Monster (short story)

Monster was a short story written by Joseph Lidster and published in the 2008 Torchwood Yearbook.

Summary
In a flash-forward, Paul Talbot is lying on an autopsy table, being revived by Owen Harper. He tells Owen that he doesn’t want to die, and Owen tells him to face death head-on.

Earlier, that morning, Paul wakes up hungover on his sofa and goes to the bathroom to throw up. He struggles to recall the night before, but remembers that he’d only had one pint of beer, so shouldn’t be feeling this unwell. He recalls walking home and experiencing a flash of light and a feeling like an electric shock. His flatmate Chris then arrives with some shopping and offers to make Paul breakfast. Paul realises that he’s ravenously hungry, and without thinking he gets up, approaches Chris, and begins to maul him. Eventually Paul comes to his senses, suddenly realising that he’s killed Chris by eating him alive, and is surprised to find that he doesn’t feel disgusted by this. Paul begins to scream and then laugh hysterically, not because of what he’s done, but because he’s still hungry.

Paul leaves the flat, briefly considering going to the hospital or to the police before the hunger takes over again. As he runs through a crowd of shoppers on St Mary Street, Paul decides to go to his parents in the hope that they can help him. Just then a woman emerges from a nightclub and asks if he’s okay. Paul blacks out, and when his senses return he finds that his hands are covered with her blood. He licks the blood off his fingers before continuing down an alleyway.

Back on the autopsy table, Owen asks Paul if he’s thinking about his killing spree. Paul says he is, and Owen encourages him to put it out of his mind.

Paul recalls running to Grangetown to visit his parents. When their neighbour approaches him, Paul knocks her to the ground before forcing his way into his parents' house. He goes through to the kitchen, expecting to see his mother there, but instead finds Torchwood Three stood in formation with their guns pointed at him. Jack Harkness tells Paul to stay where he is. Paul’s hunger is raised to extreme levels by Jack, whose life-force is extremely appealing. Paul then notices that he has no hunger for Owen.

Back in the autopsy room, Paul asks Owen why he didn’t want to eat him, and Owen tells Paul that he’s dead.

While Paul is distracted smelling Jack and Owen, Ianto sneaks behind him and sprays something into his face. Paul lashes out, throwing Ianto into a cupboard and howling. He attempts to attack the rest of the Torchwood team, but feels himself quickly starting to black out.

Paul then wakes up strapped to a chair in the Torchwood Hub. His hunger is so intense that he begins to scream, and Owen approaches him to inject something into his arm. He tells Paul that it’s an anaesthetic, and should help with the hunger pains. Jack tells Paul that he’s killed two people and injured Ianto, and Paul is shocked to learn this. Gwen Cooper then steps in to calm Paul down, but as she approaches Paul’s hunger rises, and he shouts for her to stay back. He tells her that he can’t control his urge. Toshiko Sato finds Paul’s birth certificate, confirming that he’s human, but says he seems to be changing into something. When Ianto makes a joke at Paul’s expense Owen suddenly becomes angry, yelling at Ianto and then at everyone. The sensory overload causes Paul to black out.

On the autopsy table, Owen explains to Paul that he knows what it’s like to be changed, and to have your life taken away in an instant.

When Paul regains consciousness in the Hub he asks after Owen, and Jack tells him that Owen is working on a cure for what’s happened to him. Tosh, who has been tracing Paul’s movements during the previous few days, asks if anything happened to him the night before he changed. Paul tells her about the flash of light and the electric shock feeling. Tosh confirms that there was minor Rift activity on the street he walked down that night, and suggests that a tendril of Rift activity made contact with Paul and caused him to change. The Rift energy is still in Paul’s body, and is causing his DNA to mutate. Owen then returns, and says he can’t stop what’s happening to Paul. Just then, Jack gets too close and Paul’s hunger spikes. He dives forwards, biting deep into Jack’s neck. As Jack writhes around Ianto pulls a gun on Paul. Owen then gets in Ianto’s way, telling him not to shoot. When the situation has calmed down Owen approaches Paul, and sympathetically asks Paul to come with him.

Owen takes Paul to the autopsy room and straps him to a table. After explaining to him that they can’t stop his DNA mutating, Owen gives Paul a choice: either Torchwood will shoot him, or he can choose to die. When Paul asks if the second option will be painful, Owen tells him that due to his fast metabolism it will be quick. Suddenly Owen removes Paul’s restraints, telling him that he’s a man, not a monster, and that he should die with some dignity. Owen embraces Paul, and holds him tight as he begins to black out. Before Paul fades away, he sees Tosh watching from the top of the stairs, crying, and he tries to smile at her.

Characters

 * Jack Harkness
 * Gwen Cooper
 * Owen Harper
 * Toshiko Sato
 * Ianto Jones
 * Paul Talbot
 * Chris Manning
 * Mrs Monroe

Worldbuilding

 * Paul and Chris watch Gavin and Stacey.
 * Paul’s favourite show is Midsomer Murders, but he tells people it’s The Wire.
 * Paul is a Scorpio.
 * Paul mentions the Buddha.
 * Paul wears a suit to work.
 * Paul listens to Nirvana on an MP3 player.
 * Chris offers to make eggs, bacon, bread and orange juice for breakfast.
 * Paul considers that he might be a vampire, but rules this out when he sees his own reflection.
 * Ianto compares Paul to Tintin.
 * Paul thinks about fried eggs and beer.
 * Paul can smell Gwen’s deodorant and perfume.

Continuity

 * Owen tells Paul that he's dead, having been revived in TV: Dead Man Walking. While Paul can smell the life-force in others, he is surprised to find that Owen has no scent.
 * Conversely, Paul finds that Jack is brimming with life-force. After Jack died in TV: The Parting of the Ways he was resurrected by Rose Tyler, who had harnessed the heart of the TARDIS, effectively rendering him immortal.
 * Jack asks Tosh if Paul might be one of the sleeper agents Torchwood previously encountered in TV: Sleeper.