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F m to get started. And

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with that said, enjoy the story.

0:39

I don't need to watch to know where the woman has

0:41

decided to hide. It's always

0:43

one of three places and out

0:45

of those three, and it's usually one

0:47

specific spot. It's all

0:49

so predictable. I

0:52

wouldn't be doing this if I didn't absolutely

0:55

need to. If I could avoid it,

0:57

I would. That's always the

0:59

case. The problem is that

1:01

I can't, not when my condition

1:03

reaches this point. I

1:05

really thought I was going to make it this time.

1:08

That happens more often than you might think.

1:11

I managed to get through the past two cycles

1:13

without having to resort to this. I

1:16

was so close to making it this time

1:18

as well. Yesterday,

1:20

my hands started shaking though, and

1:22

that was soon followed by the sensation of

1:24

it in the back of my skull. I

1:27

knew then that I was out of time. There's

1:30

no point lamenting what isn't to be.

1:33

I retrieved the pair of knives from the table.

1:35

The blades bobbed up and down in the air

1:37

due to my shaking hands, but I

1:40

will just have to make them work. I

1:42

slowly walked down the stairs leading into

1:44

the main warehouse storage area. This

1:47

would not be my choice of hunting grounds.

1:50

Much of the space is taken up by crates

1:52

and storage containers, and

1:54

all the doors and windows are changed

1:57

shut. It creates a claustrophobic

1:59

environment that offers no chance for

2:01

escape, which in turn takes

2:04

away any potential thrill and makes

2:06

for a tedious experience. Unfortunately,

2:10

it can't be avoided. I can't

2:12

take any unnecessary risks even

2:15

if that means everything has become repetitive

2:17

and dull. There was a time

2:19

that I would have tried to drag this out for

2:22

as long as possible. And I was

2:24

back when I still believed that I could make

2:26

all of this mean more than simply

2:28

fulfilling an unavoidable physical

2:30

need. I thought that I

2:32

could force satisfaction from it through

2:34

ritual. Maybe there was a

2:36

time when that did work or at least

2:38

when I could make myself believe that it did

2:40

work. Now though,

2:43

there's no point. I just

2:45

wanted to be over with. I

2:47

make my way over to the large stack

2:49

of crates. With the opening between the

2:51

bottom ones. This is where

2:53

the majority of people choose to hide

2:55

once they realize the escape isn't

2:58

an option. If she isn't

3:00

here, I'll move on to the storage container

3:02

with the broken door. And from

3:04

there, the small office near the large

3:06

metal doors. Those are

3:08

the only three places in the warehouse where

3:11

hiding makes sense. So, inevitably,

3:13

one of them is chosen. It's all

3:16

so predictable. I

3:18

don't have to check the other two hiding spots

3:20

because I can see the woman crouch

3:22

down in the shadows between the crates. I

3:25

saw of course she is.

3:28

This isn't some random woman. She

3:30

is the chef and owner of one of the best

3:32

restaurants in town. I

3:34

stopped in to dine there earlier in the

3:36

evening than the poor guy had been

3:38

inquisitively prepared. The

3:41

meal had been the highlight of my evening,

3:43

I had hoped that I would be able to spare her.

3:46

She had sent her staff home when she had closed

3:48

the restaurant for the night though, and she

3:50

had stayed late alone to do the final

3:52

bits of cleaning. With no time

3:54

to find someone else, my hands had

3:57

been tied. She looked up

3:59

at me with wide eyed hair as I approached.

4:02

It doesn't have to take long or be

4:04

overly painful. I'll finish this

4:06

quickly. I owe her that much

4:08

for the pleasant meal. Television

4:10

shows and movies would have you believe that

4:12

people start screaming at the top of their lungs

4:15

or try to fight back when there would be

4:17

killer approaches. I found

4:19

that's not typically the case. Though

4:22

it does happen from time to time, but

4:24

usually they behave the way that this

4:26

woman is. She's frozen in

4:28

fear, her mouth moving, but

4:30

no sounds coming out. I

4:32

suppose that this kind of reaction should

4:34

make me feel powerful may be dominant.

4:37

It does nothing for me. I

4:39

hunch over slightly to enter the small

4:41

opening. She's whimpering now

4:44

and I ignore it as I raise the knives.

4:47

The shaking in my hands is worse now

4:49

and at all I can do to keep my fingers

4:52

wrapped around the wooden handles. I

4:54

need to get this done quickly. The

4:57

knives plunge into her body and for

4:59

the first time she screams. I

5:01

swear loudly as blood leaks out

5:03

onto my hands. The blades

5:05

haven't gone into the points that I intended

5:07

them to. I had tried to

5:09

make the stabbing lethal so that she

5:11

wouldn't have to suffer. Now,

5:14

I have to do things the messy way.

5:16

I pull the knives free. I've

5:18

laid it too long and my hands are shaking

5:20

uncontrollably now. I have

5:23

to forget the rich no plan and improvise.

5:26

Tossing one of the knives back behind me,

5:28

I wrap both hands around the handle of

5:30

the one that I'm still holding. This

5:32

is a bit better. I definitely

5:35

have more control over the weapon even

5:37

if I can't hold it perfectly steady.

5:39

The woman is still stunned from the initial attack.

5:42

I don't think it's registered through the shock that

5:44

she's been stabbed. She stares at

5:46

me blankly as her hands pressed against

5:49

the pair of blooms. Before

5:51

she can recover, I thrust the knife

5:53

forward and this time my aim is true.

5:55

The metal slides into her chest and I

5:57

feel it pierced through her heart. I

6:00

make sure to remove it instead of leaving it

6:02

in. That way, the bleeding will

6:04

increase and death will come faster.

6:07

I sigh again as I back out of the

6:09

space between the crates and walk away.

6:12

She's not dead yet but she will be

6:14

in just a few minutes. I've been

6:16

doing this long enough to know when a wound

6:18

is fatal. There's no point in

6:20

standing around and watching the inevitable. I

6:23

hold out my hands in front of me. They're

6:25

still shaking, but the tremors

6:27

are smaller and easily managed. The

6:30

itching is gone from the back of my head.

6:33

It's an improvement, albeit a minor

6:35

one. It's just so

6:38

unsatisfying. It never

6:40

feels the same way that it does during

6:42

that incredible final night of the cycle.

6:45

My dissatisfaction is quickly being

6:47

replaced by anger. Why

6:49

can't it ever feel the same? One

6:51

night of an incredible, indestructible, unmatched

6:54

high and nearly a month of rock

6:57

bottom and just trying to exist until

6:59

the next one. How is that fair?

7:01

I force myself to calm down. The

7:04

answer is that it's not fair, but

7:06

There's nothing I can do about it either.

7:09

Besides, the end of the cycle

7:11

is almost here. I just have

7:13

to make it until tomorrow night. The

7:15

smart thing to do would be to clean up the mess

7:17

that I had just made and go back home and

7:19

get some rest. I know from

7:21

experience that I won't be able to sleep

7:23

though. And I'm not in the right head

7:25

space to make sure that I take care of any

7:28

crime scene properly. Both

7:30

those things will just have to wait. Pulling

7:33

a set of keys out of my pocket, I removed

7:35

the locks from one of the doors and pulled the chains

7:37

free. I tossed them off to

7:39

the side in a small pile and go outside.

7:43

The cold winter wind immediately assaults

7:45

me and I grip my teeth as I wish

7:47

that I had left my coat inside. Before

7:50

I leave, I go around the side of the warehouse

7:53

until I reach a spigot. I

7:55

turn the valve and freezing water starts

7:57

pouring out of it As quickly as

7:59

I can, I wash the blood off of my hands

8:02

and dry them on the legs of my jeans?

8:05

I let the water run long enough to

8:07

allow the Iker to flow into a nearby

8:09

storm drain, then close the valve

8:11

once again. A light drizzle

8:13

begins to fall as I walk towards town.

8:16

The warehouse that I use is located at

8:18

an old dockyard that hasn't been in service

8:21

for years. I don't own it

8:23

and the various cargo items inside

8:25

aren't mine. But somewhere along

8:27

the way, the actual owner stopped caring

8:29

about it and left it to rot. I

8:32

look around at the other buildings that I'm walking

8:34

past. They're all in various states

8:37

of decay. I often

8:39

wonder what happened here to make so many

8:41

people walk away at the same time and

8:43

leave so much merchandise behind. Having

8:46

such a large area to myself, especially

8:49

one that includes more contained sections

8:51

throughout the site, has been extremely useful.

8:55

No one is in the area to hear any noises

8:57

from either myself or my guests

9:00

and there's no security that might accidentally

9:02

stumble onto my activities. It's

9:05

basically the perfect environment. I

9:07

grit my teeth, Except

9:10

it isn't perfect. Is it? If

9:12

it was, maybe wouldn't feel so

9:14

hollow when I treat my condition. Maybe

9:17

I need a challenge, and this place

9:19

is making everything all too easy. I

9:22

shake my head firmly. That isn't

9:24

it. I know that it isn't. The

9:27

abandoned dockyard gives me safety

9:29

when I otherwise wouldn't have it. I'm

9:31

just irritable and lashing out.

9:34

Another wonderful side effect of my

9:36

condition. My car was parked

9:38

at the edge of the dockyard. I ignore

9:40

it and continue on foot. I

9:42

found that the best way to prolong the effects

9:45

of the treatment is to remain active.

9:47

The physical activity helps to distract

9:50

from the return of my symptoms, at

9:52

least for a short while. I

9:54

checked my watch about twenty hours

9:57

left. Damn. The

9:59

road leading away from the docks is empty.

10:02

That's no surprise as there's nothing

10:04

else out this way. There's no

10:06

reason for anyone else but myself

10:08

to be here. I walk down the

10:10

middle of the road instead of off to one

10:12

side. In a very real

10:14

sense, This is my own personal

10:16

domain. I walk

10:18

for over two miles before I reach an intersection.

10:22

I continue forward without so much as

10:24

a glance to either side. Both

10:26

the left and right paths lead to highways.

10:29

The direction I'm headed in goes into

10:31

town. Before it does though,

10:33

it leads right past a smaller diner

10:36

that's open all night. That's where

10:38

I'm going. After another

10:40

mile, I arrive at the diner. I'm

10:42

pleased to see that there are only two cars

10:44

in the parking lot. I go

10:46

inside and sit down at a booth in the

10:48

corner, I'm alone in the eating

10:50

area, and the cars must belong to

10:53

employees. I speak of

10:55

the devil, a woman comes out of the kitchen

10:57

and gives me a smile. I see the

10:59

smile slip a bit. It wasn't

11:01

by much, but I definitely saw it.

11:04

Do I still have some blood on me that I missed?

11:06

Looks like you got caught outside in this

11:08

lovely weather. Did your car

11:10

break down or something? The truck actually.

11:13

I lie usually. My worries dissipating.

11:16

I'm just down at the two nineteen ramp.

11:19

I called it in, but I can't get anyone

11:21

out to the morning. And I had to walk here.

11:24

I wasn't born a good liar, quite

11:26

the opposite, actually. I was terrible

11:28

at it as a child. And every time

11:31

that I attempted lying, I be caught.

11:33

I've developed the skill over the years.

11:36

It's been a necessity that I do so.

11:38

Now I do it as needed without even

11:40

thinking about it. I order a

11:42

cup of coffee to start before asking

11:45

to see the menu. I

11:47

smell a fresh pot brewing somewhere nearby

11:49

and my walk through the cold and rainy

11:51

night has chilled me to the bone. I

11:54

avoid caffeine most of the time, but

11:56

I'm willing to make an exception on this particular

11:59

occasion. When the waitress

12:01

returns with the drink, I order something

12:03

off the menu. It's some sort

12:05

of sandwich, but I'm not sure which

12:07

one. I just point at a line

12:09

and she nods before going back to the kitchen.

12:12

I'm not actually hungry. I know

12:14

that I need to eat though. My

12:17

body needs as many calories as possible

12:19

during the final phase of the cycle. The

12:22

coffee helps get the chill out of my body.

12:24

That combined with time having

12:27

passed since the kill makes me feel

12:29

more like myself than I have in days.

12:32

It won't last. It never does.

12:34

But for the moment, I don't

12:36

want to focus on that. I

12:38

sit in the uncomfortable booth for a little

12:40

over an hour slowly eating my

12:42

rather mediocre chicken sandwich

12:45

and drinking progressively worse cups

12:47

of coffee. Eventually,

12:49

it's time for me to go. The diner

12:51

is only a few miles from the dockyard, and

12:53

I don't want to leave too much of an impression

12:56

on the waitress just in case something

12:58

happens down the line. The waitress

13:00

brings me the check, and as she does,

13:02

she offers to give me a ride back to my non

13:04

existent truck. I give her

13:06

a smile and politely decline. Telling

13:08

her that I've been stuck inside all day

13:11

and it feels good to be able to walk around

13:13

and stretch. She glances

13:15

out at the still falling rain and asks

13:17

if I'm sure, I assure her

13:19

that I am. As she's walking

13:21

back towards the kitchen, I feel the familiar

13:24

itching in the back of my head. No.

13:27

No. This is too soon. I've

13:29

never had the itching come back just

13:31

hours after making a kill. It's

13:33

always a few days at the very least

13:35

before I start to notice it. I

13:38

sit still in the booth, the pin

13:40

like pricks working their way up and

13:42

down my skull. Something

13:44

is very wrong. Usually,

13:46

the itching starts out so faintly that

13:48

it's barely noticeable over the course

13:50

of two or three days, it gradually

13:53

increases in intensity until

13:55

it's so strong that it pushes me to the point

13:57

of insanity That isn't happening

13:59

now. The sensation is already

14:01

intense and I can feel it growing

14:03

steadily as each second ticks by.

14:06

I don't understand. This doesn't

14:08

make any sense. Did I

14:10

do something wrong? It changed something

14:13

about the kill? I shake my

14:15

head. That doesn't make sense.

14:17

There's no ritual or anything like that.

14:20

Make the kill satisfy the need.

14:22

That's all there is too. It's not goddamn

14:24

rocket science. Calm down,

14:27

breathe, and maybe there was something

14:29

different about the woman that I had chosen. All

14:31

that had mattered before was the killing,

14:34

but I guess that it's possible. There's

14:36

no way to know for sure. Focus.

14:39

Just focus. None of this matters.

14:42

What matters is what I do now. There's

14:44

no way that I'm going to make it until the end of the

14:47

day. I look at the clock hanging

14:49

on the wall. The sun won't even be

14:51

up for another hour. At the

14:53

rate it's going, the itching will reach its

14:55

peak soon. When that happens,

14:57

the pain will begin It will

14:59

feel like spikes being hammered into every

15:02

inch of my body. I'll be so blinded

15:04

by the agony that I will no longer be capable

15:06

of rational thought. The

15:08

last and only time that it got to that point,

15:11

I regained my wits in the family room

15:13

of a house that I didn't know. The

15:15

remains of three people torn apart

15:18

and barely recognizable as being human

15:20

surrounded me. Every inch of me

15:22

was covered in hot blood. All

15:24

my symptoms were gone, but I had no

15:27

idea what had happened and where I was.

15:29

It had solved one problem and created

15:32

a multitude of others I can't

15:34

risk that sort of thing happening again.

15:36

There's an odd thumping noise. I

15:39

dismiss it as a noise coming from the

15:41

diners ancient looking heating ducks It

15:43

continues however, and it doesn't

15:46

seem to be coming from above me. I

15:48

look down and find that my hands are

15:50

shaking so violently that they're banging

15:52

against the top of the table. I

15:55

stare at them for a long moment. I

15:57

hadn't even noticed that they were trembling. I

16:00

wrap my fingers around the edge of the table and

16:02

grip it as tightly as I can in an effort

16:04

to stop them. I've come to a

16:06

decision. I don't know when I started

16:09

working my way towards one or

16:11

how I had arrived at this particular conclusion,

16:14

but I know what needs to be done. Taking

16:16

my wallet out of my back pocket, I

16:19

pull a few bills out and place them on

16:21

top of the check the waitress had left me.

16:23

I know that she's watching me through the small window

16:26

that looks out from the kitchen into the dining

16:28

area. After all, I'm

16:30

the only customer and I'm not going to

16:32

be ordering anything else. And she's

16:34

already earned whatever tip that I decide

16:36

to leave At this point,

16:38

she'll just want me gone so that I'm out of her

16:40

hair and she can get back to doing nothing.

16:43

I allow myself a small imperceivable

16:45

smile as she immediately comes out of

16:47

the kitchen. Some people are just

16:50

too easy to read. I don't

16:52

have a plan. It doesn't matter.

16:54

I don't need one. I've taken so

16:56

many lives over the years that it's instinctive

16:58

at this point. She reaches the

17:00

table and puts her hand out to pick up the

17:02

check and the money. As she does

17:05

so, my arm lashes out like a snake

17:07

and my fingers dig into her brown hair

17:10

before she can react while sowing her face

17:12

into the edge of the table. Her screen

17:14

is silenced almost as soon as it begins,

17:17

she slides to the tile floor unconscious.

17:20

I know that she's not dead. Instead of

17:22

tending to that, I slide out of the booth

17:24

and immediately head towards the kitchen. The

17:26

waitress isn't going anywhere and even

17:28

if she wakes up, she won't be in any condition

17:31

to leave or present threat to me.

17:33

There's one more person in the diner though,

17:35

and I can't take the chance that they heard

17:37

her short cry. The door

17:39

to the kitchen begins to open just before I

17:41

reach it, I grab a steak knife out

17:44

of the basket of silverware behind the counter

17:46

before kicking the door back towards the person

17:48

emerging from the other side. There's

17:50

a loud grunt as it smashes hard into

17:52

someone, pressing my momentary advantage.

17:55

I'd throw open the door and thrust the blade

17:57

at the large man standing behind it.

17:59

The knife isn't nearly as sharp as the

18:01

ones I keep at the dockyard and the

18:03

slightly serrated blade is designed for

18:06

cutting rather than stabbing. I

18:08

wasn't expecting the person to be quite so

18:10

tall either. The knife

18:12

digs into his flesh, but it's not much

18:14

more than a flesh wound. Ducking

18:16

my shoulder, I ran him into his chest

18:18

to knock the wind out of him. He really is

18:21

big. He's got at least six inches

18:23

and fifty pounds on me. This is

18:25

the danger of not planning things out before

18:27

killing. I find myself in situations

18:30

like this where I can't fully control what's

18:32

happening. At the end of the cycle,

18:34

this wouldn't matter, but until then,

18:36

these kinds of risks are extremely dangerous.

18:39

He's temporarily wounded now though, and

18:42

he's been wounded. Judging

18:44

from the expression on his face, he's

18:46

also unsure of what's happening. I

18:48

can work with that. I take

18:50

a quick glance around me and my eyes

18:52

fall on the skiller on the stove to my right.

18:55

Its contents are sizz coming from the heat

18:57

underneath it. I pick it up by the handle

18:59

and swing it like a tennis racket at the man's

19:01

head. It impacts hard with this

19:03

forehead. There's a sickening crunch of

19:05

bone followed by a crackling noise as

19:08

the hot metal burns his flesh. His

19:10

mouth opens but he doesn't scream Instead,

19:13

he makes a gurgling sound as bloody

19:15

foam spills over his lower lip.

19:17

Thick red fluid also starts to drip

19:19

from his ears in the corner of his eyes.

19:22

The skillet makes a sucking sound as I

19:24

pull it free from his face. It

19:26

tears skin off as I do it. It

19:29

sticks to the pan like burned leather,

19:31

I swing the skillet for a second time and

19:34

he immediately slumps over onto his side.

19:36

His right eye has come free from its socket

19:39

and it lays across the bridge of his nose

19:41

with the optic nerve trailing back into

19:43

the gap. He is almost done.

19:46

I have to give him credit for surviving the

19:48

two blows with the skillet even if he

19:50

did so with quite a bit of brain damage.

19:53

I allow the skillet to fall to the floor.

19:55

I step over the man to reach a microwave

19:58

sitting on the shelf, unplugging it

20:00

from the wall, I carry it over to him

20:02

and take one last look at him as he twitches

20:04

and convulses I raise

20:06

the heavy appliance over my head before bringing

20:09

it down as hard as I can. His

20:11

damaged skull provides little resistance and

20:13

his body go still. There's

20:16

a sound from out in the dining area. I

20:18

hurry out through kitchen door, worried

20:20

that a customer has walked into my killing zone,

20:23

Instead, I find the waitress struggling

20:25

to get up. She's leaning up against

20:27

the side of the booth's seat. The salt

20:30

shaker she had knocked over with her hand,

20:32

lying shattered the floor next to her.

20:34

I get another knife from the silverware basket

20:36

and cross the distance between us.

20:39

She looks at me with glazed over eyes

20:41

and I doubt that she can even see me.

20:44

I adjust the grip on the knife and cut her

20:46

throat, the blood bursts out from the gash.

20:48

The small piles of spilled salt on

20:50

the ground become sticky and clumpy

20:52

as it covers them. And

20:57

the itching has stopped. My hands are

20:59

as steady as rocks. I

21:01

sit down on a stool at the counter and

21:03

sigh in relief. For the first time

21:05

since the symptoms have started this cycle,

21:07

I feel human. With the

21:09

relief comes a familiar bittersweet,

21:12

No matter how satisfying a kill is,

21:15

it never has the same pleasure and overwhelming

21:17

satisfaction that one does during

21:19

the final night of the cycle. It's

21:22

infuriating. It's like

21:24

some higher power has decreed that I'm

21:26

only allowed to be happy one night each

21:28

month, twice a month every two

21:30

and a half years or so. I

21:32

allow myself a minute to sulk in my anger

21:34

and disappointment before I force myself

21:37

to put it aside. There's a pressing

21:39

matter to attend to, I've got

21:41

two dead bodies and all the mess they've

21:43

created to deal with. It won't

21:45

be long before people start to arrive for

21:47

breakfast. I have to figure out what I'm

21:49

going to do before that happens. It

21:52

doesn't take me long to realize that I've

21:54

made a hell of a stake. No matter

21:56

what I do, this place is going to end

21:58

up being a crime scene. Since

22:01

it's only a few miles from the dockyard, the

22:03

police are bound to search it. When they

22:05

do, they'll find the woman that I killed earlier,

22:08

likely along with evidence of previous

22:10

kills as well. I don't have

22:12

any choice but to abandon in the dockyard and

22:14

move on to somewhere else. Probably

22:16

another state entirely. I

22:19

look up at the ceiling. Definitely

22:21

another state Fine.

22:24

And if that's what I have to do, it's what

22:26

I have to do. Going back

22:28

around the counter, I open the cash register and

22:30

take the small amount of money it contains. I

22:33

also go into the kitchen and take the money from

22:35

the cook's wallet, as well as a set

22:37

of car keys from his other pocket. It

22:40

doesn't end up being much in total, but

22:42

it's better than nothing. I just

22:44

have to make it through the day. If I

22:46

can do that, I can end the cycle tonight

22:48

in a different place. Before continuing on

22:50

my own in the morning. I just I

22:53

just have to make it through the day. The

22:55

kitchen provides me with the answer I need

22:57

for covering my tracks. There is

22:59

an exposed gas line that runs through the kitchen

23:02

covering my mouth. I break a section

23:04

of the line before quickly making sure the

23:06

pilot light in the stove is still burning.

23:09

Good. I've broken a second line,

23:11

not the main line. I

23:13

leave the diner through the front door. There's

23:15

still no one in the parking lot. And there

23:17

isn't any traffic on the road either. I

23:20

try the key that I took from the Cook and the

23:22

small white car first, but it doesn't

23:24

fit the lock. It slides easily

23:26

into the driver's side door of the red pickup

23:29

though, so I get in and start the

23:31

engine. The trainer stopped

23:33

and the first hints of the rising sun can

23:35

be seen in the distance as I turn onto

23:37

the road and head away from town. After

23:40

less than a minute of driving, I see

23:42

what appears to be the light of a second

23:44

sunrise in the rear view mirror. I

23:47

nod to myself. It won't be long

23:49

before the fire at the dinner is completely out

23:51

of control. If it isn't already. At

23:54

the very least, it will take the authorities a couple

23:56

of days to dig through the rubble in ashes,

23:58

even if they somehow manage to find enough

24:00

evidence to piece together what happened, I'll

24:03

be long gone before then. The

24:05

only thing working against me is the truck that

24:07

I'm driving. It won't take the police

24:09

long to figure out that it's missing. If

24:11

they do that fast enough, they'll be able to

24:13

get word across the state with the make,

24:15

model, and license plate number. That

24:17

could lead to disaster. Luckily,

24:20

I don't have to stay in this pick up for long.

24:23

I drive back towards the dock, going as

24:25

fast as I dare on this like pavement. I

24:28

reached my destination without incident and

24:30

pulled the truck up to the edge of one of the concrete

24:33

docks before putting it in neutral and getting

24:35

out. I try to push

24:37

the pick up off the edge of the dock, but I'm barely

24:39

able to get it to budge. I get

24:41

down lower and press my backup against

24:43

the tailgate as I push as hard as I can.

24:46

It eventually starts rolling forward. There's

24:48

a crash of metal as the front wheels go

24:50

over the edge. I nearly fall

24:52

as the weight of the front end does the rest of

24:55

the work for me The

24:58

truck slides into the dark water and

25:00

sinks below the surface. I

25:03

give myself a few moments to rest before

25:05

dusting myself off and hurrying over

25:07

to the car that I parked at the dockyard earlier,

25:10

It's a black four door sedan, the

25:12

kind that countless people drive in every

25:14

city in the country. I checked

25:16

to make sure that my backpack is still in the passenger

25:18

seat before opening the truck and retrieving

25:21

a duffle bag. I change

25:23

out of my blood stained clothes and into fresh

25:25

ones before getting into the car and leaving

25:27

the dockyard. This time, I

25:29

turned right on the four way intersection instead

25:32

of continuing towards town. My

25:34

plan is to put as many miles between here

25:36

and me that I can by mid afternoon.

25:38

Then find a place where I can complete the

25:40

cycle. I fish my phone

25:43

out of the car's glove box and bring up the map

25:45

app, The phone is a prepaid

25:47

one, of course, and I purchased it under

25:49

a fake name. There are a dozen

25:51

other ones in the car trunk and one in

25:53

the backpack all of which still have

25:55

their packages and are listed under different

25:58

names. The map confirms

26:00

what I already thought. If I stay on the

26:02

highway and don't make any stops, I can

26:04

be out of Minnesota and into North Dakota

26:06

by nine o'clock. That should give me more

26:08

than enough time to get myself oriented and

26:11

figure out where I would spend the night. So

26:13

that's what I do. Ignoring

26:15

the fatigue that creeps in, I drive towards

26:18

a state border, making sure to keep my

26:20

speed at or under the limit, to

26:22

avoid the possibility of being pulled over.

26:25

I have to resist the urge to go faster.

26:27

While I know sticking to the speed limit is

26:29

the smart play, I'm anxious to reach

26:31

my destination. I

26:34

almost nod off twice during the drive

26:36

now that the symptoms of my condition are gone,

26:38

at least for now, My body

26:40

is more relaxed than it has been in quite

26:42

a while. It isn't helping

26:44

that the roads in this part of Minnesota are

26:47

most just trees and open land

26:49

with nothing to break up the monotony. It's

26:52

with more than a little relief that I reached the

26:54

state border. There is a sign

26:56

for a rest stop a few miles past the line,

26:58

and I gratefully follow it into the parking

27:01

lot. I need to get out and stretch for

27:03

a bit get some fresh air. I've

27:05

never been to this part of the country before,

27:08

and I'm surprised to see that the rest stop

27:10

isn't one of the standard ones. With just

27:12

few bathrooms and vending machines. This

27:14

one is quite a bit larger with a cafeteria

27:17

like section housing five or six

27:19

chain fastroom restaurants. There's

27:21

also a small arcade as well as

27:23

a side room with a dozen leather massage

27:25

chairs. I'm mostly interested

27:28

in the kiosk just inside the doorway,

27:30

It contains racks of maps and brochures,

27:33

both for specific landmarks and for

27:35

North Dakota in general. I

27:37

take a few of them and tuck them under my arm

27:40

before I buy some lunch. Once I

27:42

have my burgers and drink, I pick

27:44

a table in the corner away from the other

27:46

people and open up one of the maps. I'm

27:48

looking for a town to use for the night.

27:51

It has to fit some specific criteria

27:53

though, It needs to have large enough population

27:56

to be worthwhile, but also not

27:58

so large that it has a major police presence.

28:01

The police aren't a concern during the final

28:03

night of the cycle. I'm worried about

28:05

what could happen the next day. I also

28:07

prefer the towns that are isolated. The

28:09

more that things are contained, the better.

28:12

There don't seem to be many options that meet

28:14

my needs. I'm starting to think I'm

28:16

going to have to go with something less than

28:18

ideal. I've had to do

28:20

that in the past. Never on this

28:22

short of notice though, I don't like

28:24

going into something blind. It's

28:27

not looking like there's a choice though. Wait

28:30

there. A small town about a hundred

28:32

miles from where I'm at. With

28:34

enough clustered streets on the map to imply

28:36

at least a decent sized population. I

28:40

pulled the town up in my phone and confirmed

28:42

that this is indeed the case. Broken

28:45

Bend, North Dakota. Finishing

28:47

my food, I toss the wrappers and map

28:49

in a trash can I make sure that

28:51

I have the directions to my new destination before

28:54

I leave? As I hold the door

28:56

open for an elderly man, I notice

28:58

a newspaper rack off to the side. The

29:01

story on the front page of the newspaper on

29:03

the top had the title, The Planet's

29:05

Align. I fish fifty

29:07

cents out of my pocket and buy the newspaper.

29:10

I returned to my car and opened it.

29:12

According to the article, over a roughly

29:15

eighteen hour period, the earth will

29:17

be going in and out of alignment with multiple

29:19

planets. It's extremely rare for

29:21

this to happen. Normally, three or four

29:24

planets align for a short period of time,

29:26

then move along their orbits until they're

29:28

no longer in line with one another. This

29:30

is different because of where the planets

29:32

are at in their orbit around the sun currently

29:35

the Earth has been and will be moving

29:37

in and out of different alignments with different

29:39

planets. Two of these events

29:41

will involve the moon as well. That

29:44

has to be it. That has to be why

29:46

my symptoms return so quickly. I've

29:49

always known that the lunar cycle is tied

29:51

in with my own Something about these

29:53

planetary alignments must be throwing things

29:55

off. There's nothing I can

29:57

do about it. I toss the newspaper

29:59

into the back seat. Before getting back out

30:01

onto the road. It doesn't really change

30:04

anything anyway. I still need to

30:06

reach Broken Bend and get myself situated

30:08

before dark. The path

30:10

to the town I've chosen takes me off the

30:12

main highway and onto smaller state

30:14

routes. The roads are in

30:16

much worse condition on these and

30:18

I have to slow down to make sure that the car

30:20

doesn't bottom out in some of the larger

30:22

potholes. The forests

30:24

are much thicker along these roads as well,

30:27

The trees are taller and closer together,

30:29

and their tops reach out over the road

30:31

like a canopy. Even though

30:33

it's the afternoon on a sunny day,

30:36

I have to turn on the car's lights to see where

30:38

I'm going. It's like I'm driving through a

30:40

tunnel. Two hours after

30:42

I leave the rest up, I pass a sign

30:44

with the words, welcome to Broken

30:46

Ben painted on it. Just

30:48

beyond it is a wooden bridge that spans

30:51

over a river, McCar bounces

30:53

uncomfortably as I pass over the boards.

30:56

A few minutes after leaving the bridge behind,

30:58

the trees thin out and I arrive in town.

31:01

I found that most towns this size

31:03

tend to look the same, and broken

31:05

bend is no exception. The downtown

31:07

area is comprised of local businesses

31:10

and a couple of churches, a few

31:12

government buildings, and the gas station

31:14

on both sides. As I drive

31:16

beyond that, I find that most of the older

31:18

homes are on fairly large properties.

31:20

There are also some newer looking developments

31:23

with the houses much closer together

31:25

Pass the residential areas are parks

31:27

and nature preserves. I smile

31:29

slightly, and this is perfect. I

31:32

begin to make plans. There's a closed

31:34

construction site just outside of downtown

31:36

that I can hide my car in overnight. It's

31:39

in both walking distance to the various

31:41

shops and businesses as well as at

31:43

least two of the housing developments. I

31:46

can park the car and go into town until

31:48

dusk, come back to the car to get ready,

31:50

and head for the housing development as night falls.

31:53

I pull the car into the construction site

31:55

and maneuver it around the equipment and park

31:57

it behind a long trailer. I

31:59

take a moment to make sure that I have everything

32:02

that I'll need. It isn't much

32:04

since I'm going to be coming back to the car before

32:06

nightfall, I only really need my wallet.

32:09

I get out of the car and feel cold air

32:11

against my skin. That

32:14

correction, my wallet in coat.

32:16

I open the trunk and retrieve my heavy coat.

32:19

While I do so, I also take out large

32:21

pocketknife. Typically, I don't

32:23

carry a weapon with me. As strange

32:25

as it sounds, it's safer that way.

32:28

I don't have to worry about metal detectors or

32:31

as has happened a few times in the past

32:33

being frisked. Besides, it's

32:35

not like I really need it. I

32:37

can be quite creative when it comes to figuring

32:40

out ways to hurt people. This

32:42

is a new town that I'm not familiar with

32:44

though. It doesn't hurt to take extra precautions.

32:48

My short trip into downtown Broken

32:50

Bend is uneventful. Only a few

32:52

cars passed by as I walk along the

32:54

side of the road and none of the drivers pay much

32:56

attention to me. I'm not in any

32:58

particular hurry. At this point,

33:00

I'm just looking to waste time until sundown.

33:03

When I reach downtown, I slowly

33:06

walk past various businesses and shops.

33:08

A number of pedestrians greet me as I move

33:10

down the sidewalk, I nod and

33:12

smile at them in turn. These

33:15

people have no idea what is coming for them

33:17

tonight. That thought causes

33:19

my smile to become even wider, It's

33:22

been a long day, so it's a relief

33:24

when I come to a bar. The painted

33:26

window proclaims it as Rock Creek

33:28

Tavern. I opened the

33:30

door and head inside. That's

33:32

where I spent the next couple of hours. The

33:35

food is surprisingly good, and the beer

33:37

is pleasantly cold, and the patrons

33:39

leave me alone. Now I've had worse

33:42

afternoons. I'm

33:44

struck by the need to go to bathroom As

33:46

I stand up to head to the restroom, I check

33:48

the time on my phone. It's just

33:50

past five. That's plenty of time

33:52

to do my business. Have one last beer

33:54

and start back towards the car. It's

33:58

a single toilet bathroom. I lock the

34:00

door before I relieve myself Once

34:02

I'm finished, I wash my hands and look

34:04

at myself in the mirror. I'm

34:07

feeling a bit warm. I suppose that

34:09

shouldn't come as surprise. It's been

34:11

a long day, and I've been on the road

34:13

for most of it. It's either from the

34:15

stress or the beers. I

34:17

look at myself closely in the mirror. I

34:20

definitely looked tired. My eyes

34:22

are a bit bloodshot and there are dark circles

34:24

under them. I'm also looking a

34:26

bit pale. Sign. I

34:28

run a hand over my face. I

34:32

stop. My hand is shaking.

34:35

I force myself to stay calm. The

34:37

shaking doesn't matter. I'm only

34:39

a few hours away from the end of the cycle.

34:41

I need to make it until then. There isn't

34:44

any itching at the back of my neck. Sweat

34:46

begins to drip from my forehead. I'm

34:48

getting warmer. Stripping the sink

34:51

with both hands I lean in towards the

34:53

mirror and take closer look at my eyes.

34:55

The black of the pupil is no longer circular.

34:58

Instead, it resembles a blot of

35:00

ink that is run out across the blue iris.

35:03

It's happening. The end of the cycle

35:05

has arrived. The change is beginning.

35:08

This shouldn't be possible the change shouldn't

35:10

happen until the moon begins to rise.

35:13

The sun isn't even all the way down yet.

35:15

I remember the newspaper story about the

35:17

strange planetary alignments, there

35:20

must be something about them that is just causing

35:22

my symptoms to return faster, but

35:24

also forcing the change to happen earlier.

35:27

I leave the bar. If I hurry, I

35:29

might be able get to the car before. There's

35:32

an audible snap as my right cheekbone

35:34

breaks in half. I gasped at the

35:36

sudden blossoms of pain. It's too

35:38

late. It's happening now. As

35:41

quickly as I can, I strip off the clothes

35:43

that I'm wearing? I normally have time

35:45

to pack away any clothing so that I can

35:47

come back for it after the night is over, but

35:49

I doubt I'll be able to retrieve them this time.

35:52

It's still best to take them off. The

35:54

less restrained my body is during the change,

35:57

the better. I feel pressure in

35:59

my upper back, This signals that one

36:01

of the worst parts of the change is coming.

36:03

I sit down on the bathroom floor and

36:06

slide my belt off my pants. Putting

36:08

it in my mouth, I bite down on the soft

36:10

leather. Near seconds

36:12

later, my arms slide forward in

36:14

their sockets before dislocating completely,

36:17

It's terribly painful but not as

36:19

bad as what comes next. I lean

36:21

back against the wall and close my eyes.

36:23

My jaw pressed into my belt so hard

36:26

that my gums hurt as my leg bones

36:28

jerk out of place. I

36:30

nearly black out as my spine pops

36:32

and cracks creating a steep curve

36:34

near the top. Saliva and dark

36:36

blood are leaking out around the belt from my

36:38

mouth, more of it comes pouring out

36:41

as the front of my skull starts breaking

36:43

into pieces and my ribs pull apart

36:45

further. I feel like I'm on

36:47

fire, but I know that the worst is

36:49

almost here. During this

36:51

part of the change, my pain is doubled.

36:54

This is because I have twice the amount of nerves

36:56

in my body the ones running to

36:58

my current shell and the ones attached

37:00

to what's emerging. All of them are

37:02

screaming in agony as they're stretched and

37:04

mangled and torn There was no

37:06

thought or reason. There is only the torture,

37:09

deep and infinite. I'm

37:12

so lost in the void of torment that I can

37:14

no longer register the individual changes

37:16

that are happening. Everything is merely

37:18

a part of the overall torment. I

37:21

float in the agony as it engulfs me.

37:23

Moments pass years may

37:25

be. It's impossible to tell.

37:28

Time has no meaning now. Only

37:30

pain exists Suddenly,

37:32

mercifully, there is relief. My

37:35

outer skin tears open as my new

37:37

body emerges from underneath it. The

37:39

belt falls through my mouth as I pan it

37:41

heavily. It's like an unbearable

37:43

pressure has been released. There

37:45

are small stabs of discomfort as

37:47

the change is completed, but it's noticeable

37:50

when compared to what I've just gone through.

37:53

The last of my bones lock into place

37:55

and I can feel my rational mind beginning

37:58

to slip. In moments,

38:00

it will be secondary to instinct. I

38:02

never lose my mind completely. I'm

38:04

fully conscious of what I'm doing. It

38:06

just doesn't matter. I get

38:08

to my feet. Everything feels

38:11

so different now, powerful.

38:13

I can't believe that I ever managed to stand

38:16

on my weak human legs. I

38:18

catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror.

38:20

The face of a wolf stares back at me.

38:23

It is thin and gaunt. The

38:25

skin stretched tight against the face and

38:27

muzzle. The black fur is down

38:30

with blood. I pull a loose

38:32

strip of ruined flesh off the bottom of

38:34

my jaw. Movies, television,

38:37

books, legends, they're

38:39

all wrong about werewolves. There's

38:42

a resemblance to wolves after the change,

38:44

yes, especially in the face,

38:46

but that resemblance only goes so

38:49

far My body is far more

38:51

skeletal and thin than the popular interpretations.

38:54

Certain parts of me, like my clawed

38:56

fingers, appear almost delicate. I

38:59

don't have a tail, and my long

39:01

muzzle contains multiple rows of

39:03

teeth. It's my eyes that

39:06

tell the true story They are completely

39:08

black with pinpricks of red light

39:10

barely visible in their depths. To

39:13

look into them, it's to no fear. It's

39:15

to no depth. I hear

39:17

movement out in the bar and I turn away

39:20

from the mirror. My senses are

39:22

heightened far beyond what a human is capable

39:24

of. I hear a stool pulling

39:26

away from the bar. I can smell

39:28

the scent of beer wafting in from under

39:30

the door. I can see every rack

39:32

and imperfection on the tile bathroom

39:34

wall. I feel alive in

39:36

a way that I never do except when

39:38

the wolf comes out to play. I

39:41

take one last look around the bathroom. There

39:43

is blood everywhere and pieces of my

39:45

human skin cover the floor. Even

39:48

though it's my own blood, the smell of it

39:50

excites me. I bear my

39:52

teeth and turn back to the bathroom door.

39:55

Finally, after all this time,

39:57

the hunt is finally here. The

40:00

door explodes into a shower of slinchers

40:02

as I burst through it. There's a man

40:05

standing nearby in the short hallway, a

40:07

half filled glass in his hand. His

40:09

eyes grow wide with shock. Before

40:11

he can say or do anything, my

40:13

right arm is swinging towards him. The

40:15

claws lie through his skin, muscle,

40:17

and bone as though they offer no resistance

40:20

at all. His body splits into

40:22

two pieces and falls to the ground in

40:24

a heap. My heightened senses

40:26

enhanced every moment of the kill.

40:28

It's a pleasure that goes beyond the effects

40:30

of any drug. More. I

40:32

need more. There are screams

40:35

coming from the main room. VAR patrons

40:37

are staring at me in surprise and horror,

40:39

and some are fleeing towards the door. I

40:42

take two strides before leaping over their

40:44

heads and landing between them and the exit.

40:46

No one leaves. This is my moment.

40:49

One of a customer swings a clumsy punch

40:51

at me. I open my jaws to expose

40:54

my rows of teeth and bite down into

40:56

the flesh of his arm. The razor sharp

40:58

bangs sink in deep. With a

41:00

twist in my head, I tear off the arm

41:02

and fling it up against the far wall, the

41:05

blood running down my throat is incredible.

41:08

I'm a flurry of suffering and death,

41:10

throats are torn, limbs

41:12

are severed, lives are ended, Each

41:14

kill increases my need for more.

41:17

I revel as I rip apart the bar patrons,

41:19

I am the God of the hunt, and it is

41:21

my purpose to reap the prey. The

41:23

man behind the bar has a gun. He

41:26

brings it up and fires once, twice,

41:28

a third time. All shots are

41:30

true. I feel the impact of the

41:32

bullets as they strike my skin, the metal

41:35

is hot, and it syringes the tips of

41:37

my fur. My mouth open slightly

41:39

as a grin spreads across my face.

41:42

I jump onto the bar and snap my mouth

41:44

around the side of his head. For a moment,

41:46

I let him struggle. My teeth piercing

41:49

his skin as he tries to free himself. Now

41:51

he understands his place in the order

41:53

of things His struggling ends as

41:55

I clamp my jaws closed. Music

41:58

plays from the jukebox in the corner of the bar

42:00

as I survey the room. The rock

42:03

Creek Tavern is now a monument to carnage.

42:06

The ascent of death fills my nostrils

42:08

as I bask in the pleasures of the kill

42:10

I raise my head towards the ceiling and howl

42:13

triumphantly. A werewolf's

42:15

howl is not like a wolves. It is

42:17

an inhuman sound a deep

42:19

guttural call that spreads fear to

42:21

all that hear it. It is the sound

42:23

of hell's gates being opened. I

42:26

need more. The hunt has just begun,

42:28

and I intend to make the most out of every

42:31

second. I go out the front

42:33

door and into the streets People immediately

42:35

begin to scream, but I ignore them for

42:37

the moment. The sun is just beginning

42:40

to set in the distance. The sky

42:42

is filled with splashes of red and

42:44

thick purples. I'm momentarily frozen

42:46

in place. I've never seen the sunset

42:49

before, not with these eyes.

42:51

The change has always happened after nightfall.

42:54

Even through my frenzy, the beauty

42:56

of the scene before me is striking. The

42:59

spell is broken as I smell the blood

43:01

on my fur. It's time to

43:03

continue what I've only just started. A

43:06

car is beginning to pull out of the parking space

43:08

in front of me, burying my teeth, I

43:10

jumped through the passenger side window and into

43:12

the vehicle. In one motion, I wrap

43:14

my claws around the driver's neck, and

43:16

throw both him and myself and his door.

43:19

He land hard on the concrete. I crush

43:22

his throat before looking over my shoulder

43:24

to watch a car crash into an oncoming

43:26

truck. A man and a woman

43:28

are running down the sidewalk away from me.

43:30

I race after them and catch up to them

43:32

before they even realized that I'm following

43:35

the woman falls as my claws and

43:37

arm pushed through her back and out of her chest

43:39

grabbing the man I lift him up over

43:41

my head and rip him in half. His

43:43

blood and entrails pouring out of him.

43:46

I drop the body and narrow my eyes.

43:49

The wind has brought sent to me,

43:51

one that isn't the sweet, capri smell

43:53

of blood or one of the common

43:55

smells associated with the small town.

43:57

This scent is much different. For

43:59

the first time, not just during this

44:02

change, but for the first time ever

44:04

in this form, I feel uneasy.

44:07

I don't recognize the smell, but

44:09

I do understand what it means. Someone

44:11

else, something else, has

44:13

already marked this town as its own,

44:16

I'm in clean territory. It

44:18

doesn't matter. I only get this opportunity

44:21

once per cycle. If another creature

44:23

has claimed broken bend, It's more

44:25

than welcome to come and try and defend its

44:27

territory. Most of the people

44:30

have abandoned the street. They hope to

44:32

hide from me or at least put some distance

44:34

between them and me. It's a futile

44:37

hope, and I suspect that some

44:39

part of them knows that, I'll

44:41

hunt out those in the small downtown area,

44:43

then move on to the housing developments. Before

44:46

the night is over, I'll slaughter as much

44:48

of this town as possible. I

44:50

hear sirens begin to blare from less than

44:53

a mile away. It isn't

44:55

often that I encounter the police while under

44:57

the influence of the full moon Normally,

44:59

I make sure that I'm in less public

45:01

places than this when the change takes

45:04

place to avoid that. The

45:06

changes to my cycle from the planetary

45:08

alignments is making this night far

45:10

more complicated than it usually is.

45:13

I bear my teeth, unable to contain

45:15

my excitement It's been so long

45:17

since my prey has tried to resist

45:19

its slaughter. I've missed the

45:21

throes of thishotam much. The

45:24

first of the police cars comes around the corner.

45:26

I grab a nearby mailbox and tear it

45:28

free from the heavy bolts attaching it to

45:30

the sidewalk. With one arm, I

45:32

fling it into the approaching car's windshield.

45:35

That is the glass and smashes into the

45:37

upper body of the driver, The car

45:39

veers wildly to the right and crashes into

45:41

the side of the store. The sun

45:44

has set now, and the sky is growing

45:46

darker. A second police car comes

45:48

into view. Its red and blue lights

45:50

flashing and its siren shrieking. It

45:53

stops the block away from me and two officers

45:55

get out. Using their car doors

45:57

or shields, they pull their guns free from

46:00

their holsters. I begin running towards

46:02

them. My jaw is gnashing and my claws

46:04

flexing eagerly. I get

46:06

about halfway before I stop. The

46:09

air is full of the smell of the other creature.

46:11

It's stronger now. No longer

46:14

the lingering scent of something that previously

46:16

passed through, but instead, the

46:19

fresh odor of something approaching I

46:21

ignore the officers and inhale deeply.

46:24

It's coming from up wind. Either

46:26

this creature doesn't know that I'm here,

46:28

or it doesn't care that it's announcing its

46:30

presence to me. There's something

46:32

about the scent that makes me feel unsettled.

46:36

Even though I don't recognize it, it's

46:38

like some primal part of me, some

46:40

past memory buried in my werewolf

46:42

biology knows that it means

46:44

danger is near. I

46:46

know that there are other unnatural beings

46:48

out in the world. I've encountered a

46:50

few over the years, but none of them have

46:52

triggered this sort of response in me.

46:55

I was the alpha predator, nothing

46:57

was above me in the food chain. The

46:59

hairs along my back stand up as

47:01

the smells continued to grow stronger. I

47:04

try to tell myself that these feelings are

47:06

only a result of the unusual circumstances

47:09

surrounding tonight's change. My

47:11

instincts know that this isn't true.

47:14

The officers begin to fire their guns.

47:16

I barely noticed as some of the shots strike

47:18

me. I concentrate on the smell,

47:21

trying to decipher what I can from it.

47:24

Thoughts begin to flash through my head?

47:27

No. Not thoughts. More

47:29

like impressions. The

47:31

scent makes me think of the dark

47:33

cold waters of the deepest oceans,

47:36

is still in silent darkness down

47:38

far below the surface. At

47:40

the same time, I am reminded of

47:42

the vast night sky of the

47:44

vast emptiness between stars. The

47:47

images flashed through my mind quickly

47:50

like single frames of movie film in

47:52

a projector. There is madness in

47:54

them. FOG is starting to

47:56

fill the streets. It is cool and

47:58

thick, and it makes my skin feel

48:00

greasy. It has come out of

48:02

nowhere and is rapidly becoming too

48:04

dense to see through. It

48:06

smells the same as the approaching creature.

48:09

The police officers have stopped shooting at me.

48:12

I turn my head toward them and find that they

48:14

are no longer pointing their guns at me.

48:16

Instead, they are standing perfectly still.

48:18

Their face is blank as they each point

48:21

the index finger of their left hands towards

48:23

me. I've never seen anything like it

48:25

before. People that have been

48:27

hiding for me inside the businesses are

48:29

now coming back outside. Each

48:31

of them has the same blank look on

48:33

their faces as the officers and they're

48:35

all pointing at me in the same way. I

48:38

growl at them in warning, all of them

48:40

no longer smell human and in steady

48:43

week of ascent of the fog. My

48:45

instincts scream at me that I need to abandon

48:47

my hunt and escape. Whatever is

48:49

coming from me isn't just a natural It's

48:52

not of this world. I

48:54

shake my head in frustration. This

48:56

is my night, this is my hunt, and

48:58

it is my right to spill blood and feast

49:00

on flesh I hear the

49:02

creature coming. It's close.

49:04

If it wasn't for the fog, I would be able

49:06

to see it already. It sounds

49:09

I don't know how to describe it. The

49:11

closest word I can think of is

49:14

what? I look around

49:16

at the gathered people as a realization comes

49:18

to me. This isn't just some

49:20

other creature's territory. This

49:22

territory is part of the creature. I've

49:25

come to a long conquered town.

49:28

All the citizens are dentions of its

49:30

will. My bloodlust melts

49:32

away. If I remain, it will

49:34

take me as well. I

49:36

run moving on all force to get away

49:38

as fast as possible, the scent of

49:40

the creature rapidly fades into the distance.

49:43

It's not following me, at least not

49:45

at any significant speed. Its

49:47

smell is still around me though and its

49:49

closing in from both sides and in front

49:51

of me. The fog is expanding outward

49:54

and more people are coming out of their shops and

49:56

homes. The other world, the

49:58

creature doesn't believe that it needs to personally

50:01

come for me. It thinks that it can tighten

50:03

the news around me with its followers. If

50:05

I was human, I would get back in my

50:07

car and drive out of town. In this

50:09

form, I don't have that option. Instead,

50:12

I plunge into the woods at the edge of downtown.

50:16

There are people waiting for me just inside

50:18

of the tree line. These aren't just

50:20

standing and pointing, however. Each

50:22

of them is armed. Most of them with

50:24

knives and the rest with various tools.

50:27

They swarmed towards me in a semicircle looking

50:29

to cut off my escape. I

50:32

howl as I charged directly into the middle

50:34

of the crowd. Their master may make

50:36

me afraid, but these are just humans.

50:38

With teeth and claws, I tear into

50:40

their bodies, there are no screams

50:42

or whales of pain. They are completely

50:45

silent as they stab me with their knives

50:47

before being torn apart. As

50:49

the last one falls, I paused to catch

50:51

my breath. The creature scent

50:53

is closer. While the people weren't

50:56

able to stop me, they were successful in

50:58

delaying me, I continue on.

51:01

Something slams into my side hard

51:03

and I lose my footing. I strike

51:05

a tree before sliding to a stop. I

51:07

reach down with one clawed hand and touch

51:09

Rywa's hit. I'm bleeding. A

51:12

man steps out of the brush and interview.

51:15

He is soon followed by one woman and

51:17

then another. They are all holding

51:19

heavy looking rifles. Bullets

51:21

don't typically hurt me, but these are large

51:23

caliber weapons and pack far more of

51:26

punch. I regain my

51:28

footing and keep running.shots are fired,

51:30

but none of them managed to hit me. I'm

51:32

moving slower than I was just moments

51:34

earlier. The round that pierced

51:36

me must have hit something important. I'm

51:38

having a hard time briefing and my right leg

51:41

is slightly numb. I ignore these

51:43

things and push on. I

51:45

don't stop until I reach the river, marking

51:47

the edge of town. Without pausing,

51:49

I plunge into the water. It is

51:51

freezing and the cold causes my wound

51:53

to hurt more More gunshots

51:56

sound from around me, I hear some of them

51:58

slap the water, but nothing comes close to

52:00

me. I reach the other

52:02

side of the river and pull my self up on the

52:04

bank. I hurry into the cover

52:06

of the nearby trees before stopping

52:08

to look back the way I've come. There's

52:10

no sign of either the townsfolk or

52:13

the fog and I can no longer smell

52:15

the creatures sent in the air. I've

52:17

made it out of its territory. I

52:20

look down at the blood dripping from my

52:22

wound. It will heal soon.

52:24

I raise my head to look back up at the

52:26

other side of the river, feeling shame

52:29

as I do so. Something

52:31

unholy has claimed broken bend,

52:34

and it is the true alpha.