CH 1
Ghoul's Soul
The transformations into my ghoul side were painful, like having all of your body melting like wax until it was molded into a mess. I was running rampant in my ghoul form on Earth and causing way too much attention. Screaming down the streets of San Antonio flailing my arms as if they were able to be torn off, I would discover that later. Nothing could burn the energy down from just killing and consuming your mother's soul, on accident, complete accident. Sure she was never kind to me and neglected my existence, but I never meant to kill her. Maybe some part of me deep down was hoping for it, but I never had the strength. I was a weak gangly girl until a minute ago. That is beside the point, my thoughts were racing, but I had no control over anything. Why is this happening? It was like an out-of-body experience, but this is real. These eyes are mine, this body that was flailing around the city was mine. The new burden of matricide was mine, but I couldn't care less now. All I felt was hunger.
I jumped on a passing stranger, someone I thought was just like me, normal. But I was now different, and they were now dead. Fair exchange? I clawed his arm off and my tongue circled around his neck so he couldn't scream. My tongue? It was long and forked and pale yellow. Disgusting, but nothing was under my control, my brain was just two thoughts. Hunger, pain, hunger, pain, hunger. My mouth expanded and my teeth scratched along the edge of his jaw. The sensation of teeth tearing through muscle and flesh warmed my mouth. My human brain was gagging, but this form was reveling in the feeling. His skin was loosened and sliding off. He was beyond dead. Someone with a life and a family and probably dreams was just put to death by the monster that inhabited me. His soul drifted awake and its dim glow surrounded me. The hunger was undeniable. This soul that held this man's last wishes and goals and memories was looking like a delicious buffet before me. I salivated and tried with all of my strength to stop, but I couldn't, I was so starving I would eat a child if I had to. I choked on his soul because I couldn't help myself from eating too fast and screaming while I did so. The body of the soulless man was tossed around like a salad and I left him in an alley to be later thought of as a vicious animal attack.
How would you react to the death of a loved one by your own hands, your own hands that you didn't recognize? Skin that was too pale and sickly to be alive, and now no home to run to. My head calmed down when I finished my feast. I was still in the body of a monster. Where could I even go? There probably wasn't a home for wayfaring monsters anywhere near here. I stayed in dark alleys and tried to hide from people but the streets were crowded and the sun was setting. Homogenous office workers were flocking around and I could hear it all. Each breath, each heartbeat, the very blood that was pushed around the body. There were drunken laughs, and sounds of retching, I just wanted to erase the noises and my whole existence. I tried to stop my breathing. I wasn't. My breath wasn't even there, to begin with. What kind of monster did not breathe or have a heartbeat? How could I even claim to be human when I had no pulse and no air? Despair hit me in waves. I killed two people. I killed them, and there was dark blood on my sickly-looking arms. I could see the bones under my skin, I could see almost through my skin. It was pulled tight over my arms. I could only imagine the horror of the rest of my body.
My mother was normal, so what happened? Why did I talk in the past tense? My mother is… no she isn't here anymore. I sobbed empty huffs into the brick corner. So loud anyone could investigate and find me. But no one came, even the rats and bugs stayed away from me. I was unnatural and inhuman, worse than rodents. I was a parasite.
So I did the only thing I could think of and run. I ran fast and far and on my legs and arms. The feel of the ground was different. I felt lighter and stronger, fewer obstacles were in my way. I could hear humans walking three blocks away and I easily avoided them. I never needed rest, I never needed to stop breathing. I just existed. Even if my existence was a horrible mistake I was not in pain, physically. I let the thoughts leave me and just became the thing I was. I couldn't even count the days. Has it been three or seven? Two or Ten? Thankfully I wasn't hungry. People were all around me and laughing at that gurgle of air out three blocks away. Someone crossed by the little alley I was hiding in for the moment and didn't give a second look. Good. I needed to leave this place and stay away from humans as long as I can I will not-
Something flew into the alley with huge leathery skin and went into an adjacent building. That was definitely not a bird, maybe more of a dinosaur than a bird. But that was impossible. Completely impossible. These new eyes were playing tricks on me. But then I heard glass breaking and screams.
Not any normal screams but bloodcurdling last breaths. Absolute terror leaked out of the building. I didn't take much notice of it before but it was a stone office building. Tall and it was the middle of the workday. Those few people walking by had suits and briefcases, quite fancy. But now that didn't do them too much.
I had to go in and help them. Some high-pitched screaming continued as I climbed up the wall with a newfound talent. My talons scraped the wall and made a terrible screech. It was nothing compared to the noises coming out of the shattered windows. As I climbed in over loose pieces of glass black blood trickled down my leg. I felt it happen, but nothing hurt me. This was where the large creature broke into the building. The room seemed to be a singular office, but the occupant was gone. There was a thick trail of blood dragged across the floor. My tongue unrolled and brushed against the floor. Fresh blood and I tasted the terror. It was spicy and sweet all at the same time. Like too much cinnamon on your tongue, it started to overflow my senses.
I had to help these people. A young woman's scream came close by, I slid through the doorways and a small person was shaking under her desk. This room was much larger and full of desks and junk is thrown around. I assumed it wasn't like that before. The girl shrieked constantly, drawing attention to her location and terror. Whatever this was… blood splattered the once mauve walls. Now a mist of pink was in the air. My skin shivered as I turned to see the first body. He was impaled on his desk by shards of wood. His black suit was heavy with blood. His mouth was open and snakes of blood dried there.
I hadn't studied a dead body before, with my mother and the stranger I just ran and avoided it all. I just ran back into the things I was forgetting. The world was trying to remind me of my own fault for existing. His body twitched and I suddenly jumped away startled. He must be in immense pain right now on the last limb of life. I should put him out of his misery, that would be the humane thing to do. His suffering has been prolonged for too long.
But I couldn't, if I killed another that would ruin me. How could I come back from killing three people? Even an act of mercy was too far from me. He twitched again and I turned away. Why was I even here? To help? When I was just a murderer earlier in the week?
Did I feel emotions toward these people? I had to if I made the decision to come inside. A loud demonic screech alerted me from my thoughts.
Something was approaching, my body scuttled away in fear. I was feeling things, but not good things.
Something big was in the far hallway. It was coming closer.
I was frozen.
The man pierced on the table was struggling now and trying to move away. He was terrified and he was basically dead.
Maybe It would be good if I died? I was an abomination anyway. I have killed. I have lied, I have not been worth saving.
The crunch followed a squeak of a door that did not want to be opened. There I was paralyzed by fear and some creature was staring at me from across the room.
It held two heads in one of its hands. The hand was that big… its mouth was more of a hole with teeth and entrails were hanging from it. Its skin was leather and painted with different shades of blood. The worst was the stench, it reeked of really old decay and rotten flesh. Something was really wrong. Things like this shouldn't exist.
Its mouth clicked together as its blank white eyes moved towards me. They looked like the cue ball filled with red veins.
"Ghoul, what doing here?" Its voice was completely inhuman. As expected. Either the fear or the creature made its voice echo around me like I was in a tomb.
"I won't share withs Ghoul. Find your own flesh to feast on." I was sure the woman somewhere behind me was currently having a heart attack, the man on the table held his final breaths. I still stood there, staring down at this demon hoping it wasn't real. It couldn't be real, and it spoke to me.