Shane

Winters were approaching. Icy breeze flowed in the atmosphere. Whole village snoozed in their cosy rooms. Silence surrounded the village except for the clicking sound made by beetles. 

In this calm atmosphere, a man dug a pit in his backyard. He was stout and had a thick moustache on his face. Balding head and wrinkles revealed his age. 

Looking at the depth, he dropped the spade and wiped the sweat from his forehead. His brows were pulled up together and lower lids were tensed and drawn up. He went back into his house and returned with a small locket. 

Glancing around, he dropped it in the pit and buried it. He planted a small sapling and glanced one last time before going back into his house. 

"He might come anytime now," he murmured to himself as he cleaned his muddy hands.

He wiped his hand and entered the kitchen to prepare his meal. Soon he heard a knock on his door. He lowered the flame of the wood-burning stove by pulling out a few logs and went to open the door. 

Opening the door he saw a man with blue eyes. He was tall and had a wicked smile on his face. Clean shaved and hairs were slicked back, making him look attractive. 

"I comprehended you would come, Shane," he said, moving aside to give him the way. 

Shane smirked and entered the room. He glanced around and said, "I see you brought a few new stuff. I never knew the council pays this high to the members. What do you say? Should I join?" 

"Stop beating around the bush and get to the point," Baronet said, looking sternly at him. 

"Take it slow old man! I was just curious. Well, are you trying to change the topic? Did you betray us?" His smile transformed from a friendly to a malicious one. 

"Eh? What do you mean?" He was perplexed by the question. 

"Ah, nothing," he said and turned back his facial expressions to a friendly one. Baronet rolled his eyes and waited for him to speak. 

"Did you do the assignment?" 

"Do you know how risky it is to enter the council's record department? How can you expect me to get it so early?" He said, raising his voice to convey his dilemmas. 

"So you didn't enter the records yet I presume," Shane said with a mystical smile. 

Baronet observed how mysteriously Shane was acting ever since he entered the house. He felt he was being interrogated by him as he was being stared at with those doubtful eyes. 

"Say directly what you want to say, Shane," he said and put his hand behind his back to take out a knife, alerting himself. 

"Ah, don't even think of that oldie," Shane said, smiling wickedly. 

Baronet stared at him as though he was petrified. He loosened his grip on the knife as it was no use. No one could protect him if the beast in front of him made up his mind to kill. His forehead shone as the sweat began to form. 

"How did you know?" He asked. 

"We have our own measures," Shane replied. He saw the man wipe his forehead. 

"Now, you oldie, tell me where it is obediently and I will spare your life in return." 

"As I said already, I don't have it," he replied, staring straight into the blue eyes. 

"So you opt for death," he smiled wickedly and continued, "Then death it is." His face became immobile as he said those words and eyes held a repugnance look. His nose flared in wrath. 

Baronet's eyes widened in shock and fright as he saw the blue eyes turned into blood red. Hairs covered his face which was clean shaved a while ago. He glanced at Shane's hand which now looked like a lion claw. 

The beast pounced on the man ahead of him, making him fall on the ground while he strangled him. In order to protect himself, he took out the knife and tried to stab him. But the beast simply snatched it from his hand and used his claw-like hand to wrung his neck. 

"You think you will betray us and we will keep quiet," he said harshly, loathing the man below him. The man struggled hard to breathe. He beat his hands around to reach out for something that might help him.

"You old, filthy humans should remember what happens when you think of betraying us," he snarled. His hands squeezed the poor man's neck harder, digging his nails into the skin. 

As the man was about to pass out, Shane took back his hand and stood up. The man coughed and inhaled the air heavily. 

"P-please leave me. Y-you have mistaken," he stuttered, pleading to him. 

The beast smiled wickedly. "You are late, oldie. I have made up my mind to kill you and I promise I will give a pleasant death," he smirked. 

Knowing the wolves, Baronet decided not to beg anymore. He sat taking the support of the wall and began to think of a plan to save himself. Poor him didn't know it was the last day of his life as the beast in front of him cannot be stopped. 

He wanted to scream for help but that wasn't going to help as it would take a few seconds for Shane to shred his body. He looked at the beast who searched for something and thought to distract him. 

"I know who has it," the man said strugglingly for words to come out and his throat hurt severely. 

As planned the beast stopped searching and looked at the old man. He slowly moved towards the man with a friendly smile. Slashed Baronet's shoulder and wrung his neck again so that no noise would come out. 

"You think I am a fool. I know it's with you and I will soon find it," he threatened. 

He released his neck as he sniffed something. "You prepared soup for your guest. So nice of you oldie," he said and slashed the knife again on his body. 

Blood oozed from Baronet's body and covered the floor. He squeezed his eyes in pain but knew no one could help him now. 

Shane poured the soup into a bowl and sat on a chair enjoying the scene in front of him. 

"You know oldie, I liked you. Your information has been very useful for us and we appreciate you for that," Shane said, calmly sipping the soup. "But yes, no one has seen the future. That's all we had for us I guess," he added looking at the man groaning in pain. 

"It hurts right? Let me set you free." 

With that, Shane came forward to shred the man's body with his claw and strolled out of the house, leaving the man dead in his house.