Becoming Dinner by J. Alexander Read Free Book Online Page A

mouth, breathing heavily, drooling
freely. The stench of the creature sent a wave of shock through my
body. I had to hold my breath to keep from gagging. The last two
steps shook the ground with their force. I stifled a scream as a
small branch snapped next to me and raked down my face and
body.
    Don’t move, don’t make a sound.
    I held my breath, squeezing my eyes shut for
what seemed like an eternity.
    I don’t know how long I stayed immobile,
barely breathing. A cool and wet feeling on my hands brought me out
of my daze. My legs seemed to be sinking into something soft. I
realized, as I opened my eyes, that my knees buckled and I
collapsed to the ground, falling onto the wet forest floor. The
creature passed behind me.
    Off in the distance, I heard my attacker
moving away.
    Moving aside damp, decaying leaves I found
mud and a small pool of water, collected some between my hands, and
spread it on my neck and shoulders. The cool mud felt good as I sat
and assessed my situation.
    Alone and in the forest, my chances of
survival were not good. Being human was definitely a disadvantage.
If I weren’t careful and didn’t do as I had been taught, I would
find myself in the teeth of one of the beasts of the forest. My
people trained me well. My life depended upon my ability to do as I
had been instructed.
    The pain in my lungs and legs reminded me, I
wouldn’t be able to run much longer. Lengthy training sessions made
me strong and skilled. I was quick with a knife or spear but
running for long periods was my weakness. While more than one male
in my group had been shamed by losing to me, these skills would do
little good against an attacker twice my size.
    I stood, determined to continue on to my
target location. The humid forest air permeated my lungs as I took
a deep breath. My anger rose. I wouldn’t let them capture me. As
long as I kept some distance between me and the beasts, I would
safely reach my desired destination.
    I will not die at the hands of a monster.
    The mud dried and cracked on my skin. I
walked quietly through the brush and thick trees. A breeze blew and
the noise of frogs and animals of the night surrounded me.
    Next to a small stream, I found the remains
of a feast, which had rotted in the sun for days. I rubbed as much
of it as I could over my body, trying to cover myself with the
stench of the carcass. I hoped the beasts couldn’t smell me;
couldn’t smell the living, breathing part of me.
    Before leaving the pile of remains, I picked
up the bloody hide and tied it tight around my shoulders. Dangling
chunks of unclaimed, rotting meat added to the stench.
    I needed to smell dead because my sweat
emitted a scent of live prey; fresh blood. The beasts were known to
go days without feeding, refusing the remains of dead humans,
animals, and creatures to wait for a fresh kill.
    The smell of the pelt made me gag. I tried to
move forward quickly so the odor flowed behind me. Making my way
through the trees, I listened for any sound from the two creatures.
Coming upon a clearing, I stopped and crouched behind the last
clump of bushes. Moonlight bathed the meadow and I was able to
assess my surroundings. Across the grass, I could see the point I
needed to reach. The edge of the canyon and river below were my
escape.
    Closing my eyes, I listened to the faint hum
of rushing water. There was something else; a low moaning sound. My
heart pounded rapidly as I deciphered the noise. It was a grunting,
sucking sound of breath and drool from the creatures.
    I bolted from the bushes and ran as fast as
my tired legs could go. Out of the corner of my eye, across the
open area of grass, I could see the two attackers gaining on me. I
sprinted for the outcropping of rocks ahead of me.
    They found each other and were now working
together to capture me. The beasts made awful guttural sounds as
they closed in on me. If captured, my death would be instantaneous.
Two beasts fighting over one piece of meat is a messy,