BEAST WIFE

[GLKnight]

Marcus Everett had been counting down the hours until work ended. Like always, he was quick and efficient. In I.T., you're inundated with the mundane and most insipid calls about this and that. Working to ensure that the heart of whatever government or corporation you found yourself tied to ran smoothly. Ants keeping other ants in line while the queen did nothing for their throne. But the job paid extremely well. His medical benefits were stellar, given he was working for the United States Government in a remote sector maintaining their servers. And he could keep to his hours without too much worry over his mental health's safety.

He wasn't doing this job for the pay, after all. He was doing it for his wife. He was doing it for Callie.

Once the clock hit 1700, when it was finally 5 PM, he was no longer theirs. He was hers. Pushing away from his seat, he made quick work for the door. No interactions, no conversations. He didn't mind talking on the clock, but he was no one's after work. No going out for a beer at a local bar, no private parties. He had to hit the store and head to Callie. She was the only thought in his head.

The store was obviously his first stop. She had to be extremely hungry. Grabbing the cart, he quickly moved down the aisles. Breads, cheeses, snacks. And most importantly, meats. Lots of meat. A vast majority of his cart was nothing but meats, this time. He had just gotten her a freezer to store stuff so she could take something out and cook it whenever she wanted. But her appetite was insane lately. She took to devouring whatever she could when she could. Which is why he had to get her some more variety for her diet. When she ate more protein, it would impact her greatly. But some of the side effects were extreme, even for him. And sadly, he couldn't deny her what she craved. So he had to temper it with a promise of often items.

It helped that when she ate more than just meats, it also seemed to balance her out. Which was good.

But the looks on cashiers faces when they saw just how much he bought at any given time held nothing but surprise. Steaks, roasts, filets and so much more. He had to make excuses about dinner parties or trying new recipes, this and that. All to cover up potential rumors. Which were bad.

He couldn't let rumors get out. He didn't want to draw attention, but he had to do what he had to do. He'd rather lie than let a rumor lead to truth. He couldn't draw too much attention. Which is why the second stop was the gas station to fill up his truck. He had a several mile drive to make up into the hills. Away from prying eyes, from cameras and people with phones. From any sort of inconvenient glimpse and lookey-loo who might go snooping. He had to head to the abandoned factory way outside of town which he was able to buy for relatively cheap. It cost a lot to fix it up, eating away at their savings. But it became a sanctuary. It became a sort of home, big enough for the two of them. Merely a precaution, mind you. But big enough. Especially for Callie.

[GLKnight]

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[jcboyd]

Intrigued.  And by intrigued, I mean SALIVATING   

[Jaguar]

Great start !  Tell us more !!!

[GLKnight]

As he pulled up to the front of the old factory, Marcus killed the engine and took a breath. His mind drifting to a year before as he loaded the bags of groceries into the awaiting trolley on the tracks leading inside.

"Keep up, Coach!"

It was their fourth anniversary. Callie had always been the athletic type, growing up tall and strong with a natural competitor's spirit. In comparison, he was always more of an average man with an analytical mind. Capable of extrapolating and figuring out solutions to problems regardless of the situation. Callie pegged him instantly as someone who could help people train to be the best, calling him Coach as a reflexive term of endearment.

"I'm trying! These hills aren't kind to guys like me, though!"

This is why they had come to the Sagatoas, a formerly remote section of forest that had recently been opened to the populace. There were plenty of rumors about why they had been closed off - from secret government experiments to cryptids that couldn't be found anywhere else despite neither hide nor hair actually ever being found. But land management had completely revitalized the terrain, from the resplendent forests to the clearest and deepest lake in all the country.

Callie originally proposed for a full on camping experience, complete with tent and minimal supplies. But Marcus had gotten her to agree to renting a cabin, which not only offered electricity and cell signal, but also running showers and comfy beds. Which worked in Callie's favor, as this was their last gasp of freedom before actively trying for children. A full week of alone time in the woods. With plenty of hills and mountains for Callie to explore and enough privacy at night for Marcus to explore her.

"Well, I'm more than kind enough to you, aren't I?" Callie asked, seductively wrapping her arms around her husband. Snuggling her athletic frame up to him as he tried to catch his breath on the trail they were hiking back to their cabin.

"You're my kind..." he playfully replied, pulling her tighter to him. Kissing her lovingly underneath the purple and pinks and golds of the gloaming sky. Too lost in each other's company to pay attention to the beauty of nature.

"As nice as this is," she said, breaking the kiss and taking his hand. "You and I need a shower before we start dinner. What say you to some fish and veggies?"

"We're on vacation," he reminded her as she dragged him away. "You can take a break from your diet, you know."

"No can do! You know I'm still in training, mister!"

"You only joined that Crossfit class a month ago! You don't need to go that hard, do you?"

Her smile was brighter than the mid-day sun. Her angular face, paired with tanned skin and dark hair gave her a model's gaze as she gave her love a "you know me" look. Cutting all his questions down before even needing to be asked.

"Alright, alright. At least share some cake with me, then?"

"Deal!" she laughed, breaking into a jog as she drew him back to the cabin as night fell on the forest.

[ArkhamAsylum]

An interesting first part. I wonder what's up with the wife, besides being big. I look forward to reading more.

[GLKnight]

His memory drifted back to reality as he put the last bag into the trolley. Looking upwards, his eyes caught the roiling clouds that darkened the already oncoming night sky. He sighed, wearily. He didn't like the rain. And with the factory already being drafty enough as is, this meant that tonight was gonna be cold, which he wasn't looking forward to. Grumbling as he pulled out his keys, Marcus could already tell he wasn't going to be having an issue not falling asleep tonight.

The trolley was weighted down, but not enough to be a real issue like the creeping moisture he could feel on the back of his neck. So he got his complaints out now before getting inside, throwing his gripes as he pushed the groceries up to the door. But when he gave them a compulsory tug, he found them unlocked. Meaning one of two things that immediately came to mind.

Either someone unlocked them from the outside, which was impossible given he had the only set of keys.

Or Callie had left the factory and forgotten to lock them when coming back in, which was the most likely answer. He didn't want her to feel trapped, after all. But he had to keep her safe. Or, at least, ensure someone's safety...

"Callie," he called out as he pushed open the doors with the trolley. "You left the doors-!"

Before he even entered the factory, the smell hit him like a tidal wave. Wet meat. Fresh and strong. Flesh and bone and viscera permeated the darkened floor, causing Marcus to gag. It would have been one thing if this was a meat packing facility, giving an odd sense of belonging. But this factory was an automated industrial plant dedicated to building car parts. The scent of faded oil and moldering metal and wood was the norm he was used to. He had to stumble over to a wall, his strides in restrained, sweeping motions to make sure they never met contact with anything unusual, to find the lights. Hitting the breaker, the old factory flickered to life as the plant's infrastructure shuddered into view.

"Callie..."

There, a scant few feet in front of the trolley, lay the fresh carcass of a stag. The thing was partially devoured, torn to shreds on the factory floor in a pool of its own drying blood, caked by the dust and debris in the gory wake of Callie's hunger. The poor thing had no chance against her, bent and twisted in ways that even the strongest animals struggled to do. Where it remained intact, its innards had been forced through. Bones piercing flesh, leftover organs splayed out like a rug of meat. From the expression on its face, it had thankfully died quickly. Tongue lolled out, its dull, lifeless eyes looking up pitifully at Marcus. He knew he'd have to clean this thing up, but the bile rising in his throat prevented him from even thinking of that for now.

He heard the gallop of stomping feet, followed by the slam of a large sliding door. And without an ounce of doubt, he knew who it was.

"Callie!"

Rushing through area after area, he ran like a madman towards their sleeping quarters. Skidding to a halt at the sight of a large bloody handprint on the bluish metal sliding door.

"Callie? Are you okay?"

"No," came a gruff, powerful growling voice. "Eat stag. Bad."

"The stag was bad?" he asked, putting his hand on the door to open it.

"No! I eat! Bad!"

The sound of low sobs rebound through the door as Marcus slowly opened it. He peered into the dimly lit room, capturing a hulking figure underneath a bloody sheet. Its massive frame tremoring as it cried.

"Eating's not bad," he told her, slowly walking into the room. "But you know you can't just-"

A soft rustling crunch beneath his foot caused him alarm, stopping him mid-step. He looked down, slowly lifting his foot to see what he had stepped on. Human teeth, laying in some drops of blood. Only a few, but both blood and teeth were fresh. Meaning this kill caused her to change more. The figure under the sheets suddenly ceased its sobbing, lifting its head visibly.

"Stay back," she warned Marcus. "More changes. Scared!"

"Callie," he hushed, slowly moving closer. "Don't be scared. I'm here now, okay?"

He carefully reached out, aiming to put his hand on a large bump in the sheet. He watched her twitch, moving underneath as if too scared to let him touch her. But he remained calm, keeping his hand steady as he gently placed it on her knee. Slowly rubbing her kneecap and shin, as if she were some wild animal that needed a reminder of kindness. He could feel some of her prior mutations, even through the sheet. The bony bumps along the top of her kneecap. The bloated muscle of her lower leg. His touch seemed to calm her, causing her to release a relaxed sigh of recognition. He watched as she slowly moved her arm, uncovering the high tension cable that was her powerful limb. A huge clawed hand connected to an almost barrel like forearm below an obscene bicep, almost twice what a human was capable of building with training in size. Her tanned skin now a light reddish black color as she tentatively reached out for his hand. The bony spikes of her knuckles slowly extending on reflex as she trembled. Anxiously placing her hand over his as she began to lowly sob once more.

[jcboyd]

Well.. that "beast" reference was not expected....

[GLKnight]

Well.. that "beast" reference was not expected....

I sure as shooting wasn't referring to "beast mode"! lol

[Momol]

Nice twist

[ArkhamAsylum]

Well' I didn't expect Callies changes to be so severe. Hopefully she and Marcus will be okay in the end.

[evanw]

I didn't realize I would be, but I'm actually really into this! Can't wait to see the reveal, the cause, and thr changes along the way.

[GLKnight]

Across the next few hours, Marcus spent his time doing as many tasks as possible, as quickly as possible. Between calming his wife down, putting away the groceries, cleaning up the carcass and solidifying blood and destressing as much as he could, his mind was a flurry of anxiety and memories. Every search he had entered into the mainframes at work when he believed no one was paying attention had given up nothing. No hits, no secondary references, not even registry notes.

Work was eating at him. Taking care of Callie was eating at him. The mounting sense of failure was eating at him. And most importantly, the growing sensation of powerlessness was eating at him as the 11 PM mark struck. Checking in on Callie, the mound that was her form underneath the recently changed blankets as she slept soundly in the darkened room, he sighed wearily. He wanted to comfort her more, desiring a cuddle session he had not gotten in months. But there was literally no room in the bed. So he slowly slid the door shut and resigned himself to another night of the hideaway bed within the couch in the main floor of the factory. Crawling onto its mattress and falling into conflicted sleep himself.

His dreams took him once more into his memories, back to the fateful night he wistfully thought of before the carcass earlier that evening. Of the meal he shared with Callie. Of the romance as they embraced each other beneath the stars. Of the taste of flesh, the warmth of love. The pleasant pressure of pleasure that only those bonded on levels beyond the soul experience. The almost indescribable sleep he was in the midst of. And then the sound of Callie's voice, calling him as she shook his shoulder.

"Coach! Wake up, honey!"

"Mmfrngh...," he grumbled, struggling to open his eyes. "Why's it dark?"

"Marcus!" she scream whispered, jostling him strongly as she pointed out the nearby window. "Look!"

When she called him by his name, that was when he knew Callie was being serious. His eyes followed her hand towards the window, out into the forest where a bright red light at the top of a nearby hill that had never shone before was blinking brightly.

"That's new."

He felt Callie shifting on the bed, clearly ready to explore the phenomena.

"Let's go, Coach! Get dressed!"

"Do we have to?" He groaned, getting some clean clothes thrown in his face for asking.

"It might be an emergency," Callie growled, quickly slipping on a tank top and shorts. "Someone might be hurt, honey! We have to make sure!"

Marcus knew she was right. She was always good about this sort of thing. It was this awareness and ability to respond to any scenario that won her so many accolades in Volleyball over her high school and college career. If her instinct was to go investigate it, then that was most likely the right call. Forcing him to hurry and get dressed as Callie tied her shoes.

"Do you know where the flashlights are?"

"I know where the lanterns are," she sputtered, quickly jogging out of the room. "Meet me by the front door, okay?"

As he reached for his sneakers, Marcus gave a big yawn. Quickly sliding his feet in without socks and stumbling into the living room.

"How does she have so much energy?" he grunted, scratching his head through his light brown hair before stretching. The sounds of his wife's footsteps quickly bounding into the room.

"Got'em," she shouted, pulling the top of the electric lanterns up to effectively flashbang the entryway. The light shining so bright, the world turned white and faded away in an instant. Slowly opening his eyes, Marcus groaned as reality forced itself back into view once more. Bundling under the covers, he breathed deep. A comforting ache settling into his bones as he realized he had woken up before the timer on his phone had gone off for yet another morning. With a sigh and a groan, he threw off his blankets and sat up. Bleary eyed as the morning chill sank into him once more.

"God damn it..."

[GLKnight]

"Did you catch the game last night, Marc?"

Marcus wanted to cringe as soon as Eddie asked him the question. He had barely been able to start a new inquiry search into the background of the third server bay after looking through the ludobytes of records in the three thousandth subsystem of the second. And now he was being sprung on with banter. It was no secret that he wasn't into sports, per se. He was into what his wife did, but that's about it. But he knew what his coworker was doing. Forcing him to put on the mask once more and turn away from his station.

"Uh, no. Who played?"

As the gawky manager droned on and on about last night's game for whatever sport where whatever teams played in whatever city, Marcus only had one thing going through his head, over and over. A mantra of "shut up and go away", blasting through his thoughts at high speed. Panic at being discovered shooting through his body as adrenaline slowly filtered through his body. He was struggling to keep cool - the lack of sleep, the carnage he cleaned up last night, the fear of failure to save Callie sitting in him like a bubble of bile in his throat. A knife's edge tension as he feigned interest while Eddie droned on and on about different topics he neither cared for nor wanted to spend any time on.

He passively played the diligent and friendly technician as his other crew members joined and left the discussion. Cici talking about her husband's new interest in woodworking. Joey talking about the latest fursuit he was able to finance with working animatronic features. Dole mentioning how their family was finally coming around on their coming out as non-binary since starting HRT five months prior.

In any other situation, Marcus would be investing in their lives. Learning their stories. But now? The current life he secretly led? The secrets he had to keep? The secrets he had to look for? No, he couldn't bring them into that. Keep the facade. Keep them away. Don't reveal the looming shadow of what happened to his-

"...Wife?"

"I'm sorry?" Marcus asked, caught off guard by the question.

"I said," Eddie asked, pointing at Marcus' phone by his console. "Is that your wife messaging you?"

Quickly turning, Marcus grabbed his phone and made for the door outside. Shouting apologies as anxiety gave way to embarrassment. Once he was outside the facility, he quickly scampered across the gravel parking lot and rushed to the nearby tree line to get out of sight of the surveillance feed and its audio setup. Once in relative safety, he gave himself a moment to let his heart settle down before glancing at his phone.

Callie: go for run
Callie: is okay?

He was glad that he had learned she could still do rudimentary things despite how much she had changed. Even though it meant having to adapt. And there was a bit of a learning curve that required replacing a few tablets big enough for her to use comfortably regarding communication and entertainment. But she hadn't broken or punctured anything for a while, now, which was a good sign.

Marcus: Yeah, it's okay.
Marcus: You're gonna stay close to the factory, right?
Marcus: Just want to make sure you stay safe.

As he waited for her reply, he nervously kept eying the door to the building. He didn't want anyone to come out and ask him why he was way over in the trees instead of by the door where the cigarette bin was. He didn't wanna make more excuses or lies. Most of all, he didn't want anyone to be suspicious of him. So he had to stay vigilant.

He felt his phone vibrate.

Callie: promise
Callie: stay close
Callie: love you, coach

He breathed a sigh of relief at her messages.

Marcus: Love you, honey.
Marcus: See you when I get home.

Gathering his composure, he took a deep breath before jogging back across the wide parking lot and went back to work. He had to keep looking for info about anything the government might have stored away to aid him and Callie.

It was their fault she was transforming in the first place.

[GLKnight]

Stepping outside the factory doors, Callie could practically taste the rain coming in. The dark and roiling overcast skies were an excellent addition for what she needed on her run today. Stretching languidly, she could feel every fiber of her body joyously screaming to be used. Her belly full from the roast Coach had left for her, fully cooked with a slew of sides. She always felt better after a complete meal, for some reason. Her mind worked better after eating more than just meat. Though she had to admit, the way she felt after devouring some raw flesh and muscle and bone was intoxicating.

But whenever she did, she felt unfocused. Like she could feel her mind was slowing down. And every time she did consume meat raw, it scared her. Not just because her body underwent more extreme changes, though those sensations would always be alien to her. It was how much she enjoyed the experience. The lingering taste of raw meat. The way it sat in her stomach. The way she could feel her body digesting it. It was like she felt it coursing through her. Making her bigger, faster, stronger. The way her body sang like sunlight, warmth coursing through every inch of her body. It reminded her of when she was given those supplements after the first week of Crossfit training by Leila. Her body taking to the pills the former soccer mom provided like water to a man slowly being mummified alive in the desert.

Last night was her first ever kill. The first time she ever devoured anything that still moved. She heard the stag bellowing as she sunk her claws into it before dragging it back to the factory in a hunger induced frenzy. Felt it thrashing as her grip tightened to keep in contained. Its hooves glancing off of her body as it kicked her stomach, chest and side. Heard its bones splintering. Its neck snapping once she was inside the factory, simply grabbing its antlers and twisting its head so fast and powerfully that it hung limply once let go.

A gross mismatch of predator and prey dynamics, as if she was playing with a doll. The satisfaction she felt as she ate her fill. The horror when she realized what she had done. The pain as she felt herself changing more. The nightmares she had of doing the same to her husband. She was scared beyond any rational notion. Of what she had done, yes. But also because of how good it felt. How natural it felt. And how much she truly enjoyed it.

As she looked down at the powerful things her hands had become, things of claws and extruding bones and strength, she swore she had to fight these urges. This was why she needed to run today. The fridge was stocked, a miracle of timing in her opinion. She had to try and keep this side of her under control through the only way she knew - relentless training. Everything had to be cooked. Everything had to be balanced. Everything had to be maintained. Everything had to be exhausted until there was nothing for her to actively want.

The beast inside her had to be restrained. She needed to be kept in check until Coach could find an answer. A part of her feared that he would be unable to stop what was happening to her, but she couldn't give in to that. Their lives were on the line - his safety, her humanity, the family they wanted. Every facet was being threatened by this thing she was turning into.

As she ran into the tree line, she made a secret promise. She was now competing with herself to remain in control of her very existence. Come Hell or high water, she was not going to let this thing she was being turned into win. And she was very used to winning.

[erocha75]

Awesome chapter. It is fabulous that we get to find a bit more about what is happening to Callie. And also hear her voice fighting back with all her might the transformation... It also feels like she is a person standing on a beach, trying to fight the tide...

Thank you.