Animal Behavior and Other Tales of Lycanthropy (10 page)

Let’s see how much a corsage is going to cost me for Cathy.

He changed his search and scrolled through the various outlets, not finding one under forty bucks.

This is great. I’ll be able to save some money on a corsage by making it myself with this flower and put a myth to the test for my report.

Going into his internet history, he brought up the online store selling the lycanthropous flowers and placed his order. Expected delivery was three days.

And Mom won’t be able to nag when she sees the credit card report. Especially if I show her those corsages that were pushing the sixty dollar mark.

With a sense of accomplishment, he continued his research on werewolves. He didn’t believe the myth to be real, but he was excited nonetheless. He failed to find any documented cases of the myth working, or any of the other means people believed in order to transform into a werewolf.

It’s a cover-up
, he thought with a smile.

“Steve!”

What’s she doing here?
He minimized the window on the screen and walked into the hallway.

“There you are, why’s the TV on?” Cathy said as she bounded up the stairs. “Are you all right? Mrs. Langler told me what happened.”

Of course she did
. “Yes. I’m fine. Actually got a good shot in myself.”

“You shouldn’t have done that. You know he won’t let it slide.”

Steve crossed his arms in front of his chest, not believing what he heard. “What was I supposed to do, let him kick the crap out of me?”

“No, but—”

“Look, I already have a mother. One I don’t get along with. I don’t need another.”

A tear threatened to fall. “I’m sorry.”

“Me, too. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“It’s okay. I understand. I’ll go.”

He let her leave without saying another word. He wondered if he should feel bad, but decided she was the one who barged in and stuck her nose where it didn’t belong.

Unfortunately, Cathy had been right. On his way to his locker, Tony caught him by surprise with a punch to his midsection. Winded, he collapsed to his knees and then was struck by a follow up right hook. His head was sent downward to the floor, but he managed to get his arms out to brace himself.

“Now we’re even. If you ever disrespect me again . . . you’re dead.”

Steve looked up and even through his teary eyes he saw Tony’s swollen lip.

“Don’t even think about telling anyone,” Louie said.

“The people on the bus are going to know,” he said and received a kick in his midsection. His body rolled over and his back slammed against the linoleum.

“They’ll keep their mouth shut, and so will you.” Tony spat on him and then walked away without another word.

Steve said nothing as well, afraid of getting hit again. His ribs ached as he strained to stand.
You’ll get yours, you coward.

For the rest of the day, Steve kept to himself. There was swelling in his left cheek, but he managed to keep the bruising to a minimum by applying pressure to the area and with the aid of some Visine he kept in his pockets.
It gets the red out
, he joked.

On the bus, Tony and Louie eyed him as they passed, but he kept his gaze forward, not wanting to make eye contact. Cathy sat beside him and thankfully she too kept quiet. There was an awkward silence between them; Steve wasn’t sure if he liked it or not. He had always thought her to be a jibber-jabber, but now something inside told him her voice could make it better. He went to ask her if she had any luck finding a dress, but he stopped short, afraid of confirming his instinct.

No. I cannot afford these feelings.
With his hands in his lap, he said nothing for the duration of the ride.

Steve laid low for the next few days. He would never hear the end of it from his mother if she had to take prom and graduation pictures with him having a black eye. The bruise on his cheek was now a faint yellow and soon all traces of his scuffle with Tony would be a memory. He just had to keep it that way, though Tony and his lackeys made it difficult with their teasing from afar, but he ignored them and kept his eyes on the prize.

It better be there today
, he thought as he stepped off the bus.

“Are you going to tell me what you’re waiting on?” Cathy asked as she tried to keep pace with him. “You’ve been racing to the mailbox every day once we get off the bus.”

“It’s a surprise, though it’s taking longer than I thought it would. I would have sworn the order confirmation said three days.”

She looked at him wide-eyed. “Who’s it a surprise for?”

“Your look tells me you already know. Have you been talking to Mom again?”

“Maybe. She did tell me about an odd credit card purchase that showed up in her email.”

“Not for nothing, but you two talk
way
too much. Getting double-teamed by his mother and—”

“And what?”

“His date . . . it’s not something that appeals to a guy.”

She wrinkled her brow.

“What?” he asked.

“You almost said it.”

“I did not.”

She smiled. “Admit it, I’m wearing you down.”

“You seriously want to risk a sixteen-year friendship?”

“No, I don’t. That’s why I’ve been patient.”

“I see.”

“As far as your mother goes, what can I say, she wants us together.”

“I know,” Steve said, rolling his eyes. “She always says we’re perfect for each other, how lucky I’d be to have a girl like you, how good you would be for me—I could go on and on, but I think you get the point. I’m tired of her butting into my life.”

“She cares about you. You want her to be more like your absent father?”

Steve’s nostrils flared. “That’s too far.”

“I’m sorry . . . I . . .”

“Forget it. He didn’t leave me because he wanted to. You know that. He left for the same reason I will: there’s no future here. I’ll be damned if I’m going to work retail for the rest of my life. That’s all that’s left here. The few engineering jobs that are still here are all taken. It was either leave the state or be a dead-beat dad when the factory closed down ’cause he couldn’t afford to pay child support.”

“I know. I do, really.”

“You should go,” he said. He looked at his house.
Excellent. It’s here.

“All right,” she said then darted across the street to her house.

He couldn’t tell if she was crying or not, nor did he care at the moment. He had expected a sealed envelope with a compressed flower inside, but instead found a package on his doorstep. He picked up the box, unlocked the front door and went in. Once in his room, he opened the box to a pungent odor, one of rotting meat and old garbage. Inside was a potted flower and a note. An offensively white, sticky sap lined the box so he carefully removed the plant and placed it on his desk.

He unfolded the note. It read:

I’m not sure if you have ordered this because of some game or if you’re serious about becoming one of us, but it really doesn’t matter to me. I’ve done some checking on you and you’re a smart kid worthy of the gift. It would be an honor to run wild with you.

Understand the flower is very powerful, but only during a full moon and at its freshest. If you’re simply curious, then wear the flower during the next full moon and its effects will disappear once the flower is removed or dead, but if you wish to be a lycanthrope permanently, ingest the flower and embrace the call. If your will is strong you can overcome the beast’s instincts and harness its true power.

Know this: there are many of us scattered across the globe. Perhaps one day we’ll claim this world as our own, but for now we remain in the shadows and will not come to your aid if you expose yourself. Whatever your decision, welcome to the pack.

“He actually believes this will work,” he said. “Is it possible?”
No, he’s teasing. Has to be.

He picked up the plant and inspected it; the odor was subtler. The flower was white with traces of a vibrant yellow. It was healthy and he would need to keep it as such for a few more days. He placed it on his window sill and left the room to fetch a glass of water for it. He returned and put the flower in the glass.

As the soil absorbed the water, Steve couldn’t help but wonder if the man was telling the truth and what would happen to Cathy. Though he was still upset with her for implying he had a terrible father, he couldn’t turn his back on their friendship.

Will she be a mindless beast? Will she recognize me? Will I be able to get close enough to remove the flower? Am I wasting this on her?

He turned on the computer and contemplated emailing the man, but he thought better of it. Instead, he searched the Web for a different myth just in case.

How would it look if I turned in a paper detailing the myth that could potentially have killed my fellow classmates? No. I’ll be ready for either outcome. And if it is real, I need to know how to use it to my advantage.

The idea of luring the beast to Tony and Louie crossed his mind, and in doing a little digging online he found wolves were attracted to carcasses and pheromones. Neither would help him on prom night.

* * * *

When prom finally came around, Steve’s mother walked him across the street to pick up Cathy. She wanted to see Cathy in her dress and take pictures of the two, no matter how much it embarrassed him.

He looked up to the sky and took notice of the full moon.
Fingers crossed
, he thought, then rang the doorbell and the door immediately opened.

“Cathy?” Steve swallowed hard as he looked at the young woman he had failed to see. Her long brown hair was tied back and dangling in a ponytail, curled and full of body. The light purple dress complemented her rosy cheeks and emerald green eyes. The dress was low cut, her bosom tastefully rising over the edge.

“How do I look?”

“You look beautiful,” his mother said.

“She was asking me, Mom,” Steve said. “And I agree, you look . . . amazing.”

Cathy smiled and blushed. As she stepped outside her parents came with her.

“Quickly, you two get together. Put your arm around her so I can take a picture,” his mother said.

Steve did as instructed. “Hurry up, Mom.”

“Where’s my corsage?”

“I forgot it in the car, I’m sorry. We’ll just do the pictures without it.”

“Okay,” she said.

Phew. That was close. I knew she’d ask about it, but I can’t chance giving it to her now.

“When did you put it in the car? And why?” his mother asked.

“I’m sorry, but I’ve got a lot on my mind here. I made a tiny mistake, there’s no harm.”

“Come on, no arguing,” Cathy said.

“You guys look great together,” Cathy’s step-mom said.

“Don’t be getting any ideas about my daughter,” her father said. “You bring her right home after prom.”

“Daddy!”

“Don’t worry, sir, I will.”

Her father smiled and nodded.

“Are we done with the pictures?” Steve asked.

With her hands on her hips, his mother said, “What’s wrong with you? Why can’t you just grin and bear it for a few minutes. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

“He’s right, Mrs. Figura,” Cathy said, surprising Steve and his mother, “we have to get going. The seating is first come first serve.”

“All right,” his mother said, sounding defeated. “Have a good time.”

Out of character, Steve kissed his mom on the cheek.

Before he could pull away she whispered in his ear, “You look so handsome. Just like your father.”

“Thank you,” he said, then hugged her. “All right, enough of this. Let’s go!”

Steve grabbed Cathy by the hand and pulled her away from their families. The parents waved with one hand and wiped tears away with the other.

“You couldn’t rent a limousine?” she asked as he opened the door to his mother’s Buick.

He smiled. “Sorry, they were all booked.”

She smiled back. “Likely story.”

Once she was in he closed the door and walked around to the other side.

“Is that my corsage?” she asked.

“Yes. Let’s wait ’til we get to the hotel.”

“Okay.”

The prom was at the ballroom of the Radisson Hotel in Providence, a forty-five minute drive from Dartmouth.

“Are you excited?” she asked.

“Actually, I am. You do look fantastic.”

“Thank you. Are you going to be able to keep your eyes off my cleavage long enough to get us there safely?”

A smile forced his way onto his face. “You noticed?”

“Yeah, but don’t worry. I kind of like it. You’ve never looked at me like that before.”

“You never wore girly clothes before.”

“If I know you’ll give me this kind of attention, I will from now on.”

“Deal.”

The rest of the ride was spent with trivial chatter. Steve didn’t offer much to the conversation as his conscience tortured him. He was unsure if he should go through with his plan. His rational mind told him nothing was going to happen, that the two of them were going to have a great time, but his heart was telling him not to chance it in case something
did
happen.

When they arrived, Steve parked the car and before they even stepped out, Cathy inquired about the corsage.

She’s not going to let this go. If it works, will it be instant or delayed?

“Well?” she said.

“Okay, don’t get your panties in a bunch.”

“No worries there, I’m not wearing any.” She giggled.

Steve felt his jaw go slack.

“Speechless, huh? Come on, and don’t stick me with that pin.”

He opened the safety pin he attached to the cut flower, gently tugged her dress away from her skin, and pinned the flower to her just above the left breast. He could see she was holding her breath as he did, unsure if she was afraid of getting stabbed or if the deed aroused her.

“Uh!” she sighed.

“What’s wrong?”

“My stomach . . .” Vomit erupted and splashed on the concrete at his feet. He managed to jump back in time. “My body . . . feels like it’s on fire. What did you—”

The flower. Is it working?
“Is there anything I can do?”

“I don’t know. Something’s really wrong. I . . .” She jabbered the rest and Steve couldn’t make out what she said.

Her dress stretched and tore as her torso enlarged. Steve watched with baited breath, making a mental note of every change, though he doubted he’d be able to turn in the report. Cathy’s breasts flattened as hair sprouted from every follicle. Bones snapped, fingernails and teeth lengthened, and arms and legs elongated until she towered over him. Her mouth enlarged to make room for her new teeth as her nose blackened.

A low guttural growl escaped the beast’s lips, signaling the change was complete. A scream echoed from somewhere in the parking lot.

“What the heck is that?”

“Run!”

“We’ve got to warn the others.”

“Cathy? Are you still in there?”

The beast grabbed him by the shoulders and lifted him off his feet.

“Holy crap! It’s true.”

Steve recognized the voice. It was Louie.

“Help me!” Steve said.

“I don’t think so!”

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Louie high tailing it out of there.

As Steve was brought closer to the beast’s maw, the wolf sniffed the air around him. It looked deep into his eyes and he wasted no time grabbing the flower still pinned to the dress barely clinging onto the creature’s frame. It howled as the transformation reversed.

I don’t believe it. This is so . . . so fantastic!

Cathy’s half-naked body lay before him unconscious.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered as he bent over and scooped her into his arms.

He looked around. No one was in sight. He put her into the backseat of the car. With the flower in his hand he contemplated eating it. When the beast picked him up he could feel its power and he desired it for his own.

Welcome to the pack.
“Yes,” he said before shoving the flower into his mouth. It tasted like curdled milk, the sap sticking to the roof of his mouth and tongue causing a
tat
sound as he chewed.

He swallowed hard and immediately felt the heat radiating in his body. He looked to his hands and watched the transformation. The sound of his tuxedo ripping filled his ears. All of his senses were triggered with stimulants, the smell of Cathy’s perspiration arousing him. He looked through the car’s window and with one exhale fogged up the glass.

Steve sensed a foreign presence inside his mind. An instinct he never had that seemed to guide the beast. He needed to tap into it to persuade the creature. The beast wanted to feed and Cathy was the closest meal.

A clawed hand reached toward the glass.

Not her.

It turned around and gazed at the hotel.

Our enemies are in there.

On all fours Steve ran toward the entrance. Screams filled the air as he leaped through the glass. Tiny lacerations on his hide from the broken shards healed as fast as they formed. The receptionist ducked down behind the check-in counter as if the wood could protect her from the beast’s savagery. A security guard drew his weapon, but he was too slow to get off a shot. The beast ran its razor sharp claws through his skull and continued to run toward the ballroom as the lifeless body fell to the floor.

He approached the double arch top doors and Steve distinctly heard Louie’s voice on the other side. He stopped and listened.

“I’m telling you. It was a werewolf!”

“Knock it off. If it was true, there’d be some kind of alarm, don’t you think?”

Hearing Tony’s voice enticed the beast’s appetite and Steve felt this was not the time to show restraint. With all its might, the beast slammed its massive paws into the mahogany wood. The doors collapsed from their hinges and crashed inside.

The music was quickly overridden by screams. All eyes were on the beast, but what it desired stood before him trembling.

“I told you,” Louie cried.

“I don’t . . . I can’t . . .” his voice trailed off as he watched the beast raise its claws over its head and then descend them downward, one claw for each of them.

The blow forced their legs to buckle and they fell to the floor. Skin and clothing parted on Tony and Louie’s chest. The rest of Steve’s classmates scurried to the back of the room in search of another exit. They toppled over each other; friendship was pushed aside as their own survival trumped all else.

Steve took a moment to observe the prom’s decorations. The school’s colors, blue and silver, were predominately on display in the streamers hung from the ceiling. Balloons were tacked to the walls and table clothes. Steve could feel a toothy grin stretch across its face as the thought of changing those colors to blood red crossed his mind.

“Please,” Tony begged, blood spilling over his lips.

How I’d love to be able to tell you it’s me
, Steve thought as he lowered the beast’s muzzle toward Tony’s face. Their eyes locked for a brief moment, and then the beast opened wide and bit into Tony’s skull. His legs and arms thrashed as teeth broke through the skin, then bone. When the brain was pierced, all functions ceased.

The beast lifted its head, ripping Tony’s clean off. In its powerful jaws bone crunched and blood pooled. In a single gulp the beast swallowed the first of many human bits. Blood dripped from its maw, and its long tongue extended outward to lap at the blood-soaked fur.

“Go away! Shoo!” Louie pleaded.

Shoo?
Steve laughed inside.
You idiot.

The claw marks on Louie weren’t as life threatening as Tony’s as the runt had managed to take a step back. Steve thought how wonderful it would be to bury his muzzle into the cowering buffoon’s abdomen and watch blood and sinew fly into the air as he burrowed deeper into his chest cavity, crack open his ribcage and chew the toughest muscle in his body—his heart.

The beast began its decent to carry out the thought.

Wait! He’s the only one who saw me and the werewolf. If I kill him, I have no alibi. If I have no alibi, then neither does Cathy.

The wolf growled its displeasure.

I know what you want, and I can’t blame you. I’m acquiring a liking to the coppery taste, too. Very well, though most of them don’t deserve the same fate as Tony, I don’t really have a choice. If this is going to be a partnership, then compromise is necessary. Take as many as you want, but leave him. Now, let’s see if we can keep the graduation ceremony under an hour.

The wolf leapt into the air and Steve heard Louie thank God as he was passed over for more bigger and plumper meals. Screams of his classmates as they were ripped limb from limb became the only sound.

Steve had no remorse for their deaths and only one concern:
Guess I’m going to have to turn in the paper on some other monster or else blow my alibi. Maybe Mom will let me see
Death Puppet
if she knows it’s for research?