Show Me Your Teeth

Everything was moving in slow motion.

When I bolted for the door, the demon crashed through the forest and ran straight for me. I could see Eric dodge sideways, trying to cutoff it’s path but to no avail. This being from would not stop until it had consumed me.

I looked over my shoulder, and saw as it gained ground. Jaws snapping, venom dripping from it’s teeth. And then it happened. Razor sharp claws slashed at my side, sending liquid fire through my veins. There was no time for pain, no time to think of the burning that was slowly consuming me from the inside out.

Recovered from the blow, Eric took another run at it, this bringing it down to the ground. It lasted only milliseconds, but it was long enough for me to change.

Delicate features gave way to strong, high cheekbones, muscular arms, and defined jaw. Blue eyes transformed into large black orbs, with hardly any white to be seen. My teeth had morphed into fangs of a predator, along with my once tiny hands that now held sharp claw like nails.

My skin had always been pale, but now it almost glowed, and was harder than Kevlar or any carbon fibre material. Nothing on this Earth, aside from this treacherous beast could touch me. My bones grew, and the muscles stretched to accommodate them, so that every part of me was now longer and more muscular than the original.

I was truly a horror to behold.



We circled each other, occasionally lunging to try and make headway. But I was weak. The cut on my ribs, though not quite large, had a deadly secret. Demons left venom in any kind of wound, and slowly my left side was going numb. I would have to deal a strong enough blow to scare it off, or go with the fading hope that Eric could somehow save me.

He called out to me, but I could not pull my attention away. My enemy stood still, trying to confuse me, but I knew better. This wasn’t my first go around with a fiend such as this.

I crouched, flexing my claws, daring it to come closer but faltering when I tried to move.

It took the bait.

In a moment of sheer self-confidence, it lunged forward, believing that I would not stand and defend myself. Once it was just close enough, close enough where I’m sure it looked like it was all over, I struck. Faster than a cobra strike I had pinned it, and with what remaining strength I had left, bit down between its neck and shoulder. A sharp scream pierced the forest, and sent wildlife of all sorts crashing with great sound away from the scene. When I stood, black blood streamed from my jaws. It fled then, running raggedly but disappearing into the darkness.

Silence enveloped the yard. Eric appeared next to me, and now I could easily see eye to eye with him. He was talking to me, but I couldn’t understand him. The human part of me was still lost, locked away until it was safe for the fragile being to emerge. He looked frantic, making wild exaggerated movements trying to get my attention. It made me sad. I wanted to talk to him, tell him that I needed help. But all I could do was slowly turn my head from one side to the next, making soft clicking noises, and try to communicate.

Hubris. It plagued the Greeks, but worked in my favor tonight. Sadly, it had also effected me. I had overestimated my strength and now I was going to pay the price.

Before the light around me dimmed, I made one final attempt to speak. It came out more as a strangled moan, and then I hit the Earth with a soft thud, and the lights around me blew out.