In the moonless night, my innards bleed, unable to regenerate. But my outside is bare and ready, for the hunt that is coming.
In the underbrush, I waited. My cat eyes lit the forest like the starry sky above. Two campers, both male are tucked comfortably inside their tent. I breathed. The smell of their musk hangs tightly in the air. My tentacles aren't here, but I could feel their famished call for a feast.
In a drop of coincidence, one tent opened. A man taller than me came out and walked behind a tree. I followed him with my cat-like paws that dampened the sound of crunching leaves. Beyond the darkness, his appearance is as clear as day. Hiking mountains sculpted his muscles like a Greek marble statue. His hair is black and falls curly beyond his ears. And as for his peeing dick, I could say that I'm already hungry to have that appendage.
In an instant, my form change to that of a swirling mass of tentacles. My tip was razor sharp bone that grew more sharper with speed. In a flash, I stabbed him from the back. He wants to scream but my tentacles wrapped tightly around his mouth. One tentacle found the bright idea to plunge itself inside his throat.
From his back wound, I entered. I entered him and filled him from the inside of his body. First from the arms, then the legs and finally I spread myself across his torso. The last of my tentacles found their way inside and filled his head and brain. My cells frothed and filled the remaining gaps. My form and his, fused into one being. From the darkness, I open my eyes. I was him. I breathed and smell and felt the large body I'm in.
I looked behind me and saw Steven with eyes filled with wonder. The gore that transpired never fazed him.
"Riance?" he asked.
"It's me." I smiled and Steven smiled too.
I returned back to camp and saw that the other tent is still closed. I tapped the flaps and called my friend John. Unlike my current form, John was a bit of a wimp. Even so, he'd be a good midnight snack. So when he opened those tent flaps, I stabbed him in the chest and absorbed him form the inside out. His body imploded bit by bit, until no part of him was left.
From their memories, I gathered that they are step-brothers. And with the same story, they had a feud between them. Their dad was tired of their senseless shenanigans so he tasked them to camp out here for a few days. He thought that camping brings out the good in people. But despite another day left before their dad comes back, none of their issues were fixed. Nevertheless, the step-brothers found peace inside of me.
Another memory told me that they had a stash of food in the cooler. Steven and I were famished so we dug them out and finished them in a typhoon of hunger. We slept in separate tents, cozy from the futons and satisfied with the food.
I woke up the next morning with Steven cooking rice and sausages. For a shit-smelling beggar, he's quite a nice cook.
"So what now?" I asked. My new voice sound sexy.
"We move. We can't stay here anyways."
"And why's that?"
"Coz' there's little food out here. And there's also no business."
"Business? You mean conning people?"
"Eh. They're pretty much the same thing. But yeah. So I'm planning on moving to the next city, Spokane."
"Never been there before."
"It's basically like other North East American city. Like brown buildings, Indians from the past and other historic shit."
"For a kid, you know your histories."
"What could you expect from the best and the brightest among stowaway."
I know what was a self-proclaimed title but who knows. He knows his way around these parts.
By the afternoon, we descend down the hills and into the town proper. My memories told me that I had a car parked at the ranger station. It was a small walk before we reached the car. And in that small span of time, we were out. Steven pointed the direction and I drove.
It was a long drive so we spent the time talking with one another.
"Where's your parents by the way?"
"I don't know. I was left in an orphanage and they never came back."
"You came from an orphanage? That sucks."
"You tell me about it. I'd rather live my life on the road than go back there."
"Is it that bad?"
"It used to be till I got used to the beating. I was 14 when they discharged me. Probably got tired of me."
"So what did you do next?"
"Oh I've been travelling here and there. Tried to beggar my way off things but any stowaway will tell you that isn't enough. So I tried other ways of getting money. But I found that conning people works best. And I'm doing it ever since."
It was a nice story to be honest, even though he's a scheming prick. If I were to escape B.E.G. his skills might provide useful.
"So what do you want to be when you grow up?" I asked.
"I haven't been thinking that as of now. I'm always thinking of the present like how to survive on a daily basis. The only time I think of the future is when I'm planning where I'll escape."
What he just said screams home to me. I don't even know if I'll live for thousands or perhaps millions of years. I'm nearly ninety years-old and I'm not feeling any signs of aging. I can still move, think and act like I was a few decades ago.
"I think we're the same, kid."
"Don't call me a kid man. I'm 18."
As we were winding down long stretches of road, Steven had something naughty within his mind. He creeped closer, put his hands around my chest and cusped them.
"You know, you look kind of handsome."
"Well thanks, I guess..." He fondled my nips which made my face flush red.
"I never touched a man before. Your chest is so hard."
"It sure is." I looked at my chest and they seem to bulge out of my body. With one hand, I touched them and squeezed them. "I feel good in this body."
"Oh yeah, that reminds me. What do you feel when you transform into other people?"
"What do I feel? I just feel like them. Like there's no change. As if I was them the whole time. I get their memories, their reflexes, likes and dislikes and even their mannerism."
"What about that guy?" Steven pointed at me.
"He likes women and hates his brother. He admires his father like a God but beyond that, he's afraid of him."
"Sheesh. That guy has issues."
"You tell me about it. At least he has a nice package down here."
Steven got the gist of it quickly.