2.

Dan could feel the hunger of the beast as once again he watched through its eyes, totally unable to interfere with its behaviour. This time his experience goes beyond that of watching as the creature takes another life for the life it wanted to take was that of his son Edward.

In a darkened corner by a wall of a parking lot, the creature waits, breathing heavily and drooling, waiting for its next feast. Dan, not being himself, recognizes the surroundings. He can also more of a feel than before of just how large the creature really is, he can feel its strength, and knows what it is capable of.

Panic creeps in when not only he knows that another kill is imminent, but when he realizes that what he sees through the eyes of the creature is that of himself and his son Edward getting out of the car in a car park not far away at all from that darkened corner where the creature waits.

Seconds is all it takes for the beast to get from where it was to being on top of the car bonnet right next by where Dan stands, the creature stares into Dan's eyes and growls. Dan not being himself only sees what the beast sees. Just as the creature pounces towards Edward, Dan wakes in a cold sweat.

Right so, there are two things in all this if any of it can be trusted, if this is a vision of a reality then this particular vision is precognitive, possibly unlike any other vision he has had. When he had seen before may have occurred in real time, this vision clearly was not. Two, Dan himself cannot be the beast if the beast is to come face to face with him. This, all of this is nuts, crazy even and it, as a whole, is not done yet. Dan can be sure there is indeed more to come.

It is four in the morning and Dan is not quite asleep and not quite awake. His newest vision obviously is a worrying one but there is something else about to happen. Natalie, the ghost of a young girl is back, and she has come to talk to Dan.

'My dad is very angry. He is looking for you, but he doesn't know where you are.'

'Is your dad angry at me?'

'Yes, but I didn't tell him where you are.'

'Why is he angry with me?'

'I don't know, he did find you once already though, I think he is going to find you again.'

Dan is unable to open his eyes as this conversation is happening, he wants to open them, but he can't. He knows of what is happening and his room is dark anyway so for now he will go with it and take whatever might come from it.

'I can hear him calling me', Natalie continues, 'I better go, please don't let him find you.'

'I won't.'

With that Natalie is gone and Dan is able to open his eyes fully, now most definitely being awake. It will take a while though sleep does manage to find sleep.

For the first time in years, Dan awakens without having his first thought being one relating to alcohol. Not only that, as he gets himself up and ready, he empties his flask down the bathroom sink. The one positive he could take from the night which had just passed was the fact that he himself is not the creature and Dan can at least feel good about that. There was and is no strange transformation taking place.

It did mean however, that Dan not only had a connection with the beast, but he was also witnessing events yet to happen, and that not only did Natalie's father want to come after him for some reason, but this creature would kill Edward, if it were to get the chance. Dan may be able to do something to prevent the creature from killing his son, he will surlily try but what about Natalie's father? Could either really be stopped? How do you stop an enormous hungry beast that you have never seen before? And how do you prevent an angry ghost from coming after you and quite possibly killing you?

At the precinct Chief Saunders informed Dan and Edward that the remains of another woman had been found. Dan was once again able to recognize this victim from her photo identification and tell that this woman was indeed from one of the dreams that he had been having. Chief Saunders said that there didn't seem to be a connection between this victim and Katie Morgan, the remains that they already had discovered, and why would there be a connection? This most odd of creatures just wants to feed.

Saunders had no other option at this point but to take Dan's dreams for what they appear to be, that being something much more than just one man's sleeping mind working overtime.

Only one place to go from the precinct, Saunders sent Dan and Edward down to the lakes close by to where the latest remains had been found. From his dream Dan knew where the creature waited, before attacking this particular victim. He could almost once again feel the creature; in fact, he was sure they were once again connecting.

Dan being awake, sober and on duty, rather than being at home in bed, along with this, his first waking connection with the creature, ... there would be an accompanying sick to the stomach feeling, a sick feeling he could not contain and he very much so needed to take a moment or two to deal with it.

The day passed quickly, and darkness soon set in. Edward drove and parked so they could go eat at a diner they have been to together on a few occasions; this sent Dan into a panic. The venue of choice, Edward had gone and parked in the parking lot from the dream Dan had the night before. Dan should have known this place better and should have known enough to avoid it but then again drink had got the better of him so many times in the past, it is not always easy to connect places from recent years, no matter how close you come to them.

'Don't get out Ed, stay in the car.'

'Why?'

'The creature is here, I dreamt this very moment last night, and in that dream, the creature, well, it kills you.'

Before anything else could happen, the creature pounced on the bonnet of the car, and for the first time Dan could really see what it looked like as the creature's eyes connected with Dan's. A first for the creature too, where before it picked its moment to attack, now it seemed more driven, less caring of whom may witness its presence.

Edward attempted to drive away but the car wouldn't start. Typical, the car is not one to have cost an arm and a leg, but it has always gone from A to B without a hitch and when a moment like this comes along it decides to shut down. On the plus side, things so far are already a little different from Dan's vision or dream or whatever it was and is as Dan and Edward are still in the car, in the dream vision they already out of it, however with that being what it is things are about to get a whole lot worse.

About forty feet or so to Edward's right stood Natalie's dad, once again clenching his fists as well as growling, ready to unleash a kind of fury rarely seen. Dan was staring into the eyes of a beast who wanted to kill and feed on Edward, and Edward couldn't help looking at Natalie's father, a large spirit who he believed had a desire to take Dan's life.

Edward continued to attempt to start the car. Natalie's father began to make a run in his direction. He dived right at the car just as it started. Edward immediately took off in reverse and Natalie's father's dive connected with the beast ... taking it right off of the car bonnet.

'Stop the car son' Dan told Edward just as he was about to leave the parking lot.

'Why?' asked Edward continuing 'those things back there want to kill us.'

Dan got out of the car.

'Shit' said Edward also getting out of the car not knowing that Dan had seen Natalie and not knowing that this is what prompted Dan to get out of the car.

A bit of a commotion had begun, people were gathering ... quite unsure as to what it was they were seeing.

Even though Natalie is already dead, it seemed somehow that the creature had still been able to attack her sometime prior to the coming together with her father. She was weak and just how weak she had become is clear and obvious to see. Unknown to Dan and Edward ... it had been this very creature which had been the cause of Natalie's death. Such a thing angered her father who swore revenge in whatever realm it took to get it.

The connection Dan had or has with this creature, this is what Natalie's father had detected and was what he wanted to find, and now he has what he really was after. With having taken Natalie's life so long ago, the creature now was somehow able to feed on her energy, and it could use this energy against her father. Natalie lay still on the ground. Dan knelt over her. She told him that her head no longer hurts, oddly enough neither did Dan's. Seconds after Natalie spoke, she vanished.

Edward watched the fight between the creature and Natalie's father come to an end when Natalie's dad stood up and also vanished. The battle had gone on for a few minutes. Edwards first thought was that it possibly looked like Natalie's father had been defeated though that thought would soon change. The beast got to its feet and began to stare at Edward and it too vanished. Dan moved to stand next to Edward.

'I think that should be it' Dan said.

'What? How can you tell?' asked Edward.

Before Dan could reply a bright while light appeared before them leaving them both needing to shade their eyes. Out of this light came a woman.

'Cassie?'

'Mum?'

A silhouette came out of the light. The light faded to indeed reveal Carina. She smiled as a tear flowed down her right cheek.

'My son, you look so well. You have grown into the man I knew that you would become. I have always been and always will be so proud of you.'

Edward fought his feelings, trying with great difficulty and no success not to cry for there was nothing he could do to prevent tears welling up in his eyes. Dan walked over to Cassie and stood next to her.

'Dad?'

'You haven't called me that since you were a kid.'

Edwards face drained of all colour.

'Thank you, son, for all you have done for me. You know today was the first time in a long time that I haven't had a drink and look what happens.'

'What do you mean look what happens?'

Dan smiled.

'It is alright son, I love you, we both do.'

'What? What is happening? Tell me what is going on here?'

'It is your time now son. Live your life. Go on and live as you want. I will be fine. Everything will be fine. There will be no more creature, and there will be no more of Natalie's father.'

Dan and Cassie turned and began to walk towards the light which brightened again. Natalie came out of the light looking strong and as energized as she has ever been, and she took both Dan and Cassie by the hand. Dan turned and smiled at Edward before Dan, Cassie and Natalie entered the light together.

'Dad?' Edwards's voice quivered as he began to come around to what was happening.

That fight he had witnessed, was it some kind of supernatural battle of good versus evil? Or maybe it could have been something more along the lines of an evil versus evil supernatural? There would be no time to ponder these questions for Edward turned to see something that would go a long way explaining what just happened with his parents.

His father lay on the ground no more than twenty feet away from him. Edward stood for a couple of seconds in shock needing those couple of seconds to process what he sees then moved quickly to kneel down to hold his father and in this moment his emotions were quick to get the better of him. During the may lay, dan had been struck and seriously hurt to the point where ... well.

The power from beyond swamped the creature. Natalie's life force worked more as a poison and together with her father and what Dan could offer once he had transitioned ... well, the creature could not handle it.

Time moves on and wounds are difficult to heal. Edward would stay on the police force; sure, what else would he do from here on in? Yeah, he only took that route in the first place because of his father but hell, why change now? He would have a long road ahead of him, big shoes to fill for Edward is his father's son. With that though, his career would be his own and just as distinguish as the one his father left behind.

Life from here is just that ... life, at least until the day the light comes calling for him, a light within which his parents, and Natalie too, await his time to come through.