Hungry

The house smelled like blood and death. Pietro was sitting in the corner of his bedroom, his bags packed around him. He’d unpacked and repacked his things at least eight hundred times since Evan had met his end downstairs, twelve hours before. It was day break now. Dawn. A new day. And he was seriously debating risking his life by running away from the hell hole the Boarding House had become in the last week. He’d dealt with too much.

Jean had shown up at their door hours earlier, looking for Evan. He’d had to lie and say the mutant had never arrived, while refusing to let her inside; he said it was due to the unkept condition and her being a lady and all. The truth was, the entrance hall was so stained in blood, it’d be completely obvious they’d killed someone somehow there. He also had to insist she not speak to Lance or Todd, which she wanted to do, thinking maybe Pietro had been out when Evan got there. He couldn’t let her talk to either. Lance was upstairs, guarding his bedroom, and Todd still had a curved stomach from eating the missing mutant in question. So, he turned Jean away without any more answers then she’d had when arriving.

To make matters worse, Kitty had been calling all day, trying to get in touch with Lance. She claimed she needed his support, the comforting shoulder of her boyfriend. However, her beau was much too preoccupied with his new lover to even care that she was finally calling. So, tired of hearing her voice over the answering machine, the speedster had answered and calmly informed her that Lance was out shopping for food and he’d call her back sometime when he got home. That was a lie and he knew he’d have to talk to her again when the older mutant didn’t return her calls. How suspicious would that be?

He knew things couldn’t go on as they were. Travis was out of control and Lance was too wrapped up in their twisted mating ritual to really put an end of his reign of terror. Fred had already gotten away, because he’d been too scared to come home. Now, it was time for Pietro to get out. He wasn’t about to die at the hands of a mutant he’d been able to bully a week beforehand. His pride wouldn’t let him. Besides, he’d always kinda hoped he could live to see eighteen. He wasn’t going to let Todd Tulansky get in the way of that.

Thus, he scooped up his bags once and for all and inched over to his cracked open door. Carefully, he peered outside. The entire world was black, but he could tell that Lance’s door was shut. As the two mutants slept together nowadays, he knew Todd had to be in there as well. This was going to be easy if he did it right. Speed would mean nothing if an earthquake broke his legs before he could get off the property. And he couldn’t run down stairs with bags in both hands. If something were to happen, or should Travis actually be lurking in the shadows, he would need his hands to fight. So, he had to get down the stairs first, then he could turn on his power and be rid of this monstrous hell he was trapped in for good.

He eased the door open and slipped outside. Dawn lit the downstairs through the stain glass inset in the door. The bloody floor was cast in the image of a cracked angel and the image couldn’t have been more fitting. Slowly, he crept across the hall. The floorboards creaked, he froze, but no one else seemed to have woken up. Shuddering, he stepped down onto the first step. It gave a mighty squeak and he was stone, partly out of fear that it had woken Lance and partly out of terror that the old wood had finally broken and he was about to be plunged to his death anyways. Neither happened, so he started down the next two steps.

“ Where do you think you’re goin’, Pietro?” came a dark voice from the upstairs right as two hands grabbed his shirt and jerked him backwards. Letting out a scream, the blond spilled backwards at the feet of Lance, “ You can’t leave, you motherfucker. You’re here for the duration,”

“ I’m not staying here any fucking longer and you can’t fucking make me, dammit! Travis is a fucking monster and, in case you haven’t noticed, HE’S TAKING OVER TODD!!” he yelled, suddenly on his feet. Lance punched him in the shoulder but missed incredibly.

“ You’re not leaving!”

“ Just try and stop me!”

Lance went to choke the younger mutant, but the blond ducked and ran for the stairs, deciding he could just buy new stuff. As he reached them, however, an earthquake tore across the floor and he was crushed against the wall in a flat second. His vision spun, his back ached, and he was pretty sure one of his ankles was twisted. Footsteps got closer, tremors rocketing through the ground. Pietro tried to move, but two hands snatched up his shirt and he was pinned up on the wall too fast to react. He was faced with two glowing brown eyes in a furious face.

“ You’re not going anywhere because you’ll rat us out! And I’m not letting you do that to Todd! He’s been a damn good friend to both of us and you’re not gonna fuckin’ ruin what’s left of his life!” Lance’s voice was low and vicious, biting at Pietro’s heart. But the blond had long since swallowed his pride. He didn’t need it. He just needed to get the hell out of that house.

“ What’s left of his life is fucking right! You two can live in this sick little world with your sick mating ritual, but I’m not gonna be part of it! Now get off of me, Alvers!” Pietro punched the other as hard as he could and made a break for it. Another quake ripped through the floor and he hit the ground running, tearing his jeans in the process. Blood leaked onto the floor as he screamed and clutched his violently skinned and banged knees.

Lance had a handful of his blond hair in a matter of moments and jerked his head backwards, looking frightening with his face contorted in rage. The blond squeaked out, beginning to shake. A few tears slid down his pale face as Lance punched him and he hit the floor. Still, he gripped the floor boards, trying to get to the stairs. A single blow was cracked into his stomach and he found breathing difficult. The older mutant dragged him past his things and back into his bedroom, talking words that the younger couldn’t understand. Sheer anger made Lance incoherent and disconnected from the rest of the world. Thus, when the blond’s eyes widened in terror as the other bedroom door opened and Todd drifted downstairs alone, the brunette took it as normal fear and just shut the bedroom door.

A punch to the head for disloyalty rendered Pietro unable to tell Lance that someone was more then likely about to die.

Downstairs, Todd poured himself a glass of ice water. His head was starting to hurt and he’d injured his wrist from being thrown from bed by an earthquake. Had he never lived with Lance before, he would have found it strange that he was beating the crap out of Pietro. Instead, he enjoyed the sense of normality and just drank the water that reminded him deeply of the rock tumbler, his mate. A shudder of pleasure went up his spine at the thought of his lover, a rare smile crossing his face. He remembered the warmth of the bed and the sensation of having him inside his body. Another shiver and then he dropped the glass. It shattered as he bent double, his eyes contracting and hurling him into utter darkness.

His head split open, his back bent and broke backwards, his body shook and twisted in every direction. He tried to scream, but no words escaped. All was agony, all was blood red. The pain was solely in his head. His stomach was still full, still curved even, but there it was, a terrible throbbing inside his forehead, as if a hand was reaching forward to take control of his body. He stumbled backwards, hit the doorframe and slid down it a little. His hands shook, his vision was blurry, he could hear the screams of the damned in his head. He didn’t need anything, there was nothing to quench the anger, the hunger arising within him. His mate, he wasn’t there. No blood was desired, as wonderful as it was. No flesh was to be had. Yet, his body contorted itself in an effort to detain the monster that was laughing in his head, stronger then ever.

Spots appeared in his eyes as light washed over him. Someone walked in through the front door and threw down their bag. They stripped off a jacket, kicking the door shut. It spoke and it was female. His whole body turned towards her as she stared in confusion at the walkway. She noticed him and moved her mouth. She spoke his human name, but the rest fell on deaf ears. She moved closer, spoke more, and leaned down.

She smelled like blood. She was covered in blood.

“ Run... go,” he whispered as she said his name again. He tried to will Travis away but then his brain was ripped apart and he grabbed her by the shoulders. He meant to kiss her, truly he must of. Instead, his mouth locked around hers and bit down, fangs tearing through her jaw and teeth. She screamed into his mouth as blood poured inside. Her hands glowed blue, but he knew she was dangerous from the get go and was prepared.

Travis plunged a hand into her stomach. She choked, freezing as he wrapped his fingers around her organs and ripped them out. Blood came out in a rush, her body shook violently as she fell sideways to the ground. She spat up mouthful after mouthful of blood, it gushed from the wound in her, and still she was not dead. Travis found himself on her, licking at the gaping hole and chewing on the flesh. She mumbled something, her body gave a great lurch, and her blue eyes faded out. His hands found her chest and he tore it open, causing blood to splatter on the walls and his face. His tongue ran along her heart before he took a bite. It was warm and tasted like candy as it slid down his throat. He licked his lips and consumed the rest of it.

His stomach was too stretched as it were. Eating the heart was enough. His belly hurt, but the blood was everywhere. It surrounded him and Travis couldn’t just leave it. He was too greedy for it. He tore limbs away from the empty corpse and took huge bites out of the flesh. His stomach heaved, but he forced an arm down, a leg, another arm. His head was spinning, but the blood, oh the blood. It was passion in itself and he wouldn’t let it go. He didn’t need it and that made it that much more desirable. He glutted himself on the other leg, having to smash the bone before slipping it down his throat. He gorged on the waist, licking up the organs and swallowing them whole. His stomach ached, his body was shaking. He felt as though he’d just mated and wanted to lie down. But the blood, it was still leaking out of the body. He had to have it, even if he killed the body of his human side to get it.

His tongue ran along the spine, tasting the dried blood. Such a powerful flavor it was. Bittersweet, the perfect treat. He shuddered, his eyes rolling back slightly. His teeth found the rib cage and down he bit. Cracking filled the air as he munched away, finishing off the body and holding his curved stomach so he could eat the last piece, the head with it’s missing jaw line. His human side sobbed on the inside, his body begged him not to, but he crushed the skull and crammed it into his mouth anyways. Everything felt like it was being jerked forward, but Travis held his stomach down and licked the blood still on the floor in a primitive manner. His body quivered, his head was swimming in fog, his vision was cloudy at best. But he smiled as he curled up in the dying warmth of the blood that filled the air.

A shout came from the upstairs. Travis lazily lifted his head to see his mate and that other boy running down the stairs. His mate slipped in the blood, shouting his names, both of them, and demanding to know what had happened. He smiled into the floor, his tongue gliding over the blood. The other grew close, shrieking in a foreign tongue. It made his head pound and despite his new found girth, Travis bared his teeth and pulled himself up.

One hand found the boy’s leg and he gave it was swift jerk. The blond went down squealing and kicking, moving too fast to hold. Travis bit down hard on his waist and felt the body convulse in between his teeth. However, his stomach protested too much and he coughed the blood back up. The boy scrambled to his feet, clutching at the wound on his side. Travis’ mate appeared to be confused as to which side to go to, as he merely stood there with a distorted look on his face. The violet eyed mutant groaned, the scent of water washing his brain around in a swirl of emotion and leaving his helpless on the floor. Words broke out over his head as his shuddered and felt himself vanishing into darkness in the dim room.

“ HOLY FUCK!! HE BIT ME!! HE BIT ME, LANCE!! HE FUCKIN’ BIT ME!!” Pietro hollered, gritting his teeth due to the pain. The rock tumbler couldn’t say anything helpful. He’d seen the look in Travis’ eyes. That monster had meant to eat the blond. Why he hadn’t, he wasn’t sure, but he was positive that had been his intent, “ SAY SOMETHING, DAMMIT!!”

As the older mutant opened his mouth to say something, though, Todd let out a whimper and tears began to roll down his bloody cheeks. He whispered to himself, his hands clutching his stomach, his eyes staring off towards the other side of the entrance hall. Lance started towards him, but Pietro’s harsh glare stopped him short. There was a time where none of them moved. Then Todd curled up tighter, sobbing hysterically and turning a nasty shade of green. Lance, ignoring the Polish protests from the outraged blond, hurried to his side and touched his shoulder gently. He’d meant it to be comforting, but the look on the younger mutant’s face was pain. It was as though he had been slapped, hard. His mouth continued to move and the rock tumbler leaned down to hear what he said right as Pietro stood up, his eyes moving from the scarlet jacket on the rack to the puddle of blood in the middle of the floor.

A single silver aunk earring lay in the puddle. Wanda’s earring.

“ I killed Wanda,”

Right as Lance jerked up from hearing those words, Pietro began to scream. He couldn’t find the strength to move. He just screamed, nothing making any more sense. Nothing else mattered. He screamed and screamed, slamming his fists down into Lance’s shoulders when the mutant tried to soothe him. Tears gushed down his cheeks and he bolted to the earring and scooped it up. Nothing else remained, just the single earring. He gripped it so tight, his hands began to bleed as he spun around. Fresh blood dripped down the walls and soaked into his sneakers. His sister’s blood. Overwhelming panic and terror consumed him as he sobbed and backed towards the door, watching as Todd cried and Lance moved forward to stop him.

“ You’re both monsters!! You both killed my sister!! I hope you burn in Hell, you sadistic bastards!!” he gasped out, opening the door as Lance ran forward. In a flash, though, Pietro was gone and a silver streak could be seen darting to the left, heading into the city. He was heading for the police, he was through, he was going to tell everything he knew and he knew everything. He even knew where the bloody papers from the first attack were, as he’d gotten rid of them.

This was it. The game was over.

No thought went into it. Had it had, he wouldn’t have done it in the first place. But everything was falling apart and he didn’t want it to. He was frantic and didn’t act with rationality. He just grabbed Todd’s wrist and heaved him up from the floor. The next second, they were running out the backroom, although it was obvious the younger mutant didn’t want to or couldn’t very well. Lance did most of the work, dragging his mate through the woods. The house faded into the horizon as they twisted and turned through the forest, heading in the opposite direction of the Institute. They were heading for the mountains and would surely get lost there. But still, they were moving and that was all that mattered. Because even if Pietro could move at the speed of light, the police couldn’t. And they’d be long gone by the time the arresting party arrived to haul them off the jail.

On and on they ran, panting and grimacing thanks to cramping limbs. When they couldn’t run any longer, they collapsed onto the forest floor, deep in the middle of nowhere. Both were breathing deeply, Todd’s head resting in Lance’s lap. The younger hugged his stomach, clearly in a great deal of pain and the other kissed him deeply on the lips, fighting off the shaking and crying he longed to do himself.

“ It’s okay, Todd... we’re safe... we’re together... I’m here for you...” he whispered, a few tears trickling down his face. Todd hiccuped and started to sob, burying his face in his hands.

Lance held him as the morning sun rose high into the sky. They were cast in shadow, as two monsters rightly should be. All he could do was hang his head and pray for mercy come judgement day. He was, after all, doing this out of love.

Wasn’t he?