He woke up to the cold, damp air wrapping around him, the sensation like icy fingers gripping his skin. Darkness pressed down from all sides, thick and suffocating. His head throbbed as he opened his eyes, but the pitch black remained, making him wonder if his vision was even working.
The stone floor beneath him was rough and uneven, jagged against his hands as he tried to push himself up.
A wave of nausea hit him as soon as he moved, followed by an overwhelming emptiness gnawing at his insides.
He froze, clenching his teeth as the feeling spread, wrapping around his chest like a vice.
Hunger. It wasn't a normal hunger. It was something deeper—something dark, primal, demanding.
His body trembled, every muscle tensing as the urge clawed at him, filling his mind with a singular thought: Feed.
But on what? His mind was a haze, memories slipping through his grasp like sand. He couldn't remember where he was or how he got here, and the more he tried to think, the more it felt like his brain was being torn apart. There was no past, no context—only the present and the hunger.
His breath came in sharp, shallow bursts as he fought to stay still, hoping the feeling would pass. But it only grew worse. His hands twitched involuntarily, his fingers digging into the dirt-covered stone.
Every sound around him was magnified—the drip of water in the distance, the scuttle of small creatures in the cave walls. But none of it mattered. His ears were tuned to something else now, something more important.
The scent hit him like a sledgehammer. It was faint at first, carried on the cool air, but it quickly became the only thing he could focus on.
The hunger surged in response, nearly bringing him to his knees. Without thinking, he rose to his feet and began moving, his body acting on instinct alone.
The cave was dark, but somehow, he was starting to see. His vision wasn't clear, but he could make out shapes, shadows, and the faintest flickers of light ahead. He didn't care about the details. The scent—the humans—were close.
His feet carried him toward the mouth of the cave, and as he stepped outside, he flinched, his hand shooting up to shield his eyes. The setting sun was low on the horizon, casting long, golden rays across the forest. The light burned his skin, a sharp, searing pain that caused him to stumble back into the shadows.
His breath came in ragged gasps, his hand trembling as he looked down at his arm, where the light had touched.
The skin was red, blistered, like he'd been scorched by fire.
He backed further into the cave, panting, his mind spinning. He didn't know why, but his body couldn't handle the sunlight. The darkness was his only protection. The hunger flared again, nearly driving him to his knees, and he clutched his stomach, gasping for air.
Then, he saw them.
Three figures, walking down the path just beyond the cave's mouth, their voices light and carefree. Humans—young, The scent of their flesh flooded his senses, nearly overwhelming him.
He licked his lips, and his vision sharpened, focusing on them with a clarity he didn't know he had.
His body moved before he could stop himself.
The attack was brutal. They didn't even have time to react.
He descended on them like a wild animal, driven by nothing but the need to kill. His body moved with unnatural speed, covering the distance between them in seconds. The first one—a boy with short, messy black hair—barely had time to turn his head before his hand closed around his throat.
With a single motion, he lifted the small boy off the ground, his nails digging into soft flesh. There was a moment of silence, a split second where he could feel the boy's heartbeat pulsing beneath his fingers, and then he squeezed.
The boy's neck snapped with a sickening crack, his body doing the devil's dance in his grip.
He dropped the corpse to the ground, and the other two humans screamed.
The sound only fueled the fire inside him.
Next he turned to see a small girl horrified at the horror she was seeing not immediately grasping the danger she was in.
The girl tried to run, tripping over herself but she wasn't fast enough. He was on her in an instant, his hand wrapping around her head, fingers digging into her scalp. She struggled, her legs kicking wildly, but there was no escape. He twisted, and the crack of her spine echoed in the forest.
The last human—a boy, with the same messy black hair as the first, smaller than the others—fell to the ground, scrambling backward on his hands and knees.
His eyes were wide, filled with tears and terror begging to be freed from this hell, and for a moment, he paused, watching the boy's pathetic attempts to crawl away. He could feel the fear radiating off him, and it sent a uncanny shiver of pleasure down his spine.
"Am I even human"
The thought came unbidden, but it was true. He could feel it in his bones, in the way his body moved, in the strength he now possessed. He wasn't like them. He was a monster in human skin
He stepped forward, his foot landing on the boy's chest, pinning him to the ground. The boy choked, gasping for breath, his hands clawing weakly at the dirt. He crouched down, his hand reaching out to grip the boy's face, tilting his head to expose his neck.
His mouth watered.
Without hesitation, he sank his teeth into the boy's throat, tearing through skin and muscle. Warm blood filled his mouth, and the hunger that had gnawed at him for so long finally quieted. He ate his fill, feeling the boy's life slip away with each bite.
When he finally pulled back, the boy's body was still, his eyes staring lifelessly into the darkening sky. The blood dripped from his chin, his body trembling with a strange mix of satisfaction and disgust.
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and looked around at the carnage. Three bodies, torn apart and lifeless, lay at his feet. The hunger was gone, but the emptiness remained. He was still alone, But now, he knew one thing for sure.
He was a predator. And the humans were prey.
As he stood over the bodies, he began to reflect on the changes he had gone through. He had always been strong, athletic even, but this was different. His body didn't just feel stronger—it felt unnatural. His muscles moved with precision and power that didn't belong to a human. His senses were sharper, his instincts felt primal.
But it wasn't just his body. The sunlight had burned him. The mere thought of stepping into it again made him recoil. He was tied to the shadows now, to the night. His mind raced as he tried to remember what had happened before waking in the cave, but the memories were distant, foggy.
He couldn't remember who he had been, or what he had done to deserve this fate.
But did it even matter anymore?
The hunger was gone, for now, but he knew it would return. And when it did, he would need more. More blood, more death.
He looked down at his hands, still stained with blood, and a twisted smile curled his lips.
He wasn't just a man. He wasn't just a monster.
He was something more.