When he was eight his father told him he'd always be there to protect him. Ten years later he'd forget that promise, but Daniel Matthews had trusted him with his life. He slept safer at night because dad and mom were down the hall and in dad's closet he had guns and he had a badge which was more powerful then any weapon. He idolized him as only a son could worship a father. So it was only natural that he reported the man who was following him to his father. Eric Matthews was no fool. He took his son to school the next day and kept his eyes peeled-but when Daniel pointed him out he dismissed it as a playground orderly. Of course the fucker looked far too businesslike in that suit to be an ordinary monitor-but he'd known enough stuffed shirts. As he walked away from the school-making sure Daniel was safe he ignored the feeling that the man was still standing there. He blocked the figure from his mind with all the rationality that a full grown adult, a police officer could muster. He climbed into his car and took several deep breathes before tearing out of the parking lot like the very hounds of hell were after him. -------------------------- Scratch on the windows, scratch on the doors. The thing in the back of the closet-the crawling shadow on the wall. Covers don't protect you, he's coming. He screamed, he cried, he wet the bed until Lucy Matthews was ready to pull her hair out and Eric Matthews felt like firing several shots into the wall. The slender man isn't real Danny. For godsake get some sleep. He'd trusted his father with his life and resolved that his life must be worth nothing if the man who was supposed to protect him treated it so casually. The seeds of rebellion were sewn. Eric and Lucy went back to bed and stared at the ceiling before Lucy curled up on her side of the bed. Eric crossed the room, opened his gun safe and set it safely on the night stand before falling into an uneasy sleep where he was being devoured by trees and his son was screaming. When they woke, Lucy saw the gun once and gave a brief nod. It never moved again. --------------- It happened then, that tugging, that pull. No fear here, it was his domain and his playground. He tromped into the park as the sun was setting. He waited while the swings swung and the trees blew back and forth and then out of nothing he was there. "Daddy!" And Eric Matthews was there, gun drawn, eyes wide (what is that?) his heart clenching in his chest as he raised the weapon and ordered the man (the man? What is that? What the hell is that?!) to come no closer. He tucked his son behind him and stared into the face of death and saw his own. Terrible, alone in a dark place with people who had been his friends and turned his enemies and- He reeled as his son clutched at his hands, "Daddy! Daddy Daddy!" -------------- The women always know. "You have to come." Lucy Matthews was hysterical, "I can see it, in the park, there's a man-Eric's out there-" Daniel Rigg's voice is calm, reassured, "Lucy-" "Hurry!" -------------- More faces swam before him and a dark arm of night reached for the father and son. The unbreakable bond and it was jealous and unforgiving and horrible and (what was it?!? what the fuck was it!) The gun slipped from his hands. He picked it up. It fumbled in his fingers as he wrapped himself around his son. "Danny.." A shot rang out. ---------------------- Alison Kerry didn't know what to make of it. She'd been in homicide for about a week. She was told the wives of homicide had an iron will. Lucy had called hysterical so the detectives had piled into a car and two cops had come with them and then they'd seen him (him? Or it? Her heart rolled in her chest at the very thought) Hoffman had said something unintelligible, backing up against the car as Sing drew his weapon and fired in the direction of the creature. Sing and Tapp and the patrolmen gave chase while Alison picked her way over to Eric who was holding his squirming son and screaming, "You can't have him! You can't have him!" over and over again. She took his hand as several more shots were fired. Daniel looked into her eyes, Hoffman turned and drew his weapon and someone screamed and the world faded into white. It's whiteness was that of a face, and in it's face were all the dark things of the world and she saw how she would die and clutched at her chest. ------------------------- Patrol car 16 and 26 found Detectives Sing and Tapp lying sprawled across playground equipment. Both were out cold and when Tapp came to he clutched at his throat and made choking noises. He spat blood and the paramedics were called to the scene. Detective Hoffman was staring straight ahead at something no one else could see. His arms were wrapped around his head and he shook back and forth like a dog worrying at a rabbit. When spoken to-he stared at them and laughed, a harsh and mocking sound. Alison had her arms around Eric and Daniel. It took several hours for Eric to stop saying "you can't have him." All detectives had to be sedated-although within a week the effects seemed to wear off leaving a hangdog look that people could only attribute to the maniac who had tried to kill them. After all, the bodies of the two patrolmen were never found.
