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“It seems ironic that my voice when I speak is like sweet cream or honey. But when I cry, when I wail, it sounds and feels like death. 

I remember hearing that wail for the first time. I was a warrior. I was a queen! They called me The Phantom Queen with how quiet and light on my feet I am. 

I was the queen, and men followed me to their deaths and their victories. 

Then I married. 

Then I fulfilled my duty to take a husband and become round with my heir. Then I failed. 

For all my success on the battlefield when it came to being a woman I failed. 

My child was stillborn, and I almost died, losing the ability to have a child. It had to be my fault. And so I dove into magic, trying to find a solution to have a child. 

Instead, I ended up with immortality. 

To keep the curse, I must kill those who failed their child. 

Fitting. 

It is my fault my child is dead, and I was punished. Others should be as well. 

Now I use my honey voice to calm them and then I strike fear into them when I wail and allow them to know Death is coming for them.”

Morgan looked out at her diners. She loved running the restaurant. It allowed her to see families. It allowed her to watch them. She still grieved for her only child. She still desired a child. She hadn’t thought of adoption before recently. 

Oh, she knew of it, but she didn’t think a monster would be able to adopt. But then she heard Frank had a daughter now. She was even given immortality. In an over dramatic ritual, Morgan knows easier and better ones, as long as she accepted the child would be as cursed as she was, to wail and kill those with her cries. 

It isn’t so bad. 

She didn’t have a set victim requirement; she didn’t have to have so many a year or a decade or are cursed to gain forgiveness. Because forgiveness can only truly come from within. And well, she would never forgive herself for failing her duty as a woman. Ancient thinking. But she was an ancient woman.

It is why she moaned and cried and turned those like her to a bleeding mess as their blood vessels in their body burst at hearing her cries.

“Earth to Morgan! Earth to Morgan!” Came a voice and a hand in front of her face.

“Oh, sorry I was just…”

“Just lost in thought there darling?” Came the drawl of Abe.

“Shush Abe!” Yelled Caliban. “She was doing her thing more than likely.”

“Oh, she can do that without spacing out on us. I mean we are planning a party here!” Abe stated as he reached over the counter and filled his glass with more sugary carbonated beverages.

“I don’t see how you can mix all those flavors.” Caliban stated. “And I am basically a kid.”

Abe took a long drink. “So good! Full of sugary goodness! I mean, my father never allowed me this. Hell, the man basically made me with all he deprived me of when I was growing up.”

Morgan rolled her eyes. “Why are you two planning a party again?”

“Well, I am so glad you asked!” Abe clapped his hands. “You see with Sophie joining us monsters, and Darin in town, and, of course, Sam basically getting hitched I thought we should have a big New Year’s Eve to do and celebrate everything! Bring in fresh food, let our hair down, and just have fun. I mean yeah, James Parties are fun, but we need them more than once a year!”

Morgan rolled her eyes and scanned the families again. She had heard some rumors, and she needed to validate them before she just went and killed the parents. That was the one thing about her that set her apart from other monsters. She didn’t just go off one rumor but validated and only hunted very specific people. She has gone decades without killing and she isn’t required to kill. She is only required to live. Well, it wasn’t really a requirement as ‘failing’ can be so differently interrupted so she never really had to kill them. It was just sometimes… just sometimes… it was satisfying to kill those who failed their children.

For over a week Morgan watched the same family. The mother was always hunched into herself. The father was always trying to act tough. She had heard that their eldest had died. Suddenly and without cause. So Morgan checked in on that. After just a couple of hours, she found the abuse. The pain the kid had gone through and finally was released. 

It wasn’t the parents. 

It was a teacher at the school. The parents hadn’t noticed. Too busy. Always too busy. Well, Morgan normally only killed the parents, but a teacher was like a parent to a child. She would kill the teacher instead and then choose to spare or kill the parents. After all, they had failed their eldest.

One Friday night Morgan walked into Jo’s with a strappy little dress and heels that made her legs go for miles. She saw her target. She smirked and walked right up to him. “Buy me a drink, slugger?” She smirked as she bit his ear.

The man, Wayne Stevens, just nodded and snapped his fingers to Jo. “Whatever the lady wants and a refill. NOW!” He yelled.

Jo raised an eyebrow to Morgan, and Morgan licked her lips. Jo laughed. “Well, if you hadn’t, I would have.” She stated as she poured the good tequila on the man’s credit card.

Morgan laughed and took the shot, took the bottle and went and straddled her victim. “Come one honey! Let’s go dance!” She pulled him by the tie. “I want to dance!” She started to sway her hips and lead him into the middle of the dance floor.

It was two in the morning, and Morgan was dragging Wayne into the woods. She smiled as she took off her shoes, dropping them as she went, and then skimmed out of her dress at the water’s edge. “Come one Wayne!” She called.

It wasn’t long before the man was by her side and undressing. “I can’t believe one of the most gorgeous women in town thought to notice me.”

“Oh, Wayne, don’t know you when you hurt kids all the queens notice? It was just I got to win.” Morgan stated.

Wayne looked at her. “What are you talking about?”

“What do you think I am talking about? A little kid now at rest because of your abuse. Abuse, their parents missed because they trusted you?” Morgan held his head between her hands. “And now my soul cries for that child Wayne. And you will bleed the tears I cry.” Morgan then opened her mouth and let out a mournful cry for the child.

Wayne tried to get away but soon the blood was dripping from his eyes, nose, mouth and ears as every vessel burst in his body. As Morgan held him to life to feel the pain. To feel the pain of failing a child. To feel the pain of not doing what his job was and to protect and care and teach the child. Soon his heart exploded out of his chest and she was covered in blood. 

She dropped the body. She sneered at it as she dived into the water and cleaned off before putting her dress back on to leave his body.

Morgan found herself walking to the home of the parents. They were sitting outside yelling. Each blaming the other for not noticing what was happening to their eldest. Morgan stopped and listened. 

The mother. 

The mother was having an affair with Wayne. Well, that wouldn’t do and as the father slammed into the house; Morgan went and grabbed the mother. 

She looked into her eyes. “You failed your child. Your failed your child for sexual gratification. For your sins you must die.” She let out a mournful cry and again held the woman as she died. Morgan dropped the body and went home to clean up. 

She left a message for Ewan about the two lovers who cut their own hearts out rather than to be apart. She then took out a million in savings and snuck in and put it in a ‘hidden’ safe in the house. 

It would keep the father and allow him to be home more with his remaining children. 

After all, if the father failed, then she would have to take him. 

She smiled at the young babe that still lived and with a kiss to the babe’s head she left with the wind. 

Giving one final mournful cry to grieve the passing of a child…

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“In life I was the person who could charm and calm anybody. In death, my body was used to scare the animals away from the fields. My soul was restless. I mean, I was murdered, and the murderer put me up in a field as a scarecrow. Shower burlap bags to my body; stuffed them straw. A jealous man murdered me. After all, I had it all. Town respect. A lovely wife. Three strapping sons and a princess of a daughter. And I had a silver tongue. I could get anybody to do anything I pleased. So yes, my soul was restless. So I made a deal. I have to have the brain, face, heart and livers of five people during a year. I tend to eat all five at once. Less heat for our detective to deal with. Can say traveling killer. I look for my victims in the classes I am a TA for; after all, they trust me. They come to me. I don’t even have to do the work.”

Hal was sitting in his office when the door opened. “Hey guys!” Hal greeted the group of kids. “Ready with your questions?”

“Of course, Hal!” One of them laughed. “I swear we wouldn’t be passing this class if it wasn’t for you!”

“No Jake, that isn’t right. You are all bright kids who got into college. You all can do anything you put your minds too.” Hal stated as he went up to the board. “Now let’s start off by summing up the lectures last week and we can go from there. Now there were many reasons behind the actions of the United States and the Pacific Front of World War II …” Hal started.

Hal loved history and loved teaching it more. Teaching allowed one to show not only an unbiased view of events; but if it was worded correctly and presented a certain way to the students, they would start to take on the teacher’s views, as well. It allowed the teacher to spread their beliefs and educate the society of what happened. And if the people didn’t know the past, they were doomed to make the same mistakes in the future. 

After all, Hal had learned from his mistakes and has grown in his many years on this Earth. It was really a pity these five wouldn’t get their chance to warp the minds of innocents. But Hal was more afraid of no existence or hell than he was upset about the loss of the lives of five teenagers starting their further education. He finished his review and smiled as the kids left. He dropped his smile as the door closed and raised a hand to his face. The magic making him look human could only fool humans. He always felt the burlap that was now his skin. He closed his eyes at the pain. 

No matter how much time had passed, he mourned his mortal life. He kept watch over his descendants. Made sure they never ran afoul of monsters. Made sure Bo put out they were protected. But he never met them face to face. How he wished he could. He shook his head. He had things prep. Mainly his basement.

Hal got home that night and went right to his basement. He looked up when Gabriel came in. “Gabriel or John?”

“It’s me. Gabriel.” He stated as he sat down on the bench. “Thought I would come and see if you needed help.”

“Bored?”

“Partly. Partly is that busy work keeps John at bay.”

“Oh, is John unsettled?”

“Yeah. Someone tried to pick a fight with me.”

“Oh, about what?”

“I was helping someone with chemistry and his boyfriend didn’t like it.” Gabriel smirked. “The jock was hiding their relationship; and when he saw me helping him he got jealous and came up and tried to pick a fight.”

“Well, I am sure you friend informed him you were straighter than an arrow.”

“Nope. He was using me for not only chemistry help but to get his boyfriend to make their relationship public.” He picked up the scalpel that Hal just finished sharpening. “What day should we expect the screaming?”

“Soon. My anniversary of being undead is coming up and I have to kill, remove the organs and eat them by midnight that day. I was thinking about this weekend. I will dump the bodies right outside of town. That Ewan can say it was traveling killer. That night I will take them out to celebrate then you all can say you picked me up at the bar and when they leave, I will grab them.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Gabriel stated and grabbed another scalpel to sharpen.

Hal nodded his thanks as he sharpened his knife.

The weekend came, and after review Hal smiled. “You all approved on the last test! I think we should celebrate! My treat!” Hal smiled. After all, what was a few hundred when tonight was the last night of their lives.

They were all excited, and they first went to dinner at the local bar and grill before moving to the bar. The six of them were laughing and talking and debating the age old question: ‘Who was the bigger monster? Hitler or Stalin?’

“Hey Hitler may have convinced a generation to commit genocide but Stalin killed his own people!” Hal exclaimed. “No matter who big of monster Hitler was, you have got to say he was a hellva politician!”

“Stalin killed anybody who he thought was out to get him. Hitler targeted the Jews and anybody who wasn’t a Hitler baby!” Jess yelled.

“Exactly!” Hal exclaimed. “They both were horrible but Stalin killed based upon his paranoia; Hitler targeted specific groups! Making Stalin a bigger monster because he was unpredictable! Hell, Stalin killed his own blood!”

The debate lasted through dinner and into the bar. Once at the bar Hal fed them shots and mixed drinks and they danced and let their hair down. Hal almost felt bad for them. Almost. Hal made sure that Jo knew to charge him for all five of them. He said his goodbyes and left the bar. He then laid in wait for them to leave.

Hal dropped all his spells. He wanted them to fear him. He waited and at two in the morning they came stumbling out. He pulled up in a taxi minivan and they all stumbled in spitting out the addresses to the dorms. Hal locked the doors with a smirk. He then drove to his place.

Jake finally noticed. “Hey dude! This is the wrong way!”

Hal turned his head around. “No, it isn’t.” He rasped out.

The girls screamed, and the men froze. But before they could do anything, Hal pressed a button on the dash and released a paralyzing nerve gas. Once he got to his house, he dragged each one into his basement and strapped them down in the surgical tables. He hummed as he prepped them.

They started to wake up. They tried to scream. Hal gave a straw-filled smile. “I used to allow my victims to feel all the pain I inflicted upon them. But then I started to hunt those in college. Got to know them. Got to care a bit. I have paralyzed you all but you will be alive as I remove your face, your liver, your heart, your brain… I then will cook them all up and eat them. Giving me my power; allowing me to be immortal. You see for as much as I care for you all… I fear nonexistence or hell more.” Hal explained as he held up a knife. “If it is any consolation, I debated not killing you all.” 

He then plunged the knife into Josh’s chest and slashed down, opening him up and pulled his chest apart. He picked up the scalpel and carefully cut out the heart. He did it to all five of them before he carefully removed their faces, livers, and brains. He left the bodies to drain of blood down the drain as he moved to the kitchen and cooked the organs. He made a stew with the hearts, wraps with the faces, the brains he made sloppy joes and the livers he made liver and onions. He sat down and eat every bite. He was so full after he wanted to sleep. 

But he couldn’t until he dumped the bodies. He moved to the basement and dragged the bodies back to the van. Once he had them all in, he drove to a farm field right outside of town and dumped them. He then drove to the local sandpits and dumped the van. He jumped into the car, waiting. 

Thank God for the monster community. It made all this so much easier. He went home and after a quick hose down of the basement passed out for the weekend and let the power of their restless souls fill his body and grant him another year of undead life.

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“I have always been a warrior. Always. I was set to be a king once upon a time. Now I am a ‘Detective’ at the local police station. I understand how it is needed in our group. We all know of each other but never get close. I won’t ever get close to them. My own brother killed me on the land of my birth. It was after a fierce battle. One that would have gotten me my throne and my brother stabbed me in the back and then beheaded me with my own sword. I swore when I made that deal with the devil that I would never be betrayed again. So while I put my head on each day, I make sure it is loose enough that I can look 360 degrees. I look at my whip. It is what I used to bring justice to those who betray those who trust them. It is made from the spine of my own brother. I ripped it from his body as I came back from the dead. I sat upon my hell steed, it was blacker than my desire for revenge, and I held my head up high to seek him out. I stopped in front of him and called his name. Sean fell to the ground and I jumped off my steed and before he died I ripped out his spine through his chest. I feel to this day no regrets. I am content in my undead life as a monster. After all there are worse monsters than us out there…”

Ewan stood up and looked into the cell. For a college town it was quite small, and it was the way he liked it. Small police department. He was one of four detectives. He looked at the homeless man. He dated all the papers to show he wasn’t here when Sheldon was killed. He shrugged. Frank only protected himself. Though he didn’t understand why Frank kept the brat. He would have walked away. For a soulless creature, he had more of a conscience than most of the monsters in their group. He shook his head. The drunk in the cell at least would no longer be homeless, would have three meals a day and be taken care of. He backdated the files and with a few swishes of his pen and few clicks of a mouse the drunk had no alibi and soon the knife and bloody clothes would be planted. He stood up, throwing the file in his active box and locked his computer, throwing on his suit jacket and leaving to finish this up. After all his night was coming. When he could kill the betrayers in the town. He smiled as he got in his car. His fellow detectives just thought he solved a case.

Ewan pulled up to his house. His mustang purred as he parked in his driveway. He smirked. He loved his cars as much as he loved his steed. Power was power. He walked out back of his house to the stable. His horse was as black as coal and his eyes as red as blood. “Oh, don’t look at me like that boy. You are still my favorite. And soon we will ride through this town and claim the lives of those who betrayed their blood. Worse of the living and dead, you are to betray blood.” He stated as he took his whip and did a few practice swings, destroying the pumpkins he had lined up on the unused gates in the stable. He felt the splatter of their innards and smirked. He turned to clapping. “Ajit.” He greeted to the man that became a brother to him.

“Ewan. Did you get that thing with Frank fixed?”

“Yes. Still don’t get his want to be a father.”

Ajit shrugged his shoulders. “I somewhat get it. And Frank is always the most human of us all.” He then laughed. “Ironic considering he was built of dead humans and never was born and lived a human life. He is the only one to never actually be anything but a monster.”

Ewan smiled. “Yes, well, Frank was created by power. I think he absorbed enough soul remnants that he is probably the only one of us with the closest thing to an intact soul. So Halloween is coming now; have you picked your victims?”

“I have a good idea. We all don’t have a steed that can sense the betrayal of blood.” Ajit stated as he petted the steed.

Ewan shrugged. “We all have our cursed and our blessings Ajit. What you here for?”

“I was in the area. Thought I would stop by when I saw you.” Ajit shrugged. “Hear Lucas took out a local alpha last night.”

“Yeah, I had to help the mutts clear the bodies. And announce a poisoning that killed quite a few. I don’t blame Lucas, though. He has always been protective of his pack.”

Ajit nodded. “That little girl will be spoiled and protected from the world.”

“That she will.” Ewan stated.

Ajit stopped petting the steed. “Well, I am going to bounce out. I got things to do. People to investigate. There is one I like; have to talk to Seb about him.”

“Tell Seb poker night is coming up. Expect him to be there this time. And if you see Draco before me, you tell him that he is the only one required to be in his mask. I won’t have that invisible bastard cheating again.”

Ajit laughed. “Please, a few beers and we are all cheating.”

Ewan shrugged. “Yeah but I lost 500 to him last time.”

Ajit laughed. “For a man who can remove his head to look at the cards you lose every time.”

“It is that invisible bastard!” Ewan yelled.

Ajit shook his head. “Until next time, Ewan!”

Ewan sighed as cleaned up. For as much fun as he had practicing, he hated cleaning up. Maybe he should hire some maids. He gives them money, and he doesn’t have to do anything about the cleanup. He just had a few more nights, then he would gain the souls of the betrayers. He captures them inside of his whip and they in turn power him and his immortal life. He finished the cleanup and plopped down in front of his television and turned on a game. He didn’t care which he never was frantic about sports not like some other monsters. Because in the end sports didn’t change. The players did. Even the rules to an extent but sports really don’t change and anything steady in their undead bouncing unsteady monster lives was meant to be grabbed on to and obsessed over. Ewan never even noticed when he dozed off.

“Brother! You were wonderful in battle! Keep this up and our father will make you the next king!” Ewan’s brother slapped him on his back.

Ewan smiled at his younger brother. “Ah, Brother, you did great! It was an amazing battle! We are gaining much land!”

Cinead smiled at his brother; nobody noticing the envy burning in his eyes. “Let us take our bounty back to our father.”

Ewan kept making headway in battles; showing why he was the General of his father’s army as they gained land and power. It wasn’t long before his father was about to name the new king. One more major battle win, destroying his father’s life-long enemy, would gain Ewan his crown.

The day of the battle came and Ewan took his broadsword, that had been forged out of and in the blood of his enemies, and struck down all in his way to kill the leader of the land his father desired. It was hard fought, but Ewan made it to the enemy king. They fought and soon Ewan’s sword was buried into the chest of the enemy. As the life left the enemy king’s eyes Ewan took the crown and crowed. He dropped his sword and held up the crown, showing the war was over and he had conquered. Suddenly his eyes filled with shock and pain as he looked down to see his sword through his chest. He looked back to see his brother taking his sword and smirking.

“Brother. I am sorry, but I will be king. And there is nothing you can do.” Cinead swung the sword and…

Ewan sat up with a start. He only had that nightmare as the day he gain another soul grew closer. The nightmare fueling his anger and his thirst for the blood and life of a traitor. Ewan stood and shook his head, looking at the clock. He had slept most of the night. He would just get ready for the day. After all, an arrest was to be made. And other things to clean up.

The next few days ran the same. Falling asleep and having his last mortal moments play out in his mind. The hurt, the betrayal, the pain of his brother killing him fueling his anger and blood thirst. The want of a traitor’s soul to give him power. Finally, the night was upon him and put on the warrior armour they had killed him in and mounted his steed. “Find the traitor!” He held his head high in one hand as his steed took off. It wasn’t long before his steed stopped in front of a house. And the name of the betrayer was in his mind. He waited for the woman to come out of the house.

“What are you?” She asked.

“Alissa Rose Williams, you are guilty of betraying your brother for personal game. Your punishment is death!” With that, Ewan watched as the life was draining from her. He took his whip and cracked it; wrapping it around her throat and watched with a sick satisfaction as her soul left through her mouth and entered his whip and traveled through to him, allowing him to absorb the power of the soul. He flicked his wrist, wrapping the whip back up and left the dead body on the lawn as he rode home. Another successful night where justice was served. He went home and fell into his bed and allowed the nightmare to finish as the power of the new soul was integrated into his body.

“I want justice!” Ewan’s soul screamed. “I will pay anything!”

The being that Ewan would call the devil smirked and looked at him. “So be it my Headless Horseman!” He snapped his fingers and Ewan was sitting upon his steed once more. He held onto his head and drove the steed as hard and as fast as he could. Finally reaching his kingdom. He found his father had died and his brother had claimed Ewan’s wife and unborn child as his. Ewan found his brother. Called to him. And as the life left his body, Ewan went up to him and ripped his hand through his chest and pulled out his spine. “My son will have my rightful place as king you traitor. I will see you in hell!” Ewan yelled as he turned and walked away. Leaving the body of his brother in a pool of blood. He went and looked upon his wife and unborn child. “Never will you both feel the betrayal again.” He kissed them both and left. Spending the next five decades watching his family.

Ewan woke the next morning. He groaned as he sewed on his head. He looked at the portrait of his family. “My only regret is I shall never see either of you again. But the thirst for the blood of traitors is now to deep in my own blood. I pray that you forgive me.” His phone went off. “Yes?” He asked answering it. He listened to the details of a murder, a strangulation of a woman over on the other side of town, that he needed to cover. “I will be there in fifteen.” He grabbed his gun and badge and ran his fingers over his whip, loving the shock of the souls trapped there and walked out the door. Another day in his damned existence…

And the countdown to his next hunt begun.