Epilogue
It
As the flesh-and-bone-encrusted slug emerges from the shattered remains of my victim’s skull, I lunge forward with swift precision to catch her before she crashes onto the unforgiving cold cement below.
The metallic clang of the steel chair echoes sharply as I discard it, focusing solely on laying her convulsing body gently in the center of the room.
Her final bursts of life still flicker, yet the transformation has already commenced in earnest.
Her life-force, a shimmering, ethereal cloud, begins to peel away from her deteriorating flesh, ignited by the last spasmodic quivers of muscle memory.
This glowing, foggy aura hovers tentatively over her now lifeless shell, a desperate beacon searching for a new vessel to inhabit.
Lowering myself to what these primitive beings refer to as knees, my eyes remain locked on the swirling, luminescent prize before me.
The cloud of energy starts to fizz and pop subtly, prompting a sense of urgency.
I brace my arms firmly against the rough floor, straddling the empty vessel of my prey.
With a deep, sharp inhale, I engage my core, pulling with an intensity that creates a vacuum around her drifting life-force.
As the glowing orb of her essence is drawn inexorably towards my contorted face, I part my lips wide, sucking in with the ferocity of a jet engine, capturing every microscopic particle of her well-seasoned flavor along with any dust remnants lingering in the air.
The ground beneath us quakes violently, while the walls resonate with such intensity that they crack and groan under the pressure.
An array of objects, a gun, scattered bullet casings, and an audio recorder, all swirl chaotically in the air, caught in the tumultuous vortex above my smoky form, now merging with her rapidly withering body.
Once I have extracted every last ounce of her energy, the transformation from two to one is complete.
I ascend to my full height, feeling the surge of renewed vitality coursing through me.
Stretching my arms wide, I bring my hands together in a monumental clap, sending shockwaves rippling outward, powerful enough to be felt on a Richter Scale.
"You will never fail me again," I declare with a sneer of contempt at her former frailty.
Until next time.