Hungerstone

by Kat Dunn

Wouldst thou like to live deliciously? The Witch

Oh my god

IT STARTS WITH BLOOD.

Oh my god again

“Carmilla Kernstein.” “Carmilla,” I say, tasting the syllables in my mouth. A little harsh, but with long, languorous vowels lingering between the lips.

YES

Carmilla’s eyes flash, and another strip of meat disappears between her teeth. “Oh, my appetite is quite satiated. Is yours?” “What exactly is wrong with you?” asks Henry, ignoring her question. “Henry!” “It is a reasonable question.” Carmilla watches us, her lips quirked in amusement.

CARMILLA

She leans forward. “I wonder for what you hunger, and whether you allow yourself to feel it.”

oH !

“I think you’d like to set this house on fire and take Henry’s money and never see him again. I think you are hungry.”

Shess hungry...im SALIVATING

There is something empty in me. I can feed and feed and feed it, but somehow, I am never satiated. There is one way in which Carmilla is right: I am hungry.

The cat paces closer, eyes flashing with some strange, dark light. She is monstrously long, and I know this is the creature that has sat upon my chest when I have woken before.

She can also turn into a cat?! New lore drop

Everyone about me seems slow and stupid, and if I am not in every place at once, ensuring each decision made is the most rational and logical, none of this will come together.

Real

am perplexed by her outburst. “We are nearly at the village. It is only a few minutes through the churchyard.” “Not that way.” Before I can speak, a blot of red appears above her lip. I frown. “Your nose is bleeding.”

More Lore

Only this image remains: the pastilles I have opened a hundred times, covered in white powder, and a paper bag with the mark of a poisoner.

OH my god

“Wanting is not selfish, Lenore.”

Damn control. Damn mastery. I want, I lack, I hunger. I will die like all mortal things. At least let me taste a little life before I go.