The Dread - coming

Table of Contents 
After the Center for Disease Control shut down a small town in Louisiana, they came on national television to tell us all about a new virus. It was not airborne, luckily, and seemed to pass through bodily fluids. Similar to AIDS, or other highly infectious diseases, it appeared to infect nearly all of those contacted. The group in Louisiana was small, only about thirty people, but the CDC was nervous about the incubation period and the entire town had been locked down for observation. They made it sound serious but not dramatic. I should have caught on to the fact that it was dramatic too. Since when does the CDC shut down an entire town?

Of course, news reporters swarmed to the location looking for anything juicy.

As if in answer to their prayers, the people they found were backward in the extreme. To the entire viewing population their reports suggested that perhaps the disease was not so much a new virus, but a new and deep form of inbreeding. That became the joke. The state of Louisiana tried to defend itself by saying that inbreeding was not encouraged but for just a little while the U.S. and most of the rest of the world, had a new state to mock. Texas's overbearing haughtiness fell from the limelight.

The whole episode pushed to the back of our minds except for a few news articles run sporadically throughout the next few months. People began nicknaming the disease; we called it the Dread. We dreaded what it would be like to fall in love with our brothers or sisters and end up like Backwards City, Louisiana.

Then came the surprising day when the CDC shut down city number two. They had supposedly verified that the inhabitants of City One hadn't traveled or left the area prior to the appearance of the disease; apparently, someone lied. The CDC still insisted that the virus moved through the exchange of bodily fluids, they stood behind their interviews, and finally, when pushed far enough, they admitted that a female had escaped custody several weeks before and they had been unable to locate her.

Media attention skyrocketed.

The two cities were several thousand miles apart. How had she ended up in California? If she was really the cause of the spread, how had she traveled that far and that fast? How many had she infected along the way? What should people be looking out for?

Then we were shown one of the creatures and the jokes died on our lips. The CDC insisted they were human but I would never have known to look at it. The man-beast was at least eight feet tall and hulking. Despite a waist size that rivaled my father’s medium build, the Beast must have weighed something between 400 and 500 pounds. He was massive, with a chest configuration more like a wolf or a leopard. Scientists showed diagrams of the altered internal chest cavity most of which was given over to a pair of large capacity lungs and a heart double the size of a normal human. The man-beast’s waist pinched in, giving the Beast the look of a science fiction werewolf and from there, massive thighs and calves easily dwarfed my waist. The video released to the press showed him standing first on his hind legs, towering over the entire room. Then he dropped to all fours and began pacing and growling. As he stopped, staring straight at the cameraman, I swear his growl changed just slightly. I swear I heard him say he was going to kill the guy. It wasn't as if he was speaking clear English, but the words were there. They were deeper in his chest and much more guttural, but my boyfriend and I listened to the clip hundreds of times and each time I became more sure: the man-beasts could still speak.

The clip played for the next few weeks as reporters added tiny details to what we already knew. I couldn't tear my eyes from it. The change in features and body structure was so astounding; the man had become half-feline, half-bear and yet the eyes and facial features were still human. Beyond the short hair that now covered his body and face, a mug shot looked nearly normal. I wasn't sure, because I refused to look at the before picture, but the man still maintained his normal crop of hair giving him the appearance of a scraggly lion.

More questions poured from the lips of reporters. What had caused the extensive changes, how was it possible that a grown man had gained an extra two or more feet, what were they planning on doing with him? Was there any hope of reversal?

To this, a batch of egghead scientists took the stage: "The extensive growth is the direct result of the virus's attack. The first item that appeared to be damaged is the thyroid and pituitary gland. The regulation of hormones does not function adequately, thus causing an abnormal growth spurt followed closely by increases in LH and gender-related hormones.”

As soon as the hair growth began in earnest scientists began to notice mood and other changes as well. Cognitive abilities remained fairly similar to before, yet the capability for rational thought appeared to decrease. Subjects became more bestial in both outward and inward appearance. Aggression levels skyrocketed and diet became limited to meat. Scientists noted, however, that subjects appeared extremely unhappy with their new diet.

The creatures still remembered how to manipulate doors and other low-level technologies but scientists had not yet stretched beyond those things. Subjects had become resistant to the experimentation and unwilling to cooperate. Due to their overly aggressive nature, the scientists pulled back from interacting with them preferring segregated methods such as observation.

Initially, the altered humans had been kept in small groups. These groups quickly became competitive and territorial even going so far as to spar for dominance and control of their limited space. The first fight to the death broke out and scientists began to realize that the problem was larger than they had originally anticipated. Tranquilizers, even those designed for bears or other larger creatures, were not strong enough or seemed to metabolize quickly. Dosages were eventually increased to the point where heart failure became a serious consideration. Rather than take a chance, the CDC separated the beasts into isolation. Only a few, those who showed extreme anger at the separation, were allowed to remain together. Even this was eventually taken away when one of the females killed her companion.

Though scientists refused to show footage of this, the media, of course, found it and smuggled it out anyway. Watching was both sobering and terrifying, our entire mentality of the situation changed.

The first attack was a bloodbath. Five males, originally part of the same family, were housed together. Soon a scuffle started between the father and the older son. The pack broke into two smaller groups and then, for no reason that we could see, they were at each other's throats. Within a matter of minutes, two of the beasts had been torn to shreds. Then the worst part played in gruesome detail: they began to feed. The two "winners" used their thick, long fingers to pierce into the chest cavities of the dead corpses and pulled out their hearts. With a guttural victory howl, the bigger of the two-bit into the organ and I lost my lunch.

The next subject of discussion was the potential to bring them back. Was it possible? Scientists had been working on the situation for six months but had yet to make any significant strides. What was worse, all of the effects were physical; the virus started the process but it wasn't the technical cause. There was no way to undo the growth. The same eggheads claimed that they might be able to shift the hormone balances back to normal, but the calculations were difficult given the high metabolism and raw nature of the data. How much could a beast of that size handle and where should their hormones plateau given their new animalistic composition?

Despite the uncertainties, they were given the approval to start experimentation without patient approval. The smallest female, the closest to a normal human size, was selected. Her hormone levels were reduced to what a normal human female should have. We all held our breath. The girl woke up, opened her eyes, and then died. It was as quick as that.

The autopsy revealed many things, not the least of which was new hormones in her blood. As most mammalian creatures generally have the same set of overriding hormones the addition of a few new, unexplainable ones shocked the entire scientific community. For the rest of us, it caused a bit of panic. What was this disease? The nickname, Dread, seemed appropriate now.

Two more cities shut down.

Incubation time was less than twenty-four hours, but most attackees went into hiding, terrified of what was happening to them. By the time they were found, their transformations were complete and they had become wild and uncontrolled. Most seemed to prefer human flesh, and the new beasts dropped into the middle of a populated area leaving panic and desolation in their wakes. The towns attacked by the new monsters were all within the southern half of the United States and could, initially, be connected to the runaway girl's rush toward California. Scientists still had no idea why she'd run for the coast, but that didn't matter as much as containing her did. In another week, two more cities were quarantined, bringing the total number of entire cities under lockdown to 8. We began panicking. The coast guard and the military were brought into the area just to keep the peace. Additional reserves were called out to begin an overly large manhunt for any infected humans who might have escaped notice. They found a few, but none of us believed that they had found them all.

After another month of experimentation and observation, the locked down cities were released and the people began attempting to live again. Incubation was long past, scientists assured us. We cautiously agreed, but I'm confident that tourism and commerce in or from those cities never returned to normal.

The girl was never caught. That was a bit worrisome. She had escaped and disappeared, effectively leaving a trail of carnage in her wake but beyond that, she hadn't been seen or sighted in three months. According to what they knew of the speed of the creatures, that put her anywhere from Alaska to southern Mexico. Everyone was wary.

Canada went searching as well. Mexico said they were searching, but they had no CDC and were busy with other political to-dos. Rather than rely on them, the U.S. put their entire border patrol on high alert and fortified their numbers with the U.S. military to set up a rotating watch. Of course, we didn't want to offend them, but we had seen what they could do, and the Mexican people weren’t appreciative of the thought that we’d set something deadly loose in their country.

We were right to fear, but not because the Mexican government didn't try, they recognized the threat just as much as we did. Their entire military structure transformed overnight to start their own hunt, but that wasn't enough. Our mistake was in our assumptions. We had watched the Beast’s bestial performance and had foolishly assumed that their intelligence had likewise diminished.

For nearly two months we heard and saw nothing about the creatures, although reports of strange disappearances and disemboweled animals still set our teeth on edge. The panic began to die down. Those creatures in captivity appeared to be calming down as well. Scientists carefully reintroduced them to each other and all appeared to be going well. They acted docile and willing, even going so far as to accept treatment.

I'm not sure if they were allowed to watch tv, but that's the only connection I could see. Out of nowhere, an entire city was wiped from the map. As soon as reports of this began to air on the television all 12 CDC quarantine sites went crazy. The creatures broke free en mass and several hundred poured across the country. If this wasn’t bad enough, the Mexican border erupted at the same time and we were inundated with a widespread attack on all sides.

My city, in Colorado, was fairly large. We had enough warning so about half of our population had time to gather weapons. Those with the means prepared safeguards and shelters. Stores went out of stock in everything from water to tuna fish. Weapons emporiums emptied in seconds.

Not that it did them any good.

Scientists had underestimated their speed. Like a grizzly, by the time we caught sight of them, it was too late to do anything. Women and children, along with some of the men, ran for the hills. Though we had known of the virus for a year, most of us had only realized the gravity of the situation within the last few months. Some had hideouts and holes to go to but if anyone in their group became infected, the ‘safe’ zone didn't help them. The changed "friend" became an enemy and the entire hideout became the first meal for the newly changed and all of his mates. Turns out, the scientists were wrong on that front as well, there was definitely a pack mentality to the new creatures.

I remember the day the attack hit our city as if it were yesterday. I was just waking up when the screams erupted from the neighborhood. I shot out of bed, heart pounding; adrenaline overcame my normal morning grogginess. At seventeen, too thin for my own good and an athlete, I thought I was ready for anything. My track record had improved over the last summer and this year I was a favorite to win the state championships. None of that was in my head as my mother and father screamed up the stairs for us to hide.

We had practiced the drill hundreds of times over the last few months but the sudden panic left my head empty. My older brother, Lehi, slammed open my door and grabbed my hand as if he knew I’d been standing, frozen in my place. Obediently, I followed him up the stairs and into the padded portion of the attic where we had stored two months’ worth of food and toiletries.

The three kids huddled there waiting for our parents to join us. Instead, we heard gunshots; buckshot from my father, and my mother's preferred 9mm Glock. The weapons went off endlessly; clip after clip was ejected and reloaded giving only brief silence to the agony. Having enough bullets had never been my parent’s fear, as avid hunters they had been stocked to the brim long before this tragedy. Their only purchases were clips to hold all the bullets. We’d spent so much time filling dozens of them in preparation. As I listened, I realized quickly that they would be empty soon. Then, as suddenly as it had started the gunfire stopped.

The three of us looked around in relief, our bodies relaxed as we waited for my parents to join us. It never occurred to us that they wouldn't hit their targets.

Then we heard the sniffing and the howl that sent more than a chill down our spines. The sound lifted to our ears from below our feet. The creatures were on the landing that led to the attic stairs. Lehi’s arm had rested on my shoulders. As soon as we heard the sound, he slapped it over my mouth before I could whimper. We locked together as our muscles trembled in unison. Remaining silent wasn’t hard, terror locked my jaw, but I knew I was sweating and I wondered how their sense of smell was.

Dread was no longer a foolish name. I felt it in every fiber of my being.

"Stay here, Lacey." My oldest brother’s whisper would have made me scream had his hand not been over my mouth. Carefully, he shifted his weight.

"No, don't leave me." I hissed the words, grabbing his arm, gripping as if death itself had already petrified my limbs. My little brother, Sam, did the same with Lehi’s other arm.

"They know we're here. They'll get all of us if I don't lead them away." He was terrified but trying to be strong. I could see tears in his eyes as he contemplated his upcoming death. If our parents hadn't survived, there was little chance for him.

"No. I'm a faster runner. I can lead them away. Let me go."

He shook his head instantly. "Not on your life."

A guttural growl interrupted our conversation. After a second my mind processed the cacophony, recognized it, and translated it to my brain. "Que hermoso, hermanos queridos. Puedo escucharles hablando de sus planes engañarnos. Piensan que no nos dan cuenta que están arriba y que les descubrió hace tanto."

My voice cracked, "They know where we are. They can understand us."

"How do you know?" My younger brother stared toward the trap door avidly, waiting for it to slip open like the kitchen door in Jurassic Park.

"I can hear them."

"What do you mean?" Lehi looked at me sharply.

"They're speaking Spanish. I can hear them."

The guttural voice interrupted again; he still spoke Spanish but it was filled with mocking laughter now. "Well, well, you understand our speech? I would highly suggest you come out then. No need to make us exercise for our next meal."

"Leave them alone and I'll come out," I spoke loudly, although I knew that he could have heard a whisper.

"Poor thing. I'm not the only one who needs a good meal. There's not much to a human, after all. It takes several of you to satiate our hunger."

I stood without thinking, instantly irritated and not very bright, "You used to be a human too. Why do you act this way? If you remember what you are and you're intelligent enough to work together like this, then remember your humanity."

The group below me guffawed. It was like listening to a pack of hyena’s cackle combined with the guttural growl of a bear's anger underneath. My brothers and I shuddered in unison.

When he could speak, the leader's voice was choked with laughter, "We may once have been one of you, but we are so much better now. For generations you Americans have treated us horribly; have looked down on us. Now it is your turn to understand that you are not gods; you are not all powerful. It is your turn to be hunted and destroyed; to live in squalor with nothing."

"Please." My hope was sinking. My brothers just watched me with fear. My face was easy to read and they could see that it wasn't going well. "Please let them live."

"Even if I do not eat them, someone will.” The beast seemed to stop and consider, “I will make it painless for your sake."

"Please. Let them, go." I was near tears now. There were at least five voices; we had no chance.

He was amused. "Choose one. I will set him free."

My stomach rolled at his words and I dropped to my knees. What had these men become?

"?Carl, Porque estamos hablando? Tengo hambre." The whine of a second Beast caused me to whimper again. They were becoming impatient.

My brother dropped back to my side. He tried to put a comforting hand on my shoulder but the attempt was wasted. “What are they saying?"

My voice quivered as I spoke. "They will let one of you free and they will eat the rest." In my mind all I could see was the video footage of blood dripping down a Beast's chin as he ate what used to be his father's heart, my voice choked on the last word.

Lehi’s eyes darkened at my words but his response was instant. "Sam."

"Not a wise choice if you ask me." The Leader's voice rose from below in a guttural lilt, "the little one has the worst chance of survival."

The tears that slid down my face burned into my skin. It was all a game for this man. He had once been human and he now held human life in the lowest possible regard. I knew he wasn’t alone in this mentality, all of the infected humans showed the same disregard for something that had once been important. Interviews with the victims’ families suggested no correlation with their previous disposition and their current animalistic behavior. Scientists had claimed that subjects in the CDC centers were mildly hesitant to begin eating their new diet but after less than a day they had overcome any squeamishness they might have felt and became almost mocking while they tore animals apart. All the while staring at the scientists as if waiting for an opportunity to do the same to them.

My voice was soft, "He says that Sam has a lower chance of survival." Beside me, Sam whimpered as well.

"Sam will survive. He's strong." Lehi stared into the younger boy's eyes as he spoke. "Just find other humans, find a safe place and remember everything that our father taught us. You need to be strong."

Sam looked from me to my brother and then burst into tears. "I can't. They'll kill me."

This time Lehi grabbed him roughly by the shoulders. “Don't think about that. You do what you have to in order to survive."

Sam nodded, chocking on his sobs, and Lehi let him go. Both turned to look at me expectantly. "What does he want us to do?"

I didn't have time to answer before his voice rose from below. “Just open the door. We'll take care of the rest."

"How do I know you'll keep your word?" Suspicion sunk in as I listened to his tone.

"You don't."

I looked again at my brothers who waited expectantly for my reply. Speaking in a second language had its benefits and yet I couldn't bring myself to tell them he was probably lying.

Below me a third voice chimed in, this time in English, "Little pig, little pig let me in." A few of his fellows giggled.

"Give me your promise!" I growled it low in my throat and received the reaction I had expected. It was my only hope now, if their focus was entirely on me they might actually follow through on their promise without meaning to.

"You have my word as a once human." He chuckled and then his voice became serious, "now open the door."

I looked at the trap door in surprise, "you don't know where it is, do you?"

The leader’s words held no mirth. "It doesn't matter where the door is. I'll cut a hole right under you if I have to. We're going to get you, it was just a bit of fun to play with you first."

"I hope you get heartburn."

The group broke down into laughter again. Then a sudden hit to the floor under my feet knocked all three of us sideways and I felt my adrenaline flow again. The pounding continued, attempting to fulfill his promise of ripping the floor from under our feet.

I turned to my younger brother quickly, "Sam, you stay here. Lehi and I are going with them but I want you to stay here until everything is quiet. Stay up here a week if you have to. You know the drill. No smells, no sounds."

He nodded, eyes wide, and pulled back into the corner. His attention locked on the floor where the pounding was most intense and he went rigidly into shock.

I looked at Lehi. Together we took a deep breath and moved toward the trap door set into the  far corner, well away from where we had stashed ourselves. Carefully, we lowered it noting the immediate silence that followed. Then I had my first face to face view of the beasts.

The video clips had not prepared me well enough. The first things to assaulted me were the eyes. They were shockingly intense, dilated more than a normal human's would be. Next, I smelled the musky odor of animal. The smell’s strength was like a physical blow to my senses stopping my next intake of air on instinct.

"Que linda!" The leader growled at me appraisingly, "we'll make a deal, you and I."

I had taken my first step down the stairs but I stopped as he spoke and simply stared. His deal wasn't hard to figure out. I felt myself gulp although my throat was dry. "Keep your word."

He held out a gnarled hand. His fingers and arms gave him an ape-like appearance, too long to be normal. Even from his location on the floor of the second story, he could almost reach me where I was. He smiled a toothy grin, "Mi hermosa, I will not kill either of your brothers."

"And you'll order the rest to stay away from them too."

A few of the others growled low in their throats. He was the obvious leader but the leadership didn’t appear universally accepted.

He glared them down before returning his intense gaze toward me. Arm still outstretched, he smiled at me again. "Come to me."

With another gulp, I took my next step. Behind me, Lehi pulled on my shirt. "Let me go first."

"No. Go back up with Sam."

"What? Lacey, you can't."

"We have an agreement." I stared straight at the beast's eyes, "None of his people will hurt you."

Again, the group below me growled and again the leader glared at them with animosity before turning forward again. He was losing patience.

"Go Lehi. Take care of Sam."

My brother stared from me to the beasts and then into the attic before slowly pulling back and away from the entry. After he had disappeared, I continued forward taking the leaders outstretched hand. It was like touching a horse's side. Hair covered his entire hand and continued up his arms. It wasn't the soft hair I was used to feeling on arms or legs; it was much shorter and akin to fur. His nails were long and broken into jagged edges; their mistreatment made me sad. Lengthy fingers curled inward locking my hand into his and swallowing it whole. With a gentle tug that sent me flying, he pulled me into his furry chest. Only two of the five beasts sported shirts. The rest still had trousers, luckily, but left their furry chests exposed; proud of their new form.

The difference was disconcerting; their entire being screamed animal. I pushed back and swallowed as I looked into his eyes. He was not watching me, he was looking hungrily toward the attic.

My voice trembled when I spoke. “Don’t do it.”

Dark eyes slid down toward me contemptuously. His sneer let me know exactly what his word as a ‘once human’ was worth as he nodded to his pack. With glee, they tore up the stairs. Their weight and general lack of care made our handcrafted ladder appear rickety.

The realization was already there, but it took a moment for my scream to catch up. As viciously as I could, I clawed at my captor - screaming obscenities I had never before uttered. He laughed and held me away from him like a child throwing a mild tantrum.

Using the extra length from my legs, I kicked out as hard as I could hitting him squarely in the stomach. His grunt of pain was minor but it wiped the cocky smile from his face. His ape-like lip curled up in annoyed contempt before he casually backhanded me. I tasted blood as the inside of my cheek sliced along the edge of my teeth. Before I could fully recover, he leaned down and forced his tongue into my mouth, pushing into the wound he had just created. I coughed and gagged on the foreign object, flailing backward pathetically, but his grip was strong. A scream tore from above me and at the same time, my Irish heritage rose to the surface. Rather than fight, I pushed forward and bit down on the monster’s tongue; if I was going to become one of them, my first act would be to destroy this one.

He howled in pain and threw me across the room where I landed in a heap. With an angry growl, he moved forward intent on doing me harm, but the sound of feasting and smell of hot blood distracted, pulling his attention back to the attic. He disappeared up the stairs to mangle my brother’s corpses further.

There was nothing left for me except to lay in my heap and cry. I suppose I could have run, but I was infected already. Running would only serve to disconnect me from the one Beast in the world I wanted to kill most. So I stayed and waited.

When they were done eating, they jumped back down - landing on agile feet - and congratulating themselves the whole way. They mocked my brother’s fear and complimented the taste of the two boys. There were several insinuations about the taste of young flesh. My rage boiled.

The leader, Carl, ambled to my side and stared down at me passively. “Eres lo mío. No hagas nada a batallar conmigo. Hagas lo que digo. ?Entiende?”

I stared at him, tears still streaming, and felt myself nod at his dominating command. I would do what he wanted for now. With a low grunt, he slung me over his shoulder like I would have slung on my backpack. As we walked, I felt my body shaking miserably. Terror at what I was about to become; anger at what they had done; guilt for sending my older brother back up there—each emotion warred through me attempting to overwhelm. My eyes continued to pour forth tears and refused to blink like they should. The carnage passed me in an awful haze.

My parents were the first casualty I witnessed. They had indeed done their duty. Dozens of Beast carcasses littered the area outside my home. The reality of our plight finally settled in. There were thousands of these creatures; maybe millions. Animals who slaughtered for fun as much as for food. My parent’s bodies were unrecognizable, thankfully, but it wasn’t hard to pick their pajamas out of the crowd. I prayed my gratitude to God that they lay face-down. The nightmare of their desecrated bodies was enough without adding in glassy eyes or worse.

As soon as Carl’s pack exited the house, they broke into an easy gait covering a few blocks a minute. Twice more we stopped to pick over the leftovers from another Beast’s attack and each time I had to fight nausea.

I fell into the rhythm and tried to shut off my mind, but my eyes still refused to blink as my old world faded into a distant shell of all I had known. Other creatures came and went from the group. They passed back jokes and congratulations with Carl’s group and several commented on me as well. No one seemed bothered. There was plenty to eat here, taking one or two tiny humans from the rubble was nothing to worry about.

Within minutes, we passed out of the city limits into the countryside. An hour later we crossed into new terrain and found a nice open area to camp in. A nearby river provided bathing for the group while I simply sat and stared into space. I had expected to feel something by now. Scientists indicated that the virus’s attack of the pituitary and thyroid were within an hour. I wondered what the first traces of beast in my system would do. Would it tingle? Would I even recognize the change? Rather than care further, I lay down and forced my eyes closed for the first time in hours. Sometime after that, I fell asleep.

Table of Contents 

Chapter 2 - Transformation