I tapped my knuckles on Wastia's door. My feet fidgetted every once in awhile, but I had to get this off my chest. I've screwed up too many times, and it's only been two days. I had to fix this before it got worse.

Another knock, but still no response. Tingles rose up my arms as anxious thoughts seeped in my head. To calm myself, I paced in endless circles. What if she was ignoring me? Were there rules I had to follow as an undead? Did I break them?

I sighed, placing my palm on the knob. Apologies felt strange coming from me, but I had to swallow my pride. "Listen, I'm sorry for everything that happened when we first met. Can we start over?"

Silence. Maybe she was in Styke's room. Charles did mention them shacking up together a few times. Wait, then I shouldn't disturb them, right? Ah, hell―now's not the time for that!

Instead of bothering the possible couple, I headed for Charles' room. He had to be here; wasn't he supposed to guard me or something?

After a quick series of knocks, I called, "Aye Charles, you in there?"

I laid my ear on the door, just in case he was shuffling around. Nothing here, either. Damn, guess I had no choice. Moving my gaze to the only dreaded choice I had left, I tiptoed towards the room I saw Styke go in last night.

What if they were going at it, right this minute? Oh man, Wastia would kill me, then Styke would stick my innards up as halloween ornaments. Shivers went down my spine. Regardless, I had to know if they were angry. Those two can bang some other time; this is more important.

Eyes closed, I mustered up my courage, took a deep breath, and banged on his door. Even after knocking one more time, all was silent. Despite my worry, I couldn't help breathing out in relief. There weren't in, which meant my ass was safe.

But then, where were they? I groaned, treading down the halls in hopes of spotting Wastia's pixie cut or the boys' odd bodies. More closed doors and slightly dimmed lights only caught my eye. It was no use; they weren't here. I had to look somewhere else.

After circling the floor once more, I headed for the elevator and jabbed the down button. Doors to my left slid open. I rushed in only to bump into someone trying to get out. Dammit!

"I'm sorry," I grumbled, tapping my foot with rising impatience. I then faced her. Ah, she was the lady dressed in lavender from before. Today she wore a floral dress and a red hat to match. Hopefully she wasn't too angry.

She shook her head and chuckled. "Oh, no problem; I'm fine. Is everything alright?"

"Yes but... have you seen the group I was with the other day?" I guessed she was a resident. Surely she knew something. I scratched the back of my head, sighing. "I just woke up, and I can't find them."

She froze. Her hand wrapped around her chin, a finger caressing it while she hummed. "Ah, if I remember correctly, I saw them early this morning. They mentioned those nasty savages, so I believe they went out to―ahem―eat."

Her shifting gaze sent my mind on alert. To eat, huh... so that was it. Were they keeping those sweet treats to themselves?! Before the elevator could leave the floor, I hit the down button again. They were so dead if I didn't get a piece.

"Thank you Ms... oh, my apologies. I'm Lulu O'brian. You are?" I asked just as the doors slid open.

The woman glanced behind me, then shook her head. "My name is Gabriel Parker. You can just call me Ms. Gabby, if you want."

"I see. Nice to see you again, Ms. Gabby!" With a wave and a smile, I stepped in the elevator and pressed the button for the lobby. Once the doors closed, I scowled. They'd better save me something good.

If they were eating savages already, why didn't they wake me up? How rude. Though, they didn't need to let me follow them like a hungry cat. I wasn't even sure if they would keep their part of the deal. Not like I had much to offer. Charles' must've just wanted to offer sympathy then. Otherwise, they had no obligation. On one hand it was great they took me in, but on the other I knew I would always need to step over eggshells with them. How could I gain their trust, and when―

There was a ding, then the doors opened. Guess I could worry about all that later. I shook those thoughts away with my head, then headed for the food court. You couldn't eat sweets without proper tableware, after all.

Forks and spoons clanged with bowls and plates. Residents stocked up on all sorts of meats and treats in the food court. Sugary goods infiltrated my nostrils, but I plugged my nose to keep from getting distracted.

Instead of looking to the rows of desserts waiting to slide down my throat, I scanned for the trio. Avoiding kids running around and slipping past slow-moving people didn't make a difference; no matter how far I walked in, they were nowhere to be found.

With a sigh, I sprinted out before my greed got the better of me. Every step gave way to my previously adorable pumps flip-floping under my feet. Damn, I was just at the mall and didn't even get new shoes. Another reason I had to find them―I needed an escort. If I woke up earlier, this wouldn't be a problem... but they were right; I needed rest.

Still, I should throw these away. They didn't serve much purpose like this, and Dib's teeth marks ruined the design. That dipshit had no fashion sense, jeez.

"Excuse me," I called to the woman at the reception desk, "do you know where I can find a nearby dumpster?"

She nodded,  "There are a few behind the hotel, actually." She leaned forward and gestured her instructions. "Just turn right after you leave, and they'll be at the end of the alleyway on another right."

Gee, that sounded safe. I quickly took my shoes off and backed away. "Thanks!"

"No problem."

Once I saw her return to work, I went in the revolving doors and pushed forward. The chilly winds brushed against my skin as I left. After adjusting my grip on the shoes, I followed the directions.

Weeds climbing walls met my gaze when I turned down the alley. A small gasp left my lips. Somehow, despite being surrounded by death, plants still clung on to life. Maybe there was a reason for me other than Jack, too.

Anyways, shoes. Stay focused. I marched down the alley, resolve hardened. Wet cobblestone left traces of water droplets and moss on my soles. I grimaced, but continued.

A mix of urine, alcohol and trash burned into my nose the further I went. Regardless, these shoes had to go. Maybe if I was lucky, I'd find a new pair and scrub it clean.

Voices reached my ears. They sounded familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Straightening my posture, I reached the corner only to catch wind of Wastia's rough grumbles. The sound stopped me in my tracks. What were they doing here?

"―like this," she uttered.

It sounded like she was chewing on something... oh! I was supposed to look for them and completely forgot, dammit. Well, this worked out well. I found them in the act, so they had no choice but to―

"Why didn't you let me tell her?" she continued after swallowing. "It's not like she won't realize it eventually."

Something ripped. All of this cracking, squishing and squirting... I bet whatever they were eating tasted amazing. A quick wiff confirmed my thoughts: sugary, sweet scents met my nose. I licked my lips, sticking close to the wall. This was my moment to apologize, so what was I doing? More importantly, were they gossiping about me?

Someone else sighed. After a moment of silence, Charles replied, "I know, man. I just... didn't want to make her feel worse. It looked like she went through a lot."

It sounded like someone hit the ground. "We all have, but that isn't the point. Why not tell her sooner, while she's still fresh?"

Was I gaining weight or something? They could've just said it straight out. But this seemed a lot more tense than usual. I leaned a smidge closer. Saliva covered the back of my throat.

Finally, Styke spoke up. His tone sliced through the tension in a jagged manner. "There's no easy way to do this. I say we don't." He stopped to take a bite. "She thought he was a savage, right? Her assumptions could help us."

Assumptions? What did he mean?

"No!" Wastia's refusal rattled in my ears. She must've stood. "That's dangerous. If Lucille finds out we're lying to her―and trust me, she will―she may rat us out to the savages. This is why we don't take in newbies!"

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Charles' voice quivered. After a sniff and a swallow, he continued, "Tell her who she ate?"

My shoes slipped from my fingers. No, that wasn't true. Dib... Dib was a case of starvation and self-defense. That was it. They were lying; they had to be. Or... lying about lying? My throat was itchy. I tried taking a step back, but my legs betrayed me. They stood in place until I stumbled forward, into the trio's view.

Wastia let out a groan. "Yes! That's exactly what I've been saying―oh."

No matter how much I longed to say anything, nothing came out. My lips gaped like a fish fresh out of water. After a gulp, I mumbled, "So they're inside me, right now?"

My gaze lingered on my bulging stomach. Were the people I ate really innocent like he said? Did that make me a... a savage? No. No, no, no, they had to be joking.

"That's a lie." Hesitant laughter left my mouth. Fire licked my throat dry. I shook my head, staring daggers into my grumbling gut. "I... I have to get this out. The food."

I reached for my face, silently holding my mouth open with one trembling hand and poking around for my uvula with the other. My breath was ragged, cold. I had to get the meat out. Where was the uvula? Hurry up and puke!

My nails scratched skin off my mouth's inside. Just a little further. Then I wouldn't be disgusting anymore. Jack would come back. All I had to do was reach, and the truth would come to light.

"Lulu!" Charles yelled, bringing my vacant stare to his face. He looking away, skin growing more pale with each passing second. "I... wait, what are you doing?"

At the realization, he sprinted for me. The dead man's jaw swung even now as he ran. "Don't!"

None of them understood. I had a solution! Shaking my head, I turned to escape. If he wouldn't let me do this, I had to do it where he couldn't reach me. But he gripped onto my arm before I could bolt. Dammit! I struggled against him, but he wouldn't fucking budge.

Instead, Charles latched on tighter than a bloodsucking leech. "I said stop, you idiot!" he said before pulling my wrists.

No, what was he doing! Though, now that my hands were free, I used them to shove him back. "I'll show you," I spat while wrestling to put one back in my mouth, "There's proof, I just need to get the food out, see?"

Saliva dripped down his cringing face. He curled his forehead with wrinkles and scrunched up his nose. Charles sighed before reaching for my arms again. "That... won't... work!"

My fingers were inches away from touching my tongue, but Charles halted it from going further. At this rate, my food would digest before they saw anything. I was not going to let this go. "Why are you stopping me?" I screamed. That alcoholic's savage meat was in there somewhere. "That must mean I was right; you're all liars!"

His arms' muscles clenched when he scowled. "And you're being a dumbass."

"No, let her." At Wastia's voice, we twisted our heads in her direction. She adjusted her shirt, then continued, "The quicker this ends, the better."

Charles' hands loosened. "But Wasty..."

I glanced between the two. Wastia lifted her chin while wearing a grimace. Charles, on the other hand, rose his brows as a small frown curved his lips down. My gaze shifted to his arms, that were now relaxed. A smile creeped on my face. With him distracted, I could do it! Slipping my fingers free, I thrusted them down my throat.