Monster University
Katherine Rochholz
All Rights Reserved
“I
look at myself in the mirror at what I became. What I allowed anger and hate
change me into. When people see me they see the charming handsome young man
that I portray. But then again everybody wears a mask and the man who caused my
hate was nice and friendly and then he killed me. I hate masks. I hate fakes.
But we all must wear them. Some wear them because they are afraid. Others wear
them to be accepted. Others wear them to protect themselves. But some, the ones
I hate, truly hate because hate is such a harsh word, those masks hide an evil
worse than any monster that exists. Those masks under friendly adults, under
helpful hands, under the smiles and layer of false love, under all that is a
monster that would prey and hurt children in the worst possible of ways before
taking their lives. Because of one such person in my human life, I allowed so
much hate to fester I became a boogeyman, not the worse ones, not them, they
are the humans, no I actually became a boogeyman. But I don’t go after kids.
No. After all I never got to grow up from being a child when I was living. No
to keep my abilities I must drain the marrow out of 75 people a year. I go for
those who prey on children and show the world a mask better than mine.”
Caliban sat at home; well he was
laying on the couch wondering what game to play. He lived with Beth. He was a
teenager here; and Beth was his foster mom. Of course she loved him as much as
she loved any child. She loved children. She had started to date Bo, and I was
okay with that. Bo was a good monster. Good man. He let out a humph when a weight landed on his
chest. He looked down and smiled. It was the dog Frank made him. He said it
wouldn’t do for his brother to not have a pet. The dog was a small dog, not
much more than a puppy. He had been ran over and left for dead. Frank did some
of his and Beth’s magic and he had a puppy for life. He was a lab that would
never grow up. Much like Caliban would never grow up. That was taken from him
by a monster worse than any monster he has met.
Caliban closed his eyes. He opened
his mouth as if to scream. But he couldn’t. The demons within him fought
against his mind. They wanted out to torment those monsters that he knew were
in town. But he had promised Beth he would behave as a mature monster. So
Caliban took the internal monster within his mind and pushed him down on his
knees and told him to wait. They would soon be selfish and take what they
wanted. What they needed. He pet his puppy, which he had named Mark. Mark was
such a normal name, but then again all the monsters had ‘normal’ names. His was
exotic but that was because it was his name given to him by his parents many
centuries ago and he never wanted to let go of the one thing that helped him to
remember to not be a blood thirsty monster. It was his tether to his
conscience.
Caliban remembered that day clearly.
He had been with his coach, cliché he knew, but then again there was a reason
even the bad events in people’s lives had clichés, his coach had turned on him
and hurt him so badly. Taken his innocence and then killed him. Caliban’s
spirit had been so furious. So very furious. The anger welled up in his spirit
and he made a deal. Who Caliban called the devil came to him, he was in a three
piece suit and told Caliban he was special, he would become a monster. A boogeyman
to prey upon the real boogeymen, to prey upon the scum of humanity. In exchange
he had to kill seventy five real life monsters, meaning humans, a year that
would hurt children and do what his coach had done to him and to continue
living the immortal life and taking out the scum for the end of days he had to
suck the marrow out of the bones of the mortals he killed. Caliban had readily agreed
being an eight year old that was furious with the hand fate had dealt him. So
there he was kneeling in front of the devil with the three piece suit and made
a deal that made him this… this monster. He was a boogeyman that prey upon the
scum of society. He drank the marrow and he gained his magic and his power to
live a normalish life. He was teen thanks to his magic, and Beth loved him like
a mother. He had games and went to school and even had a pet. Beth and Frank
made sure that he somewhat of a childhood every so often. He was grateful to
them. They saved him. He was going around just killing all who triggered his
senses. He was leaving a trail of blood and pain. After all he had nobody. He
had not a single soul. Then Beth and Frank found him. Taught him. Cared for
him. Frank was very much his brother and Beth was very much their mother. He
smiled and the demons quieted down. He would have to kill three soon. And he
had the three in mind. There was a coach, vice-principal, and a parent volunteer
at his high school preying on kids. He had gotten close to all of them and he
knew their plan was to involve all of them when they killed him. He, of course,
was going to kill them, drink their marrow and leave their rotten bodies hidden
in a shallow hole to be found in a decade. Long after the trail had gone cold.
“Caliban!” Beth called as she came
home.
“In here mom!” He yelled.
Beth smiled. “Did you get all your
homework done?”
“Yes mom.”
“Your planning?”
“Yes mom.”
“All set then?”
“Three days time.”
“Good! Did you want me to wait and
pick you up?”
“Can Frank?”
“Sure he will!”
“Even with Sophie?”
“Yes even with Sophie Caliban. You
know Frank loves you. And you are Sophie’s favorite uncle.”
Caliban laughed. “I am her only
uncle. And she is a cute kid.”
“Of course she is. She is a
Frankenstein just like you, Frank and I. Now go cleanup for dinner.”
Caliban rolled his eyes, but did as
he was told. Yeah he loved being a Frankenstein. He was loved and cared for,
and happy.
Three nights later he was at the
school. His mask on. “It is sure nice of the three of you to help me with my
homework and practice for the football team.” He was telling his victims.
“It is no trouble at all.” One of
them stated as he handed him a doctored drink.
Caliban mentally snorted. These
drugs had no effects on monsters. He drank it and waited until they made their
move. As soon as he saw them move at him, he used his magic to look like a
monster. And attacked. He sliced all three of their throats with one swipe, and
as they lay bleeding out he started to peal their skin away to get to their
bones and their life source within the bones. A few hours later Caliban was
sitting there sucking on the last bone. A pile was thrown behind him and organs
and blood was everywhere. He called Tony. “Hey man, the high school gym.”
“No problem little monster!” Tony
laughed. “Later.”
Caliban went down to the locker
rooms and cleaned up and then rushed outside. He saw Frank waiting for him,
without Sophie (Bonus!). “Hey Frank!”
Frank moved and hugged him. “Thought
we would have a guys’ night. Movies and video games until mother called and
yelled at us.”
Caliban smiled. He couldn’t believe
it. A whole night with Frank without the crying poop machine that he loved, but
she took so much of Frank’s time. “That sounds awesome!”
Frank laughed and ruffled Caliban’s
hair. “Thought you would like it!” He got into the car. “So let’s go to the
mall and I hear the popcorn is actually fresh today!”
Caliban smiled. His human life may
have been cut short tragically but the fates and that devil man made up for it
in his undead life. He found a true family. And he couldn’t be happier. After
all not only did he prevent other kids from having their lives cut short, but
he also had a brother, mother and a little niece. He settled back ready for a
guys’ night with night with his brother. His greatest blessing in this undead life
of his, an older brother who has more than once killed for him; he turned and
smiled at Frank. Frank ruffled his hair again as they drove the twenty minutes
to the mall. And as Caliban sat down with his popcorn, candy and soda he
realized that the demons in his mind were finally quiet, not even a mummer,
because he finally accepted his life as a monster.
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