I can feel the animal inside

My resolve is weakening

Pounding on the doors of my mind

Its nearly overpowering

I cannot begin to describe

The hunger that I feel again

Run if you intend to survive

For the beast is coming to life

Taking more than a glimmer of this tainted moonlight

Death approaches on this night…

... The Animal by Disturbed

“It began with a plague that arose throughout the world and caused loss of human life like never seen before; it spread rapidly and lasted for a few years, then just as quickly disappeared. The virus affected animals as well and for a select few species it attacked cells and mutated into a new strain, but it didn’t weaken them as it had the humans, instead, it transformed them into something unfamiliar, something new, and something with an insatiable bloodlust.”

Allister Woods

Springtime

  The gray lifted his head and inhaled the magnificent aroma of the surrounding woods, the curtain of rain had finally given way and it could now escape the confines of its den and run freely throughout the woodlands it called home, its belly grumbled in protest as a reminder that soon it's hunger would have to be satisfied, but the gray had only one thing on its mind at the moment, it wanted to run.

  A few hours later as early morning turned into midday, its teeth were already stained with the blood of small prey, and yet the fire in its blood continued to boil over, as the craving for more continued to build within.  It stopped to raise its snout to the breeze flowing between the trunks of the titans of the forest. “There!” it thought as it caught the scent of new prey, this one it recognized from past encounters with the pack, the one his kind had grown to hate. Saliva ran down the sides of its maw as the anticipation of tasting fresh kill filled its brain, it started to make its way to the prize, as slow steps became a trot and soon it was running in the direction of its prey.

Nearby...

  Sunlight seeped through the naturally created canopy of leaves above him and glinted off the metal tip of his long spear, The early morning rain had left a coolness in the air to which one might reason the cause for the outburst of goosebumps across the landscape of his arms, but in reality, it was something more menacing that caused the reaction. Somewhere close was danger and his instincts were on high alert, adrenaline coursed through his veins as a cold sweat spread like wildfire along his body, it was enough to cause the involuntary tightening of his hands around the spear’s shaft until his fingers cramped up with the force applied. 

  “Merda!” Cicero cursed at no one in particular, as he made his way through the dense forest, just two days ago he’d been content with his duties as a blacksmith, but after the raid on his village by the Horde, only a handful of the men of his clan had survived, and that was only because they had been on their way back from an errand given to them by their tribal leader who had also perished in the raid.

  Orius had been next in line to take over the leadership role, he’d despised Cicero since childhood and was all too happy to assign him the hunting duties, most likely in hopes that the tables would turn and he’d become the hunted. Making his way into the denser surroundings Cicero thought that the possibility of giving Orius what he wanted was not so far-fetched. He had hunted with his father when he was younger, but never this far into the woods.

  Something moved just ahead of him and he fell into a crouching position looking for cover amongst the large ferns occupying the forest landscape, he got his spear ready, and seconds later to his relief a large brown hare emerged from the bushes and into a clearing just ahead of him.

  The spearhead sailed through the air and struck the hare hard, sending it into a nearby bush. If not for the handle sticking up above the leaves, he’d have lost it in the thicket, Cicero was proud of himself as he bent down to pick up his kill, “not exactly a feast.” he thought, but At least he wouldn't go back empty-handed, even if he didn't catch anything else today. 

  The Alpha had called them "Humans" and warned the pack that these creatures were far more dangerous than they seemed, but at this moment, the gray could not understand how the creature before it could be dangerous, if anything, it seemed clumsy, awkward, and not suited even for this environment.

  The hare it had killed was past its prime and not much of a challenge to hunt, yet the human seemed overjoyed at its conquest, the gray knew the same could be said about his current prey but the hunger growing in its belly did not care about a challenge. The growl it released was for intimidation, to inflict fear unto its prey, and from the sudden scent of urine in the air, it seemed that it was successful.

  Cicero dropped his catch and gripped the spear with both hands as he spun around to face the danger behind him, the growl still reverberating within his eardrums. He felt the cold hand of terror grip his entire body as he looked into the grey wolf's bright amber eyes, its large frame sailed through the air and rapidly closed the distance between them.

   He made a hastily attempt to backstep away from the advancing animal and tripped over a tree trunk emerging out of the moss-covered ground, his landing was emphasized with a thump as his back met the ground. He was astonished that his hands still held firmly upon the wooden shaft of his weapon, an act that would come to save his life.

  The gray cried out with a yelp as the pain coursed through him, the flesh of its belly was split in two by the metal spearhead the human held up high. The human had suddenly disappeared just as its open maw aimed for the tender flesh of its throat, its brain already anticipating the taste of its flesh and blood, an instant later the alpha felt the burning sensation as its innards began to seep out.

    Cicero thanked the gods for his fortunate luck in escaping a surely horrible death, pieces of flesh and blood spattered his face as the wound he had created opened more, then within seconds, it was over as he heard the thud of its body dropping like a rock to the forest floor. He quickly rolled over and stood up afraid that it may not be as injured as it seemed, but to his great relief the animal just lay on its belly in a pool of blood and guts, he could hear its shallow breaths as the life rapidly drained from it.

  He neared the fallen beast with caution and heard the low whimpers coming from it, and was surprised at the sudden tinge of sorrow that came over him but quickly disappeared at the realization that he could have been the one laying in his blood.

  He carefully knelt next to the fallen animal and unsheathed his hunting knife to end its misery, but before he could plunge the blade into the thing's heart, it snapped its head back and sunk its teeth into his shoulder, he had gotten too close to it thinking it was at death's doorstep.

  A searing pain shot through him as it applied more pressure to its bite, he screamed out in agony while at the same time, he plunged his blade into the side of its torso, over and over he jabbed the steel into it until he felt its grip dissolve and watched it's head drop to the ground once again.

   That night his dreams were filled with strange visions, he was running through the woods but he felt somewhat detached, he felt no fear, only power and a lust for flesh that consumed him. He caught the scent of a hind and could feel her heart begin to beat faster as she sensed the danger closing in, the large female bolted into the dense woods but her speed was no match for his, he caught her just as she was about to cross the raging waters of a nearby river.

  The first swipe of his claws tore chunks of flesh from her torso and made her scream in agony into the night, the second took out her legs and she collapsed inches from the water's edge, she had been so close to escaping her terrible fate. He clamped down on her neck and tore out a large portion, killing the beautiful animal while satisfying it's primeval desires.

  Once done with the carcass he made his way back to where the hunt had started, his stomach still not satiated and craving more, as he neared the campfire his eyes fell upon the large white Arabian steed he had been allowed to use for the hunt, a "gesture of goodwill" as Orius had dubbed it in front of the villagers.

  "Marango" as he had been named, sensed the danger approaching as had the deer, it tried desperately to rip off its reins from the tree they had been fastened around, its muscles straining with the effort. Within minutes, it had suffered the same fate its predecessor had, and yet again, the unpleasant sounds from its gorging traveled through the night. Once done he rose from his dinner and entered the dark welcoming surroundings of the woods, catching a glimpse of his reflection in a puddle of crimson as he passed, causing him to scream within as the glowing amber eyes of a predator stared back at him.

  Cicero woke from his nightmare and found himself laying at the base of a large redwood, he swatted away at some ants that had crawled upon his face, his hands came back sticky, dry blood stained them, and he became panicked "it wasn't a nightmare! I’ve become a monstrosity!" so many thoughts quickly filled his head “how can I go back amongst my people? Will they even accept me? On the other hand, will they banish me? Or worse?” He quickly got up to try and find his way back to camp, twenty minutes later he’d confirmed his situation as soon as he laid eyes upon the slaughtered stallion.

Three days later...

  Enzo liked being up in the watchtower that overlooked the forest to the north of the settlement, he was the second oldest of the boys in the clan at fourteen and because of it had been assigned the "watch". The irony was that he had been told so many times before how he was too young to be in the tower in the past, but because of the circumstances, many of the “laws” had been rewritten for them all.

  His stepmother had hidden him during the raid, in the secret storage cellar beneath their home; she knew that at his age he would have most definitely been sold or put to work with the others. His father had fallen to the sword of a raider, but he had not shed a tear for the man, it had not been the best father and son relationship, to begin with since his father enjoyed beating him more than trying to bond with him, especially after two or three jugs of wine. His mother had died moments after giving birth to him, a tale he had heard many times as his flesh felt the sting of leather, his father blaming him for the loss.

  Now he was free from him and lived with his father's second wife amongst the other orphaned kids in the main house that had once sheltered their king and queen, Orius had taken the largest room towards the back but had converted the huge dining hall into sleep quarters for the displaced. It would be a long journey ahead, but they were all confident with the idea of rebuilding what had been lost.

  Movement caught Enzo’s eyes as someone emerged from the dense forest onto the dirt road between it and the walls surrounding the village “Someone approaches!” he yelled to the others, “It's Cicero!” he could tell from the bright yellow tunic he’d left with, “Where is his horse?”. Enzo had grown close to Cicero during the months after the raid, looking up to the man as a big brother; he had wanted to go hunting with him but could not because of his “duties”.

Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

  Sensing his disappointment, he had been assured by the older man that next time around they would go hunting for some deer. The gates groaned as the large bolt was drawn and they were pulled open to allow the man to return home. Cicero made his way along the dirt road, a fever still running through his veins and the hunger building within his belly once again, the first time he'd given in to it he'd lost his horse, the poor mare had been the closest thing to satisfy the longing consuming him.

 “It doesn't look as if your friend had any luck with his hunting expedition, does it?” Enzo jumped a little, startled by the sudden appearance of their leader, they both watched the man as he exited the tree line at the village's south side, “I guess it's bread and mead once again tonight! And where is his damn horse?” Enzo did not care or give his words much thought as he straddled the ladder and slid down to the ground just a few feet from the opening gates, he rushed past them to go greet Cicero. 

  He sensed that something was off as he watched him approaching and almost falling a few times, as he tripped over his own feet, then stumbling as he got nearer to the gate. He brushed away the worry and waited eagerly to greet his friend, his impatience getting the better of him as he decided to run to him.

  The gates began to close as soon as Cicero stepped through the main archway, it was a practice they had adopted ever since the attack, the sound of the large bolt sliding into place reached his ears as he made his way toward the center of the village, he saw the young boy approaching him and attempted a smile, but it didn't come to fruition as a powerful convulsion suddenly racked his body.

  "NO!" He thought as he felt his muscles twitch as they had done the other night, the beast wanted to come out, its hunger growing as it sensed the large number of prey all around it. Cicero was determined to show it who was in charge, as he willed it back with all the might he could muster, and to his surprise it retreated, he had triumphed but the amount of concentration and energy it took drained his already weak body. Gravity took its hold on him and sent his weakened form to the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust in his wake.

  "Cicero!" He heard the boys' scream but it seemed as faint to him as the pitch-black void of unconsciousness wrapped itself around him; he was able to mutter "Enzo." just before the darkness took him into its folds. The boy stood next to his fallen friend and fought back the tears welling up, he had no idea what was wrong with him, kneeling he reached out and touched his forehead, the heat emanating from his skin shocked him, he was burning up and would need help.

  He stood and turned towards the infirmary but was suddenly aware of a body blocking his way, "What the hell is wrong with him?" Orius stood next to the boy and awaited a reply, the look of disgust on his face said it all “One would think that a person who makes the tools and weapons for his clan, would also know how to hunt!" Shaking his head, he added, "What a waste of time!" This enraged young Enzo, "He needs medical attention! And if you are so much better than him, shouldn't it have been you, our leader, who should be out there hunting to provide food for your people?" 

  The slap had come so quickly that he had not realized what had happened until the sting of the blow reminded him and he found himself on the ground next to Cicero. "How dare you speak to your elder in such a rude manner?" Looking up from the boy, he made eye contact with two of his newly appointed guardsmen "Take this one to the box, a few hours there in this heat should teach him some manners!" Then with a wave of his hand towards the other body at his feet, he added "And have the physician check on this one, we can't do without a blacksmith, at least he can serve some purpose to us all."

Several hours later…

  The black void surrounding him abruptly filled with flashes of light and images as the night visions returned, he once again found himself a spectator as he traveled the same woods he had previously, this time though he knew he was still close to the village as the watchtowers rose high above the trees to his right, the very same trees he dodged in and out of searching for the next delight.

  A metallic taste still lingered within his mouth from the forest dwellers that had already fallen victim to his blood lust, but he wanted more as the cramping in his stomach reminded him so, he lifted his snout and took in the night air to search for his prey, it didn't take long to locate the wonderful scents coming from just beyond the walls. 

  A running leap and the beast was upon one of the many oaks sitting a few feet from the outskirts of the village, once he'd scaled the length of the highest branch; he easily cleared the wall with a leap and landed soundlessly amongst the high grass on the other side.

  The sound of footsteps reached his heightened auditory senses as two guards made their rounds, dropping its enormous body to get on all fours with the ease of a panther, it began moving stealthy through the grass, to get closer to its new prey; like a lion nearing a group of gazelles. Continuing along the cover provided he made his way behind one of the village huts, his obsidian coat gave it the cover it needed as the two men passed right by, oblivious to the predator waiting to attack.

  The simple sweeping motion of a large, muscular arm aligned the razor-sharp claws of his right hand with the necks of the two unsuspecting men, the duo thumps were slightly off as the two heads fell upon the moss bed they'd been walking on. He was in bliss as he felt the warm gushing of blood running down his throat as he nuzzled the wounds left by the vacated heads, he ripped at the rest of the bodies in a ravenous rage as he feasted on the gore before him.

  The beast was in full control and yet a tinge of disgust came to the surface as the human within felt repulsed by the actions being carried out. Tilting his head back to guzzle down a length of large intestines his joy in the act was quickly interrupted by the high-pitched scream filling the air. He roared his anger and growled as he dropped the body he held and advanced towards the woman who stood stupefied while still pointing in his direction. 

  Garagey watched in horror as the large wolf creature lunged at Yandel with a speed that seemed unnatural for its size, he'd been lounging by the fire set in the center of the village, drinking mead, and contemplating life when her scream pierced the night, before he could even turn to run to her it had already grabbed her head with it's abnormally large "hand?" He said out loud to no one in particular, as the thought formed in his head "What kind of wolf has hands with claws instead of a padded paw?"

  He watched as it tilted her head to expose the skin of her neck, her scream muffled by the large appendage, then stopping completely as it ripped most of her neck off and swallowed it like a baby bird eating a worm. The village began to brighten up as torches were lit expelling the night back, people poured out from the various huts to see what the commotion was. 

  The beast scanned the village and Drew its gums back to expose its gore-stained teeth, looking as if it were smiling, with a low guttural growl it advanced on the emerging villagers, and before long a chorus of screams filled the night air as the beast gorged itself upon the inhabitants, after a few hours it stood amongst the body littered grounds and looked upon the carnage as if proud of its accomplishments, then it tilted it's head upwards and let out a howl that would have shaken anyone around to the bone.

  The sudden sound of shuffling made its ears stand up in alert, it turned towards the sound and found it was looking at a wooden structure near the far end of the village close to the wall, as it neared the strange boxed cube the sounds increased as if whatever was within was trying to get away from the approaching creature.

  Enzo watched in horror as the thing lowered its large head and stuck its snout into the only opening of the box, it took a few sniffs and growled, then without warning the door was ripped from its hinges, and a large claw reached inside, and pulled the young man out so swiftly that he never had a chance to scream.

  The beast looked at the head it held in his grasp and brought it closer for a sniff, it could sense the fear emanating from him, but was suddenly surprised when the young teen spat on its snout, the amber eyes locked onto Enzo's as its's long tongue licked the saliva as it ran down along the black lips of its maw. "Oh My God, I'm so sorry Enzo!" Was the thought that rang out from deep within its mind, but the dominant predatory side took hold again, and without any more hesitation it clamped the razor-sharp teeth and muscular jaws around the small head until it felt the bones shatter under the pressure, as blood and flesh filled its throat once more.

  By the time the sun rose into the eastern skies, the only movement in the village came from Cicero as he woke from the nightmare, he’d experienced firsthand through the amber eyes of the killing machine he’d become.

  He’d fled the scene as fast as he could, especially after waking to the forced-out remains of Enzo lying next to him, he wandered along the road that had led out of his village, and by the time the sun vanished from sight he found himself at the top of a hill that overlooked another village below, the watchtower lanterns light flickered in the night breeze, and he thought he heard a shout coming from the guard posted there.

  Something whisked by and landed somewhere behind him, “What the hell?” he thought, just as another passed even closer than the first, “thank God there’s enough distance between us!” as he realized the objects were metal-tipped arrows being shot at him. Then the sound of the gates being opened reached him as three of the men were dispatched on horseback to take care of the intrusion, he caught a glimpse of the symbol that decorated the throw adorning the steed’s sides and a rage overcame him.

  “The Horde,” he thought as the anger began to rise as he realized he had stumbled upon their home, somewhere within the beast nudged at him, and this time he welcomed its emergence “Vengeance at last.” Was the last human thought he would have for a while as the creature emerged and charged directly into the lead horseman.

  They had no idea what was attacking them as the beast was a whirlwind of claws sharper than the best knife blade and teeth that tore through flesh like a buzz saw, the screams alerted those on the other side of the defense walls and soon more soldiers joined the others, limbs flew from bodies, intestines were ripped from torso’s and heads rolled off broad shoulders as the creature tore through them all. It was not even interested in eating now; instead, a very human catalyst fueled its anger, revenge, pure and simple.

  In the months that passed, tales of other massacres began to surface, as well as sightings of more and more beasts. Strangers were no longer welcomed into any settlements, the residents afraid they could be one of the shapeshifters whispered about in many a tavern.

                  Thus began the infestation.

From the book Whispered Tales...