AN: Inspiration! With Halloween right around the corner, a crap load of schoolwork, community service, and robotics season all taking a little break I can write again! Just a bit of a warning this one's kinda creepy and possibly a bit… different from my other stuff. Anyho', "After the Pain" will be updated next. I kinda lost my little character list and it messed with the flow of things. On to the story!
That Time Again
They had all noticed how pale he had been recently. How the dark circles under his eyes suddenly seemed more pronounced and he seemed to be thinner than ever.
"Has he been sleeping…or eating?" Chief Mechanic Murdoch whispered questioningly to a lower ranking, possibly new, mechanic.
"Haven't been able to tell. I don't think I've seen him leave the hangar in the past few days."
"Few days?"
"Since the eighteenth, I believe."
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Kira was tired. Any attempt at sleep had been an utter failure and he was forced to face the truth. The insomnia was back.
"It's about that time of year again."
He was hungry. Not just "I might be a little bit hungry", but full-blown ravenous. But he couldn't leave the hangar. Not quite yet.
"Wait for it to pass. Gotta wait."
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He was vaguely aware of the orange clad mechanic asking if he was all right. Vaguely.
Tsk. The new guy stayed alone in the hangar at night. How stupid could you get? Normally, he'd tell the new guy about the dangers of staying in a dangerous place like this alone. Normally. Too bad he wasn't exactly himself at the moment.
"You alright, kid?"
Normally kind, violet eyes snapped open with a sinister gleam.
"I'm not a kid," he growled with a predatory grin.
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It wasn't unheard of for a new guy to not show up again after a few weeks. A spot on the Archangel crew was usually only temporary, a rung in the ladder to get to the next step. Therefore when one of their own didn't show, the mechanics assumed he had gotten his transfer orders. A quick glance into the system only reinforced what they all already knew.
"See Chief," Miriallia smiled " Ensign Rarrl's transfer orders came through at o'six hundred hours, to take effect immediately."
Murdoch still wasn't entirely convinced, but he let it drop and pushed it to the back of his mind.
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She tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for an explanation.
"Well"
"I was hungry. I lost control," he stated.
"You can't just go around baring your fangs and attacking everyone that crosses you. You'll risk exposing us all," Miriallia retorted.
Kira slowly nodded already feeling better with his hunger newly abated.
"I'll try to control myself next time," he muttered under his breath.
She sighed, unable to stay angry with him any longer.
"At least you covered your tracks. Nice touch with the transfer orders."
"And no one's going to try to check up on those orders?" she inquired.
"If they do, they'll find out he was killed in action."
"Not too far from the truth."
"I know."
Both grinned darkly.
Yes, it was that time of year. Feeding time.
And there had been enough to satisfy both of them.
At least until next year.