Day 30: Oberleutnant Gehrke

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The factory was dark and quiet, filled with old, rusty machines. Oberleutnant Malte Gehrke walked slowly, his tall frame moving like he had all the time in the world. His eyes gleamed in the dim light, blue and sharp, and he seemed to be searching for something... or someone. He ignored the fellow zom-bots in his way, they already knew who he was, what he was capable of.

In the corner of Gehrke's supposed room, huddled against a wall, was a younger man, Charlie. He was shivering, trying to look brave, but his usual pink face was pale. When he saw Gehrke coming, he tensed up, though his eyes showed relief. Even though he was terrified, he didn't seem to hate Gehrke's company, especially with killer half-dead zombie robots roaming the factory looking for more humans.

"Charlie," The Oberleutnant said softly, his voice calm, almost like a friend. He crouched down beside Charlie, looking at him with a strange mix of kindness and something else. When he noticed how Charlie's arm was laid out on the floor, Gehrke reached out to touch it, sending a chill down Charlie's spine.

Charlie forced a shaky smile. "You... you don't have to do that, Malte. I mean, I thought we were friends." His voice was hopeful but nervous as he looked up at the tall man, hoping that Gehrke wouldn't do anything to hurt him.

Gehrke tilted his head, looking amused. "Friends, yes... Yes. I suppose you could call it that." His hand held Charlie's wrist tighter now, making Charlie's heart race.

"And what are friends for, Charlie?" Gehrke asked, smiling in a way that wasn't very friendly. "If not for a bit of..." His smile grew, showing his sharp teeth in the dim light, "fun?"

Charlie's pulse sped up, and he tried to pull his arm away, but Gehrke's grip was too strong.

"Don't pull away." Gehrke's voice was soft, but there was a slight edge to it, as though he'd be angry if Charlie didn't listen, as if he was trying to warn Charlie. "Friends don't leave when things get interesting, do they? That's what rude, fake friends do."

Charlie's eyes were wide, his mouth opening to say something, but no words came out. He stared at Gehrke's hand holding his wrist, feeling trapped, and his mind raced with fear and confusion.

"I-I trusted you, Malte..." he whispered, his voice shaking.

"Trust," The Oberleutnant said thoughtfully, loosening his grip just a bit, rolling his eyes. "That's a beautiful thing. Trust keeps people close, even when things go wrong... especially when things go wrong." He ran his thumb along Charlie's wrist slowly, as if thinking about something. "But tell me, Charlie, how far can that trust stretch? How far does yours for me stretch?"

Before Charlie could respond, before he could even think, Gehrke suddenly leaned down, and Charlie felt the sharpness of teeth against his skin. It was gentle at first, but then the bite got harder, and the pain shot through him.

"Malte!" Charlie gasped, his voice full of panic as he tried to pull back, but Gehrke held him still.

Gehrke laughed quietly, seeming to enjoy both the taste of blood and Charlie's fear. "Why so scared, Charlie?" he asked, sounding amused. "Isn't this what friends do? They... share, they give a piece of themselves." Gehrke's blue eyes looked into Charlie's, full of excitement. "Isn't that what you wanted?"

Charlie breathed faster, and his arm throbbed with pain where Gehrke had bitten him. He wanted to run, to pull away, but part of him felt frozen, he was trapped by the hope that maybe, just maybe, Gehrke wasn't really as dangerous as he seemed.

"You... you don't have to do this," Charlie whispered, barely able to get the words out. "I'm still here. I'm not leaving. I-I... I would never leave, not you, Malte."

Gehrke's face softened just a little, and he touched the edges of the bite wound on Charlie's arm, tracing it slowly. "Oh, Charlie," he murmured, his voice oddly gentle. "That's what I like about you. You're stupid. You stay." He looked at Charlie's arm again, almost like he was deciding what to do next.

"Stay still." His voice commanded, even softly. "You're safe. After all..." Gehrke's quiet laugh made Charlie shiver. "Friends don't hurt each other."

With that, Gehrke's teeth sank into Charlie's arm again, biting down harder this time. Charlie gasped, knowing that Gehrke would be upset if he screamed, squeezing his eyes shut and praying it was all just a bad dream.

But the pain told him otherwise. He was in the hands of a monster, one was always warm one minute then terrifying the next.

"Mmm... Delectable."

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