Bonus Chapter B3
The First Hunt
The road to nowhere. Three days after the burning. Night.
Katerina had been walking for three days.
Her body was raw. Her scars were bleeding. Her hands were shaking. The hunger was growing—gnawing at her insides, whispering in her ear, demanding to be fed.
"Find someone," the hunger whispered. "Anyone. Take them. Consume them. It's the only way."
"No."
"Yes."
"I won't."
"You will. Because the hunger is who you are now. Because the hunger is all you are. Because if you don't feed, you will die."
"Maybe dying is better."
"Then your daughter dies too. The priests will not keep her safe forever. They will use her. They will carve her. They will make her into what they made you."
Katerina stopped.
"Where is she?"
"Find the goddess. Destroy her. And your daughter will be returned."
"Where is the goddess?"
"We do not know. But the hunger will lead you. The hunger always knows where to feed."
---
The traveler – The same night.
A man walked along the road.
He was young—mid-twenties, with dark hair and dark eyes and a face that was handsome in the way that strangers are handsome. He carried a pack on his back and a staff in his hand. He was alone.
"Are you lost?" he asked.
"No."
"You look lost. You look hurt. Your arms are bleeding."
"I'm fine."
"You're not fine. Come. I have bandages. I have food. I have water."
Katerina looked at him.
The hunger stirred.
"Feed," it whispered. "Feed. Feed."
"No."
"Yes."
"I can't."
"You can. You will. You must."
The man stepped closer.
"What's your name?"
"Katerina."
"Katerina. That's a beautiful name. I'm Daniel."
He reached out.
Touched her arm.
The hunger exploded.
---
The feeding – The same time.
She did not remember attacking him.
She did not remember pushing him to the ground.
She did not remember pinning his arms above his head.
But suddenly she was on top of him, her thighs around his waist, her mouth on his throat, her tongue tasting his desire.
"What are you doing?" he gasped.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm so sorry."
"Please—"
"I can't stop."
The hunger took her.
She kissed him.
Not a gentle kiss. Not a loving kiss.
A consuming kiss.
Her tongue pushed into his mouth. Her hands tore at his clothes. Her body pressed against his.
He moaned.
Not in fear—in desire.
"Yes," he gasped. "Yes, please—"
She entered him.
Not with her body—with her hunger.
She pulled his desire into her—his need, his want, his life.
He cried out.
She came.
The hunger quieted.
Not gone. But softer.
---
The aftermath – The same night.
Katerina lay on the ground beside him.
His body was still. His eyes were open. His breath was shallow.
"What did you do to me?" he whispered.
"I fed."
"Fed on what?"
"On you. On your desire. On your hunger."
"I don't understand."
"Neither do I. But I couldn't stop. The hunger... it made me."
"Are you going to kill me?"
"No. I don't think so. I think... I think you'll live. But you'll be different. Empty. Hollow."
"I feel empty."
"I know. I'm sorry."
She stood.
Her body was no longer shaking. Her scars were no longer bleeding. Her hands were steady.
"Where are you going?"
"To find someone. To destroy her. To get my daughter back."
"Who are you?"
"I don't know anymore."
She walked away.
The hunger walked with her.
And Daniel lay on the ground, staring at the stars, wondering what had just happened to him.
---
The road – The next morning.
Katerina walked.
The hunger was quiet now—full, satisfied, waiting.
"That was good," it whispered. "You did well. You fed. You survived."
"I hurt him."
"He'll recover. Eventually. He'll find someone else. He'll love again."
"What if he doesn't?"
"Then that's his choice. Not yours. You did what you had to do. You survived."
"Is that all I am now? A survivor?"
"No. You are a hunter. You are a weapon. You are the hunger. And you will find the goddess. And you will destroy her. And you will get your daughter back."
"And then?"
"And then you will feed again. And again. And again. The hunger does not end. The hunger only grows."
Katerina walked.
The sun rose.
The world continued.
And Katerina—the healer, the mother, the woman who had loved—faded further into memory.
---
The village – Three days later.
Katerina found a village.
Small. Quiet. Unprotected.
The hunger stirred.
"Feed," it whispered.
"Not yet."
"Yes. Now."
"I need to find the goddess."
"The goddess can wait. The hunger cannot. Feed. Feed."
Katerina walked into the village.
A woman stood in the square—young, pregnant, alone.
"Can I help you?" the woman asked.
"No."
"You look hurt. Your arms—"
"I'm fine."
"You're not fine. Come. I have bandages. I have food. I have water."
Katerina looked at her.
The hunger stirred.
"Feed," it whispered. "Feed. Feed."
"No."
"Yes."
"She's pregnant."
"The hunger does not care. The hunger takes."
"I won't."
"You will. Because the hunger is who you are now. Because the hunger is all you are. Because if you don't feed, you will die."
Katerina stepped forward.
The woman stepped back.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm sorry," Katerina said. "I'm so sorry."
"Please—"
"I can't stop."
The hunger took her.
And the village burned.
---
End of Bonus Chapter B3