The Beast of 1977 (Book 1)

Much like a foreseen tragedy that no one had the power to prevent, evening fell hard and cruel upon Cypress. The severe, five degree winter wind lashed through just about every living soul like the steel tip of a slave drivers whip. With only a few lampposts that shined their dim, orange hue down onto the ground, Isaac stumbled his way through the alley, making only frequent stops to vomit into any trash can that he could rush to first.

He was sleepy, hungry, thirsty and angry all at once, and judging by his wide open coat, the oppressive cold was apparently the last thing on his haywire brain. Inside his body raged a hellacious war of good vs. evil; one man's divine struggle to fight off the demonic presence that dwelt within; an ongoing battle against the dark force that longed to inflict limitless devastation.

Back and forth his regrets wandered: Karyn had a sad story of being lonely in a new country, while Lynnette was always on his back for working at Larry's Garage. Karyn hung on to his every word, while Lynnette went on and on about how Isaiah needed new clothes. He screwed Karyn, but made love to Lynnette.

With each and every maddening ramble, Isaac found himself wanting to just end it all right there in the alley, beside all the other garbage.

"You look like you're lost, friend."

A medium-sized man with a shabby looking German shepherd by his side warmly stated from behind Isaac.

Surprised, Isaac spun around and tried to see into the man's face, but not only was it dark outside, but the dirty looking individual was wearing a filthy hood that was concealing his facial features.

All Isaac could make out was the smoke that would exit the man's mouth whenever he spoke.

"Get the fuck outta here, man." Isaac slurred, trying not to fall against the trash cans that he was standing in front of.

"I apologize for troubling you, sir." The man's kindly, raspy voice continued on. "It just seemed like you were ailing."

"Man, I said get outta here!" Isaac barked back. "I ain't feelin' good!"

The ragtag man only remained in place. The chain in which he was holding his dog was rusted beyond recognition and looked as though it were ready to snap in half at any moment.

"Are you sure you want me to go, sir?"

Frustrated, Isaac began to advance towards the man, only to have the dog growl the instant the young man's feet moved.

Just then, two red eyes appeared from inside the man's dirty hood. Startled, Isaac staggered backwards into the garbage cans and held his hands up in a helpless defense from the man's sudden awful appearance.

The filthy one looked up into the pinkish sky as light flurries began to rain down. "Look at you, boy." He said in a more malevolent, hissing voice. "Sniveling like a mere rodent. You have a job to do."

Isaac's body was wracked in pain, but not to the point where he couldn't get up and run away. Immediately, he got to his feet and started for the opposite direction.

"Don't you dare move." The ragged hobo warned, pointing his trusty dog at the young man.

Out of fear Isaac ceased every movement in his body before turning and shuddering at the sight of the two evil eyes that stared him down like a feast.

"I...I gotta go." Isaac whimpered while violently shaking in place.

"I have waited for this moment for quite a while, and so far, you have not disappointed me. Now, I want that bitch and her child dead."

"Who," Isaac asked with a whine.

"Do not trifle with me, boy." The man impatiently remarked. "You know you want to kill her."

"No I don't, man." Isaac stammered.

"Don't you remember when you thought that Isaiah wasn't yours? You believed it to be Larry's at first. Then...then you changed your mind and accepted the bastard seed as your own."

"He is mine!" Isaac furiously stomped on the snowy pavement.

"You killed those girls; those sweet little bitches. Now, go on and kill that black trash and her child. You don't want her to get away with that, do you? Get away with having another man's baby? Go on, it's not like anyone could pin it on you. Just like the other night."

As if he were being dragged down, Isaac dropped to his knees in agony and moaned all over the ground. He beat his fists into the snow while gritting his teeth.

"Get away from me! Who are you anyways?"

"I am Unknown to you, but every man, woman, boy and girl comes to know me eventually."

"I didn't mean to do any of this!"

The insidious individual chuckled and said, "Your mother cried the day she went to the hospital. She cried for you, boy. But you were busy running the streets. How does that make you feel?"

Isaac looked up into the sky and held out his hands to the heavens, pleading for mercy to fall upon him.

"Either you kill that bitch, or I will." The man lurched towards Isaac.

"I can't kill her! I fucking love her!"

The dirty man reached out with a clawed right hand, lifted Isaac's face to his and asked, "Did you love her when you were inside another woman?"

Enraged, Isaac snatched his face away from the man's claw before spitting at his face. The dog stared up at its master with the most bewildered look on its face.

"I am not your enemy, child." The man reassured Isaac before taking his claw and using it to scratch Isaac's right hand. "Kill her, or I will, boy."

it to alleviate the pain.

Unknown to you, child." Isaac heard the man's ominous voice echo softly in

the ground as Isaac got to his feet. He then looked around the alley to see nothing but a stray cat passing by. Right behind him was Lynnette's house. Unbeknownst to him, he had already arrived

He leaned up against two trash cans and took notice of the kitchen light which was shining brightly into the backyard; it let him know that Lynnette hadn't

of how blood tasted. He realized that it wasn't him that longed for the substance, which was exactly why it turned his stomach each and every time the raw taste belched up into

Feeling a sense of impatient urgency, Isaac rapidly marched through the backyard and onto the steps that led to

skulking about in there, she hysterically scampered into the living room where the television was playing the opening theme to The Six Million Dollar Man. But no matter how much and hard she kept looking, she couldn't locate the source of the little screaming girls that was apparently coming from within the small house she and her son

she could do was stand in the middle of the living room floor and spin around like a dog chasing after its own tail. It was such madness that the young lady began to cry, believing that she was losing

soon as she was about to head back into the bathroom along with Isaiah, Lynnette began hearing something rattle from within the

pocket and skittishly headed for the kitchen with the weapon pointed ahead of her. However, before she could even clear the kitchen's threshold,

"Isaac!" Lynnette abruptly screamed.

At first, Isaac had no words to express. He just shut the door behind him and

"Uh...I just came by to see you and

that damn door open?" Lynnette continued to

his way into the living room. Lynnette followed the man

"Isaac, you need

Isaiah at?" He asked bug-eyed. "He's in the tub."

few moments before looking down the dimly lit hallway

"Uh...I gotta go

entire body began to quiver at that instant. All of the sudden, the only thing that she

away, huh?" The young woman stammered, trying not to appear upset by the

"Someone told me to stay away from people, and that person was right. I got no business being

Lynnette rubbed her throbbing forehead and closed her eyes. "Get what straight, Isaac? What

one will listen to what I have to say, and all that does is

the past few months, and all you do is just push me away!" She screamed in frustration. "What the fuck is the matter with you? And don't

"I can't even explain it to myself." Isaac

Larry's shit, didn't you? You've done gone and got all fucked up on

started to pace the floor until he eventually stopped at

it doesn't have anything to do with drugs." His

on? I mean, you're losing your mind. I'm hearing these little girls screaming all over the house like the place is haunted or something. Why now are things falling apart, dammit?" She

Isaac turned back to Lynnette with tears of his own streaming down his face. "I'm so sorry, baby girl!" He wailed out loud. "I

Lynnette dropped her gun to her side while tears fell from her tired face. "What were you doing with Isaiah this morning,

"Nothing that you think I was doing." He wiped his eyes. "It's not

when I walk into my house and see my man holding our son, completely naked in the middle of the floor, then it's about something, and I

Isaac advanced

Lynnette raised her firearm and pointed it straight at Isaac's mortified face. It stunned even her to think that she could do such a heinous thing as point a deadly weapon at the only man she ever loved, or that

Isaac was allowing to flow from his eyes dried up. He stood perfectly still in front of the playing television and calmly uttered, "You know what I told you a long time ago when I bought that thing for you. Never hesitate. When you get the chance, you pull the trigger...and never look

covered her mouth with her left hand as she began to sob uncontrollably. Unable to hold the weapon any longer,

ever wanted was for you to love me!

her face and looked up to notice blood oozing from Isaac's

forward and asked, "Why...why is your hand bleeding, Isaac? What did you do

But Isaac wouldn't respond. Instead, he dropped his head to

the open gushing wound. "How did you do this? Don't tell me that you've

in such a distressful state that paying attention to one thing

see the bathroom light flicker off and

while trying to remember just where she placed the bandages within the house. "Wait here while

could finish her sentence or even take one step, Isaac abruptly raised his head

back, nearly falling to the floor in the process. That was when Isaac began to gnaw away at his own right hand with the sharp fangs that were steadily growing from

horrified, so much so that she couldn't even budge while watching

At the blink of an eye the woman reached down and snatched up the gun that was lying on

"Isaac!" She desperately yelled with all her might while pointing the weapon at

all that remained was a beastly existence within the home, a former lover. Lynnette stood and watched in stunned horror as Isaac stopped biting away at his

snarled before thick, black fur

that dropped to the floor. But it was those same loud, painful shots that only seemed to anger the creature all the more as its growling grew more animalistic. Soon, bones started to stretch, snap and break, forming both claws and

right in her face. The lights in the hallway flickered off and on while the shrieks of the little girls that she had been hearing for hours reverberated throughout

and as frightening as it was to hear a God awful brute

fiber of energy in her shaking body, Lynnette pushed, kicked and hollered at the bathroom door while

of the living room she ran to watch the growing beast stretch out a snout.

She could hear Isaiah on the other side of the door yell for his mommy, while behind her, what resembled a stampeding buffalo trampling across the

her right leg to kick open the door. She could feel the bones in her foot

behind her before snatching a naked Isaiah from out of the half empty tub that he

bathroom, which only meant that the young mother would have to make her final stand in the tiny room. She was determined to die before she let anything destroy her

To muffle the angry crying, Lynnette forced Isaiah's head into her sweat drenched

trapped in. Her teeth chattered while her knees knocked together. She tried to stop crying, but the tears would not relent as the

The bathroom door stood still. With her breathing erratic and out of sync, the young woman caught herself uttering a prayer, asking God to please take the beast away and allow her child to live. Unbeknownst to her, she

was left of her breath. Thanks to the busted lock, the door would never again close tight; instead it would only swing back and forth. A sniffing racket could be heard on the other end. Lynnette attached to her