Luke Spooner’s illustration for “Beast Mode” is the last piece I’ll be sharing on this website, and it is a great image to cap off the little preview I started a couple weeks ago.

Here’s an excerpt from the opening of the story. This is the monster’s grand entrance, and the sad exit for several members of a violent biker gang in the American Southwest:

“Blister touched the door knob with all the grace of falling snow and then he wrenched it open. Gunfire and shotgun blasts; smoke and light. When it cleared, there was nothing outside that door except full moon and dark night.

            One last growl that sounded like it came from everywhere.

            The wall behind the jukebox crushed in. One of the women screamed. An enormous animal came out of the dark and picked up the jukebox. The closest biker stared upward in disbelief. Then he was smashed under the heavy machine.

            Gunshots rang out. The beast didn’t budge, just sniffed the air. Jaws opened wide and the creature roared like a freight train. Everyone in the bar was stunned. And then it moved.

            It moved so fast, like the ground in those dreams where you’re falling, except you didn’t wake up after this. Ripped a man open; entrails steamed in a pile on the floor. No time to scream. A biker’s face hit the mirror behind the bar. One of the women was run through with her own rifle.

            Blister tripped on body parts, fell to the floor.

            The monster lumbered to him.”

***

Well, you can probably guess what happens after that. The werewolf gives him a big hug and kiss! Then everyone parts ways and never speaks of the incident ever again.

Ok, so maybe that’s not what happens. Maybe Blister gets brutally murdered? I wrote “Beast Mode” a couple years ago and it’s gotten fuzzy since then.

I remember listening to two songs an awful lot while writing the first draft of this story. One song was “The Jig Is Up” off of El-P’s Cancer For Cure. . .

 

. . .and the other song was “MEN TODAY” off of HEALTH’s Death Magic.

 

These seemed appropriate for a Death Wish-style werewolf romp.

 

NOW THAT WE’RE ALONE will be out next week. I’ll have copies at Necon, along with Necrosaurus Rex. Come give me a hug!