When We Were Still Human by Vaughn Foster (mobi reader android TXT) 📗

I don’t know what just happened, I just—I snapped. I don’t know where any of that came from, I didn’t mean it! Please, just let me help him. I know what I’m doing, you know this. You’ve already slowed the bleeding. Let me see if the cut is infected. Where did you move the medical supplies?”

Crystal didn’t reply. Her attention focused back to her wounded son. “It’s okay, Li, everything’s going to be okay.” She continued inaudible whispers, holding his still body against her chest.

Val stumbled back. What happened? The hunger—the beast— had eviscerated her life. Again. Turning from mother and son, she ran out of the cabin.

The forest was a blur. How long had she been running? Minutes? Hours? She just needed to get away, she just needed to go… where? Val came to a stop and collapsed at the trunk of a towering birch, burying her head in her arms. The entire forest silenced at her wails. Her vision blurred from tears, and the darkness of night warped everything into menacing, obscure shapes.

Not realizing she’d fallen asleep, Val awoke to see that the blackness had thinned; rays of red, yellow, and ochre were beginning to break through. It felt like she’d been out for a few hours, but for all she knew, it could have been days. She turned to go back, but stopped, remembering what she had done. Was Ligel even alive?

“Stupid!” She punched herself in the head.

“I’m a monster!” She continued striking herself as if she could banish whatever was inside. Whatever had struck Ligel.

“I’m a…” She couldn’t even finish the sentence. Her knees gave out and the pain of starvation swept over again. Survival overpowered guilt as the animal instincts slowly wound back into gear.

In the corner of her eye, a rabbit sat ten yards away. Her heart jumped as she narrowed onto the creature. It sat peacefully in the grass, wiggling its nose as it scratched behind long ears.

A breeze blew past and she could smell it. The scent was captivating. All she needed was to crush it and swallow the creature whole. She moved her arms to better position herself, but paused. She remembered the deer and tears ran down her face.

No. Not again.

Defeated, she threw her back against the tree and slouched. The rabbit perked its head, then bolted.

Anger and pain and hopelessness spiraled inward; once they laid root, she knew she’d be lost. Images of Ligel and Crystal pooled to the surface. Jason, his strong arms gripped around her. Her parents, her friends. She had so much to get back. She had everything to get back. If only she could find a way out. Out of this forest, out of…whatever it was that had cursed her.

Using every ounce of willpower left in her body, Val forced herself up. She didn’t move until she had calmed down; not until she could focus enough to determine what direction the smell of the flora began to fade. If she was lucky, that was where the asphalt of civilization would start.

By sunrise, she had made it out of the woods. An unknown highway stretched for what seemed like forever. She walked along the edge of the road for hours, not seeming to get any closer to a city. A few cars had passed, but each one sped by. She couldn’t blame them. She was emaciated, pale, and her hair was a matted mess of tangles and dirt. The dark circles under her bloodshot eyes alone made her look like she was on drugs.

That would actually be safer, she thought to herself. Drug addicts don’t need to worry about accidentally eating whoever picked them up.

Lost in a haze of heat and hunger, she pressed forward. Another car was coming up behind, but instead of driving past, tires could be heard rumbling onto the shoulder. She turned around and saw a beige SUV pull over a few yards behind. An older man, perhaps mid-sixties, stepped out of the passenger door and waved to her.

“Young lady! Do you need a ride?”

Afraid of what she might do, Val shook her head, preparing to go into a brief sprint and leave him miles behind. Her attempt at escape led only to a mouthful of dirt and gravel. She was exhausted; running on fumes. She was unable to even speak a warning to her savior, much less evade him.

“Franklin, hurry and get her to the car!” a woman’s voice yelled from the vehicle. Val weakly raised her head and saw an older woman get out of the driver’s seat and walk toward them. She kneeled beside Val and smiled.

“It’s going to be okay, hon. Just rest, we’re going to get you to help.”

“No, please… It’s too dangerous... No hospitals…”

Everything after that was a blur. Someone had picked her up and secured her in the backseat of the car. Val stayed conscious the entire ride but remained in that trance-like state like anesthesia was about to take over. She could barely feel her body, and her mind was drifting somewhere else. The road bumped and twisted for about thirty minutes until the car came to a stop again. The smell of freshly cut grass, fast food—and more overwhelmingly—people, all flooded her nostrils at once. The surge of scents and the memories attached was too much. By some miracle, right when she was going to pass out, there were hands helping her out of the car and leading her into a large, Victorian style house.

“Please…get away from me…” Val pleaded through hoarse mumbles. “Dangerous…”

“Nonsense,” the older woman snapped. “I don’t care what kind of trouble you have found yourself in, or who may be after you. It just wouldn’t be moral to leave you on the streets in your condition. Here, have a seat at the table,” she gently commanded as they