Chapter Four: The Transformation

Christopher spent all of sunday with Daniel, who was still in frequent spasms and tremors, and apparently suffering from the effect of the venom on his body. He wasn’t explained how, after so many hours, he was still alive. He thought that perhaps the amount of venom in his body was not enough to kill him, but he immediately dismissed that possibility since he had seen throughout his life how many of his own died with just a superficial bite. Daniel's was a deep bite, which meant the amount of venom injected could be a lot. Even Dansk, who came to visit him from time to time, was surprised by the boy's resistance.

Sitting each on one side of the bed, they watched as Daniel was torn between life and death, both thinking and reviewing all the knowledge in their minds with reference to werewolves and vampires, looking for some explanation for what was happening to that boy. And thinking above all about why he wasn't dead yet. Suddenly, Dansk thought of something.

“You once told me that you did an experiment to overpower the gene in you that makes you transform, and that you were able to somehow 'sleep' that gene, right?”

“Yes, and I explained to you that I managed to do it by altering the nucleus of the cell through the amino acids and the codons of the isochores, which, once modified, I synthesized in a serum. Why do you ask?”

“When we bite a human, our venom has a powerful toxin that destroys healthy cells in its path, and causes harmful or diseased cells to flourish, such as cancer cells, for example, and makes them proliferate freely throughout the body, turning the person into, you know…”

“A dead person, who isn't dead,” Christopher completed. “An undead. That toxin also takes advantage of the body's proteins and absorbs them to keep the body alive, even though it is already dead. It sounds confusing, but I know the whole story. That still doesn't explain why you're asking me about my experiment.”

“Every fluid that comes out of our bodies carries an important genetic load, like everything that makes us up… Do you realize where I want to go?”

“Do you think that…?” Christopher understood what Dansk was getting at. “It will be possible?”

“It's possible. Your serum isn't letting the toxin do its job. It’s also dominating our genome. That’s why the boy's body is fighting.”

“But our genes are different. I don't see how the serum, created from ours, could dominate yours.”

“Every genome, whether human or animal, has the same components: cell nucleus, chromosomes, mitochondria… Whatever it is, they have the same composition although they are different in their essence. There cannot be two genetic loads in the same body.”

“I already understood you, and that brings us to the beginning of why when a lycanthrope bites a vampire, the latter becomes extinct and vice versa. But, then, how do we do in this case?”

“The only solution I see is that you eliminate from his body the component that’s dominating them, and that means…”

“My nephew will be dead anyway,” Christopher said resignedly.

“You must make a decision or, in this case, his father, to prevent the boy from continuing to suffer.”

“I don't know how the hell I'm going to tell him, but I have to.”

Half an hour later Darius and Amira were next to Daniel; Darius trying to control his anger at what had happened to his son, and Amira crying inconsolably at the possibility of losing him. For safety, and at Christopher's request, Dansk was gone.

“Did he get bitten by a vampire?” Darius asked, still incredulous.

“That's what it looks like,” Christopher replied. “The neck wound is healing very slowly, slower than normal, but two small holes in it are still open, a sign of a bite. Hence why it hasn’t completely healed, due to the venom in his body.”

“If he was bitten, why isn't he dead yet?” Amira asked through tears.

“Due to the effect of the serum I developed to control the gene that transforms us. Somehow it's interfering with the vampire's venom. That's why he's still alive, and fighting.”

“And what can we do?” Darius asked. “He can't keep suffering like this.”

“For me, there are only two solutions, and both could be fatal.”

“And which are they?”

“The first is to remove all effects of the serum from his body. I'm already working on the antiserum, but that option would mean the venom would take effect on him, so he would die. The second is to inject more serum, which would mean that it would neutralize the venom, but it would also destroy the gene that transforms us, which would also lead to death. Both options are deadly.”

“You must make him stop suffering,” Amira said ruefully, stroking Daniel's forehead, who was still trembling and sweating copiously.

Darius looked down and put a hand to Daniel's forehead, rubbing it as he thought and tried not to break down.

“Is there no chance he'll survive if you inject him with more serum?” He asked, trying to find an option that would save his son.

Christopher shook his head, saddened that he had no solution to raise his brother's hopes.

“I'm sorry, Darius. I can't do anything else for him.”

“So do what you think is right...”

Darius moved closer to his son and Amira, regarding the latter with a sad look. He couldn't believe that he was going to lose his firstborn, his only son, since he had given away the second. Feeling anger, he turned to his brother.

“We were supposed to have peace,” he told him, clenching his teeth in anger. “How did this happen?”

“Apparently they were going for his girlfriend. They took her. He was bitten trying to defend her. Maybe they didn't know who he was when they were attacked.”

“I'm going to find out what happened to her,” Darius said, “and I'm going to tell them what they did to my son. This cannot stay like this.”

Christopher shrugged.

“Do what you must do, but be careful. I'll have the antiserum ready soon, and I'll need you to be here when… you know.”

“Don't worry, I'm not leaving yet. I'll wait to see what happens with Daniel.”

Half an hour later, Christopher had the antiserum ready. After looking at his brother and Amira for a few seconds, he injected it into Daniel and they waited for him to die. After a moment that seemed like an eternity, he stopped shaking, and then he stopped breathing. Amira buried her face in Darius's chest and began to cry uncontrollably. He hugged her trying to comfort her, but nothing can comfort a mother who has just lost a child. Christopher put a hand on the shoulder of his brother, who was also sorry and sad, and then he left them to look for a sheet with which to cover Daniel's body. He was about to place it on top of him when suddenly he opened his eyes, took a deep breath and then released a piercing scream, sitting up on the bed and clenching his fists tightly. Frightened, the three of them backed up to one of the walls and watched as Daniel transformed into something they had never seen before, while still screaming loudly. They saw how his body became larger, tearing the clothes he was wearing and turning a grayish color; fangs sprouted and a tangle of gray fur grew from the back of his neck; his ears grew and became pointed. It was clear that he wasn't transforming into a wolf, he was transforming into something more terrifying, not even a vampire. It was something else, much stronger and bigger. In a moment he stopped screaming and with heavy breathing he looked at his hands, arms and legs. Then he began to see everything around him and his eyes met those of his family, who were looking at him in surprise, especially Amira, who had wide eyes and showed deep terror. Rarely a werewolf is impressed in this way, and they, in addition to being, were very amazed to see Daniel like this.

At one point Daniel's eyes turned red, very red, and without taking his eyes off them, he quickly got out of bed and began to walk towards them, threatening. Darius felt that his life and that of his family were in danger and he stepped forward, facing him. Daniel was much bigger and taller than him and he felt a sudden fear.

“Dan, son, it's me, your father,” he said quietly without taking his eyes off him. “Your mother and uncle are here too. Look at us, we are your family and we love you.”

Daniel stood in front of him and continued to look at him through his red eyes, still breathing heavily. With a growl he showed his teeth, very large, especially the fangs. Slowly he raised an arm, with great claws, and when he was about to take it by the neck, Darius spoke to him again:

“Dan, son, you must control yourself. I know you recognize me. I'm your father...”

Daniel finished raising his hand and, placing it on Darius's shoulder, brought his face close to his. To his surprise, Daniel didn't squeeze his shoulder.”

“Help… me,” he said in the middle of a growl, and then he faded little by little until he fell unconscious to the floor.

Darius tried to catch him before he fell at his feet, but he was too heavy. Christopher and Amira helped him lay him back down on the bed, and after a few minutes they watched as Daniel's body slowly returned to normal.