The First

Chapter 6

Savannah recalled the events of the prior evening as she stood anew on the roof of Salem Hospital. Bright lights had flickered and ricocheted off her amber eyes when she'd emerged from the dark place. She'd been quick when she feasted on them, tasting the sweet morsels pulsating within. As she lapped up the crimson fluid next to her latest meal, the hallway congested with creatures—food to her. She finished the chunk of flesh in her mouth and swallowed. Deep within, a war raged against her primal urge to eat the creature under her. At some point and in some way this beast had meant something to her. Yet, none of that mattered as her tiny tummy growled, coaxed, and urged her on to the next meal. 

A projectile had entered her left shoulder. The force sent her tiny body tumbling back through the double doors, into the dark room. Her eyes flickered and the room brightened as if someone had turned on amber covered lights. Objects in the room gave off dull silhouettes, but the food, it had a bright red glow. Sometimes the glow dissipated, rendering the meal tasteless. Another large creature came through the door. Life pumped through its glowing vessels. The large orb in the middle is where the flow started and stopped. This sweet piece of meat quenched her thirst and satiated the rumble in her belly. 

Another meal burst through the double doors wielding some sort of object in its hand. Savannah reacted to the loud snap coming from the object. With blinding speed, she avoided the projectiles flying at her. They pinged against the wall behind her, angled up and disappeared. Again and again, the object snapped and out came the projectiles. She dodged most of them by crawling up the wall. 

With a twist of her hips, she aimed her body at the large red thumping orb deep within the creature. 

She crouched. 

Tendons tightened. Muscles tensed. Razor-sharp nails extended from the tips of her fingers. The force of energy she pushed into her legs sent her careening into the object, her muscular infant arms extended. Her nails punctured through its thick front, slicing through like a knife into a Jell-O mold. When she felt the thump, thump, thump of the morsel within, she tore the beating piece of flesh out and stuffed it into her mouth. Rows of jagged teeth sliced the orb in half with one bite. The meat soothed the pangs of hunger. A twinge of prickling nettles drew her attention to her shoulder. Flesh stitched together from where one of the projectiles had hit her.

More noise came from beyond the swinging double doors through which she saw multiple creatures heading in her direction. Sustained for the moment, she scanned the area for a way to escape. Where the two walls met she spotted a small hole. She scampered up the wall, tore the cover off the hole and flung it into the group of creatures making their way into the room. 

The cover spun and lodged into one of the unsuspecting creatures, knocking it to the ground. Its orb stopped glowing. Savannah crawled into the hole. Her fingernails and toenails caused flickers of electricity as she scampered through the tunnel. Other orbs came into view through the walls. Some moved, others didn't, but each creature meant prey; a meal ready to be eaten. As she scurried through the dark tunnel the pain in her belly caused a ripple through her system. She needed more food and she needed it now. Prey that couldn't struggle or fight would be the easier kills. Another opening loomed ahead and on the other side, the glow of two large entities brought her to a halt. 

One didn't move at all, the other had some sort of sound coming from it. A sound she distinctly remembered while in the dark place. The place she had eaten her way out of. Those sounds, somehow they soothed her. 

The cover blocking her exit flew through the room and clanked against the opposite wall, startling the creatures. One of them reminded her of the place from whence she had come. Savannah hesitated; puzzled at a strange longing she had to snuggle with the food and sleep.

A loud scream came from the prey as their eyes met hers. The shriek stopped once Savannah's claws dug deep within. The creature gurgled and spat up some of the tasty fluid which Savannah lapped up before she dug deeper into it and removed the thumping piece. That piece had become her favorite part of the meal, her second— the hunt.

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