Darkness Falls

I closed my eyes and concentrated, letting out my rage. I collapsed on all fours as my body pulsed and transformed. My bones broke and reformed into a hideous figure. My nails turned black and grew, until they resembled long claws. Finally, my body pushed out a disgusting amount of fur, covering my entire body. Luckily I had brought snap-on pants, that broke away as my body grew to an enormous size.

The man looked up at me in silent horror as he realized what I was. He wanted to scream, but could not move.

I bared my fangs, and opened my jaws wide. I used my raw strength, bit off his left arm, and chewed it up. His bones broke and created a sickening crunch that still grossed me out no matter how many times I fed. I then swallowed his arm and continued with the other one. Blood was shooting out of the stumps at the same rate as his frantic heartbeat, and he watched with horror as I continued to devour him.

Once I was finished with his arm, I used my claws and tore off his clothing, leaving him naked on the ground. I then quickly ate the rest of him, trying to not get spotted tearing someone limb from limb. I wasn't worried about the blood; the heavy rain was doing a good job at washing it away. One of the best perks about living in Oregon was the sheer amount of rain. It worked well to hide my tracks.

Once he was finished, I closed my eyes and returned to human form. I quickly put my pants back on and buttoned them. They were soaked in rain, but I didn't care. I already smelled like a wet dog anyways. I retrieved my jacket out of my backpack and put it back on, then pulled a black trash bag out as well. I gathered my dinner's shredded clothing and put it in the bag, tied it off and then stuffed it deep down into the dumpster.

I swung the backpack over my shoulder, and jumped back onto the rooftop with one graceful leap. I closed my eyes, listening for the labored heartbeat of the drunk woman. Once I found it, I ran in the direction of it. I expertly navigated the rooftops with ease until I caught up with her. As I watched over her, I had time to think about my recent transgressions.

I never wanted to be a werewolf. I was perfectly content with living life as I always had. Unfortunately, one fateful night I was going to a friend's house late at night. The news had warned about animal attacks, and the predator still hadn't been caught. I never would have thought that would happen to me. After all, you never think that something so tragic and devastating can happen when you're young. How wrong we all were.

I had decided to walk alongside the forest on the way to my friend's house. My father had pressured me to carry a gun, because that would have been my best chance against a cougar or even wild bear. Unfortunately, it was neither of those things. I had heard screaming, and decided to investigate. What I found forever changed my life. A woman was mortally injured, barely clinging to life.

She had been terrified of death, and had pleaded with me to save her. I had never felt so helpless, as I desperately tried to comfort the woman as she lay dying, nearly bitten in half. She died in my arms, and then the monster attacked me. It was a werewolf, though I did not know it at the time. Had I known, I would have put a bullet between my own eyes. The monster bit me, transferring its disease and curse to me. I shot it several times, giving me a chance to escape.

Over the next month I slowly transformed into the creature I tried to kill. It wasn't all bad, as I met the love of my life, Sarah. She was my nurse, and helped me heal after the traumatic encounter in more ways than one. I started having dreams of killing people, of killing Sarah and realized what I was becoming. I discovered my weakness to silver, and created a plan to kill myself with silver coated bullets. Right before I did, I discovered the freak that turned me into what I am had kidnapped Sarah. So, I proceeded to kill him and avenge all the innocent people he killed and tried to kill.

Ever since then, I vowed that I would use my every last breath defying my very nature. I now use my unholy powers to protect those that cannot protect themselves, and avenge those that were dealt injustices. Never again will I allow myself to be helpless when I can help people.

Finally, the woman appeared to walk up a driveway. She fumbled around with her keys, until she finally opened the door. Once she was inside, I darted away. As I was scaling the rooftops, I received a call. I pressed the answer button on my bluetooth headset, and continued to run. There was only one person who would call at this time of night.

"Are you busy?" Sarah asked.

It took more effort to talk and run, but I managed to do it pretty well. "Not anymore. I just finished eating." I told her.

Sarah sighed. She understood what needed to be done to control the beast within me. "You know you don't have to tell me when you do that. I understand and trust you." She responded in a disapproving tone. She was a doctor, and taking lives wasn't exactly something she was thrilled about.

"I tell you these things not because you want to hear about them, but to keep myself accountable. If I didn't vent to you, I might end up doing something I'll regret." I told her.

"Yes, I know. Are you okay? Did you stop it in time?" Sarah asked.

I leapt down onto the sidewalk and continued talking. "Yes, I'm fine. And yes, he won't be hurting anyone anymore." I replied. Sarah knew exactly what types of people I killed.

"Good. I'll see you when you get home. I have some news. I wouldn't call it good or bad but it's news nonetheless. Anyways, I'm on my way home from the hospital, I'll see you there. I love you." Sarah told me.

I smiled. I always loved hearing her say it. "I love you too. See you at home." I responded, then darted in the direction of home. I was only a couple of blocks away now.

After feeding I always felt incredibly full for a few days, and it could take up to a week before I got hungry again. Or at least that was the current pattern. So far I have only been a full werewolf for almost a month. I hated feeding, but it was the only way to make sure that I didn't accidentally harm anyone who didn't deserve it.

Once I rounded the corner to my home, I slowed the pace to a normal walking speed. I didn't want people potentially seeing me running abnormally fast. I retrieved my key, opened the door and headed inside. I closed the door behind me and breathed deeply. I was comforted by the familiar smells of our home, and darted to the fridge to retrieve a beer to drink until Sarah came home. I then went to the entertainment room, and played some games until I heard the front door open.

I got up, and went out to the living room to see Sarah angrily putting her coat on the coat rack. I raised an eyebrow, hoping it wasn't something I did or didn't do. "Is everything alright, love?" I asked.

Sarah looked at me with an annoyed expression, and sighed. "That depends on your definition of alright. My patient Colton finally awoke from his coma. I've told you before that I suspected he was something supernatural, and I think I found out what he is." Sarah replied, walking towards me and throwing her arms around me.

I gingerly held her, afraid of my own strength. She was healed from the stab wound she received when she had been kidnapped, but I still was overly gentle with her at night. I never again wanted to hurt her, especially since I was the one who almost killed her. I had been under mind control by the werewolf that turned me, and only barely managed to stop myself from killing her. She insisted that she was okay, but the guilt I felt for almost killing her still wouldn't let go.

I brushed Sarah's blonde hair out of the way and kissed her forehead. "What do you suspect he is?" I asked.

Sarah shook her head and pulled away, then stole my beer and took a drink. She then sat down on the couch and groaned in contempt. "I'm pretty sure he's a half vampire. He was on death's doorstep, mangled and broken with bones sticking out everywhere. When another doctor gave him a blood transfusion he healed from fatal wounds in two hours, right before my eyes." Sarah replied.

I scratched my head in confusion and sat down next to her. "It sounds like he's supernatural alright. I don't know about him being a vampire, though." I told her.

Sarah took another drink of my beer and sighed. "I didn't want to think so either. When I drew his blood, it was completely black. The strange thing is, when I drew his blood before the transfusion it was only red. He had flatlined, and Dr. Madison, your former doctor, used a transfusion as a last ditch effort to save him. After I discovered all of this I had to basically commit fraud by editing his medical files and omitting his injuries so that no one will question why he healed so quickly." Sarah replied.

I was shocked that Sarah would go to the lengths she has in order to hide what happened to Colton. "Why would you risk your career by doing that?" I asked critically. I couldn't believe what she told me.

Sarah rested her head on my shoulder and snuggled up to me. "Because some things are more important than a source of income. If I am right and other people find out what he is, then the whole world will find out. Imagine what would happen if the whole earth found out that vampires not only exist but werewolves as well. I keep thinking about what Maggie told us, and I am terrified of what could happen to you." Sarah replied. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arm around my chest.

I felt uneasy about her response. What the vampire had told us had been on my mind constantly, and I knew that it was a very real threat to us. I didn't care about what happened to me, but what could potentially happen to Sarah. If anything else happened to Sarah, I would never forgive myself. "What do you think we should do? Let's say that he is a half vampire. Then what?" I asked, running my fingers through her hair.

Sarah sighed. "I know the one thing I need to do, get Maggie to compel the doctors that worked on him to forget his injuries or replace the memories with less severe ones. Other than that, I don't know what we should do. Part of me thinks that we should just leave him alone. Unfortunately, someone knows that something is different about him, and I suspect he is one of the people plotting against us. He could very well be in danger, even as we speak. The other part of me sees what could happen to him if left unprotected, and thinks that we should recruit him. We need all the help we can get, and he would be a welcome addition. Especially since-" Sarah explained, then her voice trailed off.

I looked down at her. "What is it?" I asked.

Sarah slowly sat up and looked at me. "He has something that we don't. He told me as well as showed me some things that I still can't explain or make sense of." Sarah told me reluctantly.

I raised an eyebrow. "Like what?" I asked.

Sarah sighed. "You're not going to believe me if I told you. I don't even know if I believe it myself." She told me.

I rolled my eyes. "I am a werewolf and got my ass kicked by a vampire. There's not much that can surprise me anymore." I replied.

Sarah took a deep breath then put on a serious face. "Not only is he a half vampire, but he told me that he was something called an anchor. He claimed that he is a conduit for a spirit. He is haunted willingly by a ghost. He claimed that Maggie tried to kill the ghost. The ghost in question was able to move a pen right in front of me." She told me.

I laughed. "He said what? I think the morphine was getting to him." I replied.

Sarah shook her head. "I know you're joking, but we never gave him morphine, or any drug for that matter once I saw him instantly heal. This is serious. I literally saw a pen move and levitate in the air with my own eyes." Sarah told me, in a serious tone.

I rolled my eyes. "So he can do some tricks with a spooky ghost. Am I supposed to be impressed? I can turn into a giant werewolf." I replied.

Sarah shook her head. "That's not the point I'm trying to make. I'm not saying that he's better than you. What I'm saying is that he has abilities that we don't have, Maggie included. Right now, we need all the help we can get. He also needs our help, whether you like it or not. We need to stick together, even if we are all different." Sarah replied.

I didn't say anything. I knew she was right. It wasn't so long ago that she had helped me. It was what I loved about her- she saw the best in people when no one else saw it. I nodded. "Okay, what do you propose we do?" I asked.

Sarah sighed and shrugged in frustration. "I don't know. There's nothing that we can do right now. Let's just go to bed and brainstorm with fresh minds." Sarah replied.

I nodded. I scooped up Sarah in my arms, and walked to our bedroom. I dropped her on the bed as she playfully smacked my ass. I threw off my clothes except for my boxers, and Sarah did the same. I stared at her beautiful body, and climbed on top of her, kissing her passionately. As I squeezed Sarah's breasts she moaned softly.

I closed my eyes, remembering that I was potentially contagious at night and sighed. I released her from my grip, and kissed her on the forehead, then rolled off of her.

Sarah rolled on her side, pulled the covers up and snuggled up to me. "Don't worry. We'll always have tomorrow." She told me, then closed her eyes. Within a few minutes, her heartbeat and breathing slowed to a steady pace.

I turned off the light, and used my inhuman eyes to watch her as she slept. As sleep overtook me, I once again was transported to the hell that was my nightmares.

CHAPTER THREE - COLTON

As we pulled up to Heather's driveway, I felt an increasing sense of dread. I felt nervous, because I didn't want to be near any human right now. If I was a half vampire I could hurt Heather or worse. I began to panic when she turned the engine off.

"Well, we're here." Heather told me in a cheerful mood, trying to obviously make me feel better.

I nodded. I felt physically ill from the anxiety, but I tried my best to hide it. My stomach was twisting and turning, and my throat felt like it was on fire. I considered telling her to just take me home instead, but a voice inside my head stopped me.

"Just relax and breathe, you need to stay. The doctor said you need to be supervised." Annabelle told me.

I rolled my eyes but did my best to calm down by taking slow and deep breaths. I was fairly certain that I didn't need supervision, but for some reason Annabelle was intent on me staying. I expected her to argue but she didn't say anything back.

"Let's get inside, it's freezing out here." Heather told me after several minutes. It was clear she was worrying about me.

I nodded, undoing my seatbelt. I didn't want to say it, but taking deep breaths had definitely helped calm my nerves. I opened the door to her truck, and carefully stepped out.

Heather did the same, and walked over to me. She pressed the lock button once I closed the door, and guided me to her door. She opened it, and ushered me inside.

I hesitated at the door frame, then took a step in. Last time I was at her house, I felt a burning sensation when entering. This time it did not happen.

Heather closed the door behind us and guided me down the hallway and to her living room on the left. "Is there anything you want to eat or drink?" Heather asked.

My mind instantly thought of blood, and my throat felt like it lit on fire. I held my throat to try and soothe the pain. "A glass of water is fine." I told her as I winced in pain.

Heather nodded. "I'll be right back." She replied, and went into the kitchen.

I heard the ice machine turn on, so I turned my head to see what she was doing. I noticed that Heather was wearing leggings that hugged her beautiful ass well. Something started to stir in my nether region, and I turned away in shame, taking a deep breath and trying to calm myself.

Heather walked over to me, and handed a glass of ice water to me. She then sat down next to me, and looked at me. "Are you tired?" She asked.

I shook my head. "No, I just came out of a month-long coma. I don't think I'll be tired for a while." I replied.

Heather nodded. "I don't think that with the energy drinks I have had that I'll be going to bed anytime soon either. Do you want to watch anything?" She asked.

I nodded. "Sure. What about Criminal Minds? We watched that last time." I replied.

Heather smiled. "Sure! I'll load up Netflix and start it." Heather told me. She picked up a PS4 controller and turned it on. "I'll be right back." Heather told me, then got up and went to her bedroom.

I finished signing in for her, and booted up Netflix. I started searching through the shows that she watched out of curiosity, and found out that we watched a lot of the same shows. She had a few Marvel movies on her list, as well as a Star Wars movie. She watched iZombie just like I did, and had seen every episode. I went to Criminal Minds and started an episode.

"Find anything you like?" Heather asked, walking back to the couch.

I did a double take, seeing she was in a thin revealing nightgown, and she also was carrying a blanket. "Yeah, several things. I see you like Marvel and Star Wars." I told her in an approving voice.

"Yeah, I love both. I go to every Marvel movie in theaters." Heather replied. She sat down, snuggled up next to me and put the blanket over both of us.

I stiffened up, holding my breath. Heather wasn't exactly in modest clothing, and I knew that Annabelle could hear and see everything. Still, she remained silent. I tried to turn my focus completely on the TV, and tried to ignore Heather's barely contained breasts against my side. She certainly wasn't making it easy.

On the screen, there was a man being brutally tortured as the serial killer electrocuted him repeatedly. He was clearly not going to survive the torture. Suddenly, the door of the garage burst open and FBI agents held the serial killer at gunpoint. They were trying to convince him to put the cattle prod down. The man then reached for something behind his back, and the agents shot him.

Heather shifted her position until her breasts almost deliberately rubbed against my side. She then wrapped her arm around mine, intertwining her fingers in mine.

My mind started to wander as I lost interest in the show, and gained interest in what was happening beside me. I wrapped my arm around Heather, and she locked my arm under hers. She squeezed my hand affectionately, and shifted positions once more, giving me better access.

I froze in place, feeling ashamed. I removed my arm, and stood up. I looked at Heather. "I need to use the bathroom, I'll be right back." I told her, then headed to the bathroom. No doubt Annabelle was angry.

I opened the door and closed it behind me. I grabbed both sides of the sink and looked in the mirror at myself in disgust at what I had just done. I had no idea what was happening to me, or why I was having feelings for Heather. Maggie had been quite clear that I would only have feelings for Annabelle for the rest of my unnatural life. I felt terrible, for even thinking of Heather that way, and ashamed because Annabelle knew my every thought. Even worse, Annabelle couldn't just leave or break up with me, she was there at all times.

Annabelle materialized behind me, looking at my reflection in the mirror. Her expression was unreadable but not angry.

I cupped my head in my hands in frustration, and sighed. "I am so sorry! I don't know what's happening to me! I don't know why I am having feelings for her, and I am sorry for acting on them." I apologized in a whisper.

Annabelle surprisingly looked sympathetic. She wasn't mad, but rather thoughtful. "I don't know what is going on either. The unbreakable bond we once shared is gone, I can feel it. I'm still anchored to you, and I can feel your love for me but it's not as unwavering as it once was. I can feel your affections for Heather as well." Annabelle replied.