Curse of the Beast

Ten years.

Then another decade. They came slowly at first while he was still young and full of hope and anticipation, but eventually he began to dread each new arrival. No matter how hard he tried, eventually he came to care for them. They wormed their way into his hear, mind, and soul without meaning to.

And then they were gone.

He would have to do better this time.

Dria turned slowly, not because she was afraid of the creature behind her, but to keep her broken leg at ease. She was afraid, make no mistake. It was just best she not let it show. Rather, she let her curiosity come to the forefront. Despite the tales and how frightening he looked, she was honestly curious about him. He stood just beyond the doors where all she could make out of him were the two golden orbs of his lupine eyes.

"Who are you?" she asked. Master of the castle? A beast? He doesn't reply. Perhaps he's waiting for an apology? If she just explained the situation he might help her out of the castle or let Kim and Jenny come back inside for her. Summoning all of her bravado, she decided to try for some remorse. "Look, I'm sorry about breaking in, but I can't get out without help. See my leg is..." The door creaked open wide and he stepped out. Even in the dim lighting his appearance took her voice. Her act disappeared leaving nothing but the fear she felt as he walked out towards her.

"Get up."

"But my leg-"

"Not you!" he snapped before seeming to realize his sudden aggression and continuing in a forced, gentle tone. "I am talking to my sleeping servant here." That said, he gave the gargoyle statue a vicious kick. Dria winced, expecting him to hurt his foot (paw?) except rather than him roaring in pain, the statue leapt up, flapping its large wings in fright. It squawked and flew back from its angry master, landing on the thin window sill high above the front doors. "Snoozing on the job again!" he shouted at it. He swept past her to the broken light fixture. "Weren't you supposed to repair and clean this place up?" Without a word or screech, his servant bowed and flew down to grab the chandelier. Dria watched the gargoyle fly the fixture back into place as the beast then turned to her. "Now as for you. I will have to take you to my infirmary."

Dria hardly heard him. She couldn't believe her eyes. A living gargoyle fixing a broken castle? This was unreal. She must be dreaming or hallucinating. Her unnamed host reached around and cradled her bridal style, careful of her leg. "You can't be real. That- this can't be real!" she moaned. If it was, she had no one to blame but herself. She knew someone was in the castle. She should have stayed away from it. She should never have taken her friends in it. This was all her fault. "Kim and Jenny will be back soon. Just leave me outside for them," she pleaded. The pain in her leg was beginning to make her nauseous. When they got to the stairway leading to his tower, he took the right instead of left. A shudder wracked her body signaling the oncoming vomit. "At least get me to where I can puke!"

"Jacqueline!"

From down the hall, another statue sprang to life and rushed to them. Actual fluorescent lights flickered on from fake torch brackets. "Yes, master?" she asked. Her voice was rough like gravel over a metal grate. However, she took one look at Dria and from seemingly nowhere, drew a bucket just as the injured adventuress promptly emptied her stomach. Dria recieved a glimpse of a half skull face before her face went into the bucket "Shall I fetch the spare clothes and your first aid?"

"Yes, and meet me in the infirmary."

He continued on his way. Dria blinked hard, still trying to cope with everything. No, this had to be fake. A strange wolf-like man carrying her to an infirmary? An infirmary in an 'abandoned' castle nonetheless! Her whole body trembled from the pain in her leg. Jeez, she hadn't felt this bad since she had been sent home with severe pneumonia. Ah ha! That must be it! Obviously none of this could be real. It was all a fever induced hallucination and really she was back home in bed sick with something.

"Okay, I just gotta wake up," she mumbled. "This isn't real. I have to get better and wake up."

"Not real, huh?" he asked mildly.

"You must be a metaphor for my father, my real father,"she went on. "Which means maybe he's actually come to see me and I'm too sick to realize. So, I REALLY need to get better." A door squeaked as he pushed it open and they entered a sterile, white room with three cots. Each cot had a privacy screen to be pulled around it. What for? Were there others? Maybe she was so sick that she was in the hospital.

The cot was firm, but comfortable as he laid her down. "I will have to remove your pants so that I can assess the break."

"Okay," she said, shrugging. This was all a dream right? Heck, halfway through wolfman could probably turn out to be Ian Somerhalder, turn human, and the finale would be a strip tease. She almost laughed at the mental image. Then she frowned. If that was true...he would have done it as soon as the thought crossed her mind. That was how most of her dreams worked. Whatever she thought happened next. She propped herself up on her elbows, surprised to see that he had already removed her pants without jostling her one bit. Now she could see the damage. Her left leg was curved off to the right a bit below the knee, the skin around it already bruised and covered in blood.

While he was turned, she tested herself. If it really was real then this would prove it. It was going to hurt like hell and she might even pass out from it, but it was worth it to know whether or not this was all a dream.

She thumped the protruding bone as hard as she could.

One incomprehensible scream later and her lights were out.