Page 27 of Insatiable Hunger

You crave power.The voice trinkled in my ears, enticing me.That, dear Cain, I shall give you.

“Cain!” Lazarus yelled from the hallway.

My head snapped, tilting as the strange green light subdued, melting from my eyes and fingertips. “Coming.” I grinned.

I inhaled deeply as my spine straightened, my hands brushing the long hair away from my face and adjusting the collar of my jacket. I opened the door and almost collided into Lazarus. He wasn’t much taller than me, but he was built more than I was. Always had been, as long as I had known him. I didn’t like his smug, cocky attitude, or really him, for that matter.

“We’re leaving,” he mumbled, his voice and face both annoyed as he tossed his bag over his back.

What insolence. I snickered at the internal foreign insult, my neck twisting as I fought a stabbing pain that lingered on the stranger’s words.

Indeed, I agreed.

The group had gathered onto the porch, impatient and ready to leave. I stood in the front doorway of the cabin, observing them closely with a new outlook. Ruby and Jinx were hand in hand, per usual, Ruby bickering to her silent girlfriend as she glared at me, her maroon eyes shining bright with distaste.

Hexer. The pain returned, my head flinching in reaction.

“Are you okay?” I turned to find Alaska standing next to me, her pale blue eyes tentative and filled with worry. She placed her hand on my cheek, gasping at the touch. “Cain, you're burning up.” I could feel the sweat dripping down my forehead, a constant, dull ache buzzing behind it.

I carefully removed her hand, lifting it closely to my mouth. “Nothing I can’t handle.” I kissed the top of her hand, my lips lingering for a moment as I inhaled her scent.

Her. My jaw clenched as the pain increased, shooting through every nerve webbed throughout my skull. Alaska gently pulled her hand back, frightened by my reaction. I forced a smile, attempting to coax her.

“Let’s go.” Lazarus chucked my bag into my arms, a hint of anger tainting his words as I noticed the large knife sheathed at his hip. Alastair stood close to his side, eyeing me intently as Alaska slowly joined them, the three so familiar with one another. “We want to be back at the cabin before it gets dark.” He turned, leading the way as the rest followed him like sheep.

The blind leading the blind.My head burned, the excruciating discomfort beneath the surface of my skull increasing with each ghostly, whispered sentence.

Suck it up, Cain,I growled into myself, inhaling deeply through my nose as I looped the strap of my bag over my torso and paced my way to the group, keeping a small and subtle distance between us. Alaska peered back at me, her troubled eyes watching me as Lazarus continued to lead them into the woods. My head tilted as I flashed her a smile.Just keep walking, Bambi.

Chapter

Twenty-Seven

ALASKA

Lazarus led us deeper into the woods, the entirety of the group silently observing the trees, searching for any signs of the glowing red eyes that haunted us. Cain remained distant from the rest of the group, a weird look soaking his face as he moved, his entire being odd and off. Strange.

We hiked through the same foliage as the night before, cautiously retracing our steps, trekking deeper, when Cain suddenly groaned in pain. Lazarus and the rest of us stopped, turning as we watched him stumble, grabbing at his head. He looked sick, his skin pale and soaked in sweat, as if fighting back some strange illness gnawing at his brain.

“Cain?” His face turned, his eyes burning red as he looked at me, breathing heavily. “Are you okay?” The rest of the group remained silent, watching his odd behavior.

Cain slumped over, his hands on his knees as he panted, wiping his forehead. I cautiously stepped closer, my arm reaching out to him when his body snapped high. He inhaled deeply, rising as if nothing had transpired, turning to face me. I recoiled at the chaotic shift. His hand brushed his hair out of hisface, a very strange and unfamiliar motion, as he smiled at me. “Excellent.”

“You look like shit,” Ruby hissed.

“Yeah, what was in that protein powder?” Lazarus asked. “Cause whatever it was, your body doesn’t seem to be agreeing with it.” He pointed to Cain. The longer I stared at him, the more disturbing and obvious differences in his being I began to notice. The way he had adjusted his jacket was not his usual way of doing so, his hair brushed back away from his face, and even the way in which he stood. It was all foreign and unlike Cain. “Look, we’re not too far away from the cemetery. Let’s hurry up so we can grab our things and head back.” The rest of the group nodded in agreement with Lazarus. Everyone began to walk in the direction we were headed as I remained planted, studying Cain.

Cain looked at me, his head tilting ever so lightly as he lifted his hand to his mouth, silently shushing me with a sinister grin. My gut twisted at the oddness as I stepped away from him and quickly joined the others, glancing over my shoulder.

Cain lingered, frozen in that position for a minute before casually shadowing us the rest of the way. My chest tightened, feeling as though the real danger wasn’t hidden within these eerie woods, but instead stalking us from behind.

My uneasiness grewas we stepped through the edge of the treeline, the sun bearing down on us, soaking us in its afternoonglow; it was warm and comforting, contrasting the cold breeze and rain-soaked earth.

Ruby stepped forward, her platform boot landing in a giant puddle, mud splashing across her bare legs and hem of her dress. “Fucking serious?” she groaned, shaking her boots, wiping the mud from herself onto a cluster of overgrown weeds. “I can’t wait to leave this place behind.”

“Hey,” Jinx grabbed her attention, snapping her fingers, “we’re almost there.” Jinx moved her hands. She then kissed Ruby’s cheek, melting her temper. “Focus.”

“Yeah.” Ruby groaned.

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