A kiss in the dark, it should have been so harmless. His lips brushed against hers in a rush of excitement and a surge of testosterone, lust stirring the most primal of urges and a hunger for more. But it was only a kiss, a brief moment of pleasure on the blackest of nights.
“Yeah, so then what happened?” Ed asked eagerly.
“I told you, it was only a kiss,” Jake said irritably. “She went back to her caravan and I headed home.”
“Oh come on, you went off with that gypsy whore and you expect me to believe all she gave you was a kiss?”
Suddenly Ed found himself rammed against the wall of the corridor they’d been walking along, pinned and unable to escape the unexpected blaze of fury that had seized his friend.
“You take that back,” Jake snarled.
“Okay, okay! I’m sorry mate, I didn’t mean anything by it.”
The minutes ticked by as Jake held him there, the two students seemingly frozen in time. But finally that rage burned down to a simmering anger and he released his friend, breathing heavily as if it had been an effort to calm himself.
“Jesus man, what’s got into you today? I thought you were gonna beat the crap out of me for some girl you barely know! You better get that temper under control before you see Ruby tonight. You know, Ruby – your fiancé. It is tonight she’s back from her mum’s, right? Unless you’re planning on leaving her for your new gypsy girl!”
Jake merely grunted, his mind still on the previous night. It had only been a kiss, but it had awoken feelings in him the likes of which he’d never known before, not even with Ruby, the supposed love of his life. He didn’t seriously intend to run off with the gypsy, but he found a part of him needed to see her again. In that fleeting moment of passion she’d made him feel so alive, as if a spark had passed between them, causing his inner fire to burn all the brighter for it. He craved more.
To Ed, Jake’s behaviour seemed off for the rest of the day. Neither of them were particularly interested in the course they’d chosen to study, the extra two years in education nothing more than an excuse to delay going into employment, but Jake was even less focussed than usual. And it wasn’t just that he was distracted; his friend seemed agitated and impatient for the college day to end, which went beyond the normal anticipation of the freedom to be had outside of lessons. They’d been like brothers since the first year of high school, and in all that time he’d never known Jake to act so strangely. Had it really been just a kiss, or was there something more to that moment spent alone with the gypsy girl?
In truth, to call the people running the funfair gypsies wasn’t quite accurate. Ed knew the correct term was travelling showmen, but there was just something about the fortune teller, from that foreign accent he couldn’t quite place to the way she dressed, that made him think of her specifically as a gypsy. And gypsies were so steeped in folklore, he couldn’t help his rising suspicions. To think she’d cast some kind of actual magic like a love spell was ludicrous of course, but what if she’d slipped Jake some kind of a drug that could cause this strange behaviour? And if it was a drug, his friend could be in danger. Ed couldn’t just turn a blind eye when his best mate’s life could potentially be at risk.
***
Ed wasn’t surprised when their last lesson for the day finished and Jake announced “I’m going back to the fair.”
“And what about Ruby? Don’t you want to spend the night with her after she’s been away all week?”
“I need to go back,” he said stubbornly.
Ed wasn’t convinced letting Jake return to the fair was such a good idea, so he persuaded him to at least go back to the flat they shared and see Ruby for a couple of hours first.
They walked in silence, each of the students too lost in thought to make conversation. Ruby was already home, and Ed barely had chance to knock before she flung the door open excitedly, pulling her fiancé into an awkward hug. When Jake didn’t reciprocate the rush of affection, she drew back and studied him worriedly.
“What’s wrong, babe?” she asked, but Jake wouldn’t even meet her eyes and no answer was forthcoming. So she looked to Ed for help. “Is he not so good?”
“We went to a fair last night. I think that hotdog stall was a bit dodgy; he’s not been himself all day.”
“Oh poor Jakey, let’s get you something to settle your stomach,” she said, tugging the arm of her reluctant partner. “We’ll get an early night and you’ll be right as rain tomorrow. Ugh, ‘right as rain’. I’ve been at Mum’s too long! I’m tired anyway, so an early night will do us both good.”
Jake looked to his best mate for help but Ed was inclined to agree with Ruby; he hoped Jake could sleep off the effects of whatever the gypsy girl had done to him. He did plan to return to the fair himself though, intending to find out more about what had happened out there on the moors the previous night.
Ed waited until Ruby had Jake tucked up in bed before slipping away. He hadn’t learnt to drive yet so he was forced to catch a bus, feeling a sense of unease creeping over him as he got off at the lone bus stop on that winding country road. The blackness of the moors stretched out either side of him, a seemingly endless expanse of nothingness in this godforsaken patch of untamed countryside. But as the young man set out in the direction of the fair, he could soon see the flashing lights of the rides beckoning to him in the distance. They seemed much further away than they had the previous night with Jake, and he couldn’t help feeling somewhat vulnerable and isolated as he crossed the moors alone.
Ed made it to the fair without incident, only to find two big men stood at the entrance with their muscular arms folded.
“Sorry lad, we’re closed,” the man on the right said, despite the fact the attractions still seemed to be running.
“I just need to see the fortune teller. Is she here?”
“Come back tomorrow. We’re closed now.”
“It can’t wait till tomorrow. I need to speak to her now.”
The two men looked at each other as if silently debating something, before one of them nodded and went to fetch the gypsy. It didn’t take long before he returned with an old woman. There was something of the dark haired beauty from the night before about her to suggest a family resemblance; her grandmother presumably. But it was the younger one he needed.
“Where’s your granddaughter?”
“She will not see you,” the old woman said.
“But it’s urgent! She did a Tarot reading for my mate and since then he’s been acting strangely. I just want to know what happened while they were alone, like maybe they did drugs?”
The old woman didn’t deign to reply. Frustrated, Ed was about to say more when a sound carried to them across the moors, a scream born of such pain and terror that it made his blood run cold. Like a living thing, the fear travelled on that sound and latched on to the young man, hooking its icy claws into his heart until it turned it to a caged animal desperately trying to break free, pounding so hard in his chest he thought it might explode.
“You should go now,” the old woman advised.
Ed glanced at her, but the last of his courage failed him and he ran.
***
Ruby padded from the kitchen through to the bedroom, carefully balancing the tray of soup and herbal tea for her fiancé. She reached the doorway without spilling, only to find the bed was empty. At first she assumed he must be in the bathroom, but as the minutes dragged by and he didn’t reappear she started to worry. What was he doing out of bed when he clearly wasn’t well? Could the bug be making him delirious? She had noticed him muttering about that fair he and Ed had been to the night before, and suddenly she just knew he’d tried to go back there. She couldn’t explain how she knew with such surety, but she felt certain that was where she’d find him. And if something was really as wrong as it appeared to be, she couldn’t leave him wandering out in the cold on his own. Her mind tormented her with visions of him getting lost and collapsing out in the darkness of the moors, where no one would discover his prone form lying there in the shadows. She had to find him and bring him home, before it was too late. So she Googled the location of the fair and rushed out, praying the worst hadn’t already happened.
***
Some part of Ed’s rational mind knew he should probably call the police and report what he’d heard. But the scream had awoken a dread in him that spoke to his most basic instincts, and his mind conjured images of monsters lurking in the darkness. He wished he was back in the comfort and warmth of his home, but the moors seemed to stretch on forever, the journey back to civilisation somehow taking far longer than getting to the fair had. Even when he broke into a fast jog, the twinkling man made lights in the distance remained just out of reach.
Ed slowed when he became aware of a humanoid figure silhouetted in the dim light from the slither of moon overhead. Was there something ominous about that figure or was he letting his imagination get the better of him? It seemed unlikely there would be anyone else out on the moors that night, especially since the fair had turned out to be closed. And then his mind replayed the agonised scream he’d heard, and doubt gnawed at him. He debated whether to turn back to the fair and plead for the help of the travellers, but his calves were already burning with the ache of muscles starved of oxygen. Whoever it was approaching, if they meant him harm he didn’t think he could outrun them. It seemed the only way was forward, so he called out nervously “Who’s there?”
The figure didn’t answer, but as it drew nearer Ed could just make out the features of a face he knew so well.
“Jake!” he exclaimed with relief. “What are you doing out here?”
Yet there was nothing friendly in the bearing of the man he thought of as his brother. Gripped by the same anger as that morning, Jake snarled “You went to see her didn’t you? Are you trying to steal her from me now?”
“What? Of course not man, I wouldn’t do that to you. Anyway, isn’t Ruby back home? I’ve been out here all night.”
“Not Ruby. Drina.”
“Who’s Drina?” Ed asked, confused.
“The fortune teller. You want her for yourself, don’t you?”
“You’re not making any sense mate. Come on, you’re obviously not well. Let’s get you back home and you can sleep it off.”
Jake would not be reasoned with. He felt empowered by the rage that blazed through him, the fire coursing through his veins making him all the stronger for its hold over him. Ed’s body was so frail in comparison, icy terror no match for the flames of his fury. Jake lunged at his rival, sending them both crashing to the ground, and Ed’s screams only drove him to pound his fist harder and faster until his opponent broke beneath him. Skin tore, blood sprayed, and bones fractured. Within minutes all that remained of the man he’d once considered his closest friend was a mess of flesh and shattered bones. Eyes so utterly devoid of the spark of life that had been there but moments before continued to stare unseeing, empty, yet still wide with the shock of the victim’s brutal death. Jake couldn’t tear his gaze from those dead eyes. By beating the life from his friend, it was as if he’d opened up a void in that now empty husk, one which was sucking the rage from him and leaving him equally as empty. And in the absence of his rage came a moment of clarity. What had he done?
With a cry of horror and anguish, the young man scrambled away from the corpse. Ed had been right all along. There was something very wrong with him, and it had all started with that fateful kiss. Guilt and grief threatened to claim him, but instead Jake reached for the fires of his rage once more. Drina must have done something to him the previous night, and now it was time to break free of her spell, before it claimed any more lives. So he gave himself back over to the rage, allowing it to drive him back to the fair. This nightmare began with the gypsy girl, and it was with her that it must also finish.
***
Jake made it back to the fair, only to encounter the same men who’d tried to turn Ed away.
“Where is she?” he demanded.
“Careful, boy. We won’t tolerate violence here.”
“Where is she?” he roared, grabbing the one who’d spoken by his collar.
The other man tried to wrench Jake away from his associate, but the younger man released his hold on the first of the travellers to turn and punch the second man so hard his nose broke and several teeth fell out in a spray of blood. The sickening crunch of bone was clearly audible even over the man’s screams. He brought both hands up to cover the lower half of his face, screaming and cursing from behind his fingers. The first of the men made a move to pull Jake into an arm lock but the student was too quick for him, twisting back round to knee the traveller in his groin. The man fell to his knees, cupping himself.
Jake didn’t bother to ask for any more guidance, leaving them to deal with their pain as he went in search of Drina on his own. He’d seen her caravan the night before and he thought it likely that’s where he’d find her.
The attractions had been turned off for the night now, but there was light coming from the nearby trailers and caravans where the travellers resided. Most of them seemed to have gone to bed already, and those who were still up were quick to retreat inside and lock the doors when they saw Jake coming. He took no notice as he stalked over to Drina’s caravan, pounding on the door.
“Drina! I know you’re in there. We need to talk!”
She stepped out and Jake’s lust threatened to override this rage she’d somehow awoken within him the night before.
“I am here. What can I do for you tonight? Another reading?”
“No,” he growled, wrestling with his desires. “I need you to fix whatever you did to me last night. I… My best mate’s dead and I just attacked two of your fellow travellers ’cause I thought they were going to turn me away without seeing you. I can’t control myself. I’ve never felt anything like this before and it all started with that kiss last night. So what did you do to me?”
“Ah, I am sorry my love. Come, kiss me again and I promise it will reverse the effects.”
“What is this, witchcraft?”
She didn’t answer, gently taking hold of his chin and drawing his lips to hers. Despite the rage burning through him, Jake found he couldn’t resist and he kissed her back more forcefully than the night before, his lust gaining in power. But as his tongue crept out to explore that luscious mouth, he felt something change. The skin felt wizened and cracked, and with a cry he drew back to find the young beauty had vanished, to be replaced by the old woman Ed had mistaken for her grandmother.
“What is this, some kind of joke? How the Hell did you do that and where did Drina go? She’s not getting away that easily. I want answers!”
She didn’t answer him, but before he could press her for information Jake fell back from the caravan, falling to his hands and knees as a sudden wave of pain crashed over him. It was unlike anything he’d ever experienced before, every inch of him suddenly on fire. He could feel his blood boiling in his veins with more than just rage it seemed, a fever causing beads of sweat to roll over his skin, despite the cold night air. Bones ached, muscles throbbed and nerves sparked as if laid bare to the oxygen that would cause so sharp a reaction, though his skin was still intact.
“What have you done to me?” he gasped through the pain.
“Poor boy,” the gypsy laughed. “He still doesn’t understand.”
Jake felt like the pain alone would surely kill him and he screamed, a wordless cry of agony and a longing for it to stop. The pain intensified, before fading to a temporary reprieve.
“What have you done to me?” he panted.
“You will find out, soon enough,” she replied, still laughing.
“What have you done to me?” he screamed a third time, the pain back with a renewed force. “And why me?”
“Ah, now that question I will answer. Why you? I’ve been waiting for a chance at revenge upon your family for decades. I’ve watched four generations of your wretched bloodline grow and prosper, while I was left to struggle on alone after your family took everything from me. So now I want you to know what it feels like to lose everything and everyone you ever loved, as payment for the sins of your great grandfather.”
Jake was in too much pain to say anything else. He could feel the impossible happening, see the evidence of it before his very eyes. His skin itched as fur sprouted, bones growing and stretching into new shapes, his form twisting into a monstrous mix of wolf and man. And as he knelt there, Drina’s laugh continued to echo through the darkness. But she wasn’t the only one to bear witness to the transformation.
“Jake?” Ruby gasped in horror, stepping into the circle of light that surrounded the caravan. Drawn by the voice of her soulmate and his terrible screams, it hadn’t taken her long to find him once she’d reached the fair. Now she watched on in disbelief as those handsome features she loved so dearly fell prey to the gypsy’s curse, his face elongating into a bestial snout designed for ripping and tearing, his ears growing pointed and wolfish, slithering up to their new position on the top of his head. Even his eyes lost all sense of who he had been, becoming a lupine yellow, two flames of fury burning within the beast’s skull.
The werewolf ripped free of the tight, restrictive material of his clothes with clawed hands, a strength flowing through his muscular body such as no mortal man could ever know. He reared up to his full height, slightly taller than his human form had been. He was now big enough to tower over the young woman who had meant everything to his human self. Reduced to a thing of rage and bestial hunger for raw, fresh meat, he snarled at the prey stood before him, his tail swishing almost like a cat’s rather than a wolf’s, as if to test the new appendage. But there was just enough left of Jake to focus that rage on the one who’d done this to him, and he turned away from Ruby to face the gypsy girl who’d cursed him. Finally her laughter stopped as she realised her mistake, and she fled from the beast she’d created.
With an excited howl, Jake bounded through the darkness after the human, feeling so alive once again, as he had when Drina had first sealed his fate with a kiss. He crossed the moors effortlessly in his pursuit of her. Perhaps through some more dark magic she was evading him for longer than most humans could, but in the end her witchcraft was no match for the power of the werewolf and he began to close in. Her ragged breathing and frantic heartbeat only added to the thrill of the chase, the beast’s bloodlust rising in anticipation of the coming kill.
Jake pounced on the gypsy girl he had so foolishly fallen for, but now his hands and mouth touched her soft flesh to feed a very different hunger to that of his libido. He ripped apart the material of her top and dug his claws into the centre of her chest. With his inhuman strength, skin and muscle parted as easily as the material had, and her ribcage snapped like twigs. And there lay the prize, still pounding as if trying to break free of the tubes chaining it in place in her chest. Jake lowered his muzzle to her heart and locked his maw around the slippery warmth of the bloody organ, pulling it free from its cage with one great backwards jerk of his head in a mess of blood and gore. He took great pleasure in the feeling of it growing still in his jaws as he gulped it down greedily, his own need for vengeance satisfied with Drina’s death.
Just as a part of him began to hope that the gypsy’s demise might free him from her curse and reverse the transformation, there came that same creepy laughter that had taunted him while he suffered the monstrous change to his new form. He looked up from his kill but he couldn’t see the source of the sound echoing through the blackness of the moors, and confused he looked back down at Drina’s carcass, his own heart stilling as a stab of fear shot through him. For there lay his fiancé, her corpse staring up with dead eyes just as terrible as Ed’s had been. In the moonlight, the mess of flesh and blood that had been her flawless chest glittered just like her namesake, but it didn’t look like rubies in the darkness. Jake howled in anguish, trying to cling to the last vestiges of his humanity, but he was losing himself to the curse now. And as he bounded away in search of more victims, still Drina’s laugh reverberated in his ears, she who had doomed him to an eternity of carnage and death. But for all his newfound bestial power, he would remain forever in the clutches of her curse. Unable to break free, he would endure till the end of time while she watched on with grim pleasure, firmly out of his reach.
