Jaheim
Eight years ago…
I feel raindrops hitting the side of my face, hear them landing on my skin, falling from the sky and splashing loudly on my cheek, one after the other in quick succession.
Tap, tap, tap…
I can smell the pure scent of the moisture in the air around me, the fresh, dewy dampness, the black spruce and jackpine trees, the moss… but strongest of all, I can smell living things that smell a lot like…
Food?
Every single sense I have is heightened. The minutest sounds are crisp and clear, the slightest scents, from far, far away feel like they’re tangible…
Did I die?
I’m scared to open my eyes to find out. Maybe I shouldn’t have eaten so much raw meat…
I cautiously open my eyes to a hue of orange breaking through the trees. I’m relieved; I’m still in this ditch, but now it’s early morning. I can hear my cell ringing in the car, but I drown it out and return my attention to a smell that makes my stomach rumble.
Woodland caribou.
I inhale deeply. Not too far away…
There are lots of other mammals close that smell good to me, though; mainly moose and bear. How the hell I know that, though, is beyond me.
I raise a hand to my face. It appears normal, but whatever the hell happened to me was far from it. I remember the fur on my hands and arms, the burning on my skin as it ripped while I grew into something that nightmares are made of.
And the pain…. The pain was like nothing I’ve ever known.
The last thing I remember is howling up at the sky, but then the world went dark.
I sit up; there are no clothes on my body, they lie torn on the ground beside me, soaked from the rain. I blink down at my dick when I see the size of it.
The fuck is that about?
My body is ripped as fuck, too. I even feel stronger than I was before, but also lighter. Not that that makes any sense.
And why ain’t I cold?
Can I even feel?
I pinch my arm—no pain?
I pinch it harder; still nothing. I press my nail into my skin instead…
The faintest feeling of something, but not much.
The scent of food calls to me, but I hear cars approaching so wait until there’s a break in traffic before attempting to stand.
I stagger before I find my bearings. I feel stronger and lighter at the same time. I take a few steps, desperate to get out of this ditch, and after a few more minutes, I find my feet and jump out to run deeper into the forest.
Whoa, whoa, what the fuck?
I stop running; skidding in the mud and fallen leaves as I come to a standstill. How the fuck am I running so fast? And how did I jump so high out of that damned ditch.
What the hell am I?
I run again, testing the limits of my body and avoiding others that I can sense in the forest. I can smell myself, and I definitely smell different, but the only way I can define it is animal like. Did I really change into a wolf or some shit?
Nah… that wasn’t a wolf. I was much bigger than that.
There’s something not quite right about this shit. I look around, wondering if I’m being watched, but I see no one. My vision does zoom in, though, and I see the most miniscule of creatures living on the ground and in the trees.
My heart races with panic so I sit down against a tree and try to remember exactly what I did the day I passed out.
Nothing out of the ordinary…
So what is this?
Jesus… I need help.
But where do I go? Who can I trust to tell about this?
They’ll think you’re psychotic, Jah… They’ll lock you up and throw away the key.
Or worse.
Run tests on you…
No.
I can’t tell anyone. Not even Evette. I need to keep this shit a secret until I figure it out.
I sense a bear close by and feel an urge to find it. I’m starving. I run in its direction, carefully avoiding any fallen branches that might scare it off, and after running for a couple minutes, I see it.
It senses me, too, because it turns in my direction and stares straight at me. He makes a bluff charge and claps his jaw, but I feel a shift in his mood and think he smells something not quite right about me.
This bear is huge, but as much as I feel a spike of fear of taking this fucker on, I also feel like I can’t back out now. I’m gonna kill it, and then eat it. I dunno if it’s gonna kill me in the process, but I guess I’ll die trying.
It charges at me and I run towards it. My heart races again and when he growls, so do I. We near each other and the adrenaline running through me surges to its peak as we collide. I reach for its neck and he bites my arm, making me yell from the pinch in my skin.
Muthafucka!
We tumble to the ground and then I manage to get on top of it, but it bites my hand and when I yell this time, it turns into a fierce growl.
Now I’m the one who’s bigger, and I quickly snap its neck, feeling his body go limp before releasing him. I look at my arm and hand, seeing the wounds healing, like they’re gluing themselves back together. My mind reels.
Now this is some seriously fucked up shit.
But as much as this situation is fucking up my head, another thought worries me more.
I can’t play football like this…
What the fuck am I gonna do about school?