Chapter Two

Winter had killed everything in New Haven. For awhile it seemed as though the icy claw would never release its hold, yet spring had finally begun in the small town. Flowers were beginning to bloom and birds were singing out their love songs. It was mid June, but it felt more like the beginning of April; the days were long but nights were still bitterly cold. The season was different than everyone was accustomed to, but then again, so was New Haven.

“I don’t know if I told you, but Terri is engaged to her postman friend. Harry Bonner is his name; I just found that out the other day. I screwed it up too. I introduced him as Harry Boner at their engagement dinner. I had to keep myself from laughing, what a horrible name! Then I realized it was Bonner, like Bonn, Germany. Thank God they’re too old to have kids, that’s a last name no kid should be punished with.” Darwin laughed to himself, but the air around him remained silent.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you last time, Cindy and I are off again. I tried to make it work, but I think she could sense my, ‘lack of interest’. My time and attention has been divided between running a town and being a leader. Yeah I know…you don’t even have to say it.” Darwin again laughed nervously with the plain grave marker looking back at him.

The wind picked up for a moment, brushing the tree tops lightly. Darwin closed his eyes and listened to the sound and found himself at peace.

“I’ve been okay, I guess. I succeeded. The plan really came together. We have community spirit and we all look out for each other. We all treat each other as equals. It really is perfection.” Darwin paused, keeping his mind away from what really haunted him.

“Special Handling is up and running again. It took nearly a month to tunnel through the collapse at the mine. We took a big hit there. Now that all the detainees know the truth…well, let’s just say for a time they were far less compliant. Now most are begging for it to end.

“Food is becoming a problem, but I knew it would. So we’ve begun the next phase of our existence. Amputating only what we need from the human specimens makes them last longer. We’re also introducing new food sources to the community. I think it should be good. We’re opening an orphanage in conjunction with a safe house for drug addicted mothers, a care facility for pregnant teens, social housing for homeless and addicted. I’m still working on the private prison deal, but of course it has to be complicated. We’re also building a private mental institution…I think you get the idea. We bring them here and they disappear or we use them in our breeding program. We removed some of the teenagers from Sector A and placed them into a new containment facility in Sector B of Special Handling. We’ve spiked the water with erectile dysfunction and fertility drugs. So far, every female in this program is pregnant with multiple children.” Darwin stopped to listen to the silence.

“Oh, don’t give me that crap! Yeah, yeah, killing children is bad,” Darwin barked as he tried to hold back the truth. Finally he sputtered out the words to his confidant. “I can’t control it Steve, no one can! The pull it has over us! There’s something about gnawing on their supple flesh; there is nothing else that compares to it. Don’t think for one second I don’t feel any guilt, because I do. I don’t expect you to understand. If it had been up to me, you would’ve been gnawing on one right beside me!”

Darwin turned away from the headstone of his friend, embarrassed to admit the monster he had become. In his heart he knew he was committing horrible atrocities…but it was true. He couldn’t control it—and part of him didn’t want to. His humanity had all but left him, only his private chats with Steve remind him of who he once was.

“I keep saying to myself that some sacrifices had to be made. Our utopia can only exist with food; we’d go insane without it. Not everyone can be blessed. Only some of us can evolve. It’s just how it is. It’s a lot like high school, not everyone can be popular, and some must be persecuted. We know that all too well. It’s wrong, but it’s the way the world is.”

* * * *

The tiled corridor that lead to the most dangerous room at Ridgemount High echoed. “Howdy boys!”

“Shit,” Steve said quietly to Darwin as they both attempted to hug the shower room wall.

The two nude boys had done everything to avoid a confrontation with Bruce Eckart and Teddy Holmes. Showers were mandatory after Physical Education but it was also the one time where bullying was unstoppable. Steve and Darwin had hung back, choosing to be late for their next class in an effort to avoid running into their tormentors. For a few weeks their plan had worked. Now, the small-framed youths began to shiver even standing under the scalding water, knowing what was likely to come next.

It was the few seconds of not knowing that was the worst. Would it be a verbal taunt or all out physical assault? Would a teacher intervene or turn a blind eye as they usually did?

“Fucking little faggots, thought you could hide from me!” Bruce said. “Now it’s time to pay up!”

“Did you find them?” a voice hollered from the changing area.

Bruce smirked. “Yeah, Ted! The little fairies thought they could have private time together. What do you think we should do to them as payment for their sins?”

“Maybe I should cum all over that Cardwen bitch like he did to me! Then that Foster cunt can lick it up!” Teddy said as he entered the shower room and stood next to Bruce.

“Could be fun,” Bruce admitted. “I have another idea, though.”

Bruce pulled out his phone and pointed it at his victims. Darwin and Steve knew they were now being recorded. The only way in and out of the shower room had two much larger boys blocking their escape.

“Let’s make a little movie! Foster, get on your knees and service him!” Bruce demanded.

“No,” Darwin uttered in almost a whisper.

Teddy dashed towards Darwin and thrust his fist into his gut like a whip. Darwin dropped to the floor coughing and gasping for air, but when his vision cleared he could see what he was expected to do.

“Do it faggot! Suck that thing!” Bruce said, reiterating his demands.

Darwin looked up at Bruce and shook his head softly from side to side. The water from the shower obscured his tears, but they were there. Long streams of snot oozed from his nostrils then broke away, sliding down the drain.

What could he do? He wanted to fight back, but they were both so small compared to the muscle-bound athletes. Either way, the video now existed and Darwin knew capitulating to the demands would only make life worse.

“Maybe your friend isn’t big enough for you. Maybe you should suck on a real man,” Bruce snickered, reaching down and beginning to jiggle the zipper on his jeans.

“Ahhhh!” Darwin screamed, catching Bruce and Teddy off-guard, he leapt directly for the phone. Darwin quickly found the recording device in his palms as he slipped back down to the wet floor. Instinctively Darwin began bashing the phone as hard as he could, aiming for the corners. It only took a few blows and the device began to split open.

“You fucking little bastard!” Bruce shouted as his long arms wrapped around a wet and slippery Darwin. “Give it to me!”

Darwin found himself flying across the room, his head colliding with the far wall, cracking a shower tile. A trickle of blood leaked from his forehead and he was a bit dazed, but the phone was still in his hand. With the cell cracked open he tore it into two pieces, snapped the mother board and dislodged the SIM card with speed and precision.

He honestly had no idea what part of the phone the video would be on so he frantically destroyed as much as he could.

A strong hand wrenched Darwin at the shoulder and spun him around. The last thing he remembered was a head lunging towards his own.

* * * *

“God, we went through a lot,” Darwin said, lost in his memory of the shower. “How did we survive? We went through so much, I’ve forgotten about the smaller things. I think that was the only time I fought back; we paid for it though. How long were we off school? They beat us unconscious and left us for the next class to find. They arranged our bodies—”

Darwin choked and cried. The memory, once forgotten, was now back and festering in his mind.

“Your dad beat you worse than Teddy did. All because he heard you and I were in the shower together. Fuck, you had just got back to school from the last beating. After all this time I don’t know how you survived. What happened to you wasn’t all that rare, at all. Guys pop wood in the showers at that age all the time. Gay or not, it’s just the extreme testosterone—reflexive. You had no way to control it, but your bigot father kept trying to fix you.”

Darwin sat in silence for awhile. He had argued with himself before. The same problems and the same questions would always arise. He knew all too well where things had gone badly. If he could go back in time, he knew where he would make changes. Thinking about the bullying and abuse never helped him absolve himself of the pain, it just continued to fester in his mind.

“Why was no one there to protect us? It’s like this town just turns a blind eye whenever something bad happens. Do you want to know why I kill? This town made me what I am. My humanity died long before I became a werewolf. Years of abuse at school and home made me a monster. Truth is, I wanted to kill people. I wanted others to feel how I felt. My first murder…” For a moment Darwin drifted away from his friend.

“So, how have you been?” Darwin said, attempting to change the subject. “That good, huh? Why did you have to do it, Steve? You must have known something was different about me. If you had just stayed with me a few more minutes, then everything would have been fine. God I miss you.” Darwin welled up again with a snot bubble similar to the day in the shower.

“I’m still working on Teddy for you. He’s a tough guy, tasty though! He’s got one arm left; after it’s gone I’m not sure what to do with him. I might turn him and then let him starve. That death would be slow and agonizing! If not for that piece of shit, I wouldn’t be the man I am today, neither would you,” Darwin said, keeping the conversation away from the unpleasantness.

“I hope you like this spot. It’s peaceful, I think. The view of the surrounding hills and mountains, I thought you’d like it here. I had your parents exhumed and disposed of, too. I’m sorry I didn’t mention that sooner. I know you hated them but I didn’t know how you would react. They were cremated and then I had their ashes scattered at a gay bar in San Francisco. It was the most insulting thing I could do to them.” Darwin paused with a smirk ,waiting for his friend to react, but nothing was said. The two sat in silence for awhile.

“I wish I knew, Steve. I’ve given it a lot of thought and I still have no clue how this happened to me. I think I just want to know, because if I was simply blessed and I am the first, then everything we’re doing is right and just. The species is evolving and ethically we are superior to what we replaced. On the other hand, if I was infected by another, then what I am doing is of my own conception. I turn others into mass murderers. The taste of blood consumes them, as it has consumed me. My value for humanity is all but gone. When I meet a human all I want to do is rip open their chest and feast away.” Darwin hesitated. The thought aroused him once more.

“Yes, I feel we are superior! In every way!” Darwin crouched and placed his palm on the cold marble of the stone marker. In his dark clothes he could have been a Rodin sculpture.

“Oh, don’t give me that shit, Steve! You make it seem like I’m cold and callus. We finally had a chance to hit back, to make those fucking assholes die! I did it! I killed them all and I did it for you!

“What are you saying? I’ve gone too far?” Darwin asked, but again was only greeted by silence from the headstone. “You don’t understand what it’s like. We must feed. I’m not human anymore and I’m not guided by those standards. How could I stop, the feeding must go on if the evolution is to continue!”

Darwin got up off the cold grass and began to walk away. Steve yelled back at Darwin from his frigid altar.

“For fuck sakes, what is it? If you’ve got something to say, say it!”

Steve looked solemnly onwards.

“I hate it when you do this.”

The stone looked into the sky as a donut cloud passed overhead. Darwin glanced up and saw what Steve had been looking at and it made him grin. “It’s just a donut. What of it?” It drifted over the sun casting a shade over the entire area. Darwin thought of glazed or even chocolate donuts, but neither was appealing. The picture in the sky drifted quickly and as the eye of the cloud crossed the sun the warm brilliant light shot through the hole hitting Darwin and Steve. The image was brief but clear.

“That was for me, wasn’t it? Thank you my friend. I think I understand.” Darwin returned to the headstone and again seated himself.

“I…lo…” Darwin trailed off not even able to mouth the words. Instead, he asked, “So, what’s really on your mind? I get the feeling you’re holding back.” Darwin asked.

“I’m wondering how long you’ve been talking to a headstone?” Caroline Lutz asked. “They told me you might be here.”

Darwin shot back startled, “did they also mention I was not to be disturbed?”

“No one wanted to come and get you. I volunteered. I’ve heard about your privacy when you come here. I wouldn’t have come unless I thought it was urgent,” Caroline reassured.

“What is it?” Darwin asked, rising to his feet.

“The Director of Riverview Psychiatric Institute changed his appointment from tomorrow to today and he’ll be here in less than an hour. I know how important that meeting is for us. Doctor Gagnon has already been notified and is on her way to City Hall, Tara is at the office and is prepared to host the meeting, but we knew you wanted to be there.”

“Thank you Caroline, you were right to come.” Darwin walked away from his friend not knowing what was on Steve’s mind. That question would have to be left for another day.

“May I ask who he was?” Caroline asked.

“A good friend who should have been by my side in this. That choice was taken away from me. Now, I come here when I need guidance or companionship. It is my way of remembering a great man,” Darwin offered.

“We all remember our loved ones in different ways. If that’s what works for you, then you shouldn’t worry about what others think.” Caroline replied.

“It’s a private matter,” Darwin concluded before marching ahead of Caroline. “What do we know about this man from Riverview?

“Very little. We know more about the hospital. The hospital was built in 1897 and is slated for demolition next year. It is the only sanatorium within five hundred miles that deals with the criminally insane. Riverview was considered a premier facility for treatment and detention of the worst in psychiatric problems. Unfortunately for them, the buildings have been condemned and no one is willing to front the money for a new hospital. That’s where we come in. By offering a replacement without strings attached we can all but assure ourselves the care center moving here.”

Darwin sighed. “What if they don’t like what we’re offering? Let’s face it, a geriatric hospital is a long way from mental hospital.”

“True, but I think we can reassure Riverview that with some minor upgrades it can be made into an effective psychiatric hospital. If we’re the ones flipping the bill, do they really care?”

“What about the patients, will they be missed?” Darwin asked.

“From what I have heard, these people are the forgotten. No one visits them because there’s nothing to visit. Most have no clue of who or what they are. I think in the long run it will be a solid and replenishing source of food for us.”

“How many patients are we talking about?”

Caroline replied as a matter of fact, “Riverview can house nearly a thousand patients, but that was in its heyday. The numbers now are around five hundred and I expect we would only be taking the worst of the worst, so roughly three hundred and fifty. I was thinking with numbers that low, we might consider utilizing the female patients in the breeding program.”

Darwin nodded. “That’s a good idea. You’re not so bad, Caroline. You’ve come a long way since January,” he admitted in truth. “Do you ever think about the people you left behind in Special Handling?”

Caroline remained silent for a moment, contemplating her feelings but she finally answered, “when I changed the first time, I knew what I was. It felt amazing and I loved it. I knew I was an accident and I thought I could fight you, fight for the captives; but once I fed it all began to make sense. In a way the only reason I hold any thoughts for the ones I left behind is knowing they could be like me, but I have no use for them the way they are now. Does that make sense?”

“I think so,” Darwin said slowly.

Hearing someone else struggle with the same emotions made him feel better about his own situation. The change in thought process was a normal one. Darwin stumbled on his words, but his next question had been nagging him for awhile.

“Do you think we do the things we do because we have to, or because we want to?”

“Deep thinking, Darwin,” Caroline joked.

“I’m serious. What do you think?” Darwin’s concern dampened his eyes.

“Well…” she started and then stopped. Actually, she had never considered the question herself. Caroline had killed more than her fair share of people and had embraced her existence, quickly turning on the people she had once been a prisoner with. The gift had consumed her, as it had consumed every other infected person; but the question demanded an answer.

“I don’t know,” she replied honestly. “A part of me knows the answer lies somewhere between the two. I can tear a child apart and feel no remorse and I can’t explain it. I know what feelings I should have; six months ago I would have never hurt an adult, let alone a child. There is a thrill in it—it’s not always about the meal.”

Darwin said, “The thrill of the hunt. Part of me is dying to chase some prey through the streets and woods and rip them to shreds. What we have here in New Haven is so refined—sophisticated, that our inner animal is being neglected. What we are is primal. We deserve to shed ourselves of this human canvas and live our lives as it was intended. Do you agree?”

“Oh, yes! I’m getting warm just thinking about it.”

Darwin asked with his canines beginning to show, “after our meeting, I think we should treat ourselves to a little run through the woods. Are you up for it?”

Caroline cracked a big smile, but said nothing more. The two returned to city hall for their meeting, but it was their pending snack that remained at the forefront of their minds.