The Blood Moon

The quiet of the night was disturbed by the loud siren of a patrol car chasing young a man running incredibly fast through the highway. This is an all too familiar scenario for the two policemen, Patrolman Tamayo and Patrolman Silva. They were both transferred from diffeent towns to the town of Thorn, in the city of Carillio four years ago and their very first job as partners was to brought in a town local named Elias Grunt. The sheriff's godson. And for the past four years they became all too familiar to the town's public enemy number one.

"Do we really have to chase him?" Patrolman Sila asked his partner irritably. "We both know that we can chase him all night and all we will accomplish is to run out of fuel." Patrolman Silva said while opening the window on his side before taking out a stick of cigarette from his cigarette case. His getting sick of his job here in Thorn.

"Well, we can stop and go back to the precinct, if you want." Patrolman Tamayo said teasingly. "But then you have to talk to the sheriff and explain why we're not on his godson's tail." Patrolman Tamayo dared his partner. They both know that can't go back or they will face the wrath of their sheriff.

Since day one, they've been arresting Elias for the same reasons. Assault. He's always involved on violent altercations that always leads to damage to property or physical injury. Elias don't do drugs, he doesn't even drink. He just simply explodes when he gets mad. And he gets mad for any reason. He was diagnosed with IED or Intermitent Explosive Disorder by the town psychiarist who evaluated him as a requirement from the judge on one of his assault trial.

"Chasing him even on this car is stupid." Patrolman Tamayo heard his partner murmur while puffing his cigarette.

It's true. Capturing a running Elias is like caputing the wind. He's impossibly fast and viciously cunning. Elias was a part of Thorn Memorial School track team and was former captain. He was also Carillio's track champion for the State Championship. He had a bright future ahead of him but everything fell apart when his mother died. His father blamed him for everything and it turned him to a bad drunk who beats his just because he gets bored.

"Shit!" Patrolman Tamayo hit the car's break too hard out of nowhere. He was frozen on his seat when he saw the group of men waiting for Elias.

"That's Alex Pantallen's group. That's the group hunting Elias?" Patrolman Silva curse under his breath. 'Man, he's so screwed." Patrolman Silva uttered. Almost everyone in Thorn knows about Alex Pantalleon and his band of psycho friends. All the citizen of the town of Higgins are terrified of Alex's group because they can do terrifying things and the mayor can't do anything about it.

-----

On the other side of the side of the street, a woman is walking her way home when all of a sudden she felt the urge to keep walking. Towards the following street. She was talking through a dark. It may sound dangerou for her, for once, she actually didn't care. She just kept walking because she felt like what she's about to see is something that she has lost a very long time ago. Her feet brought the end of the alley behind an old payphone booth.

She the group of men blocking the street and the young man across. He's standing in the middle, like he own the place without even a hint of fear in his eyes. He's cocky, that's obvious but he doesn't look stupid. In fact he looked so dangerous standing there in the middle, smirking. The woman was also confused when she noticed the police car behind the young man. She also saw the policeman on the other side of the street trying to get close enough of to the group on the other side. "Brave" the woman thought then looked back at the policeman inside the patrol car. "Unlike that one." she said to herself.

"Why is he just sitting there? Won't he even call for a back up?" the woman thought to her self.

Bang!

Unfortunately, the brave policeman was seen by one of the bad guys. He fell face first on the side of the street, dead. She shook her head. Innocent people always end up as a casualty of war. She looked at the man on the other side of the street. He's like a lone wolf facing a group of dangerous wild animals. He's cautious but not afraid. He slowly looked behind him, at the policeman still cowardly sitting inside the patrol car.

He was slamming the wheel, hitting his head, crying and shouting like he's already loosing his mind. It as obvious even from afar that she was devaste by the death of his co-policeman. But she got confused when policeman suddenly stopped crying and stared at the young man like he just saw a ghost. The young man was panting like he was trying so hard not to explode with so much anger.

Something's started happening on the woman's body. Her body temperature is rising rapidly. It's like she can feel his anger and she doesn't have control over herself. When the young man face the armed men, she it clearly. His eyes, a bright golden amber.

-----

Alex's group seemed so prepared to fire at Elias at any moment but the young man seemed like he could care less. He's standing there, confidently, staring at them like he's waiting for them to actually shoot. He's challenging them. He even put his hands on his pockets and slumped as if he's getting bored with waiting. Then

"Oh, he's screwed alright." Those words came out almost like a whisper because Patrolman Tamayo was too familiar with how Alex instill fear to people.

-Flashback-

"You're daughters are pretty and boy! I can think of a million ways of how they can make me happy." Alex kneeled to level his face with Henry's.

Patrolman Henry Tamayo is a rookie model cop because he wanted to be a good example to his daughters and his youngest son. But him walking the straight and narrow put him in the path of a seriel rapist who's unfortunately under the protection of a very influential business tycoon.

"No! Please, just kill me. Kill me now, please. Just leave my family of this. I'm begging you." He was whimpering. Just the thought of her daughters on the hands of this monster makes him want to die already.

"Now, why would i do that?" Alex smiled at him but his eyes were devoid of emotions. "If i can make your daughters my personal whores and satisfy myself ." Alex was like a creepy kid who's too happy share the story of how he will murder his own parents. "Then i can skin them alive once i'm done while you and your wife watch." Alex happily watched as Henry cried harder. "Then i'll let my boys here tear through your wife while you watch and then burn her alive." His eyes widened like a man possessed. Then he forcefully place his forehead on Henry's while grabbing his ace. "I can make you listen to her screams while you watch everything happening before your very eyes. Your family will suffer and die in front you and i will keep you alive to know that it was all your fault!"

"No, no, no. Please!" Patrolman Tamayo was crying like a child. Trying to beg for his family.

"Or," Alex fixed Henry's shirt like nothig happened "i will let you live and you will get out of Higgins and will stop, meddling with our business."

"Yes! Yes! Please! Thank you! Thank you!" Tamayo's cry grew louder when he realized he would have a chance to save his family.

"But once you even try to meddle with our business," He dusted Henry's shirt "any business, again, i will hunt you down and i will do much, much worse." He waived his to Henry as if saying goodbye

-End of Flashback-

That's why he moved to Thorn. He's not suppose to be involved in anything that has something to do with Alex or his family will be in danger. And he won't allow that. Patrolman Silva cursed when he saw what was happening in front of them. Alex's men were standing across the street holding high powered guns and devilish grin on their faces.

"Damn it! Call for back up!" It was too late when Patrolman Tamayo relized his partner was already out of the car. Patrolman Tamayo saw his partner, Patrolman Silva quietly and carefully walked towards Alex and his group while hiding on the dark part of the street.

"No." Tamayo was about to call for back up when for some reason he felt like someone's looking at him. And when he tried to find the person, he saw Alex, waiving and smiling like the devil he is. Tamayo's hands froze mid-air, just a few centimeters away from his police radio. He can't. His family's life is at stake. So Tamayo just stood there. Watching, waiting for what will come next.

Bang!

His heart almost jumped out of his chest. Gunshot. The person Tamayo looked at was Elias but he was fine. Then he heard the sound plastic and metal containers falling down. His yes darted to the the direction where the sound came from. Tears immediately started falling down from his eyes when he saw his partner laying face down on the street with pool of blood spreading around his upper body.

Tamayo felt like his mind is about to give up. It's like he's hearing voices in his head saying "coward" "worthless" "piece of shit" "you let him die!" "you just sat there while he bleeds" "you did nothing" His body started shaking uncontrollably together with growing pain oin his chest. He let his friend die because he's too afraid to do something.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Tamayo started shouting while his hands repeatedly hit the wheel with so much force. He was shouting and hitting his head like it would save him with the drowning self-shame and regret. When he somehow calm down he saw Elias looking at him like his the most disgusting person he'd ever seen. He actually don't mind he's disgusted with his self. But he noticed something that made him stop. Right before Elias started running, jumping like a professional exhibitionist, he saw his eyes. it was a bright golden amber compared to Elias' natural brown eyes.

"What the hell!"