Living Hunger

Frederique staggered back from the cracked pavement, her breath coming in ragged bursts. The jagged, unnatural bite marks stared back at her, the edges rough and torn as if something had gnawed through the asphalt.

' I didn't do that. I couldn't have. '

Yet her teeth ached. Her hands trembled, raw and scraped as if she'd been clawing at the ground.

The cold wind whipped around her, stinging her bare feet. The hunger pulsed deeper, sharper, a knot tightening inside her chest. Her body hurt...not the ache of fatigue but something primal, aching for more.

Something whispered inside her.

Feed...

But the voice wasn't hers. It was distant but close...inside.

She flinched, clutching her stomach as a wave of nausea rolled over her.

" No. Stop. "

She shook her head, trying to focus.

' I need to get home. I can figure this out when I'm safe.'

The street was empty, dimly lit by flickering streetlights. Her house wasn't far, just three blocks. She forced herself to move, the rough pavement scraping her feet as she stumbled forward.

With each step, the hunger twisted tighter.

A sound echoed nearby. Soft footsteps on the pavement behind her.

Frederique whipped around. Nothing.

' Am I losing my mind? '

She turned back toward home—and froze.

A figure stood at the far end of the street.

A man. No... something else.

Tall, gaunt, pale skin stretched tight across sharp cheekbones. His eyes glowed faintly in the dark, like embers behind glass. He wasn't moving, just... watching her.

A pulse of fear made her heart race.

Run.

But she couldn't.

The hunger surged again—different this time. Not fear. Not pain. Something deeper.

Predator.

Frederique's lips parted, but no sound came. The thing at the end of the street tilted its head, and then...

It smiled.

Rows of needle-like teeth glistened in the dim light.

' Run. '

Frederique spun on her heel, sprinting. The ground felt too solid, too close, each step vibrating through her bones. She could feel the creature following, silent, closing in.

' Faster! '

Her muscles responded too quickly. Her body surged forward with unnatural speed, her legs carrying her faster than they should have. The wind howled past her ears as she stumbled, nearly falling but somehow catching herself.

The hunger screamed.

And then...

The scent hit her.

Copper. Blood.

Sharp and raw.

She wasn't thinking when she stopped. She wasn't herself.

Her head snapped toward the source. A cat...limp on the side of the road, hit by a car. The scent called to her, overpowering, overwhelming.

Eat.

'No.'

Frederique staggered back, gasping, clutching her stomach.

"What...what's happening to me...?"

The voice inside whispered again.

' You're not alone. '

The pale man was gone.

But something else remained.

The hunger.

Waiting.

Watching.