Monster

            “Hey Scottie! Packed yet?” called my best friend, Matt; he was twenty-four, a year older than myself. Ever since we became friends at six when we split a Twinkie on the bus, he has been the only one to call me ‘Scottie’ instead of Scott. Today, we were going camping for the weekend to celebrate our acceptance into New York Medical School. “Yeah, be there in a sec!” I yelled back. Quickly, I surveyed my supplies. Clothes? Check. Hiking boots? Check. Binoculars and camera? Check. I was ready. I walked into the room where I heard Matt call , I burst into laughter. Matt Richardson was wearing Flannel. You see, Matt was often referred to as a life-sized Ken doll. He had tanned skin and wavy blonde hair with icy blue eyes and rippling muscles. I, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. My hair was a scruffy brown mess and my skin tone made Edward Cullen envious. I had a tall and lanky form with large brown eyes, dubbing me with the nickname ‘Doe-Eyes.’ Matt gave me a mock glare and headed for the door. “Let’s go!” “After you, Paul Bunyan.” I teased, receiving yet another glare. Four stops and three hours later, we arrived at Roosevelt Wildlife Preserve. At the gate, we were stopped by a park ranger in his forties. Matt swiftly rolled down his window. “Is there a problem, sir?” the ranger smiled sadly. “I’m just here to warn visitors that there is evidence of a mountain lion roaming around. Here.” The ranger handed us two pamplets labeled What To Do When You See A Mountain Lion ‘Wow.’ I thought ‘they are really taking this seriously.’ When we finally arrived at the campsite, it was nearly sundown. I could faintly see the full moon in the dimming sky. Matt still hadn’t spoken since we got the warning from the park ranger. I could tell he was spooked, heck, I was freaked too. I tried reassuring him. “Matt, we’ll be fine. We are going to keep the lanterns on all night to keep them away.” This seemed to calm him into normalcy. Two hours later, we crept into our tents with stomachs full of hot dogs and s’mores. “Night, Scottie.” “Night Matt.” I woke at two in the morning when I heard shuffling outside the tent, I figured it was Matt messing around until I heard a menacing growl. I jumped from my sleeping bag and silently made my way to the tent flap. I peered outside and saw the monster that still haunts me today. It appeared to be a giant wolf. It was at least ten feet tall with thick grey hair covering it’s massive form. It’s eyes were terrifyingly feral, it’s muzzle was long and displayed a horrifying snarl, revealing the monster’s razor-sharp fangs, each one as long as my finger and twice as thick. The beast was just about to turn towards me when Matt bolted out of his tent, screaming at the top of his lungs. Oh no. he was practicing the directions from the pamphlet. 1. Try to make yourself larger than the animal. Immediately, the wolf-thing turned on Matt. Everything began to happen in slow motion. I was paralyzed as I saw the beast rake it’s claws against my friend’s flesh, ripping him apart. His screams pierced the air. I saw the thing tore Matt apart, eating him alive. Blood was splashing everywhere. Eventually, his screams were silenced when the monster bit down on Matt’s throat and ripped out his vocal chords. I watched, powerless, as my best friend died right before my eyes. When the thing was satisfied, it ran to me again. Once more I was paralyzed. When the wolf ripped me open with one scratch to the chest, it felt like fire in my veins. I opened my mouth to let out an agonized scream but couldn’t. Then, as quickly as it had come, the beast was gone. The pain from the four long gashes on my chest seemed to never subside. I couldn’t even escape it through sleep, for the sheer agony kept me conscious. By the time the rangers finally got there sometime after sunrise, I was suffering from mild hypothermia. At the hospital, I was met by my little sister, big brother, and my parents. When the staff finally got the pain to leave, I fell into a drug-induced sleep. As soon as I shut my eyes, I was back in the woods. This time, the beast was gone, and I was alone. Suddenly, something rustled in the bushes behind me. Startled, I whirled around, only to wish I hadn’t. now in front of me, was Matt’s carcass, standing and pointing at me. He had blood dripping from his numerous wounds. On one of his legs I could see the bone, the flesh was peeled off around it. His body was so grotesque, so malformed, I could barely recognize him. Suddenly, I heard his voice. The tone of it was strange. His usually joking and carefree nature was gone, replaced with anger and malice. Why? Why didn’t you help me? The cold voice said. It is your fault I am dead! You killed me! You killed me! You killed me! He chanted. Without warning, I felt two arms shake me awake. I looked at my sister, Hailey. “Sorry,” she said, “You were thrashing in your sleep, screaming something about ‘killing him’ ”I saw the worry etched onto her eighteen year old face. “It’s fine,” I reassured her, “Just a bad dream.” The next four weeks brought recovery. The gashes weren’t too bad, and with therapy, the nightmares came down to one per week. I felt as if I was better than ever. I became much more athletic and healthy, my senses sharper than ever before. On the night of the four week anniversary of the attack, I was at home, watching old movies with my sister. During the weeks of my recovery, I stayed at home, with family. About halfway through the movie, I felt as if something was tearing at me from the inside, demanding to be released. Along with this was a sudden and unbearable pain. I cried out, gaining the attention of Hailey. She paused the film. “What’s wrong?” I managed to squeak out, “I’m fine, I’ll just be in the bathroom.” And with that I dashed to the restroom. Once I had shut and locked the door, an even worse wave of agony ripped through my body, causing me to curl up in fetal position. I had no idea what was going on. Suddenly, everything began snapping. I felt my bones brake and my skin tear and stretch as it struggled to keep up with my rapidly changing body. I watched in horror as my hands torturously formed into paws. Then it hit me. I was becoming the monster that ruined my life. As the pain began to diminish, so did my consciousness. Slowly, a fog began to form over my senses, blocking me from the world. When I awoke, the first thing I noticed was the sunlight, blinding me from above. Gradually, all of my senses returned, allowing me to open my eyes. Suddenly I realized I was naked. During a feeble attempt to cover myself, I noticed the blood. I was covered in it. Immediately, I examined my surroundings. I was in my living room, and it looked as if a tornado had hit. The T.V. was lying broken on the floor, with nearly everything else. Then I saw the bloody carcass lying next to me. It was Hailey. Some kind of animal had destroyed her. I cried out in horror when I realized that I had done that. Her blood drenched my mouth and hands. I was a monster. I had killed my sweet baby sister. I knew I needed to get away from my family, Now, before I hurt anyone else. Quickly, I cleaned myself up and left for Boston. That was two months ago. Since then, I got a minimum wage job, a dingy apartment, and away from everyone else. But that doesn’t matter. I am a monster just the same, a danger to everyone around me. If you are reading this, it means I have done the world a favor. Now, as my blood pours out of my wrists and onto this paper, I know this is the only way to save the ones I love from the monster I’ve become.

Remember me as I was before.

Goodbye,

Scottie