Sean had used a hug as an excuse to steal his father's phone out of his pocket. He had had enough of his father holding him in the dark. He was going to go through the logs menu, find the number of the mysterious caller and find out what it was all about. He had no idea what he was getting himself into.

"Miss Gretchen, may I go to the bathroom?" Sean asked his teacher. He was in the middle of class and he knew he couldn't call from there without getting caught.

His teacher, Mrs. Gretchen, looked very displeased with his sudden interruption. You could see her displeasure all the way down from her now quickly tapping left foot, past her tightening grip around a piece of chalk and all the way up to her dark piercing eyes and wrinkly forehead. No doubt her boiling temper and rough exterior was why the students had nicknamed her "The Grinch."

"Are you certain that you find it urgent enough to interrupt me in the middle of class, Bowman?"

Sean felt an urge to point out that he already did it and it therefore was a pretty dumb question, but he was able to surpress it. He knew that time was of the essence; his father would no doubt come running with a fury ten times greater than what "The Grinch" was currently displaying, as soon as he figured out Sean had stolene his cellphone.

"Yes, ma'm. I'm absolutely certain."

"Then off you go! You have five minutes, you understand?"

"Yes, ma'm" Sean reluctanly replied, as he quickly sprinted out of the classroom and towards the boys' bathroom. His excitement grew. Sean had never behaved as rebellious as right now and he enjoyed it – with the notable exception of stealing from his own father, whom he greatly respected. Sean went into the bathrooms, whipped out the phone and started searching for the logs menu with an unmatched eagerness, but got goosbumbs as he heard a noise behind him...

森

Officer Lux didn't care what Captain Stone said; he was dead set on finding those missing pets. Having so many pets disappear simultaneously couldn't be a coincidence. What bothered Lux was that Captain Stone couldn't see it... Or perhaps that he did not want to see it. Lux suspected that Stone didn't like him because they were almost complete opposites. Captain Stone was a small old man with an appearance so hard and robust that he could be considered a human Bulldozer; he was direct, hot tempered, bossy and negative. Officer Lux on the other hand, was a 23-year-old man with a charismatic face and a charming smile, who believed that every person had good in them, no matter the crime. He was also religious, which was a fact Captain Stone had criticized on more than one occasion.

Lux was currently skipping his patrol in order to track down the missing pets. He had found a trail; pawprints of several dogs, leading into the nearby forest. He hadn't really spent time in there before, since he only recently transferred to the city. He had no idea who requested the transfer or why, but he was here now and intended to make the best of it. Although sometimes he couldn't help but ponder over it.

Lux was about to lose himself in thought as his cellphone started ringing. It was Stone.

"Yes, Captain?"

"Are you patrolling? It doesn't sound like you're in your car!"

"Well, sir..." Lux decided it was best not to lie "... I found a trail of the missing pets and I've been following it into the forest."

"What? If you're trying to piss me off, Lux, you're doing a hell of a job!" Captain Stone screamed into the phone. Lux could only wonder where he got the lung-capacity for such a volume. Lux would've explained as he progressed through the forest, but was interrupted by Stone:

"No matter, Lux. I'm giving you a class-A assignment effective immediately. You are to go to Oak Street 14, apartment 4-D and find Thomas Bowman. Some crazy prick has been calling and threatening him and his son. From now on, you're their bodyguard. Got it..? I said got it?"

Lux did not answer straight away. Not because he did not want to, but because he couldn't. He had fallen to his knees, nearly throwing up at the grotesque sight before him. He had found the missing animals.

森

Marjorie was very relaxed as she categorized the different files and folders behind her desk. She had a little trouble with the order of the alphabet, but she almost had it right. She was looking forward to ducking out from work early when her boss, Captain Stone, called her to his office.

She walked in and closed the door behind her. Stone looked both worried and excited at the same time.

"What's wrong, boss?" Marjorie asked. Stone looked straight at her with a serious expression on his old mug.

"Peter... Officer Lux found the missing pets. They were out in the forest, all either gutted or ripped apart, with their entrails lying in heaps everywhere. Were dealing with one sick asshole here! I need you to inform the entire station. I want the entire city under tight surveillance. Also, call the local TV-station and tell them they need to send a message via the news show: Don't go out after dark!"

森

"What are you doing?"

These four words made Sean jump. He looked up in the mirror in front of him and saw a little boy standing behind him. He recognized him as a kid in the grade below his own, but did not know his name. There was no reason to remember the name of anyone he didn't talk to on a regular basis.

"I am washing my hands" Sean told him, in a very hissing tone.

"No. You have a phone! YOU HAVE A PHONE! We're not allowed to bring cellphones to school!"

The random boy was really irritating Sean; yet another ignorant kid that made a big deal out of nothing. The other kids never truly took a look around them. Sean couldn't quite describe it. It was as if they were robots, or in some sort of trance; perhaps they were just stupid.

"It's just a toy" Sean excused himself "It's not a real cellphone!"

"Yes it is; it made noises" The random boy proclaimed. Sean had very little patience right not.

"Yes, good for you! Now leave me alone!" he snapped. The boy then walked away with glowing red cheeks. No doubt he was angry.

Sean was finally alone and he had found the number he was looking for. Who was calling his father? And what for? Sean was about to find out. As he slowly moves his thumb towards the call-button, he began feeling noxious in a weird way he couldn't quite describe to himself. Was he nervous? Did he really not want to do this? No, he definitely wanted to. Perhaps he just coincidentally got sick at that very moment.

Sean pressed his thumb against the call-button and in the same moment he felt a massive hand grab his arm and pull him back, while the cellphone was abruptly torn from his grip. The mysterious arm twisted his and forced him to turn around and look at what he knew was the scariest thing he had ever seen: Mrs. Gretchen, The Grinch, in a rage fit.

"So that's what we're doing out here, is it Mr. Bowman? Playing with our cool cellular phones in the bathroom? Well, let me tell you, young man, this kind of behavior is not acceptable! First you disrespect me in front of the entire class and then you lie about having to go to the bathroom, so that you can sneak out and use a cellphone! And need I remind you that they are NOT allowed on school premises, mister! Let me tell you, you are in a world of trouble now!"

During this frightening fit of rage, Sean also recalled what it was he hated the most about The Grinch: She treated him like a child. Sean wanted to defend himself, but he quickly found himself being dragged to the principals office. The Grinch went on and on:

"Now, I've never seen a brat as disrespectful as you! Back in my day..." But Sean managed to tune it out. She kept going once they reached the stairwell and she had to find the right key to the door.

Sean looked out the large window in the hallway as the consequences of his actions drew ever closer for each key tested in the keyhole. Oh, sweet freedom. He couldn't help but envy the thought of being out there, instead of in here. Suddenly he spotted something unusual, standing under a tree in the edge of the park – right on the other side of the street – was a man. Sean couldn't see his face, as the shadow of the tree covered it, but he could have sworn that man was looking straight at him. The nausea briefly returned, but Sean had little time to recover before the Grinch had opened the stairwell door with one of her hundreds of trusty keys and dragged him up the stairs.

So here he was.. In front of the principals office.

Could it get any worse than this?

Sean would soon find out that it indeed... could.