I slinked out of my hotel room, checking that I hadn't left anything incriminating in my room before locking the door and walking down the carpeted halls. The hotel was now completely silent, as if it was holding its breath; waiting for the monster to leave the building in peace. Doors that had been opening and closing, clanking that had been going on in the kitchen had been completely silenced; the hotel had taken on an eerie quality, all within an hour. But this didn't bother me, I was used to the quiet and I found happiness in the silence that had settled over the hotel. But there was no time for sticking around, and the hunter in my mind snarled in anticipation as I ghosted out the doors and into the parking lot of the hotel.

Instead of heading back to my car that was sitting in the nearly empty parking lot I crossed the road quickly, glancing over my shoulder like a common criminal before slipping into the forest. The shadows greeted me like an old friend, welcoming me back into its embrace. The forest that had once been a salvation was there for me again, this time promising me something to satisfy my burning throat. Just the simple thought of blood, hot and wet, made the burn in my throat flare up, flames licking up its sides. But instead of being a pain, this time it was a reassurance, something that promised me that I was something different; something more than human. Not many people in this sleepy town could claim that.

A destructive smile lit my face as I leant down into my hunting crouch before pushing myself through the forest; a white blur hurtling through the forest, holding no more substance on the earth than a ghost. The wind that had been still was suddenly alive, pushing all the scents of the forest in my direction. It was simply overwhelming, everything coming at me at once. It took a while to organize my thoughts and to remind myself why I was here. And then the ultimate reminder arrived; the scent of a mountain lion, faint but persuasive on the breeze. It was an instinctive reaction; there was no thinking behind it. All of a sudden I was flying through the forest again, determined to find the source of the promising, if tangy, scent.

I broke through a circle of trees, barely pausing to ascertain where I was before throwing myself back into the depths of the forest, the shadows claiming me as theirs again. The scent that had been a trigger to my actions was now the only thing that was holding me to the earth; pulling me forward with abnormal force. And then suddenly there it was, the tawny hide of a large mountain lion standing out against the green of the forest. It was like a beacon, tempting me and taunting me at the same time. I breathed in deeply, letting the scent fill me up before I started my attack. I winced slightly as the scent registered with my senses, it wasn't like the scent of pure, sweet human at all; if anything it was the complete opposite, but it would sate my thirst. That thought alone, of being 'full', was what made me launch myself across the small space and onto the animals back. The lion jerked underneath me, it muscles tensing as it registered the weight that had suddenly settled onto its back. It only took one more second before it was twisting and turning, trying with all its might to flip me from its back. But even an animal should know that it was no match for me.

Only I could hear the sickening crunch of bone cracking as I snapped the poor beasts' neck but the reaction was visible, within seconds the animal had crumbled under my weight and was soon lying on the forest floor. It was now irresistible, I couldn't help myself – I struck. Even though the animal was dead my teeth automatically cut through the fat and sinews at the lions neck, drinking in an eager rush to get all the liquid into my body in the fastest time, like it was a race. However, after I was done, I was disgusted with myself. I looked down at my outfit; it was spotless, which was a good sign since it was my first time hunting. A small satisfied smile flickered across my ruby red lips before I looked down at the carcass of the lion, and it twisted into a repulsed look. I had done that to an innocent animal?

Regret and shame washed through my body, two emotions that I was familiar with, but never when they were together. My mouth mashed into a hard line as I looked back down at the lions body, trying to be objective about it, trying to think of how someone could do this whenever they needed. True, it was better than killing humans, but then again, I only killed the 'bad' humans; the pimps and their hoes, the rapists and serial killers, the drug dealers; in the hope that I could save someone else in the process. I had convinced myself that I was doing something better for humanity by taking away the 'bad people' but this animal hadn't asked for it, and definitely didn't expect it.

Frustration flooded my body and I twisted, kicking out with my leg until it collided with something solid, and I felt the wood as it bent around my bare foot. It felt good, letting out my anger and confusion on something that couldn't feel pain. I glanced up at the trunk and a small smile lit my face as I saw the very shape of my foot imprinted on the tree. Taking a deep breath I turned and fled, heading back to the safety of the hotel; away from all of this, away from the stuff that was only supposed to happen in stories.