Appetite (Prey #3)

by Carmen Rosales

“No man chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for happiness, the good he seeks.” MARY SHELLEY

Fear snakes through my body and overtakes me as I realize that no one is safe from their persecution. They are the persecutors. Both the devil and God have taken a back seat to the Consortium because they are not human, but these men are. They all have blood on their hands, which is normal to them. And now I’m part of them.

Mistakes you have made are filled with regret you cannot shed. Your hands slide over your skin, washing away filthy secrets you dare not tell. Eventually, they will burn your skin. That is the part of you that I will take away because every time you try to say the name across your lips, it never reaches that point, only digging yourself deeper into the soil until you make a grave for your soul. When you think it is over and the pain is dormant, I will always be there when you think I'm not. Watching you. I will always be where the darkness and the light meet, waiting until you realize I'm already there when you cannot see. Z

I wonder who keeps my little bird from flying. A cage was created just for her to keep her from being free. A predator grooming her for their selfish games. A manipulator. He walks among us, projecting the evil spirit of fear into Jess. Tormenting her. When I find him or what crevice he crawled out of, God can’t help him. Not even the devil. Because…I’m here.

My Dearest Sparrow, Some may perceive the villain as beyond redemption, but deep down, we all yearn for the same thing—to experience love or avenge it. And my love, that is precisely why I affectionately call you my little Sparrow, for you embody the essence of true love. No love surpasses the magnitude of what you mean to me, my beloved. There are no limits to what I would do for you. While you may have believed it was him at times, know that I was there too, by your side during your darkest moments. Even in the quietest moments, where silence prevails, I am there, unconditionally. The gentle touch of our intertwined fingers draws me closer to you, igniting a profound connection. He may represent light, and I, his shadow, yet it matters not, for we are inseparable and intertwined. You are an integral part of us, just as we are an intrinsic part of you. Across this lifetime and beyond, through the brightest days and the darkest nights, we shall forever be part of you. You are eternally cherished, our beloved. Eternally yours, Zero