Renewal; A Tale of Katrina's Kitchen

The Nightmare Reveals

The hand-like paws stroked her body, the claws cutting her clothing like tissue paper Small gashes oozed blood, the new odor fueling the creature's excitement, it lay across her body, sniffing and licking…blond, very pretty, she raised her left hand to look at the ring,…the paws pushing, groping at her flesh, each fresh wound, each odor heightening its lust…she was smiling brightly, yet there were tears in her eyes…breast, freed of fabric was the first taste, fat laden, succulent…she gazed at the handsome young man…it moaned at the flavor,  claws drew down her abdomen lightly at first, then with more urgency, opening the way to feed on the steaming entrails.

This time Katie woke sitting straight up. The clock read just after midnight this time. The pen and notebook were in her hands before she realized it. She took a deep breath and began to write the details of this latest nightmare.

She leafed back through the pages to the first dream of the celebrating couple. She began suspect that the nice looking young man was the same worn man that had been revealed by her vision in the coffee pot. Was he also the beast in her dreams? Katie tried to deny the thought pushing its way into her mind.

Werewolf.

Katie grabbed her robe and headed for her kitchen. Coffee at this hour wasn’t a good idea, but it was what she needed after the chilling scenes of her dream and the more frightening thought of what may be arriving soon. As the percolator chuffed happily, she returned to her bedroom. In the back corner of her closet was largish safe, she spun the dial to the correct numbers without thought.

Inside were a several dozen notebooks of varying types and ages. The oldest of them were bound in leather. She skipped those to grab the more recent three ring binders filled with yellowed paper. Those were Gram’s notebooks. Katie prayed there was an answer other than the one her sleep deprived imagination had conjured.

The coffee pot had finished its work by the time she returned to the kitchen. She poured herself a mug an debated giving it an extra kick from the bottle of Bailey’s under the sink, but thought better of it. If she was going to do research, she needed a clear head.

Notebooks and coffee in hand, she settled into her comfy chair. Before opening the histories, she gazed out the window to Main Street. A full moon lit the street sending a chill up her arms.

“Relax, Katie girl.” she told herself, “Don’t forget Gram’s first rule! Myth and reality are often two different things.”

If this man was truly a werewolf, if she was to counsel this man, teach him to control his problem, learn all she could. She hadn’t dreamed of any other attacks. Was his first kill? Was it his first transformation? Was he even aware of what happened? Scratch that. The vision of the man in the woods told her he knew. He was running.

She spent an hour paging through the old books. Her grandmother’s writing was done with a careful hand, her notes detailed and precise. But even with the caffeine boost, Katie could feel her eyes burn with the need for more sleep.

Nothing in the first five notebooks. Gram had apparently never encountered a werewolf. With a sigh, Katie leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes.

She was the man waking in the predawn, confused at his surroundings. He started violently as he realized he was naked, and covered in blood and gore. As he moved, a pile of leaves beside him shifted. He recognized in horror the mutilated remains of a human corpse. 

His belly heaved, and the puking began. As he tried to catch his breath. a glint in the vomit caught his eye. 

Katie saw with his eyes, the piece of a finger. Still encircled with the engagement ring.

She woke with a scream. Katie didn’t try to stop the reaction, with her hands over her mouth, she raced for the bathroom.