Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Metamorphosis: Genesis ❯ Chapter I ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter I

 

Thunder rumbled quietly in the night sky, the bright dancing of lightning flitting through the dark and ominous clouds that filled the sky that November. It had been storming all day though the intensity of the gale had increased as the sun slipped past the city sky-line. With another wicked crack of thunder, the downpour began. Heavy sheets of rain fell down on the city below. Those unlucky enough to be caught in the sudden cascade of water scurried from the streets to the safety of their homes and establishments.

One, however, was unperturbed by the fierce and sullen weather. A young woman with long curly brown hair pulled back into a high ponytail, clutched an umbrella in one hand while her other hand desperately tried to keep the paper grocery bag from being blown out of her arms.

“Be careful, Lyrial,” An elderly gentleman with a balding head called as a young woman walked down the street. The brunette had a bright, cheerful smile on, even though the weather was quite fearsome. Lyrial's apartment was off the campus of the university she attended; she liked it better that way—it was close enough to walk to classes but was far enough from over-excited fraternity boys. This did mean, however, that she had to go to the local grocer to get food for her and her roommate, rather than relying on the less than desirable dining halls of the university. So, once a week, Lyrial traveled the three blocks, rain or shine, to get supplies for the little flat.

As a culinary student, whipping up meals for her roommate and herself was an easy task. Alan Maxwell, her roommate, even pitched in sometimes. The boy was useless in the kitchen but dishwashing was his specialty.

“Gay as day and the boy can't even cook,” She mused to herself quietly, giggling a little at her friend's expense. “How will he ever be a good housewife?” Her smile was contagious, and anyone who was unfortunate enough to still be caught out in the storm couldn't help but smile with her as she passed, despite the gloomy atmosphere of the raging storm. Deciding that she should hurry home quickly, less her groceries be completely soaked, Lyrial turned down an unfamiliar alleyway that cut through to the next block and was an unfrequented shortcut back to the apartment. Little did she know that this seemingly meaningless choice of direction would change her life forever.

The position of the alley provided a little resistance to the driving rain; the height of the buildings funneled the rain drops so they fell in a lesser amount down into the small ravine between the skyscrapers. Usually, Lyrial did not take the alleyway by herself. It just wasn't a good idea for a twenty-year old woman to travel in such places by herself, especially not in the dark. Lyrial was a practical and intelligent girl, and even as she walked briskly through some of the puddles, she questioned her decision. As she approached a dumpster, a pained sound caught her attention. She froze; it had sounded like an animal growling, but at the same time, retained a human-like agony about it.

Every fiber in her being told her to turn around and run back to the street which was, despite the dark and stormy, was much better lit and sparsely populated. Lyrial's heart began to beat loudly in her chest, and she felt as if the active muscle was to escape from her ribs. The groaning sound echoed through the rain once more and a slither of movement caught the girl's eyes. A pair of legs stretched out past the dumpster; they were covered in a torn black fabric and the two pale feet were bare. The longer she watched, the less frightened and more concerned Lyrial became.

Eventually, her soft brown eyes were drawn to the puddle the legs where in. The water seemed different. Her brows furrowed as she scrutinized the bruised pink color before realization hit her. Blood-- the pool that was seeping underneath the dumpster and out into the alleyway was not only water but blood. Lyrial watched in avid horror and fascination as the increasingly redder substance oozed sickening way across the soaked cement. Appalled by her own delay, the college student dropped her grocery bag and umbrella and all but ran around to the other side of the dumpster. She gasped, covering her mouth with her hands at the sight that met her. Instead of a homeless beggar that was dirty from neglect, there, leaning against the wet brick wall of the alley was a man that seemed only a little older than herself and was beautiful in an unnatural way. His face was pale as snow and his eyes were a dull silver color, outlined in dark circles just above his high cheek. One could almost call his visage aristocratic. He wore an insipid gray overcoat that was unzipped and splayed open, revealing his torso and abdomen which were as deathly pale as his face.

Although he was thin, from what Lyrial could see of him, the stranger was well built with defined muscles hiding beneath the alabaster flesh. Across the expanse of ashen satin, a dreadful sight drew in the young girl's gentle gaze; nasty gashes that seemed to carve deep into the stranger's skin were bleeding consistently, the crimson fluid mixing with the rain and losing its rich life-giving color as it ran down his skin and clothes to mix on the concrete. Hundreds of horrifying scenarios ran through Lyrial's head as she stared at the slashes hypnotically. Eventually, the man seemed to notice that he was no longer alone in the cold rainy alleyway.

He lifted his head weakly and dragged his sightless eyes to girl before him. His movements were labored and his chest did not noticeably rise and fall; Lyrial had her doubts if he was breathing at all. Hours before, this poor creature had dragged himself on his belly to the safety of the alley. He'd been hiding away from the world when the storm had begun. Weakly trying to nurse his wounds, the blood loss proved too much, and all the pale but beautiful stranger could do is lay in wait of either damnation or salvation. When all hope had seemed to abandon him, this curious and concerned girl had appeared.

As his silver orbs, hazed with pain and numb with cold, looked up at Lyrial, the girl withdrew a little, frightened by their intensity and need. Slowly, his head lifted to help sustain his gaze. His long silver hair was splayed around his shoulders and waist like a silk curtain but tips were stained a bruised pink from his bleeding. Lyrial stared at the stranger's unmarred and handsome face, but then frowned at the weak but definite smirk that rested on his thin lips.

“It's not polite to stare,” he whispered and Lyrial looked away, embarrassed before shaking her head. “

“You're very badly hurt. You should be in a hospital! What happened to you?” The girl asked and crouched down in front of the silver haired young man. In response, he shook his head and reached out his left hand which was bound in a fingerless leather glove.

“This is nothing,” he said while touching her shoulder. His fingertips were freezing and made Lyrial shiver. His grip was surprisingly strong and his hand curled around the fabric of the brunette's coat. Perturbed by his reply, Lyrial shook her head and touched his hand with her own warm one.

“Nothing? You're bleeding terribly! Here,” She said and reached into her coat pocket to retrieve her cell phone. “At least let me call for an ambulance.” The college student flipped open the little electronic device and shielded it from the falling rain as she began dialing 911. Panic and distress seemed to replace the intense need and hazy pain in the stranger's silver eyes as Lyrial held the phone to her ear and it began to ring.

“911 Emergency—what is the state of your emergency?”

“Yes, hello? There's..there's been an accident. This man is bleeding really badly. We're in an alley at the corner of—Hey! Why did you do that?” Lyrial looked down at the man who had reached out with his other hand and clipped the phone shut before she could give the operator their location. He shook his head weakly from side to side, grunting slightly as if it took all of his precious little strength left to accomplish the gesture.

“No police. No hospitals,” He said in a raspy whisper. It was obvious to both Lyrial and the stranger that his time was quickly running out. Wanting to help, but now not knowing how to, the college student bit her bottom lip. Her apartment was not far away from where they were. With help, and a lot of luck, they could make it to the flat and out of the storm. There, she could at least dress his wounds with her roommate's first aid kit.

“I can't leave you here like this. If you won't let me call an ambulance, then you'll have to come back to my apartment. My roommate is a medical student at the University. He's not home right now, but I can patch you up….at least until you get some real medical help,” Lyrial said and took a firm hold of the stranger's arm, making it clear that he was going to come with her whether her protested or not. Doubting she could carry a full grown man, Lyrial blushed and asked, “Can you walk?” The stranger nodded his head uncertainly and took a hold of her arms for support.

“My legs are fine, I just lack the strength … to move on my own,” His stomach gave an portentous growl and his mouth opened in a quiet gasp that sounded as if he were in great pain. Hunger, Lyrial thought, should be the least of this man's problems. He was bleeding to death and could catch pneumonia out in this weather, but the zenith of his agony seemed to come from the rumbling of his stomach.

“C'mon. I'll get you to the apartment and once you're dry, I'll make you some soup,” She said and curled one of her arms around his waist. Wobbling slightly, Lyrial stood up, pulling the surprisingly light weight of the man up with her. The silver haired young man leaned heavily on her as they walked from the alleyway. Night had come on fully now and the darkness made it difficult to see as they finally made it out of the alley. Relieved, Lyrial and the stranger struggled down the abandoned street towards the apartment building. Finally, she thought as they reached the buildings door.

The man who clung to her waist seemed to growl at the little light that was placed above the door and he hid his face against her shoulder, shuddering as if from discomfort.

“I live on the second floor. Do you think you can make it up the stairs?” A grumbling like `yes' came from the stranger who began to cough and groan in agony as they entered the building. Worrying for her new companion, Lyrial hurried as best she could with his useless form clinging to hers. Once in the stairwell, the college student hesitated. It was late so the light was all ready out. A quiet whimper came from her throat and she reached for the switch. After flicking it up and down a few times, it was tragically confirmed that the power was out in the stairwell…again.

“I can't see a thing!” She said in distress as she felt out for the railing.

“A little further to the right,” The stranger whispered, picking his face from her shoulder and looking straight ahead.

“Here? Oh! Thank you,” She said and felt with her foot for the first step. A warm sticky substance began to seep through her coat and she knew that her injured escort's blood was soaking through her clothes. Time was running out. After nearly tripping over the first concrete step, Lyrial cried out in distress. “Kyu!” The stranger's head picked up briefly at the sound before reaching down weakly and taking a hold of her ankle.

“Here,” He croaked out and set the college girl's foot on the second step. “I'll...ng…be your eyes,” He whispered hoarsely and doubled over somewhat in pain. “But please…hurry,” His voice became more and more strained with each word and though they were both soaked from the rain, it was obvious that he was now sweating from a fever that had begun the moment they had reached the apartment building's door. Lyrial nodded, sensing the urgency in his tone and managed, with his help, to get up the flight of stairs.

“Wait!” He grimaced and grabbed her hand before she could open the door to the hallway. “Turn off the lights…it…ng…hurts my eyes,” he said and the girl frowned. Baffled by such a strange request, Lyrial was about to refuse when she considered his state of injury. She hated the dark—it terrified her, but she supposed, she could lend every aid she could to this dying man. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she opened the door and reached for the light switch. With a little click, the switch fell at her fingertips and the lights went out.

Shaking, she stepped into the empty hall, lugging the silver haired stranger with her. The corresponding trek down the hall was wreathed not only in darkness, but silence. The only sound was Lyrial's own labored breathing and the beating of the storm outside the apartment. It was unnerving how quietly the bleeding man breathed! The brunette was inclined to think he was not breathing at all! But that would have been impossible, she reasoned as they reached the door of her apartment. Carefully, she had the pale young man lean against the wall of the corridor as she pulled key from her coat pocket and unlocked the door. Pulling her rescued friend from the wall, Lyrial wobbled into the apartment, keeping the lights off to ease his condition.

Lingering in the back of her mind, was the thought that there would be a mysterious blood stain on the wall outside her door that people would see the next morning from her companion's wound. Lyrial would think of something to tell the world, eventually. Another harsh sounding growl came from the stranger's stomach and, clenching his teeth and falling forward onto the carpet of the apartment, clutching his middle.

“What's wrong?! W-Wait there! I'll get the first-aid kit!” The student hurried by his prone figure and ran into Alan's room. She turned on the lights and rummaged through his dresser before finding the white box marked with a red cross. “I've got it!” She called and ran back to main living room where she had left the silver haired stranger. However, upon her return, he was gone. Fear crept into Lyrial's chest at seeing the empty blood stained place that the injured man had preoccupied not moments before. Panic seemed to sneak around the room like a poisonous vapor, strangling the girl. What was she thinking? Bringing a strange man into her apartment! Her mother had always warned about such foolish things and now, as she hugged the first-aid box to her chest, her terror struck brain ran horrible scenarios through her mind.

“Here…” A familiar rasping whisper came from another room. Letting out a breath and shaking, Lyrial walked in the direction of the voice.

“Where are you? I can't see,” She whispered back and screamed when a hand came out to touch her arm. Calming herself, she fell to her knees in front of the stranger who had crawled to a different bedroom, clinging to the edge of the bed as if he had tried to climb into it but had been overcome with another powerful wave of agony.

“Ng…ugh, do what you must, girl, but do it quickly!” He snapped and his stomach growled once more, causing him to cry out in pain. The young man bared his teeth and Lyrial thought his jaw would crack from the pressure at which he clenched the ivory behind his lips. The brunette nodded and cracked open the box, straining to see its contents in the dark. She fiddled for a little before pulling out a small bottle. She squinted her brown eyes to read but could not make out the words. She held out the bottle for the stranger all but hissed at her.

“Can…Can you read this?” She asked, taken slightly aback by the animal-like sounds coming from the young man. Pained, he turned his head to glance at the bottle before growling out the label.

“Peroxide.” Lyrial nodded but hesitated. His overcoat was in the way of the wounds she could not clean and get to. She reached forward and pushed the fabric of the pale coat over his shoulders. Taking the hint, he wiggled out of the soaked and bloody garment, letting it pool on the floor around him. Wincing, Lyrial then poured the contents of the bottle onto the stranger's wounds. He hissed and cried out, speaking in a language that was unfamiliar to the girl, as the wounds bubbled and sizzled from the peroxide.

“I'm sorry,” she whispered and quickly pulled the gauze to wrap around the man's pale torso. His body was easy to see in the darkness because of its lack of color. His skin seemed to almost glow like moonlight in the pitch room. His skin was cold against her hands as she wrapped the gauze bandages around his torso and abdomen. When her fingers tied the knot near his stomach, the muscle grumbled beneath his abs. He suddenly grabbed her wrists and pushed her away, baring his teeth at her. Startled by the sudden show of aggression and force, Lyrial scooted back quickly across the carpet away from the young man.

He held his head with his hands, a throbbing headache developing beneath his skull. Again he spoke in a language that was not familiar to the girl. Because of his whispering, it was hard to detect any kind of definite foreign accent, but the dialect was clearly not English. With wide eyes, she watched his face. His teeth were still tightly clenched and she could not help but notice his canine teeth. They seemed more elongated than any she had ever seen before, and quite sharp. She could have sworn the young man had fangs, but she insisted that the dark was just playing tricks on her nervous mind.

“I'm sorry…” He whispered finally, still holding his head. “I'll be fine…you should go to bed.” Lyrial nodded dumbly and stood up, uncertain of her own legs. Her gaze was still fixated on the silver haired man's mouth that was now barely open as he panted, trying to temper down the throbbing pain of his head.

“Towels…there…” She pointed distractedly to a connecting lavatory before backing out of the room. As soon as her feet had passed the threshold, she pulled the door shut tightly and locked it. Covering her face with her hands, she slid down to her rear against the door, shaking with a quiet sob. She had been so frightened and now she was all alone in the apartment with a volatile strange man who had abnormally sharp teeth. Closing her eyes behind her hands, she shivered lightly. Her clothes were still soaked with rain and blood and it was now she realized how tired she was and something else.

“Oh no…” She whined and began to cry again. In her haste, she had completely forgotten her groceries in the alleyway. They were, by now, completely useless and ruined. Her umbrella was too forsaken for this stranger. It was all too much to bear and as Lyrial cried her body eventually gave out and she drifted into a somber sleep, leaning against the locked bedroom door.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Metamorphosis: Genesis