Sick Child - MarkoxOC

Part 33: hands down

The boys, with Laddie in tow, flee into the night, leaving Star and Sofie alone with only the sound of the television to fill the empty space between them. Star seems apprehensive, flinching like a prey animal when Sofie moves too fast. Sofie does her best to make her feel more at ease. Eventually, she gets up to rummage through the old filing cabinets in the lobby, cursing under her breath. Star turns in her chair and peers over the back of the couch, her brown eyes wide with curiosity.

"What are you doing?" She asks.

"Trying to find Paul's weed."

She begins to tear apart the cabinets and tip over crates and boxes leaving miniature disasters in her wake. She'd feel bad about making such a mess, but this place already looks like a hurricane hit it. Twice. She creeps around the lobby, running her fingers over stones for secret hiding places while Star watches, entirely immersed in Sofie's journey. Sofie sniffs and turns her head toward a small pile of rocks in the far corner of the cave behind David's wheelchair. She stalks the scent like an animal. Not being able to hunt well has really gotten to her. She knows she looks ridiculous slinking across the room like a lion just to get a bag of weed, but it keeps her predatory muscles flexed. She kicks the pile of rocks to the side and finds a huge bag of weed complete with rolling papers and lets out an enormous squeal.

"How did you find that?" Star asks.

Sofie taps her nose.

"Better than a bloodhound," she quips as she crouches down to scoop up the bag. Sofie takes a few nuggets, a small silver grinder, and the rolling papers and tosses the rest back down onto the rock pile before. She sinks into the couch and begins to roll a joint. Her movements are smoother, faster, and more graceful than they were when she was human. Star watches as she seals the rolling paper and sparks the joint, inhaling deeply and holding it in her lungs before passing it over. Star takes a much smaller inhale and coughs, delicately covering her mouth with her hand. Sofie grins and relaxes. Her eyelids start to droop as the high begins to take hold, embracing her like an old friend. She turns her head and bites her lip.

"Have you thought about it?"

Star nods.

"What's it like?"

"It doesn't hurt."

Star frowns.

"That's not what I mean. David didn't talk about how it...feels."

Probably because David enjoys it. Sofie can see the maelstrom of malice, excitement, and joy in his eyes when he hunts. He's fully embraced what he is, but there's nothing he can say to Star that's going to make taking a life sound appealing. She doesn't understand the hunger, the compulsion to give into something that is so dark and animal because it's necessary for your survival. If Marko had tried to explain it to Sofie before he turned her, she wouldn't have believed him. Sofie runs a hand through her hair.

"It's more of a necessity than anything else. You just kind of get used to it. Your survival instinct replaces the guilt."

"Couldn't you just feed off of animals?" Star asks.

"I don't think so."

Star is quiet.

"Did you feel guilty the first time you..."

"Killed someone?"

"Yeah."

Sofie nods. She tried not to let it show, but the guilt was like a knife to the gut. It was poisonous. The night replayed over and over in her head; in her dreams, but eventually, the guilt passed like a storm. The sky was clear again and she could sleep without the heaviness in her heart. Star takes a long drag from the joint before passing it back.