Hi all! It's only been a few hours but, here's the actual first chapter for Of Beasts and Men. Hope you enjoy it, please make sure to read the disclaimers above the Preface! Open to all thoughts/reviews. Enjoy ;)

Chapter 1.

Belly of the Beast

She ran her tongue over her teeth, watching the TV screen in front of her. A Nightmare on Elm Street was playing, she and her friend Rachael were laying on the floor having a girls night. Sort of. Ezkabach wanted to fit in so badly with her human friends it was kind of sickening her. Her eyes, seemingly hazel, drifted over to Rachael as she observed the look of fright on her face as the fictional Freddy Krueger chased a frightened female down a narrow alleyway. She scoffed, her eyes rolling.

"What? You don't think this is scary!" Rachael exclaimed as she saw Ezka's amused grin. Ezkabach laughed, sighing a little as she turned her attention back to the movie.

"This? This is basically a kids movie, Rach. Don't you think he's kind of hot?" Ezka said with another chuckle which turned into an all out laugh as a look of horror came over Rachael's face.

"...you can't be serious. You really are fucked up, Ez." Rachael said, shaking her head with a grin.

"Come on! Who doesn't look for a good old fashioned sadistic, psychotic, murderous personality in a man?" Ezka replied, making a claw motion with her hand as she stuck her tongue out. Rachael laughed, rolling her eyes at her. Ezka did really think those qualities were something of interest, however something told her it wasn't a good idea to play around with seeming any more different than she already was. It had only been about six months since she found out what she was. The whole concept of conscious reincarnation was a new one to her, though for some reason it didn't take her long to accept it. Apparently, she was the active reincarnation of a centuries-old demoness, one of a kind. It wasn't really a new body, just the old one brought back from the very beginning in modern times. However, starting out her mind was fresh and void of all memories connecting back to her former self. Until recently, she'd been living a normal life as a human girl; going to school, making friends, boyfriends and getting accepted into college. You don't get to go to college if you're a demon, though. An organized group of various lore creatures sought her out and told her everything, and with the knowledge came vivid bits and pieces of memories that had been lying dormant inside of her mind for 20 years. So, here she was trying to balance what was left of her "human" life with her intense demonic training. The demon part wasn't so bad, the occasional urge to assert your power over the innocent was easy enough to quell. The powers that came with it weren't all that hard to master either; the demon form, unseen force, mind reading. The only thing giving her annoying troubles trying to master was that tricky pyrokinesis, but she'd get to that in time. No, the bad part about it all was the beast inside of her. The dark wolf. She was a beast demoness, the wolf and demon living as one within. Old scriptures she had discovered during her research had labeled her as Lupus diaboli, Lobo Diablo, or Devil Wolf. She was a unique breed. The wolf was harder to keep under control; the impulses to chase and tear everything in sight limb from limb...and devour it. The night and moon seemed to call for her each night, an itch deep inside of her she had to fight with everything she had. If she let go...she couldn't do a damn thing. She'd kill relentlessly until she could gain the upper hand and shove the beast back, but by then it's always way too late. She wasn't picky about her victims. What bothered her about that was the attention it brought, and the fact that she pretty much had no control. To say Ezka was a control freak would be putting it very nicely. She didn't mind the killing. It was inside of her, in her blackened blood, in her dark soul. Being part demon and part beast had its perks, though. Because of this, she is able to travel between the planar worlds and the material world seamlessly and without much effort. It was a good escape when things got shitty on either side. Ezkabach was thinking about all of this, when suddenly Rachael shook her. Blinking, Ezka looked blankly at her.

"Um. Dude. You like zoned out so bad." Rachael said, staring at her.

"Uhh, shit. Yeah I kinda did. I was just thinking about..." She searched for something to say, to cover up what she had really been thinking about. "...Freddy!" She yelled, tackling Rachael and making a fake monster growl. Rachael yelped and fell over, punching Ezka in the shoulder playfully.

"You demented weirdo!" She yelled, laughing. Ezka smirked, sitting back up.

"The best!" She said. "Nah, I'm way out of his league. He could use some serious makeup." She said, making Rachael giggle. Rachael then looked at her phone, pursing her lips into a pout.

"Shit. It's 1:30 am, I better get going. I have work tomorrow at 8 in the morning." She said, sighing. Ezkabach still didn't understand why her simple friend insisted on working through the entire weekend. Being lazy was one of Ezka's favorite things. And being a night creature, sleep only became necessary about three times a week or after one of her vigorous, uncontrollable killing sprees.

"Damn! Alright, it was super cool hanging out though. We'll have to do it again soon." Ezka said, standing up to walk Rachael to the door. She watched as her friend gathered her purse and keys.

"Yep! I'll see you on Monday in class." Rachael said, and with a wave she left for her car. Ezkabach watched as the car started and pulled out of her driveway. She sighed. Here came the boredom. She walked back to the couch, sitting down. She watched the ending credits of the movie, thinking in silence. She wondered about the rumors. About the movie being based on actual events, and all. If he had come back to kill people in their sleep, he must be a dream demon, right? It was very rare for a mortal to become such a high ranking class of demon in death. Perhaps he really did fit the bill.

"What the hell." She said out loud, deciding to try and look it up since she didn't have anything else to do. Getting up to grab her laptop that lie on the table beside her, she sat back down and turned it on. After it booted, she went to Google and typed in: Freddy Krueger Springwood Slasher true story. The search results were flooded with advertisement of the movie franchise, and obvious fan blogs.

"Fuck." She said, annoyed. She scrolled through pages and pages of bullshit. She must have been at it for a good 45 minutes before she came upon something interesting. It was a link that read "The Krueger Cover Up". Curious, she clicked on it. It didn't give much information, and the site was very poorly put together with just small amounts of HTML coding. However there was a short description;

Murders covered up, erased from memory. Government says no to Fred Krueger.

Blinking, she narrowed her eyes as she saw a linked text that read " .", and she clicked on it. A file opened into her computer, and she scrolled through its contents. It was newspaper printings, 85% of them blacked out. But they were all from Springwood, Ohio. Around the time the murders supposedly took place, but the dates were blurred. Springwood has since been renamed to Oak Springs. There were about 20 of these blacked out newspaper articles, as well as court documents detailing the arrest of a serial killer, but the name and key information was blacked out. If you didn't know what you were looking at, you'd have absolutely no idea. There was another newspaper article, and it was much less blacked out than the rest.

Hypnocil trademark renewed; new treatment option for difficult sleep available over the counter.

Have you been suffering from various sleep disorders that make it difficult to get peaceful sleep? Worry no more! The FDA has approved a new groundbreaking sleep aid called Hypnocil to be available at your local drug store.

Doctors approve this safe, yet powerful 24 hour sleep aid.

$19.99 over the counter.

Ezkabach tilted her head. She knew what Hypnocil was, it was in the movies too, wasn't it? She was surprised the name hadn't been changed. Why would people buy something that takes away your dreams? And why would doctors approve it? She turned to a second newspaper, dated a few months later. Most of it was about politics, but an isolated column remained at the bottom.

Strange side effect of Hypnocil reported. No dreams? People concerned.

Doctors issue a statement;

"Hypnocil does not remove dreaming. Most reported "loss of dreams" are due to such a deep sleep that you will not have any recollection of your dreams. You only remember your dreams if you wake up during or right after them. Hypnocil is very safe and effective. Most patients report an extreme improvement in sleep patterns and daily energy."

Ezkabach read on, stopping at the last part.

Hypnocil has no connection to the fictional namesake drug used in a movie franchise, and does not have any of the same effects.

Ezka rolled her eyes. People will believe most of everything they read these days. It had to be the same Hypnocil. She exited out of the file, saving it to her computer. She decided to search Hypnocil, the search rendering the FDA page on Hypnocil as well as a WebMD page. Both retorted the same information. Safe, effective 24 hour sleep aid with no known side effects besides difficult dream recollection. There were even extensive links to scientific articles on the explanation of no dream recollection due to deep sleep. They were really doing a damn good job covering this up. She shut her laptop, suddenly energized.

"I wonder if I can figure this whole thing out." She said to herself, picking up her cell phone. On the screen, she dialed the number of one of her mentors. After a couple rings, Jakovi picked up.

"What's up, pup?" He said with a light tone. Ezkabach scowled, she hated being called that.

"You know I don't like being called that, asshole." Ezka said, breathing out.

"Aww I know you secretly love it!" He replied with a laugh. "No really though, what's up?"

"Nothing. I'm bored. And I'm curious about something. You have time to meet up?" Ezkabach asked.

"Yeah, sure. You gonna be up for some training?" Jakovi said. Ezkabach sighed.

"Maybe. I just really wanna ask you something." Ezka said, getting impatient.

"You're finally going to ask me out! How exciting!" Jakovi replied with a cackle. Ezka growled, running her fingers through her obsidian hair.

"Shut up, mkay? Just be there." Ezkabach said shortly.

"In our usual place, babe!" Jak said with another sneer. Ezkabach hung up, closing her eyes. Her patience with him astounded her. She put the phone in her pocket, and reached for her leather jacket next to the door. It could either be cold or searing hot where she was going. Hit or miss. She put it on and went upstairs to the bathroom. She faced herself, fixing her hair for a moment. Looking for only a second more, she allowed her demonic essence to take over. Her skin tone went paler, her hazel eyes burning away to reveal fiery yellow-orange irises. Black, spiraling horns emerged from her skull just above her ears. She grinned; she really did think those horns were a nice touch. They complimented the shape of her face. With that, she placed a hand on the mirror and concentrated. This was her way into the many planes of the worlds below. She could probably do it from anywhere, but it would be much more difficult. Mirrors provided a physical divide, a gateway. This is why people often see horrifying things in mirrors. With her hand on the mirror, she linked herself to a binding point in the plane she and her mentors shared. Within a couple of seconds, the world around her disappeared and was replaced with a dark forest. A large mansion towered over the trees on a hill to her right. Fog covered the grass, the trees were barren and lifeless.

"Home sweet home." She mumbled as she climbed the hill to the mansion gates. They opened automatically as she neared, and she continued to the doors. She opened them, closing them behind her as she walked into the large castle-like alcove. She saw Jakovi leaning against a very old looking couch, and he grinned as she approached. She flipped him off, making him laugh loudly.

"Why is it that you're never happy to see me?" He asked, meeting her in the middle of the room.

"I don't know, probably because you're annoying and I hate you." Ezka said, only half-joking.

"Well now that we have everything in the open! What'd ya wanna ask me?" He asked, his northerner accent poking through. Ezkabach took a seat on the couch, resting her feet on the glass table.

"What does one have to do to be granted the power of a high class demon beyond mortal death?" She asked directly. Jakovi blinked, running a hand over his curved ram-like horns. They were red and encased his entire skull, matching his crimson irises. The question obviously caught him off guard.

"Why the hell would you ask something like that?" He asked, overly curious.

"That doesn't matter. Now answer the question, unless you don't know." Ezka replied, her voice even. Jakovi scoffed. He disliked being accused of not knowing something.

"It's very rare for the fates to bestow that kind of power on a mortal. The person would obviously have to have many traits and specialties in order to peak the interest of them. And a desire to walk the earth undead, to either exert revenge or continue a string of unfinished business. And that revenge or "business" must meet the standards. Which are...complicated. But nonetheless, I guess it's very possible." Jakovi explained. Ezka stared at her hands for a moment, thinking. So Freddy Krueger must have met those expectations...if he was real. Jakovi sat down on the opposite end of the couch.

"Who do you want to be turned?" Jakovi asked, eyeing her suspiciously. Ezkabach rolled her eyes.

"You jump to conclusions too fast, Jak. I'm just trying to prove something. To myself." Ezka said, looking at him with a content look on her face.

"So you want to find out if someone you may or may not know was possibly turned into a high ranking demon." Jak said as a statement. Ezka nodded.

"Yup." She said. Jak stirred excitedly.

"I have a book for that!" He exclaimed. He jumped up, motioning for her to follow. She got up and followed him down the second hallway to their left. He was such an information nerd. Anything and everything there was to be known, he probably knew it. She was for once, glad to have him around. The hallway opened up into a large, gothic looking library. Ancient scriptures and books lined the dark, shadowy shelves. Complete with dust and cobwebs. Might as well be in a damn movie. Ezkabach watched as Jak scanned the shelves with his eyes, one hand on his chin. After a couple minutes he clapped his hands together, making Ezka's eyes shoot over to him.

"Aha! Here we go." He exclaimed as he motioned with his finger, and a very, very large book lifted off the shelf by itself. It floated over to him, landing on the table in front of them. It opened, the paged shifting through until it stopped. Demonic script lined the pages.

"This book lists the names of all high rank demon classes and their affiliates. It's updated every time a new mortal, or low class demon, is ascended into one of these classes. What is the name you're searching for?" He asked, looking to Ezka. Ezkabach hesitated for a moment. She really didn't know why she was so curious about this mystery monster of a man.

"...Freddy Krueger." She said. Jakovi frowned, his eyebrows dropping.

"Seriously? The guy from those stupid teen slasher movies?" He chuckled. Ezkabach punched him in the shoulder.

"I'm serious. I want to know if the rumors are true. Besides, I came across a bit of information that could probably be trouble for a few of our...friends." She said, eyeing the book.

"What information?" Jak said, suddenly serious.

"Look for the name first. Then I'll be able to tell if it's a real issue or not." Ezkabach said. She still wasn't able to read demonish that well, and it would take her forever to find him. "Look under dream demons." Jak sighed, looking back to the book. He turned the page a few times until he found the column for the dream demon. In Latin next to the script, it read Somnia Daemonium. He ran his finger down the list one by one, having to turn the page four times until he stopped.

"Huh." He exhaled, looking to be thinking.

"What?" Ezkabach looked where he had stopped, and her eyes widened slightly. Partly in shock, partly in excitement. There, written in demonic script along with his English name, was the title Freddy Krueger. Written in his own blood. She ran her finger along the dried up substance, feeling her excitement growing. "He's real." She said, more to herself than Jak. Jak eyed her.

"And what do you want with him?" He asked, facing her with a cold gaze.

"Don't be jealous, Jak. I'm not looking to settle down." Ezkabach said teasingly, making Jak narrow his eyes. He was being serious. She sighed. "Look, I found articles on this stuff called Hypnocil. Apparently it's being sold all around the world now, as a basic sleep aid. People are taking that stuff. And it's removing their dreams." She said. Jak took a step back.

"You're sure?" He asked her, disbelieving a little.

"I found blacked out newspapers and shit like that on it. People reported lack of dreams and doctors wrote it off. I guess they believed it. Without dreams..." She trailed off. Jak understood.

"Without dreams, people won't fear the unknown." He said, suddenly looking angry. "Son of a bitch." He said, dropping his horned head. "That explains why there's been commotion. People are losing their fear of what they can't see. The nightmares fuel the fear of everything. Everything is out of balance." Jak said, increasingly irritated.

"What should we do?" Ezkabach asked, putting her hands on her hips. Jakovi looked up, his eyes glowing. For a second, she almost felt threatened.

"...find him." He growled, his voice low.

"Find who?" Ezkabach asked, kind of knowing the answer.

"Freddy Krueger. Find him, and bring him here." Jak said, baring his teeth. A grin slowly appeared on Ezkabach's face, the points of her canines showing through. Again, the excitement returned. She had an idea. She turned to quickly return to the real world, phasing through the mirror on the wall. Once back in her bathroom, she did her hair again and put on something a little more...comfortable.

She would sleep tonight.

Well that's the end of Chapter 1! I hope you enjoyed the introduction of the OC, as well as the problem/plot kind of. Get ready for Freddy next chapter!