The Book Keeper

Chapter Three

I start by looking at the first page. It reads: "The History of the Lycanthrope Species". I laugh out loud, in shock. Really? This has to be some kind of joke. Werewolves don't exist. Someone must have written these for laughs. In spite of the title, I continue reading. The page is dated at December 19th, 1743.

I start to get dizzy, so I close my eyes for a second. When I try to open them, I am shocked to find that all I see is black. I try to open and close my eyes rapidly, but that doesn't work. Suddenly, my vision starts to come back. I look around and am not in my lab. What? Where am I?

I am looking at a giant man in a black trench coat with a 1700's hat on. He seems to be hiding in the darkened alley I find myself in. I start to grow worried. How did I get here? "Sir?" I ask the man. He either ignores me or doesn't hear me. I walk over to him and try tapping on his shoulder. I scream as I watch my own hand just float through his body.

How did that happen?! Am I seeing a ghost? I step back in total shock. That is when I notice he is fidgeting and looking around nervously. I look at him in confusion. Why is he acting like that? I decide to step back even farther and try to figure out what to do.

I have no idea how I got here. I was reading the book and when I read the date, this happened. I'm not sure if it is coincidence or not, but this looks to be the 1700 era and the date read 1743. Am I dreaming? I laugh at myself. I am probably just making all of this up in my head. I need to lay off the caffeine I guess.

Suddenly I hear voices. I look to where they are coming from. A sweet looking little girl and her mom are walking by the alley. They are holding hands while they walk. The man retreats back into the shadows. The little girl, seeming to hear something, looks over to where the man is hiding. She tries to look closer, but her mom pulls her along without so much of a mutter.

The man comes out of the shadows and does the weirdest thing he could do. He started talking to himself and pacing. "What am I going to do? I don't know what is happening to me. I can smell food from a mile away. I can see in the dark. I can hear anything within a three mile radius. All these people smell different. I have a constant hunger. I keep getting these horrible pains and cramps through my body. I hear a voice in my head. I am stronger and faster than any person that I have ever met. And I feel like my bodyis being taken over. I feel like a monster."

I stand there, dumbfounded, as I just heard the most outrageous rant in history. I look at the man again. He doesn't look like any other person. He looks normal. Maybe he is just insane. Yeah, that sounds about right.

The man then stands up straight, looks at the moon, and howls. Like a dog, he seriously just howled at the freaking moon. He slowly look down at his hands. He stares at them for a few seconds, until his knees buckle from underneath him. He screams a blood curdling scream. His body convulses as I stare in horror.

He moves as if he is being possessed. I hear sickening cracks, and realize it is his bones breaking. I know this because his left leg is at an awkward angle. His whole body starts convusling, all his bones crack, hair starts growing all over his body, and he screams in agonizing pain. Tears run down my face as I know there is nothing I can do to help.

The screaming stops. I look at him through my watery eyes. There, sitting where the man used to be, was a black wolf with shining blue eyes.