Heart Pangs

Chapter 9 - 'For Benji'

Felix drives furiously back into town, searching for something specific, although he can't say what. He'll know it when he gets there.

He turns corners, eyes scanning the streets, until he realizes what he wants. He slows the car and pulls it into a parking space. He opens the door and steps onto the street. The sun is setting and, although there aren't a lot of people around, he knows he's in a prey dominated part of town. He knows they think they're safe here. He knows they'll let their guard down.

Felix prowls the streets, keeping his head down, staying in the shadows. The few prey he passes give him strange looks but say nothing. Felix's gaze is sharp as it scans everyone he spots. There's something inside guiding him, although he can't say what. Instinct? It tells him to reject that beautiful woman over there and that old man over there and that—

Felix stops dead in his tracks. Yes, that man further down the sidewalk is the one.

Felix sets off, keeping his distance, trying not to draw the man's attention. The man appears to be on his way home from work. He's tired, unaware of his surroundings. He lets his feet guide him while his mind wanders.

This shouldn't be difficult.

Felix keeps pace with the man, waiting for the right moment to strike. When the man rounds a corner, cutting himself from Felix's line of vision, Felix slows. He feels the force that has been driving him begin to falter. What is he doing? Is he really planning to consume this stranger? Not only is that illegal, but it's morally repugnant. How could Felix even consider it? What would Benji think?

Benji.

Felix's gut twists at the thought of him. For a heartbeat, Felix is ready to speed back to the Marotta household. He wants Benji. That's who he really wants. He wants to feel Benji sliding down his throat and filling out his stomach. He wants to have every inch of Benji for himself, to conquer his body with his own. Felix's fingers already twitch as they imagine wrapping themselves around Benji's tiny, delicate wrist again.

Felix grits his teeth and presses his fingertips into his temples, trying to squeeze the thoughts from his head. He can't. Not to Benji. He picks up his pace once more. If this is the only thing that can silence those thoughts, the only thing that can protect Benji, then so be it. He'll do it. For Benji.

Felix trails the man until he heads for a quiet, narrow alley. Just what Felix wants, what he's been waiting for. He speeds down another street then loops around until he's at the other end of the alley. He catches the prey man just as he's about to exit.

"What the—" the prey man starts as Felix looms over him then shoves him back into the shadows of the alley.

"Shh," Felix hisses grasping a hand over the man's mouth. Adrenaline is pulsing through him. All he can hear is the blood roaring in his ears.

The prey man's eyes widen as he realizes what's about to happen. He lets out a strangled cry from behind Felix's smothering grip. He shakes his head and makes what Felix assumes are muffled protests.

"I'm sorry," Felix tells him, genuinely meaning it. His feelings are rapidly shifting between excitement, fear, and disgust. Sometimes even disbelief. Can he really do what he's about to do? Sure, he's watched videos in bio class and online, but the task ahead seems nearly impossible. "I'm so sorry," Felix mutters again as he pulls the prey's head close to his.

The man's protests escalate. For a moment, Felix doubts he can do it. He's not even sure how to do it. It's not like he's had coaching. But there's that instinct running through his blood, nudging him in the right direction. His fingers twitch. His mouth stretches wide. He pulls his prey in tight.