Moonlust

Chapter Twenty, Awakening.

The doubtful whispers swelled. Inside the deep maze carved in the dismayed minds, they thrived. Like a tumor, they consumed the sanity dwelling in the conflicted nation. Who is the enemy, and who's the ally? Which one do they point the edge of their blade at, and which ones do they cover with their own flesh and soul? The thick lines between right and wrong dwindled once the eyes were opened to reality, without holding on to their emotions. Humanity must cling on to any help they are given, or else, this large glass ball of anonymous lives will be lost in a mountain of snow where their existence was a mere photograph in a museum, far in a country that had given them the death sentence long ago.

I. The talk.

Abigail was one of a kind. A higher type in the mooncallers spectrum. Having consumed the fresh body of a human she loathed, her urges had been satisfied. She wouldn't berserk at the moment yet she would desire more. The unfulfilled lust is what defines a mooncaller, and their ability to sustain their craving is what kept them apart in rankings. Even though Abigail wasn't a threat at that moment, she wasn't a trustworthy ally either. As long as the mooncalling connection lived in her mind and attached itself to her guts, Abigail would still be a ticking time bomb.

"Who the hell is this?" Abigail wondered with her shimmering blue eyes tarnished by blood. A pulse inside her gut ensued as she watched the frozen flesh Carvo gave to the female soldier on his experiment table.

"Abigail...What's that blood?" Carvo gulped as he saw his sister covered in human remains with blood dripping from her jaw with flesh stuck in it. Abigail's self-awareness was still not intense enough to become ashamed of what she had done, or perhaps even when she's sober of her hunger, she still wouldn't regret ripping Ernesta apart. Abigail's heavy beastly breathing frightened Carvo who managed to hide his unrest.

"It's- listen! It doesn't matter." Abigail stuttered as she avoided answering the question. Carvo could see a dormant fire of weakness in her eyes, one that he didn't fear yet it alerted him to the reality he was finally facing.

"Who's outside?" Carvo raised a question as he saw Lalo regain consciousness. He moved towards the basement door, peeking at the other end. "I brought friends.." Abigail stated, hesitating to inform him of the unusual events she had experienced, and the strange allies she had gained. "What friends?" Carvo eyed her in concern. "It's a long story, Carvo. But, please don't panic. I see you already have a lot to deal with.." Abigail looked at Lalo who seemed to be disturbed by what was surrounding him. "I can't believe my eyes." She gulped in disbelief, inspecting the disastrous state Lalo was in.

"Show me." Carvo asked Abigail to lead him outside as he held her arm gently while she stared at Lalo with questions overtaking her crowded mind.

"Don't panic." Abigail asked him as she led him out of the basement. "Don't worry Abby, seeing you smudged in blood a few minutes ago already made my old heart stop." Carvo breathed heavily as he was clearly distraught, unaware of how he got tangled in such a situation. His self-awareness was at its peak while Abigail was only functioning on the food she had consumed, having most of her senses dulled, all except her hunger which Carvo was stunned by her ability to suppress it.

The second door was opened revealing the other two companions. Carvo couldn't help but gasp loudly as Luther stood by the exit, blocking it with his sturdy large tail while Eman curled up to a ball and sat by his chair. As soon as Carvo's eyes fell on Luther, he retreated in shock. "You've brought him..right here??" Carvo panicked, just like Abigail expected.

"He's a friend! He's the one who saved me." Abigail firmly held Carvo's wrinkled hand, assuring him he was safe, and that was when it hit his dazed mind roughly.

Things could never be the same again.

Even though Abigail still held him close, comforting him just like she always did, it didn't feel the same. Carvo was no longer a boy, and his heart couldn't be soothed easily as before. He looked around him, comprehending that the life he had spent trying to recover what was stolen from him wasn't a waste, yet it wasn't how he wished it would be.