The Half-Blood Giant

Chapter 43: Unnatural Resurrection

The satisfaction that Hunter gleaned from devouring and digesting Hannah inevitably gave way to despair as the weight of his actions sank in. He had killed Hector, who just wanted to be his friend, for Hannah, and now she was dead too. He ate that other girl for no reason, and the boy with the glasses because he had caught Hunter in the act, and the giant could not let him live after that. He was filled with self-loathing and regret as his multitude of sins lay heavily upon him. Deep down, he wanted Hannah back. He mourned her loss as he felt a terrible emptiness in his guts and chest.

His parents checked in on him again, and asked him if he wanted to come home for the weekend. Hunter agreed, if only to take his mind off his troubles. Chester and Jackie failed to recognize that anything was amiss, since moodiness was normal for their angsty son. Hunter visited his grandparents again and confided with his grandpa about what he had done. Ajax approved of his actions and praised him. He was very pleased with how his grandson was developing, both with his physical size and his beliefs and attitudes. He was maturing into a strong young giant he could be proud of. In spite of the accolades he received, in the darkest inner chambers of his heart, Hunter lamented. He pined for Hannah.

The yearning in his heart and belly led him to the spellbooks in his father's study. He recalled reading about a forbidden spell that could bring a soul back from the dead. According to the book, the spell was dangerous, difficult, and powerful, and could damage the soul in question if performed incorrectly, but Hunter figured at this point he had nothing to lose. His selfishness, arrogance, and sadness blinded him to the risk. He memorized the details of the complicated spell and began to gather the supplies he required.

Hunter believed he had plenty of blood magic to perform the spell. He needed clay to form a vessel for the soul, so once he was back at school, he stole a brick of clay from the art room. He waited until the end of the day and secluded himself in his usual hiding spot, behind the giant boys' dorm. He needed to infuse the clay with blood, so he sliced his arm with a knife and poured some of his blood on the clay. He hoped that, since Hannah had been absorbed into his body, the presence of her essence would tie her soul more securely to the golem.

The next step was to mold the clay into a suitable shape. Hunter wasn't the most artistic, and his fingers were large and clumsy, but he tried his best. He massaged the bloodstained clay to soften it before forming the rough outline of a human shape, including soft feminine curves. He sculpted arms and legs with as much detail as he could, even going so far as to shape crude fingers and toes on the hands and feet. He poked holes for eyes in the head, and cut a primitive slit for a mouth. He tried to form a nose, but he couldn't get the shape right, so he smoothed the unsightly lump back into the main body of the golem. Hannah didn't need a nose anyway. He wanted to give her hair, but he wasn't sure what material to use that would suitably simulate its softness, so he skipped it.

The first time Hunter attempted the spell, he failed. Despite his exceptional blood magic reserves, he simply didn't have enough magic to complete the spell. His initial disappointment morphed into steadfast determination. He came up with the obvious solution: He could draw more power from eating another human. He knew this to be true, from his previous experiences with eating Hannah and the others. He always sensed an additional power flow when he had a human in his belly. He wasn't sure how this phenomenon was possible, but he figured it must be related in some way to his half-human lineage.

However, hunting down a human without getting caught would be more difficult than ever. Eyes and cameras were everywhere now, as numerous as his prey. The hallway inside the main building, the courtyard with the fountain, and the exterior entrances of the dormitories all had cameras set up, so Hunter would need to avoid those areas when choosing his victim. Some of the sidewalks and bike paths were unmonitored, as were the classrooms, the cafeteria, and the library, but since these were public areas with regular traffic, other people would be around. Plus, the camera in the hallway would record people entering and exiting the rooms, so it would be obvious if Hunter walked in and out and a human disappeared in that room. He would have to be clever.