Anne’s blood-stained hospital gown stuck to her body as she stood drenched and unmoving, facing the approaching monstrosity. Her body was freezing except for the warm, crimson streaks flowing down her sides and face. The bandages that had once covered her body where her arms were ripped off had slid down onto a small heap on the ground.

“Give me back my brother!” Anne yelled. A hot and unrelenting feeling was writhing inside of her.

This feeling. This feels new, yet not. It’s hard to control. Hard to think. I want to make this monster bleed.

A horrible grin was stretched across the brute’s face, which was the first change from the blank and lifeless look it usually wore.

“Where ha …?”

The distance between them was gone. Anne dropped to one knee as the brute swung its weapon. The steel strut ripped through the air letting out a low whistle, passing just over the top of Anne’s head. She rolled sideways at once as the second swing came straight down, crashing hard against the concrete floor and sending splinters flying in every direction. They were dangerously close to the edge of the roof.

Thrusting its head up into the air, it let out a rough laugh that sent bone-chilling waves rippling through Anne’s body.

Now.

Anne ran forward and jumped, throwing herself at the hulking man’s face. Her eyes were flaring, and her hair waved in the wind.

“I will not let you have him!” Anne screamed.

It looked back down just as Anne was inches from him. It tried to dodge. It was too slow. She managed to reach its big right ear as he tried to evade her, and bit into it as hard as she could. She could feel her teeth sink into its leathery skin, and then the warm rush of blood that drenched her mouth. She struggles not to choke as a pungent metallic taste floods her senses.

This is… No! This is not good. No! Why?

The grunt gave an angry growl and flailed his arms, trying to grab onto her, but it could not lift its oversized and twisted shoulders high enough to reach her. It jerked its head, flinging Anne hard into the ground and knocking the air out of her lungs. Her head was throbbing and everything around her was melting into one big ocean of nothing.

Why? Why do I want more? Why does this feel so invigorating? Something… in me… is enjoying this.

She was spitting out a chunk of ear as she struggled to her feet, coughing and gasping for breath when pain erupted from her side. It had swung again, but this time it hit its mark, breaking a few ribs and sending Anne flying. Anne hit the ground several feet away, rolled through a few shallow puddles and skid to a stop.

She struggled back onto her feet with the little stamina she has left. Her body was trembling furiously as anger filled her every corner.

“You!” Anne growled through her gritted teeth.

Abandoning all reason, she runs at the giant man with everything she has and leaps high into the air. Lightning cracked through the sky, bathing the world in a blanket of light; every feature of the man’s cruel face looking up at her was etched into her mind. With bared teeth, she descended the short distance to her foe with every fiber of her being lusting to rip it’s throat out.

Then everything stopped.

The brute gave a triumphant grunt as Anne dangled from its weapon; the steel beam had pierced straight through her left chest.

Anne choked as she stared at the strut, her blood flowing down it and darkening the cold steel.

Remember.

She felt no pain. Her body was freezing.

The giant man lifted his prize, making Anne’s limp body slide gently down the length of the weapon until they were face to face.

Anne felt her consciousness fade. She could only see the dead white eyes staring through her, and warm breathing blowing against her face. The end of the roof was getting closer as the man carried her to the edge.

Kill.

Anne screamed as power surged through her. Her mind and body were breaking under immense pain. She felt encased in a raging inferno, and black smoke was seeping from her skin. She grabbed the giant’s head in front of her and dug her nails into its skull.

CRACK!

The giant monstrosity dropped dead with a loud crash and Anne collapsed beside him. It laid twitching with its crushed skull bleeding out on the ground. She grabbed the piece of steel protruding out of her chest and pulled it out in large and gory stretches, then threw it aside, sending the metal beam whirling off into the distance.

The storm had stopped, and the setting sun was peeking out behind the clouds on the horizon, basking her in sunlight. The dark smoke that had engulfed her dissipated. Her anger was gone, replaced by dreadful awareness.

Tom… what am I?

She swayed on her knees on the very edge of the roof. The thick scarlet red scales on her arms were shining brightly in the sunlight and blood from the grunt’s head was dripping down her black claws.

All her energy disappeared as quickly as it came, and she fell forward, down the side of the building and into the thick mist below.