Bone and Blood Volume I

20 - Route 24, 1927

When Torani rejoined Rek, he was met with carnage. Elizabeth's torso was still tied to the tree, but her limbs and head had been roughly chewed off. The heart and liver were eaten. Other organs laid in a pile where her left leg should have been.

In Rek's search for the good meat, he had somehow turned one of her breasts inside out. A lump of fatty, yellow mammary tissue slowly slid down her chest, its outer edges drying and curled. One leg and one arm were set aside untouched. The skin from the other two limbs lay folded in a neat pile. A mound of fat sat next to it. Bones and cartilage were stacked beyond them.

Rek had filled up by then. Otherwise, he would not have been so methodical about the dismemberment. Satiety led to boredom and then curiosity. His dissection had taught him so much about the human form's strengths and weaknesses.

Torani sat down in front of Rek. "I hoped you would wait a little longer. I see you used the extra time to turn your meal into an art project."

"Elizabeth lied to me. I wasn't happy about it. I'm over it now."

"Eliza—? You talked to the food."

"You didn't tell me not to." He pointed at the untouched limbs. "I left those for you."

"Don't change the subject. Didn't your instincts warn you not to talk to her?"

Rek considered lying. "I had some questions for her."

Torani sighed. "Well, I hope you got them answered, because you will never speak to—"

"I don't want to. The food lies. There's no point in talking to them."

"Don't interrupt me."

"I'm telling you why you don't need to worry about it." Torani crossed his arms. Rek huffed. "What?"

"You know you shouldn't be speaking to me like this. I outrank you."

Rek cleared his throat. "I thought you wanted me to be... I don't know." The word equal floated through his mind. A gut feeling beyond his instincts warned him not to use it. "You've always pushed me to talk openly with you."

"I want that, but I don't want you be disrespectful towards royals. You already started off on the wrong foot with Demeko. Don't make it worse."

"All right, I'm sorry."

"You can still be open with me. Just be polite. Don't interrupt."

"Okay." Rek hoped his guilty tone appeased Torani. He felt none of it. This was not the conversation he expected to have when Torani returned. Raising in rank should have made them closer. Instead, he was being pushed down. He took a deep breath to calm himself. "You're not eating."

Torani picked up the arm, wiggling it. It rigidly held its position. "I appreciate the thought, but maybe it's better for you to have it."

"I'm full. It's wonderful."

"We'll see how you feel in an hour."

"Sure. So, what did you do about the car."

A huff. "I've got a spot away from the road where I leave them."

"You just left it? You buried it, right?"

"No. I don't need to."

"So, it's sitting there. With a bunch of other cars. Like a... a car graveyard. And no one finds them?"

"The other hunters weren't bothered by that..."

"Then they're dumb." Rek straightened up. "How come the food doesn't find them?"