don’t know. I have no earthly idea; all I
know is that this is really starting to get bizarre. I
124
Issue #4
guess if we are Demon babies or whatever, it makes

sense that an Angel would want to kill us… but not
Walter.” Adam was just as wary about it as I was.
We had just gotten to the room when the door
opened and Khaine walked out with Salome by his
side.
His eyes were puffy as he let her direct him
out into the hall.
“Khaine.” I went to approach him, but I

could see that it wasn’t a good time.
“We had to call the nurse in because his
blood pressure dropped and then his heart rate fell. A
doctor came instead and said that there wasn’t much
they could do. He passed a few minutes ago.”
Salome tried to be strong as she spoke, but her voice
was shaky.
“I’m so sorry.” I started to tear up myself; I
understood this all too well.
“I don’t really want to talk right now.”
Khaine finally spoke, but it was broken between
sniffles.
“You don’t have to say anything. Why don’t
you come back to the motel with us and stay the
night, then head home tomorrow.” I offered. Clearly,
neither one of them were in the right mindset to
drive.
“Thank you.” Salome accepted for the both
of them and we gathered ourselves to head away
125
from all the death we had encountered since arriving

in Las Vegas.
June 8th, 2016
Khaine Wolfe
I was more than grateful that Violet had

found us. It may not have been the best of situations
for any of them to come into, but we needed
someone and they were there.
Our goodbyes before going our separate
ways the next morning were sort of bittersweet. Even
though Salome and Violet had only spoken a few
brief times since they met, they seemed to have
really bonded.
I felt that I had found a friend in both Adam
and Henri; it was nice to have others who understood
what we were going through.
126
Issue #4
We exchanged numbers and addresses so we

could keep in contact and Violet even managed to
remember Salome’s stuffed cat that she had rescued
from the wreckage.
Their group took off towards the airport
while Salome and I headed back to the ranch. We
had all the hidden assets my grandfather had given to
me and a new lease on life. As grief-stricken as I
was, my grandfather’s love had made it just a little
bit easier to cope.
He didn’t hold back when he told me what he
knew about my conception; about L. Cipher Labs.
And then there was the rogue nurse that Violet
clarified to be some sort of Angel of Death…which I
guess made us Demons. I still didn’t really know
anything.
But I hadn’t disclosed to Violet and the
others about what my grandfather had told me; I
wanted to handle that on my own.
I was going to track down this lab by myself,
if it still existed, and find out what I could so that we
were one step ahead of whoever engineered us…and
they’d never see me coming.
This DNA that we all shared, the DNA of a
race that the masses feared and the few didn’t
believe in…was demonic in origin. At least that’s
what it looked like to me.
There was more that the four of us didn’t get
to discuss, but I figured I would leave that for a later
time…
127
This wouldn’t be the last time we would see

them.
667
Children of the Beast
Issue #4
“Good vs. Evil”
Next Issue:
#5
“Friend or Foe”
128

667 Issue 4

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

667 Issue 4

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

667

Children of the Beast

All Rights Reserved

June 5th, 2016

It was just like any other night. I had gotten

“You haven’t packed already?” The door to

“Always last minute.” Khaine breezed past

“Quit fiddling with the radio.” Khaine gently

What wasn’t he telling me? We told each

“This place is finally going to be yours.” I

“I did. I had to. They were going to take

I awoke when I felt the car decrease in speed.

“What’s going on?” I was groggy as I rolled

friendship, he was the one with the feelings; I was

Khaine’s hands were tearing at his hair as he

Screams began to echo as I raked my nails all

June 5th, 2016

I didn’t mean to piss her off; she just wasn’t

almost midnight, almost the hour where Salome and

“What’s going on?” She asked groggily as

“Yeah. Happy birthday, Khaine.” Salome

my glasses off my face and blindly tossed them at

I was seizing aggressively with no control

I woke up to the sound of the horn blaring.

amazed that I could perfectly see the detail in the

My body twisted in the seat as I attempted to

and, surprisingly, the whole thing came off and

June 6th, 2016

“What is going on in here?” Josiah burst

Josiah looked sheepish, but tried to hold his

Adam and myself, as well as who my attacker was.”

The cat was out of the bag now…I would

“What are the odds, though? You were born

two of you on the right.” Josiah pointed at the

“Do you need anything?” I asked Violet as

“Ok. Goodnight, Violet.” I had this sudden

June 6th, 2016

I know that he was just trying to be nice, but

before securing it with a bone comb I found on the

was attacked on my way back to Missy’s. Was that

I had no idea who these people were; two

Everything after this point seemed to speed

The driver’s door blasted from its hinges and

“Merrick.” I could hear a rumbling coming

I woke up in the middle of a field of

Where was I? What fucking state was I in? I

“I am—I was. Nate, just please…give me his

“Wait—you’re not here? Josiah is not going

“Nevada, sweetheart.” The woman winked at

“It’s a payphone…that I made. I think.” I

June 7th, 2016

The bullet went clean through my thigh; it

They had Salome. Merrick had Salome and

When I got to the cabin, I let myself in and

I washed my face a few times, hoping that it

A cigarette sounded really good right about

to go without one of the two things that could help

I saw the hill only a few yards away; that

June 7th, 2016

“We have a big problem.” I burst into the

background mention Eureka,” I assured Jackie that

“Hello?” Her voice sounded muffled on the

“Fuck.” Her last word was almost inaudible.