He denies his true identity although he hears the truth from me. I saw him kill several people in my dreams and walk right up to me and stare. He knows I can see him at night when I am asleep but for some reason he allows this. Maybe he cannot control the turn of events that got us to this point. I don’t know and don’t pretend to know anymore. All that I do know is that he is living a secret life in the night time which starkly contradicts his day job.
Tim is an evangelist; son of an evangelist and in the day he keeps mostly to himself whenever he is not delivering a soul saving message to us damned people. I have visited his little back woods church several times , fore I am not beyond saving myself. I like his people because they claim to welcome all sorts of individuals of various ethnicity. I guess I can appreciate that. He is very quiet in the waking world. I think he only looks up to greet his congregation and deliver his message to the spirit hungry. He has a small circle of friends who attend regularly. They are christians too of course and tend to form a tight little group in the corner of the sanctuary. When I attend the worship services, I try to stay in the opposite corner considering I can sense their curiosity of my presence. I have dreamed of them too you know. I remember their pale faces as they watch in disapproval the turn of events inside my nightmare world. I wonder if they can remember the dreams as I can?
The nightmares started shortly after my first encounter with the congregation. On the second night of the revival, I retired to bed much earlier than usual. It only took minutes for sleep to overcome me and drag me to the realm of my dreams choosing. It chose a scene more brutal and bloody than I had ever encountered.
A carnage of broken and ripped bodies were strewn across the floor and a huge wolf stood on its hind legs above the dead human. The creature was weeping. It was an animal but human as well and I recognized the implications of what I saw. Werewolf. He sobbed, holding a severed arm to his furry chest as I tried to understand the scene unfolding before me.
I did not feel afraid and I think this was the strangest part. Curiosity had taken control of my mind, and I watched with wide eyes. I remember that it was my breathing that alerted the beast to my presence and he turned to look at me. As his eyes shifted in my direction, fear introduced itself to me finally. I could see the sadness in his brown eyes and knew that he did not like what he was. I felt his pain and his regret. And I felt his hunger fight with his will to overcome. I was frozen to the spot even as he dropped the severed limb and shambled toward me.
His form towered over mine and he knew at once that I was intimidated. I watched him pass through the light of the lamp gleaming in the corner and saw the shimmering blood on his thick coat. This small detail caused me to shiver. Although I had been fighting it, the fear took over. As he reached out for me, I screamed. The sound was short, cut off by his soothing paw. He caressed my cheek and wound his other huge arm around my waist. The beast bent over me in the doorway and lay his massive head on my shoulder. He proceeded to pat my back and humm gently.
Then as quickly as he grasped me, he backed away pushing me against the wall. I was weeping. My emotions were in a turmoil and my heart felt something that my mind had yet to understand. The beast would not harm me. As realization hit me, he began to change. Moment by moment the metamorphosis danced before me throwing the beast into man again. He screamed and tore at his flesh as bits and peices of hair and skin flew in all directions. Astonished by the transformation, I slumped in the corner avoiding the spectacular frenzy. I was speechless in wonder at the sight before me. I gasped as I saw the man behind the monster mask appear out of the flying fur. My body shivered as a very naked Pastor Tim hobbled over and calapsed into my lap. He spoke one statement only and I can never forget his desperation. “You are my only hope.”
I awoke to the sound of my heart breaking for him. Realizing his plight I dressed for the day and made plans to speak with the quiet evangelist. Hopefully I could make sense of this all.
