The female picked up her baby and held it close, suckling it for the last time. She did not have a name; language was thousands of years in the future. As she gazed at her infant, only days old, tears rolled down her cheeks. She caressed the small hairy body and kissed the prominent brow, the two characteristics that spelled the infant’s doom. She stood, and slowly walked into the forest. Moments later the forest echoed with a child’s scream, cut suddenly short. The female emerged from the forest alone.

She thought of another member of the loosely formed tribe with a similar baby, who did not have the strength to destroy it. The female raised the child, its aggressiveness and appearance different from the other children living in the clearing in the forest. The child grew strong and hateful. One day a member of the tribe found the mother dead, partially devoured. The child was never seen again. It entered the jungle, more animal than human, to live as its ancestors had thousands of years before.

                                                                     ***

Modern science could have discovered the explanation for these mysterious births—a unique protein on the surface of the cell; seven transmembrane receptors, coursing the cell wall seven times, weave in and out like a tiny thread. Certain aggressive individuals had fourteen transmembrane receptors, monstrous in size and in effect, bringing together hormones in rare mixes, resulting in a savage monster. The receptors disappeared with the extinction of these savages, but the genetic machinery that manufactured them did not.

Thousands of years ago, as these monsters were born and eliminated, another type of individual was created. It was rarer than its savage counterparts. This type of mutant possessed the genetic machinery to produce the aberrant receptors, which could only occur when there was a change in serotonin levels. These changes don’t normally occur in nature now, so the birth of these individuals continued with their genetic potential unrealized…until the advent of the new antidepressants.

                                                                     ***

Jeff Skovich was a quiet guy, the kind of guy you never noticed, primarily because he didn’t want to be noticed. Only Jeff and his wife Linda knew the torment of his life. Lately, he had been blowing up at the slightest provocation. Angry all the time, he had increasing difficulty dealing with daily routines. Then, one day, Jeff had a particularly violent argument with Linda.

After Jeff had nearly struck her, she shouted, “You need help! I refuse to go on living like this,” and stormed out of the house. Confused and hurt, she drove aimlessly for hours and, when she returned, Jeff was gone.

Days later, a sullen Jeff returned, and would not tell Linda where he had been. They spent a week passing each other in the house, avoiding any contact, sleeping in different rooms. The love Jeff felt for Linda ran so deep, he could not bear the thought of life without her, but could not confront her.

Finally, Linda broke the ice. “I love you”, she told him, but insisted, “You need help for your mood swings, and we really can’t go on like this.”

At first, Jeff said nothing, and then his feelings poured out, “I feel hopeless all the time. I can hardly function because nothing seems important. I use all the energy I have just to get through the day. By the time I come home I’m spent, angry and confused. I just can’t deal with things the way I once did.” As Jeff talked, the tears started to flow from Linda’s eyes and from Jeff’s too. Linda knew the man Jeff once had been and wanted him back.

Jeff finally agreed to see Dr. Roberts, their family doctor; after a short discussion, Roberts said, “I’m going to put you on one of the new serotonin reuptake inhibitors. This medication should help you. We’ll give it a try and see if it makes a difference.”

Jeff filled the prescription and started the therapy he hoped would return his life to him. After a week he noticed a difference in his approach to problems; instead of flying into a rage, he stopped and thought through the conflict he felt. He was no longer angry all the time, had more patience, and was more focused on his work. Linda noticed the change too. She no longer dreaded coming home from her job, trying to gauge Jeff’s mood for the evening. Jeff and Linda began enjoying life and their marriage to the fullest. Jeff’s job as an electrical engineer took off. The work he accomplished won recognition and promotions. Linda also grew comfortable in her life. Her job teaching at the local middle school gave her great satisfaction. Linda adored children, but was not able to have her own, so this proximity to children fulfilled a need.

Jeff relied on the antidepressant for years. His life with Linda could not be better; he even found himself feeling guilty at times for this happiness. He was now in charge of a major project for the company. The outlook of every facet of his life was positive.

“You know, Linda,” Jeff said one morning, “I think it’s a waste of money for me to continue taking the antidepressant. I feel fine, we get along great, and things couldn’t be better at work. I’m going to have a talk with Dr. Roberts and see what he says.”

Jeff made the appointment and Linda went with him to testify to the changes Jeff had undergone. Dr. Roberts agreed and slowly began to wean Jeff off the medicine. When Jeff began taking the drug, he’d started at a low dose and gradually increased the dosage until he underwent the full benefits of the drug. Now he reversed the process and began taking less and less, paying attention to any changes in his mood or behavior, until he was taking the lowest dose used. He still was doing fine, so he stopped taking the drug altogether.

Weeks, then months went by, and Jeff was as even-tempered and happy as he had been when he was on the medication, but deep within his genetic makeup subtle changes were taking place. Removing the drug from his system set his cellular machinery into gear in a manner that had not taken place in man for thousands of years. Proteins were being manufactured that were awesome in length and complexity. They weaved through the walls of his cells fourteen times, like vipers ready to do their damage. The process was slow, gradually creating a monster. The night he began the crossover, Jeff had a dream.

Jeff dreamt he walked an African savanna, hunting for what he knew he needed to continue his existence—food.  He stalked his prey, made a kill and feasted on his quarry’s raw flesh. Jeff awoke bathed in sweat, unable to understand the dream’s meaning. The final image remained imprinted in his mind. In his dream the quarry had been human. This deeply disturbed him for days. He tried to dismiss the dream, but couldn’t, for it reoccurred. The side affects began to alter his body, his dreams becoming more and more vivid as his mind was also altered.

Six months went by before Jeff noticed a change in his behavior. He was out shopping one day and was about to pull into a parking space when another car beat him to the spot. Normally, he would have uttered some epithet to himself and gone on his way, but this time was different. He pulled his car behind the intruder to prevent him from leaving, then jumped out of his car and attacked. Jeff hammered his fist on the closed window, confronting an elderly couple. The face of the old man behind the wheel revealed shock and disbelief. Both he and his wife cowered as Jeff continued to yell and pound the window. In desperation, the old man began to blow his horn continuously, hoping to attract attention. The noise and forming crowd brought Jeff to his senses. He jumped into his car and left.

Jeff drove away shaking with fear and rage. When he’d been depressed, he’d felt a rage born of desperation. What he felt now was bestial. For a moment, he’d wanted to kill the old couple, not considering the consequences.

He did not mention this incident to his wife. Scared and ashamed, he wanted to forget all about what had happened. Jeff wondered if maybe he should return to his antidepressant, but didn’t realize that there was no turning back. His genetic machinery was in overdrive and could not be reversed.

Jeff had always had a heavy beard. With his thick black hair, his five o’clock shadow would sometimes appear at three; now by eleven o’clock he looked like he hadn’t shaved at all that morning, and his normally densely haired torso and arms seemed to be growing additional hair. Another mystifying change took place. His face seemed to be altered ever so slightly, his brow thickened. It was almost impossible to notice without close inspection. Jeff first became aware of this change when his glasses felt too uncomfortable to wear. This was not a problem because his eyesight had improved to the extent that he didn’t need his glasses.

The change most distressing to Jeff, though, was in his temper. These days he avoided Linda for fear of a blowup. Small things she’d always done, her little habits, would grate on his nerves enough to generate a mad rage he struggled to keep under control. He had more fits of anger while in public. One day, an elderly woman entered a checkout line at the same time as Jeff, and he pushed her, knocking her to the ground, yelling obscenities. A crowd gathered as he ran from the store. In the distance he could hear the wail of a police siren. He walked for hours until darkness fell, and then returned to the store’s parking lot to retrieve his car.

Day by day, his appearance was definitely changing. His brow became more prominent, there was no controlling his beard growth, and his body was covered with what appeared to be fur. Jeff was at a loss about what to do, whom to turn to when he found it impossible to communicate his rage.

Then, one day, Linda was gone from his life too. She knew he was angry again, but not like before. The rage was constant and she couldn’t help but notice the change in his appearance. She couldn’t take the anger any longer and asked, “What’s happening, Jeff?”