Apocalypse: After Reanimation, I Became The Queen-Chapter 25: _ Not a Monster

His head snaps up, and our eyes lock.

Oh. Oh, no.

I can hear his pulse. It is an agitated and terrified drumbeat in my ears. His scent fills my nose.

Oh, how warm and coppery... how alive. My body reacts before my mind does. My muscles are tense, my fingers are quivering like a bad file.

Hunger slams over me like a rogue wave, drowning out every rational thought I have.

God, he smells so good.

I swallow hard. I try to fight it. Really, I do. But the more I resist, the stronger the craving gets.

My legs begin to move on their own. I take one step, and then another...

His eyes widen in horrification, probably thinking I am here to rob him or something. But bro has nothing on him... except for his juicy flesh.

His grip tightens on the rod. "W-what are you doing?"

I didn’t answer. Instead, I take another step.

His breath shudders. "You... you need to hide. Zombies are trooping in. If you—if you stand there, you’ll lead them right to me!"

Oh, sweetheart. If only that was your biggest problem.

I tilt my head, smiling just a little. "Don’t worry about that."

His throat bobs as he swallows. "I—I am worried about that!"

And then, I take another step. I can see the way his pulse flutters in his throat. My stomach twists. My teeth ache.

Just one bite.

No.

Just a little taste.

No.

I flex my fingers and he flinches.

His heart pounds faster. Thump-thump-thump-thump—like a rabbit caught in a trap. I can smell his fear in the air. It is sharp and electric and nothing but a delicious seasoning to his scent.

I take another step. Close enough now that I could reach out and touch him.

God, I want to.

I raise my hand...

...And then all hell breaks loose.

A loud, ear-splitting yowl breaks the tense silence, followed by a blur of movement. Something furry and pissed-off dashes across the hallway, knocking over a rusted metal tray. It clatters to the ground with a deafening crash.

Both of us freeze.

The man sucks in a sharp breath. I blink, disoriented, as the hunger fog lifts just enough for me to realize one sad thing...

Jesus fucking Christ... I almost ate him.

I almost lost control.

I jerk back so fast I nearly trip over my own feet, horror burning in my gut.

What the hell is wrong with me?

The man doesn’t move. He is still pressed against the wall, his face purely one of confusion. He stares at me like I just tried to murder him... which is okay and fair.

"What... the hell was that?" His voice shakes as his eyes dart around like he can smell the something off about me.

I shake my head violently, rubbing my hands down my arms like I can scrub away the guilt. "Nothing. Nothing. Forget it."

He doesn’t look convinced.

"Either hide with me," he growls, "or get the hell out of here before you get me killed." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Yeah, no. I am not doing this right now. Dinner was running away.

I zoom after the cat like a crazed clown before I lose the final thread of my humanity.

****

The damn thing is fast.

It threads through the debris like a tiny, furry demon, slipping under overturned furniture and darting through broken doorways. My feet pound against the floor as I chase after it.

My muscles are burning, my hunger continues to eat at the edges of my sanity. How much longer can I hold on without meat until I lose my mind completely?

Come on, come on...

There... I see it; a flash of movement. A streak of dirty, matted fur disappearing around a corner.

I attack, jump, and crash onto the ground with a thud, missing it by an inch.

"Fucking damn!" I hiss out in frustration.

I have gotten so slow that I can’t even aim properly. How on earth am I supposed to survive, protect myself from suspecting humans, protect Pretty Boy, and find Lucas if I am this careless?

The cat hisses, tail puffing up like an angry bottle brush. Its green eyes blaze with the fury of a creature who has survived the apocalypse and will not tolerate my bullshit.

Too bad.

I move faster this time and before it can escape again, I snatch it up by the scruff of its neck. It screeches, claws lashing out, but I barely feel the pain.

My stomach wriggles against itself. The hunger roars in triumph at the sight of something alive.

Meat.

I sink my teeth in.

The cat jerks and fights once again before it finally goes limp.

Warm blood fills my mouth. The taste is sharp and not as satisfying as I’d hoped but enough to take the edge off. I chew, swallow, and chew again, ignoring the sick feeling twisting inside me.

This isn’t what I want.

But it’s what I need.

I chew until my entire mouth and hands are covered in blood. The only thing mapping the difference between me and the zombies is my human-looking flesh and nice body.

This is what the system said I’d lose if I didn’t feed.

As I finish, a familiar jingle echoes in my head.

[Ding!]

The system flashes before my eyes.

[Warning: Substitute meal consumed. Energy restoration minimal.]

[Host requires proper sustenance. Failure to feed adequately will result in further depletion.]

I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand, scowling. "Yeah, yeah, I got it, thanks. Real helpful as always."

[Your survival is the priority.]

"My humanity is the priority," I snap, gnashing my bloodied teeth in defiance.

The system it seems, is on a mission of turning me into a full-blown villainous intelligent zombie.

I, on the other hand, will make it my lifelong mission to prove it wrong. I am Renata Jensen and I will NOT become a monster...

... even though I am technically already one.