They Call Me Creature (12 page)

Where was I going? I didn't care. I just wanted to get away from those voices. Away from those men. Away from my dad.

I moved as if in a daze, as if wandering through a bad dream. A few minutes later I crept into my backyard. I hadn't even realized I was heading home.

I listened at the shed door. Silent. Then I sneaked all the way around the house, peering into the dark windows.

Dad wasn't home yet. He was still out searching for me.

Feeling shaky and sick, I stepped in through the back door and hurried to my room.

“This is my house,” I said out loud. “My house.”

But I was no longer safe here. Because I lived with an enemy. I lived with a
monster
!

I tore off the disgusting clothes and shoved them into my closet. Then I took a fast shower, listening hard, praying my dad wouldn't return.

The warm water felt so wonderful. I wanted to shower for hours and shampoo my hair a dozen times. But I knew I had to get out of there fast.

I pulled on fresh jeans and a sweatshirt and ran out through the front door. I expected the night darkness to hide me. But the sky was a pink-gray now. Almost morning.

I headed straight for the animal hospital.

I walked silently through the woods, alert, looking … listening for Dad and the men.

The morning dew made the ground soft and muddy. The pink morning sunlight sent down shimmering patches of color.

“Oh.” I stopped when I heard the rustle of bushes. Saw them shaking. I wasn't alone.

I ducked behind a tree—and gasped with relief when I saw Joe. I ran from my hiding place. Ran up to him and almost hugged him!

“Joe!” A startled laugh escaped my throat. “What are you doing up so early?”

He stopped a few feet from me. “Oh—Laura. Hi! What are
you
doing here?”

“It's—it's kind of a long story,” I said. I kept glancing around nervously, afraid my dad would appear at any moment.

“I—I've been up all night,” I told Joe.

“Why?” Joe asked. “Are you okay?”

“I need help,” I said. “Will you help me get to the animal hospital? Some men are trying to catch me and—”

I reached up. He had something green stuck in his hair. A caterpillar. I grabbed it.

“NO!” Joe screamed. To my shock, he jerked away from me—

—
and his hair came off in my hand!

“OHH!” we both cried out at once.

I stared at the long, shiny black hair in my hand. A wig!

I turned back to Joe. His eyes were bulging with horror.

And his head—his head was entirely bald.

With two pointed, pink PIG EARS at the top!

 

No!” I gasped.

Joe's mouth dropped open—and I saw his teeth—two rows of them. One was normal … human, the other was a set of pointed pig teeth.

“I'm sorry—” Joe whispered. “I didn't want you to know.”

“I … don't understand,” I choked out.

Joe's expression turned angry. “You'll understand soon enough!” he cried. “I'm the creature, Laura. I'm the creature that's been upsetting all the animals in the woods. Because I'm not normal.”

He let out an angry cry. “I'm a
creature
! The bats, the dogs, the birds—they've been acting strange because of me. Because I'm a freak. Because they know I don't belong!”

“But—” I struggled to form words. I couldn't think straight. I couldn't take my eyes off his round, bald head, his pig ears.

“And sometimes … sometimes I get so hungry,” Joe said, clenching his pointed teeth. “I do terrible things. I'm sorry, Laura. Really sorry.”

“The deer?” I gasped. “It was you who chewed up the deer? And attacked Georgie? And … and that was
your
hut with all the animal bones and heads?”

He didn't answer. He snatched the wig from my hand. “I … I came to the woods. I just wanted some fresh air,” he said, his voice trembling. “I just wanted to live free for a while. I'm so tired of being locked up … hidden away … a prisoner.”

Then Joe spun away, breathing hard, grunting like an animal—and ran off.

I stood frozen, watching him vanish into the trees. I hugged myself, thinking hard. Trying to make sense of everything.

How did he become a creature like that? Did Dad do that to him?

Was my dad experimenting on humans, too?

I felt sick. Dizzy.

“Dr. Carpenter.” I uttered her name out loud. I needed Dr. Carpenter to help me sort this all out.

The sun was still low over the trees as I pulled open the front door to the animal hospital. The reception room was dark. No one behind the desk.

I glanced at the wall clock. Only seven-thirty. Most of the staff wouldn't be here this early.

I heard the whimper of animals down the long hall. A cat cried. It sounded so human—like a baby.

“Is anyone here?” I shouted. “Dr. Carpenter? It's me—Laura!”

No reply.

Maybe she's in one of the research labs, I thought. I knew she sometimes came in early before the patients started arriving.

I started down the long hall toward the lab. Only a few of the ceiling lights were on. The endless hall with its faded walls, closed doors, and long shadows seemed creepy in the dim light. The old floors creaked under my feet. Animals whimpered and howled.

“Is—is anyone here?” I called. “Dr. Carpenter?”

I pulled open a door. I thought it led to a lab. But it was filled with animal cages and cartons of pet food.

I stopped when I thought I heard footsteps. “Dr. Carpenter?”

No. The sounds vanished. A dog barked. The floor creaked.

I turned a corner into another long hall of doors. “Hello!” I called. “Anyone?”

I pulled open another door. An empty lab.

I knew the research lab was somewhere here in the back. But which door?

I tried the next door. A shrill howl greeted me. Other animals cried out in the darkness. Cages rattled and shook.

I clicked on the light—and gasped. “No!”

I stood frozen in the doorway, gaping at the cages that lined the back of the lab. A wall of cages with animals inside … not animals …

Creatures.

Ugly creatures. All of them. Poodles with pointed pig ears, cats with pig snouts, monkeys, furless monkeys, covered in pink pigskin.

But the worst, the most hideous, were the creatures in the tall cages. Pigs with
human
bodies,
human
arms and legs. Pigs the size of children, standing on two legs. Pigs with long, dark human hair growing out of their heads.

The pig creatures grabbed the bars of their cages with human hands.

No. Some of them had
pig hooves
at the ends of their arms.

I stepped inside the room and stared at a creature with a short, stubby pig body—and long, brown hair falling over its face. A pig face—with human lips!

They opened their snouts wide and grunted and cried. They banged hooves against the cage bars.

I wandered closer as if hypnotized. What were these creatures? Why were they here?

A giant pig with human legs and arms and human ears banged its head against the bars, too big for its cage. Beside it I saw a tiny pig creature. A pig
with a long, horse tail
!

The tiny creature was sick on its side, lying in a puddle of yellow vomit. I bent down to see him better—

And felt a strong hand grab my hair.

The giant pig creature!

Grunting loudly, he shoved his arms through the cage bars—and grabbed my head with two hands.

Unnnh … unnnh … unnnnh …

He rubbed his hot, wet hands over my face. Then lowered them to my neck—and began to squeeze.

 

“Unnnh.” I let out a choked groan. I struggled to pry the big hands off me.

But the creature was too strong. He pulled me up against the cage. His breath stank. His hands tightened around my throat.

The animals were bleating and crying, shaking their cages, jumping up and down. So loud … so loud my ears rang.

But as my breath was choked off, the sounds began to fade. The lights began to dim.

Just as my body started to sag, I heard a shout.

And then another angry shout. And the big hands slid off my neck. The grunting creature pulled its arms back into the cage.

I could breathe again. Rubbing my aching throat, I sucked in breath after breath.

And then I turned and saw Dr. Carpenter hurrying across the room. Her face twisted in shock. “What are you doing here?”

She didn't wait for me to answer. She put an arm around my shoulder tenderly and examined my neck. “Are you okay, dear? Can you breathe? That big guy can be dangerous.”

“I … I … ” My throat ached so badly, I could barely whisper. “Those creatures … ” I finally said, waving my hand to the cages. “Did my dad make them all?”

Dr. Carpenter narrowed her eyes at me. “You shouldn't be here, Laura.”

“But—but—” I sputtered.

“You should have listened to him,” Dr. Carpenter said. “You should have stayed out of the woods.”

She sighed. “And now he'll be coming here after you, won't he? He'll be coming to stop my work. He already rounded up some of the creatures that escaped from my lab. He's been scouting the woods, searching for them.”

“I—I don't understand!” I cried. “Please—”

“Well … I can't let him stop me,” Dr. Carpenter said angrily. “Not until I've found a cure.”

I blinked. “A cure?” I asked. “A cure for what?”

She didn't seem to hear me. Her eyes were on the cages now. “These poor creatures are all failures,” she said, shaking her head. “Look at them. Look what I've done to them. Poor things … But I have to succeed. I have to.”

She turned back to me, her green eyes glowing. “Maybe you can help, Laura.”

I felt a chill roll down my back. “Huh? Me?”

She grabbed my shoulder and brought her face close to mine. “You wouldn't mind sacrificing, would you? Would you, Laura? If it would save a life?”

“S-sacrifice?”

I realized I was trembling in terror. What was Dr. Carpenter saying? I couldn't understand her.

“Are these my dad's creatures?” I asked. “Are you trying to cure them? Are you going to make them normal again?”

Dr. Carpenter took a step back from me. She studied my face for a moment, then shook her head. “No, Laura. They're not your father's creatures. They're mine.”

“Yours?” my voice shook. “What do you mean?”

“You'll understand soon.” She took my arm. “I've been preparing you,” she said. “That shot I gave you—it wasn't for your neck wound. The shot was to prepare you … for the gene transfer.”

“Noooo!” I let out a scream and tore free from her grasp.

Then I spun away and lurched for the door.

Pounding their cages, the creatures began to bleat and howl. I glanced back and saw Dr. Carpenter chasing after me.

“OWWWW!” I cried out as I ran into a tall cage by the door. The cage clattered onto its side. And dozens of bats flapped out, chittering and whistling.

The bats swooped up to the ceiling, then down, fluttering back and forth across the lab.

As Dr. Carpenter struggled with them, I ducked out the door. Into the long, dark hall.

My shoes pounded on the faded rug, the floor creaking and squeaking as I ran. I could still hear the flapping of the bats—and Dr. Carpenter's shrill cries as she came after me.

Panting hard, I wheeled around a corner—and ran into somebody.

“Oh—!” A hard collision. I caught my balance quickly.

And stared at Joe. He had put his black wig back on. He gaped at me in shock.

“Huh? You're here?” I cried. “You've got to help me, Joe! Help me get away from her! She's crazy!”

To my surprise, Joe grabbed me around the waist. And pushed me against the wall.

“I've got her!” he shouted. “Here she is! I've got her, Mom!”