Chapter 42 - Prologue

'Heart Beats Slowly'

'In the year 1514 in England. April 25th, the first sightings of ghouls were discovered. An expedition to a lost nation was all it took for a dark history to resurface.'

'They live amongst us in hiding, they look like us but they are different from us. Beings said to possess supernatural abilities and worse of all... their taste for human flesh.'

'Meeting one will most likely be unfortunate for any of us, but am afraid that won't be the only thing we will be worried about, for an even greater power amongst the ghouls will come to light, I pray what I have discovered will not come to pass, for we will be facing an era of extinction if war emerges from both sides.'

'What I have discovered maybe the words of a delusional man, but I tell you, the things we think that are not seen are what is closer to us, the discovery of this lost species is only the beginning of a world of ghouls and humans.'

Jonathan Jonas

*

New York City

The Year 1809

It was a cold night in New York City. Carriage passing by, the skies having bits of lightning that appeared constantly, the black clouds shifting like it was about to rain, the weather cold, people walking to and fro either walking to their homes or someplace, as they undergo their various activities.

Lucas Carter walks out of a dark alley. He checks his surrounding for any soldiers before walking into the street making sure his hat covered his face from prying eyes, it travels back and forth for any unwanted attention, and he walks the streets until he stops sighting a building a little distance away from him.

Slow upbeat instrumentalist songs playing from there. He heads for it. 

***

Tavern

Lucas walks through the doors, the bell above it making a ding sound. Inside men were mostly in, some drinking, some drunk, and some wooing the maidens.

Lucas's eyes scan the tavern for who he came for. A man quickly pauses laughing as he drank, his eyes landed on Lucas for a second, he resumed what he was doing.

Lucas sights a black man at the end, His eyes drifting to Lucas.

Lucas walks towards him and took a seat in front of him.

"Tell me, John, what have found?" Lucas began straight to business.

John looks around making sure no one paid attention to them but they were all busy drinking, or so he thought. He turns back to Lucas.

"A new organization has been formed. Money, power, wits. They have everything".

"A New organization?" Lucas said puzzled.

"Yes, and they are strictly after the law of wiping ghouls off the face of the earth. But first, they are after you Lucas" John said.

Lucas leans on his wooden chair at the shocking discovery.

"They are the same people who Charles Brown the politician, bought the weapons that can kill ghouls from" he adds looking around once more.

"They are after you because you're the black ghoul, you possess a rare Claw that is different from ours. The black Claw. They believe you are the one Jonathan Jones talked about in his journal, the greater power". 

"They will be after me and the black lotus since am the leader," Lucas said with a stern look.

"My family will be in danger, I can't have that" he adds pissed.

"Which is why we must spread our organization across the world" John reasons.

"No!"

"I can't handle that, I can't put other ghouls at risk if I do that. There will only be one station and that's here in New York" he said finally.

"Lucas".

"You understand why I can't. Not all ghouls share the same belief as us".

John nods in agreement, knowing not all ghouls share their ideology of peace with the humans.

"The rebels," John said swallowing hard, those were by far their greater challenge, and they kept getting in their way of achieving peace with the humans.

"Yes, the rebels, ghouls who are not after peace like us but after the beliefs of one species ruling," Lucas said leaning forward. His arms rest on the table.

"Seems like humans won't be the only threat we face," John said certainly. The threats and risk kept becoming wider and wider, it was only a matter of time and they would be fighting with their kind if they decided to resort against them.

"It's getting more and harder to keep this up, we have to be vigilant and stick to our course," Lucas said. John sighs looking away he knew it would be hard to convince him to expand their organization, he knew Lucas already puts himself before others, considering their safety. He had a heart of a leader, that's why he had to stick with him this far. 

"Tell me John" Lucas began.

John's shaky eyes drift to him.

"What's the name of this organization that's after me?".

"The Order". The moment John mouths those words, Lucas senses something, in slow motion, he turned his head a bit, his eyes land on a man about bringing out his gun so did some other men too. Lucas's eyes widen seeing this. He heard the gun click with his super hearing.

"GET DOWN!" Lucas shouts as guns were fired at them, they duck quickly as Lucas bends the table to block the bullets. It penetrated in making loud noises.

"This was the safest place I could think of," John said in a high pitch voice because of the loud shots.

"Nowhere is safe John," Lucas said as his eyes changed to ghoul's eyes. So did John's. The white part of their eyes turning black, the center part beaming bright gold. 

"They must be from the Order," John said certainly.

"Then they will regret the day they came after me," Lucas said pissed as his black Claw slowly unfold out of him, like a long extended thread line it formed a being beside him, not just any being, it was tall and long, skinny, extended arms and legs, bald head, pointy ears, pointy jaw, the same eyes like the Lucas as it beamed dangerously, the being was covered in black bandages that were faded out.

It roars outgaining the attention of the shooters. Black shadows evaporating from it like black flames. The men halt their shoots, they stared at the Claw bewildered, and it was rampage than any other Claw they had faced.

The others who had no idea what was happening, watching the scene from where they hid.

The Claw growls deeply. Lucas stood up, standing beside his Claw.

"So you guys are from the Order," Lucas said darkly.

"Nice meeting ya" he adds smirking as his Claw roars revealing sharp fangs from its hollow mouth, it came at the men in a deadly massacre. Shots were fired at it until there was none.

***

Few Minute Later 

Lucas opened the door with force as he walks out, John following behind. The remaining people inside the tavern came out of hiding seeing the bloody scene, the women were present there were screaming at the bloody remains that were once men.

The thunder strikes, the rain pouring heavily. John tried to keep up with Lucas.

"They will keep coming Lucas, they will," John said. But Lucas didn't turn, he was pissed.

"The leader of the Order is a descendant of Jonathan Jones" John hissed.

Lucas halts turning, his looks darken. They both stood in the pouring rain.

"We have to fight back!".

"We want peace John, if we fight back then the humans will see us as enemies, just like what happened back there at the tavern, we were only defending ourselves but they will see us as enemies, as the flesh-eaters, we are" Lucas hissed.

John sighs.

"Right now I want my family to be safe, I want my wife and child safe. Rather the black lotus will be a sanctuary for ghouls" Lucas said finally.

John looks away with a frown.

"Let's pray our children or the other ghouls won't be crazy enough to go against the Order. Cause it might not end well" he adds. 

The thunder striking loudly.