The Last Resort

"Professor Benton Marsh?"

As day became dusk, Benton Marsh was surprised to hear someone calling his name as he was on his way out of the school building. He turned around and saw a woman standing across from him, and it only took a few seconds for Marsh to see that she was in immense distress.

"Yes?" Marsh said, "I'm Professor Marsh. And you are?"

"I'm sorry to bother you like this," the woman said, "I'm Brooke Sampson. I just need a few minutes of your time, that's all." Marsh didn't know what to think, except for questions regarding how this woman knew his name at all. Despite this, his good conscience couldn't flat out turn down Brooke's request--as unorthodox as it was.

"Walk with me," said Marsh, who walked the hallway with Brooke.

"Thanks so much," said Brooke. "You're my last resort. I've tried to talk to a therapist about this, and I even talked to the police!"

"The police?" asked Marsh. "Are you in danger?"

"I think I might be the danger!" exclaimed Brooke, leaving Marsh puzzled over her panicked statement. "I did a lot of online research on you. You're a professor who knows a lot about the occult, right?"

"What are you trying to tell me?" asked Marsh. Brooke paused a bit, as she was trying to calm herself down from the panic and distress she was feeling. After taking a deep breath, Brooke regained her composure and told her story.

"I've been having these nightmares...," Brooke said, "and they've all been the same. I'm chasing something...someone. And as I reach out for her, my hands, well, they are my hands, but...they're hairy!"

"Wait a minute," said Marsh. "Are you trying to tell me that you think you're a werewolf?"

"Yes," replied Brooke. "And I don't think I'm one, I know I'm one! You heard about that woman whose body was found a month ago? I think I did that!"

"I recall that story," said Marsh. "Her name was Joanne Phipps, and while it was a grisly discovery, I can't see how you could have done something like that. Is she the "her" you mentioned?"

"No," Brooke said before taking yet another deep breath. "The "her" in my recurring nightmare...is my wife, Renee Thompkins. We've been married for five years, and we've had our problems, but I never thought I'd dream about harming the woman I love." At that moment, both Brooke and Marsh reached the parking lot, and with Marsh set to enter his car, Brooke grabbed his arm in a rush.

"That's why I sought you out; you know about this stuff! Please help me!"

"All I can say," said Marsh, "is that what you're telling me is all just nightmares. My only advice is to talk things out with your wife, see if you can solve whatever issues you guys have, and come to a conclusion that's good for both of you." Upon hearing those words, Brooke's expression changed from panic and distress, to one of relief.

"Thank you, Professor Marsh," said Brooke. "You've given me the advice I needed to hear." Brooke walked away and entered her own car and drove off feeling very content. She felt that Marsh had told her the exact words that she needed to hear, and as she finally arrived at the home she shared with Renee, Brooke felt a sense of purpose, like she was a woman on a mission.

Brooke calmly opened the front door of the house, and in spite of the living room being in immense disarray, she remained content and calm as she walked through the mess and chaos and headed to the bedroom. Once Brooke entered, she looked at Renee, her betrothed, her wife of five years, and simply greeted her with a smile.

"Hello, Renee. How are you doing?"

Renee couldn't answer, and Brooke knew this, as Renee was tied to the bed and her mouth was covered with duct tape. "Aw, come on, babe," Brooke said with a sinister smirk as she walked closer to Renee. "Don't be down. After all, you were the one who found out the truth about me. You were the one who was so sure that people would believe you. News flash: they don't." Brooke ripped the duct tape off Renee's mouth in a split second, and as she did so, her evil smile widened, and she also displayed yellow, wolf-like eyes.

"You're a monster," said Renee.

"And you're a cheating slut!" snarled Brooke.

"I told you a million times, nothing happened with Joanne!" shouted Renee.

"Only because I did something about it, honey," Brooke said as she opened the curtains, and saw the full moon in the night sky. "As great as it felt to tear Joanne's throat out, yours will be much more satisfying...as well as lucrative." As Renee stared in horror, Brooke's hands became clawed and hairy, and as she moaned in a mix of pain and pleasure, her fangs elongated, and she suddenly grew a full-fledged muzzle. Brooke howled at the moon and made her attempt towards Renee, who closed her eyes, as she was unable to escape from her capture.

In a shocking moment, Renee heard a loud bang, followed by a thud. When Renee opened her eyes, she saw a young woman rush to her and untie her from the bed, and it was followed by the pair looking down at Brooke, who was in her human form after being killed by the woman's gunshot.

"Thank you so much for saving me," said Renee. "But how did you know about Brooke, or what she is?"

"You're very welcome," the young woman replied. "And I actually saw that Brooke woman talking to Marsh that night, I'm actually a student in his occult class at the university. I took the class due to a personal experience I had with a werewolf some time ago." The woman gave her gun to Renee, telling her that there were still some silver bullets inside, and she never knows when she may need to use them.

"I'm sorry, but...I didn't get your name," said Renee.

"It's Shannon," the woman replied. "Shannon Kemp."

In the time that passed, Shannon visited Renee and checked on her following her ordeal with Brooke, and she later revealed her own past regarding a werewolf, stating that the werewolf she dealt with was her stepmother, who killed Shannon's mother so she could marry Shannon's father. Shannon and Renee became good friends following the ordeal, as they had a common bond, and when Shannon introduced Renee to her father, Adrian, sparks suddenly flew. Adrian and Renee ended up becoming husband and wife, giving Renee a fresh new start, while Shannon had a stepmother who wasn't beastly.