Famine (DRAMAtical Murder fanfic)

Chapter 1

It wasn't the disease that made us turn to eating humans. It was simply the unquenchable hunger. We couldn't afford to buy enough food to satisfy ourselves in the beginning, though many tried. At some point, someone had gotten desperate enough to eat a human corpse, resulting in so many of us feasting upon those we once walked amongst.

My sire, the one who shared the disease with me, was the one who taught me how to hunt. How to kill, how to satisfy oneself with human flesh, how to hide all evidence. Not that there was much point in the latter. The police couldn't match our DNA, which been changed just barely enough by the disease to become unrecognizable.

The worst part of the hunger was that it seemed to fill one's entire body, and could easily be mistaken for being 'horny'. True, our hunger could be satisfied by sex on occasion, but it only lasted so long. I seem to be the only one who pays attention to certain details.

First, children and the elderly are immune to the disease, and are also considered inedible by our sort.
Second, the times when sex satisfies our hunger is only when we've laid with another of the same sex, and at night.
Third, we're completely misunderstood by those who claim to try and 'help' us. We see the prison as a death pit, not a salvation.

Fourth.... I just screwed up. Bad.

One of the people in my sire's group was starving, so he ordered me to go hunt and bring him food. Just my luck that the house I chose had only one occupant, who hadn't actually been completely asleep, was a lot stronger than I was, and who now had a sword pointed at my face.

I tried to think of a way out of this, but it was extremely hard to do so with a sharp blade so close to me. I was already pressed up against the wall as much possible, so getting away didn't seem at all likely. On the other hand, they didn't seem very eager to run me through, instead just turning on a nearby light.

I blinked rapidly at the sudden change, though they weren't as fazed by the sudden brightness.

"White hair... those eyes... you're one of them aren't you? .....The infected."

"What of it?"

"What of it? You just tried to kill me in my sleep!"

"Yes, to feed my dying comrade, are you done? If you're not going to let me kill you, then hurry up and shove that thing through me."

"You don't have comrades. You guys work alone."

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but you're half right. They work alone. The rest of us are forced to serve those who gave us this... gift."

His crimson eyes narrow at me, in an alluring way I probably would have found entirely enticing outside of this situation. He lowers the sword, giving me a very confused expression. I simply raise an eyebrow in response. My spunk is only an act. In truth, I'm terrified of this person. My heart won't seem to settle down, my body screaming at me to get the hell out of here.

"You're really... talkative."

"Not really, just mildly terrified of a person who had a giant sword in my face ten seconds ago."

Smooth, very smooth. He'll never suspect you now, idiot. We're completely fooling him and covering up our being frightened. Classic. He shifted a little, almost as if he was embarrassed. I took a deep breath, letting it out with a sigh.

"You have two options now. One, I kill you, feed who I'm supposed to, and hopefully survive a little longer. Two, you kill me now, and that's the end of it."

"I'm not going to kill you."

The determined expression in his eyes would have impressed me any other day. Now I just feel anger. I scowled at him, reaching within to draw on the disease's affects. His eyes widened as I lunged forward, slamming my shoulder into his chest. An ugly crunch filled the silence, a fact I didn't give him any time to dwell on before I purposely hit a pressure point in his shoulder. He crumpled, the momentary noise returning to silence. A silence only broken by my light panting. I guess martial arts helps you out in life sometimes. I looked away from his body, trying to shove down the intense hunger that gnawed at my body. I took a few deep breaths before getting on my knees over him, my hands wrapping around his throat habitually.

My heart stopped. I couldn't do it.

I couldn't kill this man.

My hands shook as I removed them from his neck, a low whimper escaping my throat. It surprised me, that sound. Heck, I was just as big as this man was.

I just couldn't do it.

I separated myself from him, opening the large window and glancing back at him briefly. The image of his prone body just laying there seemed to burn itself into my mind. I closed my eyes, turning away and leaving.

I had a meal to find.