The Grimmchurch estate sat in the shadow of the church on a hill. Graves and gray, dreary mist floated just above the ground and obscured the bottoms of the many headstones that dotted the depressed hill. The church on the hill was a small building, with only four total rooms in the entire property. The chapel was the largest, and was also the most used. A dozen pews, each able to hold half a dozen people sat barren. The altar, which stood at the front of the room was a thick, rectangular slab of marble which was adorned with a candle, two prayer cards and a missile, a holy book that contained prayers and the Latin mass.

The sacristy, the area the priest would prepare for church in, as well as the area where he would give counseling to grieving and distressed congregation members was small, but cozy when a fire was lit in the fireplace every so often. The other two rooms, the supply closet and confessional need no introduction, as they only contained a few shelves with various items on them, or two chairs and a kneeler on opposite sides of the room, with a curtain separating them.

It was here that the youngest son of the Grimmchurch family, Blake, would spend most of his time. He was not an altar boy, nor did he pray while he stayed on the church grounds. Rather, he stayed there to hide from his mother and father, both of whom could be awfully nasty to him. As the youngest child, he was often viewed as a cursed child, as after his birth his mother, Jessica became barren and unable to conceive children. Blake would sit in the back of the church by himself silently wishing for a single look or expression of love and affection from his parents or siblings, who treated him poorly to gain the favor of their father and mother.

Only three people knew of Blake's hiding spot. The priest, Father Adam Ward. His personal maid, Aria Morrigan and the daughter of another rich family, Kiera Dove. The three of them agreed to keep his secret, and Father Adam and Kiera would play with him often, and as time went on and Blake grew up, they would just enjoy one another's company, talk, or simply rest. For a time, Blake was happy in that little church.

However, assuming such times would continue, and Blake did, was nothing but foolish and naïve. On the first full moon of September, Blake stayed out too late after a long discussion with Father Adam. As he walked home by himself, he found himself uneasy, as if he was being observed by something. He walked a little faster, hoping to escape this feeling. But the faster he walked, the more intense it became. A flash of red light and a groundbreaking shockwave shook the earth under him and knocked him to the ground. There, he turned to look at the source of the sound and the shock.

Before him stood a black shape. It had long ears, and a long snout. The shape grinned, exposing brilliant white fangs, long strings of black drool hung from it's jowls. The beast's body was thin, long shaggy black hair hung off of its body and rippled whenever it moved. This alone was haunting, but the most horrifying thing about this creature was it's eyes. Or, the lack of one of them. The right side of its face was gnarled and scarred, while the left side was unharmed. The right eye had evidently been torn out in some manner or another. Blake was already horrified, but the thought that there was something that could rip the demon's eye out chilled him to his very core. In that remaining left eye socket, was an unblinking eye, redder than any ruby and fouler than any shade of blood. In the very center of the eye was the pupil, which was a simple black circle that seemed to contract and fix upon Blake, that smoldering gaze driving the young man to force himself away from it clumsily, never taking his eyes from it.

The beast did not move to follow Blake, rather it simply stood in place, watching the young man's retreat. It opened its mouth, black smoke pouring forth as the devil barked thrice, turning its head in a new direction with each exclamation. First towards the church on the hill, next towards Grimmchurch manor, and lastly towards the Dove household. Smoke obscured its form, save for the horrific eye. With a satanic howl, the earth split open and fire absorbed the beast. Blake sat there for a long time, exactly how long he did not know. As the sun began to rise the next morning, Aria stumbled upon the sorry state of her master, having searched for him all throughout the night. She brought him home, and Blake stayed there for several days, accepting no food or visitors.

On the fourth day, Blake left his room. He returned to the church and spoke to Father Adam about his encounter with the black dog. The priest fell silent for a long time, but finally told Blake about the creature he saw, calling it by many names. The Black Shuck, Church Grim, and Old Shock. No one was fully sure of the nature of the creature, whether it was an omen, a guide or a sadistic demon. When Blake left that night, he felt uneasy again and went to visit Kiera, who he hadn't seen for some time.

The Dove Manor held nothing but sorrow for the young man, as when he visited, he found Kiera had fallen deathly ill with only days to live. Blake visited her every day after this, even begging her parents to allow him to stay overnight to be with until she faded. They agreed, and the day came swiftly. Her death was in the morning, and Blake mourned the day away, his only comfort being Father Adam and a letter left for him by Kiera. The letter instructed him not to open it until two years after her death. He followed the letter's rule, tucking it away in his room after returning home.

That night, tragedy struck once again, even if Blake cared little about this one. Mother's hands found their way around Father's unfaithful throat after catching him harassing Aria. His funeral was the same day as Kiera's, so Blake and Aria did not attend his funeral. In the distant fog of the grave yard, the Shuck watched with its devil's eye. One more tragedy was to befall this boy before it could make its move.

A week after Kiera's funeral, Blake returned to the church on the hill. He stayed there longer than usual, as his mother and siblings treated him colder and worse than before. His maid was the one that had caught her husband's eye, after all. His curse had not only robbed her of future children but also of her husband. Yet for some reason that she could not explain, she could not bring herself to kill the child. She knew of the church, but couldn't stop him from attending it. She knew not why, but every time she made a move against the boy, it was as if someone was watching her. Waiting to retaliate if she did anything.

A year had passed, and the pain of losing Kiera was finally starting to fade. It was September again, and the first full moon was cold. Blake opted to stay at the church, rather than making the trip home, as he would always remember that night with these same conditions. The doors were locked, and a storm gathered. Father Adam began his evening prayers and Blake fell asleep.

An enormous flash of lightning illuminated the sky as the church doors burst open, and the Black Shuck sprinted in, fire and smoke following it. It stopped in the center of the chapel, and Blake jolted out of his seat and rushed for the exit, shouting for the father to follow him. The priest smiled sadly and waved him away before regarding the beast with fury. He raised his holy book and began to chant in Latin. Blake left the church as the Shuck screeched and howled with great force. Blake was tossed several meters as the force of the Shucks roar collided with the stone walls of the church with such force that it shook not only the hill, but also the estates beneath it. Not only was the earth shaken, for the church on the hill did not survive the blast, hundreds of fragments of stone and wood dotting the hill where it once stood so kindly.

The final tragedy had fallen, and to Blake's horror, the Old Shuck walked from the wreckage of the church. Not unharmed by any means, as several thick metal spikes protruded from its body, one of which had struck it through its broken eye socket. Blake tried to run again, but unlike last year, the bloody dying dog followed him, it's red eye suddenly appearing in front of him before he even made it to the bottom of the hill.

With the speed of a thunderbolt, The Shuck bit into Blake's shoulder and gored his abdomen with its claws! Blake screamed in agony as he uselessly flailed around and beat at the dog's boney chest. As the realization of death sunk into his mind, Blake panicked, ripping chunks of hair from it's chest and flailing even harder. However, despite his valiant tenacity, his attempts were futile. His entrails had been pulled free of his abdomen, and the dog showed no signs of releasing him as it gored him further. The final image he saw was the Black Shuck's unblinking eye. Would he see her again in the afterlife? Unlikely. He would not get to Heaven, not with the hatred and animosity that possessed his body as of now. If Blake was going to die, the monster was coming with him.

Blake's muscles burned and tore as he used all of his remaining strength to the snatch the monster's eye from it's socket, warm, gooey matter squishing in between his fingers as he tore it free of the Shuck's head. The now blind devil dog screeched and howled and shook its head wildly, hoping to rid itself of this pain and to regain its sight. Neither of these things happened as Blake died, still clutching the Black Shuck's eye. It collapsed soon after, joining its prey in death.

Aria found Blake later, his shirt torn and blood stained. There were no wounds on his body. She carried him home, and he slept for many days and nights. In that time, the remains of the church were moved by men in black suits. That foreboding gaze no longer tormented Jessica.

Finally, Blake awoke. His left eye, the same shimmering sapphire it was before. His right, was the Shuck's.

Redder than any ruby, and fouler than any shade of blood.