Dreadful: Berserkers (Preview)

Side Note: This is the fifth Dreadful story, but technically the fourth in continuity. Though the bulk of the story takes place two stories after Sister's Keeper, the first part chronicles the origin of Trevor Oaks' obsession with werewolves; more specifically, The Lycanman.

This story, as well as multiple other stories in the Dreadful series will be featured in my upcoming horror/fantasy anthology: "Dark, Light, Past and Other Assorted Chaos. I will post full versions of other stories in the coming weeks and months to Patrons, but this little sneak peak is for everyone. Being a Patron is only one tiny dollar a month. Enjoy.

You can also view this preview on Patreon HERE.

Dreadful: Berserkers by Jake dh

1

Over Twenty Years Ago

Trevor couldn’t believe how far the bottom of this cliff seemed. Maybe it was the imagination of a twelve year old boy, but he felt like he was looking down from nature’s version of a skyscraper. Of course, he’d only seen skyscrapers on the internet. There weren’t a lot of tall buildings in the rural part of England. Just a lot of villages and towns, small settlements that Trevor had accepted as his reality.

“Trev, get your arse over here. Brekkie is done. This fire is a bit tricky. Used to using a stove.” Jezebel screamed from the center of the camp site.

Trevor’s brother emerged from the other side of the little camping circle. “I knew setting up camp near that cliff was a bit dodgy. What if one of us sleep walks off the side. Hell of a spill.” He pushed Trevor back a bit as Roland glared down the rock face into the river below.

Jezebel chuckled. “None of us sleep walk, Ro. You’re bein’ a bit silly.”

Trevor smiled wide. The rising sun bounced off his light brown skin. “I promise I won’t fall. I don’t want to move. This place perfect.”

Trevor made a plate and sat down close to the edge, but not too close. The boy watched the waterfall as his much older siblings sat on chairs near the fire.

“How that boy doesn’t freeze is beyond me.” Roland ate up the warm food.

“This is the first time I’ve seen him smile since the funeral. Just let him have his fun. He’s our responsibility now. You know that right?” Jezebel tried to be serious with her brother.

“I just turned eighteen and had all of that money saved up.” Roland sighed with Jezebel glaring at him with a bit of disapproval. Roland gave a small grin. “All of it will go to getting a home. For the three of us. Get us out of that cramped flat.”

Jezebel laid a hand on his arm. “Are you sure? I’ve already made the arrangements to be his sole guardian. You don’t have to put your life on hold to…”

“You did.” Roland interrupted. “You pushed me through the last bit of childhood and now we have years with him. Years that should have been mum and dad, but it’s not. It’s our responsibility, right?” He took the last bite off his plate.

“Sorry to interrupt.” A voice emerged from the bushes behind them. The sun rose in a way that made it hard to see the figure addressing them. The blinding ball of light at this man’s back kept his features a little hidden.

Roland and Jezebel shielded their eyes. The oldest sibling, Jezebel stood to greet the man. “Oh, we didn’t realize there was anyone else out here. Are you American?” She noticed his accent.

The man stayed with the sun to his back. “I was under the same impression. I guess we both wanted to get away from… civilization. Though I suspect for much different reasons.”

Trevor tossed his empty paper plate into the fire. “Who’s this, then?” Trevor protected his eyes from the rising sun as well.

The man took another step forward. “You see, this was supposed to be a trial run. Out here in nature. I didn’t need my baser instincts to take over and well, end my experiments before they began.” The man’s silhouette shifted a little. He grew taller and Jezebel noticed claws sprout out of the man’s fingers.

She jumped up. Jezebel grabbed for the axe next to Roland. Both of them stepped in between this thing and their little brother. “What in the bloody hell are you?” Jezebel screamed. Roland reached down for his hatchet.

The man stepped out from the obscuring sunlight. Fangs sprouted from his furry face. His ears pointed toward the sky, but remained on the sides of his face. The claws Jezebel observed continued to grow along with the grey fur on his hands.

“I am the beginning of controlling the primal. I am the first step to true power.” The wolfman still spoke elegantly, but a growl came from underneath his voice. “But for now, I have to feed those primal instincts.”

The man rushed forward at a blinding pace. Jezebel swung her axe, but missed. Roland came in from the side to land his hatchet in the creature’s shoulder. Red hot blood gushed onto both Roland and the wolfman. The monster reviled in pain. It swung the massive set of claws at Roland’s neck. The swipe opened the front of his throat.

“Nooooo!” Trevor shrieked as his big brother gargled on his last breaths. Roland frantically attempted to apply pressure to the wound. His body fell into the dust, covering the campground with his red essence.

Jezebel took another swing at the monster. Her focus remained on protecting her kid brother. The thing dodged her hits. She noticed the blow her deceased brother landed had mostly sealed itself up. She understood that there might not be a way to kill this guy. Maybe if she could take its head off in one or two hits.

Trevor’s sobs filled her head. She watched him shed tears over the body of his brother. Then back to the cliff. The cliff, she thought. “Right then.” She whispered out loud.

Jezebel tossed the axe at the wolfman. She didn’t even look to see if it hit him. She sprinted as fast as her legs could carry her. Jezebel scooped up her brother and bolted toward the cliff. She hoped that the river below would break their fall.

Trevor began to protest. “Roland. We can’t leave Ro!”

Jezebel responded. “He did that to protect you. Because he loves you.” She smiled as they reached the edge of the cliff. “And so do I. So much.”

Jezebel Oaks vaulted off the precipice. We did it, she thought. She really thought the two of them were going to escape. Then she felt a tug on her shirt. A strong force jerked her backward. She knew that the wolf guy thing had grabbed her. In a split second, she let go of her twelve-year-old brother.

As Trevor descended down the rock face toward the river below; he swore he heard his sister tell him ‘Goodbye’. Trevor hit the water with such force, that he couldn’t catch his breath even after surfacing. He heard screaming all the way down there. He heard gurgling for a moment and then nothing. Trevor didn’t know the way back up. He swam to the edge of the river and ran. He ran as hard as he could.

He eventually found a road and people, but he had left a piece of himself in that campsite.

Dreadful: Berserkers is copyrighted 2024.