7The planet of Terra, second one of the solar systems, was the home planet of the humans. It was a planet of three continents in which they lived with many contacts between each of them. The life they once lived was interrupted when another intelligent species came to be.
Around the 16 centuries, the Outsiders came out and began devouring humans on one continent only. No one knew where they came from. No one knew why they appeared on one specific continent.
Some guessed it came from the meteor that felt from the sky during the 16 centuries. Others guessed it came from the underground and left to attack the surface. Other said they came to the surface because of the meteor. No one had the answers.
In such an environment, the large city of Astrio was under the threat of the Outsiders since little after its foundation.
In this city where humans and their hunters roam around, a hard life awaits those unprepared. For those who were, the struggle to survive was simply easier.
Prologue: Home Invasion Part 1
15 may 1813
The sun shined in the chamber of a man named Shin Lin. The chamber was a large one with a desk on the side, two dressers and a mirror over the one near the entrance to the room. On the side of the bed, there was a pistol on a small desk just under the land and besides the alarm.
He woke up in the morning and quickly dressed up. Shin was a man in shape with peach skin, pale brown eyes and long black hair. He moved his hair from his face and sighed. He adjusted his black shirt so the human skull could be clearly seen and his red pants.
"Mom would have said to put other clothes and not the same every day," he thought back. He walked out of his chamber and went to the kitchen.
The kitchen was a large room with the walls and ceiling painted in pale blue with a large table, six chairs a painting with a white dragon that screeched into the sky and everything that could be found in a normal kitchen in silver color.
As he prepared his breakfast, he felt something watching him. He put the bagel in the toaster and sighed. He looked outside. He noticed the red eyes of the Outsider. He stood near a tree of his property. The tree that was near the pool. He grinned at the human and made sure that his red fangs were seen.
He was a tall blue slender being with a silver face, red eyes, two pairs of fangs, one red and another white and a pair of long arms segmented in two colors, yellow and black. He wore a black suit with a black top hat.
He acted differently from yesterday.
Shin knew the Outsider tried to awake fear inside his heart. He chose to ignore it. It was just a minor annoyance. He wasn't the type of person to be intimidated by an Outsider. He had no idea how he seemed to lack fear, but he didn't care. He had higher priority than an Outsider trying to eat him, "As long as I don't fear him," the bagel came out of the toaster. He opened and added some butter, "He can't attack," he grumbled something, "Or won't. Still, I need to have everything ready, just in case the Outsider is reckless."
He finished eating and took something out of the drawer. He checked at the pistol in his hand. He watched it quietly, making sure the monster couldn't see what he held in his hand, "They are smart. I have to be smart too. They can read my mind. He knows about the guns," he made sure it was working properly, before he put it back in the drawer, "Still, another deterrent," he looked at the Outsider once again. He prepared a cup of tea meanwhile. He never left eye contact with the intruder.
"Shin…" a voice began to whisper into the ears of the man.
Shin Lin knew there wasn't anyone in here. Those whisperings were obviously caused by an auditory hallucination of the Outsider.
"Shiiiin," the voice whispered once again.
The man decided to ignore the monster outside. He just needed to keep his guard up. He walked into the living room and picked a book and start reading.
"Shin," the voice continued on.
An hour went on with that voice whispering his name in his ear. He never tried to check if there was someone over his shoulders. He didn't care about this fake voice. He closed his eyes and sighed in annoyance.
He closed the book and returned in the kitchen. He looked outside and the Outsider was gone.
"Shin," the same voice repeated again.
The man grumbled under his breath. He was tired or hearing the same thing again and wondered where the Outsider might be.
"He is still around. Surely somewhere else and watched me in the living room."
They were in a mind game and he knew it. He knew the goal of the Outsider. He just needed to find a way to defeat it. Since he moved in, he already planned everything to defend himself in place. He focused on something else.
He opened the TV and watched the news. There was nothing noteworthy. He guessed he had to check on the alternative. News wasn't trustworthy with their ties with the OCCS.
The screen glitched as it slowly showed the face of the Outsider. "Shin Liiiiin. I am watching you. Am I inside? Am I outside?"
"Outside. All windows are close and you need to break it to get inside. If it's by the chimney, then I'll know it already."
The face frowned for a few seconds, before the grin came back, "Clever human. Really grinding my nerves hum?"
"Just need to logically think Outsider. Now leave."
"Nonono. I won't leave Shin Lin," the large tongue came out of the Outsiders mouth and licked his lips, "I know for certain that I will reach my final form if I eat you. An almost fearless human," he bit its lips, "Your tender flesh will be delicious. You will join your parents next and tell them how you die. I'm sure they will be happy for you."
The man glared and clenched his hands, "Come and get me. It will cost you your life."
Shin Lin closed the TV and decided to give the Outsider a piece of his mind. He stopped and put his hand on his forehead. He realised he just provoked the Outsider to action. He just knew it would get worse now. He let his hand dropped on his side and went on.
Nothing else stood out in his day. The Outsiders was inactive after he received the threat for some reason.
The next day, it changed.
Shin Lin noticed the walls seemed a little warped in the kitchen. The wall and the ceiling were now scarlet and seemed to drool with blood. They were a few black eyes that looked at the adult.
"I was thinking to paint the kitchen eventually," he scratched his chin, "But I don't like scarlet," he went to the fridge. He opened it and a small version of the Outsider opened its large fangs and tried to bite him.
Shin ignored it and grabbed some juice. He closed the door before the thing could bite him. He went to make some toast. He put it in the toasted and waited for it to be ready.
"Shiiiiiin!" a high pitch voice yelled.
He looked down and saw a hand that raised from the ground, trying to grab his ankle. The man stomped the hand and grabbed his toasts once they were ready. He began to eat his breakfast.
"Are you sick in your mind Shin?" the Outsider asked in annoyance.
Shin gazed at the door leading in his house and saw the monster glaring at him, face pressed on the door. He guessed the monster lost focus and just abandoned whatever plan was in his mind. He continued to eat and didn't bother to reply.
"You will crack Shin!" he declared at his prey. He stopped pressing his face at the door, "You will crack!"
Shin took another bite and once he focused on the window, the Outsider was gone. In the declaration of the monster, there was a threat of violence. He repeated to himself, "I need to keep my guard up," he finished and cleaned his plate.
He went to the living room and saw nothing. It was just a white space. The man took a deep breath, well aware of the illusion. He walked towards a space and sat. He never hit the ground as he rested his back against something invisible. He let out a small smile as he recognised the sensation of the couch. He knew the house well enough to guess with some good accuracy where everything was. Still, he was lucky he didn't hit the table.
The disappearance didn't affect him. He crossed his fingers and slowly breathe. He remained calm.
He waited for the illusion to end. It took a few minutes before it came back to normal. He sighed in relief and grabbed a book and began to read.
Outside of his home, the predator quietly cursed his prey for resisting him, "This human is harder to destroy than any of them," he chuckled as he put his hands together, "But he will crack. Sooner or later."
19 may 1813
Three more days passed and the human overcame the illusions that were made to cause fear within him.
Illusions of the Outsider attacking him inside of the house, distortions in the house such as the size and the locations of the objects and many more. Each of them, he either ignored them or just took a fighting stance when the illusions came.
It felt more like empty threat than anything else in the eyes of the man. Shin was a little too logical to get under the pressure of the predator who was still outside of his house, near the entrance of the backdoor. A window was open on the side to let the fresh air come in.
He gazed at the Outsider who furiously glared at him.
The monster bit his lips as his breathing was heavy and loud. His fingers shivered in frustrations, as if he tried to contain his rage at his failures, "Break. Break. Break. Break. Break! Break! Break! BREAK! Why don't you break? You are just a human! You have so much emotions! Are you insane?"
Shin Lin snapped, "I just don't care. I cannot let you get over me. I have something far more important than dealing with you! You read my mind! You know what it is!"
The room the human was in turned into a black puddle. Everything slowly melted around himself. His skin turned black. Bubbles began to form on what was his skin. He noticed his organs, normal color, beginning to come out of the black liquid that formed his body. His beating heart and his lungs slid down, slowly on the ground.
Shin Lin sighed. He knew it was an illusion. He still felt the heartbeat in his chest, "I still feel my heart in my chest."
The illusion ended. The monster let out a twisted grin, "Fine! I didn't want to get low! But whatever! I don't care anymore!"
Someone appeared in front of the man. It was the bloodied body of his sister. She looked at him, a hand over her wound on her chest, "Help-"
Shin passed in front of his sister. He phased through her illusion. He grabbed a pistol near the door and furiously glared at the Outsider, "You fucker!"
He opened the door and pointed the gun at the monster's face. He pressed it on his groin and squished the face.
The Outsider ducked as a bullet passed over his head. He quickly retreated as more shots came at him. One hit his back and felt on the ground. The bullet didn't pass his skin, but it stinged hard. Like, really, really hard. It twisted his rib for a second before it reformed back to normal. He panted as he turned towards the human.
"Don't ever do that again. Next time Outsider. I will kill you!" The man fired a few more times, until it was gone in the forest. He breath heavily for a minute after he didn't see the monster. His hand shivered as the anger went away. He realised the Outsider kinda won the mind game, but not in awakening fear within him. He awoke rage.
His back hit the wall and dropped the pistol on the ground. He put his hands on his face as he slid on the ground, "D-dammit. That bastard he… He-" he took a deep breath. After a minute, he collected himself, "He will be back."
After a few more minutes to calm down, he returned inside of his house.
AC: This is the end of the prologue.
Next: The second part of home invasion.
An Outsider ego wounded. A man who had no patience for the predator. They will clash. It will be bloody.