Page 80 of Wicked Flavors

The thought was amusing as Gwen pulled a bra on under her shirt. She was in the middle of fastening the hooks when she heard a knock on the door again. Gwen frowned. Had Sierra forgotten something? A quick search revealed one of Sierra’s bracelets on the chair she had been sitting in. Gwen picked it up, sparing a glance at the letters on the bracelet before heading to the door.

“Hey,” Gwen pulled the door open. “Did you forget—”

There was little time for Gwen to react to the figure that lumbered against the door, but enough for her mind to register what was wrong. The figure wasn’t Sierra, but the decayed body of the neighbor Gwen had killed. His face was still contorted in that look of horror, eyes a pale white and mouth wide in a scream.

Gwen stumbled back, adrenaline pumping as her dead neighbor continued toward her. He was making nonsensical noises, things Gwen couldn’t even assume were words. His movement was shaky, but he moved faster than Gwen could think. The door shut behind him with a loud slam.

Eat him, a voice inside Gwen urged.Suck him dry and survive!

She reached out, searching for the scent or taste of flavor, but none was there. Her power wasn’t going to help her now. Gwen darted into the kitchen, jerking a drawer open for a knife. All her knives were dull, but it was better than nothing. By the time her hands closed around the handle, her neighbor was already within reach. Gwen scrambled away, using her small kitchen table as a barrier as she skirted around it. She knocked into one of the chairs as she went, and the undead man jerked around, tilting his head to the side.

Fuck, he’s listening for me!

Gwen could go slow and quietly—maybe make it to the front door. The knife could buy her time, but she wasn’t a complete fool. She knew a knife wouldn’t stop a supernatural entity, and even if Gwen tried, she wasn’t strong enough—

The scroll!

Without another thought, Gwen darted toward the bathroom door. She slammed it open, stumbling onto the floor in her haste. The bracelet skittered across the floor. Gwen hadn’t even realized she had been holding onto it still, but that didn’t matter. Not when she caught sight of the object hanging on the wall. It was completely obscured by spider webbing, but Gwen had no doubt in her mind that the object was a book.

Her hope was short-lived at the sound of her dead neighbor coming closer.

Turning onto her back, Gwen kicked the door in an attempt to shut it. Her reaction wasn’t fast enough, as the man’s hand slid inside. Gwen screamed, kicking harder as she clumsily moved forward with the knife. She plunged itinto the man’s palm, but just as she suspected, all it did was cause a burst of noise from his mouth. His hand moved too quickly for Gwen to retrieve the knife.

Gwen shoved her shoulder against the door, bracing her hands against it in an attempt to stop him. But her dead neighbor was a force too strong for Gwen to fight. She felt the door giving away to his strength, despite her desperate attempts. The book was too far for Gwen to reach. She would have to chance him catching her to grab it.

You have to choose…

The words spurred Gwen into action. With one final shove, she launched herself toward the book and—

The heavy impact of his body sent Gwen to the ground. It knocked the wind from her lungs as pain exploded in her abdomen. Something hot spilled across her, then began pouring so rapidly. The horror of what was happening hit her when she felt teeth dig into her flesh andchew.

Gwen wanted to scream, but her voice failed her as blood rose in the back of her throat. It spilled out of her mouth, coating her neck. Despite it all, Gwen still tried to fight. She kicked, she pushed, and when none of that worked, Gwen dug her nails into the man’s scalp as hard as she could.

Until she couldn’t.

Within her spotty vision, Gwen could see the book. It was barely hanging to the wall, and Gwen realized she must have hit it with her hand on the way down. So close, but not enough…

The fear and the panic were suddenly so far away. As Gwen choked on the blood—so much of it—she could hear the sound of her neighbor eating her. The irony wasn’t loston Gwen, but even the dark humor of the moment couldn’t shake a single thought. One regret that she latched onto.

I should have told you I lo…

34

Intimate

Ambrosius

He was in the middle of a sale when he felt something pull taut.

Beneath his carefully crafted human features, the demon slowly tested his prison. The cursed items—each one a chain made to keep him locked forever—were sorted over, and each one was accounted for. Even the ones that were currently out of rotation had a place.

“I know I’m gonna get a ton of shit for this, but I just really adore this style of radio. It’s so vintage and—”

Good, still yapping,Ambrosius thought.Now, where are you?

The sensation was maddening, not too different from the constant pain at his hip. Ambrosius knew the weight of every chain, yet this one was infuriatingly difficult to track.Had he somehow miscounted?

No, I’ve been here too long. I know every single one of these filthy spirits. What could—

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