Page 19 of Voyage of Death and Desire

The smell of death surrounds me. From the feel of the floor beneath me and the bodies around me, I’m still in the bottom of the ship, surrounded by death. Every part of my body aches. The blood filling my body is on fire. My heart is pounding out of my chest. I want to die.

“Is she still alive?” a voice I don’t recognize asks.

“Aye, looks that way,” a second voice laughs deeply. “Smells that way, too.”

“I knew I shoulda drained her when I had the chance,” the first voice answers.

“That’s a good way to die, that is.”

“Grab that one over there.” I feel something next to me move followed by a faint cry.

“No, please,” a young woman begs. “Let me go, and I won’t tell anyoneabout you.”

The two lower voices share a laugh. “Did ya hear that? She won’t tell anyone about us?”

Her soft whimpers become screams as she kicks into my leg.“Help me!”I scream through my mind.

A loud thud echoes through the room, and the cries stop. “Dammit, you killed her. You know I don’t like to eat from something dead. It tastes weird.”

“Her blood’s still warm. There’s enough for both of us.” The sound of sucking makes my stomach turn. Several minutes pass before the weight of a body is thrown on top of me and the door creaks closed.

What kind of hell am I in?

……

My eyes open to darkness, but unlike before, the room isn’t black. Sitting up is easier and gives me the ability to see that I’m surrounded by dozens of decaying bodies. “Is anyone alive?” I whisper. No one responds.

My stomach growls loud enough to echo through the room, causing me to double over in pain. I’ve never been so hungry. Going weeks without eating never made me this hungry before.

Something scurries past my foot. Without thinking, I grab it, realizing it’s a rat the size of a small dog. I bite into its body, draining it of every ounce of blood inside. Throwing the empty vessel to the floor, I’m appalled bywhat I did but craving more.

Did I just drain the blood from a rat? My stomach growls, begging for more. I’ve lost count of how many rats I’ve drained, as I sit, surrounded by corpses. My mind hasn’t caught up with my body, and I begin to try to make sense of what’s happened.

I stand, wading through the sea of bodies, and move toward the door. “Hello!” I scream, not caring who hears me. “Help me!” My voice sounds guttural and inhuman. “I’m hungry!”

Time slows down as I sit alone, waiting for someone to open the door. No one comes. Even the rats hide from me.

……

“Good evening, my dear,” Kragen says, entering the room that’s now my own. My legs and arms are bound behind me, wrapped in chains made from silver. The metal burns into my skin, leaving me bloody from the constant injuries.

“Shut up,” I spew.

He laughs. “Seems we’re in a good mood today.”

In his hands is a glass of fresh blood. The smell makes me rabid with desire. My breathing picks up as the scent fills my body.

“Is this what you want?” He taunts me, holding the glass closer before taking several sips. He makes a face. “Tastes a bit…stale.” He throws the glass and its contents against the far wall, smashing the glass along with the blood my body calls for.

“Oops,” he says with a laugh. “Did you want that?” He stands, leaving my side. “You smell like shit. It’s time for a bath.”

I resist the urge to close my eyes at the thought of what Kragen’s baths entail. He moves toward the door. “Elliot,” he says softly. Seconds later, a young man with white blonde hair opens the door.

“Yes, sir?”

“She smells. It’s time for a bath.”

“Sir?” the young boy questions. “The last time nearly killed her.”

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