In that split second, Seraphine couldn't tell which was more terrifying: the thing slowly crawling toward her, or realizing she had no clue where she was.
This had to be a nightmare!
The creature was like a rat, but not quite. Big as a German Shepherd, with patchy wet fur, it squeaked and clawed its way out of the garbage pile just yards from her. Those red eyes burned with hunger in the dim light.
Scritch, scritch.
The creature crept forward, never taking its eyes off her. Sharp, hooked claws scraped against the rotting waste, making her skin crawl.
Meeting her terrified gaze, it bared its teeth, showing razor-sharp teeth stained with bits of flesh that caught the red light.
One second. Two seconds...
"SCREEEEE!"
A horrible shriek cut through the air. The thing launched itself straight at her.
Seraphine froze, her whole body turning cold.
This couldn't be real!
That ear-splitting screech got closer and closer.
Move. She had to move!
Her mind screamed, but her legs wouldn't listen.
Only when the rotting stench of the creature got close enough to choke her...
MOVE!
Survival kicked in. Seraphine screamed and ran, her pale nightgown flowing behind her as she weaved through the stinking garbage piles.
She pushed herself harder than she'd ever run before. For a moment, hope fluttered in her chest as the creature's cries grew fainter. But after barely a minute, fire shot through her legs and lungs.
She was going to collapse.
God, why hadn't she ever exercised?!! Seraphine had never regretted anything this much in her life.
Under that blood-red sky, between garbage piles tall as buildings, a small figure fled for her life while a monster hunted her down. Garbage flew with every step they took.
"Help me! HELP!!!" The girl's scream echoed across the junkyard. Blood from her soles marked the dirt with every step.
Seraphine knew exactly what would happen if she stopped.
The rat-thing wasn't fast, but its claws could slice through metal like butter. One swipe, and she'd be split in half, just like the lab creatures Mom used to cut open.
But she couldn't keep running.
Her calves burned. Her lungs felt like they were about to burst.
This fragile body was giving out!!!
Five minutes in, the girl tripped over a rusty pipe jutting out of the garbage. She hit the ground hard, her hands sinking into something soft.
Squishy. Black. Rotting.
Something that looked like a human head…
No! Not just looked like. It actually was one!
A rotting human head. Maggots squirmed between her fingers. The stench was worse than anything she'd ever smelled in the lab.
She scrambled up in horror.
Too late!
The rat-thing had caught up to her. It pounced with a shriek. Thunk. Razor claws punched through the thin nightgown, right into her back.
It slammed her into the slimy ground. Rot and filth rushed into her mouth and nose. Gasping for breath, Seraphine coughed hard, then screamed at the top of her lungs, praying that someone—anyone—would hear her.
"HELP!!!"
But no one came. The only reply was the thing's hungry snarl above her.
The creature shrieked with joy, driving the claws deeper into her back. Warm blood gushed out. Without a second's pause, it opened its jaws wide in excitement.
Pure instinct made Seraphine roll sideways. The killing bite meant for her throat caught her shoulder instead. Not that it mattered—those saw-like teeth still tore into her flesh.
"AHHHH!"
Once again, she screamed. But this time, it mixed with the awful sound of meat being ripped apart.
Everything hurt…
Seraphine almost bit through her tongue from the pain. She thrashed wildly, trying to push the thing on her back off. But her struggles only made it even more bloodthirsty.
Thunk. Impatient now, the creature drove its claws straight through her back, out her chest, and deep into the dirt below.
Silence.
The girl's scream cut off suddenly. Her body froze, then crumpled. Blood bubbled in her throat, dripping onto the dirt and mixing with the rotting corpses.
Hot blood flowed out of her, pulse by pulse.
Cold.
It was cold. Seraphine stared blankly into nothing, wondering why she was so cold.
French autumns were supposed to be mild.
Was she even still in France? Ridiculous. The castle couldn't just pack up and move to another country. She'd stopped daydreaming about Howl's Moving Castle when she turned thirteen.
Hold on… What was that sound? A wet, sucking noise. Like a giant bee drinking nectar…
Her lifeless eyes were suddenly filled with terror. Not a bee drinking nectar—the rat-thing. It was feeding on her blood with manic excitement.
Like an addict who'd found their last fix.
Cold crept through Seraphine's body. Darkness edged her vision. She wanted to fight—wanted to crawl forward, grab that piece of metal nearby, and drive it deep into the disgusting thing on her back.
Just as the brave heroines in those novels the maids used to lend her.
But she couldn't move.
Her body was shutting down, like someone had flooded her with anesthesia. The pain faded. Even her thoughts were slipping away.
As darkness closed in, Seraphine heard footsteps crunching through the garbage.
Another creature coming to share the meal?
Mom...
Was Mom coming to save her?
A woman's voice cut through the air, cold and mocking:
"Seriously? Taken down by a pathetic rat? What a joke."
Not Mom. Not another rat either, Seraphine realized dimly.
The world went black.