The Vengence of Dr. Madison

She gazed across the heavy ripples of the moonlit surface, as an object...an eyeball it was, bobbed between the lily pads towards the bank.

Fallen lily petals moved gracefully as though one with the water. The eyeball, however, wobbled chaotically. Its tendrel- like nerves tangled in the seaweed below the ripples.

The woman’s hair, dampened by humidity and sweat, was tied back in a messy bun, with a few loose strands matted onto her forehead and neck.

She had grass stains on her jeans, and her ragged flannel shirt was darkened further by the deep red blood that was increasingly wicking through its chest pocket.

She felt the light tickle of stray ends of matted fur brush against her cold skin near her throat.

“Hmmph!” The werewolf snorted. “I smell blood. . . but brandy-like, like the chemicals in the doctor’s lab.”

“I didn't do it.” She declared, dully. But the wet spot in her old flannel shirt’s chest pocket thickened and spread.

“... Hmph!...the doctorrrrr’s musty scent is unmistakable.”

“Maybe that smell is from the rot in the untrimmed beard about your muzzle.”

“Beard!” It growled. It's hot, humid breath wet her ear. “Beard?...Don't test my empty stomach!”

She twice glanced furtively at its vacuous, cataracted eyes.

“You used to bite my neck...before.” She remarked. “Why are you hesitant now?”

It growled and cringed.

“I can’t! I wish I could remember the taste. But I can’t! Until vengeance has been served. Ughhrrr! I can’t!”

With the four fingers of its left hand, it clawed at the collar on its neck. The fifth stub wriggled uselessly with the other digits.

“Do you still feel fear?” She wondered, thoughtfully.

However, it ignored her, and had turned away from her towards two of the other people , who were laying on the ground and sitting against a gnarly, fruitless apple tree.

She winced several times as she took a few steps back stiffly and silently, except for the faint rustling of the shallow grasses and bramble-like vines that brushed about her ankles. They seem to keep getting in her way, despite the care with which she stepped.

“If you try to run, you know I will hunt you. I know your scent.” The werewolf warned without turning back towards her.

One of the human's sat next to the tree behind her. The werewolf grasped his sweaty shirt and tilted his head up.

“I am looking for the one who has the Doctor's second eye.”

“The doctor deserved every bit that came to him, but I have nothing for you.”

His arms rested limp in his lap, but there was fire behind his eyes, like one who desired revenge.

“Oh! Evan! You are still alive?” The woman blurted out toward a man who had been lying on his side, face to the ground.

However, rather than responding, this man continued to scoot on his left side in 6 inch intervals away from the group and towards the murky water of the pond. He dragged his arms limply behind him as though to hide his change in position. He only moved his right knee awkwardly forward and back.

“You won't get far from me, so don't even try.” The werewolf again said.

“I’m so sorry Evan.” The woman sighed, scolding herself.

But the man ignored them, and kept inching towards the pond.

Suddenly, with a deep snarl, the werewolf pounced upon him and embedded his claws in his head and yanked him up by his hair.

But the man’s mouth was filled with the pulsating branches of some carnivorous plant hidden deep underwater. Stretching out of the pond, the branches had wrapped around his right leg, through a bullet wound in his chest, extended deep into his throat, and emerged bursting from his ears and nostrils. It continued to pull in intervals the remaining corpse along towards the murk beneath the lily pads.

The werewolf growled and tugged back on the corpse. “No, this is mine!”

The man supervising silently suddenly emerged from his seat beyond the shadows.

“Thump!” He hacked off the branches that extended into the body, leaving the werewolf to fall back. He set down his ax and searched the pockets of the body. They were all empty.

“This man is not the murderer. It's too bad I had to waste a good bullet on him for trying to run before his innocence could have been proven.”

“Now, one of you has killed my head scientist, Dr. Madison!" He said, turning toward the others. "I don't trust any other conscious mind with my money as much as I trusted him. My head scientist was a brilliant man. He was part of the operation of this place from the beginning. Dr. Madison! The one who was successful in his experimentation with the gene codes of several different life forms! We created a serum that increases brain function one hundred fold.”

He shows a syringe that had only drops left of the green substance that formerly filled it.

“Someone pushed him into this pond! It's time to render vengeance upon those who threaten his world changing operation here. The guilty will pay with the same death.”

The woman looked back. Far behind her, across a field of grass, there was the lamp-lit manor house. Beyond that was a far wall. Over this wall, one could only see the night stars as the land dropped away out of view on the other side.

Everything in the woman’s soul wanted to sprint to that wall, even should it be the last 1000 meter dash of her life. But as the man in the bathrobe finished his eulogy to the deceased scientist, he re-cocked his pistol.

The stray eye continued to bob near the banks of the pond among grey masses of hair that had drifted near the surface.

There were several other people gathered there standing, kneeling, or sitting. They all had some deformity or some painful burden in their body. None of them dared to move or to run, and it was clear that the werewolf had not been fed in two days.

One of them had strange bone growths emerging from his limbs and protrusions from his shoulder blades. These sharp bone growths broke through the tender flesh around them.

The bones and joints were tender and piercing pain shot through them when he raised arms in a gesture of defiance.

“There is nothing you could do to me that I haven't already endured at the hands of that mad scientist! I wasn't the one to push him into the pond, but if my limbs were strong, I would have!”

“I’ll be the judge of your innocence.” The werewolf growled at him as he searched his pockets.

“You are nothing! You are nothing, I’m not afraid of you!”

But the werewolf ignored him, as it tore open his shirt pockets.

“No! You are a wonderful, beautiful man!” The woman blurted out.

The beast looked towards her, with its vacant eyes.

“I am not prey!” It growled, with a twitch in its ears and an irksome tilt of its head to the side.

The woman looked away from its bellicose face, forcing herself to focus on the restful ripples rolling across the pond.

But the headman supervising mocked her. “Why do you stand so stiff and uptight, like a mannequin? Are you frightened of what might happen to you if you're found guilty?”

He rose from his seat and walked towards her. He was clothed lazily in a bathrobe, and his cologne evaporated off of his body and mixed with the smell of seaweed in the humid pondside air. He ran his fingers gently through her dark, loose hair, but she winced when his hands brushed against her face.

“Maybe I could grant you an exception.” He sighed as he caressed her cheek. “ The Doctor gave you such beauty. Such glowing, such youthful flesh -”

"Stop!” She grasped his clean shaven face so that diamond studs of her ring and the grimy nails of her fingers dug into his pampered flesh.

“How would you like your body chronically bathed in the pain of one-thousand papercuts every moment you move! But that is what your 'technology' does to my skin!”

Her face had turned red, and tears escaped her eyes. Her voice trembled, but did not break.

The Headman took a few steps back, and wiped away the small beads of blood that formed from the scratches. He then smirked at her.

“Why are all the prettiest women all crazy?”

“I’m not crazy.” She stated, dully.

“You are stir crazy and your guilt is consuming you in fear and shame.”

“No. I am not crazy. I am not guilty.” She said again.

“You are in love with a beast, my guard dog, here to keep you from escaping my justice. And you say you are not crazy?”

Several tears fell from her eyes, but her face was placid. She sighed, and spoke almost in a whisper.

“What is this place, and why are we here? Maybe it was a joy I had merely dreamt. The man I love had so many plans for us, for our friends, for our future children. But he has been stolen from me. He promised me we would escape this place together. He promised-”

“Ughhrrr! Hunger! What difference does it make!” The werewolf groaned when he found even the other person’s pockets were empty. “I am so hungrrrhhry! They will all die a cruel death either way! Give them all to me! Give them all to me! Give them all to me! Including those who might be guilty -”

Suddenly, the werewolf’s whole body seized as its collar erupted in a series of electric sparks, and the sharp blue-white bolts danced along its neck, throat, and chest.

Momentarily, the wave passed, and the beast bent over and placed its clawed hands on its knees to catch its breath.

“Ughhhhhhrrrrr!” It suddenly groaned from deep within its throat as another series of shocks possessed its body once more.

It gasped.

Then, it collapsed.

It fell to the ground as a set of intense jolts shocked it at randomized intervals so that it couldn’t breathe.

The Supervisor chuckled maniacally as he randomly pressed the button on his remote control.

“Are you strong now?”

“Ughrr.”

“ Get up, you dog!”

But it didn’t get up.

“Where is my justice? You will not eat until I get my justice.”

He electrocuted the lying canine.

“Get up. Get up! Go fetch my justice!”

The werewolf, finally rising, shakily, snarled hideously at the woman. “Just open your bloody pocket! We all know what you are!”

But she refused.

It glared at her. “Open yourrrrrr pocket!”

Instead she covered her breast pocket with her hands, and trembled as she shook her head.

The werewolf let out a low, nearly inaudible growl.

It walked towards her, limping at first, but getting stronger with each step. When it reached her it stood tall as it looked down at and seized her.

“What is this?” The headman groaned.

They all turned to witness him stumbling. He leaned against the tree, as a wave of apparent dizziness overtook him.

He suddenly gasped as the werewolf sprung towards him and knocked the control out of his hands. In a second swipe, it dug its claws into his face, pinning him back against the tree.

The woman shrieked as she ducked her head reactively at the sound of several pistol reports that echoed across the pond.

Bang! Bang!

She threw herself belly to the vegetated ground.

Bang!

She clenched her mouth tight as the breeze played in the pondside leaves tickling about her sensitive face.

Bang!

Several heavy moments of utter silence passed before she allowed herself to breathe again, and forced herself to look back and to stand, despite the prickly pain in the goosebumps of her skin.

The supervisor lay silent on the ground with his bare chest to the sky, while the wolf stooped over him with its mouth to his throat. It finally dropped the lifeless man.

“I’m so... hungry.” It sighed

It looked around its surroundings again, and she stood stiffly and watched as it turned its head this way and that with its wetted red teeth, panting.

Its eyes settled on the man who was still seated resting his back against the tree. So weak he looked in the predator’s mind.

They gazed at each other's eyes. The lame man slowly began to struggle to use the tree to lift himself to a standing position. His feet, however, kept slipping in the damp ground beneath his heels. The werewolf stood tall as he strode over towards him.

“N-no!” The man growled through his clenched teeth as he struggled to rise.

“No...no!” He cried as the wolf slashed across his chest, knocking him down. His disfigured legs convulsed as he struggled with futility to kick at the beast, who had his claws embedded in his shoulder.

“W-wait, its me!” The woman called out. “You wanted to know what’s in my pocket!”

But the werewolf ignored her.

“It- It's me!” Hastily, with shaking hands she unbuttoned the breast-pocket of her old flannel shirt.

“Its me!”

What she had removed was the bloody remains of a clawed finger, and stuck behind its enlarged knuckle-bone, was a golden ring.

The werewolf sniffed the air and froze, the hair raised on its back.

“It's me! Don’t you remember me?” Ava’s voice broke and a heavy tear escaped her eye. “Why can't you remember who you are, Mathew?”

It suddenly turned its head towards her.

“As our time imprisoned here dragged on, your hope was steadfast. You tirelessly attempted to help us escape, even as they dragged each of us away...

“But when they finally dragged you back to the lab, you came back changed.

“I never thought you’d remember us again. Or you’d remember me again.”

The woman recounted.

***

The night before, when she had awoken, he was standing there leaning against the doorpost, and he turned towards her.

She looked stiffly at the ground as he walked towards her, as his teeth and the hunger in his eyes caused fear in her.

But then he took her hand in his, and their palms met and their rings touched.

“Ava?”

“Matthew?” She had glanced twice furtively towards his face. “Is it you?”

“Of course! Who else would it be?”

Her hand had grasped reflexively in his.

“No one. Only you.”

“Aren't we supposed to be running away together somewhere? Our honeymoon perhaps?”

But she looked over the restful calm and innocence in his masculine face.

“No, Love. We have nothing else. Just stay here while we still have time.”

But the determination in his face deepened.

“I have to build you a house-“ He was saying, almost dreamily, looking above her.

“No!” She grabbed him. “Stay! ...Just stay.”

As his hand fell to her waist, it rested on the chain around her hips.

His eyes strayed away from her and followed the chain to where it was secured to the wall. He tugged on it, futilely.

“Ava! What is this? I need to get you out!”

He turned from her and frantically pulled at the restraints. But she held his face, and pulled him to herself, and kissed him.

She fell asleep in his arms, leaning against his chest. That time of night was very silent and only the sound and gentleness of a peaceful breeze blew past them.

Later, then she awoke at the feeling of a chill breeze blowing across her back.

She turned over and found his silhouette in the doorway, turned away from her. He was snarling and gagging.

“Mathew?”

Then he rose to a standing position and smacked his lips, and without turning around, he galloped out, leaving behind a trail of blood.

On the ground, in a pool of blood, sweat, and saliva, in the spot where the beast had been, there was the remains of a dismembered finger with an undersized ring stuck on it.

***

“Come on, Love.” She now invited by the pond. She asked sweetly with a slight tilt of her head. “We are free now. Please? Let’s leave now.”

It stared emptily at the ring. Then, as though some rage erupted, its ears fell stiffly back and it snarled at the ring as though at a threat.

In a single leap, its mouth snapped shut on her left hand.

She fought the beast to keep possession of the rings. She held her fist clenched tight, as its teeth tore into the soft sensitive flesh of her arm.

She struck madly at its shoulder, and it released her arm and slashed at her.

It turned toward him, when he struck its back with a nearby stone.

However, it lost its balance from weakness, when she kicked at it, and she heard the splash as it stepped back. Reactively, it lunged and grasped her hand again in its teeth.

She felt its teeth sink deep against the bones of her forearm. She, however, pushed forward suddenly so that it stepped back again to regain its balance.

Suddenly, its teeth released their grip as the wolf howled.

She scrambled back up the bank, and although the wolf attempted to bound after her, it found it couldn't move.

Suddenly, it howled in anger as viney growths engulfed it. It slashed at them and fought them. It bit at them and pulled at them. It suddenly lost its footing and fell backwards into the water. The werewolf thrashed about the surface as it was bent over backwards, pulled in headfirst. It howled from the water, gargling, as the carnivorous monster deep within consumed its prey.

After a while, there was stillness.

Even the eye had been finally submerged beneath the surface.

Finally, tufts of clean fur rose with bubbles to the surface, and the ripples on the pond faded away.

Ava, Lucius, and the others searched the Headsman's bathrobe pockets for the master keys.

In one pocket, she found six empty syringes. She glanced over at his outstretched arms. He had a bandage covering his exposed shoulder.

She searched the other pocket. At first she was relieved to hear the jingle of the keys she pulled out.

However, the keys were caked with clots of dark blood.

She reached deeper in his pocket. When she pulled out her hand, she held a bit of folded paper, blood-soaked. She opened it carefully. It appeared to be a letter.

"My Brother,

I hope when you read this you are still in good enough condition to understand.

Our first formula was seriously faulty. I perfected the serum on the third of March of this year, which makes 2 weeks ago. I have learned, understood, and become aware of so many things since then.

We were missing a critical compound, without which there are grave consequences that include:

Faulty Memory, Haluccinogenic Episodes, and Mania.

Enhanced brain power doesn’t necessarily change one’s heart. One must make choices when they become aware, and in the wrong hands this potion will unleash hell on earth.

Enhanced brain power also doesn’t necessarily make one physically invulnerable, either, and, blinded by greed, we have created a dangerous hell here.

I confess I have lied to you, and I have lied to them, to protect myself while I make the preparations. Now all is finished.

The bombs I have hidden will self-destruct at midnight, and the electric fence on top of the wall will be disabled. The pond and the lab will be no more, and whoever are left of the human trials will be freed.

If you would like to talk to me before it all happens, I will be in the field by the pond looking over everything one last time.

I know we have had our differences, but I still choose to believe that we can do so much good together elsewhere. But, if not, I know what it is to be blind.

I remember it. I deserve its consequences.

Whatever you do, whatever you choose, at least heed this final warning:

Do Not Take Any More of the Serum Without Me.

-Dr. Carl Madison."

Lucius watched with furrowed brows as Ava reached into the Headman’s pocket one final time.

When she pulled out her hand again, in her trembling palm she held the Doctor’s second eye.