Day three: it was raining. To Hannah (who once again found herself curled up in a ball, albeit a much looser one, one that allowed her to move her limbs around, to try and loosen them up from their stiffened, concrete-like state) it barely registered as a drizzle, even though her scruffy hair was wet, heavy and dripping like a waterfall from the soaking the rain was giving it.
However, Hannah couldn’t focus on the rain, the scientists, or any of her surroundings, once again; she was starving to death. Her breathing sounded painful and heavy, her eyes heavy, her body frail and quivering; It was as though she had become phobic of eating, as all attempts to feed her had failed. If she lasted another 24 hours, it would have been astonishing. The mood on the ground was weighed down by dread and sadness, as many of them had become fascinated by her, to be faced with her death was painful to say the least.
Courtney sat huddled over her desk, in her relocated office, with a half completed handwritten letter on it. She tapped her pen on the table, but the only thing she could hear was Hannah’s challenged and painful breathing, that for her spelled out the inevitable. Every stroke of the pen felt like she was stabbing Hannah’s family in the heart.
“Mr & Mrs Ingen
It fills my heart with a deep sadness to inform you of the death of your beautiful daughter, Hannah. You will no doubt be aware of the distressing circumstances placed on her in her last days of life, circumstances which I can say in all honasty that she faced with bravery and courage that was beyond admirable.
At ___, on the ___ of ___, Hannah Elizabeth Ingen passed away, as a result of starvation. While such a remarkable subject will require further studying and observation for scientific purposes, we intend to give as much control to your family over her laying to rest as humanly possible.
The world is a lesser place for having lost such a young, beautiful and vibrant woman. As a mother of two children around Hannah’s age, I can only imagine the unspeakable pain you must feel at this news…”
Courtney’s mind lingered on the letter thus far. Her fingers scanned the paper, as her eyes fogged up, knowing her parents would actually have to read it.
Honesty is spelt wrong…
Courage and bravery are the same things…
Subject is too cold a word…
Scrunching up the letter stressfully, she started on her 8th draft, holding her head in her hands, before placing the black fountain pen on the paper, sombrely. Though Courtney’s eyes were heavy, they were not as heavy as the feeling of guilt that assaulted her every sense, knowing that there were still more letters of consolation to write, to Hannah’s siblings.
Hannah’s eyes wandered over to the specks that darted around her, focusing on them with a wide gaze. Trying desperately to distract herself from the pain, Hannah tried to count them all, but her pain was such that she never got past twenty without being put off. The only thing she could tell was that there were hundreds of them.
Out screeched a prolonged, pained squeal from Hannah’s belly, each rumble bringing her not only closer to death, but also to insanity. With each growl, her glare at the scientists became harder and her eyes became wider, as though they were starting to look, in some strange way, appealing…
Courtney stepped out of her office for some fresh air, in the back of her mind she knew that this would be the last time she would see Hannah. And, in a way, she wasn’t wrong… She wandered over to the platform, tapping the microphone, arbitrarily trying to urge her to eat; a new truck full of meat was parked right by her, ready for consumption… yet she hardly even noticed it. It simply sat there, waiting to be devoured.
The news of the photographer’s death had gotten out and, though the giantess herself had been spared from the reports, they were far from positive, with most portraying it as a cold blooded murder rather than a freak accident. The ground team knew there was no malicious intent behind it, though, but many were unnerved by her unsympathetic attitude. Whatever the case, the smear remained on her sole remained as a monument for all to contemplate.
The scientists no longer looked like people to Hannah; instead, they resembled the nameless and shapeless forms that populated the restaurant she used to work in. More things than people… many with some nice looking meat on them…
“Hannah… you know, my eldest daughter is fascinated by you. I was on the phone with her a minute ago, she’s a student of biology, you see… and she said in all honesty to me that you’re one of the, no, the most fascinating things in history.” Courtney rambled. “It would be a loss for everyone if you were to kill yourself… so, not just for your sake, have something to eat…” she begged sincerely.
Hannah, after hours of inactivity bar a few twitches and pained, scrunched faces, nodded and spoke for the first time in three days. “O…okay… I just want… food…” she boomed in a small, but also colossal tone, clearly unable to focus on her words. Her voice became deeper and rougher as the spoke. The entire ground team let out an audible cheer, overjoyed with the prospect of a new hope. “Hannah, you have no idea how overjoyed that makes all of us… Just pick up the truck, and eat the meat… its warm, succulent and lean… we promise” Courtney assured and instructed.
Hannah shook her head, releasing her arms from the ball she was curled up in. A toothy grin spread on her face as she spread out her body, regardless of the pain it was in, so her posture looked like that of a spider. “I don’t want that food…” she coarsely stated, in the voice of a madwoman. The tone of the ground team changed from joy to panic, in one fell swoop. “Hannah…darling… that’s the only food we have for you right now…” Courtney explained as she backed up. “Careful, Hannah!” she shouted, as her foot bulldozed through a research facility, the population of it only just avoiding the humid mass of flesh. Hannah’s mental state was such that she didn’t much care what she demolished.
“You’ve got food…” Hannah demanded, having completely snapped at this point. “Stop this, Hannah… we know this is a hard time for you, but…” she appealed desperately, before being cut off. The atmosphere on the ground could be cut with a knife, with many already sprinting like panthers out of there. “You ARE food!” Hannah delivered, coldly and brutally, the soft spoken, easy going girl of three days ago having been replaced with a carnivorous monster.
Hannah’s hand swiped down catching many scientists in her hand. She gazed at them squirming in her hand for a few seconds, before tumbling each one into her monstrous mouth. She gave a satisfied groan at their taste. Seeing another group running for their lives, she laughed out loud, in a hysterical tone, as they too were swiped up in the prison that was Hannah’s grip, and before they even knew what was going on, they were sent catapulted into the execution chamber that was her stomach. They all squirmed and fought against her island-like tongue, which within moments coated them all in thick, gloopy saliva. They called for help as they were flushed down her throat.
Hannah crawled and stretched over the outposts like a dancer, her hand closing in on any would be meals, eating them without mercy or discrimination. She gained a certain pleasure from listening to the scream in terror of her incomparable strength. She tore open roofs, knocked over the makeshift buildings, and loomed her hand over those that were clearly already caught. It was as though Hannah wasn’t in control of her own actions, in fact, what she had become could hardly be called Hannah…
Certain pieces of meat put up far less of a fight, almost like they were surrendering themselves… They squirmed and fought, but it was absolutely minimal.
Hannah’s orb like eyes pierced Courtney heart, staring directly into her. She wasn’t far enough away from Hannah; her fate was sealed. In a slow, taunting swipe downwards, she was taken up in her gigantic, inescapable palm. As Hannah’s maw opened, a rope of saliva connected her bottom and top lip. All Courtney could really do was glare in horror. “Hannah… please, stop!” she cried, before she too was immersed in the darkness of her mouth, with the other pieces of screaming, panicking, living meat. As the deafening tones of gulping rang out, Courtney gave a small “Please…” in a sad, but accepting tone. She knew this was a possibility, and in the deepest recesses of her mind, she was honoured to be one of her first meals. But, it was a hidden corner, bathed in darkness, just like the abyss she was irreversibly headed to.
Hannah didn’t bother to savour them, but the taste that did massage her taste buds was glorious; full, rich and tangy. The way they squirmed in her mouth, throat and stomach was delightful, though she only focused on the consuming of them.
A few meals later, the hulking woman scanned around for stragglers, but found none, bar a very small number that had miraculously escaped, the ones that were thankfully next to a vehicle when the slaughter began. Her belly rumbled and groaned in approval; at last it was filled with delicious food! But, as heavy as her belly was, her conscience was becoming far weightier. The monster was returning to its dungeon, deep within Hannah’s heart, and it was starting to register to her what she had done…
She had doomed hundreds of people in a few seconds. She let out a small, terrified gasp, and struggled to breathe for a few seconds. She toppled forwards, pressing down on the ground; she felt like she was going to throw up. But, as much as she tried to force it, nothing came out, bar a deep, violent gagging. After a few moments of panting, she pushed herself back up to a sitting, curled up position.
The silence allowed her to contemplate the event further. She held her head heavily in her hands, closing her eyes.
I ate people… living, breathing people… I doomed them... but I didn’t really… they must have known it was a possibility… but they were still people… I’m… a cannibal… but I’m not really, surely… surely I’m barely even the same species as them any more…
Hannah sighed sadly, before letting flow sorrowful tears, for all the lives she just ended, and for the life she knew she had to leave behind.