Night Made of Glass

“Impossible.” Jack muttered. The sun was just about to go down, he had spent nearly a day at the New York Public Library. He had consulted everything in the place, from flipping through ancient book pages to the final resort of the world wide web. Researching every aspect of his condition, including all the symptoms, led to one thing- a fictional site dedicated to werewolves. Fiction. Apparently not. He pushed his hair out of his face as he exited the building. “So I’m a fucking werewolf.” He said angrily to himself. He wasn’t sure how things would be tonight, the site said a full moon wasn’t the only thing to trigger a transformation. He could only hope for a peaceful evening, Chinese take-out followed by a little sex maybe. The first time he had killed a few deer, he couldn’t imagine what horrors were to come.

Red. That was all he remembered. He didn’t fully get his thoughts together until he was in his shower, at 3:00 in the morning. He had woken up in the park again, and scrambled back home. But there was something else, something he couldn’t place together. He put his head against the shower wall, letting the water run down his muscled back. He couldn’t have killed someone, could he? He didn’t even know what he was until a day ago, how could he be so sure anymore? He wrapped a towel around his long torso and entered the dark bedroom. He quietly tried to get back into bed, and suddenly the lamp switched on. Helene was sitting on the side, a troubled expression on her face. “Good morning, Jack. How was Adam’s?”
“Umm… great, I guess. He, um, well…”
“Save it. I called him after you left a few hours ago. I felt bad calling so late, but when a guy leaves his girlfriend in the middle of the night… I didn’t know what to think.”
“Helene, I-” She turned to face him directly, her eyes beginning to fill with tears. “Are you cheating on me, Jack?” His heart seemed to crack in two. “No! It’s not what it looks like. Oh God, Helly, I wish I could tell you…” She stood up. “Well I guess you can’t. Get out, Jack. I don’t care where, just go.” He stood up as well, his eyes resting on the girl he loved so much. Maybe leaving was the best idea, who knew what happened during the night. He could have hurt her, and that thought scared Jack more than anything else. But he did hurt her, she thought he was seeing someone else. But she wouldn’t understand, so he had to go. “I’m so sorry, Helene.” She was crying softly now, and he wanted to reach out and hold her. But he couldn’t, he was a monster. He backed towards the doorway, preparing to leave everything he loved behind. The last thing he heard before he shut the door was Helene’s tearful voice. “I thought what we had was special.” He couldn’t bear it anymore, his heart tearing to pieces as the dark morning consumed him.

“Dude, what was the deal last night?” Adam asked him over breakfast. Jack was rapidly devouring a bacon sandwich in Adam’s apartment, the only other place he knew he would be welcome. He leaned back, trying to decide what to tell him. “I’m not having an affair, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“Then what the hell were you doing at 1 a.m.?” Jack flipped on the TV in the living room. “Only one way to find out.” Adam looked at him quizzically as he sat down on the couch watching the news intently. The reporter came on with a somber expression. “This morning, a homeless man was found dead in Central Park. The markings on his chest and neck were similar to the deer, and the police suspect a wild wolf may have escaped and is roaming around the area. If you see anything, please call immediately.” That’s why he didn’t remember. He had killed a man. Jack closed his eyes, then a wave of anger swept through him. He had lost everything. Helene, his life, and now he was killing people. There was no way to stop it. “Dude, are you okay?” Adam stepped toward him, but Jack was already up. Screaming out in anger, he pounded his fist against the wall, leaving a gaping hole. He calmed down, the sudden burst of rage ebbing temporarily. Adam stood in the kitchen, staring wide-eyed at the enormous hole that was now right on his wall. “Umm, you wanna talk about it? I think we’re gonna talk about it.”

The shaggy haired boy sat dumbfounded after Jack told him everything. “Wow. I mean, holy shit. I knew there was something sketch about that guy that bit you and all.”
“I don’t know what to do. I can’t stop it!” He was starting to get worked up again, and Adam put his hands up. “Whoa, man, okay. We’ve known each other a long time now, we’re gonna work this out. Luckily for you I happened to minor in myths and folklore in college.”
“Lucky me. Tell me everything you know.”
“Okay, first off, you can forget Ramen noodles. It’s not going to satisfy your wolf craving, and will only make things worse at midnight. It’s got to be all meat from now on, raw if you can handle it.” He nodded. “Alright, and here’s something useful. Werewolves are allergic to silver or something, it has some strange effect on their powers. That’s why, in order to kill one, you…” Adam trailed off. “That was crossing the line, I’m sorry.” Jack shook his head. “No, I needed to know.” He stood up quickly and prepared to leave. “What now?” His friend yelled after him.
“I’m going to fix everything.”