Silver Bullets n' Roses - 2. Bitten

Dressed in an oversized hoodie over his hair, Matt prowled the streets of Lycansbro, looking for excitement. It really wasn't that bad of a town; other than being conservative and suburban, the place was a pretty decent hang for teenagers. The mall was big and had everything, but Matt wasn't a mall rat. Sure, he'd hang out there when he wanted to get something, but the mall was ten times better when you had a group of friends with you to disrupt the peace-which Matt lacked. Without that, he just looked like a loser wandering around the mall alone in an oversized hoodie in the middle of the night. So that was out.

There was the park. With the possible child molesters and weird Goth kids? No thank you.

Downtown, clubs and bars littered the place with their blaring music and bright lights. Matt passed by one shabby little bar, dodging to the other side of the street as the door burst open. The beefy bouncer tossed some poor guy out into the street. The guy stumbled drunkenly to the sidewalk and coated it with vomit. Matt could smell alcohol from where he was standing. Disgusted, he moved on. Note to self: don't get drunk for along time.

Matt and Ted had been to their fair share of clubs together, but they were mostly heavy metal clubs that were easy to sneak into because of the commotion. No heavy metal shows tonight; Matt would know because he could usually hear it from across town. That left his final choice: the gay bar.

The local gay bar downtown had been boycotted countless times by anti-gay Christians over the years-ignoring the straight dance clubs, which regularly held bar fights and various other intoxicated misdemeanors. They never won, of course, because to do anything about the club would be a violation of rights somewhere in the book, and no one wanted to deal with the backlash of a social war between gays and 'phobes. So the club stood where it had been for the past six years.

Matt had been to the club half a dozen times in the past year, which was illegal because it was only for eighteen and over. It was as easy as hell to sneak in, and since some of the guys there looked like they were fifteen anyway, he normally walked around unnoticed. In fact, he found sneaking out of the house much harder.

Matt stood in the parking lot for a moment, feeling slightly nervous. Techno music blared from the unguarded doors. Matt hated techno-the techno-based breakdowns in some of Attack Attack's songs were tolerated, of course. He had never particularly liked this place; it was so...stereotypical. It was like the owners had been watching reality TV for years and had used that to build on what they thought a gay club should look like. Still, this place was like a breeding ground for gays because it was the only place in town specifically for them. They had so much business from lack of competition they didn't dare increase the security to filter out teenagers. Besides, it was the only place Matt could flirt with guys without getting punched in the face.

He went in through the back way. Inside it was a mass of gyrating bodies and weird outfits. Some guys looked more feminine than Matt did. Some guys were what Matt and various porn sites called "bears." Some guys were emaciated looking and of indiscernible ages. There were even a few drag queens. Disco balls overhead cast everyone in a bright, colorful glow.

It wasn't long before Matt was getting some attention from the other guys. They brushed him as he passed by or touched his hair; not too pushy. It felt satisfying in a way. He didn't encounter a lot of gay guys, and it felt good to have someone besides some fascinated emo-obsessed girl want to touch him. A cute skater whistled at him. Matt gave him a flirty grin in return.

"Excuse me."

The voice floated right next to his ear, smelling faintly of mint. It was smooth and velvety, reminded him of liquid chocolate. Matt turned and looked up into the face of Adonis.

Not literally, of course. This guy was stunning. He wasn't a queen, and he wasn't a bear or a macho-man either: just this perfect balance of masculine and feminine qualities that made his chiseled face damn near perfect. He was tall (so was everyone else to Matt) and vaguely muscular. His hair was short, light brown and artfully disheveled, and his skin was a nice, even bronze-probably half-black, and exotic. His dark brown eyes twinkled as his full lips pulled back into an easy grin, revealing a set of dazzlingly white teeth.

"Would you like a drink?" Adonis asked.

It took Matt a second to find his voice. He knew he was probably staring up at this guy like an idiot. "Uh-uh, sure. Th-that'd be nice."

"Good. The name's Gabriel, by the way." Like the angel. Fitting.

"Matt." His name sounded so dull on his tongue he felt like correcting himself and saying, "Matthew," but then he remembered he hated his full name.

"Matt," Gabriel repeated experimentally, as is savoring the name. "I'll be right back."

Flashing Matt that alluring smile again, he walked off to the bar. Matt had enough sense to watch the bartender make it. He'd seen too many movies about date rape.

Gabriel shared a brief conversation with the bartender, giving him a dazzling smile every now and then. The bartender was obviously taken, barely taking his eyes off him as he mixed drinks behind the counter. Finally, he placed an amber drink on the counter and Gabriel returned to Matt.

"Come with me somewhere more private."

The sentence would have sounded perv-ish coming from anyone else, but from him it was almost romantic. Still, Matt felt a brief flash of alarm until Gabriel pointed at an unoccupied couch in the corner. It was small, and forced them close together. Matt took the opportunity to get a good nosefull of Gabriel's cologne-or whatever it was. He smelled earthy and fresh, like wet grass and sunshine. Not bad at all.

"So, Matt," he said, draping an arm casually across Matt's shoulders like they'd known each other for years. "You from around here?"

"Yeah." Way to go. Always the eloquent one. Clearing his throat, he added, "Where are you from?"

"Not here. I'm from very rural roots."

"As in, the south?" Gabriel didn't have a southern accent. In fact, he didn't have an accent at all. He had one of those American TV-newsperson accents.

He chuckled. "Something like that. You're cute, man. And young." His tone wasn't condescending; merely curious.

"I'm fifteen." Why did I just say that? "That doesn't put you off, does it?"

"No problem. We're both young bloods. I'm eighteen." The hand that was around Matt's shoulders lightly massaged the nape of his neck.

Finally registering that he was holding a drink, Matt took a sip. It burned all the way down, settled in his stomach like a rock, and ignited. So he took another sip. Whatever it was, it gave him the inner prodding he needed to keep talking.

"So. Are you gay, bi, or phasing?"

Gabriel didn't smile, but his eyes briefly flashed with... something. "Anyone is fair game," was all he said.

"Amen to that." Matt took another sip. He was a little buzzed by now. Not drunk enough to make a fool of himself, but more than enough to get into trouble. Didn't he just promise himself not to get drunk?

"I'm glad you're not like these other stereotypes out here." Gabriel's nose wrinkled slightly, his voice suddenly harsh. "A great way to show the straights that we're perfectly normal is to dress like queens and listen to techno. Whoever came up with that logic? I mean, I certainly don't picture you lifting weights any time soon, but something about you is different. I find it very interesting." He leaned even closer to Matt, his lips less than an inch from his cheek.

"Then show me." Matt turned his head slightly.

So he did. Gabriel kissed him hard, his tongue quickly entering his mouth and conquered Matt's. The hand that had been around his shoulder slid south to his waist so Matt was crushed against his chest. It was the best kiss Matt had ever gotten-and he wasn't a stranger when it came to kissing.

Something wasn't right.

Sure, it was sexy and all, but Matt's mental alarm bells were ringing. This situation felt all wrong, and Gabriel felt all wrong. It was like having sex with a friend's hot girlfriend: feeling good and knowing it was wrong at the same time. Gabriel's kiss just wasn't lustful-it was fucking predatory. It was like he was tasting him.

With a sharp inhale, Matt broke the kiss. Gabriel tried to keep it going, but Matt leaned away from him.

"Gabriel. Wait."

"What?" He actually sounded a little pissed off.

"Um...I kinda need to clear my head. Let me up so I can go take a leak." Blunt, but it sold. Gabriel's arm went back to lazily hanging on the edge of the couch, like a snake retreating back into his hole.

"Hurry back," he said quietly, his gaze steely. He was still pretty damn beautiful, but there was something dark there, too. Even in Matt's tipsy state, he could feel it.

The sentence made Matt feel like a wayward puppy, but he felt oddly compelled to obey. Whatever. He was slipping out the back way the first chance he got.

Matt felt like he was suffocating. It was too hot in here, and too loud. By the time he got to the bathroom (which, thankfully, was empty) he was shaking and sweating. He fumbled trying to turn the faucet on and splashed cold water over his face.

Why did the guy that he had been so taken by five minutes ago freak him out so badly after kissing him? Matt coughed and stared at his reflection in the mirror. He saw a scared little boy with wide eyes and limp hair. Going home to his parents' wrath didn't seem so bad right now. He took a moment to catch his breath before heading toward the door.

The door flew open just as he reached it, almost catching him if he hadn't jumped back to avoid it. Gabriel stormed in, looking taller and bigger than he did before. The air became tense: shit was about to hit the fan, yet Gabriel's face was cool and calm.

"You weren't thinking of running out on me, were you?" he asked Matt.

"N-no." Matt took a few steps back, accessing the room in a quick glance: no windows, and the only door was the one that Gabriel was still blocking. Also, Gabriel looked like he weighed, oh, fifty or sixty pounds more than he did, so he might as well have been a wall as far as Matt was concerned.

"Sure did look like it. I'm not an idiot, Matt. And I don't like it when people try to play me." His voice was still calm and reasonable, like a parent lecturing a child. Matt would have been less freaked out if he yelled.

Please don't kill me, Matt thought, but didn't say. He never begged. Ever since that incident with Roman, he never begged. Saying "Please, don't" rarely worked for anything. Instead, he said, "What are you going to do?"

"I'm not going to kill you, if that's what you're thinking. No, what I'm going to do fix you. Make you better than you are."

"What I am now?" As in, bi? Was this a preamble to a hate crime or something?

"Human." He spat out the word like it was poison. "You're disgustingly soft and human, Matt. You have what it takes, though. I can sense it. I can make you into something incredible, sweetheart."

Okay, this guy obviously needed a straightjacket. And "sweetheart"? It was the gayest thing he'd said all night. "What the hell are you talking about?" Matt took another step back, and weighed his chances again. Right now he was stalling. It wouldn't be long before someone would barge in on them.

"As soon as I saw you, I knew you'd be perfect. You've been hurt. A lot. You're screwed up, man. I can tell you have the potential to turn this place into the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. When this is over, you'll be a fucking masterpiece."

"Look, if you're going to beat me up, do it. Spare me all the evil-genius shit. I've taken my share of beatings; there's not much you can do to me that hasn't already been done." He sounded tough, but inside he was terrified. He was positive Gabriel didn't just want to beat him up.

"I doubt that anyone's done what I'm about to do," Gabriel said ominously. "Let's begin shall we?" He grinned. Except now they weren't just normal, square teeth. They were jagged now.

Matt gave a yelp of surprise and fear and staggered backward until his back hit the cold wall. "What the hell, man?" he yelled.

There was no answer from Gabriel except for an inhuman, guttural growl. Not the human imitation that Matt heard in metal and screamo songs, but the real deal.

And that's when the transformation began.

It lasted barely a few seconds, but it was like Matt's vision was tuned in slow motion. At first it looked like Gabriel was a reject from The Hulk: he got bigger and his muscles bulged so that his clothes turned to shreds, rippling skin and fur poking from underneath. Yes, fur. His already tanned skin became even browner, and changed texture, bubbling like water before thick tuffs of hair came out of the pores. Claws ripped from his cuticles. His jaw projected forward and his mouth became wider; the brown of his eyes glowed faintly with bloodlust; his head flattened and his ears elongated and became pointed. It looked painful, but Gabriel was laughing, which turned into another deep growl. It looked like something straight out of a horror movie-no, hell.

During the entire change, Matt stood frozen in fear, unable to escape even if he could. When it was over, a mottled brown creature the size of a bear stood before him. Gabriel-or whatever it was-showed off his teeth in a mockery of a smile. Matt refused to acknowledge what this thing might be, afraid that giving it a name would turn on the panic button, but the word came to his lips anyway:

"Werewolf."

Matt opened his mouth to scream, but barely a squeak came out before the werewolf was on him. It buried him under pounds of fur and muscle, breathing hot, stinky fumes into his face. Matt couldn't do anything but close his eyes and wait to die. A second later, what felt like a bunch of thick needles sank into his shoulder and snapped his collarbone like a twig.

His father's fists, Roman's hands twisted in his hair...as painful as those moments had been, nothing compared to pain that Matt felt at that moment.

Matt wasn't sure if it was the fear or the pain that made him pass out.