Tales To Make You Jump In The Dark

Laughter filled the air of the dressing room and CC only smirked as he looked around. It was the first show of their current tour and of course all of the guys, himself included, were pumped up. CC loved the first show of every tour-there just wasn't anything like it and so as he looked at himself in the mirror, took in his naked torso and newly scarred left arm, CC smirked to himself. He scarcely remembered that night one month ago-but he shuddered as he thought back on the feeling of dripping fangs sinking into his skin.

The large animal had jumped on him, pushing him to the ground and as CC laid there and tried not to draw attention to himself, he could feel the hot breath on the back of his neck. There had been a low growling and while CC hadn’t seen what the animal that was hovering over him was, he got the distinct feeling that it was a very large wolf. It sniffed him, hot breath on his neck until finally it settled on his left arm and then bit down. CC had screamed out-he couldn’t help it- and the animal, shockingly, ran off and CC only got a short glance at a pitch black tail disappearing in to the trees.

Thankfully CC hadn’t been too far from the road and was able to flag down a passing truck driver. The guy had stopped, probably because CC was holding his bloodied arm high in the air and once he was safe in the cab, CC felt a little better. As the truck was pulling away from the site of his attack, CC felt a chill running down his spine as he heard a distant wolf howl pierce the night air. The Emergency Room had been a mess as he was rushed around and a doctor was called. He was in a small town and so the ER didn’t have a doctor on staff. CC had been ushered to a bed, given an IV and something to stop the bleeding. He was terrified that his wound would get infected or worse-that he wouldn’t be able to drum.

Soon enough a grizzled and gray haired man came in the room, grumbling about late night hikers not being able to take care of themselves. CC just sat back and allowed the man to do his work and was thrilled to hear that the bite wasn’t too serious and would only take some stitches. He had gotten off lucky, the doctor claimed and then asked CC where he had been camping. Once CC had told him, the doctor only looked on and stated that CC was the fifth wolf attack this month. The only thing was that all of the other victims had been bitten in different places, but the bites were never that bad.

CC had only shrugged it off, winced as the doctor stitched him up-thirty stitches in total-and then took the prescription for pain medication before leaving. The truck driver had stuck around, offering to take CC back to his campsite, but the drummer had had enough. He went straight to the airport, leaving his rental on the side of the road and hopped on the first plane. While he was waiting at the gate CC made a few phone calls to his bandmates and held the phone away from his ear as Andy shouted at him, laughed as Ashley joked with him and grinned when Jinxx and Jake both teased him. He was in one piece and as CC was sitting around the dressing room, waiting for the guys to all finish getting ready, he couldn’t help feeling like something was surging through his veins.

There was a full moon up in the sky and CC wondered silently as he stretched if that had anything to do with his energy spike. Over the past month CC had felt rather out of place and slightly uncomfortable. He had chalked it up to having stitches and a bandage, but even after the stitches came out and the bandage was removed, he still felt weird. It was like he didn’t belong in his own skin any longer and as CC looked in the mirror a slight gasp escaped his lips. His brown eyes were a light yellow, with a vertical pupils that looked slightly cat like. Shaking his head and keeping his eyes closed, CC found himself breathing heavily as he tried to remain calm. He’d had a drink-a shot with Ash a few minutes ago-and he knew it had to be that he was slightly tipsy and just seeing things. Did he dare to open his eyes and look in to the mirror?

CC inhaled deeply and went ahead and took the plunge, glancing at himself in the mirror before him and smirking. Everything looked normal and he even felt slightly more normal, but as CC looked around he couldn’t help but feel a growl bubble up in his throat. The guys were entertaining before the show-a few choice girls had made it into the back and CC felt like they were intruding on his territory. Ashley was currently talking to two of the lovely ladies and Andy was making another giggle. What were they doing back here? They didn’t belong here! Just as CC was about to go forward and say something, Jake had approached him with an opened beer and thrust the drink into CC’s clenched fist.


“You doing okay man?” Jake asked as he sipped his own beer and CC kept his in his hands. He couldn’t take his eyes off of the girls who were flirting their way around the room and something else within him began to bubble up. Lust-an animal-like attraction that made CC gulp down his drink and close his eyes.

“Fine.” The drummer said through gritted teeth and Jake only smirked as he looked around. The guys were having fun, which was awesome because they had deserved some fun-especially CC. They had all been scared to death when they had gotten phone calls about their best friend’s injury and they were all equally as happy to have him home.

“How’s the arm doin? Not a lot of scarring…” Jake said as he ran a finger down CC’s arm and the drummer yelped as Jake’s skin touched his own. It was like he had been touched with a red hot poker and as CC yanked his arm away from Jake and then growled at the guitarist, CC knew something was going on. Something he couldn’t explain and couldn’t even begin to think about how to explain.

“I said I’m fine!” CC shouted as he moved away from his close friend and stalked out the door of the dressing room with his sticks in hand.


They weren’t due to go on for another twenty minutes and CC knew he would need to get away from the guys and the giggling girls so that he could focus. The hallways were like a maze-left, right, left, left again and then finally the brisk night air was smacking him in the face. He needed to smoke and as CC rooted around in his skinny jeans and smirked as he pulled out his pack, he felt slightly better. The smoke swirled out of his lips in strange patterns that curled around the moon like a blanket and as CC turned his face upward and looked at the giant full moon that lit the sky…

He smiled and then cried out in pain.

Running, his hands and feet smacking against the pavement and CC couldn’t think straight as he continued to just run. He was panting, his tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth as he looked left and right for something, anything, to help him get rid of this feeling in his gut. He had fallen to the ground after looking up towards the moon, the light of his cigarette giving off a slight bit of comfort until he rolled on top of it and it smoldered out. CC had rolled around on the ground, clutching his stomach in pain as he continued to cry out. He cried for Ashley or Andy.

For Jake or Jinxx.

But no one came.

CC felt like his bones were breaking, shifting and remolding themselves to fit into a more hunched over creature and he found himself on all fours, crying out. His head was thrown back and he could feel the thick dark hair that grew on his head begin to sprout in other places. He chanced a glance down towards his hands and found that his nails had grown in to sharp talon like claws and the tops of his hands were covered in the same thick hair that was growing out of the sides of his face. CC howled, a great howl as he looked up and his once brown eyes caught the moon and then his teeth began to grow.

Sharp needle like fangs hung down over his bottom lip and as CC took off towards a louder area where he could maybe seek out help, he found himself smelling a scent that he found…delicious. There were a few girls standing on the street corner, their short skirts leaving little to the imagination as they stood around and giggled at one another. CC crouched in the shadows, waiting until finally one of the girls walked off in search of her car and left the others to watch her disappear down a nearby alley. CC followed, his body low to the ground as his black fur allowed him to blend in with the dark alleyway perfectly.


“Dammit…I can’t find my fucking keys…” He heard the girl say as she dug around in her purse and sighed as the accessory dropped to the ground. She was bent over, her back towards him and CC snarled as he ran towards the girl and jumped on her back.


She wanted to scream, he could feel it in the way her throat was clenched, but as CC bit down into her soft creamy flesh, the scream died and the girl could no longer fight. His muzzle was covered in blood, her warm life slipping down his throat and CC found that he liked the way it felt. He was imagining those stupid girls back in the dressing room and as he ripped out the throat before him, he continued on. Her fingers went down easily and he could hear a soft gurgling noise as the girl gasped for breath through the ragged hole that was now her throat. He sniffed her arms-she smelled so good! CC took another bite out of the girl before him, ripping at the other side of her throat and watching as she finally stopped twitching and then only could stare up at him blankly.

What had he done? What was he?

CC didn’t know, but as he sat on his hind legs and looked at the dead girl before him, he could only think of one thing to do. He looked up towards the bright moon and let out a blood curdling howl and then everything went blank.

Notes