A Taste

A short story I wrote after I got the idea for the plot randomnly.



Penny wasn’t sure how she had thought staying this late was a good idea. She was supposed to be home around an hour ago, but she had decided to stay at the library. Today of all days. It was even raining...

Well there was nothing she could do. She would just have to sit in here and wait for the rain to go. She knew her mother may be understanding if she explained why she didn’t come home so soon. Her mother wouldn’t want her to kill herself trying to get through this storm. So Penny stood near the door, folding her arms against her chest as she watched the rain collide with the windows and door.

She flinched at how loud it was. Man, it was really storming. It was almost as if a hurricane had struck. Knowing there wasn’t going to be anything she could do about it just standing around, she turned her attention back towards the library itself. Perhaps she could get on the computer and look stuff up or something. Not the most exciting thing to do, but hey, at least it would pass the time a little, right?

Penny went over and sat down on the computer. She stared at the monitor as she moved the mouse, watching it turn on. She felt a little bad about using the computer while no one was around, but she wasn’t interested to wait until the librarian came back. Besides, she could always answer to him later. She kept her eyes on the screen, listening to the clock further back tick and tick away.

She absent-mindedly scrolled through multiple websites, through some articles about different scientific discoveries, and other things. Stuff that Rudy and Snap may not enjoy, but hey, they all had different interests. She also looked at different videos that popped up. Most of them were science-based, which she found fascinating. But she also looked at the occasional funny video, like with cats and cartoons, to lighten the mood a little.

But no matter how long she searched the web, no matter how many videos she watched, she couldn’t feel completely at ease. She really wanted to leave, and being trapped in here, despite loving libraries, was making her feel rather...antsy. She constantly fidgeted in her seat, looking at the clock, looking outside, and frowning as she saw the rain still wasn’t letting down.

How long was it supposed to rain, anyway? How long was she going to be trapped here? She gritted her teeth in frustration. Yet she had no one to let out her anger on. After all, how would anyone be able to scold nature?

Letting out a sigh, she got up out of her seat. She decided it was best to do a bit of reading. She had gotten bored of the computer. She headed towards one of the rows of books located in the science section. She positioned herself in front of one of the shelves and she began to look around. She soon saw a book that seemed interesting. She grabbed it and pulled it out. She held it in her hands, opened it, and started to look through it.

Suddenly, she started to hear some footsteps. She realized she wasn’t the only one here. It must be the librarian. She didn’t bother looking to see what the librarian was doing. She kept her eyes on the book, her eyes skimming through the pages as she read the information. She was so engrossed by it, she didn’t notice that the footsteps were getting closer, slower, more deliberate. Not once did Penny look up. She just assumed that the librarian was putting books away.

It was odd, she had to admit, when there was no sound of books bet set on the shelf. But she shrugged it off and kept on reading. Hmm, perhaps here wasn’t the best spot to be reading this. She decided to go sit down on one of the available chairs. She headed off in that direction, her eyes set on her favorite chair, located at the end of one of the long tables.

She did notice a shadow stretching over her. She recognized the shape as the librarian. He must be working on something behind her. That didn’t explain why the shadow was growing over her but...oh well. It was just some sort of coincidence. She shouldn’t think about it too much.

She soon arrived at the chair. She grabbed it, pulled it out, and sat down in it. She placed the book on the table, spreading it open so she could read it. She hadn’t done this for a few seconds before she felt a hand on her shoulder.

She jolted a little, but the familiar soft chuckle of the librarian calmed her down. “You scared me.” She said. “If you’re upset I got on the computer without signing in, I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.” When the hand wasn’t removed after a few moments, she sighed and looked up. “Look, I’m kind of busy. What is it you want?”

The librarian smiled down at her. “Actually, I was wondering if you could do something for me.” He placed a hand against himself. “You see, I would like your opinion on something.”

Penny sighed. Well if it was going to get the man to leave her alone, she might as well. “Okay then. What is it?”

“Oh, no, not here!” The librarian waved his hands in front of him a few times. “I mean, I need you to come with me. The item is too heavy for me to bring in here. I need you to follow me.”

Penny groaned softly. She hadn’t wanted to go anywhere. She would have preferred to stay here so she could see if the rain stopped or not. But why not? She didn’t really have much better to do anyway. She closed the book and got up onto her feet. “Oh all right. Where is the room?”

The librarian grinned at this. “Just follow me.”

Penny walked behind the man as he led her near the back of the room. She recognized the room they were heading towards as the storage room. She deduced that the man must have gotten a shipment in and he wasn’t sure what to do with it. She did come here often, so perhaps the man wanted to ask her for her opinion because of that. Quite strange. He could just consult one of the other people who work here. But...oh well. She wasn’t going to judge him.

As they walked, she took a moment to look at the man up and down. He was not wearing his usual uniform. The tall man, somehere between pudgy and thin, with short, messy blond hair and a short, course beard, wore a white shirt with a dark blue vest, with a pair of blue jeans and black shoes to match. The man’s dark grey eyes were faced forward, staring intently at their target, which they were fast approaching.

They were soon inside. They walked in a few steps and stoppd. Penny paused. She turned her head around, taking a look at he room around her.

For a storage room, it was pretty large. She could see a few shelves, piles of books, papers, and a few random devices laying around. There were also chemicals in here, resting in a corner and wall of the room. A few buckets told her that these were obviously the cleaning supplies.

So far, she didn’t see anything of interest. Nothing here looked particularly new. She frowned in frustration. What was the man talking about? There was nothing new here. Maybe he was referring to something old that was going to get thrown out maybe? She wasn’t sure. Well, she might as well ask him before she could give any sort of proper opinion on the whole thing. She turned her head to look back at the man.

“Hey, why did you...”

Much to her confusion, the man wasn’t there. The door was still open. She frowned. Maybe he realized he left the item somewhere else and left to go get it. She decided to stay put and just wait for him to come over again. She turned her head back towards the front and sighed, her eyes shifting around as she looked at the various items. Still strange that the man wanted her opinion on this stuff, but...oh well.

She felt her heart pang as she realized it was getting really late. But she couldn’t leave yet. She could still hear the rain outside, pounding against the ceiling. It was not yet safe to go outside. She just couldn’t risk it. The winds were picking up, too. Yeah, it was definitely way too dangerous.

Oh well, at least she was stuck in a library. It wasn’t such a bad place to stay. She could have been trapped in worse places. Like a slaughter house or a sporting goods store. Here, she was surrounded with things that made her happy. Books and knowledge. She was certain she’d be able to find enough books to read until the storm passes. Whenever that man gets back, she could...

Suddenly she felt a hand against her face. Her eyes bulged and she let out a series of muffled cries as she started to struggle. Then an arm looped around her body and pressed her against something warm and solid. She struggled and thrashed, trying to free herself. Out of desperation, she opened her mouth and bit down on her attacker’s hand. There was a cry of pain and she felt the arms release her. She bolted forward and looked behind her.

“Wh-What...?” Penny breathed in shock, her eyes widening. “You...?”

It was the librarian. He stood in front of her, his smile now having a twisted look to it. He stilted his head to one side, eyeing her with curiosity and something else that made Penny’s skin crawl. It took Penny a few seconds to realize that the door had been locked. “Is there a problem, miss...?”

Penny shivered. That voice.. It didn’t sound like the librarian that she knew. This was an emotion she had never heard from him before. She backed a few feet away, looking left and right as she desperately tried to find some sort of escape. “What’s...what’s going on here...?”

A cold chuckle emitted from the librarian. “Oh I can see you are confused. Well I am glad. You see, I wouldn’t want anyone to know about my...activities here.”

Penny gulped. “Wh-What activities..?”

The man cocked up an eyebrow, looking almost as of he were shocked that she didn’t know what he was implying. She gulped at this and lowered her head, her teeth gritted. The man just looked at her for a few seconds, his express blank for a bit. Then he raised his had up and smirked.

“As I do recall, your only family member now is your mother, am I right?” The man asked. Penny dared not to respond. This just made his smile grow bigger. “Ah good... That’ll make this much easier than.” He tilted his head and licked his lips quickly. “That’ll make this much easier then.”

Penny stammered, “What...wh-what are you t-t-talking about?” She backed away further. She felt herself hit against one of the cabinets. She flinched and hissed as the edge of the cabinet poked against her skin. She then looked up at the man, noting his expression. It didn’t do anything to calm her own. “P-Please..whatever you’re doing....”

The librarian spread out his hands. “Oh calm down, Penny.” He put emphasis on her name. He said in a way that suggested something, but Penny could not put her finger on it. “You will go to good use.” Penny widened her eyes at that statement. “You...will not be wasted, if that is what you are concerned about.”

Penny’s breathing increased at this. She pushed herself further back away from the man. She could feel her heart pound harder, and she felt as though it was going to jump out of her chest.

The fact that the man hadn’t yet spoken what he was going to do was causing anxiety to rise up inside of her. But the other words he said seemed to confirm that he didn’t have the best intentions in store for her. She could feel her anxiety boiling over, adrenaline rushing through her body. She needed to get out of here, and fast.

But where could she go? The man had locked the door, and he was blocking her path. The man was larger than her, and most certainly stronger than her. She would not be able to take him in a fight and win. She was just asking for trouble then.

But still..she wasn’t going to give up. She was not going to give this man a chance to do...whatever it is he wanted with her. She looked around, looking for a spot to rush through. As soon as she saw one, she took it.

She rushed towards an opening at the man’s side. She hoped that, if she moved fast enough, she’d be able to squeeze past him and quickly unlock the door and rush out. But she didn’t get that far, and she could feel the man grab onto her. She let out a shriek and she flailed her arms at him, striking him a few times. She could hear him grunt in response, but he did not let go of her, and soon she was pushed up against the wall. Penny struggled frantically, but soon she had to stop, wincing as the man squeezed her arms tightly.

She kept her head away from him, her teeth bared in fear. “What...what do you want from me...?” She whimpered. “P-Please...I don’t..I don’t know what you want...”

“Then...” The man put his face close to hers. “Maybe I should...show you...”

Penny let out a whimper at this. She kept her head averted away. What was the man going to do? Was he..was he going to...?

Then she noticed the man’s head moving away. At first, she was confused, unsure of what the man had in store for her exactly. This didn’t seem like the behavior she’d expect from a...

Suddenly she felt pressure on her arm, and in seconds, intense pain. Her eyes bulged and she let out a scream. She struggled to get away, but there was nothing she could do to dislodge the man from her. She could feel his teeth work into her arm, slicing into her flesh. Tears of pain moved down her face as she let out a few small cries. She jerked her head from side to side, trying her hardest to endure the pain.

Oh gawd..it hurt so much. It was like someone was taking a short, somewhat blunt knife and pushing it into her arm deeply. She could feel blood start to pool down her arm. She shut her eyes tightly, hoping it would all be over soon.

In seconds, the man wrenched a piece of flesh from her arm. This action sent shockwaves of pain through her arm and body. She screamed loudly before it reduced into a series of sobs. She hung her head and cried. She didn’t speak, too overcome by pain to say anything. She soon looked up, and through her blurry vision, she could see the man chewing the piece of flesh he tore from her arm. The sight of this made her feel queezy. And as she watched the blood drip down from the man’s mouth, as the man swallowed the chunk of flesh, she nearly lost her meal.

“Hmm yes...you taste quite good.” The librarian said. He licked the small splashes of blood that clung to his face. Penny paled at this. “Why yes, little girl. I enjoy eating human. It has such a...wonderful flavor.” He tilted his head. “Ever had veal before?” He licked his lips slowly. “Mmm...yes..so delicious!”

Penny trembled and whimpered, “N-No..please..I...” She let out a hiss of pain as she felt the man’s tongue move along her arm wound. She struggled frantically, trying to get away. But in the end, there was nothing she could do to stop the man from licking her wound excitedly.

Penny let out a series of whimpers as the tongue moved along her exposed flesh. Tears flowed down her face, the pain growing as the man applied more and more pressure as he tried to get at her salty blood. She tried again to push back at him. But he wasn’t budging. It was as if he had done this so many times, he knew how to keep himself from being dislodged. This revelation sent chills up her spine and she started to wonder just how many people he had killed and eaten before.

She yelped in pain as the man took another bite out of her. Small, but no less painful. She couldn’t bare to turn her head and look as the man chewed on her piece of flesh. The squishy sounds she heard, along with the man’s slurping, was enough to give her a good enough mental image. She then heard him swallow, and only then did she dare to look.

She looked up at the man fearfully. She watched as blood trickled down the corner of his mouth. He licked his lips slowly, making those familiar sounds a person makes when they find a meal to be delicious. Pennly could feel her stomach twist and turn and she tried her best to resist the urge to throw up.

The man, however, didn’t seem phased. His eyes lit up as he stared down at her gaping hole, licking slowly, drooling as if he had found some kind of fancy gormet. Penny widened her eyes and realized what was about to come. She struggled, jerking herself from side to side. But nothing she did could stop the teeth from sinking into her flesh again. She screamed, more warm blood flowing down her arm, as the man took a third bite out of her.

This bite was worse than the others. As the man wretched his head away, he ended up tearing a length of skin, which stretched further up her arm along with the chunk of flesh. Penny let out a bloodcurdling scream at this, her cries echoing in the walls of the room.

“Don’t think that’s going to do you any good, my dear.” The librarian chuckled darkly. He put his blood stained mouth close to her ear. Penny looked away, whimpering softly. “These walls are thick. I’ve done this many times before. Never got caught.” He chuckled. “So don’t think you’ll be any different...”

Penny shut her eyes tightly and let out a series of sobs. No..this can’t be it... This couldn’t be happening to her. No, please.. There had to be something she could do. Anything...

But as time passed, as she felt the man greedily begin to lap at her blood once more, she realized that, this time, she may not be found in time. She might not be rescued before this man was done with her. This realization hit her heard and she couldn’t stop the cries and sobs from escaping her quivering lips. The radiating, stinging pain that stretched along her arm complimented the emotional pain that was tearing her mind apart. She kept her eyes shut, letting the tears continue to fall down her face.

She soon felt some relief when the man pulled his head away from her arm. She kept her eyes shut for several seconds. Though terrified of looking over at the man, she soon forced her head to turn over, looking at him with a wide-fright filled eye. She gulped when she saw his dark smile, accenuated by the blood that stained his lips and chin.

“You taste so delicious, Penny. Why, I think you are the tastiest meal I ever had.” The librarian kept her pinned as as he moved his face close to hers. He opened his mouth and he licked along her cheek. Penny let out a cry of fear. “The good thing about humans is that there are plenty of us. Plenty of choices for me.”

Penny couldn’t believe this guy. What kind of sicko gets off on eating fellow humans? Couldn’t he see just how wrong this was? How disgusting this was? Or was he too caught up in his own world to see?

Though she knew it would do her no good, she had to ask. She had to find out. “Wh-Why...?” She choked out. “Why are you d-doing this...?” She looked up at him, her eyes streaming with tears. “How...How can you do...this..?”

The librarian stared down at her for a few seconds. He soon smiled and gave a chuckle. “Oh that is quite a story there!” He looped his arm over her shoulder and pulled her close to him. He gently nuzzled her against her cheek. Penny was to horrified to think of fighting back. “I am glad you asked. None of my other prey had asked me that.”

Penny shuddered at the use of ‘prey’. She swallowed, trying her best to ignore it, and asked, “Why are you...?”

“A cannibal? A lover of human flesh?” The man asked. Penny shakingly nodded her head. “Well I already told you of the wonderful flavor that humans have. But I suppose you want to know...” He licked his blood stained teeth. “..just how I became one, right?”

Penny nodded her head. She wasn’t sure if she really wanted to know this. But there was a part of her compelled to find out. As terrified as she was, she couldn’t help but have a morbid curiosity on this subject. What had caused this man to decide he wanted to eat other people? What would make anyone want to do that?

As the man smirked at her, Penny knew she was about to get the answer. A part of her was reluctant to know, and she just wanted to squirm and get away. She managed to get herself to hold still as the man released one arm and used his free hand grab her by her chin. She gritted her teeth and stared at him. A few seconds later, the man opened his mouth, and she knew she was going to hear his twisted, demented story.

“You see..I had always had an interest in cannibalism. Even as a little boy, it was always something that fascinated me. There’s just something about it that’s so...intriguing. Mind you, I never engaged in it as a kid, but I did have such a morbid curiosity of it. I always did creep out the other kids when I would write stories about it. I suppose I can’t blame them. Cannibalism isn’t for everyone. Only those with...discerning taste.”

Penny whimpered as the man licked her wound again as if to prove a point. She stared up at him, unable to tear her eyes away as she continued to listen to his rather morbid tale.

“One day, everything changed. In my young adult life, after I had recently become this place’s librarian, I had an encounter with this rather...noisy man. Oh one of those artists who thinks he’s better than everyone else. He was such a pest, you see, and he was driving me up the wall about his stupid artwork and how much better it is than any art book I had in the library. I think he wanted me to get rid of them and only showcase his stuff. Well obviously I couldn’t allow that, so I tried to reason with him. He was persistant, and I will admit, I lost my temper. So I pushed him.”

Penny couldn’t help but wonder if she knew this artist. The description sounded so familiar. But regardless of who it was, she knew that they couldn’t possibly have deserved whatever the librarian did to them next.

And knowing this man’s habits, she knew that none of what ensued could possibly have been good.

“I admit, I must have pushed him too hard. His head hit against the ground, and I heard a loud crack. I panicked and went to see if he was all right. I looked around to see if anyone was present to help, but we were alone. I remained shocked for a while...but then I started thinking. Maybe then was a good time for me to try out my... ‘forsaken obsession’...”

Penny’s face went pale at this. “Y-You didn’t...”

The man nodded his head slowly. “Oh yes I did. I had time. I had the cover. No one would ever miss this man anyway. So I dragged him in the back room here, where no one would see me in case they walked by. I started with the man’s fingers.” Penny turned her head away as the man did a fake chomping sound. “The flavor was unexpected, not exactly what I would have thought. But it was still so delicious. I couldn’t stop myself. I ate parts of the man up until I could consume no more.”

“Y-You’re sick...” Penny whispered.

“Maybe, but it was my sick nature that let me realize just how wonderful and tasty human flesh really is. I saved the man’s body and continued to eat it for a while.” Penny winced as the man began to stroke her hair gently. “It didn’t last of course, and I was going to stop. But going back to animal meat.. It just wasn’t enough. I needed more human meat. And well...” The librarian chuckled. His eyes narrowed as his pupils shrank and mouth stretched upwares in a look of insanity. His blood stained teeth were exposed for her to see. “You know how that ended up.”

“You...You still could have called for help.. Y-You didn’t have to eat the man...” Penny whispered softly, narrowing her eyes slightly. “You could have owned up to your mistake when you killed him...”

“Killed him?” The man cocked his eyebrow in confusion. He then realized what she meant and pulled his head back. “Oh...! That! Well, it turned out he was still alive. As I was eating his arm, he did come to.” He shut his eyes tightly chuckled. “Oh man, you should have heard the whimpers and cries the pathetic man made as I chewed up his dominant arm!”

“You...you ate him alive...?” Penny whispered, her face paling further.

“Oh yes. I have eaten dead humans after that, but live humans always taste better.” The librarian replied. “I think it’s the fear. Gives the flesh that added flavor.”

“Y-You...” Penny’s voice trailed off. Was there really anything she could say to this man? Was there anything that would make him realize what he had done? No..no there was not. She narrowed her eyes and shut her mouth tightly.

This just amused the man and he laughed at her. “I don’t see why you’re so upset, Penny. It’s not like you will be around for much longer to really care.” Penny tried her best to hide her fear, but the man seemed to see right through her facade. “I can hear your heart beating.” He tilted his head to the side. “I imagine it must taste really good. The heart is just so thick and strong and juicy...” Penny couldn’t help but let out a whimper at that gorey description. “I could try to rip open your cheset and tear out your heart and eat it in front of you.” Penny widened her eyes at this. “But I’m not that demented.”

Penny growled softly, baring her teeth. “But you are demented enough to want to eat me...”

“If you want to think that..then sure. Yes I am.” The man placed a hand against himself and smiled. “You should feel honored, Penny. Soon, you will become a part of my digestive system. Your body will not go to waste.”

Penny narrowed her eyes further. Though she still felt unrelenting fear, anger had started to crawl through her mind, taking her over. She could feel her body shake in rage, adrenaline rushing through her muscles. The man’s disgusting attitude had finally clicked with her in more ways than just fear. Managing to free her uninjured arm, she pulled her hand back and she punched him.

The man released her and staggered back. He rubbed his cheek gently, wincing from how sore it was. Penny glared at him, seething through clenched teeth, her head heated up to the point of burning. The man kept his hand on his cheek as he stared at her in shock.

Instead of reacting with anger like she had thought, the man just laughed, sounding so amused by her actions. This did not settle well with Penny and she felt her gut twist in anger and nausea.

“Oh man! You are quite something!” The man said. “I never had any of my prey fight back like that before!” The man looked at her with an upwards glance. “You’ve got quite the fight in you. I like that.”

Penny growled at this. “Let me go!”

The man chuckled. “Oh why not? I suppose I can give you a...sporting chance...”

Penny narrowed her eyes. “I’m not some wild animal for you to hunt.”

“Oh but you are to me. A nice, juicy girl who is soon going to be my dinner for tonight.” The librarian smiled twistedly. “But go on...I’ll give you a chance. Fight me. And if you win, I’ll let you go.”

Penny’s logical side told her to just make a run for it, that she could never succeed given the strength advantage the man clearly had. But her emotional side was dominant, taking over her mind and overriding any attempt at her logical half at getting her out of the situation. She didn’t give the man any time to say something else before she charged at him, slamming her head against his chest and pushed him against the wall.

Without thinking, Penny opened her mouth and bit down on the man’s arm. The man let out a cry of pain as Penny’s teeth pressed against his skin. Soon, however, the man started laughing. Pain-tinged laughter, but still somehow filled with amusement.

“Whoa there! Eager for a taste?” The man asked, watching as Penny’s eyes widened in horror. “I guess you are a bit more like me than you thought.”

Penny immediately released the man’s arm, trying to resist the urge to gag. “No! I’m nothing like you!”

“Oh yeah?” The librarian chuckled. “Prove it then...”

Penny clenched her teeth and glared hatefully at the man. Her body quaked with intense emotion. She could hear her ragged breathing, rapid and quick, through her teeth. She had to fight back the urge to bite again, opting instead to target her lower lip.

All the while, the man just stared at her and smiled. It was like some big game to him. He didn’t seem at all angry about her biting him. This did not sit well in her stomach. Even in her anger, she was wondering just what kind of thought processes were going through this man’s mind. Obviously something she did not want to hear.

“Oh don’t worry. If you don’t want to prove it, that’s fine. I suppose I can find...another source to answer.” The man tilted his head to the side, his grin broadening. “How’s your boyfriend doing, by the way...?”

She could feel horror rise up inside of her. For a few seconds, her eyes widened, the man’s subtle threat slowly striking her like a jackhammer. Then she narrowed her eyes into slits, her teeth bared, a growl eminating from her throat. Without thinking, without trying to stop herself, she lashed out, slapping the man across the face.

The man’s head snapped to the side. His eyes widened in surprise as he stared back at her. He put his hand on his cheek and rubbed it slowly. He smiled, the sight of it being quite unnerving to Penny. She had seen all kinds of twisted smiles from Skrawl, but this one the man was giving...it was worse.

“Feisty little girl, aren’t you?” The man asked. “Trying to hide away from your fears. Trying to pretend you are not afraid. I can practically smell your fear, child.” The man leaned in closer, his eyes slightly closing, the intent practically radiating off of him. “You know what I can do, what I’m capable of. You know you have nowhere to go, so your body’s instinct is to try to scare me away. Well I hate to tell you this..” He reached out and cupped her chin. “That ain’t working with me, little lady.”

Penny hissed and slapped his hand away. “Don’t you dare touch me!”

“Whoa there. Not need to get so agitated.” The man cooed at her. He looked down at his hand and turned it this way and that. Again, like before, he didn’t seem upset. “Why don’t you give into the fear? Why don’t you just let yourself go? Come on, dear child... Why don’t you scream?”

Penny shook her head, her body hunched. The man was a couple feet away from her, but she knew he could close the gap quickly. Just lean forward enough, and he’d be able to grab her. She arched her fingers, her muscles tensing up. If the man even attempted to reach for her, she was prepared. But for how long?

She could feel the tension thickening up all around her. She could feel her gut twist, nausea starting to take her over. She could feel herself shake harder, to the point where she started to wonder if she wouldn’t be able to stand up at all. She managed to take a small step back, but even that tiny step was a lot of work.

What was she going to do? She still couldn’t just bolt out of the door. And she doubted she’d have another chance to strike the man’s head like she did before. She had to figure some way out, though. There just had to be a way.

She shuddered when she saw the man lick his lips. She could see bits of his blood stained teeth. She could see the desire in his eyes. True, raw hunger. This was a look she would usually see people give to desserts or meals that they love. The fact that this man was staring at her while doing this was clearly a horrible sign. Already she could, in her head, feel the man’s teeth bounce off bone and render her flesh.

Having no choice, her body unable to take the surging adrenaline much longer, she did the only thing she could think of doing.

She charged.

In seconds, she collided with the man. Despite the fact that he was larger than her, the force of the impact was enough to knock the man off of his feet. The two of them tumbled into the ground and Penny found herself laying on top of him. She took this opportunity to get up and race to the door. Maybe she could unlock it somehow and...

She let out a cry of pain as the man grabbed her ankle and twisted it. She gritted her teeth as she tripped into the ground and was dragged back towards the man. She struggled to get free, clawing at the ground with her fingernails.

But she wasn’t able to stop the man. In seconds, she felt horrific pain as the man bit down on her ankle. She kicked her leg in an attempt to free it. Soon her leg was yanked away from the man. But the resulting pull caused the man’s teeth to slash through her leg. Stabbing, horrible pain gripped her mind and she fell back into the ground, clutching her leg to herself.

It took her a few moments to work up the courage to look at the damage. Her wide, horror-filled eyes saw the gaping hole, feeling the blood drip down. The achilles tendon might be fine, but she couldn’t tell. She attempted to get up, only to be faltered by the shere pain.

She glared over at the librarian, her body shaking, one eye open, teeth gritted. “Y-You...”

The librarian simply shrugged his shoulders. “I suspect you can’t leave like that... Can you?” He tilted his head to one side.

Penny growled and tried to ignore the man’s taunting words. She struggled to get up to her feet. She placed her good foot down and pushed herself up. She tried to take a step forward. As soon as she put weight on her bad foot, however, she cried out in pain and stumbled forward. She grabbed onto the nearby shelf and leaned against it for support.

The librarian chuckled coldly behind her. “Oh how I love it when my prey tries to flee! Go on, little girl! I’m loving this!”

Penny felt a pang of fear and disgust as she listened to the man cheer her on. Was everything really a game to him? Was he really enjoying this? What kind of sicko could get enjoyment out of this?

Well considering that this man wanted to eat her, perhaps this revelation shouldn’t come as a surprise to her.

Penny whipped her head around. Despite her pain, she managed to glare at the man, albeit with a twitchy eye. “Go rot in hell.” She growled at him, her voice stern and, for the moment, unwavering.

The librarian cocked an eyebrow. “You know, that wouldn’t be a bad idea. I could use the fire to cook your flesh.” He looked at his fingers, flexing them. “Though personally...I prefer raw meat. It just has a flavor you can’t beat.” He grinned at her. “And dont worry about diseases. I’m all prepared for them.”

“You’re sick...” Penny hissed.

“Why, Penny! Compliments won’t get you anywhere here.” The librarian cooed. Penny snapped her head back and snarled. “I can see the fear in your eyes. Pretty soon, you’ll run out of that anger fuel, and you’ll be afraid.” He took a step forward, watching her body twitch in pain. “And then soon, you will be so...tasty.” He licked his lips slowly.

Penny bared her teeth, a weak attempt at making herself appear more threatening to the man. The fact that it only seemed to make him smile further irritated her. But still, she continued to glare at him, her mind racing as she tried to figure a way out of this.

She couldn’t count on someone just waltzing in. No one would be out in the streets like this. Even if there were, what were the odds that they’d show up here of all places? She gritted her teeth, her mind aching as she tried to think of just what she was going to do. If no one was going to show up to help her, then how was she going to get out of this mess?

She flinched slightly as she saw the man continue to drool, obviously anticipating on biting her again. Penny couldn’t allow that to happen. Her shoulder radiated with enough pain as it is. She looked left and right as she tried to figure out an escape plan. The door was still locked, she remembered. She would need something that would disable the man. Delay him long enough for her to get away, and then she could call the police.

The two of them began to move around in a circle, their eyes facing one another, neither daring to look away. Penny kept her teeth bared, her body hunched as she prepared for a possible tackle. The man hadn’t yet tried to lunge at her, but she knew it was only a matter of time before he would try something. She could see the eagerness in his eyes. She could see just how determined he was to get at her, and eat her like she was some piece of meat he had found on the street.

Soon, as Penny’s eyes moved along the walls and cabinets a few brief times, she took notice of the chemicals again. She could smell them even from a distance. The familiar, lemony smell, which, when she sniffed it enough, gave her a headache. Slowly, a plan formulated in her head.

A part of her felt guilty. This was not something she’d normally do. But she had little options right now. It was either this, or she was going to get killed. At least this could provide her some sort of escape.

Hopefully...

Penny continued to move around in a circle with the librarian. She tried her best not to look at the chemicals, hoping to keep the man in the dark about what she was going to do. Soon she positioned herself in front of the cabinet, spreading her arms out and growling softly as she took on a defensive stance.

The man chuckled and tilted his head. “What’s the matter? You’re not able to come up with any ideas?” The man’s voice took on a slightly disappointed tone. Penny just glared at him, pressing herself further against the cabinet as he began to approach. “I can’t really blame you. It must be hard always coming up with brilliant ideas... Am I right, sweetheart?”

Penny felt her heart burn at that comment. This made her growl louder, her body shaking in anger, causing the cabinet to quake with her.

The man smiled at this. “Well, at least you’re still feisty. I like that.” He continued to move forward until he had Penny backed up against the cabinet. He put his hand against it and leaned forward. He lowered his front half so he could stare into Penny’s eyes. “Of course, it wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t give you a sporting chance. Go ahead.” The man placed a hand against himself to further indicate what he meant. “Try to strike me.”

Penny could tell, just from the sound of his voice, that this man didn’t really think she could do much to him. How could he not think like that? He wasn’t exactly a weak person. She wasn’t exactly large. The match up was very uneven and unfair. The man had the advantage here. The most her hits would do would probably just be to annoy him.

The man stood still, staring at her with that arrogant smirk, that hungry gaze, and appeared to be giving her all the time in the world to fight back. His eyes sometimes trailed along her body or focused on her hands. She could practically see all the different thoughts that must have ran through the man’s mind. Some of wondering what she was going to do. Some most definitely of what her flavor had been like, and craving more. The second thought made her sick and she tried to push the nasty thought aside.

Penny waited for the right moment to strike. She couldn’t screw this up. She couldn’t allow herself to make a mistake on this. As the man leaned in, sneering at her, she began to raise her arm up slightly, and her fingers brushed against what she wanted. She continued to wait, and when the man was close enough, she made her move.

Without warning, she suddenly grabbed a bottle of floor cleaner, its cap wobbly and easily falling off with the force of her grab. She then thrust it across the air in front of the man’s face. The amber-colored fluids shot from the bottle and struck the man in the eyes before he could close them.

The librarian immediately began to screech and howl in pain. He stumbled back, rubbing his eyes furiously, tears streaming down his face as his body tried to flesh out the chemical. Unable to see where he was going, the man tripped over something on the ground and he crashed against it. Penny watched as the man writhed and whimpered in pain for a few seconds, momentarily shocked by the magnitude of his reaction, and then immediately went to escape.

She grabbed the doorknob and turned it. It wouldn’t budge. Her fingers fumbled around it as she tried to figure out how to undo the lock. She realized that there must be a key. But she couldn’t go back to the man and grab it. She bit her lip nervously. There was little time to get out. Soon the man would be back on his feet and...

She began to kick at the door. Again and again, she struck, feeling the door vibrate with each blow. Her foot started to ache from the blows. She wondered how long she’d have to do this, how hard she’d have to kick, before the door would give way. She had to keep trying, though. She couldn’t give up. She had to get out of here, before that man...

She heard a growl behind her and she turned her head enough to see, out of the corner of one eye, that the man had got up to his feet and was looking directly at her. She couldn’t tell how well he could see now, but even if he was totally blind, he could hear the racket. He was stalking towards her slowly. Penny could see the look in his damaged, red-stained eyes.

Rage-filled. Hatred. Fury. A clear message that he was going to rip her apart.

Her heart pounding against her chest, she quickened her strikes frantically. Her foot and fist hit against the door over and over. She kept ramming herself against it, ignoring the aches in her shoulders. She looked, with a terrified expression, at the librarian. The gap was being closed quickly. She hurried as fast as she could.

Then, finally, the door crashed open. Penny stumbled forward, letting out a cry. She felt a rush of air behind her and saw that the man had tried to grab her. She immediately stumbled forward to gain some distance from him. She ran a couple of feet ahead and, working up as much courage as she could, she looked behind her.

The man was trying to rush over at her, his teeth bared and eyes wide in rage. But several times, he’d cover his eyes and stumble, the light of the library irritating his injuried eyes. This would buy her a bit of time. She immediately turned her head away and ran from the man, heading towards the front desk where the telephone was located.

Penny pressed her stomach against the wooden table. She could feel her heart pounding, vibrating through the table. Her palms, slick with sweat, fumbled with the phone. She growled in a mixture of fear and frustration as she tried to pick up the reciever to call for help.

As she held it in her hands, placed against her head, she looked over to see where the man was. Despite his pain, agony, in ability to see well, he was getting ever closer to her. Steadily, menacingly. He hadn’t attempted to speak to her, but his expression was enough to convey a simple message to her.

This man wanted her dead, and he was going to do whatever he could to make it happen. He was not going to show mercy on her, either. It was clear that he wanted to kill her slowly and painfully.

With the drool coming down the corner of his mouth, he was going to eat her alive, just like he had with the artist. Only slower, more pain.

Penny let out a whimper at that thought, and she returned her attention to the phone. She lowered her other hand as closely as she could and she began to dial a number. Despite her trembling and miscalculations, she managed to call 9-11. The ringing and waiting for the pick up seemed to be so slow. Penny stared over in fear as the man kept coming towards her.

Oh please...pick up soon...

Finally, after what felt like several minutes, which were in reality just a few seconds, she could hear the familiar click of someone picking up. Her eyes brightened a little, hopeful that, finally, this nightmare was going to end.

“Hello. 9-11. What is your emergency?”

Penny immediately began to screech into the phone. “Help me! Someone is trying to kill me!”

“Where are you located?”

Penny swung her head towards the man. He was getting too close now. She had to make this quick. “I-I’m at the library in Plainsville. Off of the main road. 125 South...”

Penny was not able to finish the address. The man suddenly grabbed her mouth and gagged her with it. He then grabbed the phone and slammed the reciever back on, and then ripped the wires out to cut off the line. He then forced her into the ground. Penny winced as she felt the back of her head bang against the hard ground.

She looked up at the man in fear. Her mouth was partially open as she breathed in an out quickly. The man showed her no sympathy, his pupils having shrunk into dots, his teeth bared menacingly as if he were a wolf ready to strike. He breathed in and out heavily. Penny could hear the growls on the edge of his breaths, his nostrils flaring to accompany them. She tried to struggle to get free, but the man’s grip on her was like a vice.

Without warning, the man launched himself forward, his mouth split wide open. Penny’s eyes bulged as the man bit down on her neck. He applied pressure rapidly. She kicked her legs and squirm, horrific pain spreading through her neck as the teeth sliced into her flesh. She struggled to take a breath, each one getting more and more ragged as the man continued to bite her throat. Then, with a twist, the man pulled his head back, tearing open a gap in Penny’s neck. Penny let out a scream at this, barely aware of the man swallowing the piece of flesh. Then she felt the man’s teeth in her neck again and he proceeded to rip out her throat.

Penny resorted to shoving her fingers against the man’s already hurting eyes, which made him release her as he went to defend them, allowing her time to get up. She ran down one of the aisles, clutching her throat as she felt blood pouring down it rapidly. She shivered and whimpered in pain as she struggled to deal with the horrific agony. The fact that the man’s teeth could not pierce anything immediately vital was of little comfort to her.

She wasn’t sure if the emergency people were going to get here in time. She didn’t know how long it was going to take. All she could do was continue this deadly game of hide and go seek with this horrible man, who was hunting her like she was some goddamn prey animal. Well to him, she was... which sent cold shivers down her spine. She could only hope that someone would get here in time, before...

She jumped out of the way as the man tried to strike her with his fist. It narrowly missed her, hitting the books instead. She moved aways lowly, whimpering softly in fear as the man’s hunched body moved slowly towards her, his bloodshot eyes staring at her in absolute contempt.

“C-Come on...” Penny pleaded with the man, holding her hands up in a weak attempt to defend herself. “W-We can talk about this... right?” She gave a nervous chuckle, but it only made the man growl. “C-Come on...please...? We... We don’t have to do this...”

But her words did little to slow down the man. Instead, they actually made him speed up. Penny trembled and moved back as quickly as she could. She kept her hand gripping at her throat, trying to stop the blood flow from happening. She could feel her hand become sticky in her blood, and she wondered, her heart skipping a beat, just how much damage this mand had managed to do to her already.

She tried to speak again, but this time, nothing happened. The pain from the attack made it impossible, and only caused more pain to spread through her throat. She clenched her teeth tightly and whimpered. It was becoming difficult to concentrate, and the man was already coming in faster, moving quickly on his feet.

No..please no... This couldn’t be happening. There had to be another way out of here. There...there had to be something...

But the more she moved back, the more she stared at the man, the more she began to realize that it might really be over for her. She could practically see her life flashing in the back of her mind as her brain seemed to be preparing for probable death. Tears of fear and pain flowed down her cheeks and her trembling increased. Each step got shakier, and it was becoming easier for her to trip up or to hit against something on the way back.

Soon she couldn’t back up anymore. She could feel her back press against a book shelf. She looked left and right, but found there was nowhere to go. She was completely trapped.

The librarian smiled twistedly at this, looking like a predator that had just found and cornered its prey...which was exactly what he did. He rushed forward, ignoring the pain in his eyes for the moment as he closed the gap between them. He soon stopped when he was about af oot away, keeping Penny boxed up against the bookshelf. It was pressed up against a wall, preventing Penny from simply pulling it over on top of him. She watched in fear as the man stared at her intently, his eyes so red they almost seemed to glow.

The man breathed heavily for a little while. Penny winced as she heard how raspy his breath was. She could hear an animal-like growl intermixed with it. It reminded her of the growl of a wild wolf. She could see images in her head of the wolf stalking its prey, and now when she looked at the man, she couldn’t help but see predatory features on him, even if he was still human, just like her. The man’s lips curled up into a slight snarl and his fingers curved almost like claws did nothing to let up this image.

Penny tried to take another step back. But she got nowhere. Just pressed herself further against the shelf. She felt the books wobble slightly. A part of her was tempted to throw the books at him, but she was too frozen in terror to do anything. Besides, throwing the books would only make the man angrier.

“You...You thought you could...g-get away from me...d-d-didn’t you, little lady..?” The man spoke. He gave a bitter chuckle as a smile plastered over his face.

Penny turned her head to the side and gritted her teeth. She kept watching the man through the side of her eye.

“Well you thought wrong... N-No one gets away from me...” The man hissed. His voice had a slight shakiness to it due to the pain. “You w-w-will just be a-another trophy... Another meal for me t-to e-e-e-at. Now...” The man took a step forward. “Before the police arrive... l-l-let’s get this o-over with.”

Penny shook her head rapidly. She let out a slightly strangled whimper as she tried to plead with him. She clutched her throat tighter, seething in pain. The wound was pretty deep, and she had a feeling that if the main ripped out one more chunk of fles, he may hit one of her veins. She might bleed a lot more slowly with that, but she’d still lose a lot of blood if she didn’t stop it.

Oh how was she going to get out of here? She looked aorund again desperately. Her eyes only met books and shelves and the ground, the ceiling, and of course the cannibalistic librarian, who was boxing her up even further. Despite knowing there was nowhere to go, Penny kept looking, a part of her hoping and praying there was some place she hadn’t yet looked.

Before she knew it, the man now stood even closer to her. His breath hit against her body, warm and yet uninviting. His body hit radiated onto hers due to how close he was, and Penny’s nose wrinkled as she smelled his breath and persperation. But that was hardly on her mind as she noticed his teeth and realized they would be going back inside her again unless she tried to defend herself.

Without thinking, keeping her eyes othe man, her right hand fumbled for a book from the shelf. This time, unlike with the chemicals from before, she never got chance to throw it. The man had gotten wise to her and he quickly seized her arm. She shut her eyes tightly and gritted her teeth, seething.

“Not this time.” The man said in a dark tone of voice. He yanked the book from her painfully and threw it behind him. “No more p-playing...” He pressed his hand against the cabinet, putting his face close to hers. “You are mine.”

Penny shivered as she stared at the man in the eyes. It was clear that he was able to see somewhat now. She winced as she saw the damage the cleaning fluid had done to his eyes. They were uncomfortable to look at.

The man chuckled, noticing Penny’s expression. “Wh-What’s the m-matter?” The man’s slight tremble of pain did little to hide the man’s anger and amusement. “This is your handiwork, remember? You did this to me. Aren’t you p-p-proud?”

Penny didn’t answer. She shut her eyes and looked away, not able to look at them anymore. But she only looked away for a few seconds before she felt her hair being grabbed and she was yanked forward. The man’s eyes were inches away from hers. She was horrified at the increased amount of detail she was able to see.

“I said look, bitch!”

Penny struggled frantically to get away. She tried desperately to turn her head away. The man’s grip on her hair tightened, making it hard for her to look away from him. She gritted her teeth in fear as she found her eyes locked to his horrifying ones.

“This is what you did to me! Are you proud?!”

Penny let out a few small cries of fear as she shook her head. She could feel her lower lip quivering as she trembled and said, “P-Please...l-l-let me go...”

The man scowled at her, wrinkling his nose in disgust. “Where is that f-f-flame from before?” He asked mockingly. “Did I f-f-finally burn it out?” He chuckled bitterly, licking his lips slowly. “Sh-Should have known you wouldn’t have l-lasted.” Penny felt the man caress her cheek gently. She didn’t bother trying to swat it away. She just watched how the man’s smile returned slowly. “But...o-o-on the other hand... Y-You’re going to be one f-f-fine...tasty meal...” His drool dripped from his mouth. “I-I can’t w-wait.” He whispered softly.

The man grabbed her face and pushed it up. His other hand, as well as his body, pinned her arms and pressed her further against the book shelf. The man brought his mouth to her throat again. Penny shut her eyes and waited for the final blow. Tears dripped down her face.

But instead of biting her throat like she thought, she felt the man’s tongue move along her wound. She couldn’t stifle the scream that followed, stinging, horrific pain flowing through her neck. The man stuck his tongue into her wound and she could feel it swirl around, tasting her blood and flesh. The man soon sucked on the wound as he tried to get as much blood as he could into his mouth.

These actions cause Penny’s body to twitch in pain. She kicked out her legs, and she tried to strike the man with her hands in desperation to get away. But the man refused let go of her. She could hear his groans of pleasure and she realized that he must be really enjoying her flavor. This horrified her, making her chest and stomach burn, making her want to throw up. Penny’s teeth ground against each other and a few small, muffled whimpers escaped her throat.

After what felt like an eternity, the man pulled away. Penny let out sigh of relief as the man’s tongue moved away from her open wound. She panted a couple of times, her eyes bulging from fear and disbelie at what had just transpired. She looked up at the man, wondering what he was going to do now.

She couldn’t stifle the gasp of horror and fear as she saw the blood staining his mouth. Fresh blood. From her neck. She couldn’t help but let out a small whine, unable to stop the flashes in the back of her mind of the man biting her throat.

The man appeared to relish in her fear. He licked his teeth excitedly, like this one dog she helped to take care of the one time. His eyes were flashing an uncomfortable..no..terrifying message. She was trapped under its glow, unable to get away. She could feel those horrible eyes boring right through her head, as if the man was trying to see into her mind. She struggled harder to get herself free, but nothing she tried worked. No matter how hard she shoved him and pushed him, the man wasn’t budging.

He licked his lips slowly and he opened his mouth. This time, he was fully intending on biting her. Penny let out a cry of fear and struggled even harder. “N-No...” Penny whimpered. “Please...”

The man simply chuckled before he continued to move his head forward, preparing for a bite.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang, the sound of something striking something soft, and there was a loud scream from the man gripping her. Another bang. Another striking sound. Another cry of pain. Then it deformed into gurgling as blood began to drip from the man’s mouth. The man stumbled forward and leaned against her and the shelf. She could feel his body against her, his breath hitting her face, his heavy, pain-filled panting filling the air. He opened his mouth to speak, but he began to choke on his own blood. Penny could have sworn she could hear him whimpering. Then, with one final bang, the man slumped onto the ground, laying by her feet, his body giving into the throes of death.

Penny stared down at this in shock and horror. She trembled, shaken up, unable to think or do anything. She couldn’t move her eyes away from the deceased man’s body, noting the puddle of blood appearing underneath his lifeless form.

She soon forced herself to look away, and ahead at where she had heard the gunshots. She could see a small group of policemen there, their guns whipped out and pointed at the man as if they were worried he was going to get back up. She could hear one of them talking on the radio, but her stunned nature prevented her from hearing exactly what he said.

Penny’s mind whirled with thoughts as she tried to comprehend what happened. She had nearly been cornered by the librarian, about to get eaten, and then these policemen showed up and killed her attacker. It all happened so fast, she was not able to fully comprehend everything.

It didn’t take long for the horror and fear of what transpired to come over her. The realization that she had nearly been killed, nearly eaten alive by some crazy madman, struck her. She felt her legs tremble, and she was soon not able to hold herself up for long. She dropped down onto her knees, her arms hanging loosely at her sides as her head bowed. Unable to hold in her emotions for long, she started to cry.

She hardly paid attention to anything going on around her. She didn’t pay attention to what the officers had said. All she was aware of was her own swirling thoughts and her own pain. She barely registered someone gently pulling her up to her feet. She was barely aware of being guided out of the room, soft words of comfort being whispered to her as she was being led to what appeared to be an ambulance waiting just outside for her.

A part of her senses came back when she saw her mother rushing towards her, her face plastered with extreme worry. Her mother tried to hug her, but someone held her back, shouting something about her wounds and how they needed to be treated right away. But they assured her that they could come with her.

Penny soon found herself being guided onto a stretcher. She was made to lay down, and she was quickly strapped in it, completely secured and immobile. She was hauled into the ambulance. She could hear her mother’s voice beside her, trying to comfort her as she came with her into the vehicle.

As the vehicle began to move, Penny became aware of the impact of blood loss, and she started to feel lightheaded. She became aware of the breathing complications, and suddenly, as her mind realized she was out of danger, as the adrenaline lowered down, she started to open her mouth wider to try to catch a breath. She heard the paramedics around her chattering in anxiety to each other, and she became aware of tools being pulled out. The last thing she felt before she finally passed out was pressure against her throat.

sss

Penny let out a groan, clinching her eyes shut as she seethed in pain. The pain medications the doctors had given her weren’t doing very well with trying to dull the pain. She recalled that they were going to give her something new this time. She hoped that it would work.

She laid against the hospital bed, the white sheet placed over her body to help keep her warm. There were needles placed in her body as she was being given some IV fluids. There were some small sore spots on her arm where she was given some medication to help combat the infection that began to spread through her body via the man’s bite.

She was still haunted by what happened. Even a couple days later, she still shivered at the memory of him. She couldn’t get the horrible images out of her head, and trying not to scream became increasingly difficult.

But she couldn’t scream. Thanks to that horrible man, she was unable to speak. The doctors were surprised she could still speak afterwards, and think it had something to do with the adrenaline helping her to ignore pain for a short time. This might have seemed like a good thing, but it came at a cost. She wound up making her neck injury worse. The man’s actions when he licked her wound didn’t help either.

Well at least it was over now. The man was dead. He couldn’t hurt anyone again. After what she had told the police, there was to be a huge inspection of the library to see who else had been killed and eaten by that man. Penny told the officers what she was able to via writing until her mom intervened and felt it was best to just stop with the questions. Penny was grateful. She didn’t want to talk about that event anymore.

She recalled the doctors saying she was going to stay in the hospital for a while to help with the infection and her throat injury. A part of her felt bummed out, as she would have wanted to go into ChalkZone to tell Snap what happened to her. But she knew it was for the best. The last thing she wanted to do was make her injury worse.

She looked over at the clock, seeing what time it was. She wondered when her friend was going to be here. She recalled her mother promised to bring Rudy over the next time she came. She really wanted to see him. Even though it’s only been a few days, it felt like an eternity since she had seen Rudy. She wanted to get him caught up with what had happened to her, even if he might already know the gist of what happened from her mother.

She couldn’t wait for the company. She had been in here for hours, just watching the time tick away, or watching a random program on television. She couldn’t really enjoy too much. She was still too shaken by what had happened. A visit from her mother and friend would be just what she needed.

She soon heard a knock on the door. She turned her head, and she could see the door opening, shadows forming on the ground. In a few moments, she could see the familiar shapes of her mother and friend walking into the room. She could see their looks of concern as they came over to the bed, looking at her sympathetically.

They soon stood beside her, staying quiet for a few moments. Penny looked up at them, and she smiled to the best of her ability. They smiled back, but she could see how shaky they were. It must have been hard for them to smile.

Soon, after a few moments of silence, Rudy decided to speak up.

Moving a little closer, he placed his hand on hers and he said, “How...how are you feeling...?”

Penny didn’t dare try to speak. She remembered what the doctors had said. She still wasn’t used to speaking the other way either. So instead, she opted to just write. She grabbed the notepad left by her bed and she scribbled a brief message on it. She turned it around and showed it to Rudy.

“I am still in pain. Medications don’t work that well. I want to go home.”

“Oh sweetie...” Her mother gently stroked her hair. “We know you want to go home. But you need to stay here and recover. Especially after..” Her mother’s voice trailed off as she sniffled. She didn’t need to continue for Penny to know what she was talking about.

“At least that man got what he deserved.” Rudy said after a moment of silence. Penny and her mom nodded in agreement.

While it might have been better to have the man arrested, at the moment, Penny didn’t really care. As dark as it sounded, she was currently glad he was gone. She could never forgive him for what he had done. Not just to her, but to so many other people. She knew she was going to have a scar on her throat and arm, and it was all because of him.

His words still haunted her. She could still feel the echoing pain in her arm and in her neck. She still had nightmares about the whole experience. She knew it was going to take her a while to recover from the experience. But even if she healed physically quickly, her mind was another story. How long would it take before she could sleep without nightmares? How long would it be before she could be at ease in the library once more?

Her thoughts were interrupted when her mother spoke up. “Well...I talked to the doctor earlier, before I came in with Rudy to visit you.”

“Yeah.” Rudy said, nodding his head as Penny exchanged a questioning look at them. “We got an update.”

“Are you ready to hear it?” Her mother asked.

Penny held her breath. A part of her wasn’t sure if she wanted to know. The last thing she wanted was for things to get piled on. She had enough to worry about. She didn’t want to have more things on her plate, ripping her apart on the inside.

But...she was injured, and the more she knew about her condition, the better. She let out a soft sigh and she stared at her mother in the eyes. She nodded her head once, and waited for her to proceed.

“The doctors think you may have to stay longer.”

Penny was, somehow, not surprised by that comment. She made no reaction as she stared up at her mother, waiting for more information. Penny already had a strong hunch earlier that she may have to stay longer here. She wondered how long she’d end up having to stay. She hoped it wouldn’t be too long.

Despite looking calm, she did feel a pang of fear. She was worried about being trapped here for the rest of her life. Yeah, a silly fear. The odds against that were slim, but she still couldn’t help it. The fact of it being at all possible, even if just slim, was enough to leave her a bit unnerved.

Her mother continued, “They’re worried that the man may have transferred a disease to you that they previously hadn’t detected before using those other tests. I’m not sure what disease it is, but they say it takes a while to detect or something.”

Penny could hear her mother stumbling over her words. It made her wonder just exactly what the doctors said to her to got her shaken up. Just what disease was it? And how long does it take to cure? And why didn’t the doctors detect it earlier? Wouldn’t that have been something they’d notice when she was brought in?

“Or maybe they did detect it before and they just didn’t...” Her mother stopped, forming fists with her hands as she looked like she was struggling with her self. Penny had never seen her mother this worked up and frustrated before. She finally forced a sigh out and said, “I’m sorry, Penita... I just...with what happened, I...”

“I don’t think you need to apologize.” Rudy said, speaking what was on Penny’s mind. “You have every right to feel frustrated about what happened.” Rudy gave the woman a gentle smile. “Let’s just focus on the recovery process.”

Penny’s mother nodded her head slowly. “Y-Yeah... That sounds like a good idea.” She turned her attention back down to Penny. She gently stroked her hair as she spoke. “Everything will be all right, Penita. You will see. Soon you will be dismissed from the hospital and you will be able to play with your friend and work on your experiments again. Everything will go back to the way it was before.”

Penny smiled as she felt her mother kiss her on the forehead. She gave her mother the most reassuring look that she could provide.

However, a part of her couldn’t tell for certain if her mother’s words would end up being true or not. There was still a lot of recovering to do. So much could go wrong. What if she was permanently changed from this somehow? What if she never regained her voice, or got infected with a terminal disease because of that filthy man?

Despite her fears, however, she did try to keep a positive attitude. There was a strong likelihood that she may recover just fine, and that her mother was right. Even if something happened, she could adjust to it, right? Yeah, everything was going to be just fine.

It was at that moment that there was a knock on the door. They all turned their heads to see a doctor walking in slowly. He was holding a clipboard in his hands. He had a sympathetic expression on his face as he approached. He stared down at Penny, eyeing her up and down, and looking at the monitors that were attached to her.

“How are you feeling?” The doctor asked carefully.

Penny simply nodded her head slowly, indicating that she was feeling fine. She wished she could speak a response.

“That’s good.” He noticed her flinch and he quickly added, “That’s you’re feeling....mostly fine. Don’t worry, we’ll take care of that pain as soon as we can.”

Penny could tell, from the tone of his voice, that he seemed unsure if they would be able to succeed or not. But he was still trying his best to reassure her anyway. The tone did make her feel a small pang of worry, but she soon pushed it aside. She trusted that the doctor would be able to get her out of here as soon as possible.

“How long will she have to stay?” She heard her mother ask. “You mentioned that it might take longer than...?”

The doctor nodded his head. “Yes, I’m afraid so. I’ll give you more details when I can. However, that isn’t what I came here to tell you.” At this, the doctor took on a more serious tone and look.

Rudy bit his lip nervously and inquired, “What? What do you mean?”

Penny’s mother swallowed nervously. “I-Is there something else?”

The doctor nodded his head solemnly. “Yes. I’m afraid so.” He turned his head to Penny. “Penny, I’m not sure how to tell you this gently...”

Penny felt her heart twist at that statement. Fear welled up inside of her, making her feel sick. She had no idea what the doctor was going to say, but judging from his expression, it was nothing good. He was about to tell her something that may change her life forever.

And it did.

“The tracheotomy... It wasn’t...It wasn’t performed as well as it could have and...that combined with the biting and the infection...”

Penny felt her eyes start to water up. She could feel her heart skip a bit. She had a strong feeling she knew where this was going, and she shook her head in denial. She hoped she was wrong. She hoped it was some kind of sick joke, or the man was going to say something else.

She could see Rudy and her mother staring at the man with wary expressions. They occassionally looked at her worriedly before they’d turn back to face the man. She could practically feel their fear and horror radiating off their bodies and she thought she heard her mother whisper ‘no please no’, under her breath. They anxiously waited for the doctor to continue.

The wait felt like an eternity. It was as though time itself had stopped, everything slowing down to a halt. It was as if they were all in a dark void, with nothing around but each other. Penny was unware of anything except for the doctor, his mouth looking as if it was going a centimere per hour.

And when he finally spoke up, it all but confirmed her suspicions.

“You may never be able to talk again.”

Penny felt as if her world had fallen apart. She was no longer aware of what was going on. She thought she could hear her mother crying. She thought she heard her friend trying to reassure her. She thought she heard the doctor trying to explain more on what they could do. She thought she could feel her mother or her friend, or both, giving her a hug.

But in her state, all that was distant. All she could do was slump in her bed, feeling the wait of reality come crashing down on her. She wanted to deny it so badly. She wanted to scream on top of her lungs and cry how it wasn’t fair that this happened to her.

In the end, all she could do was just accept reality. From this point forward, her road to recovery was going to be a bumpy one. Her life might never be the same again.