Friday, April 3, 2015

Poetry Month Gone Dark! Josh Hellrider Annis' Bestial Transformation



Josh Hellrider Annis is a heavy metal performer and a poet. Here is his Bestial Transformation.

Twas two nights ago
 He was traveling through the wood
 The moon was shining full in the dark night
 The warm fire of his cabin
 He was looking forward to
 The hill it rested upon was almost in sight

 Whistling to himself
 Happy to be heading home
 From a long hard day in the blacksmith shop
 When he heard behind him
 A bone-chilling sound
 That made his heart within him stop

 It was a howl
 But not a common howl
 It had menace and evil deep within
 As if it welled up
 From the very gates of hell
 Dripping with the blackest foulest sin

 With trembling hands he drew his pistol
 And turned slowly around
 To see a horror that blasted his soul
 Seven feet of fur,
 Claws, and fangs
 His vitals turned a dead icy cold

'A giant wolf?' he thought
'Standing upright like a man?
'What sort of horror now is this?'
 Then as he stared
 Into the damned thing's glowing eyes
 He seemed to hear the wind around him hiss

 "Werewolf!" "WEREWOLF!" it said
 And with that realization
 He wished God had struck him dead
 For he knew
 What was to surely follow next 
 And it filled him with a cold, malicious dread

 The moon shone ivory
 Upon the hell-thing's black fur
 It growled and slavered, showing its fangs
 Thick, slime-like drool
 Dripped from its black maw
 And the very bells of hell somewhere rang

 With a fearsome roar 
 The monster fell upon him
 Its fangs buried themselves deep in his throat
 And from the pain, with a shout
 The man blacked out
 Knowing he would appear next in Charon's boat

______________________________________________________

 He awoke in his cabin
 Alarmed and confused
 Somehow he must have crawled back there
 Maybe the horror
 Was nothing but a dream
 But as he looked down, he realized in despair

 That it was not a dream 
 But a reality from the dirt on his clothes
 And wounds upon his neck
 He knew deep inside 
 And from what he had learned
 That he was to begin a hellish trek

 His old friend, Elias 
 Professor and expert in the occult
 Told him of werewolfism and its myths
 It was regretful indeed
 Especially at this time
 That his poor friend had lately died of syphillis

 He knew because of the bite
 He would become a beast as well
 The very thought filled him with such fear
 His agonized mind 
 Began to conjure up
 Future scenes into which he now did peer

 The agony of transformation
 The duality of mind
 A murderous menace in Londontown
 The townsfolk, including his friends
 Whipped up into a rage
 Hellbent on hunting the monster down

 The cabin's walls seem to close in on him
 And the wind began to howl
 And he swore he heard it scream that he was damned
 He covered his face in shame
 And cried himself to sleep
 As the moon hovered bloated over the land

_______________________________________________________________________________________



 He was violenty awakened
 By a knock on his door
 His mind groggy and filled with fog
 In confusion he peered out
 His bedroom window, saw the sunset
 And heard the croaks of frogs

 "I have slept through the whole day."
 He said to himself
 And the knocking on the door became yet louder
 Its vigour and violence
 Sounded like to 
 Crush the portal's wood to powder

 "Who could it be
 "Knocking at my door now?"
 He asked, seized by a growing fear
 "Is it friend, or foe
 "Rapping there now?
 "Which of two fates is so very near?"

 With trembling hand
 He slid the heavy bolt
 And opened the portal with a creak so slow
 And saw before him
 With great relief 
 That it was indeed no foe

 For gazing up at him 
 With sad blue puppy eyes
 And his blond hair cut in a bowl
 Was a ten year old lad
 Very dear to his heart
 And of whom he was honored to know

 It was little Davey Collins
 His apprentice in his blacksmith's trade
 He was young and he was learning fast
 As he looked into 
 The lad's sad eyes
 He thought of a particular fragment of his past

 The blacksmith once had a wife
 A very lovely wife 
 That he had loved with all his heart
 Happy had been their life
 They were bonded for eternity 
 Only the Spectre of Death would have them part

 And one black night
 That nefarious demon did arrive 
 And took his wife and son both in childbirth
 For so long 
 Because of this tragedy
 The blacksmith felt life had lost its worth

 But he had come
 To know young Davey, his apprentice
 And now looked upon him as a son 
 And loved him he did
 With all his heart
 He no longer felt so despairingly alone

 "Why, child!" he exclaimed 
 With shock and care
 "Whatever are you doing so far out here
 "All alone, by yourself?!
 "When the coming of night is so near?!"

 "Master Benjamin, sir,"
 The boy explained
 "I were a wonderin' why you weren't at work
 "I were concerned about you
 "You see
 "The shop was closed and folk thought it quite a quirk."

 "My dear boy," 
 The blacksmith said kindly
 As his mind tried to come up with some excuse
 To cover up 
 The dreadful truth
 Of the horror about to be loosed

 "I fear the truth is
 "That I've become ill
 "I shall be out of town, abed for a few days,"
 "But sir!" exclaimed the boy
 "Who will run the shop?! 
 "I do not yet know all your ways!"

 "Now Davey, calm yourself,"
 Benjamin said 
 And then took parchment and began to write a letter
 Then took he
 A rather large key
 And bound the two of them together

 "Here's the key to the shop,"
 Said he
 "And a note, explaining my sickness
 "Take it to my friend Barnabas
 "He's worked in the shop
 "And is a sharp soul, not given to thickness."

 And so the lad left
 And the night closed in
 Like a stygian, fearsome claw
 And as he looked up
 In fear, Ben did see
 The bloated full moon over all

 'The full moon,'
 He whispered, 'There is now no escape
 'Satan has me in his trap!'
 And then he felt 
 A great pain wrack his form 
 His breath coming out in short gasps

 The agony became 
 Too much to bear
 And he emitted a heart-wrenching scream
 He fell upon the floor 
 In the ghostly moonlight
 The torment tearing him apart at the seams

 His fingernails and toenails elongated
 To claws
 His teeth mutated into grisly fangs
 His body felt consumed
 By unholy black fire
 As it continued the change

 His ears stretched long
 And beastily pointed
 His legs and feet became like a hound's
 His nose and mouth grew
 Into a feral muzzle
 As his brain with a pain did pound

 Night-black fur
 From his pores did burst
 His eyes became like sinful fire
 And his agonizing scream
 Lowered in pitch
 Instead of growing ever higher

 The scream became a growl
 A wild demon-like growl
 And then the growl became an ear-shattering howl
 Soul-chilling, mind-numbing
 Straight out of the abyss
 Emerging out of hell's darkest bowels

 Taken over by a black force
 He was no longer himself
 His soul became a primitive beast
 And the only thought
 Upon his monstrous mind
 Was the lust for fresh blood on which to feast

 With a hungry growl 
 The foul horror burst through the window 
 Into the beherial night
 And bulleted forward
 With bloodlusting passion
 Londontown straight in its sights


________________________________________________________________________


 There is a graveyard that rests
 On top of a wooded hill
 On the way to Londontown
 And on nights like this
 It seems more sinister
 Miasmic darkness all around

 The graveyard's church 
 Stood all alone
 A foreboding sentinel in the dark
 And its windows stared out
 Like the eyesockets of a skull
 Not a light in them, nor a spark

 Into the graveyard 
 Came two boys
 Up to shenanigans as young boys will do
 Eerie fog curling up
 Around their legs
 As if from a black witch's stew

 "What're we doing here, Tom?"
 Said the first boy
 His stomach clenching in knots
 "What's so important
 "To you here
 "To choose so sinister a spot?"

 'Treasure, Bert, treasure!'
 The other boy whispered
 And displayed a mischievous grin
'Treasure that will make sure
'That both me and you
'Will never be poor again!'

 " 'Ere now, Tom!" 
 Bert gestured with his torch
 "There be such nonsense in your boasts!
 "There be nothing here
 "But the markers of the dead
 "And maybe....sweet Lord, I hope not....ghosts!"

 "Ah, but I would brave
 "The ghoulies here,"
 Tom answered then, bragging
 "For the spirits here 
 "That inflict fear
 "When their chains are dragging

 "Guard riches somewhere
 "In this place 
 "In a chamber beneath the ground,"
 And then both boys'
 Hearts froze to ice
 As they heard the harrowing sound

 Of a howl 
 Not of man nor beast
 But a mixture of the two
 And what they saw
 Before them 
 Chilled the both of them straight through

 For perched on top 
 Of the church's steeple
 Was a being with glowing eyes
 Beastly black fur
 And sharp claws
 And fangs that terrorized

 With a fierce growl,
 A leap, and a bound
 It pounced therewith on Bert
 And tore out his throat so fast
 He fell dead 
 And nary felt the hurt

 On Tom the thing turned
 And began to stalk
 And the poor lad's eyes grew wide
 Nothing but stark black fear
 Filled him now
 He had lost all pride

 With trembling hand
 As the devil closed in
 He reached inside his vest
 And found with relief 
 The talisman 
 For which his hand did quest

 It was indeed a crucifix
 And he was taught
 The power of the Light
 Would drive away 
 With all its power
 The satanic forces of the night

 He pulled out the sacred object
 With a triumphant shout
 And held it up on high
 He felt for sure
 With a surging of relief
 He was not going to die

 But the hulking night-thing 
 Slashed its claw
 And clove the boy's hand clean off
 It would appear 
 That the poor boy was mistaken
 Crucifixes were not enough

 In his surprise
 And shock
 The lad did not feel a thing
 He saw his hand
 Tumble to the ground
 And it began to rain

 Lightning flashed 
 Thunder echoed
 And lit the figure of the hell-beast
 And its gaping jaws
 Were the last thing the boy saw 
 Before he became its feast

________________________________________________________________________

 In Londontown 
 The antiquer, old Phineas Hart
 Was just closing up for the night
 He contentedly whistled
 As he put away his wares
 By glow of lamp and pale moonlight

 Upstairs above the shop
 Supper was being cooked
 By Phineas' sour old wife
 But the old man miraculously 
 Still remained happy
 No matter how much strain she put on his life
  
 Their daughter, Gabby 
 Who lived with them 
 Was preparing the table
 With her dark curly hair
 And almond-shaped eyes
 She looked like a princess out of fable
   
 "Phineeeaaaas!
 "Phineeeaaaas!!"
  The old wife shrieked in a cringeworthy voice
 "Supper's ready! 
 "Now get ye up here!
  And stop making all that damned noise!"
    
 "Coming, darling!" he answered
 There were light footsteps 
 Up the stairs
 And when he got to the top
 His wife fixed him
 With a vicious, hellish glare

 "So, tell me now
 "How much did ye make today?!"
 The wife grouchily barked
 "Don't worry
 "More than enough, dear wife"
 He smiled, lighting his pipe from a spark

 "I do tire of ye smoking that damned pipe!"
 She scowled
 "It be raisin' such a stink!"
 And so his wife continued
 Grousing and yammering so
 That he could hardly hear himself think

 "Come now, Mum!" 
  Gabby piped up
 "Da' works hard for us, you know that!
 "Please stop givin' him
 "So much grief" 
  And down to supper the three sat

 Mum now grouchily
 Huffed and puffed
 As she ate her food
 And suddenly
 The three began to hear
 A clawing on the outside wood
        
 Their eyes grew wide
 As the clawing grew closer and closer
 And they heard a deep guttural growl
 What hell-spawned horror
 Was climbing their house
 Hid by night's dark cowl?
    
 There was a crash through the window
 And there in the moonlight 
 A black-furred demon stood
 Its eyes glowing like hell
 Its fangs bared
 Freezing the family's very blood
        
 Phineas grabbed his blunderbuss
 From its place upon the wall
 And prompty fired at the beast
 The monster swatted
 The projectiles aside with his claws
 And leapt upon the man to feast

 Mum shrilly screamed 
 And quickly grabbed a pot
 And hit the devil over the head
 The fell thing roared
 And struck with its black-furred arm
 And the old crone hit the wall dead
         
 Gabby
 Shaken with terror and grief
 Shrieked and quickly fled
 Down the stairs 
 Out of the shop
 Her family now all dead
       
 A hand grabbed her around the mouth
 And pulled her into the alley
 Soundly stifling her shriek
 And when she was turned around
 To face the stranger
 She saw the eyes that made her knees go weak
    
 "SHHHH...it's me, my darling..." 
 The man whispered
 It was her lover, Bernard
 A local musician 
 With dashing good looks
 Who had won Gabby's heart

 "What ever has happened?!"
  He worriedly asked
  The night breeze blowing his dark hair
  She buried her face
  Into his cloak
  And wailed in deep despair

 "My whole family, Bernard, is dead!"
  She sobbed
 "A...t.t..thing took them to the grave!!"
  They both held each other
  So tightly
  As the night closed about them like a cave
   
 "I saw a shadow prowling the streets
 "And rooftops."
  Bernard whispered in fear
 "And I grew curious 
 "To find out 
 "Just what horror has come here."
          
 "But Bernard!
 "Why endanger yourself?!" 
  Gabby wept, confused
  Bernard sighed wearily
 "I admit
 "Here I stand justly accused
           
 "Of meddling in affairs
 "Man has no business in
 "But I have special knowledge, you see."
  Then he started 
  As he heard
  A flock of birds dash from a nearby tree

 "Knowledge, what knowledge?" 
  Gabby asked, confused
 "I don't know what you mean!"
 "Do you remember my uncle, Elias?"
  He asked
  As he kept anxious watch for the fiend
               
 "Yes, vaguely," 
  She answered
 "He died, did he not?"
 "Yes," Bernard sighed
 "And he is missed greatly."
  In his words, Gabby now was caught
                
 "But before he died
 "My uncle imparted knowledge
 "To me and me alone
 "Knowledge of unseen
 "Shadowy forces"
  They began to walk the cobblestones
                
 "Of demons, and angels
 "Spirits, and monsters
 "Of magic and all things in between,
 "Knowledge hidden 
 "And kept secret." 
  Gabby stared into his eyes so green
                 
 "There are dark forces 
 "That prowl this world, Gabby
 "And this thing is one of their kind,"
  And then they heard 
  A soul-blasting howl
  And quickly glanced behind.
                   
 "I now know 
 "What this thing is!"
  Bernard fearfully droned
 "And now, Gabby
 "You must follow me
 "To to the warehouse my father owns!"


________________________________________________________________________
               
               
 Benjamin 
 Awoke in the woods
 A painful pounding in his brain
 The dark clouds
 Hid the rising sun
 And it began to rain

 And from his naked body
 The rain washed
 All the blood and gore
 That was splattered and caked
 All over his form
 From the killings the night before

 "What have I done?!
 "Oh God! What have I done?!" 
  He howled up to the sky
 "How is it that I am chosen
 "To receive this curse?!
 "Oh please Lord, tell me why!!" 

 He pounded angrily 
 At the soaking ground
 And moaned and thrashed and screamed
 Oh how he would give 
 His very life
 For this to be all a dream
     
 Loping back to his cabin 
 He drew hot water
 For a bath
 And as he sank
 Into the tub
 He let his mind take him on a path

 Far away from this place 
 And into the void 
 And in that dark, he heard a voice
 Calling to him 
 Beckoning him
 With such seduction, that he had no choice
      
  But to drown himself
  In its nocturnal presence 
  Its sinister, savage caress
  And the beastly yet seductive voice
  Echoed in his mind
 "To your God, you have called out in distress.
    
 "But your God has turned his back on you
 "I tell you the truth
 "You are damned!"
  And to heed and believe
  Its words completely
  The darksome voice did command
   
 "You will kill once again
 "On this night
 "And then I shall call once more
 "And reveal to you
 "Your true destiny
 "That the Dark One has in store."
    
 And so Benjamin 
 Began to sink 
 Into a deep and dreamless sleep
 And somewhere
 In a realm unknown
 He heard the shades of his dead family weep

________________________________________________________________________
       
 That night before 
 In Londontown
 When Bernard and Gabby had escaped
 He had taken her 
 To his father's warehouse
 And sorrow and fear about her did drape

 In the warehouse
 There was a small apartment
 Of which he stated was his
 Its walls were completely
 Lined with books
 Not a spot was missed
    
 As Bernard proceeded
 To start a fire
 Gabby saw in its light
 Some objects that
 She wouldn't expect from him
 To her a very strange sight
    
 Upon one table 
 There were assembled 
 Beakers, tubes, and vials
 Filled with strange
 And curious liquids
 And formulaic papers in piles
    
 And upon another table
 Were odd talismans
 And statues oh so strange
 And also upon this sat
 Somewhat unusual weapons
 Used for both short and long range

 As soon as the fire
 Burned bright enough
 From his library, Bernard grabbed a book
 Immensely large
 Bound in red leather
 And through it began to look
    
 As Bernard set it 
 Upon a table 
 And through it he did browse 
 Gabby saw depicted on the pages
 Such terrible creatures
 That she went as silent as a mouse
     
 Things covered in scales
 Horrors with horns and claws
 And pupiless glowing eyes
 Fell beasts with slimy tentacles
 And bat-wings, and fangs
 That made her throat go dry

  And Bernard quickly stopped 
  Upon a page 
  And said "Yes! I have found our beast!"
  And though she knew
  She shouldn't 
  The poor girl let her eyes feast
    
  Upon the picture 
  Of the horrid monster
  Bathed in pale moonlight
  Man-shaped, but with a canine head
  Bristling with fur
  Slavering in the night

 "The Werewolf," 
  Bernard did say
 "Satan's man-wolf slaves.
 "Foul dark creatures 
 "Of the night
 "It says that the way is paved
    
 "To become one 
 "Either when a human is bitten 
 "By such a fiend
 "Or by suicide
 "Or some other dark deed
 "Or so it has been deemed."

 "Yes, that is it," 
  Gabby choked
 "The thing that killed my da' and mum!"
  Tears began forming
  In her eyes again
  She felt purely alone in that room
     
  Not only in the room
  But in the town
  In the very world
  Bernard gently embraced her
  Running his fingers
  Through her curls
     
 "Have no fear my love
 "I am here to protect you."
  He gently cooed in her ear
 "I will be 
 "By your side now
 "I will drive away all fears." 
      
 "But where will I go?" she sobbed
 "Where will I live?" 
  She shivered without cold
 "Why you can live here with me, of course,"
  Bernard answered
 "I too need someone to hold."
         
 And they kissed each other
 So tenderly
 With such passion and such love
 That the angels themselves
 Took notice
 In the realms of heaven above

 Then from the pack on his back
 Bernard took a mandolin
 And sat by the fire to strum
 His fingers working intricately
 On the strings
 And he began to hum
          
 "So...so what do we do
 "About this...werewolf?"
  Gabby sat beside him and asked
 "We hunt it," Bernard said
  A determined look in his eyes
 "Until it breathes its last!"
    
 "But how?" she asked
 "How do we hunt such a monster?
 "And what weapons do we use?"
  A dark look crossed Bernard's face
  As he answered
 "Not ones you would normally choose.
    
 "We must employ 
 "The herb called wolfsbane
 "Also silver will be the key
 "Silver arrows, silver blades
 "Silver musket balls
 "It is fortunate I have all with me."
        
 "Why silver?" Gabby asked
 "Of all the metals God put on this Earth," he answered
 "Only silver can kill this beast."
 "Only it and wolfsbane 
 "Can stop its evil,
 "Put an end to its satanic feast."
       
  Bernard saw Gabby's eyes
  Begin to grow tired
  And let her rest her head in his lap
  And gently sang to her
  And strummed her to sleep
  As the logs on the fire did snap



________________________________________________________________________

    
 On the next night, 
 A bloated crimson moon
 Rose above Londontown 
 And it caused eerie,
 Loathsome shadows
 To float across the ground

  And deep in the night
  Among lighted torches
  In an alleway so dark
  Gathered a mob 
  Whose anger
  Was ignited by a furious spark
   
  A vulture-like face 
  Glowed in the torchlight
  And sneered an ugly scowl
 "It be true, me boys!"  
  The old man said
 "There's a demon on the prowl!"
    
 "Me own son's throat
 "It did rip out!
 "And I wants revenge!"
  And with the fires
  Of furious wrath
  This man's eyes did singe
    
 "Old John's right!" 
  Portly Dick did say
  Who sported a huge mustache
 "The thing ate my own wife alive! 
 "After throwing her
 "Through my bake shop's glass!"
     
 "Let's drive this beastie
 "From our town!"
  A tall dark young man piped up
 "It tore me poor little brother
 "To shreds! 
 "And upon his blood did sup!"
    
 "Stop and think
 "All of you!"
  A middle-aged vicar did shout
 "It's no pitchforks or torches
 "Or mortal weapons
 "That'll drive this devil out!"
     
 "On thet point, Father,
 "Yer partly right."
  A gruff voice from the shadows said
 "And if yer town pays
 "Me handsomely
 "I'll make sure yer monster's dead!"
     
 "And who be you?"
  Old John snarled,
 "What business is it of yours?!"
 "It be my business, if'n ye want to survive!"  
  The stranger guffawed
  And stepped into where the light poured
       
 Before them stood
 A short, burly man
 With a matted, long black beard
 Steel grey eyes
 Shone in the torchlight
 That betrayed no hint of fear
   
 He was decked 
 In gray leather armor
 And on his head was a wide-brimmed hat
 And in the wind
 Billowing behind him
 Was a cloak the color of a dead rat
       
 In various sheaths across his person
 There bristled weapons
 Of a peculiar sort
 Certainly not the kind of arms
 You use simply for hunting 
 Or sport

 "Ye may call me Borson
 "The demon hunter."
  The stranger did speak forth
 "All manner of creatures of darkness
 "I slay 
 "And I shall give ye your money's worth."
       
 "How can we trust what ye say?"
  Dick did inquire
 "How do we know you're no liar?
 "How do we know you won't turn and run
 "When too hot
 "Grows the fire?"
        
 "I've talked to yer mayor,"
  Borson replied
 "Here be the documented proof."
  And Old John snatched up
  The scroll he produced
  As he clucked his tongue on his tooth
      
 "It be legitimate," 
  John growled reluctantly,
 "He's worked a deal, sure enough."
  Borson smugly crossed his arms
  And smirked under his beard
  So rough

 "Leave the job, to me, boys!"
  He growled,
 "And go back to yer homes," 
  And they all shuffled home
  The wind out of their sails
  With grumbles and chafed groans

 "Now then beastie, where could ye be?"
  The demon hunter chuckled 
  As he pulled on his hat
 "Come on out now
 "You fell thing
 "I'll roll out the welcome mat!"
  
  And behind and above him
  He did hear
  A demonic howl piercing the night
  He whipped around
  And on the high roof above him
  Was the hellbeast right in sight
            
 "AHA!" he laughed 
  As he produced his flintlock
  Loaded with silver balls
  But the werewolf jumped
  High in the air
  As its sharp report did call
           
  And with a snarl 
  Borne out of the pit of hell
  The monster did descend
  But the hunter possessed
  More than just one weapon
  With which to defend
     
  As the werewolf's feet 
  Hit the ground
  A cutlass of silver he did flash
  And Borson was surprised
  As he struck out with it
  When he heard a mighty clash
    
  With utter terror 
  He did see that the devil
  Had the blade clamped in its teeth
  And as the thing wrenched the blade from him
  It broke his hand
  And Borson let out a pained shriek
             
  Holding his throbbing hand
  In his other
  The hunter kicked out with his boot
  And as he aimed his kick 
  For the beast's head
  The hell-wolf grabbed his foot
            
  And as it pulled the hunter
  Off the ground
  And began to swing him through the air
  Borson reached for something else
  On his person
  Fighting off the despair
            
   With his good hand 
   He did bring out 
   A sawed-off musket gun
   And as he shot it
   With a prayer
   There was a loud boom and a thrum
         
   It was a grappling gun 
   He had shot
   And with great force it lifted him
   Out of the monster's clutches 
   So deadly
   And so grim
            
   And so the hunter 
   Took to the rooftops 
   His bad hand hung limply by his side
   The pain throbbing within it
   Grew worse
   And could not be denied
             
   The werewolf took
   To the heights behind him
   And though Borson's heart shook with fear
   He unsheathed from 
   Beneath his cloak
   A mighty silver-tipped spear
            
   Deftly he did grip it
   With his good had 
   And as the devil toward him did race
   He flipped it toward
   Its pommel-end
   And smote it in the face
            
   With an angry whine 
   The hell-thing fell
   Tumbling toward the edge of the roof
  "Now I have you!" 
   The hunter rasped
  "Of life in you they'll be not a proof!"
            
    As the demon clung to the edge, 
    Borson crept carefully near
    And did lift his spear on high
   "Now you abomination,"
    He did shout,
   "Send my regards to your master as you die!"
           
    But in a flash
    Using its upper strength
    Onto the roof once again, the horror sprung
    And with lightning speed
    He tore out the hunter's throat
    Before he let the next breath from his lungs

 _______________________________________________________________________

 Poor Benjamin
 The tortured Blacksmith 
 Awoke at the steps to his home
 And as the sun began to rise
 He felt so cold
 And so crushingly alone
   
 He crawled into his cabin
 Blood and gore
 On his body once again
 All that remained of his clothes
 Were torn pants
 So threadbare and so thin
  
 He barely made it
 Through the door
 Before he collapsed on his face
 And found himself drifting
 Once more
 Off to that darksome space
  
 He heard that seductive voice
 Once more
 "You have done well.." it said
 "To this mortal frame of yours
 "You will soon become
 "Totally dead
  
 "And be reborn 
 "In darkest glory 
 "This night you shall see!
 "And now I will let you
 "Feast your eyes
 "On one small glimpse of me!"
   
  And in that miasmic darkness
  He saw there 
  Two feral eyes
  Both terrifying
  And beautiful
  Beyond any mortal guise
  
  Their glow
  Was a sepulchural green
  That pierced the very soul
  The things that both nightmares
  And dreams are made of
  All within the whole
  
 'It is a female's eyes
 'That I gaze upon!'
  Ben proclaimed in his mind
 "Yes, my chosen,"
  The beastly voice purred
 "And tonight, you will be mine!"
   
 "You will know
 "The path to take.
 "My voice will guide you there.
 "And together we will make
 "The human world
 "Tremble in despair!"


_______________________________________________________________________ 
  
 An arrow thudded
 Right on the bullseye
 Out in the warehouse yard
 And an astonished
 Yet pleased look
 Came from Bernard the Bard

 "Truly, 
 "You do know your archery,"
  He said to Gabby with a smile
 "Oh yes," she said 
 "Da' trained me with various weapons
 "For a long, long while.
    
 "He started me out 
 "At about nine 
 "And was the perfect mentor through the years,"
  And then Gabby lowered her bow
  And her head
  And her eyes filled with tears

 "I will miss him and Mum dearly,"
  She choked
 "But they be gone to a better place,
 "And I swear on their graves
 "That I will end this demon!
 "And it will be gone without a trace!"
   
  And coldly she pulled 
  A silver ball-filled pistol
  From its place within her belt
  And blasted the bullseye
  Splitting the arrow there
  And Bernard's heart did melt
      
  For he knew 
  She felt such inexplicable pain
  Deep within her soul
  And though she tried
  To heal her wounds with steel
  He still saw her heart's hole

  With tender hands
  He gently lowered her gun
  And wrapped his arms around her waist
 "Do not worry, my dear love,"
  He cooed
 "You are safe within this place."
  
  She turned around
  And caressed his face
 "Only you hold my heart, Bernard,"
  And her tears 
  Did flow onto his face
  As she tenderly kissed the bard


_______________________________________________________________________

        
   The night caressed the monster as he stalked
   His dark lady's voice
   Echoed in his mind
   Tonight they would be together
   In black union
   Tonight he would find 
   
   A mistress 
   To pledge his heart to
   And he would become one with the dark
   All the feral forces of evil
   Upon him
   She would mark
    
   No killing tonight
   For he must meet with her
   He leapt across rooftops alone
   He must meet the one 
   Who haunted his mind
   And through him, her will would be done

   He slavered in anticipation
   Snarling and panting
   His fur bristling with wicked delight
   His pointed ears pricked back
   In excitement
   His wild howl seared the night
   
   "Come to me!" 
    The purring voice in his head did beckon
   "Come, my lover of darkest dreams!"
    But another voice 
    Within his mind
    Let out an opposing scream
     
    "No! My husband! Please do not!"
     Shrieked the voice
     Of his long dead wife
    "She will utterly damn you!"
    "She will drain you
    "Of every ounce of life!"
       
     Benjamin in his monstrous form
     Growled fiercely
     And shrugged off the voice
     Of the shade of his 
     Departed beloved
     That bade him to make the right choice

     His hell-given senses 
     Led him to the edge of town
     Where there stood an abandoned church
     Its gothic steeple
     Piercing the dark sky
     And in its graveyard, dark forms did lurch
     
     There among the crumbling tombstones
     And nighted tombs 
     Of the dead
     Stood four shadowy beings
     In black robes
     Their cowls obscuring their heads
     
     And without a word
     They did beckon him
     Into an obsidian sepulchre black as night
     The hell beast's feral sight
     Guided him
     He needed no torch nor light
     
     The four spectres removed the lid
     From a coffin 
     That was upon a dais
     And the eerie silence
     Was so thick, that with a sword
     Through it, you could slice
     
     There were steps within the coffin
     And the werewolf 
     Followed the four down
     Down, down, 
     Into subterranean depths
     Where only their feet made a sound
    
     And then the monster noticed
     The four robed ones'
     Wild and darksome smell
     The feral, cloying
     Beastly odour
     That he knew so well
       
     For that odour 
     Was like unto his own
     The stench of a man-wolf beast
     And intermingled with it
     Was the scent of blood and gore
     From the victims of a satanic feast
       
     'These are my brethren' 
      He thought, 'Other wolf-men
     'We share the mark so obscene
     'And on this blackest, blasphemous
     'Night of nights
     'I shall be with their Queen!'
       
      As further down 
      The steps they went
      Into stygian black halls
      Benjamin
      Within his beastly heart
      Heard there sound a squall
       
      The cry of 
      His unborn baby son 
      Echoed through his brain
      And he saw the shade of his dead wife
      In his mind's eye again
      Her tears falling like rain
       
      The tears were tears of
      The reddest blood
      She was weeping out her soul
      Her heart-wrenching pleas
      Did cry out
      And echo through his skull
       
     "Please, my dear husband!" 
      She sobbed, 
     "It is not too late!
     "Turn back, my dearest love,
     "Turn back!
     "This doesn't have to be your fate!"
       
      The brooding monster
      Buried his canine head in his hands
      And let out a tortured yowl
      And the four other brutes
      Grabbed and pushed him forward
      With threatening, snarling growls
        
      And at last they came
      To a vast vaulted chamber
      Upheld with cyclopean columns so high
      That they disappeared
      Into the shadows of the ceiling
      Like it was a subterranean sky
        
      And in their sconces 
      On the columns
      Their blazed torches of a cold-looking fire
      The same blazed in a huge brazier
      On the floor 
      Whose tongues seemed to reach ever higher
        
      And the brazier stood in front
      Of a hideous throne
      Built of bloody human skulls
      And the one who sat upon that throne
      Benjamin recognized 
      To the full
        
      The sepulchural eyes 
      So green
      That enticing, piercing glare
      He fell completely 
      To his knees
      As into his soul she did stare
       
      A beautiful coat 
      Of the purest white
      Covered her entire form
      She flashed her strong 
      Powerful fangs
      Which into many a poor soul had torn
      
      Lean and muscular
      Sacred feminine
      Yet a presence oh so dark
      Upon his mind
      And upon his soul 
      She intended to make her mark
      
      There were scores of werewolves
      Hulking in this chamber
      A congregation of fiends
      Eyes there were
      Glowing hellish red
      And yellow and blue and green
      
      There were wolf-men of titanic proportions
      Muscles rippling beneath their fur
      And there were vicious-looking
      Whipchord-like werewolves
      Their teeth snarling
      Like wretched curs
        
      There were black-furred blasphemies
      Like Benjamin
      And there were devils of brown and gray
      And silver and blood-red
      And tan and bronze 
      All hungry for human prey
      
      But only one wolf was pure white
      And that was the one
      Who sat on the throne
      Magnificent
      And terrible
      Claiming the night as her own
       
      And then there did sound
      From her throat
      A savage growl 
      And raising
      In a fearsome crescendo
      It evolved into a howl

      And the hordes of night-things
      Threw back their heads
      And all gave voice
      To a howl that would summon
      The lords of hell
      And Benjamin had no choice
      
     But to let his howl
     Mingle with theirs
     In a night-spawned voice of doom
     As the haunting, feral cacophony
     Threatened to shake the foundations
     Of the room
     
     "I am the first, the supreme Queen!"
      The she-wolf seated on the throne
      Spoke forth
     "And unto me
     "Do all of you
     "Owe your very worth! 
     
     "I am the first offspring
     "Of the Demon Queen Lilith
     "Born at the dawn of time
     "Cain is my father
     "His savagery
     "Flows within our line!
     
     Then She looked 
     Straight into Benjamin's glowing eyes
     And said "My high priests, bring him to me!"
     And the same four robed ones
     That led him to the chamber
     Dropped him at her dais on his knees
     
     "You may wonder, my dear savage one,"
     She flashed her fangs at him
     "Why I have chosen you," 
     And the bestial Ben admitted
     In his mind that he hadn't 
     The glimmering of a clue
       
     "You see, I desire a king
     "To rule at my side
     "There was one who came before you
     "His human name
     "Was Gilles de Rais
     "The same child-killer that history has rued
     
     "He was foolish
     "And was executed by the Church
     "These....putrescent "Knights of Christ..."
      And the last phrase 
      She spewed out of her mouth
      As if it had a rancid bite
       
      Her white fur glowed
      A hell-fire red
      In the light of the brazier fire
      And still Benjamin 
      Was transfixed by her eyes
      And an insatiable desire
        
      "But you ask yourself,"
       She purred once more
      "'Why a humble blacksmith like me?
      "'What special thing flows within
      "'Of great dynastic evil
      "'That would appeal to thee?'
        
      "When one of my servants bit you
      "He knew a certain blood flowed
      "In your veins
      "This blood, he reported
      "Was of a most
      "Peculiar strain."
         
      "It can be traced back
      "To the ancient Empire of Babylon
      "To Nebuchadnezzar the Great
      "The king that ruled
      "With an iron fist
      "Of tyranny and black hate."
        
      "Your blood is not your destiny,
      "My love!"
       His sad wife's shade echoed in his head
      "Turn from this path 
      "Of monstrous evil
      "And millennia-old dread!"
          
       The object of the Queen's affection
       Buried his monstrous head
       In his claws again 
       And let out once more
       An agonized howl
       Of struggle and of pain
       
       In an instant flash
       The Wolf Queen was beside him
       Her claws giving seductive caress
       Cradling his lupine head
       She hissed
      "I know who causes you such distress.
       
      "That wife of yours
      "Is lost now
      "In the abode of the dead
      "Abandon her now
      "My savage lover
      "Banish her existence from your head!

      "We will rule the Children of the Night
      "Together!
      "For millennia to come
      "Let the dark joy
      "Dwell in your heart 
      "For you have now come home!"
       
      And then something snapped
      In Benjamin
      To strike out against the dark
      He lunged and grabbed the Queen
      By the throat and snarled,
     "Home is wherever I have my heart!!"
     
      A single shot
      In the cavernous chamber
      Suddenly rang out
      And from the throat 
      Of a young man
      There arose a shout

     "Wicked hellspawn
     "Of the night
     "Know that you've been followed here!
     "And now you will have this place
     "Brought down
     "Around your ears!"

      The leader of the four cloaked high priests
      Snarled 
      With fangs bared
      And growled from the deepest part of his gut
     "Who now speaks?! 
     "Who dares?!" 
        
      As the lycanthrope Benjamin 
      Still had the Werewolf Queen
      Pinned by the throat
      He saw his gathered dark kin
      Part like water 
      In a moat
     
      And in the midst of them
      Stood Bernard the Minstrel
      Wielding a silver sword
      And beside him
      His dearest love, Gabby
      With musket leveled against the horde

      And behind them
      Was a mob of townspeople
      All armed to the teeth
      Their weapons 
      And their torches
      All desperately hungry to greet

      The hellbeasts with 
      Swift descending death
      And completely snuff them out
      They would die 
      Fighting these blasphemies
      There was no other route

      While Benjamin was slightly distracted
      The Queen savagely clawed him
      In the face
      And the blow felt to him
      As like a hammer-strike
      From a mace

      He reeled and collapsed
      Falling in a heap 
      On the floor
      While the sounds of battle
      About him
      Began to roar
      
      He called out to his wife
      In the realms beyond
     "My Love, please give me strength!
     "Although I am still a demon
     "I have chosen the Light
     "Help me end my nightmare's length!"

      Then he felt bloody tears 
      Caress his face
      And on his lips was placed a kiss so sweet
      And within him 
      There arose
      A righteous, feral heat

      He opened his eyes
      And over him stood
      The Queen in utter rage
      All the anger and darkness 
      In her was
      Now completely uncaged

     "We could have ruled the world together!"
      She snarled
     "A dark empire so supreme!
     "But you have chosen death!
     "I must punish you
     "For crushing my dream!"

      But Benjamin summoned 
      All his strength
      Soaring high into the air
      His razor fangs bared
      For the kill
      His claws raised to tear

      The Queen too leapt
      To meet him
      High above the battling crowd
      Below Bernard's sword
      Drank the blood of the damned
      While Gabby's musket spoke loud

      The townsfolk began
      To fall one by one
      As against the fiends they raged
      And time seemed to slow down
      As if it was being caught
      Within a cage

      Benjamin saw 
      The Queen's glowing eyes
      Drilling into his soul 
      His fear and rage 
      Grew to a fever pitch
      As her maw opened like a fanged black hole

     "She desires to completely devour me."
      He thought
     "Well, I will drag her down to hell!"
      He decided in his monster-encased mind
      That it would be both of them
      That fell
       
      A black missile
      And a white missile
      Screaming for each other's death
      Both of them 
      Dedicated to fight savagely
      Until their final breath

      The two finally embraced
      In feral hate
      Their two pelts blending in war
      Benjamin gained 
      The upper hand
      And catapulted her into the floor
     
      She yelped in pain
      As two of her ribs broke
      And Ben kicked her in the face
      The kick sent her spiraling
      Far across the chamber
      Towards a crowd-cleared space

      As he stalked towards her
      Beaten form 
      Sprawled upon the floor
      He heard emerge from her
      A plea
      Instead of a bloodthirsty roar

     "End it, my once beloved..."
      She wheezed
     "I am beaten, I am done
     "Put an end to me
     "And let me voyage
     "To my destiny alone..."
     
      Benjamin's wolfen ears 
      Cocked with suspicion
      He could not understand
      What happened to the Queen's
      Deep-seated evil
      And her diabolical plans?
       
     "I see what's in your mind
     "Creature of the Night," she rasped
      Blood trickling from her mouth onto her coat
     "I am spent 
     "I have no longer any 
     "Dark hope to keep afloat

     "I am old 
     "I am tired
     "I've grown weary from this road
     "In the end, despite all my evil
     "All I wanted 
     "Was someone to love, someone to hold....."
      
      Ben had no idea
      That werewolves could cry
      But tears flowed from his beastly eyes
     "Dammit, woman!" he choked
     "I can't kill you!"
     "There's no way I can even try!"
     
     "Take me in the thoat
     "And it will be quick..." 
      She wheezed with fluttering breath
     "I swear you will turn back
     "To your human form
     "If you will give me this death...."
     
      Ben looked once more 
      Towards Bernard
      His sword whirling, cutting through the air
      Dealing to the amassed  
      Horde of Satan
      Stinging death and despair
      
      And he spied Gabby 
      One more time
      As her gun blasted gaping holes
      Through the flesh and fur
      Of the charging, rampaging
      Hell-gnolls

     "What will happen to the rest?"
      He asked 
      Meaning both the battling sides
     "You will see..." she croaked
     "With my death,
     "I will stem the tide!"
      
      With one final, anguished
      Earth-shattering howl
      Ben sank his teeth into her neck
      The Queen instantly fell limp
      And all about Ben
      Grew the battle's ruin and wreck

      The whole chamber 
      Began to shake
      As if from a great quake in the Earth
      The floor cracked open
      In great rifts
      And from the depths, geysers did spurt
    
      Behind the dais
      And the throne
      There receded a great door in the wall
      And all the beherial beasts of night
      Scrambled toward it
      As columns and masonry did fall
       
      And as the chamber was 
      Wracked with great spasms
      Benjamin's body did the same
      He fell to the shaking floor
      Screaming
      In great pain
      
      His night-black fur
      Began to recede
      Back into his skin
      And his elongated muzzle
      Agonizingly 
      Shrank and compacted back within
     
      His eyes turned from 
      Their glowing red
      Back to a sky blue
      And his fangs and claws
      Became again his teeth and nails
      He was free of the devil's tattoo

      Gaining his composure
      He ran like hell
      Ran until it felt his lungs would burst
      And he cared not
      If they did
      For he was free of the curse

      In the tunnels, he was felled
      By a great slab of ceiling
      As it fell onto him
      He knew
      As the crushing pain came
      That this would be his end so grim

      Ahead of him, Bernard and Gabby
      Called out his name
      For they knew him well
      They would not leave him
      In this collapsing
      Subterranean hell

     "It's too late for me
     "I fear..."
      He gasped with his last few breaths
     "There is nothing left in this world for me
     "My friends
     "So I gladly embrace my death."

     "We can't leave you!" 
      Gabby sobbed, and Ben smiled
     "My child, you have no choice
     "These tunnels 
     "Are caving in
     "Go now, and heed my voice
       
     "For Londontown 
     "Will need protectors 
     "Against the Children of the Night
     "And I believe you two
     "Have been blessed by God
     "To train others to take up the fight!
        
     "Your calling is upon you!
     "Take leave now 
     "And go!
     "The world has more need
     "Of ones like you
     "Than you'll ever know!"

      And then Benjamin
      Breathed his last
      And the two escaped with the townsfolk left
      And so they lived
      Together in passionate love
      And Londontown was not deaf
      
      To their cries 
      To take up arms against evil
      To train those who would
      Stand against the foes
      From hell's gates
      As they themselves stood

      And somewhere
      Reunited with his wife and son
      A watch Benjamin's shade did keep
      Against the things 
      That lurk in the night
      While unsuspecting children sleep


        

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