“Crissa, what the fuck is going on?” Tawny’s voice was quieter now. She was slowly backing away from me, as if trying to make her escape…which I didn’t like. I was ravenously hungry, and my sights were set on her, my appetizer. The scent of fear and anxiety had started to ripple off her body and fill the room, flooding my nostrils with wafts of her delightful aroma—I needed to consume her.
A little chitter sounded at my feet. My black soulless eyes glanced down and I saw a few of the little vermin seated near me. “Oh, my sweet friends.”
Tawny gasped. “Wedohave rats! I knew it,” she shouted. “Fucking filth?—”
“Do not speak about them that way,” I scolded with a tilted snarl. “These intriguing little creatures are far superior to you pathetic humans in every way. Besides...” I grinned. “You shouldn’t be so worried about this wretched place…once I’m through with you, they will be the least of your worries. I can promise you that.” The woman looked at me completely gobsmacked. It was annoying how simple minded she was, like most humans. “To be frank, you’ll have no worries because you’ll be dead. Oh, and I have the most splendid idea.” Turning my attention to my friends on the floor, I picked the few rodents up that had gathered around me. They huddled together in my bloodied palms as I whispered to them.
“Dead? What the hell?” Tawny asked as she took another slow, calculated step backward toward the kitchen door. “Crissa, you—you need help.”
I glared at the woman while whispering to the rats some more. “You’re going to help me with this Tawny, just like you did that man in the alley.” The rats squeaked, accepting my command. “But try not to ruin her face. I have plans.”
“What the hell does that mean?” she asked as sweat rolled down her wrinkled face.
Releasing the rats back onto the counter beside me, I took similar measured steps toward Tawny. “I don’t think I was speaking to you, Tawny. As for what I said to them…” I smirked. “It is really none of your business. Not that any of it will matter in the end. What matters now is if you’re going to make this easy or hard.”
“Easy or—what the hell are you even talking about? Crissa…you’re scaring me. Where is William?”
I raised my forearm to wipe Crissa’s blood from my nose.
Tawny stopped, her face drained of color as the storm crackled above. “What did you do?”
Taking a deep breath, I sighed. “Oh Tawny.” I then lunged at the woman with swiftness, moving quicker than she could. Thankfully, my vessel was small enough that the quick maneuvers were easy and had become my absolute favorite. Crissa was easily becoming one of my favorite possessions.
My clawed hand had gripped Tawny’s throat, allowing me to lift her off the ground. The woman started gasping for air, digging her nails into my hand as if her weak little scratches would stop me. “For the last time—” My voice had gone a bit deeper. “Crissa isn’t here anymore. And as for your dear William…” My mouth curled at the recent memory of his taste. “Well, your dear security guard was quite delicious.” Her eyes widened at my words. “He was drenched in fear, the taste of it soaking into his organs creating such a spectacular flavor. But when I consumed his heart, he had the faintest hint of longing hidden beneath it all. Strange really. Perhaps he harbored some unrequited feelings?” My head tilted. “Oh, how scandalous! Do you think they might have been for you, Taw-ny? Hmm? Did you and old William ever get a little cheeky after hours?” She desperately thrashed as I held her higher in the air. She kept scratching at my arm, her mouth gaping as she tried to speak, but my grip on her throat silenced her voice. “Oh, what was that?” I mocked. “I can’t hear you.” I slammed her to the ground, the motion so quick and the force so intense, that my claws ripped away at her throat as she hit the floor.
Tawny coughed hysterically, blood dripping from her sliced neck as she gasped and tried to speak.“You—you’re sick!” The woman wheezed. “If you’re not Crissa—” She coughed, rolling to her hands and knees. “Then where is she? And what the hell is going on?” Tears rolled down the woman’s wrinkled face, her reddened eyes glaring up at me, waiting for some kind of explanation, but I gave none. “Fuck,” she breathed, crawling backward behind the counter. My eyes followed her, amused by her attempts to run.
“Crissa is long gone. It’s just me now.” I smiled, licking her blood from my claw. “It’s just you and me now, Taw-ny.”
The woman continued to crawl away, the skin of her thigh on full display. I eyed it closely, admiring how perfect and plump her flesh was, ready to be ruined. My mouth watered at the fantasy of how she'd taste, her fear at an all-time high and nearly palpable.
“Now this is quite amusing. I’ve barely touched you, but by the smell of it—” I inhaled. “You’re nearing death’s door.” My head snapped to one side as I let her scramble away a little longer, giving her a false sense of hope. “You’re no fun,” I groaned. I listened for the others in the pizzeria. I couldn’t hear their rapid hearts or whispered voices, which told me they used those miniscule little brains of theirs to run away from my tyranny.
I shall hunt you all down soon enough, and when I do, I shall savor every bit of you.
My focus returned to Tawny, who was now crawling through the kitchen doors trying to escape. “Now that’s too far for my liking,” I growled, reaching out as I gripped her ankle and yanked her back towards me. Once she was close enough, I widened my jaw and aimed my head high, reeling back before biting down deep into her juicy thigh. The woman had no time to process what I had done as I ripped a mouthful of her thigh off, chewing on the rubber-like chunk of her muscle. Tawny howled in absolute pain, her blood oozing from the large wound while clawing at the floor. “Oh my.” A low moan escaped my filled mouth as I chewed, relishing in the delicious meaty flesh from her leg. “So juicy!” I shouted before taking a second bite, equally large. Bits of her warm veins stuck between my teeth and I had to use the tip of my claw to loosen them before slurping them up like noodles. Tawny tried to crawl away, but I sank my claws deep into her lower back, pinning her down. She cried out, tears pouring from her eyes and mixing with her blood along the pizzeria floor. I leaned in close and gently brushed the hair from her ear before whispering into it. “I hate to cut this special moment short, but I have much larger game to hunt.”
Her eyes widened. “P–lease,” she called out. “Please!” She sobbed. “D–don’t kill me.” My smile grew even larger at the sound of her desperation. “Oh god?—”
“There is no god here, human. And your pathetic pleas mean nothing to a demon.” Knowing there was little time to truly enjoy my meal, I decided to take what I could. My mouth extended once more, popping out of its socket as I swung my head forward and clamped my teeth into her body, ripping the tender meat straight from the bone. Her blood glided down my chin and pooled onto the floor as I chewed, savoring her flavors. Nearby squeaks and chitters caught my attention, and I noticed numerous rats gathering near from every direction. They climbed across the woman’s bloodied body and began to bite into her, feasting upon her flesh. “Yes!” I shouted with my mouth full, cackling at the woman’s screams.as they began to clean up the mess. “Enjoy your meal, sweet little vermin! Feast away! Oh, but do mind the face. I have need for it later.” The rats obeyed me, gnawing away at the old woman as she screamed and shouted, unable to move or fight them off. More and more of the little critters appeared from all directions, swarming her until she was blanketed in them.
Such a mighty army of vermin!
Once Tawny had finally stopped screaming, I slapped her face only to find that she had lost consciousness. “Oh, what a shame,” I pouted. Avoiding the countless rats, I snaked my arm up her body and ripped her Big Top Pizzeria shirt open, exposing her bare chest. My claws carefully ripped through the wrinkled skin, slicing it away until her bones remained on display. With the help of my razor-sharp teeth, I was then able to chew away at the skin and muscle for a moment, devouring the bits like it was a delicacy as I truly admired my work. “What a worthy appetizer.” I reached out and slit a particularly long piece of skin from her body, dangling it over my mouth while her blood dripped onto my extended tongue. “I simply—” A loud crash interrupted me from the other side of the pizzeria’s dining room. “It seems our time together is up, dear Tawny.”
How could I have been so short-sighted?
I had nearly lost myself in Tawny’s fear, almost forgetting about the other idiots…my true target’s.
Tossing back the flap of skin, I quickly swallowed it down and ripped Tawny’s chest cavity the rest of the way open before grasping her heart and ripping it free with little effort, admiring it. The weakened organ was barely beating, even after all the pain and suffering she had endured by my hand. “Such a beautiful color.” I unhinged my jaw and wrapped my mouth entirely around the warm organ, eating it whole. It wasn’t horrible—the taste—but I had eaten much primer hearts in my time. “Now.” I stood as the rats continued to feed upon her corpse. “Eat up, dear friends. I shall be back soon.” I slid my forearm along my mouth, wiping the woman’s blood from my lips before grabbing the gun from the counter. I stepped back into the dining room of the pizzeria, listening for my next target.
Another loud and sudden crash grabbed my attention and a wide smile graced my face. I took a large, deep breath and caught the scent of my next victim before following their trail and making my way towards them. I turned a corner when two sets of black and white colored hair ducked behind one of the giant clown mascots in the corner of the room. My arm raised, holding the gun up as I aimed in their direction. “Tag!” I shouted, cackling as I pulled the trigger. “You’re it!”
CHAPTER 11
ZETH
“She shot me!She fucking shot me!” Mr. Meaty Arms rolled out from behind one of the clowns in a panic, clasping his thick, juicy arm as the smell of his fresh blood seeped into the air.
