by F. Bradshaw
The boys collected both of our dead bodies. They strapped my bound body to the gurney. I was not sure what they did with him. I did not move as they loaded me in the van. The wheels screeched on the floor. Metallic smell came to me from the scraping. They moved quickly to get into the vehicles and take us back. The ride seemed to take too long for me.
I was hungry, and if I did not get there soon, I would just have to snack on whoever was with me. A cold calmness swept over my body. Something was different in me. I could smell Matt. His toxic body permeated everything here. It left the stagnate air with a wet dog smell. I could still feel the kiss on my lips. Nothing pulled me from the memory. The memory was distant and somehow did not matter. It was like looking at something in a photograph. It was there and had happened, but it could not draw me in. It was flat and lifeless.
The road was smooth, and they seemed to hasten. A quick stop, but I could hear nothing. Guess it was just a stop sign. The blood lust was more than just a craving; it was a desire. I could smell the blood below their flesh. I wanted it. It was just not a need anymore. This would be fun. I could smell the skin so soft and supple. The soap washed over it covered the smell, but drew me in, anyway.
As I lay there, I could taste the skin. Its ridges against my tongue, the wisps of breath before the first bite, the feeling of my teeth sinking in, tearing through layer-by-layer of flesh to release its deliciousness, it sweet nectar. Each of their moments drew me in to the kill. I did not just want their blood to live. I wanted to take it, to taste their fear and to suck it from their corpses, washing the world away with each drop. I had controlled my desires for too long. Darkness consumed me making me its creature. Whom could I consume next?
My mouth seemed to dry more and more with each thought. I felt as the van came to a jerking halt. The smell of wet dog held me fast as it swept across my body. He had jumped out of the van. He was quite eager to get back here. The arm swept over me to open the door. All my urges surged telling me to take him right now. Take him. I would be inside soon enough, and that would work. I could have all I wanted. This place was going to be my very own buffet with al a carte humans, and maybe even a dog or two. I let him pass without movement. The coldness in my body seemed to chill his skin as he drew back across me. I could hear his heartbeat pick up in tempo, the same as the other guy.
They pulled the gurney out of the van with a clunking drop. I was a prized catch they should be careful. I licked the inside of my mouth tasting the dead blood once again. It was different on the second taste. It was richer in texture. I knew what it reminded me of. It was like a bottle of red wine that has sat for a bit. The legs of it still drawing you in as you pour the glasses too quickly. I had not understood the texture of it until now. Stillness crept through my veins.
“Get her inside quickly. We have testing to do.” The voice was rushed and quickened like the beating of his scared little heart.
The coldness in my veins spread through me. This was the closest I had felt to death that I could remember. The silence in my body was deafening. The wheels scraped and clanked against the ground. I could even feel as one wheel tried to track out of alignment. It pulled off to the left as if something was trying to change its course.
I wanted to be in Hell already. I needed this over with. Everything I had was already lost. My body met with bitter raging cold to the warmth of this place. The heat poured through here, but I was the cold darkness. I caught a whiff of someone I knew. I could hear as they opened the doors. Their heaviness pulled against them with their pulse quickening. Home Sweet Hell.
Chapter 36
The place reeked of sterile implements reminding me of before. It was uninviting to me. I could feel it all over again the brightness of the lights, the death that hung in the unmoving stale air. The wheels clanked over the threshold, and we were inside. Be still. I wanted to run, to make it to the door before they could lock it closed. I wanted to be free of this place. I obeyed him, after all; this was my mission. I had to do this. They quickly wheeled me down a hall. I was not sure where I was going, but the smell was all the same. I let the rage renew itself with me.
I licked the inside of my mouth letting my fangs cut through my tongue releasing the cold darkness in my mouth. I felt the desire sweep over me to stop them and bite down. I through the thickness of my blood felt thirsty. I wanted them. I did not need them. I craved the hunt and the racing heartbeat. I could hear as the pulse moved through their bodies. They were like little rabbits. Could I convince them to follow me down the rabbit hole, or would the time tick off, and they would run away in search of their queen?
I could hear footsteps and a heartbeat to match catching up with us. I knew the sound. Ryan. They would bring prince charming who would put me to sleep… well, that is what he thought. There were no sounds or movements of protest from him. He followed much like a dog. He did not want to be near me, but he could not be apart from me. Once again, their pulses quickened as they lugged me through a door.
They were thick doors, something that would not easily break. They would hold me fast here… or they would try. The plan was simple. I was inside, and they would bring me near him. I would fulfill the plan and then find peace. What peace could I find? Death did not want me and now no one would. Their breathing picked up. Ryan stayed back just out of reach. Did he think I would kill him? He had done what I knew he would. You cannot leave a killer out on the streets. I was the best kind of killer, the one in plain sight that told you what I am and did it anyway. The movements came to a stop. I assumed we were near the room they wanted me in. Soon I could move. Soon this would be over.
They opened the last door with the heaviness sitting deep in their chest with each beat. Ryan moved closer to me, and his hand glided against my arm. It would be the last touch before the end. I could feel the warmth of it fading long before his hand fell away.
“Welcome home.” The voice filled my ears. It held me fast. “They already know you are awake.” His voice stung me again. The door closed with an assurance of no freedom here. I opened my eyes. “You know you made this too easy. Thank you for cooperating. I have great plans for what is in your blood. You were hard to make and even harder to break.” Matt, the bastard, was the one in charge?
I could feel the sickness taking hold of me. What had I done? I could feel the straps cutting into my skin as I pulled. I wanted to be free. He had made me? How could he do this? The stillness in my veins awoke with a darker rage than I knew existed. I could feel the beast in me clawing and tearing me apart from the inside. My vision changed to see nothing but blackness and to hear the stillness in between his heartbeats. He was the darkness I wanted, and mine to tear open like a piñata. Is it full of someone else’s blood? I could see the image in my mind of the flesh curling under my fingers as I slowly pulled it away from his lifeless body. The inky redness covering us both as it spilled on the floor.
“Matt, you are an asshole. I will kill you! Just wait.”
“Stop calling me Matt. My name is Brennus. Just to be clear, I am the pack leader and you, half mongrel, will die slowly by my hand when we have everything we need.”
The cold dream of his demise was drawing me in deeper, begging me to rip him open. Would he scream? The smell of his blood would cover my hands, and the thick pieces of flesh would pool at my feet. The flesh would go first, then moving to the muscles. I would dig in deeper letting my pants soak up their fill of his blood.
My mouth watered with darkness begging for my release. To be so close to everything I hated and being trapped. I would not stand for this any longer. I pulled harder to rip free and to unleash this newfound monster, the beast long held at bay. It had been unknown to me that such darkness laid inside of me.
One strap at my arms started to release. I could feel the strap ripping under my will. Lights or not, all I could see was a black darkness. He moved to the other side of the room. I could hear his footsteps as they dragged on the floor. I could smell the stillness. It was mixe
d with dry dirt, tree sap, and fear. He feared me.
The strap gave way to my desire fueled by the newfound knowledge. The tattered shreds pulling at me like spider webs. I tore at strap on my other arm, cutting and digging my nails into my own skin to get free. The pain of it meant nothing. I wanted to be free, and I would be. I was going to tear him apart.
“You should be a little more patient. I would have freed you, my little one.” His voice tried to reassure me of with his dominate tone. Did he really think he was going to live?
The strap at my chest slowly gave way to my ripping and tearing. I could feel it shred away from me releasing myself. The leg straps came off with no fight. I tore myself from the bed throwing it against the opposite wall. I could taste his fear in the air. I licked it in letting the demon inside take hold. He was tall. He looked frail and breakable to me. How strange a feeling to see something most would consider something to fear and run from as I considered it a play toy.
The tile under my feet was smooth, and yet not half as cold as I was. I moved with sure angry movements toward him. I would not be seen as weak or less than him. In this room, I was the god, and I was going to squash this little insect. He was dead. I was just going to finish death’s job. The temperature of his body began to cool as I came closer to him. He would beg for death before I was finished with him. I could not help but to lick my tongue between my teeth and down my fangs.
I moved my head to one side, and then the next to stretch it. I curled my fingers to my palm to make a fist and then away again. My nails flicked away from me giving me glancing cuts. My arm from the tearing dripped down darkness that stung the floor. The drops sounded like a clock ticking away time in an even beat.
Drop… I came closer…
Drop… I was almost there…
Drop… I could almost taste his skin…
Drop… at last we meet.
I rushed my hands to his chest slamming him against the wall. My fingers invaded his flesh tearing it open. He grabbed my arms tearing at them. I liked it, the pain with the enviable pleasure of his destruction. I tore in ripping to his rib bones. Mmmm, I liked it. The flesh and muscle tried to hold me back. His flesh felt like crushing my hands in ground beef. The flesh mushed between my fingers and under my nails. The bones felt like the bottom of the ceramic bowl. They were cooling and hard, yet so easy to break. I felt it then, the tearing at my skin, the pulling digging deeper into me. Just let my darkness be. Let unforgiving coldness be.
I dug my hands in deeper pulling my fingers around his rib cage. The ripping and tearing at my back dug in deeper. Brennus clawed at me, trying to push me off. His flesh gave in willingly to my desires. I touched the inside of his ribs. They were smooth coved by warm flesh. His body barely moving was almost dead. I moved my fingers back and forth wiggling them through his flesh just like moving them through fresh meat.
They both were cold and unfeeling. The flesh pushed under my nails rounding them. A new set of claws tore down my back. It moved slowly pulling them in deeper as it moved down. It parted my skin like a knife cutting into soft butter. The rage tore deeper into me. I ripped one hand from Brennus, and then I snapped his head to one side and bit in. The flesh broke away from my fangs as I dug them in. The cooling blood trailed down my lips. It flowed freely from the corner of my lips and traced down my face. The blood was warmer than my body. My coldness stung as it moved down my throat. It gave me little comfort.
The cold stillness of quiet rage in his blood filled me. It slashed down my back again. I bit down harder. I was going to kill him, and when I was done, I would deal with it. I moved my hand ripping his flesh.
Then it bit down on the back of my neck. Pain and pleasure both took hold of me. I loved the feeling of ripping his apart, and yet the pain washed over me from its bites and claws. I could feel how it tore in deeper but still reserved.
It could have torn me from him and left me on the other side of the room. I was not going to let him go in peace. This was about letting him see the darkness he had made. He would know no peace. He would know only pain. I ripped with the one hand two of his rib bones out through the wounds I had made. He snapped from his thoughts and awoke with pain. I turned to face it, tearing away from Brennus. I left him there broken and bleeding out. Now as he lay dying in pain, it was time to deal with his friend.
Its claws had torn from my back to my side as I had turned. It was standing on two feet trying to overpower me and take me down. I would never let that happen. It was going to die. I was going to bathe in its blood. I ripped its claws from me kicking it in the chest. Bad dog. Brennus’s cold red blood had washed down my face and covering my chin. Now I had dog fur mixed into it. There was no going back now. I liked the torture. I was going to love the kill.
The dog stood again coming at me, trying to take me down to the ground. I grabbed it by the mouth and threw it against the wall. It bit down and tore with the movement. I shook my hand shaking the blood and dog saliva from my hand. I could feel it try to come into my blood, trying to take control. The drug they had used was werewolf saliva, or was it their venom given in a bite? Stupid dogs. It would never work again. I sucked it out of my hand and spat it on the ground. This was not the time for questions. This was a time to kill.
Chapter 37
I charged at the wall. I picked up his broken body holding it against the wall. I wanted to slam the body into the wall and keep doing it. He could let me out. His fur was covered in blood, and it dripped from him. It had trailed down his tail, and it dripped out time. Each drop of blood started to speed up. He was bleeding freely. I tore at his flesh as I ripped away fur. I was going to have his heart. I was going to destroy him. He awoke, trying to free himself from my grasp.
I ripped the fur from his neck. I did not want to taste the fur as I fed. He flailed against me clawing and slashing to get free. I thrust my thumb up and to the underside of his mouth pushing it between the muscles that held his jaw in place. I slowly sunk my nail in. Twisting my hand to the side, and with it, unable to suppress my motions, his head followed. My tongue washed over my fangs. This was going to be enjoyable. His flesh separated with my bite. The fangs tore in with little regard for him still being alive. The blood rushed into my mouth. Its heat and passion stinging me like drinking fire. I liked it. It rushed to me begging me to stop.
Control. A thought that was not mine washed over me. I could feel it then. The wolf was turning back. He was becoming human. He pulled me to him not letting me break away. I could feel the humanity being pushed back into me the same as it was with him. The darkness in me leads me to his heart. I started clawing my way inside trying to get past the ribs. I need to rip its heart out before it gave me one.
I liked being heartless… darkness. He pulled at my hands trying to keep me from my purpose. Screaming in pain half from what I was doing and the other half from his change. I pulled away from his neck trying to spit out as much blood as I could. I still felt it growing in me. It was like with the wolf—it would not disappear even though the last drop of blood was out of my mouth. Would it end if I ended him? Brennus came to mind with the smug look on his face. The quiet anger renewed itself. I tore from him leaving his body to rot there. I had other fish to fry. His body still trying to heal from my last visit, with his ribs pushed back in.
This time I would snap them out. If they grew back, I could just do it all over again. Darkness covered the room. Redness spread still dripping down the white walls pooling at the floor. It was a beautiful picture of blood and darkness. It was so shiny through the thickness I could see my own reflection. Blackness covered me. My eyes were as black as a starless night. I picked up Brennus again as if he were nothing more than my little rag doll.
The wall happily greeted his body. I could feel the crunch of his bones. The snapping and crackling like a fire. The tearing renewed at my back again, and it was something new and challenging me. The smell of it was like a wild pine tree, with sap just drifting down it. It smelled like
wet rich dirt. It was thirsty for something. I think it wanted my blood.
Both boys broken and soon would be dead play toys. This new thing pulled me into a fresh hunt. I was going to tear it apart. It bit down on the back of my shoulder. It dragged its claws down my back tearing it open. I released Brennus and turned to face this new toy. It was as tall as I was. The fur a blond brown and it had piercing blue eyes to match. It tore from my shoulder as I moved to face it. I was on my own here. I guess werewolves run in packs. His body mangled, broken, and bloody, lay there unmoving. At least that dog got what was coming to him. She clawed my face cutting across it to make me look at her. She tore me from my view of Brennus back to her. With a low growl, she was testing me.
I brushed my fingers over the new wound. The warmth of her claws faded before I could move. My finger sunk in easily tracing the wound. The darkness trailed down my hand renewing it with the blackness that was trying to dry. More werewolves came rushing in through the door before I could tear into her. All rushing, it seemed, toward me. They were making this too easy. I clawed and bit as they slammed me to the ground. The smells overwhelming me, I bit into another boy.
His skin so soft under the fur my fangs glided through with ease. The warmth of it covering my mouth cooling before my tongue could taste him. I wanted more. I wanted to destroy them all. I wanted the walls to be covered in the red and black. I would stain this world with my darkness and nothing would stop me. I tore from him, trying to move to the next. I could hear the dragging of bodies. They were taking the dying wolf and Brennus.
This was not going to happen. They had to learn. I had to teach them about the life I was now trapped in. I tore and pulled free from the first wolves. My arms gashed open from their teeth as they had tried to hold me. Kicking and clawing I was almost able to stand. I smashed my legs down on one of their heads. I tore at them, ripping out and covering the floor in their blood.
