The Preacher's voice was loud and prophetic, leaving me in awe. "Arise! There is a power deep within you, a power that has lain dormant, unused and unknown since the lives of your ancestors." I was standing up now, but couldn't move, so riveted by his fateful words.

"A demon of a man has been set loose this night." The preacher continued, his voice growing angry. "If not stopped, he will torture another family."

I shook my head slowly. I wanted to speak, to ask questions, but I couldn't make myself speak. It was all too much, all at once. 

"Only you can stop him, Rand."

I shook my head again, only more vigorously this time. "No..." I muttered. "The cops..." My voice grew somber. "I failed them once...I'll fail again..." I shuddered, tears coming to my eyes. 

"SILENCE!" The preacher called out, clenching his fingers into my shoulder harder, nearly hurting me. His voice seemed louder then humanly possible, forcing me to face his accusing glare. "Do you not wish revenge for your family?"

I gulped, then nodded. "Yes." I whispered.  The wind picked up, and I felt a drop of rain. The sky was growing darker.

"Will you let another innocent family be ruined because you are too afraid?" The preacher's voice waseven louder, as it began raining. 

"No." My voice was stronger this time, my eyes narrowing, my shoulders rising.

"Will you do your ancestor proud, and stop this demon?" The Preacher's voice was as loud as ever, and a dull rumbling of thunder could be heard off in the distance as the rain became a torrential downpour.

"YES!" I screamed to the heavens. Lightning flashing in front of my eyes blinding me as a deafening cacophony of thunder immediately followed it. I was breathing heavily, drenched to the skin, glaring into the Preacher's eyes. He was grinning.  "I will stop him." I stated coldly, as if fact.

The Preacher's grin disapeared, and he glanced to the side, towards the road. "He's here." 

I turned to look, only now hearing the rev of a motor and seeing the headlights of a vehicle bearing down on me. I leaped back, just as the vehicle passed, barely missing me. I stood up quickly. The Preacher was gone. 

The vehicle stopped, and a man out of my own nightmares stepped out of it, gun in hand. His hair and beard were long, and unkempt. He was large, having half a foot and fifty or more pounds on me. He was different then before, dirtier, wilder. It didn't matter though, for the eyes had stayed the same. The damned dark blue eyes. Tainted, dark, insane. Those three words described Charles Anderson to a t. I found the gun pointed at me, Charles grinning like a maniac. "Well Rand, its been a long time. Get in the house."

I walked into the house, not knowing what to do, but feeling only nervous, not panicky. The Preacher had calmed me somewhat, given me focus and that was good. I had a power within me, though how to use that, especially with a gun pointed at my face was unknown to me. 

We walked into the kitchen, and I felt my anger growing. I despised this vile creature being back in my house, the place he had desecrated with my family.

We stood in the kitchen, him with one hand holding the gun at me, the other going through drawers, looking for something. He grabbed something out of the drawer and I gasped. It was a knife, but only a butterknife. He tossed it away. He kept looking. I noticed were between the island and the counter which the drawers were underneath. On the island was the electric stove, and I had an idea. I slowly and qiuetly turned on one of the burners. Now I had to distract him, had to slow him down. 

"What are you doing here?" I asked, trying to sound strong, but failing. My anger had not overcome my shameful fear.

"Well I was in the neighborhood, and thought I'd just drop by." He glanced at me, smirking, then turned back to his smirking. My anger grew, and I realized I was clenching my fists so hard my knuckles were white. "And I thought that we'd had such a good time before, maybe you'd want to accompany me tonight." 

I couldn't hold myself back anymore. The fear was gone, replaced by rage. I grabbed the hand holding the gun and slammed it down on the stove burner, holding it there. Charles was so surprised, he didn't even get a shot off. He screamed as the stove burn him and let go of the gun. 

Before I could do anything else though, his other hand was suddenly around my throat. I gasped for air, unable to hold onto him, and he slammed my back into the counter. He held me up with one hand, choking the life out of me. I gasped for breath, but knew I was going out, fast. I gripped my hands together into a tight ball above my head and brought it down as hard as I could on Charles' arm. I broke the grip and stumbled back, holding my throat and coughing. 

The Preacher's voice came to me from memory. You have a power. You can stop him. 

That's when Charles snatched up my own rolling pin and slammed into my head knocking me onto the floor face down. I squirmed, still coughing, struggling to deal with the ringing in my head and the blood pouring over my eyes, not to mention the dull ache that now resounded in my skull.

I felt Charles boot on my back, and heard the words, "Too bad" before he slammed my head again and everything went black. I was dead. It was over. I had lost.

"I really wanted you to come with me Rand, it would've been alot of fun. I guess your as much a failure as your ancestor was. Oh well, I'm sure the Allen's boys big daddy will provide enough entertainment. So long, last of the Randolph clan."

Charles was off to torture another family, and I could do nothing. I felt broken, unable to move, unable to do anything. Darkness took over.

I opened my eyes and gasped in a breathful of air. I looked around quickly, not knowing where I was. I lay on the floor of my kitchen. I slowly and shakily stood up. There was blood on the ground, my blood, and yet, as I looked at myself, I could see no woulnds. Nor did I feel any. I gulped, glancing around, only to see the Preacher a few feet away.

"I was dead." I stated simply.

"You have a power." The Preacher said, shrugging. "But it comes with a price. You are running out of time, and I cannot save you a second time. This is your last chance." I headed for the door. I knew where Charles was headed. 

"You must go, but hear this," The Preacher said, and I hesitated.

"Just as you have an ancient power, so does this man, though his comes from a different, darker place. Be ready."