Ruby ignored the protests as she stood on shaking legs. A few of the men backed away, eyes wide with fear. Others reached out their arms as if to steady her, but left their hands hovering without actually touching.
She pushed away their avoidant gestures. If the police came, they may take her away for questioning. If they took her away, she couldn’t find the man. If she couldn’t find the man, she couldn’t find Andy.
Why would I need to find Andy? Andy is dead.
Fuck.
She couldn’t let herself think like that.
One step. Then another. Her legs, once cramped and sore, straightened and strengthened. She spun, searching for the exit. There wasn’t one. Empty space, walls crumbled, the night sky above and large buildings lined every street. Was she still in Denver? It was so loud, so busy, so full.
Picking a direction, she stumbled into the night.
Days passed, then weeks. She wore sunglasses to hide the veins on her eyelids—royal purple streaks that refused to fade. She never felt hungry, so she didn’t force herself to eat. She never felt tired, so she didn’t force herself to sleep. Honestly, she wasn’t sure she was even living anymore. Others seemed to see her, crossing streets to avoid her presence or shooting her pitying looks.
Maybe she was a ghost. Able to be seen but not to interact with the world.
She had no idea where to go, no way of knowing where to look. So she just walked. Endlessly. Unwaveringly. She would wander down one street, walking all the way through then turning to the next.
When she finished walking through Denver proper, she moved on to the suburbs. Weeks bled into months. The winter came, yet she never grew cold. When her shoes fell apart, she stole new ones. She showered in gyms, sneaking in when the crowds kept the front desk busy. The world had changed while she was asleep. It was louder, with more people and buildings and cars, but lonelier. Every person she passed had their eyes on a device in their hand or small white things in their ears.
She didn’t fit in this new world, so she walked. And she searched the crowds of faces forthat manor her Andy.
Andy. She clung to the name like a lifeline, clutching it close to her heart, repeating it over and over so she couldn’t forget.
She never grew tired, but eventually she did grow…something. Itchy perhaps, like something was burrowing under her skin, begging to be scratched out. It crawled below the surface, twisting, blistering her from the inside. She needed something, but didn’t know what.
No, that was a lie. She just refused to believe it.
“You’ll burn others to live, or you’ll burn yourself from the inside out.” The man’s warning echoed in her mind every time her bones ached.
But she wouldn’t, couldn’t hurt anyone.
The craving grew.
It clawed at her guts, tunneled into her chest. Every part of her ached. Her strength never left her, not like she expected after not eating, but she grew restless in her walking, anxiety building with every step.
She lost her autonomy, continuing her journey purely on instinct, bound and controlled by the growing fire in her flesh. It whispered to her, subtle, persistent temptations that never ceased. She was a zombie, thoughtless, moving without any destination. She tried to picture Andy. Or the man. And only got glimpses of red hair, her mind slush.
Months passed. She couldn’t tell how long. She stopped bathing and stopped replacing the shoes that fell apart. No one stopped her. No one cared. Seasons changed. The trees grew green once more. And she walked.
Until one day, she noticed ribbons of purple and green waves floating in the sky. She smelled the fire before she saw it. Her body moved on instinct, running toward the blaze at a speed she didn’t know she was capable of.
Forcing herself to stop a block away, she watched flames lick the roof of the small, suburban house. She was both repelled and hypnotized, torn between fleeing and consuming. Something urged her forward, but she didn’t know why. The colors were beautiful. That shouldn’t matter to her. Edward’s last words returned to her mind, warning her, encouraging her to eat.
I need it.
No.
There must be someone within, trapped. What does it matter? They’re already dead.
NO.
Why should I suffer?
I WILL NOT BECOME A MONSTER.
A scream startled her from her deliberation. A young girl, trapped inside. Sirens wailed in the far distance. They wouldn’t make it in time. Ruby sprinted toward the house.
