Beast
Chapter One: Dark Origins
The night was growing old, and the sense of desperation was burning in Stan Duncan's mind. Every specimen had rejected the radiation he had introduced them to. The scalpel sliced through the exterior of the starfish, releasing a small stream of discolored blood onto the glass slide. The regenerative genes of the test subjects surely the solution to the problem at hand. What was the gene he had to isolate? What was he missing? Going back to his list of animals he'd experimented on, and slashed out gecko, chimp, and starfish. Paper after paper crumpled up and thrown away. Trial after trial failed. Finally, he stumbled on the perfect specimen. Its healing capabilities, its reflexes: the experiment was a success, and the government would pay every cent they were worth to get their hands on it.
However, Stan's greater goal remained a secret to the world: immortality. So many had longed to achieve this, but none have achieved. This experiment had brought him closer to this goal than any had before. Soon, his quest would be complete: all he needed was some more test subjects...
"We will not supply you with human test subjects," a man wearing a general's uniform declared.
"But, General Schneider, this could be a major breakthrough for mankind," Stan replied.
"Mankind will have to settle for animal test subjects," the general responded, getting up from his chair with a grave look on his face. "No human experiments." Schneider walked out of the room without another word.
Stan returned to his lab that night, and injected himself with needle after needly, draining the altered DNA of various test subjects into his blood stream. His arms burned, his head was throbbing, and the world around him was spinning, but it would all be worth it.
Come 3 o'clock, Stan was passed out on the floor. His wife, Nora heard a crashing sound, and came to his aid. Once he was conscious, he assured her he was fine: "Just tripped," he lied to her. Unlike Stan, Nora was too innocent to doubt her husband, and took him at his word.
Nine months later, Nora gave birth to her and Stan's first child: a healthy baby girl.
"What should we call her?" Stan asked his wife.
"...Tori," Nora replied. Tori was the name of Nora's beloved aunt, who passed away when Nora was five.
Besides Nora, Tori was the only human being Stan cared for (besides himself). She was so perfect, so pure...But soon, unseen flaws came to light: Her nails grew at an acclerated rate, her eyes, like that of felines', could see almost perfectly at night, and, the most devastating of all, she was unable to express emotion even in the most extreme situation.
So many nights, Nora stayed awake, crying over her daughter's condition. For just as many nights, if not more, Stan stayed awake, wracked with guilt: it was his altered genes that did this to his daughter, to his family. If there was a solution, he had to be the one to find it.
For years, Tori was the subject of Stan's experiments: needle after needle was injected into her tender arms. Test after test failed. No cure was found. Seeing Tori's eyes through her glasses (for her nearsightedness), knowing she could tell how they were feeling, but could never share those feelings, Stan felt his heart sink.
One day, Tori's life changed forever: she saw her mother dead on the floor with blood on the floor around her. Then, men in green uniforms grabbed her father, and carried him away, deep into the desert. One of them saw her, told her everything would be okay, then brought her to another house, where people she didn't know took her in as their own. Their names were the Vegas. Their daughter, Katrina treated Tori like her sister, and soon, everyone believed Tori had always been a Vega. Her horrible past was forgotten by all...All but Stan.
Over the years, Tori discovered how to feel, to express her feelings, and how to live like a normal human. At the age of 19, she was attending Hollywood Arts school with her sister. Although she was considered a nerd for her glasses, lack of coordination, and the way she kept her hair (always in a ponytail, which many felt hid her true beauty), Tori had a crowd of loyal friends, who didn't let appearances define who they cared about.
"Hey, Tori," called Cat, a girl about Tori's age, who had long, bright red hair, and a sweet, caring, innocent disposition.
"Sup, Cat?" Tori replied, looking away from her locker.
"Hey, the gang n' I are gonna catch a movie," Cat informed, her voice excited. "You wanna come?"
"Sure," answered Tori. "Sounds great."
The school bell rang, and the two sped to their next class. The entire time, Tori's mind was in the clouds. Sometimes, she found herself unable to concentrate on anything, but it never really bothered her. It was nice to have nothing bog down her mind at times, though she still had her priorities.
"Tori," Mr. Sikowitz called.
Tori snapped out of her daze, and faced the front of the classroom.
"Do you know the answer to the question?" the teacher asked.
"...Uh, do any of us really know the answer to all our questions, Mr. Sikowitz?" Tori replied, trying to avoid being caught off guard.
"That..." Sikowitz replied. "...Is a good answer."
Tori's stress faded, and she took a subtle breath of relief.
That night, at about 5 o'clock, Tori, Cat, Katrina, Beck and Jade, and Robbie walked to the mall, where the film, "Dark Swarm" was playing. The movie was gory, the acting was poor, and the plot was impossible to follow, but the gang had fun. Cat, however, was upset when the tortured heroin met her tragic death at the hands of the killer wasps. Once the film ended, the gang did some shopping, then headed home. The time was 9 p.m. by the time the teens were on their way, and the night was cold and black.
"It's really quiet," Tori exclaimed.
"I know," Robbie replied. "It's like a ghost town tonight."
"You know you don't have to fill the silence, right?" Jade commented.
"Neither do you," Tori shot back.
The teens continued on. Suddenly, a rustling noise came from the bushes. A snarling sound tore through the gang's ears, and they all shot their heads towards it.
"What was that?" Cat asked, growing shocked.
"Probably a dog," Beck answered, mostly trying to comfort himself with a rational explanation.
"Like Cujo?" Jade replied. "That snarl sounded like a truck engine!"
A large creature resembling a wolf slashed its claws through the bush, and jumped onto the street, salivating heavily and grawling viciously. The beast's eyes were as red as fire, its teeth razor sharp and covered in saliva, the fur covering its body matted, rough, and dark, its legs muscular, and its claws long, jagged, and pitch black. The look on its face was scarred with a rageful hunger, and the bark it let out was as loud as the explosian from a bomb.
"Run!" Cat screamed, feeling her heart was about to tear out of her chest.
The teens dashed in different directions, knowing that their very lives depended on their speed. The wolf's eyes locked onto Tori, and it bolted towards her, the black claws on its feet scatching the ground. Tori turned around in time to see the monster lunging at her.
"Tori!" Katrina screamed, watching her sister being torn apart by the wolf's fangs and claws.
The beast sank its teeth into Tori's arm, sending blood streaming onto the ground, and causing the girl to cry at the top her lungs until her throat was raw. Then, in a second, Tori's pain ended, and darkness surrounded her.
Knowing there was nothing they could do for her, Tori's friends ran away into the night. The wolf let out a howl at the bright full moon in the center of the sky, then charged into the fog rolling into the city.
Tori lay still on the cold sidewalk, her eyes closed, and her mouth gaped open in a position of peaceful surrender.