Beau - Chapter Three
#9 of Beau
© All characters and storylines involving said characters belong to me: Eben Black.
~~~
That night I ate, drank and reminisced for the first time in months, surrounded by laughter and the love of the family I'd grown up with and loved. Nathan nor dad had been seen all night. I'd spoken to my brother on the phone in hushed voices and had heard that dad was indeed drunk in some rundown bar across town, while he had to stay behind at the firm and finalise some papers and even take part in a conference call to Japan around midnight. I had great sympathy for Nathan, and a great annoyance for dad, who seemed to have shouldered this burden onto his youngest son without a second thought. Nevertheless Nathan assured me he was fine and that he had tomorrow to himself, so he'd come home sleep and sit down and catch up with me on the afternoon. No problems there, I suppose.
It was almost midnight when everyone decided enough was enough and headed to bed. I watched Lian and Dakota head upstairs, Lian was increasingly drunk and half-conscious. I was in the same kind of half-sleep, but mine was from pure exhaustion, not intoxication. I wished them good night and headed downstairs. I collapsed on the bed and mewled at the comfort that the silken sheets gave when they caressed my paws. I kicked off my shoes and sat up to slip out of the hooded top and the "Valiant" fitted tee. I peeled off my socks and let my foot-paws feel the warmth of the carpet underneath. I needed a shower. I tossed the clothes on the floor and padded across the room. I slipped inside the bathroom, turned on the light and turned on the hot water. I pushed down my jeans and boxer-briefs and stood nude and at ease in the dull light of the bathroom. The bathroom light had even been equipped with a dimmer switch. No more blazing lights first thing in the morning anymore. Great!
I tested the hot water and stepped under, letting the warmth swim over me in a rush. I cleaned, washed my fur and then stood, back pressed to the tiled wall, while the warm water poured down over me. I'd been so lucky tonight what with dad not being here. Part of me hoped that dad would avoid me for the entire month I was here. But I doubted that I'd be so lucky.
I turned the hot water off and stepped out. I pulled a large oversized towel from the towel rack suspended on the bathroom wall and dried off. I padded back through the bedroom, rubbing the towel over my head fur as I went. I picked up the clothes I'd dropped earlier and took everything to the washing basket. I spilled them inside and then headed for bed. Exhaustion washed over me as I sank between the satin duvet and the bed sheets. The mound of pillows, donned in the same dark red satin, cushioned me as I let sleep wash over me like I'd let the hot water earlier on in the shower. I felt the distant thrum of my earlier hangover eb and disappear as the world darkened.
The drink, the food, the laughter and the distant hangover all played a part in making me dream that night. I say dream. It was a nightmare!
Darkness. There was such darkness that shrouded me. I reached out and touched a paw to the cool bricks that lined the walls around me. I staggered, exhaustion ebbed around me like some forboding shadow as I stepped out of the alleyway and onto what looked like a campus settlement. Several buildings were scattered around, all of which were dormitories. I took a deep breath and could feel something thrill through me. A desire burned in the deepest depths of my soul. A cold chill sent shivers down my spine as padded across a stretch of cold, dew-drenched lawn and stepped onto the pavement. I looked at my reflection in the reflected surface of a car window. I stood tall and lean at six foot one. I was sleak and agile. Black stripes splintered through the burning red-orange fur that covered my limber frame. My tail hung long and slender behind me. My eyes were a pale blue colour. I had a pair of silver spikes pierced through one ear and a nipple piercing done in silver too. I was wearing nothing more than a torn tank top that looked over-sized on me, and a pair of dark, denim jeans. No shoes or socks.
What was I doing here? Where had I come from? I had no idea. There was something inside me, like some primal creature, that wanted nothing more than to escape. I shuddered and tried to remember as much as possible. All I came up with was a name. Zackariah. Was that my name? Yeah. I touched a hand to the cool surface of the car window pane and took a deep breath. The monster lurking beneath the surface shuddered with hunger. Hunger for what? Food? Drink? Sex? No. I considered what it wanted and an image of a wall spattered in crimson flashed in my mind. I stepped back from the car window and gasped in shock. Blood? Was it blood that I wanted? No. Not just blood. I wanted everything. I wanted to rip something apart. No! Not something. But someone. Anyone would do!
Death. Death was what I wanted to wreak right now. I wouldn't be happy until someone had died at my paws.
I turned and faced the nearest building. I paced up to the door and inhaled again. I smelled six scents, each of which I could tell were female. I grinned as adrenaline burned through me. I padded around the building and found the back door. I touched a hand to the window pane in the door and pressed, testing its strength. It was a thin pane, easily breakable. I reared back my hand, clenched it into a fist, and thrust hard and fast. The pane shattered with a quiet tinker of glass on the kitchen floor inside. I slipped a hand through the broken window and found the keys still in the door. Foolish mistake. I turned and the door popped open easy enough. I stepped inside, my breathing a quiet rise and fall on my chest. I closed the door to and padded across the kitchen. I trailed fingertips over the kitchen counter and found kitchen knives held inside a wooden block on the counter.
In a flash of steel, I unsheathed the largest of the knives and held it loose in one hand beside me as I walked through the kitchen. The dormitories had a kitchen, lounge and study area, linked with alcoves and arches right the way round the ground floor of the building. The bedrooms were upstairs and I guessed each of them had an en suite bathroom. I turned the blade one-handed, almost a casual gesture as I stalked through the entrance hall, passed the front door and found one of the girls slumped on the couch, half-asleep. I took in a deep breath and could smell narcotics, marajuana, no doubt. I stepped up behind the couch and leaned one hand on the back while I looked down at the dark brown hair of the lioness as she stared, half-conscious at the television screen.
I let out a deep growl low in my chest and grinned as the wide-eyed youth gazed up at me. She cried out, but was stopped when I shoved my paw down and broke her jaw one-handed. She went quiet and stilled as I pushed her. I soon released her lower maw and found her eyes glazed over and dead to the world. Such a beautiful woman. Such a beautiful, vibrant life cut short at my hands. I turned and found a wide-eyed panther staring at me. There was a blood spatter over the hand I'd used to kill this feline's friend. I grinned and rushed her, blade in hand. She turned and opened her mouth to call out. I wrapped my bloodied hand around her mouth and shoved the blade deep. I slammed her up against a wall and could feel the blood spill around my paw as I twisted the blade one inch at a time. I could feel her last breath leave her before I yanked the blade free in a wash of blood. She slumped up against the wall and then spilled onto the floor in a dead heap.
Adrenaline thrilled through me. What had these youths done to me? Nothing. Why was I doing this? I had no idea. All I knew was that taking their lives was one of the most exciting things I'd ever done. I turned and started pacing up the staircase. I inhaled and could smell the other four innocent girls, each in a respected bedroom. Let the fun continue I suppose. I found the nearest bedroom door and opened it slow as I peered into the darkened bedroom. A huddled form was deep asleep, a gentle rise and fall that only deep slumber can bring. I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. I wiped the blood soaked blade on my over-sized tank and padded toward her.
I wanted her dead. I wanted them all dead, and as soon as possible. Was I a psychopath? Yeah. I think I could handle being one of those. A grin curled my lips as I stood over the sleeping student.
I woke up with a start, sweat beaded my face as I stared blind across the basement. What the fuck had that been? I took several deep breaths and tried to push down the nausea that burned in the back of my throat. I lifted up my knees and leaned my elbows against them as I gazed down at the bed sheets as they pooled in my lap. Why had I had a nightmare like that? Did it mean something? No. No, that couldn't be right. I was exhausted, I'd eaten alot, lasagne for dinner, and chocolate cheesecake for afterwards. All that sugar could have spurned on the dream. The murder at the frat house had been at the forefront of my mind too. It made sense that I'd had a nightmare tonight but it had been so vivid. I could still feel the sensation of twisting that blade in that panther's spine. The feel of her lung burst like a balloon. I shuddered and the nausea burned harder and hotter. I spilled out of bed and crossed the bedroom in seconds. I hurled up what I'd eaten and was lost to the cold chills that followed. I washed my face and decided sleep was needed. It had been exhaustion, too much sugar and a wandering imagination. That was it! I spilled back into bed and drifted off, glancing at the alarm clock and seeing the time emblazoned in a bright green light. 3am. I needed sleep and I needed it now.