Chapter 38: The Beckoning Call

Roadside Motel, Unknown Location, Unknown State....

Night fall was just around the corner when Duko and Rae pulled into the seemingly empty roadside motel on a road hardly traveled due to the new alternative routes that opened up along the highway that lead much of the traffic away from the small town and their very few still functioning businesses. There was talk of another full moon being on the rise and of course the recent investigation into the piles of bodies that turned up in Las Vegas as a result of a vicious animal attack. Authorities were suggesting that it was a pack of some sort to do that much damage in such a short amount of time, but the tracks had only revealed one very large and very hungry animal that prowled about the streets and tunnels. The roadside motel was a good place to stop in for the night especially with all the talk of rabid animals attacking the unsuspecting caught out during nightfall. With all the chatter and superstition a dark night with a full moon was as good as any recipe for disaster.

The rumbling of the motorcycle got the attention of one of the clerks that worked inside and he rolled his eyes believing he saw trouble when he seen it. He was an old man living around this area his whole life and to him Duke and Rae riding up at dusk from out of nowhere seemed to spell trouble makers for him. Duke turned off his bike and made his way toward the office where he rented a room from the nosey old man whom had only taken it into account due to Rae being so young and the rumors of rabid animals prowling about. He had not liked the look of Duke though and seemed intent on letting him know it.

"We need a room for the night." said Duke attempting to keep his annoyance with the old man staring at him from creeping into his voice.

"One bed or two?" asked the old man with an arched brow.

"One." replied Duke still a bit testy.

The old man looked at him and then outside at Rae.

"She's my wife old man." said Duko knowing full well what he was thinking.

"They letting you lot get away with all that these days are they?" muttered the old man.

Duko resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he tossed a large amount of cash onto the desk and headed out the door after receiving the key to their room. It was apparently a lot more than the old man had seen in a month but it only served to prove that he had not liked the look of Duke from the moment he arrived, he knew trouble when he saw it and Duke was definitely trouble as far as he was concerned.

Rae was happily taking in the scenery as Duke made his way toward her. He didn't seem like he'd been in such a good mood as he quietly took the duffle bag and her backpack off the bike and carried them with him toward their new room for the night.

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Room 35, Roadside Motel, Unknown City, Unknown State....

There was only silence between them as Rae followed after Duke unsure of what had upset her husband so much as he opened the door to their room and tossed the yellow duffle bag onto the floor and sat her backpack on the nearby round table. He took the manila envelope from his pocket and tossed it onto the table as well before walking back out the door without a word. Rae shook her head. Duke was always the moody sort and whatever the old man said to him seemed to have set him off. Finding herself with nothing much to do now that she was alone, she got put everything away and decided to make herself comfortable via a shower.

The room wasn't bad looking, just terribly old fashioned compared to the penthouse suite back at The Silverwire. She supposed it was fun to lounge there while it lasted despite not seeing much outside of the room due to being much too young to indulge in the casino or many of the other avenues that required a certain age and Identification card to enter. She guessed that Duke had gone to find the nearest bar, he'd always been of the mind for that sort of thing and it didn't appear that it was going to change anytime soon.

The floor was a dark blue carpet and the drapes were a thick beige color that had seen better days. It was a bit stuffy and smelled of old dust and wood, but the windows were accessible and it was a clean establishment with decent lighting and an old fashioned t.v. no doubt with basic channels and a few clean towels. It even had a mini bar, which was also old fashioned. A small fridge with the most sought after drinks inside water, juice, and vodka if one was adventurous.

It was comfortable enough, and was leagues of an improvement over the trailer she shared with Ed Earl and the stripper back in Trenton County. As Rae set about making herself more comfortable, her mind wandered back to her husband and how he was getting on in this quiet little town.

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Local Pub, Unknown City, Unknown State....

Duko walked for almost six miles before he found himself standing outside a bar. It was clear the place was mostly frequented by those that lived in this town but occasionally guests that were looking to get lost in the back end of nowhere often showed up for rest and for a way to unwind away from the big city and the noise. Duko just wanted a beer. He was already feeling agitated due to the onset of the full moon, but managed to keep it underwraps when it came to Rae. The last thing he needed was to upset her after the previous night. He had lost control somehow and it only seemed to make things worse. She wasn't privy to his affliction not in the least but she knew something was wrong.

Duko wasn't that intellectually sound when it came to his mysterious affliction either aside from the blackouts where he awoke naked covered in blood and surrounded by bodies, he wasn't much for figuring it out himself. The PTSD was already a lot to deal with and now it was possible he contracted something from being overseas and it was making him lose his mind. He avoided people for this reason. More or less but there was something different about his relationship with Rae. A compulsion of sorts to be with her that he had not been in control of. The moment they met and their eyes locked, he couldn't will himself to stay away from her.

The bartender seemed to think he'd been in deep contemplation as he slid him his previously ordered beer. Duko took it not even bothering to look up at the man or woman as he turned up his beer once more lost in thought. Once more his mind had been plagued with visions of the past and he could hear the song on the radio that reminded him of his days camping out with his unit and their various rounds of "Guess that Pop Culture Reference." He was absolutely terrible at the game as he wasn't in the least interested in "Pop Culture" nor anything else aside from bullets, booze, and sex when it counted.

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Allied Encampment, Outpost Station Iraq 2010...

Duko Lovell was cleaning his rifle while his fellow soldiers were trying to stave off the boredom of having to sit and wait for something to happen. For the past few days there was nothing as they began to growl restless joking about and becoming slowly lax in their vigilance. The sand and dust was more than anyone could stand and it was apparently the most complained about thing in their midst. Duke had not been much for words nor jokes for that matter due to having become a soldier of the highest caliber. He honed his skills for combat and then some while his colleagues were busy trying to amuse themselves.

They often joked that Duke was stuck in the wrong timeline, they claimed he was from the nineteen forties like a frozen super soldier and that "The Brass" just didn't tell them about it due to his lack of humor and serious nature about a lot of things. Duke rolled his eyes as he finished cleaning his gun and stepped out of the tent to do a bit of recon.

He didn't get far as within seconds the tent was lit up via fire from grenades and bullets from the enemy as they ducked behind the truck and a few of the carts that were stashed there. The men were caught unawares, but snapped back into action like nothing ever happened and began returning fire.

Duke was struck via a hail of bullets and thought he'd die right there but something happened. He recalled the blood, the scent of it filled his nose like liquid copper and the weakness from having been near death or at least that was what he thought it was until he felt the rapid itching sensation that had come from him healing at an alarming rate. He stripped off his clothes which remained soaked due to the blood and felt only rage.

The rage was getting the better of him every second that passed and he could hear his own heart beating wildly within his chest.

He had not recalled much aside from the painful headache and the screams, but the last thing he remembered was defending the outpost by himself until the cavalry arrived and passing out in the midst of the sands when the other soldiers came to secure the area.

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Open Lot, Unknown City, Unknown State....

Duko stumbled out of the bar after feeling a bit unsettled. There were a couple of concerned onlookers, but they seemed to figure he had too much to drink as he quickly exited the door and found himself rushing toward what looked like a back alley. He could feel the intensity of white hot pain shooting through his body as he became disoriented and dizzy moving to get as far away from the town as his heavy legs could carry him. He could feel pressure on every bone in his body as he moved trying his hardest to make it to the edge of town and the wilderness that surrounded it. The moon loomed high in the sky above him, the white glow bathing his searing flesh as his skin seemed to boil in agony and his bones contorted and elongated in the process.

The most painful part was that his nose extended and his teeth shifted into razor sharp fangs that came past his mouth until the formation of a canine like snout appeared black and slick via blood and saliva. His neck stretched and contorted like the rest of him the extension of his spine caused even more pain as he howled in the distance.

The shifting of his eyes in the wake of the rapid yet painful transformation ranged from bright glowing red to a dulled yellow hue. His muscles tripped in size as his torso grew rapidly and his legs shifted while his feet became more like that of an animal increasing in size as well and sprouting dark black claws on the end where his toenails use to be.

Fury filled him like nothing else as he collapsed onto the ground howling both at the moon and in pain from the apparent transformation. Thick black fur sprouted along his body as well as a tail from the fused portion of his tail bone which was also black in color. His legs were large and powerful capable of reaching speeds unheard of in under a minute. The transformation of course extended to his groin which made his cock longer and covered with a thick patch of black fur and a strange flesh covering also black but lacking fur that covered his no longer mortal appendage. His testicles had increased in size as well hanging just below the the covering of flesh heavy as can be in the wake of his sudden arousal.

His senses were heightened as the pain began to subside he could smell, taste, and hear far better than he had with his mortal senses. His heart beat thunderously within the confines of his chest and he felt oddly strong and a bit more powerful than he'd ever been in his life. There was a sense of hard won freedom that filled him as his eyes glowed an eerie red hue.

The beast that lurked within was finally having it's day as it dropped down on all fours and darted it's way across the open space before it taking in the scent of a dying animal just ripe for the picking. There was delight in the hunt and the thrill of the chase as the enormous black humanoid wolfish beast cornered what he deemed to have been new prey slaughtering it easily as the crimson of the unfortunate creature's blood sprayed into the air and into the mouth of the inhuman monster devouring it.

The beautiful Luna loomed high in the eerie black sky as her white glow bathed his body in her light and the lovely song she sang filled his already keen and perked ears. He loved her song. It was the sweetest music aside from the beating of a heart that he had ever heard. Lovely and soothing in it's tone and it compelled him to join her with a few notes of his own. The long and weary howl of the beast filled the night terrifying many a man woman and child as blood dripped from the black lips of the creature and the seemingly mournful howls continued for quite some time.