Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2012 06:32:20 -0700 (PDT)
From: Richard Garcia <invertedbeast@yahoo.com>
Subject: Darkness Dwindles chapter 7

DARKNESS DWINDLES
Chapter Seven


The drive back home was mostly silent.  Daniel switched on FX radio and
played classical music.  They stopped only once, to refill the van.

"I keep thinking," said Daniel as they stood next to the pump listening to
the hum of flowing gas, "that the name -- Dr. Nicholas Fellers -- sounds
familiar.  I've heard it somewhere before."

"Sandy gave us his name," offered Joey.

"I swear, bro, sometimes you make no sense.  What the hell are you talking
about?  Who's Sandy?"

"Last month -- she was the lady in the ER.  She gave us two names.  The
doctor you went to see was one, and Dr. Fellers was the other."

"Shit, I think you're right.  Fellers was the shrink.  God damn it!"
Daniel turned to look back down the highway.  "Why did she give us the name
of a shrink?  Was that old bitch fucking with us?  We should go back."

"She's an old witch, Daniel.  She told us to not go back."

"Bitch, witch," Daniel grunted, "they're only one letter apart."
 He slid a glance at Joey.  "You know, other than those three lost days, I
have no evidence that any of this Darkness shit is true.  Maybe someone
slipped me Rohypnol in that bar and everything else has been a giant
conspiracy to fuck with my head."

"But Daniel, you turned into a bear-wolf."

"So you've said.  Maybe you're in on it, too."

"But Daniel -- "

Daniel cupped the back of Joey's neck in his hand and pulled him closer.
"I'm kidding, bro."  He squeezed gently.  "I believe you.  My shoulder
couldn't have healed like that.  I just wish I could remember what
happened."

Joey dropped his head until the hair fell over his eyes.

"Hey," Daniel brightened, "I've got an idea.  Next full moon let's set up a
tripod and catch the whole change thing on video.  I could use it to do a
series: self-portrait of the artist as a werewolf.  Wouldn't that be
something?"

Joey didn't answer.

Daniel gave Joey a final squeeze and released the back of his neck.  "We'll
see about this Fellers guy.  I know the old witch said to not go back, but
I swear if I need to I will."

When they got home Daniel dug out the discharge papers from Baxter County
ER.

"You're right," he said.  "It's him: Doctor Nicholas Fellers, trauma
specialist.  They've put down his number.  What the hell, I'll call and
make an appointment."

Two days later they went to their session with Dr. Fellers.

"So, I Googled this guy," Daniel said as he pulled his Porsche into the
parking garage of the downtown professional building.  "Found out he's
Board Certified in Neurology and is a Fellow of the Analytic Institute of
Switzerland.  Got a string of credentials as long as my arm.  The guy's an
uber-shrink."

Dr. Fellers' office was on the eleventh floor.  On the door was a simple
brass plaque that read "Fellers."  The door opened to a comfortable waiting
room with overstuffed furniture and warm incandescent lighting.

A young man in a long-sleeved cotton oxford and chino slacks emerged from a
side office.  "Are you Daniel and Joseph?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Daniel.

"Welcome."  Behind his neatly trimmed Van Dyke the man's expression was
solemn as an undertaker's.  "I'm John.  I have some paperwork for each of
you to fill out.  Dr. Fellers should be ready to see you shortly.  Can I
get either of you something to drink?"

"Sure," said Daniel.  "I'll take a scotch on the rocks."

"Sorry," John didn't crack a smile.  "No alcohol.  I have coffee, tea or
soft drinks."

"Yeah, I think we're good."  They sat down to fill out the paperwork.

Five minutes later a door at the far end of the waiting room swung open and
a portly man with frizzy white hair and a white beard popped through.  He
bounded forward, hand outstretched.

"Daniel!  Joseph!" he boomed, "so good to meet you both."  He shook their
hands vigorously, blue eyes twinkling behind round wire-rim glasses.

"My God," Daniel gaped.  "You're Doctor Santa Claus!"

Dr. Fellers nodded politely and gave Daniel a pleasant close-lipped smile.
His lips were strawberry red.

"Oops, sorry.  You probably get that a lot."

"I like your spontaneity.  Usually only the children are so direct.  Come
into my office."

Dr. Fellers' office was paneled in wood, with matching wooden blinds
covering floor-to-ceiling windows.  There was an antiquish writing table
next to a large carved wardrobe.  Bookshelves were filled with
leather-bound books and evocative-looking artwork, and there were several
comfortable armchairs arranged in an intimate conversational geometry.
And, of course, there was a couch.

Daniel sat in an armchair; Joey took the chair beside him.  Dr. Fellers
settled facing them.  The doctor steepled his hands together and regarded
them with a serene Buddha half-smile.  He waited.

"So," Daniel cleared his throat, "I guess I should say why we're here?"

"Oh, I already know why you're here.  You're a werewolf and your brother is
possessed."

"How do you -- Jesus fuck, what are you?!"

The doctor's smile had widened to reveal saliva-slickened fangs gleaming
between his strawberry red lips.

Daniel leapt up to stand protectively in front of Joey.

Dr. Fellers gave a jolly Santa laugh.  His fangs flashed.  "Don't be silly.
Sit down, dear boy, I'm not going to hurt you."

"Are you a werewolf too?"

"No, of course not."  The smile widened.  "I'm a vampire."

Daniel stared, frozen.

"Really," Dr. Fellers flapped his hands, "sit, sit.  I never bite patients.
It would be terrible for my practice."

Daniel's gaze flicked to the afternoon light streaming through the wooden
blinds.

"Yes," the doctor beamed.  "Sunlight.  Surely by now you've grasped that
the Hollywood version of the supernatural isn't very ... accurate?"

Slowly Daniel reseated himself.

"Thank you.  Now that you've seen my bona fides, let us proceed to the
matter at hand.  You have been informed that your brother is demonically
possessed, yes?"

"Yeah."  Daniel regarded the doctor suspiciously.

"Of course I am, dear boy."

"Jesus fuck," Daniel breathed, eyes wide.

"What is it, Daniel?"  Joey asked.

"Your brother wondered if I was reading his mind and I just assured him
that I am.  You have company, young man.  How long has your guest been
present?"

"He doesn't know."

"Actually," the doctor's twinkly blue gaze remained fixed on Joey, "he does
know.  How long has the demon been present?"

"He ... he came the night they called and said that Mom had died."

"Correct.  And he's come to you every night for the past six years, yes?"

Joey nodded.

"Jesus, Joey, why have you never said anything?"

Joey hung his head mutely.

"Why didn't he tell me?"  Daniel looked at Dr. Fellers.

"Demons are immaterial beings.  What form do you imagine it chose to assume
in your brother's mind?  What shape has it taken in its ... visitations
... for the past six years?  No, not his mother.  Nor your father, although
you're getting closer.  Ah, third time's the charm."

"No." Daniel closed his eyes.  "No, that can't be."

"I am afraid it is.  The incubus has chosen to appear as you."

"Incubus?"  Daniel's eyes flew open.

"Yes.  Your brother is possessed by a demon that feeds nightly off of his
libidinous energies.  Because the demon has assumed a male shape, it may be
called an incubus.  You've wondered why your brother is so asexual in his
appearance and demeanor.  It is because the incubus is consuming his sexual
energies."

Daniel stared at Joey in horror.  "Oh, little bro," he whispered, "I am so,
so sorry."  He looked at Doctor Fellers.  "Can you get rid of it?"

The doctor removed his glasses.  He took a snow-white handkerchief out of
his vest pocked and polished them.  "Well, yes, there is one way I most
likely can."  He slipped the glasses back on.

"What?"

"I can bite him."

"Son of a bitch!" Daniel tensed.  "You said you never bit patients."

"I don't.  It's unethical, not to mention unprofessional.  And you would
try to kill me.  I was merely answering your question, not proposing a
course of treatment."

Daniel slowly unclenched.  "Anything else?"

The doctor's strawberry lips frowned in thought.  "That a demon would
choose to dwell within a single host for so long is puzzling.  There must
be a reason for such unusual behavior.  I propose that I communicate with
the incubus to find out why it is behaving this way and what might motivate
it to leave."

"I thought you're supposed to never talk to the demon directly."

"Hollywood version.  You got that from watching The Exorcist on AMC one
Halloween night."

"Oh."  Daniel looked at Joey, still sitting hunched over in is chair.  "Is
that okay, little bro?"

Joey gave a tiny nod.  "What do I do?" he whispered.

"You go to sleep," Dr. Fellers answered.  "Now."

Joey slumped in his chair, suddenly unconscious.

"Son of a bitch."  Daniel stared down at Joey, then at Dr. Fellers.

The doctor gave him a cheerful wink.  "Professional trick.  Now give us a
few minutes of silence, please, while I have a chat with your brother's
uninvited guest."

Daniel sat while the vampire communed with a demon.

"Well, well, well," Dr. Fellers finally stirred.  He took his glasses off
and polished them again.  "Most informative.  Wake up, dear boy."

Joey sat up.  "Daniel," he yawned, rubbing his eyes with his fists, "I fell
asleep."

"I know, bro."  Daniel reached out to squeeze Joey's thigh.  "It's okay.
Right, doc?  Everything's going to be okay?"

Dr. Fellers stood up.  "I think we could all use a short break before we
continue."  He walked to the wardrobe and swung it open.  Inside was a bar
stocked with bottles, glasses and a small refrigerator.  The back of the
wardrobe was mirrored.

"Let's see," the doctor rubbed his hands together, "Daniel ordered scotch
on the rocks, but he prefers his scotch neat.  Let's do that.  Joey'll take
a Coke.  I believe I'll have a glass of port.  Ruby, of course," he gave
them a wink in the mirror.

He fixed the drinks and carried them back on a small silver platter.  The
brothers took their drinks.  The doctor settled down into his chair and
sipped his port.  Joey took a gulp of Coke.  Daniel regarded his scotch
suspiciously.

"You don't have to drink it," the doctor said, "but it's very good scotch
and nothing more.  I have no need to resort to drugs were my intentions
less than honorable."

Daniel took a sip.  His eyebrows lifted.  "Nice."

"Indeed.  Now, where were we?  I spoke with Joey's indweller, and what I
have learned is fascinating.  Before the demon possessed Joey it had been
indwelling within his mother.  No, it was not the cause of her insanity.
Rather, it took advantage of it to ... move in, shall we say.  In her
normal state of mind a witch of Mercedes' capabilities could have readily
repelled a demon.  After the breakdown she could not.  "During its
occupancy the demon went through Mercedes' memories.  You are already aware
of her quest to discover why the Darkness is dwindling.  This was not an
idle interest on her part; it was a consuming passion.  It was a passion
that your father shared."

"What?"  Daniel stared at the doctor.  "Is that what Dad was helping her
with?"

"He wasn't merely helping her with it.  They were full collaborators.  It
was their life's work.  Their Project, they called it."

"But Dad was a physicist.  He was a mathematician.  He didn't know anything
about magic."

"No, but Mercedes did.  She taught him the nature of Darkness, and he
attempted to build a model of the universe that would explain it.  This is
really quite fascinating."

Dr. Fellers looked at Joey.  "I am sorry I never met your parents in
person, my boy."

Daniel took a swig of his scotch.  He coughed.  "Okay, so what does the
damned thing want?"

"You recall that your father died in an accident driving home from the
airport."

"Yeah, I remember.  He'd just gotten back from a meeting."

"Correct.  Before he left the airport, he called Mercedes and left her a
message.  He said that he'd solved it.  He knew why the Darkness was
dwindling.  And his message implied that he'd learned something else as
well.  Those were the last words from him that your stepmother ever heard.
They were blazing in her mind when the demon took possession.

"When she died, it jumped to Joey because it wished to stay nearby.  It
wants to know what your father discovered."  The doctor steepled his
fingers together.  "Understand, it wants to know this like a starving man
is ravenous for a meal.  It is desperate to know."  Daniel nodded slowly.
"If we can find for it what Dad had figured out, could we get it to leave?"

"Yes.  Demons are open to ... contractual agreements, you could call them,
of just that sort."

"Okay, let's do it.  How do we make the contractual agreement?"

Dr. Fellers smiled.  "My dear boy, I already have.  Find out what your
father discovered and the demon will leave."

Daniel grunted.  "That's quick work."

"Well," the doctor's lips twitched, "I am a specialist."

"Okay," Daniel tossed back his scotch and placed the empty glass on the
tray.  "I guess we have some things to do.  Do we pay you, doc, or the guy
outside?"

"Not so fast, dear boy.  We've made some inroads into your brother's
condition, but thus far we have given no attention to your own issues."

"What, you mean the fact that I'm a werewolf?  Two different witches told
me that there's nothing that can be done about it.  Is that wrong?"

"No.  You are a werewolf and will be until the day you die."

"So what are you talking about?"

"I am talking about the three days of lost memory during your first
transition.  That is a concern."

"I thought that was just part of the moon gift."

"No.  Your brain did undergo changes during transition, and animals encode
memory differently from humans, but that is not the primary reason you
remember nothing."

"What is it?"

"You are manifesting dissociative amnesia in response to a severe
psychological trauma.  Part of the trauma is the experience of transition
itself.  The other part is what you did during conversion."

Daniel watched the doctor warily.  "I did something?  Shit.  Did I ... did
I kill someone?"

"No."  The doctor's bright blue gaze slid toward Joey, who was now hunched
over in his chair, staring at his hands as they clenched his knees.

"Did I hurt Joey?"  Daniel whispered.

"You raped him."

"What?!"  Daniel sprang out of the chair away from his brother.  "What the
fuck are you talking about?  That's sick!  I wouldn't do that!  I would
never do that!"

"You wouldn't, no.  But the beast would.  And did."

"Jesus fuck!"  Daniel wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.  "This
can't be happening.  That can't be right.  I'm straight.  I've never been
interested in guys.  Even if I were, I'd never do that to Joey!"

"The distinction between sexual orientations is not as firm even in the
human mind as you might think.  In the animal mind it is meaningless.  You
have been caring for your brother for the past eight years.  You love and
protect him.  When you transitioned, your animal mind put him into the only
category that it could understand: your mate."

"My mate?  Fuck, no!  He's my brother!  Sure, I love him, but he's not my
mate!"

"This is not something your human mind can choose.  It is what your beast
has decided.  Human taboos have no meaning for it."

Daniel turned away to begin pacing in front of the windows.  After a few
moments he turned back to the doctor.  "You said that you could bite Joey
and make the demon go away.  Can you bite me and make this go away?"

"Bite a werewolf?"  Dr. Fellers' bushy eyebrows rose in alarm.  "I think
not.  No, that would be most unwise."

"So what the fuck am I supposed to do?"

"The healthiest state you can achieve is that of integration between your
human and beast selves.  This will give you greater awareness and
self-control during transition phases.  You will, in a sense, be a bit more
human in your beast form.  Of course, the converse is also true.  You will
have a bit more of the beast in your human form.  And the beast has claimed
your brother as its mate."

Daniel pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes.  "I can't believe
this is happening."  He shuddered.  "I'm a werewolf, you're a vampire,
Joey's possessed and his mother was a witch.  Fine.  I can deal with it.
But this is impossible.  I can't believe what I'm hearing.  And you're
telling me I just have to deal.  This is so fucked up."

He shook his head.  "I gotta get out of here.  Are you done now, doc?  Have
you worked us over enough for one day?"

"Yes," Dr. Fellers rose from his chair.  "We can stop here.  It is three
weeks until the next full moon.  It would be best if we get in several more
meetings before then.  John will give you an appointment for early next
week.  I expect to see you both back."  Daniel did not speak or look at
Joey on the elevator ride down.  He was silent in the car as they drove
home.  When he pulled into the driveway he remained in his seat, hands
clamped to the wheel, as Joey got out of the car.

"Daniel," Joey asked, "aren't you coming in?"

"No, bro," Daniel wouldn't look at him.  "I need to go for a drive.  I'll
be gone for a bit."

"Okay, Daniel."

Joey stood in the driveway and watched the Porsche peel away.


============================================================================


Ah, vamps.  Gotta love `em.  Can't you just see the good Doctor
Bloodsucker, spectacles perched on the edge of his nose, leafing through
his grimoire of medieval magic?  "Now, let's see," he mutters, "just what
sort of demonic entity have we here?  Succubus?  Incubus?  Omnibus?"  That
taxonomy don't matter so much these days, doc.  Tempora mutantur, nos et
mutamur in illis.  Gotta change with the times, and I'm a thoroughly modern
girl.

But my poor Joey.  This has been a tough road for him.  In his natural
state the kid has an IQ that is right up there with his brilliant parents.
And he's chock full of that rich Darkness I find so magically delicious.
Thing is, I'm a hearty eater, and my years of dining at the Joey buffet
have left him a bit thinned out.  I'd feel sorry for the kid, if I only had
a heart.  Which I don't.

And Danny-boy, he has a few adjustments he's going to have to make.  That's
going to be interesting to watch.

But why, you may ask, have I chosen to assume the identity of Joey's big
brother during our nightly playtimes?  Too bad, I'm not telling.  Figure it
out for yourself.



InvertedBeast@yahoo.com