Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 149301 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 747(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 498(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149301 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 747(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 498(@300wpm)
“Kage was born in the month of November. I remember that because the weather had turned suddenly cool on the day I went to the hospital to meet my grandson. It had been sweltering hot just twenty-four hours prior, but when he came into the world, it turned to winter, real fast. A chill that rushed in, and wasn’t quick to leave. He was born with a head full of platinum blond hair. It was practically white. When he opened his eyes, we discovered he had the same ice blue eyes as my own. I saw a bit of myself in him, indeed. Kage lost his father before he’d even gotten a chance to know the man, so I took him under my wing.
“Things were fine for a long while… but Kage was a little… different. He would stare at people. Stare through people. He could draw, too. Not like children’s drawings. This boy could take a regular ol’ number two pencil, look at a person one time, and sketch them down to the letter—every mole, freckle and imperfection. He had this uncanny ability to look at people, places and things, and SEE right through them. I knew then that Sarah had passed on her evil witch shit to that boy. He was a seer… Problem was, he didn’t know it. He had inner light and darkness. He had evil and love. He grew to be even taller than his father, and he frightened people—because Kage was so damn tall, and he rarely smiled. He had a natural scowl on his face, and he was observant. So much so, he could tell people what they were thinking, and what they were about to do. He was always one step ahead. Then I noticed, he’d been doing the same thing to me, too…”
He was watching me, looking through my soul. I told him to stay in a child’s place. He would get quiet, but then come right back with a lot of questions. He’d say the strangest things that children wouldn’t say…
Grandpa, why did you treat that man like that? Is it because he looks like you?
Grandpa, why aren’t you married? You’ve had a lot of wives. Do you hate women?
Grandpa, why are you married again? Are you going to divorce this one, too?
Grandpa this, Grandpa that…
I initially thought he was getting these notions from Sarah, but she swore that he wasn’t. Sarah said he was just inquisitive, but no, it was more than that. He was hunting me. My grandson saw something in me, and was trying to kill it—only figuratively, I thought, but I was wrong.
It’s a real eerie feeling when you realize that you’re being preyed upon by your favorite grandchild. I didn’t know what Kage planned to do with all of these observations of his, but I knew that whatever he decided, it wouldn’t be good. It became imperative to find Kage’s weaknesses…
He didn’t have many, but he had a few. One of those fears could break him in two. Kage was afraid he’d never find a suitable spouse. His desire to be married was great. He is a wolf, and wolves mate for life. His first marriage exploded, leaving a wound in him… just like mine over Tina. I understand that kind of pain all too well. Kage has fallen further into insanity. That isolation, strange upbringing around motorcycle gang members, mixed with his absentee father issues and disappointment with love, created a monster.
“I kept him in mental institutions to keep society as well as his own self safe. He’d bite. He’d tear. He’d dislocate limbs, all with his bare hands. All anyone could see was a tall, lanky kid with long, light blond hair, flailing and fighting, practically foaming at the mouth as he pummeled his enemy. It would take two, three, sometimes even four adults to pry him off his prey. And he was just a little boy… Only when he reached full adulthood could I no longer keep the same tabs on him, and I learned of the deep hatred he had for me, so significant I needed to try and harness it, and get him to direct it towards others—our mutual enemies. I toyed with the idea of killing him on several occasions. I didn’t because Sarah begged me not to, but more importantly, because he was useful.
“Kage is not the kind of person you waste. He’s not the least bit impulsive. He is calculating. A careful plotter and planner. He’s an excellent hunter. An excellent artist. An excellent killer. He wants me dead, for the past, the present, and possible future. Problem is, I am not that boy’s enemy—he only has convinced himself that I am. Kage enjoys anarchy, but now, he’s gone too far. He doesn’t just murder, he humiliates. Kills. Destroys. As they say, keep your friends close but your enemies closer.”