The Wolf of Dorian Gray - A Werewolf Spawned by the Evil of Man

Epilogue

Bright light—beams of painful whiteness penetrated the comfortable darkness and forced Dorian to open his eyes. He was in a thickly wooded area, encircled by a dense wall of trees. He was lying on the mossy ground with his arms flung over the carcass of a half-consumed deer. The forest floor was littered with bones and the air was filled with the foul stench of rotting meat. His skin felt raw and tender. It was completely covered by dried blood and gore. He was utterly naked, like some ghoulish infant at the time of its birth. That was impossible. His last memories were of his gruesome wounds inflicted by the wolf, excruciating pain, and the unpleasant feeling of being eaten alive.

Yet here he was, alive—apparently in the creature's lair. Taking stock of his body, he found he was amazingly uninjured. His hands explored the areas where massive gashes had exposed organs and torn his flesh, but found them all curiously sound and smooth to the touch. Had it all been some terrible dream? Then why was he bloody and in the forest? Whatever had happened, Dorian needed to be away from this place before the lycanthrope returned. Like a newborn fawn on unfamiliar and ungainly legs, he rose and moved falteringly away from the rotting pile of venison. As his legs began to strengthen he stumbled across a small stream and used the water to wash away some of the blood staining his skin. He felt like a common beast as he stooped to slurp up a drink from the muddy water. With his mind somewhat steadied, he focused again on fleeing from the center of the forest in the hope of reaching some safe place.

He ran on, naked skin oblivious to the cuts and scrapes on his feet and arms as he traversed the landscape. He tried following small game trails to make his journey easier. It felt like he ran for hours, dodging amongst the trees. Unbidden, his path led directly to the one location he knew to be both close to the forest and currently uninhabited—Sage's country workshop. With no living relatives, it was unlikely that her recent disappearance would so quickly result in the sale of the property. Dorian approached the estate cautiously. He waited for a time to watch for any signs of life, before dashing to the back door and forcing his way in. The old wooden door seemed to break at the hinges immediately. They must have rotted thin with age.

The hearth was cold and everything remained covered and put away. The house was just as Sage had left it. He began rummaging through the corner closet. It was good fortune that he found a gentleman's coat that some patron or acquaintance must have forgotten there. Covering his nude and crimson form, he strode into the kitchen and began rummaging through the cabinets. There was an ample selection of cheeses stored in wax, dried fruits, pickled vegetables, salted meat, and even some canned fare. However, none of it appealed. Dorian found that despite his desperate run through the forest, he was still quite full—though from what meal, he had no idea.

He settled on pumping several buckets of water and then scouring his skin clean in Sage's antique, copper tub. He exited the bath and tried not to look at the red-tinted water. With his skin returned to a healthy pink color, Dorian felt once more like himself. And yet, strangely not himself. He was changed and felt like an entirely new version of Dorian Gray. More complete maybe. His mind was swimming with regret, shame, and fear—but also something else. Maybe, there was an inkling of hope there. He felt now that he had the strength to begin a new life. He would gather some meager resources and leave all the wealth and debauchery of his previous life behind him. Perhaps a grand adventure to places unknown in the world, or an excursion to India or the Americas. Any place that took him far away from that demon. It still haunted his vision every time he closed his eyes.

—to be continued NOW in: Purgatory of the Werewolf (see my profile for link on wattpad and please subscribe to my mailing list http://www.brianference.com/mailing-list/)

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