The clock ticked annoyingly as time passed slowly. Anna was laid on the cold floor pondering on the events that occurred two nights ago. She wrapped a rosary around her wrist and prayed the novena over and over. The harrowing event that happened two days ago was still fresh from her memory. She hoped it was a dream—a nightmare at its worse, but it was real.
She recalled waking up the next day naked and covered in blood, hopefully pigs' blood. Her dress was in taters and scattered across the floor. She ran immediately into the bathroom and forced herself to vomit, she couldn't. Not anymore.
She took a glimpse of herself in the mirror and saw her dirty face. Blood crusted from under her chin. The teeth that she saw fell off was back in its place. It was tainted with dried blood with some bits and pieces of unidentified meat. Anna placed her finger on the back of her throat in her last-ditch effort to expel the contents of her stomach, but nothing was coming out.
There was a horrible scent clinging to her. At first, she thought it was just her bathroom, but Anna was considerably a neat freak in the toilet. She cleaned her toilet four times a week, scrubbing the floor, disinfecting her toilet seat, and picking up her bundled hair to prevent the sink from clogging. She was sure that the scent wasn't coming from her toilet.
Anna smelled herself and realized where the abhorrent smell came from, it was her. The scent was indescribable. It smelled like a cocktail of feces, rotting meat, and stale blood. It was enough for any other human being to gag but being a practicing nurse for partly five years now, it was something that she could stomach.
That didn't erase the fact that it was still horrible to smell. She opened up her faucet and filled the pail with water from the tap. After partially filling the pail, she immediately picked it up and poured the ice-cold contents over her. Anna doused herself with the cold water and scrubbed herself vigorously, her skin bled.
After lathering soap countless times and with raw bleeding skin, Anna decided to stop and cry helplessly as the scent wouldn't come off her. She walked out of the bathroom and cleaned up her mess. She wasn't bothered with her hunger anymore. In actuality, the insatiable need to feed went away magically—or so she thought.
After two days of living normal again, her hunger came back stronger than it was before. She could hear the growl in her head once again, calling her out. It was asking her to let the beast out. She was now living the nightmare once again.
Her stomach cramped once in a while. It was manageable, with a few breathing exercises and concentration. And that was her biggest concern. Today was Rico's supposed day off and also her time to go back to her work. This was where her predicament lies. What if her hunger suddenly worsens? Or what if that beast took over her?
As a nurse, she meet patients on a daily basis. Factor in that she usually has shifts in the Emergency room during ungodly hours and you have a recipe for disaster. Anna noticed that her appetite worsens at night. She couldn't afford to risk her workmates and her job because of a mysterious infliction.
She rolled a rosary bead in between her fingers and thought deeply of her situation. Everything that had happened that night could be a product of a fractured psyche. If she recalled it correctly, one of her college instructors had discussed about that topic. If only she listened thoroughly.
Am I going psychotic? She thought to herself as she rose from the floor.
She immediately took her phone, went to her internet search bar, and looked for answers.
SEARCH: Dissociative Behavior
Dissociative disorders are mental disorders that involve experiencing a disconnection and lack of continuity between thoughts, memories, surroundings, actions and identity. People with dissociative disorders escape reality in ways that are involuntary and unhealthy and cause problems with functioning in everyday life.
"Not this one." She clicked her tongue as she deleted the text out of the search bar. "Beast...like…behavior." She typed.
SEARCH FOUND: LYCANTHROPY, A BEASTLY DELUSION by Dr. M. Illustrado.
The search bar had the article highlighted. Anna tapped on the article and read its details.
Lycanthropy is a mental disorder often associated with old wife's tales of werewolves and monsters. The discovery of this mental disease is fairly new, but the affliction itself could be tracked down from the olden times.
The condition involves delusions caused by a schizophrenic episode that makes the afflicted believe that they are in a state of beastly metamorphoses. Mostly patients of this type of delusion often associate themselves with bestial tendencies such as but not limited to growling, scratching, and hunger for human flesh.
Anna felt a sudden chill tingling up her spine. Could it be possible that after all that intense experience she had days ago were just a fickle of her imagination? It seemed so.
Somehow, she felt a little relief to know that whatever happened to her two days ago might be something psychological. She had a hunch that it was the case, but she just needed more proof.
"Lycanthropy. Metamorphosis." She scratched her head. "Does this mean—"
She took a big sigh and went back to her phone. This piece of information was very vital to her in understanding the events that unfolded two nights ago. The lucid dream. The manifestation, they were a match to the doctor's description.
It's all in the mind. It's all in the mind…
She went back to the article and searched for the doctor's name. "Dr. M. Illustrado." She uttered as she searched for information about the doctor.
Illustrado Clinic
Dr. Mariano Illustrado
365 Rd5 Hiwaga Street, Makati City
09xx-08xx-13x
Opens 10am-5pm, Weekdays (Accepts Walk-ins)
She looked up the time, it was already 50 minutes past 3. Judging by the congested Metro traffic, it would take her at least two hours just to get out from Zapote Street. It would be nighttime by then and that wouldn't be a good idea.
Anna took the number and dialed it on her phone, gave it a call, and hoped that someone was on the other line willing to answer. The phone rang and rang but no one answered. The phone call ended with a dial tone. She dialed once more praying to God that someone on the other line would answer her.
Her heart pounded as she closed her eyes while hoping that some would answer her call. She was afraid that her condition might finally hurt someone. The ringing became irritatingly long. Anna wanted to end the call and just try to do a walk-in consultation in the morning. But another night might be too dangerous for Rico and the people around her. She was losing to her despair and wanted to drop the call already when suddenly, someone answered.
"Hello, Illustrado's Clinic. How can I help you?" A smooth calming voice answered on the other line.
Her heart fluttered after hearing the voice. Somehow, she felt some relieved knowing that there was someone that might be able to help her. Her emotions took over her and tears began gushing down her eyes.
"Hello? Hello, is anyone there?" The man asked. "I apologize, but since no one is answering I am going to—"
"H-help me…" She sobbed. "Please, I need your help!"
The line went silent for a while. It took a few seconds for the man on the other line to answer.
"I see." His voice was emotionless. "You would need to book a consultation for tomorrow. Unfortunately, we are already closed. I can give you a vacant time on—"
"Closed?! No, y-you don't understand! I need your help now!"
"If you are having some thoughts of suicide, I could get you transferred to the suicide line or—"
"No! That's not it! I-I…I am not suicidal!"
Anna heard an exasperated sigh.
"Are you pranking me then?" His voice sounded annoyed. "I am going to drop this call. I have already spent so much time on the phone, I should've dropped this call already!"
"Wait!" Anna desperately held on to her lifeline. "I-I need your help! If you drop this call…I cannot wait another night! The…beast inside me…it might—" She bit her lip, trying to hold the tears.
"Beast? Huh?" The voice answered. "Hmm…Go on."
She felt hesitant telling more than what she already did, but it was her only chance to get heard.
"Two nights ago…" She took a deep breath. "I changed into—"
The door suddenly opened; Rico went in with a huge smile on his face, carrying plastic bags filled with groceries.
"I am home!" He almost sounded like he was about to crack into a song.
Anna immediately dropped the call, stood up, and gave him the widest grin she could, hoping that Rico didn't hear any part of that disturbing conversation.