FULL MOON ISLAND

by Terry Yates

  “What about epilepsy?” Locklear asked him, still looking at the man.

  “Well, I’ve never heard of it taking seven or eight people to hold an epileptic down, not to mention taking out two strong soldiers in the process, but then again, nothing’s made just a whole lot of sense in the last two days.”

  He looked at Locklear for a moment before starting to walk away. He felt like he’d been a little terse with the professor, but he was so ragged out and tired that he just couldn’t put on the friendly doctor face at that moment.

  “Doctor?” It was Locklear again. Kyler didn’t want to turn around, but something in the man’s voice caught his attention. It no longer sounded inquisitive, but nervous.

  “What is it, Professor O’Hearley?” he answered, with he knew to be a condescending tone.

  “I think you’d better get over here.”

  Kyler turned around. Locklear was still looking at the Stranger, but his eyes had widened quite a bit. “What’s wrong, Professor?”

  “I really think you need to look at this.”

  Kyler sighed. He really wasn’t in the mood to debate diagnosis’ right now.

  “Doctor?”

  Kyler walked back to the table, moved in front of Locklear, and looked down at the Stranger. He was twitching. But it wasn’t just a finger here or a toe there. His whole body seemed to be twitching. Little spasms were occurring everywhere, at different intervals. A finger would twitch, then a shoulder muscle would twitch, then a toe would twitch, then a thigh muscle. They started off slow at first, but the more Kyler stood and watched, the faster the spasms got. One…then another…then another…then another. It reminded Kyler of watching a bowl of soup starting to bubble, with a bubble popping up here and another one popping up somewhere else. Faster and faster they pulsated, until his eyes could no longer keep up with them.

  “What’s going on, Doc?” Sgt. Cohen asked. Kyler had been too busy watching the man twitch to notice that Cohen and Nurse Walling had joined him and Locklear.

  “I’m not sure,” he answered. “Nurse Walling, you gave him the whole dose, right?”

  “Every last drop in the syringe,” she answered. “It should’ve been enough to tranq an elephant.”

  By this time, Potts and Gringo had moved up to the table.

  “Christ on a crutch! What the hell’s happening?” Potts asked peering down at the Stranger.”

  “I don’t know, Colonel, but it can’t be good.”

  The six of them jumped as the man’s chest suddenly shot into the air.

  “Holy shit!” Gringo yelled as the man’s chest began to heave up and down, slamming hard against the table’s surface.

  “What do we do, Doctor Kyler?” Nurse Walling asked loudly. It was the first time since he’d known her that she sounded nervous.

  “Get another sedative…and STAT!”

  The group began to gather around the patient. FranAnne, Burt, even Zora had awakened when she heard the others gasp. As the man’s chest continued to heave up and down, his legs and arms began to join in, pulling hard against the restraints.

  “Shit!” Kyler exclaimed.

  “Tighten the ropes!” Potts yelled, taking one arm himself and trying to hold it down.

  FranAnne began to tighten the ropes on the man’s wrist on the arm that Potts was holding down, while Gringo and Sgt. Cohen were trying to do the same to the other. Kyler didn’t want them too tight because he could already see deep cuts in both wrists already, but he couldn’t think of anything else.

  Kyler slipped around everyone and placed himself over the Stranger’s head. His neck was now bulging out as his unconscious body continued to thrash around. What the hell was happening to this man? Kyler opened both the man’s eyes at once, but this time, instead of both of them being rolled back into their sockets, they both were looking straight ahead, once again, a look of anger in them. He let go of the man’s eyelids, but they didn’t close, they stayed open, staring at the ceiling. His teeth were clenched together so tightly that Kyler couldn’t tell where the top teeth ended and the bottom teeth began. Somehow that guttural growl that they had heard earlier had returned. The man’s teeth were clenched together so tightly that he couldn’t figure out how any sound could escape through his mouth.

  “What the shit?”

  Kyler turned to Potts. “What is it?”

  Potts was looking down at the Stranger’s hand. “Look at this!”

  Kyler moved past FranAnne and next to Potts.

  “What? What!”

  Kyler saw that the man’s arm and hand were thrashing around trying to break the restraints. Big deal…so was the rest of his body in case Potts hadn’t noticed.

  “What?” he asked again.

  “His hand! Look at his hand!” Potts yelled over the Stranger’s growls, which had become increasingly louder.

  Kyler looked at his hand. At first, he didn’t notice anything different about it. It was the same as any other hand. The palms were open with four fingers and a thumb extending from all sides.

  “I don’t see anything,” he told Potts.

  Potts took the Stranger’s hand and turned it over. The top of his hand was covered with thick, black hair, which extended past his wrist and halfway up his arm.

  “Christ!” Sgt. Cohen said aloud.

  Kyler couldn’t believe his eyes. Not only was the Stranger’s whole arm covered with more hair than it had been before, but it looked to Kyler like it was getting thicker.

  Was he actually watching hair grow? Kyler looked across the thrashing man’s body to FranAnne and Gringo who were barely managing to keep his other arm down.

  “What’s that arm look like?” he asked them.

  “What?” Gringo asked, confused.

  “His arm,” Kyler repeated, “what’s it look like?”

  FranAnne turned the other arm over. “Holy shit!” Gringo yelled. “The mother fucker’s covered with hair!”

  “What’s going on?” Potts asked, looking at Kyler now.

  “What do you want me to say, Colonel, that I see thrashing men with hair growing on their arms right in front me, all the time?”

  All at once, the Stranger’s body lifted completely off of the table, held down only by the rope restraints, which were becoming frayed from stretching. The Stranger was awake now. He was no longer just thrashing around and growling lowly. Now, he was convulsing hard against the table, his head banging up and down, and screaming at the top of his lungs, causing everyone in the mess hall to cover their ears. The scream was long and loud…loud enough to be heard over the storm. It sent shivers up Kyler’s spine. He was near complete fear paralysis. The only thing still moving was his heart, which was pounding against his chest like one of those old time boxer’s rabbit punching a side of beef. They could hear the ropes stretching as he struggled against them. His scream was not only getting louder, but it was becoming higher in pitch…like an animal in extreme agony.

  “Tighten those ropes as tight as you can get ‘em before this sumbitch pulls them loose!” Potts ordered.

  Gringo put all of his weight on the Stranger’s arm, forcing it down on the table while FranAnne tried to re-fasten the restraints.

  Nurse Walling pushed herself between Potts and Kyler. She was holding another syringe full of sedatives, which she immediately stuck into his arm.

  “Give me a hand, Doc!” Potts hollered.

  Kyler moved past Nurse Walling and next to Potts again. Like Gringo, Kyler put all of his weight onto the arm, palm down while Potts began to tighten the ropes, taking in as much slack on the rope as he could.

  While Potts, Kyler, Gringo, and FranAnne were trying to re-tie the restraints, Sgt. Cohen and Pvt. Gibson were trying to pin each of the man’s shoulders down onto the table and having very little luck. The man was pushing against them and making them earn every little inch that they gained. Hawkins jumped onto the table and across the Stranger’s legs in an effort to hold them down, but was having very little luck because
they were thrashing so hard that the private was having trouble staying on the table. He was like a cowboy trying to stay on a bucking bronco.

  Kyler was having enough troubles of his own trying to hold the man’s arm down as Potts secured his wrist to the table. Kyler strained as he watched Potts fasten the last knot. As he watched, he looked at the man’s arm, which was growing hairier every second.

  “There!” Potts said, breathing heavily. “That should do it!”

  Kyler was about to move away when he noticed something…something about the man’s wrist. There was a small area on the wrist where no hair was growing. It was such a small place that Kyler was surprised he noticed it. He bent down and began to separate the hair from the skin.

  “What are you doing?” Potts asked him.

  Kyler didn’t answer, but continued to separate the hairs. There it was…a scar. A jagged scar…and it looked extremely familiar to him. Where had he seen that scar before? He searched his brain, trying to recollect where he’d seen it. Just as he was about to give up hope of remembering, it hit him…and it hit him hard. The burn victim. He’d seen it the day before, on the burn victim’s wrist. There was no mistaking it. It was small, but deep as well as jagged. He looked at the Stranger’s hair. Jet black…just like he’d seen on the man who just yesterday had no lips, nose, or cheeks…the man who…

  When the realization of who the man was hit him, Kyler stumbled backward. If Zora hadn’t been behind him, he might’ve kept moving backwards until he went straight through the tent, which was exactly what he wanted to do at that moment.

  “What did you see?” Zora asked from behind, her hands on his shoulders.

  “What is it, Doc?” Potts chimed in, looking from Kyler back to the patient.

  He still couldn’t speak as the man continued to thrash, very close to breaking the new bonds that were holding him down.

  “It’s…him…” he finally managed to stammer, his finger pointing. “It’s him…” He turned to Nurse Walling. “The plane crash…it’s the man from the plane crash!”

  Nurse Walling immediately looked down at the man. “Are you sure?”

  “Hell yeah, I’m sure!” Kyler’s pointed finger was trembling now. Potts was looking at him like he was crazy.

  “This is that burn victim? Impossible! He was burned to a crisp! Besides, he…”

  Potts couldn’t finish the sentence. It had just dawned on him, too. This man…this person was the same person who turned into the monster.

  The whole group began to gather round the Stranger whose howling had becoming even louder if that was possible. But everything that was impossible was becoming possible now, for the man had hair growing on his face now, a small patch was beginning to grow across his forehead and there was another growing on his left cheek.

  “Let’s get out of here!” Potts screamed. “Come on! Move it! Move it!”

  “What are you two talking about?” Gringo yelled over the storm and the howling.

  Potts walked around the table and got right in Gringo’s face. “It’s the monster, ya’ numbnuts!” he screamed.

  Everyone in the room began to scream and panic.

  “Leave everything and get out!” Potts screamed again. “Move it! Move it! Move it! Move it!”

  Immediately, Hawkins jumped off of the man’s legs and ran over to Michael Blum.

  “Someone give me a hand with the kid!” he yelled.

  He was soon joined by Sam Fong. The two men formed their fireman’s chair and lifted him up off of the table. Locklear and Ariella bundled Lauren up and headed toward the door. Kyler ran to Shelly Dixon who was no longer smiling, but clutching her screaming baby to her face and rocking back and forth.

  “Come on, Shelly! We have to get out of here!”

  He grabbed the gym bag, which was lying under the table. “Come on, Shelly! He yelled again, not worrying about his bedside manner at that moment. “We have to put Kayla in the bag and go!”

  He tried to take the baby from her, but she wasn’t letting go. At that moment, the Stranger let out another loud howl. Kyler looked toward the table. The man was almost completely covered with the jet black hair, and struggling harder now that he/it had no one to hold him/it down. Kyler grabbed hold of the baby and tried to force it away from its mother, but Shelly was hanging on.

  “No-oo-o!” she screamed.

  Kyler knew that if they continued to play tug-of-war with the baby that they were going to hurt or kill it, so Kyler took a deep breath, doubled up his fist, and punched Shelly square in the jaw, sending her head flying backwards onto the table. He took the newborn from her. Shelly lay on her back, moaning from the blow. He put the baby in the bag, zipped it up, and placed it on the table. He reached down and patted Shelly’s hand in attempt to revive her.

  “I’ll take care of her!” Kyler looked up to see Zora. “Go! Do what you can for the others!”

  The doctor nodded, then ran to Opal and Wilbur Munn. Opal was clapping her hands and cackling with glee at the stranger’s metamorphosis. She looked like a two year who was watching one of those cymbal banging monkey toys for the first time. Wilbur, on the other hand, didn’t look so good. He was pale and looked as if he were about to faint. He was standing, but wouldn’t be for long, so Kyler sat him down on the table and gently patted his face.

  “Come on, Wilbur! Don’t do this now!” Wilbur just stared blankly at him. He patted his face again, only harder this time. He figured he’d just punched a new mother, slapping an ex-corporal should be as easy as peeing into the wind. “Wilbur…come on,

  Wilbur!”

  “Let him be, Doctor Kyler.”

  He looked up to see Opal no longer gleefully watching the stranger turn into a werewolf, but was now looking at him with those searching smiling eyes.

  “Wha…?” was all he managed to get out before the squirmies set in.

  “I said to let him be. I’ll take care of him.”

  On any normal day, his pants would’ve been baking up a batch of foul brownies, but right now, he didn’t have time to be scared.

  “All right,” he told her, “but we have to get out of here now!”

  He grabbed the gym bag, the baby inside and wailing loudly. At least she was alive. He turned to see Potts scooting everyone to the door.

  “Go…now! Get out!” he roared.

  Zora and Shelly ran outside, followed by Zack and Rob Olsen.

  “Where do we go, Sir?” FranAnne asked.

  Potts turned and looked at Sgt. Cohen who was pleading with him with his eyes.

  “Run to the bunker!” he yelled, turning to FranAnne. She nodded, saluted, and then ran outside.

  Kyler was trying to rush everyone out of the tent. The O’Hearley’s were still inside.

  “Go!” Kyler screamed. “Go!”

  “Where’s the doggie?” Lauren asked loudly, standing by the now open door, rain pouring into the tent.

  “What?”

  “The doggie! I don’t see the doggie!”

  The doggie? Kyler scanned the room. He’d completely forgotten about Joe. One minute, he’d been barking and growling and the next, he was nowhere to be seen. Probably the smartest one of us, he thought. They should’ve left when the dog did.

  “I don’t know, Sweetie. He’s probably outside. He knows where to go.” He looked at Locklear and Ariella and curtly motioned with his head for them to get outside. They got the hint, covered Lauren’s head, and pulled her outside.

  Potts stood with his hand on his pistol still barking orders for everyone to evacuate. Kyler watched as Zora and Burt Burns each had one of Shelly’s arms and were escorting her out the door while she screamed and cried for her baby. Pvt. Gibson and Zack Olsen who each had one of Rob Olsen’s arms, followed Zora, Shelly, and Burt outside. FranAnne and Sgt. Cohen were trying to grab as many necessities as they could before leaving.

  Kyler looked back at the stranger whose legs were starting to grow toward the end of the table. His feet were becoming bigger and
longer, with claws beginning to grow out from the toes. He cried out in pain as the claws tore through the skin. He turned to see that Opal and Wilbur Munn were gone. Good. The only ones left were FranAnne and Cohen who were heading out the door, and Gringo, Samantha, and Sylvia who were standing next to the door discussing something, and of course, Potts.

  “Get out here!” Kyler screamed at Gringo. Gringo nodded but didn’t move.

  He turned to see Potts approaching the table where the stranger/monster lay, still thrashing about. His/its feet and ankles were completely off of the table now. The thing must’ve grown six inches since he’d last looked at him/it. His nose was beginning to elongate and form into that of a wolf. He looked up at Potts with murderous eyes.

  “Sorry, Pal, but I’ve got to do this,” Potts said calmly looking into the creatures angry eyes as it growled at him.

  He removed his pistol from its holster, held it up, and then cocked it. Kyler didn’t want to see this. He took one quick last look at the monster who had just moments before been a man. A man he had talked to and conversed with. A man who seemed highly intelligent and refined, and a man who was going through something that he had absolutely no control over. And now, he was going to be killed like a rabid dog…or wolf. He quickly wrapped a blanket around the gym bag and ran out the door into the wind and rain.

  Potts took a breath, and then aimed his pistol at the creature’s head who continued to snarl at him defiantly. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt a certain kinship with the beast, even though he knew by its eyes that it would kill him the first chance it got.

  As Potts was about to pull the trigger, something crashed into him hard from the side, slamming him into the table and onto the floor where he hit his head hard.

  “Sorry, Colonel, but we have to do this.”

  Potts still lay on the floor, rubbing his head. He looked up to see Gringo standing over him, camera in hand. Still groggy, Potts reached for his pistol, but Gringo kicked it away.

  “What are you doing?” he moaned, trying to stand, but falling sideways back to the floor, holding his left side with one hand and his head with the other.