His Muse

έντεκα (11)|iurgium

"For someone who has to deal with people-"

"I think it will be best if we just don't talk for the rest of this ride" he remarked.

**********************

He jumped out of the car and slammed the door, making me wince reflexively. I took a deep breath and got out of the car to help him offload my own shopping.

"No that's not mine, it's the other one" I said, handing him back the shopping bag. He grabbed it out of my hand and threw it back in the boot.

"I'm sorry if my questions earlier offended you" I stated, as he helped me carry the shopping into the house.

He dropped the bags and turned to look at me, "Ivory, I seriously would rather just forget it all happened"

"You have been in a mood since then, you couldn't even look at me in the shop" I replied, astounded that he was trying to play off his mood.

He started pacing around, his eyes darting around.

"I am not angry" he asserted again.

"Honestly, you're so hot and cold. It's very confusing." I retorted, "or is it just a 'me' situation? I ask a question that you don't like, and you get angry"

He fisted his hands and walked to the other side of the room, but I persisted and followed him.

He gritted his teeth "I am not angry" he growled, walking towards the door and flinging it open.

I followed him, I don't know what made me do it, I just didn't want to... let him go that night.

"NO" I shouted and slammed the door shut, my body pressed against it firmly.

"This is the second time you have done this to me, apologise!" I demanded, crossing my arms over my chest.

"I just want to leave me alone before this escalates" he exclaimed, his knuckles turning white and his breathing became loud and erratic.

"So you don't want to discuss this situation, you'd rather throw a tantrum than discuss this" I shot back, puzzled, "I thought we were cordial enough for at least that!" I replied angrily.

"WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO RIGHT NOW?" he shouted at me, his voice loud and distressing to my eardrums, causing me to grimace. He held his hair in his fists, stopped talking and started panting heavy, walking around in circles as if confined in an invisible cage.

Because tomorrow is not promised, I wanted to shout back.

Amid our shouting, I had not heard the howls outside, powerful and deafening. They were getting louder and louder as Theo tried to calm himself. I stayed glued to the door, not because I wanted to but because I couldn't move. I could feel my mind staggering to reclaim my rationality, but fear was creeping up on me like long, thick black strands of vines crawling up my legs and climbing through my ears, scattering my thoughts like a bad malware.

He squatted to the floor and started beating his fists on the ground maniacally, growling loudly as he did. My heart started thumping loudly in my ears, I could feel each pressure as it increased its tempo, I could taste blood in my mouth. I started seeing nothing but woods around me and I faintly smelt petrichor emitting from the earth, like the woods in my dream.

I was losing control with every second. I could sense time slowing down agonisingly, like in my dreams.

I could feel myself losing consciousness...

...My body forced my eyes to zero in on Theo who was still thudding loudly on the ground...

I could hear myself screaming "Theo calm down" and hot tears started streaming down my face...

PLEASE DON'T MORPH.
PLEASE DON'T MORPH.
PLEASE DON'T MORPH.

"Ivory, please open the door" he begged, the tears brimming in his eyes like he couldn't control it, turning them into glass. Hard, fragile glass. The veins were protruding out of his neck and face as though he was using all his energy to calm down.

But I couldn't move, my heartbeat accompanied by the chant-like sounds of the wolf howls outside, drowning out the messages to my brain to move.

His body started contorting, lowering and rising unrhythmic as bones cracked and his skin sunk into the open spaces where human bones once slotted rigid and precise. He looked at me, his eyes now icy blue as white fur spread from his nose outward. Tears falling onto the fur, before lunging at me, throwing me hard against the wall and ripping the door open, his hands now claws breaking off the doorknob in his wake.

I stood there, frozen and shaking uncontrollably, jumping in shock at the noisy bang of the doorknob gliding across the floor.

The werewolf had escaped from the prison of my mind, the surreal confinement of my dreams and manifested in my reality.

Theo was the werewolf.