The moon was a heavy eye in the sky, making long, spooky shadows all over the quiet village. In their little house, Leon slept peacefully, his breathing soft and steady. Next to him, Lena pretended to sleep, her eyes shut tight, her body still. But inside her, it was a storm. The smell of human life, so close, so easy to take, was torture. It was a hunger that bit at her, a deep need that fought against her control.
She had been so careful, planning every hunt. She knew that attacking at night would make people suspicious, would make them watch out more. So, she had only fed during the day, making it look like accidents, like unsolved mysteries. But tonight, the hunger was too much. The human life right next to her, so tempting, was like a song she could barely ignore.
It was almost too hard to bear. She had promised herself she would stay in control, that she wouldn't let the monster inside win. But the monster was getting stronger, its needs louder. The smell of life, warm and bright, was a constant tease, slowly breaking down her will.
Five minutes. She told herself. Just five minutes. She would sneak out, feed fast, and be back before Leon woke up. It would be enough to stop the hunger, to quiet the beast inside. It wouldn't be long enough for anyone to notice. Five minutes. That's all she needed.
The thought was a dangerous lie she told herself, a way to make the darkness okay. She knew it was wrong, knew that every kill pulled her further down a path she couldn't come back from. But the hunger was too strong, the temptation too great.
Quietly, she slid out of bed, careful not to wake Leon. She moved like a shadow, her steps smooth and silent, a hunter going after its prey. The village was quiet, the only sound the soft kissing of the waves on the shore.
The air was heavy with the sweet, tempting smell of human life, making her hunger burn hotter.
She moved fast, knowing exactly what to do, her senses sharp. She attacked quickly and brutally, picking people without thinking, their lives ending in silent, fast violence. A young couple holding hands on the beach. An old woman caring for her plants. A lonely fisherman throwing his net. A watchman walking the village streets. A family sitting around a fire, laughing together.
In just five minutes, the quiet village became a place of horror. Thirty bodies lay still on the beach, in the streets, in the gardens, their lives gone. The air smelled thick with death, the silence broken only by the sad cries of the birds.
Lena, her hunger gone, her power back, slipped back into her house, quiet as the breeze. She got back into bed next to Leon, her breathing even, her face calm.
The monster inside her was quiet, for now. But the terrible scene she had created would forever scare the village, a cold reminder of the darkness hiding beneath the surface a darkness that used to be a queen, now just a killer.
The sun peeked over the horizon, but instead of a happy morning, it showed something terrible. Thirty bodies were scattered everywhere, like broken toys. When the villagers came out of their houses, their faces were full of shock and fear. The only sounds were crying, quiet prayers, and the growing fear that felt like it would swallow the whole village.
This was the worst thing that had ever happened. The monster had never killed so many people at once.
The energy Lena had taken was strong, a rush of stolen life that made her powers bigger but also made her hunger worse, almost breaking her control. The feeding had been like a crazy dream, a wild need taking over, leaving her full but also shaky.
The strong energy she took started to change her in weird ways. Her eyes glowed too dark, her movements were sharp and jerky, and she felt like a strange power was coming from her, making people around her uneasy. She felt like her mind and body weren't connected, like the monster inside was trying to get out, to take over.
Leon looked at the dead bodies and felt like his heart was breaking. It was too much to handle. He looked at Lena, wanting comfort, wanting answers. He saw her worried face, her sadness, her shock at what had happened. But he also saw something else, something small that he couldn't quite understand. Her eyes looked too bright, she moved restlessly, and something about her felt different.
He reached for her, his hand gently touching her arm. "Lena," he said, his voice full of sadness, "this… this is worse than anything. What… what could have done this?"
Lena flinched when he touched her. The stolen energy made her skin feel too sensitive. She pulled her arm away quickly. "I… I don't know, Leon," she said, her voice a little shaky. "It's… it like something… something took over the village. Something… evil."
She wouldn't look at him, her eyes darting around nervously.
The monster inside Lena was kicking and screaming to get out. She felt like she needed to explode, to feed again, to suck up more life. She had to get away, to calm down, to shut up the beast that wanted to eat her whole.
Leon was too busy looking at all the dead people, feeling the sadness of the villagers, and trying to figure out who did this terrible thing to notice Lena's discomfort.
"We have to do something, Lena," he said, his voice desperate. "We have to keep these people safe. We have to find this monster."
Lena nodded, her mind spinning. She had to run, to get away from Leon, from everyone, before the monster inside her took over completely. She needed time to get herself back together, to fight the hunger, to keep pretending to be normal.
"I agree, Leon," she said, her voice sounding tight even to herself. "I'll go and look at the old books. Maybe there's something there, something that can help us."
She turned and walked away fast, almost running. Leon, still sad and confused, didn't see how quickly she left. He thought she was going to help, that she was looking for answers, that she was the only one who could understand the darkness that had come to their village. He had no idea that the darkness he was looking for was right next to him, sleeping in his bed, and was now sneaking away into the night without him noticing.
Two months went by. The big fear that held the beach town tight started to loosen, replaced by a shaky kind of normal. The killings had stopped, the monster seemed to be gone, leaving only the sad memories and the fear that still lingered. Slowly, the villagers started to live their lives again, going back to the beaches, the rivers, the springs, but always feeling a little scared. They thought the bad dream was over, not knowing that the monster was just sleeping, its hunger just quiet for a while.