Bonus #1

The Monster Within
Katherine Rochholz

I flip the channels on the television. I am sick of all these black and white monster movies. They were big in the 1940’s. Now that was a time to live in for a monster. They started to romanticize us; I had a blast. I miss those days. Where I could at least be myself; until they started to romanticize the monsters, we were hunted.

And a hunt is how I ended up the monster I am. This is my story.

“Henry,” my wife called out to me. “Lord Baron is at the door.”

I looked up from my journal. I couldn’t stand that man, but he was the leader of our little group of monster hunters. “Coming, love.” I stood up from my desk and threw my journal in the drawer locking it.

“Henry! Old man, how are you?” Lord Baron greeted me as I walked into the drawing room.

“Jacob.” I said in a way of greeting. “What has caused the pleasure of your company?”

“Heard about a monster or two, werewolves I think. I am not sure if it is only one or two, but it seems like a lot of death for just one.”

“They are nasty things to hunt during the full moon cycle. Do we have an idea who their mortal host is?”

“No.” Jacob stated simply as the maid set down our tea tray, a tray I knew would sit untouched, but it was the proper thing to offer.

“Tea?”

“How about a nice brandy?”

I knew he would ask, so I walked to the bar and poured him a good portion. “Here you are.” I stated and sat down across from him.

“So when do you want to start the hunt?”

“Tomorrow night is the first night of the full moon.”

“Fine. You contact the others?”

“Of course. How is that little project to try to increase our strength going?”

“I am going to test it on myself later.”

“Shouldn’t you try it on a servant first?”

“Should the servants really have that much strength if it works?” I said, though I was a fair boss and didn’t believe my help was below myself, I didn’t want to endanger their lives, however Lord Baron thought otherwise.

“Fair point. Let me know how it goes.” Jacob finished his brandy and stood up to leave.

I stood with him. “Jacob, until tomorrow.” I stated and showed him out.

“What did he want?” My wife asked.

“Love, just business. We are going to have a meeting tomorrow night. I won’t be back until late.”

“I hate your meetings.”

“I know, but they must happen.” I kissed my wife’s check and retreated back to my study.

I pulled out my journal once more and started to look over my notes. I had brewed the formula yesterday, and let it set. It was a moment of truth. A moment that would have defined our hunting expeditions.

I drank it. At first nothing happened and then a burning sensation traveled through me. It threw me to the ground; I thought I for sure was going to die. But I didn’t. I stood up. Nothing about me had changed. I was upset. I tried to pick up the desk but could not; that meant the last three months were for naught. I would have to start from scratch again another day.

The next night I took my horse and rode off to meet up with Jacob and the rest of the group of hunters. When I got there they were all there looking quite worried, the town had already been destroyed by the monsters. The moon wasn’t even up fully yet. What type of being were we dealing with? “What happened?”
I asked.

“We do not know. The moon isn’t even high in the sky.” Jacob responded.

“What are we dealing with?”

“A monster of the likes we have never seen before.” An older man came up to us.

“Lord Earle.” I said in way of a greeting.

“Henry, my man. Did your potion work?”

“Richard, it did not I am afraid. It is back to the beginning.”

“Pity. I have a feeling we could have used it with this beast.”

“Well, let’s get to it.” Jacob stated and mounted his horse.

We rode in silence. It seemed like days, but only hours before we heard the howl. We knew that it was only a matter of time before it was upon us. We jumped off our horses and prepared for the beast. We waited only moments but it felt an eternity.

The beast came into the clearing, and I gasped. It was huge. It was larger than any wolf we had hunted before; about three times the size! Its teeth dripped with blood, it walked on hind legs like a man, but was quick. Before I could figure out what had happened he had Byron and Richard both on the ground at its feet. Their throats were ripped from them, and they chocked on their own blood.

I was upset. So upset that the feeling of death came over me, just like the day before when I had taken my potion. The next thing I knew was blackness. When I awoke the next day I lay in a pool of blood. The bodies of all the hunters as well as a new body, which must have been the wolf, lay dismembered and scattered around me. There was blood on my hands, in my mouth, and in my hair, all round me there was blood.

I stood and discovered I was naked. I quickly grabbed a blood stained coat and ran. The horses were even killed. I could do nothing but run. I ran all the way back to town. I ran to my house and threw myself into my study. I had no idea what happened. No clue but I knew I would be labeled a coward. Because I had lived.
I stayed in my office for days. I only came out to eat with my wife. Soon Lord Baron’s nephew and heir came to see me. I answered the door. “Lord Baron.” I said as a greeting.

“Lord Jekyll.” He came into my foyer, and removed his coat. “I came to talk about what happened to my uncle. I take it you were injured which is why you haven’t came out with the rest of the hunters.”

“Yes. Please come with me to the drawing room. We can discuss it there.” I walked into the drawing room and right to the bar. I poured both of us a large brandy. “Here you are Lord Baron.”

“Thank you Sir.” He said and accepted the drink; he took a large drink before speaking.

I sat down across from him and waited. I was unsure of what he would say.

“I will get to the point. You are the only one that lived. What happened?”

“The wolf was larger than any we had ever seen. It was about three times the size. It walked upon hind legs. It attacked. I ran to attack it, upon seeing Jacob and Richard killed. The next thing I knew I woke up in a pool of blood.”

“Why did it let you live?”

“We were able to kill it somehow. I don’t know when or how.”

“It is interesting that you were the only one that lived. Especially since you tested your concoction on yourself that night my uncle came to tell you about the hunt.”

“I don’t like you implication.”

“You don’t have to coward.”

“I am no coward.” My blood began to boil. I, again, felt death upon me. Before I knew it my world had gone black, the last thing I heard was a scream.

I came too just hours later. I lay quite nude in my drawing room. Blood and body parts all around me once more, and worse my wife stood in the doorway. “Love?”

“Mr. Edward Hyde says to congratulate you on find a woman such as me.” She stated.

“Mr. Hyde?”

“He said that was his name. The monster you became.”

“I… A monster?”

“Yes. You killed Lord Baron when he called you a coward.”

“No…”

“Well, you did not this Mr. Hyde did. But he is really you…”

I just stared at my wife. At that moment I knew that I had made a mistake. In an attempt to play god, God had turned me into the very thing I hated… A monster…

“We will return after these messages.” The announcer states bringing me back to the present. I sigh. My love had long since passed. She had lived a normal mortal life, by my side. She loved me no matter the monster I became. She was the last person to truly accept Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as one in the same.

I turn off the television. It is playing the 1940’s version of the movie based upon a romanticized version of my life. My friend Sir Stevenson had written my life as a short story and found his fame. I sigh and know that one day Mr. Hyde will be back and there was nothing I can do to stop him… Nothing I want to do to stop him… I have finally embraced the monster within…