Unleashed

"My fangs are pooped." She bent over to pluck the plastic fake canines out of the dirt where they'd landed and then snagged her bag to lift the strap over her shoulder.

"You can use mine. I look scary enough without them." I walked back over to her and unlocked the final shackle that was still latched onto her right wrist. I thought about replacing them inside my cloak but since I didn't want to feel them weighing against my back all night, I threw them onto the bench instead so they could rust along with it.

"Aren't you going to keep them?"

"I'd rather never look at the things again, now that we know you're ok." I slipped my hand into hers and we started the walk towards the party.

"We could make some nice memories with them." She placed her other hand upon mine and followed along with a little smirk on her face.

"I'll buy you some more comfortable fluffy handcuffs for your birthday. We can make some nice memories with those instead."

"Ooooh! Deal!"

- - - - -

The party was happening at a local pub and was already full of would-be teenage drunkards by the time we got there. The landlord was father to one of the students and had likely made a small fortune hosting our parties over the years. It was a fair-sized place with a large drinking lounge and smallish dance floor. We slipped inside to hear the voice of Lady Gaga and I pulled out my ID before making my way towards the bar. We were soon intercepted as Ed popped out of the darkness and the small crowd nearby.

"Hey! Look who made it! Y'alright mate?" Evidently Ed had already had a few as he clouted me on the back in what was supposed to be a friendly gesture but partially ended up with him using me as a prop to stay upright. He soon caught sight of Jenny thereafter. "Jenny! Your tits look awesome!" He professed before giving her a slightly more well-balanced hug.

"Thanks, Ed." She grinned at me and rolled her eyes as Ed managed to lift himself up to stand of his own accord.

I bought Jenny and me our usual and we settled down at one of the tables to laugh it up with Ed and Kasey who had indeed shown up as a rather skinny Batman. The night rolled on and the drinks kept coming until Jenny dragged me up onto the dance floor. I wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea since I'm somewhat less of a dancer and more of a wobbler but the lady was insistent. I was very happy to learn that there was a good deal less of my usual wobbling involved as she pulled me close and sealed her lips against mine before starting to sway to the music.

We were doubtlessly raising a few eyebrows on the dance floor. Thankfully, Jenny had slipped the plastic fangs into her little bag before starting up and so there were no awkward obstructions between our tongues as we hungrily plundered each other's mouths. Beneath my hands, she felt as if she was burning up with feverish delight and soon enough she shoved me back a little to get some space between our lips whilst our bodies still rested against each other.

"Let's get one of the rooms here." She suggested between heated pants.

"Everyone will know what we're up to." I warned, though I was unable to muster much argument to my voice.

"Good. I want everyone to know. I'd have you right here, right now if I could get away with it." Her red eyes had once again attained that focused and intense look about them.

"I'll meet you upstairs then." Damn if I was going to reject any such offer from the gorgeous vixen.

She flashed me a bright smile and hurried away after giving me a final peck on the cheek to go fetch her bag and say goodnight to Ed and Kasey before making her way into the shadows where the staircase was waiting.

I made my way to the bar and pulled the paper bank notes from my wallet that would undoubtedly lead to a night of unspeakable pleasure. It was when I was waiting in the line there that Kasey and Ed caught up with me.

"Hey there lover boy!" Kasey called out.

They were both wearing the biggest shit eating grins I've ever seen.

"She couldn't wait to get you home? What are you doing to that girl? How do I get a girl and do it too?" Ed had cut down on his alcohol intake and had spent the last two hours sobering up.

"I dunno, prayer?" I was trying to be modest but I couldn't resist a little smirk of my own.

"Ha! I prefer to lead a life of sin," Kasey wisely philosophised.

"So you two are going well then?" Ed's smile became somewhat more encouraging.

"Really well. Yeah. Everything I ever dreamed it would be and all that."

"Yes sir?" The barman caught my attention and I turned to lift up the small collection of bank notes.

"Room for the night please?" I asked.

I wasn't the first drunk young party-goer to ask and the man quickly chuckled to himself and then snatched my money before going to get a key. I turned back to both Ed and Kasey who were now staring at me with wide awe-struck eyes.

"Dude." They both spoke in unison.

It was my turn to give the shit-eating grin.

Just when I was getting all warm and fuzzy inside, we all turned our heads to look towards the sound of a car alarm bursting to life outside. Normally noises like that didn't register since I didn't drive a car, but a guy running through the doors with an un-nerved look about him definitely caught my attention.

"Some guy's gone crazy out there! He's smashing up the car park." That definitely got everyone's attention.

It didn't really matter to me. I figured let the crazies be crazy. Plus, it wasn't like there weren't fifteen guys suddenly rushing out there trying to protect their wheels. I stood there at the bar with Ed as Kasey rushed over to the window with everyone else to try and see what was happening. The bartender had shifted his attention from getting my key to calling the police. I could hardly blame the guy so I simply stood there and waited for the commotion to settle down. I picked up my drink and lifted the glass to my lips when Kasey turned back to us with a very troubled look in his eyes.

"Larry. It's Jenny's ex out there."

My glass fell from my hand to smash over the stone floor around the bar. Stuart hadn't shown up in weeks. We thought that the police had finally scared him off. My legs were moving before I realised where they were going, right outside toward where the lunatic was waiting. Ed and Kasey called out to me to stop but I wanted to get Stuart the hell away from that place before Jenny figured out what was going on. Given her condition and the moonlight pouring over the place then Stuart's presence would have been like throwing napalm on a hot flame.

The cool night air hit me like an icy slap in the face as I shoved my way out through the small crowd in the doorway to stumble upon Stuart's chaos. Shards of glass littered the ground all around him from the many car windows he'd shattered with his metal baseball bat. Some poor bastard who had undoubtedly tried to stop the madness was laying face down on the ground with blood seeping onto the concrete from the impact wound on his left temple. No one else seemed to dare to go near him but everyone wanted a front row seat to the action that was unfolding. A few of the guys that had rushed out to protect their cars now stood hesitant because of the body at Stuart's feet.

Then he saw me.

His eyes seemed glazed and permanently shaped into a hate-filled glare. In the moment that he laid eyes on me, I knew he was about to rush forward with that bloodied weapon and batter me senseless. I wasn't wrong. He jumped up onto the hood of one of the cars and leapt forward to start his charge. His bat raised up in the air and bloody murder in every drug-induced movement. I didn't know anything about fighting. I sure as hell didn't know anything about disarming a coked-up lunatic. Going back into the crowd would have probably been the safest bet to keep my ass intact but it would also likely mean that a number of other folks would get their bones broken in the process.

So I just stood there like a deer in the headlights of an out of control freight train, waiting to get beaten to death. If it wasn't for something extraordinarily absurd occurring in the instant before Stuart finally closed the ground between us then I would most certainly have gone the way of the dodo.

"Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, Batman!" Kasey was apparently a good deal more drunk than I gave him credit for.

The battle cry was enough to make Stuart glance toward where Kasey was running towards him, cape billowing behind his skinny body as he hurtled to my defence. Stuart saw the ridiculous attack just in time and spun around to land his bat hard against Kasey's ribs. The sudden gurgling gasp that came from my friend made my stomach lurch. Something inside me snapped, then for the first time since I'd seen Stuart that night, fear fell away to be replaced by something else entirely. Anger.

Lots and lots of anger.

My enraged scream and sudden charge caught Stuart completely off guard. I saw something in his eyes when he looked at me, the emptiness and frenzied expression faded to genuine worry as he saw me finally snap. A quick attempt to swing his bat upwards sent air rushing past my ear as he couldn't quite manage to connect and I slipped away to charge right into him. We both fell backwards onto the concrete beneath and Stuart's head cracked against the stone. I don't think he even felt the impact as his surprise turned to fury and he raised his arms to try to fight back. I was angry, I was strong and I was fast but I hadn't been in many brawls. The first punch to my stomach winded me immediately and Stuart quickly followed up with a clattering jab to the face that was more than enough for him to take control. We fought there amidst the broken glass until rage gave way to exhaustion and Stuart pinned my shoulders down to the ground. Sharp shards dug into my back through the costume cape I was still wearing as Stuart looked down at me to show a bloody and malicious grin.

A loud, dull thunk clapped through the air and Stuarts grin faded before his eyes went wide and lost focus. Finally, he slumped to one side to reveal Ed stood behind him with a full bottle of Jack Daniels with a little red smear on the corner. Stuart managed to stumble up to his feet and lunged forwards to get away from Ed and released me in the process. His baseball bat had fallen to the ground and he turned around to find his gaze focusing on several very angry car owners slowly prowling towards him. That was all it took to turn the insanity into cowardice and I watched as he stumbled back to his bike and brought it to life as quickly as possible. It was a close call as to whether he'd make it before the six or seven guys with bloody murder set on their faces caught up to him. I suppose luck always sides with the devil, for he managed to roll out of there intact yet driving somewhat erratically.

"Fuck, man. Are you ok?" Ed looked down at me.

I lifted my head and nodded to him weakly as I forced more air into my aching body. "Get Kasey."

Ed's look of mild concern turned a much deeper shade of worried when I mentioned the caped crusader and he turned to run off. I managed to sit upright and a few of the bystanders came over to help out. Kasey was lying back on the floor and breathing erratically. A few specks of blood were settled upon his lips and trickling down his chin. Ed rushed over along with a few of Kasey's other friends.

"Help me get him into my car. I'll take him to the hospital." One of the onlookers offered.

Normally that might have been a problem but the pub was so far away from the hospital that waiting for an ambulance to turn up would have been more dangerous. I got to my feet and managed to stumble over with the help of one of the guys whose car had been wrecked.

"Nice going, Batman." I smiled weakly down at Kasey. He definitely didn't look so good.

"Th-thanks. I think n-next year I might dress up as someone who runs-the-fuck away though." Kasey managed to speak, surprising most of us in the process.

"I'll go with him." Ed offered.

"Thanks. I'll stay for when the police turn up." My stomach and face were already feeling a little better.

Ed nodded and helped the others to get Kasey safely into the back of one of the unbroken cars before he hopped into the front passenger seat and the driver set off for the hospital. Other people were talking amongst themselves about Stuart. A few of them came over to offer me their thanks for my part in stopping him but I didn't really feel like receiving it. He'd managed to slip away again.

It was then, when I was thinking about what he might do next, that I realised Stuart's bike wasn't the only one resting in the parking lot. Two other empty Harleys rested upon their props, partially concealed by the side of the pub. The sight of them sent a sudden wave of tension through me.

Where was Jenny?

She should have heard the noise. Seen who it was. She should have been out in the car park with the rest of us. I quickly turned to scan the faces. No golden blonde heads. No Jenny.

Fear got adrenaline pumping through my body and I quickly turned to rush back into the building, out of the small crowd of people and up the stairs. They must have thought I was going inside to be sick or something. No one followed me. All of them had too much to talk about.

Inside the pub was practically empty so I quickly rushed up the stairs to where the usual four rental rooms waited for young lovers to fill them. The corridor was narrow and all of the doors were closed except for one at the far end that was slightly ajar. The little crack of air revealed nothing but darkness and I quickly sprinted down to burst through the door. I hit it with a hell of a lot of force as it quickly slammed back into place behind me. The room was almost completely dark with the exception of a window with heavy curtains pulled over its frame that let a slight silvery glow through the thick material.

My breaths came hard and heavy as my eyes tried to see through the dark. When those quick pants died down I heard something move nearby. Something that reached out in the dark to grab my jacket and tear it open along with my shirt. I was forcefully pulled forward until my mouth was crushed against wet, juicy lips and my arms settled around a familiar shapely body.

Jenny.

I tried to pull away, to tell her what had happened. She was having none of it. Instead, I was shoved backwards until the bed took my legs from under me to send me sprawling back. The wetness stayed on my mouth before her lips found mine again and kissed me hungrily. Iron and copper ran over my tongue and for a moment I thought she might have burst her lip.

The growl that followed wasn't anything a human throat was capable of making.

My eyes opened wide and my arm reached out to the side of the bed for a lamp. I touched the cool, smooth pot base and found it warm and wet before sliding my fingers upwards and finding the switch.

- - - - -

I flicked the light on and saw the horror that Jenny had wrought. The wallpaper was splattered heavily with dark scarlet that still slowly seeped down to the floor in thick droplets. Torn lumps of flesh were hanging from the lamp shade beside the bed with tendons and muscle still attached. Jenny lifted herself up to rest atop me, looking down over my body. Those red contacts must have been torn away as she stared at me with fiercely bright, yellow eyes. Her silver amulet was gone and her chest was bare, the two firm, round breasts were coated with a thick layer of blood that carried on upwards to cover her mouth where her jaws seemed to have expanded a few inches to jut forwards with long, razor tipped teeth linking perfectly between them.

Her hair had grown much more wild and now fell to her lower back. The ridge of her brow was much more prominent, outlining those eyes of hers with dark shadows. Every inch of her body was pure, lean muscle that now pulsed outward and was laced with bulging veins. The hands that rested on my chest, over my heart, were much larger than before and each thick finger was tipped with a long, black claw.

The blood-soaked feminine figure was looking directly at me as she took deep breaths that made her chest heave with each effort. Those legs that I had so longed to be between so many times before, now pinned me down with a knee digging into the bloodied covers on each of my flanks.

"Oh God, Jen. Jen, I'm so sorry." I reached up to touch her face and my fingers found her cheek and felt that the flesh was pulled too tightly over the bone and muscle beneath.

I thought I was already dead, but even then, that was all I could think to say to her. I didn't scream or plead. I saw tears blurring my eyes as Jenny looked upon me and then lifted her own hands up to look at the long talons that had grown in their place. The sight of herself made her jump back and I heard the sound of a dog's whimper. Her back hit the far wall with a shuddering impact and she clawed at her own hands in what seemed to be an attempt to make them go away. Her own blood speckled across the floor. I sat up in the bed to go to her when I saw what remained of Stuart's accomplices.

The first was laid on his back alongside the bed. He had been rolled aside like forgotten garbage to lifelessly slump down onto the carpet. I could see several of his ribs jutting out of his chest, encircling the large hole that had been gouged over his heart. Nausea lifted up through my stomach and threatened to overwhelm my mind.

Then I saw the other one, slumped behind the door to the room with his throat ripped apart by Jenny's claws. Dark blood still poured freely over his clothing and pooled around his body. The look in his eyes was not of fear but of distant, glassy shock. As if he never had the chance to work out what had happened to him before death had taken him. I saw that his hand was missing completely. It had fallen to lie on the carpet, still clutching Jenny's silver amulet. She would never have taken it off willingly. They must have attacked her, dragged her inside and then started to rip at her clothes until the amulet had been torn from around her neck.

Jenny had been unleashed.

The urge to vomit fell away along with the fear of what had happened, forced into subsidence by another, much more potent force. Rage. I knew then that I was going to kill Stuart. It was an inevitable and inescapable truth. A path lined with raw, hot fury upon which I eagerly took my first step.

I moved with sudden purpose as the adrenaline surged. It didn't take a moment to snatch up the severed hand on the floor and quickly pry away the still-warm fingers to take the amulet. The thing had started to stink, with an awful smell that seemed to have been released in the wake of Jenny's change. I grabbed the silver disc and turned to go to her. It had worked before, it had stopped her change. I hoped to hell it could bring her back.

The change had continued. Her mouth could now be called a muzzle as her nose had been ground down to two small holes at the peak of the snout. She tried to move her mouth but her skin tore at the corners where it seemed to be pulled far too tight. Her sense of balance seemed to be shifting too as she slumped herself against the wall after trying to stand. The smooth, bronze skin had grown paler and the first wave of thin hairs had begun to sprout across her flesh. It must have itched like crazy as she clawed feverishly at her own body in a futile effort to stop what was happening to her.

I lunged forwards and pressed the amulet to her skin. It immediately hissed and Jenny let out a deafening roar of agony as the silver pressed to the back of her shoulder. She quickly lashed out at me with one of those terrible claws. The back of her hand connected with my ribs and I felt something crack inside me before I was sent hurtling back against the wall.