8/24/17

Feed

Photo by Zanyar Ibrahim on Unsplash

“August, what’s wrong? You look, faded. And what are you wearing?” He was ambling down the hall in tan trousers and a white tank top, suspenders hung loose around his hips. I could barely see him against the white walls.

“I may have over extended myself I’m afraid.” He flickered, he’d been doing that a lot more lately. Some moments he was stronger than he’d ever been and scaring the hell out of me, others he was a nearly spent light bulb or smoke in the breeze. I thought back to our conversation in the garden a few days before, clearly he was trying to do something that stretched the limits of his power. But was he in genuine danger here, or was this a ploy to let him feed off of me?

The other thing that occurred to me was that if I just let his energy fade, I’d be free again.

“What happened?” I asked, wondering where I’d last seen the salt, just in case.

“I hate that you flinch whenever I touch you. I’m trying to become warmer. I’ve learned a ritual from another ghost in the void… but it isn’t working.” He flickered again. My head swam, he was lying, of course. And if even he wasn’t, this was my chance. I just had to get to the salt before he got to me. But then, what if he didn’t fade completely and just found another human to feed from. Then he’d know I wanted him gone. I couldn’t be that obvious, I had to be careful.

Or maybe I was just chickenshit.

Or maybe I didn’t have murder in me, even if the victim was already dead.

Or I was going just as insane as he was.

I stalled.

“I drew your card, Two of Pentacles, balance.”

“Ah, yes, I wish you would have pulled that card yesterday. Today I kind of have the message already.” He flickered again and his voice faded and surged as he spoke. Panic rose in my chest like a tide of icy water and I blurted out.

“You can feed from me if you want.”

August looked up, the gleam in his eye was impossible to read as he flickered and faded.