Julie sitting on the sofa struggling to stay awake, takes another sip from her soda; noticing that the can is empty, she gets up to get another one. As she heads to the kitchen, walking on the cold tiles; Julie comes to a realization that she is not alone.
“Who’s there? What do you want?”
“What I want is for you to calm down,” the strange man once again coming into view; “and again, who I am is not important. Only the message I bring is.”
Julie dropping her empty can in fear tries to turn around to run out the front door; only to see a pristine beach with crystal blue waters lapping the shore. The warm sand beneath her feet as a cool salty breeze causes the many palm trees to sway.
“It is a lovely place,” the strange man speaking; “it is what you want. To be someplace warm and inviting; away from your problems, parents and Moon Lake in general.”
“Leave me alone,” Julie looking scared; “I want nothing from you!”
“I can’t do that,” the strange man speaking; “you seemed determined to escape what fate has in store for you.”
“There is no fate,” Julie seethes; “than what we make of it.”
“Quoting a movie line from some sci-fi movie,” the strange man shaking his head; “just doesn’t work here.”
Pointing to a small sand dune; the strange man makes it clear that Julie should follow him. Reluctantly and knowing she has little choice in the matter; Julie complies. What she sees strikes her cold.
“You stupid harlot,” a burly man barks; “you were supposed to collect the money!”
“But I did,” an older Julie shouts back; “It’s not my fault the John spent most of his cash on drugs first.”
“And you had some,” the burly man slapping Julie; “your so strung out you don’t even know if your tail fin is showing or not!”
“Well how else am I supposed to deal with you,” Julie starts to slur her voice; “the heroin makes fucking the clients and you easier to deal with.”
“And now we have to leave because of you,” the man slapping Julie; “some of those clients were normal. Don’t think I don’t know about the elder council back in Moon Lake unleashing the Luna Brotherhood* to hunt you down.” The man slapping a completely stoned Julie around, “perhaps I’ll just drop you off at the Florida keys and let them eventually sniff you out as you screw several more normal humans and make them were-mers like us.”
The strange man looks at the young Julie as she stares at the older version of herself; track marks all up her arms, face pock marked and nose beat red from snorting coke as well as heroin. Julie Stovall of five years from now looks nothing like the current fourteen year old girl sleeping on a sofa.
“Your outlook here,” the strange man speaking; “isn’t what you imagined now is it? Want to see how your meet your husband/pimp?”
“What,” Julie coming out of her stunned status; “that brute is my husband?”
“You married him in Cuba and then got pregnant soon after,” The strange man escorting Julie back to the beach; “you lose the child and suffer through many other miscarriages due to physical abuse from him and the abuse you inflict on yourself.”
“But were-birth-“
“Are in prescription format,” the strange man interrupts; “and since you are on the lam from the elder council, to get a scrip so you don’t get preggers gives their trackers a lead on you.”
Julie thinks on what the strange man said as the dream once again shifts to the elder council chambers. Seeing the darken room as several weres sit in a group while an elderly looking were-vixen stares at a young Julie Stovall as she stands before the council in tears.
“The council has rendered its verdict,” Tachibana speaking; “with a unanimous raising of paws, Julie Stovall you have been found guilty of two counts of violation statue 1A**. While your lawyer did put up a vigorous defense and did stated that since the person you targeted Eric Anderson did not become a wer-mer , this council does not distinguish the difference between attempt and actual deed. It was clear from the evidence put forth that you made several attempts to force a normal to become a were against their will-“
“That’s enough,” the strange man shifting the dream back to the Stovall living room; “no need to continue. I’m sure you’ll hear the rest from Miss Tachibana in time.”
“So that’s my future,” Julie looking incredulous; “possible death from a were-panther? A strung out junkie living fin to mouth on a beach? Or a secret prison?”
“Would you like to see a possible future of you locked in a cell next to a bunch of feral weres; “the strange man answering?
“Feral weres,” Julie looking confused; “do such things exist?”
“Yes,” the strange man answers; “despite weres having hearty and robust immune systems, your kind can still can die from cancer, horrific accidents and severe trauma. And as for mental debilitation's you here people getting; such as dementia, Alzheimer’s, depression, schizophrenia and/or bipolar? Those illnesses affect weres, causing them to go feral. And don’t get me started on the prions devouring your brain from mad cow disease.”
“That is a little hard to swallow,” Julie looking at the man suspiciously.”
The strange man stares at Julie as the dream shifts again; now in the sub-basement of Moon Lake General Hospital; Julie is confronted with the smell of many weres snarling and hissing as well as their fecal matter. Seeing several were’s fur matted and discolored and all in a state of poor hygiene; the strange man stares at Julie as she wretches from the foul smells assailing her nose.
“Feral weres,” the strange man states; “not a pretty sight. But imagine if one of these affected individuals turned and rampaged in a city or town full of normal people.”
“It’ll be one shitty day for them,” Julie remarks flippantly.
“And it would be the worst case scenario the elder council fears,” the strange man answers; “the existence of were’s revealed to the world in a less than benevolent manner.”
“Why show me this,” Julie rolling her eye in disgust.
The strange man doesn’t answer; he just points his finger to a cell containing a were in her stage three form despite being out of water. With gold covered scales all along the mermaid’s tale; the were snarls and screams as Julie is forced to look closer.
“You,” the strange man answers; “how you get to this state, I cannot answer. But like all I have shown you, it’s a possible future.”
“No. No,” Julie backing up; “Wake up, wake up wake up.”
“Wake up! Wake up Julie,” Martin shaking his daughter awake; “Wake up!”
Julie’s eyes open up, looking wide in fear as she looks around and quickly stands up still wearing the bathrobe she put on earlier.
“I was going to ask why I saw you sleeping down here in an awkward position,” Martin staring at his daughter; “but after seeing you not in your room and your bed reeking of urine, I take it you had one hell of a nightmare.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” Julie visibly shaken; “I had several. None good.”
“Want to talk about them;” Martin asking.
“No,” Julie answers; “I’d rather forget about them.”
“Then why don’t you get dressed,” Martin responding; “we’ll have a family breakfast before we head over to the elder council.”
Julie, unable to argue with her father just heads upstairs. While Julie was given several scenarios as to what she might be dealing with; Julie refused to accept any the strange man showed her.
“There is no fate, than what we make of it;***” Julie mutters as she puts on another hideous dress her mother set aside for her. ‘Regardless what may be in store for me,” Julie thinks as she gets dressed; ‘I will not roll over for anyone. I will escape the council and run away.’
“All you showed me you stupid man,” Julie grinning as she talks to herself; “is places and people to avoid. But swimming about the tropics screwing normal’s and turning them into wer-mers does sounds fun. Maybe I should just scratch them as I drug them and take their cash, I don’t want to lose my figure squeezing out kids after letting them get between my legs leaving their deposit in me.”
Julie quietly laughs as she walks downstairs to begin her Thursday on what she intends to be on her terms. Not knowing that the strange man while not corporeal except in the realm of dreams shakes his head in disappointment.
“Petulant child; I try to help you and all you did was slap my hand/paw in return. You will be made to regret your actions.”
* Luna brotherhood is a secret organization of werewolves described in the Moon Lake: Tad story arc. Determined to protect weres the world over and ensure their existence of weres doesn't get revealed, they will do what is necessary to ensure their mission succeeds.
**In Moon Lake, regardless of what story line you're reading, a were found guilty of turning a normal into a were against their will is punished by a minimum of 50 years in jail for each conviction
*** A quote from the movie Terminator 2 Judgement Day