He didn't understand how his thoughts were fluent again, yet something interfered with his speech. He glanced at a mirror on the wall and almost fell back, appalled at what he saw. His tongue had swelled to about the width of his mouth. A few of his smaller teeth were missing while the remaining ones seemed sharper. The eyes-he didn't recognize the eyes. His baby blues hid amid a swirl of violet and yellow. He wondered what happened to him. He wanted to know why his best friend, Shotgun, had done this to him.
Contrary to Clara's belief, he was a smart man. He recalled taking Shotgun for a walk along the beach. The government declared the water was safe to swim in. They swore the chemicals they had used to collect the oil spill were safe.
Another noise came from upstairs. It sounded like Clara saying she'd be down shortly. He liked that. He liked that very much. An unfamiliar version of a grin flashed in his reflection. It looked more like a grimace. He vowed to stop being a pushover. He promised himself that this time things would be different.
He exited the bathroom, moving faster. He glanced at his torn leg and watched at how skin dangled over severed muscle. He hid behind the stairs as another set of noises excited him.
Clack. Clack. Thump.
He grinned for the closer the noise got, the easier it became to identify.
Clack. Clack. Thump.
The word
divorce pounded his thoughts. He recalled the humiliating conversation he had with Clara. She tried to strip his dignity. She didn't know that when she fell asleep, he spent the night crying in silence.
Clack. Clack. Thump.
Clara's high heels struck the steps, followed by a suitcase. He hated pink. He despised Clar, Cla.
"Amanda!" she yelled. Her annoying high-pitched nasal voice sent chills down his spine. "Don't tell me you're still in the bathroom?" She tapped her foot, reminding him how much her stupid habits irked him.
Food. Rob needed to eat. His brain needed nourishment to flow. He tried to say the word. "F, fo, foo, food." He smiled.
"Rob?" He grinned when he saw her bulging eyes.
Before she could react, he jumped on her. They fell to the floor. She gagged in his face, attempted to scratch it but he pinned her down with his weight. His thick, slimy tongue massaged her cheek. "No!" she cried out.
Her screams turned into wails of pain when he bit her left ear and yanked it off along with strands of blond hair. Blood gushed into his wide mouth. Instinctively, he knew it was time to impress his woman. It was time to let her know who was boss.
He spat the ear away and focused on her wide, green eyes. He attempted to say an entire sentence, "You want," happy thoughts entered his mind, "a divorce?" He felt his penis growing against her leg. "My religion..." He was proud of himself, saying, "won't allow...." He smiled at his accomplishments. He was proud of his speech, proud of his full erection, "it."
"Get away from me!" Clara kneed him in his testicles.
"T, ti, till," he hissed.
She screamed and cried again. A mixture of tears and blood destroyed her mascara, reminding him her beauty was manufactured by man-made chemicals. He understood chemicals were dangerous.
"Death...." He held his mouth open over her face, gobs of goo dripped on her nose, and continued, "do us part."
He bit down on her cranium while she squirmed, surprised at how easily he was able to get at her delicious brain.
Table of Contents
Playing With Fire
by
Anita Flame
"What the heck was that?" Kalen blurted; the eerie screeching sounds sent chills down his spine. He fought against his better judgment and turned up the television's volume.
What was going on?
A wide-eyed reporter was on the scene, offering a news flash at a site in Russia. "What was once considered a hoax has now officially startled mankind with its presence." The man kept glancing over his shoulder, the microphone trembling in his hand. "Hours ago Shiveluch's volcano erupted in Kamchatka, followed quickly by the invasion of dark, winged creatures which have been attacking humans and tearing them apart ever since. Fortunately for us, we managed to secure a safe―"
The black silhouette of a huge bat pounced on the reporter, cutting him off. Both Kalen and the cameraman jumped back with a shout. The reporter wailed as the cameraman stood there paralyzed with fear, displaying a shaky video feed of what looked to be a lifelike gargoyle enjoying its live feast.
"Get the hell out of there, you idiot!" Kalen shouted to the television, wishing the cameraman could hear him.
The audio caught a deep, rumbling growl before the camera was knocked to the floor. The sounds of the slicing of flesh and shrieks of another victim echoed in Kalen's home.
The television clicked off. "Stop watching that, Kalen! Get your things together. We're heading out at fourteen-hundred hours," his father commanded, tossing the remote on the couch.
Kalen glared at his father's back as he spoke on his Blackberry.
"This is Doctor Schneider; I need to speak to Doctor Petrov. Greg, what the hell happened down there? I don't care how you do it, but we need to contain this now! We cannot afford to allow one of those creepy bastards to survive. What do you mean it's too late for that now?" His father's eyes were wild.
"What did you do this time?" Kalen spat out. He gritted his teeth at the painful memories of his favorite bulldog, Frostbite. A year ago, he spent weeks searching for Frostbite who went missing, only to discover his dad has been using him for military experiments, which eventually killed him. 'Collateral damage' was the excuse his father gave him.
Turning away, his father spoke, "How long do I have?" He sighed. "I see. Thank you, Greg. I appreciate all the hard work you put into this project. It's too bad things ended this way. Safe journey for your family too, my friend."
Kalen listened to his father mumbling under his breath as he punched a few numbers on the door's keypad that led to his private laboratory. "I need to make him stronger, yes-"
Kalen shook his head. "Dad, what are you talking about? What's going on? Are you responsible for those things? What are they?"
"I have no choice. I must ensure the survival of the human race. I…." His father kept rambling, rummaging through the laboratory in search of something.
A gift-wrapped package caught Kalen's attention. He smiled as he picked up the small box. Something inside rattled when he shook it. He chuckled, hoping it was his hard-earned reward for acquiring a full scholarship to Harvard. "Dad, you didn't forget my eighteenth birthday. Is it what I think it is?"
"Oh, yes, it is." His father returned to the computer. "They're coming. I must hurry. If my calculations are correct, I can…"
A frown erased his smile. "I see you're too busy for me, like always. Thanks for the present, though." Kalen headed up the stairs to leave, but the door slid shut. With a hiss, the airlock gear activated. He peered over his shoulder to see his dad glaring at him.
"Where do think you're going?"
Kalen stepped down. He scrutinized his father, who was out of it. "I thought you wouldn't mind me seeing the Hummer you got me for my birthday. What's up with you?"
His father closed the distance between them. At a height over six feet, Kalen towered over him. His height and build did not deter his father from slapping him. "Are you stupid, son? Do you not realize the danger we are in?"
Kalen saw red. His father had never laid a hand on him before, and for that reason alone, he gnashed his teeth together and kept himself from retaliating. He shook his father by the shoulders. "What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you so frightened about those things in Russia? We live in New York, and last time I checked, we are over four thousands miles away from those things. So open the door now!"
His father twisted away from his grip. "No, I must keep you safe." He walked away, and returned to working on his laptop.
Kalen's chest heaved as he continued to stare his father down. "You will open that door now, or you'll never see me again!"
Kalen snapped. He marched towards the wall where the door locking mechanism stood. He reached to press the button when he felt a sharp sting and a burning sensation on his neck. He fought the grogginess that overcame him as he turned around. The last thing he saw, before dropping to the floor, was his father holding a syringe and saying, "I'm sorry, son. But you'll understand soon enough." His father's assurance didn't comfort him as he slipped into oblivion.
***
Kalen awoke with a throbbing headache. He shook his head, trying to clear his blurry vision. Hugging his legs, he pressed his forehead against his knees. "Dad, are you here? What did you give me?"
Silence filled the room except for the buzzing sound of electrical devices. Kalen grunted at a sharp stomach pain. Clinging onto the edge of a nearby workstation, he pulled himself to his feet and heaved his lunch into the sink.
Kalen blinked at the contents. He brought a hand to his mouth, confirming that those pearly items in the sink were his front teeth. Sharp incisors nicked his tongue when he brushed it over his gums.
He rushed to the mirror, panting at the sight of his reflection. His once hazel eyes were now distinctly feline. Opening his elongated jaw, he got a good look at his growing, serrated teeth. He rubbed a hand against his neck, which stretched out a good twenty inches, the skin tight and rough.
He pulled his shirt off, desperate to see why his back was aching. Kalen gaped at two large, protruding lumps, one near each shoulder blade. Hyperventilating, he dropped to his knees and sobbed.
The only person capable of answering his questions had fled, leaving him high and dry. There was no way out. Kalen had inspected the dismantled control panel by the door. Black markings and the stench of sulfur hinted at the use of C4. Uncle Trent, Nuclear Engineer, had given him a few lessons on military explosives.
He was alone and going to have to fend for himself.
Why would he treat me like this?
Kalen's gaze fell on his dad's laptop.
He would have never left that behind. Groaning, he forced his aching body toward it. He sat on a stool, watching the hypnotic blinking light on the 17-inch LCD screen. Dragging the cursor over the 'play me' button, he clicked it.
A crazed image of his father came into view. "Listen, son. You're scared and upset with me right now, but I had no choice. There are videos of my experiments on the laptop which you need to see. It will answer all your questions. You're being hunted! I'll ensure your survival as long as I can. As you may have noticed, I've deactivated the door mechanism as well as covered your scent by burning our home…."
Kalen activated the surveillance cameras. Some showed only static, while others, hidden away from the house, revealed smoldering timbers.
"…There's a way out of the laboratory, but that's for you to figure out, once you are strong enough to survive. You must leave this place. I mapped out the places you need to visit on your Hummer's GPS system. Your vehicle is safe by the docks; I've taken the yacht, hoping to distract them as long as I can. You were right; we were playing with fire and got burned. I love you, son, despite what you may come to think of me. Please never forget who you are inside. Safe journey."
The recording closed automatically. Kalen moved the cursor over the folder marked Experiments. He held his breath at the sight of his name, and after a moment's hesitation, opened the video file labeled with his birth date.
The video feed showed a group of scientists huddled together in excitement. One lifted a round glass container, which was taken from a freezer. "Here we have a fertilized egg extracted from case study number 1240 AKA Sami and the sperm donor is fully human. We managed to suppress the effects of transformation from its mother's side, allowing Serum 905 to be the dominant trigger for any physical changes," Kalen's father said to the camera.
The small group of scientists hurried towards an area where two others stood. Once they drew close enough, one of the attendants pulled opened the closed curtain. Kalen jerked his head back. On the bed lay a dark-skinned creature with wings. It was sedated and tied down.
"We are going to implant the fertilized egg into Sami. Tests have concluded that her uterus is ready to accept it."
Kalen was going to be sick. His father sat between the creature's legs and finished the procedure. He chose another video. This time the creature was awake.
She snarled at the scientists who attempted to get near her. Her belly was huge. His father walked into the room with a tranquillizer gun, and shot her. "We had hoped that with the pregnancy her behavior would change, but instead, she has become more hostile. Tests have concluded that the fetus has reached full-term. Bring her to the operating table, boys."
Kalen killed the footage. He chose another dated a few days later. The female was clawing the glass of the isolation room, shrieking. The sound of a wailing child came from the other end of the room. The camera turned and focused on an infant. The scientists were extracting blood.
"Enough already!" his father scolded the men, before cradling the normal looking child in his arms. He fed the baby a bottle of milk. "Here you go, Kalen. Yes, I got those bad men to stop hurting you, didn't I?"
The cameraman chuckled. He whispered, "Not only did he donate the sperm, but now he has to name the freak after his dead son."
"I heard that! Go do something useful and take Sami back to her kind. She's scaring Kalen with the racket she's making."
Kalen swallowed the lump in his throat. He took a deep breath before clicking the video, which read: Sami's Death.
At first the picture was pitch-black. Then Kalen could see men who flinched at the deafening shrieks and high-pitched wails as they entered the large cave. The camera switched to night-vision, illuminating thousands of creatures.
Sami was tossed into the middle of the room. None of the other creatures came near her still body. She stirred a half-hour later. A loud shriek announced her return, but none seemed to offer her a warm welcome. The largest of them circled her, snarling.
She dropped to the floor, reaching out with one clawed hand. The beast growled before it pounced on her. Kalen pressed the back of his hand against his mouth. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he saw his mother being torn apart. He closed the video.
His father had lied. He had been told she died in childbirth. Who was he kidding? In the end, he was nothing more than one of his father's experiments. His stomach somersaulted and he gagged into a nearby wastebasket. The rest of his teeth fell into it, but what caught Kalen's attention was the empty syringe inside, labeled Serum 905.
He wiped his mouth clean. Hunger pangs sent him in search of food in the micro-fridge. The bottom drawer was labeled with his name. Inside it contained various meats and gelatin. He took one of each. The meat was full of flavor, but the gelatin was tasteless. Despite what he thought of it, his body craved it and he gulped it down.
***
Kalen lifted his head from the laboratory table. He'd fallen asleep. A deep, desperate cry escaped his lips as he brushed a hand over one of his arms. His skin was covered in scales. He needed to understand what he was becoming.
He clicked on the computer's folders and found a file dated twenty years ago, called Genesis.
"Intruder alert!" blared the overhead security alarm.
His attention turned to the surveillance camera's screen. He zoomed in and waited. Nothing came into view. He shrugged his shoulders and started to click the file.
"Intruder alert! Intruder alert!"
He searched the surveillance screens again. The noise of clawing and scratching reverberated off the walls. They were trying to break in.
He rummaged through cabinets for anything useful as protection. A sigh of relief escaped his lips when he ran into a trunk filled with military equipment. His uncle would take time out to visit and work on top-secret military projects with his father. His paranoid father had supplied himself with an arsenal and today was t
he day Kalen was going to put it to good use.
Kalen took a fluorescent green ball and got into his best pitching position. He took a deep breath, his gaze fixed on the hole that something was drilling through the door.
The noise stopped once the hole was 50-inches wide. Slurping noises followed. A huge worm slithered into the room. Kalen grunted in disgust. Once the uninvited visitor caught sight of him, it hissed.
Kalen launched the bomb. Splat. With loud shrieks, the flesh of the worm fell apart. Hundreds of beetles rushed out of the slimy mess and headed for him. He left a trail of acid bombs as he made his way into the containment room.
A few beetles landed on the closing door. Kalen leaned against the wall, catching his breath as the beetles kept searching for a way in. The drilling began again, but more persistent. Whatever was out there was dangerous and these were its scouts.
He closed his eyes. His father had mentioned a way out, but where? His eyes shot open, remembering something his father had said, "I would never place my family at risk by doing dangerous experiments at home, son." He squeezed himself into the decontamination tube. The lab's wall came crumbling down at the same time he shut the door of the tube.
The red light switched to green. He caught a glimpse of the fierce creatures entering the lab before the false floor opened underneath him and he fell through. He jumped to his feet the moment he landed in the underground safe room. The iron trapdoor slid into place above him.
The room was empty except for a tunnel. He shimmied himself through it, the sounds of clawing and shrieks coming from the safe room spurring him on.
The damn things don't give up! After a good ten minutes, he found another safe room with a square trapdoor overhead. He turned the latch and pushed hard.
One of the scouts managed to slither through, closing the trapdoor with him. Kalen let the door slam shut and turned to deal with the small beetle. Only, by the time he turned, the palm-sized beetle grew five times its size in a few seconds. He went for the shovel leaning against the wall, but the creature latched onto his thigh before he reached it. Its needle-sharp legs thrust into his flesh. He cried out.
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