The Searcher of Souls Part 3

     After Kate had finished reading the parchment, she looked at the shadow and asked, "Don't I have to be dead to be what you are?" and that's when the dark shadowy figure reached out and took Kate's hand. In the blink of an eye, Kate was taken away with the dark figure only to end up standing on the side of the highway was there had been an accident. It was a mess and there was carnage everywhere. It looked to be about eight cars involved in the accident. Kate could see bodies thrown all over the highway, some hanging outside of their cars, but most were screaming for help. She wanted to help them but when she reached out to take someone's hand her hand seemed to just swipe right through the victim's hand.
     Then, Kate could hear the sound of multiple rescue vehicles approaching from down the highway. She stood there helpless and could feel their pain as well. That's when the dark figure took her by the hand and walked around the accident in search of souls to steal. Kate stood next to the figure as if in training while the figure reached out its flesh melting hand and reached into the victim only to remove the soul from the person even while they are still alive causing instant death to the victim. All she could do was stand there with tears rolling down her face as one by one he stole the souls of those injured in the accident.
     When it came to the last victim which was still alive, the figure grabbed Kate's hand and thrust it into the victim's body like it wasn't even there. The dark figure assisted Kate in pulling the soul from the victim while watching the sobbing person collapse instantly becoming lifeless. His eyes were still open and she could see the pupils dilate and become fixed as his life force diminished. Kate had become distraught over what she had done and felt so much remorse and guilt for causing another human being's death. She looked up at the figure and pleaded to be taken back home. They quickly disappeared from the accident and Kate opened her eyes to see her own house.
     Kate began asking the dark figure questions like why is it choosing her and what if she doesn't accept the offer? The dark figure began writing in the air in front of Kate which read "become or perish". She then took a step back in horror as she was being told that her only two choices were to become Death or lose her life and end up God knows where. She informed the dark figure that she would have to think about it and that's when the figure wrote in the air again "two days". She repeated it back to it that she had two days to choose? Then, the figure disappeared into thin air.
     At this point, Kate was not only exhausted but now stressed about the decision she only had two days to make. Could her life get any worse? Then, the phone rang and when she picked it up to answer, it was her mother's voice on the other end checking up on her daughter. By the stress in Kate's voice, her mother could sense something was wrong. She started questioning Kate about what was troubling her and Kate kept stating that there wasn't anything wrong. Her mother, being overbearing as she was, asked her daughter to meet her for lunch which Kate wholeheartedly agreed to. She informed her mother that she would meet downtown at a well-known cafe in about an hour and then hung up the phone.
     Kate walked into her kitchen and grabbed a cold bottle of water from the fridge and began drinking it until it was gone. She grabbed a second one which she took with her into her bedroom to change clothing. Being with her mother was not a sweats or jeans kind of setting. She knew she had to wear a dress with makeup and her hair properly worn. Kate thought to herself as she got dressed that this might be the last time she sees her mother.
     Once she was ready, Kate grabbed her house keys and headed out the door. It was a beautiful day with a very light breeze as she walked down the sidewalk toward downtown. She listened to the birds chirping as she began thinking about her choices. As she got closer to town, she was walking past a big brick church which had it's doors open. She thought to herself for a moment while staring at the open doorway that it couldn't hurt to stop in for a minute. Kate started walking towards the door and was met by the pastor at the door. He looked at Kate and smiled as she walked inside.
     Once she walked down the aisle and sat for a minute in one of the nearby pews staring up at the statue of Jesus Christ. She felt the urge to talk to him and began speaking to it like it was a real person sitting there with her. As she was talking, the pastor came over down the aisle and asked Kate if he could sit with her a moment. She agreed to speak with him and his first words were "are you okay?", and she replied back that she was just a little stressed. She then asked the pastor why he asked her that, his reply was that he sensed something was bothering her by the expression on her face. Kate just shook her head and told him she was fine when in the back of her mind she was not so fine.
     She asked the pastor to pray with her and to ask for insight and wisdom to make the right decisions in her life. The pastor grabbed her crossed hands and began praying with her. Afterward, Kate thanked the pastor before getting up and walking down the aisle back towards the doors. She stepped outside the doors meeting the sun directly in her eyes before heading back down the street for downtown. As she walked, every now and then she would get a glimpse of the dark figure as if he were following her but she tried to pay it no mind.
     Kate reached the cafe and walked inside. She saw her mother seated in the middle of the cafe and headed towards her. As she reached the table, her mother looked up and smiled at her. She sat down and smiled back at her mother before asking her how her day has been going. Her mother was reading her expressions and can tell when something is bothering her daughter. She then starts to pick away at Kate's mind and thoughts. It started to bother Kate and she politely asked her mother to stop to which she did. The waitress had come over to their table to take their order. After her mother ordered her food it was Kate's turn. She ordered something light like a salad and some of the cafe's special chili which Kate loved so much. The waitress smiled at Kate before turning to go back towards the kitchen.
     While they waited for their food they enjoyed a pleasant conversation about current events and then her mother began speaking about the car accident on the highway. Kate became a little unnerved at her mother's choice of current conversation. She thought to herself that maybe her mother spotted her on the television taking those souls with the dark figure but her mother made no comment on the subject. Then, her mother changed the subject and went on to ask her daughter when she plans on dating again. Kate just looked at her mother and told her that dating was the furthest thing from her mind right now. She was more focused on her job and living life than finding some man to tie her down and stress her out.
     The waitress soon brought their food over and they began eating. Kate was cherishing her bowl of chili which her mother despised because of its grease and fat content. She started to tell her daughter how certain foods were bad for her health and she should take heed to what she eats. After that her mother made the comment "men don't find a chubby woman attractive" and that is when Kate looked up at her mother and insisted they change the subject. Again, Kate was feeling stressed out just by her mother's opinions and comments. When hey finished their food, Kate was about ready to head back home with a very full stomach. Her thought about her choices was nowhere in her thoughts at that moment. They had gotten their things together, got up from the table and headed for the cashier.
     Kate started to reach into her purse when her mother told her she would pay for the lunch and Kate said, "thank you" to her. After paying for their meal, they both walked towards the front door when caught out of the corner of her eye, Kate noticed the dark figure again. It was standing outside one of the windows as if watching her. She was almost afraid to walk out the door, but her mother headed out first. Once Kate stepped outside the door, she could no longer see the dark shadowy figure and it put her at ease.
     Kate walked her mother to her car and they hugged each other before her mother got inside. Her mother rolled the window down and told her daughter how much she enjoyed their lunch and that she loved her very much with or without a man in her life which brought a smile to Kate's face. They then said their goodbyes before Kate stood there watching as her mother pulled off and drove down the road. While she headed for home, the thought hit her again that she had two days before she had to make that horrible decision to become a searcher of souls.
     Once she made it to her door, she looked down and there was a piece of parchment paper laying on the floor. Kate reached down and picked up the old paper and there were only four words written on it, "you have two days". It again startled Kate and she hurriedly opened her door and got inside. She locked her door up tight and wanted nothing to do but relax and clear her mind. She put the piece of paper down on the table with her keys and then walked into the living room. She walked over to her cozy looking sofa and gently sat and laid back on it. As she felt every muscle in her body relax into that sofa, Kate drifted off into a somber sleep.

The Searcher of Souls Part 1

   
     Kate was your everyday female who worked hard at her job and listened to the drama of everyone else's life. She was a friend to many who usually just needed her to listen to their problems and give them some advice. Kate was twenty-six years old, a little big boned for her height, with long blonde hair, and deep brown eyes. She lived alone in her two bedroom apartment which the spare bedroom was for her mother when she came to visit. She worked in an advertising firm which the pay was okay but it did have long hours. She really didn't care for the social nightlife that her friends liked. She only has a drink every now and then but mostly when it is a special occasion.
     Everyday Kate went to work, came home to her fluffy white cat, Pearl, and sat at her desk working on the next day's project. She was no social butterfly but she liked it that way. Her last date was about three weeks ago and it was quick and pleasant, but she wasn't really into the whole dating scene as of yet. She lived a simple life with only a few close friends, her overbearing mother, her fluffy cat Pearl, and an annoying ex-boyfriend who stalks her because she won't take him back.
     Her life might have been simple but she pretty much had a routine that anyone could keep up with. She woke up every morning and headed for the bathroom to shower, get dressed, and put her makeup on. She always just threw her hair into a ponytail and went about her way. She would walk into her kitchen, feed Pearl, and start the coffee maker. While the coffee was brewing Kate would turn on the television and check out the morning news.
     Once the coffee was finished, she would grab a cup, grab her briefcase, and run out the front door. Luckily for her, she only lived a few blocks away from work. As she walked down the street, she would stop at the local news stand for her morning paper. It was such a nice morning on this one particular day that she slowed her pace to work just to take in the fresh morning sunshine. Sipping her coffee, listening to the morning noise of jackhammers and cars, and thinking about her new project she was working on took her mind away just for a few minutes before she witnessed a truly bad pedestrian accident.
     She watched as a pedestrian crossing the street at a crosswalk when suddenly a blue Chevy Nova turned the corner and plowed right into the pedestrian. She watched as the person's frail body flew up into the air and over the Nova's hood. Kate, dropping her coffee, could sense that the person would be badly hurt so she pulled out her cell phone and called the police to report the accident.
     The Chevy Nova stopped and the driver got out to check on the pedestrian, who was laying lifeless on the hood. Kate got a little closer and could see blood running from the person's ears and mouth. It didn't look good for the pedestrian at all. She was an older senior citizen probably in her seventies with a small petite frame. She had white and silver hair and as she lay there on the hood of the car with her eyes open, you could see how sky blue they were.
     Kate got closer and could see that the woman was not breathing and her eyes were in a fixed position to which she looked still as if she were a statue in a wax museum. As Kate stood there staring at this woman with the operator on the phone, she noticed what appeared to be a dark shadow out of the corner of her eye. She looked around in the direction which she saw it and couldn't see anything. By the time she looked back towards the woman she saw this tall dark shadow figure standing right next to the dead woman on the hood of the Chevy Nova.
     She could not see any face and that the shadow appeared to be wearing some type of ritual robe that was hooded covering the face of the visitor. Kate watched as this shadow figure waved its hands over and across the elderly woman's body. After doing this for several minutes, Kate saw this woman's spirit raise up from her body. Kate wiped her eyes to make sure she was seeing thing correctly. The hooded figure looked up in Kate's direction as if he noticed her watching, grabbed the spirits hand who didn't want to go willingly, and then disappeared with it.
     Kate stood there for a few minutes while hearing the ambulance sirens in the background as they came down the road. "Was that who I thought it was?", Kate asked herself. She was not really a religious person and only remember the stories that her mother told her of heaven and hell. Then her older brother who was into the whole heavy metal scene always tried frightening her with a dark spirit known as the grim reaper who took lost souls to hell.
     This figure couldn't have been the grim reaper, he had no sickle in his hand, but she will always remember how he looked at her almost like he would come for her next. She could not see his face well but did notice those eyes that were of flames from hell. They were orangish red and seemed to glow in the darkness that surrounded them. Kate was startled back to reality when a passerby bumped into her, and then she noticed the paramedics trying to revive the old woman. She thought to herself that they would not revive her because she has gone to the other side.
     Kate looked down at her watch and noticed that she was late for work so she hurried by the crowd that was surrounding the accident. She was only a block away from work but it seemed to take such a long time getting there. Once she made her way inside the door she was met by her boss who was concerned about her being late because Kate was never late for work. She informed her boss of the accident she saw on the way over and that sufficed her boss who then went on his way back to his office.
     The work environment at her job was fast paced but Kate could not get that image out of her head. Those eyes which seemed to sere their way through her body as it glanced at her. This figure was taller than any man she knew of and it wore such a creepy robe like it was going to perform some ritual right there on the hood of that car. Before she knew it, she found herself sketching the image that she saw standing over that old woman. It was frightening even on paper.
     Kate noticed that her boss was headed in her direction and quickly put the drawing away as to not let anyone see it. She folded it up and slipped it inside her briefcase closing it just as her boss reached her workstation. "Is everything okay, Kate?", her boss asked. "Yes, everything is fine, Mr. Brennan, just getting things set up to work on the new project", Kate replied. "Good, keep up the good work Kate", her boss stated as he walked away. Kate went ahead and began working on her new project as if nothing strange had happened that morning, and by the end of the day, she had turned in her new ad campaign to her boss who was very pleased with her ideas.
     At the end of the day which seemed to go on forever, Kate was finally headed for home. She stopped in at a local cafe for a bite to eat since she didn't feel up to cooking when she got home. While sitting at the cafe table waiting on her food, Kate's phone went off ringing until she finally grabbed it to answer. When she said "hello", there was a creepy, ghostly-like voice on the phone that said, "I'll be seeing you soon" and then hung up. It startled Kate for a minute before she was on the phone calling one of her friends to come meet her.
     Sarah, who was Kate's closest friend showed up at the cafe wanting to know if Kate was okay. She noticed that Kate sounded a little disturbed when she spoke to her on the phone. Kate was happy to see Sarah and gave her a big hug when she walked up. Sarah sat down at the table when the waitress came over asking if she needed anything to which she replied that she would like a diet soda and a side salad. While the waitress was writing that down on her pad, Kate looked at Sarah and asked, "How is that diet working out for you?" Sarah looked at Kate smiling and replied, "How is that outfit working out for you"?
     They both just laughed and it was good for Kate to laugh being what she is going through at the moment. Kate leaned across the table closer to Sarah whispering to her asking about the grim reaper. Sarah looked up from her phone at her best friend asking if she was alright. Kate nodded and then began telling her about the accident she witnessed earlier that morning. She hesitated for a minute before telling Sarah about the shadowy figure that took the old woman's spirit.
     Sarah reached over feeling Kate's forehead asking if she was feverish. She listened as Kate told her everything about that accident and then told her about the creepy phone call just before she called Sarah. Sarah now had a concerned look on her face as her friend seemed distracted while talking with her. Sarah, who was a devout Christian, spoke to Kate about heaven and hell and all the demons walking around, and that she didn't believe in the grim reaper. That was just a made up creation by someone on acid. They both sat there and just laughed at the whole ordeal before the waitress came over with their food.
     They both turned the conversation to something lite-hearted while enjoying their food. Kate was enjoying a grease dripping hamburger which was making Sarah a little queasy due to her being a vegetarian, but Kate couldn't resist a good burger and that cafe made the best. They sat there conversating while eating before leaving the waitress a tip and heading out the door. While standing outside the cafe door, Sarah lit up a cigarette and when she had blown the white smoke from her mouth, Kate's reply was, "You're a vegetarian who smokes?" Sarah looked over at Kate and they both smiled before hugging goodbye to each other.
     Kate went ahead and walked home, but on the way, she saw yet another car accident where the driver lost control and drove right into a telephone pole ejecting him halfway through the windshield. Again, she reached for her phone calling for an ambulance. While she stood there about ten feet from the wrecked vehicle, Kate, again noticed the same black shadowy figure coming from the other side of the car towards the driver. She watched as the tall figure reached in and grabbed the man's spirit like a child snatching a cookie. She could almost hear the driver's spirit crying out to not take him.
     While Kate stood there in shock, again the dark figure looked up at her with those fiery eyes and spoke the words from the darkness, "I'll see you soon". It made Kate tremble on the inside hearing those words again just like the phone call. This time Kate wasn't waiting around for the ambulance and quickly walked to her apartment. She did not stop until she was behind her apartment door locked tight. She thought to herself, "Was it talking to me"? She felt a little more relaxed being home and hearing Pearl meowing for food.
     She walked into her kitchen and opened a can of cat food for Pearl and waited while her cat jumped up onto the counter to eat before standing there petting it and telling Pearl how her day went. Once Pearl was finished eating and jumped down off of the counter, Kate went into the living room, turning on the television only to see the news about the pedestrian accident she witnessed earlier that morning. She sat there staring at the television and watching it all the way up until the paramedics got there but did not see the dark figure standing above the old woman.
     "Could she have imagined the whole thing being in shock?", she thought to herself. Kate quickly got up from her chair and went over to her desk sitting down in front of the computer and searched for the term "grim reaper" which pulled up many images that people had drawn or imagined. While skimming the page, she came across the exact replica of the tall dark figure she witnessed. It was him just without the sickle part. Kate sat there staring at this picture before pulling the drawing from her briefcase for comparison. It was an exact match.
     Kate had now convinced herself that what she saw was, in fact, the grim reaper, the searcher of souls. At that moment, Kate heard a knock at her door. When she walked over to open the door, she peered out the eye hole to see who it was. There was no one there or no one that she could see.anyway, so she opened the door slowly. Once she looked outside the door, there in front of her was the dark, shadowy figure she had seen twice today standing at her doorway.
     Kate has turned and slammed the door in fear of what she just saw. Once the door was closed and locked, she turned around to find the dark figure standing inside her apartment and right in front of her. She quickly got her wits together and asked it what it wanted. She watched as it's skeletal hand with melting flesh reached out to her. She stepped back and again asked it what it wanted. The figure spoke out from the darkness saying that it had come for her. At that moment, everything went black.
   
 

The Werewolf Files- Finding the Cure

     My face felt warm with the rays of sunshine beaming through my living room window as I woke up to finding myself hanging halfway off of the couch. I picked myself up and headed for the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. After setting up the coffee maker, I headed for the bathroom to wash my face and hands to help me wake up. Today was my day off and I was pretty tired from the whole week I had. Today was a new day and I get to spend the whole day reading my books and attempting to find a cure for what ails me. After washing my face and looking at myself in the mirror, one could wonder why someone with such an attractive face could possibly turn into a werewolf. That is just the ego side of me talking and playing jokes on myself. I personally look beat in the mirror so who was I fooling.
     I heard the coffee maker stop brewing and headed back into the kitchen which was bright with the morning sun and poured myself a nice tall cup of java. I grabbed my coffee and a bagel and headed for the dining room table where I left all my books last night. I was even smart enough to leave a marker where I left off. I sat down and got comfortable placing my bagel on one side of the table and brought the book closer to me while sipping on my coffee. I glanced over at my notes and saw the chicken scratch I had left the night before. It was time to get back into the books to see what I can find to rid myself of this werewolf problem.
     After reading so many pages and taking notes, I did find that being bitten by a werewolf was to place a curse on the victim. It also states that since it is known to be a curse, the only way to break the curse is to find and kill the werewolf that took a bite out of you. That should be fairly easy, not. All I know is that I was bitten by a werewolf, but I do not know who the werewolf was as a human. So, that won't help me at all. I had no choice but to keep reading and hopefully find something out dealing with the blood side of it. Maybe there was a serum that could be synthesized to cure it from inside the blood? I don't know, it just seems so impossible for this to happen and especially to me. Someone who deals with animals on an everyday basis just happened to be bitten by another animal and is now cursed for all eternity. That would just have to be my luck.
     I got so engrossed in the reading that my head was starting to hurt. It was taking in too much information at once, so I pushed the books away and got up for another cup of coffee before starting again. This time I cradled my cup of coffee in my hands as I leaned against the kitchen counter. I stood against the counter but my eyes were still focused on the stack of books sitting on top of my dining room table. This was beginning to consume me because I wanted so much to find a cure for this werewolf thing. I shrugged it off and headed back to the table to begin reading again. I came across sections of the books that referred to the blood-borne infection and it made me search harder to see if any progress or clues were given to remedy this situation.
     Everything just broke down the blood into samples and elements and how many ribosomes there was inside one tiny blood cell. It was becoming scientific, which is where I shine being a biologist, but there has to be something I'm missing. I spent about two hours looking through these samples in the books to see if they would tell me anything, but I kept coming up with nothing. I then began writing out formulas to break the sample down to see is a serum could be synthesized to cure the infection. I came up with a few different scenarios that could be tried but was not promising anything. I scooped up the books I needed and grabbed my purse before heading out the door and driving to the lab at the zoo.
     Once I pulled into the parking lot, I noticed that half of everyone had already left for the day which was perfect because I would need some privacy to conduct my experiments. I parked the car and grabbed everything I needed and headed for the lab. While I was walking down the hallway towards the lab, my assistant was coming out and getting ready to lock up so I had to stop her. I called out to her and somewhat startled her, but informed her not to lock up because I had some tests to run and would be here late. She agreed and left the door opened and said her goodnight before leaving. I walked into the lab and set my stuff down on the table before going into the chemical room to grab what I needed to perform these experiments.
     After I gathered everything, I took it back into the lab and grabbed some test tubes and beakers to begin some experimenting. I grabbed a tourniquet and wrapped it around my upper arm, then I made a fist a few times before taking a good sample tube of my blood with a syringe. I wanted to make sure there was enough for a few experiments so I wouldn't have to put so many holes in my arms. I don't tolerate pain very well. I placed the sample tube of blood in a test tube holder while I bandaged my arm up and put the tourniquet and other stuff away. I first reached into a drawer and pulled out a fresh syringe as to not contaminate the blood. I took the syringe and pushed it inside the sample tube filling the syringe with one-half of a milliliter of my blood. I put a drop onto the microscope slide and looked at it visually under the microscope to be able to see details and make notes. I then took the rest of the blood in the syringe and placed inside another blood vial before putting it into the centrifuge to separate the blood components.
     I needed to break the blood up to see any key factors that might not show up in regular human blood. After the centrifuge was done I took the sample and split up all the components onto different microscope slides to examine. Everything seemed to look normal until I got to one slide where there was an abnormality. I took the sample and put it into another machine to get the DNA sequence and once that was done, I found the abnormality that was in my blood from the werewolf bite. Its factor was not of a human origin. I looked up and gave my head a good scratch before looking back at the sample. There had to be a way for me to isolate this abnormality and eventually eradicate it from my blood.
     I began testing the sample with different chemicals to see if any of them would attack or kill it. I found nothing. I tried every different compound I could and it made no difference. Here I was in this lad until the wee hours of the morning trying to find the cure for what has happened to me and keep coming up with nothing. Something is just not right here. There has to be some chemical combination that would kill this blood abnormality but I wasn't finding it. This whole ordeal is like something sour you ate that keeps the sour taste on your tongue for a while. This is just ridiculous.
     After spending all night and half of the morning trying to figure this out, my assistant walked in to find me hunched over my lab table asleep. She reached for my shoulder waking me and asking if everything was okay? I told her everything was as it should be while grasping at everything to hide it from her. I boxed up everything, books, samples, I mean everything that I was working with and told her good night before leaving the lab. I made it out to the car and managed to get everything into the trunk of my car and closing it before hearing the sounds of my children calling me. I felt so bad that I was here all night and not once did I go say hello to anyone.
     I closed the trunk and headed back to the zoo to say good morning to all my children. I stepped back into the lab and grabbed my clipboard and some goodies for my pockets before heading out to the habitats. I made my rounds and gave out some treats and loved them before moving on to the next one. They were just so happy to see me and I could tell when they miss me. Once I was at the wolf habitat, I leaned down by the bars and everyone came over to greet me. I stuck out my hand for everyone to smell and give my hand a good licking while I spoke to them like they would understand. I miss them every time I get a day off, but sometimes I just need a break.
     Once I made my rounds and said hello to everyone, I headed back towards the lab to drop off the clipboard before heading for my car. I was exhausted and beat up. I needed to be at home in my robe and slippers lounging around the house, but I knew this was not going to happen. I needed to finish my experimenting to find the cure to this werewolfism that has demanded my life.
     Once I got home, I brought the box from my trunk inside the house and placed it on the table. I just stood there looking at everything before I looked up and noticed that I was running short on time because there was a full moon tomorrow night. I needed some answers and quickly. I began taking everything out of the box and placing it on the table. Soon my dining room looked like a lab with all the beakers and test tubes set up. Before I went back to experimenting, I took a walk downstairs to my basement to check on my new device to keep me restrained should I not find a cure before tomorrow night. I checked all the chains and locks and everything seemed to be in order.
     I made sure there was a bucket nearby should I have to use the restroom while chained and some water to keep me from dehydration. It was my safe haven just in case. After checking, I made my way back upstairs to finish with my experimenting. One after another I came up with no results. I couldn't find anything that would kill the abnormality in my blood. I even went as far as trying silver nitrate with the werewolf myth of killing one with a silver bullet and still nothing worked. I was at my wit's end trying to figure it out, so I decided to take a break from it for a few days so I could come back to it with fresh eyes and mind. I left everything the way it was and walked away from the table and took myself to the couch in the living room and lounged back watching television until falling asleep.
     When I woke up the next morning, no matter how hard it was, I had to walk by the table that held the key to my humanity. I went into the kitchen for my coffee and then to the bathroom to wash up. I did whatever I could to keep away from the table to give my mind a break. I took a shower and got myself into something comfortable so that I would be ready for tonight. Once I had everything set up and ready, I took a short walk before the moon was to show it's face. After walking for about forty-five minutes I headed back home to get situated. I had about an hour before sunset and didn't want any foul ups. I went to the bathroom before heading down to the basement and getting into my chains. I brought a snack with me if I get hungry, started chaining myself up, and with a broom stick close by, I threw the keys about six feet away from my reach. I sat down against the concrete pillar and waited. The only thoughts running through my head at that moment was that I wished this night would be over with.
     There I sat until the nausea feeling hit my stomach and then the pain set in from my body changing. It felt like my skin was crawling for which it really was. I looked down and saw the hair growing on my arms and watched as my fingers stretched and distorted. The long sharp claws that grew right in front of my eyes. I started to panic but there was nothing I could do. I was changing uncontrollably. At that point, I think I blacked out because I woke up the next morning lying on my basement floor still chained and my clothes tattered. My hair was a mess and I could see scratches on my body that were self-inflicted. Once I was awake enough, I reached out and grabbed the broom handle, using it to reach for the keys. It took a few minutes but I finally got the keys and unlocked myself from my chains.
     I picked myself up and managed to get back upstairs and change clothes. I had no recollection of what happened last night once I blacked out. I do remember the crawling skin and growing claws but nothing more. After changing and washing my face, I returned to the kitchen for some strong coffee and a bagel. My neck was sore and when I looked into the bathroom mirror, I saw where I had strained my neck with the chains but they held. I sat at the table and stared at the books wondering if I will ever find a cure, or will those chains in the basement become a permanent fixture?

 
 

The Werewolf Files- What's for Dinner?

     Upon waking the next morning, I found myself fully rested and ready to tackle another day. It was Friday and I was glad to see it come which meant I had the weekend off to finish my research before the next full moon. I sprang from the bed and wrapped up in my robe before heading over to the kitchen. I walked into the room and noticed I had left the book I was reading open to the next chapter which was ""What a Werewolf Eats". So I walked over to the coffee maker and started to brew a cup of hot coffee to wake me up a little more and grabbed a pastry from the cabinet to go with the coffee.
     Once the coffee had finished brewing, I made a big cup and grabbed my pastry from the counter and headed over to the dining room table to enjoy my breakfast while beginning the next chapter of my research. I found it fascinating the things that I read. A werewolf was a carnivore but it ate mainly other animals and only attacked humans when threatened or cornered. That doesn't sound like anything I want to happen, but I kept reading while sipping my french roasted coffee. Most of the animals that a werewolf consumed were forest animals: deer, foxes, mountain lions, and other smaller wolves. and not humans. They only attack the humans but not to consume them which almost always left a bloody mess of body parts and human remains if the bodies were never discovered until years later.
     I got so completely enthralled with my reading that I didn't notice the time and I had to leave for work because today was vaccination day for every animal in the zoo and guess who had to administer each and every vaccine but yours truly. That was like a ballpark figure of approximately two hundred and thirty-three animals not including any newborns who were ready for theirs. So my day was going to be a full one and a long one on top of it. It is good for the animals and the handlers to be safe if ever injured by another animal. I do love my animals but they can be so time-consuming not to mention brats when it comes to vaccinations. So, off to work I went to exhaust myself with the animals, and that is why I am glad it is Friday.
     Once I got to the zoo, I noticed my assistant had the check off list and the vaccinations ready to go for me. I set my stuff on my desk and went over the procedures with my assistant before heading out the door. I wanted to make sure everything went smoothly and my assistant did inform me we had seventeen newborns ready for their first vaccinations, so that made it two-hundred and fifty vaccines to administer in one day. I had my work cut out for me today. Thank God for assistant's because without them I don't think I could get through my days here at the zoo with so many animals.
     One by one we went through each habitat administering vaccines to each animal and then cuddling them for a minute to make sure there were going to be no reactions to the vaccine. Some of the animals were so playful and sweet but the bigger animals were not so much into hugging and cuddling which was fine by me. I mean who cares about hugging a crocodile or a hippopotamus. That is just so weird and not to mention how difficult it is to administer the shots without being their main course on the menu. Some of these procedures have to be planned with care due to the dangerous conditions with certain animals. I guess that makes them somewhat like a human because I know quite a few humans who don't like shots either..
     Once we made our rounds in the zoo we headed over to the newborn's facility to administer their vaccinations. They were a lot more fun because they were so cute and easy to manage. I almost fell in love with all of them because they love the attention, affection, and cuddling. It seems like the newborn's handled their vaccinations a lot better than some of the adults. Which made it easier for me that is why they were left to be last on the check off list. When we finished with all the cuddling and loving, we closed up the facility and headed back over to the office. You would think that we would be done for the day but not yet. We still have to record on the computer all the tag numbers to each animal and their expiration date so that we know when the next time vaccinations are due.
     While we were finishing up with the logs, my assistant commented on how there was going to be a full moon in three weeks and I fumbled with the keys on the keyboard in fear. I almost thought that he knew what I was but I got a hold of myself and corrected my errors on the computer. No one could possibly know what is going on with me I have kept it a secret and told no one. I went ahead and finished up the logs and quickly thought to myself that I needed to hurry with my research before that next full moon. I got everything closed up and locked and made notes for the weekend shift and headed out the door got into my car and drove straight home.
     Once I was at home, I got some iced tea and made a quick sandwich before sitting down at the dining room table with all these books in front of me. I began where I left off and continued to read about the eating habits of werewolves and it sounded kind of disgusting but who am I to judge what someone eats when we eat other animals too, just different types. Once reading the explicit parts of how they tear their meat apart suddenly my sandwich didn't taste as good as it did a few minutes prior. I had to put it down and push it away from me.
     So all I gather so far is that they mainly consume other animals and not humans. Why does this make them so bad when their behavior is so much like any other animal who is hungry or defends themselves. That didn't make any sense at all to me but who am I to question the thoughts of others who have experienced these animals first hand. All I know is that I didn't want to hurt anyone and I had to find a way to fix this situation so that no one doesn't get hurt.
     So, let me review their behavior quickly, they hunt at night which makes them nocturnal, they only eat other animals which are related to what humans eat, and only attack humans when cornered or threatened. I think that sums it up enough to understand for now. So I need to set things up to protect myself and others in the event I can't find a cure before the next full moon in three weeks. What can I do? I thought long and hard about what can be done to keep me inside my house until morning on the night of the full moon. Things weren't looking so good because what else the book was telling me was that a werewolf is very strong and the turning can be brutal. So I need to figure out how to restrain myself during the turning and afterward to keep safe and from harming anyone.
     The one thing that hit me was going to the hardware store and buying some really thick and strong chains to hold me but where in my house would be strong enough to hold? I know I just can't chain myself to the wall for it is too easy to damage and bathroom fixtures definitely won't work. I walked around my house examining everything and everywhere that I could possibly chain myself up and it would hold. I was getting nothing until I went down into the basement and noticed that there were concrete columns holding the house up and supporting it, so f they can support the weight of a house who says they can't restrain a werewolf. I finally had an idea and the perfect place because all the noise would not be heard from my basement.
     I ran back upstairs, grabbed my purse and headed out to the car. I started it up and drove down to the neighborhood hardware store and started looking in the chain section. there were so many chains and I didn't have schematics to buy the right one. It was pretty much a guessing game until one of the store associates came over to assist and I politely told him I needed a chain that would hold a two- hundred pound dog that I had at home. I informed the associate that he broke his last chain so I needed a pretty strong one. He started assisting me with looking at different chains until we came across one that was strong enough to hold three hundred pounds which for me that should be suitable. So I bought approximately ten feet of it and a couple other necessities to go with it and a padlock. I think I had everything so I checked out and took the bags to the car. I put them into the trunk and went around to get into the car and drove home. Before I got home I stopped at a fast food place to get a bite since my sandwich was ruined and then headed home.
     I got home and brought all the bags inside and took them immediately to the basement before gathering all the tools I will need to situate things. I grabbed the chain and wrapped it around the concrete column before attaching the steel bracket which will be padlocked around my neck, Once I was finished and everything set up it was time to go back upstairs and finish some more research. I got back up into the dining room and sat back in my chair at the table and began reading more of the book on their behavior now that I have a backup if one is needed. it was truly fascinating how these creatures survived. I thought they were just a myth but now after some research they did in fact exist but were thought to be extinct. So how is it that one bit me at the zoo? Did they miss judge their existence and only believed them to be extinct?
     Well, my eyes were getting strained after reading so much so I closed the book and pushed it away from me even though I felt attracted to learn more. I needed a break and my head was starting to hurt so I got up from the table and went into the living room and collapsed on the couch. I grabbed the remote control and clicked on the television for some down time. I found a movie on and got myself comfortable where I would be for the rest of the evening. Now that I have some background on werewolves and a backup plan, my step would be trying to find a cure. But not tonight, I am really exhausted and my brain fried so I will stay on this couch until tomorrow before looking to discover the cure to being a werewolf.

The Werewolf Files- Every Full Moon

     After finding out what had bitten me and discovering it was in my blood, I panicked for a bit and had to get myself together. I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to do but I needed to calm down. I grabbed a cup of coffee and put some clothes on. I sat at my desk and started doing research on this strange phenomena and found that I would myself turn into this werewolf on every full moon. I thought that a little crazy and kept researching. I found pictures people have taken over the centuries on these strange beasts and quite frankly I became a little scared. I read articles of how these wolves were hunted because of numerous killings and murders. I did not want to be hunted so I needed to try and find out what I could do.
     Now that I knew what was happening to me it explained a lot of the things I was noticing that were different, like the heightened sense of smell, the pure vision, and of course waking up in the wolf habitat. All I knew was that I needed to get this under control until I figured out what to do next. I knew I needed more information so I got up and headed for the library to see what books they had on werewolves. Once there, all I could find were horror stories involving werewolves. I finally went into the mythological section where I found books about the histories of werewolves, their habits, and their demise. I checked out a few books to take home to read up on the wonderful world of being a werewolf.
     First, I headed back to work to finish out the day. Once I got there, my assistant had already made all the rounds getting fecal and blood samples for me to analyze. I spent the rest of the day testing all of the samples and logging the information into the books. Everyone started leaving around six o'clock but I stayed because I wanted to go around myself and say goodnight to all my animals since I didn't get to see them this morning, except when I was waking up in the wolf habitat. As I got close to any of the animal habitats it was as if I was a monster or intruder to them. The animals were acting up and going crazy growling at me showing their teeth.
     As I got near the wolf habitat they reacted in the same way for a few minutes before finally calming down and realizing who I was. I walked over to their fence line and reached my hand inside. All of them came over and smelled my hand before licking on it. It looked like they were happy to see me. I began talking to them while they licked my hand asking them questions about that other wolf inside their habitat. I knew they would not answer me but it was comforting to know that I had someone to talk too about the situation. You know, voice my emotions and frustrations about the whole wolf thing. Then I told each one goodnight before leaving to close up the office.
     I walked back to my lonely office and gathered my things and locked up for the night. On the drive home, I found myself constantly looking up at the bright moon in the sky. I wondered what my life would be like now that I'm a werewolf. It's not like I get many dates now as it is, this is just an added benefit I guess. I looked over into the passenger seat and saw the stack of library books and realized my night was going to be a long one. I patted my hand on the stack of books and made the comment "I have a date with you fellas tonight".
     Once I got home I carried the stack of books into my dining room setting them on the table, I walked into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee and grabbed a snack from the fridge. While the coffee was brewing I walked over and tapped the playback button on my voicemail and listened to the many voice mails of the day that were on it. After a few messages, there was one from my mother who only wishes I would find a man, get married, and give her some grandchildren. I was not that interested in what she wanted right now, I have more important things to deal with.
     Once the coffee was ready, I grabbed a cup and sat down at the dining room table and started looking through books. I started at the beginning as to what a werewolf was and how it was created. I found some pretty cool information about the werewolf that the movies never tell you, like how they first originated. I found that a werewolf was a mutant creation between a dog and a wolf. Yet somehow some scientist added some human DNA and genetically transformed the mutant so that it could also infect a human and the DNA could survive and mutate. My only question would be why he would want to cross a human with a dog anyway. So there you have it as to how a werewolf happened to be a creature and not just a myth.
     After sitting at the table and a whole pot of coffee later, I looked up and saw that it was three o'clock in the morning and I had to get some sleep so that I could get up in a few hours to make it to work. I placed a marker where I was leaving off in the book and closed it. I got up, turned off all the lights and headed for bed. I figured I would shower in the morning when I got up, so I climbed into my pajamas and then into my nice soft bed. There would be another day of research for me tomorrow.
     A few hours later when the alarm was ringing off my nightstand, I climbed out of bed and headed for the shower. It felt so good being under the hot water that it woke me up and got me clean too. Once out of the shower, I got another pot of coffee started to wake up with and made a quick breakfast of eggs and toast. While I sat down eating my breakfast I couldn't seem to take my eyes off of the book in front of me. I then hurried to eat and got my stuff ready for work and grabbed the book for some lunch time reading and headed out the door.
     Once I made it to work I placed the book inside my desk drawer so no one would see it and headed off to do my rounds. I had noticed that my hand wasn't hurting anymore while I was walking around to the different habitats. I stopped to see all my babies in their habitats and left the wolf habitat for last. Once I was at the wolf habitat, I spent more time with the wolves and reassured them I was still me regardless of the situation. After taking care of them and giving them a little affection I headed back to my office
     Everyone went to lunch about eleven thirty and it gave me some time to sit and read some more of the werewolf book. I found it rather interesting to learn about a creature I thought was just a myth to be a real creature of man's doing. I kept reading more and more on how this creature was created and why the moon had any effect on it. It seemed that when the moon is full, the earth's magnetic field became stronger which caused the DNA of a werewolf to change. It basically pulled the beast out of the human.
     While still reading the book, my assistant walked in the door and I hurried and put the book back in the drawer. It was time to resume the testing on samples but I could not get the things I read out of my head. I became drawn to the book like it was my life's blood. The day just seemed to creep on and last forever until it was finally six o'clock in the evening and everyone was gone already. I grabbed my stuff and the book from the drawer and closed up the office. I went out of the gate and got into my car knowing that there was going to be another long night ahead of me.
       Once home I did the same ritual as the night before and that was starting a pot of coffee and grabbing a snack before sitting at the dining room table and researching more. I was also writing in my werewolf journal about my days and nights since waking that morning in the zoo naked. Once I was ready and had everything I needed I sat down and began reading and making notes. I was enthralled by the traits of a werewolf and how they lived, what they ate, and just their behavior as a whole. I know it was late and my eyes were drowsy when I noticed the time and it was that time that I needed to go to bed before starting the next chapter of the book which is what werewolves eat, so I will head to bed and begin another day. Good night.

The Werewolf Files- The Beginning

     It seemed like any other ordinary day here at the zoo. Going around and looking after all the animals and making sure the guests try not to disturb them too much. It is a peaceful life here at the zoo and I want to keep it that way. It was May seventeenth when my life changed and I'm not sure if it was for the better. I am a single woman with a Master's Degree in Biology who made it my life's work to take care of our inferior species. My day consists of feeding, taking fecal and blood samples for testing to make sure the animals are healthy, and maintaining them in every way possible. If an animal was not responding well or seemed agitated I would close that attraction down for their safety as well as for the guests.
     Now I might not look like much being that I'm five foot eight, long brown hair, fairly tanned skin on an athletic body, but I do know how to take care of these animals no matter what size or shape they are. Some guys cringe at the thought of what I do for a living especially when i tell them how I take fecal samples which seem to be a real turn off to them. Anyway, I am good at my job and wouldn't change anything about my life or at least try not too. Maybe one day I'll get married and have kids and live happily ever after but I don't see that happening any time soon.
     I go to work five days a week and on call for the weekends but everything seemed to be going good until one day when I was making my rounds and checking on the animals. I noticed when I did a head check at the wolves habitat that there was one wolf more than what was logged in the book. I show that we have five wolves on paper but keep counting six wolves. I should not be worried but it was something to look into. Maybe we got a new one and someone forgot to log it into the books but I will double check. I noticed that the other wolves were a little agitated so I shut that habitat down for guests until I figure out what is going on.
     That evening after we had closed the zoo, I went to recheck the logs for our unaccounted for visitor. I could not find anything on any new wolves added to the zoo, so where did it come from. Everyone else had left for the evening but I decided to go back around to the wolves habitat to check on their status. It seemed like all the wolves were on one side of the habitat except for the unaccounted one. It was on the opposite side of the habitat by itself. I could feel the tension inside the habitat and wanted a further look.
     I mad my way around to the entrance door of the habitat. I slowly opened it and took a peak inside. Now our wolves all know me and are pretty harmless and tame but this new one is causing some strife and an uneasy feeling with the others so I need to proceed with caution. Once inside the habitat I went over to our wolves who greeted me pretty fairly but they kept a watchful eye on the new wolf. I couldn't quite figure it out but was making an advancement towards the new wolf. I was being as cautious as I could be and slowly moving towards it. It had a brownish black coat, a sharp pointed snout, and the most amazing greenish yellow eyes. This was not your average wolf, and I know my wolves.
     As I moved closer to it, it crunched down and had a slight growl. I stepped a little closer and reached out my hand in a friendly manner when all of a sudden it lunged forward and bit my hand. I immediately withdrew my hand and had to wrap it in my shirt to try and stop the bleeding. It burned fiercely and I made my way walking backwards until I got to the entrance door. Before leaving the habitat I noticed that my wolves were more agitated and growling loudly at the new wolf. It was becoming a serious situation but I needed medical attention.
     I made it back to the office and found the first aid kit to address my wound. When I removed my shirt that was wrapped around my hand I got the first glimpse of my mangled hand. It looked like something out of a horror movie. It was bleeding profusely and some of the skin was hanging off the bone. This wolf really took a nice bite. I needed stitches so I headed out to my car and drove myself to the hospital emergency room. When I got there, I told them who I was and what happened. The nurse took me back in a hurry because there was the thought of rabies since the bite was from an unknown animal. I went to the examine room and was soon met by a doctor. My hands had soaked through the bandage I had in place and when the doctor removed it he was in shock to find my hand so mangled.
     He asked a nurse to come in and give me an injection of pain killer and a numbing agent so they could stitch my hand up. I had not even contemplated how much pain I was really in due to shock I guess. After ninety three stitches, my hand was better but looked like a Frankenstein moment. I watched as the nurse applied a dressing to my hand and then gave me an injection of a broad spectrum antibiotic plus a rabies shot vaccine just in case. I was given an arm sling to keep from using my hand until it healed. They did have an x-ray taken of my hand which showed numerous fractures across my hand so I was put on restriction of not using my hand for eight weeks. I don't know how that was going to work due to my job but my hand had to heal. Once I got home after picking up a pain killer prescription along with an antibiotic I went to lounge back on my couch. The pain killer injection really started to set in and I found myself really drowsy and incoherent. I laid back on the couch and fell asleep for the night.
     The next morning, I woke up still on the couch and my hand was throbbing so I took a pain killer before getting dressed for work. After getting dressed in my uniform I started out the door. Driving was a special task when you are on pain killers but somehow I managed to get to work without any issues. I went into my office and had all the questions from everyone as to what happened to my hand. When I started asking about the sixth wolf in the habitat, one of my assistants came in and said he only counted five wolves in the habitat. That was strange, so I decided to go take a look for myself.
     I went down to the habitat and sure enough there was only fives wolves in the habitat, but what happened to the sixth one? I told everyone that there was a sixth wolf inside the habitat that was making the others agitated and that it was that sixth wolf who took a bite out my hand. They were all just as confused as me because when the head count was done this morning there were only five wolves. I scratched my head with disbelief and then got set up to start my day. I needed an assistant to help with things due to my injury and not being able to perform my duties.
     As the day went on I started to notice things differently. I was more heightened in my sensory abilities meaning that I could smell things more sharply. I felt strange but I chocked it up to the pain killers and went about my day. It was pleasant waling around and checking on the animals I have grown so fond of. The wolves in the habitat were glad to see me and came over to the fence for me to pet. One moved back after sniffing my bandaged hand and began howling. The next thing I knew all of the wolves were howling and becoming agitated again. I walked away confused at what just happened and wondered if there was more to this story of a wolf just biting me.
     I went home and decided to do some investigative work on this new wolf. I searched for wolves that even resembled the one who bit me and found nothing. I know I wasn't losing my mind and actually did see a sixth wolf in the habitat because I have the wound to prove it. As hard as it seemed I wasn't about to give up on finding this new wolf. I searched all night with nothing to go on. It was becoming daylight outside and I needed to shower before going to work.
     It had been twenty-four hours since this bandage was wrapped around my hand and I needed to change it. I slowly and carefully unwrapped my hand to find that the wounds were becoming infected. I was taking the antibiotic as prescribed but my hand looked so inflamed and was oozing a little greenish pus. I washed it off and applied some antibiotic cream to the wounds and re-bandaged it. It hurt a little but not as much as you would think being that infection was setting in. I got to work and noticed all the different and new smells that I was sensing. I could smell cotton candy like it was right in front of me but actually it was being made all the way across the zoo. I could smell things that were a distance away like I was standing right in front of it.
     I had no clue as to what was going on and it made me try to think of what I could do to find out. After making my rounds I went back to my office and started doing some research on animal bites specifically wolf bites. There was not a lot of information on the Internet about wolf bites and it seemed like I needed to go back to the emergency room to have it checked out but I wanted to give it a few days to see if the antibiotics would work.
     A few days later, I noticed that my hand wasn't hurting anymore. I slowly unwrapped it and saw that it was bruising around it and that it had a green scab over the top of it. I thought that it was healing and re wrapped it back up but I was still short on recovery time to allow the fractures to heal. At least I knew it was healing. I carried on at work with my assistants help and took care of my animals like nothing ever happened except it did happen and I am one hand short of completing my job. Thank God for an assistant to help me with basic stuff like fecal samples to which I can't get near my hand for risk of infection.
     Everyday I noticed something new with my senses and my body. I felt like a different person and not like myself. I found myself eating things I don't normally eat like vegetables I would never touch, and I wanted my meat a little less cooked. When I realized what I was doing I was eating meat pretty much raw and under cooked but I wanted it so bad. It tasted delicious and I wanted more. I had to find out what was going on and fast.
     I took a few days off from work and got plenty of rest, but one night would change my life forever. It was the first full moon of the year and it seemed like every other full moon night until I found myself changing. My hand began throbbing so I unwrapped it and found strange coarse hairs growing around each of the wounds. I couldn't make sense of it until I started hurting all over. I felt like all the bones in my body were breaking and moving. I fell off of the couch and onto the floor. My body was on fire and hurting. I could feel the transformation of my limbs and then my face was becoming disfigured. I started crying out because I was in so much pain.
     The pain seemed to get worse as the transfiguration progressed. My hands were stretching and forming claws, my whole face disfigured and starting to grow hair. My spine felt like it was being stretched and I don't know how much more I could stand. My sight was becoming more keen and sharp, I felt every single tooth in my mouth, and then the hair proceeded to grow all over my body. I made it to the bathroom to see what was going on in the mirror. I didn't like what I saw looking back at me. I looked like a deranged dog with huge fangs. My eyes were greenish yellow just like the wolf in the habitat. Now that I think about it, I was starting to look more and more like him. I screamed out but it soon turned to howling. I made it out the back door and found myself running away from home in search of what, I didn't know. I had to find out why I was turning into a dog.
     The next morning, I woke up in the wolf habitat at the zoo, dazed and confused. I eventually realized I was stark naked. I looked up to see all my wolves standing over me licking my face. It was almost as if I was part of their family. I got up and made my way to the entrance door and got out of the habitat. I had blood stains over my body and ran to my office. I began panicking while dazed and confused all at once. I took out an empty notebook and started keeping track like a daily journal. I noted everything from what I had to eat to other things. Why was I changing? I started doing more research and found out that there is a rare wolf from overseas that I thought to be a myth. It seems that this wolf does a number to anyone who is bitten. I took a blood sample and looked at it under the microscope and compared it to the blood sample on the Internet of this rare wolf. My blood cells looked exactly like the sample on the Internet. I finally found out what was happening. I was bitten by a werewolf and now I will transform into one every full moon. I am labeling this journal "the Werewolf Files".
   

Welcome All You Gore Fans of Horror

Are you ready for some sick, twisted horror? I know I sure am. It will be soon when I'm going to publish my first short story here, and give you an inkling into what type of novel I am working on. Stay Tuned.

Thank You