The Dread - transformation

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Pain provided my wake-up call. I curling into a ball, moaning a grunting piteously. My joints hurt like I hadn’t felt in years. Logically, I remembered my mother telling me that there was very little she could do for growing pains aside from giving me an aspirin. Illogically, I rolled back and forth making every attempt to distance myself from what I was feeling. It took only a moment for Carl to wake and turn to watch me. His eyes were strangely sympathetic.

“You are growing again. It will pass in a few days.”

Days. The very thought made me wilt inside. The growing pains were not just in my knees as they had been in my younger days, every joint seemed to ache. My neck, spine, fingers, elbows, shoulders, knees, and even my toes felt like they were moving. Like polarized magnets, I could feel the bones pushing away from each other. After a while, I started to cry again and curled away from him and into myself.

In the morning, the pack agreed to wait for me to finish changing. They had no real need to keep moving. Bingeing once a week appeared to be enough for our kind. They were in good spirits now and willing to wait for their newest member to gain her bloodlust. The thought made me sick, but there was nothing I could do about it now. Instead, I focused my anger. I wanted Carl dead; I wanted the whole pack dead. Nothing else mattered. After that, I would find a way to kill myself and not have to take a human life.

The vigilance of my thoughts buoyed me through the next few days. Finally, the pain began to pull away and I found myself a new Beast. The dimensions of my new body were terrifying and electrifying at the same time. Muscle and sinew differed in this body. Not only was there more power to my every movement, there was also more control. I stared at my fist and wondered what it would feel like to slam it through Carl’s face. I could almost picture the satisfying crunch of bone and it made my mouth water.

Smell was my next discovery. The smell of each beast in Carl’s pack was slightly unique. Some I was drawn to, others gave me an instant distaste. Leo was one of those I was drawn to. He was young, slightly older than me. He was physically fit, but more important, he was intelligent. I watched him in the moonlight the first night as he won at some card game I’d never heard of. He won by cheating, but the rest of the group didn’t realize a thing. Even Carl was made to look a fool although he didn’t take losing well. Leo nearly got his head snapped off when he threw his win in the other’s face.

Carl tossed the slab of wood they had been using for a table and scattered his four companions and then turned toward me angrily. I felt the hair on the back of my neck bristle and my lips automatically pulled into a snarl. Carl took in my alertness and his face softened and shifted. Carefully, he stepped toward me as if attempting to lure me into a false sense of security. When he was close enough I shifted myself so that I was sitting. I could tell that now was not a time to challenge him, but I felt a strong need to assert myself.

He paused, taking in the change and he stood up tall, looking down at me with careful consideration. “What are you thinking? Is the pain gone?”

With a nod, I began a quick examination of my new body. I was still pink. I was huge but still pink.

Carl continued, “the hair will come. That takes closer to two weeks.”

My face fell. “Two weeks? I thought the transformation was faster.”

Listening to my voice was its own kind of shock. The guttural sound felt lower in my chest. I could have passed for a low bass in any choir in the country now.

Carl lifting his elongated arms into the air in a strange shrug. “The majority of it will be done in a few more days, but you still have a week before you really stop changing.”

I bit my lip in frustration. It was unwise to attack him yet. How long could I maintain my self-control? Already, other smells and sounds were beginning to assault me. I knew the five males had just cleaned up a few days ago but they smelled like the worst cross between dirty socks and a field of cows. My mouth puckered and I held my breath without thinking. Even as I gagged at their smell, I was oddly attracted to the underlying musk carried by two.

Carl saw my assessment of the group and sat down across from me. “It’s a lot to get used to in the beginning but don’t worry. I’ll be here to help you.” He tried to move forward but I growled and pulled away. Dark splotches appeared on the light skin beneath his black fur; I could tell I’d insulted him. “You’re mine.”

“I’m not.”

Again he tried to press his advantage. Some animal instinct within me found his powerful dominance alluring, but my conscious awareness returned full force: This was the man who had lied and killed my entire family. I would never bow to his wishes. With another, louder growl, I pulled away from him and to my feet.

Leo interceded as Carl prepared to angrily pounce on me. “She’s just hungry. Get some food in her and I’m sure she’ll calm down.”

Carl glared from his second to me, huffed, and walked away.

I couldn’t help but smile in Leo’s direction and again had to remind myself that none within this group were innocent. All had eaten my brothers alive. I could not forget that fact and I couldn’t allow myself to soften and forgive them. My one remaining act must be to avenge my brothers and my parents.

Leo watched my change of expression, the intelligence evident in his gaze. “You’re trying to fight yourself. You should stop. Just relax and let yourself be who you are now. You can’t go back to being human and if you really consider it, you don’t want to. They are weaker and pathetic. We are the new generation; the new evolutionary step for man.”

The speech was rousing but it fell on deaf ears. Rather than listen, I turned and stalked into the undergrowth to find the lake my pack used. I could smell myself now and that bothered me.

Now that I was mobile again, the group anxiously paced, ready to keep going. Leo determined to head north and west crossing back through my town expecting that other creatures had already paved the way east. Carl nodded in agreement and gestured for everyone to rise.

Lifting to my feet brought a small yelp of surprised pain from my lips; every joint remained uncomfortably sore. After a few labored steps, I grunted and dropped on fists to the ground. The position felt more natural.

Carl moved beside me as the rest took off. “If you stay like that while you’re changing it will become the most comfortable way to move. If you want to stand on your feet, then you need to endure the pain. Your body will adapt.”

With a nod, I forced myself back to my feet. Each step moved toward agony as the day wore on, but I forced myself to remember my first days running. My calves burned for the first few weeks leaving me barely capable of walking, but after a time the feeling passed. This too would pass.

Carl matched my pace for most of the day, smiling approvingly at me whenever I looked his way.

That night we stopped at a campsite and looted through abandoned supplies. There were bodies littering the ground in a few areas but I found them easy to ignore. They smelled like old meat; completely unappetizing. Instead, I focused on finding something to cloth myself. My own clothes were in rags and barely capable of the cover they had once provided. I replaced them with an overly large dress cut to the proper length for a shirt and then stole a pair of sweats from a dead camper’s body. After slicing the material to create shorts, I slipped them on and gazed at myself in the camper’s window. It wasn’t pretty, but at least I could move with a little more ease.

Carl looked at my choices and reiterated my own criticism. He caught my eye, stepping forward to give me a small peck on the cheek. “It doesn’t matter what you wear. You’re beautiful.”

I didn’t respond. I hadn’t spoken to him yet and I didn’t intend to. I was still holding carefully to my hatred of him.

The beast grimaced at his lack of success with romantic words and with a quick movement had my chin in his hand. He tilted my face so that I had no choice but to look at him. “You’re mine. I remind you of that in case you have some delusion. I made you, and if you ever try to leave me, I’ll kill you.”

I stared angrily into his intense eyes for a moment before pulling away and slinking to the far side of the camp. After a quick, angry howl, he left me to organize his men. We could smell humans nearby and it had been nearly a week. We were all starting to get hungry. When the meeting ended, our leader came and stood over me again.

“You come with me. We will scout them.”

My head shook while my eyes remained glued to the ground by his bare feet. I wasn’t sure what tomorrow would bring, but today I still maintained my resolve never to kill a human.

With a bestial growl, he lifted me into the air and slammed me against the backside of the nearby outhouse causing the whole thing to rock violently. “You do what you’re told. You belong to me.”

I shook my head. “I won’t kill them.”

“We’re not killing, we’re scouting. Come now or I’ll break your arm.”

Pouting, I followed; he was still too strong. I hoped I wasn’t done in the growth department or else I had already lost my goal. When he had assured himself of my acquiescence, he grunted approval and broke into an easy lope. Rather than stay upright, his bear-like form dropped to all fours. I followed suit. The burn of muscle and limb passed beyond pain hours ago and the new movement felt like it was loosening the ligaments. Within an hour I felt myself smiling as I pushed my speed harder, giving Carl a run for his money. He grinned as he watched me enjoy the moment. Finally, he slowed and motioned for me to do the same. Grudgingly, I pulled myself back into my biped position as we walked forward.

My nose provided the information. At least thirty humans camped over the next ridge. I could even tell their relative ages. Older humans had a twinge to them that reminded me of leftovers on the verge of going bad. I followed Carl’s lead as he pulled himself up the nearly sheer face of the cliff. The light of small fires within the rocky ruins drew our attention. They had done their best to hide using the old Anasazi ruins. If we had been normal humans, our restricted access to the area would have made the location defensible, but we were not. We climbed the soft stone right up to their hole and their only exits were going to be jumping from the cliff’s edge or pushing out the path that was two to three men wide at best.

Carl shifted himself and continued climbing around the cliff’s opening. I followed only because he growled down at me, but after a few quick movements, I found myself enjoying my new body immensely. The power was amazing. I had tried rock climbing on a few dates and at the fair, but my strength had quickly given way, dropping my weight onto the harnesses so that I could be lowered back to the ground. Here, there was no such protection, but it would have been unnecessary. I felt completely secure as I moved with lithe grace up the rough face. Carl brought us around so that we looked in and down on the hiding humans.

Beside me, Carl grinned malevolently. “They’re so predictable. They hide in small holes thinking that they are safe.” He watched the tiny beings move for a moment more before he spoke again. “See the smallest ones? They are the sweetest. Not only are they untainted, but they have much more nutrition than the older ones.”

I shuddered despite myself. My mouth was watering at his description as my mind fought the idea. “I won’t eat them.”

“You will. It’s that or starve.”

“I choose to starve.” Without waiting for his permission I dropped back down to the ground landing heavily on the littering of stone and rock below. Though I had wisely lowered myself part of the way before jumping, I still dropped a good hundred feet with ease. I loved this new body!

Carl dropped beside me, shoving me into the cliff’s face. “You do what I tell you. I didn’t tell you to leave.”

I growled at him. Only now was I realizing that I could have warned the humans about the danger. With only him to attack, the majority could have made it out alive. I cursed myself and let my irritation show.

He didn’t like what I’d become. Without waiting, he smashed my head into the rocks and then continued the barrage of beatings until I was cowering at his feet. “I am your leader. You do what you’re told or you pay.”

I nodded into the ground. “I understand.”

“I take you as my woman. You will respect me and act accordingly.”

I hesitated to nod and felt the ground rise to meet me again. When the stars cleared I groveled. “I understand.”

“Kiss me.”

Compliance was not an option. When I pulled away he seemed satisfied. With another smile, he slid his hand down my face. Despite my flinch, I held myself still as his furry finger slid around my chin; he tried to be gentle and I didn’t fight. “There. Things don’t have to be hard for you. Just relax and enjoy your new body and your new life.”

I nodded again, but my eyes refused to lift to his face. After a minute, he dropped his hand and began a quick walk that turned into a run. I followed. Any deviation on my part would have been obvious and we both knew I wasn’t strong enough to do anything about his treatment of me. I felt like crying again. As we ran I reminded myself of my goal. I thought it through. Strength wasn’t necessarily the key to successfully killing him. Cunning and intelligence could make up for the difference in strength. I knew my intelligence was rather average but perhaps -my thoughts shifted to Leo: the second of the group, strong and intelligent. Why wasn’t he the leader? What could I do to push him toward the position? If Carl and Leo were to fight it out I might get my wish without endangering myself.

Carl slid to a stop beside me and I overshot him by several feet before I could rein myself in. He held up a quick hand when I opened my mouth. His head cocked slightly to the side and then a grin split his face. “Stay here.”

Just like that, he was gone. He shot off fast enough that only the rush of wind and the swaying leaves indicated his direction. I watched the spot with wide eyes and then my own head cocked as I heard a distant grunting and several loud thuds. Silence prevailed and a few minutes later I could hear Carl returning at a slower pace. When he was about a quarter mile away the wind shifted and my mouth started watering. He had something and it smelled incredible.

Despite myself, I pranced at the edge of the trees. I could hear the kind of whine a dog makes when it wants something badly and it took me a full minute to realize the sound was coming from me. I forced myself to stop, although I couldn’t help my need to shift my weight from one foot to the other.

Carl appeared at the edge of the trees. “Close your eyes and open your mouth.”

I obeyed instantly. Hunger seemed to drive out every logical thought. At this moment, I didn’t even care that it was Carl who was feeding me. Sliding my tongue out I waited anxiously.

With a low chuckle, he stepped the rest of the way into the clearing and dropped a small chunk of something warm and wet onto my outstretched tongue. I slid it into my mouth sucking the liquid and savoring a flavor I had never tasted before. It was obviously meat, ultra-rare too, but the sweet flavor of sinew and blood sent me into a food ecstasy like only chocolate had ever done.

The moan that escaped my lips as I chewed was heartfelt in the extreme. As soon as I swallowed I opened my eyes and took a step forward. “Can I have more?”

Carl’s smile was the widest I’d ever seen it. He laughed and handed me another small piece. Again I savored it. “I’m hungry. Can I have more?”

“For a price.” His face slipped into a guileless cunning and I knew what he wanted.

There was no thought this time. I pushed up onto my toes and kissed him fully. He’d been eating too, the taste of it was on his tongue. I found myself moaning again. When I stepped back, my hands remained on his chest as I looked at him with my new version of puppy-dog eyes.

My begging was rewarded with his last piece and he laughed when I finished it whining for more. The meat seemed to increase rather than decrease my need.

“That’s all I brought, but there’s more. Come on.” Waving his arm in an invitation to follow, he turned and led the way back into the night. I followed, trying to sniff out the prize. When I found the scent I took off at lightning speed. Carl laughed at my enthusiasm but continued forward at a leisurely pace, I’m sure it was his way of offering me the larger share.

I reached the source of the smell in minutes and slid to a stop. Staring greedily at the exposed carcass, I tried to decide where to start. It looked so good and my mouth salivated at an ever-increasing pace. A bit of drool escaped the corner of my mouth and slid unhampered down my chin. Taking another step, I dropped onto all fours and felt a giddy anticipation.

Then it moved.

Not just moved. Tiny beady eyes stared at me in wide-eyed fear and the man tried to drag his mangled body backward. That he was still alive was surprising enough, that he was even capable of trying to move sent my mind reeling. He lay nearly disemboweled by Carl’s attack. Blood pooled everywhere inside the remains of his frame. I could see that he was in agony. Our meal’s eyes rolled into his head twice as he slid less than a centimeter away from the danger. From me.

I felt appalled. I had eaten this man. I wanted to feel sick, but my body refused to obey. Though the reaction had slowed, my mouth and stomach were still itching for more. I wanted to tear into his steaming flesh. Even allowing the thought sent a wave of desire so strong that it nearly overcame me. I screamed at myself mentally and dropped to my knees. The man continued watching me although whether or not he could still see was debatable.

Forcing away my animal lust for carnage, I tried to remember that I was human once. This man could have been my brother or my father. He was a hunter. His gun and supplies lay scattered only a few feet away. I assumed he was from the Anasazi group. How many people would miss him? How long would it take for them to notice that their beloved family member or friend was gone for good? He moved again and a small spurt of blood splashed toward my face. The smell of it nearly sent me into another fit of hysterics. Carefully, I pushed forward the image of my favorite human meals.

Salad. Leafy greens topped with sliced carrots, tomatoes, cheeses, small nuts, dried cranberries and an overly large helping of my favorite dressing. The thought made my stomach turn. I gagged twice before I could get myself under control. My appetite disippated and I smiled as I faced the man. The blood reminded me of beet juice. I used to love biting into fresh beets straight from our garden. They were sweeter than the ones from the store. My stomach turned again and this time I lost my lunch off to the side.

When I turned back, all I could see was a man in pain. He groaned pitifully as his body spasmed again. Without meaning to I knelt beside him, it was an easy matter to lean forward. As carefully as I could, I whispered the only words I could think to say. “I’m so sorry.” Then I reached for him and took his head in my hands. I meant to snap his neck, and I did, but I nearly decapitated him with the strength of my movements.

Carl stepped forward from where he’d been watching me. “Why did you kill it? Now it will get cold before we can finish eating.

I turned to face him. “I won’t eat him.” I knew I’d get into trouble, but I couldn’t stay. Already my pathetic resolve was dwindling. The smell of the hot meat drew me like a fly. Turning, I dashed away from the scene. As quickly as I could, I followed the scent of our passage back to camp. Without a word I slipped to the edge and curled into myself. Retribution would come swiftly.

Leo was the first of the four to reach me. “Where’s Carl?” Then he cocked his own head to listen and disregarded the question. We could both hear the beast’s approach. “What happened?”

He knelt so that our eyes were level and then pulled my arms out of the way so that my face was exposed. “Were the humans armed?”

I shook my head, I hadn’t been watching for that. I seemed like I could remember weapons but how many and of what type escaped me.

Leo leaned forward and sniffed, “Mmm, you stopped for dinner?” My eyes teared of their own accord and he shook his head as he watched me. “I told you, you need to relax. You’re not one of them. The human would probably have killed you given half a chance, there’s no need to feel remorse for what you’ve done. It’s survival of the fittest.”

“Well then, I don’t want to survive.” Yet I needed to until these five creatures were dead.

Again he leaned forward. This time I froze as his tongue flicked out and licked up my chin and to the edge of my mouth. When he pulled back it was only enough to see my eyes. “There are benefits to your new form that you have not yet explored.”

My thoughts jumpstarted with a stutter. Was he interested in me? Carl wouldn’t like that. Would it be enough to get the two to fight?

As if in answer, Leo pulled away at nearly the same instant that Carl walked into the camp. Carl’s face held angry rage as he looked from me to Leo. The pack leader was ready for a fight right then and there.

Eagerly, I reached out and touched Leo’s arm. The touch was soft and I followed it by moving closer to him as if seeking safety. He looked toward me with alarm and then back toward his leader before stepping quickly away. “What did you see?”

Carl growled menacingly, stepping toward his second. For Leo’s part, he seemed unsure how to react and finally continued forward to meet his leader. It probably would have gone better for him if he hadn’t licked the blood from my face. Carl smelled it. Leo flew through the camp with a mad beast charging down on him. He curled into a defensive and submissive position and accepted his leader’s beating. When Carl had finished beating him, he started screaming while Leo’s head bobbed in agreement.

“I’m sorry Carl. I’m hungry and she smelled like meat. I was jealous. I’m sorry, I won’t go near her again.”

Eventually, the two men calmed and the camp, unfortunately, returned to normal. I continued to sit, disgruntled and frustrated in my place. Leo hadn’t even tried to put up a fight. My plan didn’t seem viable. No one acknowledged me for the rest of the night and I curled in my spot. There didn’t seem to be anything else to do. I felt grateful that Carl’s wrath had turned to Leo. My head still smarted from where he had smashed me into the rocks. As I fell asleep, I couldn’t help but think that the future looked grim indeed.

Table of Contents 

Chapter 3 - New Associations