Bound Read online

  I can’t think with my stomach hurting this much... I need to find something to eat, and maybe I might not want to rip everything to shreds. The particular feelings of dread I was experiencing seemed so alien to me, like I was straddling a great expanse beneath me, and at any moment, I could lose my footing and slip into the darkness. My newly found animal instincts sirens call was begging me to let loose, and just shred everything that I could get a hold of. I could feel the excitement; the anticipation of the kill was rising inside me. And, in letting myself get carried away from my emotions, I hadn’t noticed that I was slipping away from the dreamscape. Forgetting what it was that made me human, my ravenous hunger had overpowered my other thoughts and senses. Part of me was relieved to forget, too; it felt so much simpler, just the need to satisfy my hunger. The thought protruded every iota of my physical being. I began to catch glimpses of my surroundings as they passed by. It was like I was a hostage in my own head, being carried along by the creature, as a passenger. Every now and then I would see something, a blur of hurried scenery, part of a stream or river. Numberless tree’s being lit by the moon’s ominous and enthralling glow. There was a thick, almost acrid scent that caught my attention. I salivated in anticipation.

  Apparently, the creature in control of me had set our sights on suitable prey. I fought hard for more images, or possible control, but it was calculating the best route to intercept said prey. Flickering images were growing more frequent with my internal struggle, appearing rhythmically to me, in sync with my heart, with our heart.

  Bounding into a clearing, it was focused, determined. This was the only logical course. The pain in my abdomen was growing too intense. My internal sparring paused as we spotted the meal. It was a large buck; I was repulsed with the guttural instincts that drove us forward, but was powerless to stop...

  The soft earth gave way as we launched into the air. The deer lifted its head sharply, and it twitched nervously. I knew it could sense danger was approaching. But it was all for naught; the deer was powerless to stop the oncoming threat. A tangible thread of excitement rippled through me as we swooped down upon it, pinning it to the floor. Its neck and several ribs broke on impact. Morbid feelings overwhelmed me. I was afraid of becoming more disjointed. Gritting my teeth I relinquished control entirely, and let the beast take over, slipping myself away in the recesses of my mind. It barely gave itself time to chew, tearing off chunks. The warm sticky fluid over powered my senses. I tried to ignore the repugnant gesture, but it was shaking me to my core. And yet I was lost in the food-fuelled euphoria.

  I don't know when it was that the beast finally finished its meal, as I was trying to ignore the gruesome task. Disgusted near to breaking point with the grim images that I failed to block from my mind, I knew that if I had ever regained control, I would never let this happen again. To be driven by instinct alone was too dangerous. How long had it been in control? I lost track of the time as I regressed and slept; had it been minutes, hours, or days even? With its thirst and hunger finally quenched, it slept.

  Chapter 4

  I thought I was home in bed with a super, heavy duvet on top of me. So when I realised that it was the deer carcass, I almost had an aneurysm. My throat hurt from the loudest obscenity I have bellowed to date.

  Shakily I stood up, trying to get a grip of my surroundings was the best idea that I could come up with at the moment. At a glance, nothing was familiar. I did however establish that it was a clouded night, as it was pitch black and the moon was hiding behind banks of clouds. Other than that, it was too dark to notice anything else, hardly rocket-science.

  There was suddenly a rustling nearby, vegetation was being disturbed, and the noise was enough for me to snap my head around frantically looking for what could possibly be happening to me now.

  There was a figure slowly approaching me, but thanks to the dismal lighting, I couldn’t recognize any distinguishable features at first. Whatever it was, it didn't seem to be humanoid in stature. It was too big for one thing; it huffed and released a low snarl. Fuck…! Bear? Close enough. Instinctively, I put my hands out in front of me. My method was simple, I put my hands out telling it to stay back, or gesturing for a hug, depends on how you look at it. At the same time, I was nice, and I calmly asked for it to stay put. By doing so, I was in fact, soothing and enticing it closer, which generally screwed up the whole stay away suggestion as it didn’t view me as a threat in the slightest, and so it trod closer. I was kind of contradicting myself with the way I performed my actions, but hey I know I am not the only one that's done it to animals.

  Keeping my hands raised, I slowly backed up from the imposing figure. I didn't even hear or notice the other two approaching from either side of me. I couldn't see where I was going and ended up taking a step too far and fell on the stinking deer carcass.

  Eeeew

  It cracked and squelched under my weight. I swung myself forward, attempting to stand; I could only imagine what the figures were thinking -- 'Hey, who the hell do you think you are sleeping with our food'? I nearly lost control of my bladder; I couldn't just hang around like a gormless appetiser and get processed to bear scat, so I clambered over the deer. A set of eyes glimmered in the path ahead. I brushed my hands on my thighs, briskly trying to wipe some of the animal’s gunk off my hands. Fortunately there wasn’t much blood on them, but instead, it was goo from the slimy strands of stringy sinew. The wind picked up at that moment, rustling through the trees, swirling around me almost intimately. I shuddered, feeling a very uncomfortable draft. My eyes widened with astonishment. It just dawned on me that I was standing in the middle of the woods, completely naked. Chuck in a school, an auditorium full of people, me standing centre stage, and it would be my childhood nightmare. With the departing breeze and my increasingly bad looking predicament, I was grateful when the clouds began to move on, allowing the moon to shine brightly, revealing my surroundings.”

  I have to get out of here. I slowly strafed to the right, looking for a way out of my predicament safely. Desperately glancing from side to side, I spotted a gap that looked like the best course to take. (There wasn't a massive dark figure blocking the way.) It didn't seem too far either. Just past the clearing, I could roughly make out a tree line. Now all I had to do was start running, and pray that I could run, and climb fast enough. This had to be the only smart course of action to take, which probably wouldn't involve part of me being eaten. Cracking my knuckles, I slowly drew in a lung full of air and broke into a sprint. Hearing snarling and barking noises squabbling behind me, I did not stop to turn and look. I leant forward and sprinted on as hard and quick footed as I could.

  I scurried across the field, heading for the tree line. The sound in the air other than my chaotic scuttle was a symphony of paws, springing off the earth a few paces behind me. I was too scared to turn and look as I feared I would lose my forward momentum. Plus me being the klutz that I am, I would undoubtedly run headlong into a tree, tenderising myself before getting processed into crap. As soon as I drew near a base of a tree that looked remotely sturdy enough, I leapt at it. I scrambled up the coarse bark as it grazed my skin and somehow grabbed one of its branches. I hoisted myself up, and bough sagged with my weight. I didn’t care; I was safe for now. I checked behind for any snapping snouts lunging at the tree, and yet again, I couldn't make out a thing. I shimmied my way across a branch, snatching hold of another to climb higher and could hear more than just a breeze rustling the leaves above me. Twigs snapped, the branches moaned sympathetically in the breeze, and it was still too freaking dark to make out a thing.

  Up in the cloistered branches, I could barely see my own hand in front of my face let alone the animals that had been in hot pursuit. I was beginning to feel more paranoid with the potential noises of the freaking beasts approaching. The leaves rustled, and the branches creaked; it was like the foliage itself was trying to warn me. I tried to occupy myself, so I didn’t panic by attempting to figure out a solution for my clothing problem. Wh
en a warm breath washed over me, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, like I had just been using a Viagra based shower gel. I was terrified.

  Trying to back step instinctively, I lost my footing and fell, getting spanked by every branch on the way down onto the mossy earth below.

  Pulling myself to my feet, I whimpered with exhaustion; I couldn’t say for sure if anything was broken; I’m pretty sure I was in shock at the time. I didn't have time to check either, especially with whatever it was above me hanging out in the canopy. My heart was pumping so hard that it almost sent my body into convulsive spasms. I was sure that I was being surrounded.

  I am so screwed. I couldn’t help but have the mind-set of a pessimist. I forced myself back into motion as I ran through the dark woodland.

  Tree, tree, bush, tree, giant beast, tree, another giant beast, or was it the same one? Amidst running like a cat with its tail on fire, I was trying to keep an eye out for any sign of life, other than the type that wanted to eat me. Unfortunately, the woods were too dense. There was no end in sight.

  My legs were so tired at that point that they were filling with lactic acid and cramping up. I knew I would have to stop before my body broke down completely. With the breath held in my chest, I charged through the oncoming bush, head down, covering my face with my forearms. My chest felt like it was ablaze; I had to stop. I was too tired to carry on; I broke through the bush and stumbled onto the tarmac. I froze in place.

  “That's it. I... can't... I can't run anymore.” I wiped snot from my face; my nose had been running from the exertion. The bushes rustled behind me, my stomach sunk to the floor as I turned to what had followed me through. Dread slowly crept its way up my spine. One of the beasts that had been pursuing me, gradually eased partially into view, partly revealing its head. Its huge amber eyes were the only source of light in the pitch dark of the woods. It looked at me and released a low guttural huff. The rest of its body was still being concealed by the undergrowth, at least for the moment. I was paralyzed with pangs of fear. I was so scared that I heaved on dry air and choked.

  What is it? What the frick? Am I still freaking dreaming? Looking back, one of the things that shocked me the most was the fact that the creature before me closely resembled the bear in my dreams. Part of me wanted to touch it just to confirm that I wasn’t still dreaming, but as I approached, it expelled another whiff of air. Thanks to my nerves still being so tightly wound, I jumped. The creature continued to make an odd hollow sound that I could imagine was its jaw cracking. The thought snapped my body rigid. Silkily it crept entirely into view. This is no bear. It was huge; even on all fours its golden eyes showed me that it was way bigger than a bear would be in the same pose. It was hard to make out all of its discernable features as it was still too freaking dark. Slowly, it circled me, and without realizing it, I followed suit. I wasn’t going to allow the beast to gain position with my back turned to it; it was like a grim dance, pacing around with each other in a circle. It released another guttural noise, but this time it was a growl that rippled forth from its chest. I felt like I was treading on eggshells.

  “Look, if you’re going to eat me, I sure as hell am going to give you the worst case of heartburn you could ever dream of!” I said; being defiant was my second nature only to my sarcasm. The moon emerged from behind the clouds, revealing to me more of the gigantic wolf's features. Its fur was like unrefined coal, black with flecks of grey, sporadically decorating its rich coat, with a long bushy tail that dragged behind it, like an over the top duster. It was without a doubt the scariest freaking wolf I had ever seen. It looked like a wolf that had been bred into a soil bag and spoon fed anabolic steroids. That or it was grazing in Chernobyl or Hiroshima at the awful time of the blasts. Its intelligent gaze intensified on me; slowly hunching forward, its head lowered to the point that it appeared to be stooping. Its snout curled up and peeled back to reveal several fangs glinting in the moon’s melancholic glow. It looked ready to pounce.

  “Nooo... BAD, DOG, BAD!” I scolded the Schwarzenegger wolf; the words didn’t seem to have any affect. I didn’t expect them to; they were for my own comfort. Hey, if I was going to go, I was going to make sure I had fun at least. Hearing a rumbling in the distance made me glance quickly over my shoulder. When I saw the beams of an approaching vehicle, I wanted to sing and dance as if I were the main character in a lame musical.

  Holy crap, I might survive after all! Hopefully the driver will be kind enough to pull over and... Shit, what about mutant Lassie? I pondered ruefully to myself, turning back to look. There was more good news: Lassie, I mean Schwarzenegger wolf, had disappeared for now, at least. One thought permeated my thick skull... I had to stop that car.

  Please don't have smarts and drive on; please be an idiot who wants to stop for a screaming, naked guy in the middle of the woods! I was thinking and willing to myself over and over as I stepped into the middle of the road, waving my arms frantically. The high beams on the car switched back to sidelights as it began to slow, relief washed through me. It had seen me at least. Now it was the matter if the car was going to stop or not.

  I could hear Static-X thumping through the speakers; the base vibrations shook the windows. To my satisfaction, the car pulled up next to me, the window rolled down and some smoke gently flowed out. When the smoke screen cleared, I could see there was a slightly befuddled man sitting illuminated by his MP3 player's light. He had large, black, spiked hair, and some bum fluff on his face where it looked like he attempted to grow a soul-strip. He was also wearing more make-up than a ten-dollar hooker. I really couldn't afford to wait for another ride; although, it did explain why the creature disappeared. He must have been afraid of Emos. Then again, with that much eye-liner he could be a mime. The emo/mime reached for his MP3 player turning it off.

  “Umm... You need help? Or are you one of those naturist types?” The emo asked with a confused look on his face.

  Thank God he's not a mime; I have no time to sign my situation. It would have consisted of me flipping him off and pointing to myself; me equals fucked... I thought of it for a moment before shaking the thoughts away with a nervous giggle.

  I couldn't help but chuckle, looking at myself covered in dirt and blood, I sure as hell wouldn't have stopped if I were driving. I have seen one too many horror movies to know better. Scratching my head I replied. “Well you know naturist types, when they party, they party hard; my name’s Si.” I said with the cheesiest grin I could manage. I bowed, leaning closer to the car. I quickly glanced around to whisper to the driver.

  “Honestly man, if I told you about my night, you would probably not believe me.” He looked me up and down, I quickly put my hand on my junk so not to distress him more than he had to of been already. Pinching his eyes together, trying to look as harmless as possible he shrugged.

  “Well... I suppose you can explain when you get in. First put this on.” he said, reaching for a trench coat he had in the passenger’s foot well.

  “After all, I am not about to have a naked guy rub his bare ass all over my princess,” he said with a wink, patting his steering wheel.

  “I don't blame you, thanks.” Beaming another nervous grin, I quickly slipped one arm in, and then the other. I tried to close the coat, but it was too small. With a bashful grin I crouched beside the car to look at the driver.

  “Umm, I may be too big for it.” As I spoke I heard a branch snap in the hedges just off the road, without another moment’s notice, I pulled the door open and dove in.

  “What the hell!” He protested

  “Just look out your rear-view mirror!” I quickly retorted. He listened, taking a quick glance his eyes widened in disbelief, slamming his car into gear he put his foot down, wheel spinning for the first few yards and finally taking off. I released a big sigh with relief.

  “What the hell was that, dude?”

  “Keep an eye on the road in front of you, and I will tell you all I know; some parts are still hazy for me at best,” I s
aid as I tried to pull the coat tighter around me. I looked expectantly at the wing mirror, then out of the windows, taking a deep, calming breath I went over the events of the night with him. With a perplexed look on his face, he just bobbed and nodded. I left the part about me having a fit in a club back alley and just told him that I was drugged and dropped off. I really didn't want to get locked in a padded room. But for what I was feeling, and had dreamt or envisioned, I should definitely be locked up.

  “Shit, sounds like you've been having a wild night. I gotta be honest, dude, you getting picked up and dropped off in the middle of the woods out of the blue, and to have grizzlies set on you is a bit excessive. You must have really pissed someone off.” Looking down at his gas gauge he tsked, and I listened and said nothing... Surely that British girl, Kitty, hadn’t planned that to happen, had she? I grimaced for a moment while I paused for thought until I thought of something stupid enough to say.

  “Me? You’re kidding me, right? Everyone loves me! My mom told me so this morning,” I winked and chuckled, staring out of the passenger window. He shared the laugh. Slowing down the car as we approached the gas station, it was the only sign of civilization that I had seen since being in his car for the last forty five minutes.

  “Well, sounds to me like you either mooned the president, or slept with another guy’s mom, sister or girlfriend, because if I hadn’t driven by... you’d be a goner...” He paused momentarily, shaking his head he continued. “Then again, you could be like a cross between a Necrophiliac and animal-farm fan, if you catch my drift.” He arched his brows. “I'll be right back; I need to feed my lady before she gets a tummy ache.” Opening the door, he stood up. Looking through his window he added, “Oh before I forget, you can call me Damon, and this gorgeous girl is called Promethia.” He stuck his hand through the open window, decorated with a black, leather, spiked wrist band. Taking his hand I returned the courtesy.