Intro

I live in a place called Phantom Hills, and my town is kind of a magnet for the supernatural. And if you haven't guessed already, I'm not that natural either.

My name is Tyler Docks and this is the story of how I died.

Animal or Man?

"Tyler." a woman's voice echoed in my head, "Tyler wake up!"

I opened my eyes just enough to see my surroundings. And the six foot physics teacher yelling at me through his big yellow teeth, "Mr. Docks, would you like to be excused from my class?"

"Uh, no sir." I said sitting up straight, Mr. Deacon's eye twitched furiously in anger.

"Good! Now where was I?" he said walking away from me back to the black board writing down science nonsense.

My eyes felt heavy again but this time my friend Quinton stopped me from falling asleep again, "Dude, did you get any sleep last night?"

"No." I said rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"What were you doing? I know you weren't studying." Q said from behind me staring straight forward acting like he's paying attention to the board.

"I was just, thinking. I don't know." I said trying to shake the subject off because that was the most horrible lie I have ever told anyone. The truth was I had been hearing things, voices really and they were starting to freak me out. I know it sounds crazy, but that's how I felt. I thought maybe I should tell someone about them but what was the point, they would just send me to an insane asylum to rot.

"Well maybe you should start to think about math because we have a test." Q said packing his things just as the bell rang.

The voices still talked in my head as I walked with Q to the next class. I try to act as normal as possible but sometimes crazy catches up with me. The noise shot through me like bullets, they were so loud I thought my ears would bleed.

When this would happen I could either blame it on not taking my medication or I have a bad migraine. Either worked but migraine was less crazy and I was trying not to be.

"Hey, I got a bad headache. Would you tell Mrs. Newtone I don't feel good." I told Q rubbing my forehead but really I want to cover my ears and scream.

"Yeah sure, but Ty." he said with a sympathetic look on his face, "What's really going on?"

I thought about telling him, he knows I have a history of mental problems. But now was not the right time, not until I know what's really happening.

"I'll tell you later okay." I told him and patted him on the shoulder, I turned around and headed for the office.

I sat in one of the waiting chairs with my hands covering my ears, it didn't help but I would try anything.

"Mr. Docks." the receptionist said, "Tyler!"

I looked up at her and said, "Sorry."

"It's okay darlin. Did you want me to call your mom?" she asked in the kindest voice, her name was Sally and she had short curly hair up to her shoulders, her soft blue eyes told me she cared. Sally and I are friends she says just because I come in about once a week, usually I'm sent home but other times I choose to stay.

"Um, no. I have a test in an hour. Do you think I could just lay down in the nurse's office for a bit?" I asked her quietly, I needed to make sure I didn't yell over the voices in my head, it makes for an awkward conversation even if I can't hear myself taking.

"Sure thing, honey. Go ahead on back, Page should be back in a bit." Sally said then returned back to her work.

"Thanks." I said then headed back into the dark room. I turned on the light, I didn't think anyone was back there until I heard a girl scream.

"Please, please. Turn it off!" she yelled, I was surprised no one else heard it.

I shut it off quickly, "Sorry, I didn't know anyone was in here."

There was no reply except a groan of annoyance.

"Are you alright?" I asked her trying to find my way through the poor lit room. I ran into one of the beds and sat down. The voices basically screamed in my head and I had to lay down in agony.

I saw the girl's figure sit up, she had long dark hair and bright blue eyes that seemed to shine through the darkness.

"Are you okay?" she asked me looking me up and down.

I barely made out what she said, and practically yelled at her, "Am I okay?"

"You know what? Nevermind then." she said like I offended her, well at least I didn't mean to.

I lowered my voice and sat up, "Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"Forget it."

"I-" I was going to explain why I yelled but I didn't even know, "What's your name?"

"None of your business." she told me.

"Well, I'm Tyler." I said rubbing my head, the voices were calming down.

I couldn't really tell what they were saying but it was something along the lines of "Heaves lines of defence are losing. We need him, Cassandra."

And I have no idea what the man was talking about but a woman's voice answered, "He is not ready yet. He doesn't know his own strength. He doesn't even know who he is."

"Tyler?" the girl sitting across from me said.

"Sorry, what?" I replied, she must have been talking while I was zoned out.

"My name's Jackie." she said, "You can turn on the lights if you want."

I stood up and flipped on the lights. I looked at Jackie and she was wearing a blue plaid shirt with casual jeans on.

She looked at me confusingly, "Are you sure you're okay?"

The voices stopped when one said, "Could he be listening now?"

"Yeah, totally sane." she looked at me sceptically but shrugged it off so I continued talking, "How about you? Headache?"

"Umm." she thought for a minute, "Yeah, sure a headache."

I sat back down and we looked around for a couple of awkward seconds then she broke the silence, "I should leave."

"No, no, You can stay." I said and we both stood up simultaneously.

"I think you have bigger problems, bud." she said and started for the door.

The bell rang and I had a test, "Well, if math is my problem. Then yeah, it's pretty big."

She left but I could have sworn she was smiling. I met Q outside the office waiting for me.

"Feel better?" Q asked.

"Sure."

"Good because you didn't have a choice anyway." Q lead me down the hallway to math class.

"Late again I see." Mrs. Poppet greeted us at the door, "Take your seats and begin please."

We both nodded our heads and walked to our seats. Q and I sat next to each other when we took the test. It was half way through the test when I heard a single voice speak to me through my head.

"Tyler." it said in a whisper, "You're in danger."

I didn't know how else to answer so I asked out loud but in a whisper as well, "What do you mean?"

"Dude, who are you talking to?" Q asked from behind me.

"Shh." Mrs. Poppet companded.

"Hunters, Tyler. Don't trust them." the voice told me, but I didn't understand.

I raised my hand then stood up, "Mrs. Poppet, can I go to the bathroom?"

"I don't know can you, Mr. Docks?" Mrs. Poppet replied.

"May I please go to the bathroom?" I repeated.

"No." she said organizing her papers, "You may not."

"But-"

"No, Mr. Docks. Take your seat and complete the test." she said standing up.

I sat back down with everyone staring at me. I started the test again trying to at least look normal.

"Tyler." the voice whispered again.

"What?" I asked quietly looking around to make sure no one heard me.

"Beware the hunters, Tyler. They look like normal people, usually police or investigators." the voice explained, I decided it was a female voice but it was hard to tell.

"Why are they here?" I whispered.

"Shh. No talking this is a test." Mrs. Poppet said in the most teachery tone I have ever heard, "So, BE QUIET!"

"I have to go, Tyler. Don't let go of this wave connection, it's private, no one else can reach it. Be safe, Tyler, and remember don't trust anyone." she said that and then silence.

"Wait." I called for her but there was no answer. I looked at my watch and it was 20 minutes before we were let out of class, then I looked down at my test and I had barely started.

The bell rang 20 minutes later and I hadn't finished.

"Hand in your tests on my desk." Mrs. Poppet said then looked straight at me, "Even if you're not finished."

There were groans from other students but mine was the loudest.

"Didn't finish?" Q asked behind me in the line to hand in tests.

"Yup."

"Sucks."

"Thanks for your support." I told him and he smiled cheerfully at me.

"No problem. But hey, maybe you can retake it." he said and shrugged.

"No retakes." Poppet said, now I knew she was trying to get me in trouble.

I rolled my eyes at her and handed in my test. Q and I left the classroom for our lockers, that was the last class for the day and I was ready to go home.

"Wanna come to my house?" Q asked me as we were leaving for the buses, "I've got a new mystery video game waiting for you there."

"Are you trying to bribe me?" I asked him holding the door for him.

"Maybe." Q said then stopped dead in-0cd[pvf his tracks, "Whoa."

"What?"

He didn't reply but pointed his finger at the completely gruesome crime scene. Police cars surrounded the area, officers were trying to block off the roads with blocks and yellow caution tape. Students were told to return back inside.

I only caught a glimpse but a glimpse was all that I needed. The body was a woman's and her whole chest cavity was ripped open by what looked like an animal, there were claw marks covering her whole body. Blood everywhere, on the road and the sidewalk. There was only one this I found especially odd, not that the whole thing wasn't, there was a bloody human handprint on one if the handicap signs that was half way pulled out of the ground.

"Ty, come on. We have to go." Q said tugging on my shirt.

"ALL STUDENTS AND TEACHERS RETURN BACK INSIDE THE SCHOOL FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS, THANK YOU." a police officer told us on a megaphone.

Everyone filed back in and waited in the foyer for "further instructions". Some kids were crying others were just walking around oblivious of what just happened.

"Did you see?" Q asked me.

"Yeah, did you?"

"Yeah." he answered sadly. I clamped my hand on his shoulder, I thought about saying something comforting but nothing came.

Q choked down his feelings, "Hey, I kinda wanna change the subject."

"Okay, what's up?" I asked him and together we walked away from the crowd to the opposite wall.

"Are you okay?" he asked then lowered his voice, "Are you taking your medication?"

I rolled my eyes, "Yes, Q, I'm fine."

"Really? Ty, don't lie me. You've been acting strange." he looked me up and down.

"Dude you can trust me. I'm fine." then I thought about it, no I'm not fine I'm talking to the voices in my head, "I just need to figure some things out first."

He looked me over again and it looked like he was going to say something else but was interrupted by the school principal trying to stand up on a table so everyone could see her. She's new.

"As you all know there has been an accident in the bus parking lot." there was a lot of talking after that sentence mostly students calling her a liar, she cleared her throat then spoke again, "We have notified all your parents and they should be here shortly. For all those whose parents can't make it will take a bus home. Here are the names for bus number one..."

She continued to name names and I called my dad at work, "Dad, are you picking me up or is mom?"

"Why would we need to pick you up, son?" he replied, you could tell when he was busy because he would call me son instead of Tyler.

"There was an accident, they must have called mom. Gotta go, dad. I'll talk to you later."

"Wait, what kind of accident?" he asked quickly.

"I dont know it looked like an animal mauling. I'm sure you'll get a call soon." I told him. My dad was technically a forensic anthropologist but usually ends up doing morgue work, I help him sometimes which is probably why I wasn't so freaked out over the dead body in my school parking lot.

My phone beeped at me and I had another call, it was my mom.

"Hey, dad I got another call."

"Ok, bye-"

I answered the call from my mom before she would freak out and hang up.

"Hey, mom." I said awkwardly.

"Oh thank God. Are you OK?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Are you coming to pick me up?" I asked her.

"Hey, Ty, my ride's here. See ya tomorrow." Q said slapping me on the back.

I just waved.

"Yes, I am just pulling up." my mom said like she was concentrating really hard on driving up a small slope to get to the school.

"Ok, thanks. I'm coming out." I said then hung up, she came around and honked the horn twice as much as I'd like her to.

My mom drove me straight to my dad's work, aka the morgue.

"I know it's your dad's weekend, but if you want to stay the night at home-"

"Mom I'll be fine." I told her opening my car door and stepping out.

I was walking in when I heard her yelling out the half rolled down window of our car, "Tyler!"

I jogged back over, "Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you too." I told her, "I'll see you on monday, okay."

"Okay. Bye, honey." she said and waited to drive away until I reached the double doors of Phantom Hills Morgue.

I passed the reception desk and stood by the single door, "Hey, Bill, do ya mind buzzing me in?"

"Sure, Tyler." he said and a buzz in the door indicated that I could open it, but Bill stopped me saying, "Hey, did you hear about the murder at your school?"

"Murder?" I repeated and he nodded his head.

"Yeah, apparently the new evidence says it wasn't an animal attack." he told me.

I walked through the door and zig-zagged my way to my father's office. He wasn't there but there was a file with photos of the crime scene sitting on his desk that had my name written all over them.

Yes, it's illegal, but will they find out… probably.

I opened the file. The pictures, like I saw, were gruesome. And the woman's body, like I saw, was torn apart. I figured I should take these to my dad so I took off my backpack and threw it on the couch that my dad had put just for me. Thanks dad.

I rounded a corner and I was in the autopsy room where they find out what happened and with what.

My dad was working when I entered, it was the same girl. I put on a clean gray jacket that I wore over my clothes, just in case, you know, blood splatters.

"So." I said sitting down on a small swivel chair, "What happened?"

"Well, Tyler-" he looked up from the table, "Tyler!"

"What?" I asked.

"You can't be here." he told me taking off his gloves and pushing the swivel chair and me toward the door.

I stood up, "What? Why not? You've never told me to leave before."

"I've never had a case like this." he told me and I handed him the files, "Thank you."

"Come on, dad. I saw her in the parking lot." I told him, "At school!"

"You don't understand. The FBI are here, they said they've seen this before, in other towns." he said then looked around and told me in almost a whisper, "We might have a serial killer on our hands, I don't know."

Honestly, this scared me, but I didn't want to just give up there.

"Can't you just tell me how it was done? Those are a lot of claw marks not to be an animal." I said and walked around my dad to get a closer look.

He gave up and told me, "I don't know what was used but it did a lot of damage to the chest cavity. Especially around the heart."

I put on gloves and gave him a look of approval and he nodded his head. I took a popsicle stick from one of the jars and poked around in the chest cavity.

"But, I don't even see the heart." I told him and he nodded.

"Exactly, the whole heart is gone, dug out." he said and I started to feel nauseous, "Oh sorry. Here."

My dad covered her with a white cloth as I sat down in a metal chair.

"Who is she?" I asked him completely out of curiosity.

"We don't know yet, still running her prints." he said and then there was a loud bang. Someone was opening the double doors very forcefully.

Two men in cheap suits walked in with a police holding the door open, he left after nodding his head and smiling at me.

"Agents Hank and White." One of the men said gesturing to his partner, they both showed their badges and my father inspected them.

"Alright, I'm Sal Docks and this is our Jane Doe." my father said.

"Ha, so it's doctor Docks, eh?" Agent White said, Agent Hank didn't seem to think it was funny, but I laughed which was probably a mistake.

"Who's the kid?" Agent Hank asked.

"Oh, that's just my son, Tyler." my dad said staring me down, "Shall we continue?"

They both nodded.

"Okay, so the whole body has been mutilated by what looks like an animal. But by police evidence we are lead to believe this was a humans doing." my dad told them then took a popsicle stick just as I did, "And if you look here you can see that the heart-"

"Is missing." Agent White finished for him.

"Yes, that's correct. How did you know?"

"Lucky guess." Agent White said grinning but he didn't look very happy.

Agent Hank shook my dad's hand and said, "Thank you for your time, Doctor. Uh, Docks."

Agent White was about to shake hands when I noticed something wrong, something my dad missed.

"Wait." I said and walked up to the body, I looked at the scratch marks but some weren't scratches.

"Tyler, go sit down." my dad said but Agent White held up a hand.

"You see this?" I asked them pointing to the marks on the body, "These are teeth marks, bites. How could a human make these?"

"There were hand prints all over the crime scene." Agent Hank replied to my imput.

"That could have easily been a person freaking out after finding a dead body on the street of a school parking lot. They could have panicked and fled the scene." I inferred.

"Smart kid." Agent Hank told my father but then picked up the victim's hand, it had bruising all around the wrist, "But, could an animal have done this?"

"I-I, um." I said trying to find the right words but I had no explanation, clearly a human caused the bruising. It even looked like a palm and fingers, except for the punctures where the fingernails should have met the skin.

I was about to say something about them but my dad cut in, "I'm sorry, my son can be… out of the box sometimes."

He held onto my shoulders tightly, I could tell he was mad.

"No, no. He could make a fine detective someday." Agent White told my dad then he looked at me, "You're smart kid. Nothing's impossible."

Then they both left the room and I was left with an angry father.

"What was that?" he asked glaring down at me.

"I was just trying to help." I told him.

"Heaven is under attack." a voice yelled in my head but it seemed so distant, like someone yelling from far away.

"Well, you made me look like an idiot." my dad replied.

The noise in my head got closer, "Front lines prepare for battle!"

Then the sound of people yelling, then screaming. I covered my ears with my hands.

"Tyler, listen to me when I'm talking to you!" dad yelled at me.

I couldn't keep my eyes open, I felt like my head was going to explode.

I fell to my knees.

"Tyler?" my dad said softly and I could barely hear him, soon the screams would drown out my father's voice and soon I would start screaming myself and my dad would call an ambulance.

I collapsed on the floor and shook with fear, the screams didn't stop until I finally lost consciousness.

Macaroni or Death?

I woke up in the hospital. A doctor was shining a light in my eye.

"Oh, well hello, Tyler. Welcome back." he said, the doctor had white hair and a really long neck, "My name is Dr. Sesal. Your parents will be here shortly. Oh, and sorry about the cuffs."

He left the room and I saw what he meant about the cuffs. Soft, leather bands wrapped around my wrists and ankles.

"What the-" I said pulling on the bands.

"You were very violent in the ambulance." the voice said in my head, "Thanks for staying on this wave by the way."

"Why? What happened?" I asked it, here I was again, talking to myself.

"Well, you accidently made someone fall asleep. To put it in the nice way." it said, "My name is Kora."

"Uh, ok. So I have schizophrenia then, funnnnn." I said to myself, "You aren't real."

"Why would you say that?" Kora asked.

"Because there is no other explanation. I am literally talking to the voice in my head." I said.

"Well, I suppose I could be your conscience. But I don't believe so." she told me.

"What are you then?" I asked her.

"I'm your Guardian Angel." Kora said, "Everyone has one. But no one is as special to be able to communicate with them."

"Are you calling me special or you special?" I asked her.

"So now you believe we are separate?" she asked me.

That confused me so much I replied, "I don't know."

My mom ran in after I said that and hugged me, "Oh, Tyler I was so worried."

"Mom, I fine." she let go and looked dead in my eyes, "Really."

"Oh, I'm just glad you're OK." she said then let me breathe.

"You scared me half to death, son. What the hell happened back there?" he asked and my mom hit him in the arm.

"Leave him alone he probably just forgot to take his medication." she said, "Right? Ty?"

"Well-" I started but then Dr. Sesal walked in the room practically singing.

"You have perfect health, Tyler." he said but his face darkened, "How is that? My team searched your blood for medication but found no trace. Not even a little."

"But that's not possible." my mother argued, "I watch as he takes his antipsychotic meds every day."

"Are you sure about that?" the doctor accused and that was when they all snapped.

"Are you calling her a liar?" my dad asked Sesal.

"Well-"

"Don't you dare answer that." my mother barked at him.

"Look I was just-" Sesal started but they both just sighed and started yelling again. Most of the argument was without me even though I was watching the whole thing.

And as they were yelling at eachother my so called 'guardian angel', Kora, returned, "Wow."

"I know." I said aloud, I figured they couldn't hear me.

"You do know that drugs won't affect you right?" Kora told me.

"What?" I said.

"Neither will alcohol." she said and I was a little bummed, "Sorry."

"Wait. Why?" I asked aloud and still no one heard me accept Kora.

"Um, I don't really know. Usually Guardian Angels know everything about the souls they protect. But you're kinda my first so…" she said.

"So I'm your first soul to guard." I repeated.

"Uh huh. And…" she drew out.

"You don't know anything about me?" I asked her and she made a 'pfftt' noise that made my giggle a little.

"Hey, I know a lot about you." she said, "I know that you are immune to a lot of things. Like a lot of things."

My mom slammed her fist on the table, "Alright, why don't we just ask him!"

They all turned to me.

"What?" I asked.

"Have you been taking your medication, Tyler?" Dr. Sesal asked. I thought about what Kora had said, that the drugs had no effect on me, I had been taking them but they would have never believed me if there wasn't evidence.

"No." I lied, "They don't help. Look I'm sorry I scared you all, but all the medication in the world won't help me."

They looked at me confusingly.

"I think we should talk in the hallway." Dr. Sesal told my parents and they followed outside. My mom looked like she was about to cry and my father listened intently to every word.

"Kora?" I said looking up for some reason, maybe I was starting to believe she was an angel.

"Yes?" she replied.

"If you do know everything about me." I sighed, "Then what's wrong with me?"

"Do you want me to answer truthfully?" she asked me with a deep sigh like mine.

I nodded, "Yes."

"Absolutely nothing." she told me, "And that's the scary part."

Different doctors and nurses came and went but there was one nurse that I will never forget, her name was Tiffany.

About 3 hours after the doctors decided they were keeping me overnight a nurse named Tiffany walked into my room with a dinner menu.

I was flipping through channels on the small box television, so I didn't see her walk in.

"Tyler? Tyler! Get out NOW!" Kora's voice boomed in my head. And that's when I saw her.

She was terrifying. It looked as if her skin was almost transparent and smoke was the only thing that filled the inside. She looked like a black storm caving in on itself.

Cold black eyes stared into my soul as she said, "Hello, my name is Tiffany. What will it be, macaroni or chicken?"

She looked up from the laminated piece of paper and cocked her head at me, "Or should I have a little fun and pick for you?"

"Tyler! Run! Do something!" Kora's voice screamed in my head she was terrified for me. I heard her warnings but I was too scared to move.

"Ah, how about... death?" Tiffany said with a crooked smile, she pulled out a scalpel and came at me.

"Wait! Don't do this." I told her.

"Too late." she said licking her lips, she grabbed my arm and I tugged back but she was too strong. Tiffany took the scalpel and cut vertically down my arm, blood poured out of the wound and I screamed through my teeth.

"No!" Kora yelled, I thought I heard her crying but I was a little distracted at the moment.

I covered my arm with my hand trying to stop some of the bleeding and prayed that it would just stop. A white light came from my hand covering my arm and when it went away so did the cut.

"Not possible." Tiffany said looking at my arm, "What are you?"

I probably mirror imaged her expression because I had no idea either. She backed away and looked at me in fear. Then something I didn't expect happened, all the black smoke that clouded her body erupted from her mouth and left out a cracked window.

I looked back from the window at the girl, she looked almost normal. She still looked, oddly, transparent but there was a blue light that was getting brighter and brighter as her body turned more apparent. She looked normal as she started to regain consciousness.

"Tiffany?" I guessed.

She looked up at me questionably, "Yeah. Who are you?"

"Tyler." I said, "Do you remember anything that just happened?"

She thought about it then stood up, "No, how did I get here?"

"I think you should just go. Okay?" I told her trying not to sound rude, or scared for my life.

"Yeah, yeah. Okay." she told me opening the door, "Bye, Tyler."

"See ya, Tiff." I said and she shut the door, "Kora? Are you there? What the hell just happened?"

"Well, you handled it pretty well. You tell me!" she said.

"I don't know!" I said examining my arm, "This shouldn't even be possible."

"Well, actually a lot of celestial beings can heal themselves and some lucky monsters, but not humans! And last time I checked, Guardian Angels only guard human souls." she rambled I barely caught what she was saying, it kind of sounded like she was accusing me.

"I don't understand." I admitted, "So I'm human, and just have the ability of healing really fast? Is that It?"

"I don't know!" Kora said, she sounded scared and that made me scared.

"I think we need help." I told her, "Know anyone who can help a human who's not a human?"

"No. Wait, yes I do." she said.

"Okay, who is it?" I asked a little anxious.

"His name is Castiel, and he is an Angel of the Lord."