Everything hurts. My whole being aches.

I feel different to usual. No longer held in, unconfined. When did my form revert?

What happe...........No!

Red drips into my vision. Viscous and warm.

No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No!

Where is he!?

That Bastard! I'll tear him to shreds when I...I'll … I'll bathe in his blood, I'll...Wait...He isn't here.

I take a deep breath.

The scent is weak. He’s gone.

It's been at least an hour, maybe an hour and a half.

Oh no. I think I know where he went.

*                             *                                     *

The door is open.

It shouldn’t be open. It should be closed to keep our nest safe from intruders.

I smell blood. Iron and glucose mixed with adrenaline. It’s his.

All my fears are coming true. No No No NO NO NO NO NO NO NO

NOT AGAIN!

I should have left some of myself here; I could have lived with the permanent injury. I should have stayed with Eloise. NO. Calm down. You can fix this. You can fix this.

Find them.

Find them and you can fix this.

I step inside. There’s blood on the handle and another streak of blood on the doorway into the living room.

Did he hurt her? No it’s his, that’s good.

“Eloise!” My voice echoes in the silence of the hallway.

I hear something.

A rustle of fabric. The expelling of breath and a sequence of muffled loose syllables. A soft shuffle of feet.

I follow the sound, but there’s no-one in the living room. The only place they could go is to the kitchen.

There they are!

I see them, at the same moment I see his hand strike Eloise’s perfect face.

HOW DARE YOU HURT HER!!!

She runs. Pulled along by that Bastard!

No! I didn’t mean to scare her.

Don’t go with him.

Please.

Come back to me.

Breathe. Breathe. Stay stable. Stay human.

Stay calm. Stay calm. Stay calm.

They went upstairs.

Find them.

Scheiße! (Fuck!) Her scent is everywhere.

That makes sense, this is our nest. But that is not helpful right now.

All the lights are out upstairs. Good. I can see better than them, both of them.

Where are they? Where are they? Where are they? Where are they? Where are they? Where are they? Where are they? Where are they? Where are they? Where are they? Where are they? Where are they? Where are they?

“I’m here.”

Wait! Was that…?”

“You fucking shh.”

Thump.

“Help.”

There she is! “Eloise!”

I instantly recognise the two feuding bodies in the hallway.

How dare he place his hands on Meine Lieber (my love).

She’s struggling. Hands clawing at his. Mouth opening and closing, but I can’t hear the whistle of air. She can’t breathe.

Everything flashes red.

Muscles contract and expand.

I leap.

Claws dig into flesh.

Warmth.

Cameron screams. Angry punches and bitter roaring; the last fight for life of a cornered animal. Pitter patter, pitter patter, pitter patter on my chest. It’s annoying.

Ruhig sein! (Be quiet!)

It takes two bites to sever the spine.

Sweet ichor seeps through my teeth.

The screams fall silent.

A glimpse of glazed eyes rolling down the corridor.

A sharp intake of breath.

That sound didn’t come from …

She didn’t run like the others. She’s still here.

Eloise … she stayed.

Oh no. What do I … what do I look like?

What face do I have?

I’m not … this is my face.

Can’t focus. Need to think.

I feel weak. Not physically, more like a shaking in my core.

Calm down! She might see you.

Focus.

FOCUS.

Pull in.

Calm down. Calm down. Calm down. Calm down. Calm down.

Tuck bone beneath bone. Muscle along muscle.

Concentrate. Faster. Please.

Are they…she’s looking at me. I’m not…I’m not perfect.

Don’t look at me.