Chapter one of Isla (working title) re-write

Here's the new version of chapter one for Isla's re-write: enjoy and as always, let me know what you think :)

ONE



Darkness.
This, most terrifying force known to man, has kept anyone from braving the night. I was told that long ago, before the creatures of the night drove us from the forests, man walked in the silvery shadows of the moon. I’ve never actually seen this fabled beacon of light, but I’ve always loved to listen to the Whitebeards as they whisper tales long forgotten by the rest of us, now faded into obscurity.
I am thirteen years old, and even though already considered a man, I only now understand the terror of which those men have spoken. I would not dare speak of it but I fear it may never leave my dreams until I release it somehow. Three sleepless nights ago I was awakened by screams outside our village. My father rose quickly, gathering his machete and racing outside. I dutifully followed close behind as a shadow following him into the darkness.
Light flashed into the air and the brightness lit the beach as another scream pierced the air. I raced through the cool sand as the waves crashed the shore, my heart pounding in my throat as I wondered what horror I would see. When my father stopped, I flanked him, just in time to feel another burst of heat and see the blinding light, illuminating the headless trunk of a man collapsing to the ground. My eyes darted toward the attacker, but the sheer brightness of the light hid the assailant’s features, and then he was gone. I never saw his face, only the sinister silhouette branded in white across my vision.
The men of the village assembled and quickly decided to make a perimeter around our homes and remain vigilant until morning. Each took a certain area and fearfully stood their ground, committing to guard the families until the attacker was found or until safety could be assured. I stayed for the first shift anxiously awaiting a reprieve from my overactive imagination and the fictitious beasts that stalked me at the edge of the tree line.
I could hear the wind whipping through the forest branches all night as I watched the horrifying scene in my mind’s eye until the light of morning came. The next day, Gilpha was abuzz with news of murder. The dead man’s head had been severed and the flesh close to the wound was charred black. Burns appeared all over his body, as though he were tortured with a flaming torch or something equally searing. All the adults were talking about him the next day, but I only wanted to know what the Whitebeards thought. Fortunately, they were even less concerned about being heard than normal, so I sneaked close and listened intently.
There was a group of Whitebeards discussing a man named Ammin, who had possessed the headless body the day before. They said he came from the village of Dolfia, about half a mile away. His wife and daughter reported that they had not seen him after he left to hunt that morning. The friends who had left with him did not recall seeing him after he tracked a faint animal trail alone at about mid-day. How did his corpse end up here, on the beach over a mile away? Where did that killer come from? Does he still lurk in the shadows of our village or has he moved throughout the land of Grania? The Whitebeards seemed to be suspicious about the dark forests. Could those legendary envoys of chaos dwelling in the darkness be back, killing at will on our island home? Their alarm frightened me more than the ordeal itself, and has only heightened my anxiety. I still have yet to sleep.
More and more, the people of our village ignore this event, and my father won’t even speak of it. What am I to do? I know there is something insidious lurking at the heart of this village, this island, this place. How long must we endure this blackness before we act? The Whitebeards keep talking about the past, referring to a time of disarray almost ten years ago. Many men died that year, nearly fifty in one month. No one even speaks of it anymore; for today was the first I have heard of any such incident. What is happening? Will I ever be released of this burden?

-Carrick