Hunger: A Tale from the Multiverse

Across the great divide that is the Multiverse, there are vast myths and legends of war and peace, of tribulation and jubilation. Such stories center around heroes, villains, and everything in between...but not every tale is told. Some remain in the ether, just waiting to be uncovered...such is the case with this Tale from the Multiverse.

Los Angeles Post Local Children Missing Following Coyote Raid Tuesday, November 1, 1993 Halloween night, normally a night of light-hearted spookiness, saw a full-on scare in the wake of a pack of coyotes invading a campground in Angeles National Forest. Residents living near Crystal Lake Recreation Area are still baffled by the arrival of several of the canine creatures, raiding the area’s garbage canisters and unoccupied vehicles in search of food before making their departure just as quickly. Litter and snacks are not the only things that were taken by the pack, however, as two families reported missing children shortly after the strange occurrence. Details are limited regarding the whereabouts of Kenny Freeman and Randall Schwartz, though one eyewitness stated under anonymity that the two toddlers were “carried away” by the animals, as if being accepted among the pack. Local authorities have asked for any information toward finding the missing sons to be directed to their office by calling [REDACTED].

Ten Years Later… A comfortable home hides within it a lingering dread. We shift our gaze from an empty bedroom, adorned with tokens of a memory long forgotten, to a kitchen occupied by a middle-aged couple silenced by some invisible hex. The two can barely look each other in the eye as they go about their business. The woman pours a jar of pasta sauce into a pot filled with rotini, as the man takes his seat at the dining table. He stares at the woman mixing the sauce in with the pasta to complete the meal, but his partner pays no mind to the attention she’s drawing as she completes the task at hand. Eventually, she heads to the cupboard to grab a pair of plates, serving a couple large scoops of the meal onto a plate, setting a fork upon it before walking to the table. Here, she sets the plate in front of her man, who looks at it before shifting his attention up to the woman. He contemplates a smile, a gesture of thanks for the meal, but the struggle to flex the right muscles leads to him settling for a smirk. Despite the curious response, the woman smiles with a nod of acceptance before walking back to the pot for her own helping. As she places a large spoonful of the pasta upon her own plate, the man finally breaks the dreadful curse of silence. “Thank you, honey,” he says flatly, taking the fork to the plate. “Looks delicious.” The response brings a faint tear to the woman’s eye, a sliver of sorrow concealed by the smile still affixed upon her face as the man begins to partake of the dish. Meanwhile, she places another scoop of rotini upon her plate, grabbing a fork on her way back to the dining table. The silence lingers in the air once more as she takes her seat, just about to take a bite of her meal when the moment is interrupted by a loud crash from outside. “What in the world was that?” the man asks, rising from his seat. He hustles over to the kitchen window, peering out to find the source of the commotion. What he sees confuses--as a matter of fact, bewilders--the man, who raises his voice to get his partner’s attention. “Honey, you gotta come see this!” The woman jolts up from her chair, nearly sprinting toward the window to see what he is talking about…a trio of coyotes making their exit from the scene, and with them a teenage boy following on all fours. The sight of the child causes the couple to swell up with tears, a distinct memory flooding in from the deepest, darkest corner of their minds. The memory of their child, taken from them far too soon. “Was that…was that Kenny?” asks the woman, her sorrow reflected across the tone of her voice and the tears streaming down her face. “After all these years?” “Only one way to find out, dear,” the man responds, retrieving his hat and coat nearby. “I’m gonna keep my eye on that kid.” “Please, George, let me go with you,” the woman replies, just as quickly grabbing her own coat. “I wanna know just as much as you.” George nods in acknowledgement, opening the door to let his partner step through. “That settles it, Laura,” states the patriarch of the Freeman family, closing the door behind him on the way out. “It’s time to find our son.” As the couple peek around the bush, they see the young lad doing his best to keep pace with the pack, which crashes into a nearby trash bin in search of food. George and Laura look at each other with a nod. “Gonna have to keep on their tail,” George remarks, motioning for Laura to follow him to the Honda Odyssey parked in the driveway. “We keep it nice and slow, just to be safe.” Keeping another eye out on the pack from the other side of the van, the Freemans watch the pack leave the front yard next door, allowing the couple to get into the vehicle and start it up for the trip ahead.

After a slow and arduous journey of about ten miles, the couple manage to track the pack and its curious “pup” to an abandoned building. They pull the van over, slowly making their way inside. As they search the corridors, George and Laura can hear the sound of howling from the distance…including not one but two that sound awfully human. They ascend the stairs, the howls getting louder by the minute to indicate that the couple are nearing their intended destination: a door, cracked open, from which they get a glimpse of the pack. “Careful now,” whispers George, motioning to the door. “Don’t wanna startle these things.” Laura nods as she gently pushes the door open…but despite her best efforts, the door creaks open all the same. The noise alerts the coyotes immediately, along with a teenage boy…one that looks wildly different from the one they saw at home, but the couple still recognize him. “Randall!” yells Laura, not thinking about the danger she’s in as the coyotes start barking at the couple. Randall barks alongside them, followed by one other as the couple turn their attention to its source…young Kenny Freeman, his mouth twisted into a feral snarl as he pounces upon the couple that once brought him into this world. The rest of the pack leaps in, tearing at the flesh and fabric in an instant. The screams of Mr. and Mrs. Freeman echo throughout the building…and then, silence. Moments later, the pack make their exit from the building, their hunger satisfied.

Present Day… At some point in the years that followed The Incident, young Kenny Freeman grew up to be well-regarded among his pack, considered an equal instead of a mere outsider. As this corner of the Multiverse marched forward in time, his group found itself driven into the forest to fend for themselves once more…and Kenny was right there to lead. His killer instinct allowed the pack to survive…but not even a Wildman is fully aware of the dangers that lie elsewhere in the Multiverse, as evident the day he went to investigate a strange noise out in the rain.

Kenny instructs his pack to move on, promising to return as soon as he can after seeing what the commotion is about. He tells Randall to keep a close eye in case something goes awry, and then flees the area on all fours…arriving just as someone looking an awful lot like him, causing Kenny to growl to try and fend off the intruder. The strange figure looks around in confusion, undeterred by Kenny’s warning even as he steps closer. After all, Kenny has never been afraid to take on a challenge…not even one as strange and alien as this. The figure finally notices him approaching, but seems incapable of accepting that it is contending with something dangerous…something Kenny makes sure to reveal as he shows his fangs to the threat. When the intruder refuses to budge, Kenny lunges at it…only to find himself fended off easily by the strange creature. Despite looking frail, this being is quite the formidable foe. The threat backs away, as if scared of what Kenny is capable of…and probably for the better, as he takes the intruder down with a tackle. Clawing away, Kenny feels like he is about to satisfy his hunger once again…before the stranger grabs him by the hair. This barely fazes Kenny, but he doesn’t see what’s coming next as the invader slams his head against the trunk of a nearby tree. Kenny is stunned for a moment, becoming unaware that this evil is far from finished…slamming his head over and over again to leave a bloody gash on the forehead. With that, Kenny is knocked out as he drops to the ground with a thud. With his last breath, Kenny realizes he can finally settle down…he can hunger no more. The stranger checks Kenny’s pulse, a wave of remorse washing over it before an orange portal opens. It makes an escape from this corner of the Multiverse, just as Randall appears. He looks around, confused by what has just transpired before turning his attention to the battered and bloodied Kenny…licking his lips as he proceeds to satisfy his hunger.