Just One Bite

Prologue

"So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them."
                                            -Genesis 1:27

The stench of death and decay fills the air; a pungent, stale scent like nothing on earth. A woman groans as she wakes up in an unfamiliar place. Her dark eyes squint as she tries to make out her surroundings, but the darkness is overwhelming. As she takes a breath, her eyes water from the oppressive odour and her body spasms, trying to suppress the urge to vomit. Panic rises in her throat as she quickly realises that it is not just the fetid smell causing a tight feeling in her chest. Her hands and feet are bound, leather ties wrapped around her wrists and ankles. She cannot move more than a few inches in either direction. The lack of a gag in her mouth indicates that she is somewhere that her screams won't be heard, so she decides not to use what precious energy she has on crying for help.
    As her eyes start to adjust to the dark, she can see an old looking door on the opposite corner of the room. There are no windows, but she hears people talking and moving around above her. She begins to wonder how long it will be before someone comes for her, and who that someone will be. A sudden pain shoots through the back of her head, as she remembers feeling something heavy hitting her from behind. An image comes into her mind...Raphael. He was on the floor, there seemed to be blood but she isn't sure if that is possible or just something she has imagined. She quietly moans as tears threaten to escape.
    "No, that won't do me any good', she says with resolve. She cannot afford to give into despair if she wants to survive.
    Someone is coming, she can hear their footsteps. She steels herself for whatever is about to happen. The handle on the door moves, slowly, the metal making a sound that sets her teeth on edge. A woman comes into the room, her body moving gracefully, cat-like, as if on a runway. She has long, white blonde hair, and pale skin that highlights the slight shadows underneath her eyes. As she moves into the light, it is clear that she is beautiful but her beauty is marred by an expression that speaks of centuries of pain.

"I'm Lilith. You don't know me but we're sisters of sorts, so we'll be getting to know one another," the blond woman says with a narrow smile. "Do you know why you're here Chaya?"

"I go by Eve now actually", the dark haired woman says, hoping to sound more calm than she feels. "And no, I don't know why I'm here."

"I have a feeling you'll understand very soon, Eve" Lilith says, pointedly. "We can't present you to Him looking like something he'd find in the sewer, so it's time to clean you up. I'll be back with someone to help you bathe soon. You're going to have an experience that you won't ever forget."

A look of horror comes over Eve's face, her mouth hanging open in shock. Lilith laughs cruelly, then the mask slips for a moment, and her eyes narrow in something strangely akin to jealousy. She turns and walks back through the door, leaving Eve alone again. She knows that she doesn't have long so she looks around the room to see if there is anything she can use to escape, but there is nothing. If she thought that God hadn't completely given up on her, she might pray for help but she knows that it won't do any good.
    She is cold, tired and dirty, and still confused about where she is and how she got there. If she can understand who has her captive, and what they want with her, maybe she can find a way out. She very quickly realises that in order to go forwards, she needs to go back to the beginning, to the very Beginning.....