The werewolf in suburbia

Anna winced as the removal men bashed her 8 ring gas range into the front door frame of her new house. They also threw her boxes of rare Northern Soul vinyl onto the wooden floor without a care in the world. A little bit of rage ignited inside of her and she had to put a cardigan on to hide the stiff grey hairs which were standing up on her arms. Anger was a 'no no' for her. The angrier she grew, the more 'the change' exerted itself over her body. She had to be in control. She left them to it, deciding it was better not to see what they were doing. 

In her new conservatory she took off her shoes and breathed deeply, looking out at the garden with its autumnal carpet of orange and yellow leaves. Apples lay on the lawn under the apple tree. She tried to skim over the sight of the electrically charged barbs which ran along the top of the wooden fence and completely cut off the garden. She had to try and contain herself.

Her girlfriend, Lindy, was coming over later to cook a vegan meal. Anna was trying so hard to love vegetables. No flesh, human or otherwise, had passed her lips for over 4 months now. When she thought of flesh, she rang her Tibetan singing bowl and chanted 'Om'. She was trying to be good. 

Anna really liked Lindy. She was the reason for the move, probably. Anna needed to calm down. Living in the heart of London, roaming the streets at night, taking homeless strangers or workers returning home after a night shift. The temptation was too strong. Lindy was teaching her control.

Later on, after the removal men had finished destroying her stuff, Anna and Lindy cuddled up on the sofa together. Lindy stroked Anna's arm hair. She said it was sexy. 

The doorbell rang just as Bake Off was coming on the telly. Anna sighed and went to answer it. 

"Hi! Welcome to the neighbourhood"  

The woman was in her 50s, wearing a gigantic grey, felted, poncho and smelling overpoweringly of Bayliss and Harding products. 

"Hi" Anna hadn't really been expecting visitors. She would have preferred to go unnoticed. 

"I made some flapjacks for you" The woman thrust a plate of muesli blobs, liberally sprinkled with berries and dried apple. Oh God, more pet food. Anna took them reluctantly.

"Well" the woman sang, obliviously. "Can I look around the old place? I haven't been in here since Babs left two years ago."

She giggled and pushed past Anna and into the hallway.

"Oh, I like this wallpaper, although I would have gone for something more burnt Umber myself. More earthy"

She poked around into every room downstairs, finishing up in the sitting room where Lindy was still watching TV. 

"Oh hello dear. Are you Anna's sister?"

The woman seemed to have no concept of privacy. 

"No. I'm Anna's girlfriend, Lindy. Nice to meet you"

Lindy leaned over the back of the sofa and extended a hand to the woman, who wrinkled up her nose and shook Lindy by the fingertips. 

"Oh....how modern" 

The woman gave Anna a last glance down her nose. 

"Well, I hope you settle in well" she sniffed, backing away to the door. They heard the front door slam as she practically ran out of the house.

"That's one way to get rid of nosy neighbours" Anna laughed and handed Lindy the plate of flapjacks, sure that she would appreciate them. She felt the hairs on her arms. It had been a very irritating day. Hairs were starting to rise on her back as well. 

"Lindy, I think you had better go now, honey. I'm feeling a little jangled"

"Oh" Lindy looked disappointed. "I thought you were hungry. I thought you were going to 'eat me alive' tonight?"

"No. I don't really think you would like that right now"

"Okay" Lindy was used to Anna wanting her own space. She kissed her and said she'd ring tomorrow. Anna went to the kitchen and threw the rest of the aubergine tagine in the bin. She was hungry. Really hungry. 

Over the next three days Anna had no less than 6 visitors, all neighbours wanting to check out the weird, hairy lesbian who had come to live in their street. Word travels fast in a small town. 

Kelly, from number 7, said that Anna should come over for dips and wine on Sunday. Did Anna know about the Friday spinning class at the gym? A real great workout, so good for those stubborn love handles. 

Steven, number 9, called over to tell her, in a most un-neighbourly fashion, not to park in the street during the day.

Ted, number 16, said she could come over and look at his vinyl collection. But not on a Tuesday because that's when his Mum came over to clean every week.

By the end of all the visitors, Anna was left sitting on a chair in the kitchen cradling her pounding head. She felt her heckles raising and rippling, getting ready to transform at any moment. She hadn't eaten for days, not even a tomato, and she felt she was losing it. She went to the porch and looked out of the window. It was getting dark. Orange and flame red leaves blew down the street, past other porches bedecked with skeletons and jack-o-lanterns grinning inanely at passersby. It was Halloween. She hadn't even noticed.

She started to pace up and down the hallway, using all her calming techniques and deep breathing. It was no good. She doubled over at the bottom of the stairs and felt her clothes starting to rip as the change took her. She was shaking when the doorbell rang.

"Trick or treat" she heard the kids shout outside. All was quiet for a second, then another ring. Quiet again. Then she heard them discussing what to do about the lack of sweets.

"Stupid dyke. Let's give her some of this"

A stink bomb was pushed through the letter box and the smell of sulphur wafted into the hall as the children ran laughing and shrieking down the street. Anna pushed herself up to standing and found herself looking in the hallway mirror at her reflection. Her yellow teeth were dripping with saliva and her dog ears were pinned back against her head, alert and tense.

She reached for the mirror, snarling, and smashed it onto the floor. Her reflection become 100 werewolves, all starving and ready to tear into human flesh.

She ran around the house, pulling crockery off the shelves and upturning the sofa.

The the doorbell rang again.

This time she flew at it and wrenched it open so hard it was left hanging from its hinges. Lindy saw the creature and started to run,  but Anna was too quick and her clawed fingers reached out and grabbed Lindy's shirt, dragging her back into the house. She threw her girlfriend down on the floor.

"I don't want to kill you, I want you to be with me and we will never die. Together."

Unfortunately it came out not as words but the guttural whining of a rabid dog. Lindy was screaming and trying to fight her way free. Anna tore the girl's shirt open and mauled her chest and neck. An approaching noise stopped her.

Outside there were more kids coming up the path to her house. When they saw her pawing towards them, they laughed, thinking it was a wild costume. But they scattered as she started to run towards them on all fours, the hair on the back of her neck standing straight up and foam flying from the corners of her mouth.

She stopped abruptly outside number 9. She could smell Steven, the self-appointed parking attendant. The light was on in the sitting room. She made her way up the driveway, batting pumpkins out of the way, and ran full speed at the front door, smashing it open with sheer brute force. She sniffed her way to the sitting room.

Steve and and his wife were on the sofa. He turned and saw Anna, only having time for a pathetic yelp before she bore down on him, ripping into his throat with her razor sharp incisors. She held onto his throat with her powerful jaws until he stopped moving. Steven's wife was screaming, trying to pull Anna away. Anna grabbed her arm and pulled it clean out of it's socket. The flesh tore and blood soaked the cream shag-pile. The wounded woman ran from the house to the street, pouring blood onto the concrete until she collapsed outside number 12.

Meanwhile, Anna was still bent over the body of her first kill in 4 months. She savoured every sinew and strip of glistening flesh she ripped off, nuzzling the body like an animal on a David Attenborough documentary.

When she was satisfied, she stalked out of the house and ran up the street to the deserted common beyond. The moonlight shone down on her grey fur and she felt the night air, cool and fresh on her mussel, as if she was feeling it for the first time.

In the light of the moon she threw her head back and let out a blood curdling howl.  

Suddenly her ears pricked back. In the close distance another returned a mournful wail. She grinned at the moon and made her back to the suburbs to sniff out her new blood sister.