Joan stepped out from the boulder, but as soon as she did—

"Don't come any closer!" Harker exclaimed, covering his nose and mouth.

He wasn't wearing anything besides the dark blood of the wendigo he just ate. The flesh on his back was also bear, and it would take a while for the skin to be recovered. His eyes were shot red and he was breathing heavily.

Joan frowned. "You're bleeding."

"I'm... fine..." Harker slumped to the ground, curling up like a shrimp. "Tell Blank to bring it to me...."

"Bring you what?" She asked.

"He will know.... Just tell him to bring it...."

She was hesitant, but still left as quickly as she could to call out Blank outside the cave. Still, Harker wished she would run away from him faster, as further as possible.historical

Saliva dribbled down his chin, mixing with the dark blood.

And yet he had the urge to lap it up from the dirty cave floor, to not let a single drop go to waste. More than that...

Having a delicious woman go out was physically painful to him. Joan's scent still lingered in the air like the scent of aromatic candles. Or perhaps a more accurate description would be the smell of a food staying within a fast food restaurant's kitchen.

Harker was quite familiar with that sensation. He would sometimes work overtime or take over other people's shifts in BBB.

At closing time, he would offer to clean up the kitchen since Boss Bill and Boss Bob weren't as young as they used to be and enthusiastic on taking out the oil from the fryers or restocking the fridge for tomorrow.

Harker would be left alone in this empty restaurant to take care of things. The smell of greasy, juicy burgers still remains no matter how much he sprays air fresheners.

He was accustomed to it, though that doesn't mean it never brought physiological reactions to him.

His stomach would grumble and voices would usher him to make himself some of the burgers. But there were CCTV cameras even in the kitchen, and his bosses were not the most tolerant of 'food snatchers'.

It's one of the reasons why they were quite understaffed. They pay really well compared to other places out there that's why Harker stayed. But he can no longer count in one hand the times that employees were fired for taking even a single bite of the burger patties or chicken wings.

Boss Bill would often say: "Do you think male gynecologists get their profession from giving in to their urges towards their patients??? So how can we keep waiters who can't even keep their hands to themselves and fight urges towards food!?"

And Boss Bob would only say: "Leave before I skin you alive."

They were right, of course. But just because you can acknowledge rules and why they were imposed, doesn't mean that you would immediately lose your instinctual desires. In the end, we were animals that got sophisticated enough to even stop ourselves from eating when we're hungry, to stop ourselves from drinking when we're thirsty.

Everyone gives in at different rates, at different circumstances. We all have different limitations, it's only a matter of when and why.

Flashes of different images flooded Harkers brain until it leaked into his eyes. He was crying hot tears from the pain in his head, and it never goes away. It's all about her.

In these images, he would tear apart her shirt and pants as she screamed and begged him to stop. He would grip her arms tightly as he took a whiff of her scent. He would lick her tasty neck, drink up all the sweat dripping down...

His heart felt great joy from the idea of her squirming and trying to fight for her life against him. But it would be useless, as he was much stronger, the superior one.

He would sink his teeth deep into her soft skin. He would not leave a single part of her unattended to. That face, those shoulders, her chest, her thin waist and thick hips, those round buttocks, her thighs.....

He would consume her from head to toe. And there's nothing she could do about it.

"No, no, no!" Harker banged his head again and again on the ground to get rid of these intrusive thoughts.

It's bad enough that he had a girlfriend. It's bad enough that she bears feelings for him, and was willing to give him everything because of it.

But he was a monster, and he could only hide his true nature for so long like keeping a wild beast that keeps growing in a cage. That cage will never be big enough, and it will soon break loose until it takes over him.

Until he was no longer 'himself'.

These thoughts were disrupted when he finally felt a hand placed over his head.

"Here, halfer. I made it just as you told me to."

Harker looked up, and had never felt even more relieved in his life. He doesn't feel the hunger towards him, so he can safely be in his presence, and he could trust himself to not let the beast lose with him.

Blank was holding a bunch of metal arrowheads tied up together by rope to form a sort of muzzle. He tied it over Harker's face, and secured them tightly. He also took his hands and tied them together. Harker never thought he'd be grateful over someone tying him up and dragging him about like a slave, but here they were.

"Thank you, Blank." He said. "I.... I know it would be hard to trust me from now on since I'm now a wendigo—"

"Just don't eat me and my brother. And we're good." Blank said. "I made Joan wait with Ahanu outside. It would be dawn soon, you took longer than I expected. Also, those wounds are disgusting, hide them with clothes."

Harker couldn't help but chuckle despite his hoarse voice and ragged breathing.

The truth was though the extreme desire to attack was not as strong as it was for Joan, he still had hunger towards anything on sight. He might even end up eating rocks if he was desperate. Blank's smell was not bad, and he was still tempted by the thought of how much flesh he could get from this guy due to his stature.

It was the same as Roland's, not as broad and muscular as him, but not thin either. The best way to describe it was lean yet 'still has meat'.

It would be easy to overpower him and take him right now. But he knew Blank won't go down without a fight either. And when he does go down, he won't be screaming and crying. He might even try to bite a chunk off Harker instead in retaliation.

He was dragging this new wendigo with a rope like it was the most normal thing in the world. He even looked somehow pleased with himself to get one of these wild scary beasts on a leash.

And as long as Harker obediently follows, he won't be able to harm her or anyone else.