Something Within

In the twilight of the night, I could feel the warmth of his breath as he kissed around my neck. His being was intoxicating, spellbinding to the touch. My breath quickened with each caress of his lips; little did I know what would become of me.

The magic of the night continued with his hand moving down my body, exciting my skin with every inch of movement. Reality and dream time began to blur into one, his power over me was too intense so I gave myself to his will. At that moment I could hear what sounded like screams of pain and fear, my pulse beat faster with every wailing screech, in place of ecstasy I felt terror and began to struggle, “Please stop!”

His deep hypnotic voice echoed in my head bending my will to his torment and desire, but the screams grew louder pulling out of his deadly trance. As I looked to his face his eyes filled with a blackness darker than the night. I began to frantically feel around me for something, anything to stop his attack. His teeth grew to needle point daggers and a hellish growl filled the room as he came baring down on my throat, I turned my head still looking for a weapon. The sting of his bite pierced my skin my soul was leaving; a voice echoed as a broken chair leg was placed in my hand, “Here, strike well, strike true, your legacy will unfold unto you”.

With what strength I had left and all I could summon I thrusted the broken piece of wood into his chest. He reared up above me screeching as blood ran from his mouth, I managed to pull my legs up and kick him off me. As he staggered toward me trying to pull the wood from his chest the room fiercely shook, and windows shattered spraying glass in every direction. He roared and gnashed his teeth, then with one last grip on the broken chair leg he exploded into dust.

There I sat in the corner of the room, covered in blood and dust, shaking from the terror, unsure of what was to happen to me. A shadow was cast to the opposite side of the room, and a glow made its way through a window, the sun was rising so I stood and gazed out of the window to watch it fill the morning sky, it gave me relief and comfort to see as I thought I had seen my last.

An hour or two had passed and I realised I was still covered in muck, so I removed my clothes and dropped them where I stood and walked into the bathroom and stepped into the shower. The hot water felt soothing as it ran down my body washing away the signs of my attack, I stood there for a while leaning against the shower wall leaving the water run over me as I still felt unclean. Thirty minutes on I turned off the water and stepped out wrapping a towel around me as I walked over to the mirror.

As I gazed into it I pulled my hair back with my fingers and just staring at my face, I leaned in to look harder, there was something different, one of my eyes had begun to change colour, a segment of green had appeared so I looked deeper the colour looked alive like it was swirling, I stepped back, “Don’t be ridiculous, your tired”, I mumbled to myself.

I looked at my neck where I was bitten, that was still there so I applied a dressing and got dressed.

With a coffee in hand, I sat at a small table looking out the open French doors over the Juliet balcony feeling the midday sun’s rays touch my face and a light breeze blowing a stray lock of hair from my cheek, and the sounds of children playing on the street below echoed into the sky. The voice from the night before began to echo in my head, “Strike well, strike true, and your legacy will fold unto you”.

“What the hell”, I mumbled “You’re losing it”.

I was startled by the sound of a window shutter slamming shut, as my body tensed up, I crushed the coffee mug in my hand, coffee sprayed across the small table, with my hand shaking I opened it to see if I had cut myself but to my amazement there was not a single cut, nothing, besides the coffee my hand was clean. I was certain I felt the broken pieces go into my hand the sensation was there, “What the fuck”, something was not right I felt odd, different in some way. Felling a twinge of pain at the back of my head I went to the bathroom to get some pain killers.

I made my way to the bathroom cabinet above the sink and grabbed a bottle of aspirin, shook three out and filled a glass of water. I threw back the tablets and closed the cabinet door, as I did so I looked in the mirror and saw my right eye was now completely emerald, green, still the colour looked alive swirling and moving with intensity. I peeled away the dressing on my neck to change it as it seemed to be bloodied, turning my head to the side to get a better look and to my shock there was absolutely no wound, nothing, not even a mark.

“No fucking way “, I mumbled. So, I leaned in for a closer look moving my skin around in case I missed something, but there was nothing to be seen. I felt numb and bewildered, and so I wondered to the kitchen stopping at the knife block next to the sink. I drew the butcher knife from the block held out my left hand with the palm facing up, taking a deep breath I placed the blade onto my palm and began to cut across into my hand the sting of the blade had a strange sensation and blood began to drip. I dropped the knife into the sink and just stared at the blood. I turned the tap on to wash the blood away but as I did the blood stopped dripping and the large cut across my hand started to close, like it was repairing itself. I brought my hand up to the light and I could see the flesh welding itself together. My head started spinning and the room around me was going faster something was happening. I spoke in a slurred voice, “Oh shit”. Then everything went black.

A sharp stream of light cut into the darkness as my eyes slowly opened, still slightly dizzy I lay there a moment staring up at the ceiling watching the shadows move across it as the sun cast its late afternoon light. I was feeling different, somehow more alive, more vibrant.

Startled by a very persistent knock on the door, “Ok, ok I’m coming”, I pushed myself up and walked over to the door, the person still knocking. I gripped the doorknob and puled the door open without realising that I have just crushed the doorknob in my hand and still had hold of it. No one was there, I stuck my head around the corner to look down the hall and it was there down the other end that someone was knocking. Then my attention was drawn to a conversation in the next apartment, I could hear what they were saying as though they were standing right next to me, I looked to my hand to find the remnants of the crushed doorknob.

“Could it be possible?” I questioned myself, “Have I become the thing that bit me?”. I retreated into my apartment and stood by the living room window and stared out into the falling darkness of night. I could hear birds in the distance, the noise of cars that were blocks away and the wind as it rushed through the treetops in the park at the end of the street. Aromas filled the air so much more intense than before; it was strange but amazing all at once. I began to wonder what else had changed in me, was I to become a monster like the one who did this to me or maybe a killer that preys on others, well whatever was to happen it would be up to me to make that choice, but for now I was way too intrigued to learn more about myself and the changes that have been taking place.

Later that night I decided to venture out as it had been sometime, and the last time I did was when everything took place and brought me to where I am today, yay me. I walked through the streets taking note of my surroundings and listening to every sound, not like I could ignore anything as it was all so now exaggerated and intense. In the distance I could hear the city pulsing like a giant heartbeat, the laughter of people and the sound of music thumping.

At that moment a scent filled the air, it was something I had not smelt before, but it was alluring in a way it made me feel as though I was on a leash, and it was leading me on some forbidden path. A stirring was building inside of me, and the beating of my pulse filled my head; my nostrils flared as I inhaled a strong metallic odour that filled my head and made my mouth water. Something was not right, but at the same time felt so good, this smell was familiar in a way but whatever it was, was leading me and my journey to some other direction and a path I feared.

I kept following the smell that drifted on the air, it was indeed hypnotic and invoked and animalistic urge deep in my soul. As I felt I was getting close to the source my breath began to pant rapidly, my blood began to boil, and my scenes were even stronger than before. Voices were so loud it was like hearing them through a speaker, beads of sweat ran down my face, this intoxicating scent was now tearing at my skin, and I could feel a demon wanting to push its way out.

Stopping in my tracks the deafening sound of a person’s heart echoed in my head, listening intensely for the direction from where it came my vision flashed in and out of focus causing acute pain, with a flash it came clear, so clear I could see every intricate detail of my surroundings. Looking around I could see the bark of a tree, the ants hiding in the cracks of the footpath, the smallest bird in a treetop of a tree twenty meters away, but the strangest was I could see the beating heart that filled my head. I knew I was changing into some monster like what had attacked me.

I was startled by a car horn so loud it drowned out everything, so I stumbled into a nearby park to hide. Sitting there in the darkest shadow hoping not to be seen, in fear of myself and what I had become. Trickling water caught my attention, there was a fountain nearby, I desperately wanted to see myself. Running through the shadows escaping the moon light I reached the fountain. Feeling the dread and fear of being seen I slowly approached the edge, knelt, and peered into the water.

Ripples of moon light danced across the surface and droplets of clear water splashed about, I quickly looked about and leaned in closer to see. With the brightness of the moon behind me I stared deep into the water, to my surprise my face hadn’t changed all that much, beads of sweat sat on my forehead and droplets fell from my nose, there was a darkness around my eyes as though I hadn’t sleep for days, but a few things had changed, my jaw was more prominent, rigid and sharp in shape, my nose seemed broader and my mouth looked as though I had something inside of it. I swallowed and slowly opened my mouth, I could hear the joints shifting and cracking as my jaw moved there was no pain and then there they were, my K-9s growing, with searing pain shooting through my head, it was like they were being pulled out. A second or two passing and they finally stopped, my jaw dropped three inches and my teeth at least an inch and a half. I screamed out from the sight and fell back to the ground; looking at my hands my nails were longer and rough, tears ran from my eyes, it seems I really had become that creature, that thing.

Voices began to enter the park where I lay.

“Hello? Are you ok?”

I heard their footsteps in the ground as they walked through the park, it sounded like there was several.

“If you are hurt stay where you are, just don’t move we will find you.”

My breathing grew rapid in fear they would find me and what I may do to them, as I looked around for cover dark clouds began to conceal the moon and a slight relief filled me, so I moved to a crouching position and pushed off to run and in doing so the air rumbled around me and the ground shook, my eyes widened with disbelief at the power I felt and before I knew it, I was at the edge of the park leaving slide marks in the grass as I stopped. Still hearing the rumbling of air behind me I turned to look and in doing so was hit by the force as it caught up. “Umm… Ok,” I mumbled to myself.

“I guess it was a dog or some kind of animal.” Said the distant voices in the park still looking for me.

I made my way through the city streets, sifting into the shadows trying to hide from any prying eye. My head still filled with confusion and the sounds of distant chatter and a lust that kept violently growing in my veins.

Still dancing on a light breeze was the scent of that intoxicating odour, teasing my senses and confusing my mind. It was then I was hit with an overpowering flood of this aroma, it gripped the black darkness that was growing inside of me and began dragging it to the surface, I stumbled into an ally to hide away. The pain of the torment was tearing my soul apart and I could feel my humanity draining away. With one last explosion of pain, I screamed as the transformation took place, I fell to my knees filled with a raging hunger.

Everything was different, I could see things unlike before. and smell? oh the wonderful things I could smell, odours I had no idea existed, but one stood out the most the one that teased this evil to take over. It filled my mouth with the iron taste as I breathed it in, a venomous saliva dripped from my lips as the unquenchable hunger rumbled through out my body.

The sounds of rats scurrying through the streets filled my ears along with each step of passing crowds, the impact of a bottle breaking as it hit the pavement and the splinters of glass as they scattered. Then there it was, the moan of someone as they fell next to the shattered bottle, his scent was strong, potent, inviting. My senses kicked into overdrive, in the moment of the blink of an eye I scaled the side of the building to the roof top, scanning and smelling the air, dizzy with the sensual odour that teased me. He was close, I could hear the beating of his heart and smell the blood that dripped from the wound in his hand.