The Passing of Jonathan Spring
By Andrew Hawnt
Jonathan Spring was freezing, but he had to endure a little longer.
He had watched the full moon for hours as it passed across the sky, and had marvelled at the strange weather conditions that had cast the world in hues of magenta and deep blues as night conceded to the first slivers of morning.
Jonathan glanced down at the heap of clothes, his shoes discarded next to them. He grimaced at the thick stains of dried blood that covered much of what he had been wearing.
Naked atop the moors, he stood and waited for his moment, defiance keeping him fighting off the cold. Keeping him fighting back the thing inside.
Soon the light would begin to take the moon from view. It was now or never. He raised his hands to his sides and let it come.
The beast emerged, replacing skin and sinewy muscle with fur and claw and fang and immense power. His body elongated, bones cracking and twisting into new forms as his other self was given form. It howled and roared in reverence of the gigantic pale disc that hung low in the deepening azure sky. It flexed its muscles. Stretched out its claws. Sniffed the air.
Something was wrong here. Where had the Jonathan self brought it to? What was this strange place? It sniffed at the bloodied clothes and grinned, strings of saliva dangling from its huge jaw. It remembered now. It remembered emerging in the nightclub. It remembered tearing the flesh of the Jonathan Self's friends and lover. It remembered ripping the heads from club bouncers and terrified revellers. It remembered retreating into the form of the Jonathan Self fulfilled, nostrils and mouth slick with the tang of human blood.
No. The moon. No.
The beast roared as it saw the moon fading behind clouds and the haze of early morning sun that would soon take the chill air away. It looked desperately around itself for prey, a kill before the sleeping, but the moors were clearly remote.
The beast growled and swung its claws at the sky, desperate to uncover the source of its strength.
The moon vanished from view.
A moment later, Jonathan Spring was back, naked and retching into the grass beside his clothes. He called out the names of his lover and friends as he slipped a hand under the cold garments and pulled out the gun. Silver bullets gleamed in the clip he had brought. He slid it into the weapon with a satisfying click and placed the barrel in his mouth.
As he pulled the trigger, the secret that had lived within him for so long finally fell silent.
Within minutes, the moors were awash with the liquid light of a brand new day.
© Andrew Hawnt 2020
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About Compendium 2020:
Compendium 2020 is a project from author Andrew Hawnt that consists of 52 original short stories, flash fiction stories and vignettes given away for FREE in 2020. Featuring science fiction, fantasy, horror and more, this began as a personal quest and due to the weirdness of 2020 has become an ambition to provide free distractions for anyone who needs them.
About Andrew Hawnt:
Andrew is based in Nottingham, England. Known for his music journalism career, comics writing and film critique work, Andrew is a prolific writer and is the author of a growing stack of books, including the cult hit VHS Ate My Brain. He made the movies The Demon And I and The Demon And I: Birthrite completely in lockdown with cast members filming their scenes remotely, and new films are coming.
Andrew is also the creator and presenter of the YouTube shows Planet Hex and Turn One Shock as well as the video versions of the Compendium stories.
Follow Andrew: YouTube Mixcloud Facebook Instagram Twitter
© Andrew Hawnt 2020
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