C1 Chapter 1 My usual day at the office

Part 1 The day it all began

I was crossing the road to the busy street off to work at seven-thirty in the morning. My daily routine was getting me bored and was almost convinced of changing my job. I worked as a journalist/photographer at a news printing press and lately, we were having the same type of stories which started with the title BORING. I met Lylah as I was waiting for the lift to arrive.

"Morning Luka. How are you today?" She asked shyly with that vibrant smile of hers.

"Morning dear. All the better for seeing your smile," I said hoping I would get her attention.

She giggled and pressed level two on the lift which is for the editing press offices. I pressed level 5 and walked next to Lylah watching the door close.

"Care for a drink after our shift?" I asked her nervously hoping she would accept my offer this time.

"Yeah, thanks Luka but I'd rather go to sleep after work. I have been working for days and nights and I am missing my bed a lot," she told me gazing at her dress trying to avoid eye contact.

"Next time then," I said as I gaped at her face momentarily.

We have been friends for a very long time and unfortunately, she friend-zoned me. She is a super cheerful person, energetic, innocent and cute but shies away from men. It was her twenty-sixth birthday recently and I never remember her being with anyone. My eyes followed her as she was leaving the lift.

"Good day, Lylah," I shouted out before the door closed.

I sighed and then turned to face the mirror. A well-toned guy like me still does not convince her for a date. I fixed my short brown hair and ran my fingers against my beard, checking if I managed to shorten it all in one size the previous day, then seconds later I heard the lift door open.

"Morning Sean," I said to the tall guy as I was heading out of the lift.

He worked so hard all the time, he barely knows how to have fun.

"Morning Luka," he responded with a tired face.

I walked through the corridor and into my office. I placed the suitcase on the table and started to unlock it to take out the usual stuff I needed for the day on the table.

Rrrrinnnggg rrrrinngggg.

"oh no, not while I am still settling down," I spoke to myself. "Hello. The daily news printing press, Luka speaking how may I help?"

I waited for a while to hear a voice from the other side of the line and then hung up. This was the fifth day that I was receiving calls like this. No one answerers. I would hear someone breathing heavily but they don't respond. I sat down on the table and phoned our helper Linda to bring me coffee and switched on the laptop.

"Morning sir, how are you today?" She asked with a big grin on her face.

"Morning Linda, I'm fine. Thanks for the coffee. Have a good day," I said still typing on the laptop hoping she would stop looking at me like I'm her whore.

She was obsessed with me, unlike Lylah. If only she was her. Linda kept staring at me then I looked up at her raising my eyebrows.

"Is there something you want from me Linda?" I asked hoping she would leave.

She shook her head and then turned to exit the office. I rolled my eyes and looked back on the screen.

"You smell good," she said popping in her head again, gazing back at me.

She was too intimidating for me not to scream at her from within myself. I took a deep breath to keep the negative energy from releasing itself.

"Not for you Linda," I said back to make her go away.

I kept looking at the screen avoiding eye contact but I could feel that she now left for good. I rolled my eyes, feeling relieved she was gone.

Simon Cowell the X factor Judge is to be interviewed on the twenty-eight of June on the Ellen DeGeneres show. Bla bla bla

Katy Perry is having her first child with her Fiancée Orlando Bloom at the end of August. Bla bla bla bla bla

"Good afternoon Luka," a very low toned familiar voice said as I was typing.

That must be my boss I thought so I lifted my head towards his tall figure and fixed my tie and posture.

He was standing very straight eyeing me with his blue eyes for a few seconds. His dark-skinned, shaved head was shining from the unnatural lighting in my office, making him look extra clean.

"Good afternoon Sir Malcolm. How are you?" I asked now standing up.

This is the other guy that makes me feel intimidated when he is even ten meters away from me considering he always wanted everything spottless, on time and accurate.

"I need you to go check this out and bring me a good story," he said sharply, not wasting time with long conversasions..

He handed me a paper with a photo. I kept staring at it hoping to understand what it was.

"There is the address on the back," he said as he closed the door behind him.

I looked at him disappear behind the door and gazed back at the paper.

"What is this?" I thought to myself.

I closed the laptop and left hurriedly from the office. Locking the door behind.

"Let me come with you, please!?" I heard the squeaky annoying voice from afar.

"Next time Linda," I yelled out, feeling too annoyed to avoid exposing my anger.

I hate how annoying she can be. I eyed her for a moment, watching her shocked face turn into a grin, like she actually enjoyed it, pissing me further.

I drove through avenue street past the high buildings and all the busy shops.

Blue Creek 125

Drake Cemetary rd T-416

Ohio

"Life is a waterfall, we drink from the river and then we turn up we put up our walls," I sang aloud with the song from my all-time favourite cd of System of a down as I was driving my Lotus V8TT- vintage modified car.

Golden rims, painted black with some golden stickers to make it look modernized. Vintage cars were my soft spot, something I took after my dad, may God bless his soul. He passed away in an accident when he was driving back home from work, died at just the age of fifty-five. Oh how much I miss him.

My mother is all I have left. When I go home she always waits for me to have dinner so we have some time for us two to chat.

She has not been the same since my dad passed, though she does her best to keep moving forward. Unfortunstely, the glow she once had in her eyes was now gone.

I drove for hours and hours and it was already getting dark. I should have taken the train I thought to myself. I stopped to have dinner in a small village just before I was going to find the actual spot where that photo my boss handed me was taken.

I took the phone out of the pocket and dialled my mum's number and waited whilst I put in a mouthful of meat. She answered as soon as I swallowed my big bite.

"Hello, sweety." A soft voice said from the other line.

"Hey, mum. I'm calling to let you know that I will not be joining you for dinner this evening. I was given an address to make a good story out of a photo I cannot understand what it is yet."

I heard silence for a second.

"Mum?" I called out trying to see if she is still there.

"Oh ok, honey. I was just sipping some water. Ok fine. Will you manage to come back home today?" She asked.

"Probably not. I am way too far from home to manage to return this evening. Well, I've got to go as my food is getting cold. I will see you tomorrow," I said munching again some chips.

"Drive safely alright? I would appreciate it if you can call me back tomorrow morning, so that I will know you are ok."

I sipped some of my cold beer "Will do mama. Good night, love you."

I placed the phone back in my pocket, then turned my eyes back on the plate, taking a mouthful bite out of my burger.

I kept observing the picture trying to figure out what it is. It was in black and white and not so clear. Probably taken by a really low pixilated camera phone. I turned the picture around to see the address again. I thought I should ask someone where this address is before I make my way there.

"Bill please," I said to the waitress as she was walking close by.

She nodded, went to the cash machine and came back with the bill.

"Do you mind if I ask you if you have any idea where this address might be, please?" I asked handing her the picture.

She observed the address for a moment and I could tell she wasn't pleased to see it.

"I'm sorry sir, but I have no clue," she answered trying to convince me that she was being honest.

She started to clear out the table for me in a rush, eager to get out of my sight.

"I think you do. I have that gut feeling that you know exactly where it is. I am a journalist and I have been sent here to check it out. Now could you please help?"

She took the money and pursed her lips.

"Look, sir, it is very dangerous to go there. I don't want to feel responsible if you end up dead," she replied with a heavy tone.

I glared at her, then at the picture in front of me. As soon as I turned it around I hear a gasp and the plate she cleared from in front of me dropped on the floor, cutting her ankle.

Part 2 My nosy self

"Are you ok? I'm sorry sir. I will clean it before you leave to avoid stepping on it."

I cleaned my black trousers off from the few chips and salt that landed on it.

"I'm fine, it's ok. Go tend your wound first. I will wait," I said smiling at her to make her feel better.

She rushed inside and took five minutes to come back out. She has put a stick on the wound and started cleaning the mess.

My eyes gazed at her for the first time. She looked very young, had golden hair tied up in a ponytail exposing her pale skin and small frame. She then lifted her head and looked at me smiling exposing her dimples and her beautiful large brown eyes. I smiled back and nodded to make the awkward silence between us feel even worse. She left and soon returned with the change.

"Keep the change, it's fine," I said as I stood up, wearing my light jacket.

"Thanks for your service," I grinned, trying to look at her badge to see her name.

It was too small for me to read from the distance we were at, so I couldn't make it out.

"Courtney," she answered, returning a grin.

Turning around towards the cash register, she opened it to put the cash in place.

"Yeah, thanks Courtney," I replied and then left in search for the location, hoping I manage to find it before sundown.

It was already dark and I could barely see. I switched on the car engine and thought of finding a motel somewhere nearby. I started driving and I kept looking to my left and my right hoping I would find a place to sleep for the night. Nothing seemed to be close by except for one house here and there.

I then saw a small one floor house made of wood close by and decided to stop there. I knocked at the door twice before a very tall man with a long ginger beard and hair showed up.

"What do you want?" He asked with a very rough, country style tone.

"Are you one of those pranksters I had to deal with last week?"

I looked at him and his big fat beer belly.

"Sorry to disturb, sir. But I was wondering if you can help me find a place to stay for the night. I was trying to find .."

He shuts the door in my face and left me there staring at it for a while. I thought he was very rude of him and started walking towards the car with an upset face.

"F***er" I mumbled to myself, unlocking the car.

I could have sworn that as soon as I lifted my head whilst opening the car door I saw something running into the woods. I stared at the trees for a while, then I notice something from deep into the woods. I kept staring straight at the forest and that is when I notice that there was something between the trees staring straight at me.

My heart started beating fast at the thought of some adventure, hoping that that thing had to do with the picture I got from my boss. I knew that whatever I saw was looking straight at me, not moving a muscle.

As a journalist one can only imagine the things we end up in. To get the job you have to have the will to work in dangerous environments as well as curiosity which would help you venture further into anything that looks and feels mysterious. It's in my nature to be courageous, partly from past experience and partly from growing up with my courageous father that was never afraid of anything.

Dad used to train me not to feel fear by exposing me to things that looked scary for the age I was back then. He would tell me things like; "keep looking at it. Think of what you can do to stop yourself from being afraid of it." He used to train me to fight, telling me that in case I found a few bullies in the streets, I would know how to protect myself. Training hard made me stronger both in person and in character which made it difficult for me to be frightened by something.

One would think that watching someone or something stare at you from between the bushes and trees would make you want to run off like a coward, but me being me I decided to go and get as close as possible to whatever was hiding, hoping I would get a better glimpse of it which would help me figure out if the thing in the picture was the same one I was observing in front of me.

I had only a few more meters to go, making the creature clearer, before a panicked voice halted me in surprise.

"Don't! Don't take any more steps," he screamed out, running to my side.

Watching him approach I decided to hide the photo and place it somewhere safe and away from sight, trying to see why he is stopping me to walk any further.

Fixing my throat I took one last glance at the forest, noticing that the creature that inhibits it was gone. As puzzled as I was I couldn’t further track the creature so I ended up waiting for the guy to reach me.

"Sir, the forest is too dangerous for a human to enter. Trust me I know enough to give you full detailed stories of things I have witnessed," he said shakily and breathless, noticing his wrinkles all over his face.

"That's great! A story is what I need!" I mumbled to myself before he took the last few steps.

"Are you from this area sir?" I asked curiously, thinking that he could lead me to something.

"I live here, yes. My family lived here for a very long time. Stay away from danger young boy. Trust me, it is not safe for you here unless you know this land well. Anyway, what brought you here? We don't get much tourism in these parts."

Observing the darkness of the forest again, hoping that I would see that thing once again, I decided to show the picture to this old man and see if I notice any reaction from him. My eyes gazed at the blurred figure that looked like it was something evil.

"Kid, that thing. Don't. I won't say its name. It dangerous to call it. Why are you in search for it?"

"I am a journalist and I got a task to find out more about it. All I know is that this picture was taken somewhere around this forest."

I waited momentarily to observe his features before asking him further.

"Can you tell me something about it? Anything... maybe a story?"

"And the one who took the picture, where is he?" He interrupted, ignoring my questions.

I shook my head feeling puzzled that this question never popped up in my head. Normally John, our part time photographer would be the one to take the pictures when I am in office, but I haven't seen him in days.

This guy took one last glance at the picture, then returned it to me with a sigh. Looking around him feeling insecure, he held one hand over my arm and got closer to me.

"Listen to me, forget about it and go home where it is safer," he said in a whisper.

"I need to know," I said back frowning in thought.

Ignoring me, he left my side, walking back into his car. Deciding not to follow him, I glanced around me for one last time before I started walking back into my car. Breathing out, I sat down on the car seat and closed the door, placing the picture on the passenger seat. Gulping half a bottle of water down, I started the engine and drove off thinking I should still find a place to stay for the night.

Switching on the radio I checked for any news station that was forecasting in such a late hour but I was too far away from the city for the radio to work. Instead I could hear the disturbance which always made my ears burst. Quickly I pressed the off button, feeling relieved that the noise was gone.

On my way, I observed the darkness of the forest, wondering if I should go and check it out the next morning. Having someone that knew its paths would have been ideal, so that I would avoid getting lost but I was here alone and if I needed to impress my boss I had to do this on my own.

Suddenly I see some light coming from a nearby house so I decided to park somewhere close and knock at the door. Observing the house, it was made of wood which reminded me of my parents' small summer cottage we had in the outskirts of London which we stayed at every summer. I waited for a while and there was no answer. I knocked harder this time, trying for the last time before I started to walk myself back to the car.

"Who is it?" Someone shouted politely after a few seconds. I heard some light footsteps approaching the door.

Turning back towards the door I fixed my throat, thinking of how I should introduce myself.

"Hi, you don't know me but I would like you to help me find...."

I hear a lot of clicks from the dozen locks and then I see a young breathtakingly beautiful lady that appeared before me.

Her high cheekbones were blushed, and had very long brown hair, down to her butt. She was just wearing blue shorts and a bra that exposed her large breasts.

"I am so sorry if I am intruding but I need your help, please. I have been travelling for a very long time and I need a place where I can rest for the night."

Part 3 Mysterious shadows in the forest

The lady let me in and excused herself to grab a shirt from her room. She came out with a long shirt that covered also her waist. We stared at each other for a moment. Her blue eyes gazed at my whole body.

"Who are you? How did you end up here?" She asked still twitching her eyes up and down my body.

"I am a journalist and a photographer and I was sent here to make up a good story out of this photo but it was getting dark and I thought I should try finding a place to stay for the night. Unfortunately, there is no motel around so I see the first house and knocked to check if anyone could help me find a motel or something but he shut the door in my face. I got into my car and drove again in the hopes of finding another house or something I can rest my eyes. I ended up here."

She remained quiet for a moment and then looked at the picture I had passed out to her to see. As I was passing the photo our fingers touched, noticing that something has triggered the both of us to feel breathless. She snatched the photo in shock looking away, trying to catch her breathing back.

"There are things out here you better not see or worse, get close to."

She handed me the picture back and scoffed as she sat down on the sofa.

"What do you mean? Someone else told me not to come here."

I cleared my throat feeling like something was blocking my airways. Her beauty is beyond compare and something in my chest was pulling hard, almost wanting to release itself.

She looked at her nails and clicked her tongue.

"You can rest here and leave in the morning if you like. Do not go out when it is dark because it is more dangerous at night."

She stared quietly, waiting for me to say something.

I looked straight into her eyes for a while trying to see if I manage to get a glimpse of emotion from her after showing her the picture.

"So the picture... anything you want to explain? I know that you know what that is."

She shook her head and looked down at her shirt and pretended to straighten the few curves the shirt had on her belly.

"Why though? No one wants to tell me. Tomorrow I will go and check it out then. I need to know as it is my job to do so."

She shrugs her shoulders and wished me luck. Then she stood up from the sofa and showed me the empty bedroom.

"Good night Mr....."

I smiled as she offered me her hand which I shook lightly. As soon as my fingers brushed over hers I felt tingling all over my body again which awkwardly made me let go off her hand in a fast manner. She also had a surprised expression, but I could tell she tried not to show it too much.

"Luka," I said, as I continued smiling at her.

My body was still recovering from that unusual feeling.

"Mei," she added.

"Pleased to meet you," we said together.

We both giggled and then she left the room.

As I laid down on the bed I gazed at the ceiling thinking hard of tomorrow. I thought I shouldn't be alone, yet I have no one to go with. I am here on my own. Maybe I should invent a story and still make my boss content.

The moon was very bright outside and its light was shining through the large window that was opposite my bed.

Suddenly the light was replaced by a large figure. I looked straight out of the window as I stood up fast from the bed in surprise and in front of me, I see something I never thought existed.

At first, I thought it was outside but no, it was in my room staring straight at me with shining blue eyes. My curious self was about to walk towards it but my movement triggered the shadow to expose its teeth.

Feeling like I was in trouble, I observed the whole room, trying to find a way to lock the thing inside as I escape from his dangerous teeth and claws. My heart was still stable as I was plotting my plan. Slowly, I moved my body close to the bed and I hear a ferocious bark coming from the shadow which stopped me from moving.

I noticed a switch close by and I immediately thought I should switch it on thinking my brain was playing tricks on me. My hand rushed to press it and the lights turned on and the shadow was gone.

I wondered how it could rush off this fast so I checked for it everyehere but it was to no avail. I tried to gather myself and considered sleeping again but I am not willing to switch off the lights. I closed the door and the curtains and went back to bed.

"Never be afraid. Yeah. Yeah dad. I should never be afraid," I mumbled, thinking about a conversation I had with my father back when I was a kid.

It was around midnight when I hear and feel someone breathing very close to my ear. I opened my eyes and I stayed still hoping that I was dreaming once again but no, the feeling of someone next to me remained in the room.

Noticing that the lights in the room were off once again, I had a feeling that I was going to get killed as it started to expose its teeth and claws again, trying to attack. I thought I should be fast and get under the bed to avoid getting my skin ripped and so I flung myself to the floor and rolled under almost getting clawed by the shadow that was haunting me.

I noticed that the door was still closed and the curtains were too. Where did this thing come from?! I felt confused, yet curious at the same time. I didn't know what else to do apart from avoiding its claws. Of course, I was still with my white shirt and black trousers I had from work since I came to this place unprepared.

It suddenly knelt to the floor and gazed at me like it was curiously observing me. Three a.m and I was still under the bed trying to figure out how I should go out from this house. There was no way. I had to wait until the sun comes up.

Whilst I was contemplating what I should do, the lights turned on and I see two feet next to the open door.

"What the heck are you doing down there Luka?" Mei asked with a surprised tone. "Is everything alright?" She continued.

I rolled out from under the bed, stood up and as I was cleaning myself up from the floor the lights turned off again.

"Oh no," I said aloud. This time it was us two in the room but the shadow did not reappear.

"The shadow I spotted in the woods, I saw it in here," I said calmly, "I was trying not to get killed by it so I found a place where it couldn't reach me.

Mei stared at me with a surprised look then grabbed my arms roughly and we ran to the kitchen.

She let go of my hand and brought out a gun from a large box. Click. She placed the magazine in and pointed at nothing as she walked slowly in every room. I followed behind but there was nothing.

"You must have been dreaming. I locked the door tightly as you can see and nothing can get through."

I looked at the door to see about five locks to it.

"I swear it. I saw it twice. I let the lights on and it turned off on its own just like what happened when you came into the bedroom," I tried explaining.

"No I haven't switched on the lights," she said. "I just heard some commotion from outside my bedroom and thought you were up so I came to your room and it was on."

We stared at each other for a while, then she aimed the gun at me, changing her expression like something was controlling her.

"Open your shirt," she ordered, "open it now," she said harshly looking straight into my eyes.

I stared at her for a few seconds trying to figure out why she is acting like this, then I opened my shirt slowly.

"Now what?" I asked forming a smile.

She stared at my chest for a second, almost like she was searching for something.

"We're fine, I thought it got attached to you, but you are fine," she suddenly said, bringing back the gun down and rested it back in its case.

"What did?" I asked, almost chuckling feeling confused.

But something in me made me want to grab her and feel every inch of her. I tried hard to let go of that thought, not wanting to look like I was some whore.

I noticed that we were both fixated on each other's gaze, admiring each other in deep thought.

Without warning, she rushed onto me and started kissing my lips roughly, like a hungry she-wolf. That was an unexpected reaction.

At first, I was shocked but then I decided to take the opportunity and grabbed her by the hips and pressed her body closer to me. At the touch of her lips, my body fell numb. No woman ever made me feel that way before.

What was I doing? A second ago I was thinking that I was going to die. Now I am being kissed by a stranger, not that I'm bothered by it as she was as sexy as hell. She removed my shirt completely, then went to open the button and zip of my trousers and exposed my thighs.

I started to breathe heavily and felt overwhelmed but she was unbearably hot and I couldn't control myself. I removed the rest of my trousers and took off her shirt and exposed now her large bare breasts. She was not wearing any bra from under the long shirt. She pushed me to the wall behind me and started kissing my lips again harshly, then my neck and my chest and kept going down down down till she reached my now hard rock c**k whom I call Josh.

She pushed Josh out of my underwear and started to feel it with her hands. She looked at me with a h***y look and that is when I grabbed her and took her to her room and put her on the bed. I took off her pants and pushed my finger into her p***y that was already wet.

She gasped at the feeling I gave her as I kept moving my finger on her g spot make her c***m. She cried with joy and I could hear her mumble as she curved her back sexily.

"f**k, oh, "f**k, oh, oh, oh, f*****k."

she started screaming it louder and louder than she c****d all over Josh and her bed.

She grabbed my shoulders, pushed me down on the bed roughly and put Josh into her and started moving her hips up and down as she moaned.

All of a sudden she placed her head down onto my shoulders and exposed two large fangs and bit through my skin.

I was so shocked at the sight and the feeling of the fangs gashing through my skin that I didn't dare move. I felt the warm blood seeping down my shoulders and the bed.

She gasped and put her hands around her mouth and looked like she woke up from a dream. She jumped off me and rushed outside the room and came back in with some gauze panicking as she mended my wound.

"What have I done! oh no, what have I done! I am so sorry. I couldn't control myself. It must be the haze. Ohhhhh what am I going to do?!" She kept mumbling.

I couldn't speak or move except for my eyes and I could feel my body shaking hard. I closed my eyes pressing them together thinking that I was in deep shit. These things only happen in movies I thought. As I felt my body loosing its heat I fell into unconciousness.