He had taken up a friendship with his next door neighbour, though. They never really made any plans but if it was a warm night one would bring over cold beers to the other. It was an easy friendship, mostly comprised of drinking and flipping through television channels together. Kevin was a good guy and he had had his share of problems but he was straight now and lonely, like David. He had no interest in David besides his company. David trusted him completely.
In his apartment he kept very little. Besides his goldfish named Pip, his home so resembled his dorm that he would often wake up expecting to see his roommates. Despite the fact that Pip probably only responded to his presence for his ration of flakes, he was David’s closest companion. It was to Pip that he told all his secrets, Pip staring at him, not blinking, absorbing them all.
The momentum that David had in his research was propelled even faster by Taylor’s enthusiasm. As he worked to develop a formula to combat each of the three properties that brought decline in the body, Taylor made sure to spend time, every day, at the lab. One by one, David discovered how to halt the properties and within six months had produced the first version of an injectable vaccine. He was ready for trials to begin.
Taylor began the arduous task of finding people to experiment on. Because of the level of secrecy needed, it proved to be time consuming. Animal testing would not be accurate because of the unique three properties that brought about human decline. David was deprived of her presence and his work. While he had felt tired before, it now seemed to consume him.
In the months of waiting that followed, David felt even worse. He finally sought medical help and after a barrage of testing he was, rather unceremoniously, informed that he had cancer. It was in his brain, inoperable and aggressive. David was dying.
The first thing he did was go home to Pip and confess everything. He also, after a few beers and many tears, had hatched a plan. He went the next day to see Taylor.
Taylor reacted to the news worse than he thought she would, though he wasn’t sure if it was because of him or his work. She held him and they cried together. When David told her he was planning on spending as much time as he could in the lab, working on back up formulas, she committed to dumping a couple of projects and focused on getting him his test subjects. After they had again wiped their tears, David headed down to his lab and Taylor set about clearing her schedule.
As the elevator descended, David wondered if he should have revealed his full plan to Taylor. She was so supportive and wanted to see the formula tested as much as he did. But, no, he was quickly running out of time as death chased him down. He resisted the urge to run and get a needle right away. He systematically set up his notes like he would to record any trial. He carefully measured what he deduced to be an adequate dose, slipped it in his lab coat and headed to the washroom, grabbing a syringe on the way. Though there were no cameras for security reasons, he wanted to ensure absolute privacy while he became the first test subject for what he was now calling the Decline vaccine.
He exited the washroom and recorded the time, dose and filled out the questions he would propose to any test subject. He felt no different. He decided, though, he was too weary to carry on and headed for home. He could continue tomorrow.
After a dreamless sleep he woke to a new day, just minutes before his alarm went off. Though still tired, he thought he felt just a little bit better than the day before. It could have been just wishful thinking or the long sleep, though, so minute was the difference. He decided to record it in his lab. As he put his feet off the side of the bed and on the floor he heard a crunch. He looked down to see a rather large bug, dead and dried up on the floor. Looking around the room, he noticed several flies had also perished, one even lying on his bedspread. He went to sweep it onto the floor. It was also dried out and was little more than a few pieces of wing and leg after he had touched it. He paused and then came to the conclusion that they sprayed this place way too much and too often for bugs and it was probably where he got the cancer in the first place.
Once he ate his breakfast and had a chat with Pip, he headed out. As he turned around to lock the door he saw a butterfly fluttering in his direction. He smiled, contemplating its metamorphosis from the worm-like caterpillar. Was this a sign of the transformation that could be happening within him? He watched and as the butterfly neared him, its wings started moving irregularly. Then it stopped moving altogether. He reached out and caught it in his palm as it was floating to the ground. So beautiful. With reverence he set it down in the grass to the side of the walkway. He was flabbergasted that it fell to dust upon contact with the lawn.
The rest of the week went as David had expected. He felt nearly the same, with just ever so slightly less exhaustion clinging to him. He dutifully made notes and gave himself daily blood tests. He also began working on theories for different formulations, should the first one fail. As he was working, on three separate occasions, dead whitened spiders had fallen from the ceiling around him. David thought that maybe there was something to this insecticide/ cancer link after all.
At the end of the week since he had first taken the Decline vaccine, David concluded that any improvement in his condition had been made within 24 hours of injecting the vaccine. His next step was to repeat the vaccine at the same dose. In the week that followed he certainly did not feel worse, but he definitely did not feel any better.
In the third week of his personal trial with the Decline vaccine David upped his dose. He became overly tired and headed home early to rest. After a full afternoon and night’s sleep, his alarm woke him. From the moment he opened his eyes he felt an improvement.
One of the symptoms of his cancer was blurry vision in his left eye. He was seeing clearly from both eyes! He sat up, swung out his feet and stood up. There was no doubt about it. The weariness was still there but his legs felt lighter and his body seemed to complain less about moving.
He went out to the kitchen to have his breakfast and said good morning to Pip. Pip’s wide-eyed answer was a simple air bubble. When he pulled up his chair to have his morning chat with Pip, the fish’s eyes whitened and he floated belly up to the top of his bowl. David started and leaned over the bowl. A ring of slime and decay was quickly forming around his little friend’s body.
How could Pip go from being alive and alert to decaying in a matter of moments? Was there a side effect of some kind that came with the vaccine? Was he hallucinating?
Since poor Pip was really starting to stink, David held a quick funeral over the toilet bowl and headed off to the lab. As he walked, he tried to figure out a way to gauge if he was having hallucinations without divulging any of his secrets. He devised a plan for after work and spent the day carefully recording every little thing he noticed.
That evening as he headed home he picked up a 12 pack. He dialed the local pizza place and ordered a large meaty pizza for delivery. He knocked on Kevin’s door and asked him over for pizza and beer. His plan was in motion.
“What’s that smell?” Kevin said as he came though David’s door.
“Okay’” thought David, “At least that part was real.”
“Well,” he said out loud, “I lost Pip.” Knowing how much Pip meant to David, he offered up a hug and his sincerest apologies. Under the weight of the emotion, David cracked and told Kevin about his cancer and his impending fate. Both men wept openly but were much relieved at the distraction of the pizza delivery girl ringing the doorbell.
As they settled into their routine of beer and television, David felt himself relaxing. He was sure he hadn’t imagined this morning’s events. Upon thinking back to the butterfly last week and all the bugs, David stumbled upon a theory in his mind. He would test it out the next day.
Taylor was not expecting David at the lab because he had a follow up at his doctor's in the morning. His appointment wasn’t until 10:15am so he walked a longer route that took him right by the pet shop. He entered and was relieved to see the clerk was busy. On his way back to see the fish, he
passed a tank of feeder crickets. Their activity was halted in a wave like motion as his shadow passed over them. He moved closer and they disintegrated to the point of just being a large mass of legs and flakes of bodies. There was no way he had imagined what he saw and slowly rounded the corner to the fish.
As he laid eyes on the first tank, the fish began to float sideways. He quickly backed up and was relieved to see that they had righted themselves. He shuffled a tiny bit closer and again their bodies began to turn sideways. He backed away, not wanting to cause them harm and quickly exited the pet shop.
Was the side effect to the Decline vaccination death to the smallest creatures around him? It didn’t seem possible but the pet shop experiment confirmed it. Was the sacrifice for his medical breakthrough those little lives? Was he absorbing them? Had he become toxic to them somehow? There was certainly plenty to do at the lab, but first off to the doctor’s.
After his usual round of tests at the doctor’s, David waited for what he assumed would be more grim news. His doctor ushered him into his office and sat him down. “Now, David” he started, “I want you to take this news with a grain of salt. What I have to tell you is both encouraging and suspect. I have compared your last scans to the ones you had done today. It would appear that your tumour has shrunk. I would like to compare everything next time you come in to make sure of the results here. What I see here is nothing short of a miracle. Please don’t get your hopes up yet, but whatever you are doing, keep it up!”
They made another follow up in a week’s time and David left, barely able to contain his excitement. He was unsure if the Decline vaccine was a cure for cancer or if eliminating decline let the internal fountain of youth destroy it. He hurried to his lab.
What, in the big scheme of things were the death of some bugs and fish if he could cure cancer? He could stay away from live fish easily enough. He had a week until his next doctor’s appointment and he knew what he had to do. He upped the dose again.
He was so exhausted following the shot he headed right home, not even pausing to make notes. As he was walking, his shoulder blades became so itchy he stopped a couple times to scratch his back on the corner of buildings as he passed. By the time he neared home he was alarmed to feel two large lumps where the itch was.
As he passed his neighbour’s house, Kevin called out. He waved but was hoping to get inside and lie down as quickly as possible.
“I have something I absolutely need to show you!” Kevin yelled. Not wanting to be rude, David left his door open and took a seat in the kitchen, just inside. Kevin came bounding over, a bundle wrapped in a blanket in his arms. He went over to his regular spot on the couch and sat. “I know what a rough time you have been having so I thought of a way to make you smile” He opened the blankets to reveal to cutest little mutt he had ever laid eyes on. “I figured,” Kevin continued, “that I would care for him but he would be your dog as well. You could have him when you were feeling up to it and I would have him when you weren’t.”
David couldn’t help but choke up. Kevin let the pup down and David whistled for him. The pup looked up and bounded across the floor. As it neared David, however, its front legs seemed to fail it. It collapsed, its body still sliding across the floor, lifeless. David picked it up. It was cold in his hands.
Kevin lost it. He ran over, not believing what he had seen. As he took the pup from David, his knees buckled. David, realizing what was happening, backed into the kitchen under the guise of grabbing some water for his friend.
The distance between them gave Kevin back the strength to stand on his own. He looked at David, trying to comprehend what had transpired. David broke the silence. “I think I better go lie down. With all the treatments I’ve been getting (in fact there was only the one), I feel like I could collapse. Thank you for the thought.” Kevin just nodded and backed out, the pup hanging limp in his arms.
A long, dreamless sleep followed. When David finally awoke he was lying on his face. He turned his head to check the time but found his sight was blocked by a black leathery cloth. He tried to move it, but when he felt a bone inside he panicked. He pushed off his stomach and on to the floor in one fluid motion, the leathery like cloth snapping taut behind him.
He could see the room so clearly, better than he had seen before in fact. The sight that stopped him though was that of his reflection. He looked so emaciated but he felt so powerful. The itchy bumps had developed into dark wings. He was certain the cancer was gone; he had never been stronger. He thought of the butterfly and saw his metamorphosis. He was beautiful in his own horrific way and it was time to show Taylor what he had accomplished.
He folded his wings as small as he could and dressed in the loosest clothes he could find. As he walked to the lab, to Taylor, he came too close to an unfortunate cat that died as David’s shadow touched her. He could feel the cat’s life pour into him. He walked under a wire full of chattering birds. They dropped to the pavement around him like apples from a tree. He was nourished by every little soul. He felt his wings flex and shudder with delight.
The on-duty security guard was busy behind his desk and nodded to David as he passed through the security area. Even sitting down, he felt weak as David passed.
He burst into Taylor’s office without knocking. She was so startled by his intrusion and appearance she let out a yelp.
Composing herself and assuming David’s cancer had caused his change in his looks, she apologized.
As David closed the distance between them she began to swoon. He caught her and she lost consciousness. He set her down and backed away.
He had thought his cancer was a certain death, but had given himself the Decline Vaccine: the death vaccination. He stole life from everything around him and was now death incarnate. He had a decision to make; to leave Taylor forever or stay and steal away her life. And where to go from here?
THE MOONLIGHT KILLER
Suzanne Robb
MARSHALL Jenkins hauled the woman’s limp body into a dense section of forest. No one came here, making it the perfect place to drop bodies after he finished with them. Wild animals took care of the remains.
He glanced at the sky, his ritual complete for the month. He found a woman fitting his needs on the first night and kidnapped her before the full moon. On the second, he spent twenty-four hours torturing her. The third and final night, he killed her then disposed of the body.
A wolf howled. He smiled at the thought of two predators out together.
***
Jimmy Richards shoved his hands deeper into his pockets, the night air cool against his skin. The light provided by the full moon and a little courage juice gave him the strength to take the path cutting through the forest preserve. Normally he wouldn’t due to the upswing in missing people and police warnings, but he was tired and drunk.
He tended bar at a local establishment called Shakers on the weekends to make extra money for school. When he’d found the job advertised in the paper, he called for an interview right away.
With a name like Shakers, he’d had visions of women pole dancing, stripping, and spinning tassels in special places. The perfect job for a twenty-one year old guy, as far as he was concerned.
He entered the building and saw the waiters, all men wearing thongs. He chalked it up to the equal rights movement, figuring it was their prerogative if they wanted to debase themselves like that. He met with the manager, Don Reynolds, who eyed him up and down in an unnerving way.
“You here for the bartender job?” Don asked.
“Yes, sir. I’ve been mixing drinks for my parents since I was five,” Jimmy answered.
The man shrugged his shoulders. “Okay then, not that they really care about the drinks, but with that body, you’d make a whole lot more money on stage.”
Jimmy felt reality slap him upside the head and say hi. The line outside, full of men, every employee he’d seen thus far--male. As he took in the décor, he noticed posters of men in various states of undress.
“I think I got the wrong--”
“Pay starts at ten dollars an hour, and you’ll average three hundred in tips on weekends,” the manger stated in a bored voice.
“I’ll take it,” Jimmy blurted.
Something howled not too far from him, rousing him from his musings, and he stopped. Fear froze him in place. The papers were full of reports about the Moonlight Killer. Some freak who tortured women then mailed various body parts to the police. The rest of the bodies had yet to be found.
He let out a breath, and it fogged up in the cool air around him. Confident he didn’t face any imminent danger, he continued walking. A bush rustled. Jimmy swallowed. Sweat trickled down his neck, his buzz wearing off fast.
"Hey, whoever's there … "
A pair of red-yellow eyes flashed. More rustling, then a huge beast jumped out, knocking Jimmy to the ground. He raised his arm to protect his face. The animal snapped at him, warm saliva dripping onto Jimmy's face. Fangs connected with his forearm, sinking into the fleshy part. Jimmy screamed, but instinct took over. Jimmy reached up and pulled his attacker's head closer to his face. When it was within range he bit the ear, spitting out a chunk of blood-covered fur.
Jimmy saw it, a wolf. It whimpered and ran away. Jimmy grabbed his arm and used his scarf to wrap the wound. Gradually, he made his way to his feet, swaying a bit, light-headed from both alcohol and blood loss.
His cell phone became the most complicated thing he’d ever laid eyes on. He gave up trying to use it and stumbled home. Almost making it before he passed out on the lawn.
***
Jimmy woke a few feet from the front door of the house he rented with his friend Aaron. His arm throbbed and the night before came flooding back to him. The attack, sharp teeth, blood, a wolf…
He unwrapped his arm, squinting and looking away. The more skin he revealed the more confused he got. His shirt and jacket were shredded and crusted with blood but his arm was smooth and untouched. Did he imagine it?
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