This is one of a several my stories that I'm posting here off of my livejournal. The link to my livejournal can be found in my profile.
Title: Animal I Have Become
Author: LadyReivin
Beta: unbataed
Word Count: 1,557
Characters/Pairings: I'll let you guess on this one
Rating: R
Warnings: graphic gore and disturbing imagery.
Disclaimer: I own nothing! I wish I did…hell I don't even really own the idea! The title comes from the Three Days Grace song.
Author's Note: Once again I can blame xxkatinar for this. She was writing a short story under the same title for her Creative Writing class and while going over and editing her plot bunny bit me. And this is what happened….
Second Note: This was written in about an hour with no editing what so ever. Please, tell me of any errors so I can promptly fix them.
It was that time again. The time when his blood boiled in his veins and his stomach clenched in hunger as his muscles seized and his bones ached. The pain was sweet and almost always present, but soon…soon he'd have some relief. And that was what he sought the most in his life. Freedom: from society, from the norm, from life in general, and from his family.
The car rumbled around him, a deep throb that almost screamed home. Just like the way the buttery leather seats almost made him think of long trips and home. But it wasn't quite right and he'd all but given up finding just that one thing that would give him home. He couldn't have that thing again. So instead he'd settled for the closest thing he could, his 1970 Chevy Chevelle, her paint gleaming a dark burgundy and the vinyl top a sharp black. It was the closest he'd felt to home in a long time.
The road was dark as he pulled onto it, trash littering the streets. The few streetlights that worked were dim, crusted over with dirt and pollution. The engine purred, the car vibrated with it, as he pulled up to the curb and rolled down his window, leaning back in the seat. He watched from behind dark sunglasses as someone left the safety of their lamp, heading in his way.
"Hey sugah," a sultry voice purred near his ear, "you looking for a good time?" A thin, caramel coloured arm came into view, shocking purple colored nails ran over his bare arm where it rested against the steering wheel. She leaned her other arm on the door of the car, her body bent in just the way to give him a perfect view of her ample breasts that were spilling out of the tight leopard print faux corset she wore.
He tilted his head back slightly to view her face, taking in the painted full lips, chocolate eyes and kinky hair that fell to her shoulders. A regular Nubian Princess. If they came in the selection of hooker. "For you? Definitely," he answered smoothly, drawing out his syllables in a confidant, lazy drawl.
His lips quirked slightly, into a dark, haunting smile as he watched her walk around the hood of the car, her hips swinging under the thin denim skirt, black fish nets adorned her long legs. He waited until she had slid into the warm leather seat beside him before he shifted the car effortlessly into gear again, beginning to drive.
"I know a place." She said, leaning into him, her hand resting on his tee shirt clad chest. "No one comes around, it's just a few streets away."
He nodded, and glanced toward her as he answered. "Sure thing, sweety," he drawled as he turned his attention back to the road. But when she gave him the direction to turn at the next light he ignored her. He had plans of his own.
Completely ignoring her protests, her voice getting slowly shriller, he continued to drive, the city was quickly left behind them once he was on the wide, fast moving highway. At this late, or is it early, hour there wasn't very many people on the road, and those who were wouldn't pay attention to him, too caught up in their own dark business.
Once off the highway again it didn't take long for dark trees to begin to swallow the land, blocking the view of the sky and darkening the interior of the car. The prostitute's demands had long since tapered off into moaning cries as she sat, curled up against the door, her arms wrapped around her knees.
Pulling over onto a grassy shoulder he reached forward, turning off the car, leaving them with only the sounds of her wet sobs. He could hear the tick of the motor as it cooled, a slow rhythmic pace compared to the rabbit fast, erratic beat of the woman's' heart. "What do you want with me?" She moaned quietly, weakly pulling at the handle of the door, even though she already knew it wouldn't open for her.
He only smiled at her as he got out of the car, moving around to the passenger side. He stretched slowly, feeling his bones pop, the uncomfortable cramps from driving too long settling. He opened the door for her, stepped aside, looking like the picture perfect gentleman to an outsider, still smiling.
As soon as she scrambled from the car he slammed the door shut, his head tilting slightly to the side as he surveyed her again from behind his dark glasses, taking in the large healed shoes that were meant to make her legs look longer than they were. "You might want to run." He drawled, his grin growing wider as he took a small step toward her.
Predictably she reacted like a frightened rabbit, her eyes going wide before turning toward the trees, taking off running the best that her attire would let her.
He stood there watching her, the smile still firmly in place as he waited until he was sure she was out of sight. He reached up and took his sunglasses off, setting them on the hood of the car before he kicked off his boots. They were his favorite and he hated having to replace boots. It was hard to find a good, comfortable pair.
As soon as the shoes had been discarded he took off after her, his long legs quickly eating up the soft, damp earth. This, running, the hunt, was what he wanted. It was freedom. It didn't take long for the crunch of his bones to reach his ears, sweet pain flowing through his body as the bones broke and reformed, muscles changing. His skin prickled as his thick pelt began to grow, his ears shifting, traveling up to the top of his head as they elongated. He could feel his skull crack and reform, his jaw breaking and changing. Within minutes, though it felt longer, he was running on all fours, following the sweet scent of fear and desperation.
He dug his claws into the ground, running faster, mossy loam flying behind him as he closed the distance between himself and his Prey. Jowls pulled back to reveal his sharp, deadly canines, jaw snapping as he growled, his Prey insight now.
The woman screamed as she fell, her heels sinking into the soft forest floor. She looked back over her shoulder as she scrambled back to her feet, fingers buried in the soil. Her scream became louder, higher, richer when she saw him coming. She started to run again, zigzagging through the tree's. The scent of her fear growing stronger now.
His tongue hung from his mouth, tasting the air, tasting her, as he grew closer. The scent fed the need in him, the beast that fought to be loose. A sweet temptation he gave into as he finally overtook her, having grown weary of playing with his Prey.
Her skin was warm and damp as his large paws barreled into her shoulders, claws digging into the soft caramel skin. A sweet metallic scent joined the fragrance of fear as she fell to the ground below his large body, her screams renewed.
She thrashed beneath him, trying to get away, forcing his claws deeper into her skin as she managed to turn onto her back, coming face to face with the Angel of Death. It was at that moment, when she saw his face up close, felt his rank breath on her skin that her screams fell silent. Her mouth open in terror and her body shaking, thrashing, below him, but her voice stolen in unadulterated horror. He paused in his attack, still growling, saliva dripping from his parted jaws as he stood above her.
The silence didn't last long. With the first bite of his powerful jaws her screaming and struggles came back, a desperate plight to live. He ignored it, attacking, letting the beast within him loose. He could feel the bones in her arm splinter and break as he bit down, the muscles tearing from the cartilage as he ripped his powerful head to the side, causing the slick wet sound of the joints giving way as her arm was forcefully torn from her body. The squishing pop that was quickly followed by gush of sweet, metallic blood as his lower canine pierced her eye as if it were nothing but a grape. A simple bloody fruit.
It wasn't until his jaws closed around her neck, ripping at the artery, swallowing the sweet human flesh, that she finally fell still. Leaving the woods quiet except the sound of tearing flesh and crunching bone. When he was done with her, it would be doubtful if she would ever be identified, for there would not be enough of her left to connect with any missing person.
The quiet was broken again as the sun crept over the mountains to warm the damp forest. The deep purring rumble of the car came to life before it turned to a roar as the car sped toward the highway once again. The morning light gleamed off the cold metal as it headed on, to another town, another temporary home, and another victim. Always searching but never finding what it, what he, really wants.