Soulchanging is a fanfic based on the "Jeepers Creepers" movies directed by Victor Salva. I've always loved the Creeper (he is just awesome) but I wondered one day...
What if the Creeper really isn't as evil as all would be led to believe?
The term "heradus" is not mine originally. I still don't know who came up with it as I still can't find the fanfic that the author wrote. It was a very good story indeed. But anyway, credit goes to that anonymous person and always will.
Update- The editing is complete, I hope the story reads better now. ;)
The campfire was blazing, flames reaching high as the wood crackled beneath it, as young Ami Quinton wrapped her long maroon blanket more tightly around her. It was a chilly early Autumn night, and the cool air blew about her waves of brown hair. She smiled as her eyes swept across the four people surrounded about her, some new friends she had made at Caladon High. This was her first Autumn in her new home, nestled in the country of Poho County. A camping trip had been planned by Cassie, a senior at the school, who despite her popularity was friendly and treated Ami well. Because of that, Ami had found making other friends were easy. There was Jessica, a junior who was the bubbliest of the group, Alan, a member of the football team who was a grand cliche of tall, dark, and handsome, and finally Nix, another junior who constantly wore cloth headbands tied around his head and reminded Ami of a sixties dude. All of them were friends, and as they chatted about things, giggling and gesticulating at each other, Ami sank more into her warm blanket and thought nothing could be more perfect.
Or so she thought.
A sudden whooshing sound, seemingly only heard by Ami, caused her to look up curiously. It was a very clear night, and one could see all the shimmering stars. She saw nothing unusual, but she knew she heard something. Ami was not one to believe she ever hallucinated or heard things that weren't there. Though she was a bit of an odd person, her mind a little childish and filled with that same naive innocence, she was anything but dumb. Turning around slightly she tapped Jessica on the shoulder. "You hear that?" Her voice was always its soft, somewhat timid tone.
"Huh?" Jessica turned away from Alan, who was poking her with his marshmallow stick, acting like a true annoying guy. She swatted at him with a few "Stop that!"s and blinked at Ami. "Heard what? Alan's annoying laughter? Yeah."
"No...it sounded like...a really big bird!"
Jessica snorted. "Huh? Whatever Ami. Maybe you ought to go get some sleep, girl." She grinned and turned back to Alan.
Just then she heard it again...another large movement of the wind caused by something unseen.
Ami started to feel uneasy. An ominous cloud seemed to lurk over her sense of reason and now she sank down further into growing apprehension.
WHOOSH.
There it was again. Ami tapped Jess on the shoulder once more. "Look I really heard something!"
She didn't have time to finish. In a moment of raw terror, she witnessed Jessica be grabbed by the shoulders by two very large taloned feet, and in a flash she was gone. Ami had time only to see the silhouette passing through the moonlight as she stared up above. After a long moment she glanced over to the others, who all had their eyes riveted to the sky. It had all happened so fast that Jessica's blanket fully hit the ground just as Ami turned to look at the spot she had sat upon. There was a terrible amount of silence, no one was moving, breath was barely being taken in, and fear was plastered on all their faces. What they had witnessed made no sense, and had literally occurred out of nowhere.
After several long moments Ami decided she had better speak up. "Maybe we ought to get in the trailer?"
Her words seemed to bring everyone back to life. They all sprang to their feet and nearly trampled each other trying to get into the small narrow door of the trailer.
Nix finally spoke up, his words broken and barely registered. "What...what...just happened?"
They sat in the trailer a long while, until Ami felt that the silence would drive her insane. "I better go look for Jessica."
"Are you crazy? Something just took her out of nowhere, and you want to go OUT there?" Alan shook his head. "Don't be suicidal. Maybe we ought to call the cops."
"And tell them what?" Cassie demanded. "Oh yes, officer, I just witnessed my friend get swept into the air by something we couldn't even see."
Alan shot back with some derogatory comment, which got the three of them yelling amongst themselves. Shock and fear were setting in , and now tempers were flailing. Ami got up and stepped out of the trailer without anyone even noticing.
The clear, crisp air whipped her hair about as Ami looked up into the starry heavens. What in the world has just occurred? What happened to Jessica? Ami, being as childish in mind as she was, even for 14, didn't think the worst. She only thought perhaps Jessica was lost, and so she walked out, past the camping field and into the woods. Eyes warily searching about, she called for Jessica, though her timid voice probably couldn't be heard by anyone within three feet of her.
Anyone human that is.
Suddenly, she heard that whoosh again, and she snapped her head up to gaze at the canopy high above. Nothing, just swaying trees and an eerie silence...Ami realized she could hear no normal sounds of the night, no hoots of an owl, no chirps of the crickets, no croaks of tree frogs. It sent a giant shiver down her spine that was not caused by the chilly air itself. Gathering up all her courage.
"Who...who's there? What did you do with Jessica?"
Ami heard a low growl, she knew she did, a throaty sound that seemed not so distant. She spun around in every direction, but still saw nothing. The fear crept over her like a slithering snake, winding its way over every curve of her body.
"H-Hello?"
A violent jerk, an incredibly loud whooshing sound, and Ami was in the air.
/
Ami awoke to pure blackness, unable to see anything. A dusty smell caught her nose, a scent like dry earth. She realized the ground she was on was dirt, and though she felt around she could not find anything to hold onto. Still dizzy and realizing a hot warmth was oozing down her shoulders, she stayed on her side and just waited...for something.
That something came in the form of light. A small scraping sound and she saw a torch blaze up in fire, lighting what she now saw was a large cavern. A grayish reptilian hand left her line of vision only seconds later. Heart beginning to pound, Ami tried to sit up to get a better look of where she was. She seemed to be in an empty, smaller cave adjoining to a larger one, and when she peeked around she could see the beginnings of a big wooden table and assorted objects upon it. Two of the legs of the table had ornate decorations on it, of winged creatures and what looked like human figures. Getting on all fours she slowly and as quietly as she could manage crawled further out to get a better look. It was then she looked up and saw the iron bars...a cage...and Jessica inside them. The girl was awake, eyes wide with terror, and she was staring at something to the right of the room. Her hands clutched the bars and she seemed in a state of shock.
Ami wanted to call out to her, but after seeing that alien hand, she knew she better keep quiet for now. Still, curiosity was getting the better of her. She had to see what was there. Very carefully, she crawled and sort of hid by the table, peering under it. Her eyes widened with disbelief as she saw the thing before her.
Not too far in the distance, hovering over what looked like soldering tools, was something Ami could not fully comprehend. The creature was all bluish-grey, with large taloned feet and monstrous wings folded upon its back. Its skin was much like a reptile, with rough, bumpy areas here and there, and on the back of its head it appeared to have thin claws surrounding and stretching over its cranium...she wasn't sure what that was. In a couple of areas it even had some wispy white hair, including on its ankles. Ami gaped, her mind just stunned by what she was seeing. Then the creature moved, and she quickly ducked back into the shadows to try and not be seen. But for the moment, her captor seemed more intent on Jessica. It came over to the iron bars, clutching a dagger of sorts in its right hand. Ami got a better look at its face. It appeared very human, but monstrous. The expression in its eyes seemed glazed over with an evil intent that made Ami tremble. Grinning in quite a sadistic fashion, the creature opened up the cage and grabbed Jessica, who screamed and flailed impulsively. Ami watched , stunned, as it proceeded to clear off the table in one swoop of its sharp-nailed hand, metal things clanging against the rocks as they settled, and roughly tied the poor girl to it with ropes. Jessica screamed until she was hoarse, but the creature paid no mind. It leaned over and began sniffing her like a dog, seeming to savor every scent it captured, lingering over her crotch area and bellybutton...until finally it stopped just short of her breasts. It stood there like a statue for a few long grueling moments, smelling that spot over and over. Ami could not even blink, could not move her eyes away if she tried. It practically buried its face into her skin, causing Jessica to writhe helplessly, and finally shot back up, letting loose an eerie growl. Taking the knife, it seemed to carefully calculate its move before plunging it into the girl's soft flesh. Jessica shrilled a type of scream that Ami had never heard before. The creature actually covered its ears briefly, then continued, cutting a sort of circle around the area it had chosen. Ami wanted to be sick. This thing was doing this to her alive, it didn't even have the decency to kill her first. When it finally finished with its agonizing torture, there was a surprisingly shallow oval-shaped wound, blood pouring down the sides. The creature promptly devoured the small piece it had removed, then walked away back to the soldering desk. As Ami tried to return to coherent thought and the creature came back over to Jessica with a new weapon, a surprise came to both their ears.
Jessica, though in great pain, was still quite conscious, and in a last ditch effort she pleaded with all the emotion she could muster.
"Please, please...don't do this..." Her words were weak from the shock and pain that coursed through her body, but she met eyes with the creature and riveted them there.
Her stare was met, and the being hesitated. Or at least it seemed to. It cocked its head like a curious dog.
"Please...you...what do you want? What...do you want...from me?" Tears were streaming down Jessica's face, and Ami found her own tears were following. "What do you...want? I could probably get you...anything you wanted..." Jessica probably could have, she was from a rich family after all.
Again the monster cocked its head.
Then it huffed at her.
Taking the new weapon...which Ami saw was some kind of bizarre mini-sword with a very long and sharp blade, it threatened to at any moment plunge it into the wound.
Jessica kept trying to stare it down, her hopes starting to dwindle.
"Please! Why won't you...listen to me? Why are you doing this!" The girl was now sobbing miserably.
Surprisingly, the creature put down the sword-like weapon, placing it down slowly beside her. It moved over her face and licked some tears off her cheeks. Jessica was so stunned she just froze, barely breathing. She could not know whether this monster was just toying with her or showing any amount of mercy.
She met gazes with it again, but its stare was unreadable, showing nothing more then perhaps curiosity. Of course no one could be sure of even that. One clawed hand tapped against the wood while the other wiped more tears away.
"You...I...please..." Jessica was running out of things to say.
"Please?" A gravelly voice responded. It was surprisingly human-like, but gruff like an old man.
Jessica just nodded. "What is it...that...you...want?"
It faintly grinned at her with a mouth full of pointy, sharp teeth. Ami continued to watch from her hiding spot in silent suspense.
The creature did not respond but trailed one hand down her soft skin.
"Let me go...please..." Jessica said, hope returning.
"Please." It repeated again. "Yes! Please, please, let me go!" Jessica lost her control and screamed, kicking out at it with her foot.
It growled, and in a sudden, savage move, grabbed the foot and bit down, severing it clean off. Another agonizing scream reverberated through the cavern, but this time Jessica promptly passed out. The thing ate her foot rather quickly, almost as if swallowing it whole, and then Ami's eyes widened even more when she saw it's left foot temporarily appear human, then reform back into a taloned claw. Taking its wicked weapon again, it finished what it had set on earlier...and tore the girl's heart out.
/
The previous night's gore had been more then Ami could stand. She had been sick all through the night, even though normally she was used to seeing a lot of blood since she volunteered at the local hospital. It was more because of the whole manner in which the creature had done its murderous torture.
And yet...why did it hesitate, for that one quick moment? And why did it seem to linger over that one word...please?
Ami was still on the floor of the smaller cave, where she had stayed the entire night, not able to sleep, trembling in fear and wondering when the creature would come for her.
She wasn't about to wait much longer. Just as she had finally managed to somehow doze off, she felt herself being jerked upwards and roughly carried off to a large chair that she was forced to sit down in. It was crudely designed, unlike the ornate table Jessica had been murdered on, and made from old wood that seemed rickety. The creature tied Ami's hands to the arms of the chair and also tied her ankles together. It left briefly to grab another horrifying home-made weapon and as it came back dragged its own chair and put it in front of hers. Ami could only imagine (and she wished she wouldn't) what the creature would do to her. It seemed to treat these killings like some twisted form of art, even designing its own "tools" for the task.
As the winged nightmare sat before her, looking her over and beginning to smell her just as it did Jessica, Ami felt surprisingly and eerily calm, and her childlike manner returned. She was suddenly fascinated by the creature, and since she was so up close to it she could now see all of its reptilian-like features. She had always loved reptiles and also things that flew, like...bats. He seemed a combination of both. That face did look somewhat human, and he even walked like one, but for certain he was anything but. Ami found herself staring at the wings mounted upon his shoulders. What would they look like all spread out? It must be magnificent! And to fly? Oh how she always had longed to soar with the wind...what an incredible sense of freedom he must know.
A snort interrupted her thoughts. The ghoulish being drew closer and sniffed her but seemed to not be able to pick up on whatever it was after. It tried again and again, but failed. Ami was not afraid. She didn't know it, but the creature could not smell what it wanted if she was not afraid. This was confusing to it, and in frustration it shrieked and pushed her back, causing her and the whole chair to come crashing down. Ami suppressed a grunt of pain as her back met with hard ground and old wood between it. The creature began pacing, growling and staring at her.
For a moment, Ami just blinked up at the ceiling and contemplated what to do. She couldn't move, that's for sure. Then again she was being jerked up as the chair was righted. She felt claws raking against her arms, and she forced herself not to scream...not to give this thing what it seemed to want. In what seemed like anger, the creature roared and spines lifted up from its head, revealing a sort of crest that looked frightening. Ami's eyes widened, but again more in fascination then fear.
After a long while it seemed to understand that this wouldn't work, and as the crest came back down the creature gave a loud snort and sat back down in the chair in front of her.
They stared at each other for quite some time.
"Hi." She said finally. "My name's Ami. Do you have a name?" Her tiny voice made her sound half her age.
The monster huffed, baring teeth, still trying to frighten her. It also seemed incredibly frustrated.
Ami sighed, trying again. Despite the fact she had just witnessed this thing so brutally kill Jessica the night before, she was determined to try and understand it. She needed to understand everything. To her, everything needed a reason, and everything had a good side. As naive as that was in reality.
"Please tell me your name. " She paused briefly. "Why do you want me to be scared?"
Blinking eyes looked at her, staring endlessly.
"I know you can speak. I heard you before."
It shifted just slightly, tilting its head at her.
"Do you have a name?"
After what seemed like an eternity, the creature finally spoke.
"Yes."
Ami smiled, though quickly straightened her expression. Perhaps it wasn't wise to show too much enthusiasm from that small victory.
"Then tell me. I'd like to know. It's the least you can do if you're going to kill me."
"They called me... Goliathus." He spoke painfully slow, and picked up the sword-like weapon from before, but kept it at his side.
"Goliathus?" Ami could not stop her smile. " That's a cool name!"
"Cool?"
"Yeah. That's what we say when we think something is, uh, awesome."
Goliathus seemed absolutely confused by this victim, and his eyes showed it.
He kept fingering the knife by his side.
Ami fought hard to carefully choose her words. "So...what are you, Goliathus?"
His eyes narrowed. "I am predator...and you...are prey." The words were chillingly cold.
Ami did not sway her gaze. "Apparently. But that doesn't exactly answer my question. What are you?"
He seemed to contemplate it, but did not answer.
Ami figured at that point that maybe even he did not know what he was. Or perhaps there was no word for a creature like him.
Since silence once again ensued...Ami spoke up again. "Well to me you're a lot like a...a... gargoyle!" She grinned. "Kind of like the ones in the cartoon show. Only a lot more sinister."
This seemed to mean nothing to Goliathus. He clenched his hand more tightly around the knife.
Ami glanced down at his weapon. "Did you actually make that?"
He grinned faintly in response to the question.
"Whoa! Then your incredibly talented, because I've seen some of your work, like on that table! I wish I could draw like that."
Briefly he looked at the table.
"Is it you? The figure on the table looks like you."
He slowly gazed back to her and nodded.
"It's beautiful." The admiration in her voice was obvious.
"Beautiful?" It repeated softly.
"Yes. It's a very beautiful self-portrait. And your weapons, they're all beautifully made, too. It's a shame you use them in such a fashion." Ami's eyes turned sad, as if she felt compassion for him.
"I do what I must." He said simply, and got up from the chair, putting the blade down and turning his back to her.
Then after a long moment it sat...and started working on something.
Ami glanced around the cavern, studying everything for a time. She smiled when she caught sight of another self-portrait, or at least she assumed, drawn high up on the ceiling. It seemed life-sized, with the full wingspan and everything.
"Wow. You've got impressive wings. You're so lucky to be able to fly. No human can do that."
Strangely human-like eyes gazed over its shoulder, looking back at her.
Ami sighed a huge, defeated sigh. "Well I suppose I'll never get to know more about you, what, with you intending to kill me and all."
"Why do you care?" It snapped.
"Because I do!"
"Everything you say can be a lie." It hissed.
"But you know it isn't. I know you do, because you seem to be able to smell just about anything. You'd know if I was lying!"
That caused the creature to raise an eyebrow, and it stood up, facing her. Indeed, what she said was undeniably true. It had caught her strange scent early on, even from the campsite. Something about her was different...very different.
"My hands hurt. Can you untie me?" Ami said, struggling for emphasis.
"Why should I?" He growled.
"I don't know. I thought maybe you would."
It snorted and got up, and quite roughly used its claws to break the ropes.
"You are not leaving." It said in an icy tone. "But feel free to admire while you can." With that, he went back to his project.
Ami got up slowly from her chair, nearly bowling over as her back complained from its earlier treatment. She managed to steady herself and proceeded to explore the cavern, gaping at all the intricate designs and hand-made items that were everywhere.
She came upon something that grabbed her interest. Grabbed her interest bigtime. There, all the way on the right wall of the gigantic cavern, was a huge dragon painting, in a style that was very much Western. It was all red with black eyes, talons outstretched, and maw agape, as if on the prowl. Ami stared at it for a very long time, nearly coming to tears because of its flawless beauty. As she got closer, she noticed that it even had real jewels encrusted in it, such as rubies for the scales or onyx pieces for the eyes. It nearly brought tears to her eyes. If there was anything that Ami could be called obsessed over, it was dragons. They had always been her favorite fantasy creature and her room was just covered with them. But this, this was unlike anything she had ever seen.
She heard Goliathus come up behind her, but she didn't move, her eyes transfixed on the wonderful painting.
"Is that to your liking?" He asked, quietly.
"Y-Yeah...it's...stunning!" She moved right up to it, running hands along the tiny jewels studded in every scale and crevice.
"It took a long time to create." He said, coming to her side and gazing at it himself. "Many years."
"I...I don't have words to describe it suitably..." A tear ran over and spilled down her cheek.
Goliathus blinked at her strangely. She turned to face him.
"Why is such a...fantastic creature as yourself...so hateful of humans?"
He cocked his head. "Humans...nothing but food to me."
"So then...why do you let me see all this? Why do you talk to me?"
An intent expression spread across his features. "Because you are different. You do not fear me. And this has not happened before."
Ami smiled at him. "Then you hesitate."
"I suppose."
"Why don't we just be friends? Have you ever had a friend? I don't draw as well as you, but I do draw, and I could show you some of my stuff. I'd even like to do my own portrait of you!" Her child-like innocence was blatantly obvious.
"Child...you waste your time!"
"Why?"
"Because you are here, and I intend to eat you. It is as simple as that." He turned, making his way back to the table.
Fresh tears filled Ami's eyes. "But why? Don't you want to have someone to share all this with?" She looked around again as if to emphasize. "How could you have such talent and not want to share it?"
"You ask too many questions." He answered quietly, turning his back to her as he continued furnishing his latest weapon.
In truth, Goliathus was feeling so confused inside. This small, pathetic human girl was caring about him, and he didn't know how to respond to it. All he knew was pain and killing, killing and pain...isn't that what he was meant to do? Wasn't that what his revenge was all about?
Ami, being so overwhelmed by everything in her simple mind, sank to her knees in sobs. Why couldn't this magnificent yet strange being she had encountered show an ounce of compassion? It didn't make sense to her. He was intelligent, he spoke, he was a profound artist...why?
She then heard a sort of frustrated sound, a mix of a growl and shriek, and Goliathus turned to her once more. "Stop that incessant noise!"
Ami tried hard to make herself stop. "Don't you know what tears are?"
"Yes, I do. And you annoy me."
"Then please. If I annoy you, just kill me and get it over with. I want to go home. But if you're not going to let me go, and you won't be my friend, then just end it." Her words came between pitiful sobs.
He wanted to comply, but something held him there. He was beginning to roil inside, to become so confused that his claws grated the table. This damn annoying pest...this was what he got for having conversations with his prey. And yet, he felt a slight twinge of something else that he had never felt before. He didn't know whether to fight it or go with it.
Friend.
"Go then." He said gruffly, surprised at his own words. "Go while you have the chance. And pray I do not come after you!"
Ami slowly stopped sniffling, and got to her feet. She opened her mouth to say something, but changed her mind and quickly bolted out of the cavern.
/
The next night a large, shadowy figure flew through the sky, searching another campsite. Ah, these were good. The pathetic humans and their outdoor "recreation". It made for such easy pickings.
As Goliathus swooped down, catching a myriad of good scents, he hoped he wouldn't find another one like that vexing pest, Ami. She just wasn't worth the effort. Of course the chances of that were slim, certainly he knew it. He landed behind a large tent, and as usual, his silent stealth disrupted nothing, and no one saw him. Grinning he crept around until he spotted his first intention. A young lad who smelled so wonderful that he found it hard to be patient. Still, he knelt down in the grass and waited...
Meanwhile, Ami was heading in that direction. She was intent on finding Goliathus again. He had hesitated...he had listened...he had let her go. This creature had a sense of reason, and somewhere in him a faint twinge of compassion. This was enough for her. She would do what she could to change him, and maybe even get him to stop killing people. Why not? Was it really so outlandish? She certainly didn't think so.
Now where was that cave?
Just as she was going to go past the campsite clearing and into the woods once more, she heard a scream. Turning around quickly, she saw in the distance a young boy thrashing about while a figure she recognized hovered over him. The others who were there had actually abandoned the scene, running in terror. She thought them cowards. They would just leave that poor boy there? Without further thought she ran towards Goliathus and his new victim. When she got mere yards from him, he caught sight of her, eyes widening.
" You again?"
"Yes...what...what are you doing?" Ami then realized the stupidity of that question. He snarled, and ran off into the woods with the boy, who was now unconscious.
"Hey! Wait!" Ami ran after him. As they went further into the woods, it got darker and darker, until she could barely see anything. Thankfully the moon was full and there was some illumination here and there through the trees. Every now and then she caught sight of him dashing away. Forcing her legs to move faster, she struggled to keep up with him, but he was undeniably fast.
Finally, when Ami thought her lungs would burst and she could no longer bare to run another step, the winged being she pursued spun about to face her, still roughly clutching the boy in one arm.
"I told you...get out of my way." Each slow, purposefully drawn out word might have literally frozen the very air around him.
Ami got closer so that her eyes could finally see his. "I'm not trying to get in your way, really."
"Then stop following me. I let you go. What more do you want?"
"I want to talk to you!"
"I have no time for this. I have precious, limited time, and you are wasting it." Those eerily human eyes narrowed further.
"Please. Goliathus, I only want to-"
"I regret I ever told you my name. GO AWAY!" He yelled, almost shrieking, and jumped up, spreading wings and catching the air with a violent rush of wind. "No! Don't! Wait!" Ami leapt up, and grabbed onto his leg. This caused the unearthly being to roar in frustration, and one clawed hand came down, leaving three scratches in her arm. Ami screamed, but she didn't release her grip.
"Let go!" Angrily, Goliathus searched around for a weapon, and only got more steamed as he realized he didn't have any on hand. So again the clawed hand came down, this time catching her face. Again Ami screamed.
"If you do not let go, I can just tear you apart up here. It does not matter to me!" And again the clawed hand met with her flesh, this time on the shoulder.
She held on relentlessly.
"Damn you!" With a sudden, violent jerk, he ascended quickly, until Ami thought her ears would pop. It was getting harder to hold on, with him kicking to try and get her off his leg and with her strength waning. But she could not let go.
Goliathus then grinned at her wickedly. "Fine. You had your chance. I will take you back to the cave, and I will enjoy your tender flesh right along with this little one here!" The boy he held shrieked in response.
/
Ami was back in the dusty, dark cave, illuminated only by a few torches. Both she and the young boy were in the iron bar cage. The kid looked hurt, blood oozing from his shoulders and one side, and so Ami tore off a piece of her shirt to try and tie around his wounds. This caused him to stir, and he looked up at her weakly. "Who—who are you?"
"I'm Ami. You?"
"Name's Toby."
"Hey Toby. You ok?"
"Not really. I feel dizzy." He put his hand to his forehead. Ami nodded. "It's the blood loss. Just try to relax."
"What is that thing?" He asked in a truly scared voice.
Ami looked out the bars of the cage. "I don't know..."
"What's he want?"
She sighed and looked back to him. "Us."
The boys eyes widened, and tears threatened to fall. "I wish my mom were here!"
"Oh no you don't. Or she'd be in trouble too!"
Toby thought about that, and fell silent. Ami realized he couldn't be more then maybe ten years old.
At that moment she saw Goliathus return, out of the corner of her eye. Saying nothing, he walked slowly up to the cage, staring them down. Toby yelped and tried to hide behind Ami, who looked at him sternly.
"Is this how you treat someone who actually cares about you?"
His disbelieving stare said all. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out some very wicked looking shuriken, which seemed to be made from...bone. "I have many of these. And you two can be target practice."
Ami sighed, fear still refusing to return to her. "I'm not buying your front!"
"Front?" He growled. "I have every intention of it, child!"
"Yesterday you let me go. If you had every intention of killing me then, why didn't you?"
"I will not make that mistake again." His voice was much lower then before.
"It wasn't a mistake. You let me go, and that was... a good thing!"
"Yes...humans are good things. Good for this." He aimed the shuriken and it whisked right past Ami and nailed the boy in his shoulder, who cried out and sank to his knees.
"Stop that!" She yelled at him, tears returning.
"Screams are so pleasurable to hear." He grinned wickedly, and pulled out another one of the horrifying weapons from his pocket.
He was about to throw it at the boy again, but Ami jumped in front, shielding him.
"Stop it! You want target practice, then use me!"
This silenced Goliathus, and he stared at her once more. It was reminding him vaguely of some other situation 23 years ago with a girl and her brother.
"I don't know why you won't listen, but if you don't want to let me help you-"
"Help me? Help me with what?"
"Help you to stop what you're doing."
"And what says I care to stop?"
"Because...somehow I know it. That's all I can say."
"You have a vivid imagination. Pity."
"If you told me more..."
"I will tell you nothing. I have said enough already. And I rarely speak to anyone!" He swerved around and went out of sight.
Ami heaved a great sigh. But she wouldn't give up, she knew she could help this creature, and her mind was set on it.
/
End of Chapter 1