The fall air was starting to become uncomfortably crisp outside, so Kyle decided to call it a night and head back inside.
Sitting in the tranquil area didn't really bring him any new answers, so he hoped maybe a good night of sleep would instead.
Standing up, Kyle felt a shiver, but it was a different type of shiver than from just the cold.
He spun around quickly, and his heart surged into his throat.
It was that thing from Hope's memories!
It was just standing there watching him, partially visible in the trees under the half-moonlight. How long had it been standing there?
Kyle's mouth dropped open, but the fear made him swallow any words that might have come out.
A breeze picked up out of nowhere, and was now gaining strength. The tree branches began swaying with the wind, and small sticks and leaves were beginning to blow everywhere.
In the blink of an eye the thing closed the distance between itself and Kyle. Its arm shot out and before he could react there was a powerful hand crushing his windpipe.
Kyle's hands flew up to try to dislodge the arm, but the thing's strength was too much for him.
Now that it was up close, he could see the pale, mottled and leathery skin beneath the black robe, which was blowing violently in the powerful wind.
And he could see the hateful, hateful eyes staring at him. The creature drew Kyle's face about an inch away from it's own. Then it spoke.
"Your friends thought they could hide you from me? You. Don't. Run. From. Me. BOY!"
It's voice was chilling. Inhuman and unmerciful.
Kyle tried to force a word out. "G-grandfather?" He hissed out, using the last of his air.
He saw the creature's eyes widen for a moment. Then the awful face smiled - the pockmarked, sallow skin stretching over the distorted face.
It opened its hand then, and Kyle dropped to the ground. He didn't try to get up and run, but just struggled to get air in his lungs.
The thing stood over him.
"I am not your grandfather, boy. He was ME."
Kyle had recovered a good deal of air, so he started to crawl away, but the thing moved quickly and pinned Kyle to the ground with a bare, bony foot. He couldn't move it or get away.
"And you, boy, are an imperfect copy of both of us!" Then the foot released him, but as Kyle tried to push himself up to get away the foot came back and kicked him in the face, sending him sprawling onto his back. The dark shape loomed over him.
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Came a fierce shout from behind the creature. It spun, and Kyle managed to sit up enough to see who it was.
It was Hope. Still looking scuffed up from her earlier fight with Lizzie. Grass stains, scratches, and ripped top showing far too much pale bosom.
The creature said "You…", but before it finished, Hope cut it off.
"INCENDIA!" she shouted. And the creature was instantly engulfed in a torrent of flames.
Kyle felt a wave of terrible heat wash over him, and he scrambled backwards in an undignified crab-walk.
But then the flames simply went out. Appearing to Kyle as if someone had run a movie in reverse. No leftover heat or smoke. Just gone as if they had never ignited.
Kyle could see Hope just standing there staring at the the robed thing, eyes wide and chest heaving.
Then Kyle heard a quick hissing sound go over his head, and the creature stepped to the side and shot its hand out in one swift motion. It had caught something.
A crossbow bolt.
Looking behind him, Kyle saw Dr. Saltzman with a crossbow in hand, his face hard and determined.
Then there were more footsteps on the grass, and a black man in a shirt and tie, probably in his late twenties or early thirties ran up holding what looked to be some kind of ball-and-chain style weapon.
"Trust me," the newcomer shouted out, "you don't wanna see what this can do!"
Apparently it didn't, because between one moment and the next, the creature disappeared.
There was no fanfare, flash of light or sound. It was just gone. The wind began to die down, and soon it was calm again. The four of them were still, bracing for another attack. It didn't come.
"I think it's gone." The black man said.
Dr. Saltzman lowered his crossbow and offered a hand to Kyle to help him up.
"Kyle, what happened?" He asked.
Kyle rubbed his throat, which was still hurting from being squeezed earlier.
"I just turned around and there it was. It told me…it told me…"
They all waited for him to finish.
"It said I was an imperfect copy of my grandfather." Then he went on before anyone else could speak. "No! It said that it wasn't my grandfather, and that my grandfather was him, but that I was an imperfect copy."
He looked at Dr. Saltzman. "What am I going to do? What am I?"
The Headmaster put his hand on his shoulder. "We're going to figure this out, I promise, but first we have to make sure that thing isn't still around here."
Then he turned to the black man. "Dorian, you take the east and south end, and I'll check the wards on the west and north sides."
Dorian nodded and turned to go. Dr. Saltzman called after him.
"Get Emma, Penelope, Mark, and James, too. Have them cast a scrying spell and see if anything turns up."
"Got it!" Dorian yelled as he took off running.
Dr. Saltzman grabbed ahold of Kyle's arm. "But first I'm going to get you back inside, then we'll go over this after I finish with the wards."
"I can take him." This was from Hope. A soft voice that nonetheless startled Kyle because he had forgotten she was there somehow.
He felt the Headmaster tense up when she spoke. He didn't look at her.
"That's ok, Hope. Just go inside, I'll take it from here."
But she was insistent. "You need to check the wards. Now. I can take him back for you."
Kyle noticed she was looking directly at the Headmaster, trying to look into his eyes, but failing. The whole mood was uncomfortably tense. Kyle almost wished for the creature to come back.
Dr. Saltzman released Kyle's arm and started quickly running away, all without looking at Hope. Over his shoulder he called.
"Take him to my office and have him wait!"
Once again, Kyle found himself alone with Hope.
She was looking after the retreating Headmaster, and seemed lost in thought. Kyle was just about to say something when she snapped out of it and turned to face him.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah." He said. "You got there just in time. Thanks, I really mean it."
She came to stand in front of him. Kyle was forced to awkwardly stare directly into her eyes, because otherwise he was afraid of staring down at her 75% exposed breasts.
He took a quick look. Make that 80%, he thought. Dammit!
Hope didn't look away from him. She just stared, then she took a deep breath and spoke.
"Listen, this has been a scary night. I have…hot chocolate in my room. I could make you some? We could talk about…things? Maybe we'll figure something out?"
Kyle felt a tiny surge of panic. He really was grateful to her. How could he not be? She had saved him yet again. But he still felt some instinct telling him to stay away from her. And there was also Landon's cryptic warning, telling him specifically to avoid her room and not be alone with her.
"Uh, well Dr. Saltzman said I should wait in his office, so I should probably just go there. We could do the hot chocolate some other time, right?" Hopefully, never, he thought.
For just a second her eyes narrowed, and she looked furious and hurt, but the expression disappeared so quickly Kyle thought maybe he was just seeing what he expected.
She smiled then. "You know what, you're right. Maybe some other time. Let's get you to Dr. Saltzman's office."
Kyle breathed a sigh of relief, which he tried to cover, but he thought she probably saw it.
She started walking back toward the house, and Kyle fell in beside her, worried not only about the thing that seemed to be hunting him, but the people who were saying they meant to protect him.