You walk down the street with your three friends. You're all sophomores in college, and if you're honest you've been a bit bored lately. That's probably why you even went along with the idea when Allison showed you the handful of free tickets she'd scored to this show. She's right next to you, a petite redhead with a pixie cut and freckles across the bridge of her nose, presiding over a goofy grin as she goads the three of you on.
"Seriously you guys," she chuckles. "Even if it's bad, it's free."
"I guess it's not like we've got anything better to do," your friend Beth admits, fidgeting with the ponytail that sends her dyed black hair in a tumble down her back. She's the tallest of you, just a hair over six feet and a bit athletic.
"You guys know Netflix is a thing that exists, right?" Your friend Edie teases, her purple mohawk ruffling in a slight breeze as she walks. She's always been a bit more daring than the rest of you, and has several piercings in her ears as well as a stud in her nose.
"Yeah," you smirk, "but Netflix isn't gonna have..." you glance at the ticket in your hand "Return of REAL Monsters, is it? That's just cheesy enough to be fun."
"Sure, sure," Edie laughs. "We already know Allison can sell you on anything, Janice."
"Oh shut up," you grumble as a flush crosses your cheeks. All your friends seem to know you're harboring a crush on Allison. Well, all of them but Allison. You can't decide if it's a good thing or a bad thing that she hasn't figured it out yet, but Edie's the one that teases you about it the most. Glad that Allison didn't notice the blush, you blow on your pale platinum blonde bangs while you wait for it to recede. Nordic blood means you burn entirely too easily in the summer, but your nearly white locks have earned you the envy of a few.
"Now girls, don't fight. There'll be plenty of cheesy monsters to laugh at," Allison chides with a grin as the four of you make your way in.
The seats are old and creaky, but generously upholstered. You shift your weight from side to side, and finally convince yourself they're not about to break under you. The four of you seem to have arrived just in time, as the house lights first dip to encourage the stragglers to be seated, then finally dim as a spotlight shines on the stage curtains.
An unassuming man in a shabby suit steps between the curtains. He holds a piece of paper in his hands, glancing at it nervously.
"Geez, did he not memorize his lines?" Edie snarks.
"Shh!" You hiss back at her, looking to the stage once more.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he says as he reads from the paper, "please indulge me for a moment. We've all felt the urge to... be monstrous at times. To let go and just follow a wild urge. We live in a society that tells us that this is wrong, that we mustn't think such thoughts. But we still do, don't we? Even if we never act upon them. Well, I'm here to tell you..."
The man's eyes are fixed on the paper intently. His hands have begun to shake.
"...I'm here to tell you that I used to be just like you."
He grits his teeth, his joints popping in his threadbare suit. His brow and cheeks swell, giving him a primitive, brutish appearance. The line of his jaw develops stubble in the hot lights, only for it to thicken into steely gray tufts about his face. His teeth jut at odd angles, just before lancing into sharp canine fangs. His shoulders strain against his suit, which soon parts at the seams, more steely gray fur spilling from the gaps as his frame lurches upwards and outwards. His clothes continue to tear as he hunches forwards, thick hackles mounding on his broadening back. His jaw cracks as his face inches out into a lupine muzzle.
"...but I'm alright nooooooooooooooowh!" He exclaims, trailing off into an eerie howl that you can nearly feel in your bones.
"Okay," you hear Allison murmur in the seat next to you, "that was... kind of hot."
You glance over to Allison in the low light, and to your astonishment you see the beginnings of fangs emerging from her slack jaw.
Maybe it's some kind of audience participation thing? You see the ushers walking the aisles, but you're pretty sure you didn't see them hand Allison anything.