Hunger

Every city has its shadows. The dark underbelly that all, but the truly desperate or incredibly foolish, avoid even speaking of. But while every city might have its forbidden districts, not all of them are created equally. While most are simply hotbeds for crime and dirty secrets, there are some that are best described as evil. Places where not only human laws, but those even of natural order, fail to reach. And the worst of those are the ones whose borders tend to blend with the edges of the outside world… Lucy’s heels clicked too loudly against the rough pavement as she hurried down the empty street. The sun wasn’t supposed to set for another half an hour, but already the area was pooled in shadows, the natural daylight muted behind grey clouds and grimy buildings. She’d never been to this part of the city, and despite the clear directions she’d been given, her lack of familiarity was blatant. Her brightly coloured sweater and fancy shoes did not help matters; they stood out against the rundown buildings and trash littered streets like pearls in a bed of pebbles. Screaming of naivety, of an outsider who was way, way out of her depths. An easy target. The lack of traffic hadn’t bothered her at first, but as the silence dragged on, Lucy felt her hackles begin to rise. It was eerie how alone she was. It had been at least five minutes since she’d last heard the rumble of a vehicle’s engine, longer since one had passed her on the street. And the last pedestrian she’d seen was from more than a minute before that. She glanced at the window of the store she was passing. Empty, the lights off. Same with the next she passed, while the one before was boarded up entirely. It was too early for so many stores to be already closed, and yet… Her steps slowed as she came to a dead end. This… wasn’t right. She rummaged for the piece of paper she’d been given and double checked the street sign beside her. She was supposed to turn right at Jasper Street… but even if she’d somehow missed it, she shouldn’t be at a dead end. Winfield Avenue didn’t have any dead ends; it ran straight from Albion and opened up onto Winston Road. But while the dented sign beside her still declared Winfield Avenue, it just as clearly ended in a one way alley. Had she copied the directions wrong, somehow? If so… she pulled out her phone and checked the screen. No Signal. Strange. It had been five bars not ten minutes ago when she’d last checked, and she hadn’t seen anything obvious that might be blocking her. Should she backtrack and try again? Well, she would have to go back anyways, to see if she had perhaps missed a turn somewhere or… A shadow caught the corner of her eye, and she whirled around, senses suddenly heightened. Someone was lurking near the edge of the building behind her… or rather, several someones. Now that it was obvious she had spotted them, her pursuers made no attempt to remain hidden. Easing their way out of the shadows she counted six men – no, not men. Men implied they were human. And these… creatures, no longer had a right to that title. Nothing more than corrupted shells, driven by an endless hunger and bloodlust. They were human shaped, but their eyes were fixed, like a doll’s, and their grins were too wide to form on a human mouth. None of them moved right, shambling and sliding, like puppets whose master was unaccustomed to wielding their strings. Despite their lack of coordination, Lucy knew they were dangerous, that they could move much quicker and much more aggressively when they finally decided to drop this little act. “What have we here? A little stray kitten, lost its way?” The closest creature asked. “Shame, shame. Little strays should learn to stay out of the shadows. Never know what you might find there. Should be glad that we found you first. So, very, very glad.” He grinned even wider, nearly splitting his face in two. The others shambled closer, wide toothy grins betraying their eagerness for an easy dinner. The only problem was… they weren’t the only ones acting. “You’re right. I’m glad. So, very, very glad,” Lucy grinned in response, letting them get a good look at her teeth. Long, sharp teeth, like those of a predator. Her eyes glittered in the low light as she watched them hesitate with a fear that they hadn’t felt since they’d lost their humanity. The tips of her fingers itched as her nails grew to claws, stretching, sharpening, the start of a transformation into something much larger, much more terrifying than a handful of human puppets. “After all, I am so very, very hungry…”

Word Count: 839
Hours Spent: 4
Software Used: DAZ Studio 4 With IRAY