Strange Happenings
Midnight. They always came at midnight. The chimes from the old grandfather clock in the den jolted Daniel out of his restless dreams. It wasn't the chimes that woke him so much as the knowledge that They were coming. It was the same horrifying ritual, every single night.
The room was illuminated by an eerie pale green glow. Three figures in haz-mat suits stood around his bed. One of them held a large briefcase, another held a gun, and the third--the apparent leader, from the way he acted--was making entries into a large handheld computer. Daniel tried to escape, to run, to even move, but some unseen force held him in place, as immobile as the bed itself. The leader looked up from his computer and signaled to the one holding the briefcase, who set the case down and began to open it. Daniel strained to see its contents, but couldn't from his position. If only he could move...
The leader reached forward, grabbed the bedcovers and--
The shrill blast of Daniel's alarm clock filled the room. He'd had that dream again, the same one he'd been having every night for nearly a month. Except that it didn't feel like a normal dream. It felt more like a memory, but one that had been partially forgotten. Anyway, Dan had more important things to worry about, so he pushed whatever it was aside for the moment. Today was the last day of school, finally. All he had to do was survive his last few final exams, and he'd be home free. He wasn't about to let a creepy dream get him down.
***
Dr. DiCaoz glanced over his biology classroom. "Is anybody still working on the final?" he asked tiredly. He paused for a moment, then said, "If everybody is finished, you may talk quietly amongst yourselves for the remainder of the period." As the class erupted in chatter, he went back to nursing his hangover.
Daniel loved his biology class. It wasn't just that he was good at it, or that it was the last class of the day. By some bit of luck or fate, he happened to be in the same class as his four closest friends, Gassan, David, Pammy, and Jake. Gassan, David, and Pammy had become absurdly popular since coming to high school. Gassan was Lebanese and therefore "exotic," David was a star swimmer, and Pammy was a cheerleader. In retrospect, popularity was an inevitability. To the other popular kids, Jake an avid follower of the Furry subculture (he called it a craze, but nobody else did) and Daniel, the introspective writer, were social liabilities. Still, Gassan, David, and Pam never let their newfound "friends" keep them away from Jake and Dan. Privately, Daniel was grateful that he had managed to befriend the four people who appeared to be immune to high school drama.
"So, what'd you guys think?" Pammy whispered.
"I'm pretty sure Dr. Di is a nutcase," Gassan answered quickly. He was met with a chorus of approval from his companions.
"Anyway," Pam continued, "are we having our annual Thank-God-The-Schoolyear's-Over party tonight?"
"I can't go," Jake said, "I've got a convention."
"I can't go either," said David, "My dad's taking me camping. He's on a back-to-nature kick."
"I'm visiting my grandma," Gassan said. Pammy rolled her eyes.
"Alright," she sighed, "when do you guys get back?"
"Sunday"
"Sunday evening"
"Sunday, but it'll be late."
"So," Pammy continued, "is Monday night alright with everyone?"
***
The days passed quickly. By the time Monday arrived, he had gone an entire weekend without his mysterious dreams. He was mostly relieved, but part of him wished the visitors would come back so he could find out what they were up to.
The streets were charged with an eerie calm. A summer storm was coming. As Daniel reached Pam's door, he couldn't help but feel a strange foreboding. Something was decidedly wrong. He rang the bell.
"Come in," called Pammy. Dan opened the door and found friend sitting on the floor in a tidy circle. They were all staring at him, an unsettling hunger in their eyes. "We are playing Truth or Dare," Pammy intoned mechanically. "Please, join us. Truth or Dare?"
"Please choose Dare," Gassan said, in the same unearthly voice.
"The Truth is never any fun," agreed David, still in the same tone. Throughout the exchange, none of the four took their eyes off of Daniel.
"Is everything alright?" he asked. "You all seem...different."
Pammy answered in the same monotone as before: "We are collectively unnerved at a series of recurring dreams we have been having. Perhaps you too are experiencing these visions?"
"Yeah," Dan said, "but I'm not acting that weird about it."
"Perhaps," Pammy said, "All will be made more clear if you answer this simple question: Truth...or Dare?"
Written by Zodiac on 31 May 2008
Truth and Dare
Daniel looked around his friends. The eerie feeling was hanging in the air and he started getting nervous. His friends were acting strangely and he didn´t know how to react to the sudden change. He slowly walked forward and stood at the edge of the circle made by his sitting friends. All of them blankly stared at him, waiting on his answer.
“Do we have to play it now?” Daniel asked worriedly. “You are all acting weird.”
“Chose, Dan,” Pammy repeated in monotonous voice.
“Truth, or Dare?” they all said in unison and a shiver ran down Daniel´s back.
Whatever was happening, it had to have something to do with his strange dreams and the midnight visitors and all his friends being away during the weekend. But how much can a person change during one weekend? Daniel looked at the unblinking eyes fixed at him. Apparently, a lot.
“Truth,” he said slowly. He didn´t know what was wrong, but he didn´t want to risk a Dare with all his friends acting so unsettling.
“Wrong choice,” David said.
Daniel made a step backwards, suddenly scared by the void in his friends´ eyes.
“Dare?” he said quickly, trying to buy himself some time to think up what to do. The word worked like a spell, all his friends relaxed and some of the tension seemed to disappear from the room.
“Sit down, Daniel,” Pammy told him and she almost sounded like her usual cheerful self. She even smiled at him, but Daniel could see her smile being a tad too wide to be real.
Written by lulu-illussions on 07 October 2016
The Dare
Daniel's friends had become incredible busy with their new high-school lives. He was excited to have the five of them altogether for their traditional weekend hangout. Daniel was determined to make it a good one. Of course. All this drive was hidden under a mostly calm and dopey face of his. He didn't want to act like a preschooler, now, did he? Pam's dare had stolen all his pep, what made it crueler was her being a cheerleader, wasn't she suppose to inspire the opposite in him. Daniel awkwardly laughed while avoided his friends eyes.
Pam's dare was an easy one, go visit the abandon military base at the end of town. No big deal, normally, but with the shadow of the past few nights recurring nightmare hanging over him. He just couldn't work up the nerve to agree to it right away.
“Well are you chickening out or going?” Pam asked impatiently tapping her perfect red nails on the carpeted floor of her bedroom.
“It's just so far.” Daniel rubbed his head and groaned. It was the sweat drenching nights he woke up screaming. Or the burning terror he felt in his gut, as his mind wandered to the thoughts of that base. “Sounds like chicken talk to me,” David teased Daniel while tossing popcorn into his hair.
“How would I even prove I was there?” Daniel desperately grasped at some excuse, swiping the popcorn out of his hair with both his hands.
“Someone should go with him, prove he's gone inside.” Pam was quick to come up with a plan. “Should you go, and cheer him on?” Jake said raising his eyebrows dramatically for people to catch his bad joke.
“Should we all go?” Gassen suggested with a raise of his hand. “Personally I've always been curious about the place.”
“A night of courage. I like it!” David said getting on board quickly. “Maybe they have some old military uniforms left over? I could use them for one of my fursona's!” Jake jumped up and was already gathering his backpack.
“Why not?” Pam shrugged, getting off the floor. “Let's get our bikes chicken boy!” Pan shot at him as she left the room.
“Ye-yeah!” Daniel struggled out. His thoughts turned in, flashing back to bright lights, pain and the blood soaked horror of awakening and not being himself.
“Daniel. We could stay behind. You and me, we'll watch some movies.” Gassen placed a hand on his shoulder. His eyes filled with concern. Gassen was a good friend, taking a deep breath Daniel shook off his nightmares and Gassen's hand.
“No.” He let out a shaky breath, feeling calmer he continued with a stronger voice. “No, you want to go, and we'll all be together. What can go wrong?”
Written by Psto1464 on 17 March 2019
Everything
Everything. That is what could go wrong. Daniel was panting heavily in a secluded room even his nightmare's couldn't come up with it. It was cold, dark, and the only sound he could hear was the hard ting of water drops hitting the metal of his room. Shaking, curled up in his own vomit he wondered how he got here? Was his friends doing okay?
“Gassen,” Daniel moaned as his body bent back with more pain. Gassen was with him when they got separated in the dark corridors of the old military base. They thought the other's were trying to scare them, instead it was them, it was him. The people from his dreams. The doctor that experimented Daniel in his night terrors. They were real and they got him. His memories were foggy but, he knew at least Gassen got away. Daniel could still see his retreating back and feel the relief of knowing one of them make it. Gassen had to have made it home, away from the taser's, the guns and the man in the white coat.
When he could scream, he called out for others. No one answered. When Daniel could abide the pain of the shots given to him, he knew a week had gone by. Now he knew nothing, but the hollow truth that no help was coming. When the pain stopped, his mind shut down carrying Daniel gratefully into the darkness of his unconscious.
Daniel woke up, his eyelids pinning open, as a wave of alertness washed over him. His mind was surprisingly clear. There was no pain, fear or despair. His heart was light, he sat up nose curly at the sight of dried blood and vomit on his tattered clothes. Acids, and chemicals smells burned his nose. Sounds of foot steps walking along the metal corridors echoed clearer than ever before. They were coming. What should he do?
Written by Psto1464 on 20 March 2019
Play dead and sneak attack
Daniel laid there waiting. Patience's, he needed to lay there and access what was going on. He knew from experience what they were coming for. They came to laugh, and they came to drag him of to him. Daniel didn't even rate a hospital or lap table, they would simply grab him by his hair or foot and drag him away. He tried grabbing the door once, to fight back; all that earned him was a four-inch needle stab into the neck. Today was different. Not for them, their off-tune whistle and husky smokers laugh could be heard banging in time; with their thick militant boots off the metal lined halls.
He felt different. He knew he was different, but he dare not open his eyes to look. They were close. Instead, he laid in his own vomit, face slack and body limp on the floor. Taking in the smells of rusty metal and his own dirty sweat. Which, Daniel flared his nose taking in the vague scent of citrus in the air, it seemed like it was coming off of him? The scent was feminine and Daniel didn't think any of the mad doctors nurses would touch him, let alone use a scented hand cream. Pushing that aside, he heard the sound of a metal bar lifting from the outside of his room. They were here.
“Holy shit,” whistled a gruff voice. It sounded like the older man who had taking the initiative to needle Daniel that first night.
“You owe me fifty bucks old man.” sneered his younger partner. Daniel could picture him as clearly as he could smell his brand of cherry flavour cigarettes. Tall, skinny, plain but an attitude that would put even the cockiest of football players to shame.
“Didn't think that crazy bastard would succeed.” Old man cleared his throat and spat on the ground, Daniel felt the spit hit his legs. Heat flushed through him. Daniel's mind was clear enough that he could be angry again, fighting against the huge to stand up and fight a useless battle. “Shit! It moved!” The old man shuffled back, metal clanging under his weight.
“Chill out old-timer. Doc said he would have some involuntary movement until the body gain control of the tail.” Daniel's hair was pulled and his head forced into the air. Tail! He didn't care about the pain, he was just shocked he managed to keep his eyes close. He didn't have a tail, did he? “He, or should I say she; is out cold!” A cold hand squeezed his chest, a growl slipped from his lips, how dare this scum touch his chest! Daniel's mind froze as his thoughts fell into a panic. His chest, he could clearly feel his chest, no; his boob in the hand of that man!
“Don't like it, huh?” Laughed the young man. “To bad those drugs the Doc gave you last time will keep you out cold for the next few days!” He laughed again.
“Stop playing around! Let's just get this done and over with it.” The old man grumbled but Daniel didn't hear him come any closer, he didn't really care; his mind, disgusted, not with the thought of having a chest. It was that he touched by one of them.
“Come one old man, live a little!” His voice echoing has the angry from earlier came to the crawling back to the front. “Even filthy this is every guys fantasy right? A pretty humanoid dragon.” Daniel's head tilted back, raising his body off the floor more. Daniel was torn between getting more information out of the spewing man by playing dead or tearing his throat out with his teeth. “Just touch this pretty pink mane.” Another growl came from Daniel. This stop being a battle of want and a became a battle of choices. Was Daniel a man or beast, would a man even take this?
“It's waking up! Let's just go!” The young guy laughed off his partners fears.
“Who knew that skinny nerd, would turn into such a cute young dragoness?” That did it. Daniel's eyes popped open, his vision perfect despite the dark. He could see every pimple scare on the face of that skinny dark-haired bastard.
“What wanna play too?” The idiot asked in a husky voice. He didn't even know enough to fear him, if he could since the heat of violence spreading through him, but then he would have been too late. He was angry and disgusted with the thing in front of him. Lifting an arm with a speed unknown to Daniel before, he pulled himself up with the help of the man's shirt. Dragging him down in the progress. The young military man pulled him closer to embrace, as Daniel sunk his new fangs mouth into his neck, after the primal instinct that had awaking.
Blood seeped into Daniel's mouth tasting like an old dirty penny and a bit like smoke. He let it drip from his muzzle, ignoring the screams and the pounding as the man tried to break loose. Daniel found his new claws and strength kept him easily pinned. He didn't let go, until he had stopped struggling. Letting the body drop to the floor. “Hands off, you creepy pervert.” He growled at the blood soaked corpse at his feet. Daniel turned to find the old man gone. That was a problem, he probably went for help.
Stopping just a moment to looked down at his own body, if the claws and teeth he had used to kill that man just now, wasn't a clue that what the guy rambled about was true. Looking down at the nasty hospital gown did the trick. Tearing it of with one of his hands, revealed a body covered in tiny heart-shaped scales, all in pale pinks and rich purples. His skinny stick body was gone, Daniel took the moment to trail his black tip claws down his body, confirming to himself, once again how real it was.
He had full breast, ones he briefly thought; would make Pam envious. A long trim waist that lead to round hips and a swinging tail. It was all so strange. He was a she, a she who wasn't even human but for the first time in his life. He felt powerful, and stronger than he ever would be before. Killing a man should have left him a blubbering mess on the floor. He was standing proud, and naked above his corpse. Did a dragon, no, Daniel corrected himself; dragoness need clothes. Shouts and the thunder of pounding feet, released Daniel from his in turned thoughts.
No caring a wit for clothing, his skin was all scales anyway, and he could name a certain character who made it work; so why not him? Prowling forward Daniel went into the hall. Finding it has he had thought, filled with men pointing guns with tiny red lasers at him. He stopped cold, heat blowing though his nose, steam coming out and swirling around him. Daniel hadn't excepted this. In the front was him.
Written by Psto1464 on 28 March 2019
Listen to what he has to say
“Hello Daniel.” His voice sent chills down Daniels spine. Confidence turned to weariness, as he eyes the gunmen staring at him pass their round metal hats and padded with their armoured black jumpsuits.
“I want to go home.” Daniel said quietly. He had wanted to state it with an arrogance, like a real dragon would do. His true self emerged, and he politely stated quietly like meek high-school student he was inside.
“I can arrange that.” His voice said slowly, bringing on another wave of chills. Daniel hugged his arms under his chest, maybe he should have kept the beat up gown on.
“Really?” Daniel glared at the doctor, his tail spikes clanging in a soothing rhythm against the floor. The noise helped Daniel keep his cool, human logic. No way would it be so easy to get home.
“There will, of course, be some requirements.” He tilted his head, closing his blue eyes with a smile. The girls at his school, surly would have pasted out from the handsome young doctor vibe rolling of the creep in waves. Daniel wasn't fool for a second, inside him beat the heart of a young make! All it did was cause him to shiver more violently.
“Hiss!” Daniel raised his lips over his teeth and let loose the angry sound. He quickly slammed a hand over his own mouth. Muzzle, in shock. A quick burst of air and a sharp pop flew by Daniel's face hitting the floor in front of him. Daniel quickly turned behind him and saw a smaller man, maybe close to his age; shaking holder the gun. Unlike the other he was without armour.
Daniel's mind clouded over seeing the blonde shake and stare at him with wide eyes. Inside his mind was a new urge, a strong instinct? He didn't know what to call it, but to Daniel it was a voice. The same voice that told him he was powerful, strong; the voice that let him kill that solider earlier. This time it told him. That this man was weak. He was weak and attacked us. A growl came out low and rumbling. To Daniel's ears it sounded like the purr of a cat, Daniel knew it wasn't a happy sound. It was a threat, to back off or die.
“It-it-its a monster!” The man no boy yelled, with shaking arms he raised his pistol.
“Matthew.” He said from behind him. Daniel snorted, the boy; Matthew; was too far gone to listen. Quickly moving his arms, claws raised, he was ready to defend and attack. A different logic ruled over Daniel now. When the trigger was pulled with sweaty hands, it made the aim go off somewhere behind Daniel. It was an easy dodge, the room was quiet to him now. Hos moves were lightening quick. Within seconds his claws poised at the weak boys neck, ready to plunge and rid him of the threat.
Written by Psto1464 on 13 April 2019