Work Text:
"Boys, you really must try this." May said, widening his grin so the tips of his fangs were visible. "It's quite something - slinking through the undergrowth, stalking your prey... and for you two, an all-out sprint on the moors." He advanced on the pair as Jeremy shuffled backwards, subtly pushing Richard closer to their nigh-unrecognizable former cohost. "And uh, what happened to your cameraman...?" said Richard, slowly backing away towards the (please god, let it be) still functional Toyota he had grown to love over the course of this awful journey through the jungle. James' smile widened to a truly rictus grin as Richard noticed the splash of blood across his torn trousers, bulging with new muscle and fur. He gulped loudly.
"Now listen here James, it's just the h-heat getting to you," Jeremy stuttered as Captain Slow's long strides brought him closer and closer, slow no longer but confident, powerful. "Why don't you pack it in early, see how you feel in the morning?" James' grin vanished as he dropped to all fours, his posture changing as the curve of his spine took on a more lupine appearance. "I think I'm quite awake, thank you Jeremy." He lunged, leaving deep claw marks in the Range Rover's beaten chassis as Jeremy dove for cover in the crevice their makeshift bridge had led them over. Richard, seeing that James had focused on Jeremy for the moment, ran to the door of the Toyota, wrenching it open and clambering inside (sorry, you old bastard, but it's every man for himself out here!). He frantically turned over the engine. Once, twice, nothing. A scream pierced the night sky alongside a roar of triumph. Thrice, four times, and it took. The car roared to life as he floored the accelerator through the dense brush, leaving his friends, or whatever was left, behind.
The night air was thick and pitch black, his eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness, narrowly weaving in and out of foliage and forest. Richard's heart continued to pound in the minutes since his escape. He was dripping with sweat, and as the adrenaline wore off his eyes began to droop. He had been driving for close to 18 hours that day, after all. Thoughts of the good old times at the pub overtook him as he began to regret leaving Jeremy behind. Tears sprung in the corners of his red eyes, but he blinked them away. They knew it was sort of risky, going into the jungle - well, not like this, but still. It's not like it's his fault Jeremy's-- no, he can't think that. Maybe James... maybe he just bit him...
Something large dropped onto the bars of his roll cage. Richard's head snapped towards the sound, finding himself face to face with what could only be described at this point as an animal - an expression of pure hunger, joy from a successful hunt, jaws flecked with bright red blood. He barely had time to scream before something else slammed into the side of the old car, sending it and its passengers spiraling off into the dark, crashing through the dense jungle growth.
------------------------------------
His eyes slowly blinked open again, panic forcing his consciousness up out of the black. Smoke filled his lungs - the jungle was on fire, brush and wreckage of his car alike swallowed by an inferno. And in the midst of it all, with vicious looking fangs and expressions of intense hunger, were two massive wolves standing on their hind legs. Tattered remnants of what must've been James' clothing hung around his powerful calves, and while the other wolf wore no clothing, Richard could only assume it was whatever was left of Jeremy. His hands and feet sought purchase on the muddy forest floor as he scrambled backward, coughing. The wolves advanced, and the Jeremy-wolf let out a ear-piercing howl before wrenching the burning wreckage of the Toyota out of the way, shearing it completely in half. Richard looked around desperately for a weapon, finding nothing but sticks and a horrific number of insects fleeing the flames alongside him. The wolves took their time, loping towards him almost casually. They were toying with him, he knew. A trapped prey animal with nowhere to go. He looked up at what used to be the two people he trusted most in the world as they descended upon him, sharp claws and teeth rending flesh from bone and spirit from body. As his eyes fluttered closed for the final time, he saw the wolves begin to brawl with one another, fighting over him, or maybe this was what was left of their human personalities, clashing one final time? It no longer mattered to Richard, as his heart came to a stop.
------------------------------------
"The BBC has so far provided very little information surrounding the events that led to a serious wildfire in Bolivia as well as the apparent deaths of Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond, the three hosts of Top Gear. While known for their fast driving and adventurous off-roading, so far this appears to have been surprisingly unrelated to an automobile accident. Firefighters are..."