William Bellamonte sat at his desk for a long time, waiting for something, anything, to tell him what to do next, but with no reply. The room was as small as he had remembered it, six and a half feet by eleven and a half feet, with brick floors, a cot, and a small desk with his computer open facing the window with bars on it. Thin beams of light slowly started to trickle in through the gaps between the ivy that engulfed most of the window, and the room started to become colder. With bloodshot eyes, Will watched the sun peek out over the mountains to the east of him, sky filling with shades of violet and blues splashed across the sky. It had been almost three years since Will had moved to Garden Valley, and he kept to himself most of the time. The neighbors thought him to be a quiet, polite man, though a bit troubled for his age, whatever it was. The children on his block knew well enough to stay away from the "man at the end of the block". But suddenly, last night, without warning, a change had occurred.
Will had been sitting in his spacious house, though painfully aware he had no one to help fill it, he enjoyed his evenings most of the time. Will had dosed off late, as usual, when he suddenly jumped awake to the sound of whispers.
You will come back to me, Will.
Will snapped to attention and stood quickly, sniffing the air for any scent of an intruder, gathering none at first. Only the traces of a sweet lavender perfume. The same Lily had been wearing when she was taken.
You cannot escape me. And I have your Lily…
With a furious roar, Will spun quickly searching for the disembodied voice in his head, knowing he would find none.
"Where are you, you bastard?" Will yelled at the top of his lungs, "What have you done to her?"
Panicked with a combination or rage at his stolen love and the fear for her safety, he began to run. First out the back door, then through the orchards of walnut trees, with branches the twisted into every odd angle so that during one of the winter storms, it looked as though the tree's themselves were alive.
You know where to find me, William. Happy hunting.
Will began to run faster towards the mountains, pushing his legs as fast as they would take him across the fields beyond the orchard, feeling his lungs catch fire and every nerve in his body come alive. Like waking up again, he always said. He pushed himself harder, trying to accelerate his heart even further, to the point where it transcended what the normal human heart should take.
Finally he felt the familiar burn in his chest move out, like a white hot ball of energy expanding in his chest, moving through his chest to his arms and legs, then to his fingers and toes. Burning him with searing pain, an old familiar friend. Will let out a tremendous roar as his body expanded, muscles forming on top of the ones he already had, bones breaking and snapping into place, the muzzle like that of a wolf grew out of his face, arms elongating while his nails and fingers grew and his skin was ripped from his flesh, only to reveal the animal inside him. Thick black fur shone vibrantly in the moonlight, shimmering like fluid, and with an animalistic rage and instinct, William sprinted on all fours at blinding speed till the grass plains under him began to blur. More and more, the wolf inside him began to take over.