Chapter 16

Carl arrived home to an empty house. Maybe Hannah had gone out to the shops. Slamming on the kettle, this was her job, tea was made and then the clock was watched. Fifteen minutes. Where was she? Stomping up the stairs to the bedroom, a piece of paper caught his eye. The note he found was brief. "Goodbye, Hannah."

The shock of finding the note was enormous. This was not supposed to happen. When had he lost his hold on her? Every day he spent with her should reinforce their bond and keep her at his side. The only time she would be able to leave was if he gave her permission to do so. Carl had seriously underestimated Hannah.

It was a good job that there was no one else in the house as he raged and threw things around. Checking the house again, to make sure, he sank onto a chair head in hands. Hannah had really gone. During the last three years had there been any sign that he was not incomplete control? What had given her the strength to break free? There was only one possible answer. It was Anthony.

After he had taken the baby and given him away, Hannah had appeared to settle down, but she must have been pretending. All that effort of his will, working on her constantly to make her forget and forgive, had failed. Carl could have simply killed the boy, but he had let him live. This merciful decision should have carried more weight with Hannah.

Her light would be missed. The amazing amount of virtue which shone from her must have been the thing that enabled her to go. What would he do without the woman that he loved? How many people would die, or get hurt, because she wasn't there to calm him? Hannah had made a mess of his life by running away.

Carl stood in the empty house with the note from Hannah in his hand. The urgent anger of the demon was coming to the fore. Glancing at his hand as the hair sprouted and nails thickened, he let it happen. There was no fight to quell the beast this time. This manifestation of his loss was necessary.

"Be patient. Tonight, we will go out and have some fun."

The rage subsided and he was Carl once more. Until blood was drawn, the anger at Hannah would persist. To be honest, one murder was not going to make him get over what had happened. A thousand murders would not work. Dumbfounded that she had slipped through his fingers, part of the fury was directed at himself.

Running over events of the past few months, Carl could not see where it had all gone wrong. Looking back further, certain conversations came to mind. She had questioned him about his nature. The fact that she had questioned him about anything was wrong. Anthony had been the final straw.

Choosing black trousers and a leather jacket, Carl got ready to go out. It didn't matter if he was murdering or shopping, being well turned out was important. A smart man didn't look like he would cause trouble, as well. Gritting his teeth, the thought that a new woman had to be found, occurred, too. God, she was causing him a lot of problems.

Striding through the town, a spring in his step, Carl was excited. Close to the surface, his beast's senses were heightened. The noises and smells were magnified and painted a vivid picture despite the dark. Carl would find some solitary soul who would be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Entering the park, he was pleased to see a tramp, or was it a drunk, asleep on a bench. It would be simple to approach, slash his throat and then leave. But what fun was that.

Carl relaxed his grip on the demon and his transformation began. The man who had been sleeping on the park bench started to stir. Could he sense what was happening? Rubbing his eyes, the drunk tried to sit up and as he began to focus, his mouth gaped open. He had seen Carl.

The tipsy guy registered the fangs and the claws and he froze in terror. Blinking his eyes rapidly as if he could make the apparition disappear. He knew it wasn't a vision when he felt the claws rip his stomach open. Looking down on the guts which had spilled from his abdomen, his mouth opened and he began to scream.

The beast laughed at the look of horror on his victim's face. Savouring it for a moment before picking another area to attack. The throat was out for now, too quick an ending, but that still left plenty of targets. A kick snapped the man's leg and then a jab of his claws into his victim's back. There was a lot of blood now, so it would not be long before he died.

The screams were becoming less loud and were being replaced by whimpers. Normally, at this stage, they would beg for their lives, but this man knew that he was going to die. He summoned his energy and asked a question.

"Why?"

"Because I can." Carl's voice was deep and rasping.

The smile revealed a set of formidable fangs and the dying man gave a small sob as his last breath escaped. The bench and everything around it were awash with blood. It was a splendid spectacle, Carl decided, as he surveyed his handiwork. It was a pity that he couldn't wait to see the expression on the face of the person who discovered the body. The poor man or woman would be full of terror and he would have enjoyed that as well. Alas, the risk was too great and he turned away and left the park.

That had been very satisfying. Carl made his way home making himself almost invisible to anyone that passed him. They would remember that they had seen someone, but would be unable to describe him. Safely home, an early night was called for. Tomorrow, the search for a new woman would begin.

Carl watched the television news. The presenter was using their troubled and a bit disapproving face and the serious voice. A homeless man had been found savagely murdered in the local park and police were investigating. The man's injuries were so horrific that they had initially thought he had been attacked by a pack of wild dogs.

That was not a bad guess, but it was wrong. Carl laughed at the distressed newsreader and the pointless appeals for witnesses that a police officer was now making. They would not catch him. The, blood spattered, clothes had been burned, just in case, but it was unlikely anybody would be able to describe him.

The local police had called the National Crime agency once they had seen the state of the body. All of the chief inspectors had been requested to notify the agency if this type of murder occurred. They tried to keep the details under wraps and they dealt with the body. It was another strange killing to add to their file of similar incidents.

The beast within him liked to take a life. The change into the monster was euphoric and the kill was most pleasurable. Carl also liked the peace that came after the demon had been sated. He would feel a calmness which was absent for most of the time. Even Hannah could not supply the deep serenity that he felt as the demon receded and he became, for a short while, untroubled.

Carl was going out to get himself a new conscience. The process of finding a, temporary, replacement for Hannah was about to start. The auras of passing girls would be assessed. A good strong glow would indicate the next woman tasked with helping keep him under control.

Heading to the town centre, he would watch the people walking around and find what he needed. If he was looking for a, long term partner, he would have taken time and chosen with care. What he wanted now was something different. Their glow didn't have to be extraordinary it just had to be sufficient to get him through the next few weeks. No matter how long it took, he would get Hannah back.