Page 14 of Bread by the Grim (Ghostlight Falls #4)

Grim

I can’t sleep.

I can’t eat.

I can’t do much of anything but pace this apartment that’s too small for my shifted form.

Everything itches, and I just want to run. Where to, I don’t know, but there’s this urge to run fast and far from here.

You’d think with as many cryptids living in this town that have tails there’d be more furniture for people with tails but no. Every normal thing requires extra thought when you have a tail—sitting, sleeping, stepping outside, even shitting. It’s a whole ordeal I didn’t sign up for.

And then there’s Phil.

She comes to visit twice a day. She brings me food and tries to cheer me up, but I always cut her visits short.

I hate doing it. I hate seeing her leave, but my control has begun to wane in the past few days.

She’s all I can think of. I swear I can sense her every movement downstairs, hear her every word. Even her scent seems to grow stronger.

It makes coherent thought hard. Every thought I’ve ever had about her is magnified one thousand fold until Sunday rolls around and all I can think about is sex. And Phil. And sex with Phil.

Phil. Phil. Phil. Phil.

Her name becomes a chant in my brain.

Her face flashes in my mind’s eye with each beat of my heart.

I have never wanted, no, needed someone as badly as I need her in this moment. I can feel myself slipping into the gremlin again. I text her as best I can with my stupid claws:

NO OOD

And hope she understands. If I tell her to stay away, she’ll be up in two seconds. But maybe I’ll get lucky. Maybe she’ll think I’m just in a foul mood or have an upset stomach.

My hands shake, and the phone falls to the floor.

I move to pick it up but find myself dropping to the floor.

Am I dying? Is this it? Is this how it ends?

Phil’s face is the last thing that crosses my mind.

I hate that she is going to have to remember me like this.

I crawl to the closet and drop to my mat, too shaken to shut the door as darkness takes me.