The Hunger

What to do?

On the drive home I tried to distract myself from everything that had happened as well as that red liquid that stained the black leather of the passenger seat. Now that my father was gone that moment of sudden concentration and purpose which came with realization started to fade. I tried everything to keep my head clear but it grew ever harder the longer I breathed in that delicious smell. My throat itched, my teeth shivered and it felt as though two of them started to sharpen and protrude. I couldn't keep my eyes off of the blood. It was a miracle I even made it home without crashing.

When I pulled up onto the driveway I threw myself out of the car and closed the door, shutting the smell in. I stood there for a while breathing and looking around in the bright and unpleasantly warm sunlight, my eyes protected by the sunglasses.

Children played, dogs ran around and parents watched them protectively. Everything looked so normal while I stood here, struggling not to look through the window in fear of having that bizarre monstrous hunger build up and take over again.

I walked back towards the house, every step I took away from the car calmed my body and thoughts. When I came to the front door I noticed that in my hurry to take my father to the hospital I had forgotten to close it. It stood wide open for anyone to walk in there and steal everything in our house. But despite of that I didn't worry about anything being stolen. Not in this place. But then again; that's what we thought when we went outside that night.

I walked into the living room and sat down onto our sofa, trying to calm down and think. I looked down at my hands... My suddenly pale hands... I couldn't believe what I'd done, have I gone insane? Everything had been so weird and abnormal since that night. Even my body felt weird and foreign. It felt like it was just some pale layer of flesh that coated my... being. I scratched away the blood that still encrusted some of my nails and wiped away the tears that started to form.

I took out my phone and looked at the text that I got that morning trying to decide what to do next.

Wednesday 1 a.m. by the tree where you found me.

I looked at the clock. Today was Tuesday, so it was only a few more hours left until I had to go back to the tree. I didn't know what would await me there but I decided to go. I wanted answers.

But I couldn't stay here and wait. My mom would probably come home soon and I couldn't face her with what I had done. I was scared of what I would do to her if I did face her. I needed to get out of this place, this house, get away from everyone and everything that could potentially make me feel that hunger again. I don't know if I'll be able to stop the next time it happens. This time it was my father but who will it be next time? My mother? Someone I didn't know? A child? I shook my head trying to rid it of that thought.

I went up the stairs to change clothes and pack some stuff that I could use to stay out for a couple of days. When I entered my room I saw the blood that was a pool on my floor. The hunger returned but it was bearable and only made my throat itch when I breathed, so I tried breathing as little as possible, only taking small breaths and only when I needed to.

I took out a backpack and started stuffing some clothes and toiletries into it and basically anything that I could use that would avoid me having to go home for a few days.

-

Fifteen minutes later I was out of the house and walking in the direction of the woods. I was showered and had a small backpack slung over my shoulder with some clothes and other essentials such as a charger for my phone and a toothbrush.

As soon as I was out of sight from the road and the houses, I started looking for a place where I could wait until midnight, the time when I had to go to the tree. After a small time of looking I found a fallen log covered with moss. There, I took a seat and called James.

He didn't pick up. I tried calling him a few times more before I gave up and sent him a message instead that said to call me as soon as he sees it.

While I waited for him to call me back my head filled with a horrible realization. What if James had become like me?

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Sorry for anyone that likes this story. It probably wont ever be finished. But i'll try to update whenever I want to.