THE ENDING OF THE BEGINNING

Jim and Charlie heaved the heavy Nightprowler with some trouble into a stretcher and began the tedious work of carrying it down the hill. Drake went from injured officer to officer giving first-aid assisted by Cole. Shannon walked nervously over to Bethany who sat on a tree stump and handed her a cup of hot chocolate. "Thank... you." Bethany managed to say in a hoarse voice collecting the cup and sipping from it. She still looked a bit pale and Shannon noticed that bits of her hair had turned grey. Of course Shannon could not see the three ghost ladies scolding Bethany at that exact moment.

"What were you thinking doing a summoning and possession when you just learned how to use your powers...are you nuts?" Serenity huffed hands on hips. "In her defense, we didn't tell her not to do it." Said Flare. "That's no excuse." Harp piped. "She could feel the effect it had on her body. She was bleeding from her eyes and nose for goodness sakes, it could have killed her. When you do something and you start bleeding, that's a red flag. If you were thinking that maybe that's how your powers work? IT ISN'T!!"

"I think it's cool that she was able to do a summoning and possession just after the unlocking, shows real talent." Serenity and Harp shot her dirty looks and she immediately reconstructed her words. "Doesn't mean that it was a wise thing to do. Next time, before you do anything, even on a battle field..."

"Consult with us first." All three ladies finished in unison. Bethany let out a loud moan. "Fine. I get it okay. I'm having a headache so could you guys just leave me for now." She pleaded. They disappeared and Shannon gave her curious look. "I'll explain later." She said and went on sipping from her cup. "How are you feeling?" Drake strode over. "A bit better." Smiled Bethany. "I still feeling a bit woozy but I'm sure it'll pass."

"Cole told me what you did. Thanks." He said wrapping a hand around her shoulders and squeezing a little. He smiled fondly at her before turning to Shannon and the smile disappeared. Shannon cringed and stared at the earth. "I know, I know, you want answers. It's a really long story." She said. "We have plenty of time." He replied.

"Sheriff! Sheriff!"

An officer ran up the woods towards them. "Scratch that." Said Bethany. "What's wrong?" Asked Cole stepping forward. The man kept to a stop, hands on knees, perspiring. "You... might... want to check... this out." He panted out.

They all strolled towards the town and Cole frowned when he noticed all the cars driving into town. Waiting for them at the Park's gate were a few townspeople looking very worried. Harriet rushed over to them. "What's wrong?" Enquired Cole. "We all drove toward Blakewoods and um... the entire town was empty." Said Carl Dohearty from behind. "Some of us drove farther towards Willowoak." Yelled Mariam Websley who was even farther behind. "The entire town was a mess and everywhere there were... there were..." Harriet swallowed trembling as she spoke. "Bodies. Dead people everywhere, looking all dried up like Andrew."

There were murmurs amongst the officers and Bethany and Drake both turned to stare at each other at the same time. "I tried calling my cousin who lives in Applefield." Reported Carl. "Ten times, he didn't pick up."

"So we decided to drive back here. At least if there's an apocalypse we know our way around Silkfall." Said Harriet then noticing two officers carrying a Nightprowler on a stretcher she cried out. "What is THAT?!"

"Calm down Harriet. That's the mysterious creature we tried to explain when we needed to evacuate the town, the one you probably saw some nights ago." Cole explained. "Don't worry. It's dead."

"This makes sense." Bethany said. Shannon was baffled. "How does this makes sense?" She asked. "I was wondering why there were only a few people dying in town if there were hundreds of those things." Bethany expatiated. "They were feeding off of other towns." Drake reasoned along with her. "So what do we do?" Asked Harriet. Cole was thoughtful for a while his eyes following each car that drove into town. "Move back." He finally said, "The threat has passed and the town is safe for now. I'll try to contact some people and see if this is everywhere or just the towns from here to Willowoak."

Harriet nodded with understanding and Cole smiled. "We found her Harriet." He said. Harriet eyes widened. "Patricia?" She enquired with a bit of caution in her voice almost like she was protecting herself from disappointment. Cole's smile broadened and he nodded in affirmation. Harriet gasped cupping her mouth as tears filled her eyes. "She's at the Stone's place. You can head there if you want." He informed her. Staggering a little, Harriet slowly turned around and hurried out of the Park.

"So what now?" Bethany asked. Cole sighed. "First I'll make sure that everyone is safely back in their homes, then we'll all make sure that we find the other descendents and their stones and stop that Darka guy and his minions from destroying us all. Sound good?"

Shannon, Drake and Bethany nodded. "Sounds good."