by Joshua Chou
By: Joshua Chou
Copyright © 2018 Joshua A. Chou
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons — living or dead — is entirely coincidental.
ISBN:
ISBN-978-0-9835591-5-3
DEDICATION
Dedicated to Richard
For being the helpful nerd that he is
Contents
Chapter 1 - The One-Two Punch
Chapter 2 - Emergence
Chapter 3 –Bad Promises
Chapter 4 –Mice and Men
Chapter 5 –Hunting
Chapter 6 –The True Self
Chapter 7 –In Memoriam
Chapter 8 –Need to Talk
Chapter 9 –Lurking in the Dark
Chapter 10 –Winston’s Wraith
Chapter 11 - Recovery
Chapter 12 –The Truth
Chapter 13–Initiation Day
Chapter 14 - Succession
Chapter 15–Acid Test
Chapter 16–Gray Pills
Chapter 17–Black Mist
Chapter 18–Hook, LIne, and Sinker
Chapter 19 - Absolution
Chapter 20 - Weakness
Chapter 21 –Re-Emergence
Chapter 22–Demon’s Den
Chapter 23–Runaway Train
Chapter 24–The Hunt Begins
A human being is only breath and shadow
-Sophocles, Philosopher, Ancient Greece
Chapter 1 - The One-Two Punch
Before anyone had any semblance of control of the New World, there was fear.
Salem was plagued with horrific visions and evils of the night. While most reached to their holy books for salvation, the more desperate people turned to violence.
The settlers then resorted to burning people at the stake and to drowning to “purge” evil from their town. Their methods were barbaric to say the least, even if they reduced demonic activity.
News quickly spread to the other towns. New Amsterdam took the news most harshly. The people feared that this savagery would rip their own civilization apart. They needed to find better methods to fight the threat of the Wraiths.
In the wake of the Salem Witch Trials, the founders of Elysium University taught a technique called Sol: a person’s inner spirit given physical form. Though temporary, the Sol served as the cleanest method to combat the creatures of the night.
They were also best for combating Wraiths.
Wraiths, on the other hand, were disgusting creatures. They disguised themselves as humans and imitated them perfectly. No one would know until they had a full set of sharp teeth ripping through their flesh.
Their first recorded emergence happened in the 17th century in Europe. Over time sightings were reported around the world in different cultures. Today they were always lurking in the dark, and the people had good reason to fear the monsters hiding in human clothing.
The general public didn’t know where Wraiths came from. But the truth wouldn’t sit well in their collective stomachs.
They came in many forms, all of which barely looked anything like an animal from earth. Wraiths were always lurking, from the darkest corner to the back of the car.
They knew how to get under your skin both figuratively and literally. Wraiths used human flesh to become solid and for nourishment.
For Ethan, they needed to be slain. He also needed that A.X.E.L. license as soon as possible.
If anyone wanted to work as a Wraith hunter, they would have to earn an Anti Xenospecies Extermination License from Elysium University, or EU for short.
Plenty of pressure was on Ethan’s shoulders. His family expected him to earn that license, and he had to really work for it before graduation.
The usual routine was designed to ease all aspirants into the business. If an aspiring Wraith hunter were to declare their intent, like Ethan did while applying, one would receive a schedule that required nightly patrols.
This was a paid internship, where you were expected not to lose any appendages to hungry Wraiths. During curfew hours, Ethan worked with his assigned team. Normally they were to do the rounds in their assigned part of town.
But tonight they were short-handed. The North Precinct needed Ethan’s district, the West Precinct, to cover this part of town tonight.
In other news, Ethan wasn’t feeling particularly energetic after submitting the penultimate project for his Econ class. But here he was about to exorcise some monsters.
If one were looking up, they wouldn’t see Ethan blending in with the night sky. His jet black hair was cut short and gelled back to remove any chance loose hairs would dangle over his face.
He wore the gray/blue uniform all EU trainees had to wear on the job; a Kevlar vest wrapped around his jumper, with the label A.X.E.L. painted on his back.
An earpiece hooked up to a small radio nested itself on a strap on his right arm. The NYPD patch was pinned to his chest, just to show he was one of the good guys-in-training.
No sense in other people getting in the way of an agent of the law. He needed as much swinging room as he could.
They’re almost here, he thought.
Ethan took a sharp breath. He held his curved sword and waited for the green light. He really didn’t want to fight tonight, but he might have to in a minute.
He made sure it cast no shadows below him. His orders were to keep watch while his supervisors engaged first.
Typical.
They wouldn’t want the kid swinging his sword yet.
“How many are we looking at?” asked a deep voice over his earpiece.
“Pack of three,” said a woman in the call.
Ethan listened to it all. He stayed atop a roof to keep watch of the chase across the street.
The night air was otherwise warm for autumn, but the chill was really of his doing. A vacant sky dangled a single star and a moon above the city. This was the best time to track down Wraiths because they would emerge from the woodwork to try finding prey.
“You’re clear,” said Ethan.
“Engaging,” said the woman.
Tires screeched. Their engine revved up to maximum speed. While he couldn’t see it, Ethan knew a chase was going underway.
A low rumble shook the ground, the march of large animals rushing away from danger. These were their targets: Wraiths.
Ethan pressed his earpiece harder into his ear. He never liked wearing the things. They were always too big for him, but he needed to make sure he and his team were on the same page.
“Four more!” shouted a gruff man.
“I see ‘em!” the woman retorted.
Bang! The sound of thunder shot through the night. Gunshots in the distance. Someone was opening fire. Ethan kept his eyes where he knew the car was driving.
The Wraiths had few places they could run from Main Street.
“We have a straggler coming your way,” said the woman. She was in charge but put plenty of trust in Ethan.
The alley below Ethan’s nesting spot was open except for a dumpster. If the straggler was coming, this was a good place for it to hide.
Plenty of shadows covered the business that could have gone down in this alley. But something lurked in the cover of night. Ethan spotted it coming his way.
“I see it,” he said.<
br />
The Wraith was on ground level. It was a hideous creature born from human flesh and sin. The torso remained “human,” but this Wraith grew new claws and a stinger tail to become the ugliest variety of scorpion on Earth. And it looked hungry.
The Scorpion Wraith clicked its teeth together to find prey. It sniffed the ground and turned its eyes to a dumpster across the alley.
Ethan peered over the roof to look at the Wraith. If the creature wasn’t spooked, he could ambush it from his position. Ethan reached for the hilt of his weapon. But something caught his eye.
There was a woman hiding behind a dumpster. From the looks of it, she was caught outside during the citywide curfew. Anyone not indoors during that time was prey for Wraiths.
From the looks of it she was rushing home after an emergency run to the pharmacy. A plastic bag of medicine was in her hands. Unfortunately, this woman didn’t get to a shelter in time, but it was too late for that now. The Wraith was right across the alley from her.
She wouldn’t make it. This woman was frozen with fear. The Wraith was also in the way.
Ethan took a deep breath. It was something his mentor taught him to do before a fight. He would be at his best with fresh oxygen going through his brain.
Now Ethan had to draw the attention of the man-eating Wraith to save her.
“Perfect,” said Ethan. He unsheathed his sword and closed his eyes. Reaching into the deepest part of his mind, he summoned his inner spirit.
A biting chill took over Ethan’s body, but this was the price to pay for summoning his Sol. He condensed the water in the air quickly to freeze a needle projectile.
THWACK. A shard of ice formed at Ethan’s eye level and shot out like a bullet. The new projectile planted itself close to the Scorpion Wraith’s face.
This was a warning shot. The Scorpion Wraith looked up.
Ethan rose and stood above the Wraith. Behind him was Gabriel, his guardian spirit. Gabriel was Ethan’s Sol, and it was ready to fight alongside its host.
In the pale moonlight, Ethan was dressed to impress for a modern police officer. Hair trimmed short and slicked to a clean cut. The badge over his chest showed he was ready for a fight.
Gabriel, on the other hand, was clad in metal armor and a full chrome helmet. Blue streaks of energy streaked along Gabriel’s body. Despite appearing more “heroic,” the ice spirit was itching to do some damage. It mimicked Ethan’s pose and placed its hand on its own sword.
“Looking for someone?” asked Ethan.
The Scorpion Wraith shrieked. It used its appendages to scurry up the side of the building to attack Ethan. Ethan motioned, and so did Gabriel.
Shards of ice materialized and fired at the Wraith. Some hit their mark, but the Wraith was fast.
The Wraith reached the top of the roof and swung for Ethan’s legs. Ethan darted back and countered with his sword. Gabriel whipped out his own short sword and they attacked in unison. If the Wraith swung at Gabriel, Ethan attacked, and vice versa.
But the monster wised up and made a wide swing to hit both. Ethan tripped over the sweeping appendage and hit the ground with a thud. The Wraith raised its stinger and brought it down.
Gabriel used his free hand to make a barrier of ice around Ethan. The stinger was caught in the new formation.
Ethan rolled back onto his feet. He vaulted over the protective wall and brought his blade down on the Wraith. The Scorpion Wraith shrieked even louder, but it was too late.
Ethan pulled out a small piece of paper from his pocket. On it was an exorcism rune with archaic etchings burned onto its surface. He brought it down on the Wraith’s forehead.
A flash of light filled the whole rooftop. Ethan looked away. The light faded as the holy fire burned the wicked creature away from the inside out. Ethan turned his eyes away to not burn out his retinas from staring at the light.
He had won.
What remained of the Wraith was nothing but its host. The host was a man with his sleeves and trousers destroyed by transforming into such a horrid creature, but his body was returned to its natural state.
From the look of his ill-fitting suit, this must have been a salaryman before he turned. Every Wraith needed a host to survive, no matter how pathetic they appeared. They had to possess a human to have a body to use a shell of flesh and bone, or else they were non-physical spirits.
But was the salaryman still alive?
Ethan rolled the man over on his back. He checked for a pulse. Nothing. Ethan dismissed Gabriel, and it faded into dust that disappeared into thin air.
“Did you get it?” asked the woman.
“Yeah, he’s down,” said Ethan. He rubbed his hands together to put some heat back into his fingers.
“The rest of the herd has been dealt with. I’m afraid we lost two hosts.”
Ethan took a look at the salary man’s face. He opened the eyelids. Both eyeballs rolled back into their sockets and showed no sign of rolling back into position.
“The Wraith ate this host too,” said Ethan.
“Three hosts,” the woman said with a grunt. ”But it could’ve been worse. Now get some rest. You have a game tomorrow, don’t you?”
Ethan walked back to his sheath and put away his sword. He checked down to the alleyway. The woman who hid before was gone now, evidently hiding from the monster that chased him up.
It wasn’t exactly Ethan’s priority to find her, but at least she wasn’t dead.
***
Ethan could barely breathe.
The air in the court was hot and stuffy. Even after changing into the team jersey, he was feeling overheated and nearing his limit.
Sweat beaded down his head and neck. But he had no time to worry about appearances. The home team, his team, was about to lose.
This game had been going for too long, and he hadn’t had a chance to stop since halftime. His heart pounded harder than a Wraith hitting him in the chest, and he was at his wit’s end.
Two basketball hoops hung overhung overhead. A scoreboard ticked away at the last thirty seconds of the game. The court seemed longer the more Ethan kept tiring himself out.
The entire game, shoes screeched across the wooden floor as players maneuvered around each other. Loud cheers from the bleachers dulled out all other sounds.
The visiting team was one point ahead, and they needed to score at least two points to win.
But who could make it?
Ethan’s basketball team was dangerously close to losing. They needed one good shot to change that.
The ball went up into the air once more. Ethan dashed forward. He swept and took the ball. The other player tried to get it back, but Ethan twisted his body to avoid that. He ran for the basketball hoop.
A sense of dread came over him. Ethan couldn’t shoot for his life. Especially not under these conditions.
“Ethan!” shouted a voice. “Pass it to me!”
Ethan turned his head sharply. He knew that voice. Hector Wright, someone else on his team, was in position. But was he in the game this whole time? Or did he get subbed in while Ethan wasn’t looking?
Ethan didn’t have time to consider that. He passed the ball to Hector.
Fifteen seconds left. An enemy player intercepted Hector.
Ten seconds. Hector darted around and rushed past the half court line. Ethan held his breath.
Five seconds. Hector made it to the three point line. He kept running.
Hector shot. The ball soared in an arc up in the air until it sunk through the hoop. Cheers erupted from the audience as the final score came in: 19 to 18.
The horns blared. Time was up. Hector just won with the final shot. The game was over.
Ethan finally slowed to a halt and bent over to catch his breath. He peeked out of the corner of his eye to see Hector shine with glee.
Hector threw his arms in the air and hollered with all the energy he had. The crowd cheered harder.
“What now?” Hector yelled. “What now?”
Ethan mustered a smile at the scene, despite what he was actually feeling.
Chapter 2 - Emergence
The next morning, Ethan finally felt the soreness.
As with all intense sports, the pressure of doing one’s best seemingly acted like a painkiller. Now that the thrill was gone, Ethan could feel all the muscles that he pushed too far.
His calves, thighs, upper back, and shoulders ached from overuse. How hard was he pushing himself that night? Patrols usually didn’t take this much energy out of him.
But how hard was I going? Ethan wondered to himself. He peeled his face out of his pillow and adjusted his eyes.
This was the West Dorm; the cheapest one Ethan could afford. For a university half as old as America, it had some of the least glamorous dorms out of all East Coast campuses. He was only allowed a school-issued wardrobe, chair, cot, and desk for furniture.
His room was lit by fluorescent lights straight from the dentist’s office. All the walls were lined with cinderblocks and no drywall.
No one was allowed to put up decorations or their own furniture, and cameras in the corners kept tabs on all students if they broke the house rules.
The most decorations Ethan could manage were the trinkets he kept in his wardrobe, and even those had to be hidden behind closed doors most of the time. These were small toys and Gundam models: mementos of the little free time and hobbies he could afford before coming to this school.
Wonder when the next model is coming in? Ethan wondered. Sometime next week?
The smell was probably the worst part about his dorm room: it was his odor.
Ethan’s room lacked any ventilation during the colder months, as the West Dorm wasn’t rich enough to afford to ventilate fresh air.
As such, his filthy jersey still hung off his wardrobe and permeated the air with condensed sweat and grit. Well, that and the pile of laundry he had yet to begin washing.
A grating electronic sound pierced the room. He looked to his phone. An alarm was going off, and he had an hour to get ready for the morning lecture.