68 Romantic Dinner

Thane had once again made a fire and was now cooking the heart he just pulled out. I silently watch the chunk of meat, considering my life and how much it was worth. I'm trying real hard to be okay with this or at least pretend but the thought of eating the heart made my once hungry stomach clench up.

When I look back up to Thane, I lock eyes with him. We stare at each other for a few moments before he says "I really can't figure you out." I slightly chuckle and say "I can't even figure myself out, let me know if you ever do."

He slightly smirks and says "It's done." My small smile quickly withers away as I look back to the chunk of meat he was pulling out of the flames. Can I suddenly pass out? No, he would then really try to get me to eat.

Could I say I was too tired or maybe that I wasn't hungry?? Oh! I can say my stomach hurts and that I can't eat anything!

Suddenly, a steaming hot piece of meat is in my face. I look at the piece of meat on the tip of his knife and swallow hard. As if reading my thoughts, he shakes his head and says "Remember what I said, little bird. You need to eat. If I could have it any other way, I would. Eat."

I grit my teeth and reach out with a shaky hand. I pick up the hot piece of meat, grateful that it was tough like jerky and not juicy. It's the little things... I stare at the offending piece of meat and mentally try to prepare myself.

When I glance back up to Thane, I see him watching me with an amused smirk. I grit my teeth and resist the urge to flip him off. I toss the meat in my mouth and start chewing it quickly and aggressively. I clench my hands and try to think of happy thoughts before quickly swallowing it.

I gag and it almost comes back up. I put my clenched fist up to my mouth and count to twenty before relaxing. That was horrible... I look back to Thane with watery eyes and rasp out "Why was it so nasty?" Even the alien-looking rat tasted better than that.

He gives me a sad smile as he starts eating before saying "Unfortunately, the more powerful they are, the more concentrated the poison in them is. If I were to eat this heart raw, I would become much stronger but I would also become more and more like them."

Before I can catch myself, I ask "Have you ever eaten them raw before?" I feel like kicking myself but keep a blank face as he slowly looks up to me and smirks. He slowly lifts another piece of meat before asking "Do you really want to know that, little bird?"

Now I'm caught at a crossroads, do I really want to know? A morbid part of me does but by watching him eat that meat, I already have my answer. I watch him closely as I say "I guess it's only natural that you would. I'm sorry for asking stupid questions."

He looks slightly surprised before saying "No question is stupid. I just have a feeling you'll run away when you see just how... just how messed up I am now." I scoff in mock outrage as I say "Please! You can't be any more screwed up than I am!"

He smirks but he doesn't argue with me. I really do feel like hitting my own mouth but in a way... I like talking about it and getting it out. I want him to know that I accept this new him. The good, the bad, and the ugly. All of it. It's the first real thing since falling from that cliff.

Thane and I continue for several days in the same manner. Wandering, killing, eating, and then sleeping. Over and over but before long, I was losing track of time and reality. As we both drink from the pink river before us, I look down and see that my nails are starting to darken.

I keep them hidden from Thane as I grit my teeth and try to think of something. How long have we been wandering out here and how much longer will we wander until we find a way out? I glace back over to Thane and watch as CheeChee drinks the water.

Was this going to become our new world? Our new life? Forever stuck in this world and the endless cycle of surviving and killing? I look back to the pink water and sigh. That's fine. I either die out there or I die in here. It's all the same in the end.

The wind starts to pick up, surprising me. Since being here, there really hasn't been any wind or storms. I look up with surprise before looking over to the woods on the other side of the river. What... was that?

I slowly stand up and Thane quickly follows. CheeChee jumps up to my shoulder and looks around in fear as the wind blowing becomes stronger. I lift my nose and close my eyes as I take a deep breath. It's... fresh.

My eyes snap open and I start walking towards it. Thane reaches out to grab my arm and hisses out "What are you doing? I've never seen that before! Stay away from it." I ignore his words, trying to see better.

When I see a blinking light, I grab Thane's hand and say "That's it! That's the way out Thane! Hurry or we'll miss it!" I pull on him and struggle to cross the water. He seems torn as if not certain but he grits his teeth and helps me cross the water.

We both run towards the wind but the closer we get, the stronger it gets! CheeChee holds on for dear life but when I start losing my footing, Thane grabs me around the waist and starts pulling me. We throw ourselves into the center of the wind and feel as if we're going to be ripped apart before landing hard.

Thane quickly crouches over me and literally growls! I look up to see the looks of shocked faces. Shocked and extremely familiar faces. I cough once and mutter "Holyshit... it was a portal all along." Titus shuts the machine off before looking at both of us with shock and disbelief.

Conner watches Thane with large eyes and slowly lifts his hands out and says "Thane? You good bro? Where... how?" Troy makes a choking noise and says "Thane turned into... Into a beast or something and Valen's a chick! He's got boobs now! What kind of hellish machine is this!?"