Page 31 of Primal Hunger
Eleven
Erin
I’m running in the dark with somethingsnarling behind me, nipping at my heels.
I scream, knowing it won’t make a difference, and run until my muscles ache. My lungs hurt, I’m pouring sweat, and even though I’m sprinting as hard as I can, it feels like my movements are restrained. Limited.
No matter how hard I push myself, I never make it out of the trees. They stretch in front of me in an unbroken line of darkness with no end in sight. One of those expanding hallways.
Every lunge forward is a struggle.
Reality shifts abruptly and the world tilts on its axis.
I burst out of the woods abruptly, breaking into a brightly lit area that looks familiar. It’s Great Oaks, but not like I’ve ever seen it. The houses are closer, only a few meters from the woods, and there’s no one out despite the sun being high in the sky.
The streets are empty and desolate.
“Help!” I yell, but the sound is muffled, like I’m screaming through a dense wall.
I look back over my shoulder, and immediately wish I hadn’t. The Grim is on my heels, snapping its teeth at me and growling like a feral animal. His eyes glow like rubies underneath the glare of an unnatural sun.
Blood running cold, I turn and run toward the nearest house. I don’t recognize it, but something tells me Tyler lives there. I’m absolutely sure of it.
“Tyler!” His name leaves my lips and I run for the front porch, leaping over the stairs and rushing to bang on the front door. “Tyler, open up! It’s the Grim! He’s here!”
I pound my fist against the wood, rattling the glass, as the Grim closes in. When it’s clear Tyler isn’t going to open it, I spin around and plant my back firmly against the door. My lungs seize in terror.
The Grim is running full speed on all fours toward the house, getting closer by the second. He closes in on the porch, leaping over the few steps leading to it, and I squeeze my eyes closed with a whimper, waiting for him to slam into me.
Rather than the Grim, consciousness slams into me, and I gasp a huge breath of air as my eyes pop open. I’m once again staring up at the ceiling of the Grim’s house, hands and feet bound—this time with more rope—my clothes sticking to my skin with sweat.
My heart is racing, slamming relentlessly into my ribs. My fingers tingle as sensation returns.
Asleep or awake, it doesn’t look like I can escape this monster.
He’s invading my dreams now and even there I have no chance of outrunning him.
My pulse throbs in my temples and my mouth tastes like I’ve been licking an entire handful of pennies.
I blink to clear the blur from my vision. I scrub my knuckles into my eyes until black spots erupt and glance around the room.
The Grim stands to my left.
He’s hunched over an enormous stone basin that’s spilling smoke into the room. From this angle it’s impossible to see what he’s doing, exactly, but it looks like he’s boiling something, and the basin is just big enough for a small person to fit inside. Formeto fit inside.
I swallow hard.
The special of the day isErin soup.
Once he gets it just right, he’ll toss me in and boil the meat right off my bones.
If I have any shot at getting out of here alive, I have to do somethingquick. Otherwise, I’ll be the main ingredient in the monster’s dinner. I have no idea what I’ll do or where I’ll go when I escape this house, but I’ll figure that out later.
So says the girl who already tried that and failed. What makes me think my half-assed plan will work this time around?
Panic lights my blood and sends acid churning in my gut.
I’ve always been more of a jump first and ask questions later girl, but look at where it’s gotten me so far? I swallow hard around a rock in the back of my throat.
