Page 23 of Zombies, Satyrs and Vampires, Oh My!

chapter

one

Jace

Once upon a time, I was someone special.

I was respected and revered and important. At least in the academic circles I traveled in. I gave a TED Talks about musical composition theory. I gave lectures about using music in neurorehabilitation. People knew my face and my name.

Then one fateful night I drank something at a local town’s Halloween party. I hadn’t even wanted to go, but my fiancée—at the time—insisted. Of course, she didn’t have any of the punch, so she didn’t transform into some mythic beast. Nope, that was me and a huge chunk of the town’s population.

Then after transforming, I drank more, hoping it would change me back. That’s when the real trouble started.

It’s one thing to grow horns and a tail and have the bottom half of your body turn into that of an oversized goat. That was curse number one. The second curse came after that second drink.

I felt it immediately, though only one aspect changed in the physical sense. Animalistic intensity coursed through my being, altering my normal civilized and proper personality into one only focused on the baser needs.

My cock grew and hardened, and it would be a few days after that I realized this was the real second curse. Because no matter how much stroking or tugging, nothing brought me satisfaction. Nothing brought release.

You know that commercial that said, “if you have an erection for more than four hours…” I remember laughing at that when I was human. It’s not so funny anymore.

I am a satyr.

If you don’t know anything about the legendary beasts, perhaps you should pop into a museum and see some early depictions of my kind. Though some myths portray me as having equine-like features, the only part of my body resembling a horse is my dick. The rest of me is part man, part goat.

The man I used to be is no more. Dr. Jason Ramsey now exists only in written lectures and those are getting few and far between. The longer I go without physical relief, the more my humanity wanes.

I’m told what I need is my fated mate. The one person out there who loves me unconditionally and that I love in return. Supposedly when there is copulation in that circumstance, the curse is lifted and a satyr—though still physically a satyr—can at least receive the pleasure of a climax.

But the night I was turned, I was with my fiancée. She even stayed with me for a week or two after my transition. She tried, but ultimately she did not love me. In truth, I did not love her either.

I can’t try again because my needs are too far gone. I would rather rip my own heart out of my chest than hurt another living being.

So … yeah. The only way for me to retain my humanity is to fuck a woman I love and who loves me. Do I dare risk unleashing my desires on a woman I care about?

I think we both know the answer to that question.

I may be a mythical creature, but I’m not a total monster. At least not yet.

So I hide in my house, only venturing out at night when I can be swallowed up by the shadows and darkness.

chapter

two

Harriet

So, this all started when my best friend, Vivian, went to this town called Screaming Woods. That's not really the original name of the town, but it's what they call it now because it's a town full of monsters. I can't recall the actual name of the town, and maybe they’ve even officially changed it. The point is that everyone calls it Screaming Woods and rumors are all over the internet that monsters roam free here, walking and talking like the rest of us.

Vivian and I had watched an online documentary about the town and we both became obsessed. Okay “documentary” is probably too a strong word for it. It was really just a guy with his phone camera taking some really fuzzy footage of what may or may not have been monsters in this town. Still, something about the whole thing was convincing enough. Vivian and I became believers.

The fact that Vivian writes horror novels and I’m obsessed with mythology and lore probably helped sway our thoughts.

I know. I know what you’re thinking—monsters aren't real. But in Screaming Woods they are.

So here's the thing: after Vivian got to Screaming Woods, all this amazing stuff happened to her. Not all of it was good, but most of it was truly wonderful. Which is why I drove here myself. Obviously, I wanted to see the monsters for myself, but I came to help Vivian. She’s my ride or die. While I’m more than happy to let her ride into a happily ever after with a sexy zombie on her own, she was still in real danger and there was no way I was letting her die on her own.

Which brings me to tonight. Here I am, on my rescue mission, simultaneously trying to be a badass and not get lost.