Page 2

His mouth split open, hot breath escaping as his tongue spilled onto the floor beneath him. They were close, soclose—
“I understand, sir—”
“Do you? Because this isn’t some teenage sleepover—”
Stress exploded in the air. His tongue slithered across the ground, leaving behind a hot trail of thick saliva in its wake. When he reached the end of that particular organ, his patience wavered. The choice was obvious, and the risk was worth the reward. With a soft groan, unused bones cracked and joints popped. Muscle tore as it swelled and stretched. His neck elongated with an agonizingly slow movement, allowing his tongue to continue its path.
“—there are real lives at stake. This isrealrot, Harrison!”
Harrison.
A wheeze escaped his mouth, mirth cutting into the edges of his face. A name, they had dared to utter a name. The glee and anticipation were too strong to ignore. Before he could extend himself any further, the rattle of chains pierced through everything.
“What wasthat?” Harrison whispered as the other swore.
“Nothing! Drop the locket and let’s get out of here—”
No, no, no…
The doorway was closing, so recklessness it would be. With an inhuman growl, his spine snapped in a brutal arch and he heaved himself from the cold floor. Anger bubbled deep within, like lava growing with every sharp twist of his body. He wouldn’t be left to squander, wouldn’t be left torotin the darkness without the soul of another.
Not now, not so SOON—
“Harrison…”he whispered.
“Sir! Something just said my name—”
A face was forming in the darkness with him.
“Harrison,” he cooed, ever so sweetly.
That face was starting to take shape. Even in the dark, he could see it just within reach of him. His tongue coiled, preparing to strike. The terror was there—raw and heady, and nearly his! One moment, only one moment more—
“Drop it and run!”
When his tongue lashed out, there was nothing.
No head or neck to break. No soft flesh to dig his clawed hands into. No fragile mind to play with. Just empty space and the rattling of heavy chains echoing in the dark.
Harrison and their companion had escaped him.
“How disappointing,” he murmured as his form carelessly slumped back to the ground.
The chains eventually grew silent, and his body settled back into a more familiar form. Eventually, his mind would go silent, too. Not a thought, not a desire, just terriblesilenceuntil the sound of that familiar chime—
1
Boredom
Gwendolyn
Ican’t keep doing this.
The loud chime startled Gwendolyn.
The tail end of her neat, dark braid whipped along her back as she searched for the source of the unpleasant song.
“Whoops, that’s my bad!” Sierra chirped as she pushed her chair back with a loud bang.