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The Monster Within

The Monster Within
Katherine Rochholz
All Rights Reserved

I flip the channels on the television. I am sick of all these black and white monster movies. They were big in the 1940’s. Now that was a time to live in for a monster. They started to romanticize us; I had a blast. I miss those days. Where I could at least be myself; until they started to romanticize the monsters, we were hunted. And a hunt is how I ended up the monster I am. This is my story.

“Henry,” my wife called out to me. “Lord Baron is at the door.”

I looked up from my journal. I couldn’t stand that man, but he was the leader of our little group of monster hunters. “Coming, love.” I stood up from my desk and threw my journal in the drawer locking it.

“Henry! Old man, how are you?” Lord Baron greeted me as I walked into the drawing room.

“Jacob.” I said in a way of greeting. “What has caused the pleasure of your company?”

“Heard about a monster or two, werewolves I think. I am not sure if it is only one or two, but it seems like a lot of death for just one.”

“They are nasty things to hunt during the full moon cycle. Do we have an idea who their mortal host is?”

“No.” Jacob stated simply as the maid set down our tea tray, a tray I knew would sit untouched, but it was the proper thing to offer.

“Tea?”

“How about a nice brandy?”

I knew he would ask, so I walked to the bar and poured him a good portion. “Here you are.” I stated and sat down across from him.

“So when do you want to start the hunt?”

“Tomorrow night is the first night of the full moon.”

“Fine. You contact the others?”

“Of course. How is that little project to try to increase our strength going?”

“I am going to test it on myself later.”

“Shouldn’t you try it on a servant first?”

“Should the servants really have that much strength if it works?” I said, though I was a fair boss and didn’t believe my help was below myself, I didn’t want to endanger their lives, however Lord Baron thought otherwise.

“Fair point. Let me know how it goes.” Jacob finished his brandy and stood up to leave.

I stood with him. “Jacob, until tomorrow.” I stated and showed him out.

“What did he want?” My wife asked.

“Love, just business. We are going to have a meeting tomorrow night. I won’t be back until late.”

“I hate your meetings.”

“I know, but they must happen.” I kissed my wife’s check and retreated back to my study.

I pulled out my journal once more and started to look over my notes. I had brewed the formula yesterday, and let it set. It was a moment of truth. A moment that would have defined our hunting expeditions.

I drank it. At first nothing happened and then a burning sensation traveled through me. It threw me to the ground; I thought I for sure was going to die. But I didn’t. I stood up. Nothing about me had changed. I was upset. I tried to pick up the desk but could not; that meant the last three months were for naught. I would have to start from scratch again another day.

The next night I took my horse and rode off to meet up with Jacob and the rest of the group of hunters. When I got there they were all there looking quite worried, the town had already been destroyed by the monsters. The moon wasn’t even up fully yet. What type of being were we dealing with? “What happened?” I asked.

“We do not know. The moon isn’t even high in the sky.” Jacob responded.

“What are we dealing with?”

“A monster of the likes we have never seen before.” An older man came up to us.

“Lord Earle.” I said in way of a greeting.

“Henry, my man. Did your potion work?”

“Richard, it did not I am afraid. It is back to the beginning.”

“Pity. I have a feeling we could have used it with this beast.”

“Well, let’s get to it.” Jacob stated and mounted his horse.

We rode in silence. It seemed like days, but only hours before we heard the howl. We knew that it was only a matter of time before it was upon us. We jumped off our horses and prepared for the beast. We waited only moments but it felt an eternity.

The beast came into the clearing, and I gasped. It was huge. It was larger than any wolf we had hunted before; about three times the size! Its teeth dripped with blood, it walked on hind legs like a man, but was quick. Before I could figure out what had happened he had Byron and Richard both on the ground at its feet. Their throats were ripped from them, and they chocked on their own blood.

I was upset. So upset that the feeling of death came over me, just like the day before when I had taken my potion. The next thing I knew was blackness. When I awoke the next day I lay in a pool of blood. The bodies of all the hunters as well as a new body, which must have been the wolf, lay dismembered and scattered around me. There was blood on my hands, in my mouth, and in my hair, all round me there was blood.

I stood and discovered I was naked. I quickly grabbed a blood stained coat and ran. The horses were even killed. I could do nothing but run. I ran all the way back to town. I ran to my house and threw myself into my study. I had no idea what happened. No clue but I knew I would be labeled a coward. Because I had lived.

I stayed in my office for days. I only came out to eat with my wife. Soon Lord Baron’s nephew and heir came to see me. I answered the door. “Lord Baron.” I said as a greeting.

“Lord Jekyll.” He came into my foyer, and removed his coat. “I came to talk about what happened to my uncle. I take it you were injured which is why you haven’t came out with the rest of the hunters.”

“Yes. Please come with me to the drawing room. We can discuss it there.” I walked into the drawing room and right to the bar. I poured both of us a large brandy. “Here you are Lord Baron.”

“Thank you Sir.” He said and accepted the drink; he took a large drink before speaking.

I sat down across from him and waited. I was unsure of what he would say.

“I will get to the point. You are the only one that lived. What happened?”

“The wolf was larger than any we had ever seen. It was about three times the size. It walked upon hind legs. It attacked. I ran to attack it, upon seeing Jacob and Richard killed. The next thing I knew I woke up in a pool of blood.”

“Why did it let you live?”

“We were able to kill it somehow. I don’t know when or how.”

“It is interesting that you were the only one that lived. Especially since you tested your concoction on yourself that night my uncle came to tell you about the hunt.”

“I don’t like you implication.”

“You don’t have to coward.”

“I am no coward.” My blood began to boil. I, again, felt death upon me. Before I knew it my world had gone black, the last thing I heard was a scream.

I came too just hours later. I lay quite nude in my drawing room. Blood and body parts all around me once more, and worse my wife stood in the doorway. “Love?”

“Mr. Edward Hyde says to congratulate you on finding a woman such as me.” She stated.

“Mr. Hyde?”

“He said that was his name. The monster you became.”

“I… A monster?”

“Yes. You killed Lord Baron when he called you a coward.”

“No…”

“Well, you did not this Mr. Hyde did. But he is really you…”

I just stared at my wife. At that moment I knew that I had made a mistake. In an attempt to play god, God had turned me into the very thing I hated… A monster…

“We will return after these messages.” The announcer states bringing me back to the present. I sigh. My love had long since passed. She had lived a normal mortal life, by my side. She loved me no matter the monster I became. She was the last person to truly accept Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as one in the same.

I turn off the television. It is playing the 1940’s version of the movie based upon a romanticized version of my life. My friend Sir Stevenson had written my life as a short story and found his fame. I sigh and know that one day Mr. Hyde will be back and there was nothing I can do to stop him… Nothing I want to do to stop him… I have finally embraced the monster within…

Sleeping Death


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Sleeping Death
All Rights Reserved
Katherine Rochholz 
            Once upon at time there was a vain Queen and King, they had a child who was as pretty as can be.  They hired three witches to bless the child with beauty, grace and pose.
But there was a fourth witch that was not invited.  She came to the christening and gave this proclamation.  “This beauty, Briar Rose, shall have her beauty, grace and pose, as long as her heart beats within her chest.  The moment her heart stops beating, she will lose all three.  Her body however shall never die!”  The witch then bent and kissed the sleeping beauty on the head.
She turned on her heel and disappeared from the castle, she left to ponder who words, what they meant.  The Queen bent and picked up her child; they found the note left by the witch.  “Briar Rose shall prick her finger on a spinning wheel on her eighteenth birthday.  That prick shall stop her heart from beating, bringing about the curse I have placed upon her.”
The Queen and King were worried about the curse, though they did not know exactly what it meant; did not know how her heart would stop beating but her body would not die?  So they sent the baby to live with the three witches they had hired to make sure of their daughter’s beauty, grace and pose. 
The years went by and the young Briar Rose grew up with a normal childhood, never once told that she was the heir to a mighty kingdom, which meant that one day she shall be Queen.  She grew up as Twila, the ever loving peasant girl, who had the beauty of a queen.
On the morning of her eighteenth birthday she went upon her day as she normally would have; she got up and picked flowers, feed the animals, and went about her day.  The witches, that were in charges of raising her, went to her after lunch as they needed to fit her for her new gown.  One that was fit for a princess; as she was now of age, she would now go home and become the princess the land needed, it was time to return to the world of royalty.
They did the fitting and left to get some much needed supplies for the birthday celebration that was to happen that night.  After all it would be her last night with them and they felt the depressed at that very thought.
Well they were gone; the other witch took her opportunity to lead young Twila to the spindle of her curse.  With a bit of magic, she had Twila follow a small bird to the spindle that spun on its own accord, it weaved a string that was black as sin.
The witch used the bird, and spoke in a soft tone, she instructed Twila to prick her finger on the spindle needle.  Which, of course, the young princess did, without hesitation.  In that very moment her heart stopped beating.  She fell to the floor.  The three witches appeared instantly, but were too late to stop what had happened.  Instead they froze time, they froze her and the kingdom in an endless sleep, that could only be undone by true loves first kiss.  So they protected the sleeping kingdom until they could find a cure for the curse on the young princess, however they never found one.  For many years, many decades, the kingdom was frozen in time.  Many princes to come ‘save’ the sleeping princess, however the witches prevented anybody from reaching the sleeping princess, thus they left her in the frozen state.
One day a prince from a far away kingdom heard of the sleeping kingdom and thought of the land to be gained from such a union.  So he set out across he many lands to get to the kingdom.  Once there he faced the three witches, the first put up a field of knifes and spikes, that had to be carefully navigated, and could not be torn down.  However this Prince, upon his birth, had been blessed by witches of his own kingdom, with the smarts, and a sword that could cut down any object within its path.  He cut through the maze of blades, and made it to the second task set froth by the witches.
He reached a room of fire.  The flames would burn through anything.  The witches were sure that the prince would never make it through.  However, also upon his birth, he was given a shield that would protect him from any supernatural danger.  It allowed him to cross the flames of the witches’ passions.  It allowed him to face the third and final task.
A monster of the worse sorts, part dragon, part Griffin, colored the deepest of blues with eyes the color of a sunset.  A creature that was sure to kill the prince.  The prince knew he would defeat it.  He was gifted strength, brains and pride upon his birth.  He fought though the flames of the creature dodged the spikes upon its tail, evaded the razor sharp teeth that tried to chop down on him, but in the end his sword met the creature’s heart, and it turned to dust.
The three witches looked on in shock as he stood by the bedside of the cursed Princess Briar Rose and he leaned down and kissed her.  The moment the kiss ended, she awoke.  But she was no longer human, her pale skin, had long ago shrunk.  Her beauty she once held was gone; in its place was death.  The prince’s kiss had broken the spell which froze time, but not the curse.
The Princess opened her eyes, she got up and then Briar Rose did the unthinkable.  She attacked the prince!  She bit him.  He stabbed her with his sword, but still she came at him.  He ran from her, and fell down the stars and broke his neck.  The witches waited, their breaths held.  They waited to see what would happen now as the undead Briar Rose started to move.  Her beauty, her grace, and her pose all gone from her once lovely soul.  She did not grow up royal; yet she is the one that paid for the sins of her parents.
The witches watched as the prince’s body also started to move.  The curse had extended itself to her victims.  The witches watched as Briar Rose set the neck of her undead prince and they went off together, to wreak havoc among their kingdom.
The Queen locked herself in her chambers and cried out in pain as she watched her kingdom become the kingdom of the undead.  She cried out to the witch that placed the curse upon her daughter, the one they didn’t invite because of her views of the world.  “Hekate!  Come to me!  I beg you!  Come to me!  Make me a deal!”  The Queen needed to stop the pain of her soul, the pain of seeing her daughter as a zombie.  Her soul was drowning in the pain. 
“You called Queen Emma?”  Hekate appeared.
“Make me a deal!  Anything!  Reverse your curse!  Allow my daughter a life full of happy ever afters.”
“You put you and your family above your people.  You hired witches to bless your children, though you know it curses another!  You make sure your children know all the comforts of life, while your people go hungry, while they freeze, they know all the hardness and pain, while you and your children know only comfort and joy!  And you have the nerve to ask me to reverse the curse?  To reset time?”
“Yes!  Please I will do anything!”  The Queen begged.
“Fine.  I will reset time on these conditions and these alone!  One, the child will be raised far from you.  She shall be raised a poor child, that way when she is queen she will be fair.  Two, no longer will you hire the witches to bless the children of royalty.  Instead each child born in the kingdom will be bestowed one blessing and one hardship to overcome.  And last but not least, your life for hers.  You shall die in her place.  It is the only way I can reverse time.  I need to balance the universe.  I took her soul, her life, so yours will be the price to save hers.”  Hekate said with a sneer, sure the Queen would not take the offer.
The Queen looked out the window and watched as her daughter took a spoon and scooped out a heart from some poor soul and watched as she ate it.  She could not bear this pain.  Death would be welcomed for a chance her daughter would live.  “Deal.”
Hekate was in shock.  “So be it!”  Hekate snapped her fingers and time reversed, the conditions now set in blood and soul.
“King Richard!  You have a beautiful baby girl!  Briar Rose!  She was gifted with grace, but cursed with the inability to sing.”
“Fantastic!”  The King said with a smile.
“But my King, we regret to inform you the Queen has died in child birth…”
“My wife is gone…?”
“She looked at her daughter and said ‘For you my life.”  Then she decreed that she shall be raised by the three witches away from the kingdom until her eighteenth birthday, when she will marry and she said she shall become the queen she never was, then she passed, sir.”
“Then may her wishes be fulfilled.”  The King stated and walked way from the servant and his daughter, who would never know the curse once bestowed upon her…

A Long Way Home

Random WIP:
A Long Way Home
All Rights Reserved

Join Catriona on her journey home.

Long ago when I was 16 I founded a society. It started out as a group of people who just needed a safe place to hang. I and my boyfriend, the love of my life, were the leaders. First thing I ever noticed about him was his movie star blue eyes. A-Lister Blue I called them. We were in love and we created a safe haven. It was a place for the misfits and geniuses. Then I ran. I didn’t take the house back. I didn’t stop the funds going to the Safe Haven. I just ran. Why? Because I was afraid. I was terrified. I was going to get married. At such a young age. I ended up traveling and living paycheck to paycheck in dead end jobs. But as time went on I wanted to go back home. Would I make it? Or would the long road ahead prevent me from finding my happiness once more?

Forbidden

Random WIP:
Forbidden
All Rights Reserved

There was a war and all magical beings separated.  Never to associate with the other.  A young werewolf will find that impossible as she meets a man she wants to make her mate.  Then the other shoe drops and her chosen love is a warlock.  Their love will start wars.  It will end in their deaths or it will end the millennia-long war between the magical creatures.  Discover their story in Forbidden.

  

The Katy Lily Series

But before you face the Mazes in Elemental Mazes Year 4/5 of The Katy Lily Series
You must discover The Beginning of Katy Lily’s Journey into her Magical Realm…

Discover The Beginning Of The Magical World For Katy Lily For Free Now!

#Free On #Kindle The First Three Books And Two Companion Novelettes Are Free 09/14-09/18

“Death comes with the Elemental Mazes.”
The Mazes Are Coming…
Senka Is Watching…
Will Katy Make It Out With Her Soul Intact?
Elemental Mazes Year 4/5
Book 4 Of The Katy Lily Series
Coming Soon

Discover A World Filled With Both Joy And Heartache
Discover The Magic Of The Katy Lily Series

Katherine Lillian Fitz only wished for a family. She never imagined her wish would be answered in a most extraordinary way. She finds out she is a witch and she discovers a whole new world to explore. But will it cost her more than she is willing to pay? Will this new world be worth all the pain and heartache it will cause? Only time will tell in this epic journey through her magical realm.

The Katy Lily Series by Katherine Rochholz

Journey with Katy Lily through her world…
Discover the darkness within the light…
And the light within the Darkness…

First 3 books Available Now!

Truth and Lies Past and Present Year 1:
A Nightmare Within A Dream Year 2:
The Veil Lifts Year 3/4:

Plus Available Now:
A Katy Lily Companion Novelette Corruption?

And A Katy Lily Companion Novelette Hunted
 
#BookBoost #IndieAuthor #FreeOnKindle #FreeEBooks #FreeBooks #FantasyBooks #Fantasy #Magical #EBooks #FreeKindleBooks #KindleReads
 
 

The Katy Lily Series

“Death comes with the Elemental Mazes.”
The Mazes Are Coming…
Senka Is Watching…
Will Katy Make It Out With Her Soul Intact?
Elemental Mazes Year 4/5
Book 4 Of The Katy Lily Series
Coming Soon

But before you face the Mazes in Elemental Mazes Year 4/5 of The Katy Lily Series
You must discover The Beginning of Katy Lily’s Journey into her Magical Realm…

1st 3 books and the 2 companions are #Free on #Kindle 09/14-09/18

Discover A World Filled With Both Joy And Heartache
Discover The Magic Of The Katy Lily Series

Katherine Lillian Fitz only wished for a family. She never imagined her wish would be answered in a most extraordinary way. She finds out she is a witch and she discovers a whole new world to explore. But will it cost her more than she is willing to pay? Will this new world be worth all the pain and heartache it will cause? Only time will tell in this epic journey through her magical realm.

The Katy Lily Series by Katherine Rochholz

Journey with Katy Lily through her world…
Discover the darkness within the light…
And the light within the Darkness…
http://www.katherinerochholz.com

First 3 books Available Now! #Free 09/14-09/18 on #Kindle

Truth and Lies Past and Present Year 1:
https://www.amazon.com/Truth-Lies-Past-Present-Katy-ebook/dp/B005RXVMO8
A Nightmare Within A Dream Year 2:
https://www.amazon.com/Nightmare-Within-Dream-Katherine-Rochholz/dp/B007ZBFB0Q
The Veil Lifts Year 3/4:
https://www.amazon.com/Veil-Lifts-Katy-Lily-Year-ebook/dp/B01A300SRQ

Plus Available Now A Katy Lily Companion Novelette Corruption?
Links:
https://www.amazon.com/Corruption-Katy-Lily-Companion-ebook/dp/B01ARY93LA

#BookBoost #KindleBooks #FreeKindle #IndieAuthor #KatyLilySeries

The Morning Star’s Redemption

Random WIP:
The Morning Star’s Redemption
All Rights Reserved

Lucifer fell because he couldn’t love humans more than he loved his father. He was punished for his temper tantrum and sent to rule over hell and the demons that the evils of humanity became. One day he was listening the prayer channels, after all, he was the archangel of worship, and heard ‘Please, whatever angel is hearing this, please, I just need one person told me to life.’ Will this person lead towards his Redemption or will it just solidify his stance against the humans?

Mirror Mirror

Random WIP:
All Rights Reserved
Mirror Mirror
Fairy Tales of Horror

Everybody Knows The Stories… Snow White… Sleeping Beauty… Cinderella… The Beauty and the Beast… Red Riding Hood… Goldilocks… Peter Pan… But What If The Truth Was A Lot Darker? What If The Truth Was Horrifying… What If What We Know Is Wrong? Discover The Truths In Mirror Mirror Fairy Tales Of Horror!

It includes:

The True Story of Snow White

I was full of love for the man who I could never have… so I trapped him forever in my mirror. Put a spell on him to make him always tell the truth, with him I trapped my heart and soul. With him, I trapped all that was good inside of me. This is I feel is the reason I did what I did. I think it is time for the true story of Snow White to be known. After all, in the end, I ended up the winner… Death was my reward.

The Undead Beauty:

“Briar Rose shall prick her finger on a spinning wheel on her eighteenth birthday. That prick shall stop her heart from beating, bringing about the curse I have placed upon her.” 

And Many Others!! 

Soul Age

Random WIP:
Soul Age
All Rights Reserved

Everybody has a soul age…

As the world destroyed itself and humans found that they were never learning from their mistakes a ritual was done. It was to give everybody upon their 21st birthdays every memory they have ever had from this life and all other reincarnations of themselves. It was to help humanity save Earth and learn from their mistakes. Dalila was no different. Her soul was 2239 years old. And would she finally learn from the mistakes of her past? Or would she once again make the wrong choice when she has to choose between safe and wild? Between True Love and Contentment? Everybody has a soul age… But Will The Mind Ever Truly Learn?