The wave of heat slams into me before I even have a chance to react, a sudden, blistering force that scalds the air and sears my skin. My body flinches, instinctively recoiling from the intensity, but it's too late. The burn licks up my leg, sharp and excruciating, and I let out a hoarse scream. My knees buckle, sending me crashing to the ground, my hands scraping against the rough stone floor.
Fire. Heat. Pain.
It feels like my leg is melting, like my flesh is being stripped away by the flames. My vision swims, black spots dancing in front of my eyes, and for a moment, I think I'm going to pass out. The pain is overwhelming, suffocating, spreading through me like poison.
I can barely think. The only thing that registers is the need to *escape*.
I throw myself behind the massive stone-like creature next to me, using its bulk as a shield from the wave of heat. My breath comes in ragged gasps, my chest heaving with the effort of staying conscious. The creature doesn't move, its cold, dead body offering no response as I cower behind it.
The heat lessens, but the pain in my leg still lingers, throbbing with every beat of my heart. I glance down, expecting to see charred flesh, to see my skin blackened and ruined—but instead, I see something that makes my breath catch in my throat.
The burn is *healing*.
Slowly, almost imperceptibly at first, the skin on my leg knits itself back together. The blistered flesh smooths out, the raw redness fading into pale, unmarked skin. I blink, my mind struggling to process what I'm seeing.
I should be horrified. I should be afraid. But all I feel is *hunger*.
It gnaws at me, sharp and unrelenting, a hollow ache that seems to grow stronger with every passing second. My stomach twists painfully, the emptiness inside me clawing at my insides, demanding to be filled. The burn on my leg is forgotten, the pain fading into the background as the hunger takes over.
I need to eat.
My eyes dart around the dark chamber, searching for something—*anything*—to satisfy the hunger. My body feels weak again, the strength I gained from devouring the last creatures already fading. It's like the energy I took from them is leaking out of me, draining away with every breath.
And then I see it.
A creature, smaller than the others, slithering along the ground a few feet away. Its skin is a sickly, pale green, covered in oozing pustules and slimy, translucent scales. It doesn't look like the others I've consumed—its body is more serpentine, its legs short and stubby, its eyes wide and bulbous.
But that doesn't matter. *Nothing matters* except the hunger.
Without hesitation, I crawl toward it, my body moving of its own accord, driven by the primal need to feed. The creature doesn't even see me coming—it's too focused on whatever rotting filth it's dragging itself through. I reach out, my fingers sinking into its slimy skin, and pull it toward me.
It thrashes in my grip, letting out a wet, gurgling screech, but it's weak. Pathetic. It can't stop me. I sink my teeth into its flesh, tearing into its rubbery body with the same ferocity I used on the others. The taste is revolting, a rancid mix of bile and decay, but I don't care. My stomach demands more, and I give it what it wants.
The creature writhes and screams, but its struggles weaken with every bite. Soon, it goes limp in my hands, and I consume the rest of it, choking down the foul-tasting meat. Each bite sends a wave of strength through me, the hunger receding just enough to give me a moment's clarity.
But the taste... it's *disgusting*.
I gag, the vile aftertaste coating my tongue, and for a moment, I'm overcome with nausea. I retch, my body shuddering as I try to force the taste away, but it clings to me, bitter and putrid.
Still... I don't stop. I can't.
Because even though the taste is unbearable, even though my body is revolting against the filth I've just consumed, I feel *stronger*. The energy courses through my veins, filling the emptiness inside me, and I can feel the weakness in my limbs fading. My legs stop shaking, my arms steady. The pain in my head dulls to a manageable throb.
I stand, my body trembling but no longer on the verge of collapse. My eyes scan the room again, taking in the details I missed before.
It's a massive space, cold and metallic, with jagged walls and rusted pipes snaking along the ceiling. The floor is littered with debris—chunks of stone, broken machinery, and the bodies of more creatures, both dead and barely alive.
But there's something else.
Far off in the distance, I can see a small opening in the wall—a vent. It's barely visible in the dim light, hidden behind a pile of rubble, but it's there.
I need to get out of here.
The thought isn't fully formed, more of an instinct than a conscious decision, but it's enough to spur me into action. I stagger toward the vent, my body still shaky from the ordeal, but growing stronger with each step. The hunger still gnaws at me, but I can ignore it for now.
The vent is narrow, barely large enough for me to squeeze through, but I don't hesitate. I pull myself inside, the metal scraping against my skin as I crawl through the tight space. The air inside the vent is stale, thick with dust and the smell of rust, but it's better than the foul stench of rot in the chamber.
I crawl through the vent for what feels like hours, the narrow space seeming to stretch on forever. My arms and legs ache from the effort, but I keep moving, driven by the same primal instinct that led me to consume the creatures.
Eventually, the vent opens up into another part of the lab. I drop down onto the floor, my knees buckling slightly as I land, but I manage to stay on my feet. The room is different from the others—darker, more enclosed. The walls are lined with strange, alien-looking machines, their surfaces covered in blinking lights and wires that hum faintly in the silence.
The air is thick with tension, the kind of silence that feels *alive*, as if something is watching me from the shadows.
I don't trust this place.
But I don't have a choice. I need to keep moving. I need to find a way out.
I take a few cautious steps forward, my eyes scanning the room for any signs of danger. My body feels more alive now, stronger, but there's still a weakness lurking just beneath the surface. The hunger is never far behind, always waiting, always gnawing at the edges of my mind.
I hear a sound—a soft scuffling, like something dragging itself across the floor. I freeze, my heart pounding in my chest. Slowly, I turn toward the sound, my eyes narrowing as I search the darkness.
There.
In the corner of the room, half-hidden behind one of the machines, I see movement. Another creature, its body hunched and misshapen, its skin covered in jagged spikes and patches of fur. It's larger than the others I've faced, its eyes glowing faintly in the dim light.
It doesn't hesitate.
The creature lunges at me with a snarl, its claws extended. I barely have time to react before it's on top of me, its weight slamming into me with a force that knocks the breath from my lungs. I stumble backward, my arms flailing as I try to fend it off.
Its claws rake across my chest, tearing through the fabric of my shirt and cutting into my skin. Pain explodes in my chest, but I don't have time to think about it. I grab the nearest thing I can find—a loose brick—and swing it at the creature's head.
The brick connects with a sickening *crunch*, and the creature lets out a howl of pain. Blood splatters across the floor as it staggers back, dazed. I don't give it a chance to recover. I lunge forward, my teeth bared, and sink them into its throat.
The taste of blood fills my mouth again, warm and metallic, but this time, I don't care. I tear into the creature with a ferocity I didn't know I had, ripping chunks of flesh from its body until it stops moving.
I don't stop.
I devour the creature, piece by piece, the hunger driving me forward, urging me to consume every last bit. The taste is still foul, still bitter and disgusting, but I barely notice. All I care about is the strength it gives me, the way it fills the emptiness inside me.
When I'm done, I stand, my body covered in blood, my chest heaving with exertion.
I'm stronger now.