• Eyes: Chapter One



    Detective Ethan Trotter stepped out of the auditorium, shaking his head with a scowl.

    "Another one, huh...?" he muttered, glaring at no one in particular. In one motion, he pulled off his gloves, the white latex stained crimson, and threw them in the nearest waste receptacle. With a pained groan, the detective shoved open the blue aluminum doors in front of him, walking out onto the sidewalk. "This is getting old..."

    - - -

    "School's cancelled?"

    An explosive cheer erupted from the crowd, making Seth jump in surprise. The mass of students gathered out in front of the school started chattering away in excitement, leaving the poor teacher trying to get information for them unable to speak. Before she could get them to quiet themselves, the crowd began to split off and walk away, no longer caring about whatever was going on.

    In a matter of minutes, Seth was one of only a few still waiting to figure out what to do. As the teacher confronted the officers standing guard at the door, a soft voice gently sighed in exasperation.

    "Jeez..."

    Seth turned his head, searching for the source of the voice. A girl caught his eye, her short black hair falling in front of her eyes as she looked on at the doors in... worry? Fear? It was hard to tell what she was feeling behind those crystal blue eyes, but regardless, something was bothering her.

    "Is something wrong?" Seth said with a small smile, stepping towards her.

    She turned to look at him, redness rising to her cheeks. "Ah... no, it's just..." She looked back at the school.

    Seth scratched the side of his head, running his fingers through his sandy-blonde hair. The girl was too shy to tell him what was upsetting her, but something was clearly wrong.

    After a moment, he spoke up again. "Did you leave something in there?"
    She nodded, blushing almost luminescently. "My... backpack..." she said in a near-whisper.

    "Hmmm..." That wasn't good. The police had the place locked down, for whatever reason. Guess I have no choice, Seth thought, crossing his arms. "Come on, let's go." He started walking towards the blockade, somewhat surprised to notice her following meekly behind him without a word.

    As expected, they were stopped. "No one's allowed inside," an officer announced, holding up a hand.

    "Yes, I gathered that," the boy said with a smirk, "but my friend here needs to go in and get her books."

    The policeman glared down at Seth. "That's too bad. There's a crime scene in there, and we're not to let anyone through."

    Seth sighed audibly. "I know how these things work, officer. However..." He peeked past the officer, making a big show of looking around. "I don't see any yellow tape around here, or anywhere past those windows. So the scene must be somewhere else in the building, correct?" Taking the twitch of the officer's mustache for a yes, he continued. "Of course, you are only following proper procedure. But, if by some chance that you've cordoned off just an inch or two more than you should, you wouldn't want anyone giving you trouble about that, would you? Especially not anyone like... District Attorney Logan, for example."

    The officer's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, sure, 'cause the DA spends all his time listening to random kids complaining."

    With a grin, Seth focused his gaze on the policeman. "True, but I'm sure he has plenty of time to listen to his son's complaints, Officer..." He looked over the badge hanging on the man's shirt. "...Boles, is it?"

    He stiffened. After a moment, and a quick exchange of glances with the officer at the other side of the blockade, he finally dipped his head. "Fine, kid. Just stay away from the tape, and make it quick."

    "Sure thing," Seth said. "We'll be in and out before you know it." He strolled past the barricades, the shy girl at his heels as they walked up to the school.

    - - -

    "Is this it?" Seth motioned to a pale purple backpack, hanging from a chair.
    The girl's eyes visibly brightened. "Y-yeah!" She picked it up, hugging it to her chest. "Thank you... for all of this."

    He smiled. "It's no trouble, ummm..."

    "Oh!" The redness ran back to her cheeks. "I... I'm Hannah."

    "Seth," he replied. With a smile, the boy extended his hand. "Nice to meet you, Hannah."

    Hannah hesitated, then took his hand gently. "It's... nice to meet you too, Seth..."

    Seth chuckled, looking around slowly. Outside the classroom, a flash of bright yellow caught his eye. "Hey, is that...?" Trailing off, he rushed out into the hall, turning the corner where he had seen it.

    "Ah!" Hannah's soft voice shot up in surprise. "Wh-where are you going?" Her soft footsteps rounded the hall as she followed after him. As she caught up, she extended a hand towards him, then froze.

    "Terrible..." Seth whispered, shock darkening his voice. Just past a boundary of yellow tape before them, the doors to the auditorium stood wide open.

    Beyond the doors, lying on the floor, sat a massive, bloody mess of a corpse.

    Bile rose to Seth's mouth. The body seemed to be lying on its back, but it was
    impossible to tell with how brutally it had been torn apart. A gaping hole was ripped in its chest, extending all the way down to where its stomach was. Shreds of intestines and other organs were scattered all around, coated in a giant splatter of blood. It was almost as if something had exploded out of this person's body.

    Just past the body, in jagged, crimson letters… the word “GUILTY” scorched the ground in accusation.

    After minutes of silence, words finally sputtered out of his mouth. "H-how... who could do this?"

    "He probably deserved it."

    The words seemed to echo through the hall, falling flat on Seth's ears. He turned around to Hannah, whose eyes had turned blank and lifeless after uttering the words.

    "What?" Seth blinked, searching for words. "Hannah, what do you-"

    "Don't you agree?" She tilted her head questioningly, her eyes narrowing. "People are such fools and hypocrites... This one probably just got what was coming to him, that's all." She shrugged, looking at the scene with complete and total apathy.

    Seth dropped his mouth in shock, looking at the girl before him. Her countenance had changed completely. The quiet, shy girl who he had met outside had vanished completely. At a total loss for words, he could only watch as she continued.

    "People go around their lives, stepping on anyone they want to, tearing the lives of others apart with every act they make. All to further themselves, or to pursue their ridiculous passions. It makes me want to puke," she snarled, gritting her teeth.

    "How can this stupid, broken race be chosen above us?"

    Seth's eyes shot open. "You're not Hannah."

    A cackle shot from Hannah's lips. "Very astute, child. When did you figure it out? When I practically spelled it out for you?"

    "Who are you?" he yelled, forcing his voice to steady. "Did you do this?"

    Suddenly, a flash of light split Seth's vision. He winced, putting an arm over his face. As the light faded, he directed his vision back towards Hannah, feeling his heart pounding through every inch of his body.

    What he saw chilled his blood to the bone.

    A transparent face was overlaid on top of Hannah's pale, soft features. Jagged, reptilian scales covered its skin, but its eyes looked nearly human. They shone bright red, glowering with hatred towards Seth.

    After a moment, the creature opened its mouth, and Hannah's mouth shot open in sync. "You can see me, can't you?" A rage-filled, growling voice spoke up along with the monster's host's voice. "Interesting... your gift is unusual, son of man." The last three words were spat out, as if intended as an insult. "You could be troublesome if you keep those eyes of yours."

    Seth stumbled backwards, his feet slipping out from underneath him. "What... what..."

    The creature - and Hannah, by extension - grinned with unearthly hate, taking a step forward. "How lucky am I? One of the few capable of getting in our way, and you just walk into my lap. It's fortunate you're a sucker for a pretty face, boy."

    Suddenly, a high-pitched scream erupted from Hannah's mouth. Seth looked on in shock, but then noticed something; the creature possessing her wasn't making the scream. Its face was twisted in a snarl.

    "Shut up, you little brat!" The being drove her fist into her own stomach. "Wretch! Whore! Stop resisting!" Obscenities started pouring from the demon's mouth, but not from Hannah's. "You have no right! You asked for this! You... are... mine!"

    The scream kept intensifying, despite the attempts to stop it. Black smoke suddenly shot out of her mouth, filling the air with darkness.

    "NO!" The creature roared, but it was no use. Its face was torn from Hannah's, sent into the swirling, dark mist. Within seconds, the smoke was gone, disappeared to wherever it came from. Its former host collapsed, panting gently.

    Seth looked on in horror and awe, watching her lay there in a heap, her body rising and falling steadily. "H-hannah?" he whispered softly.

    She opened her eyes slowly, a smile gracing her face. "Seth?" she gasped, trying to sit up. "Are you... okay?"

    Her body wobbled, and she fell forward, but an arm caught her on her way down. Seth held her slender figure to him, one hand behind her head. "Idiot..." he muttered, somehow forcing a smile. "Of course not. But we're both alive..." His eyes fell upon the remains from before, and he shuddered. That could have been him... or, would it have been her?

    "Yeah..." She buried her head in his shoulder, her panting turning to sobs. "I'm so sorry..."

    "Shhhh..." He held her tight. "Everything's fine," he lied, feeling something shift in his vision. Was it just his imagination? He shook it from his mind, holding her close. "It's alright now."