The Beast Within (Book One of the Changes Series)

-Danielle’s POV-

A brash voice filled the room, causing me to nearly faint. Reluctantly, I moved my sight away from the monster growing in front of me towards the new sound. I knew that voice; it was the female from the van. She was now over the P.A. speaker.

“Delta 0023, back away from the bars. I repeat, step away from the bars.”

I looked back at the entrance, and that thing was gone.

The intercom crackled to life, “Well, look who we have in one of our cells. I can’t believe you’re finally here and ready for the transformation. Do you know what I think? I think you’re a waste of perfectly good fur, and I can’t wait for the boss to see you for the failure you’ve always been.”

What was this crazy bitch talking about? She and her boss could go to hell. They had the wrong person. The fear I felt was real, but it had nothing on the rage my dark friend never got tired of supplying to me.

“Go fuck yourself,” I barked.

She tsked, “You should learn how to curve that attitude of yours, or I might feel the need to teach you myself.”

The P.A. system had a two-way function, so she could hear me, but I wouldn’t be shocked if she could see me as well. With a renewed sense of purpose, I searched the darkened cell. The hidden camera had to be in here. There was a sizable hole in one of the walls, but nothing seemed to be in it. Unsatisfied, I continued my hunt.

On top of the far corner of the cell, I made out another hole in the wall. The camera had to be there. Instinctually, I stared intently into the darkness.

“Looks like you found the camera, good for you. Maybe you’re not as stupid and weak as you look. Well, at least not as stupid.”

“What the hell do you want from Porsha and me?”

“I don’t expect anything from you, but it would be unfair not to tell you the others feel differently, so I guess we’ll see. Your friend’s fate, on the other hand, is already sealed.”

“What does that mean?”

“I can’t spoil the big surprise for either of you; that wouldn’t be any fun now, would it?”

I had to figure out the right questions to ask before she grew tired of answering me.

“If you’re sure I’ll fail, why hide from me?”

There was a long silence. Maybe she did decide to leave.

“Aren’t you scared of seeing my face? Afterward, I might have to kill you.”

I answered on a hunch.

“Killing me isn’t a call you’re allowed to make, or it would’ve already been done. You’re nothing but a nameless follower.”

I worked hard to keep my stoic demeanor as I continued to glare into the darkened hole, but my heart felt as if it was going to explode.

“It won’t do you any good, but my name is Lu Ann.”

“Is anyone going to let me in on your group’s rite of passage bullshit, Lu Ann? I asked mockingly.

I undoubtedly pissed her off, but maybe her tongue would loosen. Hopefully, I didn’t just dig Porsha and myself into a deeper grave.

“Don’t worry, it will happen soon enough.” Lu Ann dryly answered.

“That’s right; you need to wait for your boss’s stamp of approval first.”

For the third time tonight, I heard a guttural growl. Again the captor’s changed body took hold of my thoughts. Was she like that other guard that she ran off? It was probably not the greatest idea to keep poking at her, but what other choice did I have?

My back went against the wall as I lowered myself into a sitting position, barely fighting the fear I felt.

“Lu Ann, was that you? Porsha told me she heard something growling outside her house the other night. Was that you too? Were you looking for rabbits?”

I waited for her to answer.

“You think you’re clever, don’t you? We’ll see how astute you are in the next hour. If you’re still with us afterward, I promise you’ll see your friend Porsha again.”

I knew we were done speaking, and my antics hadn’t changed a thing. Then again, I knew Porsha was still alive. I wasn’t sure how it would help us, and there was also the rite and transformation nonsense. God, we were still in deep shit.

I didn’t move an inch.

If I had stayed in Arizona, maybe none of this would’ve happened. I thought of the nightmare about the ranch. What if the dream was a prophecy? Was this God’s punishment for wanting more out of my life?

Time went by; I barely noticed the barred door slide open. My head lifted to see no one was there. I could feel my body on pins and needles as I tried not to panic.

“Is that you, Lu Ann? Did you decide to finally show yourself?” I quivered.

“No, I won’t be the one performing the ritual, but I will have the pleasure of watching as Eta 0036 does.”

I tried to hide the tremor that went through my body, keeping my eyes glued to the entrance of my cell as I rose to my feet.

“You’re the only person here with a proper name?”

“No, but you can ask when you two meet.” Lu Ann chuckled.

“You’ve had your fun, Gamma 00—” a mysterious voice interrupted.

“Sorry for interrupting, Sir, but I gave the package my real name, so I don’t think it would be a good idea for her to have my number too.”

I had no clue who Lu Ann was talking to. It sounded like the new person had a voice modulator that disguised his actual pitch for a low robotic tone.

“That’s against the rules, Lu Ann. Are there any other changes you would like to share before we continue?”

“No, Sir.”

“Who the hell are you people?! I know there isn’t a way out of this, but one of you could have the decency to tell me what is going to happen to us!”

“We know what you’ve been going through, and you do deserve an explanation. But all you need to know right now is that we’re here to help.”

How did he know I had been going through? No, he had to be lying.

“I wasn’t aware Porsha and I shared the same problems. Are you here to help her too?”

“Her purpose will be uncovered soon enough. Danielle, you’re going to make it through this and be better because of it, you’ll see.”

They went through my wallet. That was how he knew my name. It also meant they had my address too. Nathan and the kids could be in danger. The kids were at camp, but what if these lunatics took them later?

“Is Delta 10 ready for her?” the mystery voiced asked.

“Yes, Sir.

“Send it in.”

My breath caught in my throat. Why did I feel…what did I feel? Anticipation, that was it. No, that wasn’t me. It was my dark friend. The feeling only brought me dread.

“What’s going to happen to me?”

I froze as a heavy odor came into the cell. My eyes slowly moved away from the entryway to end up in the direction I was sure the scent originated from. A shadowy figure that appeared to take up the whole hallway came into view.

All I could do was widen my eyes as the rest of my body refused to move. What I was seeing couldn’t be possible. My eyes began to flutter, hoping the creature would disappear as the first did. It didn’t.

The beast methodically made its way toward the open entrance, never breaking our eye contact. It took everything I had not to start hyperventilating.

It reminded me of the creature in my nightmare. The hunched posture, uneven gait, it even had hind legs, like my dream.

The light played over its top-heavy body as it passed the dim light bulb. I watched in horror as the monster’s unruly, sandy mohawk grazed the ceiling’s surface. It had to be at least eight feet tall. I eyed its hair down its spine, ending at its tailbone. The beast’s arms had the same fringe of hair, but I saw frighteningly immense muscles covered by taut, brownish leathery skin where there wasn’t any hair to hide it, which scared me even more.

It barely fit through the opening as it entered the threshold of my cell. I tried to scream, but nothing came out. Instead, I mutely stared into its giant, ravenous blue eyes. The creature smiled at me with its elongated muzzle ending at its slender unhinged jaw, sharing its vicious maw filled with razor-sharp teeth.

Still paralyzed with fear, I stood as rigid as a statue. The beast’s breathing deepened while its drool flowed freely. At that moment, I realized whatever was going to happen was far worse than anything I had ever gone through.

This was how I was going to die.

I tried to concentrate my energy on my dark friend out of desperation, but it didn’t help. The dark presence seemed to have disappeared, taking the voices with it. I was alone and about to die.

I watched the monster as it trembled in apparent impatience, showing me the size of its dingy canines as it snarled and snapped in my direction. I looked away, not wanting to see my end.

“Wāki!”

Before I knew what was said over the P.A., the creature had rushed me. The sound of sharp knives cutting air was what I heard before the searing agony of collective slashes, forcing me to the ground gasping for air. It wasn’t until the second assault that I realized it wasn’t knives tearing into me. I tried to escape, turning away from its claws that left a painful white-hot stamp wherever they touched.

No longer able to move, I lay on the ground in a bloody heap. Copious amounts of my blood escaped through the numerous slashes, leaving me to feel severed from my body.

“ARUUGGHHH!!!”

It was on me, crushing me, eating me!

I screamed until the blood loss, pain, and pressure wouldn’t allow it. Still, I felt every cracked bone and punctured organ the beast’s paws caused.

I was numbed and close to death when it released, only to reestablish its grip, ripping a mouthful of my shoulder off of me.

I felt myself leaving my body when I was joined by another presence, causing a fury of sensations. Deep within, my dark friend and the whirl of voices cocooned what was left of me. The mystery man’s voice could barely break through as if it came down a long tunnel. I couldn’t identify the difference from any sensation as the creature continued to crunch against my shoulder bone. It swirled together, creating an unbearable torment.

“Gēnu! Gēnu! Activate his collar and deliver a shock at the highest amp setting, now!”

A deafening howl and the smell of burnt hair and flesh invaded my nostrils before I felt the weight fall away. As I lay there, I knew most of the bones in my body were broken, but the voices played a different reality in my mind.

“Danielle, are you okay? Delta 0010 has been terminated and is no longer a threat. Can you move?”

I was convinced I would be stuck in a flux of permanent pain. Every shallow breath I took was pure agony. The smell of the monster’s charred skin sickened me further. As the faint voice of the mystery man persisted, it mixed with the inner voices of my dark friend.

Surprisingly, my mind and inner body were in a constant state of motion. I still couldn’t do anything other than lying lifeless in a puddle of my own blood, but was my body trying to repair itself?

Panic seeped in as my shallow breaths worsened.

You will live, Danni, and you will thrive.

I understood. The voices had become one, and one that I completely comprehended. It was still complex, but the confusion was gone. It talked me through every repair being processed, but it was more like a knowing than talking.

I felt my punctured lung close and inflate, allowing me to breathe unlabored. The communication continued, as did the healing. Finally, I found the strength to move, but I stayed where I was and waited for my dark friend to finish. It wasn’t only me that was changing. The presence inside of me was going through a transformation too. It no longer squirmed in and out of my head; instead, it found its home within every cell of me. Its voice quieted and stopped its audible exchange, intermingling with every fiber of my being.

I listened to myself and stood up through the excruciating pain. I heard the same loud cracking of my bones as I did when the beast was on top of me. Except now, it stemmed from my freakish healing. Stunted and contorted, an involuntary shriek of anguish escaped my lips as I stretched upward, ultimately popping my spine back into place.

I now stood in a pool of gore, covered in a mixed coat of dried and wet blood, with the beast crumpled on the floor next to me. That was when I noticed the monster’s body move from the corner of my eye. I didn’t know what I expected, but I was left dumbfounded as the beast shrank and morphed, losing all of its bulk, thick body hair, and leathery skin. My God, that thing was a woman.

The in-between stage of her conversion looked as if it came from a circus freak show. Her bald, pale, and deflated body showed a road map of its greenish-blue veins. I witnessed its limbs violently break, forming from hind legs to the appearance of human legs. Her elongated finger-claws and oversized teeth were all that was left that wasn’t human. Soon enough, those monstrous traits disappeared as well, leaving a petite woman with a beautiful mane of blonde hair.

Shocked, I went in closer. The smoke lingered in the air, bringing attention to the enormous metal leash around her neck.

I bent down next to her, not wanting to think about what she was or used to be.

My curiosity got the better of me as I looked under the metal collar that covered the whole of her neck. The area looked to be cooked thoroughly. I recoiled, causing a deep pang of pain in my shoulder. The awareness of the recovery I still needed hit me hard. I tried to ignore my fatigue.

None of this made any sense. If they wanted me dead, why did they stop her?

A sensation of dizziness came over me. I knew I didn’t have much time before I would pass out. A faint tattoo on her arm caught my attention.

“H-0-0-3-6,” I absently said.

“What did you just say?” the mysterious voice asked.

I almost jumped out of my skin. I had no idea that he was still watching. Anger filtered in with my increasingly hazy vision.

Lu Ann thought I wouldn’t survive, and if it wasn’t for her boss’ interference, she would’ve been right. It would be stupid to upset the only person I knew of that might not want to see me dead.

I swallowed against my rage, “That’s what’s tattooed on this thing’s arm.

“I sent Delta 10. Besides, nothing lower than a Delta is ever sent to transform potentials. An Eta is barely more than one of the Corrupted.”

Potential for what?

I knew the way I healed wasn’t possible. What did they turn me into? Even though I had an idea, I couldn’t say it or think it. But I had the voices and presence before their rite. Something the mystery man said played in my mind. We know what you’ve been going through…

I couldn’t control the nervous laughter that spilled out of my mouth, “So I’m supposed to believe that I’m what this girl was?”

The mystery voice didn’t add any insight as silence filled the cell.

I continued, “You’re out of your mind if you think I’ll believe I’m a… werewolf!”

I knew the answer to my rhetorical question.

I couldn’t control my head shaking back and forth. “No, no, no! You had to have slipped me some kind of drug, all of this can’t be fucking real, you sick bastards!”

My hands found their way into my hair, readying myself to pull it all out.

“You have to know that lying to yourself isn’t going to change anything. But what I want to know is why you thought an Eta was sent into your room.”

“Because that’s what I read off of her arm.”

There was a brief silence.

“How did you know where to look?”

“I happen to see it. Why don’t you ask Lu Ann why she was in here?”

My eyelids became heavy as I stumbled towards the bed that I had just noticed shared the room with me. I had barely reached it before I collapsed onto the musty mattress. Then there was nothing, no pain or anger, just blissful nothingness.