Crimson Ballet chapter 1

The Johnson Academy of Mental Health seemed to dominate the small town of Mitsport. 1

I stared at it long and hard, though I was more or less focusing on the pigeons on the roof, other than the magnificent structure they perched upon. Animals were always the first things I saw when looking at something; it didn’t really matter where I was. 2

The JAM, as it was called, reminded me of one of those old-fashioned hospitals, which, technically, it was. 3

I can’t really say why I was here. Heck, who cares? Maybe it was the insane night at the bar that sent me up this way. Who knows? But for whatever the reason, here I was, standing at the foot of the stairs, staring up at the awesome building. 4

I was pondering the thought when a hand suddenly clapped down on my shoulder.
“What the hell?! Barley!!”5

Jonathan Barley chuckled softly. Not quite tall nor short, Jonathan, or Barley, as I referred to him, was the perfect height. He was the leading scientist in a flourishing study of the natural world, and also a professor at the local college. 6

As always, he wore a long, flowing lab coat and dark glasses, though I noticed he was wearing jeans and sneakers under the heavy coat.7

“Good day, Iris. What brings you here, may I ask? I thought you had no interest in visiting such places.”8

I gave him a withering glance, answering unsteadily, “I…I’m not sure. Never do that again, you jerk!”9

Jonathan looked concerned. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to sneak up on you like that.”10

Sighing, I dug my hands into my shorts pockets. Besides the navy shorts, I wore a black t-shirt and worn sandals, two times too big for my feet. My short hair fuzzed out at various angles and my glasses, (I wore them because I disliked contacts), were smudged from fingers continuously shoving them back into place. 11

Next to Barley, who was a very neat and organized fellow, I felt like a fool, the town jester come out into the light. “S’okay, Bar.” I muttered.12

He smiled, a rare occurrence. “Come, Iris. While you’re here, why don’t you visit the lab? Few have seen it, and I haven’t let the paper get any information on its progress-I dislike having a crowd of bumbling fools outside my door while I’ll working.”13

“You don’t carve up people in there, do you?” I chewed on a nail, thinking of how to get out of a trip to some half-finished scientist lair.14

“Mm, that’s the issue with technology. Put it in front of someone and they get brainwashed.” A man came up, nodding to the doctor and smiling at me. 15

Barley nodded back, turning towards me. “Indeed, too much television, is it? Iris, this is Silas Johnson, son of the institute’s founder.”16

I studied the man with faint interest, eyes roving over his magnificent form. He was tall, with long auburn hair that fell gorgeously over his shoulders in thick rolling locks. His eyes were a rich brown, dark, and traced by soft flecks of gold. 17

He had the essence of a powerful creature, muscles rippling gently in flow with each movement of his body. He had the light muscling of a soccer player, which made me wonder if he played the sport.18

I noted that he, like Barley, wore a long lab coat, under which I caught a glimpse of dark slacks and a loose button-down shirt. Slowly, I raised my eyes back to the man’s face.19

Barley was speaking again. “Iris’s mother was good friends with mine, so we saw a lot of each other in our youth.”20

The man, Silas, nodded understandingly. “I see, Jonathan, but will you ever introduce me to your charming friend?”21

Barley slapped himself in the face. “Oh, of course! Forgive me, Silas. I seem to forget myself in conversation nowadays. Silas, this is an old friend of mine, C. Iris Myer.”22

Silas’s smile widened. He bowed, taking my hand in his, and said reverently, “Iris, what a beautiful name! But alas, the name is left behind when it comes to beauty, for the maiden it was bestowed upon is far more radiant than even the sun. Indeed, you are a flower, Madame!”23

I think I colored a little, for I felt a slight burning sensation in both my cheeks and ears. If I did, no one seemed to notice. Shuffling my feet awkwardly, I returned the man’s bow with a quick, clumsy curtsy. I was not given to talking to strangers, let alone exchange greeting with them, so this formality was new to me. “Um…thanks…”24

Silas beamed, dipping low in yet another bow. “Any day, Milady, a valiant beauty such as you should receive compliment hence the moment you step outdoors. It is a pleasure to be in your presence.”25

Barley shook his head mournfully. “Silas, Silas, what will I do with you? Leave the poor girl alone. She doesn’t need to be overwhelmed by your games. Come along, Iris, and don’t mind him. The laboratory is just up these stairs, to the right.”26

Silas, whose face seemed frozen in a constant grin, took hold of my hand. “To the lab, mm? Wonderful, I was headed there myself! Allow me, dear lady.” Silas glided elegantly towards the steps, towing me along with him. 27

Shaking his head, Jonathan followed at a slower, more sedate pace, murmuring, “Don’t do anything foolish Silas…not again. Please, not again.”28

But no one was around to hear him. 29

Silas had already hauled me up the flight of stairs and was propelling me into a large, chillingly white building, by the time Barley mounted the first stair. 30

Completely dumbfounded by the events of the day thus far, I had only a second to muse over how I even got to the Academy, before I was dragged into a dark, eerie hall, with a single door at the very end. 31

I didn’t see Barley enter, for I was being tugged along by Silas, toward the room. 32

Had I looked back, I would have noticed the malicious gleam in Barley’s eyes as he shut the door quietly. 33

The lock clicked and a key vanished into the pocket of a lab coat. Silently, Jonathan Barley walked to the room at the end of the hall.34

*Part 2*35

I looked around at the laboratory, which was more or less a large, white room, filled with tables, equipment, and quite a few assistants. 36

I saw a door towards the back, and a fire exit. The walls were bare and the floor stained white linoleum. I spotted sections of the wall where ovens, and stoves had once stood, the areas where they had once stood marked out by the faded patches where new paint had never been applied. 37

“This was a kitchen?” I asked, incredulous.38

Silas nodded, motioning with a wave of his hand. “Yep. They used to prepare the meals for the Academy here, but after my father inherited the place, he moved the kitchens to another building. Got tired of the complaints, you see. The area was vacant, no one had use for it, save for storage. That’s when I met Jonathan. I was the one who suggested he come and set up here.”39

“Why?” I muttered. Why anyone would ask a scientist like Barley to move in next to them was unknown to me.40

“Because, science can be a great help to the patients here, Iris. We can develop new medicines, theories, and in short find ways to help these poor people go on.”41

I jumped at Barley’s voice. Turing, I found him standing directly behind me, a curious gleam in his eyes. 42

Suddenly nervous, I shrugged and inched back a few paces. “Um….sure, whatever you say.” 43

I was vaguely aware of several pairs of eyes focused on me. The sounds I had heard when I entered were gone, and in place of the noises was an ominous silence. The assistants stood still, their bodies tense, as if waiting for something. I swallowed.44

Silas put a comforting hand on my shoulder and winked. “The light in here does strange things, Miss. The patterns of light can reflect oddly of certain surfaces, I’ve found. In some instances, it adds a strange glow to the eyes, and can be very unsettling. There’s nothing to worry about.”45

I would have been fine with that explanation, had it not been for the assistants all around the room. They were coming steadily forward, one moving forward when I focused on another. 46

I noted how they were forming in a circle, and also how, even at different angles, all their eyes glimmered with a sinister radiance. 47

Every now and then one of them would pause, their tongue snaking out to run over teeth or lips. This bothered me immensely. It was almost as if I were a rabbit, cornered by a pack of hungry wolves.48

Jonathan Barley began to make soft whining noises, edging towards me, though his gaze seemed fixated on Silas. Silas stood his ground, unperturbed. I backed up several more paces, almost bumping into Silas as I tried to get away from Barley. “What’s going on? What is this?!”49

Jonathan began growling, inhuman snarls and howls ripping from his throat. His skin began to quiver and ripple, the most unnatural thing I ever saw. 50

I gagged, covering my mouth with both hands, as sickening snaps echoed in my ears. Barley’s bones were rearranging, reshaping into different forms. His eyes popped, his nails lengthened into thick claws. Teeth were replaced by fangs, and all over his body grew long, dark fur. 51

“Bar…ley…” I gaped, horror rooting me to the floor. More cracking and the eerie cries of wolves told me that the assistants were also changing. Suddenly, I felt a hand on mine. Silas grinned, pulling me in close to his side. 52

“Well, well. So the rumors were true, Professor.” 53

Silas sneered, “An ingenious scientist baffles all of humanity with his intelligence, while people around the world go missing. Those missing are later found, eyes gorged out, necks snapped, and limbs mangled. How odd, that every such case, you were the one they called up to investigate the crime. Wolf!”54

Barley reared onto his hind legs. I realized that, although he looked like a wolf, his body was a sort of complex cross between a wolf and a man. 55

He stood a good head higher than me, but much shorter than Silas, his body a mass of hard muscle and steely sinew. Baring his fangs, Barley gave forth a sound I identified as a laugh. 56

“Fool! How pathetic, that a lycanthrope could outwit your kind, whilst playing at your own games! A filthy beast such as you should not be allowed to walk the streets alongside man.”57

Silas smirked, tightening his grip on my hand. “So your kind shall be able to roam free? I think not. Why do you think I invited you here? I knew you couldn’t be a true human. Amazing, that you call me fool, for as I see it, you’re the one who fell headfirst into the trap.”58

I found I couldn’t get a word in edgewise, and frankly, I didn’t care. I let them carry on with their tirade for what seemed like a lifetime, than tentatively raised my hand. “Um…”59

Silas was the first to notice. “Oh, yes. I’d almost forgotten you were there. What’s wrong?”60

I stared at him. Unable to stop myself, I spat out, “What’s wrong?! Besides the fact one of my oldest friends has lied to me for years, I’m surrounded by a pack of rabid wolves, Barley is really a werewolf, and you’re crushing my hand, I’m not sure, what’s wrong?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”61

Silas looked as if I’d struck him. He released my hand, gazing at me with something akin to disbelief. 62

He remained speechless, dark eyes wide and hurt. I couldn’t really tell why. Maybe it was because I yelled?63

Barley cackled. “I too, had forgotten about you. I’m sorry to say this of an old friend, but I have lost any interest in being around you. In my research, I found out what you truly are, and it displeased me greatly to learn the truth. In a whole, I asked you here originally to take you out of the picture, but then Silas happened to come along. What a wonderful opportunity to be rid of my enemies.”64

I blinked, slowly. “I’m your enemy?”65

Crouching, Barley gave a low, mournful sound. “Now that I know the truth, yes. I may regret this later, but I must protect man and ensure the survival of my own race.”66

“Beg pardon? Are you saying I’m not a human!?”67

Jonathan shuddered, shaking his head. 68

“You are not human. I know what you would ask next, so I’ll tell you why I must protect humans. Lycanthropes are humans afflicted by a curse. We can either be born as lycanthropes, who are humans who take full wolf form, or be turned, as I was. Those turned are more off mutants, that when transformed, appear both wolf and human, a splendid hybrid. We must protect man if our species is to continue, for there are few true lycanthropes born between a period of a million years, and we are hardly immortal.”69

‘That doesn’t really make sense to me...’ I swallowed the fear rising in my throat, glancing nervously around at the werewolves gathered nearby. “If I’m not human, what am I then?”70

Barley’s eyes flashed, and the fur began rising along his back. Baring his fangs, he leaned slightly back on his haunches, as if getting ready to leap. “An enemy, Iris, an enemy. You are a threat to my kind. I’m going to have to kill you.”71

I felt my heart thudding in my chest, as I repeated what Barley had said. “Kill me?!”72

“Yes.” With that, the wolf launched himself at me, paws extended, fangs dripping saliva. 73

A scream of pain rent the air, and I watched, in a daze, as blood arched through the air. The crack of bone was audible, and then I blacked out, red blurring my vision.74