(Jasper's POV.)
As I turned to wave goodbye one last time to Peter and Charlotte, I felt a sharp pang of guilt. They were the ones who saved me from an even more wretched existence than I was already damned to. They had accepted my depression and taken care of me the best they could when I was with them. I also felt the guilt because I could feel their sympathy towards me. Remembering the whole 'I-share-feelings-with-everyone-in-a-ten-mile-radius' thing, I quickly hid my own feelings and sent out a feeling of content-ness. I could see that my leaving was going to cause them pain, but I knew that me staying would cause them an even greater pain. When I could not control it, they could feel my agonizing depression just as I could feel their every emotion. It wasn't fair to them. So I held my own and walked in the opposite direction, for once not feeling anything but the bittersweet numbness radiating from somewhere inside me.
I wasn't sure how long I had been walking. Minutes? Days? Decades? It didn't actually matter to me anymore. Everything I had known was starting to blend together and lose its meaning. I didn't really feel anything anymore.
Except the thirst. I could feel the thirst with every ounce of my indestructible being. I could the yearning, the need, from deep within my core. I could feel the burning in my throat with every passing second. It didn't smell, or look, as if I was anywhere within a close proximity of a city. And I wasn't about to resort to the near-by wildlife. So I broke out into a run.
After some time, I began to see a glimpse of a clearing ahead. As I began to sprint, the monster in my head was rejoicing. That's when all the smells started to hit me: The smell of gasoline, a diner a few miles off, a lemon tree, and best of all -- humans. Or rather, human. I could only smell the closest human to me: about 2.6 miles from where I was standing. I became intoxicated with the scent, letting my darker instincts take over. Venom started to pool in my mouth. The yearning in the back of my throat turned into a full-fledged wildfire that I could feel with every atom in my body. The voice in my head was screaming at me to quench my thirst. A shiver went down my spine. I couldn't believe I'd let myself get so thirsty.
I didn't recall even thinking about running, but that's what I found myself doing. Two miles left. One and a half. One. I stopped to look at the human to plan my attack.
She was alone. There was no one near her within a few miles. She was advanced in her age, for a human. Very frail. I started running again.
As I approached the woman, I saw that she was sitting on a park bench, facing sideways to me. Maybe I could sneak up on her and she wouldn't feel anything. She was obviously hard of hearing, so it shouldn't be a problem. Each step I toke towards her sent wave after wave of emotion through me. Sorrow, loneliness, grief. Multiplied by thousands. The woman had obviously lost someone close to her. Very close to her. I made my footsteps as quiet as possible as I slowly closed the distance between us. I was about 3 feet away when the human finally sensed me. She looked all around her, finally seeing me. Not only did I hear her gasp, but I could feel her awe as she took me in. I pitied her if only slightly, remembering a similar feeling when seeing Maria for the very first time. The woman had tired eyes, a weak heart, and graying hair. As she slowly came to the realization that she wouldn't be breathing much longer, two emotions were prominent to the rest: Recognition and relief.
She knew what I was, and she was relieved to be dying.
Author's Note: Ah, yes. The extremely short chapter strikes back! Well, this is only chapter one. And my weakest chapter at that. If anyone at all is interested in the posting of the second chapter, review or PM. Please & Thank You. -- G.