Love Restrained

chapter twenty one

XXI

It was still the night when Hayden woke up with a strong aroma in the air. As she looked around she saw everybody else with an intrigued expression as they sniffed the air.

"What is that?"

"We have to go."

Everyone was slowly getting up, curious and tempted by that smell in the air. They headed for the cabin's door and when Shauna opened it, the smell became stronger, invading the whole place.

Although it was cold outside, they proceeded to walk through the snow, in the direction of Jackie's cremated body.

Except it wasn't cremated.

Something happened while they were sleeping because now her body was somehow completely cooked, explaining that tempting smell.

Once everybody acknowledged what happened, they all stared at Jackie's perfectly cooked meat, not knowing how it happened but also not putting much thought to it.

"It wants us to." Shauna whispered, kneeling before her best friend.

They looked at each other, looked around and waited. They were out of food. They were hungry. And right at that moment they were being controlled by the most primitive instincts of the human body.

When Hayden looked at Shauna again the girl had a knife in hands, studying closely the body before her. And Hayden thought she was hallucinating, that couldn't be real, it wasn't happening.

But the image of Shauna cutting Jackie's meat before her eyes was too real to deny it.

And before anyone could think of anything or say anything, they were all in. Devouring Jackie's body just like wild animals who had been hungry for just too long.

Ben Scott got outside not knowing he would wish to erase that sight of his memory until his last day. He was completely horrified.

He slowly started to head inside, being the most careful he could, afraid they would hear him. What was happening was the proof that people are capable of doing anything when the situation is critical enough.

Ben wasn't safe anymore. Nobody was.

.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.

The next morning, Natalie sat alone on the front porch, staring at what was left of Jackie, which was basically just bones, while she tried to assimilate what they've done.

The sound of the door opening and someone stepping outside wasn't enough to make Natalie look away.

"What the fuck?" Taissa's voice came out weak as she started walking in the corpse direction.

"No." Natalie tried to stop her but the look in the girl's eyes was of horror.

"What happened to Jackie!?" Taissa desperately yelled when she got closer to the bones.

"Tai, Tai." Nat attempted to make the girl look at her but she was in shock.

"It's okay, it's okay." Van came running as soon as she heard Taissa yelling to try to calm her down.

"I, um..." Tai was too stunned to speak "Something ate her. I-"

"Taissa." Van immediately stopped her.

"We ate her."

Tai looked at Jackie then back at Van, assimilating what she just told her but unable to accept it.

"I- I wouldn't-"

"Taissa!" Van made her look at her "What are you talking about? You were sitting right next to me."