Bitemarks 1.3

Bitemarks 1.3

Skarletta dropped the lifeless husk of Dr Keibler to the floor and stared at herself in the small mirror on one wall. Already she could feel the ice melting from her limbs. And she could see her face healing. All over her body the dark frostbitten patches were regaining their colour. She felt the stabbing pain in her chest again and remembered the obsidian sliver. She needed to accelerate the process, that much she knew. But these surroundings were so unfamiliar. There was little she remembered other than instinct and right now her instinct was to feed, heal and survive.
Behind her the door burst open.
"Dr Keibler, I heard scream..."
Lewis' jaw dropped as he caught sight of Skarletta. She grinned at his fear. The moment's hesitation cost him his life, though he knew it not yet. A memory exploded into life in her brain and before Lewis could react she threw out a hand in his direction and placed him in the Thrall.
She looked at this creature, unable to move now of his own free will. His eyes wide and wild with fear. His breath in panicked gasps. With all the mental power she could summon she raised him up onto his tiptoes and beckoned him toward her. Involuntarily Lewis obeyed, unable to tear his gaze from her eyes and tiptoed toward her. She knew a language, bits of it still lingered in her mind and she tried it now.
"Where is this place?"
There was no response. She tried again.
"What year is it?
Still nothing. Clearly her tongue was no longer spoken. No matter. Blood spoke and Skarletta was a quick and keen learner. Lewis offered no resistance as she pulled him close and bent his head to one side, exposing his unprotected neck...


Moments later what life had inhabited Lewis' now existed inside Skarletta. She felt better. Her strength was returning and she had remembered the Thrall. A most useful talent. These people were clearly as susceptible to it as they had always been. She was capable of more of that she was sure. The time had come to make her move. She went to the door Lewis had entered through and peeked out into a corridor. She had made no sound as she moved, unlike the clumsy Lewis whose feet had clunked against the floor. She looked back at him. He wore strange devices on his feet and various coverings whereas she was still naked. She didn't like the look of his blood soaked garments. She would find something more appealing. She stepped out into the corridor as another man appeared at the other end. He wore something vastly different to Lewis. An outfit composed of earthy tones. Green, brown and khaki in leaflike patterns. Much better. He too wore the expression of shock that Lewis had. He was also pointing at her. No... Pointing something at her. He spoke in a firm voice but she still couldn't understand the words. She took a step toward him and he took a step back. His stance was so different from that of the other two men and his fear more controlled. He was scared certainly, but not panicked. Curiosity overwhelmed her. Who was this man who dare face her and point in her direction so constantly? Her face must have betrayed her anger because with her next step forwards the man reacted. The thing he was pointing roared and flashed and she felt a sudden pain in her right thigh. She looked down and saw blood. There was a hole in her leg, neat and round. It hurt, though not much, nothing like the pain within her heart. The blood of two men already filled her veins and this was a minor wound for her unique physiology. A small metal shape fell from the hole in her leg and the wound closed up behind. She looked back up at the man, a bemused expression on her face.
"Nice trick. My turn now."
He replied with a yell. Something in that strange language again. It mattered not what he said. She had tired of the novelty. His clothing would suffice for her, she had decided and she would examine the shiny thing he had injured her with. The device roared and snapped thrice more and she felt the metal balls enter her body. Twice in her chest and one more right in the forehead. It hurt this time. Hurt like hell and she snarled and pounced. She covered the distance between them in a second and twirled. He foot lashed out, kicking the device from the man's grip and she lashed out with her foot twice more. The first connected with his jaw, stunning him and the second impacted his stomach pushing him back up against the wall. Skarletta followed him, pinning him against the wall with one hand around his throat and with the other she gripped his upper jaw and pulled with every ounce of strength she had. There was a crack as his jaw snapped and a sickening gurgling tearing sound as she pulled the upper part of his skull clean off. Even as the blood fountained from the hole left behind she threw the body to the floor and pulled the man's jacket up, off his arms and wrapped it around the bleeding stump that was once his head. She cursed her instinctiveness. The jacket was ruined now and she couldn't remove the shirt without getting it covered in blood. Memory told her that people generally reacted badly to blood soaked clothing. But the lower garments were fine. She removed those now and tried them on. It took time for her to figure them out but soon she was attired satisfactorily. She looked down at herself, in the man's heavy dark boots and patterned trousers. They were loose about the waist and she discovered strips of fabric and buckles on the side and adjusted them until they were snug about her waist. Excellent. Now for some upper garments. She shuddered suddenly as her body ejected the metal balls from her chest and forehead. She felt the wounds close up again behind. She needed all the strength she could get for now and that meant continual feeding. She cast her eyes back to the fallen man. He still had blood left to give...