Faolan was glad that Joe wasn't awake to see what was happening. He was also a little surprised that she was still sleeping through all this. His nose was driving him nuts wit hall the smell of distress and pain that Matthew was experiencing. Once it was over and Matt had calmed down, Rami announced that he had to leave as his beeper had gone off. He was a doctor, after all, hobby or not. Faolan had thanked him and asked if Rita would want to stay and see how things go. She could even stay the night if she wanted... and if she got thirsty, he had some fresh blood but it was either from pigs or chickens. Or coffee.
As for Matt, if Rita was fine with it he'd move the lad to (now) his bedroom, and moved Joe to hers. He stayed up for a while but eventually he had to get some shuteye and excused himself.
((Nowwwwwww... prepare fro even bigger wall of text than ever before! As we present a lengthy dream sequence... better get the popcorn and hide the kids.))
"Uhm, this doesn't look like the way home..." She heard Matt say uncertainly. Of course it wasn't, she and Addie were going to take him to a werewolf inn and treat him to his very first steak in, well, probably ever.
She was actually quite excited about it.
"That's because it isn't." She answered him and looked around to see the look on his face. What she saw however, wasn't what she had expected.
The scene had somehow warped and she found herself in a dark scrapyard forest At night. Her eyes darted to where Matt had stood and as she glanced down she saw him laying on the ground, and he wasn't breathing.
"Matt!" She shouted, panic in her voice, as she went to kneel beside him and checked his pulse. There was nothing. Immediately she went for CPR and pinched his nose to blow air into his lungs.
"Hooooooowey, he sure is a goner." She heard a familiar voice say. It was Bucky and he sounded as delightful as ever.
Joe looked up in his direction with a glare-
And found that it was Addie standing there, but his eyes were obscured by his long fringe. His grin wasn't though. "He's gonna diiiieeeeee..." He teased in a low and menacing voice with his head tilted sideways and his hands behind his back.
She ignored him and again blew air through Matt's now blue lips and then moved to press on his chest to get his heart started. 1, 2, --
There was a sickening crunch and she felt as her hands went down too deep, and as she froze and stared in horror she saw her hands were covered in blood, and through his broken chest. Matt's face turned to her and he was looking at her with dead eyes. With a gasp the got up and grabbed her hair as she shook her head, not caring that they'd be coated with his blood... "I... I'm sorry... I was only trying to help. " she said, her voice hoarse. To make it worse there was a gash opening on his throat, fresh blood oozing through it and she heard Matt's gurgling throat gasping for air. All through this Bucky was laughing and said, "Told you so!" Repeatedly.
Joe's defenses kicked in and she became angry. With a snarl she jumped at Bucky and as he looked surprised she bit him on the shoulder. He tried to get her off as he screamed in pain and then with a hard twist of her hand she snapped his neck. His lifeless body fell to the ground, and for a moment it was silent. Joe stood breathing heavily.
Then the silence was broken by soft laughter that grew louder and menacing. Her breath caught and she looked around and then found the source...
It came from Matt... But he looked different somehow. A hand lifted up and tried to reach for her. Then the laughter stopped, and he had a pleading look in his scared eyes, "h- help, Joe... I can't fight-" Then he laughed, no, Bucky laughed again, through him. She took a step back and as her other foot followed suit she felt something grab her ankle. Joe quickly looked down and saw that it was Addie's hand and his neck was twisted backwards to look up to her as he kept his wide, evil grin. "Where are you going, female?"
Something in what he said and the way he said it made her feel ice cold. With a kick in his face she got her foot loose and ran for the trees, or scrap metal-shaped trees.
She looked back to see if she was being followed, but there was no sign of anyone, not even a scent. When she looked around again, she was in a hospital room. Joe stood silent for a moment and then a chill ran down her spine... Someone was standing behind her and it smelled like-
"Matt." she said surprised as she turned around and saw him standing in a shadowed corner. He smelled wrong though, and as he stepped forward she noticed his eyes. They were bright with madness, and hunger... His chest was still split open, and bleeding. Before she could even step back he ran into her to pinned her hard against the wall by her throat which was now bleeding. She let out a strained yelp and felt a flash of pain on the back of her head. To her surprise he reached for her neck with his free hand... And yanked the trinket necklace off. "No!" She protested, but his grip was too strong for her to break, she groped at his arms, tearing at them with her nails, but to no avail. He was looking at her and tilted his head as he grinned, "Guess what? You taste good." he said and then threw her to the ground on her back and had her pinned as he kneeled over her. She tried struggling, but couldn't get loose and he was enjoying every moment of it as was evident in his crazed eyes. "How about another kiss, hmm?" He said and reached down to press his lips to hers like she had done before, but then she felt a sharp pain as he bit her lip and let it bleed. He was overpowering her, but this time she didn't like it one bit.
Joe let out an angered growl and tore her arm from his grip and then got him with a headbutt. As he fell back he laughed and rubbed his head where she had hit him. He still had her trinket in his hand, and she saw him lift it up into view as he looked at her, "Don't hold out on me Joe... You've still got so much left to give." He said and she watched in horror as he crushed the trinket with his hand into a million shiny pieces. They scattered in slow motion through the air and as she watched them, she saw Matt getting up to come after her. She didn't waste any time to turn and run from the ill intent in his eyes. As she ran, she ran in anger and the trees flew past in a blur.
Further off there was a faint light, and behind her she heard laughter and it was getting louder. She picked up the pace as her heart pounded. The further she ran the more familiar the trees looked, she took this as a good sign. When she finally got to the other side of the forest she saw a welcoming sight: her grandfather's house. Joe ran for the door and as she opened it and stepped inside she saw the cat lying in the windowsill. He opened one lazy eye and then yawned before continuing his nap. Joe made sure to lock the door.
"Grandad?" She called through the house but there was no answer. Knowing he'd probably be in the kitchen, she headed there but found it empty. Not even the stove was on and everything was clean. She decided to try for his bedroom and headed out of the kitchen but then something caught her eye. She stopped for a moment and then looked behind her...
On the cupboard was a photo frame, and as she took and held it closer to her she saw that it was her and Matt. He was standing behind her and held his hands over hers affectionately as they were kissing. In the photo she was smiling happily. Joe looked closer at the picture; something about the posture reminded her of a photo of her parents that they had taken, when they had found out that her mother was expecting-
Thud!
A sound from her room above made her look up. As she looked down again the frame was back in its place. She decided to ignore that for now and headed upstairs. She barely noticed that the whole area was becoming very dark... When she reached the top she heard small movements from behind her bed. Carefully she approached it and as she got closer she could almost make out what sounds it were. For some reason this sent her heart racing and her skin prickled... She looked over the bed.
What she saw horrified her to the core and her eyes spread wide as she stood paralyzed, her arm raised to cover her mouth. There was her grandfather, still alive but barely, and his legs were missing from the knees down. They ended in messy red stumps and sitting around him were three black werewolf puppies. They were eating him alive! Oh unholy hell, they were eating him alive! When they finally noticed her and as they looked up, their faces were shrouded and twisted, making them look like demons with bright cyan specs for pupils in black, soulless sockets. The more she looked at them, the more demonic their features became...
In unison they then grinned, showing malformed and very sharp teeth; their little tails wagged as they stood up and waddled over to her. Her response was to step back and then she heard her grandfather's groggy voice, "What... have you done?" She didn't understand the question and shook her head slowly in confusion, "I don't..." But her response was interrupted by wining from the puppies. She looked down slowly and saw their horrid faces and their bloody grins as they looked at her expectantly...
"We wonder what you taste like, mommy." They said in chilling cheery voices. Before she could even react they lunged at her, their sharp teeth bared for murder.
Joe jumped up with an audible scream from the bedroom floor. It took her a moment to realise where she was and she sat quietly as she took short bursts of breath. Her hair and body was covered in sweat and her eyes still wide. She realised that she was shivering, and it wasn't from cold. Her hand went to her neck, and the felt the trinket still there. She swallowed.
Finally calm enough to move, she drew her knees up and she rested her elbows on them. Lowering her head she ran her fingers through her hair and stayed that way as she tried to calm her breathing. She had to clench her eyes shut and bit her lip to keep the sobs in her throat from escaping... Then she realised that something was off... Her hands fell odd. As she lowered them she saw that they were in mid form, shorter and with more nail with the little soft pads also visible. Try as she might, she couldn't change them to human form. She noticed the same thing with her feet. Perhaps if she changed to her full wolf form then she would have more luck?
She tried that... but found that now... she couldn't turn back human! What the heck?!
Look in the mirror...
Was that her own thought? It didn't matter, maybe she could see what was going on, somehow. She got up and walked to the mirror standing beside her closet and with a forepaw tilted it so she could see her reflection. As it tilted down she was met with a horrible sight and her heart felt like it contracted, pulling her chest in on itself, making it impossible for her to breathe.
There was red. Lots of red. Too much red in all forms of death, and she was standing in the middle of it, her coat soaked with it. She now looked demonic with sharper claws and longer teeth, her eyes showing only bloodlust and hunger. She was grinning sadistically and her eyes were glowing brilliantly... and standing next to and in front of her were the three puppies. The more she saw the less she wanted to, but the time seemed to drag on and she couldn't look away fast enough. Then she noticed the other lifeless forms, or at least their parts laying around like scraps of meat on a cleaving board. She recognised them... Of course she recognised them, they were those whom she cared for the most!
Joe couldn't stop a whine escaping her throat, No! What... What have I done?! How did this happen... She screamed in her mind. Her reflection grinned only wider and wider, impossibly wider and then it opened it's mouth as if it's jaw was unhinged. In her side-view she saw a decapitated head's eyes turn to her, then another and another. All the disembodied eyes were focused on her.
And then the reflection's head snapped off, surrounded by black smoke and with it's maw open wide it arched up and engulfed her with hideous teeth...
A high-pitched and loud whining yelp escaped Joe's throat, so intense that it actually hurt. She sat up panting, sweaty all over and her eyes focused in front of her. She was in her wolf form, but hardly noticed it. Shaking wildly she just sat there on her bed, her panting becoming erratic.
She couldn't move, didn't dare for... for fear of still being caught in a nightmare. She knew it had been one, but it felt so real that it had scared her senseless.
What's wrong with me?...