CHAPTER 15- Another pawn

Sheriff POV

"Another quiet and peaceful night," I murmured as I looked up at the full moon. Working as a sheriff in a small town might seem monotonous to others, but I like it—a peaceful small town where nothing ever goes wrong. Sure, sure, it gets boring at times, but with a lovely wife and cute kids waiting at home, you can get rid of all the weariness of the day.

I smile thinking of our plan: to have another baby, a family that has three children will get various benefits from government schemes. To motivate couples to have more children, there are special leaves too, and it just happens that tomorrow is one.

I lick my lips in excitement before looking in the mirror. Before I covered my head in frustration, this useless deputy of mine had fallen asleep in the backseat.

"Hey, wake up!" I shout, but he continues snoring, this idiot.

" Beeeeppppp" 

I slam my hand on the horn, finally jolting him awake.

"Wh-what happened?" He asked.

"Nothing, just some animal blocking the way," I lied casually.

"Oh, okay," he said, stopping just outside his house. I signaled for him to leave; it takes him a good while before he understands.

"All right, Sheriff, let's meet tomorrow," he says, giving me a stiff salute before rushing off with a grin, probably planning the same thing as me.

I shake my head, steering the car to my home, before slowly getting off.

I take one last look around the neighborhood. There was darkness everywhere, lights off in all houses, and it was too quiet everywhere, but I didn't think much of it. I lived here for the last 4 decades with nothing major happening other than a few cases of pickpocketing.

Shaking my head with a grin, I stepped on the stairs before unlocking the door and stepping in. The kids must be asleep now. After locking the door, I sauntered towards the bedroom, humming a song, careful not to make too much noise.

She must be ready by now, I think, while stepping in. Only to be greeted by an empty room.

"Huh." I switch on the lights to get a clearer look. With her lingerie lying neatly on the bed, our planned toys lying nearby, and the bedsheet neatly tucked in, everything was fine, and it just looked like she was about to dress up before she disappeared into thin air.

I grabbed my revolver. It's cold metal, giving me relief and security. I hurriedly went upstairs to check on my kids; in a rush, I just got in without knocking.

What I saw sent shivers down my spine. The room was perfectly neat; their bedsheets were tucked in, and their blankets were stretched, but beneath the blankets, there was no one.

I gulped in fear before forcing myself to calm down. I walked towards the room's window; it was perfectly locked. The room got increasingly eerie as time passed; the tranquil room seemed to grasp my throat. I had trouble breathing, so I opened up the window.

"Haah-haah," I exhaled, and I inhaled forcefully to clear my mind. Before looking up at the full moon, an old memory slowly came back to me, one that my grandfather used to tell me when I was a kid: on the night of the full moon, the supreme predator comes out to hunt, and if we are chosen by Him, we should just surrender ourselves to Him and be happy that our insignificant selves got the opportunity to serve the supreme one.

I scoffed while recalling it; it was just a bedtime story to scare children. As I was thinking about this,

I saw a black shadow standing on my lawn; it's back turned towards me, but I was sure it was a male with a strong build, towering over 6 feet 5 inches. My academic training helped me analyze the figure.

He had brown hair that was glowing with an otherworldly sheen. The moonlight seemed to pulsate around his figure, almost as if worshipping him and making him appear angelic. He just stood there, but he seemed to have merged with the darkness. Standing there, he gave off a feeling of indestructibility, like the earth itself will be destroyed one day, but he will remain eternal.

I snapped out of my daze before I raised my revolver to shoot him, but he was no longer there. Wary and concerned, I rushed downstairs before grabbing another gun from my hidden compartment.

"Boom!" I kicked hard on the back door before I rushed out, holding guns in both hands, but the lawn was quiet, like everything from before was an illusion.

"Are you looking for me?" An otherworldly melodic voice made it to my ears—the voice was so sweet and silky that I almost got hypnotized.

I turned around while simultaneously shooting my gun. I was expecting a skewered individual, but instead I saw the most breathtaking face, standing there with his hands behind his back. He stood there like the lord of darkness.

I raised my arms again to shoot, but he just stood there quietly with a gentle smile on his otherworldly face, almost as if waiting for me to finish so he could start. I threw these thoughts out of my mind and continued shooting.

"Bang"

"Bang"

"Bang"

Finally, the clip was empty, but the man was fine, seemingly protected by some sort of force; the bullets disappeared after reaching him.

"Haah-Haah-Haah." I dropped to my knees exhausted, too tired to say anything. I just stared at my shaking hands as the realization dawned upon me that my whole family must be dead, and maybe the whole town as well.

I raised my head in despair, staring at the man's crimson eyes. Instead of eyes, they felt more like two seas of blood, swirling quietly but ready to devour the whole world.

I was about to open my mouth to ask why he did this, but the figure raised his unblemished hand, seemingly already knowing my thoughts.

"You will become my pawn," he said while raising his arm to grasp my skull. My vision got covered, and I felt an otherworldly force invading and ravaging my body.

His hold over my skull tightened before it exploded, but I could feel that I was still alive. I saw my destroyed skull reshaping itself and getting attached to my neck.

All the worries left my mind, no longer bothering about my dead family or townsfolk; my mind was no longer my own; instead, it connected together with something great, something seemingly eternal, seemingly for forever.

I lost my free will but instead gained otherworldly powers in return. Slowly all my thoughts ceased to be, my past self's memories disappearing, or maybe all of them were devoured by this new will in my head. I wasn't sure. This new will was very gentle; just like the caress of a mother's hand, it coaxed me into letting go and being freed from all my worries. At the beginning, I wanted to resist, but slowly I gave in, seemingly believing in it.

Freed from all my worries, the darkness started to surround me, but I didn't panic, letting it wrap around me. Slowly, I could see my own will becoming transparent; I felt the grip on my skull loosening before the hand was gone, and with that, my will disappeared too.