Hometown - Chapter 5: Starvation

Hometown – Chapter Five: Starvation

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	Susie was in hell, and it was green.

	Whenever she brushed up against a bush her scales would itch, and even though she was sweating through her clothes, the frigid temperature was chilling the monster to the bone. She had no idea how long she was walking in the woods with Martin, but all these hindrances and her mounting ravenous hunger was making each step feel like a marathon.

	“I thought you said your camp was nearby?” Susie asked, slapping a branch in front of her out of the way, only for the branch to snap back and strike her in the face.

	Martin held back from chuckling at Susie’s struggle against nature. “It’s no use,” he said with a small smile, rubbing the back of his head. “There’s nothing but fog and darkness all around us.”

	Susie frowned. “What? Sheesh, and I thought you were some tracker or something. Well, don’t start looking at me for help.”

	Martin sighed. “In my defence, there’s nothing yonder but a void, and likewise below me—it is like I’m standing in a mire. Darkness holds dominion during a moonless night.”

	“You talk pretty funny, you know?” Susie smirked as she reached into her backpack and pulled out her flashlight, turning on her beam and shining it ahead. It was not much of an improvement to Martin’s boxed flame, but the light pierced into the blackness deep enough so that the two could see where they were walking into.

	Martin looked at Susie, one eyebrow raised as he killed the gas in his lantern. “All humans talk like me.”

	“You’d be surprised.”

	Silence overtook the conversation, and there was no sound but the wind blowing through the tall conifers and the distant chirping of small woodland animals. Now and then Susie’s stomach would grumble, breaking the stillness. With a blush, she would attempt to mask it by groaning with her mouth instead.

	Susie looked at Martin, who had a plain but otherwise content look on his face. This human seemed happier than Kris, which made her frown. Susie slumped her shoulders and dragged her feet on the ground as she walked beside Martin.

	Kris always had a sad look on his face, she thought. He never seemed depressed, but the times when she could make him smile were rare enough that she wondered what goes through his head when he was alone.

	Susie’s breathing slowed as she continued thinking about her friend. ‘I’m such a fuckup! I have no idea where Kris is, and it’s all my fault! Even when I know that I’m acting like an idiot and I’m going to be getting into deep shit, I can never hold back in the heat of the moment… There must be something wrong with me…”

‘I’ve been nothing but trouble for Kris. I wouldn’t blame him if he hated me after today…’ Susie lowered her head, tears dripping onto the grass below her. She was going to be alone again, and she only had herself to blame.

	“We are here,” Martin said, breaking the silence.

	Susie dragged her gaze up and pointed her flashlight towards the nondescript foliage ahead of her. “Are we? Looks like more green to me, dude.”

	“Have faith in me.” The human glanced to his side, a smirk forming on his face. “The bushes here have a precise greenness that I’m familiar with.”

	Susie rolled her eyes, but as the duo walked into the bushes and landed on the other side, she was shocked to see a clearing in the woods. She shined her light around, and the beam bounced against a tan-coloured, leathery tent that sorrowfully sagged beside an unkindled campfire. She could see nothing else in the clearing, no thanks to the darkness, but Susie guessed that Martin knew better than to leave his camping supplies scattered around unattended.

	Martin moved silently over to his tent, and Susie followed behind him, though she halted in place when the human pointed at her with an open palm like a crossing guard. “I’m going to fetch my tinderbox. Go ahead and find a comfortable spot on the grass.”

	“Sure, whatever.” Susie turned around and found a spot by the firepit that was dry. She dropped her backpack on the grass by her side and sat down cross-legged.

	Susie examined the campfire, which was no more than a hole dug into the ground with a pile of logs thrown in. Her father used to do something similar after spending the day fishing with her.

	The monster’s stomach grumbled again as her hunger pangs grew more intense. Susie held her stomach as she thought about the tasty fish she’d catch in the lake, and how her father would sizzle the fish on an open fire that enriched the flavours of the meat in a way that a modern stove could never compete with.

	“GRRRRRRR…”

	“My God, I heard that all the way from inside the tent!” Martin said as he sauntered over to the campfire. He was holding a large bag in one hand and a black pot under his other arm.

	“Shut up, nerd.”

	Susie hunched forward and watched as Martin fiddled with a small tin and a black stone. Almost like magic, he launched sparks seemingly from his hands into the pit. Susie was worried that the fog had dampened the wood, but in one instantaneous moment a wayward spark managed to ignite a small patch of kindling. Soon the flames spread to the logs themselves, and with Martin’s meticulous tending there was a brilliant orange bonfire that licked at the pitch-black darkness around them.

	Susie edged closer to the fire, warming her body in its shimmering glow. She stared into the flames with a mute longing as Martin arranged his gear on the fire and began cooking. She could see the human pouring the contents of a bag inside a black metal pot, which hung over the fire from a stand.

	“What’s on the menu?” Susie asked, her nose perking up as she picked up on a strong, savory aroma.

	“Food,” the human responded as he poured powders that Susie could not discern into the pot.

	Susie shook her head and rolled her eyes. “You’re doing this on purpose.”

	Martin dropped a lid on the pot and gave Susie a blank stare. “I’m cooking meat.”

	“Sheesh.”

	With the bonfire illuminating him in a dull orange light, Susie was able to look Martin up and down. Susie thought that he looked quite warm in his dark longcoat, which he had the collar pulled up to protect his neck. He was wearing a beige sweater stained green from his time in the woods, and as Susie’s glances travelled downward there was a spark in her eyes as she spotted a… sheathe hanging off his hip?

	Susie coughed to gain Martin’s attention, and the human stared at her with a deadpan expression. Martin could see Susie looking crossed at him, but he assumed she was always like that and only replied with a simple “Yes?”

	“I thought you said you were unarmed? What gives, man?”

	Martin clutched the sheathe resting on his thigh as his eyes furrowed in confusion, but then his face resettled to its regular blank state. “I’ve never considered this as much of a weapon. It is a reliable instrument for someone who adventures in the woods.”

	Susie, satisfied with his answer, gave the human a small shrug before slouching over and watching the bonfire again. “What do you do anyway?” she asked, her attention on the human straining as she hears the food bubbling in the burning pot.

	Martin did not respond, but he took a deep breath and exhaled loudly as he thought about her question. Susie could see the human struggling to answer, and she considered moving the dialogue elsewhere as a courtesy, but she decided to prod Martin further instead. “I mean, are you camping for fun or for business?” she continued.

	“I am hunting a monster in these woods,” Martin replied with a sigh.

	Susie blinked. Martin looked at her, but then he stared at the ground when he found it hard to maintain eye-contact.

	“Huh,” Susie said plainly. She looked away and stared at the orange embers shooting up from the bonfire. “Any luck with that?”

	Martin sat down across from Susie, separated by the fire that burned between them. While the simple look on his face betrayed no feelings, inside Martin was shocked by Susie’s blasé response.

	Martin rested his ankle over his other knee and looked at the monster across from him. “No,” he said. “I do not presume that a monster would turn against her own kind for a human, but I could use some help. I am looking for a monster, one so huge and grotesque that her presence is foreshadowed by the sound of her footsteps a mile away—or so I am told.”

	“I’ve seen some weird monsters today,” Susie said. “It’d be nice if someone came in and killed them… Wait, how are you going to hunt a monster with only a knife?”

	There was a glimmer in Martin’s eye as he smirked. “You can do a lot with a knife. However, I hunt monsters using words.”

	“Words? Like talking to them and shit? You should meet Kris sometime. I think you and him would get along juuust fine.”

	“Your friend? Yes, I would love to spend some time with someone who shared my dreams for the future. Fighting is unnecessary in this world.”

	Susie raised an eyebrow and tilted her head to one side while listening. Martin reminded her of Kris, but there was more to it than that…

	“You might not realize it,” the human continued, “but this is a world where you do not need to kill anyone. Should you pursue the path of violence… you might not find the results favourable…”

	Martin grabbed a stick he found on the grass and started poking at the logs in the campfire. Embers crackled into the air as he stirred the wood, his eyes staring into the flames with an intensity that made Susie uncomfortable. “God, it’s hot as hell…” he murmured, dropping the stick in the fire absentmindedly.

	Martin shot back up, finding Susie staring at him with a pinched expression on her face. “S-Sorry, where was I?” he stuttered. “Yes… I think if we all tried our hardest, we can all find a way to earn our happy ending without resorting to violence.”

	Susie clenched her jaw. She wanted to say something to Martin—something that she felt was important, even if she had no idea what it was—but the words failed to come to her.

	“Smells like the grub is done cooking,” Susie settled on commenting instead. Her stomach grumbled affectionately at the mention of food, but sour feelings continued to tug at her.

	With a deep sigh, Martin stood up and checked on his cooking. Susie licked her chops as she saw him going back to his bag for two wooden bowls and spoons, signalling that her starvation was soon to be over.

	“Have you ever killed anyone?” Martin demanded without a hint of hesitation in his voice. The human dipped a ladle in the pot and filled the bowls, carrying on as if he had asked Susie a simple, mundane question.

	“Wh-What? No. Never! I’ve never killed anyone before!” Susie shouted, nostrils flared. She glared at the human, but then she glanced away and bit her lip. ‘What about that… thing in the hospital today? I think I… ended it with an axe. Does that even count? What about Mother or whatever Kris called her? I shot her full of holes…’

	“Well,” Martin spoke up, smiling at Susie as he handed her a bowl of piping-hot stew. “I am not surprised in the slightest. You look like a good girl who would never bring harm to anyone.”

	Martin raised his own bowl into the air, some of its brown contents spilling out as he toasted Susie. “All those who follow the path of peace may share in my humble bounty.”

	Susie gingerly smiled as she raised her own dish to be polite. She brought the stew back down, looking at the chunks of meat of unknown but delicious origin that floated in the bowl. Her mouth watered, and her nose twitched from all the strong, spiced scents.

	Wasting no time, Susie pressed the dish up to her lips and poured the stew straight down her gullet. She’d bitch about burning her mouth from the hot soup later, because now all she cared about was filling her stomach.

	Something was wrong.

	Instead of tasting the rich flavours of boiled meat, Susie’s tongue savoured a bland, gritty substance that scraped against her tongue as it went down her throat. It was like she had sipped from an ashtray.

	Susie gagged, but nothing would come out. Tears poured from her blood-shot eyes as she wretched in vain, doubling over on the grass. The “food” in her mouth smelled like a bloated, rotten corpse, and it was like the stench was stealing the air from her lungs.

	“M-Martin, what did you feed me? Susie asked through a huge, unwanted mouthful. She tried clawing at her tongue to remove the disgusting food from her mouth, but even as it poured out of her like sand, she could feel her cheeks still stuffed with the rotten, ash-like substance.
	“Martin? Anyone!?” Susie screamed in desperation, but nobody came. She could see the forest closing in around her. It was like she was inside the jaws of a huge beast, and the trees were shutting together like massive teeth.

	The human was nowhere in sight, but Susie could feel eyes watching her from all around the clearing. As her vision began to fade, she made out faces in the woods. All of them pale and white. All of them staring at her.

	…

	…

	…

	Susie woke up with a start.

	“What happened?” she asked herself. Lolling out her tongue and feeling it with her fingers, the monster could not find a single trace of the food she tried to eat earlier. “Was that a dream?”

	 With a sharp twitch, Susie hugged her stomach as it growled. She was starving, that much had not changed. She needed to find food, and she needed to find it quick. She had never been this hungry before, and she felt like she could pass out again if she didn’t find something to munch on.

	Susie pushed herself off the grass and took a long, hard look at her surroundings. There was a road in front of Susie. It was so narrow that two vehicles would have a hard time passing by at the same time. Across the road there was a small grassy section between the tarmac and huge, dense woods.

	There was trash all around her. Plastic bags blew around in the wind, getting themselves stranded on tree branches, cans of soda crushed in all kinds of shapes were scattered across the ground, there was a thin layer of dust on almost everything, from the leaves on the trees to even the grass, and broken beer bottles with their sharp edges pointed up were all over the road like landmines.

	“Good thing I’m wearing shoes… Sheesh, it’s like Spring Break rolled right through here.”

	Susie looked behind where she was standing and saw a similar thick row of trees that were too dark to see into. She was sandwiched between two dense treelines that might as well have been wooden walls to her. With all the trash around, it reminded her of that trash compactor scene from Star Wars, though Susie could do without the treeline closing in and crushing her.

	On the ground beside her, Susie noticed her backpack leaning against her leg. ‘I still have my shit at least.’

	She picked up her bag and slung it over one shoulder as she took a step onto the road. The hard, even terrain felt weird to walk on after all her time in the woods, but at least plenty of moonlight came in through a narrow clearing above. It was bright enough to see hundreds of meters into the horizons, but there were no ends to the roads themselves. Nothing but miles upon miles of asphalt it would seem to Susie’s eyes.

	There was no frame of direction to guide her, so Susie chose one path at random and decided to follow it through in hope that it led back to town or somewhere with food.

	Susie looked up at the moon as she walked down the road. She thought it looked larger than it usually did, but she remembered that Kris mentioned the moon sometimes did that. Whether it was a phenomenon or not, Susie was glad to see where she was going for once.

	Something cold and wet splattered against her eye.

	Susie flinched and rubbed her face. She winked one eye open and looked up into the sky again, almost getting another raindrop straight into her iris.

	“Great… Rain…” Susie murmured, picking up her pace. She would not call it a shower since it was not coming down hard at all, but the rain dribbling on her only made her mood far worse. She was cold, starving, and getting wetter little by little.

	Susie’s eyes dilated as she spotted a massive, gnarled tree in the middle of the road up ahead. She doubled timed over, approaching the strange obstacle.

	There were… things hanging from the branches that caught Susie’s attention when she came closer to the tree. She avoided tripping over 	the large roots that had torn up the blacktop like parasitic worms and walked towards the tree.

	Susie squinted in a furtive manner when she was greeted with a better look at what was hanging off the tree. Bodies. Bodies dangling by long ropes were hanging from the massive tree. Humans, the monster assumed, because of their straightforward four-limbed shape. Branches as thick as her thighs and twice as long as her body stretched out in the air, each of them carrying a charred-black human corpse hanged by the neck.

	‘Smells like a bad barbeque,’ Susie thought, covering her nose as the scent of burnt human meat wafted in the air. Her stomach grumbled shamelessly, but she tried her best to ignore it.

	All the bodies had wooden signs that read “MEAT” in bold red letters that were hammered into their chests by nails. The signs were not blackened like the bodies, suggesting that whoever hanged them showed some kindness by not torturing them like pincushions before setting them on fire. Or hanging them. Something in that order.

	Susie looked at the bodies bug-eyed, and her lips were one grim line that trembled. She inhaled a deep breath and slowly walked over to the tree for a closer look. It was a bad idea, at least in her mind, but curiosity had gotten the better of her again.

	From the corner of her vision, she spotted an axe buried blade-deep in the bark of the tree. Susie might need this. Maybe. She enjoyed having an axe around ever since her first visit to the Dark World.

	Avoiding the dangling feet of the hanged humans, Susie approached the axe. Spitting into both of her hands and rubbing them together, Susie reached for the handle and gave it a strong tug, pulling the axe out almost effortlessly.

	“I hate that I remember you as the same one from the hospital,” Susie murmured to the fire axe, gripping it tightly in her hands. “But I guess I’m gonna’ need you.”

	“GRRRRRR!”

	Susie’s stomach grumbled, though perhaps it would be better described as a roar. Her hunger was getting even worse, and it felt like all the acids in her stomach were going to boil right through her body. It was making her head spin, and she was having a hard time standing up. A shiver of fear ran down Susie’s spine when she realized that she might not wake up again if she passed out from hunger.

	‘I do have an axe now… I could always bring down one of those bodies and chop them up into nice little morsels…”

	Susie shook her head violently, hoping to throw away those dark thoughts. “Fuck that,” she swore, “I’m not THAT hungry.”

	The monster bit her lip. “…Yet,” she continued.

	Almost as if someone had flipped on a switch, Susie was blinded by a brilliant white light. From the shadow she was casting against the tree, she knew the light was coming from behind her, but before she could process what was going on the sound of a siren and the honking of a loud horn deafened her ears.

	When the monster heard the skidding or rubber wheels against the tarmac, she instinctively leapt off her feet and jumped to the side of the road, landing on her front with a loud thud.

	Spinning her body around so her back was against the grass, Susie could see a black car with red and blue flashing lights on its roof speeding down the road behind the tree. She could see one person in the vehicle, behind the wheel, but the car sped off so quickly that Susie could not get a better view of the driver.

	Susie rubbed her face and groaned as she stood back up on two trembling feet. “I’m not even going to question how that idiot drove right through the tree. I’ve seen enough shit in this world already to question THAT.”

	“I should probably follow the cop, though. Hopefully he knows where he’s going. Hopefully there’s food there, too.”

	“GGRRRRRRR…”

	Susie rubbed her tummy, and she was almost afraid that her stomach would open up like a horror creature and bite off her hand. “Shit, I’m not going to hold on for much longer at this rate…”

	…

	…

	…

	Food. Susie wanted, no, NEEDED to eat. She’d been following the police car for half-an-hour already, and while she did not presume that she could catch up to a speeding vehicle, she had hoped that she’d find a gas station or a house or even an intersection at some point. Instead she found nothing but more road.

	It had only been a day. How could she be this hungry? She’s never starved like this before. Susie could remember the times when she went without dinner because she barricaded herself in her room, and how bad that felt for a growing dragon like her, but this was a thousand times worse.

	Susie dragged her feet on the road, each step another wasted calorie she needed to conserve. However, unless someone dropped a full-course dinner by the side of the road for her she needed to keep pressing onward.

	It was like going without food for a whole month in a prison cell, then having a line of chefs walk into the room showing off all their warm, delicious dishes but telling Susie she was not allowed to take a bite. God. Susie would kill for a ham sandwich now.

	There was something in the distance that was getting larger and larger as Susie zombie-walked her way down the road. It looked like a… car? A red one, and it was sideways in the middle of the road, taking up both lanes.

	Susie groaned. She couldn’t eat a car… But maybe there’d be something in it that she could eat? Susie licked her lips, fantasizing about a butcher abandoning his car for whatever reason, but more importantly, he had left boxes full of steaks in the backseats. She wouldn't care about eating them raw. In fact, she'd love them raw. She wasn't going to let a fire burn away all those precious nutrients and calories. This was a raw, primal hunger that could drive a monster insane, and she was going to feast on whatever she found.

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	Coming Eventually: Chapter Six - Maternity