ANIMAL

WALKING IN, I chucked off my beat-up shoes and threw the duffel bag in the tall, polished wooden cabinet.

Charcoal black carpet rubbed between my bare feet, and I ran my hands over the gentle fabric of the single bed's cover, pulling them back as I slipped Aera underneath their weighted comfort.

"Hey," she slurred, making a sound of being half conscious.

I grinned.

"Stay," she whispered, patting the space next to her.

Laying down beside her, I studied her expression with watchful, curious eyes.

Did she...? Is she...?

She's drunk?

I shuddered.

Grabbing a disposable cup, I ran to the sink until the water was cold enough to soothe her aching, burned throat.

Why did she have to go through my fucking stash?

"Drink," I commanded, offering the few pieces of candy, dropping the chocolate into her palms.

"I love you." she drawled, rolling each word off her tongue like a heavy weight inside her mouth.

Despite her being drunk, I grinned.

"Just drink," I said, watching her carefully out of the corner of my eye.

"You're really pretty," she grinned childishly.

A familiar feeling stirred inside my chest.

I froze.

Nononononono—

IMPRINT

"No," I whispered to myself, pain running through me.

Please.

Aera stared at me, eyes wide like a baffled child.

Beauty blossomed around her, making her skin glow as if she was on fire. Running my fingers through her hair, I knotted them at the base of her neck, gaze wandering down the rest of my body.

"I..." I started, loosening my grip as I watched her dark eyes look up at me expectantly.

"I need to go." I whispered softly under my breath, so quiet I wondered if she heard me.

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contains mature violence 18+

I twisted the thin paper between my fingers, allowing it to rest on my skin.

Bringing the lighter to the edge of the cigarette, I watched the plant rolled inside burn. Waves of flames consumed it, heat stroking the air around me.

Cool brushes of frozen air ran across my arms, chilling to a mortal's skin, but soothing to mine.

"No smoking indoors, miss."

"Stay, please."

"No refunds,"

"Are you okay?"

"—okay?"

"Last time I checked," I hissed, taking two quick steps back. To human eyes, I was traveling at impossible speeds. But I was toying with my prey. Leftover frustration began to gnaw itself inside me, causing my body to tremble with hunger, my skin crawling with anticipation.

"I was outside."

I grabbed a fistful of my victim's shirt, bringing their body with me. Their hands gripped my wrists, and I smirked at their desperation.

Selfish.

"P-Please! I had a sick grandmother at home!"

Monster.

I threw my head back in apathetic laughter, running the cigarette through my fingers carelessly. I heard their breathing drag, and realized my hand had unknowingly clasped around their throat. Their pulse ran through my body as if it was my own. I flinched.

The human stared up at me in disgust and fear.

KILL THEM

I turned my head away from his, my body shaking as I fought back the urge to rip out their throat. Every cell in my body burned for the warmth of his blood to spill, their soul a breath away.

"I'm sorry..." I muttered to myself, though the words were loud enough to reach their ears.

Dragging their body away from the doors, I pushed away the images of their head between the glass panel, looking as if it belonged to a fridge instead of the front entrance. My mouth watered as flashes of blood stained the invisible window-like door.

The crash of glass against their skull made me run to their still body.

Red ran across the cement sidewalk, rivering into a bloody trail across the parking lot until I could feel the warm liquid through my shoes.

It was just a thought... I didn't mean it... They had a grandmother...

"Take it away," they whispered, despite the glass that protruded from their body like invisible, sharp shards of bones.

A shaky laugh escaped his pale, quivering lips.

I stared as they lifted a shard of glass from beside them, fingertips pricking the knife-sharp ends as he fumbled to tighten their shaky grip.

I watched them as they brought the glass to their neck and slit their throat.

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The voice in my head grew louder with each step I made toward the innocent lynx.

Each limb was thick with fat, vibrating with each small step they made toward a freshly grown plant. My mouth watered as I imagined the warmth of their blood down my throat, their soul creeping in with every. Single. Drop.

I shook my head back and forth, as if it would stop the thoughts from coming in, pause the images from flashing inside my mind.

EAT EAT EAT EAT EAT

My gums shifted, making room for my sharp needle-like teeth. My grin ran to the very edge of my ear, and I felt my tongue run along the leftover blood on my teeth. Rows upon rows of teeth that ran to the very back of my throat like a tunnel of death itself.

My teeth hit flesh.

I heard their low whimper bounce across the trees, echoing along the leaves.

I pushed their points in even deeper.

I heard the animal breathe their last breath.

I watched the animal's life crumble in my hands.

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My head rested along the rocky black pavement of the parking lot, my skin tingling with the remembrance of the lynx's warm blood.

I imagined my hair brushing along the thick layers of tan fur and shivered.

I stepped inside the crime scene, across the red-stained glass, trying not to glance at the blood-covered, headless corpse.

Nicotine. I need fucking nicotine.

I stuffed several boxes inside my hoodie's pocket. I snatched a bar of chocolate, remembering Aera's crave for anything that had large amounts of sugar.

I stepped inside the McLaren swiftly, leaving the crime scene behind me.

I'm sorry.