Page 15 of Nightshades

The boogeyman is real, and I have become him.

My nose twitches when I smell the burnt hair, causing me to lose my erection. The roots pull the long muscle into the anglerfish’s mouth before the sharp teeth close around it.

I laugh so loud, so deep, I know she can still hear me as the fire swallows her body.

Her screams are now silent, and all that’s left are the burnt bones and flesh of what she used to be.

Since her brain no longer exists, I can’t play with what she fears most, and I have to settle back into the boring landscape of reality. Her body is smoking from the flames, half of her skeleton is showing, and one of her eyes hangs from the socket.

With a soft poke against her shoulder, she falls to the side.

“I did make a promise, didn’t I? I can’t believe I almost forgot, Greta. Why didn’t you remind me?” I squat, digging my claws into her scalp, and yank it apart.

Her hair breaks, and what is left of her flesh begins to tear from the skull.

I begin to break her bones from her body, tearing each limb from the socket and shaking off the chunks of skin that were barely hanging on. The only step left is to find a way to clean the bones completely, so I can use them for the motorcycle I want to build.

If I remember correctly from when I took a few forensic science classes back when I was human, dermestid beetles are used to eat the flesh to clean them. Those are easy enough to find.

I dump the bag of antlers on the ground and replace them with Greta’s bones. She’s small, so they easily fit in the oversized duffel bag, especially in bits and pieces.

I’m so excited. I can’t wait to have a motorcycle that fits my new form.

Staring at her half-burnt face, I zip the bag shut, toss it over my shoulder, and admire the scene before I leave.

Two dead bodies and a pile of skin are all that’s left behind. The cause of death will be obvious, but what caused it? Who?

The police will never figure it out.

Giving the scene my back, I follow the warm citrus scent again through the darkness of the woods, using my vampire speed now that I’m not hunting Greta.

Thunder rolls through the night, lightning veining across the sky. In the next breath I take, rain begins to pour. I tilt my head back, allowing the water to rush down my face. It cleans the blood from my horns, the slight taste of iron ghosting over my lips.

I stop at the edge of a cliff, overlooking an abyss of emptiness, even though the aroma that has ruined my appetite is stronger. It’s as if whatever belongs to the delicious scent is right in front of me, yet I can’t see it.

I growl low in my throat, the roots spread across the ground as my frustration builds. Lightning pulsates again, illuminating what I thought was an empty space to show a small town nestled in the valley of the mountains.

My claws curl around the edge of the cliff, inhaling that scent again.

Yes. Yes.

The scent is coming from someone in that town.

Flipping over the edge, I sink my claws into the rock, gliding down the steep hill until I hit solid ground. On all fours, I crawl through wet leaves and twigs until I get to the tree line, staring down a black paved road that has buildings on either side.

No lights are on except for a small pink sign in the distance that says ‘Demi’s Diner’, and I don’t give a fuck about that place. All I want is to find the source of the scent so I can move on with my life.

Using my vampiric speed, the aromatic scent leads me straight to Cove Police Department. I stay slinked in the alley across the street, curious what is so special about this police station.

The building is made with a light-yellow brick, and it is squished between two taller establishments with red paint, causing the department to stick out like a sore thumb. The window on the front is wide and frosted, so citizens can’t see inside.

There’s one car parked out front. It’s an unmarked blue sedan with tinted windows, so no one can see inside.

With enhanced speed, I also have enhanced hearing and strength. Paired with the strong nature of the rhino DNA, I could cause so much damage.

Keys jingle from inside the station, and a second later, the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen walks out. My nightmare begins to sing, wanting to sink into her bones until she fears me.

She uses the glow of her cellphone to illuminate the door to lock it. Not that locking anything would save her from me, but she can try. She looks over her shoulder, her eyes searching the street for the creeping sensation of someone watching her.