Chasers: In the beginning...

Ben and Joey are among the chosen. They seek to defeat darkness, protecting the world from its infectious evil. They are chasers, the children of angels and the warriors of light, and they are itching for a fight.

 

IN THE BEGINNING

 

As a child, you might have been afraid of the dark. It might have stemmed from that weird creepy-crawly feeling skidding over your skin while you sat in a room alone. Or it could have been from seeing what looked like shadows dance across the walls and ceiling, filling your chest with a suffocating feeling of fear. Your parents would come in and check all of the normal places- under the bed or in the closet- just to prove that nothing was there. You believed them and felt a little better, but you still felt that icky tingle on the back of your neck.

For the most part, your parents were right. There wasn't anything under the bed or in the closet and they couldn't see anything lurking around when they flipped on the light. Sometimes you would even wave off the fear as childish and, eventually, you'd forget why you were afraid in the first place. All would be well and you'd snuggle under your covers and drift off to sleep.  

The truth, however, isn't quite as easy to forget. Some of those children, and maybe even you, were lucky enough to be afraid of the dark for a short time, only to realize there really wasn't anything there. But there were some who weren't so lucky. The darkness wasn't as innocent and the sickening feeling of dread never left them. No, the truth is much more than a childhood fear. The truth is that there are things lurking, watching and waiting. Those things feed off of the fear of their victims and they have been waiting for the right time to attack. If they catch your scent, they won't stop until they've consumed your soul.

The most heinous of soul-eaters are shades. They look like shadows and naturally shy away from the light. Shades are drawn to places of great despair or broken souls, but it is not unheard of for them to attach to a structure or person for a long time, even after death or demolition. Where darkness is the blackest, Shades are lurking.

Other ghost-like creatures dwell among the shades, picking off the souls left untouched. rogues, apparitions, demons, and countless others flood anywhere the shades have yet to go, waiting for their chance. For centuries, the beings of darkness threatened the lives of all humans and non-humans alike. The night was full of terror and no one went to bed without at least a lantern by their heads.

From this terror, warriors emerged. They were the bringers of light, wielding weapons made to purify darkness and repel the evil it left behind. The warriors had many names over time, but they preferred to be called chasers. That was their job- to chase away the darkness. Centuries evolved chasers into something else entirely. Not only are they the warriors of light, they are the children of angels set to live among the humans to protect them from the evils they don’t even see. They’re the only hope humanity has left in the war against evil.

In the past, chasers were born and raised separate from humans. They were trained in combat and abilities that would have raised much suspicion should a human eye see them. There was an almost equal population of chasers and humans, just as there was equal darkness. Slowly, as the darkness retreated back into Hell, the chasers were created less and less until barely any were left. It was thought that the angels deserted what was left of their children, leaving a thousand or so to procreate and teach their hunting ways.

 

Present day chasers are few in numbers. Without a true sense of belonging, they live by the strict code of brotherhood. The evil now exists in secret and it is their job to keep it that way, no matter the cost. Humans aren’t as aware as they once were and should they encounter the evil, it changes them irrevocably.

© 2013 Lisa Logue

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