The Undying

Insatiable Hunger

The sun rays seeps through the blinds of the sleep deprived Arlo boy's room. Abruptly awakening him from his 2 hours of sleep that is not considered to be a normal sleeping routine to many. Groaning as he positioned himself to sit at the edge of his bed, smearing his eyes with his hands to clean his eyes from any dirt that accumulated to build up during his sleep, a habit or a reflex many people unconsciously practiced after waking up. Sighing as he pivots his hand to stop his alarm clock that is always unable to wake him up. Weirded by the fact that the sun is the only thing that can wake him up, not even his Mother's loud booming  voice that is summoning him to lunch below him. It's not often that he wakes up from someone calling out to him when he's asleep.

"Coming!" Caden shouted back as he readied himself, walking to his mirror positioned to his walk-in closet. Checking himself up and fixing his bed hair miserably as he tried to tame it but failed always. Sighing for the hundredth time since he woke up, noticing his dark circles that are visible sitting under his eyes, worried that his poor sleeping schedule has been rubbing him off since he turned 17. Doesn't even have the time to brush his teeth as he hurriedly goes to the kitchen, knowing her sister's impatient persona. Hearing his obnoxious Sister on the way to the kitchen grumble something incoherent due to the distance of his room to where the kitchen is situated, obviously pissed as he is late again to arrive on time to lunch.

"Good morning" Caden sheepishly called out as soon as he descended from upstairs, pivoting to the seat to sit next to her sister, who glared in return. And  is about to retort back due to his lack of punctuality but held herself back and laughed profusely as she just noticed his older brother's face. "The fuck you laughing at dickwad?" Caden asked weirded out but grinned as it's not everyday her sister laughed carefree. His Mother glared at him at his choice of profane language as she went to the dining table, finished with the last batch of utilities she's setting on the table. His father just chuckles at the interaction of his children.

"You-you.." Her Sister tried to compose herself but failed and laughed still, smacking his arms whilst laughing. Caden, starting to get annoyed but pressed his question, suddenly became self-conscious. "Do I have something on my face, Yuri?" Caden asks incredulously. Finally stopping herself, smearing her eye from tears. "Remember in 5th grade when you dressed up as Dracula on Halloween?" Still red due to laughing so hard, grinning. "Yeah, what about it?" He asked, reminiscing his old days, and curious as to why it was brought up by his sister randomly. "You're so obsessed with dressing up as him to the point that you won't let Mom or any of us ruin your costumes and your make up for three streaks of days!" Caden grunted to humiliation remembering that "Yeah I did remember that. All eyeshadow smudges under your eye and too insufferable to let me wash you cause you reek you know?" Her mother joined in as she chuckled as she pointed it out. Not helping his son's humiliation.

"You should've seen your face Caden, exact carbon copy of Dracula" Her sister teased him while passing out the casserole to his dad. His dad stopped his spacing out, now that his daughter mentioned his son's appearance. All pale skin as snow, constant screaming from his son's room every night. knowing the inevitable secret he's trying to hide from his family will come to an end and scared of what his son might think of him as he comes of age. He smiled half-heartedly as he took the casserole.

This did not go unnoticed to Caden as he was about to ask his dad if he was okay, but stopped at the sudden metallic smell wafted out from their opened window on his left. Drawn too much to the smell that he's obliviously eating monotonously and out of it til they finished. He only snapped out of his trance when her mother took his empty plate. They went on their mundane peaceful breakfast and occasionally talked here and there.

"I'm going for my morning run, mom." Caden excused himself after finishing his chores. As he was tying his sneakers running shoes, not failing to notice how his dad is his formal attire frantically, fishing his car keys out of his pockets. Caden's worried since breakfast, as he's been acting weirdly and not to mention it's Saturday and it's his day off is what bothers Caden. He was about to ask him what the matter was after finishing tying his shoes but already heard the car engine roar to life and went off.

The metallic smell is luring him deep into the park. Adrenaline coursing through his veins as he sped up his jog. He was so out of it and oblivious that he never went on this route like he usually did. As he neared the pinpoint location of where the smell is coming from, did he only come to reality. An injured deer with its hind legs were oozing blood from the fatal injuries, bones were seen. The deer is on its last minutes obvious to its short breath, gasping.

Caden was losing his mind, of course his appearance, especially his skin, almost looked like he lost a lot of blood and was pale as the snow did not go unnoticed to him. But smelling this from 3 blocks away from their home to the park baffled him. But what scared him was how the deer's blood enticed him, like a demon whispering to him to do their bad bidding.

The Arlo boy kneeled after contemplating for almost half an hour, scared and unsure, giving in to the temptation. He doesn't know what to do at first but lets his instincts guide him. A little taste wouldn't hurt a fly right? First lick was weird, second one is growing on him as he suck and drink from it like sipping from it like it's the natural thing to do. He groaned and moaned as he mindlessly gripped its thigh for support as the deer went on its last breath, whimpering.

A twig snapped as realization hit him and the scene right in front of him flashed like getting a plug connected again. "Fuck" he cursed, hoping it was just some passing by squirrel as he is not prepared to get questioned as to what he was doing and definitely don't want to get questioned as to why the deer looks like its body got sucked in by a vacuum. After he thoroughly inspected his surroundings and no luck, he paid it no mind and looked back at what he's done to the deer.

Soon as he laid eyes on it, horror etched on his face and moved back from horror and gasped. He didn't know it would be this bad! He was conscious of the whole ordeal but it's almost like there's a whole force controlling him, a side of him he never knew resides in him. "Fuck Fuck fuck!!" He kept on cursing as he moved back from the deer, bumping onto the tree in the process. Tears evident in his eyes.

"I gotta get out of here" Caden muttered in despair, hyperventilating as he gripped onto his chest trying to sooth himself. After 10 minutes of having an episode of existential crisis, he sped up and went to their house and ran like his life depended on it. Fortunately for him it's 8 in the morning and no one's out yet in the neighborhood to see his front covered in dried scarlet blood running down his mouth.

Finally after 5 minutes of running that felt like an eternity. Caden reached their home and slammed their front door on his way to his room upstairs. Her Mother's reading through her email in their living room and jumped at the sudden door slamming. "Honey, are you okay?" She asked, concerned. Judith was known for her insisting attitude and went to go to Caden's bedroom. "Honey, are you really okay?" She asked as she knocked. "Talk to me Caden pls! You know you can talk to me" she asked worriedly while leaning her ear to the door.

Caden was thankful that her mother didn't see his appearance or else she would break his door in a matter of seconds. That's how caring their Mother was when it comes to her children.

"Not now mom I'm sorry" Caden answered back hoarsely, sobbing in between his words. He rarely cries, but this time was different. He has no control over his body. He was scared of himself, he shouldn't have given in.

**DISCONTINUED**